Rebuilding The Altar | Pastor William McDowell

um we've all been forced into a circumstance due to to really love at this moment the reason I say that is because we're not gathered together as a family not because of fear we're not gathered together out in person because of even an overabundance of caution but really the reason why we have chosen to do it this way because we love you so much and it would break our heart to make a decision to meet it would cause any of you to get sick and so we are really because of our love for you have just chosen to do this it's amazing because all of us really around the world I've spoken to pastors on four different continents this week and people all across the world are are dealing with the effects of this and I'm so glad that that we live in a time where through technology we're able to still communicate the word of the Lord and be somewhat connected I shared with a pastor friend of mine that communication in this season is actually easy but pastoring is difficult certainly we'd love to hug you and be around you and be able to tell you how much we love you and it just even give a reassuring were that it's gonna be alright the one reassuring word that I can give you though is that it will not be like this always God is going to intervene and he's going to move and the church the Church of Jesus Christ is a family and so as much as we appreciate the digital platform and the virtual platform to be able to communicate the Word of God the church has been and always will be a family the church has been and always will be a community and community is important so you may be able to to be some of you might have gotten dressed and gotten up others of you am I still being your PJs but you can't always do it this way God values and honors community and we honor you so much I just want to tell you as your pastor especially those who you are physical members of deeper fellowship church that we love you so much we are praying for you constantly and our overall feeling the best way that we can show you how much we love you is to make sure we have a word from the Lord for you that's how we've been spending our time in prayer and also seeking the Lord seeking his face so that you will know what the Lord is saying because he is not silent in this season he is speaking I am so he it's our endeavor to do so I want to do what we normally do here as is our custom you're watching from around the world we're so grateful that you're watching you actually watching rely this is not tape we're we're alive things that we do here in church to honor the reading of the word the Lord as we we stand to honor the reading of the word of the Lord a paladin we're not just reading out of a book or it's not a self-help book or a leadership book or anything like that but it is the word of the Lord so if you would wherever you are if you are physically able to and we do and ask you to participate now because the room does not have very many people in it right now we're going to read the word I'm actually gonna read 2nd chronicles chapter 7 verse 11 through 15 in the ESV and converting me I'm just kidding we're just gonna read it out of the ESV today 2nd chronicles chapter 7 verse 11 through 15 we started here last week we're gonna read it again because it has something more to say to us thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the Kings house all that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice when I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain or command the locusts to devour the land or send pestilence among my people if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven I will forgive their sin and heal their land now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place let's pray together family father thank you then you are not silent in this season where you are speaking and our ears and our hearts are wide open to hear what it is that you are saying and not just to hear but to respond by the power of your Holy Father I pray that you grab our attention these next few moments you would speak to us prophetically and give us insight understanding and revelation as to your heart and what it is that you are doing in this season and I pray father that has revelation and understanding prophetically is released to your people that anxiety and fear will go away in Jesus name and father I thank you the power of the Lord is present I thank you Lord that the word of the Lord is sharp and what I ask you to treat anoint your servant to speak it in Jesus name as always I pray your ability to reach the two insane people in Jesus name Amen you are standing at home endeavoring to be too long before you I know that every pastor says that but we recognize it there may be a number of things that may be grabbing for your attention and I'm fully aware it's very late as well but we pray that what we give you will be a blessing to you and feed you last week we spoke from this very platform and across the airwaves and really begin to give a prophetic context for what it is that the Lord is doing in this season one of our chief primary goals in this moment is to recognize that that understanding actually removes fear and anxiety when you understand what the Lord is doing in a season it causes your anxiety and your fears to be ass waived and so the things we've endeavored to do in this moment is not just to tell you not to fear not just to tell you not to be anxious but to tell you what the Lord is doing to cause you to understanding if I'm aware of what God is doing I do not have to live in anxiety and I do not have to live in fear and more specifically we made the statement last week that understanding the word of the Lord the heart of the Lord the mind of the Lord of the will of the Lord will allow us to rest in him we also said that it is possible that God creates and allows certain moments and situations in your life in order to get you to pray in such a way or get your attention that allows him to reveal who he really is or to reveal his heart and one of the things that we talked about last week was I came up here I was fear and trembling and referred to last week and we do have it on podcast it is on video you can go back and search the message was called may I have your attention and I came up here with fear and trembling I specifically because the pastor in me wanted to wrap my arms around you give you a great big hug tell you not to fear tell you to be anxious for nothing tell you not to worry and things of that nature and and we did do that but we did it prophetically instead of fast orally and what I mean by that is that we we did it in such a way to give you a prophetic understanding that would cause you not to so that you