Beholding the Light of the World | John 8:12

[00:00:00] You. [00:00:01] Welcome to the Jacob Barienthos podcast. To stay connected, go to jacobbarientos.org. And now here is Pastor Jacob, two Corinthians, chapter three and verse 18. And then we'll jump over to John, chapter eight in just a moment. But let's read this. Says it two corinthians. 318. 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. Oh my goodness. The new King James says, as we look upon him, we are transformed from glory to glory. Everyone say glory to glory. [00:01:00] That's where we're going. I prayed that over someone today. It's not the hurdles you need to overcome, bro. You're moving from glory to glory. That's every one of your lives. Glory to glory. Now look with me at John, chapter eight in verse twelve. We're going to talk about something I believe we should all behold. [00:01:21] What are we beholding? Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. [00:01:42] We're going to talk about beholding the light of the world today. I think it's going to be a blessing to all of us, but can we just pray and ask the Lord who is the Spirit to come and to teach us, to instruct us, to help us today? Come on, let's ask for his presence to come even now, lord, we just do. We welcome even now the spirit of wisdom and revelation according to Ephesians, chapter one. Lord, I pray that you would speak through your word, Lord, that it would bring correction and instruction and encouragement and rebuke where we need it. Lord, get us in line with who you are in the way that you think and operate. Come on, church, help me pray for a great anointing to be released right now. In the name of Jesus, God, we pray that you would pour out your Spirit in our midst. In Jesus name, I pray for an anointing to rest upon every person within the sound of My voice. Those in this house, those listening online that you would give us, eyes that see and ears that hear, a heart and a mind that perceives what your spirit is speaking. Jesus, even as you were anointed to preach good news to those in need. I pray that same anointing would rest upon me, O God, that I would preach under the authority, the unction of your Spirit today. And 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. Lord, give us liberty in receiving your truth today. In Jesus name I pray, amen and amen. You may be seated. [00:03:15] Oh, what a joy. My heart is so full already. [00:03:20] Are you ready to receive a word from the Lord this morning? Oh, I hope so. Open your heart, even right now, to what the Lord would say. If it's any man's wisdom, yeah. Let it fall dead to the ground. But if this the wisdom of God, oh, I pray it penetrate your heart and soul and transform everything about you. Hallelujah. How many of you know, even if you've been walking with the Lord a long time, we all need transformation. We all need God's working in our lives. Hallelujah. So our series is beholding and becoming. Everybody say beholding and becoming the idea is very simple. I tried to dig in and find who was the first person who taught this. There's a lot of books. There's a lot of sermon series. This is not a new idea. I wish I could tell you who it was who came up with this. It wasn't me, unfortunately. But it's a theme that's constant throughout scripture. And the idea is pretty simple, that you become what you look at as you gaze upon the Lord. You will be transformed into his glorious image. And how many know this trickles out into every area of your life. You realize you will become like the people you surround yourself with. If you're around negative people, guess what? You're going to become negative. If you're around positive people, you're going to become positive. If you're around encouraging people, you'll be encouraging. If you're around victim minded people, oh, I still haven't recovered from COVID Oh, inflation is so terrible. Guess what? You're going to start thinking that way. Who you surround yourself with is who you will become. In fact, I saw a wild statistic this last week that even in you've heard it said that, show me your five closest friends, and I'll show you your life in five years. But there was a wild statistic that came out recently that your salary will be within $10,000 of your five closest friends. [00:05:22] Now, that's a trip. So that means if you're hanging around like you're an aspiring business owner, I want to encourage you. Get around other successful business owners. Get around people who are doing this thing. If you're only hanging around people with a poverty mindset and a lack mentality friend, you will be drugged down to that. But if you get around people who have increased mentality who are saying things like, I am the head and not the tail, I am the first and not the last. I am the lender and not the borrower. God is giving me witty ideas and inventions. As