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Well, good morning, Real Church. Good morning. What an amazing, amazing day it has been so far. Amen? Bible says, where "2 or more are gathered".
Here I am in their midst. Right? And so, just think, can you experience the presence of God alone? Absolutely. We do.
I hope you do. I hope you have a relationship with God where it's powerful daily as you spend time with him and walk with him. But there's something special. He wouldn't have said that if there wasn't something special about the body of Christ coming together in unity and worship Jesus. Worshiping Jesus collectively.
Amen? It's just a special manifestation of the power and presence of God together. My name is David John Phillips. I have the joy and honor of getting to be the pastor here. There's no place I'd rather be.
There's nothing I'd rather be doing. And I'm so thankful that you would choose to spend your Sunday morning here with us. My prayer, our prayers of leadership team, is that you would encounter the power and presence of God in a very real way. And you would walk away knowing his love more deeply than you've ever experienced. Whether you've ever Whether you've been walking with him for a day, you're kicking the tires of church trying to figure this thing out, Or you've been walking with him for 60 years.
My prayer is that you encounter his power and his presence and his love in such a way that it leaves you never the same. And it puts you in that valley of decision where you have to choose greater levels of *surrender* every day. Amen? Amen. So, I love you guys.
We have an amazing Sunday today. Some amazing things that's gonna be happening. But before I get into that, we have something that I get excited about, announcements of what's coming up. Because we want you to be informed and involved. Amen?
So, the first thing I want to say is, we have Doctor. Leon Van Rojian. For those of you that know, that's why you're cheering. Because he's an amazing, mighty man of God. Been in ministry for 45, 50 years.
He's an overseer, a personal mentor of mine. Overseer of the church, as well. But he's coming and doing a healing workshop on Saturday, November 1. And you're gonna need to sign up for that to come, because it's 5 hours. We rent the facility.
We do child care. We need it. We're gonna provide food. So there's a cost. It's $35 to be able to come to that.
We've had amazing sign ups so far. So I'd encourage you to sign up. This is for those of you the Bible says, eagerly desire the gifts of the spirit. First Corinthians fourteen:one. Right?
That's an imperative. Meaning, that's a command. As a believer, if you were ignorant to that, you didn't know. Well, now you know. Go look it up.
Eagerly desire the gifts of the spirit. So don't shy away from them just because they make you feel uncomfortable. Or just because you don't understand them. Amen? So 1 of those is just the gift of healing.
And so if you have a desire, we see healing happening all throughout our church in amazing ways. If you're on Slack, you see the testimony channel. You'll know what I'm talking about. If you're not on Slack, that's probably because you haven't been established yet. So, if you think, "real church", you want real church to be your local church, the place where you plug in, coming on Sundays is good.
But you're still not really integrated part of the family because *discipleship* only happens in relationships. And if you're just coming sitting on Sunday and leaving, you're not really building relationship where discipleship's gonna happen. So we can't really help you to look more like Jesus. Sunday's good. Don't get me wrong.
Please keep coming. That's awesome. But the only way that you're gonna be an integrated part of the family of Christ in the local church, is to get established in the body. And if this isn't the place where God's called you, go somewhere else and get established. Don't just be a pew sitting, back seat sitting Sunday morning Christian.
Because you won't grow to look like Jesus that way. He's called you to be an integrated part of the body of Christ, because there's so much in you that the local church God's called you to needs to be able to fulfill its calling. Amen? Amen. Okay.
So you gotta go through establish. Right? To get on Slack. What is establish? Go to our website, realchurch.us.
Click establish. We got like 6 3 minute videos. It's like 20 minutes. You go through, see our vision, our mission, our values. And you can see the DNA of the church.
Our core beliefs. To see if this is really the place where God's called you to get connected. If it's not, great. Thanks for stopping by for a while. Go find the place where God's called you to get connected.
Amen? Amen. Cool? You guys good with that? And then, you'll see the testimonies of healing and all that stuff as you get established, get on Slack, and you'll have a desire to go to the healing conference because or the workshop because you want to know how to implement that in your life.
Right? Well, how can I walk in that? Right? What does that look like? I have an eager desire for it.
Amen? Now, the healing, you don't have to be, you know, go through establish to go to the healing workshop. But if you have a desire to grow in that, come. If if you wanna if you're skeptical about the whole healing thing, come. It's for you.
