Scripture reference: 1 Peter 3:18 TPT, Ezekiel 28:14-16 NKJV, 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV, Isaiah 61:1-4 NKJV, 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV, Isaiah 61:4-7 NKJV, Isaiah 53:5 AMPC, 2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV, 1 John 1:9 AMPC, 1 John 1:7 AMPC, 1 Peter 5:8 NKJV, Colossians 3:1-4 TPT, Ephesians 2:5-6 NKJV, John 14:1-4 NKJV, Matthew 6:6 NKJV, Luke 18:1-3 AMPC, Isaiah 43:25-26 NKJV, Isaiah 43:26 NKJV, Luke 19:12-13 KJ21, Genesis 8:15-17 NKJV, Genesis 8:20-21 NKJV, Philippians 4:14-19 NKJV
Jesus, Jesus, we worship You. We love You, Lord, and we worship You. Father, we come boldly to Your throne this morning because of Jesus. By the Blood, by the Blood, we worship You, Lord. We come boldly to Your throne, by a new and a living way which Jesus consecrated through the veil. His flesh for us. So Lord, thank You for everything that You’ve got for us today and every other day. Father, I ask, again Lord, that I will bring Your Word with great clarity this morning and great boldness, great purpose Lord, with Your anointing. Father, I ask that this will not just be a message, but an anointed message with Your burden-moving, yoke-destroying power for each and every one of us, as an individual Lord. Thank You, for Your anointing on us, as Your people. We all say, amen. You may be seated.
Thank you, Pastor Garth and the worship team. We just want to say we love you and we appreciate you so much. Thank you. Thank you for your beautiful gifts unto gifts, in the name of Jesus. We appreciate and love you dearly. Thank you for every Sunday and every other day in the name of Jesus.
Pastor John and Sharon, their hearts are here with us; their hearts and their love and we love them. We bless them on this special assignment with God for what’s ahead today. They’re still sleeping, I believe, for what’s ahead today and this week. We bless them, that they will receive everything from the Lord that they must receive from the Lord. Hallelujah.
Will you please open your Bibles, I’ve got a lot to share with you today. Please open your Bibles to one Peter, the third chapter, verse 18. This time I’m going to read from The Passion Translation. The title of my message this morning is Come out of Babylon: MiXchange Part Two. Pastor John shared this with us before he left. 18 Christ suffered and died for sins. I want you to see that. For sins, once and for all—the innocent for the guilty. Remember, we are talking about exchange here, the innocent for the guilty, here we see the exchange. Why? To bring us near to God by his body being put to death and by being raised to life by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18 TPT). This is the resurrection power of God in our lives.
Last week, we saw that Satan wanted his own kingdom and he wants to be worshipped, just like God. He still wants that. We saw that he did that by exchanging Adam’s and Eve’s dominion away from them by tempting them with sin. We also saw that Satan is a master trader. I just want to take you back to Ezekiel 28, verse 14 to 16, in the New King James, just so that your eyes can see the scripture again. Verse 14, 14 “You were the anointed cherub, that means angel, who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. 16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence, the Word says, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of the Lord, that’s very important; and the Lord said, And I destroyed you, O covering angel, cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones (Ezekiel 28:14-16 NKJV). God allowed Satan to trade in heaven. It was good for a while, till iniquity was found in his heart. I just want to remind you of what we said last week, and if you have missed last week’s message, please get that message to get everything that we are going to talk about today.
To trade means to exchange, to do business, to barter. We also said that to trade or to exchange is the basis of every economy. It’s the way all kingdoms will expand, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. That is why and how we exchange daily is so important. We know that Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned, but we also understand that Satan made use of that moment to exchange with them. Remember, we’ve said that Satan needed to exchange something for something, or it will not be a proper exchange. Satan came to exchange sin for the dominion of the earth with Adam and Eve. Satan comes the same way still today to exchange with you and me. He tempts us, offers us something which will always look very appealing, to exchange something away from us.
We give God all the glory today, because Satan thought he out-traded God. But let’s go to second Corinthians. Last week, we quickly looked at it. Today, we’re going to go into more depth about that. I’ve shared with you one Peter three, 18. But now second Corinthians five, 21, the New King James. It’s says, God the Father, 21 He made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin, and we are going to talk a little bit about sin today. We’ve got to call sin, sin. We’ve got to – that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV). Here’s the exchange I want you to see. Jesus took our sin to give us His righteousness. This is very important. This is the great exchange. Before the foundation of the world, the Lamb was slain. Before the enemy knew anything, God was the one who made the first trade. The first and most wonderful exchange.
