July25_2023_Psalm61_Matthew16

July 25th, 2023, Treasures in Christ, Psalm 61. Jehovah, Nacha, Zur, Rum, Min. Our Lord God who leads us to the rock that is higher than we are from. Psalm 61, 2. From the end of the earth I will cry to you when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Yes, a rock that is too high for me. Oh, Heavenly Father, we're just so grateful this morning that you brought us into a new day. Become submitted, Father God, right now, bringing all that we are to that throne, Father God, of transformation. We know at that very place grace and mercy await us, giving us what we don't deserve and not giving us what we do deserve. For we all, like sheep, go our own way and go astray and go off your course to go our own. But this morning, Father God, we come back into that very place in repentance, confessing, Father God, those things that have led us astray and where we've allowed our flesh to just move us and do what it wants. But we need you, Father God, this morning. We need you, Father God, for the very salvation of our soul, yes, and for the very direction and leadership we need today, yes. For the very safety and refuge that we need for today, yes, we need you, O my God. For your name is above all names, Father God, and we know there is no name above your name, and so we're so grateful today as we seek you, Father God. I know we'll find you. We need the Holy Spirit today, Father God, the Holy Spirit right at this very moment to come into us, Father God, and translate your truth today so that we can worship you in spirit and in truth. And that worship looks like obedience, Father God, as we stay bunkered down in this transforming place. It's a transforming place, Father God, where you're setting us apart and sanctifying us progressively by the power of the Spirit. Oh, Father God, today's reading, as I was glancing through, gave me the reminder that there is the rock on which it is all built, the very rock of faith, Father God, the very rock of faith, the place we go in relationship, Father God, and there is no other foundation that any man can lay that is laid with Christ Jesus, our very Lord and Savior, and the very rock of our salvation. So we thank you for this truth, Father God. I ask that you'll transform it by it today. And it's in Jesus' precious name, the name above every name, Father God, that I pray. Amen and amen. We'll be encouraged today, brothers and sisters. I know I'm encouraged. When I start reading about the rock, you know, we've got to come at this with spirit and in truth today, because God is going to have his way when we do that. He's going to have a transforming power in our lives when we do that. When we insist on just trying to mentally get intelligence in the process, we're going to find that we fall short. It's not how smart we are, it's how much God can speak to us in his word, the truth that never changes. So we're going to go to Psalm 61. What a beautiful passage, not very long, but super beautiful. And then he led me to Matthew 16. So we're going to cap it off with that and get a little more of the, you know, in-depth practical look at what he's talking about here. You know, David was so poetic, you know, he could just spit lyrical. And, you know, it's an amazing truth because we know God speaks to us in parables, in symbolism, in all of these things so that those who are seeking spiritually will find what they're looking for. You know, we'll seek and we'll find, we'll ask and we'll get the answer, we'll knock and the door will be opened. But he doesn't just put it out plainly, so that way it's rubbish or incoherent to those who really are not in relationship to him. It requires a degree of seeking. So we're going to seek him in this. You know, it's not much scripture, actual verses today, but it's an amazing truth that we're going to see David begin with here. I mean, he's going to begin poetically to show us the depth of what God's trying to say. So we're going to go to Psalm 61. We're going to start in verse 1. And David says, hear my cry, O God. Listen to my prayer. And we've already, you know, we already understand when we see words like O God, and he's talking about the very will and purpose, the very controlling factor, the very father of a father God. And a cry is a great expression. I was talking to a brother and sister in the Lord last night, and who happens to be family as well, but you know, earthly family. But the reality is we're eternal family. And we were talking about this factor, you know, that God just desires that we cry out to him. It's not some fancy prayer. It's not some orchestrated, mechanical thing that we do. When we think of something that's crying, we think about the, it's the expression of what's inside of it. Now it could be an expression of what's come out of them, like in a child where he just has a messy diaper. Well, something came out of him, right? But it initiated and originated inside of him. But you know, we're not talking about just kids in diapers. We're talking about us as children of God. And when we cry out with, there's an internal thing that is being expressed to God. There's an internal relationship that's being expressed. And when we do this, we're not crying out, demanding of God. I love how David shows us that it's never this place where our pride and pretense can just say, Oh yeah, God, give me this because I did it this way. But we see David always just coming in this place of sacrificial worship. That's what this is in verse one. Sacrificial worship is this very thing where we deny our entire self and we offer our whole lives as a living sacrifice. That's everything internal, external. And what's internal comes out externally, as symbolically he's saying, crying here. Now we know God hears everything and he, you know, it's not about God's limited limited ability to hear. And only if we do it a certain way, will he hear us? He's talking about when he's saying, listen to my prayer, that's an attentiveness he's referring to. So it's not that God can't like actually hear us unless we do something a certain way. God can hear us, but it's the response that he's seeking. And he's not demanding of us. And that's a beautiful thing. Verse two, from the end of the earth, will I cry to you? See, there's no time, you know, there's not a, it's not a scheduled time a week. You know, we're not getting our scheduled place. You know, David's just giving us symbolism, poetic symbolism, that it is all times in all places, this intimacy must be there. And then he's going to give us a little expression of what is the standard issue for every human being. This is standard issue right here. If you say, if we think still that there's a Pollyanna doctrine and we are not ever going to suffer or have challenges or be faced with anything, we've sold ourselves a bill of goods. I mean, even just the simple sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit can be overwhelming and causing our heart to want to be overwhelmed into faith, because it's, it's the heavenly, spiritual, eternal, Alpha and Omega coming into the temporal, our temporal flesh, making adjustments to our eternal spirit. I mean, it's, wow. Right? Just the thought of it can be overwhelming. And because I'm an idiot, a lot of times God has to go to great extent to bring the hard things, you know, to bring the hard things, to get me transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, our Lord and my Lord and Savior. And this is what is amazing about this cry of David this morning. You know, we do get a lot of action from David about everything that is coming against him. And that is, you know, the adversary, you know, which is, you know, the adversary has been instructed and given, has been created, given instruction and designed to do these things. This is what he, and he operates through those things that come against us, whether it's our own failures, or whether it's our own mistakes, or whether it's just the evil attacks that come against us. This has been his purpose from the time beginning to time end. We can see that in Job. The whole purpose of everything that happened to Job, we get caught up in the fact that he lost everything, got wounds and sores and put into the gutter. But what we don't remember, we got to always remember is go back to the core of the story. And it was to show what it looks like to stay in the secret place of the most high in the midst of the most extreme adversity, which the devil was given the power and command to do. But at the end of the day, we see at the end of Job, also, we see the beautiful outcome of it. And that is the salvation of his friend's souls. See, because God wants none to perish. He went through a lot of effort to save those friends of Job. It's amazing that it's what he'll do to bring back lost sheep. But this is an amazing truth right here. We see David, he's saying there's no time and space restraint. But wherever I am, whatever time of day it is, I will concede a cry out to God in this place of sacrificial worship. And it's why he goes, well, are we just supposed to cry, baby? No, he's crying. He says, from the end of the earth, will I cry to you when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting? See, there's it's an outcome of the the what his flesh is going through based on what's happening in his heart, because from the heart flows out into the flesh of representation of what's going on in the heart. And it can be overwhelming. Like I said, just even the sanctifying process, if there were only that all by itself, and we were isolated, and God just was working on sanctifying us only based on our idiocrity, it would be enough to overwhelm us and cause fainting in our heart, because it's a hard thing. It's a hard thing. The flesh wants what it wants. But here's an interesting turn in the narrative. So we got David in the secret place. And it's a secret place that is, it knows no bounds, it doesn't have to go to a certain facility, or it doesn't have to be a certain time of day. And it's, and he's expressing, we're not just trying to be crybabies, we're crying, because of the overwhelmingness that's in our heart being overwhelmed. And at the point of fainting, because we are feeble in our flesh. So let's see where David switches the narrative now. So now we see the situation in where David is parked at. He's parked at in the secret place. He's crying out to God, things are, his heart is beginning to be overwhelmed and wanting to just give up. And but here he, David seeks the counsel that he needs. He says, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Yes, a rock that is too high for me. And we all, and we know rock is symbolic of a lot of things. Okay, so we can start to take a look at this rock. This rock is a firm foundation, and rock, high rock, okay, now the value of the highness, now symbolism, he's not just looking for a rock out in the wilderness. But it's symbolic of a strong place that is generally unmovable, right? That is higher, which gives you advantage over what? Over the fact that his heart is overwhelmed and fainting. See, this is, this is what David desires. He desires to be in the secret place of the most high, no matter what his heart is feeling, overwhelmed or fainting or otherwise. And it takes the leading, there's a Lord shift now that's coming into play. There's a leading that David