Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] All right, I want you to stand to your feet. We honor the reading of God's word. Open your Bible to Second Corinthians, chapter three. Two corinthians Chapter Three.
[00:00:11] And verse 18 is where we'll begin. We've been in a series right now called Behold and Become. Beholding and becoming.
[00:00:19] And it comes out of this text, two Corinthians, chapter three.
[00:00:25] In verse 18 it says this so all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. That's powerful. The idea is simple. When you come into Christ, there is a blinder, a spiritual blindness that is taken off of your eyes. And we have the ability to behold the glory of the Lord. And as we are. That the word there for transform, literally is the same word transfigured. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, that's what God does. You realize these moments of worship, these moments in his presence. And if we would learn to pray and position ourselves, you can be transformed from glory to glory into his glorious image. Oh, what a joy. Now let me show you. This is a beholding and becoming text. Turn over to Hebrews, chapter two. Hebrews, chapter two in verse six.
[00:01:37] Hebrews, chapter two in verse six.
[00:01:42] And this is what it says in one place, the scriptures say, what are mere mortals or who is man that you would think about him or the Son of man, that you should care for him? Yet for a little while, you made them mankind a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them authority over all things. And when it says all things, that means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. What we do see is Jesus, for who a little while was given a position a little lower than the angels. And because he suffered a death for us, he is now crowned with glory and honor. Everybody say glory. Oh, I love it. Yes. By God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom through everything I'm sorry. For whom and through everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. It was the only right that he should make Jesus through his suffering, a perfect leader fit to bring them into their salvation. So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He said to God, I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, I will praise you among the assembled people.
[00:03:16] He also said, I will put my trust in him, that is I, and the children God has given me. Because God's children are human beings made of flesh and blood, the Son also became flesh and blood, the Son, for only thank you as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Oh, my goodness. Okay, we're going to pray. I know that's a lot, but I think you'll grasp it by the time we're done. So let's pray, and let's ask the Lord's hand on this time. Lord, I thank you for your word. I thank you that it is light, it's life, it's instruction, it's correction where we need it. And, Lord, I thank you. Your presence is already here in our midst. But we ask now, Lord, the anointing of wisdom and revelation, Lord, that you would open Your Word. Come on, church, help me pray. Lord, I pray for an anointing to be released in and throughout this atmosphere. Give us eyes that see and ears that hear, a heart and a mind that perceives what Your spirit is speaking. Oh, God, I pray. Even Jesus, as you were anointed to preach good news to those in need, anoint me now to preach good news to every listener. Within the sound of My voice, I bind the works of the enemy, he who would seek to distract, to distort, to confuse, or uproot Your Word as it comes forward. I pray, give us liberty, Lord. Freedom, Lord, in receiving your word today, in Jesus name I pray, and everybody say Amen. Amen. You may be seated.
[00:04:54] Hallelujah.
[00:04:57] Man, I'm already overwhelmed.
[00:05:00] Everybody say glory.
[00:05:03] What is glory? This is important for us to really get a grasp on, because I believe what God's desire is is to change us, to transform us into his glorious image. The picture, you guys, is that of Moses, and you can read the whole account there in Two Corinthians, chapter three. I'd encourage you to spend some time in that throughout the week as I'm in this series. But the picture was simple. Moses asked God almighty Lord, can I see your glory?
[00:05:41] Lord, can I see your glory? And God's response was actually, no, I can push you into the rock I'll pass by, and when I'm beyond you a little bit, I'll let you look, but no man can see me in the fullness of my glory and live. You would die, Moses. You don't know what you're asking for.
[00:06:02] That encounter was so profound for Moses that he literally came off of the mountain glowing, and it freaked the people out so much. I mean, you just imagine you roll over in the middle of the night, and your husband is glowing. Praise God, your wife is glowing. Sometimes I do roll over and feel like my wife is glowing, praise God. But you would just imagine, you see, it freaked the people out, and they say, Moses, cover your face. They saw the glory departing. There's a particular phrase there, but it freaked people out. So he did. He covered his face.
[00:06:36] But we come now into what the Bible calls a better covenant, a better agreement, a better contract, a better law. And what has happened is that through Jesus, the Bible says we all who were like Moses with a veil over our face, have now had the veil removed. And now, through Jesus, you hear me on this. You and I can do what Moses could not do and live.
[00:07:08] We can behold the glory of the Lord. And the Bible says it's like looking into a mirror. As we behold him, we reflect Him. And as we look into him, as we behold Him, he is transforming us, transfiguring us into his glorious image. From glory to glory to glory. Friend, this is why I don't believe in peaks and valleys. How many know to get to the mountain, you gotta go through a valley. I don't think so.
[00:07:43] I really don't think so, friend. Since I gave my life to Jesus, my life has gotten better and better. I've gotten closer and closer to Jesus. I reflect to the Lord in a greater level, and I will all the days of my life. You never find peaks and valleys in the Bible, do you know that?
