Inside Beauty Inspires
Inside Beauty Inspires takes on real life experiences and introduces the Word of God to help believers to navigate peaks and valleys fearlessly. Real, raw, & relevant, Inside Beauty Inspires seeks to unleash a fresh anointing in the atmosphere. Our goal is to connect our listeners to “the plug”, Christ Jesus, a savior who has paid the price for all of our sins and wants nothing more than to see His children win!
Inside Beauty Inspires
Embracing Divine Purpose: Insights from Biblical Prophets, Faith’s Power, and Uncovering Spiritual Identity
Have you ever wondered if your plans align with a greater divine purpose? Join us as we draw inspiration from the courageous journeys of Esther and Jeremiah, exploring how faith and trust in God's vision can elevate our paths. Through heartfelt reflections, we discuss how our own agendas often pale in comparison to the divine plans laid out for us. Through stories of biblical prophets and personal insights, we aim to inspire a shift towards embracing God's calling for a higher and straighter path.
As we explore the Old Testament's prophetic messages, discover the profound teachings of figures like Jeremiah, Daniel, and Hosea. Their messages resonate with today's challenges, highlighting the enduring themes of faithfulness and the consequences of spiritual neglect. Our discussion with the Iron Sharpens Iron Bible study group delves into the dual nature of God—His love and judgment—and how Jesus fulfills these ancient prophecies, offering redemption through unwavering love.
In the final chapters, we reflect on the power of faith through the remarkable persistence of a Canaanite woman. This story, along with insights from Jesus' teachings, reminds us of the importance of humility and inner transformation. As we explore our own identities through faith, we invite you to reflect on your purpose and the abundant blessings prepared for us. Join us on this enriching journey of discovering deeper spiritual truths and finding strength in divine grace.
new, new, new, everything new, new, new, new, new, new, everything new. I'm ready to go. Hello, hello, it is stephanie l harrison and you are now listening in to. Inside, beauty inspires. Will we motivate, encourage and inspire through biblical principles? Let's jump into this word.
Speaker 1:I want to start by saying a little prayer. Heavenly father, I want to invite you into this place as we go forth and to deliver your message. Lord, have your way. We are your vessels. We know that we are not our own. We know that it is you that wakes up each and every single morning and get us started on our way. And so, heavenly Father, we ask for forgiveness of sin. We ask that you go before us and you make our crooked way straight and that you do a new thing inside of us. We ask that you go before us and you make our crooked way straight and that you do a new thing inside of us. We are your children and we are here to make a difference. We ask all of these things in your son, jesus name, amen, amen, in Jesus name, amen.
Speaker 1:So I wanted to kick this show off with a prayer, because I've been working on some things and I cannot wait to share with you guys what we've been working on, but I want to talk to the people today about waking up. Yes, that's right. I said wake up. Wake up, god wants to talk. I've spoken to you guys about this before and God has put this on my heart, and this is a message that is at hand, based off of some of the things that we've all been experiencing in our lives. God is trying to get our attention. You know, the more that we've all been experiencing in our lives, god is trying to get our attention. You know, the more that we get into the Word, the more we're able to see very clearly. It's like we have blinders on and the Word is the antidote to show us which ways to go in life. And so, over the weekend, I sat down with the Lord and started working on some things, and I want to read this little excerpt from my book. It says wake up, god wants to talk.
Speaker 1:Jesus is real. He is the light of the world. Through him, everything is new. Besides, he's the perfecter of our faith. He will lead you to the truth. His spirit led me, and my life is a reflection of my faith. He is coming back very soon. How do we know this? Well, through the miracles, signs and wonders, I've come to really appreciate his agenda from beginning to end. Our heavenly father knows every detail of everything. There is truly nothing new under the sun. But why now? Why now Stephanie, based off of some of the current events that have taken place around me and the truth is, I'm being instructed In the book of Esther she had to do something.
Speaker 1:That required a boldness, and because of her boldness, an entire race was saved Esther 4.14. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows, if perhaps you were made queen for such a time like this. When dad, when dad, aka God says, tag you're it. When God says, tag you're it.
Speaker 1:I know I can't be by myself when it comes down to the word of God and the call on my life. God has called you too, but sometimes we're so afraid because we feel like we're going to mess up. We feel like we're not going to do it the way that he wants us to do it. The truth of the matter is, when you start to seek his face, he'll show you which direction to go in. He'll instruct you, he'll. He'll send people to you, he'll order your steps. See, one thing about life is that we plan and I have to say God laughs. We plan and God laughs. I'm looking at this devotional and it says good plans, good plans, and the scripture is Proverbs 19, 21. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Speaker 1:Maria woke up with a plan. There was a lot to be done and nothing would stand in the way of her agenda. She would not tolerate unruly kids, chatty neighbors, road closures or out of stock items. She was going to make things happen. Only it turned out that God-stock items. She was going to make things happen, only it turned out that God had other plans.
