Pastor West: [00:00:00] Amen. Let's give him a shout out. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord. Holy God! Glory! Do you. Do you still believe in Jesus? Is he still the same? Is he really still the same? Well, he's the same to you. Amen. Amen. You can be seated. Glory to God. Well, God is good. Good morning. Welcome. I want to add my happy Father's Day to all of you here. Thank you for a gift. Uh, that's very, very kind words. Elliot. Those are really, uh, touching. We could have just ended the service right there, but we probably need to do a little bit more, so thank you for that very much. It's it's my great honor to be here. And, uh, I don't know why God called me for this. I wouldn't have called me for this at all. I would have been the last choice. And and, you know, we're we know the part of us that's the natural part. That's not really like I wouldn't have picked me for that. You know, I was thinking, I always thought, you know, it's just going to be business. That's what I want to do. I just want to business. I was always involved in business. I always seemed like I manage something or I started businesses or stuff like that and really enjoy that. Uh, but how many know it is business? It's just the father's business. So this morning, we're going to be about the father's business, and we're going to let you come and go because we I'm sure you have plans.
Pastor West: [00:01:25] So we're going to have some things we don't all the time here. Preach just what that holiday is. You know, uh, we want to honor always honor people, whether we preach that, you know, directly a sermon on Mother's Day, you can't really relate everything from a mother or a father to to God's love. People say, well, I've heard people say, well, you know, God's love by mother. I don't know how they make that correlation. I know what they're saying, and I can make the jump. But if you mess with the mother's children, she'll kill you, and the Lord will forgive. The mother may never forgive. She may bury you and never tell you. You know, she I don't know. I haven't seen him in months and so you can't really make the jump there. But how many know that there's one father? How many of you had a father? How many? Y'all had a mother. How about the rest of y'all? I mean, how did y'all do it? How many? How did y'all get here? You know, we may not have got all that we needed. Hopefully, that you did. If you did, that's wonderful. You may not have got everything that you needed from your father, but maybe he didn't get it from his. So you could either just dwell on that and say, well, you know, I grew up this way and that way, and they were this and they were that, and they weren't this, and they weren't that.
Pastor West: [00:02:42] Um, I could give my own testimony that way. But I, you know, I'm happy. I'm thrilled. I'm thankful. Uh, I can't wait to see both of them. I can't really wait to see him. A spiritual, a spiritual and be like, let's go. Like, what's that going to be like? So. But you know what? The book can start with you. That's right. Yeah. We don't have to carry that on. Amen. We can be who we are. Did you hear what I said? You can be who you really are. Amen. You can really be who you are. You know, in the book of Philemon or however you want to pronounce it. Filet mignon, I call it sometimes if I'm hungry, he said, your faith will become effectual. If you will acknowledge every good thing which is in you, which is in Christ, if you feel, if you feel like it, if it feels like it's working, then acknowledge it. Is that what he said? No. He said, your faith will become effectual when you begin to acknowledge every good thing which is in you, which is in Christ Jesus. So it's not what's in you, it's what's in Christ Jesus. Because what's in Christ Jesus which is available to you, which is the access by which you have into the grace of God. Amen. So we're going to pick up this morning. We're we're in a series.
Pastor West: [00:03:54] Go to Ephesians one, if you will. That's kind of our text. We could go a lot of different places. Um, I have I have to get four hours worth into about 15 minutes if I can. I'm so excited about this. I can hardly stand it. I can, I mean, I, I slept 5.5 hours last two nights ago, and then I said, well, I got to catch up last night and I did, I slept six. But I generally that's kind of my norm, six to 6.5 hours and sometimes days. Now if I said, yeah, it probably isn't. But I heard Donald Trump preaches or preaches. He, uh, he sleeps three to 3.5 hours a night and he's like the Energizer bunny. So to each his own. Amen. We're going to talk about some big, big, big business today. Uh, I've been praying that you would have. The eyes and ears to see and to hear. I don't think we'll talk about things that we never talked about before. Sometimes you're just not ready to hear it. I think about sometimes things that I've heard before or bought a book one time here and there, you know, whether it was on a Kindle or you go into Barnes and Noble and Books-a-million and you see the title, you heard about it, you pick it up and you just, you know, something captured your attention. You you read a little bit of it, but you never got past the intro. Harley, you know, you read a few pages that ever happened to you or a chapter or two.
Pastor West: [00:05:36] Somehow you just lost interest in the book said on the shelf bookshelf for a week, a month. I won't tell you sometimes. For me it was years and somehow, at another time, another date down the road, I come across that book again and open it up. And man, all of a sudden it just came to life. It's like the author came broke in my house and rewrote the whole deal. You just made amendments to the whole thing. We really didn't do that. Sometimes, you know, you're just not ready for things that, you know, available to you. And we have to be born and understand the season that we're in. What season are you in right now? If you're on a journey, if you're on a trip, I always say it this way. If you get on the interstate and you know where you're going, and here you go at 65 to whichever way you're going to go south or north, you could chart your course and you could know, you know where at mile marker, so and so. But our destination is here. Then you can just do the math can't you. And you know the distance between that and where you're going. So I like to ask you this way sometimes. Where are you headed? And what mile marker are you at? I mean, if you don't know where you're going, that's.
Pastor West: [00:06:54] Don't even crank the engine. You have to decide where you're going to go. Then you got to be truthful with where you are. Sometimes that's sometimes like the old saying, say the truth hurts. Well, no, but that's the. That's the place where you begin to mend. When you bring yourself to and I've done this many times. I pray this quite often, not just in January for maybe 30 years. Pastoring, which is kind of accomplishment to do anything for 30 years. Yeah, I'm not counting going to Bible school and all that. I'm talking about, pastor. And I mean, some people I minister sometimes say, how long you been in ministry? And they'll give me and I'll think about their age and think. He said, well, I was separated from my mother's womb. I said, yeah, I know that. Well, well, we all were my friend. If you didn't get separated, there's a problem. You know, mama's had a long, long labor, but don't know if she's worth it. He's worth it. Get rid of him. Well. So, uh. You're on this journey, but you have to be truthful. So sometimes I just had to say, Lord, I thought I knew some things, apparently I don't. So can I just start? Can I have, can I have a redo? Can I do a jerky back. Would call it can I, can I, can I go back and reset and let me start from this place? I don't know anything. I don't know if you've ever done that.
Pastor West: [00:08:20] Anybody ever done that? I don't know anything because I read this and it's not working like this said. So something's wrong. And I don't know if you're slack on your job and you're not doing what you said. Well, that's not the problem, is it? So it must be with me or my or my lack of understanding or obedience to that. Mhm. So I just ask for a reset. Yeah. I said I'm going to put myself in kindergarten. Mhm. And I don't even mean, I mean K3 diapers. If I have to start somewhere, start all over again and say I don't know anything, I'm a blank sheet of paper. That's good. Mhm. And would you just write. Mhm. I remember, I remember this week, I, um, it's amazing. You know, probably if I get a motorcycle again, it would come again. But it's amazing what you can get on a zero turn. Um, sometimes I cut yards that's been cut for 45 minutes. And you say, what's he still doing? I'm, uh, for me, it's kind of wild. I like the way it comes to me. It's lovely. I mean, but I use a lot of gas, and then I'm gonna cut grass that don't cut it anymore. But I don't want to cut the motor off because it's, you know, you might could do it golfing or hunting or, you know, whatever you're going to do or, and, uh, I heard the Holy Spirit preaching to me, and he, I mean, he's talking, but to me, it's for me, it's like I'm hearing a sermon, and I don't know why that happens that way.
