How to Understand the Old Testament: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 You’re going to learn this morning how to understand Old Testament scripture. And this lesson is really imperative for people who really want to understand the Bible. Okay? This is a pivotal message that will illuminate the whole Bible and you remember God cannot lie. The Bible is God’s word of truth. God is who the Bible says he is. God did and will do what the Bible says he did and will do. We are who the Bible says we are. And we can do and be what the Bible says we can do and be. But for us to do and be, we got to understand what the Bible says for us to do and for what we can be.

▶ 1:00 And so this morning, last week, we showed you a fantastic promise of God to God’s rebellious people. Now, he jumps right in to an extraordinary prophecy. Okay? Just jumps right in. And Isaiah says in Isaiah 2:1, “The same thing in Micah 4:1, Micah, remember prophesying at the same time Isaiah is.” And both of them said the identical wording, identical. Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, let everything be established. And so this is definitely a prophetic word from God. And uh it’s a word concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

▶ 1:53 Okay. Concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now when is this word about Judah and Jerusalem going to happen? It shall come to pass in the last days. So this word concerning Judah and Jerusalem is going to happen in the last days. All right. What is going to happen in the last days concerning Judah and Jerusalem? The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains. We all know what a mountain is, right? And we all know what a house is. So here’s a mountain with a house on it established in the top of the mountain.

▶ 2:45 So there’s other mountains all around it. And be exalted of the hills. Hills is not as high elevated as mountains. This is what’s going to happen in the last days. And all nations are going to flow into this mountain of the Lord’s house that’s going to be established at the top of all the other mountains and all the other hills. And many people are going to say, “Let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. Let’s go to the mountain with the house on it.

▶ 3:38 Now, why are they saying it? Because he Jesus will teach us his ways and we his people will walk in his paths. A profound promise by God. All right. Very profound. If God said it, he can what? Perform it. Do it. Perform it. Yeah, that’s a better word. Perform it. He has the power to perform what he spoke also. Why? For out of Zion shall go forth the law. This is the word concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Out of Zion shall go forth the law.

▶ 4:29 The law is a rule that has a punishment if you break it, has a reward if you keep it. And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. So this is the word of the Lord concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And I know it’s all clear to you now. I don’t have to preach another thing. Now, if this is going to happen in the last days, then let’s look and see what all these things are. All right? Let’s see what the Bible says all of these things are concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

▶ 5:21 We’re going to teach you how to understand scripture this morning. And if you can get this in your cranial vacuum, you don’t need me anymore. This will open up the Bible to you. But remember, only the spirit can give you understanding. You don’t get things intellectually. This is what the church has got to learn. You get things spiritually. Yeah. And you can have all the intellectual debate you want to, but you tell you you and until you let God touch your spirit, you’re just not going to get it. God’s got to be involved in this. All right. Our faith should not be in the intellect of men, but in the what? Power of God. And too many people are trying to figure this stuff out intellectually, and it has to be birthed spiritually.

▶ 6:16 Could that be an amen? Oh, that was weak. That was weak. And you know, that’s the problem in America is we intellectually try to approach God. And don’t get me wrong, the intellect is part of it, but it is not the resulting power that gives us the answer. How to understand scriptures? Here we go. Mark 4:11. To you it is given to know the mystery. A mystery is something secret, something hidden until you get enough evidence to know what the secret is. It’s given to you to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. Okay? Parables is a story or a record illustrating a truth.

▶ 7:11 Allegory, metaphor, parable. They’re stories or a record, okay, that illustrate a truth. What is right? Now we all know a metaphor in the book of Samuel that said the olive the trees said to the olive tree reign over us. The fig tree reign over us. The vine tree reign over us and the bramble reign over us. And of course none of them have the height or the power to reign over the big trees. It was a metaphor, a parable, an illustration that Abimelech was a bad choice to be the king.

▶ 8:09 All right, that’s an illustration. A record is Noah and Lot are recorded historical records of two judgments of God that illustrate the final judgment that’s coming. Okay, that’s a record. That’s not a parable. Like Schuler said and a lot of other people that that’s just a myth. No, that is a record. It happened and it illustrates the third judgment, the coming judgment of God. Jesus himself plainly said that. Are you with me? All right. It’s not a myth, not a parable. It is a record that speaks of a truth. Six day creation recorded in history. How the world came into being is another record of truth.