Speaker 1:Repeatedly throughout the day, the items on Maria's agenda just could not be fulfilled. Her frustration built until, finally, the Spirit brought this verse from Proverbs to mind. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. God will ensure that his plan is in place, even if it completely goes against ours. But on the days when our plans are uprooted, we must remember that his plan is better than ours. His plan leads us on a higher path and a straighter path than we can ever make for ourselves. Today we submit our agendas to the Lord. We invite him to wreck them. If it means that his way is fulfilled, if it means that his way is fulfilled, if it means that his way is fulfilled, god, let me loosen the commitment to my plans enough that I can see the purpose of yours. I know you will have your way, so teach me to be willing to submit to your good and perfect plan. Boy, I know I cannot be by myself when it comes down to the plans we plan. And God laughs because only the plans that are going to happen are going to be the plans that he has written In the book of Jeremiah.
Speaker 1:Jeremiah thought he was too young to do what thus says the Lord and I know you guys probably say you know Stephanie, she quite often goes back to the book of Jeremiah. I go back to the book of Jeremiah is because I can identify with Jeremiah. You see, when you don't feel qualified, when God calls your name and he says, tag your it, sometimes you just don't feel qualified, you don't feel like you have everything together to do with us as the Lord. If you go to the book of Jeremiah 1 with me, these are the words of Jeremiah. Let's scroll all the way down to verse 4.
Speaker 1:The Lord gave me this message. I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb, before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations. Oh, sovereign Lord, I said I can't speak for you, I'm too young. The Lord replied don't say I'm too young, for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you, and don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Speaker 1:Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said Look, I have put my words in your mouth. Today, I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant. Then the Lord said to me look, jeremiah, what do you see? And I replied I see a branch from an almond tree. And the Lord said that's right, and it means that I am watching and I will certainly carry out my plans. Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked what do you see now, and I replied, I see a pot of boiling water spilling from the north. Yes, the Lord said, for terror from the north will boil out on all the people of this land.
Speaker 1:Listen, I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken. They will sit their thrones at the gates of the city. They will attack its walls and all the other towns of Judah. I will pronounce judgment on my people for all of the evil, for deserting me and burning incense to other gods. Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands. Get up and prepare for action. Go tell them everything I tell you to say, and do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I have made you strong, like a fortified city that cannot be captured like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land, the kings, the officials, the priests and the people of Judah. They will fight you, but they will fail, for I am with you. I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken. So you see, jeremiah had a call on his life too.
Speaker 1:You know, the more that you read this word, you realize something that's very profound. And when I say it's profound, it was profound to me. God hides the mysteries in infants, in babies. God hides the mysteries in infants, in babies. See, I'm learning more and more about the scripture that says many are called, few are chosen. As we go through the Bible, as we go through the word of God, me and the ladies of ISI, I want to shout the ladies of ISI, iron sharpens iron out. It's Proverbs 27, 17. We sharpen each other each and every single morning and I want to shout them out because we've been learning so much.
Speaker 1:Now, first of all, we've been in the Old Testament and I talked to you guys about this a lot and I told you you know, the more that you read the word of God, the more you see how important it is to get into the word and you see that Jesus was the fulfillment of everything written in the Old Testament. Now, when I left on last week, the week before last, I was talking to you guys about the book of I want to say Lamentations Ezekiel, and I think I probably touched on Daniel, daniel. Since then, you know what the prayer called the ladies of ISI, we've been, we've been going through the old Testament and we came, we went through the book of Daniel, hosea, joel, and now we're in the book of Amos. Now what I'm realizing, y'all, is that these prophets was hearing from God. It was not a realization of, oh my God, they hear from God, but they had a word to deliver to the people during that day. And I thought it was quite interesting that each chapter that we were going to, it was almost like we were living it because, okay, we went to the book of Hosea. Well, we went to the, we went, we, we, we went to the book of Hosea. Well, we finished up the book of Daniel.
Speaker 1:And Daniel is the book about convincing the exiles that God is sovereign and to provide them with a vision of the future redemption. You know, the first part of the book of Daniel and his friends are in the Babylon court. It's a book that you should read, because God shows itself mighty in this book so many times, from the lion's den to the dreams. There's just packed full of things, but the main goal in those times was that God was speaking to the people of that day. The purpose of these visions is to reassure God's people that God is in control. And so God calls Daniel to tell and to speak of the future, the visions of the future.
