WEBVTT

1
00:00:17.089 --> 00:00:26.664
Good morning and welcome, it's good to see everyone here today.

2
00:00:26.674 --> 00:00:33.960
Today I'm going to talk about the sign of Jonah.

3
00:00:38.600 --> 00:00:40.544
We'll come to that.

4
00:00:40.554 --> 00:00:45.670
First there are some things we have to talk about.

5
00:00:45.680 --> 00:00:51.799
Then we will understand how it applies to the sign of Jonah.

6
00:00:54.619 --> 00:01:01.212
You'll remember last week, what did we talk about?

7
00:01:01.222 --> 00:01:06.628
The portal to heaven, that was the title.

8
00:01:06.638 --> 00:01:12.176
What was something you learned, last week?

9
00:01:12.186 --> 00:01:21.650
Okay, it represents the pearly gates, the gate to heaven,
anything else?

10
00:01:26.890 --> 00:01:33.562
Amen, it's about the pearl of great price, who is Christ.

11
00:01:33.572 --> 00:01:41.989
Also we have the portals of the body, like the eye that Jesus
mentioned.

12
00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:45.770
The light of the body is the eye.

13
00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:53.989
The hearing of the ear, we read about even those in the chapter we
read this morning.

14
00:01:56.489 --> 00:02:12.489
The mouth, speaking, the nose we talked about in relation to the
sacrifice of the sweet-smelling aroma, and also what?

15
00:02:12.499 --> 00:02:18.319
Yes, the prayers, yes, the prayer of Moses.

16
00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:36.530
So, we're going to build on that today because I think there's more
that we need to talk about with respect to the portals of the body,

17
00:02:36.540 --> 00:02:39.229
portals of the mind.

18
00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:56.494
In fact, I originally titled this the portals of the mind,
and then this morning God pointed out the theme of the sign of Jonah.

19
00:02:56.504 --> 00:03:07.789
So we'll start with the portals of the mind,
and then we will see how that relates to Jonah.

20
00:03:08.270 --> 00:03:12.256
Now, you remember we talked about Cain.

21
00:03:12.266 --> 00:03:22.990
It's the first mention of the door in the Bible because God told Cain
when he didn't accept his offering.

22
00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:30.462
Cain was upset, God said, why has your confidence fallen?

23
00:03:30.472 --> 00:03:32.437
Why are you upset?

24
00:03:32.447 --> 00:03:40.069
If you do well, you'll be accepted, and if not, sin lieth at the door.

25
00:03:41.669 --> 00:03:52.365
When we consider that the door of the mind,
remember the little kitty cat lying at the door, that's the imagery.

26
00:03:52.375 --> 00:03:58.189
That's the kind of animal that would normally be at our door.

27
00:03:58.189 --> 00:04:02.822
It wants to come in, wants to come inside.

28
00:04:02.832 --> 00:04:14.525
In the sign of the Son of Man, we see that not as a cute kitty cat,
but as a snake wanting to come inside.

29
00:04:14.535 --> 00:04:19.810
That's the sin that wants to come into our mind.

30
00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:26.702
So, with that recap from last week,

31
00:04:26.712 --> 00:04:45.949
I think it would be good to talk more about how that snake comes
inside and how we can be watchful to make sure that it doesn't.

32
00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:53.413
All right, because what should be in our minds?

33
00:04:53.423 --> 00:04:56.863
The Word of God, that's nice.

34
00:04:56.873 --> 00:05:01.142
Looking at the sign, what should be?

35
00:05:01.152 --> 00:05:03.019
The Holy Spirit.

36
00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:08.271
Of course, the Holy Spirit speaks the Word of God.

37
00:05:08.281 --> 00:05:15.649
I don't deny what you said, but the Holy Spirit is what we want in our
minds.

38
00:05:18.269 --> 00:05:25.094
Exactly, the temple of our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

39
00:05:25.104 --> 00:05:33.180
The portals of the mind are where they're all connected with the Holy
Spirit.

40
00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:39.829
Jesus said, the eye of the body, or the light of the body is the eye.

41
00:05:41.699 --> 00:05:46.389
We hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

42
00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:49.734
Jesus said, my words are Spirit.

43
00:05:49.744 --> 00:05:57.540
They are life, and the sweet-smelling aroma from the sacrificial
character.

44
00:05:58.110 --> 00:06:02.751
That is also about the Spirit, the vapor.

45
00:06:02.761 --> 00:06:11.129
So, all of the portals connect to the Spirit,
all the portals of the mind.

46
00:06:12.540 --> 00:06:16.873
So, we want the Holy Spirit.

47
00:06:16.883 --> 00:06:26.170
To come into our portals, into our minds, and not the snake.

48
00:06:26.180 --> 00:06:37.149
So, let's look at some examples in the Bible,
and I'll look at several.

49
00:06:37.829 --> 00:06:46.629
Some good and some bad, and we will see and we'll learn from that some
things.

50
00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:52.230
So, first, let's look at one of the kings, King Uzziah.

51
00:06:52.240 --> 00:07:02.810
In 2 Chronicles, chapter 26, and verse 3, it starts out, it says,
sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign,

52
00:07:02.820 --> 00:07:07.199
and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem.

53
00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:12.053
His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

54
00:07:12.063 --> 00:07:17.699
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD.

55
00:07:18.389 --> 00:07:27.856
So, he started off good, he was doing what was right,
but something happened.

56
00:07:27.866 --> 00:07:34.628
And it talks about some of the good things that he did.

57
00:07:34.638 --> 00:07:42.610
He sought God in different ways, but in verses 15 to 16, we read,

58
00:07:42.610 --> 00:07:51.911
And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men in terms of
war, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks,

59
00:07:51.921 --> 00:07:55.171
to shoot arrows and great stones withal.

60
00:07:55.181 --> 00:08:01.769
And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped,
till he was strong.

61
00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:09.104
So, again, talking about some of his achievements.

62
00:08:09.114 --> 00:08:23.934
As the previous verses have been, his military might,
he built his kingdom, he built up Jerusalem to a very strong state.

63
00:08:23.944 --> 00:08:34.580
But then, verse 16, But when he was strong,
his heart was lifted up to his destruction:

64
00:08:37.309 --> 00:08:41.796
So, he started out good, and God prospered him.

65
00:08:41.806 --> 00:08:52.587
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction,
for he transgressed against the Lord his God,

66
00:08:52.597 --> 00:09:00.220
and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of
incense.

67
00:09:00.950 --> 00:09:12.860
And I won't go into the details there, but the priests gathered
together and said: Hey, you don't belong here, that's not for you to do.

68
00:09:12.909 --> 00:09:17.010
That's only the job of the priests.

69
00:09:17.020 --> 00:09:25.330
He, though he was a king, and a strong king,
but that was not his work.

70
00:09:25.870 --> 00:09:29.066
He wasn't entitled to that.

71
00:09:29.076 --> 00:09:32.509
So, we see the first warning.

72
00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:35.006
What was the problem?

73
00:09:35.016 --> 00:09:39.840
He became proud, his heart was lifted up.

74
00:09:40.659 --> 00:09:47.322
Now, this expression, his heart was lifted up, what does it mean?

75
00:09:47.332 --> 00:09:50.509
He thought too much of himself.

76
00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:55.419
Okay, he thought too much of himself, certainly.

77
00:09:56.100 --> 00:10:05.673
I would like to show you that in a little bit more literal sense,
his heart was lifted up.

78
00:10:05.683 --> 00:10:11.107
So, let's look again at the sign of the Son of Man.

79
00:10:11.117 --> 00:10:13.138
Is the heart shown?

80
00:10:13.148 --> 00:10:17.480
Do we see what would represent the heart?

81
00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:26.349
The law of God in the middle engraving the law in the heart.