you take these ideas, guess what? You're going to begin to get that. This is why I like to be around people of faith. This is why even if I don't have the chance to hang around with Bill Johnson or Cindy Jacobs or whoever my heroes in the faith might be, man, I listen to these guys and I read their books and I want this constantly around me. [00:06:17] It's so know, as you behold, you just begin to know know. I spend a lot of time with my wife and I know this woman so well. [00:06:31] Some of the husbands and even maybe your close friends, you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about. I can pick up the phone and she calls me. I can pick up the phone and I can hear her breathe. And I know what kind of conversation we're about to have. [00:06:46] Anybody know what I'm talking about? Like she doesn't say a word, but I can tell by her breath she's upset. Sometimes I can tell by a particular breath she's upset with me. I know how to read these things. There's other times where I just hear her breathe and I know she's just trying to get my attention or maybe she's flirting with me. Praise God, I know what these things sound like. I know what it sounds like. I can tell by her by the way that I mean her very breath. In fact, sometimes she doesn't need to say anything or even breathe. I can just be around her. I cannot even look at her. But do you guys believe in vibes? I don't know. I can feel her vibes. [00:07:31] I know whether she's happy or whether she's upset or frustrated because I've spent so much time with her. I just know. And you have friends that you know that well. You have people you're close to you know that well. I want to behold the Lord to such a degree that his very breath, even before he speaks, like, I know what he's about to say or he shows up, I sense his presence and I know like Pastor Jacob, how did you know that God wanted to touch people and fill them with the Holy Ghost? I did not hear the word of the Lord, but I felt his presence and I've spent enough time with Him to know this is what the Lord wants to do right now. I know what his healing anointing feels like. I know what his prophetic anointing feels like. I know what the unction to preach feels like because I've spent time around Him and I know what he desires to do. This is what it is to behold the Lord and be transformed into his glorious image. Someone say amen? We behold what we become, so we behold the Lord. I've talked about beholding the Lord in prayer, beholding the Lord in worship. Beholding the Lord in giving. Last Thursday I preached on beholding the Lord in the word. I'm not just talking about memorizing scripture verses and get your devotion for the day, but I'm talking about, no, I've got the teacher, the Holy Spirit, who's instructing me. I'm in Christ, and this word is reading me and transforming me. And we're beholding and we're becoming. Everyone say beholding and becoming. [00:09:09] So the idea today I want to deal with is I want to talk about what it is to behold the light of the world. [00:09:21] To behold the light of the world. If you're taking notes, I want you to write this down. Number one, I've got three ideas for us today. Number one, I behold the light of the world. [00:09:33] I behold the light of the world. [00:09:38] Who is the light of the world? [00:09:42] Jesus. Everybody say Jesus. [00:09:45] So we're going to look upon Jesus. We're going to look upon the light of the world. Jesus spoke to them. John 812. We read this a moment ago, and he said, I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. Now, guys, I've never met a church that did not sing growing up this Little Light of Mine. [00:10:19] Did everybody know that song? Listen, you grew up Methodist, you grew up Catholic, you grew up Baptist, you grew up Pentecostal. Even heathens know this song. Hallelujah. No matter how you grow up, we all grew up singing this Little Light of Mine. We're all familiar with this, but most of the time I've heard people talk about this Little Light of Mine. It goes into this works idea. I need to do more light than darkness. I need to do more good than bad. I need to do more God stuff than sin stuff. And friend, if there's anything I want you to get in this series, it's this whole idea. I'm trying to break us of this performance religious idea. That's Old Covenant thinking. If you read two Corinthians Three, that's the whole idea. He says, Listen, the Covenant, the Laws, the Commandments, there's a glory there. There is a glory there. But that glory was departing. That glory was fading. That glory ultimately led people to death. You know what the Old Testament does? You know what the Ten Commandments do? It shows us how we in our best efforts fail. [00:11:34] It shows us that no matter how hard you try, you will not be holy without Him. [00:11:43] But this new Covenant, the Bible