▶ 9:05 And we just saw a big debate between the creationist and the evolutionist. I love those things because the creationist always win. My son James says, “Well, that depends on how you on who’s looking at it.” I can prove they always win because the evolutionists never give you an origin. They are talking about the origin of the earth and the evolutionists can’t give you an origin. They will say now it used to be something else. Now it’s hot gas and heat that exploded into everything we see. A microscopic uh hot gas and heat.

▶ 9:56 Well, where did the hot gas and heat come from, my friend, evolutionist? If you’re going to go to origins the start, then let tell me where they came from and tell me why there was only one little group of heat and gas. Why wasn’t there three or four or five that exploded? And we had three or four or five univer universes universes and or a thickening of this one. Are you out there? See, the evolutionist can never give you the origin cuz if they did, they would be talking about a God, something out of nothing. Genesis said God made something out of nothing.

▶ 10:58 See, not proving that hot gas come from nothing is not using the scientific method. If he’s going to use the scientific method, then he should use it and show us how this gas and this heat, where did heat come from? Who created heat? You see, they’re not using the scientific method except at their particulars. All right. Now, they got to also answer this. Why not more than one big bang instead of one hot gas explosions? And where is the mutation link between an animal and humans and a fish and a bird? Where is it? And why did evolution stop?

▶ 11:50 Why aren’t we still evolving into something more fitting? I mean, why are humans stuck with eating? Why don’t we evolve to where we don’t need to eat? Are you there? I’d like to been in that debate. And if you’re going to use the scientific method, then use it like it was intended to be used. And don’t cheat. Don’t give me a lot of words that mean nothing. That’s all they do. They just give you a lot of words that mean nothing. Isn’t it funny how evolutionists cannot change or answer the following questions? Why does man live an average of 70 plus years as ignorant Bible authors stated and then return to earthly dust?

▶ 12:52 Why is it these ignorant Bible authors gave us answers that are still prominent today and scientists can’t do a thing about it? Are you out there? Are you hearing me? See, they think because of their much speaking, they’re going to convince us that the Bible’s wrong. Why does living things reproduce, eat, and discharge fruit food as the Bible says? Surely there’s a better way. Why aren’t we evolving to where we don’t eat, where we don’t have to go to the bathroom, where we, you know, come on. Why did evolution stop where God said it started?

▶ 13:47 Are you out there? Do you think this way when you hear these bird brains talking? You need to think this way. You need to be equipped to put the challenge back upon them. Why are the stars used for navigation today and earthly locations used for seasons, years, months, and days as the Bible in Genesis 1 said they would be these ignorant authors of the Bible be before the scientific method was invented had answers to these things. Why are there wars?

▶ 14:38 Why are there acts of God? Tornadoes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions. Why are there famines, poverty, and plagues as the Bible said there would be? And scientists can’t do a thing to stop it. Why are there? Are you out there? See, the Bible has answers that they will not recognize. How did ignorant Bible authors write about ocean and wind currents and the Earth being a sphere and hung on nothing when they never had a spaceship up in orbit? How did Bible authors know that stuff? Because God gave them the knowledge of how he made things.

▶ 15:33 Are you out there? Do you wish you weren’t? How many watch that debate or listen to it? Oh, you need to get on the internet. You You got to educate yourself. It’s I have never seen and I’ve seen a lot of debates and heard a lot of them on campus and all this. I’ve never seen creationists lose one. They just tear them apart. If scientists could be transported back to the day of creation, this is what I’d like to tell them. And God took him up to Adam who had no navel, was not born of a woman. I’d like for him to answer that question. How come this guy doesn’t have a belly button?

▶ 16:29 And here he is. Adam’s about 6’ tall, 32 teeth in his head and so forth. They check out his teeth. They check out everything. And they’d say he’s about 30 years old when God made him yesterday. You see, they’re stuck with their scientific method. And if he took him over to a sequoia tree and said, “How old is this 300, you know, this 300 and some foot high tree?” They’d say, “Oh, about over a thousand years old.” God said, “Well, you know, I just made that a few days ago. Are you there?” And if God would have took him over to a meteorite that fell from the sky and said, “How old is that rock?” And that said, 15 billion years old. God said, you know, I just made that at the beginning.

