Speaker 1: The stories of the prophet Daniel are riveting, full of adventure and the miraculous.
Speaker 1: But what if we're telling these stories the wrong way?
Speaker 1: Yes, god saved his people and shut the mouths of lions, rescued those thrown into the scalding furnace.
Speaker 1: But maybe it's less about stopping wild beasts and power-hungry, egomaniac kings and it's more about humbly following our God when the world around us laughs.
Speaker 1: Maybe it's more about being faithful and kind when not promised deliverance from every king and executioner who threatens us, because our God never leaves us when the heat is turned up.
Speaker 1: He will never forsake us when the world demands we deny him.
Speaker 1: Daniel was obedient when he expected to die for his faith.
Speaker 1: Jesus obediently chose death for us.
Speaker 1: Today, the word of God challenges us to humbly follow our good and loving God, no matter what happens next.
Speaker 1: You may already be in the lion's den, but God will always be with his children.
Speaker 1: Join us for Daniel and the Upside-Down Kingdom.
Speaker 2: If you're there, you say amen, amen.
Speaker 3: Wow amen Amen.
Speaker 2: Now I, nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven For all.
Speaker 2: His works are right and his ways are just, and those who walk in pride he's able to humble.
Speaker 2: Let's pray, lord, I thank you for this morning.
Speaker 2: Thank you for the privilege to proclaim your word.
Speaker 2: Thank you, father, for the opportunity to be a city life today.
Speaker 2: Thank you, father, for everything that you are doing in this place.
Speaker 2: Thank you for the lives that you're transforming in this place.
Speaker 2: Thank you for the families that you are impacting in this place.
Speaker 2: Thank you, father, for the shepherd that you've placed in this place, pastor Dale and his family.
Speaker 2: Thank you, father, for all the new members that you've added to this family.
Speaker 2: Thank you for all the ministries, father, for all the servants for Isaiah, who I get to meet sometimes.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Father, for all those that I do not know, but you know, father, that are recorded in your book, that are serving each and every day.
Speaker 2: I thank you for all those that are faithful, father, that maybe they don't step here to proclaim, but their reward is sure Because they serve you, father, and so I thank you for all people in this place, and so, father, as I proclaim your word, I pray that you would work, that you would do what I cannot do.
Speaker 2: May you apply it more than I can apply it.
Speaker 2: May you take it deeper than I can take it.
Speaker 2: Father, may your Holy Spirit do what only you can do.
Speaker 2: Lord, I pray Father for help as I proclaim it.
Speaker 2: If what I prepared, father, is not good enough, may you improvise and feed your children.
Speaker 2: We trust and believe in your mighty, holy name and we all say amen, amen, amen.
Speaker 2: The title of my message today is called I wish I knew then what I know now.
Speaker 2: I wish I knew then what I know now.
Speaker 2: Usually, when people use this statement, it's because they're expressing regret for the way life has turned out.
Speaker 2: When they look in the rear view mirror of life, they've gathered enough experiences about life and now they say I wish I made decisions sooner, I wish I followed god sooner.
Speaker 2: There is not a person here who is a follower of christ, who has tasted his goodness, who doesn't say I wish I knew God sooner, amen.
Speaker 2: You start regretting.
Speaker 2: I'm like why did I waste that time?
Speaker 2: I wish I followed Christ sooner.
Speaker 2: I wish I made that decision sooner To save my marriage.
Speaker 2: I wish I made that decision sooner To get sober.
Speaker 2: I wish I made that decision sooner to get sober.
Speaker 2: I wish I made that decision sooner to trust in christ, to believe in him.
Speaker 2: I wish I wish if I knew then what I know now, things would be different now.
Speaker 2: What I want to do today is maybe for some of us this will be the then that you look back and say I thank God that I trusted God that day.
Speaker 2: I thank God that when I heard his word I actually did trust him.
Speaker 2: You know, I've realized I've grown up in church.
Speaker 2: Thank God I was born in a Christianian family.
Speaker 2: I don't take that for granted at all.
Speaker 2: This past week I was thinking about my dad, who died when I was seven.
Speaker 2: He was a man of god.
Speaker 2: I thank god for it.
Speaker 2: But one of the the things that I think I was thinking about, I was taking a shower and I said one of the greatest memories memories I have about him was a time when we were gathered together as a family and we were praying together.
