The Sign of Jonah

Am I good to go, Wayne?

Okay, last week here's what we said.

We said Good Friday,

or the day Jesus died,

is like a wound called death

that was broken open.

That's what happened.

We talked about it last week.

If you want to hear more about it,

just pick up CD number 463E,

or was it F?

Okay, so just ask for it.

So we said on Good Friday what happened was

when Jesus died,

what actually happened was

this wound called death

that has ravenously eaten up millions of people.

Because there's no human being that is born that does not die.

Everyone is born under this sentence of death.

Because the Bible says that

since we can't meet God's perfect standards,

because we decided to choose other pathways,

it's impossible for one not to die.

So everyone is born in the womb of death,

or born out of a mother called death.

And what is death?

Death is the wages or the currency that you're paid in if you sin.

And why are you paid in that currency?

Because God is super holy,

to the point where nobody can approach him,

because he lives in unapproachable brilliance,

not because he's got gases surrounding him that are inflamed,

or flammable, but simply because just his purity is so ridiculous

that there's a brilliance about him.

And that God, because he's just and holy,

sent his son Jesus to die for your sin and my sin.

And so what he does when he dies is he breaks open the womb called death.

And so out of that come stillborns like you and I.

That's what we said last week.

And then we said, not only does he break open the womb of death

and releases that which has been trapped inside the womb,

remember you're stillborn.

I gave this example.

I said if there's a mom and a pregnant mom caught in an accident,

rush her to the hospital, find out that she's dead,

but in her womb is a baby and the baby is dead too.

You operated, the baby is lying there,

both the mother and the baby are dead.

That's the condition of our lives on Good Friday.

But here's what happens on Easter or Resurrection Day.

That stillborn is suddenly given life,

where God now raises the dead, just like Jesus was raised.

So you and I who've been delivered from death forever are now raised to life.

That's what we talked about last time.

And I think the miracle on resurrection is ridiculous.

It's greater than sometimes what happened on crucifixion.

Crucifixion, you died to death, but on resurrection you rose to life.

And we talked about the quality of life.

Guys, pick up that CD. It's really worth listening.

And so that's what we talked about last week.

But here's the thing, guys.

Just see how it was symbolically illustrated in Matthew 2752.

Matthew 2752.

Here's what it says in Matthew 2751 onwards.

And so it says,

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

And what did that symbolize, guys?

What did that symbolize?

Sorry?

Okay, so one of the things, the tearing of the curtain,

and remember the curtain was pretty thick, and it was pretty wide.

It tore not from the bottom, it tore from the top.

So it wasn't a man who tore it.

It was torn from the top.

God tears that curtain that was in the temple. Why?

Because you said?

He would keep people from the center of the holy.

Yeah, so the curtain kept people from seeing the ark of God,

which in those days was symbolic of the power of God.

So the curtain tears.

And so one of the things that it signifies is that

finally people could go into the presence of God,

like a child walks into his father's study.

What else?

What else does it symbolize?

You'll have to define it more.

Yeah, but freedom from what?

Okay.

May I suggest that one of the things that symbolized is

the end to temple worship.

No more going to the temple and bowing down and offering prayers.

That was done.

The old way of sacrifices and temple was done.

That is another thing it signified.

And now in 2752, here's what it says, starting from 51.

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom,

and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

And this is on Good Friday.

And rocks, and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

The tombs also were opened.

The tombs also were opened.

So Jesus is dying on the cross.

And suddenly, outside of the city of Jerusalem,

because people used to be buried outside the city,

outside of the city of Jerusalem,

suddenly tombs that held dead bodies broke open.

And guys, that symbolizes exactly what we were talking about.

Remember we talked about the womb being a womb of death

that Jesus delivered us out of.

And so that's what's happening in verse 52,

where tombs that held the dead broke open.

That happens on Good Friday.

But listen to what happens next.

And the tombs were opened,

and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

Meaning dead people actually came out of the grave the day Jesus died.

We'll talk about that later.

But in the tomb opening, what's it symbolic of?

What is it symbolic of?

In the tomb's opening?

Not yet.

Farhan?

Yeah.

One of the things that this represented,

imagine you're outside,

you're at the cemetery at Frasier and 41st on Good Friday,

and the day Jesus died, suddenly these cemeteries start breaking open.

I mean that's what actually happened.

And it symbolized the destruction of death.

The destruction of death.

That's what it symbolized, guys.

I mean just think, hey,

if you believe in Jesus Christ, you don't stay dead.

Death is a fraction of a second where your heart stops,

and you're immediately, immediately alive.

You never die.

Yes, your physical body stops, your heart stops beating,

but your life continues.

Where? In the presence of God.

It's a micro-fraction of a second where you leave this body behind.

That's it.

That's what death is about.

Man, it's such a relief, eh,

because the Bible says that people live in the fear of death.