requires. Because in sacrificial worship, we're not the frozen chosen. We operate within faith, but we're saved by grace, through faith, through faith, through faith. That's an action. Through means it's moving. It's a verb. Faith is an action word. It's a gift from God that has to be enacted by us. And this is what creates the beautiful relationship we have with the Creator. Now we were given everything we needed to do it. It's not like we create or generate faith, and we definitely can't give ourselves grace. Right? This comes from the Creator. But this leading is a reflection of faith in motion. See, David's trusting God as he cries out to God. He's not crying out to something else. Let me go get a find a good counselor or a good book. Let me go do some mantras or something. He's crying out to God and God is his only source. God is the only, his only source of refuge here, his only source of solution. And so God must lead him in this faith journey to the rock that is higher than us. And this is a firm, unmovable foundation that has advantage over what? Over the heart that is overwhelmed in thinking. And so this has got to read it in context. So this is an amazing truth when we're feeling overwhelmed by the transforming that the Holy Spirit's doing in our life and we want to faint and give up. We have to ask God to lead us to that place that is firm, that is rooted, that is solid, and that is higher than all the things that are happening. It says, yes, a rock that is too high for me. I love the way the Ancestor has said. And we're going to see in a minute here as we read out the scriptures, exactly really what he's talking about. He's actually, he's not, like he said, he's not talking about a rock out in the wilderness somewhere where he just needs a little boost up so he can get on top of it. But I love the way the Amplified says this. Yes, a rock that is too high for me. This is a place of safety, of security, of strength that is not something that David can't do. David can't do it. He can't just go find a rock in nature and climb up. This is not the kind of rock he's talking about. It's higher than David. It's higher than we are. And there is only one foundation that is solid, more solid. There's only one rock that's higher than we are. And we're going to see as we read out the scriptures. But again, I like the beautiful symbolism here because David needs to be led to it, which implies he's operating in faith under the leading power of the Holy Spirit. We know David had the Holy Spirit, as we do. So this is a body of Christ, standard operating procedures. You know, when we're starting to feel overwhelmed and fainting by everything God is doing, I know I have to go back to that. Well, my whole life, really. I'm just trying to think of a more recent example, you know, in the last few months where this new job season, this new season for me, God has for me in the waiting process and all of my trying to rush it and all of the attacks and stuff that were preparing me, the things that were coming against me so that I would stay bunkered down in the secret place at all times, that I would operate under the leadership and wings of God moving in the direction he tells me, regardless of what's coming against me. And but there were times I felt so overwhelmed and fainting. And this beautiful passage right here shows me those standing operating procedures that in that place, God desires us to cry out to him and have him lead us to the rock of our salvation, a rock that's too high, that's higher than we are. It's not just that, you know, he's given some great symbolism here. We're going to see it as we read on it. It's just beautiful. And I can see this overwhelming and fainting in the heart. I just recently gone through it and imagine I'm going to go through it more in my life. It's going to be a continual thing. But with it comes the standard operating procedures of what we are to do in this situation. And that is seek God to lead us to our savior, the very rock that is higher than we are, so that we can be in that well. And we can be in that first three. For you have been a shelter and a refuge for me in a strong tower against the adversary. See, this is this keeps us in that sacrificial worship. This keeps us in the secret place of the most high under the shadow and shelter of his wings, the refuge of his wings. We talked about that. When we think of a mother hen putting her wings out when there's a rain, a storm coming, she provides the shelter, but you have to come into the shelter. See, you have to come into the refuge. You have to come into the strong tower. God isn't going to force us. He's going to give us the way that he leads us. And then, but it's our sacrificial worship that gives us access, our recognition that it's too high for me, that God is the one who has to lead me and get me there and put me in that place of safety. But we have to come to him. We have to be led and come and follow the direction he gives us. And that puts us in the shelter and the refuge, just like those little chickens that are underneath their mother hen's wings. And it's a strong, and he's a strong tower against the adversary. And this is beautiful, because it gives us the reflection of that height advantage, military advantage. Strong towers were advantageous against attacks, because they had the high ground. God always has the high ground over the adversary. And we know who the adversary is and all of his demons and all of the things that he does. That is the adversary, and there is no other two ways about it. But God's strong tower is higher than the adversary. Remember, he created the adversary, and he created it to do this very thing, so that we would be motivated to cry out to him in this time when we feel overwhelmed and fainting, and that he would give us the leadership that we needed at the right time to get us to the rock of our salvation, the rock of ages. That we could find the shelter and refuge that we need. Not that the storm would go away, not that the adversary would be removed, but that we would have the advantage now and victory in it. And this is why I love the way he goes into verse four. This brings the intimacy, see? Three is the ultimacy, four is the intimacy. He says, I will dwell in your tabernacle forever. Tabernacle. What a beautiful illustration of that inner place, that intimacy of where we can dwell in the presence of God. And him fulfilling these promises of being our shelter and refuge and our strong tower, and give us the leading that we need, and lifting us up to the place of safety as we humble ourselves before the Lord. That's what it says, humble yourselves unto the powerful hand of God, and in due time, he will lift you up. Very symbolic of the process. And then our heart that's being overwhelmed and fainting will be strengthened, because when we wait on the Lord, we know he'll renew our strength. And this dwelling is an amazing, intimate thing. When you're dwelling with something, you're remaining with it. And tabernacle is a beautiful reference of the kingdom of God. You're in the kingdom of God. And in there, it says, I will dwell in your tabernacle forever. Let me find refuge and trust in the shelter of your weak. Faith never ends in this process. It's a beautiful thing. Even in the tabernacle of God, in fact, especially, the only way we can be in the tabernacle of God is when we're trusting and leaning on, relying on God completely and utterly. And there we will find refuge for this overwhelming, fainting heart of ours. There we will find shelter under his wing, which is so intimate. Because again, you think of that mother hen, and she's got all those little chicks huddled underneath her wings. That is as intimate as you can get visuals. So we're in the kingdom, and we're intimately under the wings. What a beautiful first four verses. I tell you what, I'm going to read them all in a row, because there's just a lot here. Hear my cry, O God. Listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry to you when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Yes, a rock that is too high for me. For you have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the adversary. I will dwell in your tabernacle forever. Let me find refuge and trust in the shelter of your weak. Selah, pause, and come with me. Verse three is encouraging. He brought that in my spirit as I went back to do it together. This is where we think about the goodness of God, where he's operated in our life already. This is what helps motivate us. We think about the prodigal son. What motivated him to get up out of the pigsty and go home was the goodness of his father that he remembered. It's always good to remember the goodness of God, because our flesh is going to doubt it. This is why we see his request in verse four, let me find refuge and trust in the shelter of the weak. He's asking to give him help when he has doubt. His unbelief, you know what I mean? He's saying, help my unbelief in this one. You know, he's saying, he wouldn't say he needed to find trust in the shelter of his wings again if he didn't have doubts, moments of doubt. He would have just left it out because it would have just been automatic. We can do that and encourage ourselves with those times God has done it in the past, in our lives before. That was an encouraging little thing he wanted us to catch from those last two verses in that verse one through four. Remembering the goodness of God is important and recognizing the fact that our flesh is going to want to operate in doubt because it's not going to see the outcome. When it's storming and the chicks are running under the wings, all they can do is remember the goodness of those wings the last time there was a storm. You know what I mean? We've got to think that way because the flesh is going to doubt and have unbelief, but God will help our unbelief in David's requesting and asking of God, flying out to God in the process, help my unbelief. What a beautiful first four verses, man. I tell you what, I love God's word. It says in verse five, For you, O God, have heard my vows. You have given me the heritage of those who fear, revere, and honor your name. And again, we see the name as representation of the power of the kingdom. This is why Jesus was elevated to the right hand of the throne when he came out of the grave and ascended into heaven. And his name was put above every name. It's so we can see it in the flesh what that kind of means, because we've given things names. We've named things. God gave us that responsibility. We see that in the Garden of Eden. He says, now Adam is speaking to mankind. You will name everything in the garden. And that's what we do. Everything we experience in the flesh, man gives a name to. And I like this. We have another shift a little bit in the narrative here. For you, O God, have heard my vows. And this is an interesting thing. When I come in my devotional time and I say I bring everything I have to you this morning, Lord, to transform, that's a vow. You know, it doesn't require some pomp and some fair and a big piece of scroll or anything like that or any sort of ceremony. It's what we do in our heart as we are coming to God. They were saying, God, we want to walk in obedience to you. That's a vow. God, I want you to transform me here. That's a vow to let God transform us. That's a vow to