Come Down the Mountain

Coming down the mountain and last week, am I good to go?

Last week we talked about how we are the sons

of the kingdom, sown into the world.

Matthew 13 verse 38 says that,

Matthew 13:38

that we are the sons of the kingdom sown into the world.

And we have guys who have been sent from the mountain

of God to engage the Valley of men.

That's what we said over the last two weeks.

That one, we are sons of the kingdom sown into the world.

Matthew 13 verse 38.

Matthew 13:38

And two, that we are being sent down the mountain

to engage the Valley of men.

Cause that's really where the world is.

So if we are sons of the kingdom sown into the world,

we have to engage the Valley of men.

And we talked about how Jesus modeled us.

You see that in Matthew 17 at the Mount of Transfiguration.

And then he goes right down into the valley

and meets up with the demoniac.

And we talked about how he engaged the woman,

the Samaritan woman at the well in Saika.

And so here's the thing guys,

God must be unveiled in the Valley of men.

It is insufficient that God be unveiled in this house.

That's wonderful.

I mean, it'd be terrible if God wasn't unveiled here

through the word and the breaking of bread,

through the times of worship,

through relationship with each other.

I mean, it'd be terrible if God was not unveiled

in our presence,

but God needs to be unveiled in the Valley of men.

God must be unveiled in the Valley of men.

And we have to grasp the heart of God towards man

to be able to engage with,

let me put it this way.

We have to understand God's heart towards man

and how he engages with man.

So that we can have a correct perspective

when we go down to the Valley.

Let me say that again.

God must be unveiled in the Valley of men.

Remember, you are a living epistle.

When you step into the Valley,

you must unveil God so people can know what God looks like.

But to do that,

I need to grasp God's perspective

of how men should be engaged.

I need to see how he sees man.

Only then can I go into the Valley with my perspective.

Otherwise, I'll go into the Valley

with a Christian perspective.

And by the way,

the Christian perspective is often flawed.

I gotta go with a God perspective into the Valley of men.

As a son and a servant, guys,

my aim is to reveal what man is supposed to be

in relationship with God.

Let me say that again.

As a son and a servant,

my aim is to reveal what man is supposed to be

in relationship to the Father.

Just imagine that.

It's one of my primary callings

that I reveal what man is supposed to be

in relationship to the Father.

Jesus did this.

Jesus would make these marvelous statements like,

I have come to show you the Father.

He said that so many times.

I have come to show you the Father.

And so one of the things that's demanded of you and me

is that we reveal what man is supposed to be

in relationship to the Father.

But here's the thing.

I cannot show what man is supposed to be

in relationship to the Father

if I don't understand the origin and intent

that God had for man when he made him in the image of God.

I cannot show what man is supposed to be

in relationship with God

unless I comprehend the origin of man,

unless I comprehend when God created man

and he said, I made man in my image.

I need to get a grasp of this.

It's been a fascinating week for me

as I've played around with it.

I had dinner with, what's his name?

Jason, sometime during the week.

And I was talking to him about it

and he was telling me about what he sees

the image of God as too.

But that's what I wanna talk about.

I wanna talk about us understanding what it is

when God says, I made man in my image and my likeness.

So let's start with that.

Guys, this might sound odd,

but Jason and Eric will confirm this

because they are educated that just as man, meaning us,

just as we build a temple and after building a temple,

put an image in the temple.

So God for five days created this temple called the earth

and the universe.

And then on day six, he puts an image in the temple,

his image in the temple.

And surprisingly that image was man.

Just as man builds a temple

and then puts an image in the temple.

So God built over five days,

a temple called the earth and the universe.

And then he puts his image in the temple.

And that image that he put in the temple is us.

Your brow is nodding up Diana.

It is nodding up, cause I don't understand it

because the temple of God in Jerusalem

didn't have any image in it.

So how does that work?

How does that work?

Yeah, you're not supposed to have an image after that.

I'm not saying, I'm not taking a pagan idea

and promoting it.

I'm saying the whole intent was to,

just as we do it now, we've counterfeited it.

The world counterfeits it.

But God created this beautiful thing.

And then he put his image in the middle of the beautiful thing.

That is the original.

And then this is why the whole idea of idolatry

thinks even more,

because there is not supposed to be any image after that.

When we are the image of God,

and then we bow before something

that's made of stone and wood,

it's even more perverse.

Yeah.

That's just a thought that would,

a thought tickle your fancy.

Scratch under your neck or whatever.

Guys, man was made in the Hebrew word is T-S-E-L-E-M.

Salem, shalem of God.

Salem or Salem means image.

Okay.

Man was made in the Salem or image of God.

And Salem at the end of the day,

basically means

representative of the original.

That's what it means.

So imagine this guys now.

That every man, every man,

I mean I spent some time on Main Street yesterday

just sitting and watching people.

Every man, and we'll talk about that a little later.

Every man, every man,

every man, every man,

every man, every man,

every man, every man,

every man, every man,

every man, every man,

every man, every man,

we'll talk about that a little later.

Every man was made in the Salem or the image of God.

Every man was created to be a deputy.

Every man was created to be a deputy

or a representative of God.

