January 1, 2025 • 46 mins
This episode starts with the story of Joshua the high priest, who stands as a mediator between humanity and God, facing accusations from Satan, the adversary. Exploring these accusations reveals the profound grace and pardon offered despite human frailty.
Our exploration doesn't stop there. We traverse the moral dilemmas faced by key biblical figures such as Sarai, Abraham, Moses, and David, who all walk a fine line between divine promises and human imperfection. These stories prompt us to confront difficult questions about justification, forgiveness, and the human condition. Through this narrative, we explore themes of grace, redemption, and the enduring struggle of maintaining integrity and faith in the face of adversity, drawing parallels to the modern challenges we face.
As we journey further, we unravel the theological significance of Jesus as the ultimate mediator, the embodiment of divine promises fulfilled. By drawing connections between Jesus and Joshua, we highlight the transformation from sin to righteousness and the promise of redemption. The episode culminates in a celebration of divine love and identity, emphasizing the profound assurance that we are the children of God, destined for a future of hope and transformation.
"Message Our Father's Heart a Question or Response"
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (00:03):
The vision received was that of blood cells
traveling throughout the body,supplying the much-needed oxygen
and other nutrients to thediffering members of the body to
fulfill their purpose.
Once the blood cells are spent,they must return back to the
heart to be refilled beforebeing sent out again and fulfill
their purpose and fulfill theirpurpose.
(00:26):
Good afternoon everyone.
As always, it is a pleasure tobe in this place.
It is a privilege and an honorto be able to stand before you
and be given the honor ofministering to you the word, and
today the Lord would have me toshare with you a story.
It's a story that, as I've gonethrough it and sort of compiled
(00:50):
the information that I needed,I realized that I'm just going
to title it the Pardon.
So if you're interested inknowing what the title of the
message is, I'm going to call itthe pardon.
There was a man in thescriptures that held a very
(01:16):
significant position in officein the house of God.
He was a Levite, and being aLevite meant that he kind of
stood in the gap for all thepeople.
He was commissioned, he wassanctioned by the Lord as a
(01:47):
Levite to serve God in the steadof the people of God, and in
this particular position.
He stood as a mediator betweenGod and the people, and this man
named Joshua the high priestfound himself standing before
the Lord and the adversary wasstanding at his right hand to
(02:16):
oppose him.
This is found in Zechariah 3.1.
Now, the adversary was standingto oppose Joshua the high
priest, who was standing at theright hand of God.
(02:36):
And how does Satan opposeJoshua the high priest?
It is revealed in Revelation 12, verse 10.
There's this declaration,there's this loud voice in
heaven saying now, salvation andstrength in the kingdom of our
God and the power of his Christhave come.
(02:57):
That really doesn't haveanything to do with what I'm
talking about in this story, butthe very next phrase in this
sentence for the accuser of ourbrethren, who accused them
before our God day and night,what was Satan doing to oppose
(03:17):
Joshua standing before thepresence of the Lord.
He was standing before Godaccusing Joshua.
Finding fault with Joshua.
Condemning Joshua for thethings that he's done, for the
things that he's said.
Because this is what theadversary does.
(03:40):
Now, Joshua's standing in theoffice of the high priest,
knowing that he is standing inthe stead of all the people.
What would the adversary have tosay to contend Joshua?
(04:00):
If Joshua is representing allthe people of God before God,
being the high priest, whatwould the adversary have to say?
And I thought let's go back tothe beginning.
Let's imagine what would theadversary be saying about a man
(04:24):
who was standing in the stead ofall the people before God.
What would he say to condemnJoshua?
Well, he might start with Adam.
Adam blamed God because of thewoman that God had given him.
(04:44):
The adversary would be sayingthat before God.
How could you stand and justifyhim?
He blamed you, God, for thewoman that you gave him as a
gift to be his helpmeet.
His seed, Cain, murdered hisbrother Abel, condemning the
(05:10):
people of God.
How about Noah?
Yeah, he listened to you tobuild the ark.
Yeah, he did it for 120 years.
Yeah, you delivered him and hiswife and his three children and
their wives.
But even after that he foundhimself drunk in the tent,
shamefully naked.
How about him, lord?
(05:36):
How about Sarai, who literallygave Abram her handmaid to wife?
It says she gave Hagar to Abramto lie in bed with, when you
(05:56):
had already promised to give hima seed through Sarah?
How about when Abraham waspassing through the regions of
King Abimelech and he lied tohim saying, oh, she's only my
sister".
Because he feared for his life,he allowed his own wife to go
(06:24):
with King Abimelech and be withthe king, knowing that the king
will have whatsoever he likes,because that's what kings did,
because he feared for his ownlife, it says.
How about his son Isaac?
Abraham, Isaac, what did he do?
The very same thing his fatherdid lied to King Abimelech again
(06:47):
and saying that his wife wasreally just his sister.
So the curse of sin fell fromhim to his son.
How can you justify them?
How can you stand for them?
I oppose this",the prosecutor says.
How about Jacob, the son ofIsaac?
(07:08):
He was a deceiver all of hislife, at every turn.
He not only took his olderbrother's birthright, but he
also took the blessing of theoldest in a deceitful and
deceptive manner.
How can you stand for him beingthat he was just like me,
deceiving, taking what was notrightfully his.
(07:32):
Talk about a band of brothers.
Jacob had 12 brothers, excuseme, Jacob had 12 sons and before
he had his 12th son, he onlyhad 11, and the youngest one was
Joseph.
And what did that band ofbrothers do to Joseph?
They took him, they beat him,they threw him in a pit.
(07:56):
They contemplated murdering him, only to have him disappear on
them.
And then they lie to theirfather and say oh, a wild beast
ate him and took him.
This is all that we have left,putting his coat of many colors
(08:16):
and dipping it in blood.
How can you stand for them,Lord?
How about Moses?
He murdered an Egyptian whosimply hit one of your people.
That's all he did.
He just hit them, and Mosescame in in fury and murdered him
and buried him.
(08:40):
How could you stand for him?
How about the first high priest, Aaron?
What happened when Moses wentup to the mountain to just be
there for 40 days?
What did Aaron do?
He took all the gold of all thepeople and he made a golden
(09:00):
molten calf.
How could you stand for him,the ?
You delivered the Israelitesout of Egypt.
What happened to them, Lord?
Within 40 years, they died inthe wilderness.
(09:21):
Lord, how could you stand forthem?
You allowed their carcasses torot in the wilderness.
You even said it was because oftheir unbelief, it was because
of their rebellion.
How could you stand for them,Lord?
Except for two?
I'll give you that Two got in,but millions died.
(09:44):
Lord, how about David, yourprecious king, the precious man
after your own heart.
He was an adulterer, he was amurderer and when he sinned, he
caused 70,000 of your people todie.
Not because of what they did,because of what he did.
(10:05):
How can you stand for him, Lord?
Guilty as sin, I say, says theadversary.
How about his son, Solomon?
He was forbidden to marry otherwomen outside of the nation of
Israel and he purposely andwillfully married 700 of them.
(10:30):
And what did that cause, Lord?
It resulted in your dividedkingdom, lord, and the kingdom
was literally obliterated by me,lord, how could you stand for
Solomon?
(10:50):
I would venture to say, Lord,that all of the Israelites have
broken all of the commandmentsthat you listed in Exodus 20.
