WEBVTT 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:11.679 You're listening to the road by Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:15.199 That's why it's so important when we come on Sunday. 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:16.559 We are focused. 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:18.719 Not on our phones. 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:20.640 Not on our families. 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:21.839 Not on our jobs. 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:26.079 We're focused on him being on the throne. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:34.960 And if we can start carrying that home and take that home from our secular home and start worshiping there, we make our home sacred. 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:40.880 At The Road, our vision is to raise up wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ. 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:45.439 For more information on the road, visit theroad.org. 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:50.719 We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:00.719 Look back again at 1 Samuel 16. 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:09.680 So I want to go back to 1 Samuel 16 and I want to continue what we talked about last week on the resume of David as it relates to praise and worship. 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:15.599 Now, granted, I know there's a difference between praise and worship. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:24.879 I'm not going to go into the semantics of that here, but I am going to talk about this aspect of lining ourselves up with what God's doing in heaven right now. 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:46.319 Because Jesus is the one who commanded us to pray, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:52.879 So where we're going to go with this today is what's happening in heaven that we're asking God to do on earth. 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:59.439 What's happening in heaven that God wants to bring to the earth because he commands us to pray that way. 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:06.079 And then he commands us at the end, thine is the kingdom, and thine is the power, and thine is the glory. 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.199 Well, what in the world is Jesus talking about? 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:18.400 Well, I think in this passage from a young guy, he's probably 13 years old, David, who has somehow learned about the presence of God. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:29.039 Look back at verse 18, and if I sound a little hoarse, the Georgia, Alabama game was last, was yesterday. 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:36.639 And um, man, what a what a demoralizing last three minutes. 00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:48.879 You know, I don't know if those Vegas bookies pay people off or not, but if they do, they should have somehow sped that clock up just three minutes faster, and we would have won the game. 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:58.319 But I got so into it that I was working on my granddaughter's playhouse and I'm putting in wood, a wood floor. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:03.039 It's, you know, a little, it's it's the little wood floor you get at like Hobby Lobby. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:05.759 Okay, I'm not putting in a wood floor. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:09.280 It's obvious when I tell you the rest of it, it didn't do very good. 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:16.400 And I slice slice off like an eighth of an inch of my finger with a razor while I'm sitting there cutting the wood floor. 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:24.879 So I paid in blood for a dumb football game. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:36.080 But anyway, in verse 18, David, who's not watching football games, but he's spending time with the Lord, it says at the last part of verse 18, the Lord is with him. 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:38.639 So the Lord, the presence of God. 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:43.360 So we talked about the last few weeks, there's three things that we notice about David. 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:47.759 Number one, he had developed a skill, and his skill was playing a harp. 00:03:47.840 --> 00:04:05.919 Now, if we follow the 10,000-hour rule of how we develop skill based on some of the research that's been done, that means, men and women, around eight years old, around eight years old, this kid is putting in 40 hours a week on the harp. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:14.719 And this coming year in 2019, we are taking, and I'm sorry, but I'm a hunter. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:19.680 Maybe you can call it F-stop, whatever you want to call it, if you're a photographer. 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:25.600 But we're putting the crosshairs of this church increasingly on our young people. 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:34.000 We are building a church that we pray if the Lord tarries would last for a hundred years. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:38.160 It can't be just while I'm the pastor. 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:51.680 We've got to be raising up other people to pastor this church so that if we were dropped back into the future and we could come into the future 100 years from now, this church would be more powerful than it is today. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:05:07.120 It'd be being led possibly by little four and five-year-olds that are now in next gin junior down below because they heard the gospel at four or five years old, because we know this that 80% of people get born again before they're 12 years old. 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:15.839 And so we are gonna pour resources into those areas at an even higher level than we have in the past. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:28.639 So when I look at so when I look at the the society in which we're praying for, these are the wholehearted disciples that we have every week here. 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:48.959 That are so most of them are gonna go into business, most of them are gonna go into the school system, most of them are not gonna be pastors, they're gonna be teachers, they're gonna be scientists, they're gonna be mechanics, they're gonna be doing those things, and they need to know from an early age that they are missionaries into those areas of our culture. 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:53.839 And we've and we've messed up the whole idea of the secular and the sacred. 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:57.680 And somehow I do sacred work and you do secular work. 00:05:57.839 --> 00:05:58.800 That's dumb. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:00.560 It's not biblical. 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:02.480 You want you want to know? 