Wonder Wednesday - Faith That Works - 6.10.24

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Love Quest International

Church podcast where we seek to love all nations, equip the

church, mobilize the equipped, and serve all.

We're super glad you're joining us from whenever and wherever

you're at in the world. Welcome to the family to get

your Bibles ready, get some water, get some coffee, maybe

some tea, and get ready to receive.

It's go time. Let's get into it.

Thank you, Effie. That's powerful.

Powerful word. What's so good to be with you

again and what a great subject. Faith that works.

I want to thank you, Pastor Terence and Pastor Julia, for

the honor of being able to speak into this subject and to be able

to preach from this platform. Thank you so much for all you

have done, all you've established here at Love Quest,

and all that God has for your future.

It's exciting to be a part of what God is doing.

Faith that works. Lazarus, Martha and Mary were

good friends of Jesus and they were from a town called Bethany.

Now Lazarus had become sick and he was Jesus actually had gone

to the other side of the Jordan. He was quite a ways away because

he was they were trying to arrest him in Judea.

So they sent word to Jesus and said Lazarus whom you love is

sick, come come in and and heal him.

So we read in John Chapter 11 and verse four when Jesus got

John 11 · chapter mention

this message, he said this sickness is not fatal.

It will become an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying

God's Son. Now what an interesting

response. This sickness isn't going to be

fatal, but it'll create an opportunity, an occasion for

God's glory to be revealed. Now wouldn't that put a

different perspective on our situation when we see the

challenges of our day and say, OK, well Lord, what's the

occasion that I'm dealing with that will bring glory to you?

What is this circumstance that I'm encountering that is

actually an occasion for the glory of God to be at work

because we serve a good God, Remember, we serve a good

Father. And So what is the occasion?

What is this thing that is looking so bad, looking so

terrible, but is in fact an occasion for the glory of God to

be revealed? New perspectives, new lenses,

new ways of things, seeing things.

That's what we're called to. So he declared the Word of

Faith. The slide will come up in a

minute, but it says the Word of Faith is the word the Holy

Spirit carries and governs the Kingdom with.

And when Pastor Terence spoke about this, it really hit me.

There's a word that proceeds. There's a word from God.

And then we marry ourselves to the word of God as a Word of

Faith. And then the Holy Spirit takes

that Word of Faith and takes that, and that's how we govern

the Kingdom. What does that mean?

To govern, to set a right, to put in place, to oversee?

So the Holy Spirit takes the Word of Faith and creates this

space to govern with, as if Jesus here is declaking, making

it a firm declaration. This sickness is not fatal, but

it will become an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying

God's Son. By this statement, He was

putting into the ethos, He was putting into the atmosphere,

He's putting into the spirit realm a declaration that this

circumstance was going to give glory to God.

Now what happens is he takes a couple of more days there, which

was curious, right? You got a friend who's not well,

you've been out there healing blind people, lame people.

They're all going great. You know, we can deal with this.

Why don't you just hurry up and get going, right?

But he waited a couple more days, and then on the third day

he said, OK, well, it's time to go to Judea.

Now. There's a whole part I'm going

to skip where they're worried because basically the last time

they were in Judea, they were trying to kill them.

But he's going back to that place where he was being

threatened. But in verse 11, talking to

disciples, he said these things and then and then announced our

friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.

I'm going to wake him up. The disciples said, Master, if

he's going to sleep, he'll get a good rest.

We're going feeling fine. He just had a cold.

He's good, right? But Jesus was talking about

death while his disciples thought he was talking about

taking a nap. Misinterpretation, a little bit

of confusion there. So Jesus clears it up and says

Lazarus died, and I'm glad for your sakes that I wasn't there.

You're about to be given new grounds for believing.

New grounds for believing. Now, what happened to the

statement, the declaration of the Word of Faith?

Didn't he just say it wouldn't be fatal?

It won't be fatal. He's going to be fine, but he's

dead. Well, hold on.

Isn't the definition of fatal like death?

And yet here he is saying he's dead.

But I'm glad he's dead because this will be an opportunity.

