The Mother of Us All | Pastor Loren Covarrubias

本站添加: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]Good morning. Let's stand and worship the Lord as uh we believe he's in this place. Amen, church.

[00:00:07][music] [music] This is my story. I testify [music] she poured on my life. Remember [music] how to turn to [music] worship tears to praise your precious broken [music] by how good you [music and singing] been so so so so kind to >> [music] >> You've been so so so [singing] so soies [music] [music] weapons fall to the ground. Armies of heaven always surround [music] [singing] me.

[00:01:20]Heat. Heat. Heat.

[00:01:23][music] [singing] Yeah. [music] [music] You be so [singing] so so so so [music] you so so so so [singing] [music] the low and the highest. I look [singing] back on my life and all that I see. [music] You've been [singing] so so so so [music] good to me.

[00:02:11][music] When I say God is good, you say all the time. When I say all the time, you say [music] God is [singing] good.

[00:02:19]When I say God is good, you say all the time. [music] When I say all the time, you say God is good. [singing] When I say God is good, you say [music] all the time. When I say all the time, you say God is good. When I say God is good, you say all [music] the time. When I say all the time, God [music] is so [singing] so so so good.

[00:02:48][music] You [singing] so so so so good. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Oh no.

[00:03:28][music] [music] You go down.

[00:03:38][music] [singing] [music] Heat.

[00:03:49]Heat.

[00:03:50][music] [music] [singing] so >> [music] >> so good.

[00:04:06]Hallelujah. [music] Hallelujah.

[00:04:20][music] [music] >> [music] >> Let every [singing] eye be fixed upon whom Jesus.

[00:04:38]Let every [music and singing] driving and tongue prepare the way.

[00:04:43][music] Let every heart be filled with [singing] expectation cuz [music] the king is coming.

[00:04:53]The king is [singing] coming.

[00:04:56]Open the doors up. [music] Come let the lion people [music and singing] get ready.

[00:05:05]Get ready to worship him.

[00:05:07][music and singing] Open the doors up.

[00:05:11]Come. Let the [music and singing] lion people get ready.

[00:05:18]Bow [music] down and worship him.

[00:05:22]Holy [singing] [music] is the Lord our God Almighty [singing] who was and is and forever [music and singing] will be worthy of the honor and power and glory.

[00:05:40][music] Lift up your [singing] praise and welcome cuz the king is coming. [music] Halleluah. [music] [music] All his friends have been defeated.

[00:06:07]Go with [music] all the guilt and all our worship.

[00:06:12][music] Let the people of the Lord shout and triumph for the king is coming. [music] The king is coming.

[00:06:24]Open the door. [music] Come let the lion [music] get ready.

[00:06:33]You ready to worship [music] the door [music] [music] sing [music] and forever will worthy [music] of the honor and power and glory.

[00:07:09][music] Your great will [music] is coming.

[00:07:18]The king is coming.

[00:07:21]The king is coming.

[00:07:25]The king is coming. [music and singing] Here come the roar.

[00:07:30]Heat. Heat.

[00:07:32][music] [music] Yeah.

[00:07:44]Heat. [singing] [music] Heat. Heat.

[00:07:56][music] [music] >> [music] >> Holy is the Lord our God Almighty who was and is [music] and forever will be worthy [singing] of the honor and power and glory [music] and love your praise and welcome. God [music] [music] might [singing] be worthy. [music] [music] Heat.

[00:09:02][music] Heat.

[00:09:06][music] >> [music] >> is coming.

[00:09:17][music] [music] >> Amen. We have one to be baptized today, Victoria Kraut. [music] We baptize her today in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:09:42]>> [music] >> believing as Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again, he shall also make her to rise to walk in newness of life. Father, we just thank you for the power of your covenant in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

[00:10:02]Amen.

[00:10:03][applause] [cheering] Lord, you are good and you're worthy and you're worthy to be praised. God, we just love you, Lord, as your praise just fills [music] this place, God.

[00:10:22][music] [music] I've [music and singing] got a longing that's holy and real. Lord, [music] you are willing and ready to fill. So [singing] I run to you.

[00:10:48][music] I run to you.

[00:10:55]I've [music] wasted money and I've wasted time drinking [music] from fountains that just left me dry. So I run to you.

[00:11:08][music] Oh, I run to you.

[00:11:14]Jesus the only [music and singing] one satisfied. Jesus, the [music] only one who holds my life.

[00:11:24]Jesus, you're so much better. You're so [music] much better than [singing] life.

[00:11:36]Here on the altar, [music] I lay myself down. My gifts in my treasures, [singing] all of my crowns. Cuz I just want you.

[00:11:47][music] I just want you. [music] You waited to turn [music] the water [singing] to wine. You didn't want to waste the outside of your time. So I'll wait for you. [music] Oh, [singing] I'll wait for you.

[00:12:12][music] Jesus, the only one that satisfies. [music] Jesus, the only one who holds my Jesus, [music] you're so much better. [singing] You're so much better [music] than life.

[00:12:33]Jesus, the only [music and singing] one satisfied. Jesus, the only one who holds my life. [music] Jesus, you're so much better.

[00:12:47][music and singing] You're so much better than love.

[00:12:53][music] God, you're just [music] worthy to be praised, Lord. Lord, we trust your timing, God, [music] because you are faithful, Lord, to us and you're faithful to your word, Lord. And we [music] just believe that, God.

[00:13:14]To your [singing] wisdom, to your vision, [music] to your will.

[00:13:21]I yield. [music] To your timing.

[00:13:25]I'm aligning to your will.

[00:13:30]I yield.

[00:13:33]What you're doing. [music] How you're [singing] moving.

[00:13:37]I'll be safe.

[00:13:40]I hear [music] what you're doing, how you're moving, [music] how we [singing] Jesus, [music] the only one who satisfies. Jesus, [music] the only one who holds my life.

[00:14:02]Jesus, you're so much better.