Every man.

Everybody.

Everybody, just imagine that.

Hey, don't go off anywhere today, okay?

Because it's important to understand that.

I can see some of you suddenly going off somewhere.

So I just wanted to stop you from dreaming.

Salem means image

between representative of the original.

Every man on the face of the earth.

Yep.

Just to clarify, this is the generic man, woman, man,

not God. Yeah, yeah, always.

Why would it ever be anything else?

But I think it needs to be clarified.

Okay, this is gender-free.

Every man was supposed to be a deputy.

Every man was supposed to be a representative of God.

Every man was imbued with as a given.

Every man was imbued with some capacity

in terms of emotional, intellectual,

moral, relational capacity,

relational capacity to a degree that reflected God.

Every man was given this.

Yeah, every man was created as a deputy

or a representative of God

and imbued with a degree of,

imbued with a degree of God's relational, emotional,

intellectual, and moral capacity.

Every man was created as a deputy

or a representative of God

and imbued with a degree of God's relational,

emotional, intellectual, and moral capacity.

And guys, this is the identity of man.

This is the identity of man.

I'm not talking about Christians now.

I'm talking about every man.

That's the beauty of this.

On track, Jason.

Guys, the difference is,

every man was then supposed to function

as an obedient servant.

Every man was supposed to function as an obedient servant

so that he could be,

again, he is genderless,

he could be an exact representation of God.

Every man was supposed to function

as an obedient servant here on earth,

starting with Adam,

so that he could be an exact representation of God on earth.

That is the origin and intent of God for man.

Functioning as obedient servants,

man was supposed to be an exact representation of God

on earth.

So, every man was supposed to function

as an obedient servant here on earth,

starting with Adam,

so that he could be an exact representation of God.

I'm fascinated by the thought

that every man is supposed to be a deputy of God.

Every man is supposed to be a representative of God.

Every man is imbued with some moral, relational,

emotional, and spiritual,

relational and intellectual capacity

of God.

This is his identity.

And I'm not talking about Christians.

I'm talking about Muslims, Hindus, animists,

witches, pagans, New Agers, Catholics, Protestants,

Charismatics, Pentecostals, and you.

All of them.

So, we were supposed to function as obedient servants

so that we could be an exact representation of him.

But man fell away from being an exact representation.

But man fell away from being an exact representation.

But man fell away from being an exact representation.

Man fell away from being an exact representation

when he chose being like God

over being a representative of God.

He chose being like God

over being a representative of God.

He was supposed to be an exact representation.

But he fell away

when he chose being like God

over being a representative of God.

So the counterfeit, which is Satan,

deceived the duplicate, which is me,

into grasping for equality with the original

and in doing so distorted who I could have been.

And yet Jesus reverses that.

When in Philippians 2,6, what does he say?

Even though he was equal with God

and could have grasped equality with God,

he chooses not to.

So the counterfeit deceived the duplicate

into grasping for equality with the original

and in the process,

exact representation goes out of the window.

Go ahead, man.

Who would the observer supposed to be for this representation?

Like the angels already saw God and knew who he was.

There was a whole realm.

There was a whole realm of creation

that had to be stewarded over.

And then there was a whole realm of the angelic that had rebelled.

And if you start off with Genesis 1,

it talks about how the angelic rebelled.

It talks about how the earth was a chaotic mass.

And then the Holy Spirit was brooding over the void.

And then God started creating.

So there was representation needed,

not just to steward what was already created,

but to bring into order that which was out of order.

And we're doing that now.

Going up to the high places.

The deputy part was supposed to be enforcers over the quality.

Stewards and enforcers, very quiet.

Stewardship, governance, enforcing.

Man gave names to all the animals in the beginning, long time ago.

Bob Dylan.

Can you repeat what you said?

Man gave names to all the animals.

Sorry.

I think you're thinking of actually naming this.

What did you say?

Governance, stewardship and enforcement.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Guys, but despite this, remember,

and this is so important,

despite this, the identity of every man,

please, perish the thought of Christians right now.

Despite all this happening,

the identity of every man,

the identity of every man,

the identity of every man

in terms of origin and intent,

the identity of every man in terms of origin and intent

is still that, is still that of an image bearer,

of an image bearer,

is still that of an image bearer,

is still that of an image bearer

or representative of God,

commissioned to act on His behalf.

Okay, guys, this applies to every person on the face of the Earth.

The identity of every man in terms of origin and intent

is still that of an image bearer

or a representative of God,

commissioned to act on His behalf.

This is the first time in history

that we've ever seen it happen.

This is the first time in history

that we've ever seen it happen.

This is the first time in history

that we've ever seen it happen.

of God commissioned to act on his behalf of every person on the face of the earth. He's

still an image bearer, she's still an image bearer, he or she is still a representative

of God and he or she still is commissioned to act on his behalf. God does not rescind

the representative nature of man guys, God does not rescind the representative nature

of God. Just imagine that, God does not rescind, he does not revoke, he does not annul the

representative nature of man. He does not do that. I mean the Bible is full of stories

where someone who is a representative really messes up. I was thinking of Peter, one of

the first guys to be called, one of the first guys to be set up as a leader, one of the

first guys who is given a heavenly revelation of who Christ is, one of the first guys who

sees the empty tomb, one of the first guys who walks on water, one of the first, one

of the first, one of the first, one of the first guys and yet he's also the guy that

completely messes up his representation when he goes and denies the one who he represents

with curses and foul words and yet it does not rescind the representative nature of man

that Peter was supposed to be. In fact, God goes out of his way to restore him and set

him up again as a representative. So please understand that this applies to every believer.