Speaker 1:Then the next book is Hosea, and Hosea is a book about warnings to a spiritual adulterous nation. Well, I could not help but think about us, because God used Hosea to show how he feels about us, his children, when we go to different sources other than coming to him. The purpose of the book Hosea was to illustrate Israel's spiritual adultery and warn of destruction. Hosea is a prophet during the decline and follow the northern kingdoms of Israel, god commands him to marry an adulterous woman as a real life illustration of God's never ending, never failing love for his people of Israel, the children of Israel who are being unfaithful to their covenant relationship with God. Now, understand, this is where we are today. Yes, the 21st century, people aren't taking God's series. This is the main problem. Now, as we continue to read, we're going to see that God sent storms, floods, hurricanes to speak to the people prior to his return, him coming back.
Speaker 1:Now, say that, because, again, hosea and his unfaithful wife, god and his unfaithful children. Okay, the world, the way of the world, and God has two sides. I don't know. The world, the way of the world and God has two sides. I don't know. I feel like we go off of secondhand information so much that we make our own narrative in our own minds on how this thing's supposed to look. But we got to realize that God has two sides. There's blessings and there's curses. There's life, there's death, there's love and there's anger. And God got angry with his children. He didn't get so angry that he wasn't going to redeem us, but it came to a place where he had to let his children know. Jesus did the same thing. You know.
Speaker 1:It says here Jesus fulfilled Hosea's prophecy by redeeming a people who broke God's heart through unfaithfulness. Jesus delivered God's people from slavery of sin and death often equated to the bondage the Israelites experienced in Egypt. Jesus, the Lion of Judah, roars upon his victory over the grave that delivers us from our Egypt and Assyria, from all those places in our lives that held us or hold us captive. He says in Hosea, the book of Hosea. He says I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings. God wants a relationship with his children, but his children cheat on him with the world. Yeah, because when he speaks in the Bible, y'all he uses those type of terms, and so he uses terms to break things down to his children, so that we'll understand children, so that he'll, so that we'll understand, so that we'll understand. And he's still in the. And that was the illustration of how we, how God, loves his children. No matter how many times Hosea's wife cheated, he took her back and say no money, no. No matter how many times we fall short of the glory of God, he has a forgiving heart. He loves his children back to life. But then we got into the book of Joel and y'all, let me just say you got to wake up. You have got to wake up. It is time to wake up.
Speaker 1:Prophecies about the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Joel is the prophet to call Judah to repentance in order to avoid judgment. Joel warns God's people about the judgment they will face on the day of the Lord, but also the amazing blessings God will pour out on those who heed the word of the Lord. You got to understand something, y'all Now hear me by the word of God and hear me by the spirit of the Lord. God is speaking and he speaks through people, right, but we don't always listen to God's elect.
Speaker 1:You know, on the prayer call each and every morning we have a couple of ladies on there and most of those ladies have a gift and we have dreams, and some of the ladies have dreams. Well, the day that we started the book of Joel, one of the ladies on the prayer call had a dream. God had told her to go to the book of Joel and she goes to the book of Joel. In her dream there was a dream about insects. She said there was like so many bugs. There was bugs everywhere in her dream. Why, when we open up the book of Joel that this is the book about the locust plague, the locust he uses the locust to illustrate how it's going to be in the end times.
Speaker 1:So hear me, by the Spirit of the Lord, we are living in the end times for real. I don't know if people realize it or not, but if you get into the word, he even speaks about it and he says we can tell the time of everything else, but nobody can tell the times, the times of the end time. The only way you'll be able to know what's going on is if you're in the word. It says. The prophet Joel anticipated the day of the Lord as a great and dreadful day. It was a day of salvation and judgment. Jesus came to the world to save it and one day we'll come to judge him. The prophet visualized a single day to come. Yet Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy in two parts In his first coming, about 2000 years ago, and when he returns in power, victory and glory. You see, it's going to go down.
Speaker 1:For those who don't believe, I'm telling you God is real, he speaks. You just have to have an ear to hear. And I'm going to tell you right now. You will not be able to discern whose voice you're listening to if your heart is hard, if you have a heart that's full of bitterness, anger, rage, jealousy, envy. These are the things that we cannot see. But your behaviors are going to display what's hidden in your heart. That's why the word of God says that you can tell by the fruit that a person bears. It's in their actions. We don't have to see so much of their mouth. We can see what they're doing. We can see it in their actions. And for those who are reading the word of God, for those who are connected to the plug, you cannot hide it. You can't hide it.
