We need to experience personal revelation. When we convey things that we have heard, but they haven’t become our personal revelation, then it is knowledge that hasn’t been acquired. It remains in the head, but we are not armed with it. We have a moment of backlash – we think we got it, but we didn’t. Knowledge doesn’t give possession. Because possession gives life – when you have it in fact, in reality. Living with it in reality, you own it.
I encourage us to continue to enter into this, to clothe ourselves in this dimension. Because even when you communicate these things – for example, about the Son of Man – you don’t need to look at the notes or delve into your memory – it’s inside you. When revelation lives in you, you have it, and you utter it, because you see from there and you communicate from there. So keep entering in and getting clothed.
I know that many may have already lost what they received. And for others, their lives have changed. This is such a paradox. Jesus spoke about this: the birds came and devoured, they pecked at the seeds that were sown not in good soil.
Today there was a revelation. “For some brothers and sisters the time has come to change their transport – old for new, for one they have never driven before. But it was necessary to leave the old one. And it was necessary to learn how to drive the new one. Some brothers and sisters could quickly and easily learn and switch to a new type of transport, but some had to learn for a long time – they needed help. And some brothers who had learned to ride a new vehicle began to show their achievements by driving past those who had not yet learned. But there were also those who stopped, helping, after all, to learn in order to go together.”
Today this call is to leave the old transport – and not in order to show off your achievements, but in order to move into the new season, and also help others do this – by extending your hand in a brotherly way and helping. Old transport means old thinking, completely old, when you look in the old way, you have old relationships. Everything old must be left behind, enough driving this.
Our time of gathering here was also a time of resurrection of the soul, because “sensual – demonic” is not about that, and “not loving the world” doesn’t mean not loving creation: we love God’s creation, and this doesn’t mean loving the spirit of the world. It’s the same with the soul. Sensual – demonic, but it is written that you must, first of all, “love the Lord with all your soul.” That is, this needs to be sorted out. Therefore, we “pull out” our soul from the “closet”, for some it’s from the “swamp”, – and put it next to the spirit – elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder – these two come forward – spirit and soul, and this, of course, is stronger than one spirit with a neglected soul. We are talking about intellect, we are talking about culture, we are talking about everything that your individual represents, your uniqueness is your soul.
Two things I would note today. It is important to understand that this is the season of wisdom. Do not oppose wisdom to strength, because strength is needed and necessary. This is the same as asking a child which parent he loves more. This is a criminal question. You give a child to eat the forbidden fruit of good and evil. The child sees these things differently – he loves both mom and dad. But when you ask such a question, you give him a bone of contention so that he thinks about whom he loves more. This is not critical thinking – this is negative thinking, this is doubtful thinking.
And there is no need to oppose wisdom and strength, that this is not a season of strength, but a season of wisdom. No. Wisdom must lead to strength. Scripture says that one must use more strength when he chops with a dull axe, but “wisdom brings success” (Eccl.10:10) – you stop, you lose some time, but you sharpen the axe, you use some effort to sharpen it, you lose time , but then you quickly make up for the time lost, get ahead of the constant with a blunt ax and achieve a new result.
Now is the time to sharpen your axes to achieve efficiency. Wisdom leads to strength, wisdom leads to results, and this season is the season of wisdom. Therefore, double-check everything that doesn’t work. Look at what we do without admiration or inspiration. Christianity is a faith of the heart, everything is personal. God is a person. God is love, God is admiration. When we stop experiencing God, we most certainly do not see Him: it is impossible to see God and not admire Him, not fall in love with Him again. When we serve or worship, we should experience delight. And this is what a sharpened ax does. Reconsider your actions – what you do routinely. If you are walking in circles, it doesn’t bring you joy, your quality of life is low – then something is wrong.
What is quality of life? Naturally, this is not about your wallet only. Yes, finances matter, Scripture says that “money answers everything.” Dostoevsky wrote, although I consider this an exaggeration, that “poverty is a vice.” Why did he say that? Agur wrote in the psalm: “…do not give me poverty, lest I be poor and steel and profane the Name of my God.”
Don’t bring yourself to poverty, it’s wrong. A low quality of life changes your personality and your character in the wrong direction. We must live with dignity – so that our dignity and integrity are in order. People live around us, and we should not live unworthy. If a Christian is simply lazy, doesn’t take care of his life, culture, quality, then, of course, he is degrading. This is a bad testimony. Therefore it is written that the first church had a good testimony among those who are outside. They saw everything that was in the church and glorified God for it. That is, the church had a good testimony.
Therefore, look at your life quality – how you live. The quality of life also depends on silver, perhaps you can give as much effort per day and receive more, because you invest in education, complete courses, gain courage, change your profession, do something with your culture, with your level of the social lift , because many are lazy and continue to drag their feet, and this is wrong. Still, our life is a labor.