It changes the way we look at people man. That every man you will see on the street,

every person you will meet, as obnoxious as they may be or as wonderful as they may be,

they are all still image bearers or representatives of God, actually commissioned to act on his

behalf, if they can come into a place of servitude or obedience. We'll talk about that a little

later. Man may have wanted independence from the father, he may have squandered his inheritance,

he may have hired himself out to the citizen of a foreign country, he may have filled his

stomach with pods, he may be sleeping with the pigs and yet there's a ring, a robe, a

sandal, a fatted calf and a father waiting for him to restore him back into who he should

be. He comes and says I want to be one as one of your servants and he says no but you're

my son, you're supposed to represent me. So even after having squandered his inheritance,

fed his stomach with pods, sleeping with the pigs, hiring himself out as a slave to

a foreign ruler, guess what awaits him? A ring, a robe, sandals and a fatted calf and

above all the father waiting to restore. God does not rescind the representative nature

of man. Remember that. Remember that.

Guys, sear this in your memory. Sear this in your memory. God's view of the identity

of man in terms of origin and intent is still that of an image bearer or representative

of God commissioned to act on his behalf. My heart was so joyful yesterday as I was

parked on Main Street waiting for somebody, just parked there and I was saying to myself

wow, people were passing me by and not too many of them looked Christian but I was sitting

there thinking oh shucks, there goes a representative of God, an image bearer of God who is commissioned

to act on his behalf. It was mind blowing to see Sardarji's, Punjabi's, Hindus, Muslims

walking past me and all of them suddenly recognizing them as ones made in the image of God, ones

who are representatives of God and that representative nature has not been rescinded. That they bear

his image, that they are imbued with certain intellectual, moral, relational and emotional

qualities straight from God and that they are actually commissioned to act on his behalf.

And my heart was joyful because suddenly I had pleasure in man. It was a strange, strange

feeling. I actually took pleasure in man. Again, right now it's definitely genderless.

I actually took pleasure in this thing called man. It's fascinating to watch these men and

women go by. I thought to myself, father this is so cool. I have been joyful about mountains

and sunsets and aircrafts and friends but never about man in general. I get sometimes

more excited about a dolphin or a tiger than man. But this is the zenith of his creation

and he is wonderfully made. Fearfully and wonderfully made took on a whole new meaning

for me. Sear this in your mind so that we operate from a different vantage point. You

have to practice this guys. Everybody. Everyone you meet on the street, everyone you meet

at work. Guys, we are made in the image of God. So here's the other thing that is fascinating.

Whatever I do to people, I do to a representative of God and thereby I do to God. Just imagine

that. We are made in the image of God. Therefore, whatever I do to people, I do to a representative

of God and thereby I do it to God. Matthew 21, 33 has this parable where the landlord

sends some servants to the vineyard and the farm hands kill him. So he sends some more

servants. They kill them too. Then he sends his son and they kill the son too. Now the

parable is about the kingdom but why do you think the landlord is getting upset about

what is happening? Because he is sending his representatives and every time they do any

harm to his representative, they are doing it to him. So he sends his son to the vineyard

and the farm hands kill him. So because we are made in the image of God, whatever I do

to you, a representative of God, I am doing to God. Now do you see why Matthew 25, 35

onwards makes a lot of sense where it says when did we see you thirsty? When did we see

you hungry? When did we see you in prison? And Jesus' reply is as you did to the least

of them you did to me. Whatever I do to someone else who bears the image of God means I am

doing it to the representative of God and whatever I do to him I do to God. Again it

is not about Christians. Much more so when it is a Christian because now you are also

messing around with the son or daughter of the father. I think I told you how this lady

in another church was making fun of me and I wanted to lash back at her and then decided

not to and as I was driving away I told the Lord that father I really wanted to give it

to her but I stepped back but I am really feeling bad about the way she was making fun

of me and his response was mind blowing. He said Jacob thank you for being kind to one

of my daughters and it blew my mind and filled my eyes with tears and I said to the Lord

you are so easy to please I will do this for you any day. So much more so if it is a child

of God. When we do things for a representative we are actually doing things for the one he

represents. Distorted though the representative may be. Guys here are some other things that

are fascinating about the people in the valley. If we engage the valley of men we will not

be able to engage them if we don't have this perspective. Know this that everyone you engage

in the valley of men has an eternal spirit. Everyone has an eternal spirit. Know this

that everyone was supposed to know God, love God and dwell in his presence for eternity.

