Scripture reference: 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (AMPC); Ezra 9:1-15 (AMPC); Ezra (10:1-8 AMPC); 2 Timothy 4:10 (AMPC); Ezekiel 14:1-11 (AMPC)
Thank you. Thank you music ministry; precious ones. You can bring the, all the stuff, all my stuff, all my stuff God gives me. Bring all the stuff God gives me. Hallelujah. Well it’s wonderful again to be, to be here. My, my, my.
Father, we thank You today for Your Words. Thank You, Father I commit all of these Heritage of Faith people, I commit them to You. You’ve entrusted them into our care. We watch over their souls as ones who will have to give an account to You of Your trust, Lord. So I commit them to You. I commend them to Your Word. This word today that is able to build them up and give them their rightful inheritance among all Your people. For that is what Your Word does. We thank You, Father, for Your great light that You bring to us today, great light. Father, to everybody that is present here today and everybody that is watching this live streaming today, Father. That everyone under the sound of these words that You bring to us all today that Your Word will be like a sharp sword that will divide between soul and spirit and will sift and analyze and judge the very thoughts and intents and motives of every single heart. Thank You Holy Spirit that You are present and resident, present and resident within every single hearer of this message today. And I commend them to You and I commit them to Your Word in Jesus’ name, we all say, “Amen.”
Right, so I am doing part 13, in Witbank of I Will Take the Children and today this message is entitled Celebration with Jesus. There is a celebration that is currently happening in the heart of Jesus. It’s happening. Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father is celebrating. He’s celebrating … uhm I’m sure many things, but the main thing that He is celebrating, is that He’s been bringing words to us and the entrance of His Words… There are those among us that have been allowing the words to penetrate. The words of I Will Take the Children. Allowing, there are those who really are flowing in this; of Thessalonians and not just hearing the Word, but they’re actually becoming. In their doing, they’re becoming and the Word is being made flesh in them.
There’s this scripture here that I read often, actually, the Lord prompts me to read it often… Because it really grieves Him. it grieves Him. When you hear His Word, and you don’t believe it, and you don’t receive it and you don’t sow it into your heart and grow it into your life; it grieves Him. Because He comes with a messenger and a message every Sunday. It grieves Him that He has to talk so long and so intensely and have to… it grieves Him that His people don’t listen to Him. They don’t listen to the messages that the messengers bring. They take it so lightly.
It grieves Him because His Word then the entrance of His Words cannot bring life and so that’s why He prompts me to read this scripture to you out of the Amplified Bible, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. But there is a celebration today. But it isn’t that an interesting thing, that it is a celebration for some and yet, and yet, in the heart of Father God, He’s wanting it to be a celebration for all. He’s wanting to celebrate that His Words of finding entrance and bearing and bringing life and being received in all of His children. He so loves us, that He gives us His Words. He longs for His children to believe and receive and conceive His Words. Because that’s the way we bear fruit for life; in our lives. He longs for His children to believe that His Word is incorruptible seed.
Here is Apostle Paul’s great joy. 13And we talking about us, ministers of the gospel, also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe you see that? It’s not automatically at work in you. It is effectually at work in you who believe and then as you believe it and you receive it and you conceive it and it becomes part of you that is how it exercising its superhuman power exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it] (1 Thessalonians 2:13 AMPC).
So you have to adhere to the Word, trust in it, and rely on it. So here I have, [Pastor Sharon holds up a file with all the messages of I Will Take the Children and page through it].
Words and words, every Sunday He brings words, brings another message. He brings another message: He is faithful God, speaking, coming to bring life, direction, wanting repentance, wanting His people to seek His Kingdom first and seek His plans only for their lives. Saying, “You following your own plans. You don’t seek Me first. Please seek Me first, I love you. My plans for you are already blessed. Become like little children. Give Me your whole life. Don’t go off all over the place wherever you feel like going.” You’ve got some potential. You got some skill. Ek sê, you got some gifting so now you here and now you there. You play some tennis and your name is Dennis. You got some qualifications now you’re so busy. You got some land, you have to go see to it, you got some cows, you got some land, or you got a wife, you got a child, you’ve got a girlfriend. “Sorry, I’ve got all these other things. Seek You first? I got born again. So I can go to Heaven. I didn’t born again to give You my whole life. Seek Your plans for my life. I got born again. So in between now and getting born again and one day when I die and going to heaven, I’ll live life for myself by myself and I’ll pop into church now and again and maybe listen to a message or two. I’ll listen but not hear.”
It grieves the Father’s heart when His own, very own children do that. Make the blood of Jesus very cheap. Blood of Jesus was shed to purchase your whole life. He bought you completely for Himself. He came to die for that and then He sent His Holy Spirit so that He could, so that you could be in communion and in fellowship and close participation with the Holy Spirit, so that He can lead you into His plans for your life. You have no excuse in this house, child of God, son of God, you have no excuse. You can never say, “I didn’t know that I had to give You my whole life.” Never. Because in this house, these messages have come from Jesus to you.
Jesus says to you today, “I, Jesus know, I God, the Father knows the thoughts and plans and purposes that I have for your life.” Jesus says to parents today, “I, Jesus know, the thoughts and plans I have for your life. And I know the thoughts and plans that I have for your children’s lives. I, Jesus, who purchased them know that.” Children of My people, in this house, you are without excuse many of you have grown up in this house. You’ve heard the messages. You can’t say, “He’s the God of my mother and my father, and I didn’t really, I didn’t really ‘count’ in this church.”
