Waters Made Sweet

Exodus 15 verse 23. Exodus 15, 23. Hey Sheldon, I got a request from Abu Dhabi and Dubai that

Exodus 15:23

could you ask the guy who tapes these messages not to cut off the ending prayer?

Okay. Honest, I'll show you on my... No, but when we do, he cuts it off. Okay. Exodus 15 verse 22

Exodus 15:22

onwards. Exodus 15 verse 22 onwards. Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into

Exodus 15:22

the desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they

came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. That's why the place is

called Marah. So the people grumbled against Moses saying, what are we to drink? Then Moses cried out

to the Lord and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water and the water

became sweet. There the Lord made a decree and a law for them and there he tested them. He said,

if you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you

pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases

I brought on the Egyptians for I am the Lord who heals you or Yahweh Rafa. That's where it came from.

Then they came to Elim where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees and they camped there near the

water. Okay, so I want to talk about how to deal with sicknesses and how to think of healing and

how to walk in a way that is free of fear today because sometimes while talking about all the

other things we are talking about we forget that we need to hear about the simpler things of life

like healing, like being comforted in times of trouble. So that's what I wanted to do today.

So when it comes to sickness guys or disease, here are some principles that I want you to

remember to operate by. One, learn not to accept or tolerate minor or initial stages. One of the

things that happens to us is we accept or tolerate sickness and disease as a natural part of human

existence and I want us to stop that because it may be a natural part of the fallen world but you

belong to a different master who even when the old covenant, before the old covenant was given,

even before the old covenant was given, before what happened at Mount Sinai happened, he was

already establishing his nature by saying that when the million or more people left Israel there

was no sick amongst them. So even in the Old Testament before the Mosaic covenant was established

there was already the expression of the nature of God in the statement that when they left Egypt

there was there were none who were feeble or sick. So this is even before the Mosaic law was given,

much more so in the New Covenant. So first thing we need to understand is that you got to not

tolerate or accept initial stages or the ups and downs of sickness and disease as a natural part

of your life. Any questions on that? Because it seems to be such a radical statement to make

that you're not to accept it as a natural part of your life. But then when Christ was striped and

his back was plowed open that was radical too. There is a tendency as we grow older or I mean

I love what they call the cold, the common cold. Why? Because it's a common condition. One should

be susceptible to it, one should accept it, one should live under it, one should have it at least

once a year, one should go to shoppers drug mart for a flu shot, one should realize that they have

run out of masks and flu shots half way through the season. These are just natural parts of life

that we say is it's the way the wind blows and yet I'm saying that it may be a natural part of life

but there is a radical stance that we take in our thinking saying it may be a natural part of life

but Christ did die to make us live differently in this natural life. So it is an extreme position

but it's an extreme biblical position. That looks like feeling an itch in my tongue and saying that's

not natural oh God please father I don't want to live with this. Father I'm beginning to feel like

a cold but I don't have to live with this. Oh God I'm getting older but I don't have to live with this.

Oh God this is what is happening all around the world but I don't have to live with this. A thousand

may fall at my right, ten thousand at my left but I don't have to live with this. Oh God there's

a plague that's coming but I don't have to live with this. It is operating forget even the New

Testament just stand in Psalm 91. It's a radical step we are taking but if nobody takes a radical

step you never know what's radical you only know what's mediocre. Has this teaching progresses?

Some of your questions will be answered. It's good to have you back. My God Nick had Nick had almost

taken over. I'm happy that you are glad she's here. I hope you're not speaking for all of us.

Annette you might want to move to two seats to the right just in case she influences you. Too late.

To learn not to be afraid of the onset of diseases, viruses, plagues,

etc. Learn not to be afraid. So on one hand we are saying take up a radical position where we

do not just accept as norm the fallenness of the world as having easy influence over us. Guys let

me just take you back to Goshen in Egypt. Israel suddenly got used to the fact that these plagues

would not touch them. The first time it was the Nile. They could survive without the waters of

the Nile but then after that the diseases that struck after Israel grew bolder because they

realized Oshaq's Goshen is a safe place and that was in the Old Testament again before the Covenant.

I was watching now we'll go there later. So on one hand do not accept it as natural but sometimes in

our not wanting to accept it as natural we become afraid. Oshaq's I got to do this, I got to do that,

I got to protect myself, I got to take whatever precaution you think you need to but don't be

afraid. There is a taking precaution that comes with fear and there's a taking precaution that

comes with prudence and both are separated by a very thin line but make sure that the caution

you take comes out of prudence not out of fear because it's such a fine line that you easily

cross over. There is a fear that comes out of, there is a caution that comes out of fear and

whenever caution comes out of fear it's only a matter of time before it gets you but then

there is a caution that comes out of prudence and the caution that comes out of prudence is different,

it is wise. And you will find that according to your faith your caution, your cautious response

differs and that's perfectly alright. According to your faith your cautious response differs and

that's perfectly alright because there might be someone who may feel like they need to wear a mask,

okay wear a mask but there might be someone else who does not feel like they should wear a mask

because they have enough faith at present to trust God in that area so be it. Don't force

anyone to, everyone to wear masks, don't force everyone to take off masks because that's the

other thing that happens. We begin to impose what we believe or do not believe on the rest of the

people and that ain't right either. So if you think you can step into an area without a mask,

great be done according to your faith but if you think you need a mask, great wear your mask.