That was the origin and intent for every person you meet. Every person you meet at Lufthansa

or you meet at your place or you meet at Tellus or you meet in a boat. Every person you meet

was meant to love, know and dwell with God. Do you see why the approach of you will go

to hell is not necessarily the best approach? That should be used as a last means when they

don't listen to you and when you've thumped the bible on their head and they still don't

respond then threaten them with hell. I'm just kidding guys. The point is that there's a

whole different way of approaching it. There is not a single person on the face of the

earth whose sins are not paid for. That always blows me away. That everyone is purple with

the blood of Jesus Christ. There's not a person on the earth whose sins have not been paid

for. That they have not appropriated it is different. Guys there are only two kinds of

people then. There are those that are reconciled and those that are redeemed. In a sense of

speaking in 2nd Corinthians 5 19 it says God through Jesus was reconciling the whole world

to himself through the cross. So God has done the job of reconciliation but not everyone

who God has done the job of reconciliation for are redeemed because they have failed

to appropriate salvation. You don't have to hold on to that one. I just like the sentence

because that can sometimes mess us up. If you don't say it properly they'll think we believe

in universal salvation. That's not what I'm saying but I just like the sentence. I'm not

saying that. Guys once we have this mindset we'll respect the dignity of every man and

we'll confer equal worth on them. We won't grumble about tax collectors and sinners sitting

at the table as the Pharisees did in Luke 5. Why does your master go around sitting

around with tax collectors and sinners? Won't have that attitude. Won't have that attitude.

Hey remember something you were once in this category. Some of you 20 years ago, some of

you 4 years ago, some of you 40 years ago. Don't want to go beyond that and insult people.

Isn't that awesome man? Thanks for some of the things that you brought up Jason during

dinner because it really helped me with putting it all together. So questions, comments? Yep?

What you're pointing us out to is our primary identity. Primary means first and secondary

means second. So you're saying that our primary identity was and is being an image bearer.

The secondary thing was that we fell away. It happened second. And I think the reason

why we've got this whole thing messed up and you even have to do this teaching is because

out of the reformation what happened is we've been taught since the time of Luther that

our primary identity is as sinners. Our primary identity is original sin was one of the biggest

emphasized theological platforms of the reformation and ever since then we're taught sinner, sinner,

sinner, sinner, sinner, sinner. But our primary identity first was image bearer. Wow. Praise

God. Thank you. Let me just say it for the sake of the CD. What Eric just said and he's

one of those educated people. I just want to throw that in every time you say something

powerful. What Eric just said was that during the reformation or one of the outcomes of

the reformation was the shift of man's identity to that of a sinner. And when actually our

primary identity is that we are image bearers or exact representations or supposed to be

an exact representation of God or a representative of God made in the Salem or image of God,

a representative of the original. And that's what we've lost. So we go back to this whole

thing of sinner save, sinner save and therefore divide man as lower and higher. Are they?

Now you'll have to think of your relatives a little differently. Any other comments or

questions?

How then do you address sin? Just ignore it? Like the boisterous aggressive sin of society

or the boisterous sin of the people of God?

I would first address the boisterous, what is the other word? The boisterous aggressive

sin of the people of God and then the boisterous aggressive sin of society. At least society

is functioning according to their original DNA. We are not. We have Christ in us. We

should be exhibiting a different crop. At least society is doing what they're doing

and what their default is.

In essence we've been deceived.

Yep. I'm not talking about condoning sin guys. I'm talking about looking at now humans

as made in the image of God and not looking at humans as sinners. That's not the first

way we look at them. Because the moment we look at them as sinners, it changes everything.

Could it also be that we actually need to look at the individuals and not just think

society as a whole but each individual?

Yeah. Each individual.

And try this. Sit one day by the sidewalk and watch people and keep saying, there goes

another one of the representatives of God commissioned to act on his behalf, image bearers,

imbued with relational, emotional, moral and intellectual capabilities to a degree. Oh

that's there goes another one of them. Doesn't look like me at all. But there goes another

one of them.

Actually if I could please, sometimes when I'm at a red light, people are crossing and

I have this thought, not to the extent that you've just talked about, that this is somebody

that was actually created to be in the image of God. Like as I see them walk by.

Yeah.

But this as the as well.

I've never been joyful about as I was. I felt such joy man.

It has a lot to it.

It was so much fun watching people. Any other comments, questions, additions? Hey you cut

your hair.

That's just a sermon illustration.

That's just a sermon illustration. Yeah.

What's that?

Your mom.

That's good.

I'm sure she didn't cut it herself.

No it looks quite okay. Okay moving on then let's take another aspect that we need to

understand if we are to engage the value of men. Does anyone want to add anything before

I move on? No.

The other thing we need to understand if we engage the value of men is the fact that if

we are coming down from the mountain, what are we bringing down from the mountain?

We talk about, oh don't want to stay on the mountain of the Lord, have to go down and

engage the value of the value of men.

So what are you bringing down from the mountain to the value of men? If you're coming empty

handed you might as well stay up on the mountain a little longer.

So let's go to Isaiah 2 verses 2 to 4.

Isaiah 2:2–4

Isaiah 2, Isaiah 2, 2 to 4.

Here's what it says, in the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established

as chief among the mountains. It will be raised above the hills and all the nations will stream

to it.