Speaker 2: I was seven no, actually he died when I was seven, so I was probably like six but the memory that is stuck with me is the time when we were praying together as a family.
Speaker 2: And I remember that night he said do you have anything that you want to repent of?
Speaker 2: And I don't know what I said, really, but that I remember we would sing hymns together, we would pray together and we'll go to sleep.
Speaker 2: And I was.
Speaker 2: I was asking myself how can I replicate this in my family that my kids, maybe 25 years from now, will remember that I brought them together and we would read together.
Speaker 2: Anyways, I'm telling you that I've grown up in church and I know what it means to sit in church and you hear a preacher preaching and you say I know what you're saying, but I won't do it.
Speaker 2: I know what you're saying, but I already have plans.
Speaker 2: I grew up in church, so it doesn't mean that I had church in me.
Speaker 2: I was in church, but I doesn't mean that I had church in me.
Speaker 2: I was in church but I wasn't in christ.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, and so I know what it means to be in church, but have plans, and so you're like I know what you're saying, I hear you, but I got plans.
Speaker 2: So I pray that if you're here today it won't be you, amen, so that you don't say I wish I knew sooner I would have done something different.
Speaker 2: When I just bought my business, the postal place that I have, somebody called and made an order.
Speaker 2: They wanted to order many stamps.
Speaker 2: And you know I'm ambitious, I want to build a good business, and so I'll be honest with you.
Speaker 2: I was clouded by my ambition and I said why is this person wanting these many stamps?
Speaker 2: But I said you know what this will put me ahead in the month.
Speaker 2: And so I said sure.
Speaker 2: So I sold them the stamps.
Speaker 2: They they called me can I pay over the phone?
Speaker 2: I sent them a credit card form to fill out, but they skipped it and they said can I pay you over the phone?
Speaker 2: And they say you know what sure they paid.
Speaker 2: And after the money was in my account, they got the stamps and off they go.
Speaker 2: I'm like, oh, that was good.
Speaker 2: After a few days the same person calls you know, I'm doing a lot of work.
Speaker 2: Can I do this again?
Speaker 2: Can you get me these stamps?
Speaker 2: And I said hmm, but you know, again, I'm being honest, I wanted to make more money.
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, guys, but you know businesses exist to make money.
Speaker 2: And I say you know what sure something happened.
Speaker 2: He paid.
Speaker 2: He took the stamps.
Speaker 2: Then he reached out the third time and I said something is fishy.
Speaker 2: I started looking up why do people order a lot of stamps?
Speaker 2: But nothing was coming up and I said you know what?
Speaker 2: And so I hesitated to reach back.
Speaker 2: A day went and I realized there was a dispute on my bank account.
Speaker 2: Oh my god, I felt violated because I felt like this person took from what was mine and stole from me.
Speaker 2: I felt angry and banks could not help me.
Speaker 2: I wish I knew then what I know now.
Speaker 2: A few weeks ago somebody called again Same scam.
Speaker 2: I need this amount of stamps.
Speaker 2: I told my employee don't worry, I'm going to handle them.
Speaker 2: I wanted to have some fun.
Speaker 2: But the reason why I made that decision is because now I know I've been scammed before.
Speaker 2: Now I know if you ask me for a lot of stamps, I'll tell you you can come for them, but I'll be waiting.
Speaker 2: What do you think king nebuchadnezzar would have told you if you asked him at the end of his life?
Speaker 2: What would you have done different if god would have given you an opportunity to trust in him again?
Speaker 2: What?
Speaker 2: What would you have done different After 43 years of your reign, he rules for 43 years.
Speaker 2: What would you have done different?
Speaker 2: I think he would tell you.
Speaker 2: I wish I knew sooner that God rules.
Speaker 2: I wish I did know sooner, because this is one of the craziest stories in scripture Like it's unbelievable.
Speaker 2: But you know why it's unbelievable?
Speaker 2: Because some of us, we think we can never fall too low and so we say, nah, you don't know who I am, you don't know how smart I am, you have no idea.
Speaker 2: You don't know my degrees, my credentials, you don't know.
Speaker 2: No, but I think Nebuchadnezzar will tell you I wish I knew sooner what I know now.
Speaker 2: I would have trusted god better.
Speaker 2: Let's work through the story.
Speaker 2: King nebuchadnezzar tells us he's writing this, probably, and then daniel puts it together.
