21 December 2025 Apostle Mike Connell | Ascende Global Church

Heat. Heat. >> [music] >> Good morning, church. Yeah, I said good morning, church. >> Hey, it's good to see you in the house. Say we're going to get ready to worship the King of Kings. We're going to get ready to praise and to worship to give our very best this morning as we head into Christmas. >> Come on. Come on. COME ON. WHO'S EXCITED? WHO'S [music] EXCITED THIS MORNING? We're going to worship him because there is no one like him. Amen. There is no one like him. Amen. All right. Here we go. Come on. Let's worship. Come on. Let's put our hands together, church. Here we go. There's plenty of room up front. Don't be shy. Don't be shy. I'm going to need your help. You're going to repeat after me. Here we go. Sing along. Say, "Yah." >> Yahe. [singing and music] >> Yahe. >> Yahe. >> Holy is your name. >> Holy is your name. I don't want to take it in vain. >> Sing Yahe. [music and singing] >> Yahe. >> Yahe. >> Yahe. [singing and music] >> Holy is your name. >> Holy is your name. >> I don't want to take it in vain. Come on everybody. Clap. Say I'm going to need you to be a little bit louder. T. Let's repeat that again. Sing Yahe. >> Yahe. [music and singing] >> Yahe. >> Yahe. >> Holy is your name. >> Holy is your name. >> I don't want to take it. >> I don't want to take [singing and music] it. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yahe. >> Yahe. [singing] >> Say to Yahe. >> Yahe. [music] >> Holy is your name. >> Holy is your [singing] name. >> I don't want to take it in vain. >> [music] >> Sing there will be cuz there will be no other God before [singing] you. >> Let's [music] stand in agreement this morning. There will be no [singing] other God before you. Yes. Cuz there is no one above you, no [music] one beside you, nobody like you. There [music] will be no other. [singing] If you're a saint, no one. Come on. No one. No one. >> Let's go. >> One more time. Say, "No one." >> No one. [music and singing] No one. No one. >> Oh, we love you, Lord. Let your kingdom come this morning, [music] Jesus. Sing Yahe. >> Yahe. [singing] >> Yahe. >> Yahe. [music] >> Holy is your name. >> Holy is your name. >> I don't want to take it in. >> I [music] don't want to take it. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yahe. >> Yahe. [music] >> Yahe. >> Yahe. [singing] >> Holy is your name. >> I don't want to take it. [music and singing] Come on, one voice. Everyone in the house. Sing. There will be no [singing] other God [music] before you. >> Yes, Lord. There will be [music and singing] no other God before you. There is no one above you, [music] no one beside you, nobody like you. There will [music] be no [singing] >> the truth. Every voice say >> no one. No one. No one. >> Woo. Sing it one more time. Say, "No one." >> No one. No one. No one. >> You're going to say that again. You're going to repeat no one after me. Come on, let's declare. Who else can lead us lead us to freedom? You say [music] >> no one. No one. [singing] No one. >> Who else can heal all our sins and diseases? >> No one. [singing] No one. No [music] one. >> Who else can walk walk on the water? >> No one. No one. [singing and music] No one. >> And who else can answer by fire? >> No [music and singing] one. >> Come on, church. No one. Who else can break down the tallest of giants? >> No one. No one. >> And who else can silence the roar of the lion? >> No one. No one. >> Yeah. Yeah. And who else is worthy worthy of worship? >> No one. >> Come on, church. Come on. >> No one. >> Sing. Who [music] else is worthy worthy of worship? >> No one. >> No one. No way. [music] You said >> no one know. No one no way. >> Nobody [music] like you. Nobody like you. No wonder way. [music] No wonder. >> Can we put our hands together just for a moment? Come on. Come on. Let's give them a clap offering this morning. Oh, we love you, Lord. You are the lover of my soul. Amen. You are the lover of my soul. Amen. >> Sing, lover of my soul. [screaming] Lover of my soul. >> You say, "Lover of >> lover of my soul. [music and singing] >> Lover of my soul. Nobody like you." [music] >> Nobody like you. >> Nobody like you, Lord. >> Say, "No one. No way." [singing and music] No way. No one knows. Come on, just the drums. Sing. Lover of my soul. [screaming] Lover of my soul. Let's declare that. Lover of my soul. >> Lover of my soul. Nobody like you. >> Nobody [music and singing] like you. >> Nobody like >> Nobody like you. >> Say [singing and music] no one. No way. >> No way. No one know. >> Come on, let's give the Lord a shout of praise this morning. There is no one like you, Lord. >> No one like you, Lord. You are so faithful. We love you, Jesus. >> Amen. Amen. >> You've been faithful every day. Every day. Oh, we love you. You've been good. We hear that again. Woo! Jesus, we celebrate our king today. Good for all my life. So nothing could ever change my mind. [music] And you never break a promise. You're constant in all you do. Yours is the way, the truth, the life that I will choose. I sing. Oh, I know that. I know you will never [music and singing] let me go. Every low, every high, you are faithful. [music] I've tasted and [music and singing] I've seen you've been so so good to me. Oh, I [singing] know that I know [music] you're faithful all the time. Oh, [music] you're faithful all the time. Oh, I will look to the left [singing] or right, but I will keep heaven in [music and singing] my sight. And no, I will not be shaking. And nothing is moving [music] me cuz I got to fur things [singing] I cannot see. Oh, I know that. I know you will never [music] let me go, every low, every [music] high. You are faithful all the time. Today I [music] so so good to me. And I know I know you're faithful all the time. Oh, [music] you're faithful all the time. Wo, [music and singing] I won't stand on words of man. God, I'll stand [singing] on yours [music] and say all of my hope, all of my faith, all of this in your [music] name. And the world cannot deny all that [music] you've done in my life. All of my days, all of my praise, all to live, Jesus, [music] I won't stand on words of [music and singing] m. God, I'll stand on yours instead. All of my hope, all of my faith ought to live [music] you. The world cannot [music] deny. Oh, that you done in my life. All of my days, all of my praise to live [music] Jesus name. All of my days, all of my praise. All to live Jesus name. Oh, I know [music] that I know you won't never let [singing] me go. Every low, every high, you are faithful [singing and music] all the time. Oh, I know. I know. You won't never let me go. [music] Every low, every high, you are faithful. [music] Oh, I stood and I sing. You've been so so good to me. And I know that I [music] know you're faithful all the time. Wo, you're faithful [music] all the time. Wo, [singing] you're faithful [music] all the time. Wo, [singing] you're faithful all the time. Oh, you're faithful all the time. Oh, [singing] you're faithful [music] all the time. Oh, you're faithful all the time, >> Jesus. >> You're faithful, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Oh, we love you, Lord. You're faithful, Lord. Faithful, Lord. Oh, we make room for you this morning, Holy Spirit. We welcome you in this place. We [music] welcome you into our hearts, Lord. Lord, no matter what anyone's going through this morning, [music] Holy Spirit, you are our comfort. You are our helper. You are our strength. >> Oh, we love you, Lord. We love you, Lord. Holy Spirit, we welcome you in this place. Thank you, Jesus. There's [music and singing] nothing worth more that could ever come close. Nothing can [singing and music] compare. You're our living home. [singing] Your presence, [singing] Lord, I've tasted [music and singing] and seen of the sweetest of love. When my heart becomes free and my shame is undone. [singing] Sing your praises. your presence Lord. >> Holy Spirit, you are welcome. [singing] [music] Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. >> Your glory, [singing and music] God, is what our hearts long for. To [music] be overcome by your presence, Lord. >> Your presence, [music] your presence, Lord. Can we sing that again? >> There's nothing >> There's nothing [music and singing] worth more that could ever come close. >> Nothing compares to you, [singing and music] Lord. >> Nothing can compare. >> You're our living hope. >> You're our living [music] hope. Say [singing] your presence. Your presence. >> I've tasted [music] I've [singing] tasted and seen of the sweetest [music] of love. When my heart [singing] becomes free and my shame is undone, [music] your presence, >> it's [music] your presence. >> Sing holy spirit, holy [music and singing] spirit. >> You are welcome. >> Come here. Come flood [music and singing] this place and feel Your glory God is what [music and singing] I long for to be your [singing] >> by your presence Lord Holy Spirit. You >> are [music] welcome. >> Come flood this place. [music and singing] this place and >> your glory Lord [music and singing] God >> is what I long for >> to be overcome by your praise. >> Sing Holy Spirit, >> Holy Spirit. [music] >> Oh, we welcome your presence Lord. [music and singing] place and feel the epesty. >> Your glory, [music and singing] God is what >> to be overcome by your presence Lord. Your presence. [music] >> Sing it out. Your presence. >> Oh, we welcome you. Your presence. [music] >> Your presence is here. Sing. Holy Spirit. You are. Holy [music and singing] Spirit. You are well. >> Come flood this place. [music and singing] >> Fill the atmosphere. >> [music] >> Your glory, God, is what [singing] our hearts long for. To be [music] overcome by your presence, Lord. Your presence, [music and singing] Lord. Your presence, [music] Lord. >> [singing] >> Sing your presence. >> Your presence, Lord. >> One more time. Your presence. >> Your pres. [music] Thank you, Jesus. Lord, you are worthy. Lord, you worthy [singing and music] Lordy of it allus. [music] You worthy [singing] of it all. For from [singing] you are all things and to you are all [singing] things. You deserve the glory. You [music] worthy. You worthy [singing] of it all. You're [singing] worthy of it all. >> Jesus. For from you are all [singing] things [music] and to you are all things. You deserve the glory. [singing] You are worthy. Oh Lord, you are worthy of it all. [singing] You are worthy of it all. For [music] from [singing] you are all things, and to you are all things. [music] You deserve the glory. [singing] >> For the saint and all the [singing] saints [music] and angels they bow [singing and music] before your throne. And all [singing] the elders cast their crowns before the lamb [singing] of God and sing all the saint >> and all the [singing] saints [music] and angels they bow [music and singing] before your throne and All [singing] the [music] elders cast their crowns before the lamb [singing and music] of God and sing. You are worthy [music and singing] of it all. Hosana you are. You are worthy [music and singing] of it all forever. For [music and singing] from you are all things and to you are all things. You deserve the glory. [music and singing] >> You're worthy. You're worthy cuz you are worthy [singing] of it all. [music] >> Jesus, you are worthy [singing] of it all. You are. You are. [music] >> For from [singing] you are all things and to you are all things. [music] You deserve the [singing] glory. >> Cuz you are worthy, Lord. Cuz you are worthy of it all. Cuz you are worthy [singing] of it all. Forever. King Jesus, for from [music and singing] you are all things, and to you are all things. [music] You deserve the glory. [singing] And I exalt thee. And I [music] exalt [singing] thee. and I exalt [music] [singing] thee. Oh [singing and music] Lord, I exalt thee >> and I [singing] exalt [music] thee and I [singing] exalt [music] thee and I [singing] exalt [music] thee. Oh, [singing] [music] come [singing] [music] on. [singing] >> [singing and music] >> Quest. [singing] [singing] The [singing] are the [singing] way [music] [singing] I >> I exalt [singing] thee and I [music] exalt Jesus. We lift you high this morning and I [singing] exalt thee >> cuz you're [music] worthy and I [singing] exalt thee, [music] oh [singing] Lord. [music] >> I exalt thee. >> I exalt [music and singing] thee. And I exalt [singing and music] thee. And [music and singing] I exalt thee. [music] Oh, [singing] >> Holy Spirit, we Holy Spirit, we welcome your presence here this morning. We thank you [music] for your presence here in our midst. >> We know that because you say in your word that where two or more gathered together in your name, there your presence shall be. So we thank you today for your presence hovering [music] amongst us, brooding amongst us, moving amongst us today. Father, thank you for every heart, every home, every household that is represented here this morning. Father, let your presence come and touch their lives. right now in Jesus [music] name I pray in my uh devotions before the service this morning. It's one thing I was meditating meditating [music] on is so many people today will be spending a lot of money buying into things that have little value long-term value. Give you give you a grin maybe for a little while but doesn't last long. This morning when I was just meditating and just waiting on the Lord, the greatest [music] gift, the greatest gift is money is what money cannot buy. Because money [music] cannot buy it, it doesn't mean it has little value. It has so much value. That's why money can't buy it. The only way we can get it is through honor and that is the presence of God. Money can't buy the presence of God. But it can be cultivated. It can be honored in our midst. You don't have to come here on a Sunday to experience [music] it and cultivate it in your families. And over this Christmas time, over this holiday season, [music] the greatest gift that we can experience and walk in any time, but especially over this time is the presence of the living God. We sung the song before about in your presence my shame is undone. [music] That's the power of the presence of the Holy