And this is the part I want us to look at. Many people will come and say, come let us

go up to the mountain of the Lord. Guys they won't be able to go up to the mountain of

the Lord till I come down from the mountain and engage the value of men.

Jesus came down so that men could go up.

Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will

teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths. The law will go out of Zion. The word

of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will

teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths. The law will go out of Zion and the

word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Guys people can't go up to the mountain if I don't come down from the mountain and engage

and impact the value of men. But what am I supposed to bring down from the mountain when

I go down into the valley? And that's what we want to talk about.

So the first thing is in verse, the first part of verse, the second part of verse 3.

He will teach us His ways. So the first thing we bring down from the mountain is teaching

His ways. First one is teach us His ways.

Guys here's the thing. I need then if I come down from the mountain to be able to instruct

for accurate living according to the word of God. I need to come down from the mountain

and I have to be able to instruct ways of accurate living based on the word of God.

I have to be able to do that.

Malachi 2 verses 6 and 7 says this. It says that a priest should have trust in God.

Malachi 2:6

True instruction on his lips or in his mouth. A priest should have true instruction on his

lips or in his mouth. And then it goes on to say and priests are the kind of people

to whom men will come to seek the instruction on their lips. They don't have to go blabbering

it or stand on a soap box. They are the kind of people who to begin with have true instruction

in their mouth and what follows is that people come and seek it of them.

So the first point is teach us His ways as an instruction for accurate living based on

scripture. Understand that as you come down as a priest king into the valley that true

instruction must be on your lips and you must have the kind of...you have to dress up like

people so that they can come to you and seek it of you. You can't come down in the royal

robes of a king from the mountain. They will send you right back up into your palace.

And here is another thing. Guys examine yourself. Malachi says consider your ways. Here is a

thing. What shall I say of you? What shall God say of you? Or what shall you say of me?

Will it be Hebrews 512 or will it be 2 Timothy 2 2? Will it be Hebrews 512 or will it be

2 Timothy 2 2? This is when I need to hear the sound of pages turning. Will it be Hebrews

512 or will it be 2 Timothy 2 2? Yeah that's the right sound. Now if you can get to those

scriptures too. Hebrews 512 or 2 Timothy 2 2? Which will it be? I can't hear your digital

Bible James. Okay. Hebrews 512 says this. Hebrews 512 says that in fact though by this

time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God.

All over again. You need milk not solid food. And now 2 Timothy 2 2. No it's not 2 Timothy

2 2. I'm going to read it again. It's not 2 Timothy 2 2. It's not 2 Timothy 2 2. It's

not 2 Timothy 2 2. No it is. It is. Yeah. And the things you have heard me say in the

presence of many witnesses and trust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

So my question to you and your question to me should be where are you at Jacob? Or where

are you at Diana? By now you should be teachers. I'm not talking about operating in the function

of a teacher. I'm saying by now if you've been here for three and a half years by now

you should be teachers. And when I say teachers I mean not teaching anything. Teaching accurate

teaching bringing down instruction for accurate living. So my question to you is where are

you at? I'm not talking about giving a testimony. I'm not talking about telling a person that

people how to get saved. Those are elementary teachings. That's what Paul is talking about.

That do I have to go back and visit elementary teaching? I'm talking about teaching and instructing

in the ways of life. Where are you at? And you can ask that of me too. Where am I at?

Have what you heard in the presence of witnesses over the last three and a half years in this

church? Has it been trusted now to reliable men and women who can now go and teach it

to others? And if you're still struggling with elementary teachings why? Hey you're

going down from the mountains you better make sure of this because we ain't going down from

the mountains to get a few people saved. Comments? Disagreements? Chaffing? No? Hong Kong? Great.

Hey look at the way I'm coming and saying this to you. You have a right to speak back

in a gentler tone but you can challenge me too. Okay second thing that happens there

in Isaiah 2 2 is teach us his ways to be a good teacher. He's teaching us how to be a good teacher.

He's teaching us how to be a good teacher. He's teaching us how to be a good teacher.

Okay second thing that happens there in Isaiah 2 2 is teach us his ways then it says walk

in his paths. Guys please take what I just questioned you seriously. I told you this

is a season when this house is going to come down the mountain. Do not be like Ahimaaz who

will come down the mountain and will want to do something while he's supposed to do

something he's doing something else and never gets a job done. Do not be like that. Step

into the opportunity or the window or the season that God has created for us. These

are not functions. These are not gifting. These are not graces. This is simple. You

should be able to teach accurate ways by now says Paul. Okay and it doesn't matter whether

you're skilled at speaking or not. This has nothing to do with speaking. Okay walk in

his paths. Guys to walk in his paths is to model behavior and patterns of accurate living.

