What Do You See? Week 4
Tim Rivers | January 29, 2023
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I'm so thankful and so proud of you that have joined us in this 21 days of per fasting. Whether you went the full 21 days or you dipped in and out or did a combination of a couple things, whatever you gave up, food, social media, a person, , whatever it is that you gave up I'm proud of you and most of all, I believe that the Lord is proud of you. And this is one thing that I want to tell you. Don't let this 21 days be the end of it. This is not something that we just do once a year and then we go on. But let prayer and fasting be a discipline, a spiritual discipline that you practice throughout the year. Yes, listen, wait, expect there are times throughout this year where you're going to have to set some things aside. Go into some prayer and fasting, maybe a 24 hour fast.
Maybe it's social media again, whatever it is that the Lord leads you to do, let this be a practice and a discipline that you have in your walk with God regularly. Amen. Amen. Here's the second thing that we're wrapping up today. We are going to wrap up our series that we've been in. What do you see? Now, most of you already figured out. This is our vision series. What we've been doing is we've spent the last few weeks talking about what God has for us as a church as we move into this next season. And our vision is to come to know God, grow in faith, and go change the world. Can you say it with me? Come to know God, grow in faith, and go change the world. Let's say it again. Come to know God, grow in faith, and go change the world.
Oh, I'm excited and I'm very excited to preach today. I'm just warning y'all that I'm very excited to preach today and I hope you came to hear a word. If you're a guest with us, we want to say welcome to Embassy City. We're so thankful that you're here. We know that God's going to do something special for you if you're watching us online, thank you so much for piping us in wherever you are, your car, the gym, the bathroom, the bedroom, the living room, wherever you are. Thank you so much for having us a part of your spiritual journey. We believe that God moves globally anywhere. He can touch you wherever you are. So if you have your Bibles, let's go to Matthew chapter 28, the book of Matthew 28, and then just put a placeholder there. Cause we're going to Acts one as well. Matthew chapter 28. And then Acts chapter one.
I heard this the other day. I heard a pastor say this, and then I went and of course did my due diligence and looked it up to make sure he was telling the truth. But he was saying that in a typical message on the weekend, that within 72 hours, if you haven't done anything with what you heard, you didn't write it down, you haven't talked about it. You didn't go back and contemplate it, that you will have lost 98% of what you heard. Now as a pastor you're like, come on, hold on. But it actually statistically is true. So my encouragement to you is to take some notes and you don't have to be one of those professional note takers that illustrate and stuff. You've seen those people, they got pictures and comics and everything to go with the message. You don't have to do that.
But I would encourage you to take note of whatever the Holy Spirit is telling you. Sometimes it may just be a word, sometimes it may be a phrase, sometimes it's a couple of points. But we're going to go a little deeper today. Is that all right? Yes. And so if you are a note taker, get your fingers ready, get 'em warmed up. If you're not, make some mental notes. This may be a message you have to go back and watch again cause we're going to cover some material today. Amen. Amen. Matthew chapter 28, verse number 16 says, now the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him. But some doubt it. And Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Now, if you were raised like me, you had the kjv. They used to say, if it was good for the apostles, it's good for me.
Some of y'all going to get that on your way home. In the Kjv it says all power. Exia means authority. All power is given unto to me. Go there for anytime you see the word. Therefore go back and see what it's Therefore I'm already teaching. It's already, it is like two minutes because I have all authority. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. Now, if you are an English major and you read this passage, you know that there are a couple things that are important in here. One is the imperative. The imperative is to go make disciples, but then you also have the les and the principles are the method that you use to accomplish the imperative. So here, Jesus saying, the imperative is that we are to go make disciples and the parles are go baptize and teach. You have to have these three to make disciples. Some people love to baptize, but they ain't teaching. Some people love to teach, but they ain't going nowhere. Some people like to go but they don't baptize or teach. Jesus said, you want to make legit disciples. That's how you do it. So let's go to Acts chapter one. Acts chapter one,
Verse number six. And when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. Jesus has a unique way of saying none of your business just being kind. Right? It's not for you to know the times of the season. It's really what he is saying. It's mind your own business family. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. Again, depending on how you were raised, if you were raised Pentecostal
The scripture would say, you will receive power after that. The Holy Ghost has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem in an all Judea and samari to the end of the earth. And when he had said these things, they were looking on awkward, isn't it? That's exactly what they was doing. One scripture says that they were gazing, he was lifted up and a clown took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white robes, angels obviously, and said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. For the next little while. I want to preach
On the third branch of our vision, which is go change the world. Ooh, I'm so excited to preach today. Oh Lord, help me. Let's pray Heaven, many. Father, we thank you so much for your goodness and mercy. I pray, Lord, that as we dive into your word, you will give us ears to hear, heart to receive, and a mind to understand. Do what only you can do. We give your name, all the praise, all the glory, all the honor because you're worthy of it in Jesus name. And somebody say, amen. Amen. One more time, can you give Jesus some praise? Yes. Jesus. All right. So I don't want to sound like a hater and what I'm about to tell you, what I'm about to share with you sounds caral and fleshly, but I think we all have been here. So let me ask you this question. Have you ever been around somebody known someone and you really know them? Other people don't really know them, but you really know them and you see something happened in their life that seems extraordinary for them and you see them and you go, I'm happy for you, but why you
I guess I'm in a company of angels. My bad.
