Sermon
Invisible-Life
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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The topic today is invisible life, invisible life. That's a topic, invisible life.
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So if you want to turn to Colossians chapter 3, Rain was reading it yesterday. Colossians 3.
Colossians 3 chapter mention
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Yeah.
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I think guys, Aaron's been offended by the fact that Colorado would have missed the playoffs.
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So he's making comments.
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Okay. So if you can turn to Colossians 3.
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1-3. Colossians 3, 1-3.
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Colossians 3, 1-3. We're talking about this life called the invisible life.
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And resurrection life is invisible and must be made visible by a people who have that life.
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And so just look at Colossians 3, verse 1-3.
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And it says that, Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,
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where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
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Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
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For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
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When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory.
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Let me read that again.
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Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,
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where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
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Set your minds on the things above, not on earthly things.
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For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
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When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory.
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So resurrection life is an invisible life and must be made visible.
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But I just want to list and look at maybe five aspects of this life called resurrection life.
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That will kind of give us an idea of how to go about it.
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So if I looked at those five aspects, the first one would be resurrection basics.
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Resurrection basics.
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The next one would be that we have a resurrection God or a God of resurrection.
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The third one would be resurrection hope, because this life is a life that's full of hope.
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The fourth one would be what this resurrection life actually entails.
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What's it like? What does it feel like?
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And the last one would be, for now, would be resurrection faith.
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How do we live this life?
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So these are the five things that I would like to examine.
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So let's start with the first one, resurrection basics.
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Resurrection basics.
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If you have questions, guys, feel free to send it to one of the guys here and they'll read it out.
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Resurrection basics.
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Guys, we've got to understand this, and I think Danu was referring to this on a small video that he put together for Bahrain.
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But when you think of Jesus' death, you need to understand,
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Hey guys, make sure I'm not going out of the frame sometimes when I keep walking.
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Yeah. Jesus' death was not proof enough that the sins of the world were taken away.
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Jesus' death was not proof enough that the sins of the world were taken away.
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I could die for you. I mean, not all of you. I could die for at least two of you.
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But here's the thing. Just because I die for you doesn't mean your sins are taken away.
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Jesus' death was not proof enough that the sins of the world were taken away.
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If the sin bearer was actually sinless, then resurrection would prove it.
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Because only a sinless man could rise from the dead after dying for others.
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Just think of that.
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That had Jesus come down to the earth and died, that would have not necessarily made sense.
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He had to rise again because it's in his rising again.
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It is in his resurrection that we now know that here was a man who was sinless,
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who actually bore the sins of the world.
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And the only way he could rise again was if he was sinless.
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And therefore now we know that our sins are taken care of.
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Otherwise, it isn't true.
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And so two factors determined Christ's resurrection.
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Two factors determined Christ's resurrection.
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The first factor was in Acts chapter 2, verse 24,
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and it says that it was impossible for death to hold him.
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It was impossible for death to hold him.
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It was impossible for death to hold him.
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Acts chapter 2, verse 24.
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Why was it impossible for death to hold him?
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Because you can only pay the wages of...
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You can only pay death to someone who has committed sin because the wages of sin is death.
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Therefore, it was impossible for death to hold Jesus Christ down
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because he could not be paid the wages of sin because he had never sinned.
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So that's the first factor that determined Christ's resurrection,
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that it was impossible for death to hold him.
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The second factor that determined his resurrection was that
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it was the Holy Spirit who raised Christ,
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who raised Jesus to life.
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It was the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus to life.
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On one hand, death could not hold him.
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On the other hand, it was the Spirit of God who raised Christ to life.
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Go read Romans 8, verse 11.
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Romans 8, 11.
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It says there in Romans 8, 11,
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And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you,
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He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
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through His Spirit who lives in you.
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Or look at Ephesians 1, 19, which we just read.
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Ephesians 1, 19.
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It says in Ephesians 1, 19...
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No, it's not 1, 19. Yeah, it is. Ephesians 1, 19.
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The incomparably great power for us to believe,
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the power is like the working of His mighty strength,
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which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.
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These are the two things that caused Christ to rise from the dead.
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And now this then translates or outworks in our life.
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That's how it works. Any questions?
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Oh, actually, before you ask questions, just look at one more thing.
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This is quite crazy.
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You know, all of us, because we are born in sin
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and we have the penalty of death over us right from when we are born,
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we all are wound in a mother whose name is wages of sin is death.
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That's the name of the mother who carries us in her womb.
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And so we are born with the sentence of death over us.
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When Christ died, what happened was this womb was broken open.
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But it's when Christ rose from the dead that the stillborn that now was freed from death
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had life come into Him and He now becomes alive.
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Christ's death alone does not make me alive.
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Christ's death delivers me from death.
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Christ's life raises me to life.