[00:08:02] Don't think, well, I'm having a great victory. There must be a valley that's headed my way. No, there's not. The only valley that I know about is when David was I walked through the valley of the shadow of death. And let me just say, you want to know why he was in a valley? The man had committed adultery and murder. And I will say, if you're in adultery or murder, you got a valley that's coming your way. But if you walk right with the Lord, you behold the Lord. You are moving from glory to glory to glory to glory. I'm telling you, it's all uphill, friend. He said that my kingdom and my government will increase to no end. It's getting more powerful. It's getting more glorious. Jesus is not coming back for a valley bride. He's coming back for a mountain bride that looks better and more glorious than the one that he left.
[00:08:54] All right, some of you with you to we need to get away from this, like, defeated mentality. Oh, it's all downhill from here. The antichrist is coming. Here comes the mark of the beast. Friend, I am contending for the greatest revival in human history in this last day.
[00:09:12] That's what I'm contending for, and we're going to be a part of it. How we behold the Lord. What a privilege. You imagine. You imagine I can't look at you and live. I can't come into the holy place and live. And yet Jesus has made a way. Hey, listen. Because of what I have done, I'm going to my Father and I'm going to send another helper. And Jesus prayed, father, the glory you gave to me, will you give to them. Fast forward a couple weeks and the Holy Spirit has come. God made manifest in me and through me. I can imagine Moses looking at this, scratching his head. Now wait a second, god, I couldn't look at you, but now you live in them. They can behold and reflect your glory. Friend, I'm telling you, the standard of glory in your mind needs to rise. I'm not expecting I don't look at Moses and say, Lord, do that in me. No, I'm expecting like that's the floor of what I'm believing for in my life. And I'm not going to wait until I'm in my 80s. That's what Moses moses was in his 80s, man. I'm going to see the glory of God. My wife is going to roll over and see me glowing. I'll just be in the presence of God. I'm just going to be glowing in the glory of the Lord.
[00:10:34] I'll freak you guys out.
[00:10:36] I want some of you to freak me out. Come walking in, Zaldi, you're glowing.
[00:10:43] Jordan, you're glowing. I don't know, I believe for this man. And so now you hear me talk like this. Maybe you're wondering like, Pastor, what is glory?
[00:10:55] Let me give you a simple definition. I've talked about this in other weeks. But for those who may be joining us, new to this series, or I want to kind of refresh you. The Bible describes glory as when something in the unseen realm is made manifest in the seen realm, when an invisible attribute of God is made manifest in the earth. And I'll show you this through Scripture, but it's when an attribute or a characteristic of God is made manifest. This is God's stuff now here. So when we see like the glory of the Lord sweep into a place that's glory, what is it? It's God's was in the beginning with God, all things were made through Him. And without Jesus, nothing was made that was made. For in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Jesus is the light of the world. Now watch this verse 14 and the Word who's the word jesus became flesh and dwelt among us. So what happens when that which is eternal in the Spirit realm becomes manifested in the earth? The Bible calls that glory. Look, he came, he dwelt among us. And we beheld glory.
[00:12:41] Glory. The glory as the only begotten of the Father. So you realize Jesus is glory when we see Jesus eternal creator God, he was there on creation day. He was there participating with the Father and the Spirit, and he became flesh and he dwelt among us. And the Bible says that's glory, we beheld his glory. The Bible says in John 211, at the beginning of signs that Jesus in Cana did Cana of Galilee, he manifested his glory in his disciples. So when he was working miracles, multiplying food, water into wine, when he's demonstrating, bringing heaven's resources into the earth, this doesn't make sense. Jesus, we only got a couple pieces of fish and bread. I have resources you don't even know about, manifest in the earth glory.
[00:13:36] That's glory.
[00:13:38] Water into wine.
[00:13:41] Think about the wine, what goes into making wine. You got grapes that grow.
[00:13:49] You have grapes that are crushed in an age. I mean, you think about that miracle. Not only defied, they were drinking grapes that never grew, they were drinking this fermented wine that had never aged. Jesus miracle defied everything. It broke time.
[00:14:11] Think about what is that glory? That's glory.
[00:14:17] Jesus miracles were glory in John.
[00:14:21] Let me see, 17 in verse five. Oh, I skipped one. That's the resurrection of the dead. You know, the Bible calls the resurrection of the dead glory. One day you may die. Hallelujah. If we don't see the return of Jesus, I'm kind of leaning more that way as time goes on. But should the Lord tarry and I die, there is going to be a time where I will rise again, where God's resurrection power is made manifest in me. And Jesus called that glory. Everybody say glory.