▶ 17:22 I just made it. He made it to be in their understanding millions of years old, billions of years old. Are you out there? And let me tell you this, the scientific method requires you to observe. It requires that. How can they observe creation? They can only observe what happened after it and try to follow it back. That’s not observing. Are you out there? You need to really you need to listen to these debates. You need to get information in you. But even these creationists come up way short because they don’t know the scriptures. There is powerful answers in these scriptures. Hallelujah.

▶ 18:19 Now, do we understand that there are secrets hidden in God’s word? Do we understand they are either records or stories that are going to reveal truth to us? We got it. All right. Romans 16:25, the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret. Since the world began since when the world began I we we know in the scriptures Jesus died before the foundation of the world. His blood was shed before the found this whole thing was set in order before God said let there be light. All right. This whole thing was set in order. God did not have a plan B. This was his plan. Now please listen.

▶ 19:11 These mysteries kept secret since the world began, but now is made clear and by the scriptures of what? The prophets are made known to all nations. So if we want to learn the secret, where do we go to find the secrets? The prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, all of these prophets. So these people that don’t believe in the Old Testament, they’re just in looney. They’re just, you know, the New Testament did not nullify the Old Testament. There are still truths to be revealed to us in the Old Testament. Are you with me so far?

▶ 20:05 Hallelujah. Now, I told you, you get this, the Bible will open up to you. Really open up to you. Revelations 10:7, in the days of the seventh angel, when he begins to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God should be finished as declared to his servants, who? The prophets. Okay. So, when is this mystery going to be fully uncovered? At the seventh trumpet, at the return of Christ. Are you out there, church? Is this too hard on your cranial brain? This will really revolutionize how you read the Bible. And if you’ll ask God to reveal this message to you, I guarantee you, Leviticus won’t be dead to you anymore.

▶ 21:02 All right? Ezekiel will not be dead to you anymore. Okay? It’s imperative that we get this. If I want to know the mysteries of the kingdom, where do I go? Prophets. When is it going to be finished? When Christ comes. The seventh trumpet is the last trumpet. It’s when Christ comes. And I keep trying to tell the brethren that are always given these charts on the end times and all this stuff that there are mysteries are going to be revealed as God reveals them.

▶ 21:55 And until he reveals them, we’re not going to know them. And he’s not going to reveal them till we need the revelation of them. Wow, that was good. So why do we keep making charts and all that? Because we make money. We sell books. We get a following. Oh man, he’s got insight on this. And then time goes by and he he’s wrong. They’ve been wrong ever since I was a little boy and before I was a little boy. But we get all hyped up about this. But we see clearly that the secrets will re be revealed as he what reveals them until that seventh trumpet.

▶ 22:51 Hallelujah. Romans 15:4. Whatever things were written before were written for our what? Learning. These records, these stories, these illustration, these parables, these allegories was for our learning that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. That Old Testament was written for you to be encouraged and have expectation and be and to be comforted what God says he will do. 1 Corinthians 10:11. All these things happened to Israel for example. So all that record of Israel was for what? Examples and were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.

▶ 23:41 Are we in the last days? Yes. Do you get encouragement? Do you learn when you go to the [unclear] if if Christians could get this vision, they would you couldn’t keep them from getting up in the morning and reading their Bible cuz there’s comfort there, there’s hope there, there’s understanding there. But they just read it if they do read it so they can say they read it through last year. What’d you learn? Nothing. Okay. Hebrews 8:5 talking about the priests and the offerings and all the priestly duties.

▶ 24:32 He says, “Who serve to the example and the shadow of what? Heavenly things.” So all that priesthood, all of those rituals that involve the priest were an example of heavenly things. Hebrews 10:1, the law having a what? Shadow of good things to come. And this is what the creationist didn’t understand when the evolutionist asked him about these scriptures that stone people and all that. He didn’t get it. They are shadows. They are illustrations of the truth to come. God never went around stoning virgins. God never went around stoning people. You only have a handful of stonings that God did.