The first one is teach us his ways. Second is walk in his paths. To walk in his paths

is to model behavior and patterns of accurate living. The Pharisees could teach but they

could not impart a pattern that was worthy to be followed. Let me say that again. The

Pharisees could teach but they could not model a pattern or a path that was worthy to be

followed. They could only teach. So now once we've finished the teaching his ways now we

got to show the valley of men what it is to walk in his paths or his ways. So show me

how you model a pattern of living among other things. Yes show me how you model a pattern

of living of accurate living. Prove that sorry go ahead James. Go ahead. By listening and

then you'll have to translate it into a pattern of living. It has to show. Guys prove that

you're not subverted by foreign values. Prove that you won't drink the king's wine or eat

his meat. Prove that you know how to stand in the systems of men. Prove that you can

display the grace and wisdom of God standing in the systems of men. Okay. Like Daniel

prove that you're not subverted by foreign values. Foreign as in foreign to your kingdom

culture. Prove it. Show me a pattern of living. You should demand that of me. Jacob you say

this show me your pattern of living. Show me your pattern of living. So this is the

pattern. Prove that you're not subverted by foreign values. Prove that you won't eat

the king's meat or drink his wine. Surprisingly they tried doing that with him but he maintained

how he stand in the middle of the system that was holding him as a captive and established

a plumb line that had the very king who brought in that system to bow down and say your God

is God. Prove that you know how to stand in the systems of the world and yet display the

grace and the wisdom of God. Guys pattern and model accurate living. That's something

that we have to take down from the mountain. That's the second thing they say people from

the mountain will bring down. I mean I have to internalize within me three things guys.

I have to internalize within me the nature or the character of God, the methods he operates

and the ways he walks. Let me say it again. If I want to pattern or model the ways of

God here on earth I have to then internalize or I have to so root my own pattern of living

myself in knowing how Jesus' methods of operation are, in knowing Jesus' nature and character

and in knowing Jesus' way of walking. Once these become what I'm rooted in, once this

becomes what I hunger after, once this becomes what I want to imitate then it is natural

for me to begin to model or pattern a way of living that will be so in sync with God.

What's the difference between ways he walks and methods of operation? Jesus had certain

his walk was how he used to conduct himself with people, his nature was who he really

was. But then with everything he had a method of operation that came through, hearing and

then doing, there are so many clues in the Bible in terms of how Jesus would operate

in different situations. And yet there is his nature which is everything that the Holy

Spirit is, gentle, kind, full of self-control, goodness, meekness, faithfulness and then

there is walking in his ways which is to walk like Jesus did in humility. Method of operation

has to do more with the doing, nature has to do with his very life and the way he walked

is the expression of his nature. Method of operation has more to do with his doing.

The third thing that Isaiah 2 says should be brought down from the mountain into the

valley of men is this amazing statement that out of Zion shall go forth the law, out of

Zion shall go forth the law. Now the law here may be defined as precepts, mandates, life principles for governance and stewardship of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The nations, I love this last bit, of the nations, I'm not content with. The law shall

go out of Zion. The whole idea of the law going forth out of Zion is that Zion being

the mountain of God, if we want to bring down and engage the valley of men and impact the

valley of men, one of the things we have to begin to show or have to begin to be able

to translate in the valley of men is precepts, mandates, life principles of governance and

of stewardship. That's what law means. I'm not talking about taking over political power

or being in authority somewhere, but there are life principles of governance and stewardship

that you can now begin to exhibit, display, cultivate. Guys, I want to say this. You hear

me talking about principles very often. We do operate by principles, but we don't lead

by principles. We lead by patterns that we model and impart by practicing these principles.

Remember, principles don't lead us. Principles are what we model. Principles don't lead us.

Principles are what we model. A principle that is not modeled is an abstract nothing.

Great. So there's a principle called sowing and reaping. Clap your hands and praise the

Lord for it. What's the point, man? If I don't actually now model that principle, principles

do not lead us. Principles are established so that we can model them. Once we model them,

the pattern then leads us. How do we impart these principles to the valley below? We

impart these principles first by coming into relationship, guys. Hey, look at this again.

And please go and listen to the CD again because it will make more sense as you listen to it

twice. The law shall go forth from Zion. The law is the precepts, the mandates, and the

life principles of governance and stewardship for the nations, not for an individual, not

for just a small group of people, for the nations one life at a time, for the nations

one life at a time. I have to now take these principles that I have learned. I have to

model them. I have to pattern them. How then do I transfer it to the valley of men? The

first thing I need to do is I need to come into relationship, guys. Open yourself up

to relationship and people will begin to associate with you. That's the first step. The first

step for the law to go forth from Zion is association. Guys, every pattern can only

be imparted through relationship. Patterns can only be imparted through relationship.

So the first thing I need to do as I engage the valley of men is I have to open myself

up and invite people into relationship with me. This allows them then to associate with

me, associate with you, associate with us. That's the first step. Hey, the same thing

applies between a leader and the house or the father and the son. I first have to invite

you or open my life so that you may be able to relate with me. Once I open my life up

so that you can relate with me, let me take Eddie as an example so that I don't come out

looking better than I am. The first thing Eddie had to do was Eddie had to open his

life up to me and give me an invitation to begin to relate to him. I did. What happened

then is when I associated with him, the next step that happens is I have to open my life

and associate with him and now I begin to see how he patterns or models the principles

of life and then what happens is association leads to imitation. Now that people have begun

to associate with you, they will see your life, they will see how you govern, how you

govern first this piece of earth that you are, how you govern your marriage, how you

govern your moneys, how you govern when you are sick, how you govern BURN when you have

a crisis, how you govern your children, how you govern your man woman relationships, how

you govern your reaction to outrageous, how you govern your decision making process, how

you govern your hearing, how you steward what God tells you, how you steward the money you

have, the marriage you have, the children you have, the husband you have, the car you

have and they begin to see it. They come into association and as they see it they say, oh

shucks this is not where I met him, this is not where I want to be at, I'm going to imitate.

