Makeni | Empowered Daily - Janco Boshoff

[00:00:00] As we spoke last week about, if you remember, my message was entitled Empowered by the Spirit or something like that. [00:00:07] So this morning the title of the message is Empower Daily. Because I want to bring the other side of that, which I feel. This is actually what I planned for last week. And then God on the Saturday threw a spanner in my works. [00:00:17] God changed the plans a bit. But I do feel God wants to speak to us not only about how he empowers us in big moments through the Spirit in the supernatural, but he wants to speak, speak to us as a congregation about how he actually empowers us day to day to walk with him in power. And that's, I think, more difficult than having these encounters. But then walking away and then Monday to Saturday actually looks the same. [00:00:41] Or it's difficult to follow him in the day to day. Am I right? [00:00:44] So in Galatians 5:16 we have this concept. It says, so I say walk by the Spirit. There's that walking word. It's that intimate fellowship, step by step walking with God. So I say walk by the Spirit. And you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [00:01:03] For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit, what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with one another. [00:01:12] So that you are not to do whatever you want. [00:01:16] Okay, so there's a few things we learn in the scripture. Firstly, we learn that Christianity is a walking thing. It's not an encounters based thing, primarily. Primarily, it's a day to day thing. And that's how most solid relationships are built. You guys will know that the people that you spend the day to day with, you have a deeper relationship than the family member that you see once a year at a family gathering. Am I right? And it's the same with God. [00:01:39] If you want to be intimate with him, if you really want to know him, it takes a day to day thing. And how do we walk with him in the small moments? So we see that in that scripture, walk by the Spirit. [00:01:49] But we also actually learn that there's an interesting concept that there's the flesh inside of us and there's the Spirit inside of us. And the two are opposed. The two are actually at war. Do you guys know that? [00:02:02] That you have the flesh inside of you which symbolizes your sinful nature, which all of us have. [00:02:07] And for Christians, we don't just have the flesh, but we are reborn. And so we made new. And so we have the Spirit inside of us, which I'll get to just now. That's like Massive. We've got the actual spirit of God living inside of us. Like we've become one with his spirit. Like, think about that. Jesus is living inside of you, the King of kings. But at the same time, we still have the flesh. [00:02:30] And that's what causes these wars inside of us. That's what causes this wrestle inside of us. And it's interesting, it just, it ends that passage by saying, Paul says so that you are no longer. So that you are not to do whatever you want. So he's saying this war causes you to not do what you actually want to do. And it's just interesting to note that in that passage, Paul assumes that your desire is to always obey the Lord and your flesh is causing you to sometimes fail at doing that. [00:02:57] It's interesting how Paul assumes that you want to obey him and your flesh causes you to sometimes not do it. I think for many of us, we would feel as though our flesh is like the main thing that drives us and the Spirit sometimes stops us from doing it. [00:03:11] But to the Christian, he says, I'm assuming that you actually want to obey him in every moment. And then sometimes the flesh comes in and trips us up. [00:03:19] But we'll get to that just now in a bit more detail. So in Romans 8, there's another passage that speaks about walking in the Spirit. If you want to go read it, it's primarily Galatians 5 and Romans 8 that speaks about these walking terms in the New Testament. And he says this, therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [00:03:52] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Okay, so again, this passage emphasizes this concept that if you live according to the Spirit, it's emphasizing this concept of a day to day thing with him. It's not emphasizing the encounter thing. It's saying, if you live by the Spirit, if you are led by him, you're children of God. So there's this continuity that we need to figure out. Like basically when you finish with church, what does it look like to be a Christian? [00:04:17] How do we live as a Christian? Walking by the Spirit. And then it says, if through the power of the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. And that's what I want to talk about this morning. What on earth does it mean to through the power of the spirit day to day, put to death that flesh part of you, because it sounds great. If you, if you're wrestling with something as a Christian, if you're struggling to overcome something, if you, let's say, for example, you're struggling to wake up in the mornings to spend time with him. And that's your big wrestle. That's the, your. The alarm clock is your big enemy. [00:04:50] If you, if you like me, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the loo, and then I'm like, praise the Lord, there's more time to sleep, and you dread that sound. If you really like a song, don't put it as your alarm clock because you'll start hating it very soon. [00:05:04] But if that is your struggle, then the scripture says that through the power of the spirit, you are to put to death that fleshly side of you. But what does that mean? How do you, through the power of the spirit, for example, wake up earlier, for example. Like, what does that mean? So that's what I want to climb into this morning. [00:05:24] It's just interesting off the topic here, but in that verse 12 that we started with, it says, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [00:05:35] That's a beautiful phrase when it comes to your sinful nature. And I'm sure you guys can relate that you have that part of you, right, that still tempts you, that still pulls you away. It's crazy that scripture says you owe it nothing. [00:05:49] You are under no obligation. There is one