We are going into the Gospel of John, chapter six verses one through to 414. Sorry, we're gonna go into Jeremiah, we're going to go into Jeremiah 29. Very interesting, very popular text Jeremiah, chapter 29, verses 11 through 13. And we are going to drop into the another Old Testament texts, Isaiah 55, as people are just coming online, God bless you, God bless you. I don't know about you guys. But what a day it's been today What a crazy life this is. But never mind. Never mind God is with each and every one of you. And you never give up you always pressing. And there is always hope. Never ever allow circumstances to rule you, you are blessed, you can do this, you will make it no matter what comes against you, you are greater than any issue in your life, I believe you can hear me. So let's press in yet. Let's go. So the first kickoff point is going to be Isaiah 55, Isaiah 55, verses eight through to nine. And we'll just see how we go with this. We'll just take our time. I've just printed off the Scriptures. And let's say the Good evening, so we capture everybody around the world. And for those that are in the world of podcasting. So yeah, good evening, thank you for joining us here. You know, my name is Reverend Ben Cooper, we thank you so much for joining us across the globe this hour. At this very moment in time, wherever you are, I pray that God will strengthen you. And I thank you so much for those that listen to all the podcasts that we do here at Union church, in swaddling, we want to thank you so much from the very depth of our heart. My eyes might look tired tonight, because my eyes are tired. I've been on the screen for quite a lot today, staring. So if my eyes are gonna fall out my head, please don't worry, I am. Okay. You can find us on Apple Music, Amazon music, I Heart Radio bus route Spotify, and just put that into the search engine. And you will find it so wherever you are tonight, never give up. Your body might be tired. But let's go. Someone says they've had a heavy day. They've had a heavy day. Yeah, we find that we're all having heavier days. But let's just go straight to the Old Testament. Try and keep it relaxed tonight. And we'll just try and take our time. So there's a few reference points. There's a few reference points. But we will be coming up back up to the Gospel of John chapter six. And yeah, good evening. I can see Yeah, good evening. Thank you so much for joining us, wherever you are across this earth at this hour. May God bless you whatever your timezone is was 735. Here within the UK, and May God strengthen you. In His Glorious Name, Isaiah 55. Without any more waffling on from me, let's go Isaiah 55, verses eight through to nine. Now this is about thoughts. This is about process. This is about faith. This is about understanding this God, can we ever understand this, this eternal God, we can never understand that eternal God. So this is about knowledge. The Scripture says, we clearly understand that knowledge puffs up knowledge has a limit. Education has a limit. Vocabulary has a limit. Money has a limit, life has a limit. There is a limit on everything that is of this natural world. But there is a world that is the kingdom of God that has no limits, and there is no limitations. So when you think that where we are, we're in this world, we're in this physical world, we're in this process of life where we're here for free school years, and 10. And whatever that may be if we get blessed to reach that sort of age, but you look at society and culture, and you look at what's happening around the world. Everything's global and everything's pressing and people are stretched at work. People are tired at work days or long days are heavy, you know, bringing up your family's hard work, whether you got family, whether you're single, whether you're married, whatever your situation is, it doesn't really matter what what your your marital status is, doesn't matter what your work situation is doesn't matter, in faith out of faith. I think that when you look across the platform of life, wherever and whoever you are, if you are breathing and if you are a human being, you will find that life is stretched beyond human understanding. So I think humanity is being stretched to its limits at the moment in time. But there is something powerful about thoughts there is something powerful about visions and dreams there is something very powerful about God's ways His ways are higher than our ways and for generations and generations and generations for for hundreds and 1000s of years. The church religion has always been trying to control God and put him in a box and try and pull him out and use him on Sunday mornings Bible studies like we do you know, that sort of stuff. Pop got out and we're using for our own gain. But what we have to come to another Understanding it now is where we sit in this moment in time that there is a spiritual awakening. There is certainly a spiritual awakening across this earth, whether your church and church, whether you're in faith out of faith, whatever walk of life you come from. One thing is certain that everybody is looking at at this moment, that there is such a stretch on humanity, a stretch on life, that people are searching for more materialism won't give you peace, notoriety won't give you peace, you know, business won't give you fulfillment, climbing the greasy pole, the career ladder, they all have their police, university and college, they have their place, but they won't fulfill that vacuum, that, that there's a vacuum inside of human beings that need to be filled. And that is a spiritual void, there is a void, and we so often go searching for it in other places. And because we are looking to fill this void, that we're not quite sure what is this void, we're trying to fill this void with materialism, a social life, with family with children, with with husbands and wives and brothers and sisters and friends and on all activities, cars and materialism. You find that when we start to get on this road of life and we start to pred tread the treadmill of life, you find that it satisfies for a moment but but deep down inside there still is something not quite being fulfilled in someone's life. And I really believe that that vacuum that that that place within a human beings body is that to be filled with the power of God. So when you look at the scriptures, and when you look at life and everything we see this moment, humanity is very unsettled. The UK is very, very unsettled, like people's lives are very, very unsettled. People are looking for the answers in materialism, they're looking for the answers to life in in all types of situations trying to find this fulfillment. But what I've come to understand in the time in which we live, that His ways are higher than our ways his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. So what are you referring to pastor Ben, what I'm referring to, at this moment in time is when we try to anticipate when we try to articulate when we try to put in our put our life into a roadmap into a journey, we often find that when we hit these markers, we'll book a holiday, we'll have this we'll do this when we get to these points. It's very exciting to the flesh, it is it is fulfilling to a certain degree but but when we get to that, that that destination, when we get to that place, when we get here, there and everywhere, there seems to still be something not quite right, even within the context of church, on religion, where we're doing all this religious stuff. And we're going to church, and we're doing this and we're doing that for years and years and years. And what lockdown has done is just blown the doors completely out of the way of religion and made many really hungry for more than what religion can offer. And that is the power of the Holy Spirit. God is with you. God is guiding you, God. God's ways are higher than your ways. And