Lord, not one have they notbroken and not one have they not
broken more than once, morethan twice, more than three
times, Lord, how can you standfor them?
Says the adversary, the accuserof the brethren.
(11:10):
You know, but it didn't endthere.
You brought about your preciousnew covenant.
You came on the days of theflesh.
Yeah, you poured out yourSpirit.
But what did the disciples dowith you when I took you?
They betrayed you.
They ran away.
(11:31):
None of them stood up for you.
They ran with their tailsbetween their legs, cowering
like cowards that they were.
Lord, how can you stand forthem?
Not one of them.
Not one of them stood up forwhat I did to you as the
precious son of God.
How do you stand for them, Lord?
How can you stand them, Lord?
(11:58):
Peter, your precious rock.
He denied you three times, justas you said he would, before
the cocking of the crow.
How do you stand him?
How do you stand for him?
He was the coward of cowards.
So what if he walked on waterwhen the going got tough?
He denied you three times andwent away weeping like the
(12:21):
coward that he was.
How do you stand him, Lord?
How do you stand for him, Lord?
But you know what?
So what?
You gave him your precious HolyGhost afterward and he had to
be rebuked by Paul because, infear, he cowered away from the
(12:42):
Gentiles when they came aroundand he was hanging around with
the Jews.
How could you stand him?
He gave him the spirit and hestill cowered away in fear.
You had to write two letters tothe Corinthian church because
of the mess that they wereinvolved in.
You poured out the spirit andyou gave them gifts, and they
(13:04):
were all wild, they were allcarnal as the day before they
were born again.
How many times did you have tocorrect them, lord?
How could you stand them, lord?
How do you stand for them, lord?
They were a mess.
The people that you have chosen,all throughout history, says
(13:25):
the accuser, have failed, allthe old and all the new.
They've all failed you.
They failed a thousand timesover.
How do you stand for them, Lord?
I oppose this, says theadversary.
They are not worthy.
They are mine.
They should be in death andhell with me, says the accuser
(13:47):
of the brethren.
They're not worthy.
This is the condemnation thatcomes from the prosecution and
it is done day and night beforethe Lord.
It is unceasing, it isunrelenting.
How many of you hear theaccusations?
(14:08):
How many of you hear theaccusations of the prosecution?
He's not worthy.
He's a liar, just like the restof them.
He's a coward, just like therest of them.
When he had his moment, hedidn't say anything.
She didn't do anything.
They didn't give to the poor,they didn't give to the needy.
(14:31):
They thought about themselves.
They paid for this, they paidfor that and they didn't take
care of your people.
They're guilty, they'reabsolutely guilty, he's saying
of them and he's saying of us.
Day and night.
He's accusing us.
(14:56):
And you know what the Lord saidto Satan when he heard all of
these accusations.
He says the Lord, rebuke you,satan.
The Lord who has chosenJerusalem, rebuke you, satan.
Is this not a brand pluckedfrom the fires?
(15:19):
Yes, is this not the peoplethat I have rescued from your
grips, from the fire of deathand hell and brimstone?
These are my people.
The Lord rebuke you, satan.
It reminds me of Job.
It reminds me of another timewhere the Lord was with the
(15:43):
angels of God and Satan came infrom walking to and fro
throughout the earth and he wasupset because he had no one that
he could touch.
And the Lord says to him howabout Job?
(16:06):
How about my servant?
And you all know the story inJob, chapter 1, verse 7 and
verse 10 through 11.
And Satan says what about him?
I can't touch him.
You protect everything that hehas.
I can't touch his family.
I can't touch his belongings.
I can't touch him.
But you know what?
I challenge you If you stretchout your hand and you touch all
(16:29):
that he has, he will surelycurse you to your face,
condemning us again, condemninghim again.
Saying to the Lord, godAlmighty, what he is going to do
when he have not the knowledgeto know?
And the Lord says you may touchall that he has, but you may
not touch him.
(16:50):
And we know the story as itcontinues, that he got to take
his family, he got to take someof his belongings and he got to
plunder him, but Satan stillwasn't satisfied.
Satan still wasn't satisfiedbecause what he said Job would
do, he did not do.
(17:10):
He says to the Lord whoquestions him about Job again,
satan answers skin for skin yes,all that a man has he will give
for his life.
But stretch out your hand now,touch his bone, touch his flesh,
and he will surely curse you toyour face, accusing again.
(17:38):
Now, remember, this is what theadversary does.
He stands before the Lord,accusing, condemning, and Joshua
the high priest I come back toJoshua, the high priest.
He presided in an office thatrepresented as a whole the
people of God.
And here Joshua is standingbefore the Lord and he's rebuked
(18:07):
.
It said after the Lord said tohim isn't this not the brand
plucked from the fire?
It says something veryrevealing.
The Lord wrote now Joshua, inverse 3, was filled or, excuse
(18:34):
me, now, joshua was clothed withfilthy garments and was
standing before the angel.
It's not that God did not seethe filthiness and the sin, but
it is not what saith hisadversary that stands, it is
(18:54):
what saith the Lord that standsforever.
Say of the Lord that standsforever.
So, without denying what theadversary was, condemning and
accusing him, he says the Lordrebuke you.
I have redeemed this from thefire of hell.
He says in verse 4 and 5 ofZechariah 3,.
(19:15):
Then he answered and spoke tothose who stood before him,
saying the Lord says take awayhis filthy garments from him.
And to him he said see, I haveremoved iniquity from you and I
will clothe you with rich robes.
He's speaking to Joshua, thehigh priest, and he's telling
him this.
And I said let them put a cleanturban on his head.
(19:37):
So they put a clean turban onhis head.
So they put a clean turban onhis head and they put the
clothes on him.
God changed everything, tookaway his filthy garments,
clothed them with new garments,gave him a turban on his head.
But what stands out to me inthis particular verse is what it
says in verse 5.
After he does all the cleaning,after he does everything that
(19:59):
he did for Joshua.
It says and the angel of theLord stood by.
The angel of the Lord stood byJoshua in the state that God had
cleaned him into.
He didn't leave, but he'sstanding by him.
(20:19):
Why?
Because the adversary is rightthere condemning and accusing
and he's trying to oppose, butthe Lord is standing right by.
It reminds me of when Mosesdied.
(20:42):
Anybody know what happenedbetween Satan and the Lord then?
Does anybody remember theadversary trying to do something
when Moses died and thearchangel Michael contending
with the devil, becausecontending is another word for
opposing.
And he's now contending withthe devil, because contending is
another word for opposing.
And he's now contending withhim disputing over the body of
(21:05):
Moses.
It's mine, it's mine, it's mine.
He's a failure, he's not worthy.
He didn't even get into thepromised land.
It's mine.
And yet the angel says thearchangel Michael says exactly
what the Lord said.
The Lord rebuke you again InJude 1, verse 9.
(21:28):
And when we read this, do wehave an understanding?
Do we know?
Have we not heard what the Lordhas done?
We sang about that.
Do you recognize and appreciatewhat the Lord has done in this
(21:49):
pardon?
It says in Zechariah 12, 6, 12to 13,.
Then speak to him saying Thusthe Lord of hosts, saying behold
the man Not Joshua, not thehigh priest.
He says behold the man whosename is the branch.
(22:13):
From his place he shall branchout and he shall build the
temple of the Lord.
