Pastor West: [00:00:00] Well, we want to say good morning to everyone that's here and those who joined us by different ways that you joined us. We're glad that you're here and be a part of our service. And I want to ask you a question before we get started this morning. Anybody ready? Ready. Amen. If you had to say for what? You're not. Of course, I understand that requires a certain amount of trust, doesn't it? And so if you if you have a Bible with you, go to First Corinthians chapter two. We have some things that we wanted to discuss today. They're not things that we haven't discussed. But it could be. We've sometimes discussed things and said things, but they haven't been heard.
Pastor West: [00:00:49] That would be true for everyone in the house. Everyone in the house.
Pastor West: [00:00:58] And revelation is progressive, and sometimes we're rooted in things that's not not really the word or really the gospel, but it's the tradition of man. And and things that we believe. Many times came from pulpits like this or men that we trusted and and maybe that's all that they knew that that's what they saw. But then there was a change. But you can hear without hearing and you can see without seeing. That's what the. And I'm right here where it's going to say that first Corinthians chapter two. And I want to talk about being one with Christ today in a new creation reality. I want to believe that everyone here is ready for this message.
Congregation: [00:01:43] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:01:44] But what I'm talking when I'm talking to you is mature believers. So if you don't want to be a mature believer, then it'd be a good time for you to take a nap. We have snacks in the kitchen and you And you can go lay down in my office somewhere, or if you just need to go. But I believe that we have people who's hungry, thirsty, and they can handle the truth. You can't eat garbage food forever.
Congregation: [00:02:10] Amen. Come on.
Pastor West: [00:02:12] Applesauce is good for a season, but it doesn't need to be our regular diet. And so Paul said in verse one of chapter two, he said, now, brethren, when I came to you, I didn't come with excellency of speech, of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. That your faith would not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Listen to verse six. Howbeit Paul said, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. But it's not the wisdom of this world, nor the princes of this world that come to naught. But what we speak is the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto glory. Now there are some chapters given I don't have time for, especially today. As Michelle said, we have to to go out the door. I'm glad that you're here. So happy that my good friend here and very well noted missionary to different places, but especially to the places of Peru. He's preached the gospel. He's brought hope and healing and a message of of hope.
Congregation: [00:03:38] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:03:40] And always thankful to have you. Anytime that you can come our way, we're. You're our honored guest forever. Amen. I want to read verse six to you once again, but I want to read it read it in the amplified. Translation and it says it this way. Yet when we are among full grown, spiritual, mature Christians who are ripe in understanding, we do impart a higher wisdom the knowledge of the divine plan of a divine plan previously hidden. But it is indeed a wisdom of this present age, or of this world. Or it's not, nor of the leaders of the rulers of this age who are brought to nothing, who are doomed to pass away. So Paul said, he said, different times. I have different conversations with different people. He said, I minister different topics to different people. And he says, but I have something today to impart to you. He said, because I believe I'm with mature believers.
Pastor West: [00:04:41] Mature believers like to hear the true gospel of Jesus Christ, not a version of it, not to take away from it, not a watered down message, but they they'd like to hear truth. Truth generally parallels with responsibility. And then that's where you separate the people. When you say this is now truth to you, and the Holy Spirit knows that the truth is revealed, then you become responsible for what you're about to hear. If you don't want to become responsible, I would say to you right now, run! Amen.
Congregation: [00:05:21] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:05:22] Well, if time is of the essence and time is short, and we don't know the exact day or minute or hour. But if time is short, we don't have time to play games.
Congregation: [00:05:33] Yes, it's very true.
Pastor West: [00:05:37] It would be time to, as the Scripture says in Isaiah, arise and shine, for your time is come. It's it's already coming. It's not coming today. It's past time. So there has to be an awakening because there is an is an awakening happening throughout the the world right now. And so we don't want to miss our moment. We don't want to miss our time. And you can hear things I said and not hear. You can see and not actually see. Paul says if you read further in this chapter, you could hear but not actually hear. I never really heard the true gospel of grace when I would have, probably would have been around 2000. 65432i don't know. Whenever I met Pastor Buzzy, actually, his name was Phillip Sutherland from El Dorado, Arkansas. And I'm actually preaching his message today. I mean, this is not his notes, but this I mean, it's ingrained within me forever. Praise God. He was preaching all the time about the gospel of grace. He was emphasizing the epistles and who we are in Christ. But he would slide in the gospel of grace all the time. But I didn't hear anything he said. He preached it in my church where I was the pastor. I didn't hear a thing he said. I was wanting him to preach on the epistles and stay away from the grace thing. I thought that was awesome, but I didn't bring here to teach on that. I want you to stay with the epistles. I mean, I mean, thank God for his grace, but what is there to know? There's like 2 or 3 scriptures. That's how blind that I was. I changed by the Holy Spirit the name of the church to Gracelife Church, when I wouldn't have preached grace if, matter of fact, I was pastor Bill as many years ago.