82
00:10:26.359 --> 00:10:33.536
Okay, engraving the law in the heart, okay, that's nice.

83
00:10:33.546 --> 00:10:46.470
Two comets in the heart, there's the two chambers of the heart,
and the heart is connected with what?

84
00:10:47.570 --> 00:10:50.442
What does the heart do?

85
00:10:50.452 --> 00:10:57.571
The heart pumps your blood, it's necessary for life, yes.

86
00:10:57.581 --> 00:11:00.329
And where's the blood?

87
00:11:00.339 --> 00:11:11.049
Here's the blood in the sign, the blood of Jesus,
and the heart is pumping that blood.

88
00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:16.636
So, we're looking in this area, so far so good?

89
00:11:16.646 --> 00:11:30.013
Yes, because the soul is connected with the blood,
and the heart is there pumping that blood through the whole body.

90
00:11:30.023 --> 00:11:35.419
So, it's very closely connected with the blood.

91
00:11:36.889 --> 00:11:44.614
Of course, it's an organ, it's flesh, so also part of the body.

92
00:11:44.624 --> 00:11:51.246
The heart was lifted up, Uzziah's heart was lifted up.

93
00:11:51.256 --> 00:11:57.980
If you take that just literally, it means raised, okay?

94
00:11:59.419 --> 00:12:06.630
So, if you were to raise the heart, where does it go?

95
00:12:06.640 --> 00:12:09.759
In place of the spirit.

96
00:12:11.220 --> 00:12:13.510
What does that mean?

97
00:12:13.520 --> 00:12:16.841
You become your own standard.

98
00:12:16.851 --> 00:12:30.583
Not just your own standard, but like the heart is generally understood
as, at least biblically – out of the heart, yeah,

99
00:12:30.593 --> 00:12:33.787
the abundance of the heart,

100
00:12:33.797 --> 00:12:40.309
the mouth speaketh – the heart is where your emotion is.

101
00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:44.648
It's the seat of your emotions.

102
00:12:44.658 --> 00:12:56.764
So, if your heart is lifted up to the place where the Holy Spirit
should be, that's the ruling position.

103
00:12:56.774 --> 00:13:07.580
Then your heart, your emotions, your feelings are making the decisions
instead of the spirit.

104
00:13:08.169 --> 00:13:11.930
And of course, that's an expression.

105
00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:19.878
The heart being lifted up is an expression referring to pride in
particular.

106
00:13:19.888 --> 00:13:23.419
So, how does that relate to pride?

107
00:13:24.220 --> 00:13:39.460
I think what you said in the first place, this is the throne,
if you will, it's where the spirit should be governing our lives.

108
00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:49.033
And when we are lifted up, then we are governing our own lives.

109
00:13:49.043 --> 00:14:03.832
That is ultimately the root of the problems that we have when our
heart is lifted up and we want to rule.

110
00:14:03.842 --> 00:14:08.470
So, there's a lack of submission.

111
00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:25.022
Exactly, there is a lack of submission, sub meaning putting it down,
below, sub-mission to the Holy Spirit.

112
00:14:25.032 --> 00:14:26.481
All right?

113
00:14:26.491 --> 00:14:30.402
So, how does that manifest?

114
00:14:30.412 --> 00:14:34.614
What comes about as a result?

115
00:14:34.624 --> 00:14:36.942
We have the ear.

116
00:14:36.952 --> 00:14:46.320
Instead of hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, what do we hear?

117
00:14:47.889 --> 00:15:00.516
We hear our flesh, we hear the voice of our own desires, our own heart,
all right?

118
00:15:00.526 --> 00:15:11.150
Now, I want to show you a clip from this year's World Economic Forum.

119
00:15:11.160 --> 00:15:18.070
Some of you know already where this is going.

120
00:15:18.070 --> 00:15:28.478
But it needs little explanation, but I want you to think and I'll
bring you to a Bible verse afterward.

121
00:15:28.488 --> 00:15:34.248
I want you to see, compare and contrast what we see here.

122
00:15:34.258 --> 00:15:38.279
So, let's play this, just a few minutes.

123
00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:49.547
So, we count on you and ask your help, all the people.

124
00:15:49.557 --> 00:15:58.914
So that we may unite, hold hands and unite our hearts,
unite our thoughts.

125
00:15:58.924 --> 00:16:02.591
Unite our heart and thoughts.

126
00:16:02.601 --> 00:16:12.559
In the same direction, for healing of the planet,
and the healing is spiritual.

127
00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:30.631
So, I want to ask all the people that the forest, our forest,
is our life.

128
00:16:30.641 --> 00:16:45.316
She is asking for help, and asking that we may all be united in our
hearts and in our thoughts.

129
00:16:45.326 --> 00:16:59.210
And when we are all united in our hearts and thoughts,
our Mother Earth will listen to us.

130
00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:07.609
Thank you very much.

131
00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:21.296
Suddenly, there's no translation.

132
00:17:21.306 --> 00:17:28.766
What is she doing?

133
00:17:28.776 --> 00:17:40.795
She's praying into her hands.

134
00:17:40.805 --> 00:17:51.996
She's laying hands on them.

135
00:17:52.006 --> 00:17:56.150
Thank you.

136
00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:06.107
Notice what she's doing?

137
00:18:06.117 --> 00:18:15.236
Our hearts are united.

138
00:18:15.246 --> 00:18:31.329
That's where she wanted to communicate.

139
00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:49.437
She touched her own heart, in the heart of this woman,
who is the chief of an indigenous tribe in Brazil, who live in the forests.

140
00:18:49.447 --> 00:18:59.220
A woman chief, which was only possible since 2005, I think,
in their tribe.

141
00:19:00.650 --> 00:19:09.139
But I wanted to show this because it relates to a scripture in a
contrasting way.

142
00:19:09.149 --> 00:19:16.485
Is it a little bit surprising to see that at the World Economic Forum?

143
00:19:16.495 --> 00:19:27.690
The red mouth looks like a face mask, as though they are planning a
new pandemic which will be more deadly.

144
00:19:28.579 --> 00:19:31.296
Yes, thank you for pointing that out.

145
00:19:31.306 --> 00:19:33.142
I wanted to mention that.

146
00:19:33.152 --> 00:19:39.740
The tribe often uses colours, and they paint their face,
and they do it in different ways.

147
00:19:40.779 --> 00:19:43.165
At least, this is what I read.

148
00:19:43.175 --> 00:19:52.549
But here, she has this, what looks very much like the face masks that
we were all too familiar with in the last years.

149
00:19:53.789 --> 00:19:57.900
But what else is peculiar about it?

150
00:19:57.910 --> 00:19:58.967
It's red.

151
00:19:58.977 --> 00:20:13.761
So, maybe, I don't know what all symbolism they use that they're
trying to communicate, but to me, when I see a red face mask,

152
00:20:13.771 --> 00:20:19.745
I see a sign that there's coming another pandemic,

153
00:20:19.755 --> 00:20:22.210
which is no mystery.

154
00:20:22.210 --> 00:20:30.200
Really, when they talk about disease X, and they are often saying
there's another pandemic that's going to come.

155
00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:33.307
It's just a matter of when, not if.

156
00:20:33.317 --> 00:20:41.761
So, another pandemic and one that will kill,
that will be much more deadly than the previous one.

157
00:20:41.771 --> 00:20:46.124
It also seems like she has a stripe over her eyes.

158
00:20:46.134 --> 00:20:49.500
Well, that's another interesting thing.

159
00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:56.186
Yes, she has this stripe going from her eyes back to her ears.

160
00:20:56.196 --> 00:20:58.547
They are also portals.

161
00:20:58.557 --> 00:20:59.412
Exactly.

162
00:20:59.422 --> 00:21:03.270
All the portals are touched by this.

