Participants: Tapiwa Mutseriwa
Series Code: 15WAC
Program Code: 15WAC000013A
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00:16 Welcome, it is a privilege to be here with you.
00:21 How many of you have had a good time at this place? 00:25 Just show by raising your hand... Wonderful! 00:27 I, too, have been blessed. 00:29 Many times you get invited to come and be a part of the 00:34 presenting team and you think you will be the one blessing. 00:38 Many of those times, it's you who gets the blessing. 00:43 It has been like that with me. 00:46 The title of our message this morning is: 00:50 "The Great Controversy and The Temple of the Holy Spirit" 00:55 I'd like to start with reading a text that is found in the 00:59 book of Revelation 12:7... 01:23 Let us pray... 01:25 Our Father in Heaven, We thank You for Your 01:31 plan which involves the Holy Spirit. 01:35 It is Him who searches the deep things of God. 01:40 Because you are God who is loving, 01:45 You do not seek that we dance around, that we sing 01:50 and scratch ourselves for You to be present. 01:53 You did not wait for us to be holy for You to be with us. 01:57 As we entered into this place, You were already waiting for us. 02:02 The heavens are Your throne, and the earth is 02:05 is the footstool of Your throne. 02:06 Where can we invite You so we enter into Your presence 02:12 into the presence of the Holy Spirit seeking for 02:15 but one thing... that He reveals to us 02:19 the deep things of God. 02:21 This is our prayer, in Jesus name... Amen 02:27 I seem only to be able to go to the earliest 02:33 memories that I have is when I was 5. 02:37 If you know anything about the country of my birth, 02:40 around 1979 when I was 5, there was a war that was raging. 02:47 The natives of the land had risen up against 02:51 the government of the time. 02:53 They wanted to be recognized as a people, 02:56 so a war broke out in my country. 03:00 Now it so happened that these natives had gone to their 03:04 neighboring countries... 03:05 To the east of Zimbabwe is a country called "Mozambique," 03:09 and they were coming in from Mozambique 03:11 into what was known then as Rhodesia. 03:15 Why I remember this particularly is because it is at this 03:19 point of this time of our country, 03:24 the struggle that was going on 03:26 that I have my earliest memories. 03:29 In fact, there is a particular incident, 03:32 I can't remember anything beyond that incident. 03:37 A battle that was fought around my village 03:41 I remember very well because my two brothers 03:46 were at a boarding school that was nearby. 03:50 I can see a few people from Zimbabwe around here 03:52 that would know what I'm talking about. 03:55 Now the schools had been closed two days earlier, 03:59 but my brothers had not arrived home, 04:02 and a battle had started that involved all the people 04:07 in our village. 04:09 We were confined to our houses, not even to our yards, 04:13 we stayed indoors. 04:15 But the battle was so heated, to an extent that you 04:21 could feel that even at a young age, 04:24 that the situation was intense. 04:27 Not even the two brick walls could protect you 04:32 from what was happening outside. 04:34 It was as if it was only a curtain, 04:36 not even the zinc roof was enough to protect you 04:40 from what was going on. 04:42 My earliest memories when I think of... 04:45 because in our country, we do not have storms, 04:48 we do not have the ocean. 04:50 When I think of a storm, when I think of the 04:55 hurricanes and everything, I remember the mango tree 04:59 in our yard being blown by the helicopter, 05:02 the wind that comes from the helicopters 05:05 as it was being swayed to and fro... 05:07 This is my earliest memories of what can be like a storm. 05:11 In fact, my mother was singing a song. 05:14 She could not kneel down to pray - she only sang a song, 05:19 and the song went something like this... 05:21 It's found in the old hymnal. 05:24 "Master, the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high! 05:30 Carest not Thou that we perish, 05:34 when each moment so madly is threat'ning." 05:38 This is the song that my mother was singing. 05:42 In fact, what had happened... 05:44 a stranger had stormed into our house late at night, 05:49 and said, "Please I need a place of refuge." 