I am going to take you back to one Peter three, 18 in The Passion. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. 18 Christ suffered and died for what? For sins once and for all, sin. When we repent, and we should make a lifestyle. We must have a lifestyle of repenting when we sin, then there is no sin problem anymore. 18 Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the innocent for the guilty. Pastor John shared with us in his last message before going to America, the great thing is that if the Holy Spirit can bring Jesus to life, then He can bring anything in your life to life. This is the resurrection power of God, when we exchange with Him, and we must, we are going to talk about that today. When we exchange with His Word and the truth, there is nothing in your life that is too dark, too bad, too sick, too severe, too poor, that He cannot bring it to life. This is the truth for us today, this is the truth.
The whole purpose of the cross was to make this trade. Please go to Isaiah 61 verse one to four, New King James this morning. This is a powerful passage of scripture. That’s why I prayed and it’s in my heart today that we have ears to hear, that we will come and exchange with the Lord to receive the burden-moving, yoke-destroying power of God. We need that in our lives. Isaiah 61 says, verse one, 1 The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Now I will mention it again, but the last part of the book of Isaiah is talking about Zion, the Church. So, please understand, this is in the Old Testament, but the Holy Spirit is speaking to the Church here. We are Zion. 1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor. That’s the first exchange, you don’t have to be poor no more.
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. We are already looking at the exchanges here. Look at verse two, 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn. You can always exchange your mourning for His comfort. I like the third verse, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, the Church, to give them beauty for ashes. Look at the exchange, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Look how important this is, that we may be called trees of righteousness. Remember, He died to take our sin so that we can take His righteousness. Now when we do that, when we do that we become and we will be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Isaiah, the prophet, is saying, “Come on church, there is a trade here, an exchange you are able to make. Come and make it.” I want to put your eyes on verse three, again. Isaiah 61, verse three, I will give you beauty for your ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise, I will exchange for the spirit of heaviness.
Bring your mourning. If you’re not going to do this, you’re not going to partake of the great exchange. You are able to bring your ashes for His beauty. What are your ashes? Those are the burn-up places in your life. Those places of failure, which seems over and final, where it looks like nothing good will happen, all hope is gone. That is what ashes is. But your life is changing today, because you’ve got to come and make the exchange. If we come to exchange this way, what will happen? I’ve asked them to keep verse three on the board a little bit for us. 4 That we may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified (Isaiah 61:1-4 NKJV).
When we make the exchange every day, listen to this, a transformation happens. We receive His life, the resurrection power. We are being transformed from weakness to strength, from mourning to joy, from poverty to riches, by the resurrection power of our God, we are being transformed. That’s why we are and will be called trees of righteousness. Look at second Corinthians 12, nine. I’m quickly going to show you a few exchanges here. This one is powerful. I’m so grateful what the Holy Spirit gave the Apostle Paul here. He said to me, 9 My grace is sufficient for you. For my strength is made perfect in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV).
I can tell you truly today, I’m exchanging every single day from all the messages that we receive. I’m saying, “Lord, Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.” Then we are being transformed to become trees of righteousness. Please look at Isaiah 61. I’m going to take you a bit further today, from verse four to seven, still in the King James. As we undergo this transformation, I want you to see what these people will do when they come to exchange. The prophet says, “There’s an exchange to be made here.” And you’re going to now see it throughout the whole Word. Verse four and they; ‘they’ are the ones from verse one, that do what the prophet says, “Come, there’s an exchange.” 4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they will race up the former desolations, they will repair the ruined cities and the desolations of many generations. Verse five, 5 Strangers shall stand and feed their flock; yes Lord. And the sons of the foreigner shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. Verse six, 6 But you shall be named the priests of the Lord. They shall call you the servants of our God, you shall eat the riches of the Gentiles and in their glory you will boast.
Now from verse seven, I want you to pay attention because more exchanges are coming. Look at verse 7. 7 Instead, here’s the exchange, 7 Instead of your shame, you will have double honor. Instead of confusion, you will rejoice in your portion. Therefore in the land, they will possess double; everlasting joy will be theirs (Isaiah 61:4-7 NKJV). Well, people I just want to tell you I’ve decided because my exchange is so important before God. Your exchange is so important before God. Satan will not stop coming to tempt us. We sang it this morning, the enemy comes to tempt us, he comes to steal. Last week we saw how Satan came to tempt Jesus.
Satan wanted to exchange all those things that belongs to Jesus away from Him. The devil wants to hinder our walk with God. He will do anything to stop us from accessing our destiny and our inheritance in Christ Jesus. When we are ignorant of these things, we are easy to manipulate, we are weak and easily let into deception and slavery. Many times people do not value their inheritance. Satan comes quickly to offer them an appealing easy way out for the glamour of this world.
