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00:00:00Well, hey, Calvary Chapel family, Lisa and I are away, and we are excited about tonight
00:00:05because we have a very special friend with us tonight.
00:00:08I always want to leave you guys in really good hands.
00:00:10And let me say, first of all, that someone recently said to me, and it's true, they said,
00:00:17Pastor Jack, Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills staff, pastors, teaching, you guys have a deep bench.
00:00:24And that means we've got guys on staff in line, and they are great.
00:00:29And you all know that.
00:00:31But tonight we have one of our guests visiting, Pastor Greg Denham.
00:00:37He pastors Rise Church in beautiful San Marcos, California, down San Diego way.
00:00:42And he's been with us before.
00:00:44I love this guy's heart.
00:00:46I love this guy's heart for Israel and for America, but most importantly, for biblical truth and the gospel.
00:00:53So friends, get your hearts ready, your Bibles open.
00:00:56Give a warm welcome to Pastor Greg Denham.
00:00:59Yay.
00:01:03Ah, good evening, everybody.
00:01:05It is really good to see you.
00:01:07And you know what?
00:01:07This is a really big church.
00:01:10And I just want to pray for Pastor Jack.
00:01:12I love Pastor Jack.
00:01:14How many of you remember 2020 and that crazy lockdown?
00:01:18Remember COVID?
00:01:18Does anybody remember COVID?
00:01:20You know, your great pastor, like he heard from the Lord, you got to open the church.
00:01:25You got to open the church May 31st.
00:01:27Some of you remember this, right?
00:01:29Now, what he didn't know at the time, and I think I'm accurate with this, I'm pretty sure, right?
00:01:35Is that he didn't know that it was actually, actually biblically and historically Shavuot or Pentecost.
00:01:42It was when, of course, Peter stood up and he said, you men of Israel, hear these words,
00:01:47Jesus of Nazareth, and gave the gospel of 3,000 Jews coming to faith in the Lord Jesus.
00:01:53And then, of course, it's impacted the entire world.
00:01:56And, but he led leaders in California.
00:02:01And he did because he's a leader, right?
00:02:03And I'm so grateful for him.
00:02:05And I just, I just want to pray real quick.
00:02:07Lord, thank you for Pastor Jack and pray.
00:02:10He would have a wonderful time of rest and renewal.
00:02:14And, and Lord, we know you're here.
00:02:16Just what a blessing it has been to inhabit the praises of your people and your, your beautiful presence.
00:02:24And I, I pray we would not only be informed, but transformed tonight.
00:02:29In fact, just in an attitude of prayer, because we were praying this earlier, you guys,
00:02:33I pray every one of you would be edified.
00:02:35That means nourished and built up.
00:02:37That every one of you would be encouraged.
00:02:40Every one of you would be comforted by the Holy Spirit.
00:02:44The Holy Spirit would give a peace that surpasses understanding.
00:02:47And also, I pray no one would leave here without turning to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
00:02:53So we pray, Lord, for the greatest miracle of all, which is salvation to occur.
00:02:58And I pray no one would leave here without you.
00:03:01And I ask these things in Jesus' name.
00:03:03Everyone who agreed said?
00:03:04Amen.
00:03:05Amen.
00:03:06Hey, by the way, if you've yet to receive Jesus Christ, I just want you to know the doors are
00:03:10locked.
00:03:10You cannot leave.
00:03:11No, I'm just joking.
00:03:13You know, Pastor Jack, I saw him pull out his iPhone last week.
00:03:17I was watching online.
00:03:18And to make sure he was on time, right?
00:03:22So if Pastor Jack can pull his iPhone out in the pulpit, I can pull my iPhone out in the
00:03:28pulpit.
00:03:29Okay.
00:03:29Kind of dumb.
00:03:30Sorry about that.
00:03:31But I just want to make sure I got the right time.
00:03:33You guys, Acts chapter 1.
00:03:35I want you to turn there.
00:03:36Acts chapter 1.
00:03:37And I want to begin with a statement by author Sandra Rieker.
00:03:42She said,
00:03:43I realize this is a painful metaphor for many of us, but it is unfortunately appropriate.
00:03:51The great tragedy of Alzheimer's disease is that it robs a person of themselves by robbing them of their memory,
00:03:58of their experiences and relationships.
00:04:00Hence, an elderly woman with Alzheimer's can watch her own children walk through the door and need to ask their
00:04:08names.
00:04:09She said,
00:04:10The church has a similar condition.
00:04:14Just as an Alzheimer's patient must ask the name of their own children,
00:04:18the church watches her ancestors walk through the door with a similar response.
00:04:24And the end result is the church does not know who she is because she does not know who she
00:04:31was.
00:04:33You know, sometimes the way forward is the way back, actually.
00:04:37The way back is the way forward.
00:04:40You say, what are you talking about?
00:04:41I'm talking about rediscovering the ground floor of the Jesus movement.
00:04:46Not 1970s Calvary Chapel.
00:04:49I'm talking about Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.
00:04:52Because the reality is if we lose our story, we lose our identity.
00:04:56That's true in America.
00:04:58Because our story is the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation.
00:05:05We lose that story.
00:05:07We lose our identity, right?
00:05:08You guys, we're living in really unique times.
00:05:13Kind of sounds like a preacher, but it's true.
00:05:15The context of the times in which we are living are times of radical acceleration.
00:05:21COVID brought that to us.
00:05:24That ideas matter.
00:05:25That belief matters, right?
00:05:27That leadership matters.
00:05:29That policy matters.
00:05:30I'll prove the point here.
00:05:32Have you ever heard a guy named Fauci?
00:05:34Right?
00:05:34I mean, okay.
00:05:35Prove the point.
00:05:36Leadership matters, right?
00:05:38By the way, governors matter.
00:05:39During COVID, Governor Newsom issued an executive orders that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled were unconstitutional.
00:05:47So at times he was actually leading contrary to the Constitution.
00:05:51And at the same time, COVID revealed evil.
00:05:56Numerous Trojan horses.
00:05:58Remember them?
00:06:00Black Lives Matter, which is just Marxism, really.
00:06:03And the blessed Charlie who was in heaven, he said, you know, that was the summer of civilizational arson.
00:06:10Then you had October 7th, 2023.
00:06:13Oh, what a day that was.
00:06:15In Israel.
00:06:16Israel's 9-11.
00:06:171,200 people, like, murdered.
00:06:21I've seen pictures, actually, that has never been published.
00:06:25I mean, the demonic reality that took place is just beyond words.
00:06:31The raping of women, targeting children, taking 263 hostages.
00:06:36It ignited, interestingly, a global firestorm.
00:06:41You say, yeah, against Tomas?
00:06:42No, against Israel.
00:06:44It was so weird.
00:06:46A firestorm of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism and anti-Israel.
00:06:52The reality is, everybody, that the nature of Israel is the ultimate gaslighter.
00:06:58It deflects in order to desensitize, to destroy.