follow his lead. I mean, these are vows we make to God. When we vow to stay under his powerful hand. And again, the reason I like the way that it says vow, too, that just brought it to my spirit that if we did it perfectly, we would never have to use that word. You wouldn't have to use the word vow because a vow implies that you can make or break it. Right. You can actually, I mean, I should say, fulfill it or break it. That's what's implied when you use the word vow. It's showing us there's a two sided coin here. And we know David is always talking about the mercy and grace of God. So we know that David is always, always making mistakes continually until the day he died. He did. And we all do. This is why we know there can't be that, that Pollyanna doctrine that says that once we come to the Lord, he just hits us with a magic stick and we'll never do anything else wrong in the rest of our life. I know it seems that way a lot of times. And when we look across Christendom and we hear the preaching and teaching, there can be that angle where it appears as though because of all of the bad mouthing here to certain sins, we hear the real tongue lashing coming across. And it's usually the sins that the person preaching or teaching has never had a problem with. So it's very easy to talk bad mouth about that. But the reality is we all fall short and we all go our own way. And we all fulfill and break our vows. Does the heritage come from fulfilling the vow perfectly? No. It doesn't. We see that in verse 5. For you, O God, have heard my vows. Vows, plural, of course, because he's constantly committing his heart to God. He's constantly committing, submitting, I should say, under the powerful hand of God, which is reflected in the second part of the verse. But we're going to read that. We're going to get there. I'm just excited about this because I'm seeing his vows in such a great, deeper depth than before. And we know when we see, for you, O God, so we know we're talking about the kingdom of God. We're talking about I'm a father, the very will that rules the kingdom. For you, O God, have heard my vows. You have given me the heritage of those who fear, revere, and honor your name. See, and that's that name that represents the O God, the kingdom. This is where he's given the heritage. You have given me the heritage of those. Okay, so David's not isolated here. This is the qualifying factor. If you want to be qualified into being a co-heir with Christ, this is the qualifying factor. God is looking for true worshippers. Worshippers who will worship him in spirit and in truth. And God desires that we offer our entire lives as living sacrifices to him. That was the verse I was looking for. Holy and pleasing to God. Our whole lives as living sacrifices. We have to be willing to give up everything as we operate in sacrificial worship. Because he's looking for true worshippers, right, which worship him in spirit and in truth. And he's looking for us to give our whole lives as a living sacrifice, which is pleasing to him. And we do this in sacrificial worship. This is what it is. We offer our lives. That's what worship is. It's not a song we sing. It's an action of giving our lives to the Lord in submission. And this is what the vows represent. This is what the God represents. That represents that sacrificial worship. Because he's vowing to be God that is the ruling power over the kingdom. You have given me the heritage of those who fear, revere, and honor your name. Fear, revere. That reverence. We have reverence and fear of God. This is an amazing truth that I think I haven't really been taught it in my time in the Christendom. The true fear of the Lord. But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, right? And we know that's a good place to be as we operate wisely in the kingdom. It's a good place to be. Then we know that God can be transforming us. And this is where fear, reverence, and honor come in. See, when we come into the powerful hand of God knowing that he can completely and utterly destroy us and remove from us everything that is displeasing to him, and we're submitted under his powerful hand, it's reflecting the fear, reverence, and the honor. And we know, he's been showing honor has this place of obedience to it. Like you're submitted under it. It's like when you, yes your honor, and you're in court and you're just submitting all of your pride and pretension under the name, the powerful name of judge, right? Well, this is the kind of the symbolism he's using here. I mean, you see, this is the grand tax he's trying to show us. Standing operating procedures. If we want to be co-heirs with Christ, we have to operate in this place where we are submitted under the powerful hand of God in reverence, fear, and awe. And this honors him. See, and when we, and then when we walk in this place, when we walk in this, when we commit these vows, you know, when we give these vows in our heart, like, yes, God, transform me. That's honoring God, see? And it's the name of God. He gives us the transition into the flesh, because if we just left it as Abba, Father, the omniscient, omnipresent God, you know, that's kind of a challenge for the flesh. But we can, we're operating the flesh under a name. And we know there is a name above every name, and we're going to get more into it. I don't want to get ahead of the scripture. But what a beautiful verse. It's not about how perfectly we fulfill our vows. It's about how we stay with the reverent fear and awe of God, and moving in submission under his powerful hand so he can transform us under the powerful name of the very Savior of our life, the very name above all names. This gives us the co-heirship with Christ. This gives us the heritage. And we're going to see in a minute, it's eternal. So this is a beautiful, and again, it all comes from God. And see, this is why we know it's not how good he fulfilled his vows. Because God has given us the heritage. Not the inheritance, the heritage. Now, the heritage qualifies you for the inheritance. If I understand the word correctly, what he's telling me right now, is the heritage is the qualifying factor to give you the inheritance. See, we know that we're co-heirs with Christ. And that inheritance is eternal life with Christ. As the bride and the bridegroom, we spend eternity together in the heavenly realms with the Lord forever. This is all what God has given us. This is not something we've generated. David didn't generate this by how good he kept his vows. Because he made mistakes and he didn't. But he still keeps coming. He doesn't grow weary in well-doing. And we know Jesus gives us the instruction on how to do this. Because remember in the beginning, he's talking about a heart that's overwhelmed and fainting. And this place is a place where we want to give up. This is a place where we want to throw in the towel. And we've been given standard operating procedures, how to keep from doing that. And that is to cry out to God that he'll lead us into the refuge and give us that belief of where we have unbelief under the shelter of his wings. Knowing just like before, when he gave us that shelter and protection, he'll do it again. And we'll just continue to commit to stay and vow to stay under that powerful hand. For God gives us the heritage when we do that. And when we submit under his powerful hand of rebuke, correction, and encouragement, then it honors him in his name. Which is the overriding force in our lives. It's not got a lot to do with what we say. When we witness to others, what we say, we can be so distracted and distracting by what we say, when all we've got to do is live it. Paul would say, just do what I did when I was with you. We'll come back to that heritage. We've been given a heritage, which is like our acceptance into this place where we go have this, receive an inheritance. Those who fear, revere and honor him in his name. Verse 6, he says, May you prolong the true King's life, adding days upon days. See, David was speaking prophetically here about Jesus. We see that throughout. But in verse 5, we start to really see it because we see name. Because remember, this word, O God, which is in verse 5. God actually, his name was not pronounceable. You know, it had no vowels, or it was only vowels. I don't know, something like that. Yahweh, you know, whatever it was. Yahweh even, we made it into Yahweh, so we can pronounce it. So when he uses the word name, he's already speaking lyrical about the Savior, about Jesus Christ, who comes to give us this inheritance, access into it. And this is why we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, know that. This is not something that is just, we make a decision and we're done. We have to be operating in this place of fear, reverence and honor, honoring the Lord, our Lord and Savior, and God, our Father and Holy Spirit. May you prolong the true King's life, the true King. See, David was King when he was writing this. But David understood that he only had a temporal earthly kingship, and it wasn't his kingship that had any value. May you prolong the true King, capital K's life, adding days upon days. And may his years be the last generation of this world and the generation of the world to come. See, David is speaking prophetically into the eternal realm now, because of the kingship of Jesus Christ. And may he sit enthroned forever before the face of God. Amazing how Jesus, when he had been risen from the grave, ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Lord. O, ordain that lovingkindness, that's God's grace, and faithfulness may watch over him. What do we say by it? Grace through faith. This salvation is what's watching over the kingdom. This place of relationship is what is kingdom building and kingdom establishing. God didn't just, it's kind of like hell, you know, a lot of times the thought process is God created hell and he wants to throw people into it. Well, just like he doesn't do that, he doesn't make heaven and just want to throw people into it. Those that come into relationship with him create the heaven, right? Now it is being prepared by Jesus Christ because he was the firstborn of the kingdom. And so everyone that through grace, by faith through grace comes into relationship, this is what watches over and establishes this kingship. Pretty neat how that works. Just like those who reject God and say, I don't want God in my life. And I don't, and they die. They get that forever. It's not that God wants to throw them in hell. They choose to go to a place away from God. And we call it hell. But that's just a choice that people make. Just like we can choose to operate with this by grace through faith. Now it's been given to us. See, it's been ordained. It's ordained. It's not something we generate. It's something we're given. It's ordained. Like when you become an ordained minister, which you can do online for a few dollars. It's something they're giving you a certification, right? We're given the grace and the faith to be saved. And this is what actually watches over the enthronement of Jesus Christ at the right hand of the father. Because that is the very bride of the bridegroom we're talking about now. And David's just speaking about it 500 years before Jesus even came. I just think it's so amazing. But at the end of the day, it shouldn't amaze me that much, because I know the Holy