Sermon

Tetelestai

Acts 29 Vancouver

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  1. Tethelestai is basically Greek for it is finished.

  2. That's what D was, those were his last words on the cross, kind of his last words on the cross.

  3. And Tethelestai basically means it is finished. And it's an accounting term.

  4. And it actually means taking the toll.

  5. And so when Jesus said it is finished, there were many meanings to it, but one of the things we really wanted to emphasize was that

  6. He wanted to say, hey guys, the debt that you owe, the debt that man owes God, the debt that man owes God has been completely wiped forever.

  7. That's basically what he wanted to say.

  8. Hey, can you make this thing come further?

  9. Yeah. So Tethelestai means that it's finished and it's an accounting term that basically means patient full.

  10. And Jesus' intent when he declared it on the cross was to let us know that listen, the debt of sin owed by you to my father has been wiped out completely and forever.

  11. The debt of sin owed by you to my father has just been wiped out by me completely and forever.

  12. That was the whole intent.

  13. So we're going to look at a scripture to see the debt that has been wiped out and what has happened.

  14. And that's in Galatians 3, 13 and 14. Galatians 3, 13 and 14. Galatians 3, 13 and 14.

  15. And here's what it says. It says Christ has redeemed us from the curse.

  16. Christ has redeemed us from the curse.

  17. What curse? The curse of the law.

  18. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.

  19. And there it goes on to this. That's one part of it. I mean the verse is much longer. I'll read the verse first and then break it up.

  20. Galatians 3, 13 and 14. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed as everyone hangs on a tree.

  21. And then it goes on to say that the blessing of Abraham might conform with their ties with Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

  22. So we bring that into two parts. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, or three parts, by becoming a curse.

  23. And in the process, the blessings of Abraham are now ours.

  24. That's what we look at today. So when he says it is finished, Tetelahes Christ, what he's trying to say is, hey, I've paid completely and forever the debt that I owed my father.

  25. And when we begin to expand that further, we find that what he paid allowed him to ransom us or redeem us from the curse of the law.

  26. And how did he do that? By becoming a curse. What happens in the bargain? We get the blessings of Abraham and they now sit upon us.

  27. So here's the first question. Christ delivered us from the curse of the law. That's what we look at first. Christ delivered us from the curse of the law.

  28. If you want to know what the law is still doing, Exodus 20, Exodus 20, Exodus 20, just go to Exodus 20. That's where it begins, eh?

  29. Go to Exodus 20. Everyone's familiar with this chapter. So Exodus 20 is when God begins to speak the words and give the Ten Commandments.

  30. Yes? Are you there? Exodus 20. Then go on to Exodus 21 and the commandments still continue. This is God still speaking on Sinai.

  31. He's not done. So we think he gave the Ten Commandments and then said, alright, I'm done. But he keeps going. 21 and then go on to 22 and then go on to 23.

  32. And at the end of 23, he takes a break. And at the end of 23, he actually tells Moses, hey, why don't you bring 70 of your elders and come and eat and drink with me? Why?

  33. Because every covenant was always followed by a meme. Every covenant is followed by a meme. Doesn't matter whether it's the marriage covenant or the Ten Commandments or the New Testament, Jesus started the covenant with a meme.

  34. And so this covenant too had to be concluded with a meme. So what does he say? He says to Moses, hey, why don't 70 of your elders come up the mountain and they go up the mountain.

  35. He's just delivered to them the Mosaic covenant and they say that these 78 and drank with God on the mountain, which is just nuts.

  36. There's not just Moses going up. Moses and 70 elders go up the mountain to eat and drink with him. And so this was the law that was given to them.

  37. And please note that the law at that time given by God was external, was ceremonial, was moral. But it was not internal.

  38. As in it wasn't really the condition of the heart. It was the performance of certain rules and regulations that have to be met.

  39. It was moral, it was ceremonial, it was external. And what was God's intent? Hey guys, here is my blazing holiness. If you want to be my people, these are the standards that have to be met.

  40. He's setting them up. Say these are the standards that have to be met. Oh by the way, if you meet them all, these great things will happen to you. If you don't meet them, these terrible things will happen to you.

  41. We aren't even talking about an internal condition, which is why Jesus starts off so brilliantly in Matthew 5 where he says, you have heard it said that you should not murder.

  42. But let me say to you that anyone who looks at someone with anger has already committed murder. What is Jesus doing here? He's taking what was external and making it internal, the condition of the heart, where for Israel it was an external requirement.

  43. It was moral, yes, but it was still external and ceremonial. You have heard it said that one should not commit adultery. But let me say to you, if you look at a woman with lust in your eyes, then you have already committed adultery.

  44. Jesus was upping the ante by saying, hey, it is impossible to achieve this, but I have come, once I start living in you, you will be able to achieve this.

  45. And so when you look at Exodus, 20 Exodus, 21 Exodus, 22 Exodus, 23, you see what God spoke to them on Sinai. And now he says to them, you follow all this and Deuteronomy 28, 1-14 will happen. You don't follow this and Deuteronomy 28, 15-16 will happen.

  46. All those things that Chris read is what happens when you break the law. The curse of the law, the curse of the law is what Chris just read in Deuteronomy 28, 15-68, and it's a consequence of breaking the law.

  47. We are going somewhere with this.

  48. Guys, because the Old Testament writers did not have a view of God as Father, because they never met Jesus Christ, because they attributed to God sovereignty, because they assumed that evil and goodness were not in the Bible, they assumed that God was the Father.