00:07:03And what we've seen after 2023, October 7th, is also a skyrocketing of a doctrine, a teaching,
00:07:11that without bullets or bombs seeks to erase and replace Israel in God's divine purposes.
00:07:20It's called replacement theology.
00:07:22And by the way, just last night in Michigan, the Democratic primary there for Senate,
00:07:28Abdul El-Sayed, won, interestingly, sadly.
00:07:33His whole campaign is framed by making Israel the scapegoat for America's problems.
00:07:41So it's kind of like this.
00:07:42Hey, we've got problems in America.
00:07:44You know, we need to invest more in our kids.
00:07:46Oh, goodness.
00:07:47Look, this is his ideas.
00:07:48Look what we're doing.
00:07:49You know, we're supporting our ally.
00:07:52We're sending funding to Israel.
00:07:54It's all a Trojan horse.
00:07:57It's all a form of deception, right?
00:08:00Playing off of Israel.
00:08:02Then there was the assassination of our dearest, dearest Charlie, who was on this very stage
00:08:07so many times with Pastor Jack.
00:08:12And, you know, when he went to heaven afterwards, man, there was an awakening across our country
00:08:18and across the world and in Israel where many were turning to the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:08:24And what Charlie left us, we all know this.
00:08:27I'm going to get to my point in a second.
00:08:28But what he left us was his faith.
00:08:31And that was his desire, right?
00:08:33Can I hear a big amen to that?
00:08:34So beautiful.
00:08:35Then the attacks, then the attacks to delegitimize his leadership, to attack his precious wife,
00:08:44just flat out demonic.
00:08:47My point is, is we're living in times of acceleration where ideas matter, belief matters.
00:08:54And the point is, is that, like, game is on, everybody.
00:08:58Game is on regarding evil.
00:08:59Game is on regarding the gospel.
00:09:01Game is on regarding truth and living it out.
00:09:05And this brings us to the importance of the ground floor of the Jesus movement.
00:09:11Because we're going to study a bunch of stuff here.
00:09:14I mean, the title of the message is Israel, the test of our time.
00:09:16Will you pass the test?
00:09:17But we've got a lot to talk about.
00:09:19But the chief question after resurrection was, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
00:09:28Israel, that's in the mind of the first followers of Jesus after resurrection.
00:09:33Israel became the focus.
00:09:35Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus ascends from the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem
00:09:43with the guarantee he's going to return back to Zion.
00:09:48Zion means hell.
00:09:50It refers to Jerusalem.
00:09:52Jesus is identified as the Christ.
00:09:55It's not his last name.
00:09:58It's his throne name.
00:10:01It says that he's going to be the one.
00:10:03He's the Davidic king who will rule on planet Earth, epicenter Jerusalem.
00:10:08Can I hear a big amen to that?
00:10:10Right?
00:10:11Okay, so watch this.
00:10:12Anybody who promotes ideas that Zion does not have a future in God's plan and purposes is really,
00:10:19this is not hyperbole, is really anti-Christ.
00:10:25Christ means anointed one.
00:10:27He is the Davidic king.
00:10:30Jesus Christ.
00:10:31Lord Jesus Christ.
00:10:33Christ Jesus.
00:10:35I mean, like 300 times in the New Testament.
00:10:37The point is, that title associated with his name is his throne name.
00:10:43Israel and the person and work of Jesus, I'll tell you, it's the test of our time and we
00:10:49have to pass it.
00:10:50But here's the bullseye we're going after first, okay, because we're going to cover a
00:10:53couple of things.
00:10:54We've got a couple of scriptures I want to show you.
00:10:55Look, there's a connection between the Holy Spirit coming upon the church, then what,
00:11:01we're going to read this in a second.
00:11:02Then it says fear came upon the church.
00:11:05Fear?
00:11:06And then it says they walked in the fear of God.
00:11:10So check this out.
00:11:11You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come, what's the next word to you guys?
00:11:18Upon you, right?
00:11:19And you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
00:11:24Okay, what's the next verse?
00:11:25Watch.
00:11:26Then, this is the next chapter, then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and
00:11:32signs were done to the apostles.
00:11:35And then we have another verse we're going to look at.
00:11:37Then the churches throughout all Judea and Galilee, Samaria, had peace and were built up, edified,
00:11:45walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and they were multiplied.
00:11:52So if you haven't heard anything up to this point, I really want you to focus on this.
00:11:59What is the common thread between the Holy Spirit coming upon the church, like baptizing
00:12:07the church, immersing them?
00:12:10Then fear came upon the church.
00:12:14Then they walked in the fear of God and the help of the Holy Spirit.
00:12:21You guys, like, that question is really one of the most important questions as far as I'm concerned
00:12:27to actually ask, because there is a connection between all of those.
00:12:33First of all, look, we've got to think clearly about what fear is.
00:12:36When it talks about the fear of God coming upon the church, and they're walking in the fear
00:12:40of God, it's not that they were fearful that God would hurt them.
00:12:46You know, the Bible speaks of fear in a variety of ways.
00:12:49In fact, if you're writing down notes, can I suggest, just write this down.
00:12:52There is the fear of a threat to harm, which then produces a fight or flight response.
00:13:00And that's actually an important fear to have.
00:13:02Like, the disciples are on the boat, Jesus is in the boat, right?
00:13:07Winds and waves, like, huge, they feel threatened.
00:13:13They cannot fight the waves.
00:13:17They cannot flee because they're on a little boat.
00:13:21And Jesus ends up saying to them, why do you fear, O ye of, can someone tell me, O ye
00:13:28of what?
00:13:28Little faith.
00:13:29Okay, listen, that's a great question, actually.
00:13:33So pause here for a second.
00:13:34You know, James and John were on that boat.
00:13:37I don't know who owned the boat, but James and John's dad had a fishing business.
00:13:42So use a little imagination.
00:13:44I think it's okay to kind of go this way.
00:13:46But, I mean, you could have maybe had John afterwards say, Jesus, you know, we woke you
00:13:51up.
00:13:52We were fearful.
00:13:52We thought we were going to die.
00:13:53You calmed the raging seas and stuff.
00:13:55But let me tell you, since you asked, why did we fear?
00:13:59Can I tell you?
00:14:00Since you were raised in Nazareth and you are a carpenter, we are professional fishermen.
00:14:09And my dad has lost boats on this lake.
00:14:12And when the waves are this big, people die.
00:14:17So, I'll just tell you, that's why we were all freaking out.
00:14:23And the point is this, like, faith does not deny problems.
00:14:29It just moves to the second part of the question.
00:14:32Why do you fear, O ye, of little what?
00:14:35Faith.
00:14:36Well, faith has an object.
00:14:39The object is God.
00:14:41So the idea is, hey, maybe you're going through an incredible trial and adversity.
00:14:46I mean, the size of the group here, I know many are.
00:14:50Just know this, okay?
00:14:51Problems are real.
00:14:53But God is in the boat.
00:14:55And that's the point.