Quality of life is also joy, satisfaction from life, when you get satisfaction from what you do. I believe that simply working in a job you hate, going to school you hate, is the wrong choice. What for? When you can do something while enjoying it. Why be in this job if you hate it?
This is a very serious conversation. Reconsider some things for yourself. Things that make you unhappy, bring routine, and grief – they will be felt through all things, including in your preaching. If you spend eight hours a day in a very bad atmosphere, you don’t like what you’re doing, you come back in a bad mood, and then you go to share the Gospel, what kind of Gospel will you share? So, day after day, month after month, we become unhappy people – unhappy. It is very difficult for such a person to carry witness of light.
So look at your life. Don’t be afraid to stop and look at your life. Look back at it -are you really living the quality of life that Christ promised? And He said, “I give you life and life abundant.” Is your life really the life that God gave you? Or did you do something wrong with it?
I believe that this is the season of wisdom when the Lord calls us to sharpen the ax. Take the ax of your spirit, sharpen it and thrust it into the craft with which you will bear fruit. And wisdom knows how to correct things, when we spend a lot of energy on survival, but this survival doesn’t bring us joy, we walk sad, eat, sleep, but why are we sad? What for? Because we live not in the track, which the Lord intended for us. Therefore, I want to encourage not reckless forgetfulness, when we simply close our eyes and joyfully “steam in experiencing charisma.” Basically, we turn a blind eye to how we live. But do the opposite! We stop and open our eyes to see that the house is “sagging” somewhere, the foundation is cracked: the character is spoiling, the joy is gone, the soul no longer sings, you get up with a sad face, you go to bed tired without prayer… What is happening?! This should not be! I know that God’s love must grow in us.
We talked about spring – how wonderful it is to live! How good it is to live – if you want to live, triumph and rejoice, it means something good is happening, it means this is right! I encourage you, beloved, to look at the quality of your life: is this really the life that Christ called us to. And I urge you not to close your eyes to your quality, but, on the contrary, to open them and take a serious look at these things.
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And the second dimension that I would like to convey is the dimension of the Son of Man. Jesus said about Himself many times more that He is the Son of Man than that He is the Son of God. It is amazing. Why did He say that? Because He was among men, on earth. And He called Himself among men “Son of Man.” Perhaps in heaven He called Himself “Son of God” among the angelic world, but among men, among mortals, this was because it was the truth. He died for real, it was not a theoretical death, He died under torture, hanging on nails, suffocating, groaning in pain, receiving blows – entirely as a man – the whole system of His physical organs and systems suffered just like any of us. He experienced every disease. He was an absolute man. And not only in body, but in soul as well: He languished, suffered, He cried when Lazarus died, He was hungry, He thirsted and He had compassion. Do you understand? All these vulnerable sides of the human soul were inherent in Him. He was inside it. And today we comprehend this dimension of the Son of Man, because He is becoming closer.
I deeply believe that we have yet to comprehend this. When we look at Christ’s examples in life, we realize that He was fully human. There is a mystical component of exaggeration when someone believes, for example, that Christ felt no pain on the cross, that He was like an Angel. No. We tend to mystify Christ, that He is so much the Son of God that this is inaccessible to us. No. He was so human that people and disciples confused Him with a prophet, they Him for held him for Jeremiah, for Elijah, that is, not all could say that You are the Son of God. Only Peter, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, could exclaim like that. And others did not believe in Him; they constantly doubted thinking He was a man. This is like if I stayed in your place for three days – I would walk here and there, I would hang your towel “imperfectly”, I would squeeze out your toothpaste incorrectly – and you would also doubt: “This is not the Lord! The Lord does everything perfectly!” That’s precisely what they doubted Him because they were watching Him, spying on His back, watching Him eat… And even when He ascended, it is written that “others doubted.” Who is this about? – About the Apostles, about the disciples! This is what the Son of Man was like.
Therefore, do not mystify, do not exaggerate. He was an absolute Man, Just like you and me. And you will say that perhaps I am diminishing the glory. Just the opposite! I raise the glory – that Christ is closer to us than we think. And Scripture says that “The Lord is closer to us than when we believed,” I believe that it is through this path that we come to know Him more closely as the Son of Man.
Look at your life. You must have noticed if you are an attentive person, that even of small things He took care, and you realized it right there that it was Him. “Yes it’s me!” This is the dimension of the Son of Man. Therefore, let us comprehend His nearness. This portal of the Son of Man, I understand as His literal nearness to our lives, the connection of this great love as a Man with our lives. Therefore, accept this anointing, accept this mindset, accept this dimension of the mantle of the Son of Man. Christ calls Himself this way everywhere. Only occasionally does He speak, when asked if He is the Son of God, He says, “You said,” or if He is a King, and He answers the same way. He always calls Himself the Son of Man. Why? You guess.