I can't hear you.

Yeah I get it. So his question is if someone else, yeah sorry, yeah. Yeah his question is if

someone else sees your sense of freedom it can adversely affect them because they may think okay

well I can do it too or the converse that they may feel they need to take precautions too and

so try not to influence someone else, try not to prevent people from imitating you,

prevent people only, allow people to walk in your faith, prevent them from imitating you,

prevent them from imitating you but allow them to walk in your faith as in let them come to that

level of faith only then let them walk in it but don't make them do things because you are doing

it because imitation ain't faith, it's just mimicking. Whenever imitation is without faith

it is mimicking. Imitation is only imitation as in real imitation has faith in it. I have seen

Moses do this so I Joshua will do it. I have seen Elijah do this well as Elijah I'm going to ask

for double that. That is imitation but it has faith in it. Mimicking is different. Mimicking is

when there is no faith in something you just want to do it because well if he can do it I can do it,

I can do anything you can do better. That's only a song it doesn't work.

Yeah so if it is a group of guys who just want their way do not cater to them. If it is someone

who is weaker and will be helped cater to them. Never cater to people who impose a way because

they want their ways met. They are spoiled, legalistic, this is the way we do it people.

Never cater to them but then there are people that are genuinely going to be affected well then look

out for their benefit first. You have rights but before that you have responsibilities in the kingdom.

Your rights are less important. Your responsibility to another human being is more important.

Learn not to be afraid of the onset of diseases, virus, plagues. Don't be afraid of the onset of

it because once you are afraid it is only a matter of time. I often find like this time I have been

traveling like crazy for the last two and a half weeks and everywhere you go you have got coronavirus,

coronavirus, coronavirus and so every time someone coughs and even within 15 feet of your seat

everybody collectively you can hear them going because no one wants to breathe and so I realized

that at some point I'm joining the chorus too and so I thought to myself this can't be because now

it's not coming out of a place of anything but fear. Fear always has torment in it. Fear

always has distrust in it and we'll talk about how to get out of the fear. Third, learn to rework

things. Learn to rework your thinking. Learn to rework your thinking so that when it comes to

diseases and conditions that are hereditary, when it comes to things that are genetic,

when it comes to things that are diagnosed, when it comes to seasons and times of diseases,

when it comes to seasonal diseases or allergies, when it comes to missing body parts. I know we're

going really extreme today. When it comes to any of these things guys, begin to think, rework your

thinking so that you can bring yourself into a place of expectancy and change. Rework your

thinking so that you can come to a place of expectancy and change. As in some things may

be hereditary, all your grandfathers had it. Some things are genetic, you just have those genes.

Some things are diagnosed, the doctors have, you've gone for 14 different opinions and they all come

back the same. Some things are seasonal diseases where in this season for years you've been affected

by the same thing again and again. Some things are allergies that you picked up along the way or that

you already have. Some things are missing like it could be, I don't know, different parts of your

body, maybe something that was removed. And yet I'm supposed to rework my thinking so that I come

into a place of expectancy from God and change in my body. Really Jacob, how can you go that far?

Because this is Christ we are talking about and so when you look at Christ then you see that it

doesn't matter that a man may have been blind from when he was born. It doesn't matter that a man had

a withered hand. It doesn't matter that parts were missing. It doesn't matter that things were

happening to a thousand on your left and ten thousand on your right. God's response was very

different and so I'm saying think like God. It's an extreme measure.

Any questions?

Rework our thinking.

Yeah, I used to sit next to a girl called Neve, really nice Irish girl and I'd be sneezing over

all over her and she'd say you got a cold and I said no I don't have a cold. That wasn't very

helpful because she would be wiping sneeze off her face and I'd be telling her that I don't have

a cold. So that is not real. The great thing with Abraham is he was 99, he didn't have kids and he

didn't say nope I'm all good I'm working everywhere. No, he said I cannot bear children. I am important

but I know what God has said. So you do not deny the reality of your condition but having looked at

the reality of your condition you are fully persuaded that this is the fact but this is the

truth and it is the truth because God has said so and it is a fact because the doctors have said

so. So it's a strange thing, it's not a contradiction. How do you rework your thinking? Just one way to

rework your thinking. You look at Yahweh in the Word, you look at Yahweh in the Word, who was he

in the Word of God? How was he in the Word of God? Look at him in the Old Covenant, look at him in

the New Covenant, look at him through the visible form of Jesus, look at him through the invisible

expressions of healings and ways that he took Israel through the desert. If you look at Yahweh

through the Word and if you look at how they lived in Goshen you can begin to change your thinking.