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:04.560 This has nothing to do with this, but let me just say this. 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:06.079 I mean, it does it does in a way. 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:07.519 I'll I'll I'll bring it back around. 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:16.399 But think about it this way that if you're walking in the kingdom and you're bringing the presence of the kingdom, look at this. 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:21.839 In the case of Saul, who's demonized, anybody ever worked for a demonized boss? 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:22.639 Okay. 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:27.120 If you work for a demonized boss, it's the first step to the anointing of God. 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:32.480 But so David gets involved with a demonized boss. 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:37.600 He's, listen, he's walking in the sacred. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:40.000 It says the Lord is with him. 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:47.360 He turns the secular into the sacred by walking into it with kingdom presence over him. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:49.199 Do you hear what I'm saying? 00:06:49.439 --> 00:07:02.079 So that if you're a teacher in a school, if you're a lawyer, if you're a mechanic, if you're a housewife, and you're bringing the kingdom into your environment, you just turn the secular into the sacred. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.199 It has nothing to do with a facility or a building. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:08.959 Now, this is the part I'm going to get in trouble. 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:12.560 But I can say it because I is one. 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:20.720 There are many pastors out there and many Christian leaders who are actually bringing the secular into the sacred. 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:23.839 Because they don't walk with God. 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:34.639 They get paid by a church, they get paid by a nonprofit, they get paid by a missionary organization, but they're actually secular. 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:39.279 Because they're not bringing the kingdom, they're bringing themselves. 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:45.439 So, men and women, let's just blow this secular and sacred up and let's rethink about it. 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:52.800 That if God's called you, let's say, into government, you've been called to minister in government. 00:07:52.959 --> 00:08:08.399 You might be working in the government building, you might be running for office or whatever, and you're a kingdom person, and you live for the kingdom, and you spend time with the Lord, and you're praying, God, use me in government. 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:17.199 You're turning that government office when you come in from a secular organization into a sacred one because you just brought the presence of God in there. 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:19.199 That's powerful, folks. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:20.560 That's what David's doing. 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:22.000 He's 13 years old. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:24.480 He's been practicing since he was eight. 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:28.639 He brings the presence of God into that environment. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:30.000 And look what happens. 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:34.159 And we looked at this last week, and I'm just gonna just kind of go over it real quick. 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:35.200 Verse 23. 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:52.960 And so it was whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp, so he's skilled with a harp, play it with his hand, he's a worshiper, then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. 00:08:53.200 --> 00:09:03.039 So what happens when we bring the kingdom, when we bring righteousness, peace, and joy into the workplace, into our home, into our parenting, into our marriage. 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:10.320 And that's really where it all starts, is right there in our marriage, in our family, if we're married, if you're single and you're living with some roommates, it starts there. 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:13.679 But when you go into work, you bring the sacred folks. 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:16.559 And when you do, demons flee. 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:18.240 Demons hate that. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:26.879 See, so the whole idea was set up by the enemy to convince us that the pastor does the work. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:36.799 He's the guy, and we go listen to him on Sunday, and then we've done our son of civic duty, and then we go and we just act like everybody else during the week. 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:40.080 And what, and we never see that anywhere in the book of Acts. 00:09:40.159 --> 00:10:03.840 We don't see that anywhere in Scripture, but if we could start to actually reimagine the Bible today, and begin to reimagine not the culture, but what the Bible says to us about who we are, where we are, and what we're doing, then we would start to sacrize the secular. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:05.679 We would start to bring the kingdom in. 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:06.879 And that's what David's doing. 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:09.759 So now turn to Isaiah 61 again. 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:11.519 So we looked at it last week. 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:13.039 I'm gonna go real quick. 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.039 I'm gonna do a little bit of scripture roulette here. 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:19.200 Um, Isaiah 61. 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:22.720 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:23.679 This is Jesus. 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:27.519 He used this as his missional statement in Luke 4. 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:39.200 Because the Lord is anointing me to preach good tidings to the poor, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:40.879 So that's the mission of Jesus. 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:43.279 And men and women, that's the mission of the church. 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:49.200 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:11:01.360 Now, verse 3 to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning. 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:03.519 Now listen to this. 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:08.159 The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:13.440 So last week we said you got to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:19.440 Now, listen, if we do that daily, here's what it says will happen. 