Bible commentary that says you owe the sinful temptation absolutely nothing. It's like when the debt collector comes knocking at your door tomorrow morning, but you know that you have paid your debt. You open the door and you know that you owe that guy nothing. And you, with a free heart and a big smile say, sir, I've paid the debt. But in this case, it's Jesus that paid it. But that's what it means when sin comes knocking this afternoon. And with sin, I don't mean to go and sleep with a neighbour. I mean to just drift away from closeness with the Lord because sin is missing the mark. Sin is not the big stuff necessarily. Sin is just missing the mark. When that comes knocking the afternoon, do you know that you are under no obligation and you owe it nothing? You can literally open the door and be like, nope. And you actually, that's what scripture says. You're under no obligation. Do you realize, like, the freedom that we have through the power of the spirit? But, yeah, I want to look at that. What on earth does that mean? We love. We love quoting the scripture. [00:06:46] Not by might, not by power, but by his spirit. [00:06:52] What does that mean in the day to day? You know, Leilani's got that engraved on the inside of her wedding ring because that's how much we struggled in our engagement. Like, it was a tough time. That was like our theme song. Like, the Lord will bring us through this. Like the Lord will carry us. But what does that mean in the day to day? Not by might, not by power, but by the spirit of the Lord. [00:07:13] So I want to look at three areas that just. I just want to give us three keys of practically what it looks like. And the first one is, I believe the Lord needs to give us a revelation that he is the potter. [00:07:28] He is the one that sanctifies us. [00:07:31] You guys understand the word sanctification? It means that God saves us every day more and more. He makes us more beautiful every day. From glory to glory. He makes us holy. Do you guys realize that the primary sanctifying agent is not you, but it's Jesus? [00:07:46] Do you realize how incredibly committed to Jesus is every day when you wake up to make you more beautiful? [00:07:52] And I think a lot of us this morning and that links with what Phil shared, a lot of us are feeling stuck in some area in our Christian walk and we're feeling a bit hopeless, actually. [00:08:03] But if we knew how incredibly committed God was to sanctify us, to make us more beautiful, if we knew the commitment of the potter and if we knew the power of the potter shaping the clay, then we'd actually be at ease, at rest, knowing that whatever rut you're in as a Christian, God is able and he's incredibly committed to bring you through. [00:08:29] And when we're asking who is the primary sanctifying agent, meaning who is the one that is ultimately responsible for making you more beautiful, it's ultimately Him. [00:08:40] Yes, we can resist. Yes, we do play a part, but it's ultimately Him. And as we yield to his hands, we can actually rest knowing that he will bring you through anything. [00:08:49] So when it comes to. When you're waking up as a Christian in the morning and you're struggling with all these bunch of things, I think many of us error into the idea that when we get saved, God leaves us to then fix ourselves or he leaves us to then do this obedience thing on our own. [00:09:07] I think many of us subconsciously think we are not only the clay, but we are also the potter that needs to shape ourselves. [00:09:14] Guys, we have a potter whose hands. He loves getting his hands dirty on us. He loves shaping us, and we are the clay. [00:09:24] There's this phrase that we use that I just want to expose for a moment. We've got this phrase, you do your best and God will do the rest. You guys heard. [00:09:34] Feels like there could be some truth in it, but oh my word, that can be deceptive. Because that phrase, you do your best and God will do the rest, kind of means that you do on your own your best, and wherever you fall short, God will fall the rest, right? No, from the beginning, from point one, whatever God asks you to do, he will give you the power and do it through you. And then when he falls short, he'll even top that up. But it's not, you do your best and then God does the rest. He says, this is what I command you. [00:10:02] Then as he commands it to you, he immediately empowers you to do it. [00:10:07] And then when you fall short, you'll even do the rest. So it's not we do our best, it's we do our best through the power of the Spirit, through His grace, through him empowering us. And we need to realize that in every Christian thing that you feel God is asking you, when you wake up in the morning, everything in the day to day that God is asking you, he's not saying you go and do it on your own. Come, let me see. Come try. I want to see if you can do this. He asks it of us. And then he comes and empowers us. He comes and shapes us every day. When you fail, run to the potter and say, I failed again, but do this in me, do this through me. [00:10:44] Jesus not only died on the cross, but he got raised again so that he can come live inside of us. We've been crucified with Christ, and so longer I live, but Christ who lives in me. [00:10:56] So in anything that we want to obey the Lord, Christ is living inside of us, empowering us in every moment. [00:11:05] So for example, in Philippians 2, verse 12 and 13, you guys will know this verse 12 very well. It says, dear friends, you always followed my instruction when I was with you. And now that I'm away, it is even more important. [00:11:19] Work hard to show the results of your salvation. Obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [00:11:26] That's the description. The nlt. [00:11:29] Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. You guys know that one? [00:11:32] So God puts it on us. Okay, this is the human responsibility part. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling in reverence of God, like, prove that you're a Christian. You need to live out this Christian thing. Well, that's the human responsibility. [00:11:48] You guys know that verse, right? You've heard it before. [00:11:51] It's so sad that we don't always know what the next verse is. The next verse is, for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power, the ability to do what pleases Him. [00:12:03] So God says, work out your salvation. And the next line is, but I am working in you, giving you the desire and the ability. If you've got a more literal translation, it will say, he wills and works in you to please him in. [00:12:18] He wills in you and he works in you, meaning he gives you the desire and he gives you the ability to do what pleases him. [00:12:24] And that's the pattern. We see it again and again. So, for example, let's look at another one where Paul says this. In Colossians 1:29, he says, that's why I work and struggle so hard. Okay? Human responsibility. We do our best. But the next line, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me. And we see that in the writings of Jesus, of Paul, of all those guys, every time that he mentions something in his own effort, he always adds the phrase, but it's actually him in me. But it's actually him in me. [00:12:58] And how often do we still think that God leaves us on our own to figure out this thing? [00:13:04] Do we understand how committed the potter is and how powerful the potter is inside of us, to shape us? [00:13:12] And if you get stuck, if you feel hopeless in some Christian area that you need to obey whatever it is, God is not only the author of our faith, but he's the perfecter of our faith. [00:13:24] What he finishes in us, what he starts in us, he finishes in us. [00:13:29] This good work he started in us, he'll bring to completion, right? [00:13:34] So I believe that's what God wants to say to many of us this morning. If you're feeling hopeless in your walk, the potter, I'm committed and I'm powerful. Do you know the power that I work within you to shape you every day? And there is that responsibility to yield which we looked at just now. [00:13:50] Just a part of that power that he works within us. I want to look at for a moment. [00:13:55] It's interesting in that Galatians 5 passage that we started with this morning. Like I said, it's interesting that Paul says he assumes that we want to obey him. Did you guys notice that this flesh causes you to not always do what you wanted to do? [00:14:09] I really think a lot of us was like, what? I actually wanted to do the sinner thing, and the spirit kind of stopped me there. But Paul assumes, as a Christian, obviously you wanted to obey him in every moment, and the flesh kind of tripped you up. But do you guys know that that's the tester for if you're a Christian or not, is that you have the desire to obey him. [00:14:27] That's the test. That's the tester. [00:14:30] So we still have the flesh. Yes, yes. Don't freak out. If sin seems tempting, that's normal. But that's the tester. And you can look at your family members, look at your friends. The tester is, do they have the desire to obey the Lord? And it will show in its fruit. Ultimately, they can't just say, I want to, but the fruit will be there. [00:14:50] And the reason why we have the desire to obey the Lord as a Christian, the reason why we have the power as a Christian to walk in the way that God wants us to walk. It's just he's given us the necessary tools for it. And this is. This is the main thing he's given us. He's given us a new heart when we are a Christian. He doesn't wash us on the outside. [00:15:08] When we become a Christian. He doesn't give us a set of rules when we become a Christian, he makes us new on the inside and we get a new set of desires. Do you guys know that you get a new set of desires when you become a Christian? You want to obey him suddenly. Suddenly you want to get to know him. It's not easy. Am I right? That's not what we're saying. But in Ezekiel 36, this is prophesied in verse 26. It says, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. I will move you to follow my decrees and keep my. [00:15:53] And so that you'll be careful to keep my laws. So he literally says, I will not only change your heart, but I will move you so that you obey me. [00:16:02] It's incredible how much God actually does for us. We are absolutely piggybacking on. Piggybacking on. Piggybacking on Jesus. You guys know what piggyback is? [00:16:13] What? What's the word? [00:16:16] There's a word for it. [00:16:20] That one. [00:16:22] As a Christian, you don't just do that on the Day that you get saved. [00:16:26] That's a beautiful picture, the piggyback picture. It's a beautiful picture of our righteousness. That's the only way we get saved. It's the only way we have. Right? Standing with the Father is piggyback on our bigger brother, Jesus. But actually day to day, we're piggybacking on his Holy Spirit to empower us day to day. [00:16:48] So it's interesting that that prophecy, that Ezekiel prophecy, I'll give you a new heart comes in the Old Testament. And in those times, they really just have, like they had the law, they had a set of rules, and there was no renewing on the inside. And that's why Israel failed. Like, they failed. Not that we are too much different, because we are very much the same, unless the Holy Spirit does a renewing work in us. But they basically had a set of rules without the renewing, and that didn't go too well for them. Right? [00:17:17] But often as Christians, we live in the same way. [00:17:20] We see Christianity as this set of rules, this law. And you know, scripture says we're not under the law anymore, but it's like we put ourselves under the law sometimes as Christians, we have these rules and we kind of feel heavy and weighty under these set of rules. Okay, this is the law. It's a heavy thing. We come under it because we're just trying to obey it without the renewing thing on the inside. We stay the same on the inside, but we've got these rules we want to obey. And it's. This thing is weighing us down because we're under the law. And what the Holy Spirit does when we get saved is he takes that law and he puts it inside of us. So we're not under this heavy law anymore, but the law comes inside of us. It's written on our hearts, and now we obey it from the inside. It's overflow to obey law now. [00:18:06] So it's not a heavy I'm coming under, but it's a, this is getting inside of me. And now I'm obeying because I want