163
00:21:03.280 --> 00:21:05.524
So, very interesting.

164
00:21:05.534 --> 00:21:08.206
Did you notice her words?

165
00:21:08.216 --> 00:21:10.888
She said, the healing is.

166
00:21:10.898 --> 00:21:11.005
.

167
00:21:11.015 --> 00:21:11.122
.

168
00:21:11.132 --> 00:21:14.890
– did you catch it at the beginning?

169
00:21:15.309 --> 00:21:23.806
She said, the healing of the earth is spiritual.

170
00:21:23.816 --> 00:21:35.852
And then, she prays, lays hands on these leaders, and blows on them.

171
00:21:35.862 --> 00:21:43.099
So, look at John chapter 20 and verse 19.

172
00:21:44.259 --> 00:21:55.966
This is the day of Jesus' resurrection, and He is now showing Himself
to the whole group of the disciples, or most of the disciples,

173
00:21:55.976 --> 00:21:58.450
in the evening of that day.

174
00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:04.676
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week,

175
00:22:04.686 --> 00:22:10.597
when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear
of the Jews,

176
00:22:10.607 --> 00:22:13.125
came Jesus and stood in the midst.

177
00:22:13.135 --> 00:22:16.880
So, he passed through the shut doors, interestingly.

178
00:22:17.859 --> 00:22:22.626
But that's not the point that I'm making right now.

179
00:22:22.636 --> 00:22:26.281
And saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

180
00:22:26.291 --> 00:22:29.842
They were in fear because of the Jews.

181
00:22:29.852 --> 00:22:37.516
And verse 20, And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands
and his side.

182
00:22:37.526 --> 00:22:42.440
Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

183
00:22:43.619 --> 00:22:54.259
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you:
as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

184
00:22:54.269 --> 00:23:06.339
And verse 22, And when he had said this, he breathed on them,
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

185
00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:25.272
So, Jesus did something in some way similar to what we saw happen at
the World Economic Forum, but with the Holy Spirit.

186
00:23:25.282 --> 00:23:39.215
Whereas, I think it's pretty clear that what happened at the World
Economic Forum was not the Holy Spirit.

187
00:23:39.225 --> 00:23:42.359
That's interesting, yes.

188
00:23:42.710 --> 00:23:49.871
He says, as my Father has sent me, even so send I you.

189
00:23:49.881 --> 00:23:59.960
And in the case of this chief of the tribe,
she was worshiping Mother Earth.

190
00:23:59.970 --> 00:24:05.142
By the way, Mother Earth is everywhere.

191
00:24:05.152 --> 00:24:13.079
It's the counterfeit to the Holy Spirit, who is omnipresent.

192
00:24:16.940 --> 00:24:22.884
You can't escape from Mother Earth, so to speak.

193
00:24:22.894 --> 00:24:37.383
So, it's definitely the imitation of what Jesus was doing here with
his disciples, preparing them for their ministry.

194
00:24:37.393 --> 00:24:42.471
Yes, Jesus emphasized, peace be unto you.

195
00:24:42.481 --> 00:24:44.710
Peace be unto you.

196
00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:47.900
He said it more than once.

197
00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:56.599
And the world, they also want peace and security.

198
00:24:56.609 --> 00:25:05.704
So, they are going about to heal the planet, so to speak.

199
00:25:05.714 --> 00:25:14.950
Likewise, God is sending out His disciples also very soon.

200
00:25:16.950 --> 00:25:24.945
So, we can see even from that, that Satan knows what time we're living
in,

201
00:25:24.955 --> 00:25:33.912
because he's imitating what Jesus was doing right at the time of His
resurrection,

202
00:25:33.922 --> 00:25:37.370
at the time of the early reign,

203
00:25:37.380 --> 00:25:41.799
when Jesus was sending out His apostles.

204
00:25:42.670 --> 00:25:58.816
Now, in our time, Satan is sending out his apostles to evangelize the
world for Mother Earth, so to speak.

205
00:25:58.826 --> 00:26:08.869
So, it's important that we understand what spirit we're receiving.

206
00:26:10.529 --> 00:26:19.094
And on that line, it's also important to know what is being spoken.

207
00:26:19.104 --> 00:26:29.714
She was speaking in an unknown language, an unknown tongue,
as the Bible would say.

208
00:26:29.724 --> 00:26:32.900
There was no interpreter.

209
00:26:33.809 --> 00:26:47.806
You don't know what she was praying, and I certainly wouldn't want
someone laying hands on me in that circumstance, where the prayer,

210
00:26:47.816 --> 00:26:51.384
literally praying into her hands,

211
00:26:51.394 --> 00:26:56.120
laying her hands on the head of each person,

212
00:26:56.130 --> 00:27:00.329
and breathing on them an unholy spirit.

213
00:27:01.400 --> 00:27:08.757
Take care that you know what's being given to you,
if someone lays hands on you.

214
00:27:08.767 --> 00:27:16.309
You want to make sure you're receiving the Holy Spirit,
and not some other spirit.

215
00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:19.998
They never use the name Jesus in prayer.

216
00:27:20.008 --> 00:27:20.990
Sure, yeah.

217
00:27:21.769 --> 00:27:27.736
I mean, when we talk about the world, the world is in opposition to
Christ.

218
00:27:27.746 --> 00:27:36.170
So, it's natural that the world will not use the name of Jesus,
because they know whom they stand against.

219
00:27:37.250 --> 00:27:52.000
And even some who will use the name of Jesus,
you have to be careful to make sure that their Jesus is the Jesus of the Bible.

220
00:27:54.970 --> 00:28:04.442
Okay, but what I want to emphasize is receiving the Holy Spirit.

221
00:28:04.452 --> 00:28:18.661
We see the world activating their spirit,
getting things prepared for what is coming just ahead.

222
00:28:18.671 --> 00:28:25.460
We also need to be ready with the Holy Spirit.

223
00:28:26.490 --> 00:28:34.550
We need to have the portals of our minds with guards.

224
00:28:34.560 --> 00:28:41.099
Remember, we talked about how David prayed.

225
00:28:41.109 --> 00:28:57.970
Lord, set a watch at the doors of my lips,
because we need the angel of protection at the portals of our minds.

226
00:28:58.789 --> 00:29:14.603
Okay, but the theme that I want to focus on is how we can make sure
that we have the Holy Spirit and put out the unholy spirit.

227
00:29:14.613 --> 00:29:28.549
We saw already how this is connected with the lifting up of the heart,
putting ourselves in the ruling position.

228
00:29:30.809 --> 00:29:41.066
We saw that in the example of Uzziah, the king,
whose heart was lifted up.

229
00:29:41.076 --> 00:29:44.541
There are other examples.

230
00:29:44.551 --> 00:29:51.619
For example, in 2 Chronicles, chapter 32, verse 25.

231
00:29:51.629 --> 00:29:59.500
Hezekiah was sick, the Lord healed him, and then it says,

232
00:29:59.529 --> 00:30:06.454
But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto
him;

233
00:30:06.464 --> 00:30:15.720
for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him,
and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

234
00:30:17.910 --> 00:30:25.468
So, he prayed for the Lord to heal him, God healed him,
gave him a great sign,

235
00:30:25.478 --> 00:30:32.930
and the men of Babylon even came from a long distance and inquired
from him.

236
00:30:33.430 --> 00:30:43.339
He was very happy, his heart was lifted up,
and he showed the men of Babylon all the treasures of his house.

237
00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:55.259
But he did not render, he didn't return to God according to what God
gave to him.

238
00:30:55.269 --> 00:30:57.849
He didn't give God praise.

239
00:30:57.859 --> 00:31:03.913
He didn't thank God, essentially, at least not in the public.