[00:14:06][music and singing] Your so much better than life is [music] Jesus.

[00:14:14]The only one to satisfy [music] the only one who holds my heart. Jesus.

[00:14:22][music and singing] You're so much better. You're so much better than [music] what you're doing.

[00:14:33]I I'll [music and singing] be there.

[00:14:38]I hear what you're doing. [music and singing] How you're doing.

[00:14:45]I'll be there.

[00:14:47][singing] I hear the only one. [music and singing] The only one hold my life.

[00:15:01][music] You're so much better. [singing] You're so much better [music] than mine.

[00:15:11]Hallelujah.

[00:15:17]Lord, we just [music] worship you, God, in this place, Father.

[00:15:22]Oh, you're [music] worthy.

[00:15:25]You're worthy to be praised, God.

[00:15:31]Lord, [music] we know that sometimes the words are easy to sing. To your wisdom, to your vision, to your will. I yield to your timing.

[00:15:42]Sometimes when [music] we have to go through that situation and wisdom doesn't seem to align with our opinion about [music] how things should go, sometimes those words become more difficult for us.

[00:15:55]But if [music] we can settle in our heart that he has created us and he has created [music] us for a specific plan, it doesn't really matter our opinions or or our hopes or our dreams because we can put our hope in him and the plan that he [music] has for our lives in his timing when it happens is perfect and [music] we see that and we can build on that. our lives [music] can have the foundation that Lord, we trust you, God.

[00:16:23]Oh, we just [music] trust you, Lord.

[00:16:25]God, we trust your timing.

[00:16:29]We trust [music] your plan, Lord. We trust your word, [singing] Father.

[00:16:36]Oh, your word never [music] falls to the ground, God, but it stays true, Father.

[00:16:41]We just love you, Lord. We love [music] you. Come on, just give him a praise in this place. But he deserves it.

[00:16:49]Lord, you deserve all the glory, all the praise. Father, we [music] just worship you, God.

[00:16:59]Hallelujah. [music] I just want us to sing that one more time. To your wisdom, to your [music] wisdom, to your vision, [music] to your [singing] timing.

[00:17:16]I'm [music] lying.

[00:17:19]Your will I [music] hallelujah. [music] Lord, we just love you, God. You're worthy, Father.

[00:17:33]Hallelujah. We just bless you in this place.

[00:17:48]I know a name. [singing] Back in [music] silence, roaring waves.

[00:17:56]I know a name.

[00:18:00][music] Back in empty out a grave. [music] I know a name.

[00:18:09]is the [music] only name that [singing] saves and is worthy of all praise. I call [music] you Jesus.

[00:18:20]I call you I call you healer.

[00:18:24]Risen [music and singing] and reigning in power.

[00:18:28]Something comes out of the grave.

[00:18:31][singing] Every time I [music] call you Jesus, I call you. I call you savior.

[00:18:41]Worthy of [music] glory [singing] forever.

[00:18:45]Something comes out of the grave.

[00:18:47][music and singing] Every time I call your name. [music] I have a king [music] with a dead. He [music] holds the key in his holy hills. God [music and singing] is he is a Yeah. [music] And his preser I am. [singing] I call you Jesus. [music] I call you. I call you healer.

[00:19:31][music] >> [singing] >> power.

[00:19:35]Something [music] comes out of the grave.

[00:19:40]Every time I [music] call you Jesus, I call you. I call you [singing] savior.

[00:19:48][music] Worthy of glory forever.

[00:19:52]Something [music] comes out of the grave.

[00:19:56]Every time I [music] call your name, please break my bones.

[00:20:04][music and singing] Every time I call your name, the [music] earth will [singing] every time I call your name [music] [singing] away. Every time I call your name.

[00:20:26][music] [singing] Every time I call your name.

[00:20:37][music] Every time I call your name.

[00:20:42]Yeah.

[00:20:46][bell] will [music] take his [music] Oh [singing] great [music] [music] [music] [singing] Dead come alive. [music] Dead come alive. Dead come alive in the name [music] of Jesus. Dead come alive. Dead come alive in [singing] the name. I call [music] you Jesus.

[00:21:41]I call you. I call you here.

[00:21:48][music and singing] I call you Jesus.

[00:21:58]I know [music] you. I know you [singing] forever.

[00:22:07][music] Heat. Heat. Heat.

[00:22:14][music] [singing] [music] >> [singing] [music] >> Every time [music] in the name of Jesus coming [music] in the name of Jesus.

[00:22:48]>> [music] >> Hallelujah.

[00:22:54][music] Lord, we just trust you, God, and we love you, Lord, and we just know, God, that it's not finished until you say it's finished, God. [music] So, whatever it is that we're going through that that we feel like it is just gone, Lord, [music] we believe in you, Lord. And we we just believe in that plan that you have for us in that situation, [music] Lord, today, God, that every heart in this place, God, would just be so soft to receive you, God. We ask [music] in your name, we all said, "Amen." You may be seated.

[00:23:26][music] Amen. Remember our giving is received [music] at the exit uh at all the parts of the auditorium. Here we have giving boxes with the Mount Zion logo for your tithes and offerings. [music] Also, I've asked them to put this screen up about this week with our coffee house uh the Mount Zion community coffee house is closed this week. [music] We were far from Lake Oran that they had a water mane break affecting the whole township and village. At this point, is what we understand, they've asked that churches [music] uh would not have in person gatherings, as did many other businesses, if you would, because there is absolutely no [music] water after a couple days of the tank emptying. They say possibly two weeks, we'll make the next announcement [music] next week. Hopefully, it is just for one week. Uh but we wanted to make sure [music] you knew that. And if you know someone who's not here, attends a life enrichment class, please let them know as well. [music] Amen. Well, today is baby dedication Sunday and I'm glad we're doing this on Mother's Day uh because we have a whole crew [music] to bring up here and dedicate. We're going to start with Ryan and Carol Andress [music] bringing up Atlas Gray and Silas Athetherious.

