High Places | Pastor Kenneth

You're listening to a message to go from axt church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

I want to give you a little bit of a background.

In a man of January, I was reading the book

or the books of Kings, so for those of you

who are familiar, we have first Kings and second Kings.

And in January I was reading and as I read,

something just came up again and again through the scripture.

What is that? Well, I'll share with you in a moment.

But you know you understand when the Bible speaks about

something once, we should take note. When the Bible speaks

about something twice, we should pay attention.

When the Bible speaks about something three times, it's urgent.

But this I want to show you has been more

than three times mentioned in Kings. All right, First Kings,

Second Kings. And so we want to put the slides up.

Thank you XTV for helping me with the slides. The

first slide has a picture, and you know I just

couldn't find a mountain. So you know, I'm very bad

with power points and with all this technology. So I

do my best. I do my best. And the point

is the message is on the high places, the high places,

and what they could mean in our lives today. This morning,

I want to do a little bit of teaching more

than preaching, and I pray that you will be able

to receive it. Let's look at the next scripture, which

speaks about the greatest king that ever lived on the

face of the earth.

He was definitely the richest and the wisest.

His name is Solomon, King Solomon, and this is the

verse that maybe about ten years ago caught my attention.

And I preach another message.

Altogether, and the message had got to do with the

accepts in our lives, because, as you will read from

the scripture, there was an accept in Solomon's life. He

had everything accept And I address the church and many

other places that I've been to. This message is very powerful.

We don't just want to live good lives, but have

an accept You know, I'm rich, accept, I'm miserable, I

am strong. Accept. I have a secret sin, I lead

three thousand staff, look successful. Accept my marriage is in shambles.

We really don't want to accept, and we don't have

to have accepts in Christ. Can I hear good?

Amen?

But we need to deal with them anyway. That's another

message altogether. So I'm not preaching about the accept this morning,

but I have another message, and I want to read

this verse to you. And Solomon loved the Lord, it

says walking in the statues of his father David, except

that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

So why do you take note that Solomon loved the Lord?

Just like many of you in this room. You love

the Lord.

But it's loving the Lord enough, Okay, I think that

is what God wants to speak to us about. Okay,

walking in the statues of his father, So he was albeying,

all right, the statues of his father accept Okay. He

sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Now this

was Solomon, the greatest king, as I said, the wisest king, definitely,

and the richest by far, all right, and yet he

continued to sacrifice and burn incense at the high So

when the Bible says accept, it actually just shows you

that it was not right. When the Bible says except,

it shows you that there was something not quite klosher

or legit, or it's something that we shouldn't emulate, shouldn't follow. Okay.

So this is Solomon, And I want to show you

how as you read the Book of Kings One King's

two Kings, that from Solomon it went down to all

the kings, and it was this very thing that made

the difference, whether for good or for bad. So the

next question is where should we worship? Solomon worship on

the high places. Solomon worship on the high places. Where

should we worship? The next slide will say three places. Okay,

the place number one is the Temple. God ordained that worship,

especially in the time games of Israel, should be at

the temple, except that the temple wasn't built in first

Kings three to three that we read earlier, Solomon continued

to worship at the high places, but this temple was

only built in First King seven. Towards the end of

First King seven you will see the temple is bill.

So I guess Solomon couldn't worship with the temple. Although

the temple is the official place. He couldn't have worshiped

with the temple yet because it wasn't built. But before

the temple, there was a place called Gibeon. Gibeon the

Bible calls it the great high place. Gibeon was where

the Tambernacle of Moses was placed. Before Gibeon, there was

a place called Shiloh.

Do you recognize that Shiloh?

And you when you read the Word of God, you

will find that in Shiloh was the house of God,

the Tabernacle.

But what happened was, as I will explain you later, is.

That the ark of the Covenant was taken away by

the Philistines or the Philistines. And you know, after a while,

Shiloh was no longer the place of worship. So Gibeon,

after Shiloh, the tabernacle was packed up from Shiloh and

moved to Gibeon, the Tabernacle of Moses. And so Solomon

knew this. And Solomon, even though there was no temple,

he could have worshiped at Gibeon the Tabernacle of Moses,

because it was allowed by God. Or we we we

want to read about the altar of at the thrashing Floor,

the thrashing floor of ur Rauna. Some of you have

read that before the thrashing Floor of ur Una where

the Angel of God when he was slaying the people.

Because of David Sin, when he was slaying the people,

he finally ended up at a place called the thrashing

floor of Arauna, and he had his sword, you know, drawn,

and God says, stop, don't kill any more of the Israelites.

Don't kill any more of my people.

And David saw the angel, and David was led by

God to go and get that piece of land, the

threshing floor of Arauna. Get that piece of land and

build an altar so that the plague will stop.

And God actually answered him.

Now, I didn't put the scripture up as in the

on screen, but can x TV please help me, because

I think it's important to read the word of God,

especially regarding this first Chronicles twenty one. Can XTV help

me with that first Chronicles twenty one and I will

read from my own Bible.

Okay, let's start from verse fourteen.

So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy

thousand men of Israel fell.

Wow, seventy thousand.

Men fell because of King David's sin of you know,

having a census. You can read that in the earlier verses.

And God sent an angel to Jerueusalem to destroy it.

As he was destroying the Lord looked and relented, Hallelujah

of the disaster and said to the angel who was

destroying it is enough, now restrain your hand. And the

Angel of the Lord stood by the thresting floor of Ornan.

Ornan is also our Uruna, thebu side. Then David lifted

his eyes and saw the Angel of the Lord standing

between earth and Heaven, having in his hand a drawn

sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elder's

cloth inside cloth fell on their faces, And David said

to God, was it not I who commanded the people

to be numbered? I am the one who has sin

and done evil. But these sheep, what have they done?