[00:14:54] The Bible says in John eleven four, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God. So when we see healing power made manifest even in moments like we shared just a few minutes ago, if bodies are getting healed, guess what? That's God's heavenly characteristics and attributes being made manifest in the earth. And the Bible says that's glory. So glory is not just like a substitute for saying amen. Glory. Pastor, you grew up with people like, I remember this guy, Roger Huddleston in my church growing up, and the pastors start preaching good glory. And that's just all that I thought glory was. That's just Roger Huddleston saying amen to the sermon, glory. But as I began to dig in, no glory is the manifest presence of God, that Jesus is the embodiment of all that God the Father and God the Holy Spirit was. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and we can behold the glory of the Lord. That's a big deal. The Bible says in Habakkuk. Everybody say Habakkuk.
[00:16:05] If you're looking for a baby name, if you're pregnant, there's a good one to add to the list right there, Habakkuk and Habakkuk. There's a passage that many of you will know by heart. He says to the prophet, write the vision, make it plain, write it on tablets so that it can be seen and people can run after it. Right? You're familiar with that pastors? Preach it on vision Sunday. We're going to write the vision. I believe in that kind of stuff. But part of the vision that God gave to Habakkuk is in verse 14. And look at what it says. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Do you realize that what God's desire is, what his vision is for this last day is that his glory would fill the Earth. Glory. Everybody say glory.
[00:16:58] My wife and I were up by Hawalai. Is that right? Halalualoa? Where's Hualalai?
[00:17:07] The other side. Okay, well, but you guys have all you can go up captain Cook, you can go up just about anywhere here. And we on the Big Island have one of the most unique perspectives on this idea of anybody on the know. When we were living in Texas and Illinois, I had to drive for hours sometimes just so my wife could see water, because she would miss it. She would miss it. But here, you can just drive up the mountain and you begin I mean, the other day was so clear.
[00:17:34] It's like you go up the mountain, you feel like you could see halfway around the planet, and it's just water.
[00:17:41] And these are the kinds of verses that come into mind, like, God, how much glory are you going to pour out? What does end time glory actually look like? And you begin to look around, whoa, it's more than I can imagine. And then you begin to scientific, okay, and you begin to think about, like, this isn't even all the water. I can't even see a fraction. I mean, the planet is 70% water. Most of what we have on this globe is or flat Earth. Wherever you stand, whatever most of where you stand on is mostly water. It's mostly water. You realize, like and I'm looking around, there's vapor and clouds and rain, and it's water. I've been looking like I'm mostly water. In fact, I looked this up just to check. I'm about 66% water. May depend up and down whether I'm in shape. I've eaten cheeseburgers a lot, but I'm 60% water. 66% water. Women statistically are a little higher than that. They're in the 70 percentages. It's just like the planet. You realize even you're preaching the same message that the Earth and all of creation is preaching.
[00:18:54] You were created for glory.
[00:18:57] You were created for glory. You in your own body, are a picture of what God desires to do in this last day, the Earth will be full of the knowledge of God's glory.
[00:19:11] Notice women are more glorious than men by that. So. Praise God. I don't even debate it. I just like, that's true. I just look at my wife and I know that's true.
[00:19:22] By the way, when God created man and woman, it doesn't say he created Adam in his image. Let us create them in our image. It's not just men look like God, no. Men and women, we are we are created in the image and the likeness of God.
[00:19:39] This kind of leads me into where I want to go. I actually want to talk about the Gospel in light of the glory of the Lord. The Gospel in light of the glory of the Lord.
[00:19:55] Our text today we read Hebrews two in verse seven says, you made man a little lower than the angels. You crowned them with glory and honor. This is how he created Adam and Eve. He created them. He formed them and he crowned them. The Bible says, with glory and honor. That word crowned is the Greek word ATAR, and it literally means to encircle or encompass. You may have heard people say, and I am of this mindset, I don't think Adam and Eve were naked in the garden. I think they were encompassed. I think they were clothed in the glory of the Lord, which is why they felt no shame. They were not naked. They were not unprotected. Everything in, over and about them emanated the glory of God.
[00:20:47] And so when they lost that, you can begin to understand where they felt shame. They lost what they had. In fact, if you're taking notes, I want you to write this down. There's three steps in this Gospel of glory.
[00:21:00] Number one is there was a glory lost.
[00:21:05] There was a glory lost.
[00:21:09] God created Adam and Eve.
[00:21:12] He crowned them. He enshrouted them with his glory.
[00:21:18] And Satan comes along and you know the story and he begins to tempt them, begins to influence them. And you get a perspective in why I was reading this passage just as I was going through my Bible this last week in Isaiah 14. And there's a phrase that stuck out to me. This is about the fall of Lucifer. Have you ever wondered why? Why is the Devil so mad? What's wrong with this guy? Why is he always gunning after us in our innocence? And we're Christians. He never lets up. Why is he in Cree? Why has he got such great wrath towards the people of God? There's a couple of reasons, but I can give you one very strong one. Isaiah 14, verse twelve. This is about the fall of Lucifer. It says this how you are fallen from heaven, o Lucifer, son of the morning, how you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations. You said in your heart, I will ascend to the heaven. These are the statements that Satan made. I will ascend to the heavens. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights and the clouds and watch his last statement here. I will be like the most high you know what Satan wanted? He was the instrument through which God was funneling worship into all of the heavens. I believe that he was the primary worship leader in Heaven. But there was a point in time where pride was found in his heart, and he says, I'm going to exalt myself. And ultimately what he wanted, I want to be like God.
