Horizon

If you notice the title of what we are going to talk about today is Horizon.

That's such an odd title for a teaching.

And at the end of the day, what is a Horizon?

A Horizon is the limitless line at which the Earth's surface and the heavens appear to meet.

The Horizon is that limitless line where the Earth's surface and the heavens appear to meet.

That's what the Horizon is.

And in a sense, guys, that is exactly what happened in the manger in Bethlehem.

And by the way, this is not a Christmas message.

But that's exactly what happened at the manger in Bethlehem,

where in this tiny little cave outside Bethlehem,

the heavens and the Earth met in a manger in Bethlehem.

Isaiah 9, 6 says, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.

The child was born on Earth, the son was given from heaven.

I mean, if you didn't pick up a CD last week from Michael Scantleberry's teaching, take it.

It's pretty powerful.

And I'll be putting it up on the website too.

But notice that in the manger in Bethlehem, heaven and Earth met.

A child was born on the Earth, but a son was given from the heavens.

And in that little baby, heaven and Earth meet.

And in a sense, the vastness of God was for nine months confined in the womb of a woman.

Just imagine that. The vastness of God.

This is why it's fascinating how each Gospel writer writes about the narrative.

Matthew is talking to a Jewish audience.

And so everywhere you will see Matthew saying,

This happened so that the prophecy be fulfilled.

And so they went to Egypt and this happened so the prophecy be fulfilled.

And then they realized that Archaelis was still alive.

So they went to Nazareth. This happened so that the prophecy be fulfilled.

The point being there, the intent was, listen Jewish audience,

you've read these words before and they're coming to fulfillment.

And then you turn to Luke.

And Luke talks about shepherds who are outside of the so-called elite coming.

Magi who had no Jewish bones in their body turning up.

He talks about it from a different point.

And then there is John who brings into picture who Christ was before he became incarnated.

The word incarnation is very simple, guys.

The word incarnation means enfleshment or taking on flesh.

That's all the word incarnation means.

So to be incarnate is to take on flesh. That's what it means.

And so John talks about that. He says, in the beginning was the word.

The word was with God and the word was God.

Replace it with the word Jesus.

In the beginning was Jesus. Jesus was with God. Jesus was God.

And he enters the earth.

And so the vastness of God, because Jesus was God,

the vastness of God was confined within the womb of a 15-year-old girl.

The vastness of God who created everything, who we sing to, we say,

We say, you are Alpha and Omega.

The vastness of God was confined within the womb of a 15-year-old girl.

And so the child is born here on earth, but the son is given from heaven.

And suddenly heaven and earth meet in this person.

And think of this, guys.

Before Christmas, the living God was pure spirit.

God is spirit. We've heard that said.

Before Christmas, the living God was pure spirit.

All three persons of the Trinity were pure spirit.

Father was, Jesus was, Holy Spirit was. Pure spirit.

But when Jesus comes down to the earth in flesh, God became what God was not.

When Jesus came down to the earth in flesh, God became what God was not.

In the sense that he changed his form of existence forever, taking on my humanity.

Don't think Jesus shed his body when he rose from the dead.

In fact, when he rose from the dead, he rose in a body.

Jesus has forever decided to be my Melchizedek,

my high priest.

Therefore, he decided to take on a body till before Christmas, how many ever years ago.

God was pure spirit.

And then Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, who is God, takes on flesh and God becomes what he was not.

He changed his form of existence forever, taking on my humanity.

So when we see Jesus, be it in his divinity, be it in his glory, be it in his present physicality,

or think of him as when he walked in Nazareth, you see a man who was taken on flesh.

When John sees a vision of him, he still sees Jesus with feet burning brass, with eyes blazing fire.

When we see him on the Mount of Transfiguration, again we see him in his radiant glory,

which Peter then talks about saying, we beheld his glory.

And so what we say to you is not hearsay.

So he takes on our humanity.

Now the question is why? Why? Why did Jesus change his form of existence forever?

And only God can do this. It's amazing.

I mean, really guys, sometimes when I think of little fellows behind their computers,

spilling venom about God, I think to myself, what kind of God is this?

He's absolutely sovereign. He can do whatever he wants.

And then this patience and kindness.

I was watching Lee Rigby, the soldier in England, who was decapitated by two young men in the name of religion.

And for a while, my immediate reaction was such anger.

And then I'm thinking to myself, human beings just like me, completely perverse response.