Spirit. >> The presence of the Holy Spirit cleanses your life. It brings a cleansing into your life. And for some people here today, that's a gift that you need to be cleansed on the inside. For some people, it will be joy. For other people, it be a deep sense of love. For some people, it will be a hope for the future. Money cannot buy any of that. But the presence of the Lord can give you hope for the future that washes away your shame. It washes away, brings you clean on the inside. There's no financial gift that can ever do that. There's nothing that can give you their joy. There's nothing that can give you a peace the way that the presence of the Lord can. But you've got to cultivate it. We've got to honor it today. So why don't one more time just lift your hands in his presence [music] today. Holy Spirit, we welcome you today. We honor your presence in our [music] lives. We honor the work that you've done in our lives. We thank you today for your presence that brings cleansing, that brings healing, that gives us hope for the future. >> For those that have experienced grief over this season, Father, let joy fill homes [music] today. >> Father, where people have experienced loss over this year, let your presence bring joy and peace into homes again. [music] where people today are wondering about the future, wondering what to do next, worried about their finances. Holy Spirit, bring hope into their future today in Jesus name. >> Holy Spirit, >> Holy [music and singing] Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood [music and singing] this place and fill the airy. [music] Your glory, [singing] God is what our hearts [music] long for. To be [singing] overcome by your presence, [music] Lord. [singing] Holy Spirit, you are welcome. [music and singing] Come flood this place and fill the earth. [music and singing] >> Come Holy Spirit your glory is what our hearts Lord [singing] >> fill our spirits tonight >> to [music] be overcome by [singing] your presence [music] Lord. [music] Your praises [singing] Lord. [music] Your presence Lord. Holy Spirit is like a wind. Can't necessarily see him with your physical eyes, but you can catch his presence. [music] That's why we lift our hands. He's like a wind. And when you lift your hands, you posture yourself, you posture your heart like a sail. It's like lifting a sail up into the wind to catch the wind. There are things that we can do to catch [music] this presence. You know, just sit there passively. You use your voice. You lift your hands. You give [music] your body to him. That's why we lift our hands in his presence. >> Jesus. >> Some of you [music] need to catch him this morning. Aresh. You need to catch him in your family. You need to catch them in your thought life. You need to catch them in [music] your innermost being. >> And everybody said, >> "Amen." >> Hey, everybody said, >> "Amen." >> All right, let's give Jesus a shout of praise this morning. Let's honor his presence today. Come on, put something in the atmosphere today. [music] Jesus, we honor you today. We thank you for your goodness. We thank you we are alive today. [music] We thank you for breath in our lungs. We thank you for hope for the future. We're going to bless the Lord with our finances. Again, you can't buy his presence, [music] but what you can do is you can seed. You can put an investment. You can give an expression into his presence. That is why we give financially. We don't give it by compulsion. We give it out of honor and value. That's why we give. We don't give under any law. We give it by the principle of honor and value. That's why we give today. There's nothing we can give today that can uh that can buy the presence of God. But what you can do is you can give something that the Holy Spirit moves you to [music] the today. So today as we prepare to give, I pray in the name of Jesus covenantal [music] blessings over your life. I pray today and decree over your life that you will experience peace. That you will experience prosperity in the year ahead. That there'll be forth movement in your life. That you'll experience joy. That you would experience the protection of the Almighty in Jesus' name. That you'd experience healing [music] for your body, your heart, your mind, and your soul today in Jesus' name. And if you believe me, why don't you say [music] amen today? Amen. Come, let's give him bless the Lord one more time. How welcome here. [singing] How flood [music] this place and fill the atmosphere. [singing] Your glory, God, is what [music] our hearts long for. To be overcome [singing] by your presence, [music and singing] >> Amen. Why don't you turn to somebody, greet them this morning? [music] If you've never met them before, introduce yourself. Show some kindness with your words. We want to welcome you today, Pastor Kate and I. Welcome to those that are watching online. We have family and friends that watch from every part of the nation and from across the world. So today we extend a very warm welcome to you and wish you well over this Christmas season. And of course to our family that are here this morning. Welcome, welcome, welcome. It is so good to have you here. It's great to be a part of the family of the Lord as I look about uh look over family this [music] morning. It's just it's always an honor and a privilege to be here with you. And uh Kate and I are so grateful [music] that we are able to share life in some form and some degree with every one of you. And uh we [music] love you very much. And uh I'm always blessed as I look around to see the different ages, the different cultures, the different backgrounds that have represent here at the table of the Lord. And our uh encouragement to you today is this that there's a place there's a seat for every person at the house and the table of [music] the Lord. And no matter what your background is, no matter where you are from, that's the beauty and the just the glory about the family of the Lord. There's always a place. We don't see a color. We see a covenant today. And we welcome you today. Welcome here today. Amen. And if you are here in the building and you're visiting with us today, we got a team that uh we want to welcome you. I can see bookie here. But if you're well, if you're with us for the first or second time, [music] we'd love to get to know you. We've got a gift for you. Can you just give us a wave this morning if that's you? Maybe you feel a little bit shy. There's some down here. Wonderful. Welcome this morning. There's another one over here. Kick your hands up. I can see Tony. She's There's another one over here. Welcome. Welcome to church this morning. Come on, church. >> We got a gift for you this morning. If it's your first or second time here and we'd [music] love to get to know you after the service. >> And this is our last service of the year of 2025. What an amazing year it's been. And uh so it wouldn't be right if we didn't celebrate the birthdays and the wedding anniversaries for December. >> Yes. >> So if you've had a birthday or a wedding anniversary in December, lift your hand up high. Can see hands going up. >> That's right. If your birthday is still to come in December, this is for you, too. >> Come on, get cheeky with it. If it's coming up, >> I can see more. There's another one here. What about wedding anniversaries? If that's you, congratulations. >> Is that your birthday? >> There's another one. Keep your hands up. There's people coming to you now. That's fantastic. >> Is that wedding anniversary? >> Wedding anniversary. [music] How many years? >> 22. >> 22. >> Whoa. Well done. >> We don't want to miss anyone, so just keep waving your hand. There's people coming. There's right up the back. Team, well done, Charlotte. And there's some right at the back, guys. Right at the back. Fantastic. Hey, uh before we move on, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who was involved with our showcase, our outreach last Sunday. Come on. So good. What an incredible time. Amen. It's And the place was jam-packed with people, many people that don't know Jesus. So, seeds of salvation was sewing and we're believing for a harvest of souls. Amen. So really Dave and I want to thank you. We want to thank um every person that was on the stage, but there was also an incredible team that were working hard behind the stage, on the sides of the stage, the sound media. You've got no idea the the work they do, the headaches they have on the day. When we do an outreach, everything can go smoothly until the day and then every piece of equipment wants to decide not to work. And so while the worship was happening last Sunday, uh we had teams furiously resetting things because they decided not to work at the last minute. And then it all worked, which was great. But thank you everyone. It was an incredible Sunday, wasn't it? And uh we've got just a couple of promos this morning. The first one is is that next Sunday and the following one, that's December 28th and January 4 are our Sabbath. That means uh that we're taking a rest from gathering together and uh but not a rest from Jesus. And so we want to invite you to we want to encourage you to invite people into your space, into your homes, down to the beach, down to the river, down to the park, and uh gather in those spaces. And um so it's important that we continue to gather um together as families. Also want to encourage you with this. Sometimes over the Christmas season, we go into spaces that we've deliberately come out of because we are walking with Jesus. And we have to go back into spaces where maybe it's not the same standard that you're living now. And so we want to encourage you, think ahead. If you're going into family situations that aren't so that are stressful or that aren't so great, or you're going into other situations, work situations that there's a different standard to the standard you live. >> Make decisions before you walk into those places. Get in touch with your connect group leader. That's why we have connect groups. That's how we pastor our church. Get people standing with you and praying. Make a plan before you go somewhere of how you're going to exit out of those places early before there's clashes, before there's problems. Okay? Make your plan. The Bible says, "Be wise as a serpent, innocent as a dove." So, we make wise plans. We have heaven's plans before we walk into places that we've um deliberately come out of because we walk a different walk. Amen. >> Awesome. We've got one other thing is that on on Christmas day, it's not a Sunday, but it is the day we celebrate the birth of our savior that online there will be a message. It's a message from Apostle Mike and uh it's a Christmas message and that'll be on YouTube. So, that'll be 10:00 a.m. on Christmas Day. if you um want to tune in then that'll be fantastic. One more thing is that uh we want you to get ready for something. There's going to be promos through January, but it's time to bring back the annual church raft race. Now, there's more details coming. It's going to be at the end of January. So, this can be a family raft, it can be a connect group raft, it can be a worship team raft, a sound [music] team, an ask me desk, a food truck raft, whatever you want. But game on and uh we haven't done one for a while. So, this is going to be the end of January. There's more info coming, but we want you during January to start figuring out your rafts, [music] okay? And so, you can be a spectator or you can be a participator, but we're going to make it, we're going to kick this year off with a bang, uh, 2026 and it's going to be loads of fun. So, you can bring your neighbors, you can bring anyone you like. You have a neighborhood raft. That'll be awesome. >> Fantastic. And, uh, really honored to have uh, Pastor Mike back with us here again today. And um and so he's going to be preaching this morning. He'll be closing this year off. And uh also the first two services of next year, he'll be uh opening that as well while Kate and I are away. So we are going to start next year um absolutely on fire. I'm believing uh that God is going to prosper you next year that there's going to be a forth movement in your life. That's what prosper means is forth movement. So whatever area you may be stuck, let's believe for some forth movement and uh in your life. Hey, why don't you welcome for the final time 25 Pastor Mike as he becomes a friend of the word this morning. >> Thank you. Let's give Jesus a great clap, shall we? Come on, let's honor the King of Kings. We celebrate his birthday. Come on, let's give him a great clap. Let's celebrate him. Jesus, we honor you. Oh yes. We give you the honor. We give you the glory. You're our King. We welcome you, Lord. We honor you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. We just welcome you, Holy Spirit, to speak to our hearts in this atmosphere of your presence. Let the word of God come alive and challenge us. I pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of you. The eyes of our understanding would be enlightened. We'd begin to know the hope of our calling. The riches of the glory of your inheritance within us and the exceeding [music] greatness of your power towards us when we believe. Lord, we give you honor today in Jesus' name. Amen. I feel [music] his presence here. Come on, let's give one more clap. Thank you, Lord. We honor you, Lord. Well, please be seated. Well, I want to congratulate uh Pastor Dave and Kate and the team for such an amazing Christmas event last week. That was, wasn't it? Brilliant. It was just so good. We want to thank you. I want to thank you for sustaining creativity and a spirit of excellence. Not easy to do. And you've maintained it over so many years. I really love it. Just so wonderful. And I just want to just uh before I get into sharing today, I want to uh just bring back a little bit about what pastor David spoke a couple of weeks ago and uh he was sharing a vision for the coming year about prospering. The word prosper meaning to move forward or go forward and there's many aspects to prosperity. We'll look at those in the coming year. And there's a scripture in Genesis 26 where it says