History is full of this. Pastor Sharon showed us how cultures would trade in the past with false gods for prosperity by offering their children to Molech. Can you see what we are talking about? MiXchange that God gave Pastor John. This includes I Will Take the Children, because it depends if we are changing, exchanging with God and His plans or with Babylon. The trade and the exchange, when Satan comes to do that, he trades and exchanges away the blessings and the inheritance that God has for us for prosperity that the world system offers.
You see, Satan does not know what’s written in your book. He does not know. The devil does not know the plans that God has for you. Therefore he must come quickly to entice you with what looks good in the world to trade away the very thing that God has for you. Everyday we exchange. Whenever you feel depressed, you exchange it for the oil of joy. We’ve got choices to make here. Every time you do not allow heartache or depression, every time you do not allow a bad day to rule over you, you are being transformed. You are being transformed, by being raised to life by the Spirit, the resurrection life that Christ is exerting in all of us right now.
I want to take you to Isaiah 53. All glory belongs to our Lord. Jesus on the cross took our pain, He took our diseases and gave us health. I want you to listen to this. Healing is a trade. It’s an exchange. Isaiah 53, verse five, The Amplified, 5 But He was wounded, for what? What exchange? For my and your transgressions, He was bruised for my and your guilt and iniquities; you can and you must come and exchange. The chastisement [needful to obtain] for my and your peace and our well-being was upon Him and with His stripes and by His stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and we are made whole (Isaiah 53:5 AMPC). Praise the Lord.
By faith, everyday, Pastor Sharon shared with us, we have to come up in our healing. If we think what this virus did was the last, then we are already deceived. We have to come up in our healing. So, we come for all the benefits that Jesus paid for us on the cross.
I would love for you to go to second Corinthians eight, nine. Look at this very important exchange. Also, from the New King James Bible. Most of the Scriptures today will be from the New King James. 8 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor, that you through His poverty, we see the exchange again, might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9, NKJV). Now the Apostle Paul is talking about finances here. He was seeking to establish giving in this church that he has started. Paul does not say that Jesus became bankrupt, so that you and me could become rich spiritually. He’s not talking about that. No, Paul is saying that for our sake, Jesus left the riches of Heaven, died on the cross, taking absolute poverty and lack on Himself.
Jesus, like Pastor John shared with us, was not poor while He was on the Earth. He had many material blessings to take care of Him and His disciples on assignment. We have the best here on the e arth on assignment, and we should, we should. The poverty spoken of in this verse is the way He was stripped, and the loss of all things. He has paid for our sins on the cross. As Jesus suffered on the cross, part of what He did was to take our poverty. He exchanged His riches for our poverty. Now, this allows us today, to receive from this exchange. Now the spirit of poverty has no longer the right to dominate our lives because of the exchange Jesus made. From Isaiah we have to come to exchange everyday for what Jesus paid for on the cross for you and me.
Exchanging is a spiritual activity. To exchange is something that we must do. So, what must we do if we want this to be a reality in our lives? Well, repentance is the first step, if we want to receive everything that Jesus made available for us on the cross. Repentance is not just saying, “Sorry, Lord,” and then you go on with your life. Repentance means you come before God and you say, “Forgive me Father, I have sinned.” You acknowledge that you did exchange with the enemy when he came to tempt you. Lord, we only now realise how Babylon impacted us, how we have exchanged with the enemy to trade with Babylon. So Lord, and when he tempted us and offered us a different way than God, in many cases, we took it. Now we come to repent. Also, we need to understand that the enemy could take blessings from you and me because now we understand that an exchange actually happened in those moments where Satan took things from us.
We have to understand that Jesus dying on the cross was the greatest, but I want your ears to hear this, a legal transaction. With that exchange, Jesus became sin, so that we could be made the righteousness of God. That is why you have to call sin, sin. You cannot just come to God with lip service, like I already explained and say, “Sorry”. You have to admit that you have sinned, then you can exchange it with righteousness. Can you see how we become the trees of righteousness? We have to call what we do sin to come to God this way. Oh, He took sickness, Jesus, so that we may receive all the healing. He took poverty, so that we can become rich.
It was a legal transaction and when we enter into that which Jesus by faith, then we can have all these benefits if we come like that to Jesus. But the enemy comes to build legal cases against us so that we will not get the full benefit of what belongs to you and me. In message six of I Will Take the Children, Pastor John called for repentance. He called for a great turn-around. Now we have to live a repentant lifestyle and I want you to listen to this today, it is so important for our lives, because being forgiven is a legal issue. Being forgiven is a legal issue.