00:14:56Like, that's why, like, James would say, count it all joy when you fall into various trials
00:15:02and things.
00:15:03So why?
00:15:04Because it's a test of your faith.
00:15:07Our faith is in God.
00:15:10All right?
00:15:11God who never fails.
00:15:14Can I hear another big amen to that?
00:15:16So it's like, okay.
00:15:17I mean, look, if someone's threatening you, right, you need to either flee or fight them
00:15:24to protect your children or something.
00:15:26But, I mean, there is the fear of a threat, right?
00:15:29Number two, just jot this down real quick.
00:15:31There's the fear of the future.
00:15:33Like, like the what-if seesaw that robs us from the present.
00:15:38You know, Jesus said, don't worry about tomorrow.
00:15:41For tomorrow will worry about its own things.
00:15:44Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
00:15:47So he's just saying, okay, watch this.
00:15:49Hey, be present.
00:15:52In fact, we're going to get to fear in a little bit.
00:15:54You know, the fear of God is to be present in his presence.
00:15:59And I'm like, I'm conscious, okay, like the Lord is here with us, right?
00:16:04He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
00:16:07So it's like, look, Jesus is saying, don't worry about tomorrow.
00:16:10He gives us a solution.
00:16:12He says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall
00:16:18be added to you.
00:16:20And, of course, he's working all things out for the good.
00:16:22But, look, if you want to boil down prophecy, if prophecy means anything, and it does, it
00:16:28means there's the future.
00:16:30We are headed into the future.
00:16:33Jesus has taken control of the future, hence the future is in really good hands.
00:16:39And that means you as well, as his son or daughter.
00:16:44We are in his arms, and he doesn't fumble any of us.
00:16:49It's like he's got this.
00:16:50Okay, write this down here, taking notes.
00:16:52Number three, there's the fear that actually paralyzes our movement, taking ground in God's
00:16:58will in our lives.
00:16:59It kind of undermines the go for it.
00:17:03Paul wrote, Timothy, God has not given us the spirit of fear, of timidity, or, you
00:17:10know, kind of a deer in the headlight, you know, existence where I'm paralyzed to move
00:17:15forward, but he's given us power and love and a sound mind.
00:17:21Okay, jot one more down.
00:17:23There's the fear, because we're going to get to the fear of God in a moment, but there's
00:17:26the fear that makes what is not real seem real.
00:17:30Like, let me ask you a question.
00:17:32Like, as a child, did you ever, like, were you ever fearful of looking underneath your
00:17:38bed?
00:17:39I'm just curious.
00:17:40Now, I would really like to see a response here.
00:17:42Or looking in the closet, or am I just the only one?
00:17:44I mean, how many of you are at times like, I just don't want to look under the bed.
00:17:48I'm just a little weird about the closet.
00:17:50Anybody, anybody like that?
00:17:51Oh, no, I'm just the only one.
00:17:53I thought, I mean, no.
00:17:54I mean, that's like the fear that makes what is not real seem real, right?
00:18:03It's kind of the boogeyman.
00:18:04Like, I had a sibling who, in the old days, we had these dial phones.
00:18:07Some of you will remember.
00:18:09Like, he would, like, dial our phone number and then hang up, and then it would ring.
00:18:15And then he'd pick it up and he'd say, hello, boogeyman.
00:18:18How are you doing?
00:18:19I mean, so you're going to be at Greg's window.
00:18:21I mean, it's great.
00:18:21You know, tonight, he used to freak me out.
00:18:24You know, I'm thinking to myself, it's not true.
00:18:26It's not true.
00:18:27But then it would always get in my head.
00:18:28You know?
00:18:29I mean, what is not real seems real.
00:18:32I think of Elijah after a major victory.
00:18:35He's afraid, and he runs for his life.
00:18:37He's hiding in a cave.
00:18:38And he says, I'm the only one left.
00:18:40And, you know, he's depressed.
00:18:41I mean, he's come off a great victory.
00:18:45There's relational conflict.
00:18:47He's super, super tired.
00:18:49And everything's piling up.
00:18:51And he's just feeling really, really alone.
00:18:54But he wasn't alone.
00:18:55And the Lord said, look, you're not the only one left.
00:18:57I got thousands.
00:18:58There's a faithful remnant here.
00:19:00But the Bible says we need to take every thought captive.
00:19:03You know, don't be anxious about anything.
00:19:07Okay.
00:19:07So it gets us to the question.
00:19:09What is the fear that came upon the first followers of Jesus?
00:19:14The answer is, it is a fear that made what is real, really real.
00:19:23And the greatest reality of all is the Lord himself.
00:19:27So, in other words, this fear was being overwhelmed with the greatness of God.
00:19:33And it's connected.
00:19:34Now, check this out.
00:19:35It's connected to when the Holy Spirit came upon the church.
00:19:39Remember, Jesus said the Holy Spirit is with you.
00:19:43Then he's going to be in you.
00:19:44Like, you have a glass of water.
00:19:46The water's outside of you, right?
00:19:47Then you can drink it so the water's in you.
00:19:50But one day, the Holy Spirit's going to come upon you.
00:19:53It's this baptism, this idea of immersion, where now, like, God is not just in you, but
00:20:02he is overflowing in your life.
00:20:05It's like you've been immersed.
00:20:07You've been baptized.
00:20:08Now you're dripping wet.
00:20:10I mean, think of the ocean.
00:20:12The ocean, I grew up near the ocean.
00:20:14It's beautiful.
00:20:15It's super big, super powerful.
00:20:17It's inviting.
00:20:18It's refreshing.
00:20:20You know, it's healing.
00:20:22But you can't lose the off factor because it's also dangerous.
00:20:27I mean, there's a healthy fear that needs to accompany it.
00:20:31When the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus, it was like it could be said a wave
00:20:37coming upon them, overcoming them, being immersed.
00:20:43And now they are more aware than ever before.
00:20:48It's like, my goodness gracious, the Lord is in our midst.
00:20:51The Holy Spirit is with us.
00:20:54And it was not only a demonstration that the Lord was active in their midst, in power and
00:20:59purpose, but it led to a greater sense of holiness as well.
00:21:04Now, we don't have time to develop.
00:21:06Let me just remind you, Acts chapter 5.
00:21:08You know, remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira?
00:21:11They were a couple, and they conceived a deception and misrepresentation in the church.
00:21:18In fact, we have this verse on the screen where Peter says, why has Satan filled your
00:21:24heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?
00:21:27Why have you conceived this thing in your heart?
00:21:30And it says, so great fear came upon the church.
00:21:35Like, what is going on there?
00:21:36Well, I mean, to make a long story short, Ananias and Sapphira sold some piece of real
00:21:43estate.
00:21:44Let's say they made like $200,000 and they gave $150,000, you know, to the church.
00:21:50They didn't even have to do this.
00:21:59And Peter, by the help of the Holy Spirit, by a word of knowledge, reveals to them, hey,
00:22:08this is something you cooked up in your heart.