Goshen was a place where strangely enough though Egypt was being just smothered with plagues,

Goshen was a place that Israel inhabited where things were very different. I was watching

Secrets of Egypt Decoded on Smithsonian. Man, the way they explained the ten plagues,

it made so much sense. Yeah, they didn't, which was fascinating, I was thinking of it this morning.

Yeah, they talked about why the plagues happened but and they have a very reasonable explanation

for it. Like all the ten plagues are explained scientifically but obviously they couldn't talk

about Goshen because how can the children of Israel be spared and yet there is a distinction.

You know when you come to this table and you partake of the bread and grape juice you need

to understand that this when it was first done was, the Bible says, it distinguished between the

sons of Israel and the children of Egypt. This meal actually made a clear distinguishing line

between the sons of Egypt and the sons of Israel. This meal was first celebrated at Passover. That's

how this started. Every time we partake of this, we're not just partaking of this to remember Jesus.

We're partaking of this to remember the benefits that have been accrued to us because of Jesus.

So here are some questions that I want to ask you and I asked myself these questions and we've got

to ask these questions often because our thinking because it's surrounded by the by a world that is

degenerating, it's very hard for us because of our ears, eyes, nose, hands and mouth to sense anything

else but a degenerating decaying world. And so you got to ask yourself, does God really keep you?

Does God really keep you? Sam, you got to ask yourself these questions. You have to take an

extreme position if you want to thrive, extreme position because around you are situations and

circumstances that tell you it ain't going to happen and yet I'm saying to you very clearly Sam,

you have to put your feet down and say here I stand and die. It is your only option. You do not

have any other options. If that option is causing you to die, some of us will come and help you so

that you will live again but you have to decide. I draw a line here, I take a stand here and I say

here I will stand or I will die. You better die and be buried in Vancouver. You've got no other choice.

Sam understands and a few others understand what I'm saying. So be happy because you ain't

going to be buried anywhere else for the next one or two years. You better not die because I hate

funerals. Here's the first question, does he keep, does he really keep you? Does he really keep you?

Number 624, the Lord bless you and keep you. As in the same God who asked Cain, the same God who

said your brother and Cain says am I my brother's keeper and God is saying I am your keeper. To keep

is to become the armor-bearer, to keep is to cover, to keep is to hold safe, to keep is to protect.

Does God really keep me? You've got to ask this question because the answer to the question every

day will help you figure out how you can walk with him. Does he really keep you? Is he really

faithful to number 624 when he says I the Lord now bless you, the Lord bless you and keep you.

Does he really keep you? Is he really someone who lets his glory be a canopy around you? Isaiah

Isaiah 4:5

chapter 4 verse 5, Isaiah 4 verse 5 it says that I will cause my glory to settle as a canopy around

Isaiah 4:5

those that assemble on Mount Zion and it shall be a shelter from the storm and the rain and it shall

be protection from the Sun and from heat. Is this God really a God who lets his splendor, his brilliance,

his weight, his magnificence cover me like a canopy, like a dome. Does it actually cover me?

Does it actually cover me? Does he remove it sometimes just for the fun of it or does he actually

cover me? I'm telling you, you ask these questions begin to ponder on it you will find your attitude

towards life will become different. Third question, does he keep, does he canopy you with his glory?

Yeah, does he keep, does he canopy you with you with his glory? Third question, is he really your

protector and shield? Is he really your protector and shield? Is he really your protector and shield?

I mean turn to Psalm 91 verse 3 to 7 in the NIRV, not the NIV, the NIRV, NIV is fine too but I just

Psalms 91:3–7

want to read it from a different version. Psalm 91 verse 3 to 7. I'm reading from the NIRV.

Psalms 91:3–7

He will certainly save you Jacob from hidden traps and from deadly sickness. He will cover

you with his wings. Under the feathers of his wings you will find safety. He is faithful. He will keep

you safe like a shield or a tower. You won't have to be afraid of the terrors that come during the

night. You won't have to fear the arrows that come at you during the day. You won't have to be afraid

of the sickness that attacks in the darkness. You won't have to fear the plague that destroys at noon.

A thousand may fall dead at your right side, ten thousand may fall near your right hand but no harm

will come to you. I was flying yesterday from Calgary to Vancouver and shortly into the flight

the guy next to me starts coughing and now you can see the rest of the cabin

holding its collective breath and I thought maybe I should do it too because I think to myself,

father of all the seats, this is the one you could find me right next to this guy and then

just when he starts coughing the lady behind me starts throwing up and so I'm thinking to myself,

great so I've got someone throwing up behind me and someone coughing next to me and guess what I

did? Went straight to Psalm 91 verse 3 to 7 and read it again and started to breathe normally.