Let’s go to one John one, nine, Amplified. 9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and we confess our sins, and not just lip service, He is faithful and just. Now that Greek word just is one again, you see, we’re back to the Ecclesia. Just means, it is a legal term. God is (true to His own nature and promises) and He will forgive our sins, and look how beautiful is the Amplified, and [dismiss our lawlessness]. This is a big deal. This is a big deal. And He will [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to be a tree of righteousness, [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought and action] (1 John 1:9 AMPC).
When I confess my sins, I grant God the right because of the blood of Jesus to forgive me. This is what we must understand. Look at one John one, seven, we just go back two verses, still in the Amplified. 7 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, and we are singing it, Lord, we are sons of Light, we are sons of Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another. Oh and Pastor Sharon ministered powerfully on this, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses, (removes) us from all sin, all guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations] (1 John 1:7 AMPC). Thank You Lord Jesus. The cleansing flood of the Blood reachs deep in my heart, and purifies every defiled place, all the places Satan had openings to; all the inroads into my soul that the enemy had place to. All condemnation, guilt and shame are removed because of the Blood, because of this great exchange that happened on the cross. Praise the Lord!
Now, Satan understands this very well. I did not really want it to go into this direction, but the Holy Spirit was very clear, He wanted to go into this direction. Satan understands this. The enemy does not want you and me to repent. Satan wants us to stay stuck in the exchanges that we’ve already made with him. That is why the Apostle Peter taught us in one Peter one, five, you are going to see something powerful today here. Also, from the New King James. The Apostle Peter says, Heritage of Faith people 5 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 1:5 NKJV). Now the word in Greek here, adversary in one Peter five and in Luke 18, I am going to talk about that, where the widow woman comes and says to the Judge, Defend, protect and avenge me from my adversary, is the same word. God had to show this to me and He did this because of the messages that came. The word adversary in Greek means: antidikos. It means, one who brings a law-suite. It’s a legal position. Sin allows Satan to come against you and me legally. That is why repentance is so important. When we do that, God forgives us and dismisses our lawlessness. Very important to understand today about trading and exchanging, it is a spiritual activity. That’s why we have to come to God, also, in the way that we come to God, is we have to come to God as the Judge of the whole earth, and we are going to look at it.
Please look at Colossians chapter three verse one to four, Passion Translation that Pastor John is sharing with us from the beginning of Blow Your Mind (Power of Resurrection). 1 Christ’s resurrection is my and your resurrection too. That power is at work in you and me. That is why we are to yearn for all that which is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honour and authority! It’s above. Verse two, 2 Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm. We’re now going to look at heavenly places today, and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm. The third verse. 3 Your crucifixion with Christ has severed the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God in Christ. 4 And as Christ Himself is seen for who He really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with Him in glory! (Colossians 3:1-4 TPT). We are to yearn for that which is above, fill your thoughts with heavenly, heavenly realities.
God has prepared a place for us, heavenly places. Let’s see if that is scripturally correct. Let’s go to Ephesians two verse five to six, in the New King James. The Apostle Paul says, 5 even when you were dead in your trespasses, you see the exchange. God took our sin, and He gave us His righteousness. And when it comes to healing, He was bruised for our iniquities, for our transgressions. When you were dead in trespasses, you are now, God made us alive together with Christ (by grace we have been saved). Thank You, Lord.
But now look at verse six, 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:5-6 NKJV). Heavenly places, fill your thoughts with heavenly realities. Verse six says, “We are seated in heavenly places.” The Lord desires us to wake up to new realities. Like Pastor John said, Many Christians simply allow the natural scene realm to influence them more than the spiritual realm. So we have to understand that the heavenly places that we are sitting in, in Christ Jesus, that we have to be influenced, and we have to understand much more about these heavenly places where we are sitting. We have to blow our minds.
Pastor Sharon has shared with us how to come to God, the Judge of the whole earth, to come and claim what the enemy took from us. What does it mean to come to God as the Judge? Let’s go to John 14, I want to start there. Then we’re going to see what it means for you and me to come to the Judge of the whole earth.
John 14 is a very powerful passage of scripture that Pastor Sharon ministered about, 1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know (John 14:1-4 NKJV). Pastor Sharon shared so beautifully several times with us, this word mansion, God is not talking about building you and me a big house in heaven. This is not what God is saying here. This word mansion means dwelling place. It’s the Greek word moné, to abide, to moné with God. We’re in spiritual places with God, where we abide with Him, we come to moné with him. God is revealing to us in His Word that those places, and there are many in the spirit, I’m just going to talk about two this morning, those places that when we come and abide with Him, we are with Him in those places.