Let your hand, I pray, O, Lord, my God, be

upon me, against me and my father's house.

Anyway, let's greed on. I was eighteen.

Therefore, the Angel of the Lord commanded Gas to say

to David that David should go and erect an alter.

So an altar is a place of worship. It is

a place where you put a sacrifice.

Alter. So go, David. I allow you. I allow you, David,

to go to that piece of land where you see

the Angel standing.

Go get it, get the land that I'm showing you,

and erect or build an altar. Was the altar again

a place of meeting with God. A place of sacrificing

to God. Okay, is a place of worship. I allow

you go go to the land, get it, erect.

An altar and sacrifice there. Okay. And uh So David went.

Up at the word of God which he has spoken.

In the name of the Lord.

Now Ornan or Arauna turned and saw the angel. His

four sons who were with him hit themselves. I mean,

the angel must have been so daunting, it must have

been so amazing and so so uh lethal. At the

same time, he had just killed seventy thousand people, and

so the four signs that were trembling probably, but orn

And you know, I think he was cool.

He just continued doing his work. You know, I don't know.

Sometimes even though we are afraid, we just said, good God,

just continue doing our work. Right. So David came to Ornan,

and Nan looked and saw David, and he went out

from the threshing floor and bowed down before David. Then

David said to Ornan, grant me the place of this

threshing floor that I may build and alter. This is

the place I want to worship, right, you shall grant

it to me at the full price that the plague

may be withdrawn from the people. And of course you

know you can read for yourself that Nancy, Nola King,

no malitias start, Nola King, No, no, no, just take it,

take it. You're my king. You know you want to

build an altar, you know, just take it, take it,

take it. And then king uh, David said to Nan

in verse twenty four, No, no, no, on.

Cannot cannot this not no way to worship God.

I was surely for the full price, for I will

not take what is yours for the Lord, nor burn

offer burn offering with that which costs me nothing. So

David gave Orn six hundred shekels of gold. That's a

lot of money, six hundred shekels of gold by weight

for the place.

So David bought it.

And after he bought it, he built then an alter

to the Lord and offered burn offerings. Okay, sacrifice, Okay,

that's what an altar does. It received sacrifice, because you

worship the Lord. And whenever you worship the Lord, there

must be sacrificed. Worship without sacrifice isn't worship. Okay, there

will always be the most powerful kind of worship is

when you offer your lives, offer your praise, offer your thanks.

Jesus offered himself, you know, as a as a sacrifice

to the Father for us. So worship and sacrifice they are,

you know, very much one, all right, because you're giving

it unto the Lord.

Okay, verse twenty seven.

So the Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his

sword to his sheath. I pray that, in the name

of Jesus, if there be anyone in this room who

is going through any kind of sickness, disease, you know,

if the enemy has come against your finances, whatever it is,

or maybe even that the Angel of God could be

the one that you know it bothers you. I pray

that today you and I will find mercy in God,

and that the Angel will put his sword back in

his sheath, and that you will have peace. Every family here,

every marriage here, every child, teenager, campus, student, young looking adow,

every adult, every marriage, every family, every church plant. Amen,

that there will be peace and there will be prosperity

because you have offered to the Lord. You're offering on

the altar that he has chosen. At that time, when

David saw that the Lord had answered him, wow, on

the threshing floor, of.

Ornan the Jebucide. He sacrificed there.

So from that time, when David saw that God answered,

it became his place, his new place of worship.

He saw God, he saw.

God answer, And wherever God answers, there is the place

God is. So David said, Okay, I don't know where

else God is, but he is here because He's just

answered me. And so here is the place I believe

God has chosen for me to meet him, and I

will come to this place constantly until God changes it. Right,

come to it because God has answered me, and I

will continue to worship him in this place. For the

Tabernacle of the Lord, at the altar of the burn offering,

which Moses had made in the wilderness Verse twenty nine says,

were at that time at the high place in Gibeon.

So that's why I told you, right, if it's not

the temple, if Solomon couldn't worship at the tep because

it wasn't built yet, he couldn't worship at Gibbeon because

the Tabernacle of Moses was already given, or he could

have worshiped at the place his father worshiped, which was

the place God chose the place of our UNA's threshing flaw.

Are you also with me? God answered him.

There it became David's new place of worship before the

temple was built.

And it was all good.

But even though Solomon knew that, even though Solomon knew

the place that God had chosen, he's still That's why

the Bible said, except he continued to sacrifice at the

high places. This accept is a warning to all of

us that when God chooses something, we must follow his choice.

Because many times in our lives, you know, we're attempted

to go with our own choice, and because it could

be more convenient, more comfortable, cheaper, you know. And I

don't know why the Lord had me to bring you

this message on the anniversary, because I thought maybe it

should be you know, funner, maybe full of jokes, you know, maybe,

But I just, I just I.

Want to be obedient to the Lord.

I want to choose his message, not mine, because mine

could make you laugh more. But when it is God's message,

He's going to do more for you than anything else.

Are you with me?

So we want God's word?

So Solomon had other places to worship, but instead he

continued to choose the high places.

You don't have to choose a high place.

You just need to choose whatever it is God has

chosen for you, even if it's not the Great Temple.

It could be a home, it could be a threshing floor,

it could be simple. It could even be ugly compared

to all the beautiful place around the world.

But as long as God is there. As long as

God is there, you will be fine.

Next light, were the high places once an acceptable place

of worship? Yes, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our fathers in

the faith, all built simple altars wherever they were. For

Abraham he built one in Chechem, he built one in Bethel,

he built one in Hebron, and finally he built one

in Mount Moriah, where.