Yes, he shall build the templeof the Lord.
He shall bear the glory andshall sit and rule on his throne
.
So he shall be a priest on histhrone and the council of peace
(22:37):
shall be between them both andthe council of peace shall be
between them both.
It's not what the adversarysays that stands.
It is what the Lord hasdeclared, and he declares of a
man whose name is the branch,who will build a temple and the
glory shall rest upon him and heshall sit and rule as a priest.
(23:03):
This branch shall rule as apriest on the throne.
So now, don't just think ofJoshua as the high priest, don't
just think of him as he'srepresenting the people of God.
Now realize that Jesus, as theson of God, stands as the one
(23:25):
and only mediator between manand God.
He is the one standing in thatplace, and you may wonder why
does he have filthy garments onhim?
Have you not known, have younot heard that Joshua is the
Hebrew name for Jesus, the Greekname.
There's a connection there.
Are you seeing what's going on?
(23:45):
Because something that the Lordhath done hath placed upon this
man, the branch, these filthygarments.
And yet, because of what theLord hath declared, take away
his filthy garments, put on himrobes that are clean and white
and put the turban on his head.
What has the Lord done?
(24:08):
It was through a man who stoodas a mediator, who stood as the
propitiation between God and manthat came out, that came forth,
who stood as the propitiationbetween God and man that came
out, that came forth, that Godhad declared would come and do a
work.
Do we see what the Lord hasdone?
(24:34):
In Isaiah 11, 1 through 5, itspeaks more of this man whose
name is the branch.
It says there shall come fortha rod from the stem of Jesse and
a branch shall grow out of hisroots.
The Spirit of the Lord shallrest upon him, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, thespirit of counsel and might, the
spirit of knowledge and thefear of the Lord, and in this
(24:58):
man will delight.
He delights in the fear of theLord.
He delights and he shall notjudge by the sight of his eyes,
nor decide by the hearing of hisears.
But with righteousness he shalljudge the poor and decide with
(25:19):
equity the meek of the earth.
He shall strike the earth witha rod of his mouth and with the
breath of his lips he shall slaythe wicked.
Righteousness shall be the beltof his loins and faithfulness
the belt of his waist.
Do we understand what this manJesus did for us?
It says in Romans 5.19,.
(25:42):
For as by one man'sdisobedience, many were made
sinners, which is why God didnot correct him in that respect.
He accused of the failing, ofthe failures, he prosecuted for
all the sin, for all theiniquity.
But still the Lord says theLord rebuke you, because the
(26:03):
Lord knew from the foundation ofthe world that he was going to
make a way, and he says so alsoby one man's obedience, many
will be made righteous,hallelujah.
Do we understand what the Lordhath done when he pardoned?
When he pardoned?
You see, it says in 1 Peter 2: 24 that Jesus took upon himself, (26:24):
undefined
upon his body.
What?
Does anybody know?
What did he take upon himselfand his body?
The sins?
Whose sins?
It says Our sins, it says, forit says, who himself bore sin,
our sins, in his own body, onthe tree, that we, having died
(26:49):
to sins, might live forrighteousness, by whose stripes
you were healed.
But it's not only us that hedid it for, for that's
remarkable in and of itself, butI consider it absolutely
astounding that he did it forthe sins of the whole world,
knowing that they would notchoose him in the end.
(27:10):
For it says in 1 John, 2 and 2,and that of the sins of the
whole world, he himself is thepropitiation for our sins, and
not for ours only, but also forthe whole world.
(27:31):
Do you understand what the Lordhas done?
What the Lord has given usopportunity?
What the new birth has given usis a second chance, because
there is no doubt that the oldman is guilty as sin and is
(27:51):
worthy of death.
But I say behold, for there wasa man named John the Baptist who
came to prepare the way, andduring the days of his ministry,
it says that John saw Jesuscoming toward him in John 1,
verse 29, and said behold, theLamb of God revealed before you.
(28:20):
Behold, see, hear, look uponhim, look what the Lord has done
, because this Lamb of God takesaway the sins of all the world.
This is he whom I have said.
After me comes a man don't gettoo hung up on that, because
(28:46):
it's true A man who waspreferred before me, for he was
before me.
I did not know him, but that heshould be revealed to Israel.
Therefore, I came baptizingwith water.
Behold, be revealed that Jesusis the Lamb of God that takes
away the sins of the world.
And John, but witness saying Isaw the Spirit descending upon
(29:08):
him from heaven like a dove thattakes away the sins of the
world.
And John, but witness saying Isaw the spirit descending upon
him from heaven like a dove, andit remained upon him.
But we just read about that,did we not?
Did we not In Isaiah?
The Spirit of the Lord shallrest upon him.
John the Baptist is a part ofthis prophecy because it's
coming to pass right before hisvery eyes.
(29:29):
For he was told upon whom yousee the Spirit of the Lord
descending and resting upon him.
It is he who is the Messiah,the Lamb of God.
God said to John the Baptistupon whom you see the Spirit
descending and remaining on him,this is he who baptizes with
(29:51):
the Holy Spirit.
And I have seen and testifiedthat this is the Son of God.
And I skip over to verse 36.
And looking at Jesus as hewalked, he said Behold, behold,
see the Lamb of God.
(30:12):
That behold" word is to getyour attention.
That behold word is to get youto hear, to see, to open up your
heart to the Lamb of God.
It says in Isaiah 42, verse 1,this beautiful word Behold my
(30:33):
servant whom I uphold, my electone in whom my soul delights.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring forth justice tothe Gentiles.
Do we understand what the Lordhas done?
(30:56):
Who is this man, this branch?
Who is this Jesus?
If I turn to Revelation 5, verse1 through 10, john, taken up in
the spirit, is seeing things inthe spirit by revelation.
And he says and I saw in theright hand of him, who sat on
the throne, a scroll writteninside and on the back, sealed
(31:20):
with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angelproclaiming with a loud voice
who is worthy to open up thescroll and loose its seals.
And no one, no one in heaven,no one in the earth, no one
(31:41):
under the earth, was able toopen this scroll or to look at
it.
And he began to weep.
He began to weep because no onewas found worthy to open and
read the scroll.
No one was found worthy to lookat it.
One of the elders said to himdo not weep.
(32:04):
Behold the lion.
Behold the lion of the tribe ofJudah, the root of David, has
prevailed to open up the scrolland to loose its seals.
See this, Jesus.
And I looked and behold, in themidst of the throne and the
(32:25):
four living creatures and in themidst of the elders stood a
Lamb, as though it had beenslain, having seven horns, seven
eyes, which are the sevenspirits of God that we read
about in Isaiah.
And when he had come and he hadtaken the scroll, the four
(32:46):
living creatures and the 24elders fell down before the Lord
, each having a harp and goldenbowls full of incense, which are
the prayers of the saints, andthey sang a new song.
You, Jesus, lamb of God, areworthy to take open this scroll,
to open its seals, for you wereslain and have redeemed us to
(33:09):
God by your blood, out of everytribe and tongue and people and
nation, and have made us kingsand priests to our God and we
shall reign on the earth.
Amen, amen, amen, amen.
Look what the Lord has done.
(33:30):
When Stephen was stoned, he wasfull of the Holy Spirit.
He gazed up into heaven.
He saw the glory of God andJesus standing at the right hand
of God.