So the first place that I want to show you what the word says, is Matthew six verse six, please go there. I’m reading from the New King James. I want to tell you, this is where I open my Bible in the morning. Oh, I love God, I love to come to Him in this way. 6 But you, when you pray, Christi go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; this is a place that we come to moné with God, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6 NKJV)
So, I personally do this, I come in the morning, and this is where I start. God’s Word says, Go into your room, close your door, and pray to your Father, who is in this secret place. This is a spiritual place. Remember, the Holy Spirit just showed us in Ephesians two, we are setting in heavenly places where we can dwell and moné with God. This is a spiritual place where you very personally come and dwell with God. Now in this place, and this is how I do it, I come to talk to God here. This is where I say, “Good morning, Father, in the name of Jesus.” I come to talk to God here. This is where I sing to God, when I open the book of Psalms, the way Pastor Sharon taught us. It’s very personal, I close my door. It’s just me and my Lord. In this place is where I come to ask my Father. You see, I’ve come to my heavenly Father. This is a different place to where we go in when we go to stand before the Judge. Also in this place in the secret place, is where I come to cast my cares upon the Lord, and you must see my list. You should have a list as well, where you have to come and cast your cares. Get Brother Hagin’s book, our first year, Prayer study book. People, there are many prayers that you’re not supposed to pray about, because when you cast your cares, then God can do something about it. I’m just putting that something in here by the Holy Spirit.
That’s the first place I had to get, when Pastor Sharon shared John 14, I said, “Lord, I never saw that in this place I come to moné with You, but it’s You and me very personally. I ask You, I cast my cares, I sing to You in this place.” But then there’s another place that Jesus said I can come to in prayer. I really remember what happened to me when Pastor John shared with us Luke 18, the first time. I mean, by the grace of God, I just saw it.
Let’s go to Luke 18, verse one to three, in the Amplified. Pastor John brought us this word. 1 ALSO [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). So I want you to see that our Lord Jesus is teaching His disciples in this place about prayer. Then He said about prayer, 2 In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man. But verse three says, 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary” (Luke 18:1-3 AMPC). The one who brings a lawsuit. This was huge to me when Pastor John ministered about Luke 18. That was just when Pastor Sharon ministered about coming to the Judge and claim what Satan stole from you.
The Lord showed me that prayer in this place, it’s another spiritual place, but prayer in this place is not the same as prayer in Matthew five; in the secret place with God. The Lord showed me that this is a different way to moné, with Him. I’m still with God in this place, I am with Him, but this time, I’m with the Judge of the whole earth.
Here in Luke 18, God has placed prayer before the Judge of the whole earth. Prayer in this place, and this is what changed many things for me when Pastor John and Sharon brought the messages. Prayer before the Judge can do what prayer cannot do in the secret place. God has given us many places, heavenly places, different ways to come and be with Him. Our sins and transgressions have given the enemy legal right to take our blessings and our resources from us. Before the cross that legal right stood against us and that was the reason, the enemy could hold on to your stuff. But the exchange of Jesus on the cross changed all of that.
The redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ erased the enemy’s legal right against us. That’s why Pastor Sharon brought us Move the Hand of God, that powerful message of Brother Jerry, Claim Back what the Enemy Took from You. A powerful message brought by Dr Jerry. Pastor Sharon shared with us the Lord said to Brother Jerry, “My people are letting their adversary get away with too much, and they are not making him pay for what he has put them through.” Brother Jerry said, “You are letting the devil off too lightly. You are not making him pay for damages. You are not taking what belongs to you.” Now this is personally for your family and for our nation. God said through Brother Jerry, and we sell that CD Move the Hand of God, it’s right here when you go out today. God says, “Give Me an assignment. Appoint Me and give Me a commission.” In the light of that revelation, God then opened Isaiah 43 to me. Please go there in your bibles also the New King James.
25 I, verse 25, Isaiah 43, I am He who’s blotting out your transgressions for My sake, it’s part of the exchange. And I will not remember your sins. Why did God not stop there? God says, “I’m blotting out your transgressions, and you’ve repented. I will not remember your sins anymore.” He did not stop there. Look at verse 26. But 26 put Me in remembrance; let us contend, and of course, then I had to smile, state your case (Isaiah 43:25-26 NKJV). But in 2020 the Lord open this passage of scripture to me. It was just after Pastor Sharon brought the message Having Therefore Boldness Part Seven: State Your Claim. The Lord said to me, and He said to me, “Christi, come and contained with Me.” I really did not immediately understand what the Lord was telling me because I was always pressing, waging a good warfare in all of the messages. I’ve put my foot in the message, and I would come and press for all the things that God showed me very powerfully.