Pastor West: [00:07:27] He and Miss Debbie, they had started a Bible school that lasted, you know, for a year in different subjects. And he asked me, he said, would you come? I had different people come teaching different subjects. He said, would you come do our classes for the next few Sunday afternoons? He said, and teach on grace. And I said, no, I mean, I'll help you any way I can, but I won't be any help to you that way. And I said, if you got maybe an hour, I can stretch it out. I said, what in the world are you going to talk about for six weeks? About grace? We're saved by grace. Thank God for that. What else are you going to say? I mean, I could give them two scriptures in a test and they'd all have a-pluses. That's what you call absolute blind. So I can understand that people can hear things, but they really don't hear them. When you're the pastor and the guest minister who's become a very close mentor and friend to you preaches a few feet from you, and you don't hear it because you don't have an ear for it. But it would become it would become my sole identity. Years later, after he was gone. Isn't that. Isn't that amazing? As you would say yourself, when you went on the first missionary trip, I would never have known that I would have such a love for missions. I would never you would never have made me believe. Not that he didn't think it was necessary or good, but he could never have saw himself doing what he's doing now.
Congregation: [00:08:55] Right.
Pastor West: [00:08:56] Amen. That's why I said, you know, we always taught. You know, I know you know this. If you go to Bible school, they'll definitely teach you. If you ain't never heard it anywhere else, that God has seven redemptive names, but I, I disagree. I totally disagree with that because I found another one and I said, there's at least eight. And the eighth one is he is Jehovah trickster. And so he's having fun doing this. I'm going to have to move pretty quick today. So but as you know, everything's recorded and you can get a transcript of everything, and but I want to go so fast that we don't get it. I want you to go to Vermeer versus you mature believers to Ephesians chapter one. And we're ready for a brand new beginning. We're in a new year, but we're not ready for a brand new begin because it is a new year. But we're ready to hit the ground running, as it were. Amen. Amen. I got two. Amen. I got two. You. Got four. Okay. I tapped out. Amen. Now, Paul, as you know. There's two prayers in Ephesians. That prayer that Paul prayed over the church at Ephesus. And you'll find almost the same thing in in Colossians and other places where he almost said the same thing because Paul had a revelation.
Pastor West: [00:10:18] Revelation. And every day he prayed for these people. Brother Hagan always said it this way. He said, this prayer is just is just today for you as much as it was for the church at Ephesus, it was given by the Holy Ghost. It was given in the time of the New Testament, the New Covenant. So it would be what we call the Ephesians prayers in one and and three. I won't read three today, but just one. And so you, we pray these over ourselves, but we pray these over many people. Paul was praying over the church here. I've prayed this over individuals. I mean, I prayed this over, friends. I prayed this over family. I prayed this over myself many times. Need to probably be praying it more than I am. And, Brother Hagan, just a quick testimony here is he says the Holy Spirit led him to do this, and he said he did this every day, 3 or 4 times a day. He said, I just during my duties, he said I'd have my Bible open. And when I was in the church and I was doing things, I'd walk to the pulpit. And my Bible stayed open to Ephesians chapter one and three. And he says, and as I did three, two, three, four, five times a day, he read the Ephesians prayers.
Pastor West: [00:11:30] He said within six months he had so much revelation of the Word of God that he had never even saw. That was in the word that he told his wife, Miss Aretha. He said, it's a wonder the deacons didn't have to come get me out of the rain when it's raining. And tell me, what are you doing standing out in the rain? He saw things that he that was in there that he never had saw before. And this is why. Because Paul said in verse 16 I won't do it, but I could. Actually, I quoted this so many times, I don't even need my my Bible to do it, but I'm not here to prove to you I can do that, but it's just on the inside of me. Verse 16 cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul said, The father of glory will give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling. Amen. I heard that. Praise God. Amen. Amen. Well, okay. He said, tell the people I'm here.
Congregation: [00:12:36] Hey! Amen. Right. Amen. Hallelujah.
Pastor West: [00:12:40] You. Really interrupt you while you're reading? I guess he wanted you to know that. He said I'm here. Okay. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. And Paul prayed that they would know the exceeding greatness of his power to us. Ward, who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world, but that which is to come. I did that on purpose. That way it's a continuous. It's almost like waves, and it's put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over, head over all things to the church. The church which is his body. The church which is the fulness of him that him that filleth all in all. So. We in Berkeley said this. He said, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a human discovery. It's a revelation from God. Like you heard the Berkeley Translation Bible. He said, he said, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a human discovery. It's a revelation from God. The fact that God is as Jesus showed him to be, is not something which a man could have discovered by intellectual process. Man does not discover God. God reveals himself to man. He said, I found God. You found no, you found nothing. God found you. So there are things that are hidden. People might say from us, but they're not hidden from us. They're hidden for us. And God has chosen revelation as his way of discovering, of insight into the mysteries of Christ.
Congregation: [00:14:34] Man.
Pastor West: [00:14:36] You know every breakthrough in faith that you'll have in your lifetime. Every breakthrough that you've ever had in your lifetime of faith. It really came through a breakthrough from revelation.
Congregation: [00:14:46] That's right. Amen. Amen.
Pastor West: [00:14:49] How did I come to know about the gospel of Jesus Christ in His grace?
Pastor West: [00:14:55] It came by revelation.
Congregation: [00:14:57] Yeah.
Pastor West: [00:14:58] I know where I was at. I know exactly where I was at. I know exactly why I cried out to God. I knew what the situation was going on in my life. I know what the situation was going on in the ministry. And in my desperation, I cried out to God and I said, God, I need your grace and your mercy. And he and this is going to be kind of shocking. He actually answered me. I mean, I was talking to him, but I was I was more thinking out loud. I was more thinking out loud. But I was saying, God, I need your grace and mercy. And not audibly, but authoritatively. He says, he said to me, he said, what do you know about my grace?