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Christ's death is not what gives me life.
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Christ's death breaks me from the tomb of death.
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Christ's life, His being raised,
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He is not the one who is going to raise me from death.
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Christ's life, His being raised is what injects life into me.
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Any questions?
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Those are resurrection basics, eh?
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Now let's talk about the resurrection.
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Let's talk about Him being a God of resurrection or a resurrection God.
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You know, it's become a habit with Him.
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Resurrection is the pattern of your God.
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Resurrection is the pattern of your God.
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You must embrace this.
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There are certain things that are so definitive about your God
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that the more you embrace it, the more you will enjoy this character of His.
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Resurrection is a pattern of your God.
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You see it in Eden.
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In the book of Genesis, you also see it in the book of Genesis.
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In the book of Genesis, you also see it in Revelation.
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Right through from the beginning to the end, resurrection is a pattern of God.
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So in Eden, you see Him resurrecting lives that were pronounced dead.
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Adam and Eve, dying you will die.
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And instead, God steps in and begins to bring them back to life.
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You go further and you see Abraham.
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In Romans 4, verse 19, it says Abraham considered his condition
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and considered himself as good as dead.
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And out of that death, God brings life.
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You go down a little further and you come to Isaac.
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It says of Isaac in Hebrews 11, verse 19,
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that Abraham looked at Isaac on the altar
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and he realized that Isaac was as good as dead.
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And to get him back would be God bringing him back to life.
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You look at Jonah in Matthew 12, 40, words that Jesus Himself spoke.
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And He says, the only sign I will give you is the sign of Jonah,
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where for three days and three nights, he will be in the belly of the fish,
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but he shall rise.
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And He was talking about Himself.
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You look at the river of God in Ezekiel 47, verse 9.
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You're talking about swamps and marshes that are dead.
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And the river of God that flows from under the temple of God begins to give life.
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You look at the two witnesses, which symbolize the church in Revelation 11, 11.
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And the whole earth clapped its hands as it saw the two witnesses dead.
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And then the breath of God came in.
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And these that had laid dead for three and a half days come back to life.
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The point is, this God is a God of resurrection.
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He brings life into decay.
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He brings life into barrenness.
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He brings life into dry bones.
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He brings life into tombs.
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He brings life where there is death.
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Remember that song?
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Where there was death, you brought life, Lord, and you lifted me up.
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Embrace this nature of God,
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and you will find that a whole lot of situations will begin to change
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because it is natural for you to see the pattern of God and things that are decaying,
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things that are barren, things that are dry, things that are tombed, things that are dead.
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I almost think that there are times when I begin to relish the fact that something is dead
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because I know that this creates now an opportunity for me to join God in making history.
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That's the thing, eh?
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If you don't begin to see God as one who has a pattern of resurrecting,
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then you will not be able to join him as he goes about in history,
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bringing back to life the things that are dead.
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This is decay.
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This is death.
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And in the middle of it is a God who resurrects.
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Jeremiah 29, verse 11.
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The plans I have for you are good.
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Was spoken during a time of great calamity.
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We just take Jeremiah 29, 11.
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You read the passages above and the passages below,
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and you realize that God is speaking in a time of tragic tragedy.
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God has spoken to you in a time of great calamity.
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You read the passages above and the passages below,
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and you realize that God is speaking in a time of tragic calamity.
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That's when he begins to speak.
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What do you think he's doing now?
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This is a God who rubs his hands in glee.
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This is the spirit of God who enjoys stepping into chaos.
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You know some people, right?
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If they know you're hungry, there'll be soup and food at your door.
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Doesn't happen to me, but it happens to some people.
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Or if they know you don't have money, they supply you money.
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Or if they know you need comfort, they're there with comfort.
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And you begin to expect that of people.
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This must be something you expect of God at a time like this.
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This is a resurrection God.
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This is a resurrection God.
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And there is no time like this time when the earth needs a pattern to now break forth.
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And it breaks forth through a people, eh?
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Because the spirit of God now operates through a people.
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The second thing is, or the third thing, is this idea of resurrection hope.
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Resurrection hope.
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Hey, if there's anyone watching who doesn't know Jesus Christ, eh?
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Then I'm saying to you, man, it's such a bad idea to keep postponing, welcoming this person who is alive and who gives life.
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Yeah?
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Just begin the journey today.
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Begin the journey today.
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I'm not going to lead you in a prayer of salvation.
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I'm just going to ask you to start this journey with Christ today, saying,
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I'm hearing and I know that you are real, so please let today be the beginning of me knowing you and walking with you.
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I hope that happens for you, man, if you don't know this Christ.
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The third thing is resurrection hope.
