WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:11.949 Hallelujah. Stay standing. We'll pray over the word. Good to 2 00:00:11.970 --> 00:00:14.349 see you all in church this morning. Praise the Lord. 3 00:00:14.429 --> 00:00:17.609 You look beautiful. Father, we thank you for your word. 4 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:22.440 We thank you that your anointing is present. That you 5 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:31.820 are stirring up, restoring, reviving our hearts. Thank you that 6 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:37.189 we are shedding disillusionment and running after you with a 7 00:00:37.270 --> 00:00:41.310 whole heart. Thank you for the pursuit, that the pursuit 8 00:00:41.390 --> 00:00:48.109 of you is rewarded by your presence, by revelation, understanding. 9 00:00:48.149 --> 00:00:50.350 We give you the praise for it today in Jesus' name. 10 00:00:50.390 --> 00:00:56.109 And everybody said? Amen. You may be seated. Hallelujah, hallelujah. 11 00:00:59.259 --> 00:01:09.980 We have heard some messages lately to address and clarify 12 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:15.909 some of the woke thinking and culture. Today won't be 13 00:01:15.969 --> 00:01:20.030 one of those. However, every message in the Word is 14 00:01:21.409 --> 00:01:28.459 an anti-woke message. Boy, did you miss a good time 15 00:01:28.500 --> 00:01:36.849 to laugh right there. Hallelujah. God is fully awake, but 16 00:01:36.870 --> 00:01:41.730 he isn't woke. But today, we're going to jump off 17 00:01:41.769 --> 00:01:45.010 of that for a moment and dive into something. I 18 00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:50.069 want to talk to you about us building more fully 19 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:53.930 the presence of the Lord here and in our own 20 00:01:54.010 --> 00:01:56.269 hearts and our own lives, because I know that's our passion. 21 00:01:57.840 --> 00:01:59.579 I know that's our desire. So we'll come back to 22 00:01:59.620 --> 00:02:03.890 some of these philosophical thoughts on wokeism. I hope it's 23 00:02:03.930 --> 00:02:07.310 beneficial and fun as we do those. We have nine 24 00:02:07.370 --> 00:02:11.509 people on the preaching team. And so I don't do 25 00:02:11.569 --> 00:02:14.030 all the preaching anymore. We kind of rotate through a 26 00:02:14.050 --> 00:02:18.009 little bit. And so each one of us are meditating 27 00:02:18.349 --> 00:02:23.310 and praying into what we can bring that will be 28 00:02:23.550 --> 00:02:31.169 biblical truth that will impact or shatter or expose unclean thinking, 29 00:02:31.250 --> 00:02:34.870 dark thinking, right? So that's part of what we're trying 30 00:02:34.909 --> 00:02:39.169 to do. And we're trying to do it in the 31 00:02:39.310 --> 00:02:44.889 spirit that the Lord would use and bring, not a 32 00:02:44.909 --> 00:02:48.120 spirit of judgment or hatred or malice or animosity, but 33 00:02:49.319 --> 00:02:53.599 just based on the goodness of God and what he 34 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:58.090 has for mankind, for culture, Today, though, I want to 35 00:02:58.129 --> 00:03:02.930 just talk a little bit about building the edifice, building 36 00:03:03.030 --> 00:03:10.270 the house of the Lord, and how this is really 37 00:03:10.330 --> 00:03:13.740 what we long for. And I'm going to put like 38 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:17.979 an old King James castle up here, right? But this 39 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:20.939 is what we really long for. We long for more 40 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:27.780 of the Lord. I think you're here this morning because 41 00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:33.990 you long for more of the Lord. There is a 42 00:03:34.389 --> 00:03:40.509 tension that we feel in the Lord. And it's a 43 00:03:40.569 --> 00:03:46.990 super healthy tension in that we are overjoyed with the 44 00:03:47.090 --> 00:03:55.759 presence we receive. There's a contentment inwardly of partaking of 45 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:58.020 the goodness of God. And how many of you did 46 00:03:58.099 --> 00:04:02.740 some eating, snacking, or something this morning? I see hands 47 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:05.960 over here. So yeah, as we press in together, so 48 00:04:05.979 --> 00:04:10.400 I'm talking about corporately and individually, you know, we come 49 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:13.439 to feast on Him. You know, that's part of why 50 00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:17.199 we're coming. And we come because we want more of Him, right? 51 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:19.699 We want more of His glory, more of His presence, 52 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:23.370 more of His touch. more of his wisdom, more of 53 00:04:23.410 --> 00:04:27.740 his counsel. We want him to show up supernaturally. We 54 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:30.420 want him to revive our hearts and to awaken our hearts. 