[00:22:57] I will be like the most high now, consider when Elohim came and said, let us Father, Son, Holy Spirit, let us make man in our image and in our likeness. Think about that. Let us God make man in our image and in our likeness, and then he crowns them with glory and honor.
[00:23:33] You can imagine the Devil's looking on this thing saying, what the heck? That's what I wanted. And you can begin to understand why he's so flaming, why he seeks to steal, to kill and destroy, because we have everything that he ever wanted. We are in Christ everything that he ever desired to be. And that's why I'm telling you, friend, that's why you want to know what Satan goes after? I believe that one of his primary weapons that he's going to do as he comes after our lives is he'll go after our identity.
[00:24:10] He'll go after identity. What did he do with Adam and Eve? He comes to Eve and he said, did God really say causing her to question, what was the Lord's declaration over your life? What was his word over your life? And if you actually pay attention, you'll notice that she even adds things in there.
[00:24:32] She said, well, yeah, God said that we cannot eat of it or even touch it. God didn't say that. Like she began to question and she got confused immediately in what the Lord had actually instructed her.
[00:24:46] What does Satan do with Jesus? Jesus is baptized, comes out of the water, holy Spirit comes upon him. Father declares, this is my Son, whom I love. With him, I am well pleased. Into the wilderness, here comes Satan.
[00:25:03] If you're the Son of God, if all three of his temptations, if you are the Son of God, if you are the Son of God he just heard the Father affirm his identity. But what is Satan going after his identity? Are you really? Are you really the son? If you are, you can make these rocks turn into bread. You could throw yourself down. Angels will take care. Prove who you are.
[00:25:30] Jesus, praise God, did not fall the way Adam and Eve did. He endured every temptation. He overcame the devil through the word of God. Hallelujah. And so you look at this, satan's going after identity.
[00:25:46] This is why I do think the church needs to have a voice when it comes to sexuality. This is why I do think that we need to have a voice when it comes to what is a man and what is a woman, what is a father and what is a wife, what is a husband and what is a wife, what is a family unit. I believe that these questions are incredibly important, because if the Devil can come in there and make you question who you are at your very core, he's destroyed everything.
[00:26:14] He's destroyed everything.
[00:26:19] I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I've made the statement all throughout this series.
[00:26:24] I believe that one of the primary, I believe not one of I believe the central focus of the Gospel, the central focus of the gospel is the fact that Jesus died. And the Bible says that he is the firstborn among many brethren.
[00:26:47] I believe that what he desires to do. John, chapter one, says that for those who believe in him, he has given the right to become the children of God.
[00:26:59] I believe that the primary reason that Jesus came was to build a family, was to bring in sons and daughters. You even look, we're going to get there in our Hebrews text today, but you'll look, that's where it all starts, with children of God. And then it gets into freedom from sin. Then it gets into escaping eternal hell and death and it gets into destroying the works of the devil. All of those things are a byproduct, hear me of sonship.
[00:27:30] It's all a byproduct of sonship. So often we've placed hell at the top of the list, your sin at the top. And here's the problem. People will come into the church, they'll get their fire insurance and think, I got the gospel. No, you've missed the gospel. The gospel is you have been bought, you have been adopted into the family of God where we can cry, abba, Father, you have rights and you have an inheritance as a son, a daughter of the Most High God. Like, that's the gospel. And I am convinced, church, if we understood who we are, how many of you think, like, if I understand the glory that God has appointed me to walk in, I'm going to walk pretty holy if my eyes are set on him. I'm not going to struggle with the mess in the filth of the world.
[00:28:20] This is why I believe, beholding, the Lord is a greater path to holiness than you and your best efforts.
[00:28:29] You're going to have a real hard time loving on Jesus. Beholding the Lord gazing into his eyes, fellowshipping and encountering his spirit, and you go slip off into some foolishness. It's not going to happen, friend. I love what Leonard Ravenhill said. He said that praying men stop sinning, sinning men stop praying. Our problem is we get so focused on the sin and we end up going that direction. Set your eyes on Jesus. Set your eyes on him. You're a son, you're a daughter, and that's what the devil's gunning after you're not a son. Well, you got your fire insurance. You're good just now. You can go do whatever you want.
[00:29:16] You got your blessing. You got your breakthrough. This is why people come in all the time, I hope. I need my marriage to be restored. Help. My daughter's about to get a DUI help. Pray for me. I've got a need in my life and they pray they get a breakthrough and then they're out.
[00:29:31] They missed. Listen, the gospel is not fire insurance. The gospel is not your blessing, your reward. The gospel, your sons and daughters of the Most High God and everything else flows from that place.