This will be new grounds for believing.

You're about to see the glory of God revealed.

You're about to see the power of God at work.

This is the new grounds for believing the glory of God will

be revealed. Hallelujah.

This is God's rhythm and God's pace.

Jesus waited for Lazarus death on purpose.

You know, just like we were explaining that didn't make

sense to the disciples. I didn't get it.

You said it wouldn't be fatal. Now you're saying he's dead.

And now how does this work? But it was God's rhythm, God's

purpose. And the reason for that, the

reason why he let him die was so that we might believe and have a

new testimony to declare the goodness of God.

Now let's consider that for yourself.

What things is the Lord allowed to die as grounds so you can see

that He was the one who was going to bring it to life again,

creating grounds for you to see His power at work, His rhythm,

his pace doesn't make sense to our natural mind.

But if we're patient, we're going to get that new testimony.

If we're patient and we flow with the Spirit of God, we're

led by the Spirit, we're going to get a new testimony.

Verse 17 to 24, Jesus arrives in Bethany and Martha heard Jesus

was coming and went out to meet him.

Mary remained in the house and Martha said, Master, if you'd

been here, my brother wouldn't have died.

Even now I know that whatever you ask God, he will give you.

And Jesus said your brother will be raised up.

Martha replied, I know that he will be raised up in the

resurrection of the dead at the end of time.

Here she is. Martha, if you had been past

tense, I could see how that works.

And you will be. Oh, I can see how that works.

What are we missing? The.

Now, if I'd only done it, then I could have believed God for it.

Oh, I think sometime in the far future.

Yeah, this could work, but what about now?

John 1125? Jesus replies and says you don't

have to wait for the end. I am right now, resurrection and

life, The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies

will live, and everyone who lives believing in me does not

ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?

He is the I am. She could believe that he could

be raised out of a death out of his sick bed, and she could

believe that she could be raised out of the the grave at the end

of time. But he was saying, but I am in

the now, right now, if you'll believe.

Right now, if you will believe. My dad had a line when he

preached. He'd say it's not just pie in

the sky when you die. It's meat on the plate while you

wait. We're not waiting for all these

exciting things to happen when Jesus returns.

We're walking now in the fullness of God.

We're walking now in the promises of God.

We're stepping in now because we have a now God.

Do you agree? Amen.

We have a right now God and Jesus is enough.

Right now Jesus is enough. Verse 33 goes on and says, when

Jesus saw her sobbing, this is Mary and the Jews with her

sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him.

He said, where did you put him? That's Lazarus Master, come and

see. They said.

Now Jesus wept. The Jews said look how deeply he

loved him. Others among them said, well if

he loved him so much, I got to do this in a voice because it

seems appropriate. Well, if he had loved him so

much, why didn't he do something to keep him from dying?

Right? I mean, he opened the bias of

the blind. Come on.

Who's the complainers? It's never enough.

They want to interrupt your faith.

They want to intervene. They want to put a obstacle of

your belief, and Jesus says nothing to them.

He just moves on. Honestly, that's a great way to

go. All right, let's keep going.

Remember, Jesus kicked out. It was Jairus's daughter.

They kicked out all the mourners and kept us three.

Like, get rid of these people. They're not helping.

OK, There's time to move on. And now in verse 38, then Jesus,

the anger again welling up in him, arrived at the tomb.

It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone

laid against it. And Jesus said remove the stone.

That's bold action. That's bold action.

You don't remove a stone unless you're waiting for something to

come out of there. You don't get rid of that door

slab unless you're expecting something to come out.

And people don't expect somebody to come out of a grave that's

unexpected. That's that's the that's the

radical response. He's bold action.

The sister of the dead man, Martha said.

Master, by this time there's a stench.

He's been dead for days. There are things you prayed for

and believe for and then you let them die.

Ask the Lord, is he breathing life into them again?

Ask the Lord, is he breathing life into them again?

John 1140 says this is a powerful verse.

This is a critical verse. Jesus looked her in the eye.

Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory

of God? Jesus said that the death of

Lazarus was so that the glory of God might be revealed.