Pastor West: [00:09:49] So a lot of times what I do do is I just write down what I it's like I'm sitting in a place where, like today and you're hearing someone speak a message, a sermon, whatever you wanna call it. And that's how I hear it. Then I just go, you know, require some study now and some write some things down sometimes. But all I do is I just relay what I heard. Because he knows exactly where each one of us is. And the genius of it is, is how do you reach everybody in the room at all different places? I just think if all of us went to a general physician and we might all have some different situations, and they said, uh. Grey slippers come in. I use that term. Then the doctor just does one thing for all people without even getting to have a conversation with them. Can you see the difficulty in that? Just naturally. How would you do that? Well, it's really not that hard. It's really quite simple. All I do is listen to him and I don't know anything, but he knows everything. There's there's the five fold gift. One of them is teacher. And most pastors, not all. Most pastors are teachers and probably should be as a pastor. Not always, but I mean, you learn precept and example from a teacher if you're an exhorter.
Pastor West: [00:11:23] And I love exhorters and if you're one of the, you know, if you're wide open, you get exhorted, you get excited, but you don't learn as much because you can't recall it. And, you know, so you're it's precept here, a little here, a little there and added to. And so when we're when we're sitting with in a place like this in a setting like this, I may be speaking, but I know this, this had to happen to you because it happens to me all the time. I when I go to hear someone, I'm trying to turn off the part of me that's I think is a pastor, because I'm hearing like 40 sermons at one time by listening to them. But that's what the Holy Spirit is. He's a very wise counselor. And so he'll take something that maybe I would say, or in a song, and you'll see how Christian was talking about with the music, the flow. So she's she said it right up to what's about to happen. She has no idea. You know how that was orchestrated, but the Holy Spirit does. So I'm a teacher. But he's what? He's the teacher. And I don't know who said it first. I know Brother Copeland said it, but he said one. One word from God. Just one can change your life forever. Amen. Just one encounter from God can change your life forever.
Pastor West: [00:12:47] So in Ephesians chapter one, we know there's a prayer that Paul prayed starting verse 16 for the church at Ephesus. Brother Hagan always said it this way, because it's in the New Testament, because Paul prayed it. It's inspired by the Holy Spirit. It wasn't something that Paul came up with then. We know there's a also a prayer in Ephesians three we won't get into today. But in Ephesians chapter one verse 16, Paul prayed this it belongs to you. You can put your name in there anywhere that you can insert a name, yours or anybody else you want to pray for. And what did he say? He said, I ceased not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may. What? That you may know what? Y'all read it with me that you may know what is the hope of his calling? And what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints? And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe according to the power of his, according to the working of his mighty power? Next verse which he wrought in Christ. Or he displayed this in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality, power, might, and dominion right keep going.
Pastor West: [00:14:10] And every name which is name, and that which is to come. The last verse. I had such a good time. I could go in the next chapter. And you, who had quickened so well. So there's three parts to that prayer. And what he's saying is, Paul said, I pray for you and I, and I cease not. In other words, I don't pray just once, but I pray for you that you would know some things, he said, and hear what it is that you would have a spirit of wisdom and a spirit of understanding. Christian talked about a while ago, it's not just mammon, it's the spirit behind it. That was really good. Did y'all catch that? Amen. It's not just mammon is your problem. You know, Mammon is the money, but it also is. What she was talking about is is the spirit behind it. It's the ability for us to go do for ourselves what we have no ability to do. God did not give you that to you know, he's our source. And you've heard me say this many times, he's not here to help you be the source, right? He's the source. Amen. You and I will never be the source. We're just connected to the source. My God shall supply my need. It didn't say my God. And you shall supply your needs. That's right. Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Pastor West: [00:15:33] Not Christ in you, and you and him, and some of you, and some of him. Now the two became one. How did they come? One. He killed you. Now you're just one. Uh, he died first, and then you had to die. Then you're raised together, which is with to be just one. And that's what baptism is about. Baptism is not. It's not a religious thing. What is it? It's a it's a public display. Publicly. It's not spiritual in the sense of it's a public display of saying, I have swapped kingdoms. Amen. I was because there's two kingdoms Satan's kingdom and God's kingdom. And you said, I now do the Pledge of Allegiance. To the King. Not this one. I went from darkness. And I am into what light? The son of light, the son of love. And I am in this kingdom. Now I'm going to stress some things about Kingdom today that I know that you know. But, uh, there's people in this room who have some big desires. And I'm not saying because you're under 40. To follow most of the people in the Bible who did things that turn. Turn your head. Most of them were over 70. I mean, I always said, you know, God didn't really use Abraham until he was 75, Moses to his 80, because they didn't have much sense. So we we have need of people with gray hair. And then one day my mind might turn out, I don't know.
Pastor West: [00:17:29] We need the wisdom. Well, here, he said, a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. So three parts of that pray that you'd have the spirit of wisdom, revelation of the hope to which you are called. We got to get that first. The hope to what you're called. What's God doing and what's he doing in you? Now what you're trying to make happen. See, that's where the frustration comes in, is you have this idea, and then you press toward it, trying to make the thing to pay out, but it won't pay out. I mean, if he was in a casino, you're trying to get the apples to line up and you're getting bananas and cranberries and it doesn't pay it all. You have to have your ducks in a row, so to speak. No, I didn't go to casino. I'm just I don't even. I'm sorry, I used it. You got to get your three dogs and three cats. Okay. So. The plan of God is already inlaid with all the increase and blessing that you'll ever be able to access, and that's what it really is. I'm going to talk about that. We try to get there last week. Last week, service was wild. It didn't uh, I looked at I looked at the title and said, well, we never touched that. So I'm really using the same title of part two. Part one. We actually had to go offline and have another service.
Pastor West: [00:18:51] Praise the Lord. I'm not apologizing for it. I've been all for doing it again today. But. But I'm access, you know, in Deuteronomy chapter eight verse 18, he says, God gives us the what the power to get wealth. Is wealth okay with you? Well, he gives you the power to get wealth. He didn't it didn't say he gave you wealth. That'd be wonderful. You know, I just signed up, and God gives me. Well, what did he give you? The power to get wealth, which is the ability and the strength and the favor to obtain wealth. What he's saying here is I'm giving you the ability to access it. I'll give you business ideas. I'll hook you up with the right people at the right time. The wealth belongs to the to you, the body of Christ. Amen. Not. Not so much that you could have a yacht. Or yet it. Because the the plan of God is so enormous in your life, you have to have it. And then when you have it, you can you can put the calculator away. And you ain't got to figure out what 10% of your thing is. You might be like some others said, I can live on ten. Give the 90. Wouldn't that be wonderful that we that we swap the table over? Now, some of you, how many of you would say that you feel like you have some pretty big lofty ideas and goals in life? So that means if you're going to do the right y'all, I hope more people raise their hands.