05:53 "I'm running away, they are seeking for me, 05:56 if they find me, they will shoot me." 05:58 So we allowed him to come in. 06:01 As he was talking to my father, he said, "On my way here, 06:06 I passed through the river, I saw many bodies, 06:09 and some of the bodies there 06:11 that had been killed, some of them had school uniforms on, 06:15 and they are boys." 06:18 You can imagine what is happening to my father's mind. 06:22 He thinks, maybe, it could be his boys. 06:25 So he got into his car, drove out... 06:28 the roads were landmined, but he could some back way 06:34 roads to go and try and find his boys. 06:36 He had this hope that he could find them. 06:39 He went against my mother's will. 06:43 Four days, he was away. 06:46 It is at this time that I learned what it means to pray. 06:52 Because the only thing that mother could do was pray 06:56 through a song. 06:58 "Master, the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high! 07:08 The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness. 07:14 No shelter or help is nigh."- 07:18 Even my young mind could grasp that emotional need 07:23 that she had at that moment in time as she sang... 07:26 "Carest not Thou that we are perishing? 07:30 When each moment so madly is threatening." 07:34 She kept on singing that stanza for the next 4 days. 07:40 On the 4th day, I could not have missed the 07:43 drone of the engine in the far distance as it was coming back. 07:48 I knew dad was coming back home, 07:51 and soon enough he arrived. Guess what? 07:54 Two brothers with him in the car. 07:58 It is then that mom changed the stanza. 08:02 "Master that terror is over. 08:07 The elements sweetly rest." 08:12 It is because the boys and father were back home. 08:16 What I'm trying to say to you, my friends, is that 08:20 war is bloody - and I don't mean bloody in a swearing sense. 08:25 I mean it is an adjective of the word "blood." 08:29 My young eyes, at that moment, 08:33 began to see what war can do to a people. 08:38 And the Bible is telling us here, 08:40 that there was war in heaven. 08:43 Now two parties were involved, 08:45 and Andrew tried to explain to us... 08:48 I'm just taking off from where he started... 08:50 The Bible says that on one side was Captain Michael, 08:53 and I have no time to start to get into explaining 08:58 who Michael is. 08:59 If we had the time, we'd go into the book of Daniel. 09:02 He is this mighty angel that comes to Daniel at a time 09:10 when he is in trouble. 09:11 In fact, Gabriel comes to Daniel and says, 09:14 "You know what, on the day when you started praying, 09:17 I was sent to you 21 days ago, and it is Michael who has 09:25 come to my rescue." 09:26 What it suggests is that Michael is a mighty angel. 09:30 The Bible says about him... 09:31 "When He stands up, there's a time of trouble 09:33 such as never was." 09:35 In fact, in the book of Jude, he is introduced 09:38 to us as the Archangel. 09:40 In the book of 1 Thessalonians, it is the Archangel who 09:44 blows the trumpet and the dead in Christ are resurrected. 09:47 It must be Christ. 09:50 He must be that angel that Joshua saw when he was 09:53 praying alone because that angel 09:56 allowed himself to be worshipped. 09:58 Joshua fell at the feet of the angel and worshipped. 10:02 But angels, as we know in Revelation 19:10, 10:08 angels refuse the worship of men. 10:11 What kind of an angel is this 10:13 that accepted the worship of Joshua? 10:16 It must have been Michael, a mighty Archangel... Jesus. 10:22 So Jesus is standing with His angels, fighting against 10:26 the dragon and we know, from Revelation 12:9, 10:29 that the dragon is the devil. 10:32 And the devil with his angels, they are fighting. 10:35 Now, with my experience, I know that wherever 10:43 there is a war, there are arms involved. 10:51 What kind of a machine gun 10:56 would have been involved in this? 10:59 What kind of ammunition was involved in this war? 11:06 Could you come with me as we explore this... 11:10 The Bible tells us in Isaiah 14... 11:14 This time as we go to Isaiah 14, we are only doing 11:18 so to find out the kind of ammunition the devil was using. 11:22 When we are finished with that, we will look at the ammunition 11:26 that Jesus was using in this war... is that fair? 11:31 Let's find out what kind of weapons. 11:34 Here are the weapons of mass destruction 11:36 the devil would have used that day... 11:40 Isaiah 14:12, listen with me, are you there with me? 11:47 I'm reading... 12:28 Those that are coming to my workshop, 12:32 we are going to talk a little bit 12:33 about the sides of the north. 