Speaker 2: Later he says he was at peace in his palace, he says he was prospering, and he gets a dream and this dream makes him restless.
Speaker 2: And you know, as a king, if he can't sleep, nobody will sleep if you, if you're not aware people, people who have grown up in kingdoms.
Speaker 2: I'm from uganda and in uganda there's a kingdom and every single person who lives in the kingdom belongs to the king.
Speaker 2: He owns the people, he owns the land.
Speaker 2: You don't own anything.
Speaker 2: That's why god is the king of kings and the lord of lords.
Speaker 2: He owns everything.
Speaker 2: So when the king can't sleep, you cannot sleep, and so he calls his magicians those, those that can do tricks.
Speaker 2: He calls enchanters, he calls Chaldeans, astrologers every single smart person that he could find in his kingdom.
Speaker 2: Tell me the dream that I had.
Speaker 2: Give me an interpretation.
Speaker 2: Well, they said we can't.
Speaker 2: He says you know what?
Speaker 2: Let's call another guy.
Speaker 2: I know this guy.
Speaker 2: His name is Daniel Daniel guy.
Speaker 2: I know this guy.
Speaker 2: His name is Daniel Daniel come.
Speaker 2: I have a dream.
Speaker 2: I need an interpretation.
Speaker 2: The Bible tells us I heard Pastor Dale already gave you background.
Speaker 2: I listened to some of the sermons.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, he gave you a background about the names.
Speaker 2: He had been given a name Belteshazzar.
Speaker 2: I did my homework, pastor Tim, so he had been given a name Belteshazzar so that he could forget where he came from.
Speaker 2: But he's called Daniel Daniel comes.
Speaker 2: And he says the king tells him I had a dream.
Speaker 2: What is the dream?
Speaker 2: There's a strong tree that I saw.
Speaker 2: It grew so strong to the heavens.
Speaker 2: It was visible to all people.
Speaker 2: It provided food for all Beasts of the field found shade in it.
Speaker 2: All people fed from it.
Speaker 2: But in this dream the king says then there was something that happened.
Speaker 2: A watcher came from heaven Like an angel of heaven.
Speaker 2: An angel of God came and said cut down the tree and its branches.
Speaker 2: In other words, cut down its influence, scatter its fruit and let the beast of the field flee.
Speaker 2: In other words, those that found refuge around this king will also flee.
Speaker 2: And then he says change its mind from a man's mind to a beast's mind.
Speaker 2: Then he says that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he wills and sets it over the lowliest of men.
Speaker 2: I think this is the thing that bothered him.
Speaker 2: God gave him enough to call for a man because there's trees.
Speaker 2: But then I think he understood the dream, but he wanted to make sure this is what it means.
Speaker 2: I think so, but that's not in the bible, so you can forget about that.
Speaker 2: Daniel says well, king, this is scary business.
Speaker 2: You know, when you're standing before this, the mightiest man, you just can't tell them anything.
Speaker 2: You have to be filled with the spirit of God.
Speaker 2: You know there are some places that, if God is going to take you, you just can't go there.
Speaker 2: After eating donuts, I'm telling you.
Speaker 2: You know you go there knowing that you are backed by God.
Speaker 2: And so Daniel says this is a hard dream, but accept my interpretation.
Speaker 2: This is what it is the tree that grew and became strong, that's you.
Speaker 2: Your greatness has grown, your prosperity has increased, but your pride has also grown with your prosperity.
Speaker 2: Your kingdom is going to be taken from you.
Speaker 2: You will be driven from among men.
Speaker 2: You shall eat grass and live like an animal, like a beast.
Speaker 2: And then he says seven periods of time shall pass.
Speaker 2: Then what he heard in the dream repeats till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of man and gives it to whom he wills.
Speaker 2: Then he tells him your kingdom shall return when you have come to understand that heaven rules.
Speaker 2: Then Daniel says now, this is my counsel, this is my advice.
Speaker 2: Please accept my counsel.
Speaker 2: What does he tell them?
Speaker 2: Number one break off your sins by practicing righteousness, in other words, repent, change your ways, king.
Speaker 2: Number two break off your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed.
Speaker 2: You have grown so much that you don't pay attention to those that are struggling, those that are under you, those that don't have a voice to speak for themselves.
Speaker 2: You don't mind them, you don't care about them, they that are under you, those that don't have a voice to speak for themselves, you don't mind them, you don't care about them, they are nothing to you.