Pastor West: [00:15:36] I'm thinking about how much money I need. And I said, no, Lord I need a miracle of finances. And he says yes. What do you know about my grace. And I said, Lord, I'm trying to talk to you about. He said, you need my grace and my mercy. He said, what do you know about my grace?
Pastor West: [00:15:57] That was October of 2000. Nine, 10th October 2010. I did that in the other church in Clanton, in my office on a on a weekday. No one else was in the building. I that conversation didn't move forward any further, but there was a recession going on at the time and there was nothing selling. I didn't know until later that our building was the only building that was sold commercially during the whole time of recession. I was thinking God was, you know, like not helping me a whole lot because it took ten minutes to ten months to close. It turned out because when I found out when we went to the table a year later and they paid the balance of the loan, she said, oh, yeah, she says, well, here we are. She said, we're closing today on the miracle property. And I said, what do you mean miracle property? She says, you know, I said, what do you mean? This is the real estate agent? Well, we signed it and they put a down payment down and they had 12 months to pay the balance off. I said, what do you mean, a miracle? She said, this is the only property that has sold during a time of recession with no with no for sale sign in front of it. Some people would try to sell something that you're in with a sign in front of it. But you see who's occupying it, don't you?
Congregation: [00:17:23] Hey.
Pastor West: [00:17:24] For sale don't mean sold. It just means for sale. Praise the Lord. Well, I feel a little spunky this morning. So every breakthrough in faith comes from a breakthrough in revelation of what's been revealed to you. Well. That was when I cried out. That was 2000, October of 2010. Then we moved here. Had a lot to do here. And April of 2011, I was in the back of the church. I was in the kitchen, and I don't know why. I just by myself. And I said, you know, I hadn't I hadn't taught on the love of God in a in a while. I believe I'm going to teach a series on the love of God. And then once again, I heard I heard that authoritative witness or voice. He said, let let me show you a more excellent way.
Pastor West: [00:18:30] Will you do that? I said, okay. He said, go run some references on your Bible, on grace, I said. I said I was going to teach on love. He said, let me show you a more excellent way. I can't tell you now. Now, you do know before we moved here. The name was changed and I told you. And I really struggled with that because I think your name should be part of your. It should be your identity. You know, in other words, if you sell, you if you say you sell possums, then they get there and there's just giraffes. It's kind of a misrepresentation. So it kind of wasn't, you know, our vision. So I heard instinctively to change the name of the church from and actually, you know, legally we're still living we're a Bible church. You can do that in Alabama. We're living Word Bible Church, dba Gracelife church. But he said, change the name. Well, see, not thinking about this. This is exactly what God did with Abraham to bring him into his who he was and to what God called him to do. He had to change his name and his wife's name.
Congregation: [00:19:31] That's good.
Pastor West: [00:19:32] Well, God was changing my name to Gracelife Church. And I'm thinking. And people ask me, why did you change the name? And I didn't have a reason. I'm thinking, I don't know. It's crazy as it could be, ain't it? I mean, I didn't tell him all that I had. No, I had no, no good way to explain it. But I did what he told me to do. I knew he told me to do it. And then six months later, he brings me in to what he'd already tagged me with. It's almost like God knows the future. I mean, it's amazing. I probably shouldn't let that out, but I think he might just about knows everything. Oh, amen. You ain't got to tell everybody. But it's just my my belief. Amen. He does know everything, right?
Congregation: [00:20:07] Yes.
Pastor West: [00:20:08] So so. But I hadn't had the revelation yet. So in April 2011 is when I, when I began to see the true gospel and found out that I actually had not been preaching the true gospel. And now it wasn't that it was all wrong, but I had a mixture, which is what most I think most ministries Ministers still do. Thank God for this. This revelation is progressive and its take has taken great advancement. But a lot of times what you hear is you hear a mixture of the old covenant and the new covenant combined.
Pastor West: [00:20:41] Instead of getting the true gospel of the New Covenant, we have a misunderstanding. So we have people trying to perform. We have people trying to do their best. Turn over a new leaf and making their appeal to God, praying prayers and having you know, wonderful worship and praise and all that, but singing old covenant songs and begging the Lord to come by and begging his presence to come and begging him this and begging him that. And the Lord's just about to go do something. As if. As if he hasn't done anything. The presence lives within. Within you. You don't have to beg him to come. What you want him to do is rise up instead of fall down.
Pastor West: [00:21:23] You are the conduit of the power of God.
Pastor West: [00:21:26] There you are. Revival.
Congregation: [00:21:29] Yeah. Hallelujah! Amen.
Pastor West: [00:21:31] If you live vivd, you won't have to be revived. The problem is, people aren't living vibe. They're running around on about $0.50 worth of gas.
Pastor West: [00:21:40] Well, today's world, there wouldn't be much, would it? So let me get on with the message. So Paul said this. He said, he said there's a. He said there's a mystery. In Colossians 126 seven he says the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, is now being made manifest to the saints to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is this? Here's the mystery. He said, been hidden from ages, but now God says we're coming out.
Pastor West: [00:22:09] And Paul said, this is the highest revelation of any revelation, if you want to call it the highest. Paul said the highest revelation of any revelation contained in this book, even to today, is these words Christ is now in you, the hope of hope of glory. He's not in a box. He's not behind. He's not behind a veil. Christ has taken his residence. That you have become the headquarters. You have become a mobile throne.
Congregation: [00:22:38] Hey.