12:47 So listen carefully as we read this... 12:51 It appears to me, there is something that the devil is 12:55 holding on to that he is using in this war. 12:59 In Ezekiel 28, my brother Henry, read this and explained this, 13:05 but let's read it again. 13:06 Chapter 28 and I'm reading from verse 16-17... 13:10 "By the multitude of thy merchandise... 13:12 Are you there, I will wait for you to get there... 13:15 Ezekiel 28:16-17 13:23 "By the multitude of thy merchandise, 13:25 they have filled the midst of thee with violence, 13:29 and thou has sinned; therefore, I will cast thee as profane 13:33 out of the mountain of God, and I will destroy thee, 13:37 oh covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 13:40 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty. 13:45 Thou has corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness. 13:53 I will cast thee out to the ground, 13:55 I will lay thee before the kings that they may behold thee." 14:02 So we read this about the devil. 14:07 Let me lay down the principle that is working here... 14:11 It's called the "Mystery of Iniquity" 14:15 This is the principle with which the devil is working 14:19 as the devil is fighting, the principle behind him 14:23 that is propelling him... 14:25 We are talking today about "moved by the spirit." 14:28 What spirit is moving the devil? 14:31 What is powering him as he is doing it is called: 14:34 "The Mystery of Iniquity" 14:36 Are you here with me church? 14:38 It's called "The Mystery of Iniquity" 14:41 What is it? 14:42 The Bible tells us about this "Mystery of Iniquity." 14:45 It's found in the book of 2 Thessalonians, 14:48 the Letter to the Thessalonians. 14:50 We don't know exactly what Paul is addressing. 14:53 We can suppose that Paul has received a letter from the 14:58 Thessalonians saying, "Some people have come to us 15:01 preaching unto us that the end has come." 15:04 And Paul is responding to that, and this is what he says... 15:35 You get that principle again? 15:37 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is 15:43 called God or that is worshipped... 16:12 So what is the "Mystery of Iniquity?" 16:15 Catch this... There appears to be this creature, 16:20 a created being who is exalting himself, 16:25 so that he, though he is a creature, 16:29 sits as if he is the Creator. 16:34 So this is the principle that the devil is working with. 16:39 Sometimes, we see this principle even in human beings. 16:45 Did you realize that the first fall of man 16:49 actually involved this same principle. 16:52 Let me read to you from the inspired writings... 16:57 The pen of inspiration says this, "Patriarchs and Prophets" 17:02 It's talking about the fall of Adam and Eve. 17:08 Eve has wandered away from Adam - listen to this... 17:13 "By partaking of this tree, the devil declares, 17:18 they would attain a more exalted sphere. 17:23 They would attain a more exalted sphere of existence. 17:29 They would enter a broader field of knowledge. 17:33 Then he reasons, "I, myself, have eaten of the forbidden 17:38 fruit, and as a result, I have acquired the power of speech. 17:43 Eve, don't you want to enter an exalted sphere of existence?" 17:53 When this principle begins to work with human beings, 17:59 what is operational here, it's not the theme we have here. 18:04 They are not being powered by the Spirit. 18:07 They are not being moved by the Spirit. 18:10 There is another spirit that is moving them. 18:12 It is the Mystery of Iniquity. 18:14 Are you here with me church? 18:16 Now this was when the devil was speaking to Eve. 18:19 Let's introduce Adam to this. 18:27 Eve was perfectly happy in her Eden home, 18:30 by her husband's side... Are you here with me? 18:34 "Patriarchs and Prophets," p.57, sorry, I'll go back... 18:39 After his transgression, Adam, at first, imagined 18:43 himself entering upon a higher state of existence. 18:49 You get what's happening here? 18:51 Exactly the same principle that was operational in the 18:55 devil's mind - is now operating with Adam. 18:59 After his transgression, Adam is thinking... 19:03 He imagines to himself, "I'm going to enter 19:05 upon a higher state of existence." 19:10 Let me read again... page 60, this time. 19:13 "Eve was perfectly happy in her 19:16 Eden home, by her husband's side," 19:20 but like restless modern Eves, listen to this now... 19:26 She was flattered that there was a higher sphere than 19:34 that which God had assigned her. 19:39 But in attempting to climb higher than her original 19:42 position, she fell far below it. 19:45 This will most assuredly be the result 19:48 with the Eves of the present generation 19:51 if they neglect to cheerfully take up their daily duty 19:54 in accordance with God's plan. 19:59 What is moving this kind of a thing? 