Speaker 2: And he says if you repent, maybe God will lengthen your prosperity.
Speaker 2: Now this is where the sermon starts from.
Speaker 2: Something unexpected happens.
Speaker 2: Something unexpected happens exactly silence.
Speaker 2: Silence.
Speaker 2: No response from the king, no other word from daniel.
Speaker 2: 12 months go by.
Speaker 2: I was thinking about that silence for a long time this week.
Speaker 2: I'm serious.
Speaker 2: Now, what can we learn from this story as a whole?
Speaker 2: First of all, god is in control.
Speaker 2: He's in control.
Speaker 2: You know that God is in control of what is happening in China.
Speaker 2: Do you believe that?
Speaker 2: You know he's not just in control of what is happening right here, he's in control in China, in Uganda, in Congo, everywhere.
Speaker 2: God is in control.
Speaker 2: God does not stoop from heaven and say what is happening?
Speaker 2: Wait, wait, wait.
Speaker 2: What happened in San Diego today?
Speaker 2: Go down and see, come and give me information.
Speaker 2: No, god is not an investigator, he is in control.
Speaker 2: I can sleep at night because he's in control.
Speaker 2: If you got problems, sleep, god is in control.
Speaker 2: I'm telling you.
Speaker 2: Sometimes, the best thing you can do is sleep, take a nap, rest.
Speaker 2: Exactamente, god is in control.
Speaker 2: I'm telling you Sleep, eat, drink a cup of coffee, chill, relax.
Speaker 2: God is in control, he is.
Speaker 2: Don't lose appetite, go eat.
Speaker 2: If things are falling apart, go eat.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, don't lose appetite, go eat.
Speaker 2: I think it's falling apart, go eat, eat a burrito.
Speaker 2: If you Number two, some of you will eat it after service.
Speaker 2: No problem, god is in control.
Speaker 2: Number two God is in control.
Speaker 2: God places people in positions of power.
Speaker 2: It's God who in control.
Speaker 2: Number two God is in control.
Speaker 2: God places people in positions of power.
Speaker 2: It's God who positions people, and I have to trust that.
Speaker 2: Even those that are in power that I cannot reach, god knows them and has placed people close to them.
Speaker 2: He has placed people close to them, so don't worry about them.
Speaker 2: Pray for them, because God is in control and he positions people.
Speaker 2: Daniel thought he was in exile.
Speaker 2: He was positioned.
Speaker 2: Nebuchadnezzar thought he was so strong, but he was positioned by God.
Speaker 2: God speaks.
Speaker 2: He could speak to you through a dream.
Speaker 2: He's speaking already.
Speaker 2: When we read the scriptures, god is speaking.
Speaker 2: The Bible says the word is inspired.
Speaker 2: It is by God, and so every time we open the scriptures, as I read it.
Speaker 2: The Holy Spirit has already spoken to all of us.
Speaker 2: If you're waiting for another word of God, you know they say if you want to hear from God and you have your Bible closed, I'm sorry for you.
Speaker 2: If you want to hear from God, keep your Bible open.
Speaker 2: That's the word of God.
Speaker 2: That's why Jesus, when he was quoting the Bible, he said the Spirit said through Daniel, but David was writing the Psalms, but yet Jesus says the Spirit said that means Jesus believes that God is speaking every time we open the Scriptures.
Speaker 2: So God speaks in dreams through His Word, through man, when they are preaching the Word.
Speaker 2: God is the ultimate judge.
Speaker 2: There's nothing that is happening under the sun that God will not bring to judgment.
Speaker 2: Do you know that there's no sin that God will not bring to judgment?
Speaker 2: Do you know that there is no sin that God will not judge?
Speaker 2: Nebuchadnezzar thought that he was unanswerable.
Speaker 2: He was not answerable to anyone.
Speaker 2: Nobody could speak to him.
Speaker 2: He thought he would sin the way he wanted.
Speaker 2: He thought he could step on anyone he wanted.
Speaker 2: He thought he could oppress those that could not speak for themselves.
Speaker 2: But let me tell you this God is the ultimate judge.
Speaker 2: He didn't know that there is a God in heaven who's looking.
Speaker 2: He didn't know.
Speaker 2: 2 Chronicles tells us that his eyes move to and fro all over the earth.
