Church Central – Decree

So guys, this message, we're continuing with our series on Church Central, Church Central,

and it's based on the premise that Ephesians 1.23 says in the message version that the

church is not peripheral to the world, but the world is peripheral to the church, and

the church is filled with the presence of Jesus Christ, and he speaks through the church,

he acts through the church, and he rules through the church. Ephesians 1.23,

regardless of whether you read the NIV or the message, the emphasis is stop thinking

that the church is peripheral to the world because we have been inundated with that kind

of thinking for years on end, and so we are always trying to get raptured out. Instead of

staying in and affecting the earth, we want to leave so that the earth can be left to its own.

So the next five messages are on Church Central because that I believe is our theme going into

2021, that the church, as in the body of Christ, is not peripheral to the world, but the world is

peripheral to the body of Christ, so the body of Christ is central. Today we want to talk about

the first aspect of it because last week we said there are five essentials if you want to become

the church central, there are five essentials, and we said the essentials were absolute authority,

that we need to recognize the absolute authority of Christ, that we need to recognize that we are

members of a body in a very covenantal sense, we talked about that. Then we talked about

the unstoppable mission of the church, which is where perhaps Acts 29 lags the most. Then we

talked about following at any cost, following Christ at any cost, and then the last one was

executing judgment, executing selfless judgment on his behalf, executing selfless judgment on his

behalf. These were the five essentials, and so today we'll deal with just one, and so we'll be

dealing with the first one, absolute authority, recognizing the absolute authority of Christ.

Only today we'll see how that absolute authority is so connected to the idea of divine decrees,

divine decrees as in a decree. This message will wait for us, this message will wait for us,

and it will test and prove our faithfulness. What do I mean by a message will wait for us? This is

a message God wants us to walk towards. It is not a message that we can become today or tomorrow,

but it is a message that will wait for us, and it will test our faithfulness. It bothers me to

preach this message. It bothers me to preach this message because it will test our faithfulness,

it will prove our faithfulness not as Jacob, but as a corporate body whether we will be able to

wear this garment that at present is too big for us that we will have to fill at a certain stage,

and it's not five years from now. We'll have to get there faster, so I want to say that again,

this message will wait for us and test or prove our faithfulness, and I pray God that we as a

body will be able to walk and fill this because one person cannot. So today we talk about absolute

authority and divine decrees, absolute authority and divine decrees. Just to go over what we looked

at last week with regard to authority, we said all authority and all things have been handed

to Jesus. I'll try and go slow so that we can actually ponder on it that all authority in heaven

and in earth belongs to one person only, and that is Jesus Christ. All authority. I want to make

the statement which is the more you think of it the more it blows you away. Power does not belong

to anyone on earth. Authority and power, they do not belong to anyone on earth. Authority does not

belong to anyone on earth. Nobody on earth has power. Nobody on earth has power. All authority

and all power belong to Jesus Christ. Matthew 28 verse 18. John 3 35, the father loves the son

Matthew 28:18

and has handed all things over to him. All things over to him. The father loves the son and has

handed all things, everything from the eight legs of a spider to the veins on a leaf. All things,

all things have been handed to Jesus Christ. Guys, I want you to know that power and authority

doesn't belong to anyone on earth. There is nobody on earth that has any power or authority. Whatever

they have is what has been given to them and is taken away. It belongs to one and that is Christ

alone. The more we understand this, the more the church will begin to know how to be central and

how to see everything else as peripheral because Jesus Christ both indwells and fills, acts, speaks

and rules through the body of which he is the head for the body. Ephesians 1 21 22 and 23 in

particular. Everything that is created is created through him and upheld or sustained by him. Every

breath that Biden breathes, every move that Trump makes, every leader in Iran or North Korea, every

one of the 1.2 or 1.3 billion people in India, every hair on every head in China, every action

of any person in Vancouver, they all are created by and upheld by or sustained by one person called

Jesus Christ who indwells the church and fills the church, acts through the church, rules through

the church, speaks through the church, which is his body of which he is the head for the sake of

the church. And the church is not peripheral to the world because of that. It is central and the

world is peripheral to the church. The more this percolates and becomes the core of your being,

the easier it will be to function and what we are saying is our theme or our calling for 2021 and

this message will wait for us saying come catch up, catch up, wear me, wear me. Hebrews 1 3 says that

he sustains all things by his word. John 1 3 says that everything was created through the

Son and there is nothing that was created that did not happen through him. Here's the other thing

about Christ's absolute authority and sovereignty. He sets up, he directs and he removes kings,

presidents, dictators, prime ministers, ministers, cabinet ministers, MPs, MLAs, doesn't matter,

mayors, city councillors, school councillors, he sets them up, he removes them, he directs them.