00:22:10There's a deception.
00:22:10It's a form of hypocrisy.
00:22:13And when he brought it to their attention, they both dropped dead, actually.
00:22:19You say, well, what's going on there?
00:22:20Did Peter read their minds?
00:22:22No, no, Peter didn't read their minds.
00:22:25It was God in their midst who actually revealed their thoughts.
00:22:30So now they're like, whoa, like the Lord, I mean, our thoughts were revealed.
00:22:36And having this fear, you guys, is actually a rescue.
00:22:41Like, what's the rescue?
00:22:43The rescue is that we need to realize we're not the only ones that see our thoughts.
00:22:50You know, Genesis 3 tells us that sin did not begin with an action.
00:22:55It began with an idea.
00:22:57It began with a belief.
00:23:00I mean, ideas matter.
00:23:02In fact, let me put it this way, belief is more than just ideas in your mind.
00:23:09They have an impact in your life.
00:23:11I mean, think of what Jesus said, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
00:23:16son, that whosoever believes, believes shall not perish, break down now and forever, but
00:23:22have everlasting life, right?
00:23:24If you continue in my word, you'll be my disciples.
00:23:26You'll know the truth.
00:23:27The truth shall set you free.
00:23:30Science has actually caught up, like, to the reality, hear me now, that what informs our
00:23:39thinking, ideas in our head, has a radical impact even down to the cellular level.
00:23:48I mean, this is like, you know, neuroscience, right?
00:23:50Which has revealed that belief shapes the brain, influences the body down to the cellular level,
00:23:56impacts the trajectory of a person's health, relationships, even legacy.
00:24:00It's called neuroplasticity.
00:24:03What we think, how we think, matters.
00:24:08We can't control, like, every thought, you know, that enters our mind.
00:24:13We can't control whether a bird flies over our head, but we can't control whether we allow
00:24:18that bird to build a nest on our head, right?
00:24:22It's true.
00:24:23And this is where the fear of God comes in.
00:24:26Because the fear of God is what interrupts thoughts before they become patterns.
00:24:34And that matters.
00:24:37You know, in Psalm 1, I just want to just quickly say, you know, it's like the gateway to the
00:24:42Psalms.
00:24:42Blessed is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners,
00:24:48nor sits in the seat of the squirtle.
00:24:49There's actually this progression there.
00:24:52Now, what informs your thinking impacts the direction of your life that will then impact your very sense of identity,
00:25:01whether good or bad.
00:25:03But the point is, watch, the fear of God, like, hey, I'm not the only one that sees my thoughts.
00:25:12The fear of God is actually a rescue.
00:25:15I mean, that is so important.
00:25:17And that's what was being revealed in the early church.
00:25:20So here's point number one.
00:25:21We have it up on the screen.
00:25:23To fear God is to rightly manage our thinking, which brings rescue and healing,
00:25:29since our thoughts impact us neurologically, biologically, and eternally.
00:25:36And watch this.
00:25:37By the time we get to chapter 9, good job for hanging in there, you guys.
00:25:41Chapter 9, verse 31.
00:25:44Now they're walking in the fear of God.
00:25:46It's like, what do you mean?
00:25:48It's like they're walking conscious that God is with them, present in his presence.
00:25:57The Holy Spirit is alongside of them and dwells the church, overflowing.
00:26:01It's like they're dripping with God's presence, overflowing to impact other people's lives.
00:26:07And it tells us that they walked in the fear of God and in the comfort or the guidance of
00:26:14the Holy Spirit,
00:26:15and they were multiplied.
00:26:16So what does this all mean?
00:26:18It means that they were present in his presence, as I've been saying.
00:26:23And in doing so, they were guided by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit.
00:26:28They were gifted by the Spirit, and they multiplied.
00:26:33And point number two is, we have it up on the screen, walking in the fear of God works hand
00:26:38in glove
00:26:39with the help and gifting and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
00:26:46Can I hear another amen to that?
00:26:48So it's like, okay, walking in the fear of God.
00:26:50Not that he's going to hurt me.
00:26:51I mean, no, I'm conscious of his presence.
00:26:54Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
00:26:58It's like if I lose the fear, if I lose that healthy fear, watch this, I lose an ear to
00:27:05hear him.
00:27:07Retaining that fear is absolutely essential.
00:27:09Spurgeon said, the more a man fears God, the more he yields to the Spirit's leading.
00:27:16I love that.
00:27:18So we're going to come back to that.
00:27:21And I'm looking at time here.
00:27:22Oh, we're making great time.
00:27:25We're going to come back to that.
00:27:26But you guys, the ground floor of the Jesus movement.
00:27:30So this is so important for the time in which we live.
00:27:33It actually brought Israel front and center, which has become really the test of our time.
00:27:41After the resurrection, watch, Peter, James, and John.
00:27:44Jesus, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
00:27:50Jesus' sins, we were talking about earlier, right?
00:27:53With a guarantee from the angel, he's going to come back in like manner.
00:27:57Zechariah 14.4, he's going to set his feet back on the Mount of Olives,
00:28:02overlooking Zion.
00:28:04Zion means hill refers to Jerusalem.
00:28:06Then 10 days later, 50 days after the resurrection, Peter directs his message.
00:28:11Hear this, you men of Israel.
00:28:14The gospel was first preached to Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
00:28:20And then we have it on the screen.
00:28:21Peter ends up saying to his generation, repent therefore, return to the Lord,
00:28:28that he may send Jesus Christ, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration
00:28:34of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all of his holy prophets since the
00:28:41world began.
00:28:43Look, it could be said this, hear me.
00:28:44Now, we're talking about the second coming, not talking about the rapture here.
00:28:48But the world will not see, actually, the second coming of Jesus when we are with him.
00:28:55We'll talk about this in a moment.
00:28:56When we're with him and rule and reign with him, they will not see a second coming until
00:29:03Jerusalem.
00:29:04Our Jewish friends say, as Jesus said, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
00:29:09Peter was saying, look, you've got a course correct.
00:29:12I mean, it's essential, actually, for him to send the Lord Jesus.
00:29:17And, of course, what is, like, the return of Jesus?
00:29:20It's multifaceted.
00:29:21Watch this.
00:29:22I mean, Jesus is coming again, right?
00:29:25The dead in Christ shall rise first.
00:29:29We who are alive and remain shall be caught up.
00:29:32There will be a reunion with those who have gone before us.
00:29:35Then it is in prep for the return and the reign of Jesus Christ.
00:29:42And we are going to reign with Jesus here on planet Earth.
00:29:47Okay?
00:29:47So watch this.
00:29:48Here's what's, you can clap there.
00:29:51I love that.
00:29:51I know.
00:29:52That's true, right?
00:29:52So good.
00:29:54Here's what's essential, everybody.
00:29:56Okay?
00:29:57It's essential we understand, like, where everything is headed.
00:30:01No, it is.
00:30:02It's like the great Canadian hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, once said.