Anybody ever have that thought? You're like, how did you end up with that person? You ever known somebody in high school and then a few years later they connect you on Facebook and you're like, how did you get that house? How are you driving that car? How right? Anybody ever been there? But the same could be said of those who have been saved. Have you looked at somebody and ever been like, how did they come to know God? I know what they're like. How in the world are they Christians? Right? Some of y'all hadn't always been saved, right? But that's a good question to ask yourself. Let me ask you this. Why are you a Christian? What's that to marinate? Think about this. Why are you saved? Why are you here right now? Some would argue that we are saved because God wanted to fill up heaven, and so we have no benefit to God except for filling up heaven. Well, if that is true, then the best thing that God could have done for us is as soon as he became our Lord and Savior, he should have snatched up out of here. Some people are saved only because they want to escape hell. Some people are saved only because they need freedom from some thing.
Some people, their entire relationship with God is simply them trading one high for another.
They were getting drunk on these spirits. Now they want to get drunk on the spirit. Oh, I'm in the Word. And so their relationship with God becomes experiential. But can I tell you that it is in within the human heart. It is within everybody this desire to do something. We all want to leave a mark. We all know that we are creative for something bigger than what we're doing right now. And when you come to know God and you are saved and you begin to grow in your faith, that desire becomes even more increasingly strong. You begin to realize that there is more that I need to do. There is something that God wants me to do. This is why I'm saved. Yes, right? And so I want to talk about what it means to be a Christian and what God has called us to do.
But in order to do that, I want to define two terms that are found throughout the Bible. The first term is the kingdom of God. The second term is the church. Now, you have probably heard these two terms, the kingdom of God and the church used interchangeably that the kingdom of God is the church and the church is the kingdom of God. And although they are related, I want to show you they're actually different because mainly because of function. So let's define the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the transcendent and eternal rule of God. Overall things. If you take your notes, you might want to write this down. The kingdom of God is the transcendent and eternal rule of God over all things. In other words, God is above all things and he has no time. He is transcendent and he is eternal.
The kingdom of God. Kingdom literally means just to have rule reign and authority. So when we talk about the kingdom of God, we are recognizing the sovereignty of God and God being king of kings and Lord of lords. When we talk about the kingdom of God, we're talking about God having eternal power in and of himself. He shares his glory and his authority with nobody else. God is God all by himself. This is why I, Psalm chapter 1 0 3, verse 19 says, the Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all. Daniel chapter four, verse three says, how grave are his signs? How mighty His wonders, his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion endures from generation to generation. All throughout the Bible, you will hear this theme of the kingdom of God and it is referring to the kingdom or the kingship or the sovereignty of God.
Now we know that God dwells in heaven because the scripture says that heavens are his throne. The earth is his footstool, right? So God who is eternal and powerful and great, and he is the king. This God, this king decided I don't want to just relegate my dominion in heaven, but I want to have a domain outside of heaven. So he created earth. This is Genesis chapter one. So when God created earth and he created all the creatures within it, that then earth became a domain or a territory of the kingdom of God. So then God says, Hey, I need somebody that's going to be an ambassador, a representative, a resident of the kingdom of God to represent me in the earth. So he created Adam and Eve. Are you following me? So he creates Adam and Eve and he places them in a garden.