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:23.039 You'll become a tree of righteousness. 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:30.559 Remember, the first word description of the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy. 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:37.759 Now, if you read all of this, righteousness, peace, and joy is covered in all three verses right here. 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:45.440 That if we start to think, oh God, use me to be a comfort to those who mourn. 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:50.320 God use me to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:52.320 That means positive. 00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:54.240 That means being joyful. 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:59.840 That means proclaiming the goodness of God, and that's really what praise is. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.000 Praise is proclaiming the good things that God has done. 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:12.240 You release, listen, you release over the atmosphere the kingdom. 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:23.120 And if you put that garment, and you got to put it on, by the way, you put on the garment of praise, he says, here, it will break the spirit of heaviness. 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:29.519 You see, that's what's happening with Saul, is that David is just a young 13-year-old. 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:35.120 He comes in, he he's just doing what he did in Bethlehem in the hills there with his sheep. 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:36.799 He's not doing anything different. 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:44.159 He has integrity, he brings what he's already doing, and man, it just shocks the whole court system of Saul. 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:50.320 Because heaviness has been ruling almost since the first year of his administration. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.559 You see, Saul starts off really good. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:56.480 It even seems like he was super humble. 00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:00.240 I mean, he hides from the prophet because he doesn't want to be king. 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:02.639 God calls him, brings him out as king. 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:08.000 He's supposed to be under an administration that will last forever, is what the scriptures say. 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:13.919 God sells Samuel to tell him you could, your whole administration could have lasted forever. 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:24.080 But because you didn't obey, because sacrifice is not greater than a broken and a contrite spirit. 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:30.960 I'm gonna snatch your administration away from you, and I'm gonna give it to someone who has a heart after me. 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:32.480 And that was David. 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:35.279 So we talked about last week. 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:39.120 When we start to praise God, it breaks off a spirit of heaviness. 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:40.080 Now, how does that work? 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:44.480 So go now to Revelation, Book of Revelation, chapter 4. 00:13:45.120 --> 00:14:00.399 Only place in Scripture where we have such a beautiful picture of heaven, and we and we pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:02.720 So John is on the island of Patmos. 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:08.240 He's there because of the persecution across the Roman Empire. 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:16.000 We believe this is Domitian, another one of the lunatic emperors of Rome at that time. 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.000 And Christians are getting killed. 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:26.000 His friends are being mutilated in the arena by lions, and John's probably the only one left. 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:27.519 He's in his 90s here. 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:34.639 So listen, in every sense of the meaning of the word persecution, John knows it. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:40.320 And as he looks at what's happening across the earth, there's every reason for him to feel hopeless. 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:45.519 But then he gets invited up into heaven through an open door. 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:56.480 And I want to look at that because when we pray for heaven to come down, we have to understand what's happening in heaven. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:15.840 So in verse 1, it says this after these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things, which must take place after this. 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:22.000 So, so first of all, John is about to enter another rim of reality. 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:24.879 So, do you guys know? 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:30.159 We all know, I believe, you wouldn't be at this church if you didn't know this, that there's two rims of reality. 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:41.679 There's the three-dimensional world that you can touch and see and feel, but there's a fourth dimension, and that's a spiritual dimension which we cannot see, and sometimes we do. 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:44.879 Some of you in this room have seen angels. 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:47.279 Some of you in this room have seen demons. 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:48.240 You've told me that. 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:50.240 Some of you regularly see that. 00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:53.519 And it's like a seer gift, S-E-E-R. 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.240 That's the reason we have seer, because you see. 00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:57.360 You see things. 00:15:57.519 --> 00:15:58.960 I don't have that gift. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:02.480 Um I and I love to have seers around me because they do. 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:03.360 They see things. 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:07.360 They have the ability, see, they're prophetic, they see that kind of stuff. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:19.840 Well, John literally, in this apocalypse, this rending, this opening of the heavens, he gets to see now what is happening in, listen, God's living room. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:22.879 So he gets to go into God's living room, and here's what he sees. 