Pastor West: [00:22:38] You are God's address. Now, that makes some people mad. They think that you're dishonoring him. Well, it would make. It would make a lot of people mad because. I mean, obviously, you see, I can't throw stones, right? I didn't see what I didn't see. But if you just double down, you just be double down. Double down. Wrong. What you be. So Paul said when he got this revelation, he said in Galatians 112, he said, I didn't receive it from a man. Neither was I taught it. How did he get it? He said, I got it by revelation of Jesus Christ. That was emphasized in his gospel, came from Christ himself and not from any other person. So isn't that Ephesians? Prayer is kind of like three components to it. And Paul said, he says that he was praying that you would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, that your eyes would be enlightened, or that you would see the hope to which you have been called, that you would know your calling. Isn't that important? Didn't even know why you're here. If you don't know why you're here, you'll never walk in it. And you'll stand before Jesus and you will tell him about your natural life. And he won't be that impressed that you anyway. So Paul said that you would have an understanding, a spirit of wisdom and revelation of why you are here. The your calling, the hope to which you are called, and the glory of the inheritance. In other words, there's an inheritance that goes along with that calling. There's a supply for that calling. You inherited him. Also, what it means is it made. God said he was rich because he inherited you back.
Congregation: [00:24:31] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:24:32] God thinks inheriting you makes him really rich because he sees you as really valuable.
Pastor West: [00:24:38] So he would want you to know, have a spirit of wisdom, revelation in the knowledge of him. The eyes of your standing are the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. The amplified says flooded with light, that you would know what you're called to, that you would know the inheritance, and you would know of the power of God to operate in you and through you. Now I want to read you a small excerpt in this building from a man who kind of rocked the world, and he's been gone a long time. His name is John G. Lake. A Buddhist man had many siblings. And I think there I think there were 16 of them, and something like 7 or 8 of them had died. His family had tragedy all the time. He wasn't looking to be John G. Lake. One day. He wasn't looking to have people discuss. He wasn't looking to start over 500 churches. He wasn't looking to have healing rooms where people would come in Spokane, Washington, and he would take 16 people and teach them the revelation that he had. And the people had to agree to come for at least 30 days, or if they was not able to come, he would send a technician out to you, a divine healing technician, out to the home, with the understanding that they will come not to pray for you or hold your hand and sing, you know, beautiful little songs, but they're coming to get you healed. The technician has now been trained, but he has the Has the understanding from John G.
Pastor West: [00:26:19] Lake that if you don't get them healed, don't come back here. We can't use you anymore. That's serious business. I mean, could you imagine a pastor, you know, sending people from the church parish? Someone said, but if you don't get them healed with your membership, I mean, we're moving your letter for you. We can't use you anymore because this is what we're doing. You know, I mean, it'd be like if you need brain surgery. And he said, well, I'm excited to do it, but I want to tell you, I've never succeeded at this, but I'm looking forward to next Thursday, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Well, count me out for that day. Right. So, Paul, I want to read this. Not the whole thing, but this is give you a taste of where the church has slipped. Give you a just a small sample of what is supposed to be that when you have a healing school for five years in Spokane, Washington, that you have the city shut down every one of its hospitals because they do not have any customers. Can you imagine that? Shut down hospitals. Doctors move their practice to other cities because the city has now become the healthiest city in the world. Now, if you're a preacher and you do this or you're a minister, you have to be the luckiest person on the planet, or else you have to know a little something, right? So he trained people to do this. So this message that I'm taking an excerpt from him is Christ lives in me.
Pastor West: [00:27:56] This is his words, and I'm going to preach him in this building. It's a it's a approximately 105 years old to see if it's up to date. This is his words from the sermon, Christ lives in me, which is Galatians 220. He said, this is This is the relevant revelation of the sage. This is the discovery of the moment. This is the revelation power of God in the earth. The factor that has changed in the spirit of religion in the world and the character of the Christian faith. It is the divine vitalization to give life, vigor or spirit to. He said, the world is awakening to this marvelous truth that Christ is not only in heaven, but Christ is in you. The world has lived in darkness for thousands of years, but there was just as much electricity in the world as now. It was not. The electricity has just come into being. It was always here. But men have discovered how to utilize it and to bless themselves with it. The great mystery of Christ indwelling in the human heart. The spirit is the mystery of all mysteries. Paul gave it to the Gentiles as the supreme mystery of all the revelation of God, and the finality of all the wonder that he knew. You see, Christ has a purpose for you. Christ's purpose in you is to reveal himself to you, through you, in you. We repeat this phrase over and over from Ephesians chapter one, the church which is his body. But if we realize the truth of it and the power of it, the world would be a different place.
Pastor West: [00:29:36] He went on to say, When the Christian church realizes that they are the tangible, living, pulsating body, the flesh, the bones, the blood, and the brain of Jesus Christ himself, and that God is manifesting through each one each minute and is endeavoring to accomplish his will for the world and through them, not through some other body. Then Christian service and responsibility will be now understood. Jesus Christ operates through you. He does not operate independently of you. He operates through you. So man and God have become united. Man and God are now one. That is the real divine secret of the real Christian life. It is a real union. It's the consciousness union of man and God. There is only one reality. The reality is God. The soul of man must contact God. And unless the spirit of man is truly joined to God, there is no such thing as a real Christian manifestation. You see, God's purpose in you is to bring all the conditions of our being into harmony with his will and mind. Christ's purpose in us is not to make us automatons or robots. We see a wooden dummy and the dummy's lips move as though it's talking. He is just moving in obedience to another power. But God has a higher purpose than making you a robot or a dummy. His highest is to bring out all the qualities of God in your own soul to bring out the individual individuality of you.