says, is greater glory and increasing glory. And as we come into Christ, his spirit dwells in us. It's on us. It's around us. He's teaching us. He's leading us. He's instructing us. And guess what? Now it's no longer about what I do or do not do, but it's about beholding Him, becoming Him and being transformed from glory to glory to glory. It's not about doing. Listen. It's about being. [00:12:17] It's about being. Bring up that John Eight verse again. I want you to see something Jesus said, I am the light of the world. [00:12:28] We behold him. We follow him, right? [00:12:32] We follow him. And guess what? When you're following after the light of the world, you will not be in darkness. So you don't have to be mindful of, oh, I can't walk in the dark. I can't walk in the darkness. I've got to. No, just follow him. Just follow him. Just walk in the light. And now watch this. And he will do works of light. [00:12:54] Are you paying attention? [00:12:57] He will perform the works of the light. No, he will have the light of life. [00:13:06] He will have the light of life. You realize, as I pursue him, as I gaze upon him, as I run after him, darkness, it fades away, not because I'm trying harder, but because I'm becoming like Him, and literally his light. And life begins to permeate everything I am. I have the light of life. I have the light of the world. Oh, my goodness. This is exciting. Friend, we're going to go deeper. Are you ready to go deeper in this? [00:13:41] I'm going to mess some of you up today, and I'm so excited to do it. But the first thing that we got to remember this, I'm beholding Jesus. I'm not trying to stop bad stuff. No. I'm beholding the Lord. I give the illustration every week about my motorcycle. But even a car now, you guys can all relate to cars. You ever been driving down the road? And my wife does this all the time. Oh, look at the sunset. So I look at the sunset, and all of a sudden, I notice I'm going over the rumble strip in the middle of the road. Anybody ever have that happen? Why? Because what you look at is where you will go. [00:14:22] So I need to keep my eyes on the road. That's why I'm not becoming darkness focused. I'm not becoming law or sin focused, because I will inevitably go there if that's what I set my eyes on. [00:14:34] Instead, I'm becoming light focused. I'm becoming Jesus focused. I'm becoming God focused. I'm led by the spirit. And guess what? I'm becoming like that. [00:14:44] You will walk in greater measures of holiness. Don't think that I'm downplaying integrity or righteousness. No, quite the opposite. But I'm telling you, so many in religious efforts have found themselves in the same cycles of sin and oppression and bondage for decades after decades, and what they're missing is stop trying. [00:15:07] Start being. [00:15:10] Start be. You are a son. You are a daughter of the Most high God. You were created in his likeness and image. The Bible's not calling you a sinner any longer. You realize, yes, I used to be a drug addicted, perverted, horrible, slanderous, cussing heathen. I was that, but I am not that today. [00:15:36] I am not that today. And hear me on this. That's not just a proclamation of faith. Like, I really have these struggles, but no. I have come into Christ. I have been filled with the Spirit. I am pursuing Him, and I am truly walking in freedom today. I am a blood washed saint of the Most High God. I am a son of God. I am full of the light of life. Today because I'm looking upon him and I am becoming like him. [00:16:06] And that's your story. [00:16:09] That's your testimony. Oh, I'm getting too excited. Okay, point number two. [00:16:16] Watch this. [00:16:18] Let me read to you a verse before I say point number two. [00:16:21] Luke 1134. [00:16:24] Just going to mess some of you up. I know. Hallelujah. Ask your neighbor. Are you ready? [00:16:33] What did they say? Are they ready? [00:16:38] Look at this. Luke 1134. The light of the body is the eye. [00:16:44] Therefore, when your eye is single, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is evil, the body is also full of darkness. Now, you'll notice I'm using the King James version here because it's a right translation. It says if your eye is single, everybody say single. [00:17:09] Now, I'm not talking about Levon's Bible study. [00:17:13] I'm not talking about being single and wanting to get married. No, this is talking about something kind of different, okay? [00:17:20] This translation, it's the Greek word haplus. haplus. Everybody say haplus. [00:17:28] And what the word? haplus is? The word for single. haplus means a particle of union. It means to be properly folded together. [00:17:40] That is single. [00:17:43] Single. And the picture is this just leave that verse right there. The light of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is single, when