Speaker 2: God sees, he's the father to the fatherless.
Speaker 2: He sees.
Speaker 2: His eyes are too pure to look on evil.
Speaker 2: He will bring judgment, and some people don't like this idea of judgment, but let me tell you this If you, if you, if you, we should all pray for God's judgment, and I will tell you why.
Speaker 2: Because judgment is an extension of God's love.
Speaker 2: It is.
Speaker 2: Can I Okay look?
Speaker 2: Do you know that when you read Genesis, after Cain had killed Abel, the Bible says God came to Cain and told him that I hear your brother's blood crying out from the ground.
Speaker 2: In other words, blood has a voice, it speaks to God.
Speaker 2: I know that there is blood of kids that have died during trafficking, that have been dead, that have been killed, that is crying out to God for justice.
Speaker 2: There is blood of those that have been oppressed that is crying out to God for justice, and God is the ultimate judge.
Speaker 2: There are those that never got justice on earth, but they will definitely get it.
Speaker 2: Why?
Speaker 2: Because God is the ultimate judge.
Speaker 2: He is, and if we say, you know, don't judge me, god will judge me.
Speaker 2: The Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the living God.
Speaker 2: Now let me tell you this that thought humbles my heart, but you know what it also does?
Speaker 2: It presses me forward to say I need to hold on to Christ Jesus, because if you're here, you're saying you know what God will judge me.
Speaker 2: Are you sure?
Speaker 2: Because God's standard is perfection.
Speaker 2: God's standard is perfect, and if God is going to pass judgment on you, you ought to be scared, because there is nothing that is going to overlook.
Speaker 2: There's no sin, there's no lie, there's nothing, any filth, that is going to overlook.
Speaker 2: But look at the way God is good.
Speaker 2: Two thousand years ago, a man walked on the face of the earth.
Speaker 2: His name is Jesus.
Speaker 2: He lived a perfect life that we could not live and died a death that he did not deserve, so that any single man who places their faith in him will become right with God.
Speaker 2: That's why, when God looks at me and you, after we place our faith in Christ, it is as if he's looking at Christ.
Speaker 2: But if you come on your own merit, if you come on saying I will plead my case before God, you won't even get before God.
Speaker 2: The Bible says he dwells in unapproachable light that nobody can look into.
Speaker 2: Sometimes it's because we have a low view of God and so we think, you know, I'll come before God and tell him.
Speaker 2: You know, if you're not underpriced under the blood of Jesus, like the old hymn says, nothing in my hands I bring simply to thy cross.
Speaker 2: I cling naked.
Speaker 2: I come to thee for dress, helpless, I look to thee for grace, fall I to the fountain, I fly.
Speaker 2: Wash me, savior, or I die.
Speaker 2: Hold on to that cross.
Speaker 2: That's it.
Speaker 2: So, from the greatest of sinners to the least of us, god is going to bring judgment.
Speaker 2: And if you're not found in christ, who is the only way to God, there's a problem.
Speaker 2: So, are you in Christ?
Speaker 2: Don't leave today without doing so, without placing your life and trusting him with your life.
Speaker 2: Amen.
Speaker 2: Back to the text as I finish.
Speaker 2: Am I, yeah, almost Amen.
Speaker 2: Back to the text as I finish.
Speaker 2: Am I yeah, almost Nebuchadnezzar?
Speaker 2: He heard the text, he heard the message.
Speaker 2: Twelve months passed, he doesn't say anything.
Speaker 2: In other words, he's unbothered.
Speaker 2: He was restless, he called everybody, he woke up everybody.
Speaker 2: Yet he hears the messageed.
Speaker 2: He was restless, he called everybody, he woke up everybody.
Speaker 2: Yet he hears the message, does nothing.
Speaker 2: That's point number one.
Speaker 2: A lot of people hear God's word and they become indifferent.
Speaker 2: They are now moved by God's word.
Speaker 2: They're unbothered, no interest.
Speaker 2: Like I said, you know you got your programs.
Speaker 2: I'll get to that later.
Speaker 2: You've told me what you want to say, preacher.
Speaker 2: I hear you, but not today.
Speaker 2: Not today, I still got stuff to finish.
Speaker 2: Really, we are unbothered.
Speaker 2: He got the dream.
Speaker 2: He becameed.
Speaker 2: He got the dream.
Speaker 2: He became restless.
Speaker 2: He got the most anointed man in his land.