would know that God is in this he is in this and he is working it out for our good seem like that he's working it out for our good and so we began to talk about I came up here with fear and trembling and began to talk about how the Lord I had me begin to study the word pestilence and when I began to study the word pestilence I thought to myself all more you're sending me out to talk about a word of judgment because what we found when we began to study the word pestilence that it is an agent agency that a sovereign agency that God uses in the earth really for the purpose of judgment when I saw that you're not asking me to say this but but ultimately what we see through biblical history the revelation of God's heart particularly in a new covenant allows us to look back at all history and see that even judgment is a tool that God uses to bring us back to intimacy he does these things to bring us back to him or cause us to return to Him and so it's not just the anger of the Lord of something that evidence actually the mercy of the Lord it's God hearing the cries of his people it's something that he allows because he is unwilling to allow any generation to drift into destruction by drifting away from him and so he will use it for our good so we understood then and if God is going to give us a prophetic understanding which is what all of last week was was a prophetic understanding prophetic understanding comes with a prophetic responsibility I want to say that again prophetic understanding comes where the prophetic responsibility or more specifically what will we do about what we know it's not just enough for us to know what he's doing what will we do about what we know because there are plenty of times in history and we'll be doing a walk through this in Scripture where people weren't aware of what he was doing but it still did nothing about it so prophetic understanding comes with prophetic responsibility we have an understanding prophetically about what's happening in the earth it just doesn't mean though just because we understand and it's going to suddenly get better I'm at may I suggest to you that that it might get worse before it gets better just because we understand it doesn't necessarily mean that it goes away we do have a responsibility and so what it means when we have a prophetic understanding is that we know what to do and how to pray Solomon you asked that if these things happen and the people repent and turn what I hear from heaven and respond with revival and my answer this is God now is yes if they turn prophetic inside there's a prophetic responsibility in second chronicles chapter 6 we talked about this last week salmon begin to pray to God second chronicles chapter 6 verse 26 second chronicles chapter 6 verse 26 sang it's praying to God and he says when heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin when you afflict them then here in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants your people Israel when you teach them the good way in which they should walk and grant rain upon your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance if there is famine in the land if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locusts or caterpillar all things that are happening in the earth right now by the way family if their enemies receives them in the land at their gates whatever play whatever sickness there is whatever prayer whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands towards this house then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to those who know according to all his ways for you you only know the hearts of the children of mankind that they may fear and walk in their ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers I'll stop right there I could keep reading the next couple of verses but Solomon is praying at this moment now Solomon why is Solomon praying this specific prayer I want to advance us now because the Lord has something to say to us um he's praying this Pacific prayer because he knew of the propensity of men to turn away from God he's praying this because he's saying even though we have built you a house even though we built you a drumming place even though this is a magnificent temple what God would run when I'm asking you is that even though we've done this in this season to honor you and to honor your name I'm fully aware of the propensity of man to turn away from you and I'm asking that if they turn away from you if they come and they pray would you not turn your back but you're angry not burn so much to the point where you pour out wrath they turn if they repent if they return to you what you hear he he knew this family why did he know this because God already said turns of a covenant God set the terms of the Covenant then he gave to Moses and so when he's praying now is he's saying because of what you said to Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 28 I'm aware that there is a blessing for obeying you but there is a there is a penalty for disobedience and the penalty for disobedience is not just your anger that will be pouring out even though it would look like that for a season you do so in order to turn people back to you and so I'm asking you God if they turn back to you would you heal them would you forgive them would you heal their land and so what happens in Deuteronomy chapter 28 and it's lengthy so for the sake of time I won't go all the way there but but in Deuteronomy chapter 28 the terms of the Covenant are laid out and God begins to say things to them the same listen if you are obedient and you keep relationship with me there are blessings that are attached to relationship with me but if you are disobedient there are consequences that are attached to that disobedient and so because of that Solomon now pray this is 40 for your for your understanding this is found in Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 1 to 24 but recognizing that we're on screen right now for many of you your eyes are probably glazed over if I read all 24 verses of it but what I want you to understand in this moment the times of the Covenant will agreed upon by the people and these were the terms of the Covenant God says I will bless you when you are beaten I will bless you when you walk faithfully in my ways I will bless you when you keep the terms of the Covenant when you don't follow other god when you don't set your affections on other things I will bless you but if you don't and you turn away and you serve other gods and you set your affections on other things this is what I will do to you the very things that were a blessing now I will allow to happen to you the very thing that I protected you from I will allow it to happen to you you say pastor where is the hope