your vision becomes his vision, it's literally that you are being folded together with Christ. You are being brought into union with Christ on a particle level. You're talking about cells in atoms, like you are truly becoming one with Him. This is why, friend, we need to get God's vision. How does God see you? That's why I'm hollering and sweating and shouting at you that you're not just a sinner saved by grace. You're a son of the Most high God. I need you to understand that God's not angry at you, ready to squash you. Isaiah, yes, you are a man of unclean lips, and I'll cleanse you like that's. God's heart. Yes, we are messed up, friend. I understand that. But the moment you come to Him, he says, I will transform you and I will make you brand new. You just got to come to Him. You just got to look at Him. And as you look at Him and his vision for your life becomes your vision, as you're beholding Him, guess what? You are being unfolded into Him like cells coming together. You are coming into union with Him. And the Bible says your whole body is full of light. [00:19:13] Your whole body is full of light. Do you see performance in this, friend? Do you see religion in this, friend? No. As I'm looking upon the light of the world, as he sees me and I see Him, we become one, and we're folded together. And I don't have to worry about darkness dominating my life because his light is expelling darkness and my body is full of light. [00:19:43] Now, this second point, some of you won't track with me on this, but I need you to come with me. Number two. [00:19:50] I become the light of the world. [00:19:54] I become the light of the world. Well, where's that in the Bible? Yeah, jesus said it himself. Matthew, chapter five. In verse 14, jesus said, you are the light of the world. So we behold Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world. But as we behold the light of the world, we become intertwined, unfolded, brought into union with Him, and you become the light of the world. [00:20:26] Are you trekking with me on this? I think I've lost some of you. I need you to tell your neighbor you're the light of the world. [00:20:34] Come on, tell your other neighbor you are the light of the world. [00:20:43] I'm listen to some of these Bible verses here. [00:20:48] I am the light of the world. This is why I can believe what the Bible says. In one Peter 115, the Bible says that you are to be holy as he is. Holy? [00:21:01] How is that possible? Well, it's possible when I behold Him and my entire body is full of light. There's no darkness in me. I can be holy as he is holy. Guys, if you got a pastor I don't know where some of you guys are coming from, but if you're pastor, well, I sin every day. I don't, and you don't either, and you don't need to, friend. Did you sin this morning? [00:21:27] I got up, I got dressed, I brushed my teeth, I ironed my shirt, I came to church. No sin in there. I didn't actually accidentally go commit witchcraft on my way to church here today. We get this idea like, I'm always sinning and I'm always failing. No, you're not. [00:21:48] You're not. [00:21:50] You are two corinthians five. You are the righteousness of God. In Christ Jesus. That's what you are. You're not a worm any longer, friend. Now, if you've not been born again, you're a worm. Hallelujah. But the moment you come to Christ, the moment you behold Him in his glory, he transforms you. You're a new creation created in his image and likeness. Oh, my goodness. [00:22:19] You start thinking this way, these moments of failure and repentance are going to become few and far between. [00:22:29] It's going to become few and far between. [00:22:32] Let me give you some other verses here. This is why Paul can say, imitate me as I imitate Christ, one Corinthians eleven one. Imitate me as I imitate Christ. Dr. Morocco made a statement years ago. If you pray the way I pray, if you serve the way I serve, if you give the way he said, my goal as a pastor is that if you follow me, you'll look good on Judgment Day. [00:22:59] And I remember Him saying that, and I've taken that on as my own assignment, that, you know, what? If people serve and give and pray and study and live their life the way Pastor Jacob does, they're going to look good on Judgment Day. [00:23:14] Life group leaders, I want you to be so full of confidence. I am a son, a daughter of the Most High God, and I want you to have confidence. You can tell those who are in your life group, if you follow my example, you're going to look good on Judgment Day. This is where our standard is set, my friend. This is okay, let me give you another verse that's going to take this even further. Some of you think Pastor Jacob has lost it. Yeah, maybe I have. Maybe I have. I don't know. First John, chapter four and verse 17. [00:23:48] One John, chapter four and verse 17. Look at what