Pastor West: [00:20:48] So then what? What are we saying? If you do the 910, look how much you're going to have to have just to live on the ten for what you want to do because the nine is going to go somewhere else. I just shared a wild idea, and you might just go into the, you know, the words, you're just going out there, but who knows where seed hits, right? We know from the parable of the sower, which is for many years, including me, I think was taught incorrect. And we won't go there. But I'll say it this way. Jesus said when the words it's not Satan comes after the after the word. You better read it in context. He, he said, the evil one. Satan himself comes after the words of the kingdom. Not just words, not just sermons. He said. But when the kingdoms preached, he said, the devil will come himself. So I know he's going to be here today. And I ain't bothered by it at all. No. Go back and read it. And the parable he says, when the words of this kingdom is preached, he didn't say sermons. The kingdom. Why that? Because it's God's big idea. Without. See if you're not taught the kingdom and we're not really taught kingdom. And here's why. Because we live in the United States. We live in a democracy. The King.
Pastor West: [00:22:31] The president. Which I'll stay away from. But it's a democracy. So if you're going through a hard time. He's not. If you lose your home and your vehicle. He doesn't. If you can't put food on the table, it's no, it's no big deal to him. During the housing crisis with President Bush and everything that happened there. And, you know, and and I won't get into all the conspiracy theories about it. It was going to happen anyway because they was going to crash it. I don't know all that. So I mean, I if you know it, wonderful. But let's don't bring it out of church. It didn't affect George Bush at all. He has a ranch in Texas. He lives on. And there they was wealthy before they got it to the white House. And they're wealthy now. If you had a hard time during a recession, he didn't. If you lost everything and your reputation went down. His didn't. But when you have a monarchy and you have a king. It's completely different. He only looks good if you're doing good. One get way ahead of myself. Way ahead of myself. So. It's his reputation that's on the line. Did you know one of the words for glory is reputation? John 17 When Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified, he said, in the same glory that you gave me came on me. He said, give it to them. He said, in other words, give them what I had, so that they'll have the same reputation that I carried.
Congregation: [00:24:17] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:24:20] Now you can see why we preach so much about who you are in Christ, so we can help you understand not to be in pride, but to see how how amazing God made you. He said. You're fearfully and wonderfully made. But. All through school. I mean, you just think about it. As a kid, you were small kids, and they talk about things and and we and we laugh and we have fun, and they're big ideas. And because they just believe everything is possible. Sometimes when I get my hair cut, if I get it cut too short in the back, she'll say, oh, there's a scar back there. I said, yeah, and she said, you want me to leave a little bit longer? I said, yeah, I forget about it. She says, kind of long. I said, yeah. She said, well mom asked what happened. I said, no, I was in Detroit, Michigan, and we lived across from a square, one square mile school and park and had an ice skating rink, had everything on it. And me and my brother, we just climbing in trees and they had a huge, huge slide. So I said, I just grabbed me a couple of sticks, you know, and I was going. Come down the slide and I was going to shoot the bad guys coming down, but I was trying to get my little sticks, you know, in my hands.
Pastor West: [00:25:28] I was five years old, 4 or 5 years old, and I climbed up the top huge. I mean, it wasn't just a slide. It was a big one. And when I reached for the arches, because I had the sticks, they wasn't there. And I came this way and I hit head first. That's what Michelle thinks happened to me, she said. Sometimes I feel like there's a little something there. I'm still picking out little stones. So I was bleeding everywhere. My brother threw me over his shoulder. I don't know how he did it. He's only 16 months older than I was and I was bleeding everywhere. He took me to the emergency room and. But I thought I could fly. I mean, why not? I was watching underdog. He was flying. I thought, if a dog can fly, he's an underdog. I'd be the up dog. He'd be under. I'd be up watch Superman, you know, super friends. So, you know, my parents bought me a cape and I thought, well, that's all I needed. Just to go do this thing. And it didn't work out for me. It just didn't work out at all. And so there was something that that Solomon said, and this is become one of the most favorite parts of me, that every day of my life, I think about these things no matter what else I think about. And in Proverbs four seven he said, wisdom is the principal thing.
Pastor West: [00:26:50] Therefore what get wisdom and with all your getting. Get what? Get understanding. Verse eight says wisdom will exalt and promote you. When you exalt her truth, she will lead you to honor and favor when you live your life by her insights. Now there's, there's, there's three words in Proverbs that you'll see over and over in different chapters. And here's the three words of wisdom. If you're making notes of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, you'll see those words over and over again in the Proverbs. Wisdom, knowledge and understanding. And so Solomon understood the three, these three concepts of each one of them, and which made him a very influential and important leader in Solomon. He was known for his what? The wisdom. He was known everywhere for wisdom. This is going to get really good in just a moment. I mean, we're just I mean, this thing's been marinating for a while. It's on the grill now, but we're not going to overcook it. And the juice is about to flow. I'm telling you. And you're gonna want to chew it slowly because you don't want it to go away off the plate. Oh, boy. Praise God. Now you need to know this knowledge is information. Spirit of wisdom, revelation and knowledge of him. Knowledge is information. Understanding is comprehension. In wisdom as application. Say that with me. Say knowledge is information.
Congregation: [00:28:34] Knowledge.
Pastor West: [00:28:35] Understanding is comprehension. Understanding and wisdom is application. But he said wisdom is supreme. Hey, Gabriels. Three things there. Knowledge. Understanding. Wisdom. But he said wisdom is supreme because you can know something but not understand it. We could use anything. I mean, you could use your iPhone. Do you know everything that your phone does, your smartphone, or how do you use it? I don't either. I'm up here sometimes and can't even remember what the password is. I'm. I'm texting, you know, Christine or Elliot and say, what's the password? I remember last year I was sounding like I said, no. What's the name of our website to the church? You would think I would know the website to our church. Can you see? I need a lot of help. Y'all. Y'all just being kind. You're like, I don't know. No, but I asked them. They know I need help, so you can you can see something and know something by knowledge, but you don't understand it. Is that true? Uh, if I ask Bill to come up and say, could you just give us a very simple understanding of what happens when I turn the key on the inside of my car? What happens under the hood? You could do that, couldn't you? Now, if you need to understand it, let me ask you this. You want him to tell you or me to tell you? You want me to be able to tell you, right? Because all I know is turn the key and hope something happens under the hood.
Pastor West: [00:30:13] And when it doesn't, I take it to him because I have enough knowledge to know it's not working. But I'm through there. I mean, I opened the hood like most men, I said. Uh huh. That's right. Okay. Uh huh. Yeah, yeah. Because my brother Bill. Because I have knowledge. No, it's not working. But I have very little understanding of what to do past that point. And then there's the wisdom. Be the application. Nothing is, uh, you can't understand it. Or you can. You can understand something, but not apply it. Which means I'll say it this way. You could die of starvation. You could. It'd be foolish. I don't think I've done it. I hope no one ever does it. You could die of starvation with food in your mouth because you won't swallow. Would that? Was that a true statement? You could die with food in your mouth because you just didn't swallow what you chewed. Can you tell? I'm trying to make it simple? I ask the Lord. Years ago I said, I'm going to need a lot of help. And he said, yeah, I know, that's why I called you. He said, so you depend on me. And I said, you're going to help me understand before I can tell someone else.
Pastor West: [00:31:34] So I asked years ago, help me to see something that's complicated, that I just can't get it. But not naturally. But would you give me the understanding of what you're trying to say there? But beyond that, I asked, and I continue to pray this way. Would you help me to see something, even if it's complicated, and break it down so easy that a fourth, third or fourth grader can understand what I'm saying? Mm mm. Most newspapers, they say, are wrote on the fifth or sixth grade level. If they want to sell papers. Brother, Hagan said. One time, Miss Aretha said he was all getting into this and he's getting his dictionaries, looking for big words to put out there that, you know, he never knew what they were and he'd look them up and he'd she said he he'd add 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 words of a sermon of words that, you know, was kind of like this long that he he knew, probably no one knew and just put it in like, you know, like your pastor is really smart, intelligent. And then Miss Aretha, she's really kind. His wife, she said, she said, well, Kenneth, she says, um, she said, boy, your ministry is changing. He said, what do you mean? She said, I can see right now we're going to go to two services.