Pastor West: [00:31:14] Of your life, your personality. He's not to submerge or destroy it, but to change it and energize it. Enlarge it until all of your individuality and personality are of the nature and the substance of God. It is God's highest will and purpose to bring out the real man in the image of Christ. You see the real man with the knowledge of God, the real man reconstructed into the very structure is the substance of God. When we see these things, we will understand. With Christ redemption actually means. It is the bringing out of Christ in you. Until Christ in you is the only one that manifests, he will manifest through your eyes. Just as God was manifest through Jesus Christ is God is making all of us in our nature and being and habits and thoughts in all the structure of structure of life. Just as real, just as beautiful, just as clear minded. As strong as Jesus Christ himself. It's not a power of life that lives separate from you, but it's now two lives that's been made as one life. Two natures is now one. Two minds, yours and God's mind are now one. Which is Christ in you? Galatians 220 where Paul said, it's no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me, and the life that I now live in this flesh, in this body I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. That was an excerpt of 105 year old sermon. I wonder if it's true today.
Congregation: [00:32:59] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:32:59] Where is the church today? When you read that we have programs. We have all kinds of things. We have little jingles. We have get togethers, casseroles, we're going to play soccer and gym and all those things are wonderful. Thank God for all of it. It's not why I came. Andrew Wommack said it himself. He said, you know, God, there's nothing that says, you know, build a Bible school. He says, the only reason why Andrew said, I heard him say this years ago and said, he said the only reason why cares exists is he says because churches won't disciple their people.
Pastor West: [00:33:37] He says it's not even scripture that there should be a Bible school, but because churches will not and refuse to disciple their people. He says we have to.
Congregation: [00:33:48] Well.
Pastor West: [00:33:50] Disciple what? The truth, the true gospel. So I want to go a little bit further in that today, if we have time. I've got a few minutes. We know from John chapter one, verses one through four, it says, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And he was in the beginning with God. And all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made. Now who's this? Him? Jesus, right. In him was life, which is the word, Zoe. The life of nature, of God. And this life, life of nature, of God was the light of men. And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. But the word became flesh. He was the word. Jesus the word became or took on flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. So said the word became flesh. Now I want you to get this. I may not have time to, you know, to finish, but I want to make a couple of little points today, and I want I want you to say, is this scriptural? Is it true? Is it word? And I don't want anyone to leave here condemned. But I want you to leave here enlightened. You know, we should always be raising the bar a little bit, but the bar has been taken down so far that, you know, a toddler that's three days old could probably hurdle it.
Congregation: [00:35:21] Man.
Pastor West: [00:35:24] That may make it more plausible to hear or to be able to taste. But if it's not, you know, Paul said that Paul said the only mark. He said the reason for my ministry, he said, is, is to raise up believers to the fullness of the stature of Christ. He didn't point to anybody else but Christ. Paul never pointed you, you know, to come to his book table. He said, follow me while I'm following him.
Congregation: [00:35:47] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:35:48] So the mark is the fullness of the stature in Christ.
Pastor West: [00:35:53] That's the truth. Paul said, let his mind be in you, because I've had I've heard so many ministers say, you know, that's not what it means. I said, it doesn't mean what mean what he said. Oh, you can't have the mind of Christ. Really? I mean, this is this is from pulpits preaching in psychology.
Pastor West: [00:36:14] Making excuses. Why? Look, if we don't have the power of God in our life and our churches, at least, at least let's admit it. I mean, at least let's say they're not getting healed and it's my fault. But I'm going to find out why instead of saying I'm burying everybody.
Congregation: [00:36:32] Right?
Pastor West: [00:36:33] Let's at least become indignant and dissatisfied within. I mean, that's where the process starts. Sure, there's people that don't grab hold, they don't take hold. And I'm not saying you're at fault for all that, but Paul didn't tell them to have faith. He told you to have faith. He said, believers go lay hands on the sick and then the sick recover. But the word church sometimes, you know, tells you that you have to. They have to have faith. Your job was only to make sure that they got the word to know it. Now they're on their own. That's that's a bunch of bull. Amen.
Congregation: [00:37:04] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:37:05] I know it sounds terrible for me saying it, but bless God, it's true. He told you to have faith. He said, well, you know, I preach the word and have faith. Come back. Well, when they get faith, maybe they don't need to come back. Why would they need to come back when they already got it? They don't need to see you. They got.
Congregation: [00:37:20] It. Yeah.
Pastor West: [00:37:22] He said you lay hands on the sick and they shall. They shall recover. John G Lake did it. John G Lake, you know, they they actually put the the froth, you might say, from the lungs of a man who's, who's who's dead of, you know, tuberculosis, you know, and put it in his hand and said, bring the telescope over. And they watched the cells die in his hand. Now, do you know, a lot of people would say, yeah, just inject it. I mean, I want to show you something. No, no. I mean, can you imagine in our world today somebody doing that? No. Because you saw Covid, you know, it got 14 masks around our head, over your eyes, and people ride around in their car and no one in them, and they've got masks all over themselves. Like really, really, really, really, Paul said. Put it in my hands and bring the telescope over here. And they said, My God, would this happen here? He said, oh, that's just Romans 812 the life and Spirit of Christ Jesus. He has. I have authority over sickness and death. Disease has to die because life, Zoe, is in me. And when death meets Zoe, one's going to give it. It's never going to be the life of God.