The best way to deal with the fear of death is to pretend that we're going to party after this,

or that we'll return and become a cockroach,

or that we'll seize being and become manure in Joan's garden.

That's not how this works.

No, sorry, Joan, what I meant.

You brought up the garden, so that's not how it works.

And so in the tomb's opening,

you knew that death had been destroyed.

That death had been destroyed.

And here's what else it means.

It means the devil's hold on death was broken.

How do you know that?

Turn to Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14 and 15.

Hebrews 2:14

Hebrews 2, 14 and 15.

Hebrews 2, 14 and 15.

What does it say there?

Hebrews 2, 14 and 15.

And here's what it says.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood,

as in since you and I are made of flesh and blood,

Jesus himself took on the same thing,

as in he was flesh and blood too.

And then look at what it says.

And through death, and why did he do it?

So that through his dying, he might destroy the one

who has the power of death, that is the devil,

and deliver all those who through fear of death

were subject to its lifelong slavery.

That's what happened when these tombs opened.

That's what it represents.

That's what it represents.

Ask yourself this question.

Are you scared of death?

Don't answer it now, because you'll have to say,

nah, I'm not.

But ask yourself this question.

Are you scared of death?

I'm scared of dying painfully,

because I've got a very low pain threshold.

I mean, I wouldn't survive on the ice

when the guys hit each other on hockey.

Like, that's painful, man.

But here's the thing.

Are you afraid of death?

And if you are, you need to rework your thinking

based on what God is saying.

Look at what he's saying here.

He's saying that, listen, I became flesh and blood

like you, and I became like you.

I became flesh and blood like you, Jacob,

so that I could partake of the way you live life,

and through my death, I wanted to destroy,

I destroyed the one who has the power of death.

Who is that?

That's the devil.

To do what?

To deliver you, who through the fear of death,

were subject to lifelong slavery.

Is that Hebrews 2, 14, 15?

Yeah.

Ask us a question.

Are you afraid of death?

And then the second question should be why.

And embrace a new way of thinking.

Matthew 27, 53.

Matthew 27, 53.

So now we know the tomb's open,

so we are at Fraser and 41st,

and we just see a whole lot of cemeteries

suddenly breaking open, and you think, oh, shucks,

I heard a noise and the cement's cracking,

and now the tomb's have opened,

and now there's another problem.

The tombs were open,

and many of the bodies of the saints

who had fallen asleep were raised,

as in these tombs lay open,

and suddenly people who had been buried for years

started popping up.

But look when they popped out.

They didn't.

The tombs are broken open.

You can perhaps see them if you looked inside,

but they don't come out till Jesus rises.

Look at the next verse.

I don't know why we don't see some things.

At least I didn't.

Verse 52.

The tombs were open,

and many of the bodies of the saints

who had fallen asleep were raised,

and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection,

they went into Jerusalem or the holy city

and appeared to many.

So the tombs are open,

and on the third day, as soon as Jesus rises,

guess what happens?

These guys who are in the graves get up.

Not only do they get up,

they actually get up, and they don't say,

let's stay in the cemetery.

No, let's go into the city.

And so they come from Fraser and 41st down Main Street

into your home.

I mean, that's what happened, guys.

That is what happened.

So first, like we said earlier on,

I just love having read this,

because we said the womb of death is broken,

and then what happens?

Life is given to the stillborn

who has been delivered from death,

to the stillborn delivered from death.

We talked about this last time.

This is what is happening.

This is what is symbolically happening here, too,

where the graves open,

and the womb of death is broken.

The graves open, and the ones who are dead

stay dead for two days,

and when Jesus rises, suddenly life comes back.

That's what happened to you guys.

The moment you receive Christ, that's what happens.

The old you that was bound to all kinds of addictions,

bondages, ways of living, sin,

suddenly ceases to exist,

and God gives you a brand new life,

which allows you to live the way you're living.

And that actually happened.

These guys then went into the city.

They actually went into the city.

If you look at Isaiah 26, 19,

Isaiah 26, 19, this was already prophesied, man.

Isaiah 26, 19.

Isaiah 26, 19.

Here's what it says.

Isaiah is prophesying about a future time,

and he says this,

Your dead shall live,

their bodies shall rise.

You who dwell in the dust,

awake and sing for joy,

for your dew is a dew of light,

and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Wow.

It's talking about what happened, man.

Let me read it again.

Isaiah 26, 19, it says there,

Your dead shall live,

their bodies shall rise.

You who dwell in the dust,

awake and sing for joy,

for your dew is a dew of light,

and the earth will give birth to the dead.

That's what happened.

And this event that happened that day

was also kind of what,

it was almost like a prototype

of John chapter 5, verse 28,

John 5:28

turn to John 5, 28,

where Jesus says these words,

and that's kind of what's happening.