[00:24:40]At Mount Zion, we [music] believe in the importance of raising our children in the way that they should go. The Bible says that when we do, when they're old, they will not depart from that way. So, [music] as families, the parents are making a commitment to raise the child in the ways of God, both [music] by instruction and example, and also as a local church, we're committing ourselves to the ministries we have for families [music] and for marriage to help enrich that possibility, if you would. But ultimately, we're dedicating them to [music] the Lord because we know that when we commit something to him, there's [music] a power that is looted. So today, first of all, we're going to receive this family [music] as we bless them in the name of Jesus. Father, we just thank you today for your blessing.

[00:25:25]We thank you [music] for your covenant you have established with us and we thank you for children which you say is a heritage and a blessing and we receive it so. [music] So father we ask your blessing to be upon the family. Give them the spirit of wisdom, knowledge and understanding [music] and raised in this family. We pray now in Jesus mighty name. Amen. Amen. Little Atlas and Silas.

[00:25:50][music and applause] Congratulations.

[00:25:55]Amen. Next, we [music] have CJ and Leg Boing up Oliver Maximus.

[00:26:08]Father, we've received this child in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we just thank you, Father, for the power of your word. We thank you for the covenant and we thank you father as your people that we could commit oursel to covenant.

[00:26:19]Know that you are committing yourself and we [music] just ask your blessing upon the family upon the child as we receive him now in Jesus mighty name.

[00:26:28]Amen. Amen. Little Oliver.

[00:26:35][applause] Amen. Thank you. Dewan and Caitlyn Epinger are bringing up [music] Christian Dennis, Leilena and Kasein family to be dedicated.

[00:26:52]I love the scripture that [music] says God said multiply fill up the earth. So we're glad for these families with children and the blessing that they are.

[00:27:00]So father right now we just receive this family. We receive these children in the name of the Lord Jesus [music] Christ.

[00:27:08]Thank you for the blessing. We accept our responsibility and also God commit them into your hands knowing that the spirit of wisdom [music] and knowledge and understanding will be upon the parents. We ask it in Jesus mighty name.

[00:27:22][music] Amen. Amen. Christian Elena and Kase.

[00:27:27][applause and music] God bless. [laughter] Now, [music] Tyler and Lauren Murray are bringing up Montana Rose and the rest of the family.

[00:27:53][applause] Beautiful.

[00:28:02]Father, we just thank you for your blessing. We thank you for your covenant. And we thank you, Father, [music] for your spirit that comes upon us to give us wisdom, to give us understanding. And Father, we just receive these children as we receive your blessing as we pronounce your name, the name of Jesus upon them. Amen. What is he saying? See, >> wave out there.

[00:28:26]>> He's saying he wants a microphone.

[00:28:27][applause] >> [music] >> He wants to address the congregation. He wanted a microphone, but we're going to wait a few years, but I'm sure he'll be up here with one someday. Grandma keeps on praying. Amen.

[00:28:45]Amen. Well, it's Mother's Day and it's so good to celebrate Mother's Day. And we'd like to start by having all the moms please stand for us so we can recognize you. Such a blessing. Moms, will you please stand?

[00:29:00][applause] Yes. Yes. Yes.

[00:29:08][applause] Amen. And thank you very much. We appreciate it. Of course, moms are essential to the family, to the church, and such an important part of all that we do. I want to open today with a scripture that I shared last week. I'm not doing a text of scriptures today, but opening with this from last week here. It says, "Jesus said to them, have I been with you so long and yet you have not known me, Philillip? He who has seen me has seen the father. So how can you say, show us the father? A little while longer and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in my father.

[00:29:50]you in me and I in you. He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father. I will love him and also manifest myself to him. Can we pray? Father, we just thank you for your word and we thank you today for the spirit of understanding and pray that you would give to us enlightenment and understanding concerning your word and your way. We ask it in Jesus mighty name. Amen. Well, I want to open with that scripture from last week because it's such an important scripture. I believe specifically for the time that we're in now as the body of Christ.