20:03 I say this is called the "Mystery of Iniquity." 20:06 Sometimes this mystery is part of the ammunition of the devil. 20:12 Sometimes if we are not careful, we can go about 20:16 fighting God's war using the devil's ammunition. 20:21 It's not possible to fight God's war using the 20:26 ammunition that belongs to His enemy. 20:30 Now what we want to do now is to find out 20:33 the mystery that is operational on the other side. 20:36 It's called "the Mystery of Godliness." 20:38 We are seeing the war. Are you here with me church? 20:42 What we are exploring here is the Great Controversy. 20:46 On one side, there is a mystery of iniquity 20:52 that involves pride, that involves exalting 20:57 a creature thinking that I can enter as a higher sphere 21:03 of existence and be like God. 21:06 Haven't you heard, in our day, people saying, 21:10 "Just look there right within you, there are pure places 21:15 that within you, you sit as God. 21:21 You can do it alone! 21:23 Now let's look at the other principle... 21:25 "The Mystery of Godliness" found in 1 Timothy 3:16 21:35 Are you there with me church? 1 Timothy 3:16 21:57 What is that? 21:58 That God was manifest in the flesh. 22:04 Now, do you see what is happening here? 22:07 This is exactly the opposite of the other principle. 22:12 This principle involves the Creator who is God, 22:17 humbling Himself and becoming like a created being. 22:25 On the other side, we have a creature exalting itself 22:30 or himself or herself wanting to be God. 22:36 This time, the mystery of godliness, 22:39 our minds cannot wrap around 22:41 the fact that God can become like a human being. 22:46 That's the mystery of godliness. 22:50 The Creator has become like a creature, 22:52 He has become a creature, the mystery of godliness. 22:55 In fact, Paul puts it better in this book, in his letter 23:00 to the Philippians, in Philippians 2:6-9 23:10 This what he says... 24:01 Did you see what's happening? 24:03 The warning in the inspired pen says... 24:07 "When she exalted herself, when she thought she could enter 24:13 into a higher state of existence," what happened? 24:16 She fell far below it, just as the devil as he said 24:21 in his heart, "I will enter into a higher sphere of existence." 24:25 He says, "You will be brought down to the pit of hell." 24:29 You get the point? 24:31 Now in the "Mystery of Godliness," 24:33 the way up is not up, the way up is down. 24:37 That is the opposite. 24:41 We find that God has reduced Himself, has humbled Himself, 24:48 He is found now as a creature. 24:51 Now this principle involves humility. 24:54 Now sometimes, in this world, when the Bible says, 24:59 "Wives submit," we think submission 25:01 is a point of weakness. 25:03 We actually discovered in something here, 25:05 that in the principle of godliness, 25:07 in the midst of godliness, submission is a position 25:10 of power because this is the ammunition 25:14 that Jesus is using in the Great Controversy. 25:19 Are you here with me church? 25:24 Let's follow this through... 25:26 So the "Mystery of Godliness," the Creator humbles Himself 25:29 to be like the creature. 25:32 Oh how I wish... because the book of Philippians, 25:37 the letter to the Philippians that we read, 25:40 we started reading from verse 6, 25:42 the reason why that text was given to us 25:45 it's as if Paul is saying, "You Philippians, 25:49 you want power, let the mind that was in Christ be in you, 25:55 because this mind it is the power that moved heaven 26:00 as it was fighting against the devil. 26:02 If you want to win, Philippians, let the mind that was in Christ, 26:07 be in you," because sometimes as men, 26:10 when we hear that we are the heads of our home, 26:13 we think this thing is bossy leadership. 26:19 Actually, God is calling us to servant leadership. 26:24 We are the servants of our homes. 26:27 Do you know, do you realize that 26:29 as Jesus is going to the cross... 26:32 Church, can I just speak to you from my heart? 26:34 Because I'm going to read from the Spirit of Prophecy... 26:39 Jesus, as He is going, His mind is preoccupied 26:44 with what's going to happen to Him on Friday. 26:48 It's a Thursday and they are getting into Jerusalem; 26:51 He's preparing for the Last Supper. 