But at the end of the day, I'm thinking to myself, what kind of God is this?

Who sits there in love and kindness, in patience and mercy?

What kind of God is this? Who is so sovereign that he can do anything he wants?

What kind of God is this? Who in his godness, in being pure spirit, decides that for the sake of Javad,

for the sake of Jacob, for the sake of Ann, I will take on flesh.

I will be in flesh. And this will forever change the form that I exist in.

But this is what I will do. And why? Listen to why, guys.

Why did he take on flesh? Why did he take on my humanity?

So that, I've got to write this down.

Is this one of those things that will wipe or not wipe?

Dry erase markers. This thing wipes? Okay.

Here's why, guys. Why did he take on my humanity?

So that I may be freed from everything that prevented me from being fully human.

Just ponder on that for a second. Just ponder on that for a second and then I'll explain it.

Why does he take on flesh? Why does he take on humanity?

So that through taking on flesh, through crucifixion, through living a life here on earth just like mine,

through resurrection and through ascension, he may now free me from everything

that prevents me from being fully human.

And so Jacob, what is the definition of being fully human?

The definition of being fully human is the existence of Adam in the Garden of Eden before the fall.

We're all being taken back there, guys. We're all being taken back to Eden.

The way man was supposed to exist, the way he was supposed to feel, think, behave, be.

So why does he take on flesh? He takes on flesh so that he takes on my humanity,

so that everything that prevents me today from being fully human can be undone.

And when are we supposed to start living like this? Yesterday.

Yesterday. Because the future kingdom has broken into present history.

The kingdom has come. Not the kingdom will come. The kingdom has come.

This is why he took on flesh. This is why he had to be born on Christmas Day as a baby.

So that I can be restored to the fullness of what it is to be human.

Guys, it's important to understand this. This is what will fuel your spirit and will satiate your mind

and will strengthen your body to live a certain way.

Guys, think of this. Heaven and earth meet in me today.

Heaven and earth meet in me today. Today, the vastness of God is confined in a 15 year old boy called Jacob.

Did I say 15 or 50? It doesn't matter. Heaven and earth meet within me now.

Heaven and earth meet within me now. Today, the vastness of God is confined within a 15 year old called Jacob.

Ponder on that. I mean, when I say ponder, I want you to do what Mary did.

Hold it in your heart. Nurse it. Study it. Chew it. Milk it. Understand it.

Heaven, you are alpha and omega. Heaven and earth.

Earth. Heaven and earth meet in me today because I am he in whom the vastness of God is now wound.

Think of it till it becomes the only way you think.

So today, I am supposed to model what it is to be free and fully human.

I am supposed to model what it is to be free and fully human as was intended in Eden.

You know, unfortunately, Christians operate from this position that things are getting worse

and there is not much we can do about it. So why not just wait for the rapture?

May I say to you very, very, very categorically that that is not a biblical position.

Songs have been written over it. Hymns have been sung. Books have been written over it.

TV programs have been created around it. But this whole idea of Christians operating from a position

that things are getting worse and there is not much we can do about it,

so why not just wait for the rapture?

May I say to you very, very, very categorically that that is not a biblical position.

But this whole idea of Christians operating from a position that things are getting worse

and there is not much we can do about it, so why not get raptured?

It's surprisingly not a biblical position.

I was placed here on the earth not to be snatched away, but to colonize earth with the life of heaven.

Let me say that again. I was placed here on earth not to be snatched away,

but to colonize life here with the life of heaven.

This earth isn't going to disappear, guys.

It will be replaced with a new earth.

But God's plan A still stands.

The mountains, I mean I was in Vernon. We went up to Silver Star.

Ah, brilliant man.

I mean and it was full moon and we were driving at night

and I just stopped and I said stop the car and I just stood there and it is so quiet.

Vancouver is not quiet.

And I'm staying in this little cottage on the hill.

Snow all around, cougars and bears too I believe.

So even though they gave me snow boots I stayed inside.

And at night I would go out and stand in the moonlight bathing the snow

just to listen and you could hear silence.

It is so quiet and it was so stunningly beautiful.

And this in a world that is groaning because it's decaying.

Guys, it will be so stunningly beautiful

that you will say why did I ever hanker after streets of gold?

Why did I ever want a big mansion?

The earth will be recreated.

This earth will be recreated.

We were not placed here to be snatched away.