[00:30:30]Jesus Christ was getting ready to leave his disciples. He wanted them to know that, well, this isn't the end of the matter. I'm going away, he said, but I'm also coming back. As a matter of fact, he said, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, you may be also. And a lot of people read that scripture and thinks he's going to heaven to build them a mansion so one day they can be with Jesus. But as you read the chapter, you find out what he's actually saying is there's a work that he was going to accomplish. Because the Bible teaches us that when Jesus Christ died on the cross and his blood was shed, it was shed for the remission of our sins. In the old covenant, they used to worship the Lord at a tabernacle called the tabernacle of Moses, later on a temple. It had three courts to it. An outer court, an inner court, and a most holy place where God himself dwelt. Now, most of the people could only go to the outer court, and only the high priest could go into the very inner court, and that was just once a year. It was there that you would find the mercy seat, the very presence of the living God. And people were held back from that presence. But the Bible says that when Jesus Christ died on the cross, literally the veil that separated the most holy place from the people was rent. But also we also know that when he ascended on high and he sprinkled his blood on the mercy seat that that meant we have access to God. How many glad we have access to God? Amen. We are not separated from him but he has done the work to bring us to him. Now, it's very important when we read a scripture like this that we understand as we're relating to God, there's a visible image God has given to us and that's in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the visible image of the invisible God. So when you think of God in a visible way, you should picture Jesus Christ. That's a very important to understand because as you note in the scriptures that I read to you, one of the disciples said, "Well, you're going away. It will be sufficient. Show us the father before you leave. And Jesus is like, "Have I been so long time with you, Philip, that you don't know that when you see me, you've seen the father? The father's in me. I'm in the father. And we want to actually be in you." What a great plan of action God has for us. So when we think about the visible person of God, we think of Jesus Christ. That's important to understand because a lot of people see the Old Testament as well there was that mean legalistic God. He sent his son in the New Testament to die and now we just think about him. No, Jesus was the visible image of the invisible God. If you want to know what the father was like or would be like, read the gospels and you'll see God is love. Amen. And every part of his program is about love and something he wants us to experience in him. Now ultimately he said, "And I will manifest myself to you through the power of the Holy Spirit." Now that's important to understand because as the body of Christ, we're moving into a new day in God, transitioning from what was called the charismatic movement to a new day where we're going to go into a more fuller experience and expression with God. Now, one of the things that has to happen as we move forward in God is there has to be sometimes a realignment of our thinking. And in the charismatic Pentecostal movement, there was a lot of emphasis on the Holy Spirit. And often times people tried to make the Holy Spirit in a person the same way that Jesus Christ is a person. And the Holy Spirit has a different function. We have to understand that. And I shared with you last week how in the old covenant uh or excuse me, the old translation of the King James version referencing the Holy Spirit, sometimes it would use the word it and itself. Newer translations like the one I have and we share here the New King James Version takes away the it because it just sounds like a bad word and really it's just a reference to gender male and female. So when you speak of the Holy Spirit in relationship with the father and the son, it's obvious that one could use the words him and he. But there's also this part where we have to understand the spirit comes to us in a sense that's different because the spirit comes to us to reveal Christ. So Christ becomes our focus and our understanding. And so we have to realize this because it's important that we see Christ manifest because ultimately we're going to understand that God wants to manifest himself through his church because the Bible says Jesus would be the firstborn among many brother. God's plan is so awesome and we have to understand that plan indeed includes us. And today I'm going to talk about the mothers and how important that is. But then look at it from a natural perspective and then see a spiritual side because in the book of Romans chapter 1, the scripture says if you really want to understand God, think about the fact that he created all things. So when you look at his creation and how he created things, sometimes it gives you insight into spiritual things even though you're looking at something natural. And with that in mind, I want to go to this Old Testament scripture in Genesis 1. It says, "So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them. And God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." [snorts] So when God created us, he created mankind with a very specific purpose. And we were created in the very image and likeness of God. That's awesome. Why did God do that? Well, he chose us to be his partners. He created the earth and all the things containing it. And then he gives us a place of position that involves taking dominion, subduing, and sharing with him in his purpose for planet Earth. Now, it's important for us to know that and it's important for us to see the very important attributes that are necessary for us to understand about oursel and also how that's revealed in God. And what I want you to notice is that when God created man, the Bible says the name Adam means mankind, not just the personal name. That he created them male and female in his immediate likeness. Sometimes people have this idea, well, God created Adam first. So, Adam is in the image of God and well, the woman is a secondary part of that. No, chapter 1 of Genesis says one part of the story. Chapter two, which we'll be mostly talking about today, gives a whole different aspect that's important for us to understand.

[00:37:19]Now how many know we have to understand that both male and female attributes are representative of the person of God and there's value very high value in the understanding that God created us male and female and that all of these represent part of the attributes of God and something he wants us to experience and walk in in him. Now in Genesis chapter 2 as I said we'll go there and see a little bit more explanation. It says, "And the Lord God said, is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him." So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall in Adam. He slept and took one of his ribs, closed up the flesh in its place.

[00:38:03]Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, he made into a woman, brought her to the man. And Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman."

[00:38:15]Why? because she was taken out of man.

[00:38:18]And again, I want to talk about the unique function. So God says Adam's alone. That's not good. He needs companionship. How many know God doesn't want us to be alone. Now this is a very important thing that we understand because of the world we're living in where people can start working at home.

[00:38:37]People can pick up their food on the way home and just eat it at home and not go out to eat as much. and everything is centered around the home. There's a certain sense of comfort that brings to us. There's no place like home, they'll say. But what's happening is people are separating themselves more from other people. And there's a whole lot of things we can do even recreationally with the internet that has to do with just us or with impersonal people through the internet as well. And so what's happening is people are becoming more alone. And then we wonder why there's so much anxiety and why there's so much depression and so much that's going on in the emotional side. And that's because well, read the word. God said you need companionship. You should not be alone. That's why the Bible says he takes the lonely and puts them in a family. And in the connotation of that, he's talking about the family of the church because there's a whole lot of families and problems that come to individual what we call nuclear families. But the family of God that Jesus Christ planted 2,000 years ago is going strong. Amen. And so there's an important aspect of that we have to understand. So you need companionship and also you need a helper. And this is an important aspect to realize that well we all have gifts. We all have talents and we can feel good about our gifts and talents. But we should also feel good about the fact that we need other people in our life for fulfilling our purpose.

[00:40:09]And so God says you need companionship.

[00:40:12]You need other people to help you. And this is important thing that God speaks from the very beginning. Now I pointed out the scripture that when God made this statement about Adam needing somebody that he put him to sleep. The Bible says that he performed an operation on him. Now, the version of the Bible I've read to you today says, "And he took a rib out of Adam." And I like to remind you of this that when the Bible was written, Old Testament was written in Hebrew. New Testament is written in Greek. And sometimes the translations take a little bit of uh bias from the translators. And this is one of those words. It's not in the original used anywhere else in the Bible. And it's important to realize that the word doesn't just mean a rib.