this says. Love has been perfected amongst us that we may have boldness on the day of judgment. Watch this last line here, because as he is that's Jesus, by the way. As Jesus is, so are we in this world. [00:24:12] As Jesus is, so are we in this world. So that excuse that says, well, of course Jesus could heal because he's Jesus. He's God in the flesh. He's the Son of God. Guess what? You have the same inheritance and rights and authority. You also are a child of God. [00:24:33] All right, there's two people that are agreeing with me on this. I know I'm pulling you further than some of you may be comfortable with. I understand that everything that Jesus is, you are in the earth. You have the same demon driving power. You have the same resurrection power. You have the same miracle working power. You have the same authority to preach good news to those who are in need. You have the same teaching, anointing, whatever it is that may be asked of you in this time. You have every resource at your hands, because God has every resource. As he is in the world, so are you. [00:25:13] Say it. So am I. [00:25:18] As I'm beholding oh, my goodness, if you, my friend, could just get this. I'm beholding the Lord. He is the light of the world. And I am being transformed. My entire being is being filled with light and life. That's why I have us pray in the Holy Ghost. That's why I have us. That's why we begin times in the place of worship, my friend, because we can be full of light. You are the light of the world. [00:25:50] When Dr. Morocco, he's done this a few times, but we were in staff training and, boy, we had a Holy Ghost blowout in our staff training. [00:25:59] He had a moment, he was praying and the power of God was breaking out. I mean, bodies were flying everywhere and I mean, we've got a large staff. These conferences will bring in, I mean, hundreds from all around the world come in for this. And all of our pastors, ministers, everybody come together, there's hundreds. And so Dr. Morocco prays for probably a hundred people. And then he's like, I need some help. And he began to call some pastors and he prayed for a moment of impartation because he wanted us to receive what God had done in him. And then he was going to release us to pray for the other people. And so he calls my wife and I as one of them, gabriel and Mariah, I want you to come because this is how Dr. Morocco prays. I mean, he's been praying in the Holy Ghost and releasing what God desires to do. And then he prays for us. Not like this, but he prays for us like this. [00:26:54] I'm just going to hang out here for a second. [00:27:02] It's very firm. Yeah, but, you know, can I just tell you something? He hugs us. I don't even know if he was praying in the moment, but he hugs us to himself, my wife and I. [00:27:17] I'm just telling you, that man is full of light. [00:27:20] That man is full of light. I turn around and I'm like about drunk in the Holy Ghost, but I do my best to go and begin to lay hands on people and just release now that which has been given to me. You watch this. I was hearing testimonies from Live Pregnancy Center yesterday about these ladies who will go into homes and they've lost their babies or they've kept their babies and all different kinds saved and unsaved. And it's amazing some of you have been in these situations where it's like you get around someone who's so anxious and broken or fearful, and they don't need a scripture quoted to them so often. All they need is for you to just come and sit with them. [00:28:01] And the light that is on your life will dispel darkness that's on them. [00:28:08] If you are abiding in Christ, the light in your life can literally push out demons. [00:28:22] It truly can never forget a time I was sitting in my office. One of my elders in the church calls me Pastor, can we come by? He says sure. [00:28:34] And showed up in my office. There was a young adult and their mom. [00:28:40] And what had happened is this person was in a drug rehabilitation center, had left to go party, and they had been sexually assaulted. That evening they came into the service I'm sorry. They came into my office. They had gone to the police station to do the rape kit. They'd not even change their clothes and they come straight into my office. [00:29:06] And I mean, it was like I don't know if you've ever experienced this, but it was like I could almost literally, with my physical eye, see darkness just on them, just this heaviness and this weight. [00:29:21] And we talked for a moment, but I didn't even feel led to pray. [00:29:27] I turned to the mom and I asked this young person's permission and I said, I just feel led in this moment that I just need to hug you. [00:29:39] Would that be okay? [00:29:41] And they said yes, and the mom said yes. My elder was right there. [00:29:46] And so I hugged this