Psalms 91:3–7

Took out a Recoli or something from my bag, gave it to the guy saying you better have this nowadays.

The moment you cough people think different things. Pulled out an extra vomit bag from

my seat and gave it to the lady behind me and thought to myself, wow Dr. Jacob's doing well.

But I had to go to Psalm 91 verse 3 to 7 because it is very easy to look at things around you

Psalms 91:3–7

and begin to think differently.

Is he really your protector and shield? Is he really your protector and shield? He says I'm

your exceeding great reward and shield in Genesis 15.1. In Psalm 91, my God, Moses wrote that psalm,

not David. Wow, what a brilliant psalm. Jesus quoted from it. The devil quoted from it I think.

Must be an important psalm.

Here's another really

not difficult question, a question that's asked often that I want to ask right now and that is,

no that's not the difficult question. I'll ask you one more normal question then a difficult

question. Is healing his nature? Is healing his nature? Is healing his nature? Is healing God's

nature? Are you convinced of it? Exodus 23 verse 25. Exodus 23 verse 25. It says I will take away

Exodus 23:25 Exodus 23:25

diseases from your midst. Exodus 15 verse 23. I will not put any diseases on you. Isaiah 53 verse

Exodus 15:23 Isaiah 53:5

5. I was striped so that you may be healed. Is it his nature when Jesus walked the earth,

was it his nature to heal? Since the best way to find out a person's nature is to look at what he

does visibly, wouldn't it be great if he looked at God's nature through the visible actions of Jesus?

Is it his nature? That was the easy question and here's a really difficult question which you get

asked, which people get asked a million times and the question is, does God allow bad?

Does God allow bad? Does God allow bad?

Does God allow bad?

You don't know the number of books that have been written about it guys.

Sickness has spawned coping mechanism theology. Sickness has spawned coping mechanism theology,

as in don't know how to explain it so let's come up with a theology that helps us cope with our

inability to explain it. If you don't know how to explain something, don't explain it. Don't go

looking for a reason. Go back to some basic truths about God. So let's go back to the basic

God. So does God allow bad? And we can't walk a yellow line saying sometimes he does, sometimes

he doesn't, sometimes it's like this. No, either he allows bad or he doesn't. It can't be both.

You can't create some kind of nebulous place that God dwells in where he's sovereign. You never know

the bad may be so that something good may happen to you.

Let's go and look at the nature of God to see whether he allows bad.

Matthew 6 13.

Matthew 6 13.

Everybody knows this. Matthew 6 13.

Because all of you are thinking of Job as I'm talking about this

and Job was even before Moses. Job was shortly after Adam. Job did not,

let's not even try to justify it. You need to understand that living in the New Testament

under a new covenant, under a covenant of grace, under a covenant where all your sins are forgiven,

under a covenant where sin has been paid for, under something called sozo which means rescue.

By the way, I know I've said this ages ago, but you need to understand that when God says salvation,

he means rescue. The word salvation comes from rescue. Yeshua means rescue. What is he rescuing

you from? He's rescuing you from these five things. One, sin. Two, the penalty of sin.

Three, death. Four, sickness. Five, false doctrine. These are the five things that God has given you.

False doctrine. These are the five things that salvation encompasses. Sin,

the penalty of sin. Death, sickness, false doctrine.

So, I love what Matthew,

the question is, does God allow bad? Does he allow bad? I'm not even,

I'm using the word allow because that's a favorite word Christians use to

politely blame God for things. Does he allow bad? So, here's the question. Matthew 7 verse 9 to 11.

Matthew 7:9–11

Can you go there before we come back to Matthew 6, 13? Matthew 7, 9 to 11. Matthew 7, 9 to 11.

Matthew 7, 9 to 11. I'm going to read it from the message. Matthew 7, 9 to 11. If your child

asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live

snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to

your own children. So, don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?

Let me read it again just in case we missed it. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with

sawdust? Let's put Matt and Rachel into the situation. If Shiloh asks you for bread,

if Shiloh asks you for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If Shiloh asks you for fish,

do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you and Rachel are,

you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to Shiloh. So, don't you think the

God who conceived you in love will be even better? Why do we think God allows bad?

Which father does?

It happens, but it happening does not mean he allowed it. Unfortunately, the fallenness of the

world makes so many things happen. I met some... I can't even talk about it because it would be

not good. So many bad things happen, but you can't say God allowed it. We got to understand

the nature of the father. No good father allows bad things. Allow is to give permission for.