[00:40:55]speaks about something being curved or curvature and that's what people usually think about the fact that just a bone was taken but we always say that well if you want to understand the Bible you got to translate the Bible from the Bible interpret the Bible from the Bible and if you notice that what Adam said is this is now bone by bone flesh of my flesh for she was taken out of me and so it's important for us to realize iz that when God performed this work, it wasn't God just taking a bone and making a whole new creature. It was there was a part of Adam that would now be in another creature. And so in both of these instances, we have to realize that it was a side of Adam that was now viable but in another person. And so it's important to see how these two things work together. And there's a completeness that comes when we bring both of them together. And that's why when we look at this story of bringing together, we can see it even more richly as you think about this separation. And literally there's a part of you in somebody else. And so we require another person's participation in our life in order to finding completion. Now this scripture here is very important. And again, the scripture needs to interpret scripture. And this is a very interesting one that a lot of people don't even take note of. In Ephesians chapter 5, this is the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Ephesus. And he says, "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself." And we can understand what he's talking about when we read that story. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother, be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Now, this is where it gets really interesting because it says this is a mystery, but I'm speaking concerning Christ and the church. And so he basically says you can use Genesis chapter 2 as an illustration in a natural sense, a husband and wife and how that relationship works out, but you also have to know that the Bible is a prophetic book. The Bible talks about scripture as being a prophetic word that's made sure. And so because of that, there's more than one dimension to it that we have to see. And basically what he's saying is when you read Genesis chapter 2, you can look at it from a personal sense in mankind. But you have to realize that there was something God was trying to tell us from the very beginning is that in his eternal purpose, he had a plan of action. The plan of action was that Jesus Christ would come die for our sins and that also he would have a bride which is his church. And so we have to look at these scriptures and realize that God's talking about a spiritual issue here and he's describing us as the bride of Christ. Now, how many know that adds a whole new dimension to it? And it's important that we would see this because it's important for us to see the role of the church in the plans and purposes of God and see again and we'll understand this where the Holy Spirit fits in because as we said, God took a side of Adam and put him in a woman and she became woman. So, how many know that when God pours his spirit upon us, that's God taking part of who he is and putting it in us?

[00:44:41]>> That's an awesome revelation to have, isn't it? That's why we are the bride of Christ. Amen. Because part of Christ, which was the spirit of the anointing that was upon him, the spirit of the Lord that abides in him, then comes to each and every one of us. And God says, "Now you are now of my spirit. Now, there's something in you that came from me. You are my bride, says the Lord. And you need to understand how you are to relate to me and really to the world as the bride of Christ. Look what it goes on to say here in Galatians 4, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants, the one for Mount Si, which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar. And this is Mount Si in Arabia corresponds to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem above is free which is what?

[00:45:37]Read that with me. Mother of us all. So we're talking about mothers today. And we want to see how that the church is our mother. For it is written rejoice o bear and you who did not bear and break forth and shout you who are labeled for the desolate has many more children than she that has a husband. And this verse 27 is quoting Isaiah chapter 54. So in the Old Testament, God was giving us examples that we could look at and they were always speaking prophetically about a day which was to come. And so through the first Adam in the natural there is the seed of Adam. And then also the Bible tells us about a man named Abraham who entered into covenant with God. And God said to him that he was going to bless him and through his seed all the nations of the world were going to be blessed. When you read the Old Testament, you read about a literal physical place, Jerusalem, Mount Zion.

[00:46:31]And he said, "But there's something more that's going on in the New Covenant because there's the spiritual Mount Zion. There is a spiritual habitation."

[00:46:40]And that's what I wrote when I wrote my book, The Descending New Jerusalem, because it is a spiritual reality. And so there is a natural reality and there is a spiritual reality. How many you know we're that spiritual reality?

[00:46:54]That's important to understand because the Bible says that when we are in Christ, we're neither male nor female, Jew or Greek, bond or free. So God says, I want you to transcend above the natural and live into this spiritual plane. And when you begin to understand that, you'll see how that the natural explains it, but you understand that it reaches beyond that. Now this is an important thing to point out because Mount Zion was a part of the charismatic movement going back to the latter revival going back to the Pentecostal movement going back to what was called the holiness movement way back beginning with the third great awakening in the 1850s in the United States of America.

[00:47:32]And I mention this from time to time because I believe we're in a time of a new awakening. Can I hear an amen about that? So we need to know where we came from to know where we're going. Well, when the holiness movement started, there was a major figure involved, her name was Phoebe Palmer. And back in those days, if a woman had a ministry in the church, she couldn't teach or preach to men. So, she had a lady's prayer group. And it got such a reputation, the men were all saying, "Wait a minute, I want to go to that. What's going on here?" And so, she started, "Okay, come on in." Well, what I want to point out is since that time, churches in this stream in the body of Christ have always believed and women in the ministry, women as pastors, women as teachers.

[00:48:17]Sometimes people from backgrounds that are not thinking that way will think that, well, if a church has women in the ministry, they're just giving into the world. They're following the patterns of the world. No, that's not true at all.

[00:48:30]For almost 200 years now, there's been a people who said, "We're following the anointing." Because it's the spiritual that transcends the natural. Can I hear an amen on that? Amen. That's why Mount Zion, we've always had women, pastors, teachers, and there's a side that women have that men don't have. And so, if you want complete ministry, looking at it from a natural perspective, how many you know you need to understand how important it is. So we transcend the spiritual and yet we understand there is that gender side that becomes very important in the natural and being able to reach the different members of the body of Christ. It's an essential function for us to understand. Now having said that I want to go to this scripture in Genesis 3 and then 1 Corinthians 15. It says and Adam called his wife's name Eve because why? She would be the mother of all living. Now again the Bible speaks about Jesus Christ being Adam as well here called the last Adam but literally a first Adam because the first Adam the Bible says we became alive naturally but through Jesus Christ we become alive spiritual. Amen.

[00:49:41]That's why it says for so it is written the first man Adam became a living being the last Adam became what? a lifegiving spirit which is important to understand because the name Eve literally means lifegiving spirit. So we know that when Eve was separated from Adam, he looks at her and says we're going to call her Eve because she's the mother of all living. She's a lifegiver. How many know women are lifegivers? Amen. when they have children and it's a choice that they make when they get pregnant nowadays to decide I'm going to have this baby and we know that it's not always a pleasant occasion because having children can have its share of problems. I always use illustration my wife Bonnie she loved being a mother. She wanted to be a mother and I remember standing at the bathroom door when she looked at the test and said I'm pregnant. She had the biggest smile on her face and I was happy with her cuz I wanted a child too, of course. But it wasn't too long after that I was looking through the same bathroom door and she was kneeling at the toilet.

[00:50:50]She was not praying.