55 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:38.600 So there's that tension where we're appreciative of literally every 56 00:04:38.660 --> 00:04:43.189 drop of spiritual rain, but we also have a discontentment. 57 00:04:44.029 --> 00:04:47.769 There's like a holy discontentment that's healthy. And that holy 58 00:04:47.829 --> 00:04:53.379 discontentment is that we want more. that we want more. 59 00:04:53.399 --> 00:05:00.569 And it's kind of that Exodus 33 thing where Moses said, 60 00:05:00.589 --> 00:05:04.430 I don't want to go forward without your glory. I 61 00:05:04.470 --> 00:05:06.269 kind of don't want to move off of this spot 62 00:05:06.350 --> 00:05:10.399 without your glory. And I don't know, I think that's 63 00:05:10.459 --> 00:05:12.639 part of why we come. Part of why we come 64 00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:20.620 together is we have not fully given to disillusionment. Sometimes 65 00:05:20.660 --> 00:05:24.360 we press in and we don't receive all that we desired. 66 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:29.779 And so disillusionment wants to come. Hopelessness wants to come. 67 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:36.259 Sadness or frustration. But we're here today and we gather 68 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:41.990 because we've quenched enough of that that we're still believing 69 00:05:42.009 --> 00:05:45.709 that there's value in getting together. There's value in the 70 00:05:45.750 --> 00:05:49.920 body of Christ. There's value in gathering. There's value in 71 00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:54.920 coming into a place where corporately we're asking God to move. 72 00:05:55.720 --> 00:05:58.519 We're believing for God to move. We're believing for his 73 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:01.800 spirit to be poured out upon us. And there's value 74 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:05.720 in that. There's power in that. There's power in that. 75 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:08.920 And sometimes we come in our weakness. Sometimes we come 76 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:14.490 with literally all we have is hope. But somebody around 77 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:22.360 us is strengthened. And you know, if we get around strength, 78 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:28.860 even when we're struggling, it's better than staying home. If 79 00:06:28.899 --> 00:06:31.579 we get around faith when we're struggling, it's better than 80 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:37.420 staying home. There's something about getting around. The Bible calls 81 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:41.709 us lively stones. And my exhortation to you today is 82 00:06:41.730 --> 00:06:47.550 to press, to continue to press to be that manifestation 83 00:06:47.850 --> 00:06:53.430 of life. A lively stone. Because him, he, and 1 84 00:06:53.430 --> 00:06:55.170 Peter 2, we're going to read this in a minute, 85 00:06:55.430 --> 00:06:58.360 but we're just talking right now. But he is the 86 00:06:58.689 --> 00:07:05.939 chief cornerstone. He is the stone of life. And he's 87 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:15.079 building a habitation through us unto himself that contains his glory. Essentially, 88 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:20.000 his glory will manifest in the midst Of the lively stones. 89 00:07:21.779 --> 00:07:27.889 So we want to be. We want to be. Becoming. 90 00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:32.209 That living stone. We want that. We desire that. We 91 00:07:32.250 --> 00:07:36.870 yearn for that. That's why you're here this morning. But also. 92 00:07:37.050 --> 00:07:44.519 If we overcome. Despair. And hopelessness. If we overcome some stuff. 93 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:48.930 We'll show up. Even when we're not. feeling all that 94 00:07:48.990 --> 00:07:55.250 lively we'll show because we know that this is the 95 00:07:55.370 --> 00:07:58.810 habitation the habitation is not the building the habitation is 96 00:07:58.850 --> 00:08:04.850 the corporate gathering the habitation is not the building but 97 00:08:04.910 --> 00:08:07.819 it's so much better together where there's air conditioning on 98 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:11.980 a hot day it's so much better together where there's 99 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:16.480 a roof and it's raining outside but the habitation is 100 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:20.019 not the house you are the house You are the 101 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:23.199 habitation of God's presence. You are the house that he's 102 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:27.000 dwelling in. And when we come together, we come as 103 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:33.409 lively stones, stones that are made alive by Holy Spirit, right? 