Spirit was in David. And the Holy Spirit is the very word of God, the Alpha and the Omega, the very one who was there in the beginning before the earth, when it was formless and void. And all the way to the end, the very end time, the Holy Spirit is the one that moves and directs and transforms us into that bride of Christ. So it shouldn't surprise me or amaze me the fact that God can spit lyrical about things through his children 500 years before they happen. It's a beautiful thing. So this whole passage, really, to me, it's been about salvation. It's been about salvation. Because the only mention in here, we have the one mention against the adversary, about the adversary, and the adversary purpose is not to bring people to hell. His purpose is to give more value to those in the kingdom. Because without any temptation outside, wanting us not to come under the shelter and refuge and come to the rock and do all of these things, operate in the grace and the mercy and do all of these things, operate in reverence, fear and awe of God, honoring him, there's no value in that if there's no temptation to go otherwise, you know what I mean? I mean, if there's just never a temptation to ever go anywhere but to God, then it's some kind of a over-spiritual Pollyanna thing that's going on. And we're like robots in this case now. There's no actual decision to be made because there's no temptation outside of it. So the adversary is not trying to get people to go to his purpose. Now, this happens with what he does because of what the people choose to do. But the reality is, I believe his purpose was not for that. His purpose was shown in Job. It was to bring the salvation of the lost. And sometimes it has to be a very hard thing to do that. It took all of that with Job and all of those days and days of conversation with his friends for them to come to this place where they recognized their own error and came into repentance to God. So the adversary, I believe the ultimate design of the adversary, that's the devil and all of his demons, as well as all the angels being good angels, I believe their design and purpose was to draw us to God. All of it. They're all ministering spirits to God. So I would say the end result is not to take people to hell. Oh, devil's on the other side of the fence. He's the enemy and he's trying to get us to go to hell. No, he's trying to give us that place where we have more value in coming into the relationship. But in the flesh, we choose sometimes to reject that. Now, because we reject it, he becomes the prince of the air. He becomes the ruler of our life in that aspect, all the way into eternal damnation, because we've chosen to reject God and go our own way. But God's a redeeming God. That's why I believe even the adversary is giving us more value in it. And the strength we have in the tower and the shelter and the refuge against the adversary is kind of showing me that. That's showing me because that's kind of the ultimate purpose of the adversary. So once you're in it, you are now strengthened against it, because really, that's what it wanted you to do to begin with. That's why God designed him to begin with. So that gives you additional strength and shelter and refuge, because you're actually in the place God designed the devil to put you or to help you, encourage you or to give you more value in coming into the refuge. The shelter and the strong tower. So once you're in it, you've got additional strength now, because that's actually the design purpose. The shameful thing and the sad thing is those that reject God and say, I don't want a relationship with God. And just because the adversary has this role is going to bring him out of the heavenly realm for all eternity, because his purpose, his designed purpose is not fitting for the perfect heavenly realm where we're going to go spend eternity with God. And so he will be utterly destroyed. And literally, but symbolically. So his work, ministry work that he does for God will no longer be necessary. So he will be gone. And it's not like we see in the movies where he's got this pitchfork and now he's going to be in hell. Oh yeah, having a good time ruling all the people in hell. No. They're going to be eternal suffering because they are outside the presence of God. And really, the adversary is symbolic of the temptation to want to be outside God. And then those who choose it, well, they're going to get what they choose. God is a good God. He's not going to make you do anything. You want to choose to spend now and all eternity without him? You can do it. Does it matter what your reason or justification is? Oh, well, there's no proof. Well, whatever. There's no proof in a lot of things. Wow, that's interesting. He was giving me so much expansion on that right there. And here we see, well, because the opposite of, I mean, the purpose of this adversary we see in verse three is, is to bring us into salvation, which is on the rock, which is the king, which is all of these things we've seen out to the grace and the faith that's given to us by God. And that's what watches over the kingdom and the order. And it's ordained by God. And that's what keeps Jesus, the pecking order in proper order. And David finishes it off here with, so will I sing praise. Why? Because of all this fulfilled promise in his life. Of course, he's going to have an outpouring of praise. So will I sing praise to your name forever, paying my vows day by day. David's committing his life. This is an eternal journey day by day now and from generation of the world to come. And the generation of this world is the last generation of this world and the generations of the world to come. So will I sing praise to your name forever, paying my vows day by day. David is bunkered. He's committed. He's committed. He makes mistakes constantly in these vows he makes day by day. He's going to make mistakes in them. But he knows that in that place, grace and mercy are awaiting him when he stays in reverent worship, in sacrificial worship, in reverent fear and awe of God, in sacrificial worship. It honors God. What a beautiful passage. Now let's take a look at Matthew 16. This was a great New Testament. It's going to give us a little more expansion on that salvation we just read about, that awesome salvation of God. I mean, that's a good place to be, right? But in salvation, we know David had a heart that was fainting when he say it was overwhelmed and fainting. So don't get it twisted here. There's no island where we go on to and we're saved and everybody's Pollyanna and everything's hunky-dory and nothing ever comes against us because just the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our life is enough to cause our heart to be overwhelmed in faith, even if everything else was removed, you know, but it's not. So we got everything else as well. This is why we have to cast our cares on him daily because we start to pile this stuff up and without casting our cares on him, which he's commanded us to do, then we're going to find ourselves way overwhelmed and way thinking. And Jesus gave us, that's what I was thinking about earlier, Jesus gave us the answer to that. Jesus said that when he was looking at the shame of the cross and all the suffering he was about to go through, and he, you know, so that he didn't grow weary and give up. See, there's no sin in the weariness. There's sin in giving up. There's a bad outcome for giving up, right? Because now you said, okay, when you give up, now you're rejecting God. Your way's not good enough, God. You don't have enough to hold me through this. But here's how Jesus did it. For the joy that awaited him in heaven, that's how he did it. If we get to those days that are just kicking our butt and it is just so overwhelming and so hard and fainting, now we're asking God, lead us to that rock. Lead us to the place. Bring us into the shelter. Bring us into the refuge, Father God. You've done it so many times before. Do it again. I need you here. I need you here. I'm going to trust you. Help my unbelief, Father God. Help my unbelief, Father God, as I submit unto your powerful hand. Move me and lead me in the right way. And we can look forward like David did, as we see in verse 6 back in Psalms, as he reflects on the kingship of Jesus from all generations of this world and to the world to come, the eternal world. Jesus looked forward to the joy that awaited him in heaven, the fulfilled promise of the resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father he looked forward to because that was going to be greater than the shame even of the cross and the suffering that he was going through in the flesh and that this would give him the strength to not give up, to keep going forward, to keep pressing on and working out that salvation with fear and trembling under the powerful hand of God. Now we know in the flesh he didn't want to, that's why he asked three times the night before, if there's any way, Father, past this cup of suffering from me, but not my will, but your will be done. So we know in the flesh what his flesh wanted to do. It wanted to not go through it. But he kept his eye on the prize, the eternal prize. Sometimes we're at that place. I don't think we'll ever be at the place Jesus was at. But sometimes we'll be at a place where we feel like just giving up and we've got to just look for the joy that awaits us in heaven when God fulfills the promise of bringing the bridegroom or the bride to the bridegroom and we're at the marriage feast in the heavenly realms. Ooh, Jesus. And it'll keep us from giving up. Because if we give up, we haven't worked out our salvation with fear and trembling. We've given up. Ooh, hallelujah. I love it. Jesus is our Lord. This is why he gives us, he is our Lord, because he gives us, he shows us the operating procedures in the kingdom. There's never a doubt, never a doubt on what to do. Jesus is an amazing Lord. He is the Lord. He is our only Lord in the Christ, the very savior of our soul, the very shepherd of our soul. He doesn't want us to perish. He's helping us. He's trying to lead us. He wants to lead us. But we need to submit under his leadership in reverent fear and awe as we stay submitted under his powerful hand and move in that way that he tells us and let him transform us so that he can be honored and his glory can come shining through us. Wow. That's a beautiful passage, man. I tell you what, it's amazing what God can do in eight verses. Chapter 16 of Matthew. Let's just take a quick look-see here and see what the standing operating procedures look like about this truth or the brass tacks. I think this is more of a brass tacks where we're going to get a little foundation. Remember, we're talking about the rock today. So we're going to get a foundation, right? We're going to get some foundation in us that the Holy Spirit wants to seed inside of us so that it can grow and living water can pour forth from this truth so that we can operate with more zeal in the body of Christ when we're feeling like we're overwhelmed and wanting to faint. Now, chapter 16, verse 1, now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up to Jesus. And we know what the Pharisees and Sadducees are. We have the Pharisees who are the ones who study, study, study, study, study, and because they are so smart intellectually in the scriptures, they've studied