when I say your ways, I'm referring to the biblical texts that we're in. And that is the book of Isaiah, the Old Testament, I'll put these, the specs on a mo, so we're on we're in Isaiah 55, verses eight through to nine, Isaiah chapter 55, verse eight through tonight, and I would ask you tonight, that you will get yourself a Bible in front of you, or your tablet, or your iPhone, or your Android or whatever you got in your hands and just have a look at the scriptures. Because they are they are life changing scriptures. See, as a leader, as a pastor, for all these years, all these years, I've been quite a religious person I've been quite controlling person. Now I'm not referring to my private life and all that what I'm referring to, is trying to drive God in a direction that I think that he should go, a religious way, the way that I was taught theologically, the way I was taught through the career path of what church is, but God's ways are higher than our ways. Now, this is why there is so much of uncertainty in the world of the church and in religion, because we have anticipated and we have roadmap and we have tried to think the way that we think that God would think so we have tried to put things into place try to think as as human beings, but try to put it on a spiritual level when that actually doesn't acquire. So what I have come to the understanding is, as the Scripture clearly says, Look, without further ado, this is what it says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts. neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord, as the heavens are higher than the earth. And so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. I have to come to a platform in my life and understanding. I would say I have to come to a ceiling level in any of our lives, whether we're leaders whether we're pastors leaders, brothers, sisters, deep comes in a structure of the ecclesia. Within the structure of the church, within the structure of religion, we have to come to an understanding that whatever level we are at all we think we are at all we really are our sons and daughters of the living God. And what I need to understand is, what is your pathway? What is your purpose for me walking this earth? What is your reason? What is your understanding? What what is the sole purpose for me living, you know, we often have this, this, this analogy, we have this plan within, within our remit within our understanding, to do what the world seems to be doing. But that doesn't give us the fulfillment because what the world is doing is just gratifying the cravings of the flesh. So we need to understand and I when I say we, I speak very reverently, and very honorably at this moment, and not in any way, disrespecting anyone at this moment. So when I say we, I'm not referring, and I'm not using, not being condescending in any way. But I think what we and our bring us into that, that we aren't, I'm here on my own in this house tonight. But I'm with you in spirit because we're joined together through the word of God. What we need to understand is that we will never be able to fathom out this supernatural God, religion, the greatest theologians, the thinkers, the articulators, those that study in and out continuously studying the Word of God, we will never get to understand this supernatural God because Isaiah sums this up in just a few words, and he makes it very, very clear. So how do I get to this understanding of what your purpose is? Now we will, we will unfold some text and I, and we will just see, see where God is leading us now. I got no notes. I've literally just got the Scripture. So I'm learning to walk very different. I'm learning to trust, I'm learning to unpack God's word very differently, you know, study very differently. Listen, it's more important to listen. Yes, I've had years and years and years and years and years and years, and hours, and uncut, uncountable hours of studying and reading and listening to God's word, I'm a dyslexic. I struggle, reading, I struggle with spelling, I struggle with numbers probably got dyscalculia. And I've got a number of measures that are in my head, that can't compute things very well. So that is one clear way that I understand there is a supernatural God, because I cannot get to certain layers and certain levels in my life without a supernatural intervention from a supernatural God, because why God works in my life is completely different to how he works in your life, the way he operates in your life is completely different to how he operates in my life. Because our God knows our character, and our God is very personal to each and every one of us, but He is the God of Israel, He is the Creator of all. So he knows us, He created every area of our lives, he he knows my feelings, he knows my cravings, he knows my thoughts, my desires, my frustrations, he knows my, my my idiosyncrasies, he knows where, where I slip and slide on the ice of life. He knows that I can be Trappy he knows I could be, I could be someone that could be struggling with unforgiveness, he knows that I might have a pride issue. He knows that I might have all these issues or whatever the issues are, I cannot allow or shall we say we cannot allow these issues to define us because they do not define us, because God's word has created you. So who you are, you are very special. In the eyes of Christ, you are a very special human being. And God loves you and you are blessed and highly favored. And you are wonderfully and fearfully made, but what religion has done, it has tried to box our God and pull him out at certain hours and certain festivals, let's say that, and for certain reasons. But when I look at these texts, and the more God is leading me, and the more God is stripping me back on me, and the more I learn to live by faith, and the more I try to live by faith, and the more I trust him not worried about A, B, C, and D, I start to find that there becomes an inner peace there becomes a peace that the world cannot offer me that the situations cannot offer me I find that just to trust in Him and the completely lien in him. So this is where I get some reason and some understanding of what the scripture says in Isaiah 55 verses eight through to nine. This is a beautiful text. And this is for you. And this is for me. This is for all of us here whether you're a believer or non believer, God is speaking to you tonight. Wherever you are across the world. You may be just dipping yourself into this you may be scrolling through the social sociology you may capture this back through the podcast through I Heart Radio and Amazon music and so many other platforms that we're on. It's not by chance there is a plan. So there is a plan for our lives. and his plans and His ways are just so in the book of Isaiah 5589. It says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts. So that clearly tells me that man, humanity cannot think and cannot get near God's thoughts whatsoever. A human being cannot think like God, a human being cannot think and have the ways of God. It doesn't matter what the school of ministry say, it doesn't matter. How we listen to these, these TV evangelists and the these these world renowned preachers and all that and telling, telling us that we can be this and we can be that and because there is money attached to it, so that needs to be very clear, there is no money, you cannot buy the gift. God has given you the gift, God has given me the gift of salvation. So we have this eternal gift. God has gifted you, God has gifted me the gift of salvation, the gift in and the gift ends, overflow, the giftings, whether whatever that may be in your life, but this is really important to a believer that we can never think and anticipate a move of God Church and religion, pastors and bishops and deacons, and the ecclesia, the church, the structure of church, no matter how clear that structure is, or how