104 00:08:33.929 --> 00:08:38.929 Let's read it together. And we come together to build 105 00:08:38.950 --> 00:08:42.129 this habitation for his glory. 1 Peter 2, verses 4 106 00:08:42.129 --> 00:08:48.740 through 6. 1 Peter 2, 4 through 6. As you 107 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:55.720 come to him, the living stone. Now, he's shown to 108 00:08:55.799 --> 00:08:59.950 us in Scripture to be the cornerstone. that builds the 109 00:08:59.990 --> 00:09:04.080 house of God. He's the cornerstone that builds the new habitation. 110 00:09:04.460 --> 00:09:07.259 And the new house or the new tabernacle or the 111 00:09:07.299 --> 00:09:10.960 new habitation of God is the coming together of the 112 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.320 people of God. It's me individually. I am a living 113 00:09:14.419 --> 00:09:18.220 stone now made alive by him. I am a house 114 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.299 of the Lord, but I don't exist on my own. 115 00:09:23.450 --> 00:09:27.879 I exist corporately in you. I've been made one with you. 116 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:31.519 And together we've been made one with him. Him being 117 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:36.220 the head and us being the body fitly joined together 118 00:09:36.600 --> 00:09:40.370 as God has called us. And so he is the 119 00:09:40.470 --> 00:09:45.029 chief cornerstone of the new habitation of the house. The 120 00:09:45.129 --> 00:09:50.970 old habitation of which is in the old habitation there's metaphor. 121 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:56.940 There's beautiful understanding, illustration, parallels, and metaphor. But the new 122 00:09:57.019 --> 00:10:02.659 house is us corporately together. We come corporately together. This 123 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:07.120 is so important that we see that coming together is 124 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:10.419 so powerful and it's so important. Each of us come 125 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:19.700 as lively stones. As you come to him, the living 126 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:24.240 stone rejected by humans, but chosen by God and precious 127 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:29.769 to him, you also, like living stones, are being built 128 00:10:29.929 --> 00:10:33.629 into a spiritual house. It's not in vain that we're 129 00:10:33.649 --> 00:10:37.000 coming together. This is super powerful that we're coming together. 130 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:42.559 We're being built into a spiritual house. Now, in a 131 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:46.980 spiritual house, that's where the glory comes. The glory dwells 132 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:50.580 in a spiritual house where we come together in his name, 133 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:55.860 by him, enlivened, made alive by him, and we come together. 134 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:59.250 That's where the glory dwells. That's where the glory shows. 135 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:02.169 That's where the glory comes. And we've tasted a bit 136 00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:06.919 of that today. And it's a beautiful thing. Like if 137 00:11:06.980 --> 00:11:10.019 we avoid this, if we, like there's a glory, a 138 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:14.320 corporate glory in the lively stones, in the living stones 139 00:11:15.179 --> 00:11:24.929 that we can't get somewhere else. And there's a glory 140 00:11:25.070 --> 00:11:29.710 on those who are refining themselves as lively stones. There's 141 00:11:29.730 --> 00:11:32.750 a glory on them that can get on me when 142 00:11:32.789 --> 00:11:41.100 I get around them. And it's because they've been working 143 00:11:41.580 --> 00:11:44.919 on the structure of their stone. You know, as you're 144 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:51.350 building something, you know, there's something about the quality of 145 00:11:51.389 --> 00:11:54.250 the stone and there's something about the perfecting of the 146 00:11:54.289 --> 00:11:59.809 stone that it speaks to the integrity of the building. 147 00:12:02.769 --> 00:12:09.110 And as we get around one another... and others are 148 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:16.230 further along in their maturity in the Lord, there's strength 149 00:12:16.289 --> 00:12:20.889 in that. There's grace in that. There's hope in that. 150 00:12:20.929 --> 00:12:27.529 There's life in that. There's joy in that. We are 151 00:12:27.549 --> 00:12:30.559 built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. 