It's for you to kinda see what the bible says, and if you really believe the bible on that or not. So you can decide. Amen? So I would encourage you to sign up November 1. It's gonna be from 10 to 3.
It's gonna be powerful, and amazing. So that's established, and that is the healing workshop. I think that's all the announcements for today, because we got some other stuff. It's kind of important. Daniel, Salim, would you just stand up right where you are?
Thank you, guys. Church, you honor so well. What you honor multiplies in your life, and you want that because this man of God is the man that's leading what we do on the ground in Pakistan. And just amazing brother and friend. I would have him preach today, if we didn't already have a lot of other things planned.
It was a He came in. It was a miracle that he's coming in this week. But, God he, has used him to multiply a movement. And, we've got to be a part of it in a major way of helping pioneer it. But, God has used him to multiply a movement from 1 man in an unreached people group inviting him to come.
To now over 65,000 people and 4 unreached people groups. Being discipled weekly. And leaders being multiplied and government influence in Pakistan. And not just little government influence, like like second in command of the province of Sin, which would be like if America was split into 4 different provinces, and the second in command was FaceTiming you yesterday. You know, because of what God's doing and the revival that's happening.
So God's doing amazing things. Keep praying for revival in Pakistan. We love you brother. Amen. The next thing I wanna do is, if if you don't already know, we love ordaining people.
We love our mission statement at the church is we engage the culture with the love of Jesus. Lay our life down to do so because that's what Jesus did. Then we establish, when you're engaged with the love of Jesus, so this is the local body of Christ that God's called you to, we establish you in the body of Christ, which is discipleship. Then we equip the believer to go engage the culture with the love of Jesus. And as you learn that it's not just about you, but giving out what God gave you, you begin to minister and mature.
Right? And then we empower the ready to live out their God given purpose. We've gotten to ordain pastors. We've gotten to ordain an evangelist. We got to ordain teachers.
And the Bible says in Ephesians-4:11, Jesus gave gifts to the church. Those gifts are people. These specific ones he's talking about. The apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher. By the way, they're all still applicable for today.
Go read the book of Acts. There's many, not just the first 11 apostles, the 12 apostles, but there's many more throughout Acts, and prophets, and prophetesses. And we're just in Acts-29. Right? Acts-28 is the last chapter, but Acts-29 is the continuation for the last 2000 years.
Amen? And so, man, we just believe the whole bible, and don't make excuses for, and limit our experience. Limit the bible to our experience. Instead, we raise our experience to the level of scripture. Amen?
So, an ordination is basically someone has been gifted in some different areas, and they've been faithful with that over time. "Many are called", fewer chosen, because fewer are willing to walk out the process. Many are called and they think they got it, but they haven't walked out the process of developing the character necessary to carry it. Like David, anointed as king, went through a long process before he became king. So many are gifted with different things.
Some get prideful and fall away, make it all about themselves. Others are faithful with the little. God blesses them with more gifts, and more abilities, and more things. Next thing you know, have a ministry. And they have And they start being faithful with the ministry.
And the next thing you know, if God's called them to this, not everybody's called this. Some just because you have a ministry don't mean you're called to an office in the church. But then, when they're faithful a little, sometimes when it's time, God ordains them. The people ordain what God has already anointed. Okay.
So the people recognize and ordain them. And it gives them more influence, more authority, because there's covering. Amen? In the kingdom. And so, with that being said, I wanna call Gabe Mullins to come up.
And Diane and Todd, if you guys could come around too. Okay. Thank you so much. You honor well. So, this man, when he came to the church, he had this deep desire for for a long time, he had a desire of dreams.
Just understanding dreams. The bible says, in the end times, you know, dreams and visions as he pours out his spirit on all flesh. So, the bible says there should be more dreams and visions, not less. And then, next thing you know, God anoints him. He he's he starts having dreams, and and visions, and stuff.
And then, everybody that gets around him starts having prophetic dreams, all of a sudden. It's like an overflow of the anointing on his life. God gives him clarity and wisdom on how to help people understand biblically what the the prophetic dreams are happening. And and and then, God brings Diane and and Todd to our church back in 2020, 2021 time. 2021, probably.
No. It was before that. 2019, before COVID. Yeah. So and within the first year of our church, she runs.
They together lead. But she's *prophetess* over How many churches are in the Life Link network? Life Links network around the world? Hundreds. Yeah.
Lots. Alright. 1,500 churches around the world. She's in charge of helping raise up healthy prophetic culture in those churches. Right?