  49. Evil and good comes from God, because they thought that God is bad and good. They attribute everything in the book to God. So when you read it, this is the best Moses could do.

  50. That the Lord will send plates, the Lord will send diseases, the Lord will cause you to eat your children, the Lord will strike you with diseases, the Lord will ruin you, the Lord will do evil to you.

  51. And yet, if you want to see the actual image of God, look at Jesus. Which part of this fits with Jesus? How many of us can say with any degree of confidence, and Jesus will send you diseases, and Jesus will ruin you, and Jesus will cause your family to be ripped away from you, and Jesus will cause you to eat your children, and Jesus will cause disasters to come upon you, and Jesus will do you evil, and Jesus will send you plates.

  52. It doesn't compute, and the reason it doesn't compute is because it was impossible for people before Jesus Christ came on the earth to even figure out a God who is good.

  53. Because right from the beginning of time, ever since Adam failed, ever since his ear was poisoned with his thoughts, that do you think God really means good to you, when his intent is to subdue you?

  54. And God had said, listen, I've sent you to subdue them, and Satan comes and whispers in each ear saying, he doesn't mean good.

  55. Ever since that, we've had such a distorted image of God, and the sad thing is it still continues even after Jesus has come.

  56. What the devil did with the curse of the law is he began to weaponize the curse of the law against us. He took the curse of the law, and he began to use it against us. How? He is a legalist.

  57. Now if you look at Deuteronomy 13.3, verse 1-3, you will see God in his courts, Joshua the High Priest, Satan on one side and Angel on the other side.

  58. Now what is Satan standing there accusing Joshua? What is he accusing of?ability of sin.ию What did Joshua robe him with? of filth-spattered garments.

  59. and then Satan begins to accuse him. The accuser of the brethren was cast out from heaven when

  60. Christ won the victory on the cross. He cannot accuse us before God anymore. When you think of

  61. the songs we sang together today, every song says the same thing. Every song says the same thing.

  62. The first song said, I stand before and write it. The first song said, till Jesus leaves heaven,

  63. I will not be displaced. We now still think that the enemy has the ability to take the curses of

  64. the law and keep chucking it on us. He used it as a weapon. He's used it as a weapon forever. Do you

  65. know that in Psalm 78, when I talked about the plagues of Egypt, I was talking to the young

  66. man, Alan Sabhan. When you talk about the plagues of Egypt, when you read Psalm 78, you find that

  67. the plagues of Egypt were caused by a band of marauding evil angels. Amazing, eh? The Hebrew

  68. word for it is ra ra malak, a band of evil angels. Psalm 78. God is a good God. He didn't change at

  69. Malachi. God is a good God. He didn't change when Adam fell. God does not indulge in evil. He does

  70. not send evil. You are evil parents. That's just a statement from the Bible. You parents being as

  71. evil as you are. That's what the Bible says. You are parents that are evil. And yet, when you are

  72. come, when your kids come to you and ask you for an egg, you do not give them a scorpion. When they

  73. ask you for fish, you do not give them a serpent. When they ask you for bread, you do not give them

  74. stone. Why is it that we assume that a good God chooses to do evil? Will one day the inhabitants

  75. of the earth who choose to go with the deceiver, the adversary, the opponent, the accuser, will they

  76. face the wrath of God? Yes. But is God someone who sends evil and good, disaster and nice things?

  77. No. He's the one who said, can a spring produce both salty water and sweet water? Can a plant

  78. produce good fruit and bad fruit? We got to understand this in our heart. If you try to reason

  79. with your mind, you can come up with a hundred circumstances over the last ten days on CNN that

  80. would prove God a liar. But let all men be liars, but God be true. We do not work God's character or

  81. personality with our reasoning. We look at the word and we see the face of Jesus. And in the face

  82. of Jesus, you see an accurate image of God. I'm not trying to browbeat you into submission to a good

  83. God. I'm trying to open our eyes and your eyes to see a good God. And if that means putting matchsticks

  84. so that our eyelids say open, yes, it's cruel, but it is helpful. Satan used the curse of the law.

  85. And here's what God is saying. Imagine how all this started. He says to Adam, hey Adam, I wanted to give you a few lines.

  86. By the way, just so that you have choice. Because if there is no choice, there is no freedom. If there is no freedom, there is no love.

  87. So here, I want to place a tree in this garden called the tree of life. And I don't want you to eat from it.

  88. Not the tree of life. A tree of knowledge of good and evil. I'm going to place it in this garden. I don't want you to eat from it.

  89. And the only reason I'm prohibiting you from eating from it is so that you now have the freedom to eat

  90. from it or not eat from it. You have to have choice. If you do not have choice, you cannot obey me. Obedience that doesn't have choice

  91. ain't obedience. It's robotic. And where there is no freedom, there is no love. Where there is no choice, there is no freedom.

  92. So a Bible that was supposed to be one verse ticked now has 66 books because of Adam. That is all. That is the only command given to Adam.

  93. Now he has choice and he chooses. And God says, hey by the way, I also want to tell you that there are consequences to your choices.

  94. You can have the freedom to choose, but you've got to know that there are consequences to your choices. So here's what I want to tell you.

  95. I plan to supply you for the rest of my life. By the way, there will be children that you'll have. And if Adam had not followed,

  96. we would have fathomed the infinity of God every day and it would never end. What were the first few days or months or years like,

  97. depending on whether you're a new earth and old earth guy, what were the first few days like? What was it like when God would walk with Adam in the cool of the evening?