in verse 12 and 13, Isaac sowed in the land. And uh it was a time of famine. In other words, it was hard times financially, it was hard times so everything was hard. And it says in the time when it was hard and everyone's just fighting to survive, he swed in the land. And it says, "And he reaped the same year a hundfold and the Lord blessed him. And the man began to prosper and continued prospering until he became very prosperous. So we see here how in a time when it's hard and difficult, that's when you sew your seed. >> And when you sew your seed, you are in expectation of a harvest. And so Pastor Dave was speaking then about some areas we need to sew and invest in our lives next year. And uh I want you to think about he talked about having a biblical foundation that you read and understand and begin [snorts] to learn how to apply the word of God. If you're not reading the word of God, learning the word of God, feeding on the word of God, you're not growing and you're not becoming strong. And we need to break the cycle of dependency that someone will feed me. If you need someone to feed you, you are a baby. And we want to help you with that. And today when I share a message uh the way I'm going to approach the message today will to be to help you see how I would open up scripture and and find teaching and truth from it. And uh the second thing he shared was about spiritual life necessity of investing in your spiritual life in prayer in learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit be sensitive to him hearing his voice and learning how to live in faith. And that's something we really need to grow in the coming year. He talked about also the importance of internal transformation. The necessity of letting God bring a shift inside you. If you don't change within, then all your efforts to change outside usually become frustrated and it's like a New Year's resolution. Three weeks into it, you're done. [laughter] You're back to where you were before. And then finally uh and and and one of the most important was the importance of a missional expression that we overflow and reach out beyond ourselves. So I just bring those back to mind because it's that context I want to share this message today and I want to take it and lift it up to another level. Uh Dave was speaking about a very practical area of our growth. I want to lift you up to get your thinking into a space where you begin to see there's something much bigger at stake than just you having a good year next year. So we're going to this the message I'm going to share to you today. I want to share with you on the parable of the wedding feast. The parable of the wedding feast found in Matthew 22 in verse starts with verse one. I how many love feasts and celebrations? I just love them. I mean, you did you know that God commanded Israel to celebrate three feasts every year? In other words, God's into you gathering together and to us eating and drinking and laughing and sharing life and being together. It's a great and wonderful thing. I'm looking forward to our Christmas dinner. Our Christmas dinner, we have a table. It's laden with food. There's drink. There's celebration. There's fun. There's laughter. I love it. It's absolutely wonderful. And uh and and thinking about the story of the wedding banquet, I can uh think back and uh I was thinking back this morning and remembering the wedding of my eldest son David to the beautiful Kate and the wedding table set out and how both of them had prepared themselves for that event. I can remember them, David standing here and Kate coming down the aisle, the wedding table and celebration afterwards. most memorable event, a very big event. It's our first son getting married. It's a memorable event. And every wedding has been a memorable event. I love them all. There's something about weddings. Funerals, not so much, but weddings really got it. I love weddings, you know. [laughter] I love wedding. Weddings are a happy time. Everyone's happy. I remember one of my my daughter, she she said, "Dad, I want at my wedding, I want to go to my wedding in a horse and carriage." I said, "Well, that's awesome. Creative way to get to a wedding." So, she looked around. Finally, she found the horse and carriage. Said, "We just got to find a groom now. Just find some guy." So, we got the horse and carriage, got that sust, and we got the building s. We just need to find someone that'll ask you to marry them. So, probably you need a bit of help with that. And she did. And uh then finally, we got to do the the the the drive to the to the wedding. You cannot believe it. We went from our place in a horse and carriage down to the church here. And it must have mean every dog that we passed barked at us. It was like that they make a lot of noise going down the road. It was quite it was just fun. A lot of fun. Just a a great deal of fun. So all of the weddings have been such fun. We love them all. And so this is the story uh of a wedding feast. And what I want to do is I want to go through the story. We're just going to read the story. Then we're going to ask questions because if you want to get to find anything from the Holy Spirit, you got to ask questions. If you want to find anything from the word of God, you must ask questions. You must ask good questions. And so, you're looking at the nouns, you're looking at the the the verbs, the doing words. You're looking at the main theme. You're looking at the context of it. You're looking to discover what is the core message that's in this. And so, here's the story. Matthew 21 22:1. And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. And he sent out his servants to call all those who are invited to the wedding." But they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, see, I prepared my dinner, my oxen, patted, cattle are killed, all things are ready. Come to the wedding." But they made light of it and went their ways and went to own farm and another to his business. and the rest the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. Now, when the king heard about this, he was furious, and he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Pretty drastic, isn't it? Obviously, the king is a bit ticked off at the way they responded to the wedding invitation. Okay, then now go to the Therefore, then he changes the plan. He says, "Now go to the highways and as many as you find, anyone that you find, invite them to the wedding." And so the servants went out to the highways and gathered together all that they found, both bad and good. Bad and good. They found them, invited them in, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. So they had the whole thing. He booked, I don't know how many hundred tables, and now he got them all filled. And some of them are baddies and some of them are goodies, but they're all there. Okay, get the idea? And he says, "Now when the king came in to see the guests, so there's a time when the king arrives and said, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, friend, you're not an enemy. He's a friend. How did you come to be here without a wedding garment?" And he was speechless. And the king said to the servants, "Bind them hand and foot, take them away, cast them into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and nashing of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen." Isn't that a great great passage, great story and in the story Jesus is trying to teach something really important and you see how it relates back to what pastor David was sharing shortly and I just want to bring it up to another. So in in looking at this we're just going to ask questions as we go through it. The first thing is what is a parable? See what it says here. It says Jesus answered and spoke by a parable. What is a parable? So you could go look it up and find out what a parable is. And a parable is a story from everyday life life which contains a spiritual truth. So this is a story about a man having a wedding and some people invited didn't turn up and he found others that would turn up and then he looked and checked them out and found there's some of them with no wedding garment. That's the core of the story. So the Bible tells us concerning parables that Jesus spoke constantly using parables. So a parable is just a story. It's relatable. It's something you could understand easily, but within it's a deep spiritual truth. Not every detail will fit the whole picture, but much of the story does. And so in Matthew 13:34, all these things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and without a parable, he didn't speak. So Jesus used parables constantly to speak to people. And each parable can carries a core truth. So there's a core truth in this. uh I wonder already after what I've read if you can see what the core truth might be and uh then we go through not every detail counts in the parable but quite a few of the par these these do and the other thing about the parables is sometimes they have a present application and then they also have a future application so you got when you're reading it you got to is he talking about now is he talking about something future you just got to look at it and read it carefully think as you read and ask questions so why did he why did Jesus used parables. Why didn't he just come out and say straight what he wanted to say? Well, he used parables very very simply and and you can find that in Matthew 13. Uh he used parables and and they asked them the question, well, why did he speak in parables? Why don't you talk plain? And he answered them and said, to you it's given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heaven, but to these others is not given. Whoever has, to him more will be given. He'll have abundance and whoever does not have even what he has will be taken away. So what Jesus is saying? They're asking the question, why do you put everything in a parable? Why have you hidden all these things in stories? And he said very simply, he said, "Those who are hungry will search and find the truth. Those who have no hunger, it'll all pass over them. They won't learn anything." So the parables, one of the reasons for Jesus speaking in parables is to draw out those who will hunger for truth and revelation and seek him for it. But those who aren't interested at all then they won't receive anything. And you make that statement for him who has that's him who has ears to hear more will be given. So when you are hungry for the word of God and respond to the word of God is to hear you will get more from God. So God watches what you do with the word he preaches to you. And when God reveals something to you he intends there to be a transformation in your life. So he watches what you do with what you receive. It doesn't matter how much you receive. It's what you do with it is what counts. How you steward what God has given you. And if you respond, you get a lot more until it's abundant. But if you don't respond, your ability even to hear a little diminishes. So if you're here coming every week, week after week, getting finest teaching, but you're not acting on any of it, your ears close up and your heart goes hard. and you become religious. >> It's just how it is. It's always been that way. In other words, the word of God is is a living word meant to bring change in our lives. But that change depends on our heart condition. And he said that the people that are not responding, their hearts are dull or hardened because they won't yield to God. Any idea? Okay. So the first thing we understand then what a parable. So this parable is a story. It's a story with a hidden meaning in it. And Jesus told the story. So those who are hungry will search for what the truth of the story is. Those who won't won't do that. So then he says the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. So what's he talking about? He's talking about the kingdom of heaven. So you ask the question, well what then is the kingdom of heaven? And it says it's like something. So he's comparing the kingdom of heaven as being like something which the story is going to tell us. Okay. So first of all we look in the kingdom of heaven. So many of Jesus' parables were exactly the same. The kingdom of heaven is like a sewer a man swed some seed. Kingdom of heaven is like a man put in a net. Kingdom of heaven like a man who found treasure in a field. Kingdom of heaven like a man who found the pearl of great price. In other words, Jesus total constant focus of his message was the kingdom of God coming into the earth. And he used stories to explain it. It's like this. It's like that. It's like that. He didn't say it is that. He said it's like that. So, in other words, there's something about the story that helps you get a spiritual lesson. So, he said the kingdom of heaven like a man who found treasure in a field. And for the joy of what he discovered, he sold everything to purchase the field. He's saying then that the kingdom of heaven when you get the revelation of it is so inspiring, enthralling, exciting, eternal, significant that everything else pales compared to possessing what God has for you. Hey, you're all getting quiet now. Okay, then. So, so when we talk kingdom heaven, we're talking about the rule of God or the reign of a king. And uh the Bible presents the kingdom of God as being present now. The kingdom now. And the kingdom now is invisible. You can't see it, but it's a seed you receive. So when you receive the king, when you receive Jesus Christ, when we acknowledge who he is and what he's done and receive him, then the kingdom of heaven, the rule of God begins in our heart. If you're not follower of Christ, you're not giving your life to Christ, you're not in the kingdom of God, you're in another kingdom, the kingdom of darkness. But when you give your life to Christ, then you are automatically legally shifted and become a citizen and a son of the kingdom, a new governmental system. And you have to learn how to live there. And you have to be cleansed from the old ways of living the old lifestyle. Any idea? So, so, so the second aspect of the kingdom. So, sometimes when Jesus is talking about the