The right hand is a metaphorfor power, for worthiness, for
preeminence.
When you were the right handman of the king, you were his
(33:51):
right hand man, and all thatentails, and you were blessed
and you were a place ofprominence and position.
And that's all that means.
Jesus has been placed in aplace of prominence, in a place
of position where he should belooked at with high esteem and
worthy for what he had done andwhat he had done and what he had
done for his people.
For it says look, I see theheavens open and the son of man
(34:19):
standing at the right hand ofGod.
And he saw this as he wasstoned, was stoned.
God says to us who are dealingwith the condemnation, who are
dealing with the struggles ofthe daily life, of our own
faults and our own weaknessesand how we don't measure up to
(34:41):
even our own standards.
This is what the Lord says.
Isaiah 41, verse 10.
Fear not, for I am with you.
Do you remember Joshua beingcleansed and whole?
The angel of the Lord stood by.
Fear not, for I am with you.
(35:01):
Be not dismayed.
I am your God.
The adversary has nothing onyou, for I stand by you, I will
strengthen you, I will help you,I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand.
That is my promise to you.
(35:25):
But I have to balance this out,because some people are going
to hear this message and say ohmy God, how glorious your work
is.
I can do whatsoever I want.
You've pardoned me, you'veforgiven me, you've given me
(35:47):
clothes of righteousness.
I stand right before you.
I don't have to worry aboutwhat I say, what I do, what I
think.
I haven't finished the story.
Zechariah 6, excuse me,zechariah 3, verse 6.
After the Lord cleansed him andhe's standing by him, being
(36:10):
opposed by the enemy but notallowing the enemy to touch him
the angel of the Lord admonishedJoshua, I've given you a new
lease on life.
Yeah, you were filthy, but I'vedeclared you clean and whole by
the word that I've declaredfrom heaven, by the word that I
declared from the foundation ofthe world.
Hear me, because I admonish you, Joshua.
(36:33):
Thus saith the Lord of hosts if, if, if, you will walk in my
ways and if you will keep mycommand, then you shall also
judge my house.
You see, even though he wascleansed and cleaned and made
(36:55):
whole, there's still a conditionto that maintaining that state
of righteousness in God.
If you will walk in my ways, ifyou will keep my command, then
you will judge my house andlikewise have charge over my
courts.
You will have in my ways.
If you will keep my command,then you will judge my house and
likewise have charge over mycourts.
You will have whatsoever I have, you will have the inheritance.
It will all be yours.
(37:15):
If you walk in my ways, if youwalk in my statutes, hear O
Joshua, the high priest, you andyour companions who sit before
you, for they are a wonder sign.
I have declared that you andthe people that stand in the
midst of you, my people, are asign and a wonder in the earth.
(37:39):
I have declared it.
For behold, I am bringing forthmy servant, the branch.
I'm going to take care of this.
Fear not, I am with you, be notdismayed, but if you walk in my
ways and my statutes, then youshall have what I have.
(38:04):
For behold the stone that Ihave laid before Joshua.
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave.
Its inscription says the Lordof hosts and I will remove the
iniquity of the land in one day.
Do we understand what the Lordhas done for us?
(38:26):
Do we understand what the Lordhas done for us?
Because it was beyond ourcomprehension what the Lord had
already thought of before Adamwas even created, that he not
only took upon me personally, mysin, but everyone in this room,
and it went beyond that toeveryone in the world.
(38:47):
He's given everyone a secondchance.
In Hosea 14, I'm not going toread the whole thing, but you
can write it down in your notes.
I'm going to just paraphrasewhat happens in here.
Hosea 14 says when we return tothe Lord, we bring of our lips.
We bring because our lips isconnected to our hearts.
(39:08):
So we said we bring of ourhearts to him, words which ask
him take away our iniquity.
We are humbled, we are broken,we acknowledge our sin.
Lord, cleanse us.
Lord, take away our iniquities.
Lord, purify us, purify ourhearts, purify our minds.
We sang that today because wewere singing the word, we were
(39:30):
declaring the word back to him.
Purify our hearts, purify ourminds, take us back.
Take us back.
I fell like the prodigal.
Take me back.
Put me wherever you want in thehouse, just take me back.
(39:53):
It's total humbleness, totalhumility and surrender,
recognizing the price that hepaid to purchase us.
And in Hosea 14, there has tobe an acknowledgement, there has
to be an admittance, becauserepentance is the
acknowledgement of the truth.
You can find that in thescriptures I don't have the
(40:15):
verse for it but repentance isthe acknowledgement of the truth
.
And when we come to him and weask him to take us back and we
ask him to be gracious with us,we must admit the other gods.
I call them other loves.
We must admit and acknowledgethe other loves that have
(40:40):
separated us from the love ofGod.
We have to admit that the otherloves will not save us.
That's in Hosea 14.
We have to admit that havingthe possession of horses, which
represents man's power becausein that day and age, if you had
(41:00):
horses in your army, oh, forgetit, we're surrendering.
Now, that's how they interpretit.
If you had horses and chariots,that's it, we're not fighting.
But it's a metaphor for thethings that in this life we put
our trust in, whether it's power, whether it's wealth, whether
it's fame, whether it's our jobswe have to admit these things
(41:22):
will not save us.
I'm not putting my trust inthese things, saith the Lord.
Nor will any work of our handsredeem or save us.
Because I fall down in yourfeet, Lord, because I realize
that, because in you I will findmercy, and that's what I need.
(41:43):
I need mercy.
Mercy is what causes me tostand with filthy garments while
the accuser is rebuking me,trying to rebuke the Lord, and
trying to condemn me andpersecute me.
It's what allows me to be ableto stand there and stay standing
(42:04):
, because, if not for the Lord'smercy, we would have been done
away with a long time ago.
And stay standing Because, ifnot for the Lord's mercy, we
would have been done away with along time ago.
It is his mercy that enduresforever.
And God responds in Hosea, withthe heart of people who come to
him in this fashion that I'vejust described.
(42:25):
He says I will heal yourbackslidings.
I will love you freely, for myanger with you is gone.
Do you understand what thatmeans?
I love you freely.
My anger is gone.
(42:47):
I don't have it for you anymore.
I'm standing by you and I willnot let him touch you.
You are not his.
I have chosen you.
Don't worry about what he says.
Don't get depressed, don't falldown on your knees because of
(43:14):
him.
Stand up, I am standing herewith you.
He says.
I will cover you, I will causeyou to grow beautifully and
bountifully.
I understand you've had a roughlife.
I understand you've fallen.
I understand you have a bloodynose.
I understand you're scarred.
(43:36):
I understand you're wounded.
But I'm telling you to fear not,for I am with you.
Be not be dismayed, for I amyour God.
I will cover you, I willstrengthen you.
I will cover you, I willstrengthen you, I will uphold
you with my righteous right hand.
And when you're there, none cantouch you, none, not in heaven,
(43:56):
not in the earth, not under theearth.
You are mine, untouchable by myadversary.
All who dwell under the shadow.
My shadow shall return, shallrevive, shall grow.
And you, even though you don'tlook like it, even though you
(44:17):
don't smell it, even though youdon't see it, you are going to
be a sweet fragrance.
So I say to end behold, behold,behold, behold.
What manner of love is this?
Oh my god, what manner of loveyou have bestowed upon us that
(44:39):
we should be called the childrenof God?