And and he's he's kinda like a watchman, intercessor prayer warrior, and and amazing, and and she's a prophetess. Well, anyway, so they came testings in relationship. Right? So I just had them meet with me individually and I had them prophesy over my life. And it was full of Jesus, accurate, biblical, not weird.
How many knows prophets get weird sometimes? I was like, man, this is awesome. So they came back the next year, relationship grew. And next thing you know, they built a relationship with Gabe. Begin to train him and equip him.
And and next thing you know, God put vision for prophetic team and ministry in our church. He began to raise up a prophetic team and train and equip. And now, we've been through multiple iterations of that. Him using their curriculum, is powerful and amazing and just authentic and simple and real. And so, there just became a time where we realized it's time.
"It's time". He's he's been faithful with the gift, faithful with the ministry. But now, God's called him to greater. He's also doing it more than just in the church, but he's doing it with some of their network and helping to train in their network and helping to prophesy over people around the world. And God's just expanded the anointing and the call.
And it's time to biblically do what God calls us to do as a church. And so *ordination* with greater influence in the kingdom is greater service. It's not just power for yourself. Right? At greater authority, you're "bigger servant".
It just means you have more feet to wash. And if you ever lose the heart of washing feet of people and you make it about you, you forfeit. You you really forfeit what what God wants you to do. Pride comes before destruction. So it's the the leadership in the kingdom is the heart of a servant.
**washing people's feet* with the gifting and the anointing* he put on you. Amen? And so, we have a a servant's towel that we're going to to gift to Gabe's just to remind him of that. So, it never gets too big for his britches. And then, anointing oil.
We're going to use to anoint him and then gift gift him as just a symbol. And so, I've said my peace. I'm a let let let them speak. Amen. Amen.
Actually, I'm I'm seeing pictures today. So what I what I felt with Gabe, and I think we need Mariah here before too long. But I just saw, you know, I'm not sure if they're called barbells in the weight in lifting the rod, and then on each side is a heavy weight. And so I felt like there's twofold purpose in this ordination, that there is a prophet ordination for the local church, and then broader than that. And so it's actually an ordination today of lifting a barbell with weight on each side, 1 being the weight of the local church and 1 being global ministry, and that's what God has called them to.
But as Gabe is holding up the barbell, it's heavy, really heavy on the 1 side, and so Moriah comes along, and she helps lift it up to carry that weight. And even though the ordination as a prophet is the mantle over Gabe, He has the helpmate that is going to help him lift that and carry that through the years. And I just feel that, as has been said about being a gift to the church, but there's actually a gift to the whole body of Christ, and the commissioning over you today is from a place that will release you to the greater body of Christ. And I think that's such a precious thing that you can not just hold to yourself, but you're willing to just share with the broader body of Christ. We just see that in the mission's heart that comes forward.
Gabe has actually many qualities besides being a prophet. He's a great teacher. He's active. He's not 1 of those people that just talks, but he actually he actually does what he said he's going to do. And "I believe" that faithfulness and that carefulness is a characteristic where God is able to actually elevate his position.
He doesn't have to wait till he's 50 years old in order for that to happen. Also, there's wise counsel that comes, especially from the 2 of them together, but you just see that heart of Jesus in loving people. So I would say with the ordination as a prophet, the thing that's so significant is, first of all, he is he is a lover of people. He handles people so well, so well. And I've been able to to testify this.
I know what his motivation is. I know what his heart is. And so it's a privilege for us to be able to stand with them today, wholeheartedly, believing in this commission, believing that this is God's idea, it's his plan. There's nothing that he's pulling on to himself, but this is a family that are actually gonna be a gift to the whole body of Christ.
Amen. And I wanted to say to Gabe and to pastor David and the church that Gabe is a **"son of this house"**. Right. He is a son of this house. Just as Timothy was a son to Paul, Gabe and Mariah are are their children from this house.
So they are the fruit of this house. And, Timothy had authority because Paul gave him authority to to lay a good foundation in the church to minister in authority and freedom. And in in Timothy, he exhorts him in the epistle. He says, let no man despise your youth. Now, you compare us, you can see there is a difference.
Let no man despise your youth. And the scriptures and the prophecies over your life are for you to war. To remember when the devil comes and accuses you or discourages you, you pull that out of your war chest and you war with those scriptures because you will always triumph because we always triumph in Christ. And second thing is in this ordination, there's also an impartation. So as we lay hands and pastor David lays hands and and anoints Gabe with oil and we lay hands on the pair of them, there's an impartation from us to them, which will increase in the gifting and the authority that they're already carrying.