Daniel chapter 2 verse 21 that you or God are the one who puts people in place and who removes them

Daniel 2:21

at your will. Daniel 4 17 that he is the one who both distributes kingdoms and decides who will be

king. He decides nothing escapes him, nothing. Let no man, oh by the way let me throw in pastors

also who think they rule the roost or elders or leaders, same applies. There is not a position

of authority that is filled except without the knowledge of the only one who can give it and

that is Christ. There is no boss, no employer, nobody who decides or even directs things.

This is the power of divine decrees and the absolute authority and sovereignty of God.

We are not to use it as a weapon to pulverize those that don't agree with our ideologies or

political views. As we talk about it we'll realize that one of the reasons the church finds itself

unable to wield what is this kind of authority that Christ gives is because we get so easily

wrapped up in parochial interests like which party I belong to and which ideology I belong to.

And then when it comes to the authority of Christ, he has absolute and very superior power over all the

powers, all the dominions, all the principalities, all the rulers that exist in the spirit realm.

There is no idol, no demon behind any idol, no principality, no prince. I'm talking about the

spirit realm that can dare come anywhere near him because they tremble at his name, leave alone his sight.

They flee, they flee. I love that line in that song.

Float in majesty and all the earth rejoices, he wraps himself in light and darkness tries to hide

and trembles at his sight, trembles at his sight. How great is our God!

Sing with me how great is our God and all will see how great, how great is our God.

Ephesians 1, verse 1, says,

Ephesians 1:1

See how great, how great is our God.

Ephesians 1, verse 21, I have seated him above every authority, every power, every prince,

Ephesians 1:21

every principality, every dominion. Colossians 1, verse 16, there is no power in the visible or the

Colossians 1:16

invisible world, in the seen or the unseen world, in heaven above, on the earth and under the earth.

That was not made by him, through him and for him as in they serve him. Even in their rebellion,

they will serve his purpose. This is the absolute sovereignty and authority of Jesus Christ that the

church must gather around. Power does not belong to anyone on the earth.

Yes, the question that was asked was, isn't this like saying that God put Hitler and other

dictators and tyrants who did great harm on earth into place? I will answer that as we go along.

That will be part of what we talk about when we talk about divine decrees.

Power does not belong to anyone on the earth.

It is Christ alone. This is why in Revelation 19, no,

in John 19, 11, I love it when Pilate turns and says, listen Jesus, why don't you answer me?

I have the power to set you free. And Jesus's reply in John 19, 11 was, any authority you have

is not yours. You really have nothing. What you have has been given to you.

That's what Jesus's reply was. This is why in Revelation chapter 4, verse 11, the elders bow

Revelation 4:11

before him and they say, take the power, take the honor, take the glory, all power, all honor,

all glory belongs to you. It is not some kind of sudden acknowledgement. It is, it actually is yours.

That's the intent. Sorry.

And God's power and his sovereignty and his authority is always released. This all-powerful

God always releases his power through decrees, through decrees. He decreed it and billions of

light years of space instantly came into being. I just love that. On the two or three nights in

Vancouver that you can see the stars, if you actually looked at them, there the light from

those stars started coming towards you billions of years ago. And he decreed it and billions of

light years of space instantly came into being. Well that's stars, but then he decreed me.

You were decreed billions of years ago. You were decreed billions of years ago.

You were decreed billions of years ago. And then at the right time in history you come into being.

There's such a, there's so much confusion about whether one should declare, whether one should

decree. When you look at Isaiah chapter 2, verse 2 and 3, Isaiah 2, verse 2 and 3, and it's something

Isaiah 2:2 Isaiah 2:2

the church hasn't learned and it's become the, the foundation of the church. And it's the foundation

of the church. It's become the, it's become the go-to place for Charismatics and Pentecostals and

name it, claim it people. And so may have gotten a reputation. It should not. But when you look at

Isaiah 2, verse 2 and 3, it says the laws or the decrees or the edicts or the revelation of God will

Isaiah 2:2

go out from Zion. And like I've said before, Zion is not a synonym for Israel. It is not

a place in the future. It is not a hill. It is a people. Hebrews 12, 23 says that Zion is a people

and a place. Zion is where God dwells. God dwells amongst the people. Zion is no longer a mountain.

Zion is where Jesus Christ the Mediator dwells. It's a city of the people of God. So Isaiah 2,

Isaiah 2:2

verse 2 and 3, here's what it says.