holy it tries to become because holiness has nothing to do with articulation. Holding Holiness has nothing to do with education, holiness, is completely different. So doesn't matter how holy I become, I still will never be able to think like Christ, to be able to understand like Christ, I will never be able to get my thought pattern, the same as Christ. Because the Scripture says, God says very clearly, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. So how the church thinks, and what the church thoughts are, are completely different to what God's plan has. So this throws religion into a concrete box, it freezes, it breaks everything. It almost shatters religion, because religion, thinks and anticipates. And it roadmaps and it plans, just like business. Just like the world, the corporate world, there is always planning, there is always forecasting, there is always schedules, there is always a forecast, and we're always going forward. But the kingdom of God is completely removed from the business business model, and it is completely removed from religion. So it clearly tells me very simply, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. Now, the Lord is declaring across the platform of life, your ways are not my ways. So very clearly, we get caught in the rigidness, of religion and church, and the very robotic way of what we have and how we have done church. And culture brings us up a certain way in church, and our families bring us up a certain way. And culture brings us up a certain way. And we have certain ways of living and understanding. But when we become a believer, we almost bring that into the world of Christianity, when that actually doesn't fit. So what I have to understand is, I have to leave my cultural traits, I have to leave my cultural pattern, I have to leave my understanding, I have to leave my thoughts, my anticipation, as a leader, as a son, as a daughter of the living God. And I have to go by what I have to go by faith. Faith is not from the business world, faith is not from the financial markets, faith cannot understand or sorry, politics cannot understand faith, I got that the wrong way around. I apologize for that the world cannot understand faith, because the world and the world of business and the world of economics goes by visual and it goes by grass, and it goes by roadmapping. And it goes by planning but when a person becomes a believer, or they come into the kingdom, and God calls the calls you and I into the kingdom, even when we are we think that we're dipping our toe because we think that we have full control over salvation. I'll go to church, when I want to go to church, I'll call on God when I want to call on God. We need to clear something up and it needs to be very clear. There are cultures out there, there are churches out there, there are ministries out there that clearly teach that you can lose your salvation. Salvation cannot be lost. You will not find a scripture that we know through that through God's word that can support that anyone can lose it is not determined by works is not determined by knowledge. It's not by a determined of who we know on this earth. It's by who knows us and God knows you and God created you. So your culture cannot tell you your your partisan, your leaders cannot tell you that you can lose salvation, you won't, you will not find a biblical scripture, you won't find a text that will support that you can lose it because if it could be lost, there is no one on this earth that is worthy of having it in the first in the first place. So that's what we need to analyze, and we need to look at salvation has been given, whether we like it or whether we don't like it, whatever way we look at this, God has a mandate, God has a plan. God has a purpose for every human being on this earth. And whether I'm a believer, whether I'm an agnostic, whether, wherever I'm a Calvinist, or whoever, and wherever I may be, wherever I come from, in this world, no one can refuse the holiness and the purity, and the gift of salvation that can never be resisted, because it comes and it is given, and it is put upon you and upon me, it is like a cloak, it is given, and we wear it and it's within us, and it's around us. And it's upon us the gift of salvation. So you are gifted, firstly, with the gift of salvation, there is nothing to say and how we can lose it, you have been given a gift, I did not choose him, and you did not choose him. No human being has the capabilities within the physical realm, and with the physical capabilities, and the thinking capacity, and there is not enough dialogue. And there is not enough vocabulary within the world, to understand and for any human being to present themselves to this Holy God, without him knowing or realizing, if I really believe in the word of God, I have to take it. And I have to stand by faith upon that. But as a church, as a culture, as a society, we are always trying to out think and up, think and stretch over what God is trying to do, trying to plan him. Now, I find this absolutely fascinating that church is trying to think and trying to operate how God would operate. There is a layer that the Church of the ecclesia rises to, because the Scripture tells us that, but also it has a ceiling, and it has a full stop layer. And it can't go no further without this without God revealing the next stage of the process of the ministry of the life. That's why Isaiah, The Book of Isaiah is critical to a believer, because this will and I know that this will give you peace. Because when we come to an understanding about Isaiah 55, verse eight and nine, that he says for my thoughts are not your thoughts. So my thoughts are the completely opposite end of the spectrum to what God has. So when we go to church, and we may have been brought up in a cultural church, we've got to be careful that then cultural trends don't box us in a set way and a set pattern. Because if I allow the culture, and the trend and the social media hashtag, I am trying to anticipate and I'm trying to think how God is going to move next in my life, we cannot think and we cannot articulate. But what we can do is go by faith. Faith has nothing to do with articulating faith has nothing to do with the natural process of the mind. Because what faith does faith leaves knowledge, faith leads all understand in faith flees the pie chart on the flow and the flow of life, at this earthly level. So when I say the just shall live by faith, for someone to live by faith is extremely difficult when we are trying to think at a natural level, because my thinking will Clyde will, will collide or will will come into a crash with my faith. Because when I think I'm trying to anticipate when I anticipate I am operating like a human being, but if I'm a son and a daughter of the living God, I need to leave certain things in my life completely at God's presence and at his hands. I cannot forecast I cannot roadmap I cannot think as Christ is going to think I know what the scripture says have the mind of Christ. But that is different to the thoughts of God. Because that's what the scripture is saying here. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are my ways, your way. Some my ways. So if I think of my way for my life, there's every possibility that Christ and the Holy Spirit will look at our lives and actually say, Ben, I do not want you there. But you have fought, and you have tried to put me into a position of where you want me when actually, I want you in this position in this job in this call in. So that's why I said, really important that a believer goes by faith, and does not go by religion, because when I go by religion, I knock so much away, and almost all of the Scripture away, so it will affect Jeremiah 29. So if I go by religion, I cannot grasp this next scripture. So let's turn to Jeremiah 29, verses 11 through 213. These scriptures are very basic. And when I mean basic, they are fundamental points to Christianity, they are the base layer, they are the touch point, they are the place where I can spring off from, but if I am being taught religion, and if I am being taught the name it and climate church, if I'm being taught the prosperity gospel, if I am being taught the icon, box God, and if I am being taught that I can lose my salvation, I knock how I will say, almost every area of the Bible, the only part that I won't knock out is the clear text about salvation, because salvation is given, then we enter into the state of free will. So there is a lot there is a lot to get from this tech. So if you're ahead of me, please just read Jeremiah 29, verses 11 through 13. This is what God says, For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future, then you will call now this is after the planning, the planning, not of the church leadership team, not the planning of your culture, not the plan of your mom and dad, not the planning of your your peers, not the planning of the church structure. But this is the plans of God. This God is the same God from Genesis to Revelation. So when I look at Jeremiah 29, verses 11 through 213, I can bring in Isaiah 55, and verses eight through to nine. Let me let me read Isaiah again, before we before we touch off on what before we may be leaving that scripture for my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are my ways, neither are your way sorry, my ways this, declares the Lord. Very simple. And then we go into Jeremiah 29, verses 11 through 13. For I know the plans I have for you. This is God speaking directly to anyone that says, I believe, I believe in Genesis through to Revelation. I believe in the birth, the death, the resurrection, I believe in the fundamental points of what we call Christianity. I believe God was the creator. I believe God is always creating. I believe God is always rescuing. I believe God is always justifying. I believe God is the judge. I believe God is the great I AM, I believe, I believe in the seven items in the Gospel of John, I believe in the birth I believe in the death, I believe in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I believe in eschatology, I believe in the rapture. I believe in the battle of Armageddon, I believe, in end times, I believe. Now, believing takes us away from understanding when I stay in understanding that limits me in a very interesting way that limits me in not what God will do for me, but in what I think God would and what he is going to do for me. So the Scripture says, very clearly, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the LORD Jeremiah 29, verse 11, through 213, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD plans to prosper you and not to harm you. We got to be very careful in the evangelical movement in the Pentecostal movement, in the name it and claim it in all the shouting and hollering that goes on. Because when we read Jeremiah 29, verse 11, there are so many ministries and churches will latch on to the gospel of cash, plans to prosper you, you're going to prosper you're gonna have money in your bank tonight God is telling me that you got to send me 50 quid or without razzmatazz all that it is pyramid selling, and it is satanic. And it comes where from it comes out of the Word of God. It literally comes from Simon the sorcerer. That's where it comes from Simon the sorcerer was working in the backyard of God's territory. And it said that the surroundings and the audience see Simon the sorcerer, and they was amazed because it was God Sadly it was God like, so it was easily attractive. See, supernatural things are attractive. But there are two sides to the cross a Calvary, there is the dark side the side of Lucifer. And we understand in the power of Ouija boards we understanding the power of black magic, we understand the power of the dark side, we also understand that the right side of the cross is more powerful, is more and is completely outweighs the dark side. But humanity is attracted to the lesser voice, what do you mean the Alexa voice? If used to look in Genesis, God gave clear instruction to Adam and Adam gave that to Eve and they had clear instruction, do not take of that tree or do not take up that tree. They was given clear instruction from the God of Israel. They heard his voice they understood his voice, his voice spoke over them, his voice spoke into them. But then the serpent comes along. And the serpent said, Did God really say are you sure? So what voice did they listen to? They listened to both voices. They listened to both dialogues, they listened to both are they understandings of that conversation, but humanity fell to the lesser voice, the lesser voice, the voice of the serpent. So there is an attraction, there is an attraction to the darker voice, not because the the darker voice is greater. It is the way that the darker voice presents it. And without going into the darker things and all that heavier stuff. So what I'm trying to say is we got to be careful of the voice. Because we hear the voice of God God has spoken. He has spoken through his word, but also there is rumblings of another voice that we have heard. Look, Lord, was that you is that you got the Bible says test every spirit. The Bible makes it very clear. But Adam and Eve, they reacted to the letter voice. And the church has reacted I could get in trouble for saying this. The church has reacted to the letter voice. Religion has reacted to the letter voice and not listening and not waiting on the voice. The Great I Am because when you listen to the voice of God, yes, yes, it's clear. It was clear in the Garden of Eden. But the enemy comes in and he tries to sow the seed. Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure God said. So this affects this affects this really does affect? So Jeremiah 29, verse 11, through 213, it says, For I know, the plans I have for you declares the LORD plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope, and the future, hope and future hope and future. It doesn't mention anything about cash. It doesn't matter. doesn't mention sorry, anything about notoriety and, and being popular. It doesn't mention anything about being this and being a b and c and d what the world has to offer. It says plans that give you hope, and in hope you have a future. So if you wish to turn to Hebrews chapter, Hebrews chapter 11, verse, verse one Now faith is being sure of faith is the evidence of see faith is the obvious evidence of and faith is everything hoped of. See, faith is everything. See, faith. Faith is so powerful. Faith is invisible. Everything that we do, we live our lives by the perception that is before us, our senses, our smell, our touch, our senses, our ears, and our eyes and the way that we compute things and the way that our body reacts to what our eyes see and our ears. Listen to so everything we do, and the way that we live our lives is very sensual, sensual perception, touch, smell, and all that we are our lives we are perceiving we are anticipating, we are looking, we are always looking, looking, we are always looking because as we look and as we see, that affects our being, but to go by faith, it's the close your eyes your naturalize The just shall live by faith. So interestingly, the surroundings around us might not match our faith. Our surroundings might not match what God has spoken to us, because that is what we are looking at at this moment in time. Isaiah 55 Verse eight through two nine, let's reference and read these two again, and then we're going to quickly accelerate we're going to quicken and go into Proverbs chapter three verse He's five through two, six, Isaiah 55, verses eight through to nine, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. He's speaking to me as an individual. He's speaking to the leadership. He's speaking to the church. He's speaking to anyone