[00:29:48] I know I'm messing with some of you. You're like, But Pastor didn't jesus.
[00:29:53] I know. And that's my goal in this whole series. I want to mess you up so bad.
[00:30:01] God, I never looked at you that way. Here's the thing. We're going to raise the standard. We're going to raise the standard.
[00:30:08] You know the earth?
[00:30:11] I had a guy told me, I went long in this last service, and my wife said, you were getting so fired up, you're sweating so hard and all that. But I had a guy come up to me after the service cosmo he paid me the greatest compliment. He's like, Man, I wanted you to keep going. He's like, you were on fire. I wanted you to preach. I have so much in my heart when it comes to this right now.
[00:30:33] So, okay, we're going to go till like, I don't know. No, I'm not even going to do that. Freak you guys out. But there was a glory that God had created, and I want you to understand that glory was lost in the garden. But God immediately god did not get mad.
[00:30:53] Many of you were taught, like, sinners in the hands of angry God.
[00:30:58] I honor Jonathan Edwards in the work that he did.
[00:31:02] But, friend, you are not a sinner in the hands of angry God. Can I just free you of that condemnation? I feel like it's that kind of preaching. We have people that are willing to come to Hell house but are scared to come to church. How does that make sense?
[00:31:20] I'll go through your haunted house, but I'm afraid to come to church. Why? Because they have, somewhere along the lines, heard this sinner in the hands of an angry God is angry with me. He separated himself. Take them back to Adam and Eve. They fail miserably.
[00:31:38] They blow it in the greatest way that you can imagine.
[00:31:43] And God immediately pursues them.
[00:31:48] God steps into the garden, says, Adam, where are you?
[00:31:55] Not Adam. I'm coming for you. Adam, I'm going to beat you. No. Adam, where are you? Father, we got deceived and we were afraid, and so we hid, and now we're naked. Who told you that?
[00:32:11] Identity. Do you see it?
[00:32:14] Identity. Who told you that? And what does he do? Instead of blasting them, he shows them there's a penalty for what has happened. He takes an animal, he sheds its blood, he takes its skin, and he covers them.
[00:32:31] He covers them. Do you know that God is still doing the very same thing for us today? You've blown it. You have blown it, no question. But God is not pursuing you so he can smash you. He's not pursuing you so he can crush you in his anger. No. The Bible says in Revelation, chapter three, he stands at the door, knocking at the door of your heart, let me in. He's like that, Father, standing at the end of the road, waiting. For the prodigal to come home. Not so he can punish him. No. So he can cover him. I'm going to give you a robe and a ring and some sandals, and we're going to have a party for you. I'm just glad that you came home. The Bible says that if I be lifted up on the cross, I will what? Draw. I'm going to draw all men unto me. Oh. The Book of James says that the Spirit of God yearns jealously for you. He wants you. He longs for you. He's not like man. When you repent, I'll change my mind about you. No. Even now. How did he instruct us to pray? Our father first. Our Father sonship identity in heaven. You are holy. And even when we're away from Him, we can come to Him and behold his glory. You hallow. It be your name Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That's right. God still has a plan for you, even if you're away from Him. Your kingdom come. I can walk and know your will. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread that's right. You can go to Him with your needs. I'm going somewhere with this. Then forgive us our trespasses. Wait a second. I thought sin had to be repented of first.
[00:34:22] Not according to Jesus.
[00:34:25] I know it's quiet in here.
[00:34:31] I want to shake up what some of you have been taught your entire life, because some of you are afraid to ask God to provide for you. Ask God, what is your will for my life? Because you still got junk in your life, and you think I'm not worthy when the first thing he wants you to say is, my Father, my Father.
[00:34:54] He's coming into the world. He's knocking on the door of your heart saying, where are you? If you're away from Him, if you're separated from Him, he's looking for you. He's looking for you. Okay, I spent a lot of time on that point, but you got it. There was a glory that was lost. But number two, there was a glory that was gained. There's a glory gained. The Bible says that Jesus is crowned with glory and honor. Look at it in Hebrews, chapter two, verses eight and nine, when it says he has authority over all things. When it says all things, it means nothing was left out.
[00:35:32] We have not seen all things put under their authority. What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position a little lower than the angels. He suffered death for us and is now crowned with glory and honor. We lost glory and honor in the Garden, but the Bible says because of what he has done, he suffered death for us and is now crowned with glory and honor.