And the scripture says that Adam and Eve are made in his image and likeness. The word image is the word representative. Selem. It means representative. So Adam and Eve were created and placed in the garden to be God's representatives and ambassadors in the earth to do what? Be fruitful, multiply, replenished the earth, subdue it, and have dominion. Now, these are all kingdom terms. For most of us that are in democracy, don't really understand him. But in a monarchy, we understand dominion to be rule and reign and authority. Now, let me clarify. Adam and Eve had no authority outside of their relationship with God because they were created in the image and likeness of God to represent God in the earth. What their job was to do in the Earth is to do the will of God and represent the kingdom of God in the territory of Earth.
Yeah. Are you following me? Yes. So God gives them a command. He said, I want you to represent me. I want you to be my ambassadors, be my agents within the earth and subdue it. Bring everything in the earth under the dominion of the kingdom of heaven. Now, Adam and Eve, they begin to do the will of God. They begin to represent the kingdom of God. But Satan throws his way into the garden. He has a conversation with Eve. Now Adam and Eve, instead of representing the kingdom of God, they begin to try to become like the king apart from the king. And when they did that, they committed treason against the kingdom of God. And when they committed treason against the kingdom of God, they allowed the influence of the kingdom of darkness to come into the earth. I told you we're about to go a little deeper.
This is why Satan now is called the prince of the power of the air. He is called the God of this world because as soon as sin entered into the world, Satan begin to reign his kingdom in what is supposed to be the territory of God. And now Satan is doing what he does in his own kingdom, which is to steal, kill, and destroy, right? So God looks at the condemned condition of earth and he looks at all of his creation, which is now under the bondage of sin and under the rule and reign of darkness. And God says, I don't want my creation to remain this way. So God begins to look for a messiah, and he begins to talk about A and let his people know that a messiah is going to come. And what the Messiah is going to do is take back everything that the devil stole to reestablish the kingdom of God in the domain of earth.
So you will find over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to the coming Messiah. And God begins to look all throughout earth to see is there anybody that can represent, be an ambassador, be a witness of the kingdom of God without spotter blemish. So he finds a man by the name of Adam and Adam wasn't in. So he finds another man by the name of Noah, and Noah had his issues. So he finds a man by the name of Abraham and he says, Abraham's the guy and I'm going to raise up a nation and they're going to represent my kingdom in the earth. But we know that, that Israel also committed treason against God. So you looked at David and said, David's the great king, and he could have 40 years of peace, but David wasn't good enough. So when God got through looking all over earth to try to find somebody that could be a Messiah or mess savior, he could find nobody. So God said, if nobody else is going to do it, I got to do it all by myself. So John chapter one verse one says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God. Verse number 14 says, the word was made flesh and came and dropped among us. Now, it wasn't just a representative of heaven, it wasn't just an ambassador of heaven, it wasn't just a representative of the king. Now, the king of kings stepped out of heaven, rode himself in humanity, and came to the earth.
Things began to change because the kingdom of darkness had always dealt with representatives. The kingdom of darkness had always dealt with ambassadors. The kingdom of darkness had only dealt with those who were somewhat related to the kingdom of God. But now the prince of peace is here. In fact, Isaiah said of his government and his peace, there shall be no end. All the prophetic words that came about this representative, this Messiah, it didn't sound like a regular old man, but it sounded like God himself was about to do something fantabulous.
So Jesus comes and he begins to work and he begins to work miracles. And as he's working miracles, all the people that were watching Jesus, who first of all thought that he was just a rabbi, begin to realize that something is different about this man. What he's doing seems otherworldly. What he is doing doesn't seem like it can be contained in this earth. This doesn't seem like what we've always seen. And the Jews have were confused because they kept thinking that the Messiah was going to reestablish a physical kingdom on the earth. But when Jesus came, he said, my kingdom is not of this world. In fact, when John the Baptist began to preach about Jesus, he said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand when Jesus begin to preach. In Luke chapter four, he said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. So now Jesus is not just working miracles, but he is representing the kingdom of God as the king of kings, that that's why the deaf ears had to be unstop. Why? Because the king of glory is here. That's why lame legs had to straighten. That's why the dead had to get up. They didn't have a choice.
That's why demons had to tremble because the king of glory is here. Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts. Here is this king of glory. Woo, all. I got to slow down. I'm getting excited. Who is this king? Yeah. Demons started wondering, what in the world is he about to do? People started wondering, what in the world is he here to do? Because the kingdom of darkness began to be disrupted by the fact that the prince of pieces here, and the king of kings is here. But Satan had always used a trick. He always had one trick of his sleeves. No matter how great David was, David eventually would have to die. No matter how great Abraham was at, at some point he was going to have to die.