It says, in the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest

of mountains. It will be exalted above the hills and all nations will stream to it. Many people

will come and say, come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his way so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion,

the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. So there is this idea in the heart of God that one,

the church should be a place that nations stream to. And if you want to just read on Zion, go to

Hebrews 12, 23 so that we understand that Zion is not the temple that will be rebuilt in the future,

which is what many people believe and which is something I don't agree with.

But that's on the side. Hebrews 12, 23.

12, 22. But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.

You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels and joyful assembly, to the church of

the firstborn whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all, to the

spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled

blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See to it then that you do not refuse him

who speaks. Zion is a people and a place of God where God dwells. It is not something that we

postpone to the future. So there was an expectation that nations would come to the church and it was

where the laws, the edicts, the decrees, the works, and the revelation of God would be sent from.

And so, I mean, during Christmas my favorite song, not because of the tune I got, I think

Santa Claus is Coming to Town has a great tune, Winter Wonderland has a great tune,

but when it comes to words, one of the coolest songs is one, Come Oh Come Emmanuel, and then

the other one is Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room, Joy to the World. I love that song. You've got to

prepare room. One of the things that I ask Acts 29 to do, and anyone else who's hearing this, is

if you want God to decree through the body and affect the events of the world, prepare him room

as a body. Prepare him room as a body. At some point read Job 22, verse 23 to 28, and it'll give

Job 22:23–28

you an idea of how a people should go about preparing him room. Job 22, 23 to 28. Let's

actually read it. Job 22, 23 to 28. I'll read from the message. Come back to God Almighty,

and He'll rebuild your life. Clean house of everything evil. Relax your grip on your money.

Abandon your gold-plated luxury. God Almighty will be your treasure, more wealth than you can

imagine. You'll take delight in God, the mighty one, and look to Him joyfully, boldly. You'll pray

to Him, and He'll listen. He'll help you do what you promised. You'll decree or decide what you want,

to the word in KJV there is decree. You'll decree or decide what you want, and it will happen. Your

life will be bathed in light. Those who feel low, you'll say chin up, be brave, and God will save

them. Yes, even the guilty will escape, escape through God's grace in your life. I love that

line. Yes, even the guilty will escape, escape through God's grace in your life. The NIV says,

He will deliver even one who is innocent, and He will be delivered through the cleanliness of your

hands. Guys, one of the things God wants to do with the church, and I pray God that He does this

with Acts 29, which is why I'm saying this is a message that will wait for us. One of the things

God wants to do through Acts 29 is He wants to divulge His actions through the church. He wants

to reveal, divulge His actions through the church. He wants to do what He did with Abraham in Genesis

18, 17 to 19. He wants to say to the council in heaven, hey, I'm going to be doing this. Do you

think I should hide it from Acts 29? Don't you think I should go and speak to them so that they

know too? Why would God include us that way? The reason God included Abraham was because He wanted

to invite Abraham into the council that He was taking, and He wanted to tip His hand and let

Abraham know what was going to happen in Sodom and Gomorrah. God is looking for churches, and I pray

God that Acts 29 be one of those churches. God is looking for churches where He can go and say,

shall I hide from this particular church what I'm about to do? Can't I tip my hand and let them know?

Can't I invite them into my council so that they have an idea of how I think and how I'm going to

work things out? The church then becomes Psalm 29. The church becomes Psalm 29. I love this Psalm.

This church becomes Psalm 29, and here's what Psalm 29 says. Verse three onwards,

you become the voice of God on earth. The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory

thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful.

The voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks whatever needs to be broken,

in this case cedars. It breaks them into pieces. The voice of the Lord energizes, quickens, or makes

things that are new leap like a calf or have the strength of a wild ox. The voice of the Lord

strikes with flashes of lightning, undoing, destroying what needs to be destroyed. The voice

of the Lord shakes the desert. The Lord shakes the desert. The voice of the Lord twists oaks,

strips the forests bare, and in his temple they cry, holy, the Lord gives strength to his people,

and he is enthroned as king forever. One of the things God wants us to do as a church is,

hey church, can I make your voice across, a voice for me so that you can begin to affect

the things around the earth. This seems so far out or so far fetched, and I'm saying that we shall

see it while we are still young and healthy. This is not some latter day glory that will be revealed.

I will see this in the next little while, where churches will begin to affect the affairs of the

earth. I wish I could say any questions and you would put up your arm and respond.

Okay, so let's talk about decrees since we said that this all-powerful God operates on the earth

through decrees. One of the things he wants to do through the church is, can you on my behalf decree?

So here is the thing about decrees. Decrees are founded in wisdom. Decrees are founded in wisdom.