Pastor West: [00:32:41] He said, Aretha, the building ain't nowhere near full. Why would we go to two services? She said, well, she said the first service, she can preach like you're preaching, you know, and these words that you're using, he says, yeah. He said the natural words, you could hold another service and tell them what you told them. Change his life again. So he got rid of some of those words. Well, that's fine if you have that. But I'm just saying the Lord wants us to get this. What I'm going to tell you, it will work anywhere for anyone, anytime. If you'll get this, it will be impossible for you to be broke. You'll be completely impossible. You can't do it. You say, well, it's too late for me to start now. Not if you're breathing. It will work for you. Amen. Y'all ready? Can I go just a little bit more? Okay. Wisdom is knowledge. Or let me start over. Put it all together. Wisdom is supreme. Because you can know something but not understand it. Or you can understand it, but not apply it. Nothing is complete until it becomes wisdom. Because wisdom is knowledge understood and applied. That's why wisdom is more important than knowledge. Because you could have a doctor who has wisdom but die of heart disease because of what he's eaten.
Pastor West: [00:34:11] You could have a you could have a physician who knows, understands the body, but is an alcoholic. And he dies, kills his organs, kills his liver. He has knowledge. He even had to understand him. But he didn't have wisdom. Why? Because he never applied that which he knew or understood. That. That makes sense. So it's good to have knowledge and it's great if you have the understanding, but it never becomes wisdom to any of us until you apply it. Do you think that Paul prayed that prayer for these people and gave them the understanding of things, that he wanted them to apply it? Of course he did. So when you read the other parts in Proverbs, his wisdom cries in the streets, he said, but they're not listening. He said, but the day had come. He said, all I can do is just laugh at you. He says, because you wouldn't apply it. You closed your ears. Jesus said the same thing he said, and even his, uh, sometimes his own disciples didn't understand what he was saying. He said, for you, the mysteries of the kingdom is to be known and revealed that he had he had had to he had to have the second service and tell them what he told them. But the crowd was all there.
Pastor West: [00:35:29] They could they could see Jesus. They could hear his words, but they understood nothing he was talking about. He said. But at any time. They convert their thinking in their heart. He said their eyes and ears will open and they'll see and their hear. They'll understand it. And he says, and I'll heal them just like that. So he didn't say, it's for you, but you can't have it. It's for you. But no, you and you can't have it. It's for everyone. Mhm. In the parable. One out of four. Got it? But any of the four could have got it. I understand that very well because I pastored for years, and I can't help but know what I do know by experience, right? People sitting in the same room hearing the same thing and it work here and not work there. It was the same service. It was the same sermon. Um, I she she doesn't like me to water flowers, but I do. And she says, I said, why don't you like me water? Because she said, you're killing them. I said, why? I said, she says it's the water. She said. You're putting way too much. I think it's the pastoral part of me that wants to water. She says, you're not watering, you're flooding. I said, oh, but they are hydrated. They're very hydrated. Um, so you could come to church for years and take notes and yell at me and but never imply it.
Pastor West: [00:37:01] So it never becomes a wisdom to you. The Bible says Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God applied. Now, having said that, now let's get into the real service. Oh. I'm serious. Boy, this thing about to take off the grill and have some fun with. I'll go pretty quickly, so I'll pick it right where Christian left off. Seek first the kingdom. I don't even have time to talk about seek and how big it is. It's not just a word. I mean, it's it's it's it's an intense word. Look, ponder, go. After all these things that we're to do. It's not just like, sit in your seat and watch this. So you ever. You ever played hide and seek? Well, when they were hiding, it was your time. When they were hiding was your time of seeking. You know. But could be under the bed. They could be in the closet. They could be here. They could be there. They, you know, hide behind the couch. You had to go. Look. You had to say, not here, not here, not here, not here, not here. It wasn't. Pin the tail on the donkey. He's blindfolded. He was looking for something. You ever drop something in the dirt or you drop something, you know, whatever.
Pastor West: [00:38:17] And it's like, if you're out here with this gravel, go here and drop a dime. It's same color as this gravel. Especially with this new gravel out here, which, uh, whoever was working the road this week tore all up. But anyway, uh, we'll forgive them in Jesus name. If that's the internet cable, I will forgive them. I don't know if it's. It is. Oh. We're blessed. Come, come do some more. This is going to be high speed cable. Oh, it's all good. Forget I even mentioned what they did to the gravel. We have 12 megs here, so we are happy we're going to be unlimited. Praise the Lord. We're going to be so fast. You'll have next week's service while I'm still here. I don't know, I don't know how. I shouldn't say that, but I mean, but he says seek first the kingdom now when you get around to it in his righteousness, and all these things should come to you. Uh, seek first what the kingdom. So usually in the United States, we don't understand kingdom. We think we do. But if you lived, um, you know, if you lived in Britain, London, whatever places like this where you have a monarchy, you have a family, you would you would understand the concept. But we don't have the culture of the kingdom here as you would in other countries.
Congregation: [00:39:39] Thats right.
Pastor West: [00:39:40] So we want to get the the concept of it and understand the culture. The kingdom is God's big idea. In the Gospels, it's mentioned over 100 times. If Jesus talks about something 100 times, you probably should think that's important. The kingdom. Everything that happens. It happens under the umbrella of the kingdom. You could work for a large corporation and your position is whatever it is. But that doesn't mean all that's all that company does. They could have different departments. You could work on the product line. You could work in the service industry. You could be the truck driver who delivers products. You could be the one who takes the orders. You could be in the office doing the payroll. And everyone works for the same corporation. But they have different jobs, different positions, right? And so the umbrella of all of it is called the Kingdom of God. Including me not speaking to anybody else. Most time, what gets preached is the fruit of it, or the benefits of the kingdom and it being left out. I don't when I'm about to say, I don't mean to say this despairingly to anyone because I'm just as guilty as anybody else. If you're going to be in the ministry like I am. Uh, you're going to be a missionary. You need to understand the kingdom. Mm. Because it's not in the United States. And our thinking you can go to Bible school and never have one class on the kingdom like me.
Pastor West: [00:41:22] I mean, there's, uh.
Pastor West: [00:41:26] Three classes a day this class, an hour go down the hall, Bell rings, go next class, go next class Tuesday and Thursday. Subjects change. So you're taking 5 to 6 different subjects a week for two years. You compress that into two years. It's 1520 years. It's like going to church in two years. Plus what you got to do in your homework and studies. So it's like being on a subway. You don't have time to study anything out. You're just doing the next class, next class, next class, next class, next class, next class. So you could go to Bible school like I did where I did and never have one class on the kingdom. Asked. A friend of mine went to argue. I said, how about you? You said, no, we never had one class on the kingdom. And he's a missionary. Hi. How are you going to be effective in life? You don't have to be in the five fold ministry. How are you going to be effective in life, especially if you are in a ministry or a missionary and you don't even understand the culture of a kingdom? See, we're going to be looking for the benefits and never meet the king. And how are you going? Know much about the kingdom if you don't know the king. Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of the King.