Speaker 1:In the beginning in the book of Deuteronomy. I talk about it all the time, and I speak about it because we have a deaf ear. You know, we have ears to hear, but some of us can't hear. We have eyes to see, but some of us can't see. He said it is plain as day through his prophet Moses. Moses led these children out of bondage. He took them to the other side, he gave them instructions. He did the same thing that Jesus came on the scene. Every prophet that I've spoken about did the same thing that Jesus did, meaning they were a voice for God. Meaning they were a messenger from God. Meaning that God's spirit was with them. Meaning they were a voice for God. Meaning they were a messenger from God. Meaning that God's spirit was with them.
Speaker 1:Now Jesus comes on the scene because he is God's son and because he is the sacrificial lamb we get to have the spirit on the inside of us. That's why we can tell who is who if you're getting into the word of God. But if you're not, it'll be the blind leading the blind. Ain't no other way to say it. People will be monkey, see, monkey do Whatever they see somebody else do, they'll mimic it. Well, what does the Bible say about Satan? He appears as an angel of light. That means he wants to mimic what light looks like, but it's not nothing like the real thing. There's nothing like the real thing. So it's important for you to heed the message of the Lord. Get into your word. Get into your word. Do you have to be perfect to follow the Lord? No, he's not looking for perfect candidates, because he knows how to fix you. He knows what's going on on the inside of you. He just needs your yes, he needs your surrender.
Speaker 1:You want to know why people aren't seeing the things come to fruition and they're not seeing the power of God, because they have a limited access ability to see past their own thoughts. They won't listen to nobody, can't nobody tell them anything. And I'm here to tell you right now. When you have that rebellion in your heart, you're going to miss it. God sent this word forth through prophets of that day, prophetess of that day, and people refused to listen. God sent his only son and they looked at him and told him he wasn't who he said, he was who he is. So what do you think is going to happen to people like me and you when God has called us from the beginning of time, just like Jeremiah, and we start speaking the word of God and people turn a deaf ear to what the word of God says. Because it makes people uncomfortable. You want to know why it makes you uncomfortable? Because there's a spirit on the inside.
Speaker 1:Okay, deliverance is the children's bread. Where is the deliverance coming from If we're not reading that word? People think that we can go to church on one day and get it, and I'm here to tell you that you can't get it that way. It's a daily walk, daily devotion, daily delight. The word is my daily delight. That's how come I can speak this word boldly? Boldly because the spirit of the Lord is upon me to speak it. I don't have any fear of what can mere mortals do to me when God has his hands all over me? What can they do to you? I didn't mean to go off tangent, but I'm sick and tired of people playing church. I'm sick and tired of people playing in God's face.
Speaker 1:You want to see the power of God being displayed. Then you got to change from the inside out. It doesn't matter how much perfume you spray on. Okay, I know you're following what I'm putting down. It doesn't matter If your heart is not pure. If your heart has things hidden, you won't be able to see or hear clearly and see those that say, oh well, I'll get to know him for myself. You need wise counsel because you can deceive yourself. That's why the Bible says don't deceive yourself.
Speaker 1:Joel was letting the people know this isn't going to go down. Whether you like it or not, it's going to happen. The day of the Lord is coming. We don't know. Now here's the kicker. It's not really the kicker, but here's what I noticed.
Speaker 1:Now we're in the book of Amos, right, and the book of Amos is about warnings to society as well. He accused and judged Israel for their injustice and lack of mercy. Amos prophesies during a time of great material prosperity and peace, the people have become apathetic towards God, corrupting their worship and treating the poor unjustly. Amos, a shepherd from a small village, is sent by God to tell the people to change their ways. Or else face judgment of God, or else face the judgment of God. This is such a true word for the society today. Yeah, I'm not talking about back in the day, even though we're talking about the Old Testament. I got to keep it a G. There's nothing new under the sun, nothing. So a lot of the things that we're seeing, and a lot of the things that we're seeing and a lot of the things that are being displayed has happened before it has. And when you get into your word, you realize that and you see how real it is.
Speaker 1:I want us to go to the book of Matthew. I said Matthew 14, but let's go to Matthew 15. Go to Matthew 15 with me. Matthew 15 says this some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him why do your disciples disobey our old age tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat. Jesus replied and why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commands of God? For instance, god says honor your father and mother, and anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death. But you say it's all right for people to say to their parents sorry, I can't help you, for I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you. In this way, you say they don't need to honor their parents. And so you counsel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition, you hypocrites.
Speaker 1:Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote. Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. Listen. He said and try to understand. It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you. You're defiled by the words that come out of your mouth. Then the disciples came to him and asked do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you said? And Jesus replied every plant not planted by my heavenly father will be uprooted, so ignore them. There are blind gods leading the blind, and if one blind God leads another one, they will both fall into a ditch.