  98. What were they talking about? What about God was Adam discovering? How long was it supposed to go on? Because there will never be an end to it because God is infinite.

  99. What were we supposed to fathom? How would that would it have been? What would what would that Eden look like? We will get there. We will get there.

  100. God's plan hasn't changed. There is no plan B. It's always been plan A. It's always been plan A. And thank God for something called eternity.

  101. It lasts forever and it's as infinite as he is because time is contained in him. So it's less finite. It's more finite than he is. He's infinite.

  102. Time is contained in God. We will get back there. There is no plan B. But what would it have been like?

  103. And Adam chooses them. Before he chooses, God says to him, hey Adam, by the way, if you decide not to go with following me and if you eat of the tree, I also want you to know that there are consequences.

  104. And the consequences are, muth, muth, that's the word used in Hebrew, dying you will die. Dying you will die. That's the choice given to them.

  105. And Satan is waiting. Can I get these two to break that one prohibition to supply them seductions given that they have choice so that they eat?

  106. Because if I do, I can take what God has said as a consequence and use it as a weapon against them. And the moment they eat of it, dying they will need to die.

  107. So when God supplies the law in 21, 22, 23 and then he calls them out to the mountain and says let's eat and drink together. Brilliant God. Every covenant adds the meal.

  108. Someone asked me when I was in Lithuania, why should I get married in a church? Why do I need a pastor to get married? Why all these things that happen in a church during...

  109. When you ask it, you don't have to get married in a church. You don't have to go get married by a pastor or stuff like that. But remember it's a covenant so as long as you fulfill these seven needs of a covenant, you're fine.

  110. Make sure that there are witnesses, make sure there's a meal after the covenant, make sure that there is a greater power that is involved.

  111. And as I listed the requirements of the covenant of marriage, I think you quickly realize that the church is the easiest place to meet all of them.

  112. So you went away quite happily, not disillusioned by the church. And his name was my name too, he had my name. Oh I had his name. Anyway that's not important, it's just that I have a really great name.

  113. So, Satan uses the consequence of breaking the law as a weapon. And the curse of the law that we so often attribute to God's name, God set this up, is basically the way the Old Testament writers had to write it.

  114. Because you would not put the name Jesus in front of any of these curses that were read out in Isaiah 65. You would not put the name of Jesus before it. Not because you were scared, but because you know Jesus better than us.

  115. Stand in the New Testament and read the Old Testament, please. Look at the face of Jesus while you read the Old Testament, please.

  116. Because if you don't, God's going to come out looking horrendous. He'll come out looking really evil. And God does not change. When he said I'm the same, I'm changing Jesus yesterday, today and forever, he also meant in the book of Malachi and in the book of Genesis and before time existed.

  117. It wasn't that he had a heart change at some point when John the Baptist came along because he was dressed in leather. He's always been the same.

  118. So, now that we know what God delivered us from, think of what we've been delivered from. Deuteronomy 28, 15 to 68 is what we've been delivered from. These things that should happen to anyone who breaks the law. Jesus is saying, does not apply to you anymore.

  119. Can you look through that list? It's a humongous list. And Jesus is saying, I've delivered you from the curse of the law. When you write down the things that are written there, your heart should begin to rejoice at that chapter.

  120. Your heart should begin to say, my God, thank God I know what the curse of the law is because I have someone who's delivered me from the curse of the law. List those things down because there is freedom from those things.

  121. A people that used to labor under it. Gentiles who weren't even aware of it and yet were under the curse. And by the way, your gentiles in case you thought you were something else. And now the thing that you can separate from that.

  122. So, how did Christ become a curse? To begin with, he identified with Deuteronomy 21, 22 and 23. You can read Deuteronomy 21, 22 and 23.

  123. And so this is how the Jews immediately identified Jesus as one that was cursed. For them it was like an abomination when something like this was done to a man.

  124. Deuteronomy 21, 22 and 23. If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as inheritance.

  125. So, the man who would take the body off the tree was not for the sake of the dignity of the guy who was on the tree but for the sake of the land. Because this man who would be hung on a tree was so cursed that the land would be under a curse if he was left overnight.

  126. Not only was someone put on a tree or a stake to be punished with death, he would be left on a tree for a while so that after death you could still shame him and everything he represented. He was an abomination before God to the point that it was best not to leave him on a tree overnight because if you left a man like that on a tree overnight the land would be cursed.

  127. You can imagine how the Jews think of Jesus. How the Jews then thought of Jesus. Why it was a big deal that Joseph of Arimathea gave his tomb to a man who was cursed. We think, oh well he had an extra tomb or two because he thought, so let's give him one.

  128. This was like desecrating your ancestral burial place by giving your tomb to a man who was so cursed that to leave him overnight would curse the land.

  129. So when the Bible says in Galatians 3 verse 13 and 14 that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed with every one hand on a tree, Jesus immediately identified with that in his death.

    Galatians 3:13

  130. That aside, imagine what's happening on the cross and imagine what's happening in Gethsemane. I'm surprised and appalled that he was sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane.

  131. He wasn't the first man to be crucified. Many had been crucified. Many had been scourged. Some would die while they were being scourged. Some would stay alive on the cross. Some would die on the cross.

  132. So he wasn't the first man to be crucified. But even before crucifixion he was sweating blood.

  133. Because what is he submitting himself to? He is about to submit himself to or was submitting himself to the curse of the law that is supposed to fall on every human being that has ever existed.