The moment they want to imitate, guess what happens? Impartation happens. When now you're

able to impart into their lives what you are already patterning or modeling. This is why

I said, this is why earlier today I said, hey take advantage of this piece of earth.

Associate and imitate what is good in my life and there are some good things in my life.

And the bad things I keep well hidden. I'm just kidding, trying to be more and more transparent

but there are good things in my life and then what will happen is when you start imitating

and when I see that there is imitation I'll be able to impart more. That's what Eddie did with me.

He saw that Jacob was beginning to imitate his ways. Jacob didn't fully understand what he was

doing but he was beginning to imitate Eddie's ways and then Eddie would sit down and he would

begin to impart. He would stir up that which is within me or plant a seed that was reserved

for me and he would begin to impart as he began to impart. I begin to imitate now not just because

I've come into association but because I understand and now the seed that is in me begins to grow

itself and that leads to the final stage which is the formation of Christ in a situation, in a person,

in a congregation, in a nation. Association opens the door to imitation where you start imitating

a principle that this person has patterned for you, is modeling for you and that results in the

formation of Christ in a situation, in a crisis, in a nation, in a people, in a congregation.

This boy can sleep very well. You're supposed to keep your eyes shut when I talk.

Guys, at the end of the day this is the definition of discipleship by the way.

This is what discipleship looks like. What do you think has happened with Eric and Penny?

First I related to them, opened my life up to Eric and he took advantage of it and started

associating with me. Once he started associating with me, he started imitating with me half the

time not knowing exactly why and then I started imparting and then the time came when imitation

and impartation had come to such a point that Eric and Penny could step out of their situation

with no safety net and jump into what they've jumped to and now the formation of Christ is

increasingly happening in them and now they are doing exactly this to the people that kept coming

into their house. This couple are doing exactly this to the people in their house. This is what

discipleship is defined as. It's a definition of discipleship. One life at a time, one congregation

at a time, one nation at a time. Guys, get the hang of this and you will benefit. You will benefit.

Do not get the hang of it and you will chew meat occasionally and drink milk occasionally.

I sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet but I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. You will see people come

after you and they'll go through this process and you will realize that you're speaking modestly,

not presumptuously and this works. This is how Jesus did it guys. Questions, comments?

Last one. It says in Isaiah 2 2 that the law shall go out of Zion and the word of the Lord

from Jerusalem. Jerusalem as in Galatians 4 26 Jerusalem meaning us, the Jerusalem from above

even though in the Old Testament it's the Jerusalem that's physical and in bondage.

So the word of the Lord shall go out of Jerusalem. The Hebrew for the word of the Lord used there is

Dabar. Dabar means spoken word pertaining to a matter or business. The law shall go out of

Zion and the word or the Dabar of the Lord, the spoken word pertaining to a matter or business

or in other words while it can be it can also be current revelation it can also be the proceeding

word and let's even say it's a spoken word that has been recorded for us in the Bible,

recorded in scriptures just so we are safe, just so I'm not preaching heresy.

Dabar is basically means spoken word pertaining to a matter or pertaining to some business and it

says the Dabar shall go out of Jerusalem. That's one of the things that comes down from the

mountain and so what it means is that you're talking about God saying when you come down the

mountain bring to the people in the valley the spoken word as in both current revelation,

the proceeding word as in the word that I'm sending in the season and things from the written

word. I'm just throwing that in just to be safe. Guys in Amos 3.7 what does it say? Okay don't turn

there. In Amos 3.7 God says that every time I want to do something on earth I will not do anything

on earth without revealing it to my servants the prophets. That's something he loves doing. Whenever

he starts or initiates something on earth he wants to let people know and when God wants to initiate

a new season on earth guys God first you know what he does first he changes the mindset of the priest

king. Let me build this correctly so that we don't run ahead. Just give me five minutes if

you time I'll wrap up in five minutes but I don't want to rush through this. Guys here's what you're

saying. We are saying that one we bring down from the mountain the spoken word or proceeding word

of God. That's what we said. Now the spoken word or the proceeding word is not yesterday's word,

it's not yesterday's manner, it is what God has today for the earth. It's a current revelation,

it is things that God wants to do right now. People who come down from the mountain of God

cannot operate by the word from yesterday. Guys if this is so important that by now we begin to

function at least at some degree of hearing and doing hearing and doing because the proceeding

word cannot operate if I don't hear and do. Hi Evelyn. I'm required that I hear and do. Why

does God send current revelation of the proceeding word? He sends it because whatever he wants to

do on earth, whatever God wants to do on earth, he first changes the mindset of the priesthood,

then introduces a new season on the earth. In Hebrews 7-12 here's what it says. It says when

God wanted to bring about a radical change in the law, guess what he did? He got rid of the priesthood

of the levitical order and brought in a new priest from the tribe of Judah called Jesus.