The famous scripture is. He brought his son.

Isaac and went wherever it is the Lord showed him

and sacrificed his son. Although the Lord says, hold on

a minute, you don't have to do this. I just

wanted to test you, and God bless Abraham. Therefore he

built an altar in Belsheba. For Jacob, he built an

altar in Chechem and Bethel. Okay, the scriptures are all there.

If you're taking notes, go ahead Genesis trieve, Jesseys twenty six,

Jesis thirty three.

I gotta move on. I'll give you the scripture I

just mentioned Genesis twenty two.

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his

donkey and took two of his young men with him,

and Isaac, his son, and he split the wood for

the bird offering, and arose and went, come on. I

underlined and boil these words for a reason. Abraham went

to the place of which God had told him.

I want you to get this into your heart.

The high places are not places anymore that God has chosen.

And if you continue to.

Go that way, you are only going to go towards tradition,

because God will continue to move us like he moved

the Israelites. You know, sometimes three days they have to

pick up, sometimes three months.

They have to pick up.

But they had to move wherever the cloud of God

was moving, and they couldn't stay this because, oh, it's

so comfortable here. You know, I don't know why God

wants to move us. You know, look at that, there's

a lake, there's a river, look as trees. No, you

could say anything you want to or look at you know,

this country so nice. Com back to Malaysia. Look at

this country so nice compaed to Malaysia. Look at look

at Malaysia, you know, so nice compared to another place.

You know. Yeah, you want to stay. You want to stay.

You know, I know some of the our brothers here

from the Global family. Some of them came up to

me and joked, after we treated them so well, Zenda,

you like to notice we treated them so well, fit

them so well. They say, pass, Can we stay? I says, stay, stay,

no problems.

Stay. Malaysia is great. But you want to be where

God wants you to be.

So the place of worship should be the place where

God tells you.

All right.

Now, I can go on and on, but I know

I only have limited time. But towards the end of

this scripture, he says, Abraham built an altar there and

placed the wood in order, and he bound Isaac again.

Worship is about sacrifice, and he put him on the

altar that he erected at the place that God wanted him.

To do it. Give you three quick points in the

next light.

These altars were markers of significant moments of divine interaction, provision, protection, covenant,

and worship. Sacrifice, Okay, they marked significant moments. That's what

altar means. So where God met you, you build an

altar there, and He's very precious, all right.

Number two, they were all led to that place by God.

They were all led to wherever it is Arauna's threshing

floor mal Moriah, you know, for Abraham, wherever it is

wherever God met them.

God led them there. So important.

I'm repeating myself again again because I want you to

catch that. The day, the days ahead, our victory, our success,

our blessing and breakthroughs. It's going to depend very much

on how you respond to this message. Choose God, choose

what He chooses, even though you are familiar with tradition

and comfortable with the way it was. Number three, even

though some of the places were the same, like Abraham

Bill an author in Chaquem, and I think Bethel. Jacob

also built in Chaquem and Bethel it sounds at the

same place.

Why don't they just share the altar?

No, because different generations have different experiences with God, and

they've got to build where God met them. Our children,

I'm looking at Jill, I'm looking at Joy. Our children

might seem to be in the same church acts in

the next twenty years. But you must allow them to

build their own altars where they meet with God and

it becomes their altars. Very portana.

Ah.

Then they're not just serving the God of their parents.

They've got to come to prisad By. They're serving dear

God and that that's where it's going to be powerful. Okay,

very important. Okay, let's fly. So besides the Temple, as

I told you earlier, we.

Can worship at the Tabernacle.

Uh and three points of the Tabernacle number one. It

was a central place of worship, built by Moses, chosen

by God. It housed the arc of the Covenant, all

that's wonderful, and it moved when and where God moved.

So the Tabernacle was a tent, beautiful tent, and it moved.

Pack up, pack up, God is moving. Pack up, pack up,

God is moving. So they pack up here. God says,

here Now then you you know you build the tent. Okay,

pack up, pack up God. I just want to put

up this tent. Pack up, pack up. God says, Do

you want to move with.

Me or not?

Yes, I want to move you go. I want to

with you God. Although sometimes it's very tiring. But God

knows best. Somebody say a man. God knows best, somebody

say a man. So then there was Shiloh. Shiloh, there's

three points of Shiloh. Number one where the Israelites settled

in Canaan for a long time. How many years? Three

hundred plus years. So for three hundred plus years, God

didn't move, you know the way he moved before. Do

you know that God doesn't have to move the same way.

Sometimes he moves in three days, sometimes he moves in

three weeks. Somebody he moves in three months. This is one.

He didn't move in three hundred plus years.

Right, So they built.

And for many years everybody in the recognized Shiloh as

the place of worship. Let's go family, Let's go family,

Shiloh three hundred plus years. But number two, it became

the national worship center for Israel. It was actually the

first time it was called the House of the Lord.

Before that, it was called tabernacle. Before there, it was

called an altar. But then when Shiloh came, because it

was so long, they were actually they were actually able

to do more with the temple, maybe beautify it, maybe

strengthened it a little bit more, maybe maybe put some

permanency into the tabernacle.

But it was called the House of the Lord. You

can read it for yourself.

The art remained there until it was captured by the

Philistines in first Emul four, and then the tabernacle moved

to Gibeon. Scripture for you first Emul one. Now there

was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim. His name was Elkanah,

and this man went up from his city yearly to

worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh.

That's right, So there was a Shidoh time. It was

a Shiloh time, and people went to Shiloh. Also the

two sons of Eli Hoffney and Finnihas, the priests of

the Lord, were there.