  134. I do not understand the agony of Gethsemane. We cannot because we do not understand what it is to take the sins of the world.

  135. Taking the sin of your spouse or your child is difficult enough. You know how it crafts with you.

  136. Just taking the load of the sin of your child, your parent, your spouse or a pastor can devastate and destroy, break a church, break a man or woman.

  137. What does it do when you take the curse of the law upon yourself of 8 billion that have existed before, 8 billion that have existed present and another, maybe 8 billion that exist hereafter?

  138. What does it look like? I have no idea. I am not even trying to describe it to you.

  139. But what Christ does on the cross, and this is why the reading of Deuteronomy 28 was so important, is that Christ submitted to the curse pronounced by the law of God.

  140. Christ submitted to the curse pronounced by the law of God. He is taking it upon himself.

  141. And by submitting to the curse on my behalf, he is saying, I have ransomed you. I have ransomed you. I have rescued you from the curse of the law.

  142. If I am rescued from the curse of the law, I have got to understand that I cannot go back and keep thinking that this is going to happen to me again. God is going to do this to me again.

  143. You have got to stop thinking like that.

  144. We will talk about that some more.

  145. You know what the Old Testament picture of redemption looks like. Go to 2 Samuel 21 and you will see an example.

  146. 2 Samuel 21.

  147. Femens have to be made, you guys. Femens have to be made to avoid a curse.

  148. 2 Samuel 21 verse 1 onwards, and this reads maybe 7 or 8 verses.

    2 Samuel 21:1

  149. This was a curse that was put on Israel ages ago.

  150. 2 Samuel 21 verse 1 to 8 or 9.

    2 Samuel 21:1–8

  151. During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years.

  152. So David sought the place of the Lord.

  153. The Lord said, it is an account of Saul and his blood stained house.

  154. It is because he put the Gibeonites to death.

  155. Joshua had made a treaty with the Gibeonites saying, we swear by God that we will not destroy you.

  156. Saul went ahead and did it and there was a curse upon the land.

  157. There has been a famine in the land for three years.

  158. The king, verse 2, the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them.

  159. The Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites.

  160. The Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel,

  161. Judah had tried to annihilate them.

  162. David asked the Gibeonites, what shall I do for you?

  163. How shall I make amends so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance?

  164. The Gibeonites answered him, we have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family.

  165. Nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.

  166. What do you want me to do for you? David asked.

  167. They answered the king, ask for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us

  168. so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel.

  169. Let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the Lord of Gibeah of Saul,

  170. the Lord's chosen one.

  171. So the king said, I will give them to you.

  172. The king spared Matthew, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul,

  173. because we oath before the Lord we will be treated even in Jonathan, the son of Saul.

  174. But the king took Armoni and Matthew, the two sons of Aya, daughter of Rispa,

  175. whom she had borne to Saul together with five sons of Saul's daughter, Meira,

  176. whom she had borne to Atreus, son of Arzalite and Meholite.

  177. He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill

  178. before the Lord. All seven of them fell together.

  179. They were put to death during the first days of the harvest,

  180. just at the barley harvest beginning.

  181. You want to bring a curse? There was a price to be paid.

  182. Otherwise the curse of the lamb will affect, curse of the law will affect everybody.

  183. And so when Christ talks about being a redeemer,

  184. what he's saying is, hey, let me pay the ransom that will rescue you

  185. from the curse of the law. And on your behalf,

  186. I will submit myself to the curses that Chris pronounced.

  187. Huge, man, what has happened?

  188. Any questions before we go?

  189. Any questions?

  190. Strange God, eh?

  191. He tells you there are consequences

  192. knowing that you're going to take your freedom and sin.

  193. Then he's already decided he's going to send his son

  194. to help you by paying a ransom.

  195. He also knows how grievous it will be.

  196. The son is not forced into it.

  197. The son says, father, you don't need sacrifices and offering.

  198. You're looking for a body. Let me come and do your will.

  199. The son comes down to the earth.

  200. He takes upon him the curses that the Lord has given him.

  201. He takes upon him the curses that are supposed to follow us.

  202. And who causes these curses to unfold?

  203. The devil who uses sin and the curse of sin

  204. as weapons against humans.

  205. This is why the victory he won at the cross

  206. was a horrible defeat for the enemy.

  207. And this is why if he can keep the church thinking

  208. that God is still not good,

  209. that God is not doing the things that Chris mentioned,

  210. then the enemy knows that even though I've defeated,

  211. they don't know better.

  212. Any questions?

  213. Any thoughts if not questions?

  214. Can you say that again please?

  215. Can you say it again please?

  216. Say what you said.

  217. On one hand he knows that as soon as he gives them choice,

  218. that they are going to take the choice and use it against him.

  219. In his foreknowledge he still goes ahead and gives them choice

  220. knowing now that his son will have to be sent

  221. to rescue them from the curse of the law

  222. which is the consequence of sin.

  223. The consequence of sin or the curse of the law

  224. is what Satan has been using ever since Eve agreed

  225. to his whisper against man.

  226. But the son knows that his father won't force him

  227. so the son chooses to come and says,

  228. offer sacrifices and offerings you didn't need

  229. but here I am, I'll present myself,

  230. let me go and die for them.

  231. Not because the father was forcing him to

  232. but because he was fully aware that he will have to

  233. submit himself to the curse of the law

  234. and he comes and does that and it was horrible.