240
00:31:03.923 --> 00:31:08.359
He didn't give witness for what God had done.

241
00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:19.063
I guess the common denominator is that the focus is on the creation
rather than the Creator.

242
00:31:19.073 --> 00:31:30.000
Yes, the focus is on us, our creation, on what we have,
it generally focuses around self, yes.

243
00:31:32.920 --> 00:31:50.644
Now, I won't look at too many more examples,
but I do want to share from, or contrast two examples of two kings.

244
00:31:50.654 --> 00:31:57.933
The first two kings, King Saul and King David.

245
00:31:57.943 --> 00:32:08.210
Very different kings, yet both of them made very severe mistakes.

246
00:32:09.049 --> 00:32:26.094
Notice in 1 Samuel 16, verse 13, this is already after Saul was
rejected, or at the point when Saul was rejected by the Lord.

247
00:32:26.104 --> 00:32:33.468
Then the Lord told Samuel to do this and anoint David.

248
00:32:33.478 --> 00:32:35.640
So, in verse 13,

249
00:32:35.970 --> 00:32:41.705
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his
brethren:

250
00:32:41.715 --> 00:32:46.437
and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

251
00:32:46.447 --> 00:32:49.089
So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

252
00:32:50.549 --> 00:33:02.789
But, verse 14, But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul,
and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.

253
00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:04.953
That's interesting.

254
00:33:04.963 --> 00:33:09.383
So, well, an evil spirit from the Lord.

255
00:33:09.393 --> 00:33:11.630
sure, he allowed it.

256
00:33:11.630 --> 00:33:17.821
He takes responsibility for everything that happens, ultimately.

257
00:33:17.831 --> 00:33:22.475
That's not the focus, but we have this transfer.

258
00:33:22.485 --> 00:33:35.720
David was anointed, he received the Spirit of the Lord,
and Saul’s anointing was removed because he no longer had the Spirit of the Lord.

259
00:33:36.250 --> 00:33:46.630
Now, I want to point out, or I want to clarify that this receiving of
the Spirit of the Lord was a form of manifestation.

260
00:33:47.720 --> 00:33:56.157
Not that he was completely devoid, that Saul was not at this point
completely devoid of the Spirit.

261
00:33:56.167 --> 00:34:00.759
Nor was this the first time that David had the Spirit.

262
00:34:01.849 --> 00:34:06.967
But it was a certain anointing of the Spirit.

263
00:34:06.977 --> 00:34:09.820
He was the anointed king.

264
00:34:09.830 --> 00:34:17.328
Saul, at that point, although it may not have been obvious to men,

265
00:34:17.338 --> 00:34:27.780
the Bible gives us the view that that was when the anointing on Saul's
life was taken away.

266
00:34:31.530 --> 00:34:39.808
Then, from there, it kind of just goes downhill with Saul.

267
00:34:39.818 --> 00:34:44.814
But, you know, he started out good.

268
00:34:44.824 --> 00:34:50.533
You remember when he was first anointed.

269
00:34:50.543 --> 00:34:57.650
They had a big ceremony, and they singled him out.

270
00:34:57.769 --> 00:35:00.283
But he was humble enough.

271
00:35:00.293 --> 00:35:11.755
He was kind of shy, and was just hiding behind some stuff,
and didn't want to have all of the special recognition.

272
00:35:11.765 --> 00:35:16.369
But then, after a year or two, things changed.

273
00:35:17.099 --> 00:35:33.776
He got familiar with his position as a king,
and the rebuke that Samuel gave him is also telling.

274
00:35:33.786 --> 00:35:39.449
This is in 1 Samuel 15, verse 17:

275
00:35:39.449 --> 00:35:51.748
And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight,
wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, When you were little,

276
00:35:51.758 --> 00:35:56.650
then you were made the head of the tribes of Israel.

277
00:35:57.690 --> 00:36:03.181
And the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?

278
00:36:03.191 --> 00:36:12.052
So, he points out that when he was little,
then the Lord raised him up.

279
00:36:12.062 --> 00:36:17.678
See, it's one thing if we lift up our hearts.

280
00:36:17.688 --> 00:36:26.019
It's another thing if we are humble, then the Lord will lift us up.

281
00:36:27.070 --> 00:36:40.010
Notice in James 4, verse 10, he says, Humble yourselves in the sight
of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

282
00:36:40.020 --> 00:36:45.090
Because, and there's actually one example.

283
00:36:46.300 --> 00:36:56.380
I don't have the verse for it offhand, but King Jehoshaphat,
it says that his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord:

284
00:36:57.570 --> 00:37:00.723
So, there's a difference.

285
00:37:00.733 --> 00:37:05.021
That's when the Lord lifts you up.

286
00:37:05.031 --> 00:37:14.616
Then, your heart is in submission to His spirit and not to any other
spirit.

287
00:37:14.626 --> 00:37:24.559
So, Saul began to take one step after another,
one downward step after another.

288
00:37:25.889 --> 00:37:30.117
Just to see how that progression went.

289
00:37:30.127 --> 00:37:32.351
1 Samuel chapter 18.

290
00:37:32.361 --> 00:37:36.679
I'm just going to pick some highlights.

291
00:37:36.679 --> 00:37:39.770
I don't have time to look at all of the context,

292
00:37:39.780 --> 00:37:48.269
but hopefully you're a little bit familiar with the story of Saul and
some of the things in the relationship between him and David.

293
00:37:49.380 --> 00:37:51.695
1 Samuel 18, verse 17.

294
00:37:51.705 --> 00:38:06.121
And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab,
her will I give thee to wife: Now, this is at a point when Saul wants David dead.

295
00:38:06.131 --> 00:38:08.552
He wants to kill David.

296
00:38:08.562 --> 00:38:12.110
But notice how he goes about that.

297
00:38:12.110 --> 00:38:17.306
Only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord's battles.

298
00:38:17.316 --> 00:38:25.737
For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him,
but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.

299
00:38:25.747 --> 00:38:31.639
So, he wanted to be guiltless and say, The Philistines killed him.

300
00:38:32.760 --> 00:38:35.377
He wants to be lifted up.

301
00:38:35.387 --> 00:38:38.424
We see that theme throughout.

302
00:38:38.434 --> 00:38:42.727
He likes that position of being the king.

303
00:38:42.737 --> 00:38:54.750
You'll remember when in 1 Samuel 15, verse 30,
this is when Samuel pointed out his error and he apparently repents.

304
00:38:56.090 --> 00:39:00.636
This is important to note how he does that.

305
00:39:00.646 --> 00:39:05.932
He says, Then he said, I have sinned: He repented.

306
00:39:05.942 --> 00:39:17.130
yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people,
and before Israel, and turn again with me,

307
00:39:17.130 --> 00:39:27.032
He wanted the honor of Samuel and Saul standing there together as
though he had Samuel's blessing.

308
00:39:27.042 --> 00:39:29.164
He wanted that honor.

309
00:39:29.174 --> 00:39:32.509
I've sinned, but honor me anyway.

310
00:39:32.519 --> 00:39:42.190
That's the most important part for Saul was the honor and yeah, yeah,
I've sinned, but honor me.

311
00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:56.448
That was what he wanted, especially because he didn't want to be made
low in front of the people and before all of Israel.

312
00:39:56.458 --> 00:40:08.389
And then at the end, to make it more appealing to godly Samuel,
he says that I may worship the Lord thy God.

313
00:40:09.829 --> 00:40:20.500
He puts a religious character to it, but that doesn't change the core
motives.

314
00:40:20.510 --> 00:40:24.477
The core motive was honor me.

315
00:40:24.487 --> 00:40:27.086
Give me that honor.

316
00:40:27.096 --> 00:40:33.769
And he coupled that with his supposed repentance.