It's a prototype, meaning it'll,

it was a first installment.

It'll happen again.

John 5, 28.

And here's what it says,

For as the Father has life in himself,

so he has granted Jesus the Son

also to have life in himself.

Verse 28,

Do not marvel at this,

for an hour is coming,

when all who are in the tombs

will hear his voice and come out,

those who have done good

to the resurrection of life,

and those who have done evil

to the resurrection of judgment.

God is just giving us a taste of it,

that they will hear.

Do not marvel,

because they will hear my voice,

and the dead will actually rise to life,

some to the resurrection of,

some to the judgment of,

some who will be judged correctly

will have resurrection,

and some to damnation.

But I just wanted to show you that.

And guys, when they rose,

they didn't rise as spooky Casper's

or something, like,

some of you won't know who Casper is.

It was before your time, Jason.

Oh, it was your time? Okay.

Yeah, so these guys didn't rise

as spooky apparitions or something.

They rose in recognizable bodies.

Recognizable resurrected bodies

is what they rose up in.

Because if you look at Matthew 27, 53,

it says, they went into the Holy City

and appeared to many.

Meaning, they actually met people

in Jerusalem.

So they had recognizable

resurrected bodies,

and were familiar to those that they appeared to.

So Jesus rises up,

but he doesn't show himself publicly in Jerusalem.

But he did show himself

to more than 500 people.

1 Corinthians 15, verse 6 says

1 Corinthians 15:6

that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people

after he rose again.

But he didn't publicly go into Jerusalem

and say, here, I have risen.

But even though he didn't go into Jerusalem,

the rest of the city woke up that Sunday morning

to the fact that

some kind of resurrection had happened.

Because here comes...

I mean, and here's the thing, guys.

If you read Leviticus 23,

it says that the Sunday after

that Passover and Sabbath

was the Sunday when

they go out to cut

sheaves of barley.

Because it was...

They were supposed to celebrate

this Jewish festival called

First Fruits.

So you can imagine, eh,

they get up on Sunday,

because the Jews kept these festivals

passionately.

So they get up on Sunday because it was the

festival of First Fruits of the barley harvest.

And so they're walking into the fields

to harvest their

sheaves to offer to God

as a first fruit.

And they see people coming down the road.

Because the graves would always be

outside the city.

And they see people coming down the road.

And these are guys who some of them recognize.

Because these were people who were dead

and buried. And now they're walking towards them.

Imagine that meeting, eh?

You can imagine people

leaving the city of Jerusalem early that morning

to cut sheaves. And as they walk towards the barley fields,

they see people approaching them,

heading towards Jerusalem,

ones that had died and had been resurrected.

And in a sense, it fulfilled what was written

in 1 Corinthians 15, 20,

where it says that now

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead

and he becomes the first fruits

of those who have fallen asleep.

It must have really messed up the Sadducees.

Because the Sadducees were a bunch of teachers

who didn't believe in resurrection.

And there is Uncle Jim standing at the door.

And they must have been scratching their head.

But we don't believe in resurrection.

But here I am.

That's a cool thing about the truth.

The truth will eventually bear itself out

in evidence. And it doesn't have to be

It doesn't matter what you believe.

I always say,

jump out of a 50-story building

believing that gravity doesn't exist

and see what happens.

You look like you want to know what happens.

Don't try this at home.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, the Sadducees were still arguing

about the fact that

resurrection is not real.

And yet, they just saw

guys coming back.

So it must have really messed up their theology

because they didn't believe in the resurrection of the body.

In Acts 23, 8, it talks about it.

And here's the thing, guys. These guys who were

resurrected, were resurrected

or raised to

everlasting life.

They were not raised to die again.

So, let's assume

that I had died 20 years ago, before Jesus

died. And then Jesus

rises up and I rise up too.

And so I turn up at Jason's

house and I knock on the door.

And Jason can't believe it because I've just come back

from the dead. I've been dead for 20 years.

He remembers singing at my funeral. And there I am.

And now

he looks at me

and I have a resurrected body. I can be recognized.

And

I am not going to die again.

It is a life that is now everlasting life.

So what happened to them?

I'd suggest to you that when Jesus ascended,

they ascended too.

40 days they were on earth, man.

They were raised to everlasting life.

Sounds like a science fiction movie,

but it's true, man.

Beam Me Up Scotty came

much later.

So these guys who were resurrected

were raised to life everlasting.

They probably,

and I say probably only because

the story

ends there. Matthew doesn't continue there.

But they probably continued

on earth until Jesus' ascension

and went with him to heaven.

What was the purpose of all this?

Guys, the purpose is so cool.

This was a public display

that sin, death,

Satan and the grave

had been completely defeated.

And it was also

proof that

1st Thessalonians 417

will happen because it's happened

once before.

What does it say in 1st Thessalonians 417?