intellectually to show themselves to prove that they have become a pious ruling power in the church. In the Jewish community. And it's amazing because the only time Jesus speaks negatively about anybody, it's about them. Because they know the truth, but they won't allow the truth to transform them and set them free and seek God in spirit and in truth. They only want to look at the literal intellectual angle because that's easy to micromanage. That's easy if you're a Pharisee to be a whip with the Bible or the scriptures. You know what I mean? You can come out and you can Bible thump anybody you want. You can give a speech or a preach or teach, although incorrectly, you can have the most powerful sermon in teaching and preaching. Because you have to know as far as not powerful, but the most awe-inspiring, I should say, where people are just like totally swayed by them because they're so pretentious and intelligent. This is why we know when God says to study it, to show ourselves a proof, he's not talking about intellectual studying of the scriptures because those true worshippers must worship him in spirit and in truth, not just in truth, but in spirit and in truth. The Pharisees only operated in the truth. And the Sadducees would have been the ones that were relatives of anybody in the lineage so they could trace their family back. So they had pomp and they had prestige and they had elevation because of who their family was. So you've got those that have this elevation because of how smart they are, and then you have others that have this elevation because of who their family is. And these both had great power and influence in the Jewish people. And so they came up to Jesus and they asked him to show them a sign, a spectacular miracle. See, because a sign would override intelligence, a sign would override heritage, it would go beyond what the Pharisees and Sadducees could do. Because they didn't operate in the spiritual. See, a sign comes from the spirit realm. A miracle comes from the spirit realm. And he says, show them a sign from heaven. In fact, they're showing it. They're showing us where it comes from. The signs, miracles, and wonders either come from God or they come from the devil. And we can receive signs, miracles, and wonders from both the adversary and both from our Lord and from God. So we don't want to just operate where the Pharisees and Sadducees are. See, they're in a place where they only have intellectual and they have lineage, family tree power and position. This is the only power they have. It's how smart they are and who their family was. So they want to go beyond. They want to get a little past that because they know once they connect heaven to what they're doing, then they're going to be in a good place, right? But they weren't doing it to do this. If they were seeking Jesus to have them repent him, this would be a whole different story. But they're not. They're seeking him to be pretentious and to try to squash what he was doing, to try to come against him, and so to try to prove their position, their agenda. And this is what we see in the tele in the first one, attesting his divine authority. So they're coming to test Jesus just to put him to the test. I think that's a commandment, thou shalt not put the Lord thy God to the test. Interesting. Interesting. So they were already great. And these guys who were supposed to be obedient to every aspect of the law, at least the Pharisees. But the Sadducees would have been known to do that as well. So, yes, they have the heritage, but they also would have walked and pretend pretentiously, piously, like that, you know, where there was no outward sign of sin in their life. We know God said, of course, if you thought it, you did it. So, I mean, they were not perfect in any stretch. Jesus called them hypocrites. Because they talk about perfection, but they didn't walk in it. And that's because they had no spiritualness to the truth that they operated in. See, the Sadducees had the truth of who their family was, the Pharisees had the truth of what the scripture said, but neither one of them had the spirit. And so they were trying to test Jesus, already stepping out, breaking the commandment right here. And Jesus replied to them, when it is evening, you say it will be fair weather for this guy is red. And in the morning, it will be stormy today for this guy is red and has a gloomy and threatened look. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, right? That's the physical, what you can see, but you cannot interpret the signs of the time, which is the spirit and in truth, you need them both. See, you can't just operate with, you know, it looks stormy today, it's probably going to rain. That's great. That's easy to do, and he didn't do it. He's talking about spiritual truth. He's not talking about weather prediction here, but he's talking about a spiritual truth. To understand who Jesus was, they needed to have the spirit and in truth to see it. And they didn't have it. And basically to interpret the signs of the time. But you can't, they can't, they had the whole Old Testament, which gave all the prophetic word about Jesus. And if they just operated in spirit and in truth, they would have saw it. And those that did, we know those that were in the pharisaical groups that came to Jesus and submitted and repented were transformed. Because the Holy Spirit was giving them interpretation now of all these things they knew, which is what made Paul such an amazing disciple of God. Because once the Spirit of God met him on the road that day, and Jesus was shown to him, you know, the wounds and all the things to show Paul to connect to the spirit realm that day on the road to Damascus, it said Jesus appeared, but I'm going to guarantee that it was the Holy Spirit that appeared because Jesus was at the right hand of the Father. And he never leaves that place of power and position. But the Holy Spirit gives him access to that omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotency of the Father now. Which is why some didn't see. If it was Jesus, they all would have saw. But once, you know, when we start seeing the transition into the spiritual, not everybody can see this amazing truth. But Paul was transformed that day by the Spirit. And he began to understand all of this learning he had done in the scriptures. All were making sense of this prophetic word of the Savior. And even then he stayed a couple of years there, Paul did, as God transformed him and had to get his brain washed up because he had that Hebrew thinking in him and God needed to transform it into the new kingdom work. And it took the transforming power of the Holy Spirit over those two years to transform Paul into who he became, into the beginner, the establisher and the very spear into the Gentile world with the gospel. So Jesus is just letting these guys know, you're not operating in spirit and in truth and you're never going to get it. He says, verse 4, a wickedly and morally unfaithful generation craves a sign. To justify our behavior, we're constantly looking for something. And this is why we can't have our own agenda and then just try to find scriptures that justify it. But this is telling us where we might be at if we're doing that. When I was doing that and I, what, a year before last or last year, I don't know, it was last year. When I was operating in this fashion last year and I got to this place where I just craved God to prove my agenda. But he got to this, he said, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. And we know that brings us back into the death and resurrection of Jesus. Those three days in the belly of the well, those three days in the earth, which is where the victory comes out from. Then he left them and went away. And for me that year, when I came back to that place where in repentance, where I came off my own agenda and said, I refuse God to continue this way after he brought the conviction. And I was remorsed and grieved and vexed by what I had done in the kingdom against God's children and against God, really sinning against God. And God began to transform me back and get me straightened out. It was because of this victorious work of Jesus in the grave. He had to put death, sin, which he did on the cross. And then he had to come out of the grave with the keys to the kingdom of God. And so that is, for me, this was a reference that I am not going to get the operation of spirit and in truth unless I'm operating in the kingdom that Jesus came out of the grave, the three days in the grave represents. And we know in the story of Jonah, obviously it was very symbolic of the Lord, but when the well spit him out, when he came out of the well, then the kingdom of God went forth. The very thing that God had sent Jonah to do actually took place. And we know that obviously that was symbolic. But Jesus, when he came out of the grave with the keys to the kingdom, now that's where God needed me to operate if I was going to operate in spirit and in truth. You know, where the heaven would come down in combination with what God's given us here in the flesh, the scriptures. And so that he left them and went away. See, I like the way Jesus does this, too. And I pray that God transforms me in this way because it's that table setting that he does. You know, he's setting the table for God, the Father and the Holy Spirit to go to work on these guys. He's not going to just sit there and have this long. I mean, this would only take a few moments, maybe five or 10, 15 minutes of conversation. And he's just making them think. Because when you start to, instead of just coming in and being abrasive and trying to just totally just, you suck, right? He's giving them things to think. And even when he's talking about the wickedness and immorality and all the cravings of the flesh that take us outside of the spirit and in truth, he's still talking like a third person way. He's not even coming directly at them. And he's just letting God set the table for that transforming work that God wants to do in their lives. And I pray that God helps me in having a father. I pray that you transform me in this way more and more as I vow to submit under your powerful hand, allowing you to set the table, Lord. It's not how I set the table. It's how you set it. And I pray for this over the body of Christ today, because we know in this place, there's a place of power. You can begin to work in those around us because the table's just been set. We're not pushing an agenda. We're not trying to force our thing onto somebody. We're allowing you, Lord, to set the table. In Jesus' name. Oh, I know he'll do it. God's a good God. It says, uh, so then Jesus left them and went away. He doesn't need a debate. He just needs to set the table and go keep going on into where God leads him. And when the disciples reached the other side of the sea, they found that they had forgotten to bring any bread. And Jesus said to them, be careful and on your guard against the leaven, ferment of the leaven, ferment leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This is very important warning for the body of Christ. We have to be cautious and on guard. This is what he said. Be careful and on your guard against anything that is outside of spirit and in truth, because it can. Okay, well, it's interesting because they were talking about physical