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Therefore, the world does notknow us because it did not know
him.
Behold, beloved now.
Now I say now.
We are the children of god andit has not yet been revealed
(45:00):
what we shall be, but we knowthat when he, he, is revealed in
us, we shall be just like him,that we shall see him face to
face.
Amen, amen, hallelujah, amen,give him praise.
Give him praise, hallelujah,for what he has done.
(45:22):
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(45:43):
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Thank you,
The vision received was that of blood cells
traveling throughout the body,supplying the much-needed oxygen
and other nutrients to thediffering members of the body to
fulfill their purpose.
Once the blood cells are spent,they must return back to the
heart to be refilled beforebeing sent out again and fulfill
their purpose and fulfill theirpurpose.
(00:26):
Good afternoon everyone.
As always, it is a pleasure tobe in this place.
It is a privilege and an honorto be able to stand before you
and be given the honor ofministering to you the word, and
today the Lord would have me toshare with you a story.
It's a story that, as I've gonethrough it and sort of compiled
(00:50):
the information that I needed,I realized that I'm just going
to title it the Pardon.
So if you're interested inknowing what the title of the
message is, I'm going to call itthe pardon.
There was a man in thescriptures that held a very
(01:16):
significant position in officein the house of God.
He was a Levite, and being aLevite meant that he kind of
stood in the gap for all thepeople.
He was commissioned, he wassanctioned by the Lord as a
(01:47):
Levite to serve God in the steadof the people of God, and in
this particular position.
He stood as a mediator betweenGod and the people, and this man
named Joshua the high priestfound himself standing before
the Lord and the adversary wasstanding at his right hand to
(02:16):
oppose him.
This is found in Zechariah 3.1.
Now, the adversary was standingto oppose Joshua the high
priest, who was standing at theright hand of God.
(02:36):
And how does Satan opposeJoshua the high priest?
It is revealed in Revelation 12, verse 10.
There's this declaration,there's this loud voice in
heaven saying now, salvation andstrength in the kingdom of our
God and the power of his Christhave come.
(02:57):
That really doesn't haveanything to do with what I'm
talking about in this story, butthe very next phrase in this
sentence for the accuser of ourbrethren, who accused them
before our God day and night,what was Satan doing to oppose
(03:17):
Joshua standing before thepresence of the Lord.
He was standing before Godaccusing Joshua.
Finding fault with Joshua.
Condemning Joshua for thethings that he's done, for the
things that he's said.
Because this is what theadversary does.
(03:40):
Now, Joshua's standing in theoffice of the high priest,
knowing that he is standing inthe stead of all the people.
What would the adversary have tosay to contend Joshua?
(04:00):
If Joshua is representing allthe people of God before God,
being the high priest, whatwould the adversary have to say?
And I thought let's go back tothe beginning.
Let's imagine what would theadversary be saying about a man
(04:24):
who was standing in the stead ofall the people before God.
What would he say to condemnJoshua?
Well, he might start with Adam.
Adam blamed God because of thewoman that God had given him.
(04:44):
The adversary would be sayingthat before God.
How could you stand and justifyhim?
He blamed you, God, for thewoman that you gave him as a
gift to be his helpmeet.
His seed, Cain, murdered hisbrother Abel, condemning the
(05:10):
people of God.
How about Noah?
Yeah, he listened to you tobuild the ark.
Yeah, he did it for 120 years.
Yeah, you delivered him and hiswife and his three children and
their wives.
But even after that he foundhimself drunk in the tent,
shamefully naked.
How about him, lord?
(05:36):
How about Sarai, who literallygave Abram her handmaid to wife?
It says she gave Hagar to Abramto lie in bed with, when you
(05:56):
had already promised to give hima seed through Sarah?
How about when Abraham waspassing through the regions of
King Abimelech and he lied tohim saying, oh, she's only my
sister".
Because he feared for his life,he allowed his own wife to go
(06:24):
with King Abimelech and be withthe king, knowing that the king
will have whatsoever he likes,because that's what kings did,
because he feared for his ownlife, it says.
How about his son Isaac?
Abraham, Isaac, what did he do?
The very same thing his fatherdid lied to King Abimelech again
(06:47):
and saying that his wife wasreally just his sister.
So the curse of sin fell fromhim to his son.
How can you justify them?
How can you stand for them?
I oppose this",the prosecutor says.
How about Jacob, the son ofIsaac?
(07:08):
He was a deceiver all of hislife, at every turn.
He not only took his olderbrother's birthright, but he
also took the blessing of theoldest in a deceitful and
deceptive manner.
How can you stand for him beingthat he was just like me,
deceiving, taking what was notrightfully his.
(07:32):
Talk about a band of brothers.
Jacob had 12 brothers, excuseme, Jacob had 12 sons and before
he had his 12th son, he onlyhad 11, and the youngest one was
Joseph.
And what did that band ofbrothers do to Joseph?
They took him, they beat him,they threw him in a pit.
(07:56):
They contemplated murdering him, only to have him disappear on
them.
And then they lie to theirfather and say oh, a wild beast
ate him and took him.
This is all that we have left,putting his coat of many colors
(08:16):
and dipping it in blood.
How can you stand for them,Lord?
How about Moses?
He murdered an Egyptian whosimply hit one of your people.
That's all he did.
He just hit them, and Mosescame in in fury and murdered him
and buried him.
(08:40):
How could you stand for him?
How about the first high priest, Aaron?
What happened when Moses wentup to the mountain to just be
there for 40 days?
What did Aaron do?
He took all the gold of all thepeople and he made a golden
(09:00):
molten calf.
How could you stand for him,the ?
You delivered the Israelitesout of Egypt.
What happened to them, Lord?
Within 40 years, they died inthe wilderness.
(09:21):
Lord, how could you stand forthem?
You allowed their carcasses torot in the wilderness.
You even said it was because oftheir unbelief, it was because
of their rebellion.
How could you stand for them,Lord?
Except for two?
I'll give you that Two got in,but millions died.
(09:44):
Lord, how about David, yourprecious king, the precious man
after your own heart.
He was an adulterer, he was amurderer and when he sinned, he
caused 70,000 of your people todie.
Not because of what they did,because of what he did.
(10:05):
How can you stand for him, Lord?
Guilty as sin, I say, says theadversary.
How about his son, Solomon?
He was forbidden to marry otherwomen outside of the nation of
Israel and he purposely andwillfully married 700 of them.
(10:30):
And what did that cause, Lord?
It resulted in your dividedkingdom, lord, and the kingdom
was literally obliterated by me,lord, how could you stand for
Solomon?
(10:50):
I would venture to say, Lord,that all of the Israelites have
broken all of the commandmentsthat you listed in Exodus 20.
Lord, not one have they notbroken and not one have they not
broken more than once, morethan twice, more than three
times, Lord, how can you standfor them?
Says the adversary, the accuserof the brethren.
(11:10):
You know, but it didn't endthere.
You brought about your preciousnew covenant.
You came on the days of theflesh.
Yeah, you poured out yourSpirit.
But what did the disciples dowith you when I took you?
They betrayed you.
They ran away.
(11:31):
None of them stood up for you.
They ran with their tailsbetween their legs, cowering
like cowards that they were.
Lord, how can you stand forthem?
Not one of them.
Not one of them stood up forwhat I did to you as the
precious son of God.