person. [00:29:50] And as I brought them close to me, they began to fully manifest demons cursing me, cussing, yelling, cursing God, their fists beating me in my back as I was embracing them. But I just held on to them. I didn't even pray. I didn't even pray until I just hugged them. [00:30:12] And within less than probably 30 seconds, it was probably 15 seconds, the power of God came in through my life. And that demon completely left this young person. They were set free. They got hit by the power of God under the power of God, completely restored through a hug. [00:30:35] You say, what in the world is that about? I behold Jesus, the light of the world. And as I behold him, I am becoming enfolded into him, into union with him, and I am becoming the light of the world. There's light in me, no darkness. And that which is in me literally has miracle working virtue. It has power, it has demon authority. All of these things, everything that Jesus is in the earth. So are you. So am I. Tell your neighbor again, you are the light of the world. [00:31:12] Now. [00:31:16] I know. I start talking like this, and I've got I mean, there's people I love. I love the ministry of Jesse Duplantis, and I'll hear guys like him talk like some of this kind of stuff. [00:31:28] And you'll have people know, push back and begin to well, now, you can't talk like that because we need to stay humble, right? And that's always what they'll say. Well, you can't go too far with this because we need to stay humble. We need to stay low. Your ego, your pride, we need to be careful with this. And I was praying, I'm like, God, how far do I take this today? [00:31:53] How far do I push this today? [00:31:57] Because I was praying and I'm like, God, what do I tell these people? [00:32:05] And this is what I felt like the Lord spoke to me. [00:32:09] You say, people will say, don't take this too far. [00:32:14] But I say, and I feel like the kiss of God is on this. [00:32:20] You take this as far as faith will allow you to take this. You take this idea and you run with it, friend. Do you realize that the New Testament apostles, they understood the authority that they walked in? They understood something about they understood, I am a son of the Most High God. That's why Peter and James are walking into a temple and all of a sudden a paralyzed person is walking, and they begin to worship them as if they're gods. And they say, Why are you looking at me like it's my life or my Godliness, my power that has raised this man up? It's Jesus. [00:32:59] Has anybody been so impressed by your miracles that they're accusing you of being. God. [00:33:08] I don't think we've taken this far enough, friend. We have such a low view of ourselves. Well, I'm just a sinner saved by grace. Oh, only Jesus can do that. But if you realize you're created in his likeness and image the same anointing, the same power, the same light that is on his life is on your life. It's on your life until my shadow, my shadow's coming over here now. Did anybody get healed? Until my shadow starts healing people. I've not gone far enough in this. I have not gone far enough in this. [00:33:44] People worshiped Paul. [00:33:47] They worshiped Paul. He was on an island, got bit by a snake, didn't die. And they said, he must be a god. They heard Barnabas and Saul preaching the gospel in Greece, and they said, look, it's Zeus and it's Hermes who's come down to us. They're gods who have come down to us in human flesh. Friend, I don't know of anybody in this modern day and age who said, oh, man, that's so much power. They must be God in the flesh. [00:34:14] Now, listen, you say, well, what about our ego? What about our pride, pastor? Don't we need to stay humble? Friend, do you want to know how you operate in power like that? You want to know how they got to that place? It was not through their inflated egos. No, they were beholding the glory of the Lord, and as they beheld, they were becoming glory to glory. And yes, people tried to worship them, but they shut it down because they knew where that anointing had come from. They knew where that light had come from. So don't freak out. Oh, I need to stay low and I need to stay humble, because woe is me, and I'm a worm, and I'm a sinner, and I'll never be. And only Jesus. No Jesus. Romans eight. Jesus is the first born amongst many brethren you realize so much of. I believe. You want to know what I believe the root and the purpose of the Gospel of Jesus is? It's not just about saving you from hell. [00:35:17] It's not about taking your worthless life and giving you something. [00:35:21] It's all about adoption. [00:35:25] It's all about ohana, it's about family. And I'm not talking about adoption as most of the world understands it, where, yeah, now you're a part of the family, but, man, you got different blood and you got a different last name, and you