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I've said this before and I'll say it again, if the risen Christ is in you,
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if the risen Christ is in you,
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if this risen Christ that we are talking about, that we sang about, if the risen Christ is in you
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then in all things, good and bad, then in all times, good and bad,
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then in all circumstances, good and bad,
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and bad. If this risen Christ is in you, then in all things and at all times, good
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or bad, you must have, you must have an expectation. You must have an expectation
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of His presence, His goodness, His power and laughter. So here's a question I'm
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asking you. If this Christ, if this risen Christ is in you, then in all things you
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must have, it's not even a choice, you must have an expectation of His goodness,
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His presence, His power and His laughter. Just look at that eh? Hey think of it, at
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present you are locked in with the healthiest person on the universe, Jesus
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Christ. You are quarantined with the healthiest person in the universe, Jesus
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Christ. What do you think is going to happen to you? You're going to come out really
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whole. In the process what you need to develop is an expectation that it
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doesn't matter how things are, this risen Christ living in me means that
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every day in every situation I have an expectation of His goodness, I have an
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expectation of His presence, I have an expectation of His power and I have an
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expectation of His laughter. Don't know if you think like that. This morning when
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something was going wrong before I came here I quickly flipped to this eh? It was
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like father but then there is your son Jesus Christ and even though this
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situation is happening and it's not pleasant and it's happened before and I'm
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a little scared of it. Now oh God I switch to this thing where if Christ, if
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the risen Christ lives in me then Jacob will always in good times and in bad
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times have an expectation, a confident expectation, an assurance of your
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goodness to break forth, your presence to be very evident, your power to be strong
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and your laughter, your laughter and this is brought to me by the Spirit but
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this is the way we need to think eh? Go ahead Derek. Yeah how do we walk in this
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expectation without being insensitive to the fear and the grief of others? Yeah
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the way you walk with this expectation is by having it, let me put it this way,
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how I express this depends on the conditions around me but I always carry
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it within me. I'll always carry it within me when I go to pray for a sick person
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my expectation is that the power, the compassion, the goodness, the laughter and
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the presence of God will affect the sick person. When I go to pray for a dead
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person I really mean this, when I go to pray for a dead person my expectation is
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that the presence of power, the laughter and the goodness of God will affect the
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dead person. The few times that I've gone to pray for the dead people
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that has been my expectation. This doesn't mean that I start singing songs
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of joy and hallelujah while I'm praying for a person that is sick or for a
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person who's hurt or for a person who's dead but within me is this expectation.
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This is the expectation that Christ had when he went and met Mary and Martha in
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John chapter 11 because he knows the nature of his father, the nature of his
John 11 chapter mention
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father is that of a resurrection God and so he goes to the tomb and within him is
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this expectation that my father is a resurrection God and then he also knows
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that within him now is the power, the goodness, the presence and the laughter
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of God. He does not necessarily burst out in laughter he actually begins to weep.
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He also feels indignant at times other times he weeps but within him the
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expectation is solid. It is fascinating how the idea of intercession which we
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would have talked about on Friday had we gone into explaining what priests
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look like. The idea of intercession is empathizing with those that you pray for
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while identifying with God's intent for them. Intercession is empathizing with
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those that you pray for while identifying with the intent of God for
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them. Where intercession goes wrong here on earth is we begin to empathize with
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people and their desires for themselves or we empathize with people based on
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their condition. Jesus actually at times would choose not to empathize because he
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knew that that empathizing would lead him to betray the intent of his father.
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Classic example is when Jairus's daughter is dead and people have
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surrounded her and all these stories are resurrection stories. Jairus's daughter
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is dead people have surrounded him and he should have empathized. He should have
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mourned with the mourners instead he realizes that to bring forth what his
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father wants in terms of his father being a resurrection God he
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drives the mourners out and then goes and says this is the intent of God. Now
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that's how we work this out. So thanks for that question. Guys there's another
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beautiful scripture in 1st Peter 1 3 to 7. 1st Peter 1 3 to 7. 1st Peter 1
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3 to 7. 1st Peter 1 3 to 7. Here's what it says.
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It says praise be to God and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ in his great
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mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope which is a song we sang
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through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an
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inheritance that can never perish spoil of faith kept in heaven for you who
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through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation
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that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice though
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now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
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These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold which perishes
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even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise
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and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Resurrection hope does three
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things based on that scripture. It shields you. Resurrection hope shields
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you. It endures trials. It endures trials and proves the genuineness of your faith
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proves how genuine your faith is. How can you say that from that scripture because
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it says so. Listen praise God that now we have this living hope that comes
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because of the resurrection of Christ and it does a few things. One it
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shields you. It protects you. It keeps you but that isn't where it stops. It
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helps you endure trials. When trials come because you have living hope you don't
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then begin to spite God. You don't thumb your nose at God. You don't say God does
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not exist. You don't look at him and cloud his face with your thoughts.