God does not give permission. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from

evil. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We think God gives permission. In his

sovereignty, he has some strange convoluted plan that gives permission for bad things to happen.

What kind of dad is this and how can you ever trust a God like this? How is it human? Man,

I want chocolates too, but I can't eat it in the middle of a sermon. Feel free. I was just looking

at it and it looked good. Sorry, it just came out. Yeah.

I have a retort, but I won't.

Guys, let me assure you that if you think God gives permission for bad things to happen,

it is impossible to trust this God because he's highly whimsical

and you never know what he's up to. This God cannot be trusted.

You got to go with the nature of God, man. You got to go with the nature of Jesus.

I'm not even going there today.

Job fits into this in the Old Testament and the New Covenant is very different from the old. One

cannot live in both. It doesn't. Yeah. Yeah, it doesn't change, but if you want to look at God,

always look at Jesus because he's a visible image of the Old Testament. He's a visible image of the

God. It is impossible to understand the Old Testament without standing with Jesus

because in the Old Testament they had, just imagine this, I've said this before,

but in the Old Testament, they did not even have the concept of God as a father.

In Jeremiah, God is begging Israel, hey, do you know I'm like a father? Even David did not know

him as a father. And if you remove the fatherhood of God, you've got a very ordinary God who ain't

the Christian God. And yet he has been a father from Genesis one because he said, Adam, you are

my son. Israel, you are my son. And yet in the Old Testament, even the concept of God as a father

is missing. And Jesus came only for one reason to show us the father. So can I negate what happened

to Job? Absolutely not. Do I know what Satan can do? Absolutely yes. But do I know what Christ did

halfway through history? Absolutely yes. And therefore do I know where I stand? Absolutely yes.

Do you know what Job is most known for? His patience.

It's scriptural. Of all the things that God would pick to exalt Job, you know what he picked?

That he was a man who was patient and persevered. I'm not saying we shouldn't look at Job and ask

the questions we are asking like Sam is asking. I've asked the same questions Sam is asking.

I'm saying there is more to Job's story than the fact that he went through what he went through.

It is how he went through it. And therein lies something else about Job that should change the

way we think. Even though he slay me, yet will I trust him? Because somewhere inside, through all

his lament, the thing that comes through every time is, but this is not the God I know. So what

in the world is happening to me? This is not the God I know. So why are you talking to me like you're

talking to me? This is not the God I know. And I know how righteously I have walked with him.

This is not the God I know. Lament comes not out of anything else, but this is not the God I know.

Very odd, eh?

And that aside, there are 65 other books you can choose from to see the nature of God. Job is one

aspect of it. I don't want to negate Job, but that's my response. And by the way, you won't be able

to trust God if he permits evil to happen to you. You cannot trust this God then. Because you don't

know... I mean, if Shiloh thinks that there is a possibility... I've got a video of Shiloh climbing

up the stairs and Matt at the top of the stairs. And I show it to different people to show them how

fathers are. And so Shiloh's climbing up the stairs. He couldn't walk then. He could crawl.

And he's crawling up the stairs and Matt is at the top of the stairs and he's clapping his hands

and encouraging Shiloh. And Shiloh keeps coming and then he gets to the top of the stairs. And

what if Matt decided, hmm, maybe I should permit some evil so the boy knows how to roll down the

steps. And just as he gets to the top of the steps, he pushes Shiloh over and the boy goes crumbling

down. And Matt's intent is, try it and if you fail, try again. Matt wouldn't do that. I mean,

as silly as this example sounds, that is what happens to God when we think he permits evil.

How do you trust someone like that, man? How do you trust a God like that?

I wouldn't be able to trust him.

And so what's the devil's favorite trick? To help good Christians who are walking in faith believe

that God permits evil. That God allows bad things to happen to good people. Do you know how many

books have been written about it? And do you know who writes these books? Very, very important people.

Obviously, I'm not one of them.

Very important people write these books. People that I love reading and listening to.

Yep. No. Really, not because I can't, Nick. I'll sit with you and talk about it. But if I went down

that trail, then it would take, it would completely divert us. Plus, all I can say is,

um, Paul goes and asks God, and then we'll have to examine what was the thorn in the flesh.

Then we'll have to examine who brought it. And we'll have to examine all that. Plus,

I don't know why all of us think that we've had great revelations and God is trying to keep us

humble. Does that too? Whenever, we never equate ourselves to Paul in any other area, except when

we have sickness. And yet it very clearly says in the scriptures that he had such mighty revelation

that it was given to him a thorn in the flesh. We just take on the thorn in the flesh without

any mighty revelations. And we always say, but he was Paul. But when it comes to sickness,

we have great commiseration with him. Not you and me, the rest of them. Yeah.

I could go down. Guys, the thing is, I decided to tease this today because we've covered this

in detail in the past when you were not around or some of you were not born. But I just thought it

was time to bring it up again, because these are things that lie in the back of our heads.