317
00:40:34.820 --> 00:40:39.593
Now, let's look at the story of David.

318
00:40:39.603 --> 00:40:45.130
This is in 2 Samuel chapter 11 and verse 14.

319
00:40:45.140 --> 00:40:47.276
We'll start here.

320
00:40:47.286 --> 00:40:51.682
And it came to pass in the morning.

321
00:40:51.692 --> 00:40:56.843
Yeah, this is in the middle of the story.

322
00:40:56.853 --> 00:40:59.190
You know the story.

323
00:40:59.260 --> 00:41:02.911
It's the story of David with Bathsheba.

324
00:41:02.921 --> 00:41:07.510
Let's just start at the beginning of the chapter.

325
00:41:07.520 --> 00:41:16.769
In verse 1, it came to pass, after the year was expired,
at the time when kings go forth to battle,

326
00:41:18.019 --> 00:41:18.730
Right?

327
00:41:18.740 --> 00:41:20.752
Was David a king?

328
00:41:20.762 --> 00:41:21.236
Yes.

329
00:41:21.246 --> 00:41:35.659
David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel;
and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah.

330
00:41:36.530 --> 00:41:46.059
So David, the king, at the time when kings go forth to battle,
he sent Joab, he sent his servants, he sent all Israel.

331
00:41:47.550 --> 00:41:53.580
But David, the king, tarried at Jerusalem.

332
00:41:53.590 --> 00:41:57.467
That was the first problem.

333
00:41:57.477 --> 00:42:01.785
David didn't go out to battle.

334
00:42:01.795 --> 00:42:07.940
He took his ease at his house in Jerusalem.

335
00:42:09.929 --> 00:42:18.909
And then it came to pass in an evening tide that David arose from off
his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house.

336
00:42:20.210 --> 00:42:21.418
From the roof,

337
00:42:21.428 --> 00:42:28.198
he had a different perspective of the surroundings and he sees a woman
washing

338
00:42:28.208 --> 00:42:34.448
herself probably in what would be the privacy of her garden with
walls,

339
00:42:34.458 --> 00:42:37.900
but he's looking down from the rooftop.

340
00:42:38.800 --> 00:42:44.144
And the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

341
00:42:44.154 --> 00:42:53.090
Now, that would have been enough because the Holy Spirit always speaks
to us.

342
00:42:54.159 --> 00:43:09.239
If David were listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit,
he would have recognized that that wasn't going in the right direction.

343
00:43:09.690 --> 00:43:16.894
He would have heard the voice of the Spirit saying,
what are you looking at?

344
00:43:16.904 --> 00:43:20.506
He would have put a watch on his eyes.

345
00:43:20.516 --> 00:43:30.260
Like it says in the book of Job, I made a covenant with mine eyes;
why then should I think upon a maid?

346
00:43:31.969 --> 00:43:47.232
So, he ignored the voice of his conscience,
the voice of the Holy Spirit telling him, don't do that.

347
00:43:47.242 --> 00:43:51.516
And then, what did David do?

348
00:43:51.526 --> 00:43:55.494
He took it a step further.

349
00:43:55.504 --> 00:44:01.579
David sent and inquired after the woman.

350
00:44:03.400 --> 00:44:12.601
So, now David communicated with somebody else because he sent a
messenger, said, hey, find out about that woman over there.

351
00:44:12.611 --> 00:44:19.260
And one said, isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam,
the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

352
00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:25.763
So, then he knew this was a married woman.

353
00:44:25.773 --> 00:44:33.838
The wife of Uriah the Hittite, who happened to be fighting the battle
that he sent him to.

354
00:44:33.848 --> 00:44:36.267
Then David sent messengers.

355
00:44:36.277 --> 00:44:39.324
So, what happened in David's mind?

356
00:44:39.334 --> 00:44:42.610
Now he knows this is a married woman.

357
00:44:45.219 --> 00:44:46.131
I'm sorry?

358
00:44:46.141 --> 00:44:49.515
Sure, it's already going in his mind.

359
00:44:49.525 --> 00:44:53.993
Now, this is a process, especially in those days.

360
00:44:54.003 --> 00:44:56.647
He didn't just send an email.

361
00:44:56.657 --> 00:44:58.389
He sent messengers.

362
00:44:58.399 --> 00:45:00.405
He talked to somebody.

363
00:45:00.415 --> 00:45:06.099
Those people walked over, searched out, brought back an answer.

364
00:45:06.960 --> 00:45:12.276
And then he sent messengers again and took her.

365
00:45:12.286 --> 00:45:15.000
So, this was methodical.

366
00:45:15.010 --> 00:45:16.707
It was planned.

367
00:45:16.717 --> 00:45:23.956
There was plenty of opportunity for him to hear the Holy Spirit.

368
00:45:23.966 --> 00:45:28.377
You see, at every step, it gets deeper.

369
00:45:28.387 --> 00:45:30.260
It gets stronger.

370
00:45:32.139 --> 00:45:44.841
This is now unmistakable that it would be breaking the law of God,
the Ten Commandments, because that would be adultery.

371
00:45:44.851 --> 00:45:48.969
But he's working with this in his mind.

372
00:45:49.829 --> 00:46:05.269
You can see from the time that he let his eyes linger on this woman,
the thoughts are going round and round and round and round in his mind.

373
00:46:07.710 --> 00:46:10.548
The Holy Spirit has no access.

374
00:46:10.558 --> 00:46:14.153
He's not listening to the Holy Spirit.

375
00:46:14.163 --> 00:46:21.731
The Holy Spirit speaks, but he has another spirit that he's paying
attention to.

376
00:46:21.741 --> 00:46:23.633
He let the snake in.

377
00:46:23.643 --> 00:46:25.535
He let the snake in.

378
00:46:25.545 --> 00:46:28.050
When did the snake come in?

379
00:46:28.050 --> 00:46:32.622
He should have gone out with his people to the battle.

380
00:46:32.632 --> 00:46:39.820
Okay, he should have gone out to battle, and he would have prevented
the whole thing.

381
00:46:41.050 --> 00:46:49.039
I would compare that in the story of Cain with Cain's offering of the
fruit, but that wasn't when the snake comes in.

382
00:46:49.480 --> 00:46:52.223
That wasn't when it came in with Cain.

383
00:46:52.233 --> 00:46:55.338
That was when God said, what's the problem?

384
00:46:55.348 --> 00:47:00.309
If you do well, you'll be accepted, and if not, sin lies at the door.

385
00:47:00.309 --> 00:47:03.218
It still hasn't come in.

386
00:47:03.228 --> 00:47:12.429
The snake didn't come in when Cain offered his fruits and when he got
angry.

387
00:47:13.880 --> 00:47:18.408
The snake came in when he didn't repent.

388
00:47:18.418 --> 00:47:21.928
That's when the snake comes in.

389
00:47:21.938 --> 00:47:29.750
When God speaks to you and you don't repent, you invite the snake in.

390
00:47:29.760 --> 00:47:36.213
See, the snake comes in according to whom you agree with.

391
00:47:36.223 --> 00:47:39.920
You have to agree with the snake.

392
00:47:40.179 --> 00:47:42.766
The snake says, will you let me in?

393
00:47:42.776 --> 00:47:51.349
He presents himself as that cute little kitty that you want to let in,
but the Holy Spirit says, no, that's a snake.

394
00:47:51.359 --> 00:47:54.094
You command it, and you send it away.

395
00:47:54.104 --> 00:47:55.699
Who do you agree with?

396
00:47:55.699 --> 00:48:05.683
Do you agree with the Holy Spirit, or do you agree with the snake,
the sin?

397
00:48:05.693 --> 00:48:09.154
It's about your agreement.

398
00:48:09.164 --> 00:48:14.621
And when we repent, who do we agree with?