And now he comes and says to Martha, Didn't I tell you, if

you believe? If you will believe?

If you will believe, you will see the glory of God.

If you will believe, you will see the glory of God, the

revelation of His glory manifest, giving you new

testimonies, new grace, a new love, a new peace.

You're born of the Spirit. You're born of the Spirit of

God. We have a new way of living.

If you will believe, you will see the glory of God.

Lazarus came back from the dead, but the faith Jesus was modeling

for us as a faith founded upon relationship, looking under

Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, Hebrews

12/2 says he is the one. He's modeled it and He's showing

you the way He's modeling it, and He's going to bring his

glory through it. God's good.

As the children of God, our expectations should be that we

can be led by the Spirit of God. Your faith is affected by how

you see God and what you believe about him.

But I tell you tonight, believe God, believe God, believe him,

have faith in him. Press in because God wants to

bring new testimonies in your life.

I want you to invite and walk with me.

A mighty woman of God, a woman who has a heart for the people,

a heart of love and grace, a woman who loves to worship the

Lord, a powerful and mighty woman of welcome with the seon

up to the. Stage Amen.

How y'all doing? Thank you Brett and Effie for

paving the way. The Lord is speaking.

Can y'all confirm? Y'all need to make sure you

don't go sleeping on me? OK?

I got a word in my belly that I need to release.

Firstly, of course, I have to say thank you.

Pastor Terrence, Pastor Julia, you two are just built different

and I've come to terms that that's actually OK.

There's a lot of people in the word that we have seen that were

different and that made history. So I thank you for your

obedience to see us, to equip us to mobilize us.

Y'all are so blessed. You're blessed.

I pray that my life and the fruit that comes out of my life

that you would see the seeds that you have sown in me so

fruitful in your life. So thank you from the bottom of

my heart for the opportunity to speak to to God's people.

Y'all good, Amen. Let's get right into it.

Faith that works. Who's been blessed by this

series? Faith that works.

You can put up the slide train. The Raven is coming. 00 Who

remembers when PT spoke about this?

It was May 8th. Specifically when he brought

this up when he told us, when we read the story of Elijah and 1st

Kings. And he said the Raven is you're

like, yeah, OK, let's go. See on.

All right, let's go, let's go first King 17 says, and then

this. If I mispronounce words, y'all

just keep a pushing, OK? And then this happened.

Elijah, the Tishbite from among the settlers of Gilead,

confronted Ahab. As surely as God lives the God

of Israel before whom I stand in in obedience service, the next

years are going to see a total drought, not a drop of dew or

rain unless I say otherwise. This is Elijah speaking and then

God told Elijah, get out of here and fast.

Head east. Head but out of the Carruth

Ravine and the other side of the Jordan River.

You can drink fresh water from the brook.

I have ordered the Ravens to feed you.

The Ravens are on their way, so you better get on yours.

The way God provides doesn't need to make sense to you in

order for it to be ordained for God.

From God, by God for you. Oh, what are you trying to play

God for? What are you trying to play his

role for? I just said the way God provides

intellectually doesn't need to make sense to you in order for

it to be ordained by God for you.

Have you ever asked these questions when God has asked you

to do something crazy? Where am I going?

Who going to be there? God, how is this going to work?

Why me? I know y'all asked that last

one. Faith.

I understand you just happened to be the first person I saw.

Why me God? Why, Where, what, how, why,

Who's, If you be honest, who's asked that question before?

We all have, we all have, we all have.

Is your wondering out of a place of desiring for your faith to

grow? Or is it out of a place of fear?

The root of your questions will produce the fruit of your

actions. Obedience versus disobedience.

How many of you all remember when Elder John said you need to

ask the Lord for some good questions?

I remember he said that I was like, that's so true.

Instead of me, just Yappa, Yappa, Yappa, Yappa, Yappa,

Yappa, Yappa, Yappa, Yappa over here, why don't I just ask the

Lord, submit myself, humble myself, lay my pride, pride down

and say, Lord, what do you give me the questions?