in this this 20 and the reason why there's plenty of Hope is because his anger did not last forever he he uses these moments he he set these things up because he loves us so much he set it up so much but here's what I want you to understand because you're saying okay pastor you're talking about I want you 29 verse 12 I want you to hear something Moses says this he says you are standing here today to enter into a covenant of the lord your god the lord is making this covenant including the curses by entering into the covenant today he will establish you as his people and confirm that he is your god just as he promised you as he swore to your ancestors Abraham Isaac and Jacob but you are not the only ones with whom I'm making this covenant with its curses I am making this covenant both with you who stand here in the presence of the Lord our God and also with future generations who are not standing here so Solomon understood that even though he wasn't standing there on that day because of the propensity of man to turn away from God he had to ask the Lord God if your people turn away from you if your people turn away from you and they come back to you would you would you would you forgive them would you heal their land the nature of the heart of God is that consequences of disobedience are to bring us back to him that's the nature of the heart of God so Solomon knowing what would happen if people turn from God he prays and says if that happens nor the terms of the Covenant what will happen if they do if they come back to you we hear the prayer in answering and I shared with you last week prophetically that this is God saying to us I've come to answer your prayer I've come to answer your prayer I've come to get your attention so what happens in in second chronicles chapter 7 verse 12 and 13 and 14 the Bible says that then God then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him I have heard your prayer I have chosen this place as a house of sacrifice when I shut up the heavens so there is no rain or command the locusts to devour the land or send pestilence among my people in other words when I keep my word if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land now we know this verse very well and a lot of Christian circles but I want to I want to focus on something for just a moment because these are extremely significant words that have encouraged my heart all week if my people if my people if you were here in this room right now I would ask you to say and so because I know that you're here on the other side in their homes or wherever you are why don't you just say those two words what they say if my people my people these are extremely significant words because the implication here is that there are a people on the earth whose action or inaction has an effect on the rest of the world there are people on the earth whose action or inaction has an effect on the rest of the world in other words family you and I have a prophetic responsibility the purpose of judgments are to turn people back to him the sad part is that they don't always do so in every generation I wish I could stand here and say that these things are happening and and we are going to have a global awakening but what I can say to you is that these things are happening and we are being positioned for one but we have a prophetic responsibility we have a responsibility to the or to the divine opportunity that has been given to us this is a moment that it's pregnant with divine opportunity to see a global Awakening and a global outpouring if my people if my people not every generation responds to what the Lord does well I showed you this last week I want to read it one more time in Amos chapter 4 verse 9 through 11 Amos chapter 4 verse 9 through 11 again in Chapter 9 chapter 4 verses 9 through 11 he says this he said I struck you with blight and mildew you your many gardens and your vineyards your fig trees and your olive trees the locusts devoured yet you did not return to me declares the Lord I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt I killed your young men with the sword and carried away your horses and made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils yet you did not return to me declares the Lord I overthrew some of you as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning yet you did not return to me declares the Lord what are we seeing here what we are seeing is that God allows these circumstances to happen for the purpose of turning our hearts to him but yet we see that in some generations they do not turn which means that there is a prophetic responsibility to this divine opportunity I want to say that again there is a prophetic responsibility to this divine opportunity I know it's a little heavy family but but last week we got a chance to shout this week we have a responsibility we got a shout because of the understanding we've begun we said God we know what you're doing and we're willing to pray but now that we know what is doing what are we going to do about it Zechariah chapter 1 verse 1 through 6 in a New Living Translation and I just want to stop right here and say on our prayer calls our pastors lead this every Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and they've been giving absolute revelational gold all week long so some of what I'm saying it's not all coming from me our pastors have been releasing this I'm so grateful to walk with such a great group of men who just love the Lord and press in to the heart of God and this is one of the scriptures that came out on our prayer call Zechariah chapter 1 verse 1 through 6 and it points out something to us that we need to understand again not every generation turns I I'm spending this time laboring in this moment because I want us to understand that we have a responsibility for this prophetic or divine opportunity in November of the second year of King Darius his reign the Lord gave this message to the Prophet Zechariah son of berechiah the grandson of IDO I the Lord was angry with your ancestors therefore say to the people this is what the Lord of heavens army says return to me and I will return to you since the Lord I just want to read that one more time because I want you to understand that God responds return to me and I will return to you says the Lord of heavens armies don't be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them this is what the Lord of heavens army says turn from your evil ways and stop your evil practices where are your ancestors now they and the prophets are long dead but everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors just as I said as a result they repented and said we have received what we deserved from the Lord of heavens armies he has done what he