So it was year by year when she went up

to the house.

See see see the house is a first time because

of permanency.

We call it the House of the Lord.

You know, they shifted from tabernacle to the House of

the Lord. And just facts for you, facts, facts, because

we are talking about the high places, and the high

places was once acceptable as a place of worship. Once

I pray that all of you in this room don't

just live the ones upon the time.

Please don't just live the ones upon the glory in

Chinese no tongue ah.

Thinking about years before, you know, the good old days.

I want to prophesy over you. The best days are

ahead of us and we must move on. Someone say

move on, amen. Yeah, the days before are good. I'm

sure they were good. But if you continue in the

good although God has the best, you know what, You're

living a life of tradition only. And there is no

power in tradition. But that's what high paces mean. Next one,

David now comes David Tao enters. David a man after

God's own heart? And what did he desire to do?

He desired to build God or what come on? Temple?

A man who loved God desired a place for God.

He was a man after God's own heart?

What else?

He was a true worshiper coming out of a heart

of a worshiper was a desire for a temple.

He gave generously, even though he.

Wasn't allowed to build himself because he was a man

of war and there was blood on his hands.

And God says, you have too much blood on your hands.

You cannot build this temple.

Temple speaks about peace, and so he said, he said,

I know you love me, and I know you want

to build this woman, but you won't build it. Your

son Solomon will build it. And David didn't. He didn't

stop David from amassing wealth. You know, so much money,

so much timber, so much you know, whatever there was

needed to build. David was the one who desired. So

I'm telling you right now, the temple is not a

wrong place. The temple is not a place of evil.

The Temple is not a place that is bad. It

came from the heart of a man who was after

God's own heart.

I used to be with me, all right.

So now it came to pass when the king was

dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him

rest from all his enemies all around that the king

said to Nathan the prophet, See, now I dwell in

the house of Cedar, but the Ark of God dwells

inside ten curtains. But it happened that night that the

word of the Lord came to daythen, saying go and

tell MYSELVNT. David Thus says the Lord, would you build

a house for me to dwell in? Okay, So as

I said to you, God didn't allow him to build it,

but Solomon built it. Which is the next slide Solomon

when he built the temple, which you can find in

First Kings seven, First Kings eight. First Kings eight is

a famous chapter where Solomon was dedicating the temple. Remember

that every time I go to your house and dedicate

your house, dedicate your office, I will always turn to

First Kings eight is my favorite chapter for dedication.

Okay, this is what happened.

Number one, as the official place of worship chosen by

God the threshing floor of Auruna, or as scholars will

tell you, the same place of the threshing floor of

Arauna that David bought was also the same place that

Abraham sacrificed Isaac.

Mount Moriah.

Okay, cool, So now Solomon is building on the land

that God chose. Number two, both the temple or the

tabernacle and the art were reu because before that, in

First Samuel four we heard that the Philistines had taken

the art away and the people of Israel were trembling

because they lost the art, meaning it represented the presence

of God. And so it was like acaboard, you know,

we've lost the presence and the glory of God. So

we just have the tabernaca now home, but not the presence,

and it can.

Happen in our lives.

Then we have a form of godliness, but deny his power,

which is said in the New Testament right.

Number three.

Wherever the people were, they were to direct their.

Attention to the temple.

So listen, God chose this place and this place only,

and worship must be directed to this place. So even

if you were far away, many many miles away, you

are still to direct your prayer to the place. I

want to say this to you because there are many

people who attempted to make excuses too far. Cannot.

Why don't I just build something here?

Two difficult cannot? Why do I just know have my

old religion here, my own worship center here.

Okay, I hope, I hope you got.

Me all right. So the scripture is, and he said,

blessed be the Lord our God, Blessed be God of Israel,

who spoke with his mouth to my father David. And

I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel

in wish to build a house. And then he goes

on to say, but I chose David to be over

my people Israel, that your eyes may be open. God,

open your eyes to the place you have chosen. So

this is the thing.

No, this is a promise.

God will always open his eyes and his ears to

where he said he would if you build anything else.

Besides that, he has no promise that he will hear you.

This is what the high places talk about. The high

places is man's way of worship, and the other places

that we just mentioned is God's place. And I want

to encourage everyone here as we come into twenty twenty

six proper that we do not find ourselves choosing differently

from God. My name will be there, God promise, if

I chose it, I will be there. Meaning to say

if I didn't choose it, I have no promise that

I'll be there.

Very what, okay?

And then of course, towards the end, and may you

hear the supplication of your servant and of your people

Israel when they pray toward this place. So from wherever

they are, as long as they That's why you know

our cousins have.

A particular arrow in the hotel.

Room because they actually following what is mentioned in the Bible.

They really believe what was mentioned.

And prayed for by Solomon that wherever I am, as

long as I face Jerusalem, I gotta face where God sit,

and God will hear me. Okay, And now, of course

you have a copy. You have a copy of that.

How many of you know that God made this? Originals

not copy. We gotta stop copying because there's no power

in copy. But yet the originals sometimes forget that this

is the way it works. Okay, So let me move on.

I gotta, I gotta, I gotta really run. Now when Israel,

now let's get into the first king, second kings, and

I gotta run. I gotta run when Israel and Judas

split because of Solomon's sin? What was solomon sin?

Number One?

He loved many foreign women. Ah, okay, those who love

foreign women. That's not the biggest in.

All right.

Okay, First of all, let's not use the word many. Okay,

So relax, if you're married to a foreign woman, relax.

What was wrong in those days in Jerusalem, at least

or to the Jews, was that you cannot intermarry with them,

which was against the command. Number three, His heart was

turned away from the Lord to serve other gods, and

he built high places, more high places.