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:31.600 Immediately I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:33.200 Now let's just stop right there. 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:37.200 That's the essence of praise and worship is that there's a throne. 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:41.840 There is a throne, and somebody's sitting on it. 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:49.600 It's not unoccupied, it's never unoccupied, it's always occupied, and it's not up for a vote every four years. 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:56.320 And he runs the universe. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:05.920 So where we think that the three-dimensional world somehow is affecting the fourth-dimensional world, it's the other way around, folks. 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:13.680 That as we line ourselves up with what's happening on that throne, that changes the three-dimensional world. 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:19.599 The world, the reality, the control room of the universe is right there in verse 2. 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:26.319 So back years ago, I had the opportunity when I was missionary in Japan to go into a battleship in Yokosuka. 00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:29.200 I went into Yokosuka, I knew the Admiral. 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.279 He let my whole staff team come in. 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:40.160 We went in, we went into this battleship, massive, massive battleship, you know, like, you know, four times larger than this room, just a massive thing. 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:44.720 And we got in there and he said, You want to see where everything happens? 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:46.559 We said, of course. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:48.480 And he said, Not many people get to see this. 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:50.400 I'm going to show you the control room. 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:58.480 So he took us down into this room, which was about the size of this stage, and in the center was a chair. 00:17:58.720 --> 00:18:00.559 You could call it a throne. 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:04.880 And a guy sat there, and all around him were computers. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:13.039 And all of these guys had a job to do with cannons, and they had a job to do with torpedoes, and it was nuclear. 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.519 So somebody had the nuclear stuff. 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:26.559 And he showed how this guy in a swivel chair could just swing around, and if they were in a war, they were in a battle, he could tell guys what to do, and then they would fire off stuff. 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:28.720 So, so this is the control room. 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:43.279 So, this little control room that we were in controlled everything on the battleship and could destroy other battleships based on the decisions made by the guy in the swivel chair. 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:45.680 It's a throne. 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:49.759 Jesus is on the throne. 00:18:50.400 --> 00:19:13.920 Whether there's a Republican in the White House, whether there's a Democrat in the White House, where the balance of power with the two parties lie, whether we decide to lift the tariffs on China or not, whether we try to decide what's happening with the stock market and whether we should invest or not, he is still on the throne. 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:22.000 And let me just say this: that when we begin to praise and worship him, we are entering into the throne room. 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:27.279 That's why it's so important when we come on Sunday, we are focused. 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:32.559 Not on our phones, not on our families, not on our jobs. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:36.799 We're focused on him being on the throne. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:46.799 And if we can start carrying that home and take that home from our secular home and start worshiping there, we make our home sacred. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:49.119 So there's this throne. 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:51.359 First thing he notices, and he keeps talking about it. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:52.720 A lot of thrones here. 00:19:52.960 --> 00:20:02.559 And he sat there, and he was like Jasper and a Sardis stone in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald. 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:13.920 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the throne saw twenty-four elders sitting clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:18.559 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:24.319 Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are of the seven spirits of God. 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:34.799 Before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal, and in the midst of the throne, and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:39.119 It's like a Stephen Spielberg movie. 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:50.960 The first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:56.720 I mean, that won't that be cool to see these creatures when you when we get there? 00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:08.240 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within, and they do not rest day or night, saying, Holy, holy, holy. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:13.440 Now, in the earliest manuscripts, holy is repeated nine times. 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:17.440 Holy, holy, holy. 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:19.920 Holy, holy, holy. 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:22.240 Holy, holy, holy. 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:30.400 Lord God Almighty, who was, is, and is to come. 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:34.960 Men and women, Jesus is the same. 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:39.839 He's the Jesus we read about in Scripture. 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:45.759 He's the Jesus in time immemorial that we read about in Genesis. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:51.039 He's the Jesus in the future that he was then and he is now. 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:59.759 And when we pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we're inviting Jesus to the earth to do what he does best. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.400 And that is, he changes lives. 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:12.559 And when we worship him, it releases to him a living room over our lives like he has in heaven, because this is what he loves. 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:26.319 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and they worship him who lives forever and ever. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:28.480 And they cast their crowns. 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:29.440 I've circled that. 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:30.640 I'm going to explain in a moment. 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:39.440 They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:46.079 For you created all things, for by your will they exist and were created. 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:47.519 And there's a lot here to unpack. 00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:52.720 I don't have time, but here's the thing I want us to get this morning is that you have a crown. 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:54.640 Everybody has a crown. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:57.839 And in that crown is part of your identity. 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:03.920 And that crown is something that gives you here on earth glory, honor, and power. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:16.400 That crown that's been placed upon your head, even by God, giving you the skills and the talents, the gifts you are, listen, you've got to cast before his throne. 00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:32.079 And until you cast them before his throne and you relinquish your glory, power, and honor to him, you're missing out on the release of the kingdom of God over your life. 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:36.720 Have you given your crown to Christ? 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:39.119 Because that's part of praise and worship. 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:44.400 And that's what I'm going to challenge us this morning to do is does God have your job? 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:46.559 Does the Lord have your girlfriend? 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:47.759 Does the Lord have your boyfriend? 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:49.279 Does the Lord have your money? 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:51.359 Does the Lord have your house? 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:53.039 Does the Lord have your car? 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:55.440 Does the Lord have your heart? 00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:03.920 Because when we cast that before Him, that's the beginning of the release of the kingdom in praise and worship. 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:12.960 You see, if if worship doesn't involve casting our crowns, then we're just worshiping worship. 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:21.200 But when we start casting our crowns in worship, that means we're coming to adore him. 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:24.319 My favorite Christmas hymn. 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:28.400 Come let us adore him. 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:32.160 Oh, come, let us adore him. 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:46.640 The elders in heaven are casting their crowns before the throne and say, receive, O God, glory, honor, and power. 00:24:47.920 --> 00:24:59.119 So when we begin to worship the Lord, when we begin to praise him from our heart as best we can, and we're all at different maturity levels in that, you're lying up with heaven. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:02.400 You're making his living room our living room. 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:03.920 Isn't that cool? 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:06.079 I love my living room. 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:07.519 I love my living room. 00:25:07.599 --> 00:25:08.799 I'm comfortable in my living room. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:11.519 I wouldn't be comfortable in your living room, but I'm uncomfortable in my living room. 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:14.559 And we, Liz and I have made our living room the way we like it. 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:17.759 And Jesus has made his living room the way he likes it. 00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:25.839 And the more we get closer to lining up with his living room and his living room becoming our living room, the more the presence of God comes. 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:28.000 That's awakening. 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:31.680 That's revival in our lives. 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:36.000 Now, turn to Psalm 67 and we'll close with this. 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:38.559 Psalm 67, right in the middle. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:40.720 Psalms is right in the middle of your Bible. 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:45.920 This Psalm is inscribed on the inside of my wife's wedding ring. 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:50.240 It was inscribed on the inside of my wedding ring until I lost it. 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:57.119 And I lost it when I was working out one time, so now I wear this rubber ring. 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:04.079 But it's apt because I mean it's apt, it's appropriate that I wear this rubber ring. 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:08.640 Because if you men aren't like rubber, you won't stay married long. 00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:11.759 So you gotta be able to bounce around, man. 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:15.440 I tell you, marriage is a battle sometimes. 00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:16.400 Right? 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:18.559 Everybody go like this, you know what I'm talking about. 00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:21.039 The rest of you, you just give it a few more years. 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:22.319 You'll understand. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:31.039 But we did this because we were missionaries and we were committed to missions, and we've always been committed to missions, and we want to reach this city for Christ now. 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:35.039 And here's how you do it the formula is right here. 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:40.160 God be merciful to us and bless us and cause your face to shine upon us. 00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:42.400 That's the presence of God, men and women. 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:44.640 That reminds me of Moses. 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:47.039 Moses led out of presence. 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:51.039 He led out of the shine upon his face because he was face to face with God. 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:57.519 And the presence of God is the face of God, and you can't shine with the face of God if you're not looking at him. 00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:02.559 That your way may be known on the earth and your salvation among all nations. 