That a day is coming

when Jesus

will come back

and the dead in Christ will rise

first and meet him in the air

and then those that are still alive

will too.

Read it, read it, read it.

Either this entire book is true

or the whole thing is a falsehood.

And Paul put it this way,

man if Jesus didn't rise from the dead

we Christians should be pitied

because we are the greatest fools alive.

1st Thessalonians 4.

Here's what it says.

1st Thessalonians 416.

And here's what it says, for the Lord Himself

will descend from heaven with a cry

of command, with a voice of an archangel

and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first,

then we who are alive who are left will be caught up

together with Him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air

and so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another

with these words.

Guys, the crazy thing is, this being caught up

with the Lord is a reality that has already happened before.

Any questions, comments,

challenges, disagreements?

Could you repeat that bit about

sin and death and Satan?

Yeah, in them

rising up and then at one point

ascending, which I believe is what happened

because they were raised to

everlasting life,

not life that would die again.

Because it is appointed to man to die

once and then.

Yeah, so

in that

happening, you saw the

end of

death, life,

sorry, death, grave,

sin and the devil.

Because if those guys' sins

were not paid for, they cannot rise.

Why? Because the wages of sin is

death, you've got to be paid in the currency of death

if you sin.

So had Christ not paid for their sins,

they couldn't have risen.

Had the devil's power not

been destroyed, they couldn't have risen. Why?

Because we just read in Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14 and 15

Hebrews 2:14

that Satan had

the power of death that he began to exert as a

weapon against humans because we

sided with him instead of siding with God.

Grave,

you bury someone,

can't come out.

The graves broke open.

So it was

a display of victory

over sin,

Satan, death and the grave.

I mean this whole idea of, I mean, whenever

someone dies, we preach from 1 Corinthians

15 and we say, death, where is

your sting? And we are always thinking of the future.

And this is just to let you know, guys,

it's also happened in the past and it's going to happen

again in the future too.

The other thing is, guys,

so what happened to Jesus when he died?

I mean there are all kinds of theories

on what happened to Jesus when he died.

One of the

pet theories is that Jesus

descended into hell.

And

it's

really not that way.

So here's what

happened.

Some of us have heard this before and some

of us need to hear it so we

don't have

others telling us

otherwise.

See, in Hebrew, there's a word

called shiol

and in Greek there's a word called

hades. Both are just

the place of

the dead. That's what

its basic definition is.

The place of the dead.

And so if you read Luke 16,

Luke 16,

22-26, Luke 16,

22-26,

Luke 16,

22-26,

Luke 16,

22-26.

So there's a story about Lazarus.

So we'll start from verse 22.

So the poor man died and was carried

by the angels to Abraham's side or Abraham's

bosom, whichever word

your Bible uses. The rich man

also died and was buried. And in

Hades, being in torment,

he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham

far off and Lazarus at his side.

And he called out, Father Abraham, have

mercy on me and send Lazarus to

dip the end of his finger in water and cool

my tongue for I am in anguish in this

flame. And Abraham said, child,

remember that you in your lifetime received good

things and Lazarus in like manner

bad things. But now he is

comforted here and you're in anguish.

And then verse 26, and besides all this,

between us and you is a great

chasm, chasm, that has been

fixed in order that you,

in order that those who would pass

from here to you may not do so.

None may cross from there to us. So guys,

basically,

Hades

was made up of

two parts. One was called,

one was still called Hades.

And the other one was called

Abraham's

side by the Jews or

another word for it was

Paradise.

And so, this was

the temporary

abode

of

the unrighteous.

And this was the

temporary

abode of

the

righteous.

And so anyone who died

would either, would go to Hades and would

either go to Paradise or to

Hades. And so this is

why, I mean if you notice,

Jesus didn't say to the thief on the right,

I'll see you in hell today. He didn't say that.

That sounds like a Hollywood movie.

No, he said I'll see you in

Paradise. He didn't say I'll see you

in hell. Because whether we like it

or not, hell is empty. There's nobody

in hell.

And we'll talk about that at the end. There's no one in

hell. Hell is a

place that was only prepared for Satan and his

demons. It was not even supposed to be occupied

by humans. And at present there is

nobody in hell.

So,

Jesus said that today

you will be with me in

Paradise. So the only

place Jesus went to was to

Paradise.

Where he awaited the resurrection

of his body.

He did not go to hell. He did not

have to wrestle the keys of death

and hell from the devil as some of the

songs teach or some preachers preach.

It sounds really dramatic and with music

it can really sound good.

But the thing is

it's not biblical.

The moment he

said it is finished on the cross,

it was finished. He didn't now need

to go down to hell to suffer

more or to pay a price

or to teach the devil or to

take the keys from him.

It is finished was it is

actually finished.

Dundee. So Jesus

went to

Paradise.

Jesus went to Paradise.