We were placed here so that we can colonize earth with the life of heaven

and it starts when?

It starts yesterday.

Some of you and I are the result of someone else colonizing earth with the life of heaven

and it infected us.

How many here were born into a born again family?

One.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

The rest of us were infected.

They had the advantage of being born in an incubator full of the virus.

The rest of us had to be infected.

Don't you agree?

Think of it guys.

Think of it.

Today I am to model what it is to be free and fully human.

We will talk about that some more.

So guys, and remember even when it comes to the demonic realm,

understand this guys, that when the angels rebelled against God,

the conflict concerned you.

When the angels rebelled against God, the conflict concerned you Doris.

That's what they were rebelling over.

They wanted Doris and Rob's worship.

And so Lucifer said, I will sit on the congregation of the Most High.

I will sit on the sacred mountain.

The conflict concerned you.

That's why the angels rebelled against God.

And so may I suggest to you that while God can obliterate the satanic kingdom with his thought,

he doesn't even need to breathe.

He can just think.

Obliterate.

Lucifer disappears in a flash.

Just in this explosion of phosphorus.

Because that's what the name means anyways.

He can think Satan into nothing.

The same God who can obliterate Satan and the satanic demonic realm with a thought

will leave even that kingdom to be undone through us.

So when the angels rebelled against God, the conflict concerned man,

while God can obliterate Satan and the demonic kingdom with a thought,

he will resolve the issue through the sons of God, us.

So where are you going in a hurry?

To heaven.

Don't be in such a hurry.

Heaven is going to come down to the earth.

Heaven and earth have met in you already.

And this whole thing is going to be recreated.

You're to colonize the earth with the life of God in you.

We'll take it step by step guys.

I'm not preaching, I'm teaching here.

In the sense I'm not trying to rara you.

I'm just having this established in our hearts.

Yeah.

I was placed here not to be snatched away,

but to colonize the earth with the life of heaven.

This is how any country that wants to take over another country works.

They go and they set up a small settlement and then they begin to spread.

The Brits, this is how they ruled the world.

They would go into a place and set up a small trading post.

And that trading post would stay there for 20 or 30 years.

But in the process they would now make alliances.

People would begin to change.

Religion would begin to change.

Education would begin to change.

Transport system would begin to change.

Clothes would begin to change.

And eventually the entire area would have been completely different.

You can go to India right now and you will see little cities

in the hills. They're called hill stations now.

You go there, the names of the places are not Indian.

They're completely British.

It'll be Lord Dalhousie Street, Mount Baton Road, Queen Elizabeth Highway.

Why is it that every city in the world has a street called King Edward or Queen Elizabeth?

They came, they colonized.

That's why it's called colonies.

And it was not done through outright war.

They didn't land with ships and destroy the whole place.

They came and they set up trading posts.

We have set up a trading post here guys.

An expensive trading post, but a trading post.

I was made a son, you were made a son.

Because God really thinks that a son is capable of imitating his father

or reflecting his father's face.

You were made a son because a son is capable of being like his father.

Establish that in your heart.

That even though you may have woken up today with a grumpy attitude,

even though you may have messed up last week,

even though you may have been in a bad mood last week,

even though you may have messed up last week,

even though the fig tree is not blossoming and there is no cattle in the stall,

know this, predestined you were, before the foundations of the earth.

Predestined.

Because God thought that you Maurice, you Matt, you Rob,

you are capable of being like your father.

Predestined.

And know this guys.

This really blew my mind.

I was reading the Christmas narratives and it really caught me.

How was Christ formed?

Christ was formed by the Spirit.

Pastor Mike talked about it.

That the Holy Spirit hovered over Mary and in her was conceived the Son of God.

I go reading, read John 1.13 and guess what it says about me.

To anybody who received him, he made them sons of God,

not by blood, not by the will of flesh, not by the will of man, but by the Spirit.

Understand how you have been made.

Your DNA, like the child in the manger,

I was born in the manger,

your DNA, like the child in the manger,

I was born not of blood, not of the will of flesh,

nor of the will of man, but of God.

These are truths we can reflect on for the rest of life.

I was not born, yeah my mom and dad came together and I was born of the flesh.

But when I got born again, when I became a son of God,

it very clearly says that and he gave them the right to be called the sons of God or the children of God.

I was born not by blood, not by the will of flesh, not by the will of man, but by God.

To do what? To do my father's will.

These are established things in my DNA.