said he would do I want to point out just a couple of major points and in this particular passage of Scripture what verse 2 lets us know is the divine wrath is followed by the availability of divine grace divine wrath is followed by the availability of divine grace and what happens here is that God is calling his peace to repentance and so what he says to them now is therefore since the Lord was really angry with your forefathers because they refuse to repent do not make the same mistake they did but rather return to me the purpose of the scripture is to say don't make the mistake of missing the moment of opportunity that was given to generations I want you to know that the heart of God he's very patient he's very loving and every generation has an opportunity for not every generation response we are in a prophetic moment of divine opportunity and we have the divine responsibility to this divine opportunity and there is a part of me that has been burdened and it's been longing and praying all week long because I don't want us to miss it we are in a strategic moment of divine opportunity and what Zechariah begs here is to say don't make the same mistake as a former generation and refuse to return to the Lord but instead return they didn't listen to their prophets now I just want you to understand they didn't listen to Jeremiah and it didn't listen to Habakkuk all of the approaching Babylon exile but they did not listen that's it's not just some some random guy on the screen right now talking to you just out of my head no no um these were these were the biblical prophets of old who God chose out of all prophets that have ever lived on the earth to make sure that their words are recorded for all of history and those were the ones that they did not listen to and God began to warn them but they did not return them because of his love even though another generation rejected and he still extends opportunities to generations to say what they didn't take you can and we have this moment right here right now in 2020 in the midst of a global pendant if we would understand what the Spirit of God is saying we have a prophetic responsibility and a divine opportunity how God loves his people so much that he not only sends prophetic warnings and prophetic insight and understanding but he also watches to see how we respond to it and gives us an opportunity to return to Him Malachi chapter 3 every chapter 3 you immediately it's important but I want you to see something here in Malachi chapter 3 that took me out yesterday literally into a heap of tears for a while I practiced it today so I know it's not gonna happen to me right now but I had a personal moment with the Lord yesterday but I'm gonna start with verse 6 in Malachi chapter 3 start with verse 6 in Malachi chapter 3 is where we are today for I the Lord do not change therefore you or children of Jacob are not consumed from the days of your father's you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them here's this phrase again I don't know if you're seeing a theme all these scriptures return to me and I will return to you I love that promise I keep stopping right there because I want you to understand that God will respond he will respond return to me and I will return to you says a lot of holes but you say how shall return will a man Rob God yet you are robbing me but you say how have we robbed you in your tithes and contributions you are cursed with a curse for you are robbing me the whole nation of you bring the full-time into the storehouse that there may be food in my house and thereby put me to the test says the Lord of Hosts if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour it down their blessing until there is no more need I will rebuke the Devourer for you so that it may not destroy the fruits of your soil and your vine and the field shall not fail so bears there's a lot of holes then all the nations will call you blood for you will be a land of the light since the Lord of Hosts I need you to see this because a lot of times we hear this if you do what's right I'm gonna bless you let me keep going your words have been hard against me says the Lord but you say how we spoken against you you have said it is vain to serve God what's the profit of keeping his charge or walking as in morning before the Lord of Hosts and now we call the arrogant blessed evil doers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another the Lord paid attention and heard them and a book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Lord and esteemed his name they shall be mine says the Lord of hosts in the day when I make up my treasured possession and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves them then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him you had a people who are literally saying what's the use of serving God it seems like the wicked are the ones that prospers seems like the evil are the ones that prosper what's the use but then this is happening as God is laying out his cases he's saying we're trying to me he had a people whose hearts are hard the Bible said that those who fear the Lord came together and spoke one to another and the Lord paid attention and heard him heard them and the book of remembrance was written before him of those who fear the Lord and esteem his name family God pays attention to our conversations and seasons like this he pays attention to our conversations and seasons like this he looks to see if anyone is paying attention if anyone will respond if anyone is listening I want you to know I'm gonna tell you personally what took me out yesterday I was reading this particular pastor scripture in the Lord spoke to me said I've been listening to you oh that took me out he said I've been listening to you because they're come moments in time where God begins to do something and it begins to lay out opportunity it's a prophetic understanding but people whose hearts are hard they refused to hear what it isn't he's saying for those who will hear what he's saying as we begin to converse one to another he listens in the Bible said that he writes down the name of those who fear him and esteem his name he's listening so what you are saying in this season it's important that we don't miss this moment it's important that we don't miss this moment family I need you to hear me I need you to hear me God is not just inviting us to reset our methods he's not just inviting us to reset the methodology by which we do Church or the methodology by which we do ministry I'm just gonna be really honest I know I'm streaming I know what I'm widely hearing from church leaders is not a reset of our hearts or a reset of our methods this is not happening to reset methods this is happening to reset