Let's read it.

But King Solomon loved many foreign women as well as

the daughter of hero women of the Moid by Ammonites,

blah blah blah, from the nations of whom the Lord

said to the Truth of Israel, you shall not surely

they will turn away your hearts after other gods. Solomon

clung to these in love, and he had seven hundred wives.

I don't know how he can be called the wisest man.

What were you thinking, Solomon.

Even one?

You know, it's not so easy. Seven hundred and three

hundred porcupines actually concubines. But his concubines was They poked

him to death. His wives turned away his heart. Solomon

was old and he was no longer loyal. Not only

that he built more high places. Do you see that?

Then Solomon built a high place for chews, and Solomon

built another high place for molech. Why because the high

places remain in his life when they shouldn't have.

Solomon loved the Lord. Remember this.

He loved the Lord, and he followed after his father

David's statues.

He loved the Lord. All of you in this room

love the Lord.

But except we keep.

The high places.

I really want to speak this message to set you free.

I don't want to I don't want to speak this

message to bring you down or feel down. I don't

want to speak this message to make you feel discouraged.

I want you to receive this message as a word

from the Lord, so that you be free from the

high places in your life, so that you'll be blessed,

so this year will be your best year.

Yeah.

All that happened after Solomon, which made the key difference,

as I said earlier, with the kings that followed both

in Israel in Judah, was what they did with the

high places. That's it. You see it again, high places.

You see it again, high paces, you see again, high paces.

I mean he said so many times. You got to

pay attention seriously. Now the kingdom divided. That was the

curse of Solomon, sink that divided. The huge kingdom belonged

to Israel, the small one Judah.

You know Judah. So let's start with the kings of Israel.

We start with Jeroboam.

He set up high places for Israel to worship so

that they don't need to go back to Jerusalem. He

created golden cows at Bethel and Dan. He appointed non

levitical priests. He shouldn't have done it, but you know

why he did it. Let me tell you why. Then,

juraboum Bill Schechem in the mountains of Ephraim. This is

the king of Israel. After Solomon and dwelt there also,

he went out from there and built Penuel, and Jeroboam

said in his heart. He said, in his heart, now

the kingdom may return to the house of David. He

was insecure, and sometimes in security and fears and all

kinds of things can push us.

To a place where we keep our high places.

He was so insecure. He said, Oh, now that I'm

leading Israel, how if the people go back to Jerusalem,

because they all know that Jerusalem is where you need

to worship. And as they go back to Jerusalem, or

they see Jerusalem, or they fall in love with Jerusalem,

or they all you know, they miss Jerusalem, or they

all want to go back to the king, the real king,

you know, real Boem.

That's what Joybom thought. So he said, in order.

Not to have them go back, I will build them. Therefore,

the king asked advice, made two halves of gold and

said to the people it is too much for you.

You know why, I underlie it is too much for you.

As I was reading it again preparing for today.

I felt like many of us.

Sometimes make decisions about whether you want to serve God

or not because someone advises us it is too much.

Your giving is too much, too much, you're serving her

another hour too much. It is out of this heart

of it is too much that he began to go astray.

So if there's anyone in this room who has the

same advice in your heart of probably from some.

Other people who may have been burned or burn out.

And he said, no, no, no, don't have to, don't have to,

don't have to go for preservice, don't have to go

serve God.

No, it says too much.

Too much for a young mother, too much for a

campus student, too much for a young person who's doing

is form five this year.

Says too much.

Be careful your advice because the advice is found in

with dura bone. So you know what, he made a

decision because he believed it was too much. He began

to go astray. I will here are your gods or Israel,

which brought you up from the land of Egypt, and

he set one in Bethel and the other one he

put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin for

the people who went to worship. Look you know where

I underline came a sin and for people in to worship.

Look at that.

Look at the sentence. How how does sin and people

into worship be on the same sentence. Because we think

we are worshiping, but we missed the map so bad,

so far. They all thought they were going to worship.

They alldered a heart to worship, like Solomon loved the Lord.

We have the heart to do it. But we can

still miss the map. What is sin? What is sin?

Sin is missing That's the definition of sin. You miss

God's man. Okay, everybody, okay, every other king in Israel

says the next light and one or two in Judah.

Thereafter we're judged with this very proclamation. He did not

depart from the sins of Jeroboin. You see it again

and again in the Bible. Even the best Israelite kings

in Jehu and Jerobome Jerobom the second, I should say,

kept the high places intact. You know, look at jay

who Jayhu poured down the temple of Bao, says second kings.

Ten Jaehu, a king of Israel, was so right minded

to bring down idle worship, you know, Bao. But yet

yet the Bible says he did not turn away from

the sins of Jorobom, the son of Nebad, who made

Israel's sin, that is, from the golden cows that were

in Bethel and den All right, and then you know,

I don't have time to go to the next one.

By the second King's fourteen you can read it for yourself.

He continues to speak about how they continued in the

sins of Jorobom. Next one quick look at the kings

of Judah now after Solomon, especially those who did right

in the sight of God, except that they kept the

high places intact. All the kings of Judah except for two,

maybe three has a higher being, one of them Josiah

being the other one, and maybe Asa.

But Asa.

If you read the scripture, one part says he pure

it down, another part say he kept it. So scholars

believe that he probably poured down only the pagan worship,

but kept you know, traditional worship at the high places.

The whole Shaphat did not follow, and Messiah did not

follow as a Riya did not follow Jotham. Joe Ash

real Boem made it worse. Baija made it worse. AHAs

made it worse. Manner say made it was? And what

made it was?

These are the kings of Judah.