No matter how great Samson was, at some point he was going to have to die. And so Satan thought, you know what? If I used this trick still kill and destroy on everybody else, let me try it out on Jesus. So Jesus, as he begin to work miracles, the scripture says that Satan decided I'm going to try to kill Jesus. So now we find the king of kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of peace being brought up before the judge, before Poncho Pilate, and he's being accused of being a heretic for being somebody that's trying to pretend to be a king. And Poncho Pilate, ask Jesus. He said, are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world. Yes, because if my kingdom was of this world, my servants would fight and you wouldn't get me. But my kingdom is not of this world. Jesus reminded poncho Pilate, I told you from the beginning that I represent the kingdom of heaven and I'm here to reclaim everything that the devil thought he had stole from me.
So this brings us all the way to Matthew chapter 28, because the cross couldn't kill him. The grave couldn't hold him down. The persecution couldn't stop him. Everything that the devil thought he had on him. When Jesus got up, he said, I get up with all power in my hands. They didn't see him for three days, but for three days he'd ascended down into the lower parts of hell. He led captivity captive. He loosened the bongs of death. Hell in the grave, Jesus got up. He said, now I've got all power. I've got power over sickness. I've got power over disease. I've got power over your insecurities. I've got power over generational curses. I've got all power, all means all. There wasn't one thing left undone that Jesus didn't have the authority over. When he got up out of the grave, I feel like preaching. When he got up out of the grave, he said, all authority belongs to me. I just came to redeem, to buy back, to reclaim everything that Satan thought he had and the grasp of his hands to redeem it's compound word, it means back, re means back, and D means to buy. So Jesus bought back everything that Adam lost to the kingdom of darkness. And when he did it, Jesus said, now it's mine again.
Yeah,
Yeah, yeah. Got to redeem your story. I'm here to tell somebody. I'm going to stop and say this. Somebody here, you came in here, you say, man, I got to pass. I got to a story. I went through some stuff. You may still have some scarfs, but can I tell you that the king of kings has the ability to redeem your story, to buy back everything that the devil thought that he stole from you? He'll buy back your peace. He'll buy back your freedom. If you are bound, he'll loosen you. If you are down, he'll pick you up. If you can't walk straight, he'll straighten your path. If you feel waved, he'll give you a roadmap back home. If you are thirsty, he'll fill you with the water that won't run dry. If you are hungry, he'll be your bread of life. If you are sick, he'll be your doctor. If you are in trouble, he'll be your lawyer. Whatever you need, God's got it. Somebody give Jesus some praise in the door.
Woo.
So Jesus. So Jesus, so Jesus, yeah. Yeah. So Jesus, he came back to redeem mankind back to the kingdom of God. So Jesus came to reestablish what had been lost through Adam. Jesus became the second man, Adam. But this time he wasn't bound by the humanity that Adam was bound by. But now the scripture says that Jesus was filled with the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In other words, when Jesus came and he reclaimed earth back to God, he reestablished earth as the territory of the dominion, the kingdom of God. Yes, yes. And if the story ended there, that would be enough. If the story ended there, it would be enough. The fact that Jesus ascended and went and sat on his throne would be enough. You don't need another passage of scripture. You don't need anything else. If the story ended right there with Jesus being the king of kings and the Lord of Lords and ripping everything out of Satan's hand, it would be enough. But Jesus said, I didn't just get up and get all authority because I wanted to prove myself, but because I have authority, I want to give you authority because I've got power. I want to
Give you power. This is why Matthew chapter 28, verse number 19 says, go ye. Therefore, why four? Because I've gotten all power. Now, I'm about to give you power. Every area in your life that you feel like Satan has authority over, when you come under the dominion of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ will give you the power, the dunamus, which is where we get the word dynamite, to blow things up that the devil thought out in your life, you're like, man, why are you screaming? Because if you get this, it is going to revolutionize your life. I'm not trying to talk about something where you just crank it and try to, and some of y'all some of us, we grew up where the duna must, the power was the
We thought the power of God was just falling out. We thought the power of God is running the aisles and rolling on the ground. But then on Monday we were still struggling. Jesus said, the kind of power I give you is authority. Authority over what? Anything that the enemy has thinks that he has authority over in your life. When you come to know God, God says, it's now under my authority. It's under my domain. It's my territory. It belongs to me.