It opens up a deeper well for them to draw from. So, we're so blessed to be here. We always are blessed to come. But on this particular occasion, we are especially blessed because Gabe and Mariah, they're also our children. So we feel very much a part of this church and and what God's doing here.
So
what I wanna do is is we're all 3 going to anoint them with oil and then and then pray. And I want you guys just to agree with us in prayer. And then Gabe's just gonna take a moment to share what's on his heart after that. Good with that? Yeah.
Amen.
God, we just believe in your sovereignty, your sovereignty, and the timing, and just the birthing of Gabe and your calling on his life. I just thank you that he's responded every time even when things have been hard. And we just anoint him to this to just to this office of a prophet, God, believing that he stands here faithful before you, faithful to the house, faithful as part of the team leadership. And yet, God, we know you have great plans to just expand that that reach. And we just know as he is zigzagging across the nation that you're going to almost set him on fire, that where he touches, where he places his hand, there'll be a "new fire".
And as it's birthed through the prophetic, it actually starts fires in many other many of the other disciplines as well. But we just commission him. We commission him today wholeheartedly to be the servant that you called him to be in the body. Amen. Amen.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, father. As we lay hands on on Gabe and Mariah, Lord, we are praying for that increase. That increase, that multiplication. Lord, of of the *ministry* that you've committed to them, that they've been faithful.
Faithful to walk in, and now many are receiving the benefits of that. And so, we see it, Lord, in the church. And so, we see the fruit, and we are blessed today to lay hands on them and to commission them as prophet. Commission Gabe is is an ordained prophet in this church. And, father, we pray just a covering over them because they're not working as in obscurity.
They're not working as individuals, but they are part of this body. So, even today, as we lay hands on them, we pray for the covering the covering of this body to cover them. The prayers of this body to cover them. The leadership of this body to cover them as they go about their *ministry* here in a and and beyond. Lord, that they will be covered and blessed and very, very fruitful in the days forward.
The scripture says, and when we walk in righteousness with God, even in old age, we'll be like the trees that are planted by the water that will "bear fruit even in old age". And so, even though they're young, Lord, we're praying that they will continually be bearing good fruit even unto old age. In Jesus name. Amen.
Yeah. Father, I thank you for your goodness and your love. And I thank you for raising up this prophet, Lord God, for your church to equip your church for the works of ministry, specifically in prophecy, Lord, and and all of the gifts that come along with it. But, Lord God, you've also trained them in evangelism. You trained them in teaching.
You've trained them in counseling and pastoring together people, Lord God. So, Father, they're well equipped and well rounded. And that's on purpose for multiplication. Lord God, I pray that everything you do in this man and in this cup, Lord, I pray it's a lot. But everything you do, Lord, would multiply through them.
Lord God, that there would be a company of prophets in Jesus' name. Lord God, that he would equip your church, global church, also real church. Lord God, for just the works of ministry, that when people get around him, there's an overflow of that anointing that causes them to eagerly desire the gifts of the spirit, especially prophecy. Lord God, that that he would make as he does, he would make the gift of prophecy so authentic, real, and simple, and and just walking in a a clear, right understanding of right relationship with the Lord, and a rest in just the character and nature of the heavenly Father. Lord God, that that it would just unlock the the the mystery and the weirdness of this for people, that they're able to walk in it in such a way that the people around them want to know Jesus.
Lord God, that there's just this multiplication. And, father, that that he's a giant in your kingdom, but there will be many that stands on his shoulders. Father, the way that he leads will be just like you did. That others will do the same things I do, and even greater. Lord God, that that's his heart to serve and build others up.
There's no pride in this 1. Humility and multiplication. And Lord God, I thank you, Father, that just for the gift of healing that will multiply, Lord God, and help to multiply this ministry together, and how you've perfectly partnered them for your calling in the body of Christ. In Jesus name.
Alright. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah.
Thank you, guys. Thank you, first of all, to Todd and Diane for for coming all the way down and and and for, you know, having a relationship with me and and being a being a guide and and a mentor and caring. And and thank you, pastor David, for spotting my my what gifting you've seen and what you've wanted to promote and and for for doing this. I guess I'll start by saying I accept this. That's good.