No, no, no, no, no, no. You are accountable and responsible for every message that comes to this house, Jesus will hold you personally responsible, especially for these messages that have come at this time that I Will Take the Children. You children of My people of this house, say, “No, I will not let You take me.” You know, at this time, you must know that this is a defining moment for your life, that you have not obeyed these messages and you have turned your back. You will know just like the rich ruler, who turned his back on Jesus, came to Jesus to say, “I want to go all in Jesus, what must I do?” “Sell everything and come and follow Me.” He turned his back on Jesus and walked and he was so sad and he felt so bad because the Bible says he was holding on to many things.
You, child of God, in this house, holding on to many things. You know today that a Prophet has come to say, you choose this day, whom you will serve. You choose this day to come on to your ancient path or not. You choose this day to be planted where you’re supposed to be. You choose this day, to have a Paul in your life and a Joshua in your life. You choose this day to love the Lord your God more than anything else. You choose this day, to leave your mother, to leave your father, to leave your girlfriend, to leave your boyfriend, to leave, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. You choose this day whom you will serve.
You choose. Planted in the house of the Lord, you will flourish. Unplanted you will not flourish. You’ll have to take your chances. Like everybody in the world and Babylon is fallen. You think you can just go where you want to go and do what you want to do and there’ll be no consequences? God is warning you because He loves you. He’s wanting you safe and He’s been telling you message after message, “Come out of Babylon, it’s fallen. Do not participate in her sins do not share in her plagues.” You have heard how Pastor John has brought the message, “Your body does not belong to you. Your body is not for sexual immorality.”
Yeah. It’s what the Lord says to you today. That’s what the Lord says to you today. Because He loves you, He warns you. “Do not participate in her sins.” “Oh, I’m not really sinning, I’m quite a good person.” No, your sin is your disobedience of all of these messages that have come. Your sin is your disobedience. You disobey these messages that have come now, you will share in her plagues and you will participate in her sins. You already are by saying, “No” to His messages. By saying, “No” to His messengers. You want to say in your heart, “I have no messenger in my life. I have no need of…” God speaks to you today.
Yes, God is celebrating. Jesus is celebrating. Because they have been those that have received God’s Word, that they will seek Him and inquire of Him for everything that matters. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Hallelujah. Yes. Thank God He warns us. Thank God He warns us. Hallelujah. Thank God. He warns us.
The Lord is having me turn there today. I will show you. Thank You, Holy Spirit that I am led by You. I am led by You, in this meeting, today. Where are you? I’ll find it. Find it now. Jesus. Huh, I’m looking for Ezra. Christi just help me here. I thought it was by Ezekiel. Is it by Nehemiah? Hmm? Ezekiel. You know sometimes when I’m under this anointing, yes Christi? Where is it? Hmm? Okay. Okay, thank you. There we go. Yeah, the Lord wants you to see this. If you don’t mind, finding Ezra in the Amplified Bible for me?
Pastor John has been coming with the message of repentance, which means it means a lifestyle change, a lifestyle change for you. God, I will be sharing the calling that God has called me to, He’s called me to the children of My people. Some of you are five, some of you are ten, some of you are twelve, some of you are eighteen, some of you are, whatever. Whatever your age is, God has called me to the children of My people. I’m going to share that this morning.
God wants this now. Ezra chapter nine. I want you to see a corporate repentance here, that is quite shocking. But Jesus has come to put a shock into our system, so that we can wake up to life, wake up to life, and not be caught in Babylon, in the world system and in the trappings of the world system. When you see the world around you, fallen you should be rejoicing because your trust is not in it. Your trust is not in it.
Here is Ezra chapter 9. There were many, many messages that came to these people. Many, many messages many, many words came to the people of God. Came to the people of God and God spoke and spoke and spoke to them. Chapter 9 1Afterward, the officials came to me here is Ezra, people in a time where Ezra was rebuilding with God, rebuilding the people, their lives. And said, The Israelites and the priests and Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, but have committed the abominations of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites (Ezra 9:1 AMPC).
In other words they are doing everything that all those other people do. They are living their lives, making their plans, thinking like them. Going after things like them. Doing entertainment like them. Doing education like them. Doing business like them and then bringing that into the church; themselves with all their worship to awesome Jesus. Indeed the officials and chief men have been foremost in this wicked act and direct violation of God’s will.
I don’t have time to speak to you about the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians. I don’t have time to talk to you about what those tribes were doing. How Godless they were. That’s why God said, “When I take you into the promised land, I’m gonna identify them and drive them out before you and you’re going to kill them and you’re going to take no prisoners. You’re not going to be like them. You’re going to be My people. You’re going to be My people. I’m going to be your God, you come out from among them, you come out from among them, you come out from among them. Then I’ll be your God, and you’ll be My people”. But here’s a grieving day for God. That’s interesting to me that I’m speaking in a day of celebration, about the grieving of God.
2For they have taken as wives, they have taken as wives, some of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands (Ezra 9:2 AMPC). Mixed themselves, mixed, mixed, mixed themselves, they’ve taken for themselves. 3When I heard this, this is Ezra. You might be sitting there and saying, “Oh, but that’s Old Testament you’re reading, I am under grace, Pastor Sharon. He knows my heart.” Yes, He knows it’s black and dark, and not filled with His Word and He expects you to change.
You can’t do that. He knows my heart. Yes He does know your heart. He knows exactly what your heart is full of. Full of yourself, full of your self will. Full of your unseeking, non inquiry ways of God, full of your independent lawlessness, He knows. He knows that. His big cry right now is that you may not participate in her plagues or share in her sins, because she’s fallen. The fallen state. It’s now Isaiah 60. God says, like never before; dense darkness covers the earth. Gross darkness, Isaiah 60, it’s peoples.