26:53 But His mind is drawn to his disciples because in the 26:57 minds of the disciples, they are fighting even at this 27:00 critical hour - what is in their mind is... 27:03 "Who is the greatest among us." 27:06 So Jesus is saying, "What kind of sermon can I preach to them 27:10 that, with this kind of thinking, the principle 27:13 the power that moves heaven, is not with them. 27:17 So Jesus is thinking of a sermon, He says, "This time, 27:21 it's not going to be words, I'm going to do it practically." 27:25 Listen to this - let me read to you 27:28 from the book, "Desire of Ages," 27:33 "The strife of the highest place was the outworking of 27:39 that same spirit." 27:41 This is talking about the disciples and Jesus is going 27:45 into the upper room for the Last Supper with the disciples. 27:49 He is saying, "the strife," that's the context there. 27:52 "The strife of the highest place was the outworking 27:55 of the same spirit which was the beginning of the 27:58 great controversy in the world above 28:01 which had brought Christ from heaven to die." 28:05 I hope you are getting the sense. 28:08 There rose up before Him, a vision of Lucifer, 28:12 the son of the morning in glory surpassing all the angels 28:15 that surrounded the throne, and united closest 28:18 ties to the Son of God. 28:20 Lucifer had said, "I will be like the most high." 28:24 "And the desire of self exaltation had brought 28:28 strife into the heavenly courts and he had 28:31 banished a multitude of the hosts of God." 28:33 Had Lucifer really desired, please listen to this... 28:37 Had Lucifer really desired to be like the Most High, 28:41 He would never had deserted his appointed place in heaven... 28:46 For the Spirit of the Most High is 28:49 manifested in unselfish ministry. 28:53 Lucifer desired God's power, but not His character! 28:59 Because what we find in Lucifer is the love of power. 29:04 What we find in Christ is the power of love! 29:14 So Lucifer desired God's power, but not His character. 29:17 He thought for himself the highest place, 29:20 and every being who is actuated by his spirit will do the same. 29:25 I'll say that again, because right here, 29:29 this is where the church used to say, "Amen." 29:37 His thought for himself, the highest place, 29:42 and every being who is actuated by his spirit will do the same. 29:49 That alienation, discord, strife will be inevitable. 29:55 Dominion becomes the prize of the strongest. 29:59 The kingdom of Satan is the kingdom of force. 30:03 Every individual regards every other as an obstacle 30:07 on the way of his own advancement,? 30:10 or a stepping stone on which he, himself, may climb 30:14 to a higher place. 30:16 While Lucifer counted it a thing to be 30:20 grasped to be equal with God, Christ, the exalted One, 30:23 listen to that now... made Himself of no reputation. 30:31 Now the cross was just before Him, 30:35 and His own disciples were so filled with self-seeking. 30:40 Do you think sometimes... can I just be honest with you, 30:49 The reason why the church has no power is because we have 30:55 forgotten this principle... this same principle of heaven. 31:02 Because sometimes, I see a lot of vegetarians, 31:09 and few Christians. 31:16 How can I have a long skirt, and with it, a long face? 31:23 And, by no means, am I putting the principles down, 31:27 please understand me. 31:31 I'm thinking, pastor, are we getting something wrong 31:36 in the way we are doing ministry? 31:38 We have made good vegetarians, but bad Christians... 31:45 Because the principle of heaven that wins wars, 31:50 is submission; it is humility. 31:58 There is a lot of striving for the mastery... 32:03 stepping on each others shoulders as I try to reach 32:07 a higher place, a higher sphere of existence. 32:14 Now we were still in Revelation 12. 32:19 I just have enough time to look at something else here. 32:24 This was at the beginning... it's as if John says to himself, 32:30 "I've gone ahead of myself," then he comes back to verse 7. 32:34 John has started in verse 1, can we go back to verse 1? 32:37 Are you here with me church? 32:41 "And there appeared a great wonder..." 32:43 We're in Revelation, by the way. 32:46 There appeared a great wonder in heaven, 32:48 a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, 32:53 and upon her head, a crown of 12 stars." 32:55 By the way, the title of this message is: 32:57 "The Great Controversy and the Temple of the Holy Spirit" 33:05 "And she, being with child, cried, travailing in birth, 33:10 and pained to be delivered. 