Thank you. Yes, sir. Lord him mercy. Woo. Yes.
So how do we get this power? Somebody say, how do I get this power?
How do I get this
Power? How do I get this power? Jesus, I hear you're talking about it, but what does it feel like? What is it all about? This is why I read Acts chapter one, because Luke is giving you the same account from a different perspective. Luke is giving you the same account. This all happens at the same time. And Luke says that Jesus appeared unto them. Now, Jesus had been risen out for 40 days and he appeared and to certain disciples, and now he is about to get his last charge. This is why this is called the great co mission. It means the final mission that God gives to his disciples. In Acts chapter one, he says, listen, I've got power and I'm about to go home. So the disciples were still confused because the disciples being predominantly Jews, they thought, okay, you did all this stuff. You raised from the dead. Now you're going to reestablish the kingdom of Israel. And Jesus said, you missed it. I've been telling y'all the whole time, I'm not here to establish an earthly kingdom. My kingdom is not of this earth. My kingdom cannot be contained fully in a planet,
Right?
God, his kingdom rules over everything, every galaxy, every milky way, every planet, every star, every moon, the suns, he has power overall. So the disciples were like What we supposed to do?
.
Jesus said, listen, it's none of your business what I'm going to do with my kingdom, but you will receive power. The word power is the word dunamus. Now, the word power or authority in Matthew chapter 28 is exia in the Greek, which means authority. It means rule, reign, sovereignty, and this rule and reign and sovereignty that God possesses, he now will give you power through what? The Holy Spirit. Oh, the Holy Ghost. So Jesus said, not many days from, hence from when I ascend just a few days later, I'm going to give you access to the Holy Spirit, which was contained up until Jesus won back the territory. And Jesus said, I'm going to, I'm be with you, but I shall be in you. And when I get in you that everything that I did, you will do in greater measure, I I'm with you and I know you're impressed by me feeding the fish the 5,000 with two fish and five rows of bread. I know you are impressed that I lay hands on the second and they recover. But when this power gets upon you,
You will be witnesses. So Acts chapter two, this is the birth of the church. Hundred 20 gathered in one room, right in one accord, and suddenly they appeared on them closing tongue back as the fire and sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. Begin to speak with the tongue to spirit. God gave them utters, and then that's filled out into the street. Then Acts chapter two, verse 38, Peter gives the inaugural message of what is known as the church. And the church is different than the kingdom of God because the church is the body of believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit that are empowered to become the agents or the ambassadors to represent the kingdom of God in the earth. This is why Jesus was looking down at the disciples who saw him go up and all they were doing was going, all right, I guess this is what being saved is all about.
Let's just wait to see when he comes back. And Jesus said, no, I didn't save you to keep you here. Yeah, I didn't change your life so that you could sit around and wait for me to come back. I didn't set you free so you could wait around and see when Jesus is coming back. I didn't save you. So you could get caught up in eschatology and wonder if there's 88 reasons why Jesus would come back in 88. He and some of y'all read that book. Y'all remember that book? Yes. . Jesus said, I didn't save you for you just the fill churches I didn't save you for you just walk around and say you're a Christian. I didn't save you for you just to go to heaven. I didn't save you for you to void help. I saved you to be a witness. What is a witness? A witness is somebody who can explain the fact that they've experienced something. And once you become a witness, there is no way for you to deny what you have seen, experienced or heard. Oh, oh, y'all, y'all want a definition? Okay, I got you. A Christian witness is someone who can explain the impact of Jesus Christ on their life.
Why is it that our vision doesn't stop with come to know God and grow in faith? Because if you come to know God and you grow in faith that is null and void, unless you go tell somebody about it, the last words that Jesus gave his disciples wasn't stand around and read your Bible. Stand around and pray all day. Become a monk. Become a go into a monastery. And until I come, no, Jesus said, I need y'all to go witness what you have seen and heard. Some of us, we got a story to tell about what God done in our life. If you knew where Jesus has brought me from, you wouldn't even believe it. If you knew what he brought me through, you wouldn't believe it. If you knew just where I am today compared to where I used to be, you wouldn't believe it. I'm a living witness that when the power of God gets ahold of you, it will change your life. I used to be a drug addict, but he set me free. I was on my way to prison, but he stopped the judge. I was on my way to the divorce court, but he healed my marriage. I'm a witness of what God done in my life.