I'm stuck here and I'm okay to be stuck here. We got to stop thinking that God allows bad things

to happen to us. Because if you think that there's no way you can trust him.

Wasn't this the problem with our dads and moms? You did not know how they would react.

You brought good results home. It was great. You brought bad results home. You did not know how

they would react. Same God, no man. James chapter one was towards the end. Every good and perfect

gift comes from God in whom there is no shadow of turning. Now when you say good and perfect gift,

where in that is the allowance for evil? Or for that matter, if God is allowing evil,

how can you even combat it? What are you going to do? What kind of stance are you going to take?

How are you even going to combat it?

Who are you going to go to? If God is allowing evil, how are you going to escape? Who will you go to?

It's such a perverse theology man.

I want to hate it with a passion and I want this church to hate it with a passion.

Hate it to the point where it does not exist in your thoughts anymore.

Learn to see God first as father before you see him as healer, before you see him as provider.

Learn to see him as father. You get that right man. It makes such a big difference. Because one

father, he is everything. Once he is healer, he is only healer.

Learn to see him as father before you see him as anything else.

Learn to see him as a perfect father. What would your perfect father look like?

And then multiply it by 1.346 million and you will get a glimpse of what he's like.

One other. Go ahead.

So, spare the rod, spoil the child, Proverbs. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 12 and then it says,

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

discipline your children. The strange thing about God's discipline is there is no anger in it.

We cannot conceive that. When we think of spare the rod and spoil the child,

when we think of discipline, we can only think of the discipline we have received.

On the best day, there was still anger when our parents disciplined us and God is not angry with

you. And you have no idea and I have no idea what discipline looks like when anger is not a part of

it. But this God is not angry with you when he disciplines you. His heart is so ridiculously

overpouring with love when he disciplines you because he knows it's going to hurt.

And his discipline is not towards destruction, damage, dissing you, making you smaller,

diminishing your status. His discipline is towards, hey, I've told you many times,

I've sent a lot of people, I've tried to interrupt, I've tried to correct you with my word. None of it

is working. If I let you go any further, you're going to drop off this building and break your

leg. So before you break your leg, let me quickly haul you back. And by the way, my discipline will

stop the moment you change because I don't want to lose you. I don't want to destroy you.

And discipline first happens through the word man. Discipline first happens through people.

Discipline first happens through God speaking to you in different ways. Discipline where something

more happens is only after I am deaf and stubborn in my ways continuously. And it is always loving.

David got it so well that knowing what was coming, he said, God, I would rather fall into your hands

than into the hands of man because he knows when man disciplines is very different. As a parent,

my God, all you a child needs to do is cry for three hours and you begin to lose. What three hours?

20 minutes and your nerves are afraid. Do you know how many cries God hears for the last 6,000 years

from a whole lot of billion people and he doesn't lose his temper?

Don't be afraid of God's discipline. Do not be afraid of God's discipline. He's a loving father.

He does not know how to be anything else. And yet be afraid of God's discipline. It's not pleasant.

Hey, gosh, should we stop here or should we go on?

I don't hear a response. Gosh, should we stop here or should we go on?

Don, if you could put the rest of them in probation.

Hey, resist conclusions that don't align with God's nature. Resist conclusions that don't align

with God's nature or God's word or God's expectations, regardless of the preacher

that you're listening to, regardless of your own circumstances. Resist conclusions, resist theology,

resist conclusions that do not align with God's nature, God's word or the expectations that God

wants you to have. Hey, just think of this. Don't you think God wants me to expect him to heal me

every time I'm not well? Do you think he has any other thought than, hey, Jacob, I hope you expect

me to do something for you? Isn't that the most natural thing for a father?

You're in trouble. I hope you come to me. Psalm 55 puts it this way. Call to me in your day of

trouble so that I will answer you so that you can glorify me. That's so nuts. Call to me in

the day of trouble so that I can answer you so that you can glorify me.

Now, the rest of the week, Don is going to tell people he went to the gym and lifted weights.

Okay, let's go a little further and then we'll stop. I won't be able to finish it

because we got, I want to break bread also. Guys, here are some causes that we've discussed in the

past and that I want to bring up again. One, end internal strife in your life. End internal strife.

If you read Psalm 25 verse 17 out of the message, it doesn't say so in any other version,

Psalms 25:17

and the message is not trying to just come up with words. What Eugene Peterson did was go to the

source language, be it Hebrew or Greek, and try to translate accurately from it. So even though

it's paraphrased, it's actually not inaccurate. And Psalm 25 verse 17, it says, Oh God, my kidneys

Psalms 25:17

and my heart are at war. When you read Psalm 25, you realize that internal strife causes a whole

lot of things that don't need to be caused. Internal strife is when you know that you have

to go a certain way and you're going the other way. Internal strife is when you know what is

right and you're doing wrong. Internal strife is when you know God is saying something and you're

not doing it. Internal strife is when you know that this is the path and you're not. Internal strife is

when Jacob begins to fight internally. Don't let it happen. It ruins your body. Read Psalm 25 verse 17

Psalms 25:17

from the message.