to obey. So this is fulfilled in Hebrews 8:10 when it says, this is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time declares the Lord. So this is the new covenant. I will put my laws on their minds and write them on their hearts, right? [00:18:28] So that is what God does for us. [00:18:32] There's an interesting scripture in one John that says, the commandments of the Lord are not burdensome. [00:18:37] Most of you guys disagree with that sometimes. [00:18:41] Why would he write that the commandments of the Lord are not burdensome. But I think that's the key to checking. Are you under the law in this moment? Are you obeying it as law, or are you obeying it through the power of the Spirit? When a commandment, as a Christian feels burdensome in that moment, you can know you're under the law. [00:19:00] Why? [00:19:01] Because when the Spirit comes inside of us and empowers us, he writes it on our hearts and on our minds. And we desire to obey him. And so we will desire to obey the commands of the Lord. [00:19:11] And the moment you feel a command is burdensome as a Christian, it's weighing you down. You're asking, ah, but do I? [00:19:19] Then we know we actually, we're not obeying it from the inside. We're seeing it as a set of rules, and we're not doing it through the empowering. And what do we do? Then we run to the Lord and say, lord, will you renew my heart in this area and give me the desire to obey you in this area? And he's faithful. Then to renew our hearts through the Spirit. He'll give us a desire then to obey him to the point where that command isn't burdensome anymore. And then you know you're walking through the power of the spirit. [00:19:45] Because the majority of our obedience as a Christian isn't a schlep. It's a joy. The majority of our obedience is because we desire to obey. And if that's not the case for you might still be under the law. You might be seeing it as a set of rules, but it's not coming from the inside. And ask the Lord to come give you a new heart. Does it make sense? [00:20:08] Point 1. On how we are in power daily. Do we realize that he is the one working in us? [00:20:13] Point 2. About how we are empowered daily as a Christian to walk with the Lord is we need to live a life of response. [00:20:21] The Christian life is a life of response. The worship guys will have heard this from me. Worship is in essence a response. [00:20:30] So let me explain that statement. Romans 12:1 says this. [00:20:35] Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the Lord, because this is your true and proper worship. Or some. Some translations would say service. [00:20:51] Just. That's interesting. Why would. Why would worship and service be translated in the same word? That's maybe a key to what worship is. It's everyday service to the Lord. It's living. Worship is not primarily singing. You know in the Bible. [00:21:05] So here's this concept of the Christian life as a response. [00:21:11] Firstly, the word therefore. [00:21:13] It's a very important word in the Christian. Well in the Bible. [00:21:18] Do you guys see what chapter that is? It's a big. There's something else before Therefore, it's a 12. [00:21:24] Okay, you guys know how many chapters the book of romans has? There's 16 chapters in chapter 12, meaning three quarters of the. [00:21:33] Three quarters of the. Yeah, three quarters of the way through. [00:21:36] Three quarters of the way through. He makes this statement, therefore, meaning everything I just wrote to you in the past 11 chapters. In view of what you just read, I urge you. And then again, it says, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, to worship the Lord in everything you do. That's the essence that the Christian life is, a life of response. Only after 11 chapters does Paul get to so now worship him. [00:22:06] And as Christians, we so often try to start with, let's try harder, let's worship him better day to day. I want to serve him more. Guys, Paul wrote 11 chapters. And in the 12th chapter, three quarters, he decides to say, okay, therefore, now that you've seen what God has done for you, here's how we worship him in response, in view of God's mercy. And I want to show you guys the pattern that scripture I read in Galatians 5. So walk by the Spirit. [00:22:35] Galatians has six chapters. Chapter five, he says, and so walk by the Spirit for four chapters. He just explained what God has done for us. And then he says, now, in view of what he's done, respond, in the book of Colossians, four chapters, chapter three only does he say, so, therefore. [00:22:53] And then he goes on to explain what we need to do. That's the pattern, the scripture every time. Every time. In. [00:22:59] Let's see, let's see. Let's look at another example, Ephesians 4. [00:23:04] Okay, let's throw it on. Do you have the NLT for me any chance? [00:23:08] Because that throws it there for a bit more clearly. Either way, it's all right. [00:23:13] It says, as a prisoner for the Lord, then. So that then is how the NIV would translate it. So then meaning in. In relation to everything I just told you as a prisoner of the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling that you have received. So again, this is chapter four. Halfway through this book of Ephesians, for the first time, he says, now let's look at the way you need to live for three chapters. I've Explained to you what God has done for you, what God is like. And then he says, okay, in view of that, live a life worthy the calling to which you have recalled and immediately links it again to what God has done for us. He says, I urge you to live a life worthy of something he has done for us again. [00:24:00] So even when he says, live a life that pleases him, he says, why? Because it's worthy of what he has done. And so here's the key to being empowered as a Christian. That is actually the scriptural pattern. [00:24:10] We need to look at what he's done, and then only can we look again. [00:24:15] And then we look again and we behold what he's done for us. We behold the cross, and then only do we respond. [00:24:23] And that's actually where we get our power as a Christian to live this life well is by looking at what he has done for us and responding to and imitating what he has