Some of us, some of us. We grew up in an environment that overcomplicates being a witness. We think that I grew up in a situation, and I'm not knocking this at all, but I grew up in a situ. You weren't witnessing until you got a stack of tracks on a Saturday morning with your tie, and you were competing against the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. You were the third one at the door. Whoever was earliest got the early bird against the worm. We meet at the church at six, pray, and then we'd deploy, knock, knock,
.
And I'm not, I'm not knocking that pun intended. I'm not knocking that because I've seen many people's lives change by getting a knock on the door. But that's not the only form of witnessing. Witnessing literally means just to explain to somebody the impact that Jesus has had on your life. How am I a witness? You are a witness by telling somebody, listen fam, I was on a dark place. I have no hope. But then I came to know Jesus. And I'm not trying to convince you, I'm just telling you my story. Being a witness isn't about filling the building up. Being a witness isn't about how many numbers we have and how many sandwiches we can pass down. Being a witness is all about telling, telling people about what Jesus done in your life. And if he's done anything, he's done more than I deserve. So why do we go to change the world? Because it is the command of Jesus.
That's right.
So some of y'all like what does go mean? Where we going? I got a definition for you. Go means don't stay. I thought it was supposed to be a foreign missionary. No. Maybe a call to be a foreign missionary. Go. But go means don't stay. When the disciples heard what Jesus was telling them, they sat there and stared up in the sky what we supposed to go. Because remember, Jesus asked him that question before, right? Will you also go? And they said, where shall we go? You the one who got the words to life, but they were just used to staying with Jesus. Ooh, that's a revelation. They're going was with the man, Christ Jesus. So when he left, they had an identity crisis. Now what do I do with what I know? The angels had to come stop 'em upside the head. Pow. Stop your gazing. Stop sitting around church just staring up at the sky, waiting for Jesus to come down on the cloud. Go where we going. Well start where you're at Jerusalem and then Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts. Where are the uttermost parts of earth? Wherever God's called you to go change the world by being a witness.
A witness is a legal term when somebody is on trial and the prosecution's trying to make a case, they call a
Witness witness.
And did you know that there is no proxy for a witness If the prosecution caused their witness and their witness don't show up? They can't say, well, Johnny ain't here. But Bill saw what Johnny saw. So he's going to stand in his place inadmissible. Why? Because he can't tell it. You can't tell it like I can tell it. You can't tell the story of how God delivered me. You can't tell the story about how God made away. You can't tell the story about what God's done in my life, how I shouldn't be up here preaching, but I'm up here yelling and screaming at you because I'm a living witness of the glory of God and the kingdom of God in the
Earth.
Stop being ashamed of your story. Stop holding back. Tell somebody about what God done in your life.
Woo.
Why are you a Christian? Is to go change the world. I'm closing. I'm closing. I'm closing. I'm sorry. Woo. When you have experienced Jesus for real, for real,
For
Real, for real, you can't deny it. That's right. I can't. I can't unsee what I've seen. I can't undo what he's done. I can run from it. I can try to hide from it. I can lie about it, but I can't undo what he's done. Can we ask Peter about it? Yo Peter, you've been watching Jesus for three years now. You trying to deny him because he's about to go to the cross. He's sitting there warming his hands and he was trying to blend in with everybody else and them jokers around him. Were like, you a disciple
.
Now I ain't fam. Yeah you are. I'll prove it. Mother . Beep beep. Scripture. Say he tried to curse. You ever seen somebody that try to curse too hard? You're like, death don't even go. I can tell you where you were saved before you were saved. . He's warming his hands. Nah. Alright, I got to go somewhere else. He goes Somewhere else aint, ain't you that disciple fan? No, man, I'm out in these streets, darling. . My life hadn't been changed. Alright? Nah, nah. You a disciple fam. Alright, I got to go somewhere else. Let me go back to doing what I always did. Ooh, ooh. Even if you go back to the same club you always been to, that bartender going to be like, nah, same. You different. Something different about you. You done change. You had an encounter with somebody. No matter where you go, when you encounter Jesus, you're different. You're changed. You're a royal priesthood. You're a peculiar people. Why? Why? So that you may show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness and to his marvelous light. I promise you I'm closing. So Peter, come on, try to deny it. Isn't it amazing? But he tried to contain it. He tried to lie about it. But Acts chapter two, verse 30, it was 38 says. Then Peter said unto them, I can't deny it.
I'm sorry. I can't deny it. I've been with Jesus.