How do you stand for them, Lord?
How can you stand them, Lord?
(11:58):
Peter, your precious rock.
He denied you three times, justas you said he would, before
the cocking of the crow.
How do you stand him?
How do you stand for him?
He was the coward of cowards.
So what if he walked on waterwhen the going got tough?
He denied you three times andwent away weeping like the
(12:21):
coward that he was.
How do you stand him, Lord?
How do you stand for him, Lord?
But you know what?
So what?
You gave him your precious HolyGhost afterward and he had to
be rebuked by Paul because, infear, he cowered away from the
(12:42):
Gentiles when they came aroundand he was hanging around with
the Jews.
How could you stand him?
He gave him the spirit and hestill cowered away in fear.
You had to write two letters tothe Corinthian church because
of the mess that they wereinvolved in.
You poured out the spirit andyou gave them gifts, and they
(13:04):
were all wild, they were allcarnal as the day before they
were born again.
How many times did you have tocorrect them, lord?
How could you stand them, lord?
How do you stand for them, lord?
They were a mess.
The people that you have chosen,all throughout history, says
(13:25):
the accuser, have failed, allthe old and all the new.
They've all failed you.
They failed a thousand timesover.
How do you stand for them, Lord?
I oppose this, says theadversary.
They are not worthy.
They are mine.
They should be in death andhell with me, says the accuser
(13:47):
of the brethren.
They're not worthy.
This is the condemnation thatcomes from the prosecution and
it is done day and night beforethe Lord.
It is unceasing, it isunrelenting.
How many of you hear theaccusations?
(14:08):
How many of you hear theaccusations of the prosecution?
He's not worthy.
He's a liar, just like the restof them.
He's a coward, just like therest of them.
When he had his moment, hedidn't say anything.
She didn't do anything.
They didn't give to the poor,they didn't give to the needy.
(14:31):
They thought about themselves.
They paid for this, they paidfor that and they didn't take
care of your people.
They're guilty, they'reabsolutely guilty, he's saying
of them and he's saying of us.
Day and night.
He's accusing us.
(14:56):
And you know what the Lord saidto Satan when he heard all of
these accusations.
He says the Lord, rebuke you,satan.
The Lord who has chosenJerusalem, rebuke you, satan.
Is this not a brand pluckedfrom the fires?
(15:19):
Yes, is this not the peoplethat I have rescued from your
grips, from the fire of deathand hell and brimstone?
These are my people.
The Lord rebuke you, satan.
It reminds me of Job.
It reminds me of another timewhere the Lord was with the
(15:43):
angels of God and Satan came infrom walking to and fro
throughout the earth and he wasupset because he had no one that
he could touch.
And the Lord says to him howabout Job?
(16:06):
How about my servant?
And you all know the story inJob, chapter 1, verse 7 and
verse 10 through 11.
And Satan says what about him?
I can't touch him.
You protect everything that hehas.
I can't touch his family.
I can't touch his belongings.
I can't touch him.
But you know what?
I challenge you If you stretchout your hand and you touch all
(16:29):
that he has, he will surelycurse you to your face,
condemning us again, condemninghim again.
Saying to the Lord, godAlmighty, what he is going to do
when he have not the knowledgeto know?
And the Lord says you may touchall that he has, but you may
not touch him.
(16:50):
And we know the story as itcontinues, that he got to take
his family, he got to take someof his belongings and he got to
plunder him, but Satan stillwasn't satisfied.
Satan still wasn't satisfiedbecause what he said Job would
do, he did not do.
(17:10):
He says to the Lord whoquestions him about Job again,
satan answers skin for skin yes,all that a man has he will give
for his life.
But stretch out your hand now,touch his bone, touch his flesh,
and he will surely curse you toyour face, accusing again.
(17:38):
Now, remember, this is what theadversary does.
He stands before the Lord,accusing, condemning, and Joshua
the high priest I come back toJoshua, the high priest.
He presided in an office thatrepresented as a whole the
people of God.
And here Joshua is standingbefore the Lord and he's rebuked
(18:07):
.
It said after the Lord said tohim isn't this not the brand
plucked from the fire?
It says something veryrevealing.
The Lord wrote now Joshua, inverse 3, was filled or, excuse
(18:34):
me, now, joshua was clothed withfilthy garments and was
standing before the angel.
It's not that God did not seethe filthiness and the sin, but
it is not what saith hisadversary that stands, it is
(18:54):
what saith the Lord that standsforever.
Say of the Lord that standsforever.
So, without denying what theadversary was, condemning and
accusing him, he says the Lordrebuke you.
I have redeemed this from thefire of hell.
He says in verse 4 and 5 ofZechariah 3,.
(19:15):
Then he answered and spoke tothose who stood before him,
saying the Lord says take awayhis filthy garments from him.
And to him he said see, I haveremoved iniquity from you and I
will clothe you with rich robes.
He's speaking to Joshua, thehigh priest, and he's telling
him this.
And I said let them put a cleanturban on his head.
(19:37):
So they put a clean turban onhis head.
So they put a clean turban onhis head and they put the
clothes on him.
God changed everything, tookaway his filthy garments,
clothed them with new garments,gave him a turban on his head.
But what stands out to me inthis particular verse is what it
says in verse 5.
After he does all the cleaning,after he does everything that
(19:59):
he did for Joshua.
It says and the angel of theLord stood by.
The angel of the Lord stood byJoshua in the state that God had
cleaned him into.
He didn't leave, but he'sstanding by him.
(20:19):
Why?
Because the adversary is rightthere condemning and accusing
and he's trying to oppose, butthe Lord is standing right by.
It reminds me of when Mosesdied.
(20:42):
Anybody know what happenedbetween Satan and the Lord then?
Does anybody remember theadversary trying to do something
when Moses died and thearchangel Michael contending
with the devil, becausecontending is another word for
opposing.
And he's now contending withthe devil, because contending is
another word for opposing.
And he's now contending withhim disputing over the body of
(21:05):
Moses.
It's mine, it's mine, it's mine.
He's a failure, he's not worthy.
He didn't even get into thepromised land.
It's mine.
And yet the angel says thearchangel Michael says exactly
what the Lord said.
The Lord rebuke you again InJude 1, verse 9.
(21:28):
And when we read this, do wehave an understanding?
Do we know?
Have we not heard what the Lordhas done?
We sang about that.
Do you recognize and appreciatewhat the Lord has done in this
(21:49):
pardon?
It says in Zechariah 12, 6, 12to 13,.
Then speak to him saying Thusthe Lord of hosts, saying behold
the man Not Joshua, not thehigh priest.
He says behold the man whosename is the branch.
(22:13):
From his place he shall branchout and he shall build the
temple of the Lord.
Yes, he shall build the templeof the Lord.
He shall bear the glory andshall sit and rule on his throne
.
So he shall be a priest on histhrone and the council of peace
(22:37):
shall be between them both andthe council of peace shall be
between them both.
It's not what the adversarysays that stands.
It is what the Lord hasdeclared, and he declares of a
man whose name is the branch,who will build a temple and the
glory shall rest upon him and heshall sit and rule as a priest.
(23:03):
This branch shall rule as apriest on the throne.
So now, don't just think ofJoshua as the high priest, don't
just think of him as he'srepresenting the people of God.
Now realize that Jesus, as theson of God, stands as the one
(23:25):
and only mediator between manand God.