Speaker 1:Then Peter said to Jesus explain us the parable that says people aren't defiled by what they eat. Don't you understand? Yeah, jesus asked anything you eat passes through the stomach and goes into the sewer, but the words you speak Come from the heart. That's what defiles you, for from your heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual morality, theft, lying, slander these are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you. Let me just say that right there, my little insert, right there is. These are the sins that are lurking in your heart. These are some of the behaviors that people can see when you have certain sin lurking in your heart. Now, let's keep going.
Speaker 1:Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tri and said unto him A Gentile woman who lived there came to him pleading have mercy on me, o Lord, son of David, for my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely. But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. Tell her to go away. They said she is bothering us with all her begging. Then Jesus said to the woman I was sent only to help God's lost sheep, the people of Israel. But she came and worshiped him, pleading again Lord, help me. Jesus responded it isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs. She replied that's true, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scrapes that fall beneath their master's table. Dear woman, jesus said to her your faith is great, your request is granted, and her daughter was instantly healed.
Speaker 1:Now I believe that Jesus was showing the disciples something while this was happening. And what I believe that Jesus was showing the disciples while this was happening was that I didn't come here for her, but because of her heart posture, because of her faith. She gets the gift. She gets the gift because of her belief. Was the gift for her? Did it come for her? No, no. When I first read that if I can keep it a G with y'all I was like say what, see? That's why, when you get into the word of God, boy you be. You start looking at some of these stories and you'd be like, no, wait a minute at some of these stories. And you'd be like, no, wait a minute, jesus, hold on, make it make sense to him. Make it make sense to him. Well, let's read it. Let's read what it says here in the commentary. Here we go. It says here, chapter 15, verses 21.
Speaker 1:Jesus left there and went to the area of Troy and said unto him the Old Testament prophets denounced these Gentile cities on the Mediterranean coast for and Sidon. The Old Testament prophets denounced these Gentile cities on the Mediterranean coast for their wickedness. Now, while he was there, a Canaanite woman pleaded with him to heal her daughter, who was severely tormented by a demon. She was a pagan whose child was suffering severely. Yet that was only her first problem. The second problem was that, in spite of the fact that she acknowledged him as the Jewish Messiah, the son of David. Jesus, did not say a word to her. Has that ever happened to you? Have you prayed repeatedly only to feel like heaven's answer was a busy signal?
Speaker 1:Her third problem was the response of his disciples. As she continued to make a spectacle of herself, they urged Jesus to send her away because of the racket. So not only did Jesus not respond to her pleas, but his followers were trying to shut her up. Jesus' spoken response was her fourth problem. I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In other words, he'd been sent on a mission to the Jews, not the Gentiles.
Speaker 1:Now we know from the rest of Matthew and the rest of the Bible that Jesus brought God's grace to all people, jews and Gentiles alike, but the focus of his earthly ministry was on the children of Abraham, isaac and Jacob. After his death and resurrection, he would command his disciples to take his message to all nations and to the ends of the earth. Now would you have given up after hearing Jesus' response in verse 24? Most readers wouldn't be surprised if Matthew said the woman turned and walked away. But she didn't. Instead, she knelt before him and cried Lord, help me please. Like Jacob wrestling with God.
Speaker 1:This Canaanite woman wouldn't let go unless Jesus blessed her. Remember, when God doesn't answer your prayers about a specific need, it's likely he's trying to deepen your faith. So be persistent in prayer. To the woman's persistent, jesus replied it isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. The Greek word for dogs typically referred to little house dogs or lap dogs. So Jesus wasn't insulting the woman, but saying he had to feed the Jews first, just as a parent is obligated to feed the children before the house pets. Nevertheless, she wasn't giving up. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table. That is, even though the puppies don't eat first, they still get to eat. I'm willing to settle for your leftovers, jesus. That's desperate humility. That's desperate humility.
Speaker 1:This woman needed the Lord's grace and wouldn't let anything stand in her way. Stand in the way, Not her race, not Jesus's silence, not her pride. And that's exactly where Jesus wanted her to be Woman. Your faith is great, he told her, and then he healed her daughter. This kind of night started with faith. Then, by persevering, through a series of difficulties intended by God to take her deeper, she ended up with great faith. She ended up with great faith. Now God speaks to his children. He speaks all the time and he speaks in ways for us to understand what he's saying. Okay, your faith is great. Your request is granted.
Speaker 1:When you think about the word faith, what do you think about? When I think about the word faith, I think about believing in something you can't see. Very simplistic. I believe in working smart, not hard, right, so I simplify everything. So faith, believing in something you can't see? We can't see. We can't see God, we can't see Jesus. We can't even see the wind, but we can feel it. We know it's there. We know that when we get into this word, something on the inside of us gets excited, something wakes up on the inside of us.