So any thing that you see in the world that seems light is only the angel of light through the will of man presenting it to you as light. There is no light of God in this world system. I have read you that scripture over and over, God has had me bring it to you, I’ve delivered you from this present wicked age, this world system, there’s nothing in this world system that is light. If there’s something that you see that might be that maybe that’s a little bit of light there, a little bit of light there. It’s only Satan and his demons, presenting himself through the will of men and women who yield to him. “This is good to do, do this, be educated like this, have a career like that. Go over there, do whatever you want to do. It feels good.” He’ll trap you so that you never walk on your ancient paths and you never walk in the true light of God, and you never have the true light of day.
2For they have taken as wives, when I heard this look at Ezra, say but I’m living under grace, you are going to the Old Testament. Can I tell you something? Pastor John brought that powerful scripture, “Don’t think I’ve come to undo Moses, don’t think I’ve come to undo the things that the Prophet said, I’ve come to fulfill everything.” You see, Jesus came so we could change, not so God could change.
Jesus came so we could become powerful with the Word of God that we listen to, and in the patterns of God, in the plantedness of God, and the messengers that we have in our lives, and the messages that we come planted in the place that God chooses for you to be planted, going to the house that God chooses for you. Deuteronomy 12 You children of My people have heard me bring that scripture, Deuteronomy 12. When you, if you’re going to go into God’s, onto God’s ancient path, you will go to the place that God tells you to go to, not the place you want to go to, the place God tells you to go to.
Like Kenneth Copeland said at Brother Jerry’s ministers conference, “Well, who are they to me?” Yes, child of My people, who are they to you? Are they not your legacy? Are they not your heritage? Are they not part of your ancient path? Kenneth Copeland said at Brother Jerry’s ministers conference, “The majority of my people never asked Me which place I want them to go in case I might tell them to go there or that they might not be able to leave there when they want to.”
The angels that fell from heaven, left their first position. They left their place that God had given them and they went into darkness. This is a warning to the children of My people to whom I’ve been called today.
3When I heard this, I rent my undergarment, look at this, and my mantle, I pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled (Ezra 9:3 APMC). This is God’s called messenger, building with God. This is what he sees the people doing. This is his response in his deepest part of his walk with God. Pastor John and I have been in that condition. Many times when we see your choices, and we see your movements and we see your willful ways. We do that on our insides. We do that. It’s that kind of wrenching that, pull our beard out, take pull our hair out. That’s because we hear from God and we know what God is saying to his people and His people are not listening. We are appalled at the choices God’s people make like the world. Just like Egypt. Just like the world system. Just that the Canaanites and Hittites and Perizzites. We live just like them.
Pastor John had an experience but he will come and share that himself, but it’s about a great darkness, a great, great darkness and in this darkness is a violent spirit come to violate your future, violate God’s plans for your life and rip you out of the places you’re supposed to be, with the people you’re supposed to be, on the path you’re supposed to be on. He is violent in it and he presents himself as an angel of light so that you can think, “There is light there.”
⁴Then all those who trembled at the Words of the God, you see, what trembling is there at the Words of God in His church? What trembling is there at the Words of God, child of my people? Do you not tremble at the Words of the living God? Why do you not tremble at the Words of the living God? All of those who trembles at the Words of God, tremble. You remember Pastor Garth, I remember you used to sing that song… sometimes He causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble [Pastor Sharon singing the song] Who is there among His people that tremble at His Word? ⁴Then all those who trembled at the Words of the God, of Israel because of the offensive violation of His will by the returned exiles gathered around me as I sat astounded until the evening sacrifice. ⁵At the evening sacrifice I arose from my depression (Ezra 9:4 AMPC).
I tell you there has come a depression at times recently on Pastor John and I, not a depression that Satan brings to us, but a depression knowing that the darkness, you’re in the dark and the darkness has got you. Because you’re not walking in the light. How do I walk in the light? We all walk in the light the same. The entrance of His Words brings light. The Words that keep coming, the entrance of His Words brings light and light and light. The entrance of His Words, of His Words, of His Words, that He keeps bringing. The entrance of His Words brings light, brings liberty, brings purpose, brings assignment, brings plan’s of God. The entrance of His Words into your heart brings light. But Jesus said that men don’t love the light, in case it exposes their deeds. Their deeds of “I wanna do what I wanna do. So don’t give me the kind of light that says I’ve got to follow the plans of God for my life. I allow no entrance, I tremble not.”
5I arose from my depression, and, having rent my undergarment and my mantle, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, 6Saying, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has mounted to the heavens. 7Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty; if you are not on you’re ancient path and you’re not in the house where God has planted and you’re not receiving messages from a messenger, which is God’s plan and God’s order in His word, you are guilty of iniquity and transgression.
6… and blush to lift my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has mounted to the heavens. 7Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty; and for our willfulness (Ezra 9:5-7 AMPC). There it is, there it is, there it is, there it is; for our willfulness. “It’s my will and I will.” For our willfulness. “It’s my will and I will. I will go where I wanna go, I will buy what I wanna buy, I will do what I wanna do, I will say what I wanna say. I will. I will be planted when I want to be and I will be not planted when I don’t want to be. I will have an ancient path when I want to and I will not have an ancient path and I will and I will and I will not and I will not, I will not. I will not have the five fold ministry bring me to maturity. I will not, I will not. I will not pray, I will not have communion with the Holy Spirit.” Willfulness, willfulness, willfulness.