Don't assume that just like because I'm up here, I consented to this, you know. But, I will say I I do. I do consent. I receive this. You know, I didn't grow up in a church that had a prophet.
I didn't grow up in you know, a prophet was like something in the old testament, something in the bible. It wasn't something for today. So, when this was, you know, starting to be talked about, I I I resisted it quite a bit because I just didn't I I don't have any I didn't have any framework for it or or what it what that really meant. And, the more I understood it was like, kind of just officiating what I had already been doing and and there's some things about what I do that I really love. You know, the bible says in first Corinthians that if if everyone's prophesying and somebody comes in and they they receive all these prophetic words, the secrets of their heart are laid bare and they fall down and they worship God and they say, is truly among you.
And, I have I For the most part, it I've rarely seen that in my history and in my time. And, that is a high calling for the prophetic. For for what the prophetic is and can do. And, that's in the new testament. Right?
So, there's a guidepost like there's there's a there's a vision that that that I wanna aim for which is this high level of, you know, the the thing I I I really didn't want was Gabe the prophet. You know, like, I I don't I don't feel what I didn't want is for it to seem like I'm super spiritual or have some special connection with the Lord. My heart really is for the equipping of the saints, which is what the 5 fold ministry is for. So, apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, teachers equip the body for the works of ministry. And when I kinda realized, oh, that's that's what it is.
Well, actually, I think that would be good because I have a lot of opinions about how to do that. I have a lot of, you know, like like I see a vision, I see a target to take us to, and I also have seen many weeds and diseases try to choke out the fruit of prophetic. And, I think 1 of the reasons we don't see powerful, biblical, holy, anointed, prophetic churches or bodies of people or groups is because of the laxness around guarding the fruit from the weeds and from the diseases and from the weirdness and from the and from the selfish, self promotion and the weird things that creep in and contaminate healthy prophecy. So, I I wanted to share that. I wanted to share that that my heart is to see everyone prophecy because everyone can hear his voice because he has relationship with every 1 of his children.
And so, it's not for elite people and it's not for special people, though some have different flavors of gifting. But if I do my job really well, the church will actually be an incredible body of prophecy to where when someone walks in, they can't help but having their secrets of their heart laid bare. And they can't help but seeing God and go, oh my God, God is among them. And that's not gonna happen from 1 very special person. That's gonna happen from a body of believers which is you guys accepting the call to to hear God and "step out in faith" in the way that you do.
You know, in the way that you hear him and the way that God designed you to do it. And many I think in this room will operate at a much higher level of prophetic activity than I ever will. And that would be my goal. So
You can use that or you
can use this. That seems to be like it's falling off. Oh, okay. The glasses would be a problem. 1.
There we go.
Perfect. I didn't have to hold my phone. So, we're good. I just turn myself on here. Good to go.
Good to go. Oh, 0, you gotta punch me. I'll use them both. Give you both barrels this morning.
I think
Is this 1 on?
Yep. Yep.
We're good. Good. All All I need is my notes and my wife's phone. I'll be right back. There we go.
Alright. What was interesting, When Diane prophesied this morning, she actually gave me a good segue into my message today. And, on the plane, on the way down, it's almost a 5 hour flight. And, sometimes, you're sitting by somebody that doesn't want to talk. Right?
And so, you're sort of scrambling, what can I say to them, because I'm fishing? Right? I'm fishing. Well, I had no problem with this guy. I couldn't get him to shut up.
I could hardly get a word in, and I had to wait till the end of the flight before I actually got to share my testimony with him. But, he was coming down from Calgary to meet family in Tampa because it was his wife's sixtieth birthday. So, they were coming together, her sisters, and so on, and they were gonna be together and celebrate her birthday because it was her sixtieth sixtieth birthday. And I said to him, well, tell your wife what I did on my sixtieth birthday. My son, the adventurer the adventurous 1, took me skydiving.
Yeah. So, can testify. It's a whole different view from up there. Right? And as I was coming down, it was so incredible.
It was like rapture. Although, I was going the wrong direction. But but I could see everything. I could see the horizons on both sides, and it was so incredible. I just I was just in awe.
And, I said, Lord, this is what you see every day. Every day. So, you know, God wants us to be more heavenly minded than earthly bound. Right? He wants us to have that heavenly vision because that's his vision.
That's where he lives. And, God is here today. There was a question about that because you invited him here. And so, we're in his holy presence. And, I I gotta tell you, the worship in this church just wrecks me.