Then in my spirit, I knew God was asking me to content. I thought I was and I was pressing till God opened up Isaiah 43 to me. This was also just after Pastor John ministered on Luke 18. One morning, and I went and I looked at the word because I just knew the Holy Spirit would not leave me alone. I was in awe. It was exactly what Pastor John was ministering about Luke 18. This widow woman coming to the judge saying, “Defend me, protect me, avenge me speedily from my adversary.” Because the Lord had to show me the Hebrew word for contend means to start a litigation process, not just press with prayer. Start a litigation process, start a legal process, a judicial contest to enforce your legal rights. I was in awe. Now I want you to look at verse 26 again. 26 Put Me in remembrance. This is what you’ve got a choice to do today. Let us contend, that means you have to come before the Judge of the whole earth. That means if you’ve never done that, even when Pastor Sharon brought the Word, this is a time for you to understand that you can come to be with God in this way as well. Together, and then of course I smiled, state your case (Isaiah 43:26 NKJV). What is your case? Is it that you come to exchange your ashes for His beauty? What God did for us on the cross for healing? By faith, ask that the verdict of the cross be executed on your behalf.
This is a wonderful thing, to come and exchange with our Lord Jesus because of what He did. Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray in Matthew five, “Go into your inner room.” Jesus taught them, “Close your door, come to the Father who is in the secret place.” But later we see that Jesus went on in Luke 18. Jesus is still the One teaching on prayer, but this time, Jesus puts prayer in a judicial place before the Judge of the whole earth.
Now, I did not ask the team to put this scripture on, will you please go to Hebrews chapter 12? I did not think to go there today. In the light of the Ecclesia, I went there a couple of times. Just if you wonder, in the New Testament, what we are talking about Hebrews 12, 22 to 24, please New King James. I did that, and I know there’s a lot to talk about here, that Satan was kicked off the mountain of the Lord. The mountain of the Lord is Zion, the Church. He was kicked out of it. Where did we come to? Where are we today, because we are born again? Look at verse 22.
For the A-team the other day, I said to them, I quickly want your ear to listen to what’s happening here. We’ve read it in the past. But maybe for a moment this morning, you’re going to take note to the place that you have come to. I want you to even if you have a highlighter, mark the word to verse 22, to verse 24. 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, there’s the mountain, the place of government, it’s the Church, it’s legal. It has to do with everything in the Ecclesia. You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, 23 to the great company of angels, to the general assembly, the Ecclesia, the church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, in our case, because of the apostolic mantel that’s upon Pastor John. Listen to the next one. You have come to God, the Judge of all. Can you see that you have come to that place. That place, He doesn’t stop there. You have come to this spirit of just made made perfect. Verse 24, 24 You have come to Jesus the Mediator of a new covenant, and you have come to the blood of sprinkling that speaks of better things (Hebrews 12:22-24 NKJV). We have come to this place, and God wants us to come and exchange and get back what the enemy stole from us. Because we’re going to end today to see why our exchange is so powerful, because God wants His kingdom to increase on the earth.
So, Jesus knew that we need to claim back what the enemy stole from us. The enemy, and this is what I want you really to hear today in your personal capacity. The enemy will not just return everything that was stolen. He’s a liar and he’s a thief, he keeps it till we come to lay a legal claim to get it back. It’s not just going to fall on you and me. Satan knows that Jesus nullified the trade. He knows the blood of Jesus removed his legal right to take your blessings but he wants to know if you know. Because “My people,” God does not say the world, “My people perish because of a lack of knowledge.” So, if you know what the blood of Jesus really did for you, he is holding on to your stuff till you claim it back. Your provision and your destiny. How do you do that? In Hebrews 12, “I come to the Judge of the whole earth. And I thank You, Lord, for my legal document. I come for my legal document and I come to exchange everything that the enemy stole from me, I take it back, I claim it back.” Of course, it’s in the wonderful teaching of Pastor Sharon the 24th of May 2020, and of course, she shared everything how Brother Jerry shared that word with us.
So, to redeem. The work of the cross reversed every curse and overcame every sickness and disease and poverty. The blood of Jesus has the power to annul every wrong exchange you and me ever made, and to defeat every enemy and to redeem every purpose for which we were created. Jesus made the exchange, He paid the price so that we can claim back everything that we have lost. So, praise the Lord. God is calling us to come out of Babylon, to exchange, but the question is with God, or will you keep on exchanging with Babylon? God is entrusting us with time or to put it in a much better way, the way Pastor John shared with us, God is entrusting us with energy, with gifts, anointings, many, many valuable things. How we trade and exchange with these currencies will determine what we gain. Remember these currencies, energy, gifts, opportunities that we receive from Jesus will determine how much we gain and what we gain. Very important. It’s not to say we are going to gain eternal things.
Just look at Luke 19, verse 12, to 13. In the old King James, we’ve looked at it last week. Here He says, 12 A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants and delivered them ten pounds, each and said unto them, occupy till I come. So, God wants us to occupy till He is coming back, our Lord Jesus. Look at verse 15. 15 And it came to pass that when he had returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading (Luke 19:12-15 KJV).