The interesting thing that the Lord showed me, when Pastor John read that scripture about the dark gods of this world and he made one statement, he said, “Where does the power of darkness lie?” This one statement that I’m gonna make to you now; in the will of man. Satan has no power in the earth except that he can have it in your will. He has it when you’re willful. So then as Christians you think, “There’s the will of Satan, there’s the will of God and here’s my will somewhere in the middle, cause God knows my heart. So I will this.” No! The Lord showed me, your will was made for the will of God, only for His will. So when you will your own will, you think it is your own will, but you will the will of Satan. You’ve played right into his hands. If you’re not in the will of God, you are in the will of Satan. Children of my people, if you are not in the will of God, you are in the will of Satan. There is not an ‘in-between’ Father. Jesus said, “Father, who is in heaven.” Or He spoke to the other people and said, “You are of your father, the devil.” There’s no somewhere in-between.
So, yes God might be your Father and He is your Father if you’re born again. But you, with your wilfulness, you serve Satan in your life. Don’t think you’re serving yourself. There’s no, what Satan does and then God’s will. Man’s will was made to go like Jesus, “Not My will, but Yours.” Man’s will was created to go like this to God, “Not my will but Yours.” When it goes like this, “No, no my will.” Actually you are just going dark, that’s all. You’re going exactly playing into Satan’s hands.
Look at this, 7Since the days of our fathers we have been exceedingly guilty; and for our willfulness we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, that’s the realm of Satan, the enemy, the world system to the sword, captivity, plundering, and utter shame, as it is today (Ezra 9:7 AMPC).
Even if it seems to be going well with you with your own willfulness, it’s only because it’s a matter of time that it plays out because the wages of willfulness is death.
Now Ezra says this 8And now, for a brief moment, God has given us a while people for a brief moment, grace has been shown us by the Lord our God, Who has left us a remnant to escape and has given us a secure hold in His holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage (Ezra 9:8 AMPC).
Here it is prophetically people, this is what God has got Heritage of Faith people in. Right now. These are defining moments of your life, young man, young woman, listening to me now, children of my people. It’s a defining moment and if you do not choose God and choose life now and obey God in this now, you are determining your own future. Then you think, because you go your own willful way God must bless you? When He’s done this? [Pastor Sharon referring to her file with all the messages] I’ve spoken, I speak, I speak, I speak all these messages number 13 here, I think it’s number 19 in Joburg. I speak, I speak, but it’s okay. You don’t have to listen. I’ll just bless you, you go do what you want.
No. Not now. Not anymore. Not in this period. Not in this time of God. No, no, no. It comes as a cut off set time of God where He goes: five wise virgins, here we go – five foolish virgins, no. They are all virgins, they all received Jesus as Saviour. “Yes, no, I don’t want to go to hell. Yes, Jesus, Jesus has come into my heart. But the oil? I must have extra oil? I must have an intimacy with the Holy Spirit where he leads and guides me into everything? I don’t think so.” God shuts the door on you now, if that’s your attitude.
The blood of Jesus is not cheap, that you can trample on it and spurn and grieve, and turn your back on the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you. The blood of Jesus paid the price so the Holy Spirit could come and live inside of you to lead and guide you in everything in your life. All the plans that God has for you, not the plans of man, not the plans of your mother, not the plans of your sister, not the plans of this world system. Jesus died so that He could send the Holy Spirit into your heart to lead and guide you into everything in your life.
8And now, for a brief moment, grace has been shown us by the Lord our God, Who has left us a remnant to escape and has given us a secure hold in His holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9For we are bondmen; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended mercy and steadfast love to us before the kings of Persia, to give us some reviving. This is your time. These are the defining moments that Jesus told Brother Jerry, “These are defining moments for My people, whatever they do now, whatever they say now, about the messages that I’m bringing them. However they respond now will determine their future, they will determine their own future.” You cannot sit there child, and children of my people and say, “It’s not my defining moment. I’m here and I’m doing this, and I’m doing that and I’m doing this and I’m doing that.” Jesus says to you, “It’s your defining moment in time.” He said it is – you cannot disqualify yourself. You cannot say that He has not spoken to you today.
It says to give us some reviving to set up the house of our God to repair its ruins to give us a wall of protection. Okay to set up the house of our God is not a building. You are the house of God, to set up. Set Him up. Let Him be set up properly in my heart. Set up. Let me set Him up properly in my heart with all these messages. Let me set up His house. His house, His house. You are His house. You are His building.
9… to repair its ruins, all the ruin, all the way that Babylon has ruined you, ruined you, ruined me, and to give us a wall [of protection] in Judah and Jerusalem. 10Now, oh our God, what can we say after this for we have forsaken Your commands, 11which you have commanded by your servants the prophets. You see, the prophets come. The prophets come with God’s commandments. They come, and they keep coming. I don’t know how many years Jeremiah had to speak and speak and speak and he wept and wept and wept. He was in depression too, because he saw the people were not listening to God. Here is Ezra now, he is lifting himself up from his depression, right?
11Which You have commanded by your servants the prophets, saying the land which you are entering in to possess, is an unclean land with the pollutions of the peoples of the lands through their abominations which have filled it from one end to the other with the filthiness. Okay. So God is saying I’m taking you in, you’re going to possess, and where you’re going to possess is all this filthiness. See the land where you’re going into, it’s got all this filthiness.
Didn’t it say this in verse 11? The land which you are entering to possess, the land which you are entering to possess. So how can you possess it? How can God help you to possess something that you love? I love the world. I love the world. So I’m not going to overcome the world. But God must still bless me to possess it. I love the world. I love the ways of the world. I love my own wilful ways, but God must still bless me, please still bless me. I didn’t seek the Lord and didn’t inquire of it but just bless me anyway. I never asked You, I never asked You. Just bless me though. I just want You to bless me.