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Instead you begin to endure trials because you know that here is a God who
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has brought you resurrection hope and then finally it proves genuine faith as
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in faith only exists because there is assured hope. Faith would not exist if
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there is no hope. Just think of that eh. If you did not have a assured hope you
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would not have faith. As a resurrection hope does this for you. It shields you
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as it protects you. It has you endure trials because you know that it's only a
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matter of time before things break forth and as you endure trials it proves
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genuine faith because if there is no trial there is no proving of genuine
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faith. It's a muscle. You don't exert it. It doesn't grow. Any questions?
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Yes. You know the Bible says that one of the ways we purify ourselves it's in one
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of the last books of the Bible in the New Testament. It says one of the ways
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we purify ourselves is by embracing the hope that Christ will return to take us
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to be with him and so there's two things I want to say about living with the hope
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of being with Christ or living with the hope of Christ return. One that God didn't
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want us to live in that hope in a way that makes us desire us to escape the
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earth. That is what a lot of Christians in the past and even the present do eh.
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We're always talking about Christ coming back so that we can escape out of this
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earth so that we can leave the other wicked people behind. Hey just couple of
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years ago or 30 years ago or five years ago you were one of those wicked people.
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Thank God it didn't happen then eh. It's odd how the righteous forget how wicked
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they were. So on one hand that's the extreme we take where this living hope
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becomes so consuming that we want to leave the earth so that we can be with
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him but I would say when it comes to this living hope say what Paul said to
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be present with you is profitable to be absent with you is to be with the Lord. I
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want to develop that part eh right now I'm really enjoying the earth I like
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being on the earth I like what God is doing on the earth. I'm in no hurry to
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leave the earth but I also know the Bible says that I purify myself by this
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hope that God is coming that this world will be changed. I look forward to the
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earth being changed I look forward to the newness of the earth I look forward
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to things being restored I look forward to no tears no fears for things to be
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made new yes I look forward to that but I wish I would develop this hope of
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being with him to a greater degree because it actually purifies you eh. You
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know I was reading just recently that if you had to wait to meet if Christ was
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here in flesh like if he hadn't left the earth if he was here in flesh and
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you were a believer and you wanted an audience with him it would take you 25
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years before you got three minutes with him. Can you believe that there are so
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many people on the earth that if he were to meet with each person it would take
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you 25 years before you got three minutes with him. Now don't start sitting
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and calculating whether that's true if it's not I'll let you know next week but
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the point is thank God he is spirit eh and that he is with me that he never
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goes home that he can't say you can't come home today. Does that kind of answer
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the question? I hope so because I don't think it fully answers the question. Yeah
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Yeah okay what does it mean to have the expectation of his presence his
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goodness his power and his laughter. Guys those four things when you put them
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together it it symbolizes the glory of God. The glory of God is joyous. The glory
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of God is joyous. One of the ways we express joy is through laughter. I want
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to bring in the deliberate concept of laughter because Christians don't equate
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laughter with God but I'm telling you man one of the things that you will see
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when you actually see him face to face is he is highly enjoyable. He is joyous
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and he laughs. Haven't you met people who are joyful who crack really good jokes
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and laugh? Where do you think it came from? Came from anything good here on
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earth that is enjoyable came from a father who invented it and so instead of
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using the word joy which makes it so Christian I wanted to use the word
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laughter that you must have an expectation of his presence his goodness
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his power and laughter. I wish I could show you the silly things that sometimes
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happen with Phoebe where Jeevan will go tickle her feet and make sounds like
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I mean he makes sounds like that and Phoebe does begins to start laughing
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and when Phoebe begins laughing then her parents start laughing there is this
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easy laughter. What is perhaps the most pleasant sound in the face of the earth
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the laughter of a child? I mean I'm not a dad and I think so. This God has got a
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great joy and laughter man.
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Let me go back to the question that Derek had conveyed earlier on this idea
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of living hope with Christ return or living hope and we go to be with him.
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Many times when I've been with people who are suffering and who are close to
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death I am so grateful that there is around the corner a life waiting that
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it's so worth exchanging where you leave life here to become someone who now sees
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Christ face to face. Which is why Paul then says in 1st Corinthians that why
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should we be like the rest of the world that grieves don't you know that it's
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okay to grieve for a while but my God man you have been called to a hope that
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awaits you but you leave this body behind you and you're instantly with the
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most amazing being in the entire universe. Today when I was driving here I
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was thinking okay so if I walked in heaven and held your hand would I still
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be able to feel that hole in your hand that Thomas put his fingers in? It was
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just a thought. I think it freaked me out a little but I probably start crying.
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Let's go to resurrection life. What kind of life is this? Resurrection life.