00:30:06Good players skate to where the puck is, but great players skate to where it will be.
00:30:13So where is the puck heading?
00:30:18The answer is to a single brewing conflict over Zion, Jerusalem, commonly known as the Battle
00:30:29of Armageddon.
00:30:30When a world leader inspired by demonic power called the Antichrist will arise.
00:30:38Like the Roman emperors of old, he'll claim to be God.
00:30:42He will lead all nations against Jerusalem, Zion, to fight against the reign of the Davidic king
00:30:52called the Christ, which means the anointed one and his throne.
00:30:56Let's be clear.
00:30:58This is the final fight.
00:31:00The ultimate showdown between truth and deception.
00:31:04Between light and darkness, God and Satan, good and evil.
00:31:08Between Jesus Christ and Antichrist.
00:31:11And evil does not win.
00:31:12Amen.
00:31:13So the question is, watch this.
00:31:15The question is, and we're going to get back to like fearing the Lord walking in the power
00:31:18of the Holy Spirit in a moment.
00:31:20But watch this.
00:31:21The question is, what are the microcurrents?
00:31:24You know, what are the, well, how many of you saw that story of the lifeguard that saved
00:31:29that 10-year-old boy?
00:31:30Now, raise your hand.
00:31:31Let me see real quick.
00:31:32I mean, was that like beautiful or what?
00:31:34I think he was 18 or 16.
00:31:36He was a, 16, that's right.
00:31:38He was a rookie lifeguard.
00:31:40Our president's going to honor him at the White House.
00:31:42His name is Ryder Williams.
00:31:44He's a flat-out hero.
00:31:46I mean, he's, I'll tell you, that boy would have drowned.
00:31:48I mean, he was already losing consciousness and things.
00:31:53But think about what a lifeguard does real quick.
00:31:55A lifeguard sees big picture, identifies dangers before they become life-threatening, is proactive,
00:32:05intervenes before death, intervenes before death.
00:32:12And I love lifeguards.
00:32:13I mean, through the years, I actually approach them all the time, and I ask them this one
00:32:17question.
00:32:18I said, look, out of 10 people you rescue, how many of them were aware that they were in
00:32:24danger?
00:32:25And I've had a lot of lifeguards say, 7 out of 10 had no idea they were in danger.
00:32:32And I'm saying that, hear me, you guys, because in a way, we're like lifeguards.
00:32:39And this means that we're going to see dangerous riptides before other people do.
00:32:47Are you guys tracking with me on this?
00:32:49It's like, I mean, I had a friend, a lifeguard, I'm not kidding.
00:32:52He's like going out to save this guy.
00:32:54And the guy goes, I don't want to be, I don't want to be rescued.
00:32:57And I, if I remember, Greg, I thought he punched him.
00:33:00You know what I mean?
00:33:00It's like, I mean, you got to wake up here.
00:33:02Because you, it's, you're in a very dangerous place.
00:33:04So it's like, if we're kind of like lifeguards, we see big picture, we know what the final fight is,
00:33:12then we have
00:33:12understanding of what the currents are that's shaping the here and now, that's shaping a generation to be on the
00:33:21wrong side of the final fight.
00:33:23We're called to be salt and light.
00:33:25So it's like, what are the microcurrents that are influencing this generation that ultimately lead to Armageddon?
00:33:35One of them is, I want to go through this real quick, but one of them is, we are seeing
00:33:39a de-Christing of Jesus.
00:33:42As I mentioned earlier, Christ means anointed, refers to the promised Davidic king, the son of David, loosely translated, Jesus
00:33:49the king.
00:33:50I mean, this is Tucker Carlson, who names the name of Christ, but somehow in his, in his thinking, Christ
00:33:58loses his throne.
00:34:00Because his throne is in Zion, right?
00:34:05There's a future there.
00:34:07He de-Christ's Jesus.
00:34:10Further, listen, we know this Revelation 12, now this is during the tribulation period, but nonetheless, we see such currents
00:34:18today.
00:34:18Listen, Satan has public enemy number one and public enemy two on his list.
00:34:23Number one is Israel.
00:34:25Number two are followers of the king of Israel, who's the savior of the world.
00:34:32Jesus.
00:34:34Christians.
00:34:35I mean, are you surprised that the number one persecuted religion in the world are Christians?
00:34:41I mean, are we surprised that there's a radical rise of anti-Semitism?
00:34:48And as I mentioned earlier, without using bullets and bombs, the teaching that erases and replaces Israel, called replacement theology?
00:34:55It leads us to the question, are the Jewish people still God's chosen people?
00:35:03The answer is absolutely.
00:35:05Now watch, someone might say, well, Israel broke the Sinai covenant and God rejected them.
00:35:11No, God did not reject them.
00:35:14God promised a better covenant.
00:35:18In fact, check this out.
00:35:19I think we have it up on the screen.
00:35:21The days are coming.
00:35:22Oh, I love this.
00:35:24Oh, you know what?
00:35:24I'm nearsighted, yet I can still read this.
00:35:26I love it.
00:35:27But the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a, what's the next word, you guys?
00:35:33New what?
00:35:35Covenant?
00:35:36Yay.
00:35:36And how many of you remember Passover, right?
00:35:39Jesus said, this cup is the what?
00:35:42New covenant in my blood.
00:35:46Which actually, we're going to get to this a little bit, guarantees the preservation of Israel.
00:35:52Okay, so make a new covenant with the people of Israel, with the people of Judah.
00:35:56It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to
00:36:02lead them out of Egypt because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the Lord.
00:36:09In other words, you got a really good covenant coming your way.
00:36:13Others say, but when the Jewish nation rejected Jesus, God rejected them forever.
00:36:18God says the exact opposite.
00:36:20We have this on the screen, Romans 3.
00:36:24What if some were unfaithful?
00:36:26Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness?
00:36:29Not at all.
00:36:31Let God be true and every man being a liar.
00:36:36And then this next verse, Romans 11, it's like, you know, someone ought to say, hey, Tucker, you got to
00:36:42ask, ask Paul if God has rejected Israel.
00:36:46Because Paul's very clear.
00:36:47I say then, has God cast away his people?
00:36:51Certainly.
00:36:52Let's all say it together.
00:36:53Not.
00:36:54Okay?
00:36:55For I am also an Israelite.
00:36:57Of the seed of Abraham, the tribe of Benjamin, God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew.
00:37:04And then it goes on to say, Romans 11, 26, all Israel will be saved.
00:37:10You know, Michael Vlock, he's a great theologian.
00:37:12Good job for hanging in here, you guys.
00:37:15He said, how should Christians today understand Israel as God's people?
00:37:20He said, the answer begins by recognizing that, quote, the people of God, unquote, concept includes more than one dimension.
00:37:30On the one hand, there's national, historical, and functional role that belongs uniquely to the nation of Israel, even when
00:37:37the people is unrepentant.
00:37:39On the other hand, Scripture teaches that a saving relationship with God comes through personal faith.