11The land which you are entering into, to possess is an unclean land with the pollution of the peoples of the lands. If you don’t hate what God hates, you are not going to possess anything, you will just carry on with your wilful ways, and take for yourself the way the rest of the world takes. Right?
So. Therefore, verse 12, do not give your daughters to their sons. Do not give your sons to their daughters. Do not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons; and never seek their peace and prosperity. I mean, my mom, God bless her, she’s in heaven now. But she used to tell me growing up, make sure you marry somebody that’s got money. It’s so nice. You make sure he’s got money. Take for yourself, someone that’s got money.
12Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons; and never seek their peace and prosperity so that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your children always. 13And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved Yeah. Yeah. You think you’re in a good place now because God has not punished you according to your iniquities in what you deserve, because He is merciful? But at this time He is quite a Straight Talker. He’s also a very Straight Truth Talker. God has switched everything and changed everything in the way that He speaks to us now.
13You’ve punished us less than our own iniquities deserved and has given us such a remnant. 14Shall we break Your commandments again and intermarry with the people to practice these abominations? 15Oh Lord, You are rigidly just and righteous verse 15 for we are left a remnant as it is this day, we are before You in our guilt for none can stand before You because of this (Ezra 9:8-15 AMPC). 1Then while Ezra prayed and made confession weeping, casting himself down before the house of God there gathered to him (Ezra 10:1 AMPC).
Look at this beautiful, beautiful repentance. It was a shocking uncovering of sin. We think it’s okay to marry who we want to marry. We don’t seek the Lord. We don’t come for counsel. We don’t seek His counsel. Right? It’s just who I like and we’re attracted and there is chemistry, and we have things in common. So why not? God has a plan. God has the plan. God has the plan.
1So while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there gathered to him out of Israel, a very great assembly of men, women, and children. Look at that. Isn’t that beautiful Pastor Christi? Men, women and children, for the people wept bitterly (Ezra 10:1AMPC). The people wept bitterly. There’s something happening here. They’re not going, “Who are you to say this? Who are you?” They are going, “Oh, my God! What’s happening to their hearts? What have we done? What have we done?” We weep bitterly. If these messages do not cause you to weep, bitterly. I mean, I’m not talking about an actual physical weeping, although I have seen tears and tears of repentance in people.
Weep, it says in the book of James – weep over your adultery, because it’s adultery that you commit with God. You go for the world, you love the world, you go for your own way. It’s adultery, you’re committing adultery, because Jesus bought you, you belong to Him. Now you commit ‘this’ with the world. It’s adultery. Jesus says, “Weep over your adultery”, in the book of James and be ashamed. It says in the book of James, so this shame here that he says, I blush and I’m ashamed. There is a holy shame, in a repentance. Not a remorse because I got caught out. You see that remorse is when you get caught out. “O gaats, I got caught out. I shouldn’t have done it because I got caught.” Repentance is something that happens in your heart that you allow to happen in your heart because you receive His message.
2And Shecaniah [II] son of Jehiel [one of the congregation], of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra: We have broken faith and dealt treacherously against our God and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land; yet now there is still hope for Israel in spite of this thing. 3Therefore, let us make a covenant with our God… look at the lifestyle change…To put away, to put away (Ezra 10:2,3 AMPC) You can’t repent.
We recently had somebody sent an email and I could not respond. “Please forgive us because we were like this and like this in the congregation and in the church and we were like this and like this and like this.” No, no, that’s because you are asking for forgiveness. You are not repenting. Repenting means you are going to put it away and you are going to come back. You’re going to come back here. Come back onto your ancient paths. Don’t come and ask us for forgiveness when we have nothing in our hearts against you for leaving. Nothing, zero, zero. Now you want to come, and you want to come like this and say, “Please forgive me Pastor John and Sharon that I wasn’t a good son in the house, I didn’t listen, and I didn’t listen.” That’s not repentance; that is remorse. That’s not repentance.
This is repentance happening here. Let’s have a look at this 3…let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble, and those who tremble at the command of our God; and let it be done according to the Law. 4Arise Ezra. Now the congregation is talking to Ezra and they are saying; 4Arise Ezra, for it is your duty to fix this thing up and help us to put them away and the children. Be strong and brave to do it.
It is like you come to me and Pastor John and say, “These messages you are bringing about I Will Take the Children it’s your duty Pastor Sharon to bring these messages to us. Be strong and do it Pastor Sharon. Be strong and do it Pastor John. Be strong and bring us this Pastor Christi. Be strong and do it. Don’t tremble.” You know what I mean? “Don’t be put off by the hard hearts and the people that are not receiving it. You keep on doing it. Because there’s a remnant here among us. There’s some among us that are going to take it and get it and go with God all the way. Let us make a covenant. Arise it’s your duty.”
5Then Ezra arose. See he needed a response from the people. My word, I was not getting any response from any of the congregation of I Will Take the Children but then it began, it began, they began to come. “Don’t stop Pastor Sharon, please keep going with this until we get it completely, until we get it completely. It’s your duty.” “Lord!” they were crying out to God and telling me that. 5Then Ezra arose and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath. 6Then Ezra came from before the house of God and went into the lodging place of Jehohanan. There he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned over the returned exiles’ faithlessness he mourned over the returned exiles’ faithlessness [and violation of God’s laws]. 7And proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble in Jerusalem (Ezra 10:5-7 AMPC).
You see, they did not neglect the assembling. Can you see that? This is where everything happens here on a Sunday. It is where God speaks. It’s where we ministered to God, it’s where we have our ear in It’s going to become more defined like that every Sunday, is going to be you will come and you will encounter God here.