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Resurrection life. Hey this is mind-blowing man just I'll try to say
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this without getting excited so let me sit down which may or may not work
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because if I get excited I might miss out on being able to describe it the way
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I should. So guys resurrection life is the limitless life that Christ himself
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personally presently possesses. Resurrection life is that limitless life
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that Christ presently personally possesses. I mean we imagined Christ while
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we were singing and worshipping right? So the life that Christ personally
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presently possesses is resurrection life and the strange thing is this is the
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life that he shares with me by his spirit now. I have not been given some
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other polished new eternal life. It's not it's not a secondary version it's not a
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it's not a lower iPhone thing that I have been given. The very life that
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Christ presently possesses is the life that he shares with me right now. The
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life that he possesses right now in heaven is the same life that I possess
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right now. His private life has become mine. It scares me to say it because one
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I can't wrap my head around it. Two it is overwhelming. What kind of God is this?
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How common does he want to become? His private life has become mine. His private
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life has become mine which also means that I can draw my thoughts, my emotions,
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my interests, my attitudes from him. His private life has become mine which then
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means that I can actually draw my thoughts, my emotions, my attitudes, my
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interests from him. I can hear you chewing Josh. You know in 1st Corinthians 2
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9 to 11 it says and the spirit who knows what a person best his spirit who knows
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God best his spirit and he says is this spirit that I've given to you so that
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you may know the ways of God. You may know the things he's given you freely. It
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boggles my mind. I'm sorry I have to stand. It's very hard to preach this thing sitting
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down. It boggles my mind that I actually share his private life that his private
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life has become mine and that I can draw my thoughts, my emotions, my interests, my
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attitudes from him. Here's another thing about this life. This life is pulsing with
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the benefits of the age to come. This life is pulsing with the benefits of the age to
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come. What are the benefits of the age to come? Healing, joy and laughter, power,
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love, but more than anything else I think presence. There is a time coming when I
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will constantly forever behold his presence face to face but till that
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happens I am already tasting his presence without seeing him face to face.
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This is the kind of life we possess guys. Do you realize how this invisible life
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must be made visible through this jar of clay? Now do you realize what Paul says
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that treasure is in jars of clay? This is the treasure. This is the treasure.
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I'm pulsing with a life that has in it the benefits of the age to come. Why is
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it that I'm joyful when things are going wrong? Why is it that it doesn't matter
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how dark things get? There's always a way that either joy bursts out or joy bursts
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in because the life I possess is actually severed from the old order of
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the world. It is severed. It's been cut off. It was like a cord was cut when I
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was born again. A cord was cut when Jesus rose from the dead. Joy bursts forth.
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Healing is appropriated. Why? Because there is a time coming when there will be
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no sickness, no fear, no tear but I already begin to taste and enjoy that
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life. I've enjoyed it for now 31 or 32 years man. I taste his love and I know
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his presence. These are benefits of a life that come from an age beyond. It's
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a life that is severed from the dominion of the old world order. As in this world
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has absolutely no hold or influence upon this life that I possess. This world may
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affect my flesh, my thinking but it cannot touch the life that I possess
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because it's not from it's not from mortal sperm. 1 Peter 1 23 you have been
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born again not with mortal sperm but with immortal seed. The quality of life
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called resurrection life is completely different guys. It cannot be compromised
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by sin. Just think of that. Just think of that. This life that I possess that I
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share with Christ who is indissolubly present in the face of the Father right
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now. This life that I possess cannot be compromised by sin. This life that I
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possess cannot be compromised by sickness, death or decay. This life that I
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possess can never be deceived or seduced by Satan. Rock-solid man. Why is it
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important to understand resurrection life? Because the more I understand the
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life I actually possess the more I'll behave like I actually am. The more I
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understand the life I possess the more I'll behave like I actually am.
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Is it any surprise then that this life can even quicken your mortal body while
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you're on earth? Leave alone quickening you where in the flash of an eye your
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bodies will be transformed into immortal. This is the life the life that I possess
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is a life of great love, great power. It's a life that is fearless. It's a life
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full of shalom. 2nd Timothy 1 7 talks about this. The spirit I have given you
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is not a spirit of timidity or covetous. This resurrection life that I
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have, this ascended life that I have is a life of great power. You know I want to
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say this to you guys sometimes when your body is weak, sometimes when your head
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is clogged, sometimes when your physical energy is low, fall back into that
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reserve called resurrection life. Dive into the real life that you have. Yes this
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physical life can sometimes feel like it's it's veining it's it's being sapped
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but I'm telling you there is I've done this and I know it for a fact that there
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is a reserve and that reserve is actually greater in strength than your
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physical life that you can literally go back into and draw from the unlimited
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reservoir of resurrection life that you share with Christ himself.