[00:50:54]She was start experiencing the effects of having a baby. And there are unpleasant. Some have worse time than others. Sometimes it's not just morning sickness. Some for some it's all day sickness. whatever. But there's a cost to be paid because the mom is a lifegiver. And being a part of that lifegiving, there is a cost to be paid.

[00:51:17]And Jesus Christ is a lifegiver. And how did that happen with him? Well, he gave his life on the cross. And then after that, he poured out his spirit, which is what? A lifegiving spirit. So again, when I'm born in the natural, I'm alive.

[00:51:33]Thank you, mom. you had a baby and now I'm alive. But when I'm born again, I have received a lifegiving spirit. And so this has transformed my life and I'm a whole new person now because I have received new life which is what?

[00:51:50]Spiritual life. And that's why it's important to understand how the Holy Spirit works because the Holy Spirit comes to us and makes us alive and becomes the habitation of us experiencing mothering in the natural and also now in the spiritual as well. That's why it talks about the Holy Spirit and it talks about the church being the mother of us all. Now having said all that, I want to go to the scripture in Acts chapter 19.

[00:52:21]It happened while Apollos was at Corenth that Paul having passed through the upper regions came to Ephesus and finding some disciples, he said to them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." He said to them, "Into what were you baptized?" So they said, "Unto John's baptism." And so as you read through the scriptures, they repented. They were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for their remission, their sins. They received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and they also spoke in other tongues. But now the first thing that he asked them is well what do you believe? Well they had a belief system based upon what they would had already heard because how many you know you can only believe what you heard. With the heart man believes the Bible says with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. How many glad you're a believer here today? Amen.

[00:53:18]So, as Paul's passing through town, he finds some believers, but there's something missing here because they didn't hear the whole message and certainly have the whole experience. And that's when he says, "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?" Now this is important to understand because as a Pentecostal charismatic holiness second work of grace Christian we believe there's something beyond just believing. A lot of people are content with I believe in Jesus Christ. My sins are forgiven. I'm going to heaven. But as people who believe in the work of the Holy Spirit and understand that it is a life-giving spirit that has been given to us, we understand it's not just enough to believe that if you want everything God has for you, there's a receiving part.

[00:54:10]My mom used to always talk about that when she would have her prayer service and praying for people because she said, "Don't just believe. You got to receive." And that really has to do with an attitude we have where we're like, I want to grab a hold of this. I want to experience this. And this is what the Pentecostal holiness charismatic movement added to the body of Christ as we said, you know, there's something that you receive. Going beyond believing, there's something in receiving. And that's why last year I talked about the descending New Jerusalem. We talked about the power of what happens in church and how important it is for us to understand that. How many know when we come to church, the Bible says, "I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart into his courts with praise and that the Bible says that Jesus worships among the worshiping congregation."

[00:55:00]And I reminded everybody a few times last year because when we hear something, we got to hear it a few times. how important it is for us to realize when we preach here at Mount Zion on a Sunday morning, it's not just instructional, which would be teaching, but preaching is something to inspire faith. So although you need to learn, you also have to understand that you need to receive it. That's why the Bible talks about the implanted word of God.

[00:55:26]We are born again by the seed of the living God coming into our heart. So that means there's something that we have to receive. So I come into the song service and I say, "Wait a minute. I know what I believe, but I'm going to receive."

[00:55:41]Come on. How many know you have to be willing to do that because if not, you can come in church and it'd be just like anybody else. And some churches don't believe you receive at that time. So they are believers who gather together and sing songs and then they have a message where they're instructed how to be a better Christian. And all of these things are a part of it. But you have to understand that when you're understanding the need to receive, you say, "No, I I need to receive something here." That's why when we have our altar call, we gather and we say, "Okay, we've heard this word. We want to receive it."

[00:56:11]And at Mount Zion, we teach the word sacrament versus just ordinance. And ordinance says, "This is what God told us what to do." The sacrament says, "Oh, something happens when you do it."

[00:56:22]That's why the Apostle Paul in speaking about communion said, "This is why many are weak and sickly among you. People even die prematurely because when they take communion, they don't understand or discern the Lord's body. There's a reality here. So I don't just believe it and do it. I receive something. How about you? And we do the same thing when people get baptized. We say we are expecting them to receive something. So there's a whole different concept here.

[00:56:49]And when it comes to the receiving part and this is a very important part of who we are. Now, having said that, I want to talk about the sexual revolution because I want you to see natural things. How often times they reveal to us spiritual things when we're looking around. That's why as a Christian, we're in the world, but we're not of the world. So, we should look at things from a kingdom perspective. When I was growing up, I was part of what they called the baby boomer generation, the latter part of that, especially in the 60s. One of the challenges were against the morals of our past generation. And they called it the sexual liberation time or the sexual revolution. And basically people were saying we don't need morals. We don't need restraints. We just need to enjoy life. So the idea over time began to demonstrate itself in that sexuality was not at all private. That's why on movies they don't just imply someone's had a loving relationship. They show the whole thing because guess what? Nothing's secret nowadays.

[00:57:57]Immodesty. Well, that went out the window. There's not secret parts anymore as we used to use the term because everything is out there in the open going on. Now, if you were to look at another aspect of what's happening right now, there's a lot of talk about SA, which is sexual assault. And what's happened here is there's a whole lot of people and some of them are bringing up issues for a long time ago because they didn't think they had the right to talk about it at the time because people are saying, "Wait a second. I had unwanted sexual advances made towards me. People were doing things and I didn't want them to do that." Well, there's a problem in this because you understand that society is saying one thing over here and then there's another need over here. And so in some ways, especially when it comes to male and female different understanding of these things, it's hard to reconcile how to bring this all together. That's even why they say a lot of young men are confused of the world in which they live because they see hear these different voices. Well, it's important to understand that the woman when it comes to marriage to cons consummate the marriage, she has to be a receiver in the consummation process.