▶ 25:27 And there were more stonings by evil people killing innocent people than there were by innocent people punishing bad people. You see, are you out there? See, you don’t get stoned for breaking a shadow law. You get stoned for breaking the law that the shadow reveals. Are you there? Hallelujah. So, the animal blood, the feast, the Sabbath, the diet, the incense, all that stuff was a shadow of things to come, an illustration, a parable of things to come. So now understanding the term the last days is very easy.

▶ 26:20 Acts 2:16 and Joel 2:28 say the same words. This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. All right. Hundreds of years before today this happening. It shall come to pass in the last days. Okay. And I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. And your young man will see visions. And your old man will dream dreams. And on my servants, and on my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my spirit. And they shall prophesy. So if anything is a sign of the baptism of Holy Ghost, it would be prophecy. But tongues that are speaking by the inspiration of God is a prophecy in a earthly language or a heavenly language.

▶ 27:15 It’s the same thing. And I just get worked up when these people want to debate with me that tongues stopped in the book of Acts and not for today and all this. How how can you read your Bible intelligently just with your own brain and come up with something like that? Tongues are a sign for the unbeliever. Paul specifically said, “Forbid not to speak in tongues.” Yet in the church, and most churches in America, you speak in tongues, they’ll kick you out. And even churches that believe in it, they’re not doing it much anymore. That could be because God is winding himself up for another visitation. All right.

▶ 28:08 So, are we in the last days? Yeah. The first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ is the last days. We read it. The secret will be revealed until the last trumpet or from the day of Pentecost to the seventh trumpet, whatever, how you want to do it. I go from Jesus who started the new age. He was the beginning of the new age. All right. Now, what is the mountain of the Lord’s house established in the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills? You notice this mountain is black. These hills are black. Okay, that has a significance. We’re going to show you what the mountains are. You ready?

▶ 29:00 Deuteronomy 12:2, “Destroy all places for the nations serve their gods on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. Destroy the altars, the pillars, the images, everything. Destroy them.” See, this is the pagan’s way of worshiping God. All right. The wrong way of worshiping God. And where did they do it? On the hills and on the mountains. Are you there? Are you there? All right. But you shall seek where the Lord God chooses to put his name, his dwelling place, and there you shall go, and you shall not do what is right in your own eyes. Church, we got to realize that that statement is for us.

▶ 29:52 Too many Americans are coming up with their own ideas from their own intellect of how to worship God and serve God and doing what they want to do and what’s right in their own eyes. This is how I see it. This is what I believe. Well, who cares what you believe? Who cares what you see? How does God see? How does God believe? Could that be an amen? And so, he specifically makes a clear statement to them. So, where did the Lord choose to put his presence, his dwelling? Remember that question. So we go to Exodus 15:17. Here Israel was told they would go in to Egypt for 400 years, be slaves there, and then come out.

▶ 30:48 They were in Canaan land. They were going to go out of Canaan land into Egypt and then back into Canaan land. And so God, when they parted the Red Sea and they came over on dry land, God spoke this prophecy to them. Very powerful. It took me several years before this verse was revealed to me in Exodus 15:17 cuz I was hung up on the dancing on the seashore. And you shall bring them in now bring them into Canaan and a mount in Canaan or is it something else he’s talking about? Did I lose you? See, God’s going to bring them in.

▶ 31:39 We know he’s bringing them into Canaan land because that was his promise. So, is it a place in Canaan land that he’s going to bring them where he’s going to dwell? And I’m going to plant them in the mountain. Now, here is God’s mountain of your inheritance. The place, oh Lord, you made for yourself to dwell in. The sanctuary which your hands have established. See, God had this place where he was going to dwell established before Israel ever went into Egypt. Are you there? Psalm 78, he chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion, which he loved.

▶ 32:48 So what mountain is he talking about here? Mount Zion. All right. Remember this is the word of the Lord concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Okay? He chose the tribe of Judah and the mountain in Judah which he loved. 1 Chronicles 15:1 David prepared a place for the ark of God in the city of David and pitched for it a tent. Okay. Now, where is the city of David? 2 Chronicles 1:4. He had pitched a tent for it at where? Jerusalem. So, the word of the Lord concerning Judah and Jerusalem is about a mountain of Zion where God’s house would be.