He changed my life and he preaches the inaugural message of the church. A few chapters later, we see John and Peter, they've now again persecuted to be a witness leader. It means to be a martyr. It means to give up everything what to testify, right? That willingness to die. And so John and Peter are sitting there and they're getting persecuted and they got 'em in the courts and they're like, what do we do with these jokers? They're like, Hey, we're going to beat 'em up. We're going to send 'em back into the street. And Peter and John say to them, I don't know what y'all got to do, but we can neither deny or not tell the truth about what we experienced. He said, we cannot, but speak of what we have both seen and heard. You cannot deny that God has done something in your life. So you might as well embrace it. You might as well go ahead and say, you know what? I'm done hiding. I'm done being a secret agent of the kingdom of heaven. Come on, I'm done hiding up behind rocks, hoping the enemy don't get me. When you signed up to be in the church, you signed up to be in the agency. The embassy, the ambassadorship of the kingdom of God. So everywhere that you go, you represent the kingdom of God. So what do I change? When you say change the world, what do I change? Anything that is not brought under the dominion of the kingdom of God needs to change.
Your job needs you to be a witness. Your family needs you to be a witness. Your neighborhood needs you to be a witness. South Africa needs us to be a witness. America needs us to be a witness.
Jesus.
So your job, don't stop at just coming to know God and growing in faith. The only reason why we do that is so that we can go change the
World. Your world. Our world.
Cause we are the
Church.
The church is not a location. It's a living organism. So you know your assignment. This ain't about Embassy City trying to be a megachurch. This ain't about us counting numbers. This is about us doing what the King of King told us to do. And once you come into the church, I'm sorry fam, you ain't got no option. You could either go around lying about what you experienced or just go ahead and tell him. If you do, go back to that club. Yeah, bill, I'll take the usual. That bartender is going to be like, nah, fam. Something's different. You trying to blend in where you don't fit in because you done been marked. So what are you supposed to do as a Christian? Represent the kingdom of heaven. Represent the kingdom of God. Tell somebody about Jesus, telling him about what he's done in your life. Man.
Oh God,
Man, I think about all the things that God's done in my life. I got to tell somebody, people sometimes ask me, why are you so excited? I'm like, if you only knew, Hey listen, I grew up sleeping under the pews of churches, but that don't mean I've been saved all my life. I was around the church, but at some point I had to become a part of the church. Dear Lord, we just thank you. Thank you God for drawing us into your house, for making us a part of the church. God, thank you for giving us the opportunity to come to know you, to grow in our faith. And now I pray that we be endeared with power from one high. You've made the power of the Holy Spirit available to us. So we ask you right now to fill us up with the Holy Spirit, not for our glory, not for our benefit. Not because we want a boast of things of the flesh, but fill us with power to be witnesses, to be representatives, to be ambassadors of your kingdom. Show us where we can serve. Show us where we can be your hands and your feet. Show us where we need to walk. Show us how we need to talk. Show us how we need to behave ourselves. Being part of the kingdom of God means that we walk different, we talk different.
Not because we feel like we're something better, but because we know we're part of something different. And so I pray, Lord God, as we leave this place, help us to be witnesses. Help us to go change the world in Jesus name.
Jesus.
I just feel to do this if it's all right, if you're in this place and you say, man, I need the power of the Holy Spirit at work in my life, just stand to your seat all across this place. If you're like, Hey, I want the power of the Holy Spirit in my life, just stand up right now. I tried it on my own, but it didn't work. So I got to have the power of the Holy Spirit. I tried to witness on my own, but it didn't work. I need the power of the Holy Spirit. We want you to lift your hands right now. God,
Jesus, right now, God, I pray that your power, your spirit, would fall in this place and that you would empower us to be witnesses right now. Let there be a ous dynamite power that rises within us right now. I pray, God, that you would allow us God to begin to operate in the gifts, prophecies, tongues, signs, miracles, wonders, encouragement. God, I pray that the signs which you have given to edify to build up the body of Christ may work right now in these your people. If there's been any uncomfortability or strangeness associated with, I pray that they would dissipate, dissipate. And that you would give us revelation of the sufficiency of your word, that these signs shall follow them. That believe in my name, should speak with you to us to drink any daily thing and shall out harm them. Bless your take up service. It will not hurt them. Do it right now. God, by your spirit, by your word, in Jesus' name. Somebody. Give Jesus some praise in the building right now.