And so even when you read 1 Peter

3 19

and we won't talk about it today. I'm just

referring you to that scripture and we'll talk about it some other day

because it will take another hour.

In

1 Peter 3 19

3 18 and 19.

It says

Christ also suffered once for sins

the righteous for the unrighteous that he might

bring us to God being put to death in

the flesh but made alive in the spirit

in which he went and proclaimed

to the spirits in prison before

they formally did not obey when God's

patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark

was being prepared in which a few that is eight

persons were brought safely through water.

That happened not in hell

but here. But we'll talk about that another

day.

What it means we'll talk about it another day.

So here's what happens guys. This is where

Jesus went after he died.

And then when he rose again

and ascended the Bible

says in Ephesians 4 8 that

he took captivity

captive. As in

now when Christ

rose

and ascended

and went

to

heaven

he took with him

those that were in paradise

to

heaven.

So today there is no place

called paradise today there is only a place called

Hades. There is no place

called paradise. You don't go to

paradise when you die you go to heaven.

Because

those in paradise could not be justified

till Jesus had died.

They were righteous according to the law but not

righteous according to the standards of God's holiness.

In Christ's death they are now

made righteous.

And so when he ascended he took captivity

captive.

It says he who descended

also ascended.

Sorry he who ascended also descended. That's what

it says in Ephesians 4 8. And he took captivity

captive. He takes them

now that they have been fully made

righteous from paradise

to heaven. So today there is no

thing called paradise. You don't go to paradise.

You only go to heaven.

If you believe

who Christ is.

Because you've got to believe God to go into a place

where God lives right. If you say he doesn't

exist might be a little difficult.

Hebrews 11

says that.

That you need to first believe that

God exists and that is a rewarder of those that

seek him.

Any questions on that guys?

And

so today one who lives

unrighteously, one who decides that God

does not exist, one who does not want to recognize

who Christ is

still goes to Hades. And Hades is

just a temporary abode. It's not a

pleasant place. It's a temporary abode.

Why? Because in Revelation chapter

Revelation 20:11–15

20 verse 11 to 15

it actually says

that a day is coming when Hades

and death will be cast into hell.

Hell is the

final place of judgment and that

is empty right now.

Pardon?

At present

hell is unoccupied.

Anyone who dies without

rejecting God still

does not get thrown into hell

because still judgment happens.

I mean read Revelation 20

11 to 15.

Revelation 20, 11 to 15.

It says there

and then I saw a great white throne

and him who was seated on it.

This is John seeing a vision.

From his presence earth and sky

fled away and no place was found

for them. And I saw the dead, great and small

standing before the throne and books

were opened. Then another book was opened

which is the book of life. And the dead

were judged by what was written in the books

according to what they had done. And the sea

gave up the dead who were in it. Death

and Hades gave up the dead

who were in them.

And they were judged each one of them

according to what they had done. Then

death and Hades were thrown

into the lake of fire. That's where

we hear of hell first.

This is the second

death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's

name was not found written in the book of life

he was thrown into the lake of fire.

So that's a bit about where did

Jesus go after he died. And here's the other

thing. Here's another theory that

I've heard throughout my childhood

not throughout my childhood, yeah actually

from when I was a kid. Which is so many

years ago now. And so

here's what happened. Jesus rises

from the dead and

Mary sees him.

In John 20 it says

Mary saw him

and she goes

and grabs

Jesus and Jesus says, do not touch

me. And out of that has come this

new theory that Jesus said do not

touch me because he had not

yet risen to the

father. You'll hear this all

over the place. Guys who are better than me

teach this.

As in better than me in every respect.

Teach this. And so

you need to understand that

I'll tell you where it comes from.

When Jesus

rose from the dead he did not need to go

to heaven

to place before the father

his sacrifice of blood saying

I have taken care of

their sins. He didn't need

to do that. That comes from a flawed

understanding of Hebrews

Hebrews 9:12

chapter 9 verse 12

Hebrews 9 12

Hebrews 9 12

In Hebrews 9 12 it says

Let's start at verse 11

But when Christ appeared as a high priest

of good things that have

come, then through the greater and more perfect

and it's not made with hands, that's not of

this creation. Okay, verse 12

He entered once and for all into the

holy place, not by means of the

blood of goats and calves but by means of

his own blood, thus securing an eternal

redemption. So what people have

done is they've taken the scripture and they've said

that when Jesus rose from the dead

he literally had to go to heaven before

the father and lay before the father

the sacrifice of his blood

and say I have paid for the sins

of mankind.

It's a flawed understanding.

He didn't do anything of that sort.

And so people say that when Mary

went to touch him and he said do not

cling to me or do not touch me

what he was saying is do not contaminate

me by your touching because I have to first go to

the father and offer a sacrifice

before I come back.