Speaker 1:See, what I'm trying to do and show you is that Jesus is who he says he is. God is who he says he is. He did send people, he sent his son, he sent the men of the Old Testament to give a testament to who he is and what was to come. We're still living in that time, y'all. We're still living in that day. This is just the 21st century. So we've evolved. We've evolved, but the constant is the same Blessings and curses, life and death. We all get to choose which side of the fence we're going to be on, and I'm here to let you know. You choose what you see. Whatever you choose, that's what you're going to see. The Bible says as a man thinketh, so is he. Let's keep going.
Speaker 1:Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak and many others. They laid them before Jesus and he healed them all. The crowd was amazed. Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking. The crippled were made well, the lame were walking and the blind could see again. And they praised the God of Israel. And they praised the God of Israel. And they praise the God of Israel. Go to Matthew 16. Matthew 16.
Speaker 1:One day the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He replied here we go. You know the saying red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means foul weather all day. You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don't know how to interpret the signs of the times. Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. Then Jesus left them and went away.
Speaker 1:Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. Watch out. Jesus warned them Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying. So he said you have so little faith, why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don't you understand even yet? And I imagine Jesus said that like, don't y'all? What, what, what, wait, wait, wait, a minute. I know y'all are not arguing about bread, don't y'all? What, what, what, wait, wait, wait, a minute. I know y'all are not arguing about bread, don't y'all? Well, let me just read it, because then I just okay, I ain't know. Don't you understand even yet? Don't you remember the 5,000 I fed with the five loaves and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves and the large baskets of leftover you picked up? Why can't you understand that? I'm not talking about bread? So I say again beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Then at last they understood that he wasn't speaking about the yeast and bread, but about the deceptive teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Now let's keep going.
Speaker 1:When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea, philippi, he asked his disciple who do people say that the Son of man is? Well, they replied some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Then he asked them but who do you say? I am Simon? Peter answered you are the Messiah, the son of the living God. Jesus replied you are blessed, simon, son of John, because my father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah Peter. Peter, I want you to look up what Peter's name means and then, when you get a chance, I want you to look up what your name means, and I guarantee that your name is a part of your destiny. I guarantee that your name is a part of your destiny. Why do I say that? Well, peter, on this rock, upon this rock, I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Who is he speaking to, peter? What does Peter name mean? Rock? Peter's name means rock.
Speaker 1:When you look at the words, you look at the names of the people in the Bible and you look up their names. For example, I'm just going to go and look up Moses. Let's just see what Moses name means. Moses name meaning to pull out, draw out. It says, according to the name, Moses comes from the Hebrew verb. Hebrew verb meaning to pull out, draw out. It says, according to the name, moses comes from the Hebrew verb meaning to pull out, draw out. And the infant Moses was given this name by Pharaoh's daughter after she rescued him from the Nile.
Speaker 1:Exodus 2, verse 10. Since the rise of Egyptian, and it's in. Well, I ain't going to read all the rest of that, but do you get my drift? The more that you understand the word, the more you understand who you are. There are daily benefits to getting in this word. I can't there's no, I don't even there's no other place. I'd rather be.
Speaker 1:There's a song that says falling in love with Jesus is the best thing I've ever done. When I tell you it is the very best thing that I have ever done in my entire life, very best thing that I have ever done in my entire life is getting into this word. It is the antidote to the worries of life. You get into the word, you're going to see a whole new world. You will see so clear. You will see so clear. I said all of that to say this he knows who you are, he knows your name. Now, everybody isn't drawn to the word and everybody's not going to open up the Bible, but they will look at you. Oh, yes, they will. Yes, they will. They will look at you, they will study you. They will try to figure out who you think you are. Make them see that you are a child of God. Allow them to see that you are the walking word. Be the message. You be the message that you want to see. Now I'm going to tell y'all I wanted to go to Luke 14, and I think I have a little bit of time to go there, so I'm going to go there real quick and then we're going to stop right here. On the Sabbath day, luke 14, verse 1,.
Speaker 1:One Sabbath day, jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader, of a Pharisee, and the people were watching him closely. I told y'all people be watching, even if they don't read, they be watching. There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. Jesus asked the Pharisee and experts in the religious law is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day or not? When they refused to answer, jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. Then he turned to them and said which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don't you rush to get him out Again? They could not answer. When Jesus noticed that all who had come to dinner were trying to sit at the head, at the seats of honor, near the head of the table, he gave them this advice and I don't know who this word is for, but listen, this is some advice, biblical advice.