33:13 There appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold 33:16 a great red dragon having 7 heads and 10 horns, 33:19 and 7 crowns upon his heads; and his tail drew a third 33:23 part of the stars of heaven, and he did cast them to the 33:26 earth; and the dragon stool before the woman 33:28 which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child 33:31 as soon as it was born." 33:33 And Andrew explained this in detail... 33:36 "And she brought forth a man child who was to rule 33:40 all nations with a rod of iron; and the child was caught up 33:43 unto God and to His throne." 33:45 Something is screaming at us as we read this text. 33:48 There are other chapters that are coming to our minds. 33:51 If we are students of the Bible, there are other chapters 33:53 that are coming to our minds right now 33:56 where we find the same characters together; 33:58 the woman, the seed of the woman, and the serpent. 34:03 Have we met this before? 34:06 Therefore, Revelation 12:7 is saying to us, 34:10 "HEY, come to me, come to me now..." 34:12 In Genesis 3:15, "This is the fulfillment of the Messiah 34:17 as promised in Genesis 3:15, right? 34:21 "The seed of the woman shall crush the head of the serpent." 34:24 You remember that? 34:26 But I'm thinking of another chapter this time. 34:30 Andrew told us yesterday morning - that the woman 34:33 is the church... Should I get my hands 34:36 dirty with that or can I move on - in the interest of time. 34:39 We understand that the woman is the church, right? 34:42 So this woman is the church, and who is the child, 34:45 who is the seed? 34:47 It is Jesus - Jesus is the seed. 34:54 We are not told... in fact, it is not stretching it to say, 35:00 this child is the firstborn of this woman. 35:06 So this child is the firstborn among many brethren - hello? 35:15 He is the firstborn of many brethren. 35:17 Now - question... Are we not stretching it? 35:21 Is it evident that in this chapter, this seed has brothers 35:28 and sisters? 35:30 Is it evident in this chapter? Yes, verse 17 35:35 I'm not stretching it - it's right there 35:37 before our very eyes. 35:39 The dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war 35:44 with the remnant of her seed. Hello? 35:49 The remnant of her seed which means this son here 35:54 is just the firstborn, but the woman went on to give birth... 36:01 You don't look convinced... 36:06 The woman had other children. 36:09 There's a problem with African preachers... 36:12 If you don't agree with them, they don't move on. 36:15 They stop right there... 36:17 So if you want us to finish this sermon, 36:18 you better agree with me. Audience laughs... 36:22 Now let's go back... there's a reason why we are doing this. 36:29 We want to find out... if this seed has brothers 36:34 and sisters, it would, therefore suggest that the way in which 36:40 he was born, is the same way the brothers and sisters 36:46 would be born too. Correct? 36:52 So how is this man born? 36:54 How is this firstborn born? 36:57 Matthew 1... If there's anything we find in the 37:04 book of Matthew... I'm not too sure I'm preaching or maybe 37:11 we are doing a Bible study. 37:16 The pen of inspiration says, "There should be less of 37:19 sermonizing and more of teaching." 37:23 Chapter 1 of the book of Matthew... 37:27 Have you ever been bored by reading Matthew chapter 1? 37:29 Because it's so and so begetting so and so, 37:32 and so and so begetting... 37:33 And you ask yourself, "What's inspiring about that?" 37:37 What spirituality is there in me knowing 37:40 who the father of Abraham was? 37:44 But I think Matthew has a point he's trying to put across. 37:49 His point is this... Here are the children of men, 37:55 if you were going to be tempted to think that 37:57 Jesus is born of men, you are wrong, 38:01 so Matthew wants us to see that. 38:03 So and so is begetting so and so; 38:06 so and so is begetting so and so; 38:07 so and so is begetting so and so... 38:09 But we get to verse 18 and he says, 38:11 "NOW," That word can also be translated, 38:16 check with your Greek; it can also be translated, 38:17 but it's a transitional word. 38:21 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. 38:25 Church, are you there with me? 38:27 He has been talking about... in fact the word there 38:30 "begets," if you read in the original, it suggests genes. 38:36 "Gennao," that's where we get the word "genes." 38:39 Now he's saying, "As for Jesus, His birth is not of this genes." 38:45 Hello? 