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This life is a life of great love. I am capable of it, of great power. It's a
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fearless life. Fearless life. What can it be afraid of? It is whose life are you
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talking about? You're talking about the life of Christ at present right next to
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the Father. His life is what you're sharing. He shares his private life with
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you and it is a life of great shallow wholeness. It is the ascended life of
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Christ. It is the ascended life of Christ. I'm looking forward to talking
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about ascension because death does something, resurrection does something but
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my God if Jesus had just risen and not ascended we'd still be in bad shape man.
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This life that I have is not just risen it is the ascended life of Christ that
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I possess. It's the same quality of life that the ascended Christ presently has
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which means then that this life that I possess is actually seated above
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satanic thrones and powers. Do you realize why if we begin to think like
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this, if we begin to discover or explore this why the devil would hate it? Because
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you would begin to know how this life operates. It is the ascended life of
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Christ seating me in heavenly places above Satan's thrones and powers and as
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you begin to go down this road you become a little less fearful and a
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little more fearless. I mean if you were related to the king of a certain nation
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it does not matter which part of the kingdom you go to you know that your
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life is shared with him and that you are indissolubly present in his throne room
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even though you're in a little village on the outskirts of the kingdom.
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Unfortunately because this resurrection life is carried in a physical body that
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experiences the limitations of sin I get dull or I am dulled to the
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immeasurable capacity of this life because we carried in this body because
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this body is prone to decay because this body is prone to deception, seduction
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and sin because this body has limitations because this body will die
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one day. We look at this body and we are not able to see the life that is carried
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within this body. You must understand Paul's reasoning of treasures and jars
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of clay and he says I realize that this outer body is fading but my god I have a
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treasure inside. I realize that even though I'm dying on the outside the
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inner man is being renewed. Why does Paul keep saying this? Because he found out
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that even though he's beaten, even though he's lost, even though he's got problems
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that prevent him from functioning well that the inner man within him, the spirit
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man within him keeps getting stronger, keeps getting stronger, keeps getting
-
stronger. Why? Because at some point Paul realized, ah shucks I've got something
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inside me that is far greater than what is what it is encased in. It's a way to
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live guys that we must explore especially during times like this. This
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is when this invisible life should become so visible. It is a life that is
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hidden in Christ but will appear in blazing brilliance when Christ appears.
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Man I'm telling you when Christ appears why do you think this treasure will show?
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Because these bodies will be replaced and then you will see us in our glory. I
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say to the earth you will see the sons of God in its glory. I say to creation
-
wait wait the day is coming. You have been groaning to see the manifestation
-
of the sons of God. The day is coming. Our life is hidden in Christ but I say to
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you creation, I say to you earth that you will see the manifestation of the sons
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of God in their glory. We are hidden in Christ now but when Christ comes we shall
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appear with him in glory. This awaits us man begin to take a grasp of this life
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that we have. It's a marvelous life that we possess. Marvelous life. After all
-
whose life is it? It's his man. Let's go on to resurrection faith. Resurrection
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faith. Guys resurrection always breaks into situations and is accelerated in
-
response to your faith. Resurrection life always breaks into situations and is
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actually accelerated in response to your faith. In 2nd Kings 434 you see that
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with a Shunammite woman. Her son is dead. Gehazi goes with Elisha's staff to place
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it on the Sun. Nothing happens and they ask her so how are you? She says it is
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well. It is well. What a statement of faith eh? What is her expectation? That her
-
son will rise. Whenever faith is exerted resurrection life bursts forth because
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it is the pattern of your God. He's a resurrection God. You look at Lazarus.
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Mary and Martha summoned Jesus. They are struggling through this idea of I wish you
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had been here earlier but yet at the same time there is faith there. You see
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Talitha, Jairus's daughter, the little girl, the little child. In Mark chapter 5
-
verse 34 Jesus says to the man don't worry just believe. I know the others are
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saying she's dead but don't worry. Resurrection breaks in. You look at Acts
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chapter 9 verse 34. A woman called Tabitha or Dorcas. They said for Peter
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resurrection breaks forth or the rising of the dead happens. You see the Valley
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of Bones Ezekiel 37 and it says in Ezekiel 37 that as Ezekiel began to
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prophesy in faith a huge valley full of dry bones must have been a battle that
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had happened a generation ago because the bodies had been stripped and the
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bones were dry and in that dryness now resurrection happens. For that matter you
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look at Marcus who's sitting at home who I was emailing yesterday.