Congregation: [00:38:24] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:38:26] He is the life.
Congregation: [00:38:28] Yeah.
Pastor West: [00:38:28] Now, if you could hear this about five times a day for about two weeks, you'd be different. You'd stand up a little bit taller. Oh, my God, I think that's right. That's right. I ain't, but what am I doing? Put all that stuff. Four. Years ago, when I went out to John G. Lake Ministries, and Michelle and I sat there for three days, six, six hours a day, then we came back for a healing service and all that kind of stuff. I mean, that was 18 hours of, you know, and all all he taught was in and his divine healing technician. He said even the book that I read the excerpt from, he said, that's a great book. But he said, but they chopped it to pieces too. But all his ministry was turned over to Curry Blake. He said, so I have the unedited version, he said. I didn't know it was edited until I got John G. Lake's actual real sermons. And I read the book and I found out what changed. So he. So why John G. Lake's son in law was still alive? He asked me. He said, well, that's when he went to the churches and it crossed their doctrine. And they didn't. They didn't want to cross their doctrine. So they they spliced and cut and put it back together. So Curry said, what I'm teaching you today is what they cut and spliced, he says, because nothing else works.
Congregation: [00:39:39] Come on.
Pastor West: [00:39:40] He said, I'm telling you what, they edited it out.
Congregation: [00:39:43] Amen. Amen.
Pastor West: [00:39:44] Well, we sit there for three days and I was just about. I come out looking for demons. I mean, I already believed in him, but I come like, where's me a devil? Bless God, where's me a devil? Double. Just let me find someone sick. Anyone sick? I don't care what they got.
Congregation: [00:40:02] Come on. Please.
Pastor West: [00:40:03] I'd jump on a kicking kangaroo, you know, and get that kick out of him. I'm just saying, if we had about two, three, four, five, ten people that wanted to do this about three times a week for about about three months.
Congregation: [00:40:17] Oh.
Pastor West: [00:40:18] My God, what would happen in this city? C.s. Lewis called this the grand miracle. He said, the incarnation, which is what Christ in you, God was in Christ Jesus Divinity became human. God invested himself, embodied himself with flesh, which is incarnation, not reincarnation. Incarnation. God invested in body. God himself came to the earth as a human. I don't know any plainer to get it than that, Right. So C.S. Lewis said, it's the grand miracle. He said the incarnation is the stunning, mysterious miracle the sun God taking on human flesh. Spurgeon said, he that made man was made man. Golly. Come on, Spurgeon, what you really want to say?
Congregation: [00:41:15] Amen. That's good.
Pastor West: [00:41:17] But he said, the Bible gives you an accurate, precise understanding of how Jesus, while he was here in human flesh body for 33 years. Now sometimes we say, well, I know he was, but he was God. Yes, he was God. All right. But Hebrews chapter two, and I want you to listen to this. I'm reading from the Passion Translation. So it may come across as being real passionate, I don't know. Hebrews 214 through 18 says, since all his children have flesh and blood. So Jesus became human to a fully identify with us. He did this so that he could experience death and annihilate the effects of the intimidating accuser who hold us, who hold us in the power of death. By embracing death, Jesus sets you free from those who live with their entire lives in bondage to the tormenting dread of death. For it is clear that he didn't do this for the angels, but for the sons and the daughters of Abraham. This is why he had to be a man, and he took hold of our humanity in every way. He made us his brothers and sisters, and he became your faithful king and priest before God, as the one who removed your sins to make us one with him. Make us what? One with him. He suffered and endured every test and temptation so that he can help you every time you pass through the ordeals of life. Is that good or what?
Congregation: [00:42:59] That's good. Y'all here. Amen. Amen. Now.
Pastor West: [00:43:03] Let me get to the message. I've only got about ten minutes. Now, notice what being taught here. He said he became like us in all things. He understood humanity, test trials and temptations. And he was tempted also as man. Hebrews 415 and 16. In the pastor says he, Jesus understands humanity. For as a man our magnificent king and priest was tempted in every way, just as we are. But he conquered sin. Then verse 16, I'm going to call it the too good to be true news. So now we draw near, freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive Mercy's kiss, and discover the grace that we urgently need to strengthen us in our in our time of weakness. Now. We've established from these scriptures that Jesus became man. And you tell people, well, but he was a Son of God. He was he wasn't born of a natural man. Couldn't be he couldn't come to this earth, born of a man. He couldn't redeem man if he was man. So he was. You could say it this way. He was 100% God, and he was 100% man.
Congregation: [00:44:23] Man.
Pastor West: [00:44:24] And people say, well, I don't know. I mean, I I'm going to say he was about 80% God, 20% man.
Pastor West: [00:44:32] Who told you you could think you're going to write. You're going to write to think.
Congregation: [00:44:38] There we go.
Pastor West: [00:44:39] Who you have. You have no right to think nothing.
Congregation: [00:44:43] That's right.
Pastor West: [00:44:45] You you only write that you he gives you the right to believe what he told you. Well, this is the way I always believe. I don't care what you've always believed. You're about 99.5% wrong. Join the club. I was in. So get over yourself.
Congregation: [00:45:03] Oh, man.