Speaker 2: The problem was not the preacher, no, there was no more qualified man than Daniel.
Speaker 2: Yet he did nothing about it.
Speaker 2: He became what the Bible says.
Speaker 2: He became a hearer of the word, not a doer of the word, and not a doer of the word.
Speaker 2: Jesus says anybody who hears my words and does them, he's wise.
Speaker 2: Anybody who hears my words and does not do them is foolish.
Speaker 2: And how do you know that you're doing God's word?
Speaker 2: You build your life around it.
Speaker 2: When the winds come, when the, when the, when the storms come, your house is founded on christ.
Speaker 2: So choose today.
Speaker 2: Choose today.
Speaker 2: Don't become just a hearer of the word like nebuchadnezzar.
Speaker 2: Be a doer of the word Say what is it that God is calling me today to do?
Speaker 2: Today, I want to do that.
Speaker 2: What is it that God is calling me to do?
Speaker 2: How can I build my life around this word today?
Speaker 2: Because you're not transformed by what you hear or by what you know.
Speaker 2: You're transformed by what you do with what you know.
Speaker 2: If you don't do anything about it, you're just filled with information.
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, guys, I'm just a preacher.
Speaker 2: If you don't do anything with it, you just have information.
Speaker 2: And you know.
Speaker 2: We have a society that is filled with information.
Speaker 2: I looked it up the other day we have around 51 million YouTube channels Spilling out information.
Speaker 2: We have podcasts opening every day and we could have an illusion of wisdom when we have a lot of information.
Speaker 2: But until you start to apply what you know, don't.
Speaker 2: Become a hero of the word, become a doer of God's word.
Speaker 2: And so some people they postpone their obedience.
Speaker 2: They say not today.
Speaker 2: They procrastinate their obedience.
Speaker 2: Procrastination is the largest nation on earth.
Speaker 2: Procrastination is the largest nation on earth and sadly, a lot of people live there, vacate, move, give up that citizenship.
Speaker 2: If God calls you to do something today, do it.
Speaker 2: The Bible says if you hear God's spirit today.
Speaker 2: Do it.
Speaker 2: Do not harden your heart If you hear God moving you, if you hear God saying it is time to forgive today.
Speaker 2: Forgive it is time to heal today.
Speaker 2: Heal it is time to work on my marriage.
Speaker 2: Do it today.
Speaker 2: It is time to get sober.
Speaker 2: Don't postpone it.
Speaker 2: We sometimes think we have a lot of time.
Speaker 2: If God says it's time for you to deal with that relationship that is broken, deal with it today.
Speaker 2: And you know why I do believe.
Speaker 2: Whenever God is calling us to do something, it's because the Holy Spirit is present to do it with us.
Speaker 2: So today, if you hear his word, do not harden your heart.
Speaker 2: Do not create a wall around your heart Like Nebuchadnezzar.
Speaker 2: He heard the word, he heard it.
Speaker 2: He didn't do anything about it.
Speaker 2: If God says it's time for you to give your life to me, give it.
Speaker 2: Go ahead.
Speaker 2: Don't say you know what Next year.
Speaker 2: Second thing pride.
Speaker 2: Pride, that's the hard one.
Speaker 2: Look with me in one.
Speaker 2: Look with me in um.
Speaker 2: Verse 28, 29.
Speaker 2: At the end of 12 months, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon and the king answered and said it's not this great Babylon which I have viewed by my mighty power as my royal residence for the glory of my majesty.
Speaker 2: You know, in school there is what they call plagiarism.
Speaker 2: You know that when you go to school they tell you never use anybody's work and not cite the source.
Speaker 2: Why, if you write an essay and you quote CS Lewis CS Lewis said so that people don't think you're that smart, it's okay, you're smart because you looked it up.
Speaker 2: But just cite the source Plagiarism they warn you about that.
Speaker 2: In manufacturing, they have patent laws.
Speaker 2: Somebody invented something.
Speaker 2: It belongs to them.
Speaker 2: That's why you drive your car.
Speaker 2: It has a logo.
Speaker 2: It belongs to Tesla.
Speaker 2: They made it.
Speaker 2: It belongs to Jeep.
Speaker 2: It's theirs.
Speaker 2: They have a patent.
Speaker 2: What else In music, copyright laws?
Speaker 2: You sing a song.