[00:59:08]And in order for her to be a mother, she has to receive the seed of the father.

[00:59:14]So there's a place for receiving. And the Bible considers this the very holy thing when it comes to the natural, but also there's a spiritual counterpart to it which we need to understand and relate to because there's something in the experience that's very important. So what people are finding out is, hey, this isn't just a recreational sport.

[00:59:36]this isn't really making love. What's going on here? And so a lot of more women than men certainly are saying, "Wait a second. There's something here that's well, it's not just something physical. There's something deeper here.

[00:59:52]There's a sense that I have to protect myself and a a and to hold back and make a choice." And that should always be true.

[01:00:01]And so God says to us, I want you to understand something. I want you to be my bride. I want you to be the mother of my children, says the Lord. And I want you to know I respect your right to make the choice. But I want you to open up yourself to me, says the Lord, so that we can be productive together and and we can build in this holy uh uh relationship that I have for you and for the world in which we live. How many know God's way is a better way? But also to understand God understands the human condition. And a lot of people just think, "Oh, who needs that?" Well, we all need to understand it. We don't always understand why God is doing what he's doing or why he says what he says, but you can be sure there's always wisdom, wisdom to it, and always an understanding involved in it. God even spoke to me about this once. I shared it one of my books. I forget which ones are which sometimes and what I talked about, but I've often shared with you. I had a testimony about how I was healed of musculardrophe and in my 30s I started becoming very weak and suffering from this not only weakness but pain. I went to the doctors and they said, "Well, you have musculardrophe and we're not sure how long it's going to take to work over your body, but expect more to come and really there's nothing they can do when it comes to musculardrophe other than perhaps help you a little bit with the pain, whatever."

[01:01:27]And I remember going to the altar in prayer and saying, "Lord, I believe in healing and I've been serving you and I want to serve you for a very long time."

[01:01:35]time. And as I was there in prayer, the Lord spoke to me the scripture, Revelation 4, for my pleasure were you created. Now, that's a King James translation, so you won't find it unless you go that way. And all of a sudden, I thought, yes, my body is not just for my pleasure and my purpose, it's for yours. And that day I had a very intimate altar experience with the Lord where I just surrendered myself more fully to him.

[01:02:06]And it was just an amazing experience to me. And another day in prayer, the Lord began to speak to me and he said, "Well, I'm going to heal you." Now, this is important. And in the book of Psalm, chapter 37, it says, "Delight yourself in the ways of the Lord, and he will give you the desire of your heart." Now again, if you looked up the word delight in the original Hebrew, you know what it speaks about? It it speaks about being in feminite or a a female gender if you would. And that you're saying, "I receive you. It's not just my body.

[01:02:40]We're here to share love with each other. We're here to share." And all of a sudden, I realized in that verse, there's a key. Total surrender releases total power. And guess what? Most of you know my rest my testimony. I was healed in a supernatural way. How many thank the Lord for that? Amen. [applause] But for me, it's always been about God teaching me along the way and me learning more about him. And to me, following God is just such an exciting journey. It has its difficult times. And sometimes when you say yes to God, there's some uncomfortable parts, but in the end, it always produces life.

[01:03:20]church.

[01:03:21]But I want you to know that this is important for us to understand because we can see in this natural thing, a very spiritual thing where God is saying, will you allow yourself to come to me in a greater way. In Ephesians 4, he says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.

[01:03:46]and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you. I put over this sensitivity because basically when we think about the Holy Spirit, that's our opportunity to experience the sensitivity of God.

[01:04:03]And again, this is an important lesson for men to understand. There's a place where we learn about being the sons of God. But as the bride of Christ and the church being the mother of all, there is a place where we learn sensitivity and our wives and the women in our life give us an opportunity to see something about that that we would not know. That's why that learning process even in marriage and relationships is good for all of us.

[01:04:27]But it's important to realize here that the Apostle Paul is saying it's important for you to understand that if you're not careful, you can grieve the Holy Spirit, which means to make sad.

[01:04:39]God has feelings. And when you begin to realize that, you can have a more intimate time of prayer because you can go to prayer and you can share God's feelings with him as you learn that. And often times it's women that excel in areas of prayer and spiritual habitation. And that's something that we shouldn't look at and say that's for the ladies. That's something we should look at and say, "Wow, they know something I don't know. I want to experience prayer on that level or I want to have a intimate relationship with God that comes in a very sensitive form if you would." And to me, this reminds me of motherhood because how many of ever heard a mom say? If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Isn't that what the Apostle Paul say to them? Don't grieve the Holy Spirit.

[01:05:29]If you don't have anything nice to say about other Christians, don't say anything at all. Uh oh, let's receive that one.

[01:05:38]Because the power of life and death is in the tongue. Amen.

[01:05:42]And so it gives us the opportunity for emotional awareness. Now, [snorts] I've often heard people say that women are more emotional than men, and that's not true at all. They're more likely oftentimes to express their emotions, but I've seen very emotional men who respond emotionally. And if you go back to the book of Genesis, how you know the story in Genesis chapter 3, God said, "Don't eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil." Eve standing next to the tree and she's talking to the serpent and she looks at the tree and she says, "You know, that's good for food.

[01:06:16]You see a tree desirable to make one wise, pleasant to the eyes." She was thinking about it. H what can I do with this tree? After she decided to eat of the tree, she gave it to her husband.

[01:06:28]The Bible didn't say he thought about it. He just ate it.

[01:06:32]I don't know if he thought that was dinner or what. You know, sometimes men are more emotionally driven than women. And it's important to understand that there's a difference between talking about sensitivity and feeling what other people feel because if you're too emotional, you won't feel what anybody feels but what you feel. Amen. So, how many know that that's something that moms can do which is so powerful. That's why these scriptures say a foolish son is what?

[01:06:59]The grave of his mother. And when I was my father's son, tender and only one in the sight of my mother because guess what? That child grew in the mother.