Speaker 1:Okay, when you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say give this person your seat. Then you will be embarrassed and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table. Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then, when your host sees you, he will come and say Friend, we have a better place for you. Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests, for those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Then he turned to his host. When you put on a luncheon or a banquet, don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives and rich neighbors, for they will invite you back and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. Then, at the resurrection of the righteous, god will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you. Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed what a blessing it would be to attend a banquet in the kingdom of God. I know that's right. I feel the same way, lord. I can't wait. Jesus replied with this story A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations.
Speaker 1:When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to tell the guests Come, the banquet is ready. But they all began making excuses. One said I have just bought a field and must inspect it, please excuse me. Another said I have just bought five pairs of oxen and I want to try them out, please excuse me. Another said I just got married so I can't come. The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said go away into the streets. No-transcript. God is speaking. I hope y'all picking up what I'm putting down, because he's speaking. People make excuses for following his word. Then the next verse listen to what it says in verse 25, because this is really who God is calling us all to be.
Speaker 1:A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them if you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don't begin until you count the cost, for who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there's enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say there's the person who started that building that couldn't afford to finish it, that building that couldn't afford to finish it. Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against them? And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot come, so you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
Speaker 1:Salt is good for seasoning, but if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. God is speaking. God is speaking, and I know I said I was going to stop right there, but y'all, I'm on a roll. Go to Matthew 25. I'm sorry, matthew 22. Because this is essentially the same story. This is essentially the same story that we just read right. But why does God have the author put it in here twice? You might want you to make sure that you pick up what I'm putting down, because his word is going to make the difference in your life. I'm trying to tell you the more that you eat the scroll, the more that you'll be able to see.
Speaker 1:Jesus also told them another parable, he said. Jesus also told them another parable. He said the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Now, y'all do know that. You know the king is the father, the son is Jesus.
Speaker 1:When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited, but they all refused to come. So he sent other servants to tell them the feast has been prepared, the bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, Everything is ready. Come to the banquet. But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. The king was furious and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants the wedding feast is ready and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone, you see. So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothing for a wedding Friend. He asked how is it that you are here without wedding clothes? He asked how is it that you are here without wedding clothes? But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Don't miss it, for many are called but few are chosen.
Speaker 1:Then the Pharisee met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet him. Teacher, they said we know how honest you are. Listen, I'm flattering. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don't play favorites. Now tell us what do you think about this? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus knew their evil motives. But Jesus knew their evil motives. But Jesus knew they, you hypocrites. He said why are you trying to trap me here? Show me the coin used for the tax. When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked whose picture and title are stamped on it? Caesar's. They replied. Well, then he said give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God. His reply amazed them and they went away.
Speaker 1:That same day, jesus was approached by some Sadducees, religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They pose this question. Teacher Moses said if a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have children who will carry on his brother's name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. So his brother married the widow, but the second brother also died and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife would she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.
Speaker 1:Jesus replied, and I believe that Jesus replied just like why I'm going to reply. Here we go. You know what your mistake is that you don't know the scriptures and you don't know the power of God, for when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect, they will be like angels in heaven. But now as to whether there would be a resurrection of the dead, haven't you ever read about this in the scriptures? Long ago, after Abraham, isaac and Jacob had died, god said I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. So he is the God of the living, not the dead.
Speaker 1:When the crowds heard him say these things, they were astounded at his teaching. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question Teacher, which is most important, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses? Jesus said you must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important Love your neighbor as you love yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commands. Wait what Say what? You heard what I said there. You go right there. Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commands.
Speaker 1:And you do know, when you start to read the word of God, they always go back and reference Moses, because God gave Moses all of the, and you know the, the, the ten commandments he gave him, the decrees, the laws. He gave him, the, the scriptures to what we were supposed to abide by, and the decrees. And so you know, we had a choice in the matter. Okay, but keep, let's keep going.
Speaker 1:Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, jesus asked them a question. Let me ask y'all something what do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he? So you know, jesus is funny to me because he said you want to play games, let's play him. Since y'all asking me a question, trying to trip me up, let me ask y'all something what do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he? He's the son of David, they replied. Then why does David speak? Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the spirit, called the Messiah my Lord? For David, said the Lord said to my Lord, sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet. Since David called the Messiah, my Lord. How can the Messiah be his son? No one could answer him and after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. Let me say something, let me say this, and then I'm going to continue to give you this last word.