The manna has stopped. Where you could subsist and just do your own way and wander around in the wilderness doing your own thing, everyone doing what seems right their own eyes that manna in this house has stopped. You are now only be eating of the sharp sword of Jesus going into the promised land food. That’s all. That’s all. That’s all. That’s the only food that you are going to get in this house now. Jesus’ sword is drawn and it’s His two-edged sword that cuts. He is either going to find it cuts or doesn’t. What if it doesn’t? I don’t know. I don’t know. But I’m not going to be one of those. I don’t know. I don’t know, because I know what I’m going to let it cut and cut and cut. I don’t know. What about those five foolish virgins? I don’t know. I don’t know who they are. I don’t know who they are. I’m beginning to know them by their fruits. Because the fruit of repentance now of these messages is a beautiful thing.
Verse eight, 8And that whoever did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders, all his property should be forfeited and he himself banned from the assembly of the exiles (Ezra 10:8 AMPC).
I guess that’s what’s going to happen here. God will ban you from being among us. We will not ban you, God will ban you. God banned Adam and Eve for the willfulness, He banned them from the garden. People will not be able to come here among the little children who are eating only of the tree of life. He will ban everybody who’s willful, persisting in their willful ways. It’s not possible for you to come into the Promised Land, you’re not even breathing the same air as I’m breathing. I’m breathing the air of His Word, of His messages. You’ll be out of your element, you won’t be able to come. Not because we don’t want you to but you can’t.
They could not stay in the Garden of Eden. Not because God didn’t want them to stay but they could not. They took themselves out of their own element. They took themselves out of the environment that God had created for them and that’s what the house of the Lord is in your plantedness is, is the environment that God has created for every new creature. That’s your garden of Eden. It’s the fivefold ministry. It’s Ephesians 4. It’s your plantedness. It’s the messages. It’s your Apostle Paul. It’s your…it’s your… it’s the ways of God in His Ecclesia.
Now the Manna has ceased. He’s not spoon-feeding people anymore. “Have a little bit of that doesn’t matter if you haven’t changed. Okay, I’ll just tell you again. And I’ll just tell you again and the manna will be there all the time. Every Sunday the manna is there.” That’s over. It’s stopped.
We are eating of the messages that are going to take us straight into occupying and into our promised land. That’s what we are eating of now. Hallelujah! Because there are those of us that are going in. We’re going in. We’ve waited long and we’re going in now. Hallelujah! Glory to God. We’re circumcising our hearts. We’re letting ourselves come to the place and come to the message. We’re not going to be deserters and drifters. Hallelujah. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Sho!
Lord, You want me to go here too? Well, this is a different one to this morning. He showed me. He showed me how people and even children that grow up here in this house, find it very easy to leave this house. Because they’ve got things to do, other places. They’ve got studies here and they’ve got this there and they got potential here and potential there and the house of the Lord means nothing to them. Nothing. Zero. They’re not seeking first the Kingdom. They’re seeking first their own things.
They are, you are a deserter. You’ve deserted the house of bread. You’ve deserted your apostle, your prophet, your pastors, your teachers, you’ve abandoned them. You’ve abandoned the house of the Lord for your own willfulness, for the world’s sake. Because this is what the Lord wants me to show you right now. He wants it to come out right now. He wants it to come out right now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.
Okay. He gave this to me. On the 17th of November, 2 Timothy 4:10. Can we bring that up? Can we bring that up please, 2 Timothy 4, 10. We’re going to go back to Ezra. I’ll tell you they cleaned up house, hey.
2 Timothy 4:10 10For Demas has deserted me for love of this present world (2 Timothy 4:10 AMPC). If you’ve left your place of planting you’ve deserted, you’ve deserted Pastor John, you’ve deserted the Lord Jesus, even more importantly, you’ve deserted, you’ve deserted it for love of the world. Sommer net so.
“We love the world and its ways and we don’t like this restraint that is in this house. We don’t like the level of consecration that Jesus wants of us. This degree, this degree is too hot. This degree. So we won’t admit that. But we’ll, it’s time to move on. My season is up.” Jesus Himself said in the book of Isaiah, “Who can live with these everlasting burnings.” (Isaiah 33:14) We can and we are and we will. It’s not your Paul you desert, he said you deserted me.
“And we can leave”, and it’s Jesus’ church. You use an excuse to leave, that’s full of reason and relevance for your lifestyle. It’s all worldly. It’s like the world, the whole world does this. You know, just where I am in my heart. If people are going to leave now please don’t write us a Dear John letter. Just go. Just go. Why? Because I’ll tell you what now, what Pastor John can’t do, and he wants me to go there too. He wants me to go there too. All right, I’ll show it all. God’s laying it all out now. He’s laying it all out now.
Ezekiel chapter 14 Amplified Bible. Please you precious girls in the back there bringing up the scriptures. Right. Don’t come and see us about it. After these messages, you know what you’re doing. Just go. Right. 1Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me and sat before me. 2And the word of the Lord came to me: 3Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and put the stumbling block of their iniquity and guilt before their faces; should I permit Myself to be inquired of at all by them? Should I, when they have their own idolatry in their own lives. Why should they come and inquire of me?
4Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols [of self-will and unsubmissiveness] into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity [idols of silver and gold] before his face, and yet comes to the prophet [to inquire of him].
In the last perfect period of waiting, we had people come to inquire of us and they’d already made up their minds what they were going to do. “Come bless us Pastor John because we made our own plans come bless us, bless us. Please bless us.” Not in this period, anymore; we’re going in.