  235. When I say horrible I don't know anything about it.

  236. And he takes it upon himself.

  237. And now for us to subject ourselves to the same thing again

  238. is receiving the grace of God in vain.

  239. And now when you hear the whisper that God is bad,

  240. God is evil, God is going to do disasters to you,

  241. He's going to harm you, you never know what He's going to do,

  242. He's sovereign so He can get away with anything,

  243. He is sovereign but He's true to His character

  244. and His character is revealed

  245. in the brilliant but marred face of His son.

  246. The cool thing is guys,

  247. He just doesn't submit himself to the curse

  248. and therefore wracks them up,

  249. He neutralizes it.

  250. He neutralizes the curse.

  251. What do you mean neutralizes the curse?

  252. See, He fulfills the law

  253. and then He bears the curse.

  254. And then He bears the curse of the law.

  255. I mean God is a brilliant mathematician,

  256. He knows how to make everything...

  257. That's not what you do in math,

  258. and His eyes will do that in math,

  259. everything will go...

  260. He bears the curse.

  261. See, He fulfills the law first,

  262. He didn't bear the curse because He broke the law,

  263. He fulfills the law

  264. and then bears the curse

  265. and in doing so He neutralizes the curse.

  266. What do you mean by that?

  267. The demands of the law no longer apply to us

  268. because someone who lives in me fulfilled it.

  269. That's just pure excitement.

  270. Can you say that again please?

  271. With the same excitement I don't know.

  272. The demands of the law

  273. are no longer applicable to me

  274. because there is someone who fulfilled it

  275. and He lives in me,

  276. therefore the demands of the law

  277. don't have to be met by me.

  278. It is awesome man.

  279. And the curse of the law

  280. I am not subject to

  281. because He who fulfilled it

  282. and bore the curse of the law

  283. now lives in me.

  284. This may I suggest

  285. is one definition of freedom.

  286. Small hallelujahs will be okay.

  287. Amen. Praise the Lord.

  288. Good enough?

  289. In the legal service

  290. I can say that

  291. we would be on the church only if we brought them from the law

  292. so if the one who lives in me has already fulfilled the law

  293. there isn't even a need for the church to apply the curse

  294. the one who lives in me has already fulfilled the law.

  295. And further down

  296. in that today with Him living in me

  297. when I still go ahead and sin

  298. there is someone I can run to say

  299. He fulfilled it, forgive me

  300. and therefore the effect of the curse

  301. is that Satan is a legalist

  302. and he will continue to try

  303. to use the curse of the law against us Christians

  304. but now there is a place of refuge.

  305. But again on that you mentioned that

  306. he cannot refuse God or whatever

  307. but he can refuse us people.

  308. You know in the Old Testament there were these cities

  309. called the cities of refuge

  310. where if you committed a murder you could run to the city

  311. in the temple there used to be an altar with four horns on it

  312. you could go grab the horns

  313. but you could not be killed.

  314. Cities of refuge were for murderers

  315. who may have committed a murder without knowing.

  316. We have a city of refuge

  317. every time we still sin

  318. knowingly or unknowingly.

  319. And there ain't no secondary place like

  320. Purgatory

  321. it is a place where you are fully

  322. fully paid for.

  323. He's free you from the demands of the curse

  324. and he's free you from the curse.

  325. Satan is a legalist

  326. he will try to enforce the demands of the curse on you

  327. you know it's like a stick and non-stick frying pan

  328. I'm not an expert on those things

  329. but I remember buying this frying pan

  330. and I believe it was non-stick

  331. so half my egg would stay on the pan

  332. like that's the only thing I try at home

  333. an occasional egg

  334. and so when I go and try to scoop the egg off the pan

  335. half of it would remain on the pan

  336. and half of it would come out

  337. so I'd have to make two eggs to get one egg

  338. and then I discovered that there were these things

  339. called non-stick pans

  340. and once I started using non-stick pans

  341. the entire egg would appear on my plate

  342. the point being this

  343. that Satan will still as a legalist

  344. and by legalist what I mean is

  345. Jacob has gandhis

  346. he needs to be punished

  347. he still hasn't stopped

  348. today he does not accuse me before God

  349. he accuses me in my ear

  350. because he's been cast out from heaven

  351. he has no place of accusation before God

  352. so what does he do?

  353. he comes down to the earth

  354. and he whispers in your ear

  355. he whispers two things

  356. one he accuses you

  357. or things that you don't need to

  358. and he sticks like a bat-bang

  359. and then he distorts the face of God in your ear

  360. saying God's going to get you

  361. this is what happens

  362. see what happened

  363. look at it

  364. it just goes on

  365. why do you think they call him an accuser?

  366. what do you do when you still sin?