[00:36:04] He is crowned. So Jesus gained what Adam and Eve lost. Jesus has gained the glory and the honor that was forsaken in the garden. And this is why today, friend, we get glimpses of it. Last year, we were praying for people cancer free zone. I think we had six people on that list. And it struck me about three weeks ago, we were in morning prayer and we began to go through that list and we're like, oh, that person's been healed. And that person's been healed and that person's been healed. You know what that is? That's God's manifest glory in the earth. That's his manifest. I'm watching the lives of some of you. I'm watching how God is taking people who are bound in addiction, bound and oppressed. And God is working his freedom. By the way, we're starting transformation this Thursday. I forgot to mention that earlier. The Lord brought it back to me, I'm telling you. What is that? Every week, every Thursday, we're going to have a group that gets together. You talked to Pastor Mailani. If you've got life controlling issues in your life, what are we believing? Not that you're going to limp along, barely surviving in this addiction for the rest of your life, friend, when I got set free from drug addiction in 2004, you know how many times I've gone back to that since God set me free? None.
[00:37:23] I was back and forth when I was in AA and NA, I did all that stuff. I got a DUI, I had to go to court. Boy, I tried my hardest and I failed a lot.
[00:37:35] But then I got the devil broke off of me. Then I got the devil broke off of my life. And I have walked in freedom since that time. Now, when I have bad days, I don't think about, boy, I sure wish I had a bag of weed. I don't need to go back to that. I have been set free. I might think about ice cream at a moment, what was going on. I had a moment this last week. I'm like, Leah, I either need to punch somebody or I need to eat something with cheese.
[00:38:07] And so she took me to get a cheeseburger. Thank you, Lord.
[00:38:14] But you know what? I'm not bound in addiction, I don't think. Boy, I just need a one night stand to get over this. I'm so far beyond that, friend. God has set me free.
[00:38:26] He set me free. And so maybe, I don't know, I look okay, I can eat cheese. That's fine. Okay.
[00:38:33] So you see these moments of manifest glory. We get glimpses of the glory of God. But I want you to notice it says something here in Hebrews. It says, but we do not yet see all things brought under their authority. Now, you may wonder like, okay, if Jesus has made it possible for us to be healed because of his shed blood, if Jesus has made it possible for us to be free from sin. How many of you ever wondered these things? Then why is X, y and Z still going on? Am I the only one who's ever asked that? Why was addiction just lifted off of my life? But pride and other things still gripped me?
[00:39:17] Why did I get freedom here? Yet there's other things that have yet to be done. Why do I pray for this cancer person? They get healed instantly. And this one died.
[00:39:26] The Bible says when it says all things, nothing is left out. But we don't yet see all things brought under authority.
[00:39:37] In theology terms, we call this already not yet. Jesus has already paid the price. He's already made a way for you and I to step into redemption. We can have that today. The freedom that I walk in, you can have. The forgiveness I have received you can have. The miracles we've seen release here, you can have. Because he's already paid for it.
[00:40:02] Yet we do not see all things. Pastor, why is there still evil in the world?
[00:40:09] Why is there still war in the world?
[00:40:12] Why are bad things happening to good people? I've made the statement, and I like this. I don't recall who said this, but somebody, I think it was RC. Sproul. Somebody asked him, why do bad things happen to good people? He says that only happened once. And he volunteered.
[00:40:31] Praise God.
[00:40:40] But we do still see evil reigning in the world. Why? Because we do not yet see all things subject to Him yet. And this is why. Listen to me. Listen to me carefully.
[00:40:55] We're going to see wars and rumors of wars. We're going to see plagues. We're going to see famine. We're going to see pestilence. All these things in Matthew 24, we will see them and we see some of them, and it's not going away.
[00:41:09] But we, as the people of God, were not instructed, hey, just hold the fort until I come and rescue you out of this thing.
[00:41:17] Just survive as long as you can until I come and rescue you out of this thing. Do you relieve scripturally speaking, joel, chapter two, acts, chapter two, revelation, chapter seven. Do you realize the greatest revival in human history is going to happen right alongside all of these things? This tribulation that's going on in the world? Do you realize that?
[00:41:37] Friend, we're going to take over this island. We're going to take over the world. We're going to see I mean, look at this. We have politicians who are getting elected as the speaker of the House and he's preaching, In God We Trust, and then kneels down, let's pray. And you can see the pictures of all of these guys kneeling around in the house floor, praying, and we're saying, God is done with America. That is so stupid, friend, we're going to be from glory to glory until the return of Jesus.
[00:42:09] We're going to see his kingdom expand until his return.
[00:42:15] Just hold the fort. Let's build a bomb shelter. Let's live in there. Dehydrated milk.
[00:42:22] I am not drinking dehydrated milk. If we end up in bomb shelters, somebody's bringing me a cow.
[00:42:34] Oh, you remember y two K. Anybody freak out over that?
[00:42:41] We had dehydrated milk and canned food and all that. I think about four years go by like, all right.
[00:42:49] Oh, man, do I got time for this?
[00:42:51] When 911 happened, people are like, Where were you on 911? You don't know what I was in high school for about 15 minutes. And then my mom I get Paige Jacob, you're running down in the office. I go down there, my mom get in. It's the end times. And we get in the car, she drives me home. That's the kind of house I grew up in, friend. I'm just like, we're going to go sit in the basement with our dehydrated milk.