152 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:37.909 To be a holy priesthood. Wow. Wow. This is crazy. 153 00:12:38.049 --> 00:12:44.399 Offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. So we come together 154 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:51.460 and we exist as well individually as a lively stone. 155 00:12:52.059 --> 00:12:57.000 You are one of these lively stones. And then he 156 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.360 goes on to say you're not only a lively stone, 157 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:02.659 but you're part of a holy priesthood. You're actually part 158 00:13:02.710 --> 00:13:09.889 of a priesthood. You have a priestly calling. You have 159 00:13:09.909 --> 00:13:16.679 a priestly role. The priesthood, this speaks of something very 160 00:13:16.779 --> 00:13:22.159 set apart. Very set apart. You are no longer ordinary. 161 00:13:22.460 --> 00:13:25.659 The priest, Exodus 39.30. The priest wore a plate of 162 00:13:25.740 --> 00:13:31.820 gold over their forehead and on the plate of gold 163 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:42.299 it said, Holy to God. They were to remember by 164 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:46.009 being called as a priest. We're talking about Aaron and 165 00:13:46.049 --> 00:13:51.039 the Levites. We're talking about those in that tribe. They 166 00:13:51.100 --> 00:13:57.769 were holy unto the Lord. Set apart. For the heart 167 00:13:57.789 --> 00:14:00.009 of the Lord, the mind of the Lord, the work 168 00:14:00.049 --> 00:14:04.059 of the Lord. Now we in Christ Jesus have been 169 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:08.340 called into a holy priesthood. We are lively stones and 170 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:12.690 these lively stones have a calling, have a place, have 171 00:14:12.730 --> 00:14:17.549 a role that is so separate and set apart from 172 00:14:17.769 --> 00:14:26.309 everything we were in the world. Look at the Scripture. 173 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:30.600 Work with Holy Ghost this morning. He's not talking about 174 00:14:30.659 --> 00:14:34.009 those that have gone to seminary. He's not talking about 175 00:14:34.070 --> 00:14:37.789 those that graduated from Bible college. He's not talking about 176 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:42.240 those who want to be in the ministry. He's talking 177 00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:46.840 about every single believer. Every single believer is now in 178 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:50.399 the ministry. Every single believer has been set apart by God. 179 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:56.620 Every single believer has a ministry, a first ministry, and 180 00:14:56.639 --> 00:15:06.110 they're in the priesthood. every single one of us, hello somebody, 181 00:15:07.450 --> 00:15:12.779 and the most important calling that we have in the 182 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:18.799 priesthood is that we offer spiritual sacrifices. That's the most 183 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:22.120 important calling that we have, is that we offer spiritual sacrifices. 184 00:15:23.610 --> 00:15:31.929 Not physical sacrifices, but spiritual sacrifices. Physical sacrifices are follow 185 00:15:32.259 --> 00:15:38.279 spiritual sacrifices. The sacrifice of serving, the sacrifice of serving 186 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:46.139 in any way, those would follow the spiritual sacrifices. Anything 187 00:15:46.210 --> 00:15:52.289 we would do, Holy Spirit wants to enliven, He wants 188 00:15:52.350 --> 00:15:55.429 to animate, He wants to quicken, He wants to make alive. 189 00:15:55.450 --> 00:16:06.860 And that life... as we embrace our calling as priests. 190 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:15.139 Does that sound heavy? Does that sound crazy? Jesus fulfilled 191 00:16:15.159 --> 00:16:22.460 the priestly role and Jesus became the sacrifice as well. 192 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:26.340 Remember that out of the Old Testament. So out of 193 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:31.159 the Old Testament there were sin offerings, there were grain offerings, 194 00:16:31.789 --> 00:16:36.730 There were thank offerings. There were all these pictures of 195 00:16:37.460 --> 00:16:43.799 atonement and sacrifice. And the sacrifice of the Old Testament 196 00:16:43.940 --> 00:16:50.860 era was of an animal or of blood or of fat. 197 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:55.809 If you've read about the fat portions being burnt up 198 00:16:55.909 --> 