▶ 33:49 Are you there? That’s what Isaiah is saying. 2 Chronicles 5:2, Solomon assembled the elders. Now, he just built a temple to Jerusalem. The word of the Lord concerning Judah and Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant. That’s where God dwelt out of the city of David, which is what? The city of David is which is in which is in Judah. Now, this is where your fundamentalist, your literal interpretation of the Bible without revelation get messed up.

▶ 34:51 They actually think he’s talking about a mountain in Jerusalem, in Judah, in Israel. And that’s their big hangup. And we’re going to clear that up for you this morning. Are you ready? Hallelujah. I’m so glad you’re excited. The church is the mystery, the parable, the example, and the shadow that is revealed. What is it? Church. Church. Okay, we’re going to back it up. Hebrews 12:22. You are you a part of God’s body, the church?

▶ 35:44 Yes. Yeah. All right. You are come to where? Mount Zion. Did you really come to Mount Zion? How many of you been to Mount Zion? Not a one of you. One. You’ve been to Mount Zion and Jer Jerusalem. Yeah. Right. You’re right. You’re right. But see, we didn’t go to that physical mountain in Zion. And God never intended it to be that mountain in Zion. In Jerusalem. He put it in a parable. All right, we come to Mount Zion. Then he describes who Mount Zion is. The city of the living God. What is Mount Zion? The city of the living God. The heavenly Jerusalem.

▶ 36:36 Mount Zion is the church. Jerusalem. The church. Yeah. The church of the firstborn. Now, are you a member of the church? I’m not talking about this church. I’m talking about his church. A lot of people are members of a church, but not a member of his church. And there’s a big difference. You come to God, the judge of all, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. So, see, before Israel ever went into Canaan land, this is the plan God had. You got it, church? And Isaiah is revealing it to us.

▶ 37:27 Judah is the church. Romans 2:28, he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is circumcision, which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter. You see, this is this is not an intellectual thing. The intellect is part of it, but it’s the spirit being active in you. You see, what did Jesus say to Peter? Flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, Peter, but my father. You see, intellect. You didn’t get this through intellect, Peter. That I am the Christ, the son of the living God. You got it because my father opened your understanding.

▶ 38:22 You responded. You young onions getting this? This is a powerful message. This really changes everything how you read and learn from the Bible. How many are learning something this morning? Hallelujah. Philippians 3:3. We are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus. See, we are the Jew, the circumcision. Galatians 6:15. In Christ Jesus, circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but a what? New creature. As many as walk according to this rule, this standard of behavior.

▶ 39:15 See, there is a standard of conduct in the church. Peace and mercy upon them and upon the what? Israel of God. So who is the Israel of God? The church. Judah is talking about the church. And the record of Judah, a lawgiver, will not depart between his feet until the Messiah come. That’s Judah. That’s talking about the church. You see, is Christ going to reign and rule in his church before he comes to the earth? Hallelujah. The church is God’s house.

▶ 40:08 Hebrews 3:6, Christ his son over his own house. Whose house are? We. Acts 7:47-48, Acts 17:24, Isaiah 66:1. The Most High dwells not in temples made with hands. Why are we so set on a temple being rebuilt over there in Jerusalem when God said over and over, “I don’t dwell in temples made with hands. I dwell in a temple made without hands, the church of the living God. Are you out there folks? But you see, we read books out of the Christian bookstore. We watch and we listen to radio and TV propaganda until we believe stupid thing.

▶ 41:04 Even in Genesis when they wanted to build a tower and God came down and destroyed it. See, God, why? God’s not interested in a physical thing to worship him. He’s interested in you. He’s interested in the people. Amen. And see, God doesn’t dwell in the Baptist, in the Catholics, in the Pentecostals. He dwells in his people. He doesn’t dwell in this building. He dwells in us as individuals and as the corporation coming together, the body of Christ coming together. Are you there? And what are we lacking in many churches in America? That powerful presence of God dwelling among this people.