399
00:48:14.631 --> 00:48:17.027
We agree with God.

400
00:48:17.037 --> 00:48:21.789
We say, okay, Lord, you are my Lord.

401
00:48:21.789 --> 00:48:23.067
I submit to you.

402
00:48:23.077 --> 00:48:24.594
I say, no, go away.

403
00:48:24.604 --> 00:48:31.690
Even if it looks like a cute little kitty, I say, no,
the Holy Spirit governs in my life.

404
00:48:32.909 --> 00:48:39.226
Go out, and then you humble yourself in repentance.

405
00:48:39.236 --> 00:48:50.250
You surrender to the voice of the Holy Spirit, but if not,
then you agree with the snake.

406
00:48:51.219 --> 00:48:57.646
And that's when you open the door and the snake comes in.

407
00:48:57.656 --> 00:49:07.916
It's when the Spirit confronts you with the truth, and then you say,
no, I don't want that.

408
00:49:07.926 --> 00:49:15.029
Let the snake come in, and I'll have a nice time with my kitty.

409
00:49:15.039 --> 00:49:16.250
Understand?

410
00:49:16.949 --> 00:49:24.469
It's about who we agree with at the point when the Lord would have us
repent.

411
00:49:24.479 --> 00:49:27.506
It's not the initial condition.

412
00:49:27.516 --> 00:49:31.911
And so David, yeah, he made a wrong decision.

413
00:49:31.921 --> 00:49:35.699
He should have gone out with the kings.

414
00:49:37.719 --> 00:49:49.228
And I think that was the point where sin was at his door,
and he should rule over it.

415
00:49:49.238 --> 00:50:03.309
He should have ruled over it, but instead,
he allowed something that he found pleasurable into his mind.

416
00:50:04.719 --> 00:50:11.106
And he shut out the voice of the Holy Spirit.

417
00:50:11.116 --> 00:50:15.079
Let's continue a little bit.

418
00:50:18.050 --> 00:50:20.676
So, it just gets worse.

419
00:50:20.686 --> 00:50:30.392
After he lays with her, the woman conceives and sent and told David,
I am with child.

420
00:50:30.402 --> 00:50:39.860
Now David is confronted in a very obvious way because her husband is
off at battle.

421
00:50:40.909 --> 00:50:53.285
So he has another opportunity to repent, because at every point,
at every stage, the Spirit is there.

422
00:50:53.295 --> 00:50:56.113
Repent, repent, repent.

423
00:50:56.123 --> 00:50:58.574
That's what he does.

424
00:50:58.584 --> 00:51:01.250
He convicts us of sin.

425
00:51:01.739 --> 00:51:13.733
And if it's not convicting of sin, when you're faced with the
consequences and some woman with whom you had adultery comes and says,

426
00:51:13.743 --> 00:51:14.823
by the way,

427
00:51:14.833 --> 00:51:16.277
I'm with child,

428
00:51:16.287 --> 00:51:17.822
now it's public,

429
00:51:17.832 --> 00:51:21.456
if that's not an opportunity to repent,

430
00:51:21.466 --> 00:51:23.909
then I don't know what is.

431
00:51:27.570 --> 00:51:46.238
So, David puts out that voice, and he sends Joab with the instruction
to get Uriah, the wife of Bathsheba.

432
00:51:46.248 --> 00:51:57.343
I'm sorry, the husband of Bathsheba, and so he has this scheme.

433
00:51:57.353 --> 00:52:07.019
Now, he's manipulating the circumstances so that, what?

434
00:52:07.769 --> 00:52:10.866
What does he want to achieve?

435
00:52:10.876 --> 00:52:15.254
Yeah, he wants it to look like he's fine.

436
00:52:15.264 --> 00:52:17.080
I wasn't the one.

437
00:52:17.090 --> 00:52:26.349
He lay with his wife and got her pregnant,
and she gave birth in less than nine months.

438
00:52:26.809 --> 00:52:35.710
Because by this time, it took some time for her to realize that she
was pregnant, so it's not a perfect cover-up even then.

439
00:52:35.710 --> 00:52:46.354
Of course, there never is, but you can see how it's just getting worse
and worse and worse.

440
00:52:46.364 --> 00:52:51.150
But don't we do the same thing sometimes?

441
00:52:53.400 --> 00:53:13.177
Don't we, rather than admitting our error,
we come up with some way that we can make ourselves innocent, make ourselves appear innocent,

442
00:53:13.187 --> 00:53:18.121
and put the blame somewhere else?

443
00:53:18.131 --> 00:53:28.010
So, he has this plan, but it doesn't really work very well, and why?

444
00:53:30.409 --> 00:53:34.906
Because Uriah is an honorable man.

445
00:53:34.916 --> 00:53:45.887
And unlike David, who is taking his leisure while his men are fighting
his battles,

446
00:53:45.897 --> 00:53:56.330
Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of
his lord,

447
00:53:56.340 --> 00:54:00.559
and went not down to his house.

448
00:54:00.559 --> 00:54:09.029
He wouldn't even go to his house to have the comfort of his own bed.

449
00:54:09.039 --> 00:54:16.014
He sleeps on the ground at the door of the king's house.

450
00:54:16.024 --> 00:54:18.515
Because he says why.

451
00:54:18.525 --> 00:54:25.719
David asks him, how come you didn't go down to your house?

452
00:54:26.590 --> 00:54:36.176
He wants him to go to satisfy his own needs, but Uriah says, The ark,
and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents;

453
00:54:36.186 --> 00:54:43.277
and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord,
are encamped in the open fields;

454
00:54:43.287 --> 00:54:50.289
shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink,
and to lie with my wife?

455
00:54:51.599 --> 00:54:53.360
Like you did?

456
00:54:53.370 --> 00:54:54.047
Ouch.

457
00:54:54.057 --> 00:55:02.858
as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

458
00:55:02.868 --> 00:55:14.106
He also confronts him indirectly by mentioning that they are in battle
without him.

459
00:55:14.116 --> 00:55:20.440
Yeah, so Uriah is listening to the Holy Spirit.

460
00:55:23.610 --> 00:55:24.894
Yeah, he has a conscience.

461
00:55:24.904 --> 00:55:25.843
That's what I mean.

462
00:55:25.853 --> 00:55:28.077
His conscience, the voice of the Holy Spirit.

463
00:55:28.087 --> 00:55:29.539
That's what our conscience is.

464
00:55:29.820 --> 00:55:32.831
It's the voice of the Holy Spirit.

465
00:55:32.841 --> 00:55:36.826
Uriah tells David indirectly what is missing.

466
00:55:36.836 --> 00:55:37.544
Exactly.

467
00:55:37.554 --> 00:55:42.750
In the process, the Holy Spirit is saying, David, contrast.

468
00:55:43.429 --> 00:55:55.130
And that's why the life, the very life of a righteous person is a
rebuke to the wicked.

469
00:55:55.140 --> 00:56:06.572
They see the righteous way, and they are convicted in their heart by
their own error.

470
00:56:06.582 --> 00:56:13.690
Uriah is listening to the Holy Spirit above the king.

471
00:56:15.739 --> 00:56:19.067
King David said, go to your house.

472
00:56:19.077 --> 00:56:25.536
And he says, I have an order from the king, but how can I do that?

473
00:56:25.546 --> 00:56:27.679
That's just not right.

474
00:56:27.849 --> 00:56:34.283
He couldn't bring himself to violate his conscience.

475
00:56:34.293 --> 00:56:44.179
You see, when we ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit,
we violate our conscience.

476
00:56:44.690 --> 00:56:46.893
That's what David was doing.

477
00:56:46.903 --> 00:56:54.449
Every step of the way, he's violating his conscience,
violating it deeper and deeper and deeper.