This is very important. We all exchange everyday. We all will gain some things, some eternal treasures, or some chasing, because of what yourself oneness wants, because you love what the world is offering you. Listen to this, how you choose to exchange here and now, that will define you in the kingdom of God. God knows exactly what’s going on in our choices every single day.
The reason that God will reward faithful exchanging with authorities over cities, and I cannot go into that too much today, is because these sons of God understand stewardship. They understand what belongs to God and not to them. Only faithful sons of God understand what it means to exchange with God’s plan, and not their own. Our heavenly Father is looking for faithful sons, who are listening to Him, who are about and listen to this, about their Father’s business and not Babylon’s business. God’s business is about establishing His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. When God created the earth, and He gave dominion to Adam and Eve, through Adam and Eve, God wanted His kingdom to increase. He still wants that, because God wanted to dwell in the midst of them.
His presence here with His people, God instituted the principle of trading, exchanging not Satan, to bring increase to His kingdom. But this will be determined by my exchange, because my exchange will show who I worship. This is what I, and how I want to end today. Because again, with the foundation of last week, we are coming to the actual crucial point, that our exchange, what we exchange with and who, every single day, is actually showing who we worship, who we worship. Satan wanted a kingdom because he wanted to be worshiped just like God. Remember what Pastor John said, this is very important. Your will is your platform and God of course, He wants all of us to lay down our will. Your will is your platform, but your worship is your power.
Pastor John shared this example with us, The ancient confrontation happens to every person. It happens in our hearts every single day. Satan will always use deceit and manipulation to get what he wants, by getting you to give up your covenant rights so that the devil can manipulate your power of your worship, for his good.
So Pastor John used this sport example. When people go to a sport event, they are shouting for their team to score goals. They are out of their seats, giving their energy and their time. What are they doing? They are busy celebrating a performance and their presence is actually giving adulation. It’s giving praise to a performance. It is a platform for worship. People that worship their careers, worship their capability, their intellect and their education, but when we come to God to live for Him, we worship Him. We come to exchange with Him and we say to God, “We are here to love You first.” My exchange and your exchange, you must understand this, will be your repentance, the laying down of your self-will. When you come to serve Him and you bring an offering, all of these are ways that you will come and show God that you worship Him and you love Him.
I’m finishing with Noah today, and Noah’s only one of many powerful examples in the Bible. Let’s see what Noah did in Genesis eight verse 15. I just want to add this because it’s here in my notes, thank You Lord. Ja, I’m going to add it here because people worship performance. Pastor John said, God has put all things, just before we go to Genesis eight, God has put all things under his feet and gave Jesus to be the head of all things to the Church. Not to Wall Street, because that’s where the world is trading; not to the Stock Exchange, the world is trading there; nor to Cambridge education; nor to Harvard Philosophies, Pastor John said. Because what’s powerful, Pastor John made this powerful statement, They are properly so full of the Harvard philosophies that they cannot hear God, they cannot. They are unlikely to hear what God is saying because they are listening to everybody else. That’s the way Babylon works. So I want you to see, here is Noah and he worshipped God, he exchanged with God.
Genesis eight verse 15 to 17, New King James. 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so what we see here is that, when Noah came out and all the animals came out with him, that must have been a moment. Wow, that must have been a moment. But what happened in those first moments with Noah? He chose to worship God. He chose to immediately in that new era, exchange with God.
Look at verse, still in chapter eight, verse 20 to 21. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and every clean bird, and offered a burnt offering on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. And then the Lord said, and we’re going to look at what the Lord said, I’m going to go back there. The first thing Noah did was bringing something very valuable. You must remember, he could only bring a certain amount of animals. So in this new era of his life, he was worshiping God by taking something that was very precious. There was not four of every animal in that ark. But he took of that which was so precious in his life, to worship God. He built an altar. And then verse 21, 21 the Lord smelled this soothing aroma. And then the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again, curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done” (Genesis 8:21 NKJV).
Listen to what’s happening here. The Lord did not smell the flesh of animals burning. That’s not what happened here. The Lord saw Noah’s heart. It was a sweet smelling aroma to God. Here Noah comes immediately after the flood to exchange with God. His exchange showed who he worshipped.
Now I want you to see what our exchange can bring because this is very important. Remember, our ability to exchange defines our personal economy, but it also affects everyone and everything around us. Our money as a voice. What we do in our worship and exchanging with God, is changing cities and it’s changing nations. It’s changing our families. I want to show you what happened with Noah. When Noah worshipped God with that sacrifice, see what God’s reaction was in verse 21. God’s smelling that sweet aroma, that Noah brought because he worshipped God, just there and then because of that exchange, that giving, God made a judicial decree that affected the whole earth, not just one man and his family.