bread. Jesus was talking in spiritual means because God speaks to his children in parables and spiritual things, you know, in spirit and in truth. So it's never just going to be literal what it's talking about unless there's a spiritual derivative for that. So they're taught, they forgot the bread. Their mind is on bread. You know, the fact that they didn't bring it. Now understand, now the bread they ate is not like the bread we eat. The bread they ate had flour and water. And then it would have been, you know, flatbread, right? Or it had flour, water and yeast. It didn't have, I mean, go look at the ingredients in bread. These days, any bread, I mean, pick any single bread you want in any store you can go to and read the ingredients, right? But this bread was just flour, water, and if you wanted a bread that was risen, you would bring flour, yeast and water. And we know that there was that time of unleavened, and so the Hebrews were very well versed in the effective power of leavening in flour. It didn't take much. It just took a little. And the entire batch was leavened now. Well, during the time of unleavened bread, that had to be removed from the house, so they would probably just throw everything out and bring in fresh flour that had not been leavened and wouldn't put it in a bowl that had leavened in it, or it would leaven the whole batch. A lot of symbolism stuff, you know, we don't want to get into some kind of unleavened bread doctrine that God only requires us to eat unleavened bread. No, that's not, they had, obviously, they were bringing bread, which probably they brought some yeast and some, you know, they had plenty of water, I'm sure, but they had flour, water and yeast. And this was a good time for Jesus to give this symbolism, because those in spirit and in truth can get the deep message of it, that it doesn't, because again, like I said, they knew the whole process of removing leaven and how outstretching and far-reaching a little bit of leaven can go. So, he's referring to that conversation he just had with the Pharisees and Sadducees who were just operating in the truth without the spirit and how it can be effective against those that are in contact with it. So, this is why he says you have to be careful and on guard against that leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, that just that little bit of tainted stuff going in can really lead us off course. And they reasoned among themselves, verse 7, about it, saying, it is because we did not bring any bread. Oh, man, they were so distracted. Maybe we need to be doing flatbread this time. You know, they got so distracted by the fact that they forgot to bring bread and Jesus used that as a spiritual example so that they can get a spirit and truth lesson taught right here about being on guard against things that don't operate in the spirit and in truth. Things that are just, in this case, spirit only. I mean, truth only. The truth of who their family lineage is and the truth of the scripture. That's all the Pharisees and Sadducees operated in. They didn't operate in the spirit and in truth. But Jesus, aware of this, verse 8, asked, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Oh, you men, how little trust you have in me. How little faith. Do you not yet discern, perceive, and understand? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many small hand baskets you gathered? Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large provision baskets you took up? How is it that you fail to understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But beware, you know, I mean, sometimes we're idiots. These are his disciples, right? They're so sidetracked by the fact that they forgot the bread that he must be talking about actually leaven that is put in bread to make it rise. And he's talking about the poisoning that can come in when people only operate in truth. It's just so funny. It just amazes me. And Jesus just love these guys, man. I mean, talk about loving him. He doesn't just hit him in the head with a stick right here and go, you idiots. Backhand him, pistol whip him or anything. I told you so, you fools. But he's trying to get them to learn to operate in a new way. You know, a new way, a way of spirit and in truth. And he talked about those miracles he did like that should be enough. What the goodness of God in the past should be enough to keep you in the secret place in the future. This is what we read in song. This is a beautiful, practical illustration of how Jesus was encouraging them in this very way. He says, how is it that you fail to understand that I was not talking to you about bread, but beware of the leaven, the ferment of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then they discerned. Here we go. Now they're operating in spirit and in truth. He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Now when Jesus, it's beautiful. So we got spirit and in truth now working again. And they got it. You know, when we operate in spirit and truth, the Holy Spirit will give us the answer. He's not going to withhold it from us. If we seek, we'll find. If we ask, he'll answer. If we knock, he'll open the door. He cannot lie. He's not human as we are to lie. I love even the human that God did become in Jesus. Not only did he not lie, but he never even deceived anyone. Think about how easy it is to deceive someone. Now, when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, verse 13, he asked his disciples, who do people say that the Son of Man is? See, now he's got them on track seeking spirit and in truth. Now, when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they answered, some say John the Baptist and others say Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. And he said to them, but who do you yourself say that I am? It's interesting how he started this. He first asked them what other people thought, and then he brings it back and lets them answer, right? And they give all these different angles. You know, people say, you're trying to load in question or whatever like that, you know, where you're trying to manipulate the outcome, but that's not the case. This is so we make an honest answer, right? We don't want to just, if he would have just said, who do you think, who do you say I am to begin with, right? And once one began to whatever speak, they all would have just followed suit. So this got a lot of the public opinion out there so that there was no pattern to just kind of jump in and follow. Well, yeah, I agree. You know how it is when somebody starts giving answers and then everybody kind of jumps on board. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. So I'm going to say so that I love this approach is a beautiful approach. So how do, what do other people say? They say Elijah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. And then he flips the question around and says, but said that he said to them, but who do you yourselves say that I am? And Simon Peter replied, and we know Simon Peter is an amazing dude that just likes to jump right off the cliff. You know, he's usually going to be the first to respond in anything. And watch what happens here. Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. See, he could see it now. He could see it because he was operating in spirit and in truth, and he could see the truth of all the scriptures that predicted that Jesus would be the Christ, the son of the living God, the Christ, the savior, the redeemer, the salvation, very source of our salvation. Then Jesus answered him. Notice what Jesus didn't do right here. Jesus didn't go, okay, that's okay. Good answer, Peter. What about you, James? What about you, John? Because it's not about how good everybody could get the answer. It's when you get the answer, when God brings the answer, because you've operated in spirit and in truth, you get the discernment now, right? Like the disciples did earlier in that simple lesson about the Pharisees and Sadducees. Now a much more important thing was taking place now. Jesus upgraded their schooling. They put the right answer on the last test. Now they get an upgraded question, right? And this is how God operates in our lives. And if we keep putting the same answer on the test, we're going to keep getting the same test, the same question on the test. We want to get to that place of upgrading where we go from that, okay, we put that, we did the right discernment, spiritual discernment there. Let's move, but then we're going to get upgraded. We're going to get a question that has more content, that has more value. Because while it is important to determine false teaching, that is important, knowing our Savior Jesus Christ is by far greater of importance. Then Jesus answered him, blessed, happy, fortunate, and to be envied are you, Simon, Barjona, for flesh and blood men have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. See, that's that spirit and in truth. We can't just operate in truth in the kingdom of God. It has to be spirit and in truth. And when we operate in this place, we know the source is heaven. I love Jesus because you never see him being the fame jockey. You know, the guy trying to steal all the glam and glory. You don't see it. Jesus stays, why? Because he was perfect. He stayed under the powerful hand of God the entire time. The entire time he walked the earth, he operated by the lead of the Holy Spirit under the powerful hand of God, submitted under the powerful hand of God. And reverend, fear all and honor him so that the glory of God can come through him. And here he goes once again, not even talking, oh yeah, I revealed this to you. He could have because he did. He's the one who asked the question. But it wasn't Jesus himself who did it. It was the Holy Spirit who God put in the heart of the disciples at that moment during the question to give them the spiritual insight to go with the truth that they already knew from the scriptures. It's a beautiful passage about the trinity of God and how that operates in the kingdom. And he goes on in verse 18 to say, and I tell you, you are Peter, Greek Petros, a large piece of rock. And on this rock, Greek Petra, huge rock like Gibraltar, I will build my church and the gates of Hades, the powers of the infernal region shall not overpower it or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it. So here we're talking about the rock. It's, remember we go back to the psalm. Let's go back to the psalm. He made it very clean. Ordain that the grace and faith given to us will watch over the enthroned kingship of Jesus Christ. The grace by faith through grace, by grace through faith, that's what I meant to say, which is the way he says it in Psalms. That's what builds the church. That's what is the rock. It's Jesus is the rock from which the rock that the church is built on, the unmovable, the high place of power and all of this comes through Jesus through grace, by grace, through faith. It's beautiful. So beautiful. Okay, let's zip on up there back to where we were down in Napa. Sorry, I got excited when I saw that. So this is where we're talking about the rock. This is the rock that the character of God, where he leads us to this. Jesus said no one can come to him unless the Father calls. That's the leading we're talking about here. This is the rock we're talking about. It's not a physical place. And he's not