[01:07:11]That's part of the mother. That's why what we call women's intuition. It isn't just a mystical thing. It's part of the fact that hey, that child started in you. It grew in you. It's a part of you.

[01:07:21]Can I hear mom say amen?

[01:07:24]And so that's why sometimes you know more about the kid than they might even know about themselves. Of course, they don't want to listen to you when you tell them that, but there's a truth to that, and that's important for us to understand. That's why as Christians, we need to be open to the Holy Spirit and how God uses the word. So, we sometimes find out things about ourselves that we didn't know. And so, what do we do? We should change. But because a woman has this part of her that was in that child, what we call women's intuition is that's why it's a grief and that's why there's a pain involved. It's not the same as a husband's pain. And this is important for us to understand and that's why I'm going to close with this particular scripture because all the things that I talked to you about are true of God himself. That's why this scripture says, "Then the righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in or naked and clothe you?

[01:08:28]Or when did we see you sick or in prison or come to you?" And the king will answer and say to them, "Assuredly I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me." Just like a mom, if you do it for her kids, it's like you've done it for her. God says the same thing. You know, do you realize how much your father loves you? Do you realize that he gave you the Holy Spirit so you could be in touch with him in such a way that you could feel inside?

[01:09:01]I belong to God. I'm tender and very beloved in his eyes. And when I grieve, his spirit grieavves with me. That's how much he loves me. It's so personal. It's so real. It's just like a mother's love, but even greater. Can we all bow our heads and close our eyes for just a moment? Because I really believe with all my heart this is a new day in God and there's something God is inviting all of us into in him like we've never experienced before. And it's going to come to us through his word and his spirit.

[01:09:40]But we should understand that God knows more of the human condition than we do.

[01:09:45]And we should also understand that he senses our need.

[01:09:53]And then he also says to [music] the church, will you let me through my spirit make you sensitive to others [music] in our marital relationships.

[01:10:08]If we would let God's spirit [music] make us sensitive, what a difference it would make. [music] If we would understand our differences, what a difference it would make. [music] But God wants us to understand there's something more that he wants [music] us to receive.

[01:10:28]Not just believe, receive. Father, in the name of Jesus, [music] I pray today that each and every one of us would receive from you Aresh in Jesus name.

[01:10:39][music] Amen.

[01:10:41]Now, let's take communion together.

[01:10:44]Because when you think about being willing to pay the price to [music] give life, well, that's what Jesus did.

[01:10:53]This is the meal he has made for us.

[01:10:57]And if we would see him in it and receive it, there would be healing, [music] deliverance, and power.

[01:11:07]At the last supper, Jesus took the bread. He broke it. He said, "This is [music] my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Father, we receive in Jesus name. Amen."

[01:11:20][music] And after they [music] had eaten, he took the cup. He said, "This is the cup of the new covenant. My blood that was shed for many for the remission of their sin." Father, we receive in Jesus' [music] name. Amen.

[01:11:40][music] Now, let's stand as the praise team is leading us into our [music] final song.

[01:11:49]And as we sing this song, if you want to receive something from the Lord, from this [music] word, something was said, then you just come up here, lift your hands before him, and receive it. He's going to do [music] something for you.

[01:12:04]Thank you, Jesus.

[01:12:07]Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus.

[01:12:11]I've [singing] got a longing [music] that's holy.

[01:12:16]Lord, you [singing] are willing and ready.

[01:12:20]So I run to you.

[01:12:24]So I [singing] run to you.

[01:12:29][music] >> I wasted [singing] money and I wasted time [music] drinking from [singing] fountains that just left me dry. So I run to you.

[01:12:44]Oh, I run to you. [singing] >> Jesus, [singing] the only one satisfies. Jesus, [music] the only one [singing] who holds my life. Jesus, [music] you're so much better. You're so much better than [singing] [music] Thank you, Jesus. Here on [singing] the altar, I lay myself [music] down. My gifts and my treasures, all of my clowns. [music and singing] I just want you.

[01:13:22]>> I just want you.

[01:13:25]>> Oh, I just want you. [music and singing] >> Wait to turn the [music and singing] water to wine.

[01:13:36]Didn't want me less outside of your time. [music] Oh, [singing] I'll wait for you.

[01:13:45]Oh, I'll wait for you.

[01:13:50]Jesus, [music] the only one satisfied. Jesus, [music] the only one who holds my Jesus.

[01:14:03]You're so much better.

[01:14:04][music and singing] We are so much better than life [music] in Jesus.

[01:14:12]The only one satisfied.

[01:14:14][music and singing] Jesus, the only one.

[01:14:20]Jesus, [music] you're so much better. You're so much better [singing] than now. With our hands lifted [music] to him, Will you receive? [music] >> You're here because you say, "Yeah, Lord, I'm here to receive."

[01:14:43]And he [music] says, "You will receive."

[01:14:47]God is faithful.

[01:14:50]God is faithful. [music] And he's here to touch each and every one of us and to cause us to see, I know right where you are. [music] I feel what you feel. Well, I know exactly. I'm in touch.

[01:15:07]And I want you to let me [music] touch your body, soul, and spirit.

[01:15:14]Oh, Father, we just thank you [music] as we pray for each one in the name of Jesus. A new understanding, [music] a new health, a new sensitivity, a new experience. [music] We receive it today in Jesus mighty name.

[01:15:32]Amen. Amen. Now, let's sing the blessing together [music] because he said, "This is how we should bless people." The Lord bless you. The Lord keep you. The Lord make his face to shine [music] upon you.

[01:15:44]The Lord be gracious to you. Jesus [singing] keep you.

[01:15:50]Make his face [music] shine upon [singing] you. Be gracious to the Lord. Turn his [music] face toward you [singing] and give [music] you peace.

[01:16:10]Amen. [singing] [music] Amen.

[01:16:17][singing] Amen.

[01:16:21][music] Amen. [singing] [music] Amen. [singing] [music] >> Amen. Amen. God bless you, church. Thank you, Jesus.