00:16:59.330 on the altar, the fat, as it was burnt up 199 00:16:59.450 --> 00:17:03.490 on the altar, it would... offer an aroma that would 200 00:17:03.549 --> 00:17:07.549 ascend to heaven as the fat portion of an offering 201 00:17:07.609 --> 00:17:12.410 was being burnt up because the fat represented sin. And 202 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:19.279 as the fat portions would go up being placed on 203 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:22.700 the altar and then being offered by fire before God, 204 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:28.960 the fat portion, a picture of sin, would be like 205 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:33.880 an incense offering before God Now Jesus fulfilled all of 206 00:17:33.930 --> 00:17:38.900 those pictures by offering himself on our behalf. And then 207 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:42.259 we're told in the Hebrews that he became the high 208 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:45.259 priest of his own offering, to present that offering before 209 00:17:45.299 --> 00:17:50.460 the Father on our behalf. But then he's called us 210 00:17:50.900 --> 00:17:55.390 into a priesthood as well, where in that priesthood, the 211 00:17:55.430 --> 00:18:01.779 fulfillment of that priesthood is to offer spiritual sacrifices. Now 212 00:18:01.799 --> 00:18:07.579 there's a relationship between our offering of spiritual sacrifices and 213 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:10.609 the building up of this house, the building up of 214 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:14.170 the edifice. There's an interrelationship. And the thing we desire, 215 00:18:14.569 --> 00:18:21.009 we all desire more of God. We desire a greater 216 00:18:21.089 --> 00:18:27.089 presence of the Lord. We desire... We want Him to 217 00:18:27.130 --> 00:18:30.039 move in such a way that it blows us all 218 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:38.069 away and it blows the world away. Amen? And it's 219 00:18:38.210 --> 00:18:42.509 interrelated to this very thing that we're reading about in 220 00:18:42.789 --> 00:18:49.269 our priestly calling and in us embracing that we are 221 00:18:49.390 --> 00:18:53.930 lively stones, that we are lively stones, and that we 222 00:18:54.029 --> 00:18:59.190 come together to build a habitation for His glory and 223 00:18:59.250 --> 00:19:08.529 for His presence. What are the spiritual sacrifices? Let's dive 224 00:19:08.569 --> 00:19:16.509 into that a little bit. Spiritual sacrifices. First one I 225 00:19:16.549 --> 00:19:20.710 want to go to is Romans chapter 12 verses 1 226 00:19:20.710 --> 00:19:24.599 and 2. Let's go there. Romans chapter 12 verses 1 227 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:34.460 and 2. Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in 228 00:19:34.539 --> 00:19:39.799 view of God's mercy... to offer your bodies as a 229 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:46.109 living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your 230 00:19:46.150 --> 00:19:54.759 true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern 231 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:59.880 of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of 232 00:19:59.900 --> 00:20:02.799 your mind. Let's just stop right there just for a moment. 233 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:04.609 I want you to see those two things as coming 234 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:17.299 together as part of one exhortation to us that more 235 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:22.279 than anything we do, more than anything we do in doing, 236 00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:27.990 God is saying that a spiritual sacrifice that pleases Him, 237 00:20:28.829 --> 00:20:33.529 which is the most important act of our worship, is 238 00:20:33.569 --> 00:20:37.690 that we present our bodies up on the altar of sacrifice. 239 00:20:43.170 --> 00:20:47.369 And we say, Holy Spirit, not my will, but yours 240 00:20:47.529 --> 00:21:03.319 be done. Are you with me today? Every desire of 241 00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:09.019 my body, how many of you have bodily desires? Every 242 00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:15.250 desire of my body, every urge of my body, every 243 00:21:15.309 --> 00:21:20.609 thought of my mind. He's saying that when we put 244 00:21:20.829 --> 00:21:24.339 our body and our mind up on the altar of 245 00:21:24.410 --> 00:21:30.099 sacrifice and we say, not my will but yours be 246 00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:36.720 done through my behavior, through my mouth, through my hands, 247 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:45.230 through my feet. Hello, somebody. Hello, somebody. Now, we're talking 248 00:21:45.269 --> 00:21:51.309 about