God says, nor will I ever again, destroy every living thing as I’ve done (Genesis 8:21 NKJV). Because Noah came to exchange with God, God made a decree that has set things in order in the earth and released it from a curse. Do we really think that our exchange is not causing things to happen in our families, in our cities, and in our nation? This is so important. I know I’m ending with this today and I’m done. I just want to show you, us, in the New Testament, but that’s why God wants a people. “Come out My people out of Babylon, worship Me, worship Me.”
Now, here’s the big question. Does my and your exchanges with God, do this same thing in the New Testament? Oh, yes. Let’s go to Philippians chapter four, verse 14, in the New King James as I close. The Apostle Paul says, 14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. Verse 15, 15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Verse 17, 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Verse 18, 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus, listen very carefully, the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, like Noah, well pleasing to God (Phillipians 4:14-18 NKJV). All Glory to the Lord. All Glory to the Lord, for those who worship God, those who want to come and exchange with God. Just like in the days of Noah, the moment those people came to worship God, God had something to say through the Apostle Paul, and My God shall supply all of your needs (Philippians 4:19 NKJV).
God immediately had something to say about the way these people came to exchange. We serve a great God. My exchange, your exchange. That is what God is after. That is what God is after. Every time we exchange with God, bringing an offering, laying down yourself will, not to go where you want to go and do business, not to where you want to go buy stuff, not where you want to do things, because Babylon is giving you opportunities. Every time you lay yourself-will down, and we give Him our best, our first fruits, just what’s sitting here today, and people there are many places where we are giving God our first fruits, in this place where God is planting us. This is what God can do, to decree in our own lives, in our cities. This is how God can see how much you have gained by trading. This is a big deal in our living before God.
So Pastor John shared with us, oh, thank You Holy Spirit. Listen to what Pastor Sharon shared with us in message seven, I Will Take the Children. God is giving us every opportunity so that our repentance can be beautiful. This change that is coming is like a sweet smelling aroma to God. Oh, Heritage or Faith people, they are repenting. God smells that sacrifice of your heart and He is pleased. He smells it. It’s a sweet smell in Him because the hearts are changing and repenting.
I am closing with Paster John’s words. How I loved the title of his message, just before they went to America. Flipping the Coin for Truth. It’s all about my and your exchange. I was sitting there and I was just smiling, I could not type fast enough on that Sunday. Pastor John said, The mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that lives in you and me. God gives us the wisdom and the revelation, and insight into mysteries that we cannot see by ourselves. He gives us all things in life. He protects our lives. He saves our lives. He brings wealth to us. He will bring a partner to your life. He will bring children into your life, if that is what you desire. God says, “I will nurture you, like a great father would nurture any child and it is in the church.”
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Father, we just say we are coming out of Babylon. We understand much more about my exchange, your exchange everyday before the Lord. Let’s pray. Father, we give You all the glory today, we just want to say thank You. Because, Lord, indeed You are helping us to come through, for bringing us to a standard of surrender, and repentance like never before. Christ’s resurrection, we declare and decree that today, Christ’s resurrection is our resurrection. Thank You that as we come, You are restoring and renewing all things in our lives. We are being raised to life by Your Holy Spirit. Lord, this is a great joy in our hearts. We hear Your messages, the resurrection power of God, being exerted in every area of our lives that we can come and exchange. As we receive that resurrection power, Lord, we declare and decree that we are being transformed into trees of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, in Heritage of Faith. Thank You Lord. Thank You for Your kindness and Your love, and that You have paid the price for everything on the cross. Lord Jesus, we give You all the glory, and all the praise today, Lord from our hearts.
Father, I bless Your people today in the name of Jesus, they are getting stronger and stronger through Your resurrection power every single day. They are blessed coming in and they are blessed going out. That blessing is working while they are sleeping. They are empowered to prosper in the name of Jesus. The Word and the blood of Jesus surrounds all of us and protecting us and Father, we believe what the prophets are saying and therefore we prosper. We are experiencing Your open hand with the fullness of blessings Lord. Supernatural, it is exactly what You do Lord. You know how to use words, supernatural, extraordinary and unusual provisions. Even, Lord, in the midst of chaos and disorder in the world. Father, this we believe, this we receive and we all say, Amen. Hallelujah.
May you have a glorious Sunday and a glorious week and Pastor Garth will be ministering next Sunday. Me and him, in sync with Pastor John and Sharon because of God’s resurrection power. A glorious afternoon. See you next Sunday. Bye bye. No, see you at Prayer Connect.
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