Guys, when you read John

John 20:17

chapter 20 verse 17 he says do not touch

me. But John 17

John 20 verse 27 he actually goes

John 20:27

to Thomas and he says touch me, touch me, touch me.

So in a matter of seven

verses Jesus moves from do not touch

me to touch me.

So surely it's got nothing to do

with contamination.

But we've come up with this theory.

The natural

explanation would be

him saying listen

don't touch me right now

because I got, don't cling to me right now

because I got places to go and go tell

my brothers and sisters that

I'm going to

my father and your father.

I mean

Mary would have clung on to him

for dear life because she had never thought

he'd come back and he's come back and she was

so excited to see him and so she naturally

clung. I mean I remember this scene

when Marcus

was lying out there and he comes back

to life. What was the first thing

Marcus did?

He just looked for

Laurie and grabbed her

and then

just wouldn't let go. I've never seen a grown

man cry like a child like I saw that day.

Not like a baby, like a child.

He was so happy to be back and the first

thing he did was grab her and hold

on to her

as if he had seen her for the first time.

I remember that scene.

Some of you were there, you saw that.

It's the same thing that's happening here.

So Marcus was perhaps

not breathing and didn't have a pulse for two and a half

minutes. Jesus was not breathing and didn't have

a pulse for three days and he comes out

from the grave and what do you think Mary will do?

She goes, grabs him and says,

it's so good to have you back and she doesn't want to let

go and in that not letting go

Jesus says do not cling to me right now.

It wasn't a theological

statement of contamination. It was

just

yeah, I need to go.

So it's been taught that Jesus told Mary not to touch

him because he had not entered the holy place in heaven

to offer his blood and that touching

him would have contaminated his

blood offering but surely that can't be

because seven verses later or a few hours

later he's telling Thomas, hey, go feel

free to put your hand in those nail

scarred holes in my hand.

So it can't be that.

So Mary held on to Jesus as anyone

would when their grief turned to joy

just like Marcus did with Lorian.

So here are a few

things we can

take home almost as a Rhema word

and what's a Rhema word?

While the Bible

doesn't define it like this, I'm defining

it this way. Rhema word

is when God

even in times of

preaching like this will release

a word that is

specific to your situation and

will have in it all that you need for what

lies ahead. That's what

I'm defining it as.

It's more a Pentecostal definition than a

Biblical definition. So

in loosening Mary's

grip, Jesus

conveyed a few things that perhaps

we need to hear today and for

many of us it will mean different things but

that's fine.

Okay, so the first thing

is

it's

odd, eh?

That with

Mary, she had to let go.

With Thomas, he had to

let Jesus in.

Jesus saying

with Mary, she had to have faith

to let go. With Thomas, he needed faith

to let Jesus

in. Both had different

reactions. So here's the first

statement.

Some of us

need to

trust God

to

let go

of people,

past,

and

circumstances.

Some of us need faith

or some of us

need to trust God and let go

of people,

of past, and of circumstances

over the next few weeks.

We've held on

to them for too long and it's to

our detriment. And so some

of us need to trust God to let go

of people, of past, and

of situations and circumstances.

That's statement one.

Statement two.

And the only

one you don't let go of is your spouse.

So don't,

you can't use the statement to

do that.

In the sense, you can't say, ah,

the pastor said I could let go of you, so

let's file for divorce. You can't do that.

Some of us need to,

these are very simple statements, but

if it at any point, as I'm saying,

strikes you or just

hooks you for a second, go examine

it further at home. Some of us need

to trust God

to let him

in

and believe

for the impossible again.

In the sense you have

trusted God nothing happened

and so you've kind of kept him at a distance

because you're scared of being disappointed.

And so you've kept him at a distance.

Some of us need to trust God to let him in again

so that we can start believing for the impossible.

It's a trick of the enemy

where you trusted God for something

it didn't happen and so you keep him at a distance

because you don't want to go through that

process again where you trusted him with everything

you have and you feel let down

and you're scared of being disappointed again.

You don't want to

engage with God.

But hey, always know that

God is just and fair and

perfect. He never lets anybody down.

It's not in his character. He does not know how.

And therefore when

I'm disappointed with what God has not done

I always go back and say to him

listen I'm really disappointed and

really sucks but I just want you to know

that I know that you're fair

and that you're not someone who knows how to let me down

and you're my father.

And then you start over again

and that's something you need to do.

Third,

you need to trust God

even though

you want everything

to be the same again

that's what Mary wanted today.

Mary wanted the physical Jesus

to be there forever now.

And Jesus is saying

don't hold on to me.

I am going to the Father and to your Father.

She wanted things to be the same

and he's saying

I am going and I won't leave you as an orphan.

I will send the Spirit of God so I can be with you forever.

What I'm trying to say is this guys

even though you want everything to be the same as before

even though you want everything to be the same as before

know that

know that

know that

know that

know that

things are going to change

know that things are going to change for the better

know that things are going to change

for the better.