look different than us. No, if you understood like Hanai in the Hawaiian culture, like, you're just as much a son as everybody else in my family, you're just as much a daughter as everybody. You have refrigerator rights. I like to say you can come in. You don't even need to knock. You can get whatever you want. If I've got money, I'm giving you money. [00:36:01] Everything that I have is yours. [00:36:05] And you are ohana, John one for those who have received Christ. He has given the right to become children of God. [00:36:18] When we understand how he sees us and we look at Him, our vision becomes one. His light becomes our light. We are transformed into his glorious image. [00:36:36] Here's the last one. I behold the light of the world. I become the light of the world. [00:36:43] And the last one. [00:36:46] We are the light of the world. [00:36:50] We are the light of the world. [00:36:54] One important note that you must make about Matthew, chapter five, when Jesus made the statement, you are the light of the world, not like he was just talking to one person, but he was talking to his people. In fact, in Israel, I was there about a year ago. Now, I can't believe it's been a year already. Where has this year gone? [00:37:19] But I stood in the very place that Jesus made this teaching, and it was at night, and you're literally surrounded by mountains all around you. And I'm telling you, you can see every house and every business. [00:37:31] You're literally surrounded by mountains, and you just see the sprinkling of lights all around you. [00:37:37] And you just imagine being surrounded by lights all around you. And Jesus says you are that. [00:37:47] You are the light of the world. You are a city that's set up on a hill, and nothing can hide it, no darkness can conceal it. You are that light. [00:38:01] We need each other. [00:38:05] We need each other. [00:38:11] Jesus is the light of the world. [00:38:15] And as we behold Him, we become, we are intertwined with, brought into union. We become the light of the world. But something special happens when we come together. Friends, I have a pastor friend who taught me a Greek word worship team, if you'll come, I'm closing with this pastor friend taught me a Greek word that has become probably my favorite Greek word in all of the Bible. And it's this homo thumadon. Homo thumadon. Everybody say homo thumadon. [00:38:50] Homo thumadon. Homo means same. It means one. [00:38:56] Thumadon means passion or desire or my personal preference, it can mean fire. [00:39:05] So homo thumadon, when the Bible uses talking about a people who have the same fire, the same light, if you will, we are burning with the same thing, the same desire, and you say, well, what does that word actually translate to? Well, in the Bible, when you see the English word one accord, the people were together in one accord. That's the Greek word homothumidon. [00:39:34] We have one passion, one desire. We are burning together. And what's amazing, if you do a word study about homothumidon in the Book of Acts, virtually every moving of the Holy Ghost, miracles, the power of God, you will see one accord, homothumidon, in the verse immediately before or immediately after Acts, chapter two, the outpouring of Pentecost, they were all together with one accord. They have the same fire, your light and my light and their light coming together. And as they were there with one accord. Suddenly a sound from heaven, a mighty rushing wind came. They were filled with the Spirit, and they spoke with other tongues. [00:40:26] In Acts chapter four, in verse 24, the Bible says, they were with one accord. And in verse 31, the place they were assembled was shaken. They were filled with the Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness one accord. In Acts chapter five and verse twelve, it says, through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people, and they were all with one accord. Homo thumadon in Solomon's porch. There's about six other examples exactly like this throughout the book of Acts. One accord, same fire friend. You'll hear people say, I don't need to go to church. [00:41:11] I don't need to go to a Bible study. I can encounter Jesus on the beach. [00:41:16] I can encounter God right in my living room. And a friend, god is everywhere, no question. [00:41:25] But the Lord manifests his presence in a unique way when we come together, when we come together, when we worship together, when we pray together. [00:41:39] Why? [00:41:40] You want to know why you need to be in a Bible study? [00:41:45] I'm sitting around these live pregnancy center, and I'm like, one of three men in the entire place praise God. And I'm watching these ladies up there, like, crying over pregnant moms. And I'm looking at this and I'm like, boy, I do not kick this way. But I sure am thankful that there are