Kingdom, he's talking about it now, coming in power, coming to transform, coming like a seed that produces fruit. So, when Pastor Dave was talking about prospering, he was talking about you sewing into your life and watering the seeds of God's word and education and knowledge and wisdom so that you produce a fruit over time.

The kingdom now, uh, but the kingdom will also come physically in great power and great glory. And so the Bible tells us of the coming kingdom. In Matthew 16:27, Jesus talks about he will come in the glory of his Father with the angels. He will come in his kingdom. We haven't seen that yet. In Daniel 2, it says the kingdom will come and it will break down all other kingdoms and it'll be a kingdom that fills the whole earth. So the Bible is very full of hope that no matter how evil, no matter how destructive it all is, it's all in it's all moving towards a great climax where the powers behind the darkness of this world are exposed and Jesus comes and there's a shift in the government of the world for a thousand years. The key issue is what part you play in that, whether you are a spectator or a participator.

So let's go this. So the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. So you notice there, you've got the word king and son. So who is the king and who is the son? We said they're not complicated questions, but if you just break down approaching the word of God to asking questions, you'd be amazed how much you get out of it. And so who is the king? Well, the king, the king represents God the Father in the story. Sometimes the king represents Jesus. In this story, it's very clear there's a king and a son. That it's not, don't take rocket science to work it out. The king is God the Father and the king has a son whom he loves. And not only that, he loves him so much he initiates a wedding feast in his honor. So the king is a is God the Father. God the Father has a son Jesus Christ and God is preparing a bride for his son and he's going to have a massive wedding celebration.

>> Isn't that awesome? >> So that's that's the core. And so within this is a massive truth that one of the great events in history not yet fulfilled is the wedding supper or the wedding, the marriage, the the the marriage supper of the of of Jesus Christ. So so there's the king. So here's the thing. Not only does the Father pre-prepare all the wedding feasts, he issues all the invitations as well. So the Father chooses who he wants to invite. So God has planned a wedding feast for his son to be held at some point coming near to us. And now he extends invitations to everyone to come. Nice to get a wedding invitation, isn't it nice? You open it up, there it is. Beautiful card. You are invited. Isn't that wonderful? So the Father sent it. Notice what it says in John 6:44. No one, Jesus said, no one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. So in other words, you can't even make a response to Christ unless God the Father is drawing you, attracting you, influencing you by his Spirit to respond to Jesus Christ and receive him as your Savior and begin to walk with him.