And yet comes to the prophet [to inquire of him], I the Lord will answer him, answer him according to the multitude of his idols. 5That I may lay hold of the house of Israel, that I may lay hold of the house of Heritage of Faith members, in the thoughts of their own mind and heart, because they are all estranged from Me through their idols. If you have left your ancient path and your place and your people, like Elimelech, if you’ve left you are a deserter. Doesn’t matter what your reason is.
Verse six, 6Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7For anyone of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who separates himself from Me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity and guilt before his face, and [yet] comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of Me, I the Lord will answer him Myself! 8And I will set My face against that [false worshiper] and will make him a sign and a byword, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Do you know what it’s like to be cut off from the midst of your people? It’s a nothingness. It’s a dark, horrible, terrible place. It’s terrible. It’s horrible.
I will set My face, so I’ll cut him off from the midst of My people. That’s what God had to do with Adam and Eve’s willfulness. There. I put the flaming sword. You cannot come back in here. Now, you’re going to sweat it. That’s the result of willfulness. You’re going to sweat it and it’s going to be hard.
It had nothing to do with “Where is the love Pastor Sharon? Where is the love?” Where is your love for Jesus? Where’s your love for Jesus and His house? Where’s your zeal for Him? This has got nothing to do with love. This has got to do with the glory of God. In fact it’s got everything to do with love.
9[The prophet has not been granted permission to give an answer to the hypocritical inquirer]. Pastor John and I are not allowed to, anymore, give any answers to any hypocritical enquirer. That’s why, if you come, you’re going to get burned. If you come to inquire as a hypocrite, you’re going to get burned, because you’re going to get nothing. Then you’re going to burn yourself, because you’re going to say, “Yes, you see, those people. You see, Pastor John, you see Pastor Sharon.” And you’re going to touch God’s anointed, and it’ll be dangerous for you.
All right. He says here, 9[The prophet has not been granted permission to give an answer to the hypocritical inquirer] but if the prophet does give the man the answer he desires [thus allowing himself to be a party to the inquirer’s sin], I the Lord will see to it that the prophet is deceived in his answer, and I will stretch out My hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel.
I’m not going to have that happen to me. Neither is Pastor John, we’re not going to give you the answer you want. Your answers are in every message every Sunday. It says here, 10And they both shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the iniquity of the [presumptuous] prophet shall be the same as the iniquity of the [hypocritical] inquirer.
11That the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people, and I may be their God, says the Lord God (Ezekiel 14:1-11 AMPC).
Do you get it? Do you get how different God is with us now? How He’s, He’s changed. He’s changed, the manor has ceased. This is it, people. This is it, the manor has ceased. The Promised Land, fruit of His Word, sharp two edged sword is coming now to cut. Because His love burns so hot for us. He wants to take us in, He’s not going to stay in the perfect period of waiting. His time for that is up. Glory to God. So anyway, I believe God has had His say here.
You can go and read the rest about Ezra and you all, if you want to hear how God called me on the 22nd of June, out of the book of Ezekiel, to go to the children of my people, if you want to hear about my encounter I had with God, when He told me I’ve got a mantle that it’s coming on you that’s got a fragrance that is going to the results of it is going to be so pleasing to Me. People are just going to give Me their whole lives, they’re going to become like little children. They’re just going to, they’re just going to come into obedience with Me into absolute love with Me; because of this. You can go and listen to the first service. Praise the Lord. But the Lord has done here now. He’s very pleased with what He’s been able to say here in this second session.
You have been wonderful. You’ve been wonderful. You have been wonderful because you’ve received it and if you never ever come back then we understand why too. Okay right, right, right. Yes, yes, yes. Yeah, that is right because you’re not going to be able to come and sit here and not be cut. You’re not going to be able to come in with us like that.
I think He wants me to read this last thing. This one last thing. Isn’t this, isn’t this triumphant? Isn’t this triumphant? Isn’t this triumphant? Glory, glory, glory to God.
I just wrote this out of my spirit.
We are really going in now. He is here right now. You can’t come here and be with us casual. It’s not possible. You dare not. It’s very hot. His fire blazes. His Spirit gazes. His two-edged sword is turning. It’s burning. It’s on fire. It’s His white-hot love. For many of us here who’ve been waiting, watching, and praying, faithful we’ve been against much adversity we’ve stood. He has come. He is here. He’s taking us in. You can’t come with us with your unbelief as they did in days past. All they gave the Lord was grief. You can’t come here with us with all of your pride. You will soon find out that among us it has no place to hide. Yes, it’s His desire for all to come, but few are chosen for few choose Him, to walk with Him on the narrow road that leads to His life. You can’t come here with us and not be cut and cleansed. You can’t come in with us with your feet in the world. You have to make your choice. Make it fast. You can’t dilly dally in your past. You can’t come with us if you’re living for yourself. You can’t come with us if you’re making your own plans. You can’t come with us if you’re withholding your things. You can’t come with us if you’re not properly planted. You can’t come with us if you’re not submitted to Joshua, and committed to the words he brings. We are going in, we’re entering in. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You can join those who do what seems right in their own sight.
With God giving me this or not? Deuteronomy 12, you shall not do anymore this day, what you used to do in the wilderness, everyone doing what’s right in their own sight. You can join those who do what seems right in their own sight, who put their trust in their own sword and their own strength and their own might. They seek not the leading of His great Holy Spirit, whom He sent to lead and to guide.