that is a believer. And also he is speaking to those that are crossing over into the, into the platform of Christianity into the, into his remit into his plan. He says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways, declares the Lord. Then I come to Jeremiah 29, verse 11, through 13, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD plans to prosper you, and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future. See, hope is powerful hope. We do not need to have anything but hope now, what do you mean by hope, we serve a God, that is the God of hope. See this, this is God, this is God in all of this. His ways are higher than our ways his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are, are further than what we could ever imagine our ask. So Jeremiah 29, when I hoping God, I know that his plans and his purpose are going to be fulfilled in my life. But if I, if I do the opposite to what the book of Isaiah 55 is telling me, verses eight through to nine, and I anticipate and I plan him, I block, and I stop, not God moving, but my faith, it stops me. God is always moving, God is always operating, God is always shifting, God is always making a wait. But what I find is that my life can become very hajus. And very stressful, because I am, I'm a 5050, not a 5050 believer, but I am a 5050, in faith out of faith, you can't be a 5050 believer, because to be a believer means to be someone that is saved, and you are completely saved, you can't have a quarter of salvation, you can't have half the salvation, you are saved, and that is it. You are saved, you are saved, that is a given, that has been given, and that cannot be erased, and that cannot be extracted from you, you have been given the gift. But then I learned to live very differently. But living in faith in a very materialistic world, is the hardest thing that any brother or sister, or anyone in Christ will do is to try and operate as the scripture is saying. So God, your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Your ways are higher than my ways. So there comes a point when I got let go have the physical Ben. And I've got to allow the faith Ben to arise and to go over and arch over the physical Ben. So Jeremiah says, for another plans I have for you declares the LORD plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future, then you will. So not before these plans have been put into place. See, it has been planned, it has been forecast, it has been laid out, Destiny is there. But I go around different destinations, trying to find what he wants for me, because religion is a dictator. Religion dictates religion is just like politics dressed up with a clergy collar on. That's all it is, is that when you look at politics and religion, you really can't break them in between because it's all about control. It's about control. It's about me, myself and I, what can I gain? We are looking at a world where there I got to be careful. As I look into this, I understand governance, I understand politics. I understand the law, what God has put into place, I understand that. But when you look at politics and religion, you start very difficult to get a break point, simply because when you look at the church, within the UK, when you look at the Church of England, the Church of England is governed who by who's governing the Church of England, who's governing who's pulling the strings, is it God or is it the government? When you look at religion who is controlling religion, religion, and politics and governance, and the monarchy, all are, are in the same glove. They're in the same glove, but the kingdom of God is above How can you say that? I can say that because the Bible tells me for my thoughts are not your thoughts. My thoughts are not the thoughts of a religious person. My thoughts are not the thoughts of a politician. My thoughts are not of the way the world thinks my thoughts are higher than any human being the person that we might lift up I know that we're not lifting up but you just to get some form of a platform or what we're looking at Whoever we might say, is a great preacher or teacher or someone that we've looked up to that we've listened to their learning and their thinking and their teaching. God is far above all of that. God is up and above, far higher than all of that. Then you will call upon me, and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you, you will seek Me and find Me This is after this has been given and been put into position. See, that's when the power of free will comes into play. Free will is not the free will to decide, am I going to choose God? Because there is no choice because God has already chosen, you were created, you were birthed. You are born into existence because of his goodwill, and His good pleasure. The scriptures support that. And the Bible tells us that, so when it talks about free will, the free will is am I going to live how Christ wants me to live? Or are going to make my own gospel up? How am I going to do this? Religion makes its own gospel up religion makes its own criteria, but Christ the God that we serve the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the data to tell us time and time again through the Scripture, you cannot control me. You cannot dictate to me and pull me out on a Sunday, or through the week, I am in charge of my church, what is his church? If I want to know what is churches? Look at the church in the in the book of Acts, the birth of the church, I study that church. Now does the birth of the church look like the church in which I see today? That is a rhetorical question. And that is a question that I asked myself, does the church within the UK reflect the New Testament Church in the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we've come to the book of Proverbs. Let's turn quickly into the book of Proverbs chapter three, verses five through to six. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, straight away straight away, we are finding that understanding and plans and articulating and thinking and knowledge and learning is not part of the Kingdom of God, because the Kingdom of God is completely separate from this physical world in which we live in. There is a supernatural world, the kingdom of God that has not seen or been seen by any AI that has not been grasped by any human being. Except when, when that great writer said it was on the Lord's day, I was caught up to the heavens above the heavens, and what I see I have been permitted not to say, what I see I could not put into the human language, what I saw is beyond human comprehension. So there is a layer of heaven there is a layer of life that cannot be expressed through words, by feelings and expressions of what the kingdom of God is like. There is no words that can describe it on this earth. So Proverbs chapter three, verses five through to six, I've got to gallop a bit here. Because at time, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding what he's understanding, understanding is a very interesting word we understanding is what we understand how the world operates, we understand how business works, we understand how the formation of life is we understand, but when I understand it, I'm limited, I am in a limitation, position, I am limitation. So when I understand, I come to a threshold, I come to a ceiling level there is a there is a limit, because understanding is not of this supernatural God that we that we we are following. So you serve I serve a supernatural God. And the scripture says His ways are higher than our ways his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We cannot grasp him. We cannot measure him. We cannot contain him. We cannot control him. Religion has no power over him. Satanic oppression cannot get near him. Religion, pastors and dictators and politicians cannot turn the key and say we have shut the church we have closed God's got down because God operates in a layer that humanity cannot get to. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His plans are beyond our human anticipation and our ticular So you are redeemed, you are set free, you have been bought with a price 30 pieces of silver, there was a transaction in the physical world between Judas Iscariot, and the leaders and the high priests, there was a transaction for Christ, it had to happen because we needed a physical place to see, we needed a reference point. So the reference point was 30 pieces of silver, but you have been bought with something greater than 30 pieces of silver, you have been bought, I have been bought with the blood of Christ, the blood of the land, the blood of the Lamb, that is the atonement, that is the that is what the Atonement is, you are washed, you are you are joined, you are been brought into, you have been saved, you have been set free, you are a child of the living God, it doesn't matter how I feel, and how I look at my life. What I can't get away from are the doctrines of grace and the understanding of life of this this kingdom, this kings domain is what is a given and what is for sure, you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, you have been redeemed, you have been forgiven, you have been justified, you have been brought into you are the redeemed, you are a child of the living God you are. So when we realize who we are, and what I mean by identity. Now we've got to be very careful how we use that word identity in the kingdom, because that froze open up a different world in certain areas of ministry, and certain layers of life identity because that will try and put us at a level with God when His ways are higher than our ways his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And let me just back in that back reference, verse nine, of Isaiah 55, Isaiah 55, verse nine, it says, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, he's speaking directly to humanity, to anyone that would dare to call themselves a believer in Christ, and my thoughts than your thoughts as high as the heavens, then the earth eternity beyond what NASA can get to beyond what any space adventure will ever get to. Beyond beyond, beyond. So the human race cannot and will not be able to get to, let's use the word The God button, understanding what and how the formation of life came into being. Because when we look at theories, when we look at the theory of living, when we look at the theory of life, when we look at the theory of of evolution, when we look at the theory of they are theories, and they have a theory has an A stop point, because it is a theory. But when you've got truth, truth over always a theory, faith over always a theory, faith and a belief system over arches a theory. So when you look at theories, theories are going on science, and not going on clear evidence without going into so much because we will go so deep and we do not have the time. So faith goes over understanding. Faith goes over science. Faith goes over, thinking, faith goes over, presentation, Faith climbs up faith rises up and goes beyond. So when faith does that my belief goes up and over. So suddenly, I really understand that when scripture says in Genesis And God said, Let there be like, there was so my faith and my belief system takes away my understanding. Because if I try to understand and think like God, I won't be able to articulate I won't be able to compute that. I won't be able to comprehend that. I won't be able to fathom that because I am of physical being. And I've got to remember that he is of this supernatural world that I cannot see. So faith, The just shall live by faith. Right if you look in Proverbs, Proverbs chapter three, verses five through to six, trusting the Lord of all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to Him. Religion cannot submit. Religion cannot lean into Jesus, because what religion wants religion Once control, religion wants to dictate religion wants to tell you and me when to take communion and when not to take communion, how you should take communion, religion will put criterias in religion will put structure in religion will try to take control in. But the kingdom of God is all about obedience and submission. So when I obey, and when I submit, I let go of myself my understanding, there are great thinkers, there are great scholars there are, there are great theologians there are there are great preachers and teachers out there. It doesn't matter how great they are, there is a God that is higher than them, than any one of us. So this is important to a believer is to let go of oneself physical being, let go of oneself understanding, let go of oneself, thinking and articulating, and logic and roadmapping of life and just go by faith. See, faith is a chain breaker. What do you mean by that? Well, when I go by faith, it clears the table, it clears, it clears the desktop, of all this roadmap in Empire charting, because then suddenly, the onus and the responsibility doesn't lie upon the human being, but the responsibility as it should, and as always has rested on the Messiah, he is responsible for his children, My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. God says, I will not let the my children be beggars of bread. God is always supply ing he is the supplier. But when I become religious, when I try to understand when I try to compute, when I try to comprehend, when I try to roadmap, when I try to anticipate, I boxed myself in, I don't box God in because he can't be boxed in by anyone. I limit me, I limit me because my thinking is limiting me. Thinking is different to faith. Faith is different. understanding. Understanding is different to philosophy. Philosophy is different to faith. Faith, is the archer faith is the connector, you know. Let's just Let's just, let's just finish in verse six of Proverbs chapter three. And it says, In all your ways, submit to Him. God that that is a challenge. That is a challenge that the Scripture has said, In all your ways, submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do you feel like life is very cricket? Do you feel like life is very roller coaster of a style of a life? Do you feel that life is up down in our around, you know, under the table above the table round a corner? Do you feel that life is like shaken at the moment? Now, there are three reference points that I've referenced. The first one was Isaiah 55, unconscious of the clock up there, as I 55 Verse eight through two nine. And then we went to Jeremiah 29, verses 11 through 213. Then we went into Proverbs chapter three, verses five through to six. Now there is a scripture that we haven't even looked at, but I need to reference this to get a bit more of an understanding of where we have landed tonight where we have where we have reached this, this place that God has God has brought us to, not me but God has brought us together because we are together. We are together because I am a son and you are a daughter. And we are together and we are in the kingdom of God together. We are together. So we are always learning we are always walking we are always moving together. The just shall live by faith. If we call ourselves believers, we are the just if we are the just we cannot be religious. If I'm religious I cannot be called the just because religion thinks as as politics performs. Religion thinks as business operates. Religion operates like the corporate world, it operates forecasting. How can anyone forecast this supernatural God? Now people may say, Well, that is prophecy. Prophecy is warnings. Prophecy is clear. Prophecy is not telling you or me that in six days, you're gonna have five grand in your bank. That is satanic selling, that is pyramid selling. That is very different to what prophecy is in the Word of God. We have to be very careful about biblical prophecy and satanic prophecy, there is such