The Josepha, the son of Asa, had become king over Judah.

In the fourth year of ahep king of Israel, and

he walked in all the ways of his father Asa.

He did not turn aside from them. That's good, doing

what was right in the side of the Lord good, nevertheless, nevertheless.

In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and

he reigned forty years, very long time in Jerusalem. His

mother's name was Zibia of Britshiba. Joash did what was

all good. He did what was right in the side

of the Lord all the days in which Johoaidah the

priest instructed him. But so you have accept and you

have nevertheless, and now you have. But the high places

were not taken away. The people still sacrifice and burn

incense on the high places.

In the second year of Joash, the son of johaas

king of.

Israel, Amasiah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, became

king However, so he got accept nevertheless, But and however,

I pray it doesn't happen in our lives. In the

twenty seven years of Joroboam, King of Israel, as a Riah,

the son of Amasiah, King of Judah, became king, and

he did what was right in the side of the Lord,

according to all that his father Amasia had done. Except

in the second year of Pecard the son of Rahmayah,

King of Israel, Jortham, the son of Husaiah, King of Judah,

began to reign, and he did what I was right

in the side of the Lord. He did according to

all that his father's Usiah had done. However, I really

don't want the testimony in exiss to be. They grew,

they were blessed, they broke through, they blessed the cities

they were in, except they saved many souls ex church,

but they healed many who were sick. However, they gave

to the poor in the millions. Nevertheless, their families were

so blessed, except.

They had great jobs. But they gave two missions.

Nevertheless, Mmmm, let's not talk about rehaboe because I had

no time already. Next slight talks about roboem long long scripture.

Let's not talk about Menesse. All these kings of Judah

did worse, worse because they did evil in the side

of the Lord and still kept only kept the high places,

but built more high places.

Now, let's summarize.

The kings of Israel institutionalized the high place, the kings

of Judah compromise, and only two kings, hez A Kaya

and Joshiah abolish. I believe today is the day we

abolished the high places. Today is the day. And most

of the Judah kings number one were driven by fears, insecurities,

and disobedience. And these fears, insecurities and disobedience were disguised

in holy tradition. They all looked like they were still holy,

and they all looked like they were still serving, and

they all looked like they were still worshiping. But it

was driven by fear, insecurity, disobedience. Worship and service of

God was on their own terms, on their own ways,

in their own place.

God said he's here. I say, never mind here, it's easier.

God said, no, worship me here.

I said no, no, no, hold on, it's too far to

get there. Polerd turned to trends and compromise became culture.

Except for Hisekaiah and Josiah. What happened Number one? They

chose worship God's way without compromise. They did not tolerate

the high places, but destroy them. They directly challenge the

tradition and popular religion of the day. So what is

the real problem with keeping high places in our lives today?

What is the real problem with keeping high places in

our lives today? What really is the sin? Well, I'm

going to put some words up, see whether you recognize

any of them. It says easy, right, The God of

easy is the god we serve. It was convenient. The

God of convenience is who we work after. Comfortable, the

god of comfort that we bow down to. Expedient fast,

everything must be fast once it once upon a time,

touch and go and then of that smart tag and now.

Yeah, reverse forward. I don't want to say the other word,

because we're.

Not allowed to say.

And then try again.

Rfid God, you know, the god of effortless, the god

of costs, meaning that if it costs too much, I

won't serve you. And yet David said, when he was

buying the land from Arouna Aurana wanted to give it free.

He said, I can't offer God free stuff. I will

not offer to God that which cost me nothing. David

understood costs and sacrifice. And yet many of us will

say the more expensive, the more I don't want, because

we are you know, we have all kinds of thoughts

these days, and all kinds of values that leaders and

guide us. Okay, Then the king of Aruna said, you know,

the king said to Arouna, I will offer burn offerings

to the Lord my God with.

That which cost me will I will not do that,

ready and ready, so we won't read it again. Compromises

is where it finally leads us to.

You and I are tempted on a daily basis sometimes

to compromise between what God really wants and what we want.

And so we set them for copies. As I said earlier,

we set them for copies.

We do what God wants the way we want, missing

the mark completely. Probably one of the greatest deceptions ever.

What's the deception? The deception is you think you're doing right.

You think I think I'm doing right. There's a deception.

I think I'm doing right. I think I'm doing right.

I'm okay, right, I'm okay right. Hey, hey, you know

you ask some of your friends. I'm okay right, and

your friends is not so okay. So yeah, you're also okay.

So we go along those who are really struggling, and

all of us have to find our new okay, our

new okay, our new okay, drops and drops and drops

and drops, and then we passed this new okay to

our children and they will drop it even more.

What we want this year is revival where maybe it's.

Not okay, it's not okay, especially when God wants it

this way. It will be inconvenient, it will cost me,

but I want what God wants. And so I turned

my whole family and say, family, I know, no last

time we can wake up late on Sunday, but now

can la.

That's for me and my house are Let's go follow

the law. Lah okay, it's gonna be nineth year.

Let's all just golah okay.

I wake you up, you wake me up. Lah okay,

I wake you up, you wake me up.

You go.

You know why?

Because I want to drop this high place of slipping

late on Sunday. I want to drop this high place

of my own comfort. I want to drop this high

place of being stingy. I want to drop this high place.

You know, God is not a beggar. You don't give

God loose change. You give it the beggar loose change.

O God, God, you give your life to him, You

give your best. So she said no, no, no, for

too long, Adea, I have my own high place in

my house. I don't want anymore. I want to go

wherever God says, worship me. Everyone, Okay, I guarantee you,

if you do it this year, you're gonna see breakthrough

greater things than you've ever seen. Don't please, don't build

your own okay and your own norm all right, live

a life of radical faith and lead your whole family.