I commend you to His Word. I commit you to His grace. I’m telling you, you… We’re going in. We’re going in, we’re going in, we’re going in. He’s given us a little time for reviving like in the book of Ezra, and for reviving to lighten and brighten our eyes. How beautiful is that scripture He’s given us a while now? He’s giving us a while. He’s giving us time to circumcise and cut with His sword. So that we can be healed. Messy, but it’s going to lead to marvelous.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. This is good news today. Don’t despair. Don’t despair, but let the sword come and enter there. Right? Glory, glory, glory. Hallelujah. Say, “Lord cut, Lord, cut. I’m here. Here’s my heart. Here’s my heart. I give You, I give You. What I can’t give You, take. What I can’t give You, take it, take it. Lord, these stubborn places I’ve had not been able to give You, take it. Take it, Lord. Take it. Bring Your sword. Cut it, take it, take it.
The Lord said to me one day, He said to me, “I know how to take you. I know how to take you. Don’t try so hard to give yourself to Me. Just do what I’m telling you to do. Your foot in the message, your ear in the sound. You know, just draw near to Me. Just, you know. Don’t be discouraged by your own hard places of your heart that you really know, ‘I really want to give all that to Him.’ I know how to take you. I know how to take you. And if you want me to take you. You keep telling Me you want Me to take you, I’ll take you. I’ll take all of you. I’ll take all of you. I’ll take all of you. I’ll take all of you. Stay planted. You stay planted. You stay protected. You stay in My order of message. Messenger. Exodus has begun. You’re coming. Come, come, come, come, come, come, come now.”
Listen, when those people went into the Promised Land, they were not perfect but they had all become like little children. They had all become like little children. Right, right, right, right. That’s the qualification. Unless you become and humble, and come, and humble you can’t enter in. But if you become and you’re like a little child, you’re coming. You’re coming. Yes. Yes. You say “Yes” to everything. You say “Yes” to every message He brings. You say “Yes, yes. Cut, cut, cut, cut. Yes, Lord, I seek You, I seek You.” And the devil says, “But you’re not really seeking Him hard enough.” “I’m seeking, I’m seeking, I’m seeking, I’m seeking. My whole heart is seeking.” “You should be praying much longer. You’re not…” “I’m seeking, I’m seeking. I’m presenting myself, my body, a living sacrifice to Him every day.” I’m saying, “I’m a son of God.” I do the same as you. I wake up in the morning, I have to wake up in the morning and say, “I’m a son of God. I’m being led by the Spirit of God. I’m being fed by the Spirit of God, hallelujah. I’m being guided by the Spirit of God. Hallelujah. I’m a son of God. I’m in participation. I’m speaking to You today Holy Spirit, expecting You to speak to me today, Holy Spirit.” Hallelujah. Glory to God.
The good news is it’s got nothing to do with the way you feel. I don’t say that because I feel like it. I don’t put my foot in the message and go to the notes again during the week because I feel like it. I don’t pray and talk to the Lord because I feel like it. I do it because I’m a son of God and that’s what sons of God do whether they feel like it or not. That’s the good news here. That’s the good news here. You think I wake up every morning like I am when I’m under the anointing here when I’m preaching like this. You think I’m like this every time. I tell you I have the same “I don’t feel like it” as you have on a Monday. But I do it because that’s what a son of God; I have the same “I don’t feel like it” as you have. I’m telling you accurately. I have exactly the same “I don’t feel like it” as you do. But what’s that got to do with it? It’s got nothing to do with it.
I’m a son of God, and it’s what I do. It’s what we do. We don’t neglect the assembly. We put our foot in the message, we put our ear in the sound, hallelujah. We do not neglect the assembly and we come and we say, “Take me. Take me. Take it. Take it. Cut it, cut it out, out, out, cut it. Come to church every Sunday morning and I’m going, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. Ouch, ouch. I see all that selfishness, that willfulness, that ‘My stuff. Mine, mine.’ Ah, I come every Sunday.” With the precision, with precision, He will make an incision like a surgeon with the scalpel He will cut. Lifestyle change. Lifestyle change. “Yes Lord, yes Lord.” Not by your might nor by your strength, but by His Spirit within you because your drawing near.
You’re doing this thing that I saw Cobus standing there and you had your hand like this here [Pastor Sharon places her hand over her stomach] and I thought, “That’s it He’s right here the Holy Spirit in you and in me. You, you little children, you can talk to Him. He’s right in you if Jesus is your Lord. He’s not the God of your mother or the God of your father; He is your God. He’s your God. He’s your God. You heard Pastor John said at five years old, he got born again. At seven years old, he got filled with the Holy Spirit. He’s your God. He’s your God. God holds children responsible in this house for their own intimacy with the Holy Spirit.
Intimacy with the Holy Spirit is the oil of the five wise. That’s the oil. “So why did you go in?” “We had extra oil. What do you mean? What do you mean? I can’t give it to you. I could give you what I got with the Holy Spirit, but you got what you got. You got what you got with the Holy Spirit and so with that, you’re going in. I’m going in. I’m going in. I’ve got the Holy Spirit. I’m with Him and he’s with me and we’re talking a lot these days and I know His voice more than I’ve ever known before. No, I’m going in.”
You’ll see how amazing the Holy Spirit will be when you put your foot in the message, and you get that message, and how He goes pop, pop, pop, light, light, light. The entrance of His Word brings light, light, light. Pop, pop, pop. Praise the Lord.
I’m going to really let you go now. I commit you, saying it one last time. I commit you to God and I commend you to His Word today in Jesus’ name. You were all so blessed today right? And we all say, amen. Goodbye, everybody. Have a wonderful day. Have a wonderful day. Have a good lunch and go rejoicing. Bye, everybody.
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TOUCH | TEACH | TRAIN | TRANSFER