done. Does it make sense? [00:24:35] It's basically the concept of what Auntie Lindsay would share in the counseling training of the the three trees, where the one tree is our old human nature, and the new tree is the tree that bears good fruit, and the middle tree is the cross. [00:24:49] And the tree needs to go through the cross to be renewed. Any area in our life that needs to be renewed, that if we want to look like Jesus, it needs to come through what he has done. It needs to go through the work of Jesus. And we don't just stick on better fruit. [00:25:04] It doesn't work. We don't try harder as a Christian, but we look to what he has done. [00:25:10] We say like, lord, let me behold what you have done on the cross. [00:25:14] And then we live in response to that. [00:25:19] Let me see how much time I have. [00:25:23] Let me give you guys an example of this. So in Ephesians, there's six chapters. The first three chapters, he only explains what God has done for us. So what. What Leilani did the other day in her Bible study, she decided to highlight in one color all the verses that speak about what God has done for us, and then another color to highlight everything that we then need to do. [00:25:45] And you should see what the first three chapters of Ephesians looks like. It's basically one color. God speaks basically nothing for the first half of that letter. Nothing about what we need to do. He just describes what he has done for us. It's a beautiful thing to see that. And once we have revelation of that, then you see that the color changes a bit. Now you can start highlighting what we need to Do. So that's the pattern. Okay, so the pattern is, in essence, the first part of Ephesians talks about being seated with Christ. It talks about what he has done for us. He says that he loved us before the world began, before the foundations of the world. The plan was to adopt us through Jesus Christ into His family, because that's what he wanted to do and it gave him great pleasure. [00:26:29] And he forgave us our sins because of his kindness, so that he can point to us in all future generations saying, look at my kindness. Look at John, that's my kindness. Look at Dongasi, that's my kindness. And he seated you guys with Jesus in heavenly places. It's wonderful. It's like pudding when you read that. It's the good stuff. It's all of that. It's all about being seated with Christ. And then in chapter four, he says, okay, so walk in a manner worthy of what he has done. [00:26:55] And then in chapter six, he says, stand against the schemes of the devil. [00:27:00] And we love to quote the armor of God and we love to pray the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness. But that's the end of six chapters of describing those things. [00:27:11] So just to use a very practical example, let's say you. [00:27:15] Let's say you want to appropriate the breastplate of righteousness. You guys with me here? You know that the armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness, praying it, Lord, I put on the breastplate of righteousness today is not what that is meant for. [00:27:28] Practically, what that looks like when you need the breastplate is when you're trying to approach the Father as a Christian. Let's say you want to spend time with him and you're feeling hopefully dirty and inadequate because of your sin. [00:27:39] What you're in that moment struggling with is a problem of right standing with Him. You don't feel like you're actually allowed to be in his presence. Does that make sense? In that moment, you need to understand righteousness. My right standing with the Father comes through what he has done. So you've got a problem of right standing, you've got a problem of righteousness. So in that moment, that's what that piece of armor was for. By the way, when you're struggling to approach him tomorrow morning because of some certain thing or because you're feeling inadequate, that's when we appropriate the breastplate of righteousness. Alright, that will only work if you had read the previous five chapters and realized that what Jesus has done for me, he's cleaned me, he's Washed me. And as you have revelation of what he's done for me, in that moment, as you're struggling, you remember, remember, not Yanko said scripture says. But Yanko also said the Christian life is a life of response in any area. If you're getting stuck, don't try harder, go back and behold again what he's done. Behold the righteousness that he's bought for you. [00:28:39] And then you walk into his presence freely. And now you've put on the breastplate of righteousness this morning. You didn't put on by praying it. You put it on by beholding the work of Jesus in that exact area. And you can do that same thing for the helmet of salvation. [00:28:54] We behold what he's done and we respond. And that's where our power comes from ultimately. So the pattern, the pattern is this. In 2 Corinthians 3, 18. [00:29:05] You guys still with me? Am I going too fast? It's alright. It's all right. [00:29:10] Thanks. Thanks, Nikki. Thanks. [00:29:12] 2 Corinthians 3:18. I want to see which translation you have before I go on my own. You have it. Should I just go? [00:29:20] Should I just go? Okay, so it says this. And we all with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory. [00:29:28] And we are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory. Okay. Glory to glory, which comes from the Lord, who is spirit. And so it says this. [00:29:38] We with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory. So if you guys. There was a wedding year, I don't know if you know, but there was a wedding here yesterday. The room looked very different. There was a point where Uncle Justin asked Evans to unveil Namonda, his bride. And Evans did it so dramatically. I don't know how many of you guys were here. Evans literally decided to roll up the veil, like, and so it probably took him 30 seconds to unveil his wife. But it was a very special moment. It was quite cute. This slow, like, it's like, I don't know, the garage door very, very slowly opening. [00:30:12] And so that's what the picture of unveiling is. And so this scripture basically have that picture of a bride being unveiled. And suddenly you see the