our hearts we're talking so much about perhaps God is doing this to force us online and to force us to communicate in different ways and force us into small groups and force us into that and force us into that um none of that is why God is doing this that is a reaction it's not a response God is doing this not to get us to reset our methods he's doing this to get us to reset our hearts that's why this is happening that's why he said in Ezekiel chapter 22 I look for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land I search for someone to stand in the gap so that the war wouldn't have I would have to destroy the land but I found no wonder question in this moment is it will there be anyone to answer the call the question before us is not how we how will we react to this but how will we respond to it I want to give you the difference between the words because it's important if you're going to be in a prophetic moment that you don't react you're responding sir react is to change in response to a stimulus which means that that that the reason why we're streaming right now is a reaction to the circumstances that we've been giving for many of you you know that for example deeper Fellowship Church has not streamed into the last two weeks we've had to that's a reaction to the circumstance by which we are right now but that's not our response our response is not to say okay this is go online and communicate our reaction the difference between a reaction and response is respond me to say something every time or to make an answer God is looking for who will respond he's not just looking for who will react he's looking for who will respond the whole world has to react but his people need to respond the circumstances that we're in right now are causing everybody every business every nation every president every airport every port of authority to react but he's looking for his people to respond so make an answer to say something in return a response family is an act it's a means by which we do something if I were being honest I've been silent largely on social for the reason of being burdened watching much of the church react instead of responding as a pastor I want to be able to connect with you and and times I felt like maybe I was too signing I felt like it might be better to be honest it'd be better if I'm gonna say something I have something from Lord from me I just want to be honest because I feel like in this moment it's important that if we're going to be a people who are gonna need to know what we feel further reaction is going on the natural proclivity of man is to fall in line with what everyone else is doing so ultimately you have to come away some point so that you can hear what the Lord is saying so that you can respond instead of react and so because many wants speaking like this I began to cry to be honest at times encouraged by a couple of realities that are important for us one of the realities that encouraged me and I share this on a prayer calling Psalm chapter 30 verse 5 his anger lasts for a moment but its favor lasts a lifetime weeping may endure through the night but joy comes in the morning so we know that this won't last forever however internally I've been wondering and even sensing that it could last a little longer than it may need to just be honest with you if we ignore what he is saying because God has done he's allowed this to get our attention so then I'm thinking God if we don't see this major move doesn't seem like we're all making this turn should I be discouraged but I was further encouraged by the major reality of the scripture and that is that God will take the sacrifice of the few or in the case of Christ and sacrifice the 100 that's what he will do I was concerned by the majority and so I realized in the scriptures that he will accept unfair traits whoof I'm so grateful that our God will accept unfair trades he will allow the obedience of a few to be the blessing of all this is the apex of the gospel other good news the apex of the gospel are the good news is that he accepts an unfair trade Romans Romans chapter 5 I just got to read this to you I'm not gonna be before you too much longer I got a countdown clock and so stay with me family Romans chapter 5 verse trouble I just want to because it comes alive it says when Adam sinned I got some good news for you I have some good news for you right here when Adam sinned the entire world was affected sin entered human experience and death was a result and so death followed this sin casting its shadow over all humanity because all have sinned sin was in the world before Moses came they written long but it was not charged against them whether we're no law existed yet death which was the penalty of sin reign as king from Adam to Moses even though they hadn't broken a command the way Adam had the first man Adam was a picture of the Messiah who was to come now there is no comparison between Adam's transgression and the gracious gift that we experience for the magnitude of the gift outweighs the crime whoa I don't know about you this would be it's deeper that the room is kind of empty right now but I know I know what would happen when I say that right there that would cause and a reaction to happen because we are people who are excited about the gospel hallelujah so the magnitude of the gift far outweighs the crime it is true that many died because of one man's transgression but how much greater were God's grace and his gracious gift of acceptance overflow to many because of what one man Jesus the Messiah did for us I said he accepts unfair trades and this free-flowing gift imparts to us much more than what was given to us through the one who sinned for because of one transgression we were all facing a death sentence with a verdict of guilty but this gracious gift leaves us free from our many failures and brings us into the perfect righteousness of God acquitted with the words not guilty death once held us in its grip and by the blunder of one man death reign as king over humanity but now how much more are we held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as kings and light enjoying our regal freedom to the gift of the perfect righteousness in the one and only Jesus the Messiah in other words just as condemnation came upon all people through one transgression so through one righteous act of Jesus's sacrifice the perfect righteousness that makes us right with God and lead us to a victorious life is now available to all one man's disobedience open the door for all humanity to become sinners so also one lives obedience open the door for me to be made perfectly right with God and acceptable to him our God accepts unfair trade which means that all of humanity's sin but because one man to