activity that is outside of this building. When we 249 00:21:51.410 --> 00:21:55.410 come together, you know how easy it is when you 250 00:21:55.529 --> 00:21:59.990 coalesce with all of us together? You know how easy 251 00:22:00.049 --> 00:22:04.829 it is to walk out some of this stuff? It 252 00:22:04.950 --> 00:22:14.640 becomes 100% easier to... Walk out spiritual sacrifice when we 253 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:20.319 come together. Because I'm lifted by you. I'm strengthened by you. 254 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:25.650 I'm helped by you. But when we walk out these 255 00:22:25.730 --> 00:22:33.210 doors and we're gone for the next seven days, we're 256 00:22:33.309 --> 00:22:39.230 making choices that either build our lively stone, strengthen our 257 00:22:39.269 --> 00:22:42.789 lively stone, revive our lively stone, It's like, are we 258 00:22:42.849 --> 00:22:46.829 partnering with the fullness of Jesus outside these doors? Are 259 00:22:46.869 --> 00:22:49.269 we partnering with who He is and what He has 260 00:22:49.349 --> 00:22:53.470 for us? This is the most critical time. The most 261 00:22:53.549 --> 00:22:57.579 critical time is when we go outside those doors. And 262 00:22:57.890 --> 00:23:02.279 everything we do with our earth suit, with our imagination, 263 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:05.440 with our passions, with our desires, every way that we 264 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:14.210 fulfill appetites, every way that we have expressions... through these members, right? 265 00:23:14.769 --> 00:23:18.670 Romans chapter 6, 13 says, no longer present your members 266 00:23:19.150 --> 00:23:22.960 to unrighteousness to be used by them, but present the 267 00:23:23.099 --> 00:23:28.240 members of your body to righteousness, to the Lord in righteousness. 268 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:35.079 All of these decisions, hello somebody, all of these decisions 269 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:39.440 that we're making, they are either sharpening or The stone, 270 00:23:39.619 --> 00:23:48.130 building and helping form, and so that we become, and 271 00:23:48.190 --> 00:23:50.930 no matter what we do, no matter what we do, 272 00:23:51.589 --> 00:23:57.720 when we come back together, the grace on our stone, 273 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:01.119 the revival on our stone, the life on our stone, 274 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:05.140 it's going to be somewhat evident as we come back together. 275 00:24:07.569 --> 00:24:11.890 It's going to be somewhat evident. Because when we engage 276 00:24:12.250 --> 00:24:19.890 in the priestly ministry of spiritual sacrifices, then that incense 277 00:24:20.109 --> 00:24:24.210 offering goes before the throne. And as that incense offering 278 00:24:24.230 --> 00:24:30.049 goes before the throne, Holy Spirit descends upon us individually 279 00:24:30.369 --> 00:24:36.990 with a glory that can't come any other way. Why 280 00:24:37.049 --> 00:24:42.799 was Cornelius chosen? You know, Cornelius is the first Gentile believer. 281 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:46.380 So we're told about the house of Cornelius in Acts 282 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:49.700 chapter 10, Acts chapter 11, both of those. Why was 283 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:54.549 Cornelius chosen? Because one of the spiritual sacrifices that God 284 00:24:54.609 --> 00:24:58.569 is pleased with is the giving of ourselves. This is 285 00:24:58.609 --> 00:25:03.450 Hebrews chapter 13, verse 16. The giving of ourselves, when 286 00:25:03.509 --> 00:25:07.220 we give of ourselves, it's a spiritual sacrifice, right? We're 287 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:10.819 actually sacrificing when you give. When you give, you're sacrificing. 288 00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:13.680 Because you're saying, this that I'm about to part with, 289 00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:18.700 I'm no longer going to retain it for me. I'm 290 00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:22.069 going to give it for your benefit. That's a spiritual 291 00:25:22.109 --> 00:25:25.609 sacrifice God's pleased with. Did you know that sacrifice is 292 00:25:25.710 --> 00:25:29.490 so pleasing to God that it sends an aroma up 293 00:25:29.650 --> 00:25:33.049 all the way into the heavens? And that's why Cornelius 294 00:25:33.109 --> 00:25:38.289 was chosen to be the first Gentile believer. A Gentile 295 00:25:38.309 --> 00:25:45.230 is a non-Jew. And so as the gospel, the good news, 296 00:25:45.309 --> 00:25:51.619 the message of Jesus is going out, suddenly a vision 297 00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:56.220 comes to Peter, and Peter is told to go to 298 00:25:56.299 --> 00:26:01.440 the house of Cornelius, and it says, because his almsgiving 299 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:07.809 His generosity has ascended to the throne as a memorial. 