beauty that God had put in her. You see her glory. He says we as Christians, who with unveiled faces, meaning as a Christian, in this new covenant, we can see God fully for who he is. Right? We're not veiled like in the Old Testament. That's what it's referring to. We can actually know him. It says we contemplate the Lord's Glory meaning like you studying the beauty of his face, we were contemplating the Lord's glory are being transformed into his image. [00:30:55] From glory to glory with ever increasing glory. So that is the pattern in Scripture. We who contemplate his glory are transformed into his image. [00:31:04] Here's the key. If you want to look more like Jesus, don't try harder. Behold his glory more, behold him more. That's the pattern we behold and then we become like Him. The pattern of worship. [00:31:17] The pattern of worship in revelation. In Revelation 4. You guys know that weird beast that flies around the temple, flies around the throne, Worshipping, worshiping. You guys know he had eyes all around him. It's the strangest thing. Have you guys read that in Revelation 4? Eyes all around. What is that all about? [00:31:35] He's made to behold. [00:31:38] The one that worships the most is the one that beholds the most. That's the pattern. He doesn't have all those eyes for some other freaky reason. [00:31:45] His purpose is to behold the beauty of the throne and Jesus sitting on it. And he worships. [00:31:52] So we are made with eyes spiritually so that we can be like Him. That's our power actually, is in beholding him. [00:32:01] Just a last one on this in Ephesians 1. [00:32:07] I want to read you guys Paul's prayer. [00:32:10] Johan, I pray that this will become one of our go to prayers as Christians as well. [00:32:14] It says, I keep asking that the Lord. [00:32:18] I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may know him better. [00:32:28] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know. And then he starts listing a bunch of things we must know. [00:32:36] That's his central and primary prayer to the church in Ephesus. I pray for spirit of wisdom and revelation, revealing. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be open in order that you may know him better. In order that you may know. La la la la la. And then he mentions all the things you need to know. But his primary prayer is, I pray that you may know. I pray that your eyes will open. I pray that the eyes of your heart will be flooded with light. That's his primary prayer. I want to ask you, is that your primary prayer for yourself and for your spouse and for the church and for one another? [00:33:10] I know we often pray prayers like, God help me with this. God strengthened me for this. [00:33:15] I really believe, according to scripture, this is one of his favorite prayers. He prays the same one in Colossians According to scripture, one of my primary prayers is, lord, open my eyes that I might see. Lord, give me a spirit of revelation. [00:33:27] And as we see, we become like Him. That's the pattern. As we behold him, we become like Him. [00:33:34] And that's why this fruit of the Spirit is called the fruit of the Spirit and not the work of the Spirit. [00:33:40] It's called the fruit because it comes naturally to those that are beholding regularly to those that are rooted in Him. That's where our power lies. Okay? So just practically, next time you get stuck as a Christian in this walk, don't try harder. [00:33:54] Run to the one that's done it all already and just behold what he's done. And in that specific area, like, let's say, for example, you are in traffic at the Kafue roundabout, right? It's the Kafue one, the first one, that awful thing. [00:34:10] Let's say you're in that one and the person next to you is driving like a banana. [00:34:15] They're not. That's a nice word. They're driving like they really shouldn't drive. And you as a Christian, get super frustrated and irritated, and you start saying things or thinking things that you shouldn't be saying or thinking, okay, in that moment, as conviction hits, what do you do next time? You try harder, right? You try to be like Jesus, even prepare yourself mentally. [00:34:36] And then you fail again. [00:34:38] But let's say we use this case study and apply this thing called a life of response. [00:34:43] If I'm struggling with impatience towards this person next to me, what should I do? [00:34:48] I need to look at the patience of Jesus and I remind myself how incredibly patient God has been with me, how I actually must have frustrated God so much. The amount of times he's given me second chances, the amount of times that he's. He's shown so much patience and understanding when he's asked me to do something, and I was absolute more than a banana to him, like, I was. I was being absolutely silly. And he gave me another chance, and he gave me another chance, and he gave me another chance. And as I realize that, that I didn't deserve that, then I look to the person next to me who's driving like that, and I realize, you know what? God has been so, so patient with me. He didn't have to be like that with me. And if he wasn't that patient with me, that would be bad. [00:35:36] And so I can actually extend that to Him. [00:35:39] Like another case study would be, if you're struggling to forgive someone, you don't try Harder we behold the One forgives. And you realize he's forgiven me when I didn't deserve it while I was still a sinner, he extended it to me. [00:35:56] He forgives me. And then I sin again and he forgives me. And you think of all the amount of times he's forgiven you and the amount of sin the amount of times you've sinned against him and he's forgiven you and he's forgiven you. [00:36:06] And then you look at this situation where you need to forgive and you're like, okay, you know what? [00:36:11] I've been forgiven so, so, so many times before I said sorry. God forgave you. Well, he extended it to you before you said sorry. [00:36:19] He extended you forgiveness before, before you deserved it. [00:36:23] And then I'm like, okay, I'm going to release you and forgive you even though you don't deserve it, even though you probably do it again, because that's exactly what God did with me. [00:36:31] So how on