live in righteousness I'm going somewhere to understand the majority it I'm believing I wish the whole world would change but the reality is what God will do in seasons if you will allow certain things that happen so that his people those who belong to him those who get it those whose ears are open those who speak one to another in the book of remembrance is written if they do something about it he will take the sacrifice of a few to bless the many I'm talking I believe to a remnant I know I'm not talking to the whole world that'd be nice but I'm talking to remnant of people who I believe that the Lord is speaking to in this moment have a few more moments you'll give me your ear the Lord wants to say something significant to us in his next few moments here I read to you last week you can go ahead and play I read to you last week about how David built an altar had I run a threshing floor out of 2nd samuel chapter 24 and also recorded in 1st chronicles chapter 21 not going to read all of the stuff i'm going to summarize it for you because i want you to get this i want you to I want you to see how our God operates and I want you to see what our responsibility is to this divine opportunity the Bible says something interesting it says that God's anger burned against Israel so he caused listen to these words David to do harm about taking a census you say huh God's anger burned against Israel so he caused david to do harm against them by taking a census that's what 2nd samuel chapter 24 tells us first chronicles chapter 21 which also says the same chronicles the same story begins with this word Satan incited David to take a census which means that God allowed the enemy to put something in David's heart because he wanted to deal with Israel need you to hear this I need us to get this he allowed something to happen because he wanted to deal with Israel but he knew that Israel wouldn't but what the Bible says about David is that he was a man after God's own heart so what God did is he made David do it because he knew that David would repent he knew that Israel wouldn't but he knew that David would and so because he knew that David would he cause David to do it and in verse 10 of second samuel chapter 24 you have to put on the screen and soon as David his conscience beginning about him cuz God said I know David I know that David will repent this happens and so because I can't turn my blind eye I can't turn a blind eye so what's happening in the nation because I can't turn a blind eye to the sin I have to judge the nation but because the king will repent I will do something for the nation if he will I need you to get this and I need you to get it I need you to get it and so so what happens is obviously David now God sends the pestilence now David being who he was understood God sent the Prophet again and said dad give David these three options these are the three options you can either have famine in the land or you can be chased by your enemies for four months at a time or I can send pestilence and data said listen this is a hard choice but I'd rather fall into the hands of God than a handsome man because I know the heart of my father is merciful so God sends pestilence and for three days pessimists begins to ravage the land as a Death Angel begins ago and unfortunately because the judgement had to happen seventy thousand people died but God told the angel of death to stay his hand when he noticed that David noticed the angel and when David noticed the angel he immediately he goes and the Prophet God tells him why don't you build an altar so he goes to buy a run his threshing floor gonna offer that to him but he says no I can't offer to God that which cost me nothing and I I need you to see this because it's it's amazing to me in verse 25 of second Samuel chapter 24 now david has built an altar before the Lord and when he builds this altar before the Lord the Bible says is in verse 25 I'm second samuel chapter 24 and I did not give this one to them in the back of a did it right before I came up on here it says and David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings here this so the Lord responded to the plea for the land and the plague was stopped or the plague was averted from Israel and ESV it says David built an altar before the Lord and the Lord responded to the plea of the land and the plague was averted from Israel now here's the significance of this David's heart before the Lord was to say God don't even judge the people he said I alone have sinned they've been nothing he didn't know that they've done something he said I alone have sinned and so what happens he goes to make an offering for himself but when he goes to build an altar God takes that moment of sacrifice and applies it to the land and applies it to the whole nation I'm gonna make a bold statement I'm gonna make a very bold statement social distancing alone will not avert the plague that's the world's reaction the response of the church is to build an altar social distancing will not refer this moment building altars will want to say it again social distancing will not avert the Blake building altars will I said earlier that it doesn't seem like everyone sees or wants to do this but it made it clear to me that's what the Holy Spirit said I don't need everyone I just need someone I don't need everyone I just need someone everyone seems to be longing for a return to some semblance of normal that's what we all said to be clamoring for I can't wait til we get back together and go back to normal and go back to churches normal and able to meet together it's normal and I get why we feel that way but I have a question family what if God doesn't want us to go back to normal what if that would have been that's not when he he wants what if what if he's trying to get us not to change our methods but to change our hearts what if this whole thing is about getting us a change our hearts and I wish that all of us could get this because I honestly believe to a certain level that if we don't this may last longer until he can get our attention enough to say it's not about your methods it's about your heart that's what I'm after I'm after your heart so the Lord began to deal with me about rebuilding altars and you say pastor you you said you're gonna be done so I promise I am I promise I am don't change that channel yet hear what the Lord is inviting us into [Music] it's my last Scripture and Ezra chapter 3 in Ezra chapter 3 verse 1 this is the account of the exiles returning to Jerusalem out of captivity the Bible says in early autumn when the Israelites is settled in their towns all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose then Jeshua son of Jehoshaphat joined his fellow priests in the rebel son of