Know that things are going to change

for the better.

And

you need

you need

to upgrade

your relationship with

your relationship with God.

Your relationship with God.

You need to upgrade

your relationship with God.

To handle those changes.

Guys this is so crucial.

It's going to happen to some of us

over the next few weeks and months.

Handle

handle what?

Handle those changes.

Thanks.

Guys, Moses had to do this.

Moses had to first

change so that he can lead a people out of Egypt.

So he sees the burning bush

and there's a heart change and Moses says

great, I now have some kind of courage

to lead these people out of Egypt.

Then Moses brings them to Mount Sinai.

He's brought them out of Egypt

but these people are harder to deal with

than the Egyptians because they are stiff necked.

So now how do you take them through the desert?

So now Moses has to have an upgrade.

And what's an upgrade?

An upgrade is when you catch a glimpse of God afresh.

And so he catches a glimpse of God

on Mount Sinai and it changes him.

Now he can take them through the desert.

I'm saying to you that even though you want

everything to be the same as before

know that things are going to change

for the better.

And you need to upgrade your relationship

with God to handle those changes.

Otherwise when they happen

you will be

stiff necked and grumbling.

I wish it was the same.

That thing will come up.

Any questions on that?

You understand that one?

Yeah, let's put it this way.

Let's say

God wants me to live the rest of my life

in Mongolia.

Which I have no desire to do.

But if he is saying Jacob

I'm bringing that change into your life

I will have to quickly get

a fresh understanding of

God as a whole.

A fresh understanding of God

as in don't worry Jacob I know you hate the cold

but I'll be there for you. I know it's not like

Canada but I'll be there for you. And as

I get an upgrade of God and my relationship

with him gets better. Now my heart

will begin to change

to accommodate Mongolia.

And if I don't do that

I'll complain bitterly

even in summer

in Mongolia.

This is going to happen to some of you.

I said a rehmah word that's what I meant.

That is a word packed with the grace you need

for the coming weeks and months.

And this upgrade is necessary

because otherwise it will leave you

it's like a bride

who says ah don't worry

when's your marriage? Wednesday.

Have you gotten your bridal gown yet? Nah

there's a weekend.

That's what I mean. You've got to prep for it.

A guy can pull it off

but not a bride.

Do you know that you surrender to God's will?

Not exactly.

It's one thing to surrender

to God's will and sometimes when we

think of the word surrender we think of this resigned

ah your God what choice do I have?

Here I lay my life down.

No this is

I want to be able to

see who you are so my heart is

prepared for the next phase

of this journey and if I don't see who you are

I'll surrender but boy

will I be an unwilling surrender.

It'll be like

a goat

placed on the altar that's struggling to leave.

Be willing but not obedient.

Yeah, yeah that's the word. In Isaiah

Isaiah 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 it says this brilliantly. It says

if you want to eat the good of the land you have to be

obedient and willing.

Sometimes Christians are

obedient but they're very unwilling and you can

make out immediately.

When someone says you can make it out with your children

go do this. I don't want to eat this.

Eat it otherwise you won't be able to go out. Okay.

I wasn't thinking of you Tavis.

Next one.

He promises to be with

you. He promises to be

with you 24 7.

He promises to be with you

24 7 by his spirit.

I'm not making statements

that are statements of truth

so that we understand it. I know you know this.

I'm making this statement so that you're prepared

for the weeks and months ahead

because like I said

God is just giving those words

that will have enough grace in it to help us live it

not survive it but live it.

He promises to be with you 24 7 by his spirit

so stop

walking by sight

and feelings

but start walking by faith.

Start walking by faith.

Stop walking by sight.

If you know he's...

Yeah.

So stop walking by sight

start walking by faith

because he's going to be there 24 7.

He will be there.

Remember one of the solidest promises he's given

is

to be with you 24 7

by his spirit.

He promises he's given is

I will never

forsake you or leave you.

I will be with you and I am

your helper.

So do not be afraid.

What can man do to you?

So he promises to be

with you by his spirit 24 7

so stop walking by sight

as in show me proof, show me proof, show me that you love me

tell me that you love me, give me a promise

give me a prophecy. No, no, no, no, no.

All that is taken care of. What I was going to say

because I didn't know how to word it is

I'm going to Vernon to deal with something

and trust me it's not Eric or any person

I'm going to Vernon to deal with something tomorrow

and

part of me was kind of scared and this morning

I woke up and God reminded me

that when Joshua came to Jericho

Jericho was shut up because Jericho was scared.

I first thought I'd

wake up this morning

and it was so reassuring because now I don't

need assurances of God you'll be with me

you'll be my helper, you'll be my protector

it's taken care of. Now you can walk by faith

not by sight.

Fifth one.

Jesus has freed you for adoption

Jesus has freed you

for adoption.