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Resurrection life brought him back to being alive right now sitting at home
-
praising God. Guys the agent of transformation in each instance is the
-
spirit of the Living God. The agent of transformation I didn't say the agent of
-
reformation I said the agent of transformation because resurrection
-
life transforms. Resurrection life doesn't polish you. Resurrection life doesn't
-
reform you. It transforms you. The agent of transformation in each instance is the
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spirit of the Living God. I mean if you look at Ezekiel 37 there's a there's an
-
odd thing that's happening at Ezekiel 37. First Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy
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to the dry bones that he's told to command them to live and so he
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prophesies to the dry bones and you see bone coming to bone sinews coming on
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flesh coming on so he prophesies and they all come together that's from verse
-
4 to 7. Let's just read that Ezekiel 37 4 to 7. I just want to show you a way to
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begin to activate resurrection faith in times such as this. Ezekiel 37 verse 4 to
-
7. Then he said to me prophesy to these bones and say to them dry bones hear the
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word of the Lord. This is what the sovereign Lord says to these bones. I
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will make breath enter you and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to
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you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin. I'll put breath in
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you and you will come to life then you will know that I am the Lord. So I
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prophesied as I was commanded and as I was prophesying there was a noise a
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rattling sound of the bones came together bone to bone. I looked and
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tendons but there was no breath in them but there was no breath in them. So
-
initially when he prophesies bone comes to bone the body is formed but then he
-
is commanded to prophesy to the breath or to the ruwa or the spirit to give
-
life to the fleshed out bones. It's almost like this repeat of the scene
-
from Genesis 2 7 where God takes the dust of the earth and he forms man but
-
now that man is formed man still is lying on the ground and then it says
-
God breathed and man became a living soul and it's the same motive being
-
played out here. Where the bones have come together everything has been
-
fleshed out but there is still no breath and then he begins to prophesy to the
-
breath because verse 9 says then he said to me prophesy to the breath
-
prophesy son of man and say to it this is what the sovereign Lord says come
-
from the four winds or breath and breathe into these slain that they may
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live. So I prophesied as he commanded me and the breath entered them and they
-
came to life and they stood upon their feet a vast army. And so here's what I
-
want to draw from it. When we yield when we yield to when we yield to the laws
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to the laws of the spirits operation I'll explain it when we yield to the
-
laws of the spirits operation we can command we can command the operations of
-
the spirit we can command the operations of the spirit and fully count on him and
-
fully count on him to work his mighty power. First Ezekiel goes and prophesies
-
as he's been commanded and when he prophesies bones sinews flesh come
-
together but that ain't enough that still doesn't bring life then he's told
-
to command breath command Rua command the spirit because people are still
-
arguing about whether Rua there means just wind or breath or whether he's
-
talking about the four winds of the earth but they're talking about the
-
spirit I would argue that it is both breath and the spirit but the point is
-
this after reading Ezekiel 37 when we yield to the laws of the spirits
-
operation and that's what I'll touch on before we end when we yield to the laws
-
of the spirits operation we can command the operations of the spirit and fully
-
count on him to work his mighty power which means that when I begin to when I
-
begin to obey submit to take on learn practice the rules of how the Holy Spirit
-
operates then I get to have the privilege of commanding the operation of
-
the Holy Spirit here on earth and I can fully count on him to work his mighty
-
power give us another example Jacob okay so it would be like me yielding to the
-
king of a nation saying I yield to the ways you do things let me give you a
-
better example so Joseph yielded to Pharaoh Pharaoh said to him you will be
-
my second-in-command and so Joseph yielded to Pharaoh's ways Pharaoh said
-
to him you will be my second-in-command and then look at what happens Joseph
-
begins to tell Pharaoh how to prepare for the famine Pharaoh agrees and now
-
Pharaoh's purposes are accomplished it is almost the sense of you saying to a
-
king I'll operate by your ways the king says you're an expert in these areas why
-
don't you tell me what you want done since you know my ways and as you begin
-
to speak it I will by my authority make it happen
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do you understand if you don't please ask me I wish you were here it's like me
-
being appointed by the king because I have learned to submit to the ways of
-
the king I know how he thinks I know how he operates I've learned the laws of a
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office operation now that he has seen that he can trust me he says Jacob now
-
since you know my ways you tell me what I should do you give the command and I
-
will do it because I know you know my ways I will do it do you want to hear
-
another instance where this happened crazy story Joshua turns to the Sun and
-
turns to the moon and says to the Sun and the moon stand still that should
-
have knocked the galaxy out of its orbit and for 24 hours the Sun stands
-
still and the moon stands still till the slaughter is complete and then it goes
-
on to say no other time in the history of man had one ever done that where is
-
it where is that scripture can someone find it I know it's in Joshua but can
-
you do better than that