  367. very easy guys

  368. repent, turn, change

  369. repent, turn, change

  370. 1 Peter 5.7

  371. your enemy the devil

  372. walks around like a roaring lion

  373. prowling around to see who he can devour

  374. resist it

  375. James 4.7

  376. submit to God, resist the devil and he'll flee from you

  377. now knowing that you have been freed from the demands of the law

  378. and knowing that you have been freed from bearing the curse of the law when you break it

  379. when you live out the life that is un-Jesus life

  380. you know that there is place for you to quickly go and say

  381. I'm going to mess up again knowingly or unknowingly

  382. I want to come to you running

  383. because in you there is change

  384. there is a turning around

  385. and in you there is a way to live

  386. that isn't like how I used to live

  387. use it, use it

  388. don't wait for it

  389. one of the lies that the enemy has used so powerfully in our Christians life

  390. is still in the middle of sin

  391. come and tell you

  392. you've sinned

  393. now you better work on becoming better before you can go back to God

  394. and it is a lie from the pit of hell

  395. because I've fallen for it so many times

  396. it is in the middle of the sin

  397. that Christ as savior appears in his brilliance

  398. if you have to wait till you have eaten the parts that the pig eats

  399. and till you have finished all your money

  400. then you will come walking to him six months later as a servant

  401. when you could still go to him as a son

  402. before you feast with the pigs

  403. let's see the last part

  404. normally you are free from the curse

  405. Galatians 3,14 says

  406. the blessings of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles and Christ Jesus