▶ 42:04 Now let’s go back and look at this in the light of the records and the parables. The word concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah’s prophesying about who? The church. When will the church be active? In the last days. Okay. And what’s going to happen to the church? The church will be above all religions. Now, let me ask you, is it We’re really dumb if we think this scripture has been fulfilled. They step on us. They mock us. They laugh at us. They rule over us when the Bible plainly says that the righteous will rule over the wicked.

▶ 43:05 Are you out there? And I’ve been saying for 40 years, Jesus Christ is not coming in my generation, in my lifetime. I was called a cult. I was called all kinds of names because if you go against the status quo, oh my God, they how can you be right and everybody wrong? I didn’t say I was right. I’m telling you what the Bible said. He’s coming back for what kind of church? A glorious church without spot. Do we have spots and wrinkles? Yeah. You see, did Jesus say, “Rule thou in the midst of your enemies?” Are we? No. But we have been so brainwashed by these pre-tribulation rapture people, post-tribulation rapture people, our millennials, postmillennials, and all these other things that we failed to see the church and the promise that God promised the church until the last day.

▶ 44:11 And we’re just waiting for the rapture to come. People are just hanging on. I’m just going to hang on. God don’t want you hanging on. The Bible says he will build his church and the gates of hell shall not what? Yeah. The gates of hell prevailing. Yes. Any idiot can see that the homosexuals who are 2% of America’s population are prevailing. Why? Because most of God’s people don’t even know this promise in Isaiah. These churches don’t preach it. These churches don’t teach it. And most of God’s people aren’t even interested. Just tell me I’m going to be prosperous and everything’s going to be okay and God’s going to keep sickness away. Yeah, man. Just don’t tell me I got to do something to be a active part of this thing.

▶ 45:04 I got to actually read my Bible and follow it. Are you out there? And yes, I have borne the attack of many people, but it’s 2014 and who was right. Who was right? The Bible. And they keep changing their theories. Church, this ought to excite you. Will God do what he said he will do? Yes. Yes. All nations shall flow into it. Now, we do have all nations flowing into the church. But remember this, before the 1400s, they didn’t know there was islands out there with people of South and North America.

▶ 46:04 Okay? They didn’t know that and they were looking for the second coming. All right. We discovered North and South America and some islands and oh boy, now we and we thought we had reached all the ethnic groups, all the languages, and then just a few years ago, they discovered a tribe in South America that had they had never known before. And then over in Indonesia, they discovered another tribe of people we had never known before. See, we don’t know what else is going to be revealed. Now, could Christ have come before these people had a chance? He said, “Out of every nation.” And my gospel will be preached in what? Every nation.

▶ 46:58 And we didn’t know there was two groups that still in this technology age was hidden from us until just a few years ago. Are you hearing what I’m saying? But we do see all nations flowing into it now. But not enough cuz he’s got a harvest up there that can’t be numbered. Okay, this thing is a big thing he’s working on. Many will say, “Let us go to the mountain of the house of the Lord,” which is his church. Let’s go to church. You don’t have to drag them out of bed. You don’t have to call them on the phone. You don’t have to send them an email message. Hey, church time.

▶ 47:49 They’re going to be up and at him, man. Why? Because God is teaching us his ways and he is causing us to walk in his path. And that’s new covenant. I will cause you to follow my way. That’s the promise in the new covenant. God’s going to do something to us that inspires us, drives us. We’re not going to be struggling with sin and debauchery. Amen. Isn’t that what he’s saying? Is even 50% of the church world in America walking in his ways?

▶ 48:43 No. They just pick and choose what commandments they want to keep and don’t keep. And if they’re going to a church and they pick a commandment or so that they don’t want to keep and they keep harping on it, then they are getting led by the spirit to go to another church that allows them. And how many know the church is like McDonald’s? It’s the same everywhere you go. But in America, the church isn’t like McDonald’s. It’s a smorgasbord. Whatever you want, we’ll appease your appetite. And that’s wrong. And America has to be woken up. And God promised he’s going to do something big. You getting it, church? Powerful.