00:37:46Recognizing this distinction helps explain how Paul can insist that faith is necessary to belong to God's family while still
00:37:56referring to Israel, even in a state of unbelief, as God's people.
00:38:03Now, look, this brings us to the task that is like in living color before our very eyes today, in
00:38:11broad daylight.
00:38:14And that is what Iran has been attempting to do to Israel for so many years.
00:38:22You know, Hitler believed in a superior race.
00:38:27The Iranian Islamic leadership believed in a superior faith.
00:38:34And their aim is to destroy not only Israel, but Western civilization, and then replace it with a new Islamic
00:38:41world order.
00:38:44Here's the thing, and you're so well-taught, I know you know this, but let me just say it this
00:38:47way.
00:38:48If we fail to pass this test, in other words, that the existence of Israel in the Middle East reveals
00:38:57the enemy of humanity that we face today,
00:39:03a new Islamic world order, and the false god of Allah, if we don't pass that test, we end up
00:39:11cursing ourselves.
00:39:14Because the Scriptures say, you bless those who bless you, I'll curse those who curse you.
00:39:19You say, how do you, what do you mean curse yourself?
00:39:21Well, we have failed to expose, recognize, and fight against evil itself.
00:39:31And in that way, we allow the door to be open for it to continue to morph, deflect, desensitize in
00:39:41order to destroy.
00:39:44Listen, well, I'm here with my dear friend, Mike Evans, and it was one of B.B. Netanyahu's greatest friends
00:39:52right over here.
00:39:53You're talking about a great friend of Zion, and he's a Jewish believer.
00:39:57But I was asking about anti-Semitism before we were driving up together and things.
00:40:04And all throughout his life, he certainly experienced it.
00:40:07But look, let me just say, everybody, that our Jewish friends feel terribly threatened and feel very alone.
00:40:17And the greatest friends to Israel are those who worship the Lord God of Israel
00:40:22and know that there's an unfolding plan in and through Israel and the Messiah of Israel,
00:40:28who's the Savior of the world.
00:40:30That's their best friends, okay?
00:40:31So I just want to say this.
00:40:33Do you know a Jewish person?
00:40:39Because if you do, I just want to suggest something to you.
00:40:41I'm not kidding.
00:40:42Like, call them and just tell them you love them and that you stand with them and that they are
00:40:49not alone.
00:40:50You know, Jesus said, if you've done it to the least of these, my brethren, you've done it unto me.
00:40:56And further, there are raging currents, you guys, purposed to totally delegitimize Israel by rewriting history.
00:41:05And you know this.
00:41:06That's the core of anti-Zionism.
00:41:08Anti-Zionism is the denial that the land of Israel is the ancestral home of the Jewish people.
00:41:14It's just insane.
00:41:16This is the basis of the Palestinian liberation scam, one of the biggest scams in history.
00:41:23The Palestinians have been offered a state five times.
00:41:26They've denied it every single time.
00:41:28The Egyptian con man, Yasser Arafat, scammed the world, died with billions of dollars.
00:41:35Today, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas,
00:41:38who still promotes a pay-for-slave policy of murdering Jews, is worth $100 million.
00:41:45In fact, just this last week, one of his deputies congratulated the newly elected leader of Hamas,
00:41:53wished him success in his new position.
00:41:57Zionism, on the other hand, is the belief in the future of Israel,
00:42:03that Israel has a future in their ancestral homeland.
00:42:08In fact, we have Ezekiel chapter 37 up here on the screen.
00:42:11This is what the sovereign Lord says.
00:42:13I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone.
00:42:18They will live in the land, and I gave to them, I gave to my servant Israel,
00:42:24the land where your ancestors lived.
00:42:26They and their children and their children's children will live there forever.
00:42:33Amen to that.
00:42:34Let me just say it this way.
00:42:35It's true.
00:42:37God is a Zionist, okay?
00:42:40God believes in the future of Israel and their ancestral home, and Jesus is coming back to Israel.
00:42:44Finally, let me just, let me share something with you.
00:42:46We're talking about currants.
00:42:47Bear with me.
00:42:48Currants.
00:42:49You know, they're trying to rip people off and drown them.
00:42:52One of them is actually undermining the idea that Jesus is the central figure of Passover.
00:43:01I know that sounds really a big idea, but bear with me.
00:43:05Jesus asked us to remember him in a specific context that the first Christian emperor in 325 outlawed, actually, the
00:43:15church to do.
00:43:16Remember when Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me, right?
00:43:20The question is, like, well, what is this?
00:43:23Well, the day is Passover, actually, the meal they're celebrating is the Passover meal.
00:43:29Jesus takes the third cup.
00:43:31We talked about it earlier, right?
00:43:32This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
00:43:37So, giving his life, he's guaranteeing the inaugurating.
00:43:42He's guaranteeing this genius plan of God, which is called the new covenant, okay?
00:43:48So, what is the new covenant?
00:43:51It is this, number one.
00:43:53We have it up on the screen.
00:43:54Whoa, there we go.
00:43:55We got them all.
00:43:55There's forgiveness of sins available to all who believe.
00:43:59Number two, regeneration of the Holy Spirit, that the law is internalized in our hearts, as Jesus said,
00:44:06a man must be born again.
00:44:08The guarantee Israel will be preserved throughout the ages.
00:44:13Number four, Israel will be reconciled to God.
00:44:16All Israel will be saved.
00:44:18And finally, all humanity will know the Lord because the Lord is returning.
00:44:23He's going to rule and reign on planet Earth.
00:44:25Here's the point.
00:44:26Point number three, we have it up on the screen.
00:44:28You cannot separate the person and work of Jesus Christ, past, present, and future, from the reality of Israel.
00:44:38Look, like, Jesus, like, at the Passover, just real quick, watch this.
00:44:42Like, Jesus, at the Passover Seder, okay?
00:44:44Like, we call it communion, just a little part of that.
00:44:47It's really five-fold in reality.
00:44:49I mean, he told Peter, James, and John, you guys, like, I'm not going to eat of the bread and
00:44:54drink of the cup.
00:44:55Tell it's fulfilled in the kingdom.
00:44:58So, in other words, we're going to celebrate Passover again.
00:45:04It's called the marriage supper of the Lamb.
00:45:07It's like we're going to rule and reign with Jesus on planet Earth.
00:45:11If Christians lose their story, they lose their identity.
00:45:15Look, the test of our time, let me just say this.
00:45:18And we're almost done, but don't believe any preacher that says we're almost done, okay?
00:45:22I mean, just give me a little break.
00:45:23I think I'm almost done.
00:45:24So, here's the real test, you guys.
00:45:26You see, we're talking a lot about Israel.
00:45:28Okay, here's the real test.
00:45:30It has really less to do with a nation, has more to do with God.
00:45:37Because the Lord himself said he would be glorified among the nations in two specific ways.