  407. that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith

  408. so then there is a freeing and then there is a

  409. but isn't that typically God

  410. when has God just freed you and now then

  411. which parent rescues their child from a situation

  412. but I've asked you to on your own

  413. no

  414. once you rescue your child

  415. you then begin to do something for the child that begins to

  416. restore to the child the dignity or the confidence of the child

  417. so now that we have he rescued us

  418. then he says I'll give you the blessings of Abraham

  419. now there may be many

  420. there may be many things to the blessings of Abraham

  421. but let me just give you the two things that I mentioned in the scriptures

  422. and if we get those two things we get everything else

  423. because there have been servants of the blessings of Abraham

  424. wealth and cars and houses and jobs

  425. so let's just go through the two main things

  426. and then the other stuff will be added up to us as well

  427. hey you realize then that the diseases and the sicknesses

  428. that we sometimes labor under

  429. are the result of

  430. the curse of the

  431. law

  432. and that it does not have to continue in your life

  433. that you can cry out to God

  434. go there Harideh

  435. the blessing of Abraham

  436. here the first one

  437. blessing of Abraham

  438. Romans 4 verse 3

    Romans 4:3

  439. Romans 4 verse 3

    Romans 4:3

  440. this is what we should run after man

  441. and I'll explain it some more

  442. and it will get really beautiful

  443. Romans 4 3

  444. Romans 4 3

  445. it says that

  446. Abraham believed God

  447. and it was credited to him as righteousness

  448. guys the blessing of Abraham

  449. is being made like God

  450. or in other words

  451. Abraham

  452. entered

  453. into

  454. what

  455. God

  456. was

  457. doing

  458. by faith

  459. do you get this

  460. that would be really cool

  461. to be made right with God

  462. is to enter into what God

  463. is doing

  464. by faith

  465. to be made right with God

  466. is to enter into what God

  467. is doing

  468. by faith in any area of your life

  469. what do you think

  470. you would do when you get born again

  471. God has been in the business

  472. of restoring man

  473. and God sent back to his father

  474. what happens when you get born again

  475. you enter into what

  476. Jesus Christ is already

  477. doing

  478. take any area of your life

  479. to be made right with God

  480. is you entering into

  481. what God is doing

  482. by faith

  483. entering into what God is doing by faith

  484. you need healing

  485. what do you think Jesus Christ is doing

  486. he's already done it

  487. he took stripes on his back

  488. what do you think God is still doing

  489. he loves healing

  490. enter into what God is doing

  491. by faith

  492. is there a need for provision in your life

  493. he's a father

  494. he likes providing for his children

  495. does he like doing it

  496. yes is it something that he's actively doing

  497. yes

  498. has he set principles here on earth

  499. so that he's able to help you

  500. yes well then

  501. enter into what God is doing

  502. by faith

  503. this is the blessing of Abraham

  504. the blessing of Abraham is not cars

  505. and houses and wealth

  506. and sheep and donkeys and oxen

  507. the blessing of Abraham is one

  508. entering into what God is doing

  509. here was a man

  510. who came from the ear of Chaldeans

  511. and he was able to suddenly see

  512. and hear the call of a God

  513. that the world had not known

  514. and he entered into it

  515. without even being promised

  516. a reward

  517. he saw a city that was built

  518. by the hands of God

  519. invisible and he leaves his family

  520. his nation his people

  521. his stepson

  522. his otherwise Hagar

  523. and he begins to follow

  524. this invisible God

  525. and this man who lived

  526. before the law was given

  527. did it sheerly by faith

  528. and what did he do

  529. he entered into what God was doing

  530. and therefore God said

  531. because you entered into what I am doing

  532. I want you to know

  533. that you have been made right with me

  534. enter into what God is doing

  535. whatever God is doing find out

  536. and there are different ways

  537. we can enter into it

  538. I am trying to exit something right now

  539. there are different ways of doing this

  540. sometimes it is a prophetic voice

  541. sometimes it is a prophetic word

  542. sometimes it is an encouragement

  543. sometimes it is the word of God

  544. that speaks to you

  545. sometimes it is a dream

  546. sometimes it is a vision

  547. sometimes it is a teaching like this

  548. there are different ways that God says to you

  549. in your situation

  550. hey this is what I am doing

  551. come come come

  552. some things are already provided in this word

  553. we don't even have to go looking for it

  554. it is already provided

  555. this is what I am doing

  556. my word stands forever

  557. my word to perform it

  558. come step in

  559. what do you think the Syrian

  560. Syro-Phoenician woman was doing

  561. somehow she got the

  562. I mean she was a non-Israelite man

  563. she got the hang of one simple truth

  564. that this Jesus even though he is Jewish

  565. and isn't into the Gentiles

  566. is actually into the Gentiles

  567. and if I can go and pray

  568. and ask him for my daughter's healing

  569. I don't like that

  570. she entered into what Jesus was doing

  571. and refused to see

  572. who made the Syro-Phoenician woman sorry

  573. and so she doesn't let go

  574. she argues

  575. but Lord even the dogs get the scraps

  576. that fall on the table

  577. maybe you and I have the foresight

  578. even that we already have the

  579. insight of the word

  580. to see what God is doing

  581. so that you don't have to labor

  582. on the things that the enemy is using

  583. either as a deception

  584. or recognizing against your body

  585. your mind your spirit your soul

  586. why fall for it

  587. when this Redeemer has

  588. marvellously set me free

  589. but Jesus it doesn't happen

  590. the last two times I pray

  591. well then pray a hundred and two times

  592. but why did it happen

  593. when I prayed to them

  594. I don't know I wish I could make it happen

  595. before you even say a word

  596. but I don't know

  597. how all I know is he is faithful

  598. he is true he is kind

  599. he is gentle

  600. he ain't none of the things

  601. that Deuteronomy 28, 15 to 68

  602. says he is

  603. but he is Jesus

  604. the invisible image of the visible God

  605. the brilliant radiance of the invisible God

  606. gentle pure kind helpful friend

  607. thus quencher

  608. soul-satisfier

  609. son of the living God

  610. compassionate gracious

  611. the Lord bless you

  612. remember the sermon from last week

  613. the Lord bless you

  614. I will go down on my knees

  615. and the father goes down before his child

  616. and I will bless you

  617. I will give you gifts of great value

  618. the Lord keep you

  619. I will give you gifts of insight

  620. so that nobody can come in

  621. I will keep you

  622. I will cause my face

  623. which in the olden days

  624. no man could look at

  625. I will cause my face

  626. which is my presence

  627. to shine

  628. as in bring order into your darkness

  629. just as I said

  630. in Genesis 1

  631. let there be light

  632. and the void was turned into something beautiful

  633. I will be gracious unto you

  634. I will not be in hesitation

  635. cause you see my face is not in a frown

  636. it is in a smile of favor towards you

  637. and I will cause my peace to settle on you

  638. my peace that makes up for every deficiency in your life

  639. my peace which means restoration

  640. this is what I give on it

  641. you wanna seek God in the Old Testament

  642. look at the blessing that Aaron was supposed to pronounce upon Israel

  643. and in that you see Yahweh

  644. and you see it in Jesus too

  645. this is who we worship guys

  646. the blessings of Abraham

  647. Abraham entered into what God was doing by faith

  648. and then there is something that God gives us that even Abraham didn't have

  649. and it is in the second part of Galatians 3.14

  650. it says the promise of the Spirit

  651. the promise of the Spirit

  652. these are the two blessings of Abraham

  653. you receive these and you have everything

  654. go ahead

  655. didn't he just say that Abraham was the building?

  656. he didn't

  657. so how was that a blessing of Abraham?

  658. because God through Abraham

  659. didn't release to him everything

  660. cause there was no way Abraham could have handled it

  661. cause Abraham wasn't renewed

  662. there was no way the Spirit of God could live in him

  663. we get something that Abraham could occasionally have

  664. descend on him but never live

  665. in him

  666. in him

  667. in him

  668. how do you think Abraham was hearing God?

  669. sometimes in a vision, sometimes in a dream

  670. sometimes he would just know

  671. sometimes he would be angelic visitor

  672. how did he know?

  673. this pagan whose father was an idol worshiper

  674. Terah

  675. knew he could hear the voice of God

  676. how did he hear the voice say look up at the stars?

  677. the Spirit of God was at work in him

  678. but never lived in him

  679. these are the two blessings of Abraham

  680. entering into what God was doing by faith

  681. and the second part was

  682. the second blessing that we received

  683. the blessing of Abraham was receiving

  684. the gift of the promised Spirit

  685. the gift of the promised Spirit

  686. the gift of the promised Spirit

  687. Jesus submitted up this way before he went to the cross

  688. I have so much more to tell you Jacob

  689. but I can't

  690. but don't worry I'm not leaving you as an orphan

  691. I'll be gone

  692. but I'm telling you the Spirit

  693. oh by the way his name is the Spirit of Truth

  694. and he will lead you into all truth

  695. he will take from what is mine

  696. and explain it to you

  697. he will also show you the Father

  698. so that you can approach the Father directly

  699. and what was he trying to say there?

  700. my Spirit and the Father Spirit will live in you

  701. your DNA will change

  702. you will be redeemed

  703. and you will be able to approach the Father directly

  704. and by the way Paul says in Romans 8.15

  705. I just want you to know

  706. that when the Spirit of God comes into you

  707. he is also called the Spirit of Adoption

  708. and something makes you transpire in you

  709. but the same Amma cry

  710. that used to come from Jesus' lips

  711. will start coming from Jacob's lips

  712. this is just nuts

  713. any questions guys?

  714. any questions?

  715. okay

  716. so enter into what God is doing for you guys

  717. enter into what God is doing for you

  718. enter into what God is doing for you

  719. take whatever context you have

  720. is it your marriage?

  721. is it your body?

  722. is it your future?

  723. is it your vision?

  724. is it your not knowing what to do next?

  725. is it a fear?

  726. what is it?

  727. enter into what God is doing by faith

  728. how can you find it out?