My heart and kidneys are fighting each other. Call a truce to this civil war. Keep watch over me. Keep

me out of trouble. Use your skill to put me together. I wait to see your finished product.

Hey, when people cause internal strife, run to God, find rest in him. How do you find rest in

internal strife? Find what he thinks about the situation. You don't find rest. See, when there is

internal strife happening because of external circumstances, you need to do this. First, you've

got to ask for peace because God gives you peace. First, he'll give you peace. Why? Because peace is

good ground for everything that God sows. It is very hard for God to plant anything in the soil of

your heart when it is in turmoil like a tossed ocean. So you can throw seeds in but they get

tossed about. The first thing in trouble is to ask God for peace. Have you noticed how the first

thing Jesus would release upon people when they were afraid was what? Peace be still. Peace to you.

Do not fear. It's always peace first. So when there is internal strife and external circumstances

are ripping you, ask for peace because in peace you begin to hear. In peace you begin to receive

what God wants. Once you have gotten into this place, then begin to ask God for, oh God, you see

what is happening. What is your opinion on it? You've got to find out what God thinks about a situation.

And once you find out what God thinks about a situation, you can now choose whether you want

to walk the way he wants you to, even if it is not beneficial to your own life.

So,

once you know how God wants you to react to external pressure and strife, you choose that and you know

it's going to be okay. This is what God has decided so this is what I'll walk in.

But Jacob, what if I don't hear God? Well then go ask somebody. Ask Jacob.

So many times man, I know that if I go into the situation with the way I'm thinking, I'm going to

have a miserable time because someone let me down or someone jipped me or someone cheated me or

someone didn't treat me well. I've got to go and ask God, so father, how do you see the situation?

Once I know how he sees the situation, if he sees, hey they really jipped you, you better stand and

not let them jip you anymore, then that's what I'll do. If he says they really jipped you, allow them

to jip you a little more, then I'll go with open pockets. But now I know what God wants, now

everything is taken care of. And here are the five, big five that you've got to be careful of and

I think we'll end with that and the rest we'll do another time. The big five that you have to be

careful of that cause a whole host of sicknesses and diseases that you've got to nip in the bud.

Fear, worry, bitterness,

or unforgiveness,

anger,

the last one is rejection or self-hatred.

These are the big five like the animals in Africa

and these must be fought against. This must not, you mustn't let this fester. Fear, worry,

bitterness or unforgiveness, anger, rejection or self-hatred. By the way, when it comes to some of

these, you can begin the process but please don't force people to be healed overnight

because I used to do that. I used to do that in the old days. I used to do that in the old days.

Because I used to do that and it's all very nice but it doesn't, you know, you know one can repent

of unforgiveness but my God to change your thinking after what has been done to you takes time.

So this can be dealt, all these may need time man, all these may need time but you've got to

begin the process because this is really good ground for a whole lot of crappy plans.

And so begin the process. One of the ways you begin this process is by being able to admit it

first to God and then being able to admit it to somebody else who won't publicize it or write a

book about your life. And if you can find that then that begins a process where there is fear,

there is worry, there is bitterness, unforgiveness because of horrible things done to you,

because of anger, because of rejection or self-hatred.

Because of anger, because of rejection or self-hatred.

And sometimes it's not something you carry, it is what you have been bred in. The incubator

of your life was one of rejection and self-hatred. So many women suffer from it, I can't even tell you.

The number of women who go through rejection and self-hatred right from when they are children

started with their fathers and their mothers, went on to their brothers and their husbands,

went on to bosses and men and pastors. Self-hatred and rejection causes so much harm,

so many sicknesses and diseases, I can't tell you. Begin the process of healing by first admitting

it to God and then admitting it to people. And if you haven't, if it takes time, so be it.

I said I'll close, so let me close. Hey, Betty, you want to do the thingy?

One of the hardest things for humans to do is to be freely loved by God the Father.

One of the hardest things for humans to do is to be freely loved by God the Father.

Partly because it's an alien concept, partly because it requires that you do nothing,

that you be inactive, that you go into rest and let him love you for no reason.

One of the hardest things for people to do, for humans to do. One of the hardest things

for humans to do is to be freely loved by God the Father. Freely loved by God the Father.

Hardest thing to do. I'm telling you, and I need to bring this up, when it comes to rejection of

self-hatred, the only way back is through allowing God to nurture you. Allowing God to nurture you.