[00:43:24] That's where I was on 911.
[00:43:33] You know what that comes from, is these people, they don't have an idea of what God desires.
[00:43:40] We lost glory. Jesus gained glory. But there's another part. Most people stop right here. They get the blessing. They get their fire insurance and good. No, there's more. There's more.
[00:43:53] We look around. We do not see all things brought into subjection to Him. But what we do see bring up the next verse. Verse eight, nine. Hebrews, chapter two, verse nine.
[00:44:04] But what we do see is Jesus.
[00:44:09] Yes, there's evil and brokenness and destruction in the world. And no, we're not called to hold the fort and hide in the basement. What God has asked us to do, he says, look at Jesus.
[00:44:24] Behold him. Behold him. Behold him, friend. When people come to me and they say, I have cancer, I don't say, what stage is it? What stage is it? Oh, it's stage four. I don't know if we can handle that. You go talk to Hyunja about her brain cancer and how God has healed this woman of God. I'm telling you, right here, right here.
[00:44:50] I'm telling you. Denise was here about a month ago testifying about how her stage four breast cancer got healed. God restored her. Go talk to Michelle back here who's been healed of cancer. I'm telling you, like, what stage is it? Stage one. Oh, yeah, we got that. Let's pray. Stage four.
[00:45:09] This is why why do I approach it that way? Because I don't care what stage it is. I don't care what the sin is. I don't care how bad your diabetes is, how many years it's gone on. Our God is able. Look at Jesus. Behold the Lord. All right?
[00:45:33] The world is crying out for this. Romans eight says that the earth groans for the revealing of the sons of God. When is somebody going to grab hold of their identity? I'm a son. I'm a daughter of the most high God. You guys, there was a moment where there was a hurricane barreling towards Maui a few years ago when we were there. And as the people of God, we gathered together and we began to pray. And I'm telling you, we literally watched that storm shift course and go, it didn't even get windy that day.
[00:46:10] Why? Because there was a group of people who said, no, I don't yet see all things subject, but I'm setting my eyes on Jesus. If I'm a son of the most High God, I can speak to storms the same way that Jesus did. I can speak to atmospheres the same way that Jesus did. I'm a son. The earth is crying out, when will there be somebody who will step into their identity? Now look at what the Bible if you think that I'm like cherry picking verses, look at where this text takes us. We lost glory. Jesus gained glory. But then in verse number three, there was a glory that was given. Watch what it says. Hebrews, chapter two in verse ten. In God, for whom and through whom everything was made, he chose to bring many children into glory.
[00:47:07] Adam and Eve created, crowned, and shrouded with glory. They blew it. They lost it. God covered them. Jesus came, he died. He was crowned with glory and honor. And now he has brought children into that glory, children of glory. It is only right that he should take Jesus through his suffering, a perfect leader fit to bring them into salvation. So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy, how many know we're always a sinner? I'm just a sinner saved. No, you are holy according to the Bible. If you have been saved, you are holy. I'm telling you, I am trying to mess up everything you think you know about Jesus. I want you to understand what the Bible says about you. You are not a sinner saved by grace. That's what you were. You look at these lists. One corinthians six. Yeah, that's where it lists all of these things. You were adulterers and murderers and liars and brawlers and orgies and on and on and on. Things that we're not allowed to say in church. And such were some of you. Such were some of you. Such were some. So, yeah, you might used to have been an addict. You might used to have been promiscuous. You might used to have been unholy and a brawler and fill in the blank. That's what you were.
[00:48:31] God says today you are holy. You are the righteousness of God. In Christ Jesus. You have been redeemed. You have been saved. I'm telling you, if you get this, like, whoa, I'm a son of God, you'll walk a little different when you have that assurance in your life, not this fear, like, oh, I hope I don't stumble again. Well, how many know? We all fail. I don't.
[00:48:59] I don't.
[00:49:02] You don't?
[00:49:04] Did you sin on your way to church today?
[00:49:08] I mean, think about you've heard preaching like, you all fail, we all sin. I sin every day. I do not sin every day. I do sin sometimes. I am not saying I'm perfect, okay?
[00:49:20] I have not attained I preached on that last Sunday, but I do not sin every day.
[00:49:26] Pastor I was on my way to church, and next thing I know, I was just in the forest and we were burning incense with these witch ladies. I don't even know what happened. You don't accidentally do these things. You don't accidentally just stumbled into adultery. No, you didn't. You entertain conversations. You text them back and forth. You went to that place, you got in that bed.
[00:49:46] You don't accidentally do these things.
[00:49:51] You didn't sit on your way here. You don't have to sin on your way home.
[00:49:57] And when you do jesus, I'm sorry I said something stupid. Was that last night or the night before? I said something stupid to my wife and she got mad at me. Why would you say that? I'm not perfect. Just ask her. I'm not perfect, I promise you. But when I mess up leah, I'm sorry. Can I rub your back? I'm sorry. Leah, do you need some water? I'll get you I did I said something stupid, but I get it right. I'm not walking in condemnation.