a difference. There is a fine line. Now, in this part of the Scripture, I find this, it makes me smile, this really makes me smile. And we will read this together. So we're in the Gospel of John. We're in the Gospel of John, chapter six, verses one through to 14. Now I've put me fingerprint all over the lens, I'm going to save it for a while, come on, this is just real stuff. So I'm going to read from the Gospel of John, I'm going to read from the Gospel of John chapter six, verse one through 214. Sometime after this, Jesus crossed to the far side of the shore of the Sea of Galilee, to the Sea of Tiberius. And there was a great crowd that followed him, because they saw signs and wonders that he performed by healing the sick. Now from verse three, it starts to get start to get a bit warm. Then Jesus went up onto the mountainside, and he sat down with the disciples. The Jewish Passover festival was near. Now verse five. Now let's just I know I'm running, I'm running on a time timing is not good. So verse five is a is an, is a very powerful part of of tonight, because what we find in tonight, that Christ has already planned before the disciple has already spoken, Christ has already put into position. Another purpose and another plan for humanity. Look, I got let me get us there. Let me get us there. When Jesus looked up, he saw a great crowd coming towards him. He said to Philip, Christ said to Philip, Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? Now, verse six, of John chapter six, it opens up, it's opened up my spirit tonight, I've realized, and I've seen something that I've never seen before. It says in verse six of John, chapter six, he asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Christ knew that Philip would give him a worldly answer. Philip had walked with Christ, for many years, had seen great and powerful signs and wonders, he had been with Christ for His ministry, he was called into the kingdom of God by Christ. But when you look at this text, this is a revelational text for me tonight, where God has opened up the envelope of my understanding, and almost flattened it completely. Because Christ is asking Philip, when Christ already knew what Philip was going to say, but Christ already had a different understanding and a different answer, and a different result to what Philip was going to say and do. Because if they had done, or Christ had done what Philip had wanted him to do, it was the opposite to what Christ wanted to do. So in verse six, and verse five, it is very interesting that it opens up so much. When Christ looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, Where shall we? Now Christ brings himself into the physical process of this supernatural miracle that is going to happen, and Christ brings himself to a physical posture with Philip. He asked him, only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Now I understand more about Jeremiah 29. For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD, plans that God have and God has your destination is looking very different to what you see your destination is. Your destination is where you are looking at now, Christ destination and Christ plan for you is very different for what you see for you and what I see for me. I find this absolutely beyond comprehension and beyond my understanding how this text has changed so much. He said to fill it. Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? He's asking Philip, a quit a clear, sharp question, where shall we buy bread? He asked them this question only to test him. He knows that his disciple, Philip is a disciple. Philip is a believer, Philip was anointed Philip was chosen, Philip was called into. Does it sound familiar? Does it ring the bell of holiness upon us tonight, we was called into, we are disciples of Christ, we have been chosen by Christ, we have been anointed by Christ. So my thinking to a very worldly decision, is just have a natural answer. I look around and go, as we looked at the other day, and the scripture that we have landed back in, as we close this tonight, I do not have enough, we do not have enough, send them away a very worldly answer, come in from a disciple of the living God. So it's clear to see that the Scripture makes it fact that even though I might be a disciple, even though I am a believer, even though I am living by faith, there will be times in my life, where lifestyle choices are not lining up with what God's plans has, and will and purposely formation and bring into my life. A bit of a mouthful there, but we got there. So Christ was just testing his lips. What is Philip going to vote? Voice? What is Philip gonna say, this was not for Christ benefit, because Christ already knew Christ already. Position Christ had already deemed Christ had already put into Christ was already revealing Christ was always bringing into a supernatural answer into a natural world, because that's what God does. God brings in a supernatural answer into a physical existence. That's why we cannot understand him. That's why we cannot articulate all of him. That's why we have revelation or knowledge. That's why we we look at understanding, because Philip was going on his understanding, his understanding, and his logic, and his mathematics was telling him and his mind, well, I see 1000s of people, I see just a handful of bread, and a few fish that is not going to feed us 456 12, this isn't going to feed us, let alone the crowd that is marching towards us. So just because I am a pastor, a disciple, a child, and the living God a son, just because we are who we are, doesn't mean to say that we won't answer. And we won't look at life with a understanding of logic. And I would put it like this to us tonight. Church leaders, the framework, the structure is operating like Philip and looking at the audience, and looking at the surroundings and saying what we have, and what we are trying to do really isn't working. So let's send it away. There's a sermon hidden and that by all means, I can tell you that for sure. But what I want to let you know tonight, don't go by your understanding. Don't go by your logic. Don't go by your physical answer. Because what your physical and your verbal answer is, and what roadmapping we have for our lives are very different to what this supernatural God has for us, because Christ makes it very clear. In verse six, I'm going to finish on this as we bring this to land. Verse six of John, chapter six, he asked this only to test Philip, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Now Philip answered him, in a way that we see the church answering, Philip answered in a way that I would answer. He was using login logic, sorry, he was using his eyes as the calculator. He was using his understanding of life and seeing what he had and what they had wasn't enough to do what Christ was asking them to do. So what Christ is asking me to do and asking you to do, and asking believers to do, we we will never be able to comprehend or compute what God has for us. So this is where I have to go by faith, faith, squashes, religion, faith, squashes, understanding, Faith pushes down, articulating faith knocks out education. Faith knocks out the computing of life. Faith absolutely destroys physics, Faith destroys actual knocks out science. Faith knocks out reasoning. Faith knocks out all natural logic, because faith is not of this world. Faith is a very powerful, faith is invisible. Faith is not seen. Faith is a going in faith is going by not what you see by what you believe. The just shall live by faith, not what I see. Now, we could say so much. So when we started this off this little rumble through the scriptures tonight, I found that looking at what we are looking at, the church isn't in the position where God wants it to be. Maybe I'm not in a position where God wants me to be because of anticipation and planning and a fillip answer. We have