It's like saying, Jacob why aren't you a girl?

Too bad, the chromosomes turned out to be a guy.

There's nothing you can do about it.

Same thing.

My spiritual chromosomal construct is such that I am a son capable of being like my father

and I was not born of the will of man, of blood, or of the flesh, but of God.

This is who I am, born of immortal sperm.

Why Jacob are you repeating this? Why is it important to understand this?

Because if you don't know who and how you have been made,

when you are out there and the pressure comes and situations come, you react as humans.

Not humans after Adam before the fall, but you react like humans after Adam after the fall.

And therein lies the unfortunate thing about us Christians is that we begin to look like the world.

The reason he came down in the flesh was to free me from everything that prevented me from being fully human.

Fully human as in Adam before the fall.

Was Adam born of the will of man?

Was Adam born of the will of flesh?

Was Adam born of blood?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. He was born from a whole different way of origin.

So are you. Do you understand guys how we are continuously being taken back to Eden?

What a rich, rich, rich heritage we have.

If you follow me

You know as 2014 comes, may you never be separated from an opportunity to display the purpose of God in your life.

And that's why some of these courses, I may shamelessly push some of the courses that tell you us,

not because of any other reason, but because it will help us discover our purpose.

Guys, you have no purpose in life if you separate yourself from displaying the purpose of God on earth.

You have no purpose in life if you separate yourself from opportunities to display the purpose of God here on earth.

So, oh by the way you didn't know this, but Anne retired as of Friday.

Jason retired, sorry, Derek retired as of six months ago.

And I've been in retirement for very long now.

But the point is, Anne and Kamal have retired.

And now they have to find out, okay now that work is no longer the thing.

And they should have, it doesn't matter whether you're working in a career or not, that's not the point.

But the moment I separate myself from opportunities to display the purpose of God here on earth, I have no purpose.

And if I have no purpose, work can hijack me and priorities get mixed up.

I am he in whom the spirit of God lives and therefore I have become the new temple of God on earth.

Take each line, go home, chew, mix it with your turkey and eat it.

I am he in whom the spirit of God lives and therefore I have become the new temple of Alpha and Omega on the earth.

I am he in whom the spirit of God lives and therefore I have become the new temple of the Alpha and Omega here on earth.

And so are we.

I am destined to be an image bearer.

An image bearer, as in a representative of the original.

Do you believe that? I find it so hard to believe at times.

That I have been destined to be an image bearer of whom? Of my mom? No. Of my dad? No. Of whom? Of God.

An image bearer of God, a representative of the original.

I am destined to be an image bearer. I am destined to be a God loving.

It's natural to love God for us guys. It shouldn't be a problem.

If my circumstances begin to frustrate my relationship with God, I need to understand that that is unnatural.

It's natural for me to be God loving.

I am supposed to be, I am destined to be an image bearing, God loving, Christ like.

Why? Because Christ lives in me.

Spirit filled follower of Christ.

And what am I sent here to do? I am sent here to shape the world for the kingdom that is coming.

Oh Jacob, that's too big. All this sounds so highfaluted and that's all nice.

It comes very well from a pastor's mouth. But let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Let me tell you the nitty gritty. You were sent to shape the world for the future.

You were sent and placed here on earth to shape the world for the future.

If we don't get the big picture, the little nitty gritties will crumple into just this banal earthly existence.

It's after I know that I am going to fly to Malaysia that I take care of nitty gritties like,

Aha! I don't need to take a winter coat there.

But because I am so obsessed with the winter coat and not winter coat, I lose the big picture.

I land up in Malaysia looking like a Canadian.

Sent here to shape the world for the kingdom that is coming.

Every time I tell someone about what Marcus said here three weeks ago,

it shapes the minds of people of the possibility of a kingdom principle that God is the author of life

and he can give it back and no one can take it away.

When I tell someone that for the last 26 years of my life since I got born again,

I have never used medicine of being to a doctor.

It shapes the minds of people to think, Aha!

There is the possibility of living in a kingdom where it is possible to live healed.

When I tell someone that you saw how happy I was,

but did you know that I only had $10 in my pocket yesterday and today I have $2000,

they are fascinated because they know, Aha!

Having $10 in my pocket is not a struggle.

It is a joyful anticipation of a God of provision who belongs in a kingdom where resources are inexhaustible

and a father who loves supplying.

Amen!