Divine decrees are founded and structured in wisdom. They're not the overnight sayings of a

prophet who suddenly wants a particular candidate to win or someone deposed. They're not someone

who feels that the church is being treated badly, so let's remove this person.

This is not some whimsical capricious God who is willy-nilly putting people in place and removing

them. Divine decrees are founded in wisdom. God knows his works from the beginning. This is so

critical guys. We need to tap into the all-knowing from the beginning knowledge and the wisdom of God

to understand where we need to speak and when we should not say. In Acts 15-18,

in Acts 15-18,

in Acts 15-18, it says,

the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name says, the Lord who

does these things, things known from long ago. In Job 28-26, it talks about how decrees are based

on the wisdom of God. The rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name

and the rest of mankind may seek the Lord. It talks about how decrees are based in wisdom.

In Acts 15-18, it talks about how God has a plan. See guys, here's the thing. If you want to decree,

you need to know what God knew at the beginning. And what did God know at the beginning? At the

beginning, God knew the end.

And if you don't get into the picture of what God is doing, you can begin to decree things

because something is happening here, but you have no idea how God has formed that so that in the end,

all that he wants can come to pass. Hindsight is 20-20. Now when I look at the things that God

prevented, that I wept over, that I felt was mine to have and was taken away from me, man, I say,

that those were God's ways, those disappointments were God's ways of ensuring my future.

That I would not be standing in this place today, that I would be in a different profession,

in different relationships, in a different country if it were not for the magnificent

intervention of God. But at that moment, had someone started decreeing things into my life,

it would be in isolation and that is where the prophetic and the prophets today are getting it

completely wrong. Decrees, divine decrees, comprise, comprise divine purpose.

So it takes into account divine purpose. It takes into account determined counsel, as in

God has determined it. He's thought about it and his counsel will stand. It's determined.

It takes into account foreknowledge, as in God knows all the things that are going to happen

between now and the end of the world. Everything, when it'll happen,

precisely what will happen, he knows it. It takes into account predestination, as in there are

certain things that God knows are destined to happen because of his foreknowledge, not because

he's controlling, not because he's a puppeteer, but because of his foreknowledge.

And it takes into account his pleasure.

Guys, this is why I said this is a message that awaits us. We don't have either the capacity

of the brain, nor of the word, nor of perhaps, yeah, I don't know what else. But we don't have

the capacity to grasp all this and become this tomorrow. But we have to take into account that

when we begin as a church or any church that is listening to this, when churches begin to operate,

they have to take what God has been doing so that they know where they need to stand now based on

what has. You know, I've said this before, one of Israel's, this is a Hebrew way. Whenever Israel

would have to enter from 2020 to 2021, if that was 2021 and this was 2020, Israel would never

enter 2021 this way. Israel would always look at the past and walk backwards into the future.

Why? Because in looking at the past, they would know what did I mess up in? What do I need to

repent of? What do I need to change? And they would look at their past and they would recount

the past. This is what our ancestors did. This is what God did. This is what happened when we went

astray. This is what happened when we got it right. And as they looked at the past, they would have an

idea of how to walk back into the future. It's a Hebrew way of doing things. We need to look at the

past and the future if we need to know what is happening here before we can decree accuracy.

I pray that some of us begin to practice this on our own, one-on-one into situations quietly.

My hope is that, oh God, would you cause the church to rise, to become central and to decree on your

behalf? Decrees comprise all this. Scriptures that show this are in Ephesians 1.11 and Acts 2.23.

Ephesians 1.11 and Acts 2.23. You can go check that out later.

Ephesians 1.11, Acts 2.23. The supreme purpose of God's decree, and this is important

because if you forget this, you forget the essence or the nature of God. The supreme

purpose of God's divine decrees is twofold. It is a pouring out of grace

and a revealing of his glory. Never forget this. Decrees that might have Nebuchadnezzar

run into the forest with his nails overgrown like a bird's and his hair running wild like

that of an animal, eating grass for seven years. One might think, aha, that was a decree of God's

decree that put that fellow in place. Not true. The supreme purpose in all of God's decrees is,

can I in the process pour out my grace and can I in the process reveal my glory?

And Nebuchadnezzar one night suddenly comes back to his senses and he says, God alone is God.

We are using it as something to harm or remove opposition. God uses decrees as a pouring out

of grace and a revealing of glory. Whether people join in or stay out, it doesn't matter.