I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to get up here. Especially that heaven come, heaven come, because that is the Lord's prayer. Heaven come to earth. Right? And, so so, I wanna talk to you a few just for a few minutes here.
That's not going to work because her phone, she has facial recognition, and it's a wrong face, obviously. Anyway, we'll just do the best we can. So, it's so funny. I've I've revised this so many times, and I'm revising it as I'm standing here because I I knew we wouldn't have much time. Right?
So, often when somebody gets up to preach or to teach, they'll have 5 key points. Right? So, 5 ways you can have a successful marriage, or 5 ways you can be financially successful, and I trust Bart did that a few weeks ago. Is that something? Yeah.
There you go. So, but I don't have 5 points, fortunately, because we don't have time. I have 1. It's the most important 1. The most important key to your success is knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Amen. And and this morning, I'm I'm going to, by the grace of God, give you just a firm understanding and appreciation for what God did, what Jesus did on the cross, and what God did in your heart when you gave your life to him. And so, I'm gonna just talk for a minute about Jesus' life because because it's key. So, Jesus starts with a great fanfare. Right?
On his birth, we're coming up to Christmas. Alright? Angelic choir heralds him. Peace on earth. Good will towards men.
The savior is born. And then then he goes into relative obscurity for the rest of his life, with the 1 exception I'm sorry, rest of his life till age 30, when he comes out and goes into ministry. So, there is 1 incident when he was 12, where he got his parents, he didn't get lost. His parents got lost. So, parents, if you you know, you're having a bad day and think, I'm such a terrible parent, just think about Jesus' parents who forgot him.
Didn't miss him for 3 days, then they had to go all the way back to find him. So, of course, they were upset when they found him. They said, did you son, why did you do this to us? And his statement is just so awesome. Didn't you know?
Because he knew. Didn't you know that I had to be in my father's house? My father's house. You know, this morning, we're in our father's house. How awesome is that?
Right? We're in our father's house. So, we fast forward. Oh, yeah. So so, basically, 30 years of obscurity, he lived in Nazareth in the North, And, you know, the hub of Israel was in Judah, in Jerusalem.
And, the Southerners kinda looked down on the Northerners, because it's sort of like, if you're from the North, it's like and the others from Jerusalem, the ones in Jerusalem is like Manhattan. Right? And, if you're in the North, it's like you're from Queens or New Jersey. Right? And so, there was this disparage between the North and the South.
So, that's 1 reason that the pharisees and everybody else had trouble, even Nathaniel who became an apostle, said, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Yes. God can take anything and make it good. This was the best. The son of God comes to be baptized.
And John says to him, Lord, you should be baptizing me. And he said, it needs to be so for now. So, John baptizes Jesus and when Jesus comes up, the spirit of God comes down on him and a voice from heaven, his father says, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Alright? So, hold that thought.
Hold that thought. So, the next thing that happens is this Holy Spirit now leads him into the wilderness. So, for 40 days, he's fasting and praying. And, by the way, in the New Testament, you know, several times, Jesus is praying. Jesus is praying, and we read about that, but I want you to be very assured that he was praying his whole life, because he was in an intimate relationship with his father from day 1.
Alright? You have to kind of read between the lines. So, Jesus led into the wilderness. After 40 days, the devil comes, as he does. Right?
He's on assignment. So, sometimes we think, he's not a nice guy. But understand this, he works for God. He works for God. God uses him to accomplish his purposes.
We don't understand that the brother said, sometimes we just gotta accept things that we don't understand. Well, that's 1 of those things. So, the devil comes to tempt him, and this is where I need to go to my bible. So, I just wanna read this portion of scripture. And and if you could follow with with me, it's Sorry.
*Matthew-3:16*, we're gonna go right into 4 11. So, I'm gonna go through this pretty quick. A lot faster if I didn't keep shutting it off. Alright. So, we talked about the baptism, so sorry, we're pick it up.
In verse 1, then Jesus was led for 1 was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After 40 days and nights, he was hungry. The tempter came and said to him, if you are the son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, it is written, man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Then, the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
If you are the son of God, he said, throw yourself down for it is written, he will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Now, take note. The devil knows his bible. He's quoting scripture. He's quoting truth, but he is using it for evil.
Right? Just like he did in the garden when when Adam and Eve, when God gave them the commandment, you could eat all of the fruit in the in the garden except the knowledge of good and evil. And so, the devil comes and says, did God say? And he misquotes him. Right?