Pastor West: [00:42:53] Mm. Yeah. So that you will know to what this king has called you to. Then you need to know the inheritance this king has laid up for you. And then he wants you to know the power of this. King said, that causes things to come forth. Mm. Because the power to get wealth. The word power is really just the word access. So he says, quit going for clothes and food and light bills. Quit praying for money. Seek the kingdom. And when you understand kingdom, you'll. You'll access. And you'll quit begging. See if you're in a monarchy. And there's a king and you're a beggar. Or you need money or you need you lose your car. You lose your home. And that begins to happen all over the the for the citizens. You know who looks bad? The king. Not in the United States. Like I said, George Bush get a win. You know, hundreds of people was losing their home. Thousands of people lost their homes. And he was doing he was doing really good. But if you put him in another country, they might have took his head off. I don't know, because you're tarnishing the reputation of the king. So your king does not want you to beg because it makes him look bad.
Congregation: [00:44:15] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:44:16] That's why he gave you your his name. You stay the years because he knows what his name will do. Amen. Amen.
Congregation: [00:44:24] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:44:25] Your name may go. So far, there's no Scripture says in the name of Eric West. Do this. He says, I will let you use my authority. It's not your authority, it's his authority. So he's giving us authority. No, no, he's giving the use to it. See if it's your authority. You just use your name. But see, this is the reputation of the glory of the King, and he doesn't want his name tarnished.
Congregation: [00:44:48] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:44:49] So he doesn't want you begging and pleading. He doesn't want you in need. He doesn't want you sick. He doesn't want you defeated because he has a reputation.
Congregation: [00:44:58] Mm. Amen. Come on now.
Pastor West: [00:45:00] Can I go just a little bit further? If you need to leave at any time, we understand completely. Um, so. We've all seen on TV or been to services where people didn't understand the kingdom and they had needs, so they were. Well, I say it this way because I don't know their heart and it's wrong to say what people were trying to do. Maybe I would be right. But I'm not, I'm not. I'm not going to judge anyone. I don't know their heart, but gimmicks. I've been around this all my life. You give God, you know. Ten he'll give you 20, you give out 50, you give you 100. You give God, you know 100. He gave you 300. You give God 300. He'll give you 600. You give God a thousand. He'll give you, you know, 10,000. Uh, yes and no. Because it's so many reaping, which is right. But that's not what Christian was talking about. It's the motivation of why you're doing it right. That's right. You can't serve two gods. And money can be a god. Anything can be a god. Football can be a god buying too many shoes. Let the Lord speak now to whoever's I sense that. Buying too many outfits to me, purses and accessories, whatever it is, can be a god, can be an idol to us. Someone can be something, or someone can be an idol to you.
Pastor West: [00:46:23] Well, that means you're a servant to that thing or that person. You think? Well, no. No I'm not. Yes, it has your attention. It has your resources. It has your finances. But you were king of a king. So you're you're not seeking that. Do you think the president of the United States ever left the white House to go to Publix to see if he could find something to eat that day? Do you think any ambassador of the United States Senate anywhere is begging for food? Or looking or getting food stamps. Why, if you had a, uh. What do you call him, a imam? Uh, you know, whether they're, you know, an imam priest, and he tells you I want you I want to receive an offering because I want to go do something here. What would you give him? Your. That individual, that imam, would you would that priest, you know, whether it was a Buddhist or whatever, would you give him your finances? I wouldn't, would you? You know why you don't believe in his? Cause you don't. You don't believe what he represents. This kingdom is established in before he was born. Isaiah said, it'll never come to an end. So whatever it is that's buffeted you right now, it's about to come to an end. I worked in the grocery store as a kid in Clanton, and sometimes my job was to go to the shelves and pick out everything that's expired or almost expired.
Pastor West: [00:48:18] I had to get it off the shelf because it's the expiration dates run out. There are some things in your life been buffet you for way too long, and when you get when you get the idea of this message, not even the message. When you get the idea that you say, I ain't putting up with that no more. This thing is about to expire in my life. I ain't having this no more, man. My life is going to match this book. Because of his reputation. You are the daughter of a king. So you don't have to. You don't have to shop at Dollar General if you just want to. You don't have to be keen. Coupon and double coupon day. There's nothing wrong with being thrifty and all that kind of stuff, but you don't. You think Solomon was clipping coupons? Was he? And he got to the meat of this message at all. So, um. Wow. Godly. Um, so it's not that tend to get 20 and all that. It's not the Soul Reaper doesn't work. Of course it works. It's the motivation forgiven. That's paramount. It it's not getting stuff we don't you don't give to get something. I know everyone's going to have different thoughts about that.
Pastor West: [00:49:44] Especially the circles I come up in. We don't give to get. You know why? We already got it. Now, can I just make statements that because it may sound catchy or you may say Amen, if it ain't true? No. I mean, I can say it, but is it right? Now, why can we say we already got it? Well, Pastor Matt, he's he's in Peru right now this morning. I got to talk to him this morning. He was they flew all night and he he's at the base of the mountain and they're going to sleep there. And he said I was asleep. So he he's going to catch a little bit more. But he always said if all you have is in your pocket is lint. He said he's come to find out lint can't be spent. That's wise. You can't cash in lint anywhere. Well, we don't give to get. Why do we give? Well, God needs the money. God's got a big payroll. And he still had to pay a lodge, and Elijah and Moses and all them kind of stuff. And so he has a way to absorb it from the bank and, and transfer currency and all that kind of stuff. And, and we're and we're behind payment. So now there's a, there's a when you miss your payment, there's a what you call the late fee.
Pastor West: [00:51:17] I know y'all probably don't know what that is. I heard about someone one time who had one. I looked up and see what it was all about. Well. Yeah, but stay off that. Praise the Lord. Been a long time, but I've been there, boy, I've been there. I was late so many times. I just took the late fee and add it to what the payment is going to be. Because that was going to be my payment every month. I mean, it's like car payment like this. I know they come and get it by the third one. So, you know, I hate to say it, I've been a pastor and hid my vehicles in the very beginning. Go from preaching. You know, my God has supplied all my need. But what they didn't know during the week was in the other church. We first got it in the beginning. The very beginning it had a basement that you could drive in because it used to be a funeral home and I would hide my truck during the day there. So they because I knew they'd be looking for her and I could be in the building and you wouldn't know it. And I was in there just worshiping the Lord, believing God for whatever. But I was hiding my truck so they couldn't take my truck. I just didn't tell anybody else.
Pastor West: [00:52:28] But they never took my truck. You know that? Did you? Yeah. You know, there was a beginning. There was a learning curve. There were some hard times. Hard times. Think about what I do at this moment. Not me. Everywhere I've ever worked before. Ministry or where you work. You work somewhere and they owe you a salary. What I do is by volunteer. Lucky me. Invoice you. I mean, I know pastors, I know of pastors who do I think? How do you do that? They said, well, I teach them this is it, and this is that, and this is that. And they said, they know that's right. So he said, if they don't come, he said, I enforce them. I said, you enforce people. He said, yes. I said, do they pay? He says, yeah. He says, it depends on how I write the letter. I said, Okay. It's like, um, I didn't want to get into his personal or whatever. He. You know, he wasn't asking me. What do I think about it? So I could have told him what I thought about it. But you don't have any presence for that in the world. You know, he says, Second Corinthians. He says, whatever's in your heart to give, right? He said, it's not whatever's in my heart for you to give. But what is there in your heart to give?