You begin to shape the world to think along the lines of a kingdom that is to come.

The greater my obedience and nothingness guys, the greater the representation of God.

Isn't that the definition of a son servant?

The greater my obedience and my nothingness.

It's all day, a son is called to obey a servant is supposed to be nothing.

And when obedience and nothingness come together,

you have a son who is called to obey a servant.

You have a son who is called to obey a servant.

And when obedience and nothingness come together,

you have what is called a son servant who is able to represent his father accurately.

When obedience and nothingness collide,

out of it comes this new thing, new person called a son servant.

Servant king, obedience and nothingness collide.

That's a son servant.

You know guys, the world can ignore,

the world can ignore or humor a Jesus who is entrenched in our private lives.

And this is what the devil is doing in North America.

One of the things the devil is doing in North America

is he's trying to confine Jesus to the private lives of Christians.

And the world can tolerate, ignore and humor a Jesus

who is entrenched in the private life of Christians.

They're fine with that.

And so there's pressure on us to privatize our Christianity.

Our politicians do it, our businessmen do it, celebrities do it.

Doesn't matter they are Christians.

There's so much pressure that you don't say anything.

Schools do it.

And here is where we need to understand

that they may be able to ignore our humor a Jesus

who is entrenched in the private life of a Christian,

but they can't ignore the visible reality of God's new creation.

Who's God's new creation?

Us, right in the middle of the old one.

See, it's like, let me tell you something.

This little building with that big sign church on main

is a visible reality in this region.

The reason we changed the church on main and not Acts 29

was so that it would become a visible reality.

That's just signage.

But imagine in a world where you begin to live out

the visible reality of heaven and earth meeting in you.

People won't be able to ignore it.

They may stone you, but they won't be able to ignore it.

So what does the devil do?

He tries to privatize it by bringing up fear of being stoned

so we all go silent.

And any time anyone speaks, you get lambasted for being a...

Lambasted, lambasted, I don't know.

Lamb?

Lambasted for being...

That's a cooking term, isn't it?

Oh, that's why I didn't get it.

Or when you baste lamb, lambasted.

So, so, so that's the thing, guys.

Visible reality, visible reality of heaven and earth meeting

in someone in whom God is wombed.

Go ahead, Matt.

He tries to privatize it, but on the other hand,

he makes people be religious enough

to run into the streets with signs of course being religious.

Where is that?

I'm sorry to say, Ryan, I was just going to ask a follow-up.

I'm so sorry to say this, but it'll take another 4 minutes and 33 seconds.

And I mean it in all sincerity.

He's gone from 50 seconds!

But I really mean that because I will touch on that.

Guys, we are called to live as a resurrection people

between Easter and the final day of the earth as we know it today.

The earth will be recreated.

But we are supposed to be a resurrection people,

meaning a people who have the risen Jesus of Nazareth living in us.

The risen Jesus Christ.

We are supposed to be living between Easter, the day Jesus rose,

and the final day of the earth as a resurrection people,

meaning a people who have the risen Alpha and Omega,

the risen Behold the Lamb upon the throne,

risen Eyes blazing fire, Feet burning brass,

risen El Shaddai Almighty God.

A risen people, a resurrection people,

living between Easter and the final day of the earth.

And what are we supposed to do during that time?

We are to show them what the risen life of Christ looks like,

which we've been talking about.

And we have to show them what this kingdom that is coming looks like.

What this kingdom that is coming looks like.

People don't have an idea.

Before Obama took over presidency,

they already knew Obama's presidency and its policies

because in a lot of his stump speeches,

he would begin to talk about healthcare.

He would begin to talk about immigration law.

He was talking about it.

They knew what to expect.

They realized that he would be more friendly to the Muslim nations than Bush,

that he wouldn't be completely pro-Israel.

These things were already revealed,

that he would be conciliatory and not aggressive.

These things were revealed.

Our presidency that was to come was already being shown.

A kingdom that is already here must be shown to the visible reality

of a people in whom heaven and earth meet.

You must be convinced of the fact,

and I will convince you of it in another four minutes,

that we, I, am someone in whom heaven, God,

and the earth around me meets.

I am that point.

So what does the risen life of Christ and the future kingdom look like in you?

I mean, I keep saying heaven and earth meet in you.

So what does that look like?

Guys, I'll just touch on four or five very simple things.

Your life should look like a life of trust and love and purity.

Love, trust, and purity. Why?