Pastor West: [00:45:05] Well, you won't be much of a church doing that. Yeah, I've already proved that. Amen. I'd rather have 510 strong believers in 300 churches. You know, snacking on foods like a, you know, rat on a Cheeto. I'm thinking we're doing something when you're not doing much of anything but just appeasing people. You're pleasing. You're a people pleaser, but you're not a god pleaser. You please people all the time. You need the pats on the back. You need the accolades. You need to tell them how good you are. But you'll stand before God and answer for that. You're an ambassador for Christ. You're an ambassador for the Kingdom of God. You don't go around telling people what you think. When you're an ambassador for a nation, you don't go over and tell them what you think. You represent the one who sent you. You can't go around telling people what you think and represent him. You represent him when you say what he said and you do what he did, then you're representing him.
Congregation: [00:46:11] That's good.
Pastor West: [00:46:14] You ought to be sued for misrepresentation of him.
Pastor West: [00:46:20] He put his brand in you. He owned you. We don't like that do we. You said well that makes me a slave. Absolutely. You got to love it too. Paul called him the bond slave. Paul. He didn't say Jesus made me say this. He said I'm the slave of Christ. I'm the slave of righteousness. And loving it.
Congregation: [00:46:42] Love it.
Pastor West: [00:46:43] He said I was the Pharisee of all Pharisees. Hasan was the most educated of all of them. He said I could make them look like fools when I opened my mouth, he said, but I was absolutely the most ignorant person of anyone around with all my degrees. I met him on the road to Damascus. He knocked the shit out of me. He hit me so hard and knocked the first, knocked the ass out of me and put a pall on my name. Where's was.
Congregation: [00:47:06] That?
Pastor West: [00:47:09] He said, I didn't know. Come on, from Sikkim.
Congregation: [00:47:12] Amen. He said.
Pastor West: [00:47:14] He said, I said what I'm teaching. I didn't get it from no man. Peter didn't. Even Peter who walked with Jesus. Paul didn't. Paul didn't do it. Peter walked with him. They understand the humanity of Jesus, right? They saw the miracles. They understood the humanity. Jesus. But they didn't even understand why he came, why he died. Paul had to really explain it to him. Peter said about Paul. He said, Paul preaches things that's hard to understand. Paul said. Peter knew how Jesus liked his fish. Fried or broiled. He knew if he slept on his left side or his right side, if he snored or he didn't snore. Paul wasn't there for any of that. As one minister would say, Paul got the x ray. He got to see what was on the inside. The other ones knew him after the flesh. And Paul says, no, no man after the flesh. No. No man or woman after the flesh, because they're a new creation in Christ Jesus. You have no right to judge someone after the flesh. You don't have the right. You don't have the ability to do it. You don't even know their thoughts, the intents of their heart. You better be careful with judging people. He said for the same. In the same way that you judge, you shall be judged.
Congregation: [00:48:27] Yesterday.
Pastor West: [00:48:30] I'm getting off my message. But I think it's okay.
Congregation: [00:48:33] Yeah. Amen.
Pastor West: [00:48:34] Praise the Lord. Now ask you a few questions. Was Jesus 100% God?
Congregation: [00:48:40] Yes.
Pastor West: [00:48:40] Was he 100% man?
Congregation: [00:48:42] Ma'am.
Pastor West: [00:48:42] Was he 100%.
Congregation: [00:48:43] Man? Yes.
Pastor West: [00:48:45] Did he. Did he say that the works that I do, you should do also? John 1412. Did he say that? Am I am I making that part up? The same works that he did. Now now he knows that you're 100% man or woman. Is that true? How did Jesus do the works that he did? He laid deity aside, didn't he? So he had to be anointed of the Holy Ghost. To receive the empowerment. To do what he needed to do. How do you do what you do? By receiving the same anointing that Jesus did. He said the same works, the identical works that I did. He said, you shall do also. So can we pick the bar up a little bit? Because I want to ask you some questions. But then how did a man walk through walls and doors? How did this man turn water into wine? I didn't say. I didn't say how you drink wine. I said, how do you turn water into wine? We got, we got we got plenty of wine. Bibbers I'm talking about. But how do you turn as a man water into wine? Because he did no miracles as deity. He did as a man anointed of the Holy Ghost. This man healed the sick. This man cast out devils. This man controlled the elements of the weather. He was 100% the Son of God. But he never operated as deity. He never operated outside the realm of man. There's one who stands between God and man. The mediator, the man, Christ Jesus in heaven. Jesus will always be known as man. So if Jesus as a man did these things, what are we doing? What happened to him to elevate him to the supernatural? He began to learn some things. He began to see some things. He began to know some things that he didn't know before. When Jesus was born in the cradle, was he casting out devils?
Congregation: [00:50:48] No.
Pastor West: [00:50:49] Was he walking on water when he was 18 months old? Was he turning bread into stones? Was he multiplying the fishes and loaves? We only get a glimpse of him at age 12, when his parents, he came up missing and went back to find him. And they were highly upset, of course. And he asked his mother, he said, didn't, didn't you know I would be about my father's business now? Wouldn't Mary know where he came from? Hadn't she probably spoken something to him at a certain age? Like you didn't get here the way everybody else got here. And when he told his mother, he said, what? Don't, don't don't you know I'm about my father's business? He said she she became quiet. You know, at 12, when I messed up, my mother didn't become quiet. She was loud and I was louder. But Mary became quiet. I wish I had known how that worked. How about you, Luke? Chapter two. Let me finish here this morning. I have to to go. Luke 252 gives you some insight because Jesus wasn't born with all knowledge of who he was when he was born. He he really wasn't. I want you to see the man Christ Jesus. I want you to understand the man Christ Jesus. Luke 252 says this Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Let me ask you one more question. Now, we've never seen God, but we know we know who he is, right? He exists. Do you think God's growing in wisdom and knowledge today? How about yesterday?