Pastor West: [00:53:52] I mean are you making exactly whatever's in your heart to give where you work? Or would you like for them to pay you more? Or if you're in business for yourself, would you like your salary to be double by your clients paying you double? Well, yes. I don't want overtime. I want to get double. Triple time for the time I'm doing that. I don't need overtime.
Pastor West: [00:54:14] If i'm making $50 an hour. I mean, I was kidding at one time. Said the Lord told me to tell y'all tithe is now when it's 20%. He hasn't had an increase in over 2000 years. Don't you think we ought to do something? Everything else is increased since you know who hit the white House. But anyway, just move right along. Uh. Citizenship. We don't go after stuff. It comes to you. Why? Because you're a citizen.
Pastor West: [00:54:42] I'm talking kingdom. Not talking to democracy and a democracy. You go work and you go do this, and you have the ability to create something which is wonderful. But that's a democracy. But. But as a citizen. You have rights. And we have to understand those rights. Citizenship, attractive citizenship in the kingdom attracts all of it. You don't have to pursue it. It comes to you, towards you because you're a citizen. When you line up with your thoughts and your thinking and your mouth with the kingdom. So wealth in the kingdom is not really spelled w e a l t h. It's spelled access. Access. He doesn't want us to make a loan. And that was you don't want to have to go to your like your natural father for an inheritance and say, dad, I really need some money right now. I know one day I'm going to have this inheritance. If you just give me 200,000 instead of the half a million, I'm going to get her a million. I'm going to get. You know, I'm just using a figure. Then we can we cut a deal. Don't ever do that. Because after you spend the 200,000 and you will, then it's over.
Pastor West: [00:56:04] You don't make deals with the kingdom. You don't make a deal with the king. You was born into the deal. Now all you have to understand is citizenship. The concept of kingdom and citizenship. So you know how to line up with that. And then you can access anything that you need. I used to try to use my faith for everything. My pastor told me like 25, 28 years ago. He says, why are you trying to believe everything? Air conditioners and everything he said, is that your building? I said, well, not really, he says. I mean, legally, if you left, could you sell it and keep the money? I said, no. He says, so your pastor just believe everything by yourself. Do all things by yourself. Make, make, make alone. I remember one time I went and borrowed like $40,000 because things diminished. You need things to pay the loan for ten years because I wasn't going to ask for anything. I was going to believe God. Well, it's not altogether bad, but I didn't have the wisdom.
Pastor West: [00:57:08] You know.
Pastor West: [00:57:09] I ask, and you shall. Receive? Well, I wouldn't receive nothing. But you know what? I didn't ask for nothing. They always told me that, as a pastor said, the best time to raise money for an air conditioner is August, July and August. I said, why? He said, it's hot. I said, oh, I thought that that's kind of simple, but I believe that'll work. But access, don't be a foolish son or a daughter. Don't ask for the amount. Don't cut a deal because that will run out. See? You don't want money. You want access? You don't want money, you want access. Paul said it's not a matter of having or not having. Paul said, I've been this way and I've been too much, and I've been. I've been hungry. And he says, but I'm happy in all, in all circumstances. He said, it's not about having and not having. He said, for I know my God shall supply all my need according to his riches and glory. He says, so it's not about my temporary situation. So I'm not asking God for the things of of food and clothing. That's what Christian was talking about a bird. They're not meeting together and pray for worms. They know where worms are, and if you bother the ground very much, or if you're like me, you're flooding the flowers and the grass, the worms and I have a lot of worms in my yard comes up because I guess I'm flooding the ground and they're and they're choking.
Pastor West: [00:58:39] And the birds are happy about my watering process because those worms are coming to the top, and the birds like spaghetti. But a bird knows there's worms in the ground. He never thinks about. Is there worms? He just looks for someone like me who floods and waters. You know, because the worms said that idiot's out there doing that again. We're going to drown down here. Everybody get to the sea level! Then they get sucked up. So I guess worms don't like me that much anyway, so. Paul told Jesus one time he said, uh, or Peter told Jesus one time, you remember this, we won't go there. But uh, he said, Jesus, I've left everything to follow. You remember that? He said, I left my wife. I left my house, left my land, left my business, left my boats. He said, Jesus, I left everything to follow you. Jesus. I left everything for you, Jesus. I left everything to follow you. Jesus said, shut up. You ain't left nothing for me. He said, no man can leave anything. That they won't get 30, 60, or 100 times more in this life than anything they walked away from. You ain't left nothing from me, boy. You just entered into access. You didn't give it up.
Congregation: [01:00:01] Yeah.
Pastor West: [01:00:02] You just now getting in place to finally receive. Amen.
Congregation: [01:00:06] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:00:09] I think one day we just have a meeting for just y'all millionaires. We might even let a billionaire slip in. That might be y'all. And we'll just talk about big ideas and funding things.
Congregation: [01:00:22] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:00:23] So he said, if you submit to me in my kingdom, he says, then you can have something happen to to a vehicle. And I'd say, I don't even have a car anymore. I need a vehicle. Well, there's thousands of cars with your name on it because you're a child of the kingdom and you're trying to figure out how to get something that's already yours, it already belongs to you. It's yours. It belongs to you. And you think, well, we got I can't buy it right now. My credit is bad or my or I don't have a down payment or I can't even make the payment. See? Okay. See, you're thinking like someone in the United States. But you're a citizen of the kingdom. It's not for you to work to walk it out. I mean, it's not for you to work it out. It's for you just to walk it out. So Jesus was trying to teach Peter access different mentality in the kingdom of God. Here's another one in Matthew ten seven, Jesus said, as you go preach. He preached, saying, he's preached this message. Now why would he say, preach this message? Because he knows people got messages. But he said, preach this message saying what the kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom of God is at hand. Why that message? Because he knows people are going to preach all kinds of stuff. What did he tell him? He said, as you go, preach the message. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils. Freely you receive, freely give. When people get healed and set free and delivered. Heal the sick. Raise the dead. What is that? It's proof of the kingdom.
Pastor West: [01:02:03] Culture is at hand. The kingdom has just showed up. It's proof. He confirms the message that he told you to preach, which is the king. And the culture of the kingdom is here now, coming to the place of citizenship. You know, we all have rights as citizens. Don't we? Hear of the United States even on the worst day, the worst criminal? Someone who murdered someone or supposedly murdered someone when they arrested the first thing when they read the Miranda rights. What's the first thing they tell? Maybe someone who's a murderer. You have a right to remain silent. The first thing I mean. It didn't say you're sorry. Scum of the earth, you murdering, treacherous. Whatever. He. He starts telling me his rights. First thing. You have a right to be silent. You would think you'd just shoot him down. Ask questions later. No, he starts telling me he's right, right off the fact he could be just as guilty as, you know, as everything. But the first thing he gets is you're not guilty until your proven guilty. So you have the right to remain silent. If you don't, whatever you say can and will can and will be used against you. So what do you say when you mess up? Just be silent because you're still the righteousness of God. If you start saying, I'm a this and I'm a this, and I'm a this, and I'm this and I'm this, that'll be used against you in the court of Satan's law, and he will use it against you. And those words will become exactly what you said they are.
Congregation: [01:03:36] Mm.