Because we live on an earth full of suspicion, ugliness, exploitation, fear.

And then you come along,

and you are that place where heaven and earth meet.

And you are walking in a world full of exploitation, fear, ugliness, perversity.

And what does your life look like?

Your life looks like a life that was crafted in heaven.

And what does it show?

It shows love, it shows trust, it shows purity.

The world is always stunned by a people that are pure.

And I'm not talking about your talk, your walk.

I'm talking about in every area of your life,

where your life begins to display love, trust, purity.

Love, trust, purity, vertically and horizontally.

Love, trust, purity.

We live in a world of exploitation, of fear, of ugliness, of perversity.

And in that world now come walking a people who display vertically and horizontally

a life of love, trust, and purity.

Heaven and earth meet.

Heaven and earth meet.

How about a life that announces healing to the world?

You know, to a sick man, the good news is not that Jesus came to save you from sins.

The good news is, Jesus can heal you.

Imagine Jesus every time someone comes with sickness.

Sure, I'll heal you, but first let me tell you that I'm the savior of the world.

And he rolls up his sleeves and begins to talk about being the savior of the world.

And a sick man is literally dying there.

You know, Jesus would first heal.

To a sick man, healing is the good news.

To the poor man, money is the good news.

The ability to announce good news in a world that is sick.

I so desire that those prophetic words over this church,

when we used to meet in a little room,

that in this house are wells of healing,

will come to pass through the lives of believers at large.

But believers who learn and go.

He spent three years with the twelve.

He called them to himself so that they may be with him and learn.

Gangonaz does not heal.

What about a life that articulates the life of the dead?

This life of Jesus in your business, in your politics, in your education,

in your art, in your music, in your theology.

Guys, this is so sad.

There was a lady called Dorothy Sayers.

She was a Christian and really believed strongly in man being made in the image of God.

And listen to this line she spoke.

She said, why would anyone remain interested in a religion

that seems to have no interest in nine tenths of his life?

Why would anyone be interested in a religion

that seems to have no interest in nine tenths of his life?

Meaning, so sad that Christianity nowadays is...

The good news is confined to when you die you will go to heaven.

When you die you will go to heaven.

That's not the good news.

The good news is this first song we sang,

Our God Reigns.

Our God Reigns.

That there is no sphere of life that he is not in relationship with you.

What does the world think?

Jesus is in relationship with Christians.

No, no, no, no.

Jesus is in an ongoing relationship with the entire world.

So when...

What's your name?

Derek gets a job next week.

Then that job area begins to become the place

where he begins to function articulating the story of Jesus.

Sue and people like that who are teachers,

you have no idea of the impact you can have on kids of the future.

Being able to articulate into their lives the story of God

so that be their businessmen, be their pastors, be their...

I mean, when was the last time...

Thank God churches are doing it now, eh?

When they encourage art, when they encourage music.

And they say, may the expression of God be so openly proclaimed

through your music and through your art and through the things you do.

And if you are a person like that and you've learned enough here,

go, leave this church and go there and begin to fly.

Because I won't be able to do that for you here.

I mean that.

Because there are some specialities that this church will provide.

And then perhaps you can keep coming back and eating here and then going there.

But may you excel.

May people not say, oh, your God will only save us when we are dead.

But what about nine-tenths of our life, which is politics, theology, art, music, business?

What about all that?

To let the story of God begin to speak. Why?

Because heaven and earth meet in you.

Heaven and earth meet in you.

Surely heaven has things to say about business.

Amazing thing was Jesus was so many things.

He was a teacher.

He was a businessman.

Perhaps a poor one, but still a businessman.

He had to make chairs and sell it for a living.

He was a son.

He was a brother.

He was a rabbi.

He was jobless for a while.

Had to go fishing to get money.

Derek's smiling when I said Jesus was jobless.

Brother, you're getting encouraged at the wrong time.

Let me end.

What about having a life that engages the world and challenges its thinking?

I didn't show you some of the courses that we'll do later.

But some of the courses we'll do, I'm so excited about them and I won't be teaching them.

Abortion, homosexuality, environment, and how to live in this world.

And understand and give answers.

Not just come up with, God loves the sinner but hates the sinner.

That's my attitude.

My God, you don't know what that means.

What's your attitude about homosexuality?

I love the sinner but I hate the sinner.

That is so cliché and doesn't mean anything.