Okay? Then so the king then is God the Father, the son. Who's the son? Well, the son is the focus of the parable and the son is Jesus Christ, very clearly. So the king, God the Father, is planning for a big wedding feast for his son. And the whole marriage feast is centered not around the guests. It's centered around the groom, Jesus Christ. Now in this story, they don't talk about the bride at all because, as I said, the parables can't, they don't cover everything. They'll cover a certain aspect. So this story is about the those who were invited to the wedding. So it focuses on you being invited and responding to the invitation. How do you respond to the invitation? And so, uh, Jesus is the focus and the guest of honor in this feast. And people have been invited. Okay? And so the Bible tells us in John 5:23 that all should honor the Son, that's Jesus, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. So God the Father honors each of us by inviting us not just to get saved and go to heaven. That's a very, very, uh, weak understanding of God's plan. God's plan has always been about his kingdom coming into the earth. But the kingdom coming into the earth is preceded by a celebration called the wedding or the wedding feast of the Lamb. And so he's talking about that here. He's talking about something prophetic. And he's also talking about something right now when he's talking, as you'll see in the story. You know the idea? So, so God honors us by inviting us to the wedding of his son and we, in turn, honor the Son by accepting the invitation and preparing for the wedding. You don't just turn up in your old rags. People turn up to weddings, they dress up, they think about what they're going to wear. They know it's a special event and as a sign of honor and respect, you turn up well-dressed, well-presented, on time. Very rude not to turn up on time. Yeah, we'll get quiet now.

Okay, so then what is the marriage feast? Okay, we need to look at that. So remember, we're just going through the story and every time we see something there, either an action or or or or a noun, we want to ask what it's about. So what is the marriage feast? Well, so first of all, most of the spiritual things you can pick up and understand by looking at what's natural and then you look into the Bible at references to a marriage feast. So you you first of all look at natural because the natural is a reflection of the spiritual. So what you can see around you reflects spiritual realities. This is just a shadow. They're the real deal. And you go into the Bible and you look other verses. Are there any other references spread around the Bible, hidden here and there that talk about this event? And you go looking for them? You think, well, why didn't God put it all out there in one little spot? Don't just read it and get to understand it all. No, you got to search.

>> It's the honor of God to hide things, the honor of kings to search them out. You got to search stuff out. And you search out and use a concordance and you search from one part of the Bible to the other. You're looking for these things. Okay, then. So, so the first thing is just looking naturally, then in every culture, a marriage feast. If you think of a marriage feast, you're thinking celebration and joy and a big party. Going to be wonderful, looking forward to it, and we got to dress up. And so this is not any marriage feast. This is a marriage feast of a king. Now you got to think about this. Did you ever see when Prince Charles got married? The first marriage, not the other one. >> The first one. It was spectacular. It was absolutely spectacular how they arrived and then the service and then the reception. I don't show you much about that, but a massive feast. It was spectacle because it's a royal family. That's only the king of England. What about the king of all creation? What kind of party could he put on? Man, he won't be going diving for mussels and poo. Well, he won't be done for that. He's got the real deal. He's got the real food up there. And he will have it in abundance. So, you're thinking at a not just any wedding, but you're thinking about a royal banquet. You should go look online and study or just look up pictures of a of a royal banquet and see what you can find.

So, so the Bible tells us that there are uses many pictures to help you understand something because we're pretty thick when it comes to understanding spiritual things. We need to hear it over and over, this way, then that way, then another way. Try and find, oh, that's what he means. Okay. So we, so so that's that's good teaching that you get repetition and you get different ways of presenting something. So one, so here's some ways that the Bible talks about our relationship with God. In 1 Peter, it tells us that we are a royal nation. So in other words, when you got born again, your old genealogy don't no longer counts. No matter where you come from, what tribe you come from, what nation, that doesn't count anymore. We're now part of a new creation, a new identity. We're part of what's called a royal nation. So, we're a nation of kingly people because we're from the royal family. So, so in other words, all of these are ways to help you understand your new relationship with God. The Bible tells us we're also called in 1 Peter, a holy priesthood. In other words, a priest is someone who comes to God and enters his presence, offers worship and praise and intercedes and comes out and blesses people and brings the presence and blessings of God to people. Well, that's who we are.

>> It's just another picture. You got to learn all about that, too. We're also called a temple. You're the temple of God. The Spirit of God dwells within you. You become the house of the living God. God says, "I'll walk on you and I'll talk on you." So, my relationship with God is deeply intimate, personal. He dwells within me and wants to express his life through me. Then, uh, another description found in Ephesians is, uh, we're called to be a body. The body of Christ. Christ is the head, we're the body. Well, think about a natural body. It's the extension of the head. The head thinks and plans. The body expresses it. So all of these are to try and help us see this is who you are. This is who you are. Don't live out of the old, live out of the new. The Bible also calls us an army, meaning that we are the expression of God militant in the earth to overcome demonic powers, all kinds of. And it also uses the picture of a wedding and a bride. Look at this Ephesians 5:25. Husbands, who's it addressing? Men who are married. It's not addressing the wife. See, it says it very clearly. I have to be husbands. For husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Do you notice then that God uses the marriage covenant, the relationship between a man and a wife, to bring an expression or revelation or little bit of insight that God wants a marriage, covenantal, intimate relationship with us like a husband and a wife. Our problem is we don't see so many good marriages. You need good marriages. You need to see them. [snorts] And understand that marriage was instituted by God between a man and a woman who come together in covenantal relationship. God has no casual relationships. God does not sleep around. He does not do what people do. People sleep around because they don't want to enter into committed, covenantal, responsible relationship. God is a God of covenant. When he forms a relationship, it's covenantal. He binds himself to that person and gives his undertaking in word. He will be faithful to them. And so God, the nature of God is covenantal. Therefore, a relationship between a man and a wife, marriage is covenantal, reflecting Christ in the church. The moment you destroy marriage, you're destroying the physical image of what God intended, Christ in the church. All attacks on marriage are attacks on Christ in the church. All attacks on marriage are an attack on God's order and plan, how we're to relate intimately with one another. And so if people have sex before marriage, it's called fornication. It means you are wanting to have the pleasure of marriage without the commitment. And that's why God calls it sin because it violates that commitment comes before the benefits and the blessings. Oh, you're getting so quiet, aren't we? Well, there we go. We're talking about the marriage. There it is. Now, we could go a long way over there, but we won't go too far. We'll carry on here.

So, so God uses marriage to reveal this is what covenant love looks like. This is what intimacy looks like. This is what joy and fruitfulness looks like. It's two people joined together, becoming one, walking together in unity, and being productive and generating a family that brings honor to God. That is the plan of God. And so we have to watch because we can be corrupted by the humanist gender of feminism, transgenderism, homosexuality. Don't buy into it. Its roots are antichrist. They are anti-God's order and design. They carry a spirit of deception behind them. And if you get caught up in that, you will find yourself far away from God.

>> It's not that God doesn't love the people. It's just there's an order in the kingdom. It is a kingdom, the rule of a king, and he gets to say how it's going to be. So, pictures of, uh, of of the marriage relationship of Christ and the church, uh, are spread through the Bible. And so, we could do a series on the bride of Christ and all that's involved in the Bible running right through the B. Beautiful, beautiful pictures of it. Like for example, in Genesis 24, where I, uh, uh, Abraham wants a bride for his wife Isaac. So he gives the servant, who's a picture of the Holy Spirit, instructions of where not to go and where to go to provide a wife or a bride for his son of promise, Isaac. It's a picture. Isaac's the son of promise. Jesus Christ, uh, is the fulfillment of that. And God, the Holy Spirit goes looking for a bride. People who will respond and come into a love covenant relationship with the groom, Jesus Christ. All kinds of things in the story. In in Psalm 45, it talks about it. Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear. Forget your own people and your father's house, and the king will greatly desire your beauty because he is your Lord. Worship him. And so it talks then about our response when we let go natural attachments to follow Christ. God desires the beauty that this is to him. When you remain overly attached, not we don't have attachments, but he must take the priority. Hey, think about these things. Okay. Uh, in in, uh, in John 3:29, G, uh, John the Baptist called Jesus the bridegroom. If he's the bridegroom, who's the bride? The bride must be people in preparation. In, uh, Matthew 25, there is the parable of the virgins. What are they? They're people who are waiting. What are they waiting for? They're waiting for the coming of the groom. So, so there's many pictures of it. And that picture is a picture of the necessity of preparing. So, every one of the stories can't tell you the whole thing, but spread through the Bible are the stories of the wedding and the bride, and you got to search for them to see and discover the insights. You find in the story of Ruth, there's another one in Ruth. Ruth, who made this covenant commitment. Your God will be my God. Wherever you go, I will follow you. It's like this is this is what covenant loyalty looks like. Your people shall be my people. So in other words, in the Old Testament, you get a Canaanite, you get a woman who's a Moabite, who's rejected, comes from an idol-worshipping, perverse nation, and yet God selects her because her heart is to follow totally. So there's so many pictures of what it looks like to be a bride in the Bible. You want to have a look what they look like and study them for yourself. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul says, "I'm jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I have engaged or betrothed you to one husband that I might present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." So he's saying when you came to Christ, when I led you into receiving Christ as your Savior, this is more than about your sins being forgiven. So sins being forgiven gets you into the space where you can now prepare to become what God wants you to become, which is intimate and connected and committed to him. The idea? Okay, I'll give you one more then. Uh, the Old Testament and here it is in Revelation 19:7, and it says, "Let us be glad and rejoice and give him honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." How about that? So, now it's looking into the future now, and it says the marriage has now come. So, it's right there. It's happening. It's right about to happen. Read it. See what happens when it happened. It's something else. It's written in spiritual language. So you got to have a heart to understand it and search it to figure out what it all means. But he says it, notice it. This is what you can understand is simply she made herself ready. She got ready for the wedding. She didn't just get saved and say, "Well, that's it. I can do what I like now. Come and go. My sins are forgiven. I'm okay. God loves me. It'll all be okay." No. She prepared for the wedding. Prepared herself. Not prepared someone else. Prepared herself. Hey.