Pastor West: [01:03:39] Okay, I see we ran out of time. So let me go to the last page. Y'all may like this. Can we go to First Kings ten on the screen up there first Kings ten. You won't have time to read write this. So I'm going to read it to you, but you can watch it and get it, listen to it and whatever. I may give you the definition of a kingdom. A kingdom is a sovereign. You already. You won't have time to write this unless you know shorthand. A kingdom is a sovereign rulership of governing authority of a king over his territory, impacting it with his personal will, purpose and intent, producing a community of citizens who express the king's culture, nature and lifestyle. That's a kingdom. So that means that every king wants every citizen of the kingdom to look like him, dressed like him, eat like him because it reflects his name. I think about kings and kingdom culture. That's why you don't pray for money. You pray for kingdom citizenship.
Pastor West: [01:04:49] Now, interesting study and I have studied, but I'm going to continue to study more along those lines. Just interesting. Especially when you go, you know, you can see in the Old Testament, you know, even like David, he had been out fighting wars, but he was there with Bathsheba. Mm. So there was a season. They're out fighting war because they're, you know, they're they're increasing enlarging their territory. They're taking the resources of all whatever. So when the king knows another king, a king will come and he'll bring gifts to the king. No, no, I mean, this is a great study, but just study it out. You'll see. So a king would go visit another king and he would bring a very, very expensive nice gift. You know why he brought it to him? He brought it to embarrass him. To say that my kingdom is greater than your kingdom. We're more, more, more powerful than you. We're more. We're mightier than you are. So he. But he did it. Not by slapping him across the face. He did it by gifts. So if you gave him a $5 gift card, he gave you $100,000. And he did it on purpose. He's coming in to say, this is how great we are. And now I know that you see that you aren't. And he wanted the citizens of that kingdom to know that because of his gifts and his entourage that he came with, that we are mightier than you. But he did it with gifts and not with weapons and bows and arrows. Interesting kingdom, kingdom, culture, kingdom thinking, you say? Well, that's not a good analogy. Well, I'm telling you what happened, but for a purpose. So we're told that a king will not will visit another king to embarrass him. What he's doing is he's come to expose their weaknesses. So a king will never visit another king without a without a gift.
Pastor West: [01:06:48] Um. It's saying that this gift that I have is greater than your gift. So you probably heard about Solomon, right? You ever heard of the Queen of Sheba? She came to visit him. Let's go ahead and go to verse one. And we're going to read several verses here. And then we'll stop for today. Because when it's you're going to see everything that I just talked about right here and it says and when the Queen of Sheba, which is from Africa, she heard the famous Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove, which means test him with hard questions. She's not coming to be his buddy. She says, first I'm going to see if this boy got any sins. I'm going to test this king with hard questions because I am pretty smart. So she came to Jerusalem with a very great train. She came with camels that bare spices, and she bore. She brought a lot of gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she, you know, she came and she talked with him all that was in her heart. Watch here verse three. And Solomon told her all her questions and things was not even I mean, there's things that she didn't express. And he even told her what she was thinking. And she's thinking, we need to get to the house. But it's not over yet. It's not over yet. Verse four. And when the Queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's. Oh, there it is.
Pastor West: [01:08:20] Wisdom, wisdom and the house that he had built. Verse five. And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants. He kingdom it goes, trickles down everywhere. It's not democracy. This is the reputation of a king. Can you get this? Now watch verse five. Now she's seeing the meat of his table and the seating of his servants in the attendance of his ministers. And she's looking at all their apparel, not just King Solomon and his cupbearers and his ascent, by which he went up into the house of the Lord, that there was no more spirit, there was no more bread. She had no more oxygen to even think about or talk about it. She's come to embarrass him and she's like, oh my gosh, she says, it's not just he dressed this way. Even his cupbearers are dressed this way. Oh my God, look at the meat at the table. Look how they're all eating. Look how they're all eating. Why Solomon has a reputation and you are not going to tarnish his reputation. You better not be begging in the kingdom. Because the king has a reputation. You are not a beggar. You are not a servant. You're a son. You're a daughter. You are a partaker because you're a citizen. You've been given free access to all things at all time as a joint heir of Jesus Christ. Because this is a kingdom who has a king, and you're a king of a king.
Congregation: [01:09:52] Mm. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Pastor West: [01:09:58] Look at verse six. And she, she said to the King, he was a true report that I heard about on land of the acts of thy wisdom. Keep going. I see. I think I want to read it from here. She says, how be it? She said, I believe not the words until I came and my eyes saw and see it. Behold even what I've seen and what was told me, she said in behold, even the half was not told me of thy wisdom and prosperity exceeded the fame that I heard. She says, look happy. Happy. Are these people happy? Are the men happy are the servants which stands continually before thee. And hear your wisdom. She said, everybody here is happy. Even the cup bearers are happy. The servants are happy, everybody's happy. Everybody's eating meat. Everybody's dressed so well. She says, I heard of your wisdom. I've heard of these things, she said. They didn't even tell me half the story. Keep going. Blessed is the Lord thy God, which delighteth in thee to set thee on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore made he the king to be judgment and justice. And she gave the king 120 talents of gold and spices, and a great store. She gave him precious stones, and there was no such abundance of spices as which the Queen of Sheba gave King Solomon. But we won't go there. But as you keep on reading the chapter before she left, I think it's verse uh 13, if you'll put that up.
Pastor West: [01:11:39] She was not going to embarrass him. She's ready to leave now. She said, I'm out of breath with what I've seen and experienced here. King Solomon gave him to the Queen of Sheba. All her desire, whatever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country. And her servants. She got she got out of dodge. He says, give what we normally give as gifts. Uh, go into the royal bounty. Because she says she bought gold and spices and camels and oxen. She's brought thousands of livestock and all this gold because she's going to make a statement. Uh uh uh, open now, up the royal bounty and send this girl home. Let's see. One would upstage the other. Where you are a king of the king, a lord of the Lord. No one upstages our king. And you are a royal citizen, a royal priesthood of a royal kingdom which has no end. We're not beggars. We're not trying to make due. We're not trying to hold out, help out, stand up and make sure we don't give out. No, we're going in style. Why? Because the King's reputation is at hand. That's why he said, for. For my name's sake. I given you my name to use for my own name sake, my own glory, my own reputation.
Congregation: [01:13:18] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:13:18] Because you are a child of the kingdom. Or you could be what Christie was talking about. You can go back to Matthew chapter six, and you're hunting for birds to eat and chickens and, you know, you scratch it around down a thrift store and trying to find a shirt for $0.24, you know, and whatever done it, been there, like I say, got the whole wardrobe. Not anymore. I ain't doing that anymore. I'm about to go. I think I'm just about to know who I am. Boy, I'm coming into it. If I'm not there, I'm. I'm really close. I read it in that book, who I am. I found out what he did. I know what belongs to him. Then he found out I was on the same account as he was joint heirs. Boy, I tell you what. You get joint heirs with the right person. You don't have to know everybody. You just need know one. Amen. That's right.
Congregation: [01:14:05] Amen.
Congregation: [01:14:06] That's right.
Pastor West: [01:14:06] You don't need someone to make you rich to leave you something. There was someone who is rich, was rich, died, and then came back to make sure the will was enforced. You ever seen that? The reading of the will after they died. Then he comes back and says. Let me. I'll read it myself. Girl, I love you. Give you everything. Goodbye. I just want to make sure someone didn't cheat you on the way out. Boy, I'm so happy. The Queen of Sheba. It got to her. She said. Look, uh. They're all happy.