Remember your mom's name was Death.

Thank God

you understand how I meant that right?

Yeah.

Jesus has freed you for adoption

your mom's name was Death

your dad's name was Sin.

He's freed you up for adoption

and guess who's adopted you? His father.

His father's adopted you.

Guys

if his father

is your father

and my father now

then understand this that you have the same access

you have the same access.

You have the same access.

Matthew 11, 27

beautiful words. Here's what Jesus says

Jesus says no one knows the father

except the son.

But it's changed

because I am

the same kind of son now.

I have access to the father

and for those

for some of us all we need to do

over the next little while

what I want to do is enter

deliberately every morning

into the same affection

same intimacy

and same trust

that Jesus has

with the father.

And the crazy thing is

you can do it

cause you have

you have

the same

ability

and access.

You can do it cause you have the same ability

and ah that doesn't

and access.

Seek this out every morning

Father I want to be as affectionate

with you as Jesus was when he

walked the earth and right now.

I want to have the same intimacy with you

and I want to trust you like he did.

Every day you can increase in it.

Next Sunday when you come to worship

on tomorrow morning when you're worshiping God

or singing to him in your room

or there you start again

you begin to

connect with him affectionately

as in not with many words

but your heart ties up with his man.

To enter into the same kind of intimacy

with the father. Why do you think

Jesus would call him Abba?

Partly because that was what they did

in Aramaic. But partly

because he knew

God had his own dad man.

And then there was a thing of

trusting him

as Jesus trusts the

father. That would be brilliant

when we trust him like Jesus

trusted his father.

And the last one since some of you are looking at the clock

and don't think I didn't notice

and if you're feeling guilty just put your head down

and I won't look at you right now.

And you know who you are. Should I look at you? No I won't.

I'll finish before 12.30.

Leanne in case they didn't warn you

some days it goes kind of 12.30

but most other days it's 12.12.

I heard a comment from the peanut gallery.

See you guys are delaying my time. I've got to finish.

Guys the last one is

Jesus who knows the father

is willing to make

the father known to you.

If you learn from him. Jesus who knows the father

Jesus who knows the father

is willing

to make the father

known to you.

You guys didn't know Eddie right?

Before?

Not before he came.

But I did.

And so I knew Eddie and I made Eddie known to

you and it did affect your life.

Same principle guys.

Jesus knows the father.

I must have a desire to know the father more.

Where I'm at is not good enough.

Where I'm at is not good enough.

The more you know somebody the easier it is to trust him.

The more you know somebody and you find out that he's really good

The more you know somebody and you find out that he's really good

the easier it is to like him.

And the more you like somebody the more easy it is

to do whatever you want for him.

We don't even ask things like this.

Where we say father want to know you more.

There's this old song

which we won't sing.

But it says

the greatest thing in all my life is knowing you.

The greatest thing in all my life is knowing you.

I want to know you more.

And occasionally in your prayer

say to Jesus you know the father

like nobody else does.

So by your spirit

show me more.

Let me see more of what the father is like

because I know it will change my life.

How does he do it?

He does it through, Jesus teaches you

how? Through the word,

through the spirit and through people guys

and through people.

You knew Eddie because

a people called Jacob introduced Eddie

to you. Same thing.

We learn through people, we learn through his spirit

and we learn through the word.

And Jesus is so willing to introduce his father.

Jesus is passionate about this.

Like I always say the Holy Spirit points towards

Jesus and says, hey Jacob

you want to know the father? Look at Jesus.

And then Jesus is

standing in the center and Jesus says

hey Jacob you want to know the father? Look at me.

And you will see the father.

And the father is standing on the right side

and he says, hey Jacob you want to look at

me? You want to know me more? Look at Jesus.

And they work in such perfect harmony

pointing to each other.

Pointing to each other.

So the father says look at Jesus

and you will know me. Jesus says you want to look at the

father, look at me and the Holy Spirit

will teach me and it goes on so well.

Make these things

desires of yours.

This week, ask God.

And take home some of the stuff that

has been said and if it has

kind of gone

click in your heart when some of these things

were spoken or if the words spoken

prophetically over you this morning

did something to you, go write it down

and then if you have any questions

feel free to ask me. Otherwise we are done.

So let's just pray.

Father thank you.

Crazy what you did that day

on resurrection.

What happened there? That was just amazing.

Where the graves actually broke up

and dead people came out

and they then ascended with you.

That's going to happen to us too.

That was just like a taste of what's going to happen.

So thank you for life.

Thank you for life.

I've got to know how to live it here on earth father.

And some of these words that have been spoken

let it click and let it help.

Let's explore it more.

Father I've got to go.

This 12.30 thing is bothersome here

but that's how it works here.

So we bless you. We thank you.

And yeah, that's it.

In Jesus name. Amen.

Amen.