He twists the word of God. So, Jesus answered, it is also written, do not put your Lord God to the test. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you if you bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, away from me Satan, for it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve him only.
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Now, as we're going through that, did you notice something that was consistent each time the devil spoke? What did he challenge? Somebody shout it out. What God said, what did God say?
What did God say at his baptism? You are my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. God spoke that over him though Jesus knew that all his life, but in that moment for everyone to hear, God spoke that over him, you are my beloved son. That was a prophetic word for that group. So, who what does the devil target right off the bat?
If you are. He wants to see doubt. He wants to test Jesus. Now, he was wasting his time, obviously. Jesus knew who he was.
The devil knew who he was, But, it's so much more important that we know who he is. He is the son of God. He did come to die for our sins. He was raised from the dead. He is seated at the right hand of the father.
This is the key to our success because through the cross, Christ invites us in to his family. And, he crosses over a line that was impossible for us to cross because we were born in sin. We were born with a sin nature. We had no choice in that. But, God always gives us choice, and he gives us the choice to receive the free gift of salvation because Jesus paid the price, the full price for our sin.
We heard it this morning. It's in the worship. It's in the sharing, the exhortations. Jesus paid the full price for our salvation so that we would be John, we don't have time, but I'll just John-3:5-8, so that we would be born again. Jesus said to the Pharisee, Nicodemus, he answers the question before Nicodemus even answers it.
I mean, he asked it. He says, except you be born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. And so, Nicodemus is scratching his head. Right? And he's going, well, what do you mean?
How can I be born twice? Right? So, Jesus says, well, it's very simple. It's obvious, because he has a kingdom mindset. He said, you are born of the flesh.
That's your firstborn. But, the second birth is by the *Holy Spirit*. You are born again. And 2 Corinthians-5:17 says that we are new creatures. Old things have passed away.
So, God deals with the sin nature. He removes it and gives us divine nature. The Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us because now we are holy. And, it in *Ephesians-1*, I'm gonna recommend you read that on a regular basis, meditate on that, but it says, God predestined us before the *foundation of the world* to, through adoption, become sons of God through Jesus Christ. Adoption.
He's adopting us back. We were lost, And, he's bringing us home to his kingdom, and that's the invitation. That invitation is for everyone in the world because Christ came and died for the sins of the world. And, that's another thing we don't understand, How the world How we don't understand that? We have to accept that somehow God makes a way that everyone gets a choice.
Because, it's all about choice. So, if you haven't made that choice this morning, I encourage you. I encourage you. It's a simple decision that you have to make. That's what I did almost 50 years ago.
It was it was so simple, I thought, can't be that simple. It's that simple. But, it's difficult because you're giving your life over to someone else. But, the good news, you're giving that is the good news. You're giving your life to God who created you and wants to pour his love in and bless you lavishly, it tells you in in Ephesians-1.
It's a win win situation. If you refuse to do that, you are refusing to accept the gift that cost Jesus his very life. And, again, we could only wonder what it was like for the son of God to hang on a cross, went through all the mockery, all the abuse, the flogging, and then hanging on a cross. But, in the moment of his greatest pain, what did he say? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
That was the pain in his heart. That's what broke his heart. When they pushed aside, water and blood came out because his heart was broken, because his heavenly father from eternity past for before the foundation of the world, they were intimate. Intimate. And, in that moment, God turned his back because Jesus became the sin of the world.
The sin of the world. And, when we're baptized, we're baptized in water because we are recognizing, identifying with the death as we go into the water, and *resurrection of Christ*. We're resurrected to new life. Now, I'm going to leave you with this. This is how incredible this is.
When you are born of the spirit, that same holy spirit, *Genesis-1:1*, that same Holy Spirit created the world. That spirit, same spirit births you into new life. What is flesh gives forth the flesh. What is spirit births spirit. That same spirit impregnated Jesus, which was the son of God coming as a man to live as a man.
That's why he had to be baptized. He did it all as a man. It had to be. Adam was a man. He lost that privilege.
Jesus came. He was the first Adam, and he was a pattern, a type in the shadow of Jesus who came. The second Adam, he did it, and he did it right. That same spirit raised Christ from the dead. That same spirit that birthed you as a new creature.
You are the children. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are the children of God. And, God says Actually, Paul says, if God spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not through him give us all things? We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Win win win win win.