This will be uncompromised and untarnished. God's glory will keep moving and God's glory will

keep pouring. This will never change regardless of whether you buy it or do not buy it. And this

applies to both Christians and non-Christians. Let me put it this way then. God's decree

writes the history of the earth. God's decrees is what writes the history of the earth. Do you

understand now why it is so critical to find out what God's decrees are? And part of that is by

going into the past and going into the present and going into the future. And that's why God's

decrees are so critical. And part of that is by going into the past and finding out what God is

up to. God's decrees write the history of the earth. Because here's the thing with divine decrees,

they are eternal. Decrees are formed in eternity but they are executed in sequence in time.

So for instance, there was a 33 year gap between Christ being born and Christ being crucified.

But if you go to Revelation 13 verse 8, it says that Christ was crucified before the

Revelation 13:8

foundations of the earth. So for Peter to stand before Christ and say to him,

stop talking about the crucifixion, there was only one response that Christ could have had.

Get thee behind me Satan. Because the decrees of God, the divine decrees of God actually write

the history of the earth. They are crafted in eternity but executed in sequence in time.

If you look at Psalm 139.16, isn't that kind of what it's saying, Psalm 139.16?

Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before

one of them came to be. Your eyes saw my unformed body when? Nine months before I was born. When?

Billions of years ago.

This is why David had to at times just throw up his harp and his arms and say,

your thoughts are too marvelous, too wonderful for me. I can't fathom them.

Now to deal with some of the, one of the questions that was asked. Decrees exert no influence upon

our will. Divine decrees do not exert an influence upon our will. And even though it ensures future

events, it leaves every decree to be accomplished through the free will of a person. As in,

this is not God saying I decree that and therefore now Judas has no choice but to betray Jesus.

Or that Hitler has no choice but to be evil and exterminate or put millions of Jews into the,

into gas chambers and to slaughter them. That is not how this works. See, one of the things we have

to understand when it comes to divine decrees is God can decree something because, I mean,

I've written it down this way so that we understand it. That's because God comprehends every event,

their causes, their interaction with other events, including every decision we'd ever make

and the precise manner and order of their occurrence. In his foreknowledge, God comprehends

every event. I'm talking about so many multiple billions of events happening on the earth at this

very moment and God comprehends every event, their cause, their interaction with other events,

including every decision that will be made and the precise manner in which it will be made

and in the precise order in which it will occur. He knows all this. You are talking about a super,

super powerful God. Like Phoebe would say, super, super powerful God.

This is the God we got to tap into. It's like one of those sci-fi movies where you got to tap into

the mainframe of the computer and if you do, you get a rock that allows you to function like the

computer does. Oh, I miss Sam Seinfeld and Kramer. I don't know why. Not important.

Decrees exert no influence upon our will. It leaves us to exercise our free will,

but God has the power because of his foreknowledge to still ensure the future of events.

It leaves us to exercise our free will, but God has the power because of his foreknowledge

to still ensure the future of events.

Oh, I miss Seinfeld and Kramer. Was that it? Oh, God comprehends. Okay.

God comprehends every event. This is not my line. God comprehends every event, their causes,

and their interactions with others, with other events. God comprehends every event, their causes,

and their interaction with other events, including every decision we'd ever make

and the precise manner and order of their occurrence.

Everything. And despite it, can you imagine the restraint?

You can see why self-control is the fruit of the spirit.

Can you imagine the restraint not to take away your free will?

Must be enormous. More so because he loves you. Do you know what it must be for him

to love someone? And I'm talking about believers. I'm talking about every human being he's created

to love his creation and yet not interfere with free will.

We don't understand how precious this is, guys.

Sometimes I think to myself, take my free will away. Just give me,

just make me do what you want. Take my free will away. I can live with it.

Till he takes it away and then I want it back.

Children are like that. Parents are like that too once they come and live with you.

Moving on. There's no segue from that. So,

here's the thing. Hey, Amay, if you're watching, that was about other parents, not you.

Guys, the potter decides how a vessel will be molded. But the vessel will only be molded

as it responds to the potter's wheel. The potter decides how a vessel will be molded. This applies

not just to people who are not believers but it applies to you, you and you, whoever you are.

The potter decides how a vessel will be molded. This is why at one point God says,

I think it's in Romans 9 or 10, it says, who are you clay to turn to the potter and say,

I don't like the way you made me. The potter decides how the vessel will be molded. But the

vessel will only be molded as it responds to the potter's wheel and the wheel that God uses to mold

you is authority. The wheel that God uses to mold you is authority. So, it's not just his authority

because he's invisible, his authority plays out through delegated authority. Therefore, if you

have a problem with authority, you realize how very little molding is actually happening in your life.