Congregation: [00:52:32] Nope.
Pastor West: [00:52:34] Is there anything God doesn't know? That would have been true of Jesus also. But when he came to the earth, he put all that aside. God doesn't need to grow in understanding the wisdom here from a baby. It says Jesus. As he grew, he grew in wisdom and understanding. His father taught him. This is wood, and he put his hands upon the wood and taught him how to build things. Coffee tables, furniture such as he learned how to work with his hands, natural things. But he learned spiritual principles. And as he learned and applied them, that he grew in wisdom and spiritual understanding. If you're 100% God, you don't need to grow because you know everything.
Congregation: [00:53:18] Amen.
Pastor West: [00:53:19] So how did he elevate.
Congregation: [00:53:21] Him.
Pastor West: [00:53:23] From being man to being supernatural? As a man, it came through understanding and revelation of who he was. Who told Jesus who he was. He found himself in the scriptures and found out that he was the Messiah, the Son of God. Wow. The question I have for you in closing is have you found yourself yet in the Scripture? Do you know who you are according to this book? That's a big question. And only the mature believers is willing to ponder and think about it. Or to say this was a sermon and we'll do it again next week. I have no interest in that. The older you get that, you realize I don't have much time in front of me is due behind me. So you put the foolishness aside and you think you have life situations that realize that you realize I'm not going to be here forever because People are missing. That wasn't missing a week ago. I don't mean.
Congregation: [00:54:37] To.
Pastor West: [00:54:38] But I'm just saying. But we. But we know where they are, right? That's wonderful. They're having a great day. Here's the deal. What are you going to do with your one and only life?
Congregation: [00:54:49] That's a good question.
Pastor West: [00:54:51] What are you going to do with the balance of your one and only life?
Congregation: [00:54:54] That's good.
Pastor West: [00:54:55] Do you want to do something religious? Is there is it too late to sink your teeth in and get into the the true gospel of Jesus Christ? To actually put on the mind of Christ, to begin to think as he thinks, talk like he talks, walk like he walks. Act like he acts. Give as he gave. Forgive as he was forgiven. Are you ready to heal the sick? Are you ready to cast out devils? Are you ready to give recovery a side of the blind? Are you ready to set the captive free? Because your master did it. He did it as a man anointed of the Holy Ghost. This man walked through walls. This man walked on top of water, you say? Yeah, but he was the Son of God. You're right. But he didn't do it as a son of man. And to prove it. Peter did it.
Congregation: [00:55:44] Yeah.
Pastor West: [00:55:45] You said he sank. He walked. He he said, well, he sank. Yeah, he he got to. He got to think about himself.
Congregation: [00:55:54] What?
Pastor West: [00:55:55] He said he sank.
Congregation: [00:55:56] He will say it again one more time. He was, but he sounds though. But he walked but he walked.
Pastor West: [00:56:05] And then he started walking back.
Congregation: [00:56:08] That's good.
Pastor West: [00:56:09] Then he sank. He made. Jesus made. He grabbed by the hair. He said bam. Threw him in the boat. Said, what was he thinking? No, he didn't do that.
Congregation: [00:56:16] He was.
Pastor West: [00:56:17] A man. Walked on water. Peter was who I'm looking for in myself and others.
Congregation: [00:56:28] Yeah.
Pastor West: [00:56:29] Because all the rest of rest of them in the boat didn't say nothing, Peter said. Out of all of them, of course, it would be Peter always running his mouth off. But man, you got to love Peter. He's saying all I'm in the boat and they're all shocked. They're like, it's a ghost. They're like Jesus walking on water. They were terrified because of the storm. But Jesus was walking on what they were terrified of.
Congregation: [00:56:53] That's right.
Pastor West: [00:56:53] The the storm. And Peter said, if that's you, bid me come to you. Jesus said, well, it's me all right. He said, come. How could how could he come on the water? Because Jesus said, come. The ability to carry it out is in the directive of the command. Come.
Congregation: [00:57:16] That's right.
Pastor West: [00:57:17] And the ability to walk it out is already in ink.
Pastor West: [00:57:21] All we got to do is put our eyes on him, trust in him and now walk it out. And as one as one minister from Louisiana's in heaven used to say, he said, man, I'd rather be a wet water walker than a dry boat rider. Don't you know that by the 11 disciples said, I was just about to do that. But Peter got up, shouted him out. Yo! Yeah. Me too. I figured I'd walk on the water way past that, but I know I wouldn't have drowned. Yeah, none of us believe that. You turkeys. Thank God. Thank you. I want to meet Peter, don't you? So tell me about that. Tell me. I mean, what was going through your mind when you went like this?
Congregation: [00:58:05] Wow.
Pastor West: [00:58:06] You don't think it's no big deal? Go home and draw some water in your bathtub. See how it.
Congregation: [00:58:10] Works.
Pastor West: [00:58:11] But Jesus did it as a man.
Pastor West: [00:58:14] What are we going to do as men and women? It's your time, it's your time. It's your time and your time and your time and your time and all those in the balcony. The overflow room. It's your time. God bless you.
Congregation: [00:58:26] Amen.
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