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:04.960 Let the peoples praise you, O God. 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:10.000 Let all the peoples praise you, and let the nations be glad and sing for joy. 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:20.160 I mean, I'd love to preach more on that, but the reason we bring Jesus to a nation, the reason we bring Jesus to our city is it brings them joy. 00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:30.559 Wouldn't it be cool that there was so much of a presence of God in Colorado Springs that almost any work you go into, there's joy there. 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:32.160 Now they wouldn't understand it. 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:34.720 I don't even think Saul gets what's happening with David. 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:36.720 He doesn't get it, he just likes it. 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:39.359 He just likes the effect, but he doesn't get it. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:41.759 It's obvious because he gets more and more jealous. 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:46.480 And as he does, he actually cast out the very one who's bringing the joy, so he doesn't get it. 00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:57.680 And a lot of times in our work, you're going to be working for a boss who doesn't get it, but he likes the atmosphere you bring because you're a kingdom person, because it's bringing joy. 00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:02.880 For you shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations of the earth. 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:03.839 Look at verse 5. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:05.680 Let the peoples praise you, O God. 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:07.359 Let all the peoples praise you. 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:10.240 Then the earth shall yield her increase. 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:13.680 God our God, our own God, shall bless us. 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:19.119 God shall bless us, and look at the last line, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:27.680 So, men and women, when we bring praise and worship into our jobs, it releases actually production wherever you go. 00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:30.720 Wherever you go, you start to see production. 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:43.119 You know, I think David's ability to write what we call the Psalter or the Psalms and the poetry that he wrote was because of the praise that was in his life. 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:57.119 And I don't care what it is that God's called you to be, if it's a chemist, if it's a high school teacher or principal, if it's to be an administrator or to be a housewife or a stay-home dad. 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:05.839 You start praising God and you're gonna release the kingdom over that which you do, and it's gonna bring production on the earth. 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:09.440 It's gonna bring joy and it's gonna change people's lives. 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:12.559 Now here's the problem, and I'll close with this. 00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:19.440 The problem is some of you have never released yourself to worship. 00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:24.240 You've never really given yourself wholeheartedly to praise. 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:34.960 It could be fears, it could be a religious thing because you grew up in the church and you never saw anybody, I mean, everybody just did their little hymn thing, which is fine. 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:40.240 I mean, I mean, God doesn't care about the position of your body as much as the attitude of your heart. 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:47.119 But I will say that there's a new work of God that could be involved that God's calling you to, like we read in Revelation. 00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:48.640 You know what's in Revelation 4? 00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:50.319 That's really loud there. 00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:52.240 It's really loud. 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:54.319 Go to verse 5. 00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:57.920 It's on the level of thunder and lightning. 00:29:58.480 --> 00:30:07.920 Wouldn't it be cool if the people across the street knew we were meeting because our praise and worship was so loud. 00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:12.079 They'd have to call the cops or the fire department. 00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:14.480 These people are loud over there. 00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:18.480 I would not mind that. 00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:28.720 Because you can't get loud unless there's a sense of bold, radical abandonment. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:31.119 Let me just tell you something. 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:51.279 Between two and five o'clock in my rec room yesterday, there was screaming, there was jumping, there was hollering when Georgia scored. 00:30:53.200 --> 00:31:02.720 And we've got something a little bit more important, and someone a little bit greater than Georgia football happening here. 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:07.680 Let's engage our hearts. 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:10.640 Let's be demonstrative. 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:17.200 Jack Taylor in giving a definition of praise. 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:19.359 He said this. 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:23.680 Praise in its essence is the adoration of God. 00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:31.519 Praise is always active, assertive, demonstrative, and open. 00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:36.000 That sounds like, to me, like a football game. 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:46.160 Wherever it is mentioned, listen, wherever it is mentioned, movement, action, sounds, and songs are seen and heard. 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:47.039 Hello! 00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:54.000 You've been listening to The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:31:54.400 --> 00:31:57.039 We hope you have been blessed by today's message. 00:31:57.279 --> 00:32:01.119 To connect with us further, visit theroad.org. 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:05.119 If you are walking through a difficult time, we want to pray for you. 00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:12.480 Go to theroad.org, click on the ministries tab, and go to our prayer page to send us your prayer request. 00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:20.480 Thanks again for tuning in today, and be sure to listen to the next edition of The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.