38:47 Now as the birth of Jesus Christ, it was on this wise... 38:51 When as his mother, Mary, was espoused to Joseph, 38:55 before they came together, to give the genes into Mary... 39:01 Before they came together, Joseph... sorry 39:07 Before they came together, she was found with the Child 39:11 of the Holy Spirit... um um, you're not here with me. 39:17 And Matthew, just in case you missed the point, 39:20 Matthew will have to repeat it, so you can get it... 39:24 that he means what he's saying, it's not a mistake! 39:28 Here's the verse, verse 20... 39:32 "But while he brought on these things, behold the angel of 39:35 the Lord appeared unto him in a dream saying, 39:37 "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not, take unto thee 39:43 Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her 39:47 is of the Holy Ghost. 39:50 Question - and I'm not trying to suggest that 39:57 when Jesus is saying, "Our Father in heaven," 40:00 He is referring to the Holy Spirit, 40:01 I'm talking about the birth of Jesus right now. 40:04 Hear me now... 40:07 According to the birth of Jesus on earth, who is the father? 40:12 Are you comfortable saying that? 40:16 I'm asking you again - you are not comfortable. 40:18 Remember the African preacher? 40:20 He's not going to move on. 40:22 According to this, who is the father of Jesus? 40:25 The Holy Spirit. 40:29 I have a question for you... 40:33 If Jesus, in this case, as of his earthly birth, 40:41 His Father is the Holy Spirit, and he has brothers and sisters. 40:45 Can I tell you a story, quickly. 40:48 My brother was walking down the road the other day, 40:54 I was age 10 then, and this is what happened. 40:59 He sees 2 boys, about age 15. 41:02 They are standing and learning to smoke weed, 41:07 these 15-year-old boys, and they are doing their thing. 41:10 A small, little girl comes on her way from the shops 41:15 with groceries in her hand; she has some change. 41:18 As she gets to these 2 boys, they take away the paper bags; 41:23 they take away the change, the money that she has, 41:26 and my brother is watching this. 41:28 My brother, at this time, is around 21. 41:31 Then he says, "This is wrong." 41:33 He goes to the boys, dust them up a little bit; 41:36 get the paper bags and the money and gives the 41:39 things back to the little girl, 41:41 and the little girl goes on her way. 41:45 So this is on a different day. 41:46 Remember I said I was 10, the boys were 15. 41:50 My brother was 21. 41:53 Now these boys, I had never met them. 41:57 On a different day, I am minding my own business, 42:02 peacefully walking down the road and the boys looked at me. 42:07 You see, my crime that day was I looked like my brother. 42:15 So they looked at me and immediately they said, 42:19 "Yes, here's the young brother of the big brother who beat us." 42:23 They look so much alike and they were so enraged 42:30 with the remnant of the seed 42:31 of the firstborn brother... Laughter from audience 42:36 Do I need to finish the story? 42:40 Because I cannot explain to you today what I saw that day. 42:44 And my crime is I looked like my brother. 42:47 Do you understand what is happening in Revelation 12:17? 42:51 Why the devil is angry with the woman, 42:54 and is making a war with the remnant of her seed. 42:57 It is because the remnant of the seed, this remnant church, 43:00 they are not a proud church, they now look like Jesus. 43:05 And the devil looks at these, they knows yet me, 43:09 they remind me of the love of Jesus. 43:11 Look at how humble they are. 43:14 Look at them! I hate this kind of behavior! 43:19 They are gentle, they are calm. 43:21 They are not as aggressive. 43:23 These ones, I hate them for their gentleness. 43:31 The Mystery of Iniquity is selfishness. 43:35 It is self-exaltation, self- centeredness. 43:40 It is pride. It is destruction. 43:43 It is devilish taking and taking and taking and overtaking 43:48 in the Mystery of Iniquity. 43:50 But in the Mystery of Godliness, it is selflessness, 43:54 it is humility, it is life, it is love, 44:02 it gives and gives and gives, and forgives. 44:08 It is submission. 44:13 So how can it be... Paul has just said, 44:16 "Let this mind that... those things over there, 44:19 let this mind be in you," how can I have it? 44:23 Simple - it's a matter of genes. 44:29 It's a matter of genes, we have to share in the 44:32 same Father and in the same Mother with Jesus. 44:36 This is the reason why Jesus is at pains explaining things 44:42 that night to Nicodemus and he says, "Nicodemus, 44:46 I want you to understand something... 