earth can I keep it against you or wait for you to say sorry before I forgive you if that's not what God did with me repeatedly? So we be behold, and in that lies our power for walking it out. Does it make sense? [00:36:44] Okay, and then just the last 1.3 very practically, how do we walk? Empowered. [00:36:51] Here's the key. In 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9, he says to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power. That's what we're looking for here. Daily power is made perfect in weakness. [00:37:08] And everybody said, yay, we love weakness. [00:37:14] Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses. Right? Put that on your TikTok or your status. [00:37:21] I will boast in my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. Yeah, I want Christ's power to rest on me. Let's start boasting in our weakness. What a crazy concept. [00:37:34] He resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. That's what we want. We want his grace in any area of our life where we desire the power of God in every area. We need humility in that exact area. [00:37:49] Just before I explain, let me define humility. This is a. I'm going to quote Charles Spurgeon because then I sound very spiritual. He's a very well known preacher, Charles Spurgeon. He basically, to paraphrase, said this humility is not thinking less of yourself, but rather having an accurate view of yourself. [00:38:07] Okay? [00:38:08] Most of us, when we think of humility, we think of downplaying ourselves. [00:38:13] We think of this thing called Nah, it wasn't that. It wasn't that good. Thanks, but praise the Lord. [00:38:20] Most of us, when we think of humility, we think of thinking less of ourselves. [00:38:24] You really don't have to think less of yourself if you want to be humble. Humility is just having an accurate view of yourself. You know what's an accurate view of you? You actually suck. Without Jesus, it's just being real humility. The reality is, in every area of our lives, we absolutely have nothing apart from him and we're desperate for Him. Does it make sense? [00:38:46] So here's the key to walking in power as a Christian, to walking in the spirit as a Christian. If you in any area want to overcome, first you need to become desperate for him in that area. You need to realize without him, you've got nothing else. You don't have a backup plan. So just an example would be that of a lifeguard. So I know many of my Zambian brothers in this church specifically don't particularly like swimming. [00:39:11] But guys, this pool is very, very safe. You should try swimming in an ocean that tries to kill you, because the ocean, like, per definition, tries to suck you in and tries to kill you with waves and sharks and things. [00:39:23] It's actually crazy that people would swim in that. But either way. So you've got this thing called a lifeguard. When you're swimming in the ocean, in the sea, and the lifeguard usually sits either on a very high chair, like the chair is about as high as this roof, just so that he could have an overview, or he goes and sits on a hill and he kind of the whole time is scouting to see if anyone's drowning. And if he spots someone, his job is to run as fast as he can. And he's got his little buoy flotation device thingy with him, and he comes basically to save you. Now, if you're a strong swimmer and you're enjoying yourself and that lifeguard suddenly rocks up next to you and says, I'm here to save you, but you're really enjoying yourself, are you gonna grab the buoy, the flotation device? No, because you've got no need of salvation in that moment because you don't think you're drowning. [00:40:09] And if you're a good swimmer, well, that's the truth. [00:40:11] But that's the exact scenario for every single human being, except we are drowning in every single moment without Jesus. Before you met the Lord, you were drowning. [00:40:21] The problem with unsaved people, unbelievers, is they don't realize they're drowning. And so they don't think they need the savior. It's either that or they think, yeah, I'm drowning a bit, but I'd rather not grab it. Let me swim out myself. [00:40:36] And that's the picture of salvation. Before salvation can happen, there needs to be enough humility to say, I need to reach out and grab the boy. I need to reach out. It takes humility or desperation in order to get saved every time. That's the pattern. We need to cry out for salvation, otherwise we can't get saved. [00:40:56] That's the pattern. Otherwise you won't grab the lifeguard. You don't really need him, because it's quite humbling. [00:41:01] But there's a second part to lifeguard saving people. [00:41:07] So sometimes when they're trying to save you, you're in such a panic that you're going to drown, that you are making so much of a fuss that you actually pull them down as well, and then you both drown. It's pretty hard to save someone that's trying to save themselves, actually. [00:41:22] And so it used to be a bit of a tradition to knock you out, literally. They were taught to punch you in the jaw if you're struggling too much so that they can save you. [00:41:33] You need to lie limp, otherwise you so in such a panic that you pull them down as well. [00:41:40] And so these days, they don't really teach that in lifeguard school anymore, because I think people started realizing it's happening, and then no one's gonna call for the lifeguard because, you know you're getting knocked out. But that's actually like that. If we try to save ourselves, God can't save us. We need to be limp in his arms. We need to have the humility and the desperation to say, I need saving. [00:42:01] And then you need to allow him to save you. There's no other way to do it. [00:42:04] And I want to say this. I think we sometimes understand that you need to be desperate for him to be saved. Like, originally as a Christian, like, did you start following him? When I put my hand up, I needed to be desperate for him. You know, I was in a desperate space. [00:42:17] We need actually saving every day, and we need to be walking as a Christian in desperation every day for him. [00:42:24] And I want to ask you this morning, are you still desperate in every area of your life for more of Him? Because