  729. or this church knows how to find it out

  730. if God doesn't speak to you directly

  731. you can come to someone praying with them

  732. ask those that have a prophetic gifting in this church

  733. come and ask

  734. mean there are many different ways

  735. this church does not have an excuse for I don't know

  736. because there is always a way to find out

  737. over a period of time

  738. no answers make up immediate

  739. because over a period of time

  740. through hearing the voice of God

  741. through listening

  742. through verifying

  743. through checking into the world

  744. we can figure out the mind and the voice of God

  745. not because we are experts

  746. but because Christ likes us

  747. knowing what he is thinking

  748. so we can try and figure that out

  749. but enter into what God is doing for you by faith

  750. you know I was at the airport on Monday

  751. just sitting where the plane ran

  752. at the airport

  753. and watching planes

  754. and suddenly there were these two eagles in the sky

  755. and one eagle

  756. and both of them seemed about the same age

  757. are you know the age of eagles?

  758. eagles we don't

  759. they look the same

  760. so all these eagles are in the sky

  761. and this one eagle

  762. had this amazing map

  763. of finding the thermal currents that were there

  764. and just entering them

  765. and flying without effort

  766. he never blew his flat wings

  767. but she

  768. how do you know it's a she you don't know

  769. but she seemed to

  770. just struggle man

  771. she was about three feet away from him

  772. and she just kept flacking away

  773. and then she would flap

  774. and she would suddenly enter

  775. this current that the other eagle was flying in

  776. and then she would enter

  777. and then she would have to flap

  778. and I'm looking at them thinking to myself

  779. why can't she get it right?

  780. it could be the other way rather

  781. let's tell you the story

  782. she was soaring without effort

  783. and he was just flapping around

  784. I would say happy son

  785. he was just flapping around

  786. and I was thinking to myself

  787. why father teach me how to do this

  788. teach me how to enter by faith

  789. into what you're doing

  790. and help me to be born on the wings of your spirit

  791. so that the things you want done

  792. happen in quick time

  793. instead of me flapping around

  794. in my own reasoning

  795. reason causes you to flap around

  796. you will get where you need to get

  797. but it will take you 20 years

  798. and I will be there in two

  799. if I don't flap around

  800. I'm just going to read through this

  801. faith is placed in the nature of God

  802. when you have to

  803. enter into what God is doing

  804. by faith

  805. place your faith in the nature of God

  806. not in your understanding of Greek or Hebrew

  807. but in your understanding of the spirit

  808. and in your understanding of the soul

  809. and in your understanding of the spirit

  810. and in your understanding of the spirit

  811. but in the nature of God

  812. discovering through the word and through experience

  813. you can only discover God's nature through word and experience

  814. not just through the word

  815. the word ain't enough to discover the nature of God

  816. it has to be both

  817. the word and experience

  818. and as you increasingly recognize his majesty and his faithfulness

  819. it will embolden your heart

  820. as you increasingly recognize his majesty

  821. and his faithfulness and his grace

  822. it will embolden your heart

  823. it will embolden your heart

  824. hey, move from knowing his character to knowing his personality

  825. move from knowing his character to knowing his personality

  826. and that comes through intimacy

  827. that comes through intimacy

  828. one of the things that I love doing when I go to churches where

  829. people don't know God

  830. is I'll pray to him

  831. as a boy prays to his father

  832. and almost always there will be people who come up to me after the church service and say

  833. I wish I had a relationship like that with God

  834. when you pray to him like a child prays to his father

  835. you can do that when you know the personality of God

  836. character is one place he has

  837. the word is a beginning point

  838. then you go to his character and his nature

  839. and from his character and nature you go to his personality

  840. when I first gave him a believer there was this pastor called Sid Spain

  841. who used to be at this chapel in a naval base in Bahrain

  842. and if we turned up early for the service

  843. we'd be up on stage

  844. and you would think he was talking to somebody and he was

  845. but there was no one else in the room

  846. and he used to blow my mind

  847. he'd say stuff like

  848. so, father

  849. what about

  850. and you would enter the chapel and you would think

  851. he's talking to somebody and then you would realize there's nobody there

  852. but he'd come about half an hour before the service

  853. and have this very audible conversations with the father

  854. and it impressed my heart so much man

  855. I know you have to go to see him at lunch appointments and stuff like that

  856. but really who cares? I do

  857. that was brilliant

  858. yeah that's the stuff

  859. any questions?

  860. any questions?

  861. okay that's great

  862. hey do we have Joy to the World?

  863. the words for Joy to the World?

  864. as far as the person's far

  865. see if you have it

  866. I just want to say that one word

  867. and please

  868. if there is any sickness or disease in your body

  869. please come up for prayer today

  870. let's just pray

  871. that since the curse of the law has been born

  872. and since he was tried for my sickness

  873. that can't heal you

  874. because the devil cannot use that reprimand

  875. if there is any oil in your eyes

  876. please bring us some oil

  877. the bible says

  878. that if someone is sick

  879. let them ask the elders to pray for them

  880. the elders will anoint the Lord and pray for you

  881. and your sins will be forgiven and your bodies will be healed

  882. let's just have that today

  883. anyone who has any sickness please feel free to come up

  884. let's just sing this song before we sing

  885. hey you want to sit on the feet?

  886. I know you love this song

  887. let's start with the first verse

  888. it's very Christmassy

  889. yeah let's start with that and then go to the

  890. as far as the person's far

  891. this has never happened

  892. because the first verse is so perfect