▶ 49:36 For out of Zion, what’s Zion? The church. Out of the church shall go forth the law. And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. What is Jerusalem? The church. What is Zion? The church. What is Judah? The church. And all those things written and recorded is so we could understand the church. Hallelujah. Now look at these powerful scriptures. Psalms 125, they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abides forever.

▶ 50:29 They that what? Trust in the Lord. How many people you know that they say they trust in Jesus and they backslide 60 days? Why? Because they don’t understand. People aren’t teaching them how powerful the church is and where that power comes from. It doesn’t come from human intellect. See, I don’t have to work up faith. I don’t have to work up anything. The spirit reveals. The spirit empowers. God’s involved. Psalms 48:2, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion. So what should be abundant in the church? Joy.

▶ 51:21 What should be abundant in God’s people? Joy. And joy is one of the fruits of the spirit. Psalm 74:2, you’ve been redeemed this Mount Zion wherein you dwell. So, did he buy us and purchase us the church? Yeah, he purchased us. See, it was there before he ever did it. Joel 2:32 in Mount Zion in Jerusalem shall be what? Deliverance. Folks, the church is supposed to be a place of of deliverance, setting free. And we are all supposed to be a part of that. Yes. Amen. See, that’s why we need to pray as a unit. Worship as a unit. Worship is not a preliminary. Worship is a source of the power of God to deliver and heal.

▶ 52:17 Psalms 46, there is a river that streams make glad the city of God. The streams plural. See, out of your innermost being, everybody flows out. We get a big river. Psalms 87:3, “Glorious things are spoken of you, oh city of God.” What kind of things? Glorious things. Honorable things. The church is an honorable place. This man and that man was born in her. You can’t get into this church by a baptism certificate or a uh some ritual you go through or or uh uh what’s that thing the Catholics do? What? Confirmation. Confirmation. Yeah. Yeah. You got to be birthed by the spirit into this church.

▶ 53:09 And this is where the Protestants have it. Almost every Protestant believes in being born again. Except your liberal ones. I don’t know why they even believe in God. Everything they believe reduces God down to no power. But every Protestant I know believes in being born again. That God has to be active in our life. And that is true. And he he said it about his church back there in Psalms. The singers as players on instruments shall be there. The music is a part of what God is doing in his church. And all my springs, how many? All of these streams, all of these rivers are in us. We’ve got to we’ve got to to see this is a every member participation thing.

▶ 54:07 It isn’t the mighty man of God doing something. It’s the church pouring out of their innermost being these rivers of life that heal the nations, deliver them, and set them free. Man, that was good. See, you are important. We got to get rid of this mighty man of God mentality. The church is a many membered body and all of us are important. Yes, he uses certain people to speak and so forth, but it’s got to be the body. Amen. No, mighty man of God. No popes. First Peter 2:5, you also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

▶ 55:06 Therefore, it is also contained in the scriptures. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, an elect precious cornerstone. And he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious. But to those who disobey, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, a stone of stumbling. Who is that? Jesus. You see, the New Testament tells us, see, we are the house of God, a spiritual house being built up. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you pro you may proclaim the praises of him who hath brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

▶ 56:00 Who once were not people, but now are the people of God. See, once you weren’t a person of God, now you are. And you are the living house to offer up spiritual sacrifices, not lambs and all that. The fruit of our lips, giving thanks and praise unto his name. So, who’s Isaiah talking to in Isaiah 2? You. Can God do it? That’s what you got to ask yourself. Can God really do this in me? See, we’re always looking for somebody else. But the church is that many membered body of Christ. Can God actually make me part of this manifestation of God pouring out of me, touching my life, and bringing healing and deliverance and salvation to the nations?

▶ 57:07 That’s the question you got to ask yourself. And if so, you got to become involved. You got to become a prayer. You got to become a worshiper and a praiser. You got to become a Bible reader, a Bible student. And you got to become involved to release it. See, water’s no good while it’s in the ground. It doesn’t help anybody. It’s when it comes out, springs come out of the ground. That’s when it’s profitable to people. Hallelujah. And listen, if you think that Jesus’s sacrifice in the cross, that he would come today and that’s all he could do on this earth is what he’s done, you’re missing the big picture of the Bible.