Okay, then. And, um, okay, well, that's enough of that. So, so the the marriage feast will finally be consummated, or it'll be celebrated. It'll be held. So what's the date? They want to know what date is that feast? I want to be there. Okay, then we'll get to that. We'll get to it in a moment. Okay. And and so it's finally fulfilled in the at the coming of Christ. So in the book of Revelation, uh, it says in Revelation 19:9, "He said to me, 'Write, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" So it's called the marriage supper of the Lamb, and it comes at the time when Jesus returns. There will be people who are ready who will become part of that supper. However, there are people not ready who won't become part of that supper. We'll get to that in a moment. And so in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1 and 2, it says, "The kingdom of heaven is like 10 virgins that went out and took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom." It's like people who had lamps and oil went out expecting the bridegroom, but he he was slow coming. He tried, and so they all got sleepy and slept. Then they, the sound came. He's coming. They woke up, and some had oil and some did not. And the ones who did not said, "Give us some of yours." I said, "No." Well, meanies, hold out. No. He said, "No, you need to buy for yourself. You need to pay the price that's involved in having the presence of God in your life so your light is shining brightly in a perverse generation." So, so notice there, five are wise and five are foolish. Here's another thing. When we have communion. When we have communion. So you see now, if you've come from a religious background, well, then you're just having a nip and a sip and there it is, you know, praise. Thank you, Lord. Remember the coming of Jesus. Now, listen, you want to read the scripture because this when we when we have the bread and the wine, they are symbols [snorts] of new covenant. Now, what, what is covenant connected to? Marriage. Covenant is connected to marriage. So God has made a new covenant. That means the old covenant he made with the Jews and with Israel is now ended. If he wanted to keep it, he wouldn't have a new one. The new one is much better. And so the old one has ended. So all promises, all things attached to that old covenant, they're finished. There's now a new covenant that's formed. And so when we have covenant, uh, he said, uh, in in 1 Corinthians 11:25, he said, uh, "In this manner, he took the cup after supper. Yeah, that's read out of communion, isn't it? And this cup here is the covenant of my blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Notice then, it's a remembrance. It's to keep you thinking about something. What's it supposed to keep you thinking about? See, if you just remember anything where you have no understanding about it, it becomes an empty form with no power.

>> See, the moment you understand what you're doing, then power comes into it. Life comes into it. So if you don't understand the whole flow and purpose of praise and worship, you don't participate because you don't know what it will do to you and to us as a congregation. Same with communion. So communion, there are three key aspects. I won't teach on them, but I just give them to you. The first is they are they to remind us that Christ died for us, gave up his life on our behalf. It's to remind you your salvation cost him his life, his blood. He gave up his body was broken. He gave up his life. The second thing is to remind us that if we receive Jesus Christ or have received him, we are in covenant relationship. This is the blood of the new covenant. You are in covenant relationship. He will never abandon you. He'll never leave you. It's to encourage you. You're not alone. God is for you. He's with you. He'll care for you. And notice then, until he comes. It's also to remind us our bridegroom will return. So we do this till he returns. So it's to remind us Jesus will return and he's coming for unto those who look expectantly for him. Will he appear? When he appears, we shall be like him. We shall see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him inside himself purifies himself. You understand these things are not just empty things. They become empty when you don't know what they mean or you forget what they mean. So it's to remind you he died for us. It cost him for us to be saved. Honor that by living a godly life. Secondly, that we are in covenant relationship with him. And thirdly, he will come to fulfill that covenant with a marriage feast.

Okay, then. So, let's go back to the story again. How are you finding it? We're just asking questions all the way. And then he said he sent servants. He sent servants to call those who invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come. How about that? So, who are the servants? We we asked the question who who they all are and we now found what they who they are. So who are the servants? Well, the servants are people who are ambassadors. They're sent out to the invitation. They got the invite. They take it. They're the postman. And, uh, so the servants who were sent out with the invitations, firstly, they were all the Old Testament prophets were sent out with an invitation for people to repent and come back into alignment with God. John the Baptist was one of those servants sent out. Jesus himself was some of those servants sent out. The apostles were sent out. In fact, anyone who carries the gospel is one of those servants. And the the servants carry an invitation to a great celebration God is intending to hold. So, who did these ones get sent to? Well, they they were sent to Israel. They were sent to the people who were the chosen people, but they didn't receive them. And in fact, in the end, as Jesus is beginning to prophesy now, he's beginning to prophesy about his own death, calls them murderers. So he's telling a story that's right there currently about to be fulfilled. And so he's now prophesying in this part of it now about what will happen. So why, how did the people respond and why did they respond that way? The first thing they responded was with indifference. Indifference. So remember, the story is there to make sure you learn. Don't do what the bad guys did. Do what God tells you to do and learn the lesson in it. And many of these stories, the focus is on not doing what the bad guys did. And so the first thing was indifference. Matthew 22:3, "He sent his servants out to call those who invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come." The word indifference means lack of interest or concern. Considering that this is very unimportant. Now, when you look around, you find a lot of the church, as far as their life and walk with God goes, consider that to be unimportant. Consider God's invitation to a feast to be unimportant, or consider the kingdom of God to be unimportant. They've got other things. They were invited. That word means *calo*, it's the word to send a personal invitation, and they would not come. They just refused. And you find that when you share the gospel and you share the Christ with people, sometimes people just say no. They don't want him. That's okay. Some didn't receive.

And then the next thing he noticed is some were distracted. He said again, he sent other servants. He said, "Tell those invited, see, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen, fatted cattle are killed." Well, that's a big party. Cattle plural, oxen plural. This is a big deal. It's a big wealthy man. It's a big party. And, uh, he said, "Tell those invited, say I've got the dinner ready." He's all things are ready. Come to the wedding. He's starting to get a bit annoyed by all of this. And it says they made light of it. Didn't think anything much. Wasn't important. They went their ways. One to his own farm. I'm busy. I got a farm to keep. Another went to his business. A distraction is something that draws your way. It divides your attention. So you're double-minded. You want this, but you also want that. And so you, you have a mixture of clashes of priorities. And so they made light of it. They neglected it. They had other priorities. And many people are like, they just got other priorities. What are your priorities? What will they be for the coming year? See, think about it. What, what are your priorities? We've tried to demonstrate through our life, our priority is seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, because there's a promise attached. And then the last group were hostile. They seized the servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. That means they're actively opposed. They killed them. So, so Jesus is now prophesying about what's going to happen. He's moved it from telling the story about the wedding feast to now he's talking. He's talked historically how the prophets went and sought Israel to come. And now he's saying this is what's about to happen. He said they're about to kill the servants who were sent out. And so the first one that was killed was Jesus. After that, James. Then eventually all the apostles were killed. Not necessarily by the Jews. And so how did the king respond? Now he's talking about the future. When Jesus is speaking now, he's speaking about something that has not yet happened, but it has happened now. We're back. We're we're at 2025, nearly 2026. This happened in AD 70. And this is what he said. And Jesus talking about the future of Jerusalem. It's in hazardous. In verse 7, "When the king heard about it, he was furious. He sent out his armies and destroyed these murderers and burnt up their city." Well, that's pretty serious, isn't it? He called them murderers. He called them murderers because they killed the prophets, killed Jesus. He called them just murderers. And there's a consequence. You can't escape. And so it says he burnt up their city. So they rejected God's kindness and invitation. They loved the world and their own position and values rather than the kingdom. They're entitled. They, they just got rid of him. And so his response was very simple. He was enraged by their dishonor. You see, he'd sent what was most important to him, his own son. He understands they beat up some of the servants on the way. I understand they killed some of the servants, but I will send my own son. In one parable, it says, "Him they will respect," but they did not. These are the people of God with the promises of God. They did not respect him at all. They put him to death. And so, he was enraged by their dishonor and rejection of Jesus. And so, he judged them. These are not fit or worthy for the kingdom. The Bible tells us that we need to be fit or suitable for the kingdom of God. I'll explain that in a moment. And he said they're not worthy of the kingdom of God. Why? Because they don't value and prioritize God in his kingdom. They value their own things and actually end up opposing what God does. And so they're not fit for the kingdom of God. Says, "He that Jesus said, he that puts his hand to the plow and then turns back, makes a commitment to follow Jesus, then looks back is really not fit for the kingdom because you can't be double-minded, looking back all the time. Having a few doubts is not a problem, but if you're constantly regretting and looking back to your old life, wanting to return to it, then you're not fit for what God has." It, it, it's just these teachings are all through the Bible. You need to read the Bible and get familiar with it. Uh, we're not, they're not worthy. Jesus said, "If you love your father, brother, sister, mother more than me," not saying not to love them, he's just saying, "If you place a higher priority on family relationships and on your relationship with me, you're not worthy of the kingdom." These are Jesus' statements. You, you either, you either accept that when he said that, he meant it, or you, you come into this thing, I can do what I want and it doesn't matter. And so he sent his armies and destroyed the city in AD 70 after a number of prophetic warnings to the church to leave the city. The armies of Titus surrounded it, put a siege around it, built a wall around it, refused anyone entrance and access. They starved them out, and then when people tried to escape, they, a rumor went out that they put the valuables inside them and swallowed them. So everyone that came out, they gutted them to get the treasure out of them. And then when they came in, they wrecked the city and took everyone's slaves. If you go into Rome and go into the area next to the Coliseum, you'll see Titus' Arch. And on it, you'll see a picture or a carving of the slaves and the c, the menorah from the temple being carried into Rome by Titus and his soldiers. So you understand when Jesus is telling the story, this hasn't happened. But from where we are, it's now history.