I'm not talking about authority just at the level of a church. I'm talking about authority in terms

of any form of authority that God has placed. Because the wheel that God uses to mold clay is

authority. Jesus had to be placed on this wheel in his home so that his parents' authority could be

in his home so that his parents' authority could be over him as he grew even though he was the son of God.

And if you have a struggle with authority, if you have a problem with yielding to authority,

let me assure you, you might think that you have it correct but you are not being molded.

You're being the architect of your own molding. That's a scary thing, eh?

The issue is how I respond to the potter's wheel, how I respond to the authorities placed over me,

spiritual, physical, governmental, how I respond to the authority placed over me.

And humility is key. Humility is key. The thing with divine decrees is while God's laws can be

broken, God's decrees or his action plan can never be broken. Even though God's laws can be broken,

God's divine decrees cannot be broken. I'm telling you, the earth is on schedule. It is not off

tangent. God is progressing brilliantly. People are being saved like crazy. Healings are happening

that you do not know of. Dead are being raised like you won't believe. Blind eyes are seeing,

deaf ears are hearing but there aren't enough books to write about it and it is happening.

Now for us Christians who think this is something in the New Testament and it won't happen right now,

ah man, stop domesticating and taming Jesus. He isn't your little cat. He's Aslan. Don't do that

to him. Let him be who he wants to be and if you cannot let him be who he wants to be through the

church, then zip up. I've got to be brutal like this. Enough. It's one thing to question the truth

it's one thing to challenge the truth because you want to understand the truth. It's another thing

to suffocate the truth because you are not willing to believe it.

Is the person asking the Hitler question again or okay?

The thing is guys we see an incident in isolation

and it just riles us and we begin to think how can God allow this or why isn't God intervening.

We do not see the beginning or the after. We see only the incident in isolation and we see it with

our eyes and our ears and what is fed to us by news or by what we actually perceive. We do not

see before it or behind it. We do not see the invisible workings of God. We do not see our

reluctance to step into it and change it. I looked for a man who would stand in the gap

and I found none. Thank God that isn't happening as often.

One can lament what is happening in Nandigama and do nothing about it

or one can lament about what is happening in Nandigama and know the heart of God and step into it.

One can lose one's life fighting against injustice or one can preserve one's life and

use make God the scapegoat for everything evil that is happening even though there is not an evil

shred a bone in his body that is evil or desires evil or perpetuates evil or likes evil. He is

already afoot from the beginning because he knows guys remember this remember the burden he bears

remember the burden he bears that for billions of years he has known in his full knowledge

what is happening and he does everything in his power to preserve the free will of man

because he cannot take that away. He takes that away and you are no longer made in the image of God.

He cannot take it away

and to let you remain in the image of God he will not take it away and he bears the burden of his own creation

abusing destroying what he has made. You and I cannot even imagine what Christ bore on the cross.

We cannot imagine it. Songs haven't been written words haven't been expressed why? Because you

cannot fathom it and I cannot fathom it.

Yeah

God's laws can be broken God's decrees or his action plan can never be broken.

It's perfect it is perfect it is perfect it is perfect just imagine that divine decrees are perfect.

I'm praying that you know when we sang that song which said I see in generation rising up with what?

Rising up to take their place man that song really grabs me. I'm not thinking of a generation

necessarily in an age group but a generation that'll plug into what God is doing to see

prophet theologians arise. Prophet theologians ones who know the study of God and ones who are

prophetic not prophets not theologians. Prophet theologians are the ones who know the study of

God and not prophets not theologians. Prophet theologians are rising like in the days of old

that I would be one of them that the church would be this church would be one of them.

So from our vantage a decree a divine decree must be announced with astounding clarity.

That's one of the things that God would always look for. Can I find someone here on earth?

So that I don't have to go writing on a wall or putting up a rainbow. Can I find someone here on

earth that can with astounding clarity declare my decree based on what is known from the past and

based on what is known in the future by by finding out. Can I find someone like that? In Psalm 81

5 it says blow the trumpets announce what God's decree is let it be known so that people won't

forget but before we announce with clarity God's divine decree we have to find it we have to form

it as in give it substance we have to free it as in release it we have to fuel it as in do whatever

is necessary for it to take the wings of the spirit and fly and we have to enforce it.

Man the church has so much to step into. Let us not get too hung up about a Sunday service.

And where do we find a way that we can see this happening? Daniel chapter 9.

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

Man if there was a prophet who was living through really difficult times and wasn't prophesying just

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit but had to in a hostile nation be exposed to severe

persecution both in terms of the lion's den and in terms of the statue that had to be bowed to

and the furnace where the three boys were thrown into. In the midst of that here is a man who knows

how to go about being a voice that decrees on the behalf of God. Daniel chapter 9.