00:45:43The rescue of the children of Israel out of Egypt, the Passover exodus,
00:45:49and that the Lord would actually draw exiles, our Jewish friends, all throughout the world back into the land.
00:45:59So, it really has less to do with the nation, more to do with God's plan and the truth of
00:46:10his word.
00:46:11I mean, think about Genesis 3.
00:46:13You know, what was the lie of the serpent, the devil?
00:46:15It was the attempt to undermine the authority of God's word, that God cannot be trusted.
00:46:22Remember what he said?
00:46:23Did God really say this?
00:46:25Questioning God's word, seeking to undermine trust in it, and then ultimately saying,
00:46:31no, no, look, like, you can go outside of God's boundaries and his word.
00:46:34You're not going to end up dying.
00:46:36So, bear with me, okay?
00:46:38We're almost, we're going to land this plane in a second.
00:46:40But we face, you guys, in a lot of ways today, the test that was not passed, going all the
00:46:52way back to Genesis 3.
00:46:54Will we be the generation that takes God at his word?
00:47:01Like, watch these scriptures I'm going to put up.
00:47:03Did God really say, I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all the countries, and
00:47:09bring you back into your own land?
00:47:11Did he really say that?
00:47:12Can I hear a big amen to that?
00:47:14Of course he said it.
00:47:15Now, watch this.
00:47:16Did God really say, I will place you in your own land, and you shall know that I, the Lord,
00:47:22have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord?
00:47:25I mean, will we pass it?
00:47:27Yes, we're going to pass it.
00:47:28Watch this.
00:47:28Did God really say, David, my servant, shall be king over them?
00:47:33And this is rearing the Messiah, the Lord Jesus.
00:47:35And they shall all have one shepherd?
00:47:39Did he really say it?
00:47:40Of course he did.
00:47:41Did God really say, God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew?
00:47:45Did God really say, we'll go to the next one, concerning the gospel, they're enemies for your sake, but concerning
00:47:51the election, they're beloved for the sake of the fathers.
00:47:55For the gifts and the callings of God are, let's all say it together, irrevocable.
00:48:02Did God really say, and so all Israel will be saved?
00:48:08Did God really say the deliverer will come out of Zion, out of Jerusalem?
00:48:18The answer is, yeah.
00:48:20And point number four is, you guys, we're living in unique times, times of acceleration.
00:48:27By that, I mean that, hey, ideas matter.
00:48:30What you believe matters.
00:48:32It's been said, you know, a lie travels the world seven times before truth ever gets its shoes on.
00:48:38But a lie will not win.
00:48:41Evil does not win.
00:48:43And we have a calling on our life.
00:48:46And point number four is, you guys, it's a rubber meets the road moment.
00:48:51The test is not so much about Israel.
00:48:54It is first whether we'll pass the test, as God really said.
00:48:58And you know, and you know this.
00:49:00I mean, we don't build our lives on podcasters and political commentators and political platforms,
00:49:06which seemingly are created every four years.
00:49:10We build our lives on the word of God as Jesus called us to.
00:49:13Can I hear a big amen to that?
00:49:15It's true.
00:49:17And listen, I want us to go back.
00:49:20And I am almost done.
00:49:22I am almost done here.
00:49:23But I want us to go back.
00:49:25You know, like we were talking about like the ocean.
00:49:28Oh, the ocean kind of can speak to us in a way about what the fear of God is like.
00:49:33It's, ocean's beautiful.
00:49:34It's really big.
00:49:35It's inviting.
00:49:36It's healing.
00:49:37It's refreshing.
00:49:38But, and you can't lose that all factor, right?
00:49:41You can't lose that all factor.
00:49:43But when we go to the beach, you know, I was just there with my wife a few days ago.
00:49:48We go to the beach.
00:49:50And we had waves coming over us, right?
00:49:53And you kind of jump in.
00:49:54You have a wave coming over.
00:49:56And you stand up and you're just like dripping wet, right?
00:50:03Well, then, of course, we get out of the water and we dry off and we go home.
00:50:09And it all becomes all kind of compartmentalized.
00:50:12Let me just say it this way.
00:50:14The first followers of the Lord Jesus, our brothers and sisters, who we are is who we were, who we
00:50:19were is who we are.
00:50:20Let me just say it, they became immersed, right, baptized by the Holy Spirit, so they're dripping.
00:50:27But they didn't dry off.
00:50:33They walked in the fear of God, which means I'm going to be present in his presence.
00:50:40And Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
00:50:42The Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.
00:50:47Knowledge, like knowledge of the most important, like the Lord is in the room with us.
00:50:54The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
00:50:56Wisdom is the right application for life, making right judgments.
00:51:00Like, I don't know, maybe you're a single person and, you know, you're dating.
00:51:05You know, what is the wisdom?
00:51:07Well, the wisdom is like the fear of God, actually.
00:51:11The wisdom is to ensure right, vertical relationship with God, that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life.
00:51:19If you're going to find the right person, you've got to be the right person, right?
00:51:23And if you need to course, Greg, you think, you know, we've taken it too far in some areas.
00:51:27Okay, well, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
00:51:34You know, he's in the room.
00:51:37Or like walking in the fear of God is having an ear to hear, and therefore saying, here I am,
00:51:42Lord, use me.
00:51:43Or walking in the fear of God, therefore, the Bible says, leads to strong confidence.
00:51:49The point is, like, I just want you to hear this, like, this idea of the Holy Spirit coming upon
00:51:55them, immersed, dripping.
00:51:57It's overflow, that's the idea.
00:52:00Then fear came upon them.
00:52:02Many signs and wonders were done, because they knew, like, the Lord was in the room.
00:52:06In chapter 3 of Acts, Peter and John, you know, walking in the temple, seeing a man paralyzed, silver and
00:52:14gold we don't have.
00:52:15It's like they're still dripping.
00:52:17They're like, hey, but the Lord is here.
00:52:19You know, we don't have money, but what we do have, we'll give to you.
00:52:22In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.
00:52:25They didn't compartmentalize their life.
00:52:27They didn't, like we do, we go to the beach, right, and we get out, and then we dry off.
00:52:32We go home.
00:52:34But as followers of Jesus, and this is the fifth point I want to make, don't dry off.
00:52:40Walk in the fear of God, and the Holy Spirit is upon you, and He's seeking to work through you.
00:52:48Can I hear a big amen to that?
00:52:50Listen, everybody, amen.
00:52:52Listen, let's pray, let's pray.
00:52:54Pray with me, because I want to pray for those who are here that perhaps have never opened the door
00:53:00of their heart to the Lord.
00:53:02And let's just, let's pray, let's pray for that.
00:53:04Lord, I just want to pray for anyone here, because we're talking about having right recognition of your presence, and
00:53:12you are here with us.
00:53:13And we just love you, Lord, and we give you our hearts afresh, and I just pray this will be
00:53:17so transformative for all of us walking in the fear of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
00:53:21But, Lord, you said you stand at the door and knock.
00:53:26And if anyone would hear your voice and open the door, you will come in.