>> But he's actually prophesying what was about to happen to Jerusalem. That's why when he went to Jerusalem, he wept over it because he prophetically knew that. Then he said, "God, I, God desired peace for them, but now it's outside their grasp because on the day of visitation, they didn't recognize it. We need to recognize what God is doing and work with them."

Okay. So, so what happens now? There's a fresh invitation set out. Well, there it is. Verse verse eight. Said to the servants, "The wedding's ready. Those who are not invited, who is invited are not worthy. Therefore, go to the highways and byways, as many as you can find, invite them to the wedding." There it is. And so the servants went to the highways and gathered together all they found, bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. Invited them. *Calio* to call to the wedding. This is the great commission. Go, go, go into all the earth. Matthew 28:28:9, go to the highway. Go, go, invite them. The invitation to the Jewish people now is extended to all nations. Go in every nation. The Old Testament, the covenant, the, uh, the temple, all obsolete, had to be destroyed. There's something new and better about to be built. So those who are looking for another one to be built, man, you're back on the wrong horse. We're the temple. Okay? And so God is inviting people of all tribes and nations to come to the wedding feast. Everyone. So, so the true Jew is not one who's outwardly, the Bible says in Romans chapter 2, not outwardly by circumcision, but one inwardly by heart, in the heart by the Spirit of God. So the true Jew, the true person who's the disciple of Jesus Christ, a son or daughter of Abraham, is one whose heart and faith is set on Christ. There's no other way. There's no other way we become into that, uh, into that wedding celebration. So there are two responsibilities given to every believer. Number one, we're called to engage and go and share the gospel wherever we can with whoever we can. That means living a life that doesn't compromise that message. You can't preach about a Jesus who changed lives if your life is a wreck and you're still living in sin. You need So that brings the second thing. Every believer is also called to prepare themselves for the wedding feast. You got to prepare yourself. Church equips, provides the resources, helps. In the end, you got to make all the decisions needed to shift your life out of where you are into being ready for the coming of the Lord, on fire, full of the Holy Ghost, passionate, seeking God, a life clean, walking in the Spirit, overflowing with good fruit, doing some things, doing something, not just sitting around doing stuff. See? Now, now, so now this is great news. Great news. Jews thought they were the only people. Now, it's gone to everyone. Everyone is welcome. No matter who you are, where you are, highways and byways, good and bad, everyone gets to go. Everyone gets that invitation. And now, the only way to get the invitation is if you give it to them. Invite them to Jesus. Invite them to come to him. He's got a great purpose for their life. Invite them to the king. Invite them to his purpose. Invite, share the gospel with people. Share your testimony. Tell people. Pray for people. Do what you can to let the go, let the the the place be full. We want the party to be full.

Okay. Now, let's have a look at one last part, which is a very crucial part of the story. Very important part. And then we'll finish with this. Okay. Here it is. So, the man without the wedding garment. So now Jesus is shifting. Remember he was talking currently to the people there and talking about what had happened historically. How the servants have been killed. He's prophesying that he and the other disciples would be put to death. He talks about the coming, uh, the destruction of the temple. Now he's talking about the feast itself. Okay. Now have a look at this. And he says, now he talks about time is coming. Now, man, in Matthew 22:10, "So the servants who went out into the highways and gathered all together they found, bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. And the king came in. The king, the Father, came in to see the guests. He saw a man there who didn't have a wedding garment on. It's a bit of a shame if you turn up tatted and ratty and and you are under you are not prepared for this wedding. See, no excuse. You knew it was coming and you need to prepare.

>> You can't just turn up, oh man, man, I need to be at that wedding. Oh, wait a minute. But go on my work clothes. I'll just turn up in my work clothes. You're not going to work wearing your gum boots and your shorts and a teddy. It's not going to work when you turn up like that. And so he turned and and the he says he said he said to him, "Friend." So you know he's not, you're not an enemy. This is a friend. Got to be a believer. He calls him friend. "Friend, how come you're here without a wedding garment? Why have you tried to come to something so important and big and not prepared yourself?" That's the core of it. Why did you not prepare yourself? What dishonor and disrespect this is. Did you not understand how big this deal is for me? I've been preparing all through the course of history for this. >> And you treat it like it isn't important. He was speechless. He, he couldn't answer. There's What answer can you give? If you didn't prepare, you didn't prepare.

>> There's no answer to that. There's no answer if you have no preparation. You can't give an excuse of of this or your family or your spouse or this or that. You can't, there's no excuse. You're either prepared or you're not prepared. And so, uh, he gets pretty tragic sorting out. He said, "How come?" And so, so then you got to ask the question then, well, what is the wedding garment? This where it gets a little more difficult, but if you compare scripture to scripture, you can probably come up with pretty close to the answer. So think about, so when you go to, I'm dressed up today, I'm preaching, so I selected what I'd wear. So the, when we talk about a wedding garment, it's the exterior clothing you're wearing when you turn up. It's what you look on the outside. Now, when you receive Christ, we receive his righteousness. Righteousness just means having a right standing with God. So when you receive Jesus Christ, then you gain a legal right standing with God. Not based on your work. Doesn't depend on your work at all. Just you believe Christ and all that he did is counted for you. You're declared righteous before God. Make sense? So, [clears throat] in Romans 3:23, "The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ is for everyone who believes. No difference." And one and two, Titus 2, Timothy 1:9, "He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given in Jesus Christ." So I think the first thing to see then is righteousness is given to us. It's, uh, legally given to us when we put our faith in Christ and what he did. So I don't have to work to do any of that. However, if I believe I'm made righteous with Christ, now I should work in my life to express who I am. Make sense? I don't have to work to be righteous, but I need, if I believe I'm righteous, to now live as a righteous man would live and do what a righteous man would do.

>> And then, in other words, manifest righteousness in my life. Bring forth fruit of the positional change.

>> So positionally, we're in right standing with God. We have eternal life. We will be saved.

>> So heaven and being saved is not the issue. That's all resolved when we receive Christ. But now what God wants is, don't just carry on like you used to. Now you've changed. Live it out in a way that brings honor to me and expresses it. See? And so righteousness must now turn up with righteous acts. I'll show you a couple of scriptures on that. So in the Bible, righteousness is described as a garment. In Isaiah 61:10, "He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels." And notice then, there was an expectation that the king expected everyone would turn up dressed up. So our new standing in Christ gives you access to the power to change.

>> It doesn't mean you'll change. It means you've got access to change. And Pastor Dave was talking about the necessity of us doing the things that would bring about change. But you don't change by just turning up to a meeting. You change by things you do in your personal life, your life with God, your repentance, your walking in purity, your words you speak, your attitudes, all of those kind of things. So the wedding garment represents a transformed life. Not just positionally, but all that's a free gift to you, but actually you worked with the Holy Spirit and now you're showing up as a person whose life is now righteous. Now look at this in Ro in Revelation 19:7. "Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." They're not talking about guests. Talking about the bride. "Make herself ready." And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. Now here it is. "For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." [snorts] So blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. So God expects us to be ready, to be prepared. He expects you to do something. And this story of being expected to do something is reflected in other parables. So essentially, he's saying when you got the invitation and responded to the invitation to the wedding, you received Christ, and now the robe of righteous standing with God is there. Now work it out in your life and express it. Acts of kindness, acts of mercy, acts of love, acts which are missional, acts which reach out to bless people. There should be an expression of fruit. The Bible says, "Be zealous for good works." I find a lot of Christians, they're not zealous for good works at all. Any little bit of works is a big burden for them.