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I can't hear you okay Joshua 10 verse 12 look at it guys this is exactly what I'm
-
trying to say and then we'll talk about what are the two operations of the
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look at what it says on the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel Joshua
-
said to the Lord in the presence of Israel look at it look at what he's
-
saying Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel it's not the Lord
-
said to Joshua in the presence of Israel it's Joshua said to the Lord in the
-
presence of Israel Oh Sun stand still over Gideon Oh moon over the valley of
-
Ajalon so the Sun stood still and the moon stopped till the nation avenged
-
itself on its enemies it is written in the book of Jasher the Sun stopped in
-
the middle of the sky and delayed going down for about a full day there has
-
never been a day like it before or since a day when the Lord listened to a man
-
surely the Lord was fighting for Israel do you understand guys that when we
-
yield to the laws of the Lord its operation we can command the operations
-
of the Spirit and fully count on him to work his mighty power
-
any questions because I'm going to end with this last statement which has three
-
subsections I'm kidding not really
-
okay so what are the laws of the spirits operation what are the laws of the
-
spirits operation you can see it in Genesis 1 2 you can see it in John 6 63
-
you can see it in Revelation 4 2 what you see is that the word and the spirit
-
you can see it in Revelation 4 2 what you see is that the word and the spirit
-
work in tandem the word and the spirit work in tandem so in Genesis 1 2 the
-
word is let there be light but before the word was spoken the spirit of God
-
was already hovering over that which was a chaotic mass and as the word was
-
released the spirit was already there the spirit knows the heart of God was
-
already there you go to John 6 63 and is Jesus speaking and now Jesus says this
-
says it differently but it's the same word spirit tandem he says the words
-
that I speak to you a spirit in life you go to revelations 4 2 and it says and I
-
heard a voice saying come up higher and then the spirit of the Lord took me
-
there is this idea of either the word coming first and then the spirit of the
-
spirit coming first and then the word or the spirit waiting for the word or the
-
being spoken before the spirit can do something it is this word spirit tandem
-
that you and I have to begin to practice use understand fathom right now because
-
when you speak forth when you speak forth the authoritative would be it
-
logos as in what is already written or Rema that's how I'm defining it right
-
now as in spoken to you specifically when this happens when does when you
-
speak for the authoritative word the spirit enters the void the spirit enters
-
the void to quicken dry bones the spirit enters the void to quicken dry bones to
-
quicken cities to quicken situations to quicken nations you name it guys we don't
-
pray to God we pray with God don't make a theology out of it but it's a very
-
important statement we pray with God may your will be done here on earth as it is
-
in heaven I must know his will I know some of you have heard me say this maybe
-
a million times or a little less but we pray with God your prayer team is very
-
powerful it is Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit in you and the body the intent
-
though is to understand what Christ is saying and begin to speak it so the
-
spirit of God can begin to work it and you in doing this become part of the
-
history of God here on earth only now you begin to chronicle it because you
-
are watching it unfold oh man the number of books you will not be able to write
-
because you didn't chronicle it but you cannot chronicle it unless you get
-
involved in the works of God we are scribes that are keeping tabs on what
-
God is doing here on earth and during war during famine during lack during
-
disease during times like this during the days of Ezekiel during the days of
-
famine that is when history should be written by people who watch
-
God at work pray with him because you're the voice
-
of God pray with him because you're the army of the Sun pray with him because
-
you're the community of the spirit hear me again pray with him because you are
-
the voice of the father pray with him because you're the army of the Sun pray
-
with him because you are the community of the spirit. And so this week ahead I'm
-
hoping as a church that we can practice these truths because I'll send you
-
outlines not just for Vancouver but for different nations in the world so that we
-
can pray a certain way and then chronicle the results. Go ahead Jeevan a
-
question.
-
So the answer do you want to use the mic to ask that question?
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Hello.
-
Go ahead.
-
Joshua 10 verse 14 says there has never been a day like it before or since. A day
-
when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel.
-
So the question is I'm confused how we can command the spirit if it says that
-
it was the only time before or since that God has obeyed a human. Yeah so what
-
is being made there is a historical statement by Joshua or whoever wrote
-
that book. It is not a prophetic statement it's a historical statement
-
and so let's assume this was in 1965 that it was made. Then since 65 to 2020
-
there have been many Joshua's, many Ezekiel's, many Peters, many Jacob's, many
-
Jeevans who having seen what God did here take it as a pattern of God to be
-
repeated whenever God commands. Part of the reason history must be chronicled is
-
so that a generation may rise up that can repeat it. Part of the reason judges 2
-
verse 10 is the saddest statement in the Bible is because her people did not
-
repeat it. It is the saddest verse in the Bible. Her people did not repeat the
-
history of God and the generation that came after did not know what they could
-
do and who God was. And while this truth must not be messed with as in this
-
written word must not be messed with this is not the Alpha and Omega this is
-
a book that chronicles what God has allowed us to see and we use this now to
-
begin to have God keep revealing who he is.
-
Yeah. Alrighty let's end with that song these are the days of Elijah and this is
-
a song of preparation as in I'm preparing you as the voice of God I'm
-
preparing you as the army of the Sun preparing you as a community of the
-
spirit for a time such as this as we sing it here. So just get up stretch and
-
do not do not do not switch off we'll switch off only after we're done yeah
-
cool