Speaker 1:God knows and sees everything. Why people want to play around and find out. I don't know why people don't think that God— Listen, this is the revelation that I got about three weeks ago and it freed me Step. They didn't believe Jesus was who he said he was either. Okay, they told Jesus that he wasn't who he said he was either. Okay, they told Jesus that he wasn't who he said he was either. When I heard that, it set me free on a whole nother level. Because was Jesus out here trying to make people understand who he was? Was he trying to get people to see things the way he seen them? Yeah and no. He said you go forth and you give your word. If it falls on deaf ears, it falls on deaf ears. That's why he says those with ears listen, those with eyes see. But he also said I came to open the eyes of those who are blind and to blind the eyes of those who claim they see, you got to understand.
Speaker 1:Jesus came on the scene to elders, preachers, teachers of the religious law. He was. What was he at when they was looking? When his mom and dad was looking for him, he was in the father's house listening to the word of God. Okay, At the age of 12. Guess, who was teaching during this time? Pharisees and Sadducees. So even though you got the hand, this book, in your hand, don't mean that you anointed or had a power, because you can be, you can have the image of God, you can look like, you know what you're talking about, but you ain't got no power behind it. And that's exactly what Jesus came on the scene to show. But he was confident because he knew who he was. Listen to what he says in Matthew 23.
Speaker 1:Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples the teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example, for they don't practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show. On their arms, they wear extra wide prayer boxes with scripture verses inside and they wear robes with extra long tassels and they love to sit in the head of the table at banquets and in the seat of honor, and they love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces and be called rabbi. Don't let anyone call you rabbi, for you have only one teacher and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don't address anyone here on earth as father, for only God in heaven is your father. And don't let anyone call you teacher, for you have only one teacher, the messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant, but those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Speaker 1:What sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law, and you Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You won't go in yourselves and you won't let others enter either. What sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law and you Pharisees, hypocrites, for you cross land and see to make one convert. Then you turn that person into twice the child of hell. You yourselves are Blind gods.
Speaker 1:What sorrow awaits you, for you say that it means nothing to swear by God's temple, but that it is binding to swear by the gold in the temple, blind fools, which is more important? The gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And you say that to swear by the altar is not binding, but to swear by the gifts on the altar is binding. How blind. For which is more important the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred? When you swear by the altar, you are swearing by it and by everything on it. And when you swear by the temple, you are swearing by it and by God who lives in it. And when you swear by heaven, you are swearing by the throne of God and by God who sits on the throne.
Speaker 1:What sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law, and you Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb garden, but you ignore the more important aspect of the law justice, mercy and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind gods, you strain your waters so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a whole camel. What sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law, and you Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy, full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisees first wash the inside of the cup and the dish, then the outside will become clean too. What sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law, and you Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Speaker 1:What sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law, and you Pharisees, hypocrites, for you build tombs for prophets your ancestors killed and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say if I had lived in those days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets. But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started Snakes, sons of viper. How will you escape the judgment of hell? Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men, teachers of religious law, but you will kill some by crucifixion. You will flog others with your whips in the synagogue, chase them from city to city. As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time, from the murder of the righteous Abel to the murder of Zacharias, son of Bacchae, whom you killed in the temple, between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you the truth this judgment will fall on this very generation. Oh Jerusalem, jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers. How often I had wanted to gather your children together as he and protect their chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me. And now look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Y'all, that's a lot. That was a lot.
Speaker 1:Jesus and his parables, the cost of being a disciple the more you get into it, you see the word is real. The word is real. It is time for us to stop playing church. It's time for us to stop playing church. It's time for us to take the Lord at his hand, at his word, take him serious. Now, I had a plan of my own, but the Lord's plan is going to be the ones to succeed, and that's what I need you guys to understand, not just me, you too.
Speaker 1:The book of Matthew is about the promised Messiah, jesus Christ, and it shows us the real or the reality of the scriptures wrote in the Old Testament to the scriptures written in the New. Matthew focuses on the many ways Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and God's grand plan of salvation for Israel and the world. Most Jews at the time of Jesus expected the Messiah to be a military leader who would liberate them from the Romans. But Jesus was an unexpected Messiah. He did liberate people, but not from Rome. Rather, he freed them from sin and from death. And he came to set the captives free. And we are the captives. So what must we do? Repent and turn from our wicked ways. Seek God's face and know that his word is true. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. Continue to seek God, get into this word. It makes the difference in your lives. It will make the difference in your lives.
Speaker 1:I want to leave you guys with this word for October. This is the word of October or the month of October. I want to leave this with you guys here. This is what the Lord said for the month of October Isaiah 25, verse six the Lord all powerful, the month of October, isaiah 25, verse 6. The Lord all-powerful will prepare a feast on this mountain for all people. It will be a feast with all the best food and wine, the finest meat and wine. Isaiah 25, verse 6. God is preparing a table in the presence. Get ready to see, because we're going to be eating amazingly good. Amen, have a good day. It is written Peace.