44:49 You have asked me a great question... 44:53 Here is how it happens, you need to be born again, 44:55 and, listen, this is how you get born again. 44:58 When everyone is born, the waters break. Hello? 45:07 This woman has the womb, she has a womb. 45:16 The pastor is not the father, he is the midwife. 45:22 When they are in the baptismal pool, have you ever seen 45:25 what happens when the child comes out? 45:28 The waters break... Nicodemus, you have to be 45:32 born again of water because of the womb of the woman. 45:38 But Nicodemus... just in case you missed the point, 45:40 you need your father. 45:42 No child has ever been born without their father, 45:44 and the father is the Holy Spirit. 45:45 Be born again of water and of the Holy Spirit. 45:49 Let the Holy Spirit be in you! 45:54 The woman gives birth... we have a problem. 46:01 Programs do not give birth. 46:06 From program A to program X, they do not give birth. 46:13 The church needs to be at onement with the husband 46:17 and then it happens automatically. 46:20 And we don't have stillbirths, we have children that are alive. 46:29 We do not need a list of what to do and what not to do 46:32 on the Sabbath because the Father is leading them... 46:36 "And He walks with me, and He talks with me... 46:42 And the joys we share when we tarry there, 46:46 none other is ever known." 46:48 As He leads me and He tells me "no not there, 46:52 today is Sabbath." 46:53 No one has to tell me this because the Holy Spirit 46:56 is leading me. 46:57 Don't you understand, when He sees them, 46:59 ...Revelation 14 says, "These are they that follow 47:02 the Lamb wither soever He goeth." 47:05 This is what is called "Christianity." 47:10 My friends, I had a friend... as I come to the close, 47:16 I was preaching in a place for 3 weeks. 47:24 On the second week of the campaign, 47:31 right in the middle of the second week, 47:33 a man comes into the tent from the back, 47:38 and I can see from where I'm standing... 47:40 ...You ask these preachers, they will tell you that 47:42 they have a relationship from the pulpit with people who come; 47:46 they know who is in there, they know who is struggling 47:49 with a decision - while they are standing on the pulpit. 47:52 Now, I saw a drunkard come in, he sat at the back. 47:57 Most of the sermon, he was asleep, never heard a thing. 48:01 He only woke up as I was making a call, 48:06 and then he is coming up front. 48:10 He is making a little bit of noise 48:12 as he is staggering forward... 48:15 And the deacons and the ushers stood up, 48:17 they wanted to withhold him from coming up, 48:21 but I'm looking at him from where I'm standing, 48:22 and I'm thinking, "Wow, this is going to be a chaos day. 48:26 Let him come up." 48:27 So I say, from where I'm standing, the pulpit has power. 48:31 Let him come... so they let him come. 48:35 And he walks down, he gets there. 48:38 The guys were writing down names are reluctant to write, 48:42 so I stepped down, I take a pen and a paper and I 48:45 ask, "What is your name?" 48:47 And the guy says, "My name is "BB." 48:48 And I said, "BB, what does that mean?" 48:53 "Ben the boozer." 48:56 Well, where we come from, drinking is called "boozing." 49:00 So I don't ask any further questions, 49:02 and I write "Ben the boozer." 49:05 And he is gone - he sits down. 49:08 The next day, I preach on the subject of the day... 49:11 Ben the boozer is there, but today he is sober. 49:14 He comes and sits right in front. 49:17 He listens to the subject of the day, 49:19 I make a call, he stands up, and the day after that, 49:22 and the day after that, and the day after that. 49:24 On the Sabbath, on the last Sabbath, 49:26 Ben the boozer is baptized. 49:29 He becomes a Christian, and I went away from that. 49:31 That place was 430 kilometers away from my city. 49:37 Two years later, my phone rings, I pick it up... 49:42 on the other end is a person who is showering me with 49:47 Bible texts and SOP quotations. 49:50 Somewhere within the texts, I managed to find a place 49:55 to insert... "Who is this?" Audience laughter 49:58 And then he says, "This is BB." 50:02 And I say, "BB... remind me again, who is BB." 50:06 And he mentions the name of the place, 50:09 I say, "Wow, Ben the boozer." 50:11 And he says, "No, not Ben the boozer, Ben the baptizer." 50:18 What has changed Ben the boozer to Ben the baptizer? 50:21 The Power of the Holy Spirit in a human temple. |
Revised 2015-07-15