He is the one standing in thatplace, and you may wonder why
does he have filthy garments onhim?
Have you not known, have younot heard that Joshua is the
Hebrew name for Jesus, the Greekname.
There's a connection there.
Are you seeing what's going on?
(23:45):
Because something that the Lordhath done hath placed upon this
man, the branch, these filthygarments.
And yet, because of what theLord hath declared, take away
his filthy garments, put on himrobes that are clean and white
and put the turban on his head.
What has the Lord done?
(24:08):
It was through a man who stoodas a mediator, who stood as the
propitiation between God and manthat came out, that came forth,
who stood as the propitiationbetween God and man that came
out, that came forth, that Godhad declared would come and do a
work.
Do we see what the Lord hasdone?
(24:34):
In Isaiah 11, 1 through 5, itspeaks more of this man whose
name is the branch.
It says there shall come fortha rod from the stem of Jesse and
a branch shall grow out of hisroots.
The Spirit of the Lord shallrest upon him, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, thespirit of counsel and might, the
spirit of knowledge and thefear of the Lord, and in this
(24:58):
man will delight.
He delights in the fear of theLord.
He delights and he shall notjudge by the sight of his eyes,
nor decide by the hearing of hisears.
But with righteousness he shalljudge the poor and decide with
(25:19):
equity the meek of the earth.
He shall strike the earth witha rod of his mouth and with the
breath of his lips he shall slaythe wicked.
Righteousness shall be the beltof his loins and faithfulness
the belt of his waist.
Do we understand what this manJesus did for us?
It says in Romans 5.19,.
(25:42):
For as by one man'sdisobedience, many were made
sinners, which is why God didnot correct him in that respect.
He accused of the failing, ofthe failures, he prosecuted for
all the sin, for all theiniquity.
But still the Lord says theLord rebuke you, because the
(26:03):
Lord knew from the foundation ofthe world that he was going to
make a way, and he says so alsoby one man's obedience, many
will be made righteous,hallelujah.
Do we understand what the Lordhath done when he pardoned?
When he pardoned?
You see, it says in 1 Peter 2: 24 that Jesus took upon himself, (26:24):
undefined
upon his body.
What?
Does anybody know?
What did he take upon himselfand his body?
The sins?
Whose sins?
It says Our sins, it says, forit says, who himself bore sin,
our sins, in his own body, onthe tree, that we, having died
(26:49):
to sins, might live forrighteousness, by whose stripes
you were healed.
But it's not only us that hedid it for, for that's
remarkable in and of itself, butI consider it absolutely
astounding that he did it forthe sins of the whole world,
knowing that they would notchoose him in the end.
(27:10):
For it says in 1 John, 2 and 2,and that of the sins of the
whole world, he himself is thepropitiation for our sins, and
not for ours only, but also forthe whole world.
(27:31):
Do you understand what the Lordhas done?
What the Lord has given usopportunity?
What the new birth has given usis a second chance, because
there is no doubt that the oldman is guilty as sin and is
(27:51):
worthy of death.
But I say behold, for there wasa man named John the Baptist who
came to prepare the way, andduring the days of his ministry,
it says that John saw Jesuscoming toward him in John 1,
verse 29, and said behold, theLamb of God revealed before you.
(28:20):
Behold, see, hear, look uponhim, look what the Lord has done
, because this Lamb of God takesaway the sins of all the world.
This is he whom I have said.
After me comes a man don't gettoo hung up on that, because
(28:46):
it's true A man who waspreferred before me, for he was
before me.
I did not know him, but that heshould be revealed to Israel.
Therefore, I came baptizingwith water.
Behold, be revealed that Jesusis the Lamb of God that takes
away the sins of the world.
And John, but witness saying Isaw the Spirit descending upon
(29:08):
him from heaven like a dove thattakes away the sins of the
world.
And John, but witness saying Isaw the spirit descending upon
him from heaven like a dove, andit remained upon him.
But we just read about that,did we not?
Did we not In Isaiah?
The Spirit of the Lord shallrest upon him.
John the Baptist is a part ofthis prophecy because it's
coming to pass right before hisvery eyes.
(29:29):
For he was told upon whom yousee the Spirit of the Lord
descending and resting upon him.
It is he who is the Messiah,the Lamb of God.
God said to John the Baptistupon whom you see the Spirit
descending and remaining on him,this is he who baptizes with
(29:51):
the Holy Spirit.
And I have seen and testifiedthat this is the Son of God.
And I skip over to verse 36.
And looking at Jesus as hewalked, he said Behold, behold,
see the Lamb of God.
(30:12):
That behold" word is to getyour attention.
That behold word is to get youto hear, to see, to open up your
heart to the Lamb of God.
It says in Isaiah 42, verse 1,this beautiful word Behold my
(30:33):
servant whom I uphold, my electone in whom my soul delights.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring forth justice tothe Gentiles.
Do we understand what the Lordhas done?
(30:56):
Who is this man, this branch?
Who is this Jesus?
If I turn to Revelation 5, verse1 through 10, john, taken up in
the spirit, is seeing things inthe spirit by revelation.
And he says and I saw in theright hand of him, who sat on
the throne, a scroll writteninside and on the back, sealed
(31:20):
with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angelproclaiming with a loud voice
who is worthy to open up thescroll and loose its seals.
And no one, no one in heaven,no one in the earth, no one
(31:41):
under the earth, was able toopen this scroll or to look at
it.
And he began to weep.
He began to weep because no onewas found worthy to open and
read the scroll.
No one was found worthy to lookat it.
One of the elders said to himdo not weep.
(32:04):
Behold the lion.
Behold the lion of the tribe ofJudah, the root of David, has
prevailed to open up the scrolland to loose its seals.
See this, Jesus.
And I looked and behold, in themidst of the throne and the
(32:25):
four living creatures and in themidst of the elders stood a
Lamb, as though it had beenslain, having seven horns, seven
eyes, which are the sevenspirits of God that we read
about in Isaiah.
And when he had come and he hadtaken the scroll, the four
(32:46):
living creatures and the 24elders fell down before the Lord
, each having a harp and goldenbowls full of incense, which are
the prayers of the saints, andthey sang a new song.
You, Jesus, lamb of God, areworthy to take open this scroll,
to open its seals, for you wereslain and have redeemed us to
(33:09):
God by your blood, out of everytribe and tongue and people and
nation, and have made us kingsand priests to our God and we
shall reign on the earth.
Amen, amen, amen, amen.
Look what the Lord has done.
(33:30):
When Stephen was stoned, he wasfull of the Holy Spirit.
He gazed up into heaven.
He saw the glory of God andJesus standing at the right hand
of God.
The right hand is a metaphorfor power, for worthiness, for
preeminence.
When you were the right handman of the king, you were his
(33:51):
right hand man, and all thatentails, and you were blessed
and you were a place ofprominence and position.
And that's all that means.
Jesus has been placed in aplace of prominence, in a place
of position where he should belooked at with high esteem and
worthy for what he had done andwhat he had done and what he had
done for his people.
For it says look, I see theheavens open and the son of man
(34:19):
standing at the right hand ofGod.
And he saw this as he wasstoned, was stoned.
God says to us who are dealingwith the condemnation, who are
dealing with the struggles ofthe daily life, of our own
faults and our own weaknessesand how we don't measure up to
(34:41):
even our own standards.