Speaker 2: You say no, no, it's bethel who sung the song, it's not my song.
Speaker 2: You give credit, you just can't use it.
Speaker 2: Do you know?
Speaker 2: Everything in your life belongs to god and every single time we claim ownership of it, we are violating copyright laws of creation.
Speaker 2: That's why he was violating right here.
Speaker 2: He thinks he has done all this by his own power.
Speaker 2: No, he didn't.
Speaker 2: It's God's power, it's God's intellect, it's God's brain, it's God's breath.
Speaker 2: He did not choose his genes.
Speaker 2: He did not choose his intellect.
Speaker 2: You know, you didn't choose anything about yourself.
Speaker 2: You're just a recipient, and every single time you claim ownership of it, you're violating something in creation Pride.
Speaker 2: And pride is the number one plague of the human heart.
Speaker 2: That is it, that if you say you don't have it, it's proof that you do, because how did you know how it looks like?
Speaker 2: So every time, even in my heart, there's still some pride that I'm dealing with.
Speaker 2: I'm telling you.
Speaker 2: You know, when you're married, marriage exposes pride.
Speaker 2: Right married people.
Speaker 2: The other day my wife was telling me something and I responded in a way that she didn't like.
Speaker 2: And my wife usually she doesn't say anything back.
Speaker 2: She just kept quiet and after some time she said you know, let's talk about this.
Speaker 2: How do you want me to talk to you?
Speaker 2: And I said I thought about it and really there's no way I want her to talk to me.
Speaker 2: There's really no way.
Speaker 2: I'm serious, I'm being serious.
Speaker 2: You know what I told her.
Speaker 2: You just, you're just married to a broken man.
Speaker 2: God is still healing some pride in me.
Speaker 2: I thought I was being attacked, but you are communicating.
Speaker 2: There's pride in my heart as well that God is dealing with.
Speaker 2: Amen, my people.
Speaker 2: Pride destroys families.
Speaker 2: It destroys lives.
Speaker 2: A man could be perishing, but pride will hinder him to call out for help.
Speaker 2: Pride, god says.
Speaker 2: He resists the proud, but yet he gives grace to the humble.
Speaker 2: In other words, every time we are proud, we get on the opposite side of God.
Speaker 2: He's actively against us.
Speaker 2: That's why, before God will save any man, he first humbles them in the sense of self-worth, until we come to him and say I'm a broken and shattered man, I need mercy, I need grace.
Speaker 2: That's why salvation is a gift.
Speaker 2: Nobody will stand in heaven and say God, you see what I did?
Speaker 2: No, every single one will say behold the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.
Speaker 2: It's a gift, amen.
Speaker 2: So receive it.
Speaker 2: And let me tell you this as I finish.
Speaker 2: I think I'm finishing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, sometimes when you have achieved success, it's good to celebrate it.
Speaker 2: But let me tell you this it's also very easy for you to get prideful when you can look at some of the stuff that you've done.
Speaker 2: And if you're here and you've achieved some level of success, you've built a successful business, you've been able to scale it.
Speaker 2: As they say, you're like.
Speaker 2: You know, I did this in two months.
Speaker 2: I did this in three months.
Speaker 2: You guys are building an amazing ministry.
Speaker 2: Be careful, because pride is crouching on your door.
Speaker 2: Some people, if God has started working in your heart and God has given you the ability to speak into people's lives, now you say I don't need a pastor anymore, nobody can speak into my life anymore, I can get it myself.
Speaker 2: Pride is crouching on your door.
Speaker 2: You're making so much money you won't listen to nobody.
Speaker 2: Pride is crouching on your door and God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.
Speaker 2: Maybe you come, you sing and people say man, every time you sing, the glory, the glory, every time you sing the glory, the glory, every time you preach and you say Pride is crouching on your door.
Speaker 2: So if you're gifted in that area, you know what you do.
Speaker 2: Pride looks around, but humility looks up.
Speaker 2: You look up, you look at yourself, but humility looks up and say it's God, he's just working through me.
Speaker 2: Amen, and I will tell you, the remedy that I've seen is this it's keeping your eyes on Jesus.
Speaker 2: Like David says.
Speaker 2: One thing have I asked of the Lord, one thing that I require that I would dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Speaker 2: To do what?
Speaker 2: To gaze, to look, to behold at his beauty.
Speaker 2: Keep your eyes on Jesus, not on the things that he has given you, on the giver.