Ha! Just think of that. When God wanted to bring a radical change in the way the law was, what did

he do? He didn't come and say okay from today on there's a new law. No, no, no. He sets aside a

priesthood that came from the levitical order and he brings in a priest from the tribe of Judah in

the type of Melchizedek called Jesus Christ. Now that he's installed a new priest he can bring in

a new law. Whenever God wants to bring about changes here on earth, he's looking for a people

who are willing to listen to him prophetically, listen to the proceeding word that he's sending

so that they can change their mindsets first and once the mindset is changed now he can begin to

operate on earth through that people because they change their mindset. He changes the thinking of

the priesthood before he brings in a new idea. Acts 29 must become a womb in the earth that will

produce the finished work of God, that will produce new seasons, that will produce the purposes of God

and that will produce it within time frames that God has allotted here on earth. We've got to become

that womb where God can say, Aha, want to introduce something new in the world. Just imagine this,

say, I was thinking of this and I think it is so cool. I want to introduce something new in the

world. I do not do anything on the earth till I reveal it to my servants and the prophets. Can I

hide this from Acts 29 because they have shown themselves consistently as a priesthood that is

willing to change their mindsets? Can I hide as he asked in Genesis with Abraham? The answer to

the rhetorical question is no. So he comes and says, Acts 29, here is what I'm doing in this

season. Jacob, this is what I want to do with you and your people and Acts 29 and Jacob respond

and say, Yes, Lord. And we become a womb that God now begins to inseminate with this new thought

process, this new season, this new idea and begins to grow. And he does not want it to delay. He

doesn't say, Jacob, you can take 14 months for this baby. No, no, no, no. I want it in nine months,

Jacob. So now Acts 29 has to operate within the time frame that God has given. And when we begin

to do that, guess what happens? This becomes a place that God will always come and say, Hey,

the dabar is going out of this Jerusalem. Every time I want to do something new, I'll never leave

you out of it. Now that it has formed, begin to live it Jacob, begin to live it Acts 29. And now

that you've begun to live it, I'll bring in people from Vernon, I'll bring in people from

Australia, I'll bring in people so that they can see what this looks like. And they can go now and

impart it to others so that Christ can be formed in different places. There is nothing like being

a womb for the purposes of God that are being formed in the Kairos and that are cutting down

into measurable time. A church should desire this. A church should desire this.

Guys, if not, no, if you don't do that, a whole generation will die and God will have to look

at Tavis's generation to enact his purposes. If we don't respond like this, a whole generation

will die and God will have to look at Tavis's generation to enact these purposes. Because this

generation either failed to be a womb for his purposes or decided that yes, we will be a womb

for his purpose, but we'll take 14 months to deliver a baby and not nine. All the activity that

God wants to do here on earth is within a time frame, guys. There was a time frame of 15 days

to bring Israel out of Egypt into Canaan. And when that time frame was broken, it took 40 years and

a whole generation died because they did not change their mindset. I cannot tell you how

important it is for you to change your mindset in your individual life and us as a corporate people.

Programs and stuff like that that happen in places all over the world, guys, these are just sounds

being reproduced without a change of mindset. One of the things I want to be careful of and I

suggest that you be careful of is this thing where we hear sounds, but we don't recognize that

the mindset behind the sound hasn't changed. We hear the sound, we hear a different sound,

but we don't recognize that the mindset behind the sound has not changed. There are churches that I

have associated with over the last four years that Acts 29 has associated with that have caught the

sound but have not changed their mindsets. There are pastors that I have associated with and that

Acts 29 has associated with over the last three or four years who have heard the sound and caught

the sound but they have not changed their mindsets. And what happens is if you're not careful, you will

hear the sound and the words that they're saying and think, aha, change is happening, change is

happening. And you begin to pour like crazy into them and two weeks later you find that they were

basically not changing the nappies but just putting fresh nappies on an old soiled, poo-filled nappy

and it stinks three weeks later. Perhaps both. No, I wouldn't agree with so hard to adjust. Let's

put it this way. Everything we are doing here, yeah, yeah, we should have, yeah, time should be

given but unfortunately there is no nice clean way of destroying a building. You destroy something

slowly guys. There will always be people there to keep building back what is being destroyed.

Yeah, I would say we are losers and that's why I think we have to be careful and not just hearing

the sound and thinking aha, they're saying the right thing so it should be fine. No, we've got to

see if the mindset has changed before we begin to. No, you should not pour new wine into old wine skins

because you'll destroy the wine skin. Never pour new wine into old wine skins. It will damage them

and do them more harm than before. You cannot build new wine skins till they change because this is

new wine skin. Do not pour new wine into old wine sets, mindsets. It will not work. If I have done

this so many times and I've damaged people, where I've gone and forced new wine into them and when

I leave them, they are worse off than before I came. So if you find that a person is not changing,

let them be because at the end of the day God will have to do it because there's no point. Let them

be. By the way, it's the same attitude I would adopt with you and that Eddie would adopt with me.

Frightening, eh? Safe too because otherwise you end up destroying the wine skin.