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

So the first thing when you read Daniel chapter 9 is that Daniel connects on one hand to the

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

sovereignty of God on the other hand he also knows his responsibility and his responsibility

or our responsibility in this situation will be faith, urgency, prayer. Many want to decree on

behalf of God but after decreeing that's when the real work begins. You see it in first Kings 1843

where he knew what God's decree was that I will bring. Guys, guys please remember God's decree

wasn't so much about I will bring rain in three years. God's decree was I will bring Israel back

in three years. Apostate Israel would be brought back out of his apostasy into believing God again.

See who you will worship today Baal or God. That was the decree. The decree wasn't rain will come.

First Kings 1843 onwards and so here is Elijah and even though he knows that God has said he

will send rain this man begins to curl up into a fetus and he begins to pray. Why? Because there

is an urgency, there is a need for faith and there is a need for prayer.

Daniel knew this. He knew that on one hand there's a sovereignty of God on the other hand there's

the responsibility of man and if man decides to abrogate or abdicate his responsibility

God's sovereignty will kick in but my God from the beginning of time he has always wanted to

partner with man to bring to pass on earth what he wanted to which is why in Genesis 1 28 the

mandate was hey I want to do this but I want to do it through you therefore go forth multiply

replenish subdue the earth. He could have done it on his own. He could have done it through angels.

So how does Daniel start in Daniel chapter 9 verse 2? I love this. Daniel went to the books

Daniel 9:2

and he started reading the books. Why? Because he has to find out what God saw

at the beginning and what did God see at the beginning? He saw the end and what was the end

that in 70 weeks as in 70 years I'll bring back Israel to its land and restore it. I will raise

up a king called Cyrus who does not even know me and that anointed king that he God is calling

anointed will help you establish Jerusalem again. Now where does he find this? He doesn't find this

through an inspired prophetic word. He finds it by going back to the book and he reads the book of

Jeremiah and there he finds it. This is what I mean by prophet theologians.

He seeks the books to decipher the times and to find God keys and God's capes so that he knows

how to shape the future. I love it. Guys become students of the word. Read not because it's your

duty. Read not because you're a Christian. Read because you want to understand the mind of God.

A one who understands the mind of God will become the voice of God.

I can't tell you how

biblically prophetic these messages are. I'm not even calling them prophetic messages because

that would mean some direction or something that's going to happen. I'm talking about the

weight of the word in messages like this. It shapes the church into what the church needs

to be and I'm not even doing it for Acts 29.

Now that Daniel knows from the books from Jeremiah, now that he knows that God's plan is to restore,

in Daniel 9 verse 4 he says he set his face towards it. He set his face towards it. Now the person

Daniel 9:4

who did that was Jesus. When Peter said you are the Jesus Christ, the son of the living God,

Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, what did Jesus do? Jesus set his face like flint

and started his journey towards Jerusalem. That's what is happening here. There is an intentional

okay now that I know what you're up to. Now oh God since I found out from the book what you knew,

now I have to begin to intentionally set my face so I can shape the future the way you want to

through the decrees or through edicts or through revelation of what you want done.

The next thing Daniel does which is not does does the next thing Daniel does

f-u-t-u-r-e, futre or futree?

f-u-t-u-r-e, futre or futree? Man it's taking you guys time. Future, future, try future. Okay.

Where will we, where will we, okay there we are sorry. I was just something on the side.

So now that Daniel has found out what he's found out, he does something which I don't see happening

too much. He takes collective responsibility for the domain that he's praying for. See Daniel was

one of the guys if you read Ezekiel 14, 14, Daniel, Job and Noah were the three guys to whom

God did not ascribe sin. God looked at them as innocent. He's in Ezekiel 14, 14 he says even if

Daniel, Job and Noah these near perfect men came and prayed I would not listen to them.

And so Daniel belongs to that ilk and yet Daniel in his prayer for the domain that he has charge

over, for the domain that he is supposed to shape, for the domain that he's supposed to speak over,

Daniel begins to take on collective responsibility for that domain and begins to identify with

whatever needs to be identified with so that he can repent, he can begin to cry out,

he can begin to change. He's not separate from it eh. You read Daniel 9 and he's brutally honest as

he begins to tell God this is what we've done, this is how we've messed up, this is the present

situation but oh God for your namesake and for the sake of your people because of who you are and how

you are here is what I ask that you do. And had Daniel not done that God would have still accomplished

it but then we would never have had this book, never have had children singing Daniel shut the

lion's mouth, never had Shadrach, Mesha, Kabeirnego, never had any of this.