Congregation: [01:14:41] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:14:42] She said, I'm talking about even the Cupbearers and the servants were happy. She said, they're chewing on that steak over there. Look at them. She said they're dressed just like the king. She said, everybody in this kingdom looks the same. Amen. It's almost like they're in a family. Oh, it's almost like you're in the family.
Congregation: [01:15:01] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:15:02] Well, when you get over into Ephesians chapter three, it talks about the father of us all. He says, some's in heaven. Some's on earth, right? Then you get over to the Ephesians 20. He says, Paul says, you need to know the exceeding abundantly above all that you could ask or think, because you're in this kingdom. You need to know who you are. So you quit scrabbling around in the dirt trying to make a living. You don't need to make no living. You don't need to be asking for things. What do we do? We make royal decrees. Now, some of you heard this today and a seed went in. I mean, a thought came.
Pastor West: [01:15:45] I'm like why am I doing that? Why am I accepting less than what Jesus came and paid the price for me? He didn't. He didn't pay the price. People said, well, he paid all the price for me and he didn't pay the price for me. He overpaid.
Congregation: [01:16:07] Yeah. Amen.
Pastor West: [01:16:08] Your redemption is overpayment. The blood of Jesus is more than enough.
Congregation: [01:16:13] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:16:15] The time will come at the end of the thousand year reign. At the Great White Throne judgment, Jesus will extract everyone, even from hell. Because I ain't even been judged yet. They're inhaling. Ain't been judged yet. I mean, it's already a bad day. And all these angels. That caused all this chaos loose for all them's going to come. And it says, and we will even judge angels ourselves at the Great White Throne judgment, which is the most terrible of all times, he will extract even the dead and those who's in hell. Then he will judge them and send them back with whatever that judgment is for eternity. But before he does it, every one of them is going to bow and coo. Lucifer. Lucifer is going to be forced to get down and bow his knee before Jesus and say, you are the King.
Congregation: [01:17:06] Amen. Amen.
Pastor West: [01:17:08] And then he will be banished forever. You'll never have a hint of him for eternity. No demons, nothing but just love, joy, the presence of God, the goodness of God. Do you? How long? Forever is. But how long is forever? But how long is that? How far is the east from the west? It's a long ways, isn't it? But every demon is going to have to come. You can see Lucifer and it's like, I don't know if they have to force into Bauer's knees, which won't be a problem, but everyone is going to bow to the name of what? Jesus, who is not a king. The king, now a king. Every king has a kingdom, right? And every kingdom has citizens. Are you a citizen? Do you understand your citizenship? If you do, you understand your rights? Everyone heard whether you ever done or not, they put you in jail. You have a right to make one phone call, right? Is that or is that just, you know, something I watched on Andy Griffith or what, a cop show or whatever. I mean, even those who's guilty have rights. Yeah.
Pastor West: [01:18:24] Well, we were guilty. We WERE guilty. We were lost and undone. We were without Christ. We were alienated from the life of God.
Pastor West: [01:18:38] We were by nature. But now we got a new nature. Now we've got a new daddy. Now you got a new life. Now you got a new covenant. The new and living way. You say, well, this problem always run in my family. Well, okay, but you're in a new family. His father's day, you say? Well, my dad had this, and he's had the highs and lows. And, you know, this has always run in our family. But you're in a new family with new DNA. So run it out. It try to run it and run it out. My dad's name is Eugene Roy West. He went by Roy. I don't know what he had, but whatever he had, I don't have to have that because I got brand new DNA. Well, all of us, we know we just kind of run high on our our sugar and all that. Well, okay, well, just run it out. You said. Well, that's just a little preaching thing, is it?
Congregation: [01:19:36] No.
Pastor West: [01:19:36] No, I'm really not preaching. I'm really talking to you about there is really a king and a kingdom, and there's really a citizenship and there's really rights. So I'm I'm actually believing what I'm talking about this morning. I'm actually believing it even though I don't see what my physical eyes. How many of you believe there's a heaven but you never saw? How many of you kind of counting on heavens there? How many believe that there's actually a throne where God says. How do you think there's angels circling the throne? You never saw what? You believe it. He said, blessed is he that believeth and never saw that. He said, blessed is that. He says so. If that is how many believe there's angels in the room right now? How many know that you have an angel that stays with you all the time? Maybe he has to sleep because you ain't giving him. You ain't talking to other stuff, but you can wake up and start talking. Well, all that, all that is what? All that is called access. Amen. If you have a card and you have an account and there's $100,000, you gave me the card. You better. You better stand back. The next day there will be activity. You may get a phone call. Say, are you making a purchase now? I have someone else do it. Well, he's good at his job because there's access. I need wealth like you need wealth. Amen. I could spend $50,000 tomorrow and not a bit. Not a dime of it on this ministry or me, and just barely scratch a few people who are doing some mighty things in the kingdom.
Congregation: [01:20:56] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:20:57] And we're supposed to have that and the access to that. So he's giving you the power to create the wealth. He's giving you the access to it. Are you accessing the access? Or are you making a living?
Congregation: [01:21:18] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:21:20] Well praise God. God is good. Amen. Let's help anybody at all. What do you want to do? We want to come up. What? You want to be like the kite in the wind? You know, when the tulip opens up and the daisy opens for the first time of year and the rose opens up, that's her glory. That's what she was created to do. That's her splendor. That's his glory. When the guy who made the kite says. When there's no wind, you can't see its glory. What was Wendy? Get a kite and a string. You like? That guy was brilliant. You get a fish and you are small fish and you have an aquarium and he's swimming, you can watch that thing like, oh, whatever, don't eat a breath of air. Don't breathe like we do. But you take that little fish out and you put him right there on the table, or you get him out of the water of the aquarium. And what's he doing for a little while? He's just. Doing what? He's just flopping around. He can't breathe. What does he have to have? You put him in his atmosphere, where he was created in his glory. And he's that little thing. He's a genius. Amen. Maybe we've been out here flopping around a bit. It's big. It's because you you didn't.
Pastor West: [01:22:40] You didn't get your citizenship. Citizenship. Citizenship card. Watch it. Citizenship card. And so you don't don't have that card. Brother, you think I could hold 20 till Friday? He says I was going to ask you the same thing. No, no, we're royal citizens. All of it belongs to you in Jesus name. Now access it. Yeah. You get the name. You got the authority. You got the mind of Christ. You got the wisdom of God. I ceased not to give thanks for you making mention you my prayers that the spirit of the Lord, but give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation and knowledge of him, that you may know everything that you've been called to, that you may have the inheritance that he's laid up for you, and the power given to you usward to do that. Access. Access. And then the Queen of Sheba will come to embarrass you and to think. But I brought a train of stuff. I mean, this is as far as you can see behind me. This is the gift of you. He said. Oh, okay. Thank you. She said, she says, watch. I've got some hard questions for him that he told the things that she got to ask you. She said, I heard of him. I heard it was great. She said it wasn't even half told me. She says it looks like we went to the thrift store and brought him something. He he said, open up the royal treasure and bless her and send her home. Well, if I'm going to get bears, do me that way. Just embarrass me. Really good. How many of you wouldn't mind being embarrassed that way? Open up to. In other words, at Fort Knox, that's where all the gold is, right? Open up Fort Knox.
Pastor West: [01:24:30] And embarrass them. King of the kings. Amen. God bless you.
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