478
00:56:58.590 --> 00:57:03.813
And he's still not getting the message.

479
00:57:03.823 --> 00:57:08.243
He's still putting out the voice.

480
00:57:08.253 --> 00:57:14.929
Now, David was a respectable, even a godly person.

481
00:57:17.710 --> 00:57:20.117
He will be saved.

482
00:57:20.127 --> 00:57:23.527
The Bible confirms that.

483
00:57:23.537 --> 00:57:32.743
But why was it that he was refusing to listen to the Holy Spirit?

484
00:57:32.753 --> 00:57:35.586
He lifted his heart.

485
00:57:35.596 --> 00:57:45.329
Yes, he was working out of his emotions, out of his own selfish ways.

486
00:57:48.039 --> 00:57:55.023
And that puts us in that position that Adam and Eve were in when they
sinned.

487
00:57:55.033 --> 00:57:57.210
They were afraid of God.

488
00:57:57.220 --> 00:58:08.809
Whereas before they had communed with him,
now sin had separated them from the Lord, and they were afraid to be in his presence.

489
00:58:10.289 --> 00:58:31.259
Because he was seeking to avoid that pain,
avoid the pain of humbling himself, the pain of acknowledging his sin,

490
00:58:31.269 --> 00:58:36.826
acknowledging his wrongdoing.

491
00:58:36.836 --> 00:58:46.289
So the next step down for David, he gives him wine.

492
00:58:46.289 --> 00:58:58.312
He tries to make him drunk so that he'll lose his morals or his better
judgment, and then go to his wife.

493
00:58:58.322 --> 00:59:00.842
It still doesn't work.

494
00:59:00.852 --> 00:59:11.710
So finally, he says, if I can't get him by tricking him,
then I will use his honor against him.

495
00:59:14.099 --> 00:59:18.510
So he sees that this is a very honorable man.

496
00:59:18.520 --> 00:59:29.780
And it came to pass, verse 14, in the morning,
that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

497
00:59:29.780 --> 00:59:42.010
And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of
the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten,

498
00:59:42.020 --> 00:59:42.820
and die.

499
00:59:44.780 --> 01:00:04.832
He sent the death message by his own hand, the hand of Uriah,
because he knew he could trust him not to open that letter.

500
01:00:04.842 --> 01:00:09.969
That's pretty, pretty terrible.

501
01:00:11.449 --> 01:00:29.892
That's violating, certainly violating his conscience to stoop to that
level where one of the most respectable people, that very trait,

502
01:00:29.902 --> 01:00:35.809
he uses it and abuses it against his life.

503
01:00:37.630 --> 01:00:38.523
And why?

504
01:00:38.533 --> 01:00:41.548
So that he can be innocent.

505
01:00:41.558 --> 01:00:54.380
The whole thing is so that he can appear innocent,
so that he can then take Bathsheba and, okay, she's my wife now.

506
01:00:56.000 --> 01:01:02.940
If I can't make it seem like he had the child with her,
then take her fully as his own wife.

507
01:01:04.110 --> 01:01:11.534
So it's, I think you would agree, pretty severe what David was doing.

508
01:01:11.544 --> 01:01:22.510
Completely turning away his ear from hearing the Spirit,
what he was saying, that voice of conviction.

509
01:01:23.230 --> 01:01:36.269
And now he's even turned against the nobility of Uriah and using it
against him like the enemy would.

510
01:01:40.420 --> 01:01:44.331
But you know the story.

511
01:01:44.341 --> 01:02:00.659
Nathan came to him, gave him the parable of the rich man who had many
riches and a lot of sheep.

512
01:02:01.230 --> 01:02:14.599
And when the visitor came, instead of taking one of his own,
he took his poor neighbour's only new lamb, small little animal.

513
01:02:15.239 --> 01:02:26.203
But the only one that his neighbour had that he bought with his money
and raised it up as his own child,

514
01:02:26.213 --> 01:02:37.905
emphasizing that how much of a greater sacrifice it was for that poor
man who represents Uriah as for himself,

515
01:02:37.915 --> 01:02:38.960
the king.

516
01:02:40.190 --> 01:02:55.004
And so Nathan tells him this story, and David is in a rage,
and he says in the previous verse, he says, then David, in verse 7,

517
01:02:55.014 --> 01:02:57.570
Nathan said to David,

518
01:02:57.580 --> 01:02:59.670
Thou art the man.

519
01:03:00.139 --> 01:03:12.726
So he tells him the story, and then in his anger,
David's anger at the story,

520
01:03:12.736 --> 01:03:28.909
he then turns it over and he has to bring it to that climax so that
David finally can see himself.

521
01:03:31.480 --> 01:03:34.745
Thou art the man.

522
01:03:34.755 --> 01:03:37.636
He saw himself.

523
01:03:37.646 --> 01:03:46.290
He saw how he condemned himself in the story.

524
01:03:46.300 --> 01:03:51.294
He saw his own sinfulness.

525
01:03:51.304 --> 01:03:59.139
And then the verse that I wanted to read.

526
01:04:01.849 --> 01:04:14.539
When David is confronted, Nathan tells him then all of the things that
the Lord has said against him, which is a story in itself.

527
01:04:15.179 --> 01:04:26.736
But in verse 13, David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the
Lord.

528
01:04:26.746 --> 01:04:30.919
And what's the next thing?

529
01:04:30.929 --> 01:04:32.052
Period.

530
01:04:32.062 --> 01:04:35.593
There is nothing more.

531
01:04:35.603 --> 01:04:37.489
David stops.

532
01:04:38.320 --> 01:04:40.136
There's no but.

533
01:04:40.146 --> 01:04:41.962
There's no yet.

534
01:04:41.972 --> 01:04:45.726
There's no but honor me anyway.

535
01:04:45.736 --> 01:04:49.460
I have sinned against the Lord.

536
01:04:50.230 --> 01:04:51.070
Period.

537
01:04:51.080 --> 01:04:54.562
There is nothing more to say.

538
01:04:54.572 --> 01:05:08.000
And then when David is humbled, Nathan said unto David,
The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

539
01:05:08.829 --> 01:05:13.535
Because that was David's own sentence, that he should die.

540
01:05:13.545 --> 01:05:15.969
So the Lord is very forgiving.

541
01:05:17.809 --> 01:05:23.815
Because we just saw how deeply David had fallen.

542
01:05:23.825 --> 01:05:31.082
But because David humbled himself, he had true repentance.

543
01:05:31.092 --> 01:05:38.579
Because true repentance doesn't say, forgive me and do this.

544
01:05:40.050 --> 01:05:45.217
Because I want to look good in front of the people.

545
01:05:45.227 --> 01:05:49.269
True repentance just recognizes the sin.

546
01:05:50.090 --> 01:05:56.855
I want to point out the contrast again with Saul.

547
01:05:56.865 --> 01:06:04.734
Because Samuel, when he rebuked Saul, in 1 Samuel 15, 23.

548
01:06:04.744 --> 01:06:09.576
For Samuel is speaking now to Saul.

549
01:06:09.586 --> 01:06:17.150
And he says, For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,

550
01:06:18.719 --> 01:06:25.985
He says, you were disobedient to the Lord, doing your own thing.

551
01:06:25.995 --> 01:06:31.103
And behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.

552
01:06:31.113 --> 01:06:35.881
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.

553
01:06:35.891 --> 01:06:40.969
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

554
01:06:41.329 --> 01:06:43.788
And why witchcraft?

555
01:06:43.798 --> 01:06:52.469
Sometimes that might seem unrelated, but it's very closely related.

556
01:06:52.479 --> 01:07:01.000
Witchcraft is a practice it's what you do when you want your will.

557
01:07:02.579 --> 01:07:10.254
And you're willing to use Satan's power to accomplish your will.