Because there are people who've grown up in homes where you were not nurtured,

really, I'm not into psychobabble, you know that by now, but you were not nurtured.

Never received a father's love, never received a brother's love, never received a husband's love,

never received a mother's love. Don't know what it is to be like. Man, I'm telling you,

sometimes Asian and Indian culture sucks because of it. Especially for women.

Also for men, but especially for women.

The only way back is to be loved by the Father. Jacob, what does that look like? Turn to Ezekiel

chapter 16 verse 4 to 3.

Ezekiel 16 verse 4 to 13.

Ezekiel 16:4–13

The only way back is to be loved by the Father. Jacob, what does that look like? Turn to Ezekiel

Ezekiel 16:4–13

chapter 16 verse 4 to 13. Ezekiel 16 verse 4 to 13.

Ezekiel 16:4–13

On the day you were born, your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean,

nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloth. No one looked on you with pity or had

compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open

field, for on the day you were born, you were despised. Then I passed by and saw you, kicking

about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood, I said to you, live. I made you grow like

a plant in the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your

breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare. Later I passed by, and when

I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over

you, and I covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you,

declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine. I bathed you with water and washed the blood from

you, put ointments on you, I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you.

I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry.

I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose,

earrings on your ear, and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver.

Your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour,

honey and olive oil. Learn to be nurtured by God. One of the things I always remind myself,

sometimes every morning, these are the things, there are five things I say to myself, I hope

I remember them. I say, Father, I come to kneel in your blood, and the reason I come to kneel in your

blood is I want to start this day off by being just made absolutely new, free from any vestige of sin

from the past. I come to kneel in your blood. Father, I come to stand in your presence. I don't

want to stand here on earth. I want to be able to stand in your presence so that I'm able to see

here. Father, I come to rest in your spirit. I really don't want to strive and exert myself.

I want to rest in your spirit. Father, I come to dance in your favor. Throughout this day,

because you're a good father, I know your favor is upon me. And Father, I come to serve from your

courts so that I hear what you're saying and I do that here on earth. I remind myself of this every

day. I come to kneel in your blood. I come to stand in your presence.

I come to rest in the power of your spirit. I come to dance in your favor.

And I come to serve from your courts.

Your takeaway from everything we've said today, even though it was about

the waters that were bitter and sick and full of pain being changed by the throwing of a piece of

wood and it was that same piece of wood that was then lifted up on Calvary.

Your takeaway today, even though this is about sickness and disease, is that your God does not

permit or allow evil things to happen to you. If that is your God, you will never be able to trust him.

Never.

So is there a sermon that awaits where you'll tell us, so why do bad things happen? Yes.

But we don't deal with why do bad things happen without first knowing that we have

a good God who does not allow bad things to happen.

Man, which child can trust a father

that the child is not sure will not suddenly turn and be evil too?

And just because you cannot explain a circumstance does not change who God is.

He shouldn't be your favorite scapegoat to come up with a theology. He is always good.

Remember one thing guys, you always inhabit what you think. You always inhabit what you think.

You always inhabit what you think. You begin to think of him as a God who he really is, a God who

does not allow evil but a God who is a good father. You begin to taste his goodness.

I love you Lord. What's the next line? Your mercy never fails me. Never fails me. And then

all my days I've been held in your hands. All my days. This is not a God who says,

well now that you're two I ain't carrying you. No. All my days. You know what it says in

Ecclesiastes I think it says, even when my hair grows old and gray you will carry me. All my days.

What's the next line? All my days. From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head I will sing of

the goodness of a God who allows evil. Really? How can you do that? You can't sing that song

if your God is so whimsical. He's like any ordinary Hindu God.

Terrible if you take Jesus and make him like a normal idol who may be smiling one day and

maybe upset the next day. This is no yin yang God. And then after that what's the next line?

All my days you have been faithful. All my days you have been so so good. Then with every breath

that I am able I will sing of the goodness of God. And then the next line is so cool man. I love

your voice. Then you have led me through the fire. Not you have put me in the fire. Please there's a

distinction. I love your voice. You have put me in the fire. Roasted me. No no I love your voice.

You have led me through the fire. Then in the darkest night you are close like no other. Not oh

God you led me in there. You're bringing some good out of this. No no no no no no. And then

I've known you as a father. I've known you as a friend. And I have lived in the goodness of God.

Your goodness is. I don't like the bridge.

Goodness of God. Yeah cool. Take it home. May you be a people that always know that your God

does not allow bad things to happen to you. Then he is easy to trust. You've got to show the world

man. And if you have any of those books which say why God a good God allows bad things bring them next week.

No no no the guys who wrote those books are scholars. They are men and women of God. They

have brilliant stuff to state. But every brilliant person has a few sets of.

So

all those guys say a lot of important things but then they say this too and that just points

everything.