Lord, give me the questions because the root of your

questions will produce the fruit of your actions out of the

abundance of the heart. Oh, oh, OK, OK, OK.

Pay attention. God is giving specific

instruction to Elijah. He said get out of here fast.

Urgency. He said head east, hide out at

the Careth ravine on the other side of the Jordan River

direction. You can drink from fresh water

from the brook and I've ordered the Ravens to feed you

provision. The Lord will never lead you to

a place of confusion, but He will lead you to places that

required to trust him. Be honest.

Do you trust God? This ain't one of those messages

where you can sit back and be like, yeah, I'm I'm talking in

this moment. Holy Spirit search my heart in

these moments created me a clean and pure heart in the areas God

where I have doubted you, where I didn't have faith in you,

where I didn't trust you God, I repent.

Who says you need to wait till later for that?

He's a now God. It doesn't matter what it looks

like. Make the decision to be where

God told you to be. Have faith that the Raven is

coming first Kings continuing the Scripture, it says Elijah

obeyed God's orders. He went and he camped in the

Careth Canon and on the other side of the Jordan and ensuring

on the other side of the Jordan. And sure enough, Ravens brought

him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from

the book Brook. Elijah had to put his faith into

action by getting to the other side of the Jordan.

Provision wasn't where he used to be.

Provision was where God was calling him to be.

What is dead in your life that you are asking God to bless?

But He's telling you I ain't there no more.

I ain't there no more. What's your Jordan?

What is your Jordan church? Is it your past?

Is it your family? Listen, Is it yourself?

What are you willing to do to get onto the other side where

God has called you? Is the true provision the the

food and the water Elijah received in the midst of the

unknown? Or was it really knowing that

God was a God of his word and worthy to be trusted in the

midst of the unknown? Come on, that's fully

perspective. What are you magnifying?

What have you put a lens to? Is it to know Him or is it to

get stuff from Him? I'm telling you the fruit only

comes from knowing him. Say this loud with me, y'all,

Lord, may we seek your face more than we seek your hand.

Go ahead. The Ravens kept.

This is in the Christian standard Bible version of the of

of 17 six. It says the Ravens kept bringing

him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening and

he would drink from the Wadi, which is the ravine.

God in this moment reveals himself as El Shaddai.

All sufficient or the God who is more than enough.

God spoke, Elijah obeyed God provided God spoke, Elijah

obeyed God provided. It's in God's nature to provide

for his children. Obedience is better than

sacrifice. First Samuel 1522 tells us that

and I just want to go in this moment to to talk about Abraham

for a second. Genesis 2210 says And Abraham

stretched, and this is when the instruction for Abraham to go

bring his son up to the mountain to go sacrifice Isaac.

OK, Context. And Abraham stretched forth his

hand and took hold of the knife to slay his son.

But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said,

Abraham, Abraham. And he answered, Here I am.

And he said, do not lay hands on the lad or anything to him for

now I know that you fear and Revere the law and Revere God.

Since you have not held back from me or begrudged giving me

your son, your only son, go to the next scripture.

Then Abraham looked up. He glanced around and behold,

behind him was a ram which is a male sheep caught in the thicket

by his horns. And Abraham went and took the

ram and offered it up for a burnt offering and an ascending

sacrifice instead of his son. God told Abraham what mountain

to go to to offer his son as a burnt offering.

OK, it doesn't say that Abraham went to the closest mountain to

him. God told him where to go.

What if Abraham decided I'm just going to go to the mountain

closest to me? This is good, right God?

What if Abraham decided I'ma just go to the mountain closest

to me, God? This is good, right God?

That was not. There was not a ram awaiting him

on the wrong mountain, but on the right mountain.

The provision he needed was at the location that God was

calling him to go. Stop trying to manipulate the

word or instruction God gave you to fit your comfort.

This is not comfort season, this is faith season.

God doesn't work like that beloved.

He just doesn't. The the Lord is faithful to

fulfill His word, not yours. Uh oh, Shereen, next slide.