If your story does not have him in it then you really don't have a story. Your salvation story

is God's story through your life. My God what is the point of getting saved and not having

another story to talk about? Daniel begins to create space to repent and he begins to prepare

for the decreed appointment 70 years from now. Things are going to happen, I've got to start

preparing these people. Guys please that's the other thing, let's not be instant Christians.

May you not try to accomplish a result for today, may you accomplish a result for Phoebe's children.

May you accomplish a result for Phoebe's children, for Jocelyn's children.

After all these processes, only after he goes through this process, does God now release mercy

on the land? Does God release judgment on the enemy? Does God restore Israel? Does God allow

angelic activity? Does God decree territorial warfare? And then in Daniel chapter 9 and 10

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

you have Gabriel and Michael, Archangels of God, fighting against the Prince of Persia and the

Prince of Greece, demonic powers. Decrees, I'm telling you when you begin to work with God on

divine decrees that he spoke long ago and that you tap into, now you see what actually happens.

And in Daniel chapter 10 you see Michael coming and saying to Daniel, listen in Gabriel's case,

Daniel 10 · chapter mention

Gabriel arrives at Daniel's doorstep as soon as Daniel starts praying. But for whatever reason,

in Michael's case, Michael takes 21 days to arrive towards to Daniel and he says,

I had to fight the Prince of Persia, then I'm going to have to fight the Prince of Greece on

my return. People try to say that it is just a nominal ruler, earthly ruler. I'm saying to you,

you're completely wrong. These are powerful principalities and powers and dominions.

It is through this process that we now get involved in mercy that is released to a land,

judgment that has to be released and we'll talk about that. The last point in the five essentials

that a church needs to embrace before it can become church central is executing selfless

judgment. But you don't execute selfless judgment in isolation because someone doesn't agree with

your ideology or your political party. It has to be much greater than that.

I dislike it when Christianity is diluted and poured out of bottles

into man-made agendas. It was not what we were meant for. We were meant for much more.

It is then that we have to be more careful about our own beliefs and our own beliefs.

It is then that restoration happens. It is then that angelic activities release. It is

then that territorial warfare is decreed and it is then that you have a literal Jacob's ladder

with angels ascending and descending with the revelations of God. That is when it begins to

happen. Guys, our experience is on an individual level but it is so minuscule when it is on an

individual level because God never accomplishes things through an individual. God accomplishes

things through a body. I plead that we step into this because God is waiting for a body that can

function like this. Where there will be meetings at Acts 29 where we'll come together because there

is a certain thing that God has placed in our heart saying, can you begin to pray this? You may

not see it but your children will see it. And we begin to pray that. Do you know how many people

died before they saw the Iron Curtain fall? You heard me talk about this two weeks ago,

the man called Christian Fuhrer who started a church with a few people that would meet and

in the end there were 70,000 people walking the streets of Berlin the day the Berlin Wall fell.

But do you know how many people died waiting for the Berlin Wall to fall?

Let Church Central arise. So what if I don't see it here on earth? I'll still see it.

We must be like David. I want to be like David. I want to be like David. I'm not talking about

singing or fighting. I'm talking about I want to be like David so that I can leave for Solomon

everything required for the furnishing of the temple. If you're old, as in if you're 50 or more,

you should begin to desire this. It's your life. It's what you should enjoy. You should enjoy.

It's what you should engage in for the rest of your life. Yes, I will do whatever God tells me to

but my God, I'm going to make sure that I leave furnishings for the temple so that Solomon will

not even have to go to Hyrum to hire a few people to build a temple because I provided him everything

and I've gotten him skilled carpenters and laborers that can cut down trees and bring them.

And I'll teach my son Solomon not to marry a thousand women while I'm at it. Foolish fella.

Gleary ruined stuff, eh? No, Dawn, I wasn't looking at you.

Once you set up a Jacob's ladder like this, through this kind of a practice, you will find

that the self-revelation of God begins to flow on the earth through a church. Kings and kingdoms.

You know what happens after Daniel chapter 9 and 10? Cyrus comes and he does what Jeremiah said

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

he would do and Isaiah said he would do. And both kings and kingdoms change. Cyrus and Persia

are critical players in what happens after. Even through what happens in Daniel chapter 10, Persia

Daniel 10 · chapter mention

then begins to withdraw and history changes. Desolate inheritances are affected by the church.

They are restored by the church. Isaiah 49, Isaiah 58, I have sent you to restore desolate heritages.

Isaiah 49, Isaiah 58, I have sent you to restore desolate heritages.

I want to end with that

verse which says, as you speak a hundred billion creatures.

Let's just end with that.