Right? We're not going to hell. We're not going to eternity of a suffering and judgment wrath of God, but no. We're going exactly the opposite way, whether we're raptured or we're whatever. However we get there, we are going to heaven, and we inherit everything.
Because why? We are the sons and daughters of God. Amen. Bless you. Let me pray for you.
Thank you, God. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Lord, we're so grateful. We're so grateful. Father, today, we can't even fully comprehend, embrace what all that means, but we know that the Holy Spirit is with us.
We know that the Holy Spirit is guiding us, that he is our teacher, and he is the 1 that gives us the revelation of who you are, and all that you have for us, this great inheritance that you have stored up for us from before the foundation of the world. But, Lord, what a privilege it is. In first John, it says, what manner of love is this, that we should be called the sons of God? That's who we are. Amen.
Bless you guys.
Would you guys give a big old hand? Thank you so much.
You're welcome, bro.
I'll grab my Amen. I'll take care of this. And, I want to invite all of you to stand. We're going to close. We're going to close like this.
He just did a wonderful job presenting the gospel. The good news of your salvation. And I believe with a crowd like this that there are people in here who maybe you've never *surrendered* your life to Jesus as Lord. I was on a walk earlier this week and the man came walking by. And I felt in my heart, was in on Highland going walking around the through the woods there.
A man came walking by and the *Holy Spirit* led me to talk to him. And I said, hey, man. I I just felt like Jesus loved you a lot. Would you mind if I take a moment to share the gospel with you? He came walking up.
As I'm sharing the gospel, goes, believe. I believe. Man, I believe Jesus is my savior. I said, you do? And then I asked him, have you ever made him your Lord?
And he goes, no. He's gotta be your Lord before he can be your savior. Lord is, I surrender. I'm going to follow you. I believe in my heart.
"I confess with my mouth". So it's not just like a lot of people teach. Hey, you can just pray this this prayer. "Get out of jail free card". He saved me.
Now go live like you want. That's not true.
Okay?
You have to believe in your heart that he died and rose from the dead, which many do, and then confess with your mouth he's my Lord. **Lord means**, I'm going to follow you instead of myself. I'm going follow what you say instead of what I feel. Doesn't mean you're to get it right every time. But in that moment when you do that, he saves you.
He becomes your Savior, forgives you of your past, present, and future sin. Puts the Holy Spirit inside. *New creation*, like he said, to lead you like a father leads a son. Even demons believe Jesus died and rose again. But demons don't follow him.
And many church people believe Jesus died and rose again. But have never surrendered their life to make him Lord. I'm gonna follow you. So as he's saying that, we're all standing here. If you know, and I'm I'm gonna pray with you in your where you are in your seat.
Okay? So, but if you know I need to surrender my life to make Jesus the Lord, I'm ready for that. I want you just right now just to slip your hand up. That's me. Raise it high.
Keep it high so I can because I wanna talk to you where you are. There's 1. Is there others? I know there are. There's always a bold 1, but who else is it?
I know I need Jesus. I didn't make Jesus the Lord of my life. Anybody else where I can see your hand? Okay. So for you and everybody else, I just want you to be praying.
Do you believe that Jesus died and rose again for you? You shake your head, yes or no? Alright. I see it. Are you ready to surrender to him?
Yes or no? Okay. I just want you to pray this prayer. You can pray it out loud. You don't have to say it where the whole church hears it, but just pray it out loud where you are.
Okay? Just say this and anybody else say say Jesus. And if Jesus are your Lord, you don't have to pray this prayer. I don't like having the whole church pray the prayer if they didn't, if you know. But if you need Jesus, "make Jesus your Lord", then you pray it.
But confess your mouth out loud. It's a bold thing. Jesus, I've been living for myself. I'm just trusting you say it because I can't hear from up here. I believe you died for my sin and I believe you rose again.
Right now, I choose to follow you instead of myself. Forgive me of my sin. Holy Spirit, come into my life and make me new. Did you did you pray that prayer? Yes.
Okay. Father, I pray for this man and anybody else. Lord, that they recognize that they're forgiven. Lord God, that this marks the start of following him as Lord, that he's saved right now. That he's your son and loved by you.
Lord God bless him. It's the start of a new thing. The new thing in his life. Lord, what an honor to get to be a part of that as many others have experienced. Also wanna ask the altar team.
Would the all the altar team come forward