>> That's crazy. The Bible says to be zealous. God's called us to be zealous for good works. Passionate to do things that will add value to people and honor the name of Jesus. Now, that's going to be different for every one of us. We're not all called about preaching, but we're all called to do things which bring blessing to people and honor to God. So, the, these, this story is repeated right through Jesus' teachings over and over. So, without going into it, you can look it all up yourself in the parable of the wise virgins in Matthew 25:10. "While they went out to buy, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in and to the wedding, and the door was shut." And he gave the ready, he gave the warning, "Watch and be ready." So this is a parable about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is like the 10 virgins, five wise, five foolish. Those who are ready went in. Those who were not ready did not go in. Now they were called, but they did not enter. And why did they not enter? Because they were not ready. Why were they not ready? They lacked oil. What's oil? Well, oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. How do I get more of the Holy Spirit in my life? This speaks of the presence of God. Now, generally, olive oil is obtained by getting an olive and crushing it. So, it speaks then of surrendering your life to let the Holy Spirit deal with the issues of your heart and bring you to a place where his presence and anointing fills you. M, you all got quiet on that one. Now, even Jesus went the place of oil, oil press. Oil is obtained by crushing the olive. So it's not some magic thing someone does to lay hands on you. It's embracing God, working in your character, dealing with your language, dealing with your thought life, dealing with your attitude to people, dealing with acts of kindness to people. It's a process of becoming Christlike. So the presence and fragrance of Christ is in your life. He talked about it. That's Matthew 25 and verse 10. In Matthew 25 and verse 21, he talked it in a different language. He talked about servants who had been given talents and he says, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with the little. I'll make you ruler over much." In other words, he's commending him. And why is he commending him? Because he took what he had and was productive. It's the same. It's using a different image, but it's the same thing of being ready. Being ready when you turn up before Christ, what will you have done that you can present to him as a gift to him? What will you have done with your life? Your life's important. You only got one of them. We only got one of them. You think of, um, it's, it, think of in Revelation 17:14, uh, it talks about those who are with Jesus in that time, in that time will be are called, chosen, and faithful. So God does the calling. He calls you. The call is to extend an invitation. And so God is inviting you to respond to Jesus Christ and the invitation to the marriage supper. He invites you. And so God does that part. You just got to say yes and respond. Secondly, God chooses those who will enter. And Jesus finishes the parable up saying, "Many are called." Get the invitation, but only few are selected. Why is that? Why is it that God calls so many people? We see churches full of so many people. Why is it that there are so few that in the end are selected or chosen? That word is to choose out from those who were

invited. So many are invited. And out of all that are invited that receive the righteousness of Christ as a free gift, many do not grow on. They choose to stagnate. But those who remain faithful to Christ, to his call, those who remain walking with him, producing fruit, reaching people, bringing blessing and favor to people, living their life up for God, God chooses them out from among those who he invited, and they're the ones who are in the marriage supper of the lamb.

>> There it is. How about that? Not about that's quite not not rocket science. Why did the guy not have the garment? Because he felt entitled. I'm I'm doing all right. I've made it. I don't have to do anything. That's that's the majority of church these days. They think they don't have to do anything. That this all rests on what Jesus did. No, no. That's to get you started. In other words, they wanted access without transformation. I just want God to accept me like I am, but I do not want to do any hard work changing my life. And please don't you tell me I need to buck up my life.

>> Very good. >> That's what happens. >> That's what happens. You get large numbers of Christians. You try to help them grow, they react, get offended.

>> Well, you already disqualified yourself because God sent you someone and you wouldn't receive them. >> Then you gossiped around them in verbal murder. >> It's not going to look good. So, what happened to the guy? We'll finish with that and finish the story. Sorry, it's taking a bit time. I just wanted you to see in a systematic way how you can open up the stories by just asking the question. So, what happens to the guy without the wedding garment? And he said, "Bind him hand and foot. Take him away. Cast him out of darkness with his weeping and nashing of teeth." So, so Jesus is trying to create a terrible picture. But don't be that guy. He's not good to be that guy. Don't be that guy. You got the chance. You got an invitation. You got everything there. Resources of heaven available. Don't be that guy. Whatever. Don't be that guy. Hey, he's not wanting you to try and get a figure it all out. So, he's using vivid picture language. So, because he's using vivid picture language, you got to say, what is he trying to say here? He's saying, "Don't be that guy." It's really all it is. So what happened says he bound him up. All that means is if you're bound, you don't have the liberty and freedom that the others have. So what he's saying is that to become part of this man, this wedding feast is a time of great joy, great celebration, intimacy with Jesus, a great expression of life and freedom compared to which being out of it means like being bound. You got such limitations on you and uh limitations what you can do. Second thing he said, notice there he said uh he said cast them out means you lose privilege. So if you're if you're if you have been welcomed in then you are received to the full privileges. If you're excluded from it then you're on the window looking in and you are missing out on the privileges, benefits and joy that God promised to those who would be faithful. God is a just God.

>> He is just somehow. See the the Bible says the Lord loves justice and he won't rest till the earth is filled with justice. So if you got a thing about injustice, good on you because God's all about dealing with injustice. But he must be just in his dealings with us. And so he wants us to be faithful, to be fruitful, to be productive. Makes everything possible for that to happen. All you got to do is not be distracted, not be dis not just give yourself in the coming year to grow your journey. What happened out of darkness to lift? It means all that means simply is this. In the party, the lights are all on as a big celebration and you're out in the darkness. In other words, it's saying that compared to being in the party, it's like light and dark. It's great to be in the party. Horrible to be on the outside. See, and those weeping and nashing your teeth, just an expression of sadness and grief or regret. Uh, regret means I'm really distressed that I failed to do what I could have done and find myself in this position.

>> The Bible refers to this in a number of cases. Each situation is always the same. It refers to the people who were invited, were given the privilege, the honor, the invitation, the opportunities, but wasted all the opportunities by never doing anything. And then when they saw what it cost them, had regret and felt sorrowful, they didn't use those opportunities as they could have. Amen. Don't be that guy. Don't be that guy. Tell somebody else here, don't be that guy. Don't be that guy. Don't be that guy. See, so God calls us and he selects out among those who are called. We'll finish with that. So here's some things David put it in his message a couple of weeks ago. He said you your choice is to stay where you are and changed stagnate and go backwards or to decide and move forward. I thought that was brilliantly put and it's pretty well what God challenged. We can either stay where we are and change and then stagnate and go backwards or we can make a decision and decide and move forward or prosper in God. And that's no one can make that for you. So my encouragement for you is today if you don't know Jesus to receive Jesus. That's the first thing. If you've received Jesus, get water baptized and baptized in the Holy Ghost. If you're not water baptized, you need to be water baptized. Get baptized in the Holy Ghost to give you the power, resources to start to move. Then make decisions about what you're going to do in the coming year. Make decisions what you're going to do with your life. Embrace spiritual growth, whatever that looks like for you. Maybe you got to get into learn how to study the Bible. Maybe you got to build your prayer life. Embrace personal transformation. Maybe you need to get on a course. Go get some help to grow and deal with the baggage and stuff in your life. Don't sit on the sideline saying I don't need that man. Why are you sitting on the sideline? Why why are you neglecting the opportunity? I don't want you to have regret. I want you to be there. We want to present every man complete saying Jesus here's your flock. Here's the 10 global. People are prepared. People are hungry. People are faithful. PEOPLE ARE SERVING GOD. PEOPLE ARE PASSIONATE. People want your coming. They're hungry for your coming. They've purified their hearts. Come, Lord Jesus. Come. Fill this place with your life. Come on. What do we say to the feet? Lord. Come on. Let's just worship the Lord right now in your heart. Do you know what you need to do? Make that decision today to do that to receive Jesus Christ [music] to get water baptized. Get filled with the Holy Spirit.

>> Start spiritual growth track. Get some spiritual transformation. Start sharing the gospel.

>> Start being faithful in the things God has given you. [music and singing]

>> To be overcome by your presence, Lord, Holy [singing and music] Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood me [music and singing] and fill me at your glory. Your glory God. [music and singing] God is what our hearts long for. To be overcome [music] by your presence, Lord. Let's hunger for him. Let's make it our declaration. We are hungry for your presence.

>> We're hungry for your presence. Let this place be filled with your presence. Our lives filled with your presence. Our marriages filled with your presence. Our homes filled with your presence. Lord, let the presence of God be upon every person here.

>> Let there be carriers of your presence into schools, into the workplace,

>> into the community. Oh, we long for you, Lord. overcome by your presence. Lord, Holy Spirit, [music and singing] you are welcome here. Come flood this [music] place and fill the sphere. Your glory, [music and singing] God, is what I long for. to be overcome [music and singing] by your presence, Lord. [music] Your presence, Lord,

>> we hunger for you, Lord.

>> Your presence,

>> we hunger for you, Lord. We hunger for your presence. Holy Spirit just begin to come upon each family here, each person here. You know where in our life we [music] need to move. You know what our next step is. So come Holy Spirit, bring us to a place [music] of repentance. Pour out grace to grow. Pour out [music] grace to grow. Pour out grace to prosper. and grow forward in the coming year. Let every family in this house an extended family look back at the end of next year and say, "I grew that year. We grew that year. The grace of God was upon our lives." Lord, your word declares, "God gives grace [music] and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly." Today, Lord, we ask that no good thing would be withheld as we choose to honor you and prepare for your coming. Amen. God bless you. Let's give the Lord a clap, shall we? Flow back into it. Flow back into it again. God bless you. Have a merry Christmas and an amazing new year. We look forward to seeing you back [music] in the coming year. [singing]

>> Come flood this [music and singing] place and fill me at. Your glory, [music and singing] God is what our hearts long for. to be overcome [singing] by your presence. Lord, [music] Holy [singing] Spirit, you are welcome [music] here. Come flood this [singing] place and fill the free. Your glory, [music and singing] God, is what our hearts long for. to be overcome [music and singing] by your presence, Lord.

>> Your presence, [music]

>> your presence, Lord, your presence,

>> your presence. [music and singing]

>> Don't forget to go. They've got the cafe open.

>> Awesome. Pray. Take someone out for lunch.

>> Jesus name. Amen. [music]