To be able to stand in the world and challenge its thinking and engage it

instead of withdrawing from it.

To engage it.

Those courses, you must attend.

You must attend.

I'm so looking forward to it because I'm looking forward to being one of the students for that one.

I'm looking forward to being one of the students for that one.

I'm looking forward to being one of the students for that one.

Guys, and at the end of the day, this kind of answers what Matt was asking.

How do you do this?

You do this with joy, with humor, with gentleness, with good judgment and true wisdom.

We do this with joy, with humor, with gentleness, with good judgment and wisdom.

The only ones we will shout at will be our own religious establishment.

Those are the only ones we will shout at.

That's how Jesus operated.

Who did he reserve all his shouting for?

He called Herod that old fox and he called the other guys the brood of vipers.

But with the rest, humor, joy, wisdom, good judgment,

Humor, joy, wisdom, good judgment, gentleness.

Where are these Christians, man?

Where do you see them nowadays?

You don't see them.

But surely I have seen you operate that way.

I've seen some of you out there in different places and I see...

I mean you talk about some of your stories from work.

Joy, gentleness, good judgment, wisdom.

Isn't that what you've been displaying?

Be confident of what you've learned, guys.

Eddie was telling me something and I want to say that to you.

I asked 16 questions on Christmas and you guys did miserably.

But that aside...

I was telling somebody, they said, how did your game go?

I said, I've never played a worse game in my life.

If I was playing it, I think it was the most boring game ever.

I mean, you didn't do well in that.

But know this.

That there's been such a large deposit of the Word of God in you.

That you've got to be confident that under pressure it will come out.

And that you will keep improving in it.

You can't sit under words of life.

Not because Jacob is speaking them.

I'm talking about words of life because they are words of life.

You can't sit under words of life for so long unless you are sleeping.

Which some of you are.

Which hurts me.

Let me tell you something very frankly.

When you come to the church and sleep, it hurts me.

It bothers me.

Moving on. That's not the point.

The point is...

The Word is in you guys.

You know what Eddie and Yvonne are saying right now?

They're saying that...

Jacob, we're going through a terrible time.

But all the years...

Of the deposit of words and faith in our hearts is now coming up.

Just coming up.

Every time pressure is being put on it, out comes the Word.

Out comes the Word.

You think it won't happen to you?

Some of you have been sitting under the Word in the past and over the last seven years.

And you think it won't come out?

Life will come out man.

Be confident.

You are sons capable of imitating your father.

Heaven and Earth do meet in you.

You are the new temple of God here on Earth.

You are.

You were not made of the will of man or of flesh or of blood.

You were made by God.

This is who you are.

This is who you are.

You know...

Our line for 2014...

If you want to tell it a motto, a slogan for 2014...

I love this.

It's very simple.

Every time you walk around now...

Live with this logo for the next one year.

As you are out there...

Remind yourself.

World, meet God.

Very simple.

Our slogan or motto for 2014 is...

World...

Meet...

God.

World, meet God.

I've been trying to live this for the last two weeks.

Everywhere I go.

World, meet God.

Hey, world, meet God.

World, meet God.

Not for a moment thinking that I'm God.

But Heaven and Earth meet in me.

When the world meets me...

When the world meets me...

When the world meets me...

When the world meets me...

Heaven and Earth meet in me.

I'm the horizon.

I'm the limitless horizon.

World, meet God.

I'm the manger.

Come.

Crazy, huh?

I'm just the manger.

I'm not the baby.

And as you come and meet...

World, meet God.

Sick, be healed.

World, meet God.

No money, be provided.

World, meet God.

World, meet God.

Ugliness, let me bring kindness.

World, meet God.

Unworthiness, let me bring loveliness.

World, meet God.

Discourage, a word of encouragement.

World, meet God.

Lost, let me give you prophetic direction.

World, meet God.

Because Heaven and Earth meet in me.

Very simple, huh?

World, meet God.

Not fancy, doesn't have this great trust.

Can't build a ministry around it.

But...

If not us, then who, guys?

If not us, then who?

And if not now, then when?

If not us, then who?

If not now, then when?

When? When you die?

Won't need it, man.

If not us, then who?

If not you, then who?

Who?

Oh, so you got a problem with your son

and a problem with your daughter?

So what?

You are still who I said you are.

World, meet God.

Bless you, guys.

Bless you, guys.

Today morning when I heard about the death in Vernon,

I was even more fond of that.