And I guarantee you your own children will follow and

do even better than you, not worse, but better.

All right.

Don't be deceived thinking that you're okay, but you're not

all right. And I tell you right now, right now,

because God is speaking, He will give you the grace.

Somebody say amen, because it is his word. He will

give you the strength because it's not easy. I know

it's not easy. God will give us the strength to

do what he has called us to do. Look at

this other scripture. These people draw near to me with

their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their

heart is far away from me, and in vain they

worship me. I pray that none of us, in extras whatever,

worship God in vain, thinking that we are worshiping, but

actually God is not accepting it, because we just come

to him with our lip service.

But where it's our heart?

All right. Don't teach the doctrines of the commonments of men,

because men will tell you all kinds of ways to

do it easier, cheaper, But we want to do it

God's way. I'm drawing towards the last four slides. Can

there be a high place even in the temple? This

is the final thought. Can there be a high place?

So I told you earlier that the temple was the

place God ordained chose there.

Will be where the worship will be.

Okay, So don't do it on the high places anymore.

Don't do it or this altars anymore.

Okay.

The tabernacle also, it's all tabernacle, No Moses gone. Now

we build a temple, and God says, I have chosen

this place. I will meet you in this place. I

will open my eyes to this place. I will listen

to you, And even if you pray from Timbaktu, I

will listen as long as you focus on the place

I chose. All right, But can there be high places

even in the temple in your best effort? The high

place problem should have been erased or seized when the

temple was built. Right, Why have I any more high

places when the temple is there? But listen to this.

So they came to Jerusalem. Jesus went into the temple temple,

that's right, and began to drive out those who bought

and sold in the temple. Then overturn the tables of

the money changes and the seats of those who sold doves.

And he would not allow anyone to carry whares through

the temple.

That he taught them, saying, is it not written?

My house shall be called a house of prayer for

all the nations, But you have made it a den

of thieves. Thank you, brother, I'm finishing his training, his hardest.

Gave me twenty minutes, and give me ten minutes, and

give me zero. And the zero has come three times already.

But you know, I'm really, I'm real enjoying to the

last point. I promise you don't have to come out again.

I promise you're doing a good job. Thank you, brother,

thank you so much. You have made it a den

of thieves in the temple Jesus driving out high places.

Tell you why it's a high place.

God loves when his people bring sacrifices right because his worship.

I totally before. I'll tell you again this is I'll

try to do it quicker to catch a dove for

tomorrow sacrifice. It's not easy. When I was young, I

tried to catch birds outside my house. I have to

wear a basket, put a string. Because of your older here,

you don't understand what I'm saying. We go into the house,

we hide behind the window, and then we watch. Sometimes

one hour you can catch maybe one. You put some seeds.

Sometimes five hours, so don't have one because the birds

are stupedoes. And then you pull a little butterfly. Then

you have to go out again, put a stick in,

put some season. Do you know when you're doing this

so that you can bring a dove to go tomorrow

that God doesn't want the dove, But he saw you

on your knees the ear for five hours and in

heaven he's saying, look at kenne' chin. Do you know

why he's doing that for five hours? He wants to

give me his his sacrifice. Look at him sweating. I

am already blessed, God says, I'm already pleased. He's smiling.

I've been heaven. Do you think he really needs your dove? Well,

he's going to eat your dove. Do you need Do

you think he needs a cow?

No?

But it's very hard to pull a cow to church.

You try and see, don't try to.

I don't see cows in front of our just next Sunday.

But you try. You know, you put a you put

a rope.

You think the cow is always going to be obedient you.

No, he said, don't not move, move, move move.

By the time you actually get to church, God, this

is the cow, your whole body is drenched with sweat.

He said. I didn't want the cow.

I wanted your I can see it, Kenneth, I can

see the sweat. I can see that you really love me.

I mean, God, you told me a cow. No, you

didn't get it right, you didn't get it.

I see cow.

I didn't mean cow. I saw you pulling that cow.

I saw you pulling that stubborn bull un blame mesh lamb.

You know how long it takes to find a unblemish lamb.

Probably have to turn the lamb got one pimple or

you just want to you just want got it? This

want defect. Right, So the whole time you're turning lambs around,

and by the time you're fully in sweat, you carry it.

If ially found one. Right, God says, that's enough. I

saw already. I saw your love, I saw your sacrifices,

I saw your worship even before you got to church.

Now you know what happened. He made it so much

easier because now they don't have to find the bird.

They don't have all the dove, they don't have to

find the cow, they don't have to find the lamb.

No need.

They come in their nice shirts and tires and whatever

it is to church on Sunday without anything in their

hand except money to buy it from the church. Because

there were people willing to sell. They found that unbleabislam

They work hard. Now they want your money. And so

God says, Jesus says, you have made it a den

of thieves. Why because you have robbed true worship from God.

You have just robbed the very meaning of worship and sacrifice?

Are you still me? I didn't want the animals, but

you're selling the animals. You didn't get it right. You

just want to make it convenient for my people, right,

not understanding that I wanted them to sweat a little bit.

All of us in this room, we understand. We streat

for the things we love, right, okay. Trying to a close. Next,

Light says, before the enemy could steal worship, he first steals, meaning.

He steals meaning. What is the meaning of this? What

is the meaning of this?

But don't talk about sacrifice yet, don't tal about sweat yet.

What is the meaning of this? As you as you

bring three children to every wherever it is that you

believe God wants you to bring them, because there is

the place God wants you to worship. And you say

you bring three or four children with you, you know

when you lose the meaning, you stop going. So before

God God, before the enemy steals worship, he steals, meaning

you forget the purpose for which it was, You forget

the purpose for which it was.