And this dimension today is wisdom leading to strength. Times are difficult. And the Scripture says that “the wise shall be made white and shall act.” It is the wise who will instruct many. Therefore, the church today must have wisdom. And she will comprehend the Son of Man.
This is a serious question. This is serious work that lies ahead of us in order to comprehend all this.
“He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:11 -12).
I think that the reason for the loss of first love and the loss of quality of life with the Lord, where there’s no happiness, joy and bliss anymore, is the loss of a relationship with the Son, and especially with the Son of Man. Naturally, I mean believers. Where there is no joy, no matter how much money or health you have, if you have no joy, then you have a low quality of life. The bliss that inner harmony causes in us, satisfaction with everything that we call life, causes joy – this is the quality of life.
Paul compares his life to a fight. Think about it. He compares his faith to labor. Sometimes I look at believers and think: “What kind of labor is there? You can barely live, you can barely breathe, you can barely “pull the strap.” What fight is that? You go to church murmuring, you can barely bring yourself.” And here are people dedicated to Christ – this is the labor of the soul. A life dedicated to God.
I urge you: reconsider your faith. Is this at least a small hint of a fight? How can this be a labor? At least in the life of prayer, at least in serving goodness to those near and far, at least in zeal for the highest calls of the Lord – for example, evangelism. Consider where you perform your fight. If we now had such a leaven, at least one tenth of the brethren, we would have an awakening. This is the critical mass of uranium! If for some of you this is funny, it’s terrible, I, like a naive baby, believe that one can live a life of heroic fight.
“He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied.” How do I evaluate my life? Do I look at it with satisfaction? Does it really bring me the satisfaction that I am satisfied with my life? I think Paul saw it this way, he writes: “I magnify my ministry.”(Romans 11:13)
And “By His knowledge, the Lord Jesus, the Righteous One, My Servant shall justify the many and shall bare their sins.” Jesus so knew the Father that His knowledge justified many. My knowledge of the Father brings justification for many – not condemnation, not curse. I want this hope to be fulfilled over me today, so that I can know the Heavenly Father so that I can justify many. This is incredible! This is the real nature of the intercessor – through the knowledge – to justify and bear sins by the power of the knowledge of the Father, to bear the sins of the people, the sins of many, and to justify them.
I am absolutely confident that believers today can do the same in Christ. This concept is very powerful. This is the very essence of intercession. As Paul said, “bear one another’s burdens.”
Therefore I will give Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the mighty.” “Therefore!” Look at those who surround you. Are there strong people around us? Paul had strong people around him, there were weak ones, but there were strong ones. Some believers have no strong ones at all. Some deliberately surround themselves with carnal people; it is easier with them. Look who you have chosen for yourself – who is around. Some have problematic, some have no one at all. And some people have non-church people, carnal, complainers, you are killing time, spending your life with them, you are not being built. And some have spiritual ones.
Scripture says He will be with the mighty. A man of God spends time with the strong. The most key point in how to spend time with strong people is to make people strong, and for this you need to be strong yourself. I want, I like to spend time with the strong. I have strong people who value me, they are outside our brethren, these are Apostolic-Prophetic people. I have friendship with them and certain relationships. I have strong ones, I share the spoils with them. But also within the brethren – they were babies at first, and then they began to grow up, and with them I enjoy it. Therefore, the strong will share the spoils.
Surround yourself with strong people. Look who you love to be with. Who is around you in terms of quality, with whom you spend time.
“Because He poured out His life to death, and was counted among the transgressors.” This is a feat in the eyes of God. He was disgraced in the eyes of people, but accomplished a great feat in the eyes of God. “He bore the sin of many and became an interceded for the transgressors” – bear sins. It is written that “whoever turns a sinner to righteousness will cover many sins,” and “whomever you leave, they will remain.” In some way, we bear and fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the body. (Col.1:24)
Understand that Christ is much closer to us, but we can also be closer to Him. Not only does He enter our home and serve us, but we can take His path and become worthy of Him – live like Him. That’s what we’re talking about today.
This is the dimension of the Son of Man, Who calls us beyond our comfort zones, Who calls us to leave our comfortable homes and go to Him – where the dew covers the hair, where the mountain “leopard” paths are, where He descends into the valleys and leaps over the hills, where Christ makes us like Himself through the doing of His works. So that not only He came as the Son of Man into our homes, but we came out to the Son of Man.
Today I spoke about Christlikeness – that we can bear sins, do you understand? This is not when He comes to us, but when we go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. That is why Paul calls: “Let us therefore go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” This is beauty! This is royal food. And it is hard, but of very high quality – to become the Son of Man. And you? Remember what God called Ezekiel? – “Son of Man.” How could a prophet achieve such status? And then call Jesus that way – “Son of Man.” And I? Who am I?
If I know Him, my knowledge brings justification to people – not condemnation, not proclamation of judgments, not conflicts and not fruitless work – my knowledge must bring justification.