300 00:26:10.190 --> 00:26:17.220 And that's why God chose him. It's a spiritual sacrifice. 301 00:26:17.269 --> 00:26:21.390 You have to see this, that when you are engaged 302 00:26:21.509 --> 00:26:26.289 in spiritual sacrifice as a priest of the new covenant, 303 00:26:26.750 --> 00:26:30.920 as a priest, a representative of the ministry of Jesus, 304 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:36.359 that as you're engaged in that, you're actually releasing an 305 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:42.660 incense into the heavens, and that incense is sending the 306 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:50.430 glory of God into to your life. So also when 307 00:26:50.450 --> 00:26:56.490 you turn the TV channel, so also, come on somebody, 308 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:02.259 so also when you make choices about what to think on, 309 00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:08.059 so also when you dismiss certain imaginations, so also when 310 00:27:08.599 --> 00:27:15.559 you take control of an appetite, so also Because he 311 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:20.839 says this is actually spiritual worship. It's actually spiritual worship 312 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:27.240 in view of God's mercies to offer your body as 313 00:27:27.269 --> 00:27:31.809 a living sacrifice. That's to say that as some of 314 00:27:31.849 --> 00:27:36.190 these thoughts and appetites come up, that you set them 315 00:27:36.230 --> 00:27:38.529 aside and you say, I'm not going to feed that. 316 00:27:38.950 --> 00:27:41.109 I'm going to put that on the altar right now. 317 00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:44.440 I'm going to put that on the altar. I'm not 318 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:47.720 going to feed that. I'm not going to go into that. 319 00:27:47.779 --> 00:27:50.259 I'm not going to partner with that. I'm not going 320 00:27:50.329 --> 00:27:56.210 to listen to that. As you put those thoughts, those behaviors, 321 00:27:56.630 --> 00:28:05.390 those natural desires or those natural appetites on the altar 322 00:28:05.490 --> 00:28:11.289 of sacrifice before the Lord... immediately the aroma, the incense 323 00:28:11.349 --> 00:28:14.349 of that offering is going up before the throne, and 324 00:28:14.410 --> 00:28:18.650 you are choosing to increase in glory as a lively stone. 325 00:28:19.190 --> 00:28:23.039 You are choosing that the Holy Spirit... And so there 326 00:28:23.099 --> 00:28:27.440 is a trade. Dr. Craig talked about a trade this morning. 327 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:32.559 There is a trade. You're trading... The sacrifice of an appetite, 328 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:36.140 the sacrifice of a thought, the sacrifice of an imagination, 329 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:39.819 the sacrifice of one thing for the glory of God 330 00:28:40.579 --> 00:28:43.960 in your life. The fullness of God. And this is 331 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:46.690 what we want. We want more of God. We have 332 00:28:46.730 --> 00:28:48.930 a promise of the fullness of God. We have a 333 00:28:48.990 --> 00:28:52.329 promise of revival. We have a promise of His fullness 334 00:28:52.410 --> 00:28:55.910 out of Ephesians chapter 4, 11 through 13. that He 335 00:28:55.970 --> 00:29:00.680 has already ordained to pour out His Spirit upon us. 336 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:09.700 This is what He wants to do. But when we 337 00:29:10.859 --> 00:29:15.440 partner with Him, He's released to do this in a 338 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:20.180 full way so that we become those who partake of 339 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:24.099 His glory, contain His glory, walk in His glory, in 340 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:32.519 a greater way. Are you with me this morning? Hebrews 341 00:29:32.579 --> 00:29:41.700 chapter 13, verse 15. Praise and thanksgiving. Praise and thanksgiving 342 00:29:45.769 --> 00:29:53.769 is actually a spiritual sacrifice. I'm up against something right 343 00:29:53.809 --> 00:29:57.049 now and my mouth really wants to curse or my 344 00:29:57.109 --> 00:30:00.119 mouth wants to be negative. 345 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:03.619 346 00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:06.549 347 00:30:06.609 --> 00:30:09.869 348 00:30:10.250 --> 00:30:13.329 349 00:30:13.369 --> 00:30:18.549 But the Word says that if 350 00:30:18.650 --> 00:30:22.349 I bring that to an altar, if I bring that 351 00:30:22.450 --> 00:30:24.769 to an altar and put it up on that altar 352 00:30:25.210 --> 00:30:30.039