that is the key to walking in his power. That is the key to having his power working through us, is when we realize that if I don't have him in this area today, I've got nothing Lord Jesus, please, will you in this area today save me? Will you strengthen me? And you don't have to remember, you don't have to convince yourself of that. Humility is having an accurate view of yourself. The truth is you've got nothing apart from him. And the sad thing is we don't realize it. And so we try to save ourselves. In all the small areas of our life, we try to save ourselves. And that's why we don't see the power of God. That's why we don't see the salvation of God, because we're still trying to swim out ourselves. [00:43:06] We need to actually humble ourselves and say, lord, you come and save me. So I think this is best summarized in the Beatitude that says, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That word poor in spirit means, like, spiritually, you know, you've got absolutely nothing. [00:43:22] Have you guys seen the guys that beg next to the streets? It robs you of your dignity. Have you guys thought that? Have you guys seen the people that is begging for money? And have you thought like, have you put yourself in their shoes and wondered if you could do that? And I always thought like, yes, that person must have hurt their reputation. It takes away dignity. [00:43:44] It takes actually a humility to be poor. [00:43:50] But you'll do it. You'll beg when you're desperate enough. [00:43:53] And so when the Lord says, blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, he's saying this. If I could rephrase it, I would say, blessed are the desperate in this kingdom. Blessed are the desperate, for they will inherit the kingdom of heaven. There is nothing that you can gain as a Christian unless you are desperate for it. [00:44:12] If you still think you can save yourself in an area, you won't experience the salvation of the Lord. [00:44:23] If we want to walk in the full power of God, we need to admit our weaknesses. We need to say, lord, in this area, I suck in this area, I can't do it on my own. [00:44:31] Lord, I need you. [00:44:35] If you don't come through for me here, I've got nothing else. God, I'm desperate for you in this area. I can't do this. Will you please help? And then you'll start finding your salvation in that area. [00:44:46] Does it make sense? [00:44:47] Yeah. So just as I conclude if we want to walk in the more of God, well, let me firstly say this in conclusion. It's not so much about the big moments necessarily, but God is interested in the way that we walk before him every day. We want to be Those that walk with him. But that power of walking is not in our own strength. [00:45:04] We're not trying harder. That's not the answer. [00:45:08] It's in beholding and responding. It's a lifestyle of response. [00:45:13] It's in humility that we find actually him strengthening us when we're reaching out to him in desperation. [00:45:19] That's the keys. It's an upside down kingdom, eh? It's very different. [00:45:23] So I'm trusting as I was sharing that the Lord put some areas on your heart that you thought, yeah, this is the area as a Christian, that I'm in a rut in. You know, this is the area that I'm struggling to glorify him in. And I want to ask you in that area, firstly, take heart and be encouraged that your potter is committed and powerful, working incredibly powerfully in you through his spirit. So take heart that he will bring to completion what he started. As long as you don't resist him. He will do it as a Christian. If he started it, he'll finish it. Just don't fight back. That's the problem. We like fighting back. [00:45:58] And then live a life of response. Every time you get stuck, run back to him, say, lord, show me what you have done for me in this area. First show me who you are and then I can respond adequately. And then we need to become desperate for him in that area. We need to say, lord, I'm actually, I suck. I'm poor in this area. [00:46:15] Does it make sense? [00:46:17] Okay, can I pray for us, Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you, Lord, for everything that you've done for us. I want to thank you, Father, for all these things that we saw in your word. Now that you are the potter and we are the clay, that you are so committed to sanctifying us and working in us, that you are so powerfully working in us through your spirit, that you don't leave us as you found us, Father. [00:46:49] That we can trust you, God, that even if we are so incredibly broken and messed up. You are a very skillful potter working in us, Father. I want to ask, Lord, that we as a people will stop trying in our own strength to better ourselves today, Lord, that we'll give up in humility. Say, you know what? I actually can't. I suck. [00:47:11] But Lord, that we look to you, Father, and I pray that you put such a a trust in us, God, to look to you in everything. [00:47:19] To sanctify us, Lord. To help us, Lord, to overcome, Lord, for us to break free from sin and everything, Lord, that We will look to you as our source. We look to you as our strength. Will you help us with this, Lord, to not try on our own, but to look to you, Father? [00:47:34] Father, will you make us a people of response that live a life in looking at you? [00:47:42] Yeah. We need you desperately, Father. [00:47:44] And I pray just for that spirit of revelation now, Lord. I want to pray for open eyes, that we will see you for who you are and what you've done. I want to pray, Lord, that we will see ourselves accurately for who we are as people who are desperately drowning in every area apart from you. And I want to pray for those that don't have that revelation, Father, that you'll open each person's heart this morning, including my own, Father, of how desperate I am actually in need of you in every area. [00:48:14] I'm actually drowning in every area. [00:48:17] And I pray, Lord, that you help us to in humility confess that and run to you and your empowering grace, God. [00:48:25] Yeah, I pray that in Jesus name now, Father. I want to pray just for every seed that was sown, Lord, that you won't get lost, Lord, but help us to apply it throughout the week in Jesus name. Amen.