00:53:32So let me just, let me just say in an attitude of prayer, and if I could just ask, you
00:53:37don't have to do this, but our heads bow and the eyes are closed.
00:53:40Just have a private moment here of reflection.
00:53:43Let me just say the Lord is in our midst right now.
00:53:47And I am convinced there are some here that have come who need to leave here with the assurance that
00:53:54you are right with the Heavenly Father in His Son.
00:53:57Because Jesus said, you're either for me or against me.
00:54:00It's like there's no middle ground.
00:54:02To not say yes to Him is to say no to Him.
00:54:06As Jesus said, you know, you're either for me or against me, right?
00:54:10So it's like He's trying to get your attention.
00:54:13He's knocking on the door.
00:54:15That's what someone knocks.
00:54:16It's like, okay, I hear them.
00:54:18Someone's there.
00:54:18You know, I got to go open it.
00:54:20I may not let them in.
00:54:22But generally, you open the door and you greet them, right?
00:54:25I mean, it's possible, like, to hear the Lord knocking on your door trying to get your attention because He
00:54:31loves you.
00:54:32And you just never open the door.
00:54:35You leave them outside or you open the door and, like, see them a little bit, hear a little truth.
00:54:41But then you shut the door.
00:54:42Don't do that.
00:54:44Don't do that.
00:54:45The Bible says today is the day of salvation.
00:54:47Now is the acceptable time.
00:54:49Today, if you hear the voice of God, harden not your heart.
00:54:53You say, well, Greg, what does it even mean to, like, I hear the Lord knocking on the door of
00:54:58my life?
00:54:58And what does it even mean to even open the door?
00:55:01Here's what we could say.
00:55:02Listen.
00:55:05It is to recognize what the Lord has done for us.
00:55:10There's a God in heaven.
00:55:11He sent His Son to die on the cross for your sin and my sin that separates us from a
00:55:19holy God.
00:55:20And the wages of sin is death, the Bible says.
00:55:23It has consequences now and forever.
00:55:27And God is holy and He's just.
00:55:30And He sent His Son to bear the sin and break down and guilt of the world.
00:55:37And Jesus demonstrated He did by resurrecting from the dead.
00:55:41He's alive.
00:55:43I don't think an honest historian could ever deny the evidences are overwhelming.
00:55:47So it's like, okay, what does it mean to hear like the Lord?
00:55:50Okay, well, it means to recognize that the Father sent His Son, as Jesus said,
00:55:56for God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son.
00:55:59Whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.
00:56:03And that He resurrected from the dead.
00:56:06And yes, He is coming again.
00:56:07And Jesus said, number two, you must repent.
00:56:11That means change the way you think.
00:56:13And then a course correction in your life.
00:56:16It's like you're moving away from God, but you're going to stop and make a U-turn.
00:56:19It's like, okay, look, the Lord's pursuing me.
00:56:23Instead of running away from Him, tonight I'm going to trust in Him.
00:56:28And He really is just a prayer away, my friend.
00:56:31Because the Bible says those who call upon the Lord shall be saved.
00:56:37So to hear the truth, hear this, God loves you.
00:56:40You're not alone.
00:56:41You're not a byproduct of mindless nature.
00:56:44God created you and He wants to recreate you.
00:56:47We've been singing about that.
00:56:49And to open the doors to say, I believe Jesus died for me.
00:56:53He resurrected.
00:56:54I'm going to turn from my sin to Jesus.
00:56:57The greatest sin is to reject God's Son.
00:57:01You want to turn from that and embrace Him as your Lord and Savior.
00:57:06So I just want to ask, while our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed, how many of you would
00:57:09say,
00:57:10you know, Greg, like, I want to call upon the Lord.
00:57:15I want to pray to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
00:57:19I want to leave here knowing for sure my sins are forgiven.
00:57:22If I were to die, I'd go to heaven.
00:57:24I want to settle that.
00:57:26If that's you, just raise up your hand right now.
00:57:29Let me pray for you.
00:57:30And by raising up your hand, you'd be saying, yes, God bless you.
00:57:34Anybody else in the side, in the front, in the back, God bless you.
00:57:38Anybody else, you just raise up your hand.
00:57:40Listen, it's important to respond.
00:57:42It really is.
00:57:43And I'm just asking you to raise up your hand high so I can see it.
00:57:47And God bless you guys.
00:57:48God bless you.
00:57:49And God bless you.
00:57:49And God bless you.
00:57:51And anybody in the side, here in the front, God bless you guys.
00:57:54Good job.
00:57:55I don't know.
00:57:56I'm thinking about maybe someone in the back there.
00:57:58You know, Billy Graham said he was the last one to respond.
00:58:01I don't know.
00:58:02Maybe that will be you.
00:58:05But you're not going to be alone here tonight to turn to Christ as Savior and Lord.
00:58:09Anybody else just before we end the invitation?
00:58:12God bless you.
00:58:13You can put your hand down at this time.
00:58:16But listen, for those of you that raised your hand, even if you didn't, you would like to open the
00:58:23door of your heart and embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
00:58:27And listen, maybe if you need to return to the Lord or recommit yourself.
00:58:31We were singing a little bit about that.
00:58:32I love that.
00:58:33Oh, I love that time.
00:58:35I want you to pray with me.
00:58:37And church family, if you'd like to pray along with those who are going to pray at this time to
00:58:42embrace Christ, go for it as well as a way of encouraging you.
00:58:45You don't have to.
00:58:46But for those of you that raised your hand, pray with me now.
00:58:48This is the prayer of asking Christ to be your Lord and Savior to forgive you of your sins.
00:58:54Pray with me.
00:58:55Lord Jesus, I call upon you now to be my Savior and Lord.
00:59:03Thank you for dying for me, resurrecting from the dead.
00:59:08I know I'm a sinner, but I know you're a great Savior.
00:59:14Lord, forgive me of my sins.
00:59:17Lord, come into my life.
00:59:20Fill me with the life of God.
00:59:23Teach me to follow you all the days of my life.
00:59:29Thank you for forgiving me.
00:59:31Thank you for coming into my life, making me your child, both now and forever.
00:59:40In Jesus' name, amen, amen, and amen.
00:59:48So you'll tell them to come.
00:59:50Well, listen, God bless everybody.
00:59:53Those of you that raised your hand, there are many of you did.
00:59:55And we've been praying for you.
00:59:57We want you to come up after us.
00:59:59We have pastors and leaders up in the front.
01:00:01We have some Bibles we'd like to get in your hands if you don't have a Bible.
01:00:04Share with you how to grow as a Christian.
01:00:08And may the Lord richly bless you, keep you, make His beautiful face to shine upon you.
01:00:12Be gracious to you, raise up His countenance in your life, and give you a bunch of shalom, shalom, shalom,
01:00:18shalom.
01:00:19And may the Lord richly bless you, Pastor.
01:00:22I love you.
01:00:22God bless you.
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