shealtiel with his family in rebuilding the altar of Israel they wanted to sacrifice burnt offerings on it and instructed in the law of Moses the man of God even though the people were afraid of the local residents they rebuilt the altar at its all site then they began to sacrifice front offerings on the altar to the Lord each morning and evening this was a day when they had dreamt about this is the day that they had prayed for this is the day that they would they had longed for and what bound them together with unified purpose restoring worship rebuilding the altar before they rebuilt the temple they rebuilt the altar need you to hear me I need you to hear me before they rebuilt the church they rebuilt the altar they rebuilt the place of worship and the Lord began to deal with me early in the week so I'm inviting or giving an opportunity for the rebuilding of the altar and I thought when he begin to say it I thought certainly you're inviting us to rebuild the altar of Prayer because we need to pray that the plague would be averted and we need to pray he said no that's not the altar it's not the altar I need you to hear me I need you to hear me the altar yes it's a place of sacrifice yes it's a place of covenant yes it's a place of prayer but specifically it's a place of worship and more specifically it's a place of his presence you know there are times when the Lord began to speak certain things to you because of your knowledge of the scriptures and certain things you read you think you know where he's going until he shows you something you say okay I didn't know that's where you were taking me family i'ma give you a word that some of you may not have heard before but if you had deeper and you understand that's part of who we are to the Patriots altars were places of theophany to the patriarchs altars were places of the author you say pastor what is a theophany of the Alpha knee is a place of manifest presence or a place where God met with me whenever God met with man all throughout the scriptures of the patriarchs they built an altar they built an altar to signify when they had an encounter with God they built an altar as a place of remembrance for all to know that here was a place where God met with men here's the problem that we have our altars in this day are not built off of the operator that built off the tiffany tiffany is a place of Revelation or an understanding and so we build altars based on what we understand but God is not inviting us to rebuild altars based on what we understand he's inviting us to build altars based on manifest presence or his encounter I'm telling you that what the Lord is inviting us to rebuild in this season and in this moment the people who were building altar because it had an encounter with God he's asking us to build an altar of manifest presence [Music] could it be that God is moving us from the altar of epiphany back to the altar of the Anthony that is moving us in this moment that is moving us in this time from just a place of revelational understanding to the place of encounter to demonstrate to a world that's insensitive saying to us I'm less interested in what you know Church I want to know who you know so here's my final thing if God is inviting us to rebuild an altar the place of encounter when esra records the returning of the exiled it was a remnant is that everybody it was a remnant of people who came back and the first thing they did was they rebuilt the altar do you know what altar they rebuilt it was dated small strata run a special floor the same altar that God accepted the sacrifice to remove the plate from the land is the same altar that they rebuilt can I suggest to you that if God is inviting us to rebuild the altar of the Lord when there are a people who make his presence their priority is a plague will be lifted when there are people who make his presence the priority to the plague will be lifted that's why Psalm 91 means so much to us in this season for he who twelve in the secret place of the Lord he is my refuge and my strength is my god and whom I trust when I make his presence the priority I don't even have to worry about the play and the pestilence that surrounded me no 1000 a fall I don't have to be afraid why because I made his presence Micra already God is inviting a generation who will say once again we are going to build an altar of the Alpha knee we're going to build an altar of encounter we're going to manifest presence and when we do that we're going to see the wrong change right where you are right where you are just lift up your hands lift up your hands [Music] I told you let's give you a last scripture so I I'm gonna keep my word here but altars are not built off of manmade ideas altars are not built off of what we do and not build off of programs not office up theophany not the altar of the Lord they're not build off of programs and not build off of certain songs and not build off of certain methodologies because exodus chapter 20 tells us that if you're gonna build the altar of the Lord it must be with unhealing stones it cannot be with stones that man have fitted into something there have to be rough they have to be things that only God made first Peter tells us this we are living stones how are we going to build an altar off of encounter we give Him we give him us that's why I asked you in your homes to lift your hands I want you to understand what the Lord is doing in this moment it's the prophetic responsibility for a divine opportunity to see God do something significant in the earth when there's a people it doesn't take everybody it just takes somebody let's say God or making your presence our priority family the Lord is after our hearts he's after us the reality is in this time in this season it's not about methodologies it's not about these moments where we come in and we try to figure out if I say the right thing or do the right thing the Lord will be pleased this is about our hearts this is about the reality that we are coming to an altar it must be acceptable to our God this pastor will you mention it first Peter chapter 2 it tells us that altar is laid down lives given to the Lord and sacrifice sang Lord it's not enough for me to say the right thing it's not enough for me just to posture myself I must literally lay my life down before here that is what the Lord is looking for and the beautiful hope we have today is that it doesn't take everybody but it does take somebody it takes someone that is willing to lay themselves down lay their life down before the Lord so now we come to a moment a very special moment that is not between you and a lot of other people but is between you and God and that is the moment where we decide together we look and we say am i in that position am