talking about a building, a church, like we know churches. When somebody sees that today, they go, church? Oh, it must be my church. No, no, God's not talking about any buildings here. No. The gates of Hades, I love it. The gates of Hades, the draw, and interestingly, he used the term gates, the gates, the entranceway into that place where those who reject God won't overpower it. We know that it can't overpower it, because when we go back to Psalm again, we see the adversary has actually been instructed and enlisted to bring us into a more valuable relationship with God, not to destroy us and send us to hell. This is where we've got to start thinking a little bit differently about the adversary, I think. I think a good in-depth of the devil and the adversary, the ministry and angels, would be a fantastic journey to take, because I think we've got it off a little bit. I think we're a little off course. Everybody wants to stomp on the head of the devil. If we stomp on the head of the devil and completely, utterly destroy him, let's imagine that for a moment, then the value and the relationship that we have with God is dwindled and reduced. So, do you want a more valuable relationship with God, or do you want a less valuable? That's the question you have to ask when you start wanting to stomp out the devil. I'm going to stomp on the devil and get my victory. Kill him, kill him, kill him. No, we need him. God has designed him and built him and put him in place, and he's in obedience to God, doing exactly what he's supposed to do. But when we have the Spirit and in truth come to Jesus the Rock, we just saw that, you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. When we come to Christ as our Savior, he fills us up into the Rock of the Body of Christ, which is more powerful and higher than the temptation to draw us away. The gate that wants to take us away now is reduced in its power. In fact, it can't overpower what happens when we choose God. We have the choice to reject and choose, and we choose God. That gives us the power over hell through the fact that Jesus came out of the grave, through the fact that he was the Christ. We don't want to get it out of context here and think it's some magical thing we're doing. I've got to add a scripture. I'm getting excited. When I read the gospel, I get excited. What can I say? You know, the Spirit starts to jump in me right now, and I can feel him moving, and it makes me want to cry out in praise of the goodness of God. Well, I was in the midst of my dark day in sin. Jesus went to the cross and put to death everything I would ever do, now and for all eternity. Of course, once I die, that thing's changed, and I haven't done an in-depth of heaven yet. I'm excited. I got that brother yesterday. I'll tell you what, I got encouraged. Let's go deeper. Let's go find out what God has to say about heaven, because that's where we're going, brothers and sisters. That's where we're going. This is all temporal. This is all kingdom work for that eternal kingdom, the generation for the eternal generations, as David wrote in the psalm. My goodness, how God can do it. Double-dipping, double-dipping today, double-dipping into this eternal kingdom of God that's now and for all eternity. Peter was a reflection of now, and Jesus is a reflection of the rock for all eternity. And the church is what's built on it. And when the church is built in accord to the Christ and leadership and lordship of God, then the power of the adversary has no power. That's why they were, oh, the devil, don't let the devil steal your joy. The devil can't steal your joy. Jesus says, I give you joy that no one can steal. So where in the world did we come up with the saying, don't let the devil steal your joy? I can get how you can get the spirited in truth, that you can actually find the truth out of the saying, but the reality is, it's just this quick Christian-y saying that it has no spiritual and truth foundation. It's just a cliche saying that sounds good. You want to know how, if that in fact were a legitimate statement, this is how you don't do it. This is how you put him in a position where he can't take your joy. Stay in the kingdom of God. Stay submitted unto the powerful hand of God. And you'll be on the rock. Right? Which is higher, more powerful and movable. And it doesn't matter, the gates, which are a reflection on the temptation, the luring of the gates of hell, which they come and reject God. You don't want to go through that. Just reject God. You don't need God and all the lies that are given to us. This is why he is the great deceiver. This is why he won't be in heaven, because there will be no deception or lies in heaven. God is more powerful than all things. And here it goes. Ready? Verse 19. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. So we just went from the kingdom of God on earth to the kingdom of heaven eternal. And that's the key. That's the key. And when Jesus, I mean that Jesus is the key, he came out of hell with the keys to the kingdom. Jesus is talking here. I will give you, as our Lord and leader, as the one we're following, submitted unto the powerful hand of God. In submission, in sacrificial worship, we're given keys to the eternal kingdom that we saw David talking about 500 years earlier in Psalms. Well, actually, we saw the Holy Spirit prophesying about this event, just as a prophecy as well. The kingdom of heaven is at hand, because Jesus' salvation was at hand. But the kingdom of heaven, at the earliest time we go to the kingdom of heaven, is when we die. There are no earlier than that, and there are some, I don't know, I haven't done an in-depth. Like I said, I'd love to do an in-depth of heaven. That'd be awesome, to see what God's word actually has to say about heaven. And this is a critical factor here, though. Let's keep reading. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind, declare to be improper and unlawful on earth, must be what is already bound in heaven. In other words, we can't just dictate what it is that we are going to have as part of the treasures in heaven. This is not in what goes with it. This is not for us to determine. It's already determined by God, based on the characteristics of heaven. It's not based on what we choose. I bind this now, and for all this stack of cash, now and for all eternity. I bind this, this, this, this, but they don't exist in heaven, so you can bind them all day on earth. If they're not in heaven already, then you can't bind them eternally in heaven. And the things that we want to declare loose and declare lawful on earth, we must be what is already in that state in heaven. So we can't dictate, this is something determined by God. The kingdom of heaven is determined by God. We're given access to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the very Savior of our soul, who gives us keys into the kingdom. Who builds us. We don't even build ourselves, we're built by the Lord. Jesus says, I will build my church. Not, you will build the church, I will build it. Peter's the rock and the foundation that Jesus does, because he's the first one to confess Jesus as Christ. This is the building of the kingdom. We got that from Psalm, we know that. And so we see that. The building of the kingdom is when the confession comes of Jesus as Lord, in spirit and in truth, and we surrender and submit him to his powerful hand in sacrificial worship, and operate in his kingdom in this place. He goes on to say in verse 20, Then he sternly and strictly charged and warned the disciples to tell no one that he was deceived. Jesus the Christ. See, because the disciples would have just got it all muddied up, for starters. And for seconds, Jesus hadn't come out of the grave yet. So again, God is not a fun-sucking God, who's going to get us doing stuff. That's why the disciples didn't fast. That's why we remember from that, where God was showing us, where the Pharisees, we fast, I mean actually John, John the Baptist's disciples, asked Jesus, we and the Pharisees and Sadducees all fast, why don't your disciples? And Jesus said, there's no purpose for them to fast now, but one time I go to heaven, they will fast again. Because when we fast, it's a binding and connecting to the spiritual realm, but the Holy Spirit hasn't been given wholesale yet. And it was just a bunch of frustration and confusion. And this is the same situation here. From the time forth, Jesus began clearly to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders and the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised from the dead. He began to clearly show them. That's interesting. He didn't say a whole lot. You know, when you show somebody something, you don't have to say a whole lot. Although, when you show and tell, sure, but he didn't say, and he began clearly to show and tell his disciples, he doesn't say that. Interesting. And again, I'm encouraged that, you know, we don't have to say a lot. In fact, we can find speaking can really muck things up. But if we let God set the table like Jesus is doing here, where he's, from that time forth, he's began clearly to show his disciples. You know, so probably the direction he was walking, you know, whatever it was, he began to show them. And probably because the giving of the Holy Spirit during this time of discipleship, which was a unique giving of the Spirit, but no one else would have had the Holy Spirit on a wholesale level, like in the body of Christ, like we do in the body of Christ. So that's why they were told not to go around telling anyone that he was the Christ. Because they couldn't use the Spirit and the truth to discern it. Then Peter took him aside to speak to him privately and began to reprove and charge him sharply saying, God forbid, Lord, this must never happen to you. And it's interesting because when we operate in the flesh goes on, you know, we can really get ourselves in a world of hurt here. I mean, Peter was walking with Jesus. And he's going to come against what Jesus is showing them clearly. And God forbid, Lord, this must never happen to you. See, he's still that old Hebrew in him that was waiting for Jesus to take that earthly kind of a kingship, rulership in a fleshly sense. But Jesus had just given him the opportunity to speak to him. Kingship, rulership in a fleshly sense. But Jesus had just given him the illustration that it was an eternal heaven, an eternal kingdom that he was establishing. Yes, a kingdom here, but a kingdom that went from this generation to the eternal generation as David was talking about. But Jesus turned away from Peter. But Jesus turned away from Peter. Interesting. That's a good illustration. When you turn away, like when you, I'm going to follow along with what you're saying. You kind of go that direction. But when you turn away, it gives a very non-abrasive way of saying, I'm not going to abide by what you just said. And he said to him, get behind me, Satan. See, he turned away from Peter. He turned away from Peter. And then he used the symbolism of where Peter was standing to actually symbolize what was coming from Peter. But now what was initially in front of him, that the adversary now was behind him. You are in my way, he says, an offense and a hindrance and a snare to me, for you are minding what pertains not of the nature and quality of God, but of men. You're operating with