very physical answers. It's like what we come through the plague this COVID-19 We have been trying to find a physical answer. We have been trying to find a logical way through forward without seeking, forgive me for saying this without seeking and I'm free to brush across the church seeking the answer from God. Now I know this is gonna, there's outro I can hear it already. There are many that have been praying and looking into, but I am talking about the broader, the broader, the broader, arching over we know what I'm talking about, we come on, come on, we know we know we know we know. So that just shall live by faith. So I cannot go by understanding fill it was going by understanding fill it was going by anticipation fill it was going by feelings fill it was going by sensual perception by what is ill his ears were hearing by what his eyes were seeing. He was going by what his perception was over the situation. And the church goes by perception, the church goes by a vision. And I'm not talking about vision as in a vision or a dream from God, I'm referring to the church and religion goes by what it sees and how it anticipates, and how it tries to bring God out of a box for certain missions and certain processes. But the Scripture makes it very clear. The answer that Philip gave wasn't the answer that Christ was going to go with. Because Christ was just testing and seeing where Philip was, and what position he was as a believer in a situation, that the only answer was a miracle. Now, there are many of us seeking miracles every day, every second of our life. But I must remember that we serve a God that calls for things that are not as though they are we serve a God that that is a God of miracles we serve a God that has given the gift of salvation we serve a God that presents Himself to us purely through revelation or knowledge. He reveals Himself to humanity, the human being doesn't go to God and suddenly knocks on on heaven's door and says, God, I have decided that I will let you into my life when actually God broke into our life before the foundation of the world. God put us into being not we did not come around by by the buck biological movement of mum and dad, we did not come into being by the process of life. We are on this earth because the Scripture says, you are here for his good will, His good purpose and His good pleasure. We are children of the living God and you belong you are on loan and we are on loan to our parents, our families, believe it, believe it or not, we belong to the Father and the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You are a child of the living God. You are a daughter of the living God and you are a son of the living God. So what I'm going to say in closing this is do not allow the outside environment to tell you who you are. Do not allow Universal Credit do not allow the plague of life do not allow the pressure of culture to box you into a box that it wants you to be, you are not defined by what finance you have, you are not defined by what finance you don't have, you are not defined by your education you are not defined by how much you know and how little you know, you are not defined and you are not to worry about anything, what this world is doing, because God for new god for plan, God forecast and when I say forecast, God prophesied. So I understand that where we sit is a very peaceful place because everything has been for, for spoken and prophesied into being. So now is the time to live by faith. There is a new dawn, there is a new beginning, there is a new press, but I would put it to many. We are living in situations we are living environments, we are living in places, we are living in homes, we are living in churches, we are living in business we are living in, in certain situations where we shouldn't be living. Because we have made our own life, rather than letting Christ guide us into the pastures he wants us in. Now, I probably finished on quite a deep press in there. So the way forward is this. God, if I have made lifestyle choices that are not where you want me to be? How do I get to that position of where you want me to be? Firstly, the lifestyle choices I chose and the choices I made. God knew that I would choose them anyway because I am like Philip, we are like Philip in the Scripture. We choose and we look at life. And our lives are controlled to a very large degree by what we see in front of us and what is around us. So that's why we limit ourselves because by what we see we become a Philip. So what is a Philip? Philip looks at the audience. Philip looks at the crowd. And Philip goes to you know what, we can't do this. You know what? It's too big. You know what? Ain't got enough cash in your pocket? You know what is too big? You know what? I can't understand it. You know what, we ain't gonna make it? Do you know what, no, nevermind, but we become we become a Philip without realizing. And that has been oppress. That has been a cultural trend that has been a very religious move, because religion will go no, we're unable to do that. You've only got to go back into the Old Testament and look very clearly with Joshua and Caleb. And then when they went out with a spice, the spice came back. And a large percentage of those that went with Joshua and Caleb, clearly said we are like grasshoppers in their sight. But there was only two amongst those that went out in the spires that went, we see what you see, we walk the same path as you, we explored the same place as you. But But let let me put you right. You look at yourself and you see yourself as a grasshopper. I see myself as someone that trust in My God. So Joshua and Caleb clearly gave this answer. They gave a clear answer to the spies and to the audience of the Israelites. They gave a clear answer back to their leadership, our God is able, that is key to a believers life. Our God is able, God is able, God is able. God will God has. God has already. So in closing for the fifth time on the sixth time, I've closed seven times tonight, by the way, in this last section that I'm talking about in Phillip, Phillip was trying to control the Messiah. No one can control the thoughts and the understanding of the Messiah. The Messiah is operating very different. The Messiah operates in the supernatural, the FiLIP operates in the physical, so I need to let go of the physical me, physically, me, me, Philip, I need to let go of me and allow Christ to speak through me and use me to get his work done. That is it. I'm not saying anymore. I'm finished. I'm a vicar get me out of here. May God bless you and strengthen you made a word of God enrich your life. I will catch you. Sunday morning. It's Wednesday. I believe we are on Wednesday. I will see you Sunday morning, online 1045. You may catch some of the podcasts are coming out this week. I thank you so much for staying with us to join in. join in with us walk in with us sharing all the downloads 1000s of downloads of these podcasts. You can find us just go into the search engines just type in to the search engine. Reverend Ben Cooper has podcasts you will find us on Spotify, Amazon music, Apple Music, all those different platforms I have to keep repeating it sorry for keep repeating it but we've got people coming online all the time. And and you might have heard it 1000 times you might be young in the game coming out rev I want to get out of here coronation Street's about the start, you know, so you will will hear me repeat certain things because we have people coming online all the time. You know so I thank God for you for standing with us. May God bless you and may God strengthen you have a wonderful evening and whatever your timezone zone is around the world. Just remember your God. Our God is able never give up. Always be hopeful. Never doubt. Never fear. God is with you. May God bless you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, good night Ababa.