some people that are so passionate about this. And I'm hearing the testimonies and I'm thanking God for it. But you know what that is? [00:42:16] The people connected with live pregnancy, they carry a measure of compassion that God has. [00:42:25] And I'm looking at that. I don't have that. [00:42:28] But when I see that, I see a measure of the glory of God in your life being reflected. [00:42:37] There's times I'll watch, like, the Hula ministry going on, and I think Elohama ran away and hid because I, oh, she's on the camera. She's serving. Praise God. [00:42:48] But I watch this young girl and she'll dance, and it's like I can literally see the glory of God radiating off of her face. You don't want to see Pastor Jacob try and dance like that. I'm just telling you. But there is a glorious expression of worship that I see in her. It's reflecting a glory of God that I do not have. Why do we have guest speakers? Why do we have Bible studies? I tell you, you go hang around with Judy and Darren Michaels. You go hang around with Michael kitchen. You go hang around with some of these lack of you go hang around with well, I'm telling you, you go hang around with Pastor Mehlani. You're like, whoa, that lady is passionate. [00:43:32] She carries a measure of God's glory that I don't have. That you don't have. But as you behold it, guess what? There's a light of God that's on her life that reflects the glory of God, and we need it. You'll watch. One of the very first things that the devil does when he's trying to get people to fall away is they'll move into isolation. They'll withdraw from the church, they'll withdraw from Bible studies, they'll get out of ministries and all of that. And why? Because then all you have is my own voice and what I think. And even some of the things that you'll seek out, the people you listen to are people that sound and think like you already. And next thing you know, you're in this little hole and you can't get out. [00:44:17] But when I hang around, some of you guys like, whoa. You want to know what unity is? Unity does not mean that we all agree with everything. In fact, I think it's actually pretty far from what unity is. [00:44:32] Unity is not about us being uniform, but it's about all of us beholding him. [00:44:41] It's about Randy's looking at God and explaining things, and I'm like, wow, Randy, I never saw God that way. But I need that perspective. And Dakovan's over here and I see God like this, and I say, man, I need your perspective on this, because I never quite saw God exactly like that. And all across this, we've all have different things. You know what the apostle Paul said at the beginning of two Corinthians Three? [00:45:12] He said you he's like, you want proof? That what I'm saying. Glory to glory. You want proof that all of this is true, that Pastor Jacob hasn't lost his mind? [00:45:24] Look around. [00:45:27] He said in two Corinthians Three, you are my living epistle. You are the letter of approval proving that what I'm saying is true. [00:45:37] Like, I can look at some of you guys, and, man, I used to be so bound in pornography, but I know that God can set people free because he did that for me. I used to be so addicted in drugs, but I know that God can set me free because I'm living, and I'm walking it out. Oh, I know God can save marriages because mine was so broken, but now I'm happily married. In the name of Jesus, we need these. You're a living epistle. Oh, my okay, why don't you stand? I'm done. [00:46:06] You guys, this is like three months of the Lord just pouring into me that I'm just releasing today. [00:46:15] We behold the light of the world. [00:46:18] We become the light of the world, and we collectively, corporately, are the light of the world. [00:46:28] I'm going to pray a closing prayer in just a moment. But, Kyle, it's a measure of God's glory. He wrote a wonderful song about beholding and becoming. You're showing us aspects of God's grace and glory. I can't do that. I can't do what you did in writing that song. But because you did that, you're expressing your gift, and you're using what God did we all get to see God in a measure of glory that we wouldn't have without you, Kyle? Thanks for being the light of the world, Kyle. [00:47:03] So this is what we're going to do. You're not going to worship Kyle, I want you to understand. [00:47:08] But we are going to sing his song and we're going to behold the Lord. So I want everybody close your eyes. Oh, you might need to see the words, but can we just worship the Lord for a few moments here before we end together? Come on, let's just worship him right now. [00:47:22] Thank you for listening to this podcast. Our goal is to make as many messages available for free as possible. But if you have been impacted today and would like to sow into our ministry, please visit at our [email protected].