558
01:07:10.264 --> 01:07:12.422
That's witchcraft.

559
01:07:12.432 --> 01:07:15.769
Rebellion is the same thing.

560
01:07:16.639 --> 01:07:18.804
You want your will.

561
01:07:18.814 --> 01:07:23.713
You say, not you, Holy Spirit, in my heart.

562
01:07:23.723 --> 01:07:27.140
I don't want you governing me.

563
01:07:27.150 --> 01:07:29.543
I want that position.

564
01:07:29.553 --> 01:07:32.173
The heart is lifted up.

565
01:07:32.183 --> 01:07:34.070
That's rebellion.

566
01:07:35.659 --> 01:07:46.130
And accomplishing that in the same moment when you lift up your heart
in the place of the Holy Spirit, what comes in?

567
01:07:47.769 --> 01:07:49.297
The snake.

568
01:07:49.307 --> 01:07:50.988
Witchcraft.

569
01:07:50.998 --> 01:08:01.847
The power of the enemy is now in you and leading you in your
rebellion.

570
01:08:01.857 --> 01:08:08.550
Now, notice where that leads in Saul's life.

571
01:08:10.510 --> 01:08:27.310
And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not,
neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

572
01:08:28.590 --> 01:08:29.368
He was quiet.

573
01:08:29.378 --> 01:08:35.539
The Urim was when they would consult at the priest and they would get
a yes or no answer from the Lord.

574
01:08:37.810 --> 01:08:42.907
And then Saul wasn't content with the Lord's silence.

575
01:08:42.917 --> 01:08:45.226
He wanted to go further.

576
01:08:45.236 --> 01:08:47.140
He wanted an answer.

577
01:08:47.140 --> 01:09:00.437
So Saul said to his servants, seek me a woman that hath a familiar
spirit, that I may go to her and inquire of her.

578
01:09:00.447 --> 01:09:08.300
Familiar spirits he himself had forbidden and taken out of the land.

579
01:09:08.989 --> 01:09:12.584
And that's part of the story.

580
01:09:12.594 --> 01:09:20.270
But he goes and inquires of this woman through an evil spirit.

581
01:09:22.319 --> 01:09:25.473
And that's where it leads.

582
01:09:25.483 --> 01:09:29.850
You don't listen to the Holy Spirit.

583
01:09:29.860 --> 01:09:40.029
And when He is quiet, and then you, instead of repenting – see,
Saul never repented.

584
01:09:41.279 --> 01:09:49.485
Every opportunity that he had, like David, neither of them repented.

585
01:09:49.495 --> 01:09:57.449
Neither David nor Saul until the end, when David finally repented.

586
01:09:58.039 --> 01:10:03.316
But Saul, through his whole life, never, he never repented.

587
01:10:03.326 --> 01:10:05.562
He always kept his heart.

588
01:10:05.572 --> 01:10:06.913
You can see it.

589
01:10:06.923 --> 01:10:13.779
I don't have time to look at all the verses,
but he always wanted to be high.

590
01:10:13.949 --> 01:10:16.020
He always wanted to be the king.

591
01:10:16.030 --> 01:10:18.350
He always wanted that high position.

592
01:10:20.810 --> 01:10:23.627
He never humbled himself.

593
01:10:23.637 --> 01:10:31.750
And here at the end of his life, he doesn't hear any more from the
Lord.

594
01:10:31.760 --> 01:10:43.010
And he seeks the evil to give him the word of the Lord,
which of course is not the word of the Lord.

595
01:10:43.739 --> 01:10:49.166
So what I want to say in closing is:

596
01:10:49.176 --> 01:11:02.982
When we look at the sign of the Son of Man,
and we see the portals to the heavenly kingdom,

597
01:11:02.992 --> 01:11:10.720
understand that these are the portals to our mind.

598
01:11:10.730 --> 01:11:18.859
And they're the same doors and this is the connection.

599
01:11:19.840 --> 01:11:35.867
For a long time, I was wanting to understand what the missing piece
was, because we have all these great signs and wonders in the heavens,

600
01:11:35.877 --> 01:11:39.932
but it just seems so disconnected.

601
01:11:39.942 --> 01:11:41.568
It's all nice.

602
01:11:41.578 --> 01:11:44.810
It's up there in Stellarium.

603
01:11:45.899 --> 01:11:48.911
But how does it connect to us?

604
01:11:48.921 --> 01:12:00.663
But when we understand that the portal to heaven is the same as the
portals to our minds, then it brings it to earth.

605
01:12:00.673 --> 01:12:03.885
Then it brings it to our hearts.

606
01:12:03.895 --> 01:12:07.779
And that's the connection that we need.

607
01:12:08.600 --> 01:12:22.009
Now, I don't have time to make the connection to the title of the sign
of Jonah, so we'll have to postpone that until next week.

608
01:12:22.019 --> 01:12:25.895
And I'll keep you on edge, hopefully.

609
01:12:25.905 --> 01:12:32.800
But we see the portals to the mind, nevertheless, in this message.

610
01:12:34.420 --> 01:12:40.986
Let's stand for a word of prayer.

611
01:12:40.996 --> 01:13:06.862
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word and for the patience
of your Spirit to work with us over and over and over again.

612
01:13:06.872 --> 01:13:12.443
Until we are broken or dead.

613
01:13:12.453 --> 01:13:20.779
We either respond like David or like Saul.

614
01:13:23.539 --> 01:13:39.621
So, Father, I ask that you will awaken your people,
because many of us are fighting against your Spirit.

615
01:13:39.631 --> 01:13:44.425
We're running from your Spirit.

616
01:13:44.435 --> 01:14:01.579
We're turning our ears away from hearing your voice and turning our
eyes away from where you're pointing us to.

617
01:14:02.000 --> 01:14:04.233
Forgive us, Father.

618
01:14:04.243 --> 01:14:20.703
We have sinned against the Lord, and we have nothing to recommend us
to you, but by your grace, as it is in the story of David, you forgave.

619
01:14:20.713 --> 01:14:28.569
Not that there weren't consequences that lingered, but you forgave.

620
01:14:30.279 --> 01:14:38.000
Aand you gave him that opportunity to have communion with your Spirit
again.

621
01:14:38.010 --> 01:14:40.539
So, I thank you for that.

622
01:14:40.539 --> 01:14:59.163
I praise you for your ways and how you work,
and I ask that you will continue that work a little bit longer.

623
01:14:59.173 --> 01:15:08.130
We know your time on the clock, that it is not much.

624
01:15:09.810 --> 01:15:20.995
Therefore, I make this urgent appeal to everyone who hears my voice to
repent.

625
01:15:21.005 --> 01:15:31.319
Repent now while you may be found, while the Spirit of God may be
found.

626
01:15:35.199 --> 01:15:43.573
Because soon your Spirit will not be found on earth.

627
01:15:43.583 --> 01:15:49.369
And then, have mercy on your people.

628
01:15:53.069 --> 01:16:15.119
Your mercy endures forever for those who love you,
who are safe in your ark, but we must be in your ark and not lost in our own ideas.

629
01:16:16.060 --> 01:16:23.609
But what we see in heaven must be a reflection of what is happening in
our minds.

630
01:16:24.250 --> 01:16:29.951
And then we can know that we are safe with you.

631
01:16:29.961 --> 01:16:33.965
Thank you, Father, for your love.

632
01:16:33.975 --> 01:16:44.510
Go with us through the rest of this Sabbath day,
and fill your people with your Spirit.

633
01:16:46.710 --> 01:16:54.632
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Alnitak,
the wounded one of Orion.

634
01:16:54.642 --> 01:16:55.189
Amen.

635
01:16:58.170 --> 01:17:03.689
Thank you, and be sure to come back next week to get the rest of the
story.