Speaker 2: So if you were to ask Nebuchadnezzar after he had gone through all that he rejected God and God brought judgment to him you know what he would have told you.
Speaker 2: He would have told you.
Speaker 2: He would have told you I wish I listened to what God was saying.
Speaker 2: I wish I listened sooner.
Speaker 2: I wouldn't have spent all this time living like an animal and friend.
Speaker 2: You don't have time to resist God because you don't know how much time you have.
Speaker 2: Last story About six years ago, I drove to LA to pick up a friend of mine.
Speaker 2: His name was Martin.
Speaker 2: He came from Uganda.
Speaker 2: I brought him.
Speaker 2: He came to look for greener pastures.
Speaker 2: I loved him.
Speaker 2: He slept in my bed greener pastures, I loved him.
Speaker 2: He slept in my bed.
Speaker 2: I slept on the couch.
Speaker 2: My wife was not here yet.
Speaker 2: After some time he said I'm going to look for life down in LA.
Speaker 2: He went down in LA but his life turned like this he came glorifying God, but his life turned like this.
Speaker 2: And man, he did everything that he could.
Speaker 2: He had a good time and life started going down, down and down and down.
Speaker 2: In 2024, I remember in December he called me and he said man, life is tough.
Speaker 2: I told him Martin, you know the solution.
Speaker 2: You have to come back to God.
Speaker 2: He says I'm ready.
Speaker 2: I spoke to Martin.
Speaker 2: We talked about it.
Speaker 2: I told him if you want to come back to my house, you could.
Speaker 2: You're my friend, bro.
Speaker 2: You slept in my bed.
Speaker 2: I said I'll pray for you.
Speaker 2: So I prayed for Martin.
Speaker 2: The last thing that I did on you.
Speaker 2: So I prayed for Martin.
Speaker 2: The last thing that I did on that call.
Speaker 2: I prayed for him.
Speaker 2: A few months later, a call rang and Martin was gone.
Speaker 2: Martin was gone.
Speaker 2: It breaks my heart every single time.
Speaker 2: I just can't believe that he died.
Speaker 2: But the thing that I thank God for is this the last thing I spoke to him about was you need to come back to God, and I prayed over him, and so I'm telling you this Some of us think that we have a lot of time, but you don't.
Speaker 2: If God is speaking to you right now and he says it's time for you to give your life, give it to him.
Speaker 2: Give it to him.
Speaker 2: Don't hold back, do not harden your heart.
Speaker 2: He knows it.
Speaker 2: You can trust him.
Speaker 2: So, father, I thank you for your word.
Speaker 2: I thank you for your truth.
Speaker 2: I thank you for everything you've done and every heart that you've touched, every work that you are doing in any heart right now.
Speaker 2: I pray, father, that you press this over anybody that you're speaking to and ministering to.
Speaker 2: That, father, they can trust you, that they can be reminded that you are very loving, that you long to have a relationship with them, that you, you just want to restore them and heal them and make them whole.
Speaker 2: But I pray that to some people who are here, they will look back and say that's the day that I chose to get right with god.
Speaker 2: That's the day that I chose to surrender my life.
Speaker 2: That's the day.
Speaker 2: I thank you that you are good and you are faithful and you'll do what you've promised.
Speaker 2: I pray all this in the precious, mighty name of Jesus, amen.
Speaker 2: Amen.
Speaker 3: Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Speaker 3: Tell the Lord, thank you Lord.
Speaker 3: Just tell him.
Speaker 3: Thank you, thank you Lord, thank you Lord.
Speaker 3: I'm not what I should be, but thank you, lord, that I am not who I was.
Speaker 3: Look after this message.
Speaker 3: If anybody in here knows that the Lord is speaking to them, there will be people.
Speaker 3: They'll typically have this little lanyard on and they'll be ready to pray for you, to shepherd you, to give your life to Christ.
Speaker 3: Now is the day of your salvation.
Speaker 3: Don't put it off.
Speaker 3: If you got anything out of that message, especially that last story, we don't know how much time we have, but even if God were to give us a thousand years, he would want you to work those thousand years in his care.
Speaker 3: Amen.
Speaker 3: Let's give God a praise for Pastor Bora and that beautiful message.
Speaker 3: Hallelujah.
Speaker 3: Now, family.
Speaker 3: We have come to the point.