[00:50:30] Worship team, would you come? I'm done.
[00:50:34] So in the hallway, we're selling bomb shelter kits that you can get after the you were created for glory, and God is building a family.
[00:50:56] My appeal to these guys who come through hell house, they're going to see the cross, they're going to see Jesus, they're going to see our not even close to correct impression of hell. You just can't even imagine the reality of hell. We try.
[00:51:14] They're going to come in here and my appeal to them is going to be not join a religion, not get your fire insurance.
[00:51:27] It's going to be join the family of God.
[00:51:33] Join the family of God.
[00:51:36] Jesus died to be the firstborn amongst many brethren.
[00:51:40] Our Hebrews text, I didn't get there, but it says that Jesus himself is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Boy, we're going to start sounding like an old school church glory, sister, brother.
[00:51:54] But that's the reality. Why did people talk like that? They had an understanding that this is what God had made available to them.
[00:52:02] You are my brother. You are my sister. I have a father. I didn't have an earthly father. That's where most of my mess began.
[00:52:10] But I have a father now, Abba, and I'm close to him.
[00:52:17] Jesus I feel weird even saying stuff like this, but scripturally that's my brother. Jesus, you're my sister. We're family. You see, when we approach on the basis of religion or works what you do or you don't do, then, yeah, you get offended and you leave. But like family, I say something stupid to my wife, she doesn't leave. Why? Because we're in covenant. We're family.
[00:52:52] Somebody offends me.
[00:52:55] We're going to work it out.
[00:52:57] Now, family, you can say things to family you don't say to other people. I've had fistfights with my brothers, right? So I might fist fight you, but we're family.
[00:53:11] I've never punched anybody in church.
[00:53:25] We're going to do something special here today.
[00:53:29] We're going to receive communion. And here's the reason why.
[00:53:35] Jesus gave this as an act by which we can remember the covenant that we've entered into with him. It's a new covenant.
[00:53:46] It's a covenant of sonship.
[00:53:53] And a couple of things that I want you to understand about the receiving of Communion.
[00:53:59] First of all, I do believe this is more than just remembrance.
[00:54:04] The first miracles I ever saw in my life. I saw a woman come out of a wheelchair.
[00:54:09] I saw a young man, his tongue was healed. He'd bit through it playing basketball. And I watched both of those things supernaturally healed, receiving Communion because there was an expectancy. Not just, we remember what you did, Jesus, but there was an expectancy for the present power of God. I believe when we receive this, listen, God's not far off. Jesus is in the room, and he's willing and able to minister to us. So the bread talks about how if there's dissensions between other people, there was actually a process. They would go before the priest and practice the passing of peace.
[00:54:50] So in a few minutes, there's a reason why I don't hand out Communion. When you're walking through the door, we actually pass it. Why? Because in the Bible, in the Old Testament, it talks about the passing of peace, the passing of bread. And it was an expression, I'm reconciled. We're family. So even as we pass these plates, I don't want you just thinking about Jesus. That's part of it. But I want you also thinking about, you're my sister and you're my brother. Pay attention to who's passing you. Oh, you're in covenant, too.
[00:55:26] And you're in covenant, too.
[00:55:29] Jesus purchased you and he's purchased me.
[00:55:33] The Bible talks about how, give us this day our daily bread. Realize there's provision in this.
[00:55:41] It sounds crazy, but you can receive communion and receive a breakthrough. What?
[00:55:48] In the Old Testament, in the tabernacle, there was the most holy place. Nobody could enter in there.
[00:55:57] We can because of Jesus sitting outside. There was what they call the bread of presence.
[00:56:07] And this is a picture of this bread. It's not just God. You're out there somewhere. No, we take that bread. You're with me and you're in me, and I can behold Your glory. I am your son.
[00:56:24] I am your daughter.
[00:56:26] You're my father. You're. My God. You're my savior. Jesus the cup is the blood of a new covenant.
[00:56:37] This is the basis by which we're family.
[00:56:41] This is the basis by which we're family.
[00:56:44] He washes away our sin, cleanses us of all unrighteousness he makes us brand new by his stripes we are healed he shed his blood so we can be delivered and set free every area of our life crowns upon his brow every mental oppression hurled abuse he can heal your emotional wounds thank you, Jesus.
[00:57:31] We're going to pass these elements, and I'm going to ask you to you're going to pass them intentionally to your neighbor, your brother, your sister there, and you hold it. We're going to receive it all together. In just a few moments, I'll walk us through the receiving of both of the elements. So you just take it. Hold it. If there's things that you need to reconcile between you and God, you take care of that right now. He's not angry at you. You just deal with it.
[00:57:54] Get it right and prepare your heart to receive what the Lord desires to do in you today.
[00:58:01] Worship team, would you lead us in a song as we come? Ushers, would you come help me?