i in right relationship with God there might be those watching right now as you hear this you recognize that the Lord is moving and he is doing something in the earth and you can feel a stirring on the inside you know something is happening and your life is not where it needs to be you know that you're being honest with yourself right now wherever you are in your you either I've never had a relationship with Jesus or my relationship is not where it needs to be I'm far from him I need to return and you recognize in this moment that something has to change you've come to an altar and I want to read you a couple verses of Scripture very quickly that I came upon as we were as we were together hearing the word of the Lord and I feel that they have a very specific impact on you today and I just want to read these really quick it's Romans chapter 12 we've come to an altar we've come to a moment where the Lord is here it's a moment of encounter between you and him and this is what it says in the passion translation it says beloved friends what should our proper response be to God God's marvelous mercies I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred living sacrifices and live in holiness experiencing all that delights his heart for this becomes your genuine expression of worship stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you but be inwardly transformed by the holy spirit through a total reformation of how you think this will empower you to discern God's will as you live a beautiful life satisfying and perfect in his eyes we've come in we've come to a moment of the altar and it's time to become the sacrifice it's time to look at this moment and say not playing games with God this is not about what the culture is saying this is not about what I'm hearing this is not about all the noise turn that off and think about this one thing your relationship with God as we learned in Romans chapter 5 Jesus Christ the one man made it available for us to be right with God it is simply what you do with Jesus that matters an eternity it's a single most important fact what will you do with Jesus in this moment so I want to invite you whether you have not had a relationship with God or where your father far from God in your wanting to come home this is a moment and alters before you will you become the sacrifice will you let your life down who you say Jesus I want to know you Jesus I want relationship with you Jesus I want to come home I want to come back to right standing with you I see that you are moving in this moment I don't want to miss my opportunity this is your moment so I'm gonna count to three and what I would ask you to do I know this is different because it's livestream but this is what I want you to do I feel that we need to do this I'm gonna count to three I know I can't see you I know I can't hear you you might be alone watching on your phone in your car or you might be at home with your family whatever all I want you to do is on the count of three I just want you out of your mouth to say the word yes because Jesus is listening we heard it today God is listening right now so if you know that you want to have a relationship with Jesus or you need to come home you need to come back to your relationship with Jesus on the count of three just say the word yes right now one two three yes yes family if you said yes to Jesus he heard you his book of remembrance is open right now the Bible says that he is literally a book of life and he's writing her name right now for saying yes to Jesus if you would right where you are just want you to pray this prayer after we just repeat it the prayer itself is is not what's significant is that you say it from your heart to your Savior say it with me say dear Jesus come into my heart change my life forgive me Lord for trying to live a life separate from you I give myself to you today fully all over me now help me by your Holy Spirit so follow you the rest of my days I give it all to you Jesus you have me I want to be in relationship with you in Jesus name family if you prayed that prayer we are so excited to welcome you into the family of God this is the most incredible thing the Bible says that literally right now for everyone heaven is losing its mind this is what our Savior came for and we are so thankful for you making that decision today this is what it's all about welcome home welcome home we want to encourage you right now if you gave your life to Jesus if you made that decision just on whatever platform you're watching comment below hashtag I met Jesus just comment we want to interact with you we want to welcome you we want to tell you how thankful we are for you joining the family of God this has been an incredible moment we are so thankful for what the Lord is doing we thank you for joining us we thank you for participating in this moment not just spectating we hope that you're blessed god bless you [Music] the service was amazing the presence of God was here it was tangible only hope that you encountered God in some way through what was saying or through what was spoken if you gave your life to Jesus today that is awesome we are so happy that you said yes I've made the decision and thousands and hundreds of thousands of other people have made the decision to say yes to God we were not alone you have joined a family and we want to help you if you said yes to Jesus please type in the chat I met Jesus and our moderators are going to connect with you and help you walk through this whole process of what you just did your life is never ever ever gonna be the same again and we want to make sure that listen no more of God in our history has ever happened without prayer and that's why we have you covered we have a daily prayer the FC Valley prayer calls Eastern Standard Time you can connect with us through prayer with one of our pastors 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. every single day you're given a word of encouragement exploitation and prayer so you can find the information on your screen if you missed our time of giving it's not too late you can get on our deeper app our website or use text to give those are you more tech savvy text any amount to eight four three two one any about eight four three two one please subscribe and follow so that you can be in the know of what is happening here at Beaver Fellowship Church we thank you for joining us when again same time same place in Sunday we pray that you are blessed States stay safe healthy every Frank Oz possession [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Deeper Fellowship Church

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Id: OoP1J5JoCGA

Length: 70min 20sec (4220 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 22 2020