flesh, not with God. I just love the symbolism of what he did though. Because Peter was, he was face to face with Peter. So the devil was, really the tempter, the adversary was using Peter, tempting Peter, but because of his desire to, in the flesh, have this ruler and all of this. So the tempter was in front of him. To symbolize the fact that it's our direction we walk when we follow the Lord in the position of the adversary in the journey. See, I just think that's such a beautiful symbolism of what actually, how our mindset must be. When we see that something comes into us, like we can go back to the leaven teaching, right? That gets in the way and begins to hinder the work of God, that we have to turn from it. And we have to begin to continue to walk in the direction of the Lord and that puts the adversary behind us. Remember, nothing can overpower us when we're on the rock. We go back to that, the gates of hell, which is implying that's the direction we have to walk through the gates, right? We have to be going that direction. And now we just turn around to walk in the kingdom of God, to follow the Lord, and that puts the adversary behind us. Gosh, it's so beautiful. And the threat and where it comes at us is in the flesh. This is going to be the attack of the flesh. The flesh is where the adversary goes to work, right? But that's why we must worship God in spirit and in truth, so that we can take the flesh, what we can do with the truth and the spirit, God's will and way, and we can get those together and operate in that. Then Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone desires to be my disciple, let him deny himself, disregard and lose sight of and forget himself in his own interest, and take up his cross and follow me. Please steadfastly to be in conform only to my example in living and if need be in dying also. And again, this is the direction we were just talking about. And we always love this passage of scripture. Whenever he's talking about this, take up his cross and follow him. What is this talking about? What are we taking up a cross for? What does the cross represent? It represents putting to death the deeds of the flesh, the sinful deeds of the flesh. And we know from Romans that when we think about things that please the spirit, he can put to death the deeds in our flesh. This is when we're operating in sacrificial worship and obedience to the Lord. Not perfectly, but we still make mistakes, of course, but we have the righteousness of Christ. But in this place, the death of the sins that we bring individually. It's not a group cross. It's a me cross. I have to take up my cross. Anyone desires, let him, speaking singularly, deny himself or herself, of course. So we have to deny what our flesh wants, which is to keep these sins. And we have to take up the cross in the following of Jesus. We put to death the deeds of the Holy Spirit. Puts to death the deeds of the flesh. That's the sanctifying work of the Spirit. And it's transforming us into the likeness of Jesus Christ, which is what he goes on to say. And it's not Jesus physically. We're not being transferred into a Hebrew who was born 2,000 years ago. We're being transformed into the way he lived. That's why he's our Lord and leader. The gospel is not a complicated gospel. I love it. For whoever is bent on saving, verse 25, whoever is bent on saving his own temporal life, his comfort and security here, shall lose it eternal life. And whoever loses his life, his comfort and security here, for my sake, shall find it life ever. That's why it's not just about becoming a nun or a monk and living out and denying ourselves of any fleshly desires. It can't be that. It's for his sake, Jesus' sake, the kingdom's sake, the name above every name, the name that rules and has dominion over the kingdom. It's for the sake of the kingdom that he's talking about here. And this is for the transforming power we just heard about. It's not just so we can be all prideful in the fact that we can not drink or not have sex or not do these things. Jesus expounds it that even if you think it, you've done it. So it's not about us trying to attain perfection. It's about us being transformed into perfection. But when we hang on to this flesh and we don't want God to transform it, then we're going to lose it. It's an internal thing. Now we're starting to see what it means to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life, his blessed life in the kingdom of God? You see? See what I mean? See what I mean? It's not that you raise your hand one day and you're saved and you're always saved. There just isn't any verse in the Bible that says that. But it does say that you can work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And it does say right here that if you want to hang on to that fleshly life, then you're going to lose your eternal life. Because you can't be wishy-washy in your relationship to God and your desire to be transformed by God. This can't be, yeah, okay, I want you to transform me three days a week, but four days, no, I want to go ahead and do my own thing and get my flesh on. Now, when we stumble and fall and we give in to our flesh, God's righteousness of Christ covers us when we turn in repentance and come back into that relationship. Absolutely. And he's just going a step further in verse 26 to show us, we can become, and remember how we started with the Pharisees and Sadducees? So, this is, you've got to read, always read his word in context and spirit and in truth to see that he's, they, that is the operation they lived in. They had every law. Paul said, there was no law you could accuse me of. But Jesus is reminding us that it's an eternal kingdom we're going into, that it's a spiritual kingdom and it's a spiritual freedom we walk in him. That we can try to do it on our own, by our own bootstraps and how smart we're going to be. And we can gain everything in the world, but we'll forfeit our place in the kingdom of God. Or what would a man give as an exchange for his blessed life in the kingdom of God, he said. You know, you think about it, you've got to think about it. What are you willing to give up eternal life in the kingdom of God from now to all eternity for some temporal thing here in the flesh? He's just setting the table to get us to think. I love it. Jesus is so, such a great discipler of the kingdom of God, of course, because he was Christ, the Lord, he is our Lord. He qualifies, he did it perfectly. It says verse 7, for the son of man is going to come in glory, majesty and splendor of his father. Of his father, again, still no fame jockeying going on by Jesus. With his angels, all of it is being diverted to God and his angels. And then he will render account and reward every man in accordance to what he has done. So he's going to take a look at each one of us individually. This is why we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This is why we can't keep going through life trying to blame the devil and do all this kind of stuff. Because the devil ain't going to stand there on account for us. But we are. We are. Every one of us is going to have to stand before the throne of Christ. Every one of us, good and bad, otherwise. Children are not children of God. All have to go before the throne of God on that day. The father elevates him and gives him the name above every name. That qualifies him to be this judge and render a reward to every man in accordance to what he's done. And we know some of the passages tell us, yes, we get a reward at this time. But we don't get a reward at this time. Every man in accordance to what he's done. And we know some of the passages tell us, yes, we get a reward at this judgment seat. But we also get our eternal loss. Because if we go back up and we start talking about the things we're buying in and loosing and all this stuff. Where we're putting our treasure and our heart and all this stuff. Boom! This is what we're talking about. So yeah, he's given out rewards too for those that choose to give up their whole life daily. Deny themselves and take up their cross. Well, we can't just say, I give my whole life to Christ. I mean, that's a silly thing to think. It's a daily journey where we have to deny ourselves daily. He didn't say deny yourself once. He said deny yourself daily. Take up your cross and follow him. He did in that Matthew translation. But one of the other gospels he does say that. Deny yourself daily, take up your cross and follow him. Or at least say it in another translation. For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory, majesty, splendor of his Father and his angels. And then he will render account and reward every man in accordance to what he has done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in and into his kingdom. See, there were going to be those that lived until Jesus' death and resurrection. There are going to be some of those who did not. We know Judas was the one who did not. We just go ahead and answer that. Jesus gave us the answer. See, Judas went out and killed himself when Jesus was taken. He didn't wait to see the third day rising. Judas missed it. He's looking at his twelve disciples when he tells them. Some standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming. He's talking about the ones who didn't walk and kill themselves. Or those who died between the day he's talking and the day it happens. I don't know all who died and lived in the group up until the resurrection. But I know Peter, James, John, these guys all made it. They didn't taste death. And Jesus came out of the grave with the keys to the kingdom. So it's a beautiful passage. My gosh, God's word is so good. God's word is so good. And what an amazing passage of scripture in Psalm 61 that gives us the brass caps on the kingdom of God. This place, the rock, this rock that we're talking about. Which we know Jesus is the rock of all ages. He is the solid rock on which we stand. On which he's built us up into the kingdom, into the church, into the body of Christ. Oh, come back here. And wow, it is a true reminder that Psalm 61 is a treasure in Christ. And a true treasure in heaven. And that God is Jehovah Nacha Tzur Rum Min. Our Lord God who leads us to the rock that is higher than we are from. Oh, heavenly Father, we're just so grateful today by this truth. We're just amazed by your word and the depth that it has. Father God to transform us. To show us that it is the very rock of Christ on which we stand. And we are then, by grace, through faith, built up on this solid rock. A solid rock that the gates of hell have no power over. And actually we are in the very place of ultimate power, all power. Because we're under the name of Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. What a beautiful gospel, Lord. What a beautiful gospel. Some beautiful warnings too. To be careful not to let any poisoned teaching come into us and have its way. Because it will take us off course. And we thank you for the redemptive power that you have in the body of Christ today. To save each and every one. That that is the end game. That is the end result. That is the very purpose, Father God. As you transform us daily as we take up our cross and follow you. So I pray this over the body of Christ today. I know that it will be transformed in his gospel. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.