Uh oh, Jeremiah one says then said the Lord to me, you have

seen well, for I am alert and active watching over my word to

perform it. OK need other translations.

I got you in the King James Version it says for I will

hasten my word to perform it. Hasten.

It means to be quick to do something.

The new King James says, for I am ready to perform it.

The NIV says, for I am watching to see that my word is

fulfilled. The message says, I'll make

every word I give to you come true.

Hasten, hasten, ready watching. Make action verbs.

I had to ask a couple of my teacher friends for this.

God is in the business of action Baptist First Kings Eventually

the brook dried up and because of because of the drought, then

God spoke to him. Get up and go to Zarephath.

Zarephath incident and live there.

I've instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed

you. Stop looking for provision in

areas that God isn't at anymore. It's dried up.

Keep it pushing. Some of you are wondering why

God hasn't come through for you, hasn't answered your prayers,

isn't giving you further instruction for your next

season. But the question that I would

ask you is, have you obeyed the last word and the instruction

that He did give you? Your next instruction comes from

your obedience from the first word He gave you.

Be a good steward of the word. How do you keep The Word Alive?

Y'all know this one? Say it loudly with me number

12345 worship team. You can come up y'all.

The Raven is coming. I'm telling you, this is a

prophetic word. The Raven is coming.

Will you be ready when he calls you to go?

Why do you choose a Raven? Why not he choose a person?

Another human? I believe what God is doing is

so supernatural that no man is going to even remotely try and

take credit and glory for what he's doing.

We're going to sing this song called Ready.

It's a love quest original. The chorus is if you say go, I

will go. If you say stay, I will stay.

But this is the prayer. Either way, I live a life that

is ready for you, Lord. So I want you guys actually to

just take a moment and just reflect because that's a real

question. Are you ready?

Are you ready? In Jesus name?

Oh come on y'all. In Jesus name.

We are leaving this place victorious.

We've gotten the word in US. God has sown some seed into us.

And we will, we will. We will produce good fruit in

Jesus name. Amen, y'all, I love you so much.

Did y'all enjoy tonight? Were you encouraged tonight?

Are you leaving different tonight?

Amen, Amen. Well, listen, how many of y'all

know that we are in our remnant project right now?

We what's the goal that what's the amount that we're believing

God is going to provide in the, in this short period of time,

$200,000. Listen, there is nothing my God

cannot do. Stand in faith and believe that

God will do what he said he will do Amen.

So far, praise report, we've raised 54,328.

Come on, God is doing it. He is doing it, He is doing it.

And so listen, let's stand in faith.

Like Pastor Terrence has said, this is not something where just

him and his family is is is burdened for.

This our city y'all, this our church y'all, this is sons and

daughters that we're believing are going to come and not only

just encounter God, but walk with him.

Be equipped to know how to be a son and daughter.

This place is holy ground, so if you want to sow your seed at the

back, you will have the opportunity to do that after

this experience. And then we have our Sunday

experiences, 2 experiences. Who enjoyed that this Sunday,

our morning experiences, just a reminder that they are at 9:00

and 11:30 AM. We will not be having our

evening experience until September.

OK. And so make sure you come out

even when you think that you know, oh, I don't want to come

to church. No, get to church.

Get in the house, y'all get in the house.

I'm telling you, there's a word here, fresh every week.

Amen. And then we have prayer, power

hour of prayer, 7:30 AM here at our Surrey location and then

10:00 AM in our Vancouver location.

So come out, come out. Let's stand in agreement with

one another and let's pray and let's seek the Lord, Amen.

And that's it for y'all. That is it.

I'm so blessed by what has taken place tonight.

You guys are amazing. I love you with my whole heart.

Our pastors love you. They miss you and the can't wait

to get home. Troy, can you bring us?

Up thank you so much for tuning into this week's sermon.

We pray you were challenged, equipped and encouraged.

Make sure to follow us on all platforms.

That's love quest intl church. We out here for real.

We're really doing it. That's Facebook, Instagram,

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need to find us. But until next time you know the

drill. You know the motto, get your

love fixed man and we'll see y'all real soon.