This is what the Lord says.
Isaiah 41, verse 10.
Fear not, for I am with you.
Do you remember Joshua beingcleansed and whole?
The angel of the Lord stood by.
Fear not, for I am with you.
(35:01):
Be not dismayed.
I am your God.
The adversary has nothing onyou, for I stand by you, I will
strengthen you, I will help you,I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand.
That is my promise to you.
(35:25):
But I have to balance this out,because some people are going
to hear this message and say ohmy God, how glorious your work
is.
I can do whatsoever I want.
You've pardoned me, you'veforgiven me, you've given me
(35:47):
clothes of righteousness.
I stand right before you.
I don't have to worry aboutwhat I say, what I do, what I
think.
I haven't finished the story.
Zechariah 6, excuse me,zechariah 3, verse 6.
After the Lord cleansed him andhe's standing by him, being
(36:10):
opposed by the enemy but notallowing the enemy to touch him
the angel of the Lord admonishedJoshua, I've given you a new
lease on life.
Yeah, you were filthy, but I'vedeclared you clean and whole by
the word that I've declaredfrom heaven, by the word that I
declared from the foundation ofthe world.
Hear me, because I admonish you, Joshua.
(36:33):
Thus saith the Lord of hosts if, if, if, you will walk in my
ways and if you will keep mycommand, then you shall also
judge my house.
You see, even though he wascleansed and cleaned and made
(36:55):
whole, there's still a conditionto that maintaining that state
of righteousness in God.
If you will walk in my ways, ifyou will keep my command, then
you will judge my house andlikewise have charge over my
courts.
You will have in my ways.
If you will keep my command,then you will judge my house and
likewise have charge over mycourts.
You will have whatsoever I have, you will have the inheritance.
It will all be yours.
(37:15):
If you walk in my ways, if youwalk in my statutes, hear O
Joshua, the high priest, you andyour companions who sit before
you, for they are a wonder sign.
I have declared that you andthe people that stand in the
midst of you, my people, are asign and a wonder in the earth.
(37:39):
I have declared it.
For behold, I am bringing forthmy servant, the branch.
I'm going to take care of this.
Fear not, I am with you, be notdismayed, but if you walk in my
ways and my statutes, then youshall have what I have.
(38:04):
For behold the stone that Ihave laid before Joshua.
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave.
Its inscription says the Lordof hosts and I will remove the
iniquity of the land in one day.
Do we understand what the Lordhas done for us?
(38:26):
Do we understand what the Lordhas done for us?
Because it was beyond ourcomprehension what the Lord had
already thought of before Adamwas even created, that he not
only took upon me personally, mysin, but everyone in this room,
and it went beyond that toeveryone in the world.
(38:47):
He's given everyone a secondchance.
In Hosea 14, I'm not going toread the whole thing, but you
can write it down in your notes.
I'm going to just paraphrasewhat happens in here.
Hosea 14 says when we return tothe Lord, we bring of our lips.
We bring because our lips isconnected to our hearts.
(39:08):
So we said we bring of ourhearts to him, words which ask
him take away our iniquity.
We are humbled, we are broken,we acknowledge our sin.
Lord, cleanse us.
Lord, take away our iniquities.
Lord, purify us, purify ourhearts, purify our minds.
We sang that today because wewere singing the word, we were
(39:30):
declaring the word back to him.
Purify our hearts, purify ourminds, take us back.
Take us back.
I fell like the prodigal.
Take me back.
Put me wherever you want in thehouse, just take me back.
(39:53):
It's total humbleness, totalhumility and surrender,
recognizing the price that hepaid to purchase us.
And in Hosea 14, there has tobe an acknowledgement, there has
to be an admittance, becauserepentance is the
acknowledgement of the truth.
You can find that in thescriptures I don't have the
(40:15):
verse for it but repentance isthe acknowledgement of the truth
.
And when we come to him and weask him to take us back and we
ask him to be gracious with us,we must admit the other gods.
I call them other loves.
We must admit and acknowledgethe other loves that have
(40:40):
separated us from the love ofGod.
We have to admit that the otherloves will not save us.
That's in Hosea 14.
We have to admit that havingthe possession of horses, which
represents man's power becausein that day and age, if you had
(41:00):
horses in your army, oh, forgetit, we're surrendering.
Now, that's how they interpretit.
If you had horses and chariots,that's it, we're not fighting.
But it's a metaphor for thethings that in this life we put
our trust in, whether it's power, whether it's wealth, whether
it's fame, whether it's our jobswe have to admit these things
(41:22):
will not save us.
I'm not putting my trust inthese things, saith the Lord.
Nor will any work of our handsredeem or save us.
Because I fall down in yourfeet, Lord, because I realize
that, because in you I will findmercy, and that's what I need.
(41:43):
I need mercy.
Mercy is what causes me tostand with filthy garments while
the accuser is rebuking me,trying to rebuke the Lord, and
trying to condemn me andpersecute me.
It's what allows me to be ableto stand there and stay standing
(42:04):
, because, if not for the Lord'smercy, we would have been done
away with a long time ago.
And stay standing Because, ifnot for the Lord's mercy, we
would have been done away with along time ago.
It is his mercy that enduresforever.
And God responds in Hosea, withthe heart of people who come to
him in this fashion that I'vejust described.
(42:25):
He says I will heal yourbackslidings.
I will love you freely, for myanger with you is gone.
Do you understand what thatmeans?
I love you freely.
My anger is gone.
(42:47):
I don't have it for you anymore.
I'm standing by you and I willnot let him touch you.
You are not his.
I have chosen you.
Don't worry about what he says.
Don't get depressed, don't falldown on your knees because of
(43:14):
him.
Stand up, I am standing herewith you.
He says.
I will cover you, I will causeyou to grow beautifully and
bountifully.
I understand you've had a roughlife.
I understand you've fallen.
I understand you have a bloodynose.
I understand you're scarred.
(43:36):
I understand you're wounded.
But I'm telling you to fear not,for I am with you.
Be not be dismayed, for I amyour God.
I will cover you, I willstrengthen you.
I will cover you, I willstrengthen you, I will uphold
you with my righteous right hand.
And when you're there, none cantouch you, none, not in heaven,
(43:56):
not in the earth, not under theearth.
You are mine, untouchable by myadversary.
All who dwell under the shadow.
My shadow shall return, shallrevive, shall grow.
And you, even though you don'tlook like it, even though you
(44:17):
don't smell it, even though youdon't see it, you are going to
be a sweet fragrance.
So I say to end behold, behold,behold, behold.
What manner of love is this?
Oh my god, what manner of loveyou have bestowed upon us that
(44:39):
we should be called the childrenof God?
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Therefore, the world does notknow us because it did not know
him.
Behold, beloved now.
Now I say now.
We are the children of god andit has not yet been revealed
(45:00):
what we shall be, but we knowthat when he, he, is revealed in
us, we shall be just like him,that we shall see him face to
face.
Amen, amen, hallelujah, amen,give him praise.
Give him praise, hallelujah,for what he has done.
(45:22):
If you were blessed andappreciate listening to this
podcast and you would like tosupport us in our efforts,
consider lifting us up in prayerfirst.
Then remember these four socialmedia buzzwords share, like,
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Share this podcast link withsomeone else by text, email or
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(45:43):
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