Meant to be.

Everyone, okay, all right, Another thing you need to understand

is that this particular place where they were buying and

selling in the temple. Temple, the high place in the

temple was wherever they were selling and buying.

It was called the courts of the gentiles. And you

all understand this.

I hope that in the temple gentiles or non Jews

were not supposed to go into the temple. In fact,

there was a place archaeologista have found. The particular line

that is drawn is the line is drawn in the

temple with with with stones.

So it's like a little like a little step, like

a little step.

So as you're walking, let's say you're walking up right,

you can't go beyond this right because there is a

level of stone.

There's a name for it.

And and if you pass this stone, you entered a

place you're not.

Supposed to be and you might be killed for it.

So gentiles had a special place called the court of

the Gentiles that God wanted them to be there. But

don't enter deeper, don't enter further. So what happened to

us because God said my house would be called a

house of prayer for the nations. So God really loved

the nations, He really loved the gentiles.

Also.

He died for the gentiles. All of you in this room, gentiles,

we're not Jews, unless it's any Jude prison to say

to me of those and bless me. Okay, I love

to be blessed by a Jew. But but the thing is,

God said, there will always be a place for you.

But the people in that time decided, why do we

want gentiles here. Sis, they can't even come in. Let's

just take over their place and do business. Let's just

buy and sell. So they forgot the meaning, they forgot

the purpose. They've lost the heart of God for the loss.

That's why churchers can also be there. We just become

a social Christian social club, and we kick the very

people that got men to come, so they can see

and participate and watch in all how the God of

the Jews work and desire.

Him as well.

But they kicked them out, and then of course Jesus

to come to kick them out. So as I close,

I'll give you in two minutes four points. Number one,

Jesus drove out those who bought and soul. Jesus drove

out those who bought and soul. That's the first thing

he did. That's what the Bible says he cleared the room.

Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters. Today I'm gonna pray

for you that in your heart you clear the room,

I will make room for you. It's your heart to

do whatever you want to, to do whatever you want to.

Sometimes our hearts are not fully God's clear the room.

Jesus cleared the room not only those who bought, He

also drove out the soul. Number two, he overturned the

tables of the money changes. God is talking about money.

Why did he do everything? See I read it again

and again and I saw the Lord say, these are

four things that I did. I put it in the

Bible for you to learn. Number one, drive it out today,

Drive it out. Drive out what the marketplace that's happening

in your heart, the butter trade that's going on in

your heart.

Drive it out.

And if you want revival, it's going to be all God.

Don't don't do business with him. God, you know, give

me this, I give you that you know.

Try it. Don't trade tesk surrender.

Number two, he overturned the tables of the money changes

because it's always been about costs that were con will

that will determine what we decide to do so. It's

very clear that the money changers were using tables for

their trade. He overturned that. I pray the Lord will

overturn your values when it comes to money, when it

comes to cost, what will he cost you to follow

us to God with all your hearts? God overturn? I

pray he will overturn our values. Somebody say, amen, if

you're still with me. Number three, and the seats of

those who sold doves. He overturned the tables of the

money changes. He overturned the seats of those who sold doves.

Every time I hear somebody say, pastor, please, don't stand up,

sit down, give me a seat. Seat has always talked

to me about comfort. Don't no those stands so long.

Come let me give you a seat comfort. And he

overturned comfort. He overturned the god of comfort. He overturned

the god of convenience. He overturned the god of easy,

He overturned the god of okay la. Everybody's doing it right.

He overturned that. And finally he didn't allow anyone to

carry any more wares into the temple. We've got to

disrupt the system if we want revival. Somebody say, Amen,

We've got to stop the flow that's coming into our generation.

Gotta stop the flow that's coming into the young looking

of doubts life.

No, at one time, you know, the biggest word was balance,

and I.

Don't I don't reject that, but think about it. It

can be a god that when God says something and

he tips your balance, you don't want.

To do it really.

Because you would rather listen to balance first and then

God later. But how if God wants to mess up

with your balance? Yes for a week, would you say, yes,

Lord over balance be your God means balances voice is

more important than God's voice. Now I'm with you families,

because I've been with young families, I've sat down to

eat with them. I understand. Oh, but pasta is very

difficult and sometimes you know when they come out to

it from church. Had to come early to church because

as soon as my child comes out, he poops. Totally

totally get it. So I'm not making small the things

that young parents have.

To go through.

But I don't want to challenge you. Would you allow

Jesus to come in today and overturn some things, stop.

The flow, reverse the trend.

Somebody the downwards spiral in our generation, because if you

and I don't, our children are going to have it worse.

Downward.

There's the downward spiral that's going on. I see it

in the whole of Malaysia, and I pray God turn

ex Church around first, so that ex Church can help

to turn around Malaysia, so that we have examples to

show that with God, all things are possible.

I can't, but God can. I'm weak, but He's strong.

There are many impossibilities in my life, but God makes

all things possible. There's darkness all around me, but Jesus

is my light. I don't know what to do, but

God is my wisdom. I don't want to flow with

just this generation's chat gipit tell me what to do.

I want to say God, I know what chat jipd

will say. Chat Jipity will tell me what everybody else

is saying. I want, I want you. I want your voice.

Tell me God. I know it's going to be painful,

often costly, but if you chose that, I want to

be there. I don't want to create my own golden calf.

I don't want to create my own place of worship.

I don't want to create my own high place. Let's

stop the rot. I said, let's stop the rot and

let's embrace the revival that God is about to pour

out upon this church.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit aschurch do org. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week.

I hit for you.

God bless