What do you pursue?
Money? Power? Comfort?
Seriously. What do you pursue?
We don’t want to hear about the things you wished you pursued. It is critical that you hear the truth.
We are masterful at deceiving ourselves based on our intentions -- even if our intentions never lead to actions. That swirling that occurs in our minds as we try to process situations -- that’s what you want to unpack.
Picture an ideal world in your mind. Think deeply about this because this is what we use to measure our joy.
How quickly did you go to your condition in that place?
I have no debt.
I have no struggles.
I have no pain.
It’s natural for us to do that. But it isn’t Biblical.
So what is an ideal world?
We’ll get back there in a bit but we need to look at a few other things first.
Genesis 22:11 But the angel of YHVH called to him out of heaven: “Avraham? Avraham!” He answered, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy! Don’t do anything to him! For now I know that you are a man who fears God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
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Genesis 46:2 In a vision at night God called to Isra’el, “Ya‘akov! Ya‘akov!” He answered, “Here I am.” 3 He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt. It is there that I will make you into a great nation. 4 Not only will I go down with you to Egypt; but I will also bring you back here again, after Yosef has closed your eyes.”
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Exodus 3:4 When YHVH saw that he had gone over to see, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moshe! Moshe!” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 He said, “Don’t come any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father,” he continued, “the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov.”
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1 Samuel 3:10 YHVH came and stood, then spoke as at the other times: “Sh’mu’el! Sh’mu’el!” Then Sh’mu’el said, “Speak; your servant is listening.” 11 YHVH said to Sh’mu’el, “Look! I am going to do something in Isra’el that will make both ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.”
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Luke 22:31 “Shim‘on, Shim‘on, listen! The Adversary demanded to have you people for himself, to sift you like wheat! 32 But I prayed for you, Shim‘on, that your trust might not fail. And you, once you have turned back in repentance, strengthen your brothers!” 33 Shim‘on said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go with you both to prison and to death!” 34 Yeshua replied, “I tell you, Kefa, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.”
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Acts 9:3 He was on the road and nearing Dammesek, when suddenly a light from heaven flashed all around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Sha’ul! Sha’ul! Why do you keep persecuting me?” 5 “Sir, who are you?” he asked. “I am Yeshua, and you are persecuting me. 6 But get up, and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.”
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Exodus 34:6 YHVH passed before him and proclaimed: “YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [YHVH] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; 7 showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.”
What does it mean when something is doubled?
Genesis 41:32 Why was the dream doubled for Pharaoh? Because the matter has been fixed by God, and God will shortly cause it to happen.
The matter is fixed. By God. And God will cause it to happen.
Yeshua is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That matter is fixed by God, and God will shortly cause it to happen.
Look at Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Simon Peter, and Paul above. What happened to these men in that moment of being called twice?
There was a change that came for all of humanity. The matter was fixed by God, and God shortly caused it to happen.
What about you?
Has He called your name twice?
Has He called you into the city gates?
Do you possess the wisdom to serve His people in righteousness?
If so, there is a doubling on your life.
In Deuteronomy 16 we are told, “Justice, Justice, you are to pursue…”
The matter is fixed. By God. And God will cause it to happen.
He will bring things into your life to prepare you for such a time as this. He will tighten the screws just enough to get you to seek His Kingdom above all else.
And unless you flatly rebel against Him, justice will come.
The culture pushes a version of justice that can cloud its true meaning. While not always wrong, the definition in the world oftentimes changes based on the situation at hand.
In Abba’s Kingdom, however, there is only one meaning.
The word used here for justice is tzedek.
Meaning: Straight, Righteous: One who is upright or righteous is one who walks a straight path. To be straight.
Matthew 3:3 It was during those days that Yochanan the Immerser arrived in the desert of Y’hudah and began proclaiming the message, 2 “Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” 3 This is the man Yesha‘yahu was talking about when he said,
“The voice of someone crying out:
‘In the desert prepare the way of YHVH!
Make straight paths for him!’”
Turn from your sins to God. This is how the path is made straight.
1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in him continues purifying himself, since God is pure. 4 Everyone who keeps sinning is violating Torah — indeed, sin is violation of Torah. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him. 6 So no one who remains united with him continues sinning; everyone who does continue sinning has neither seen him nor known him.
So what is justice?
It is walking the straight path. Teaching people to turn from their sins and turn into God. But you must have wisdom in knowing what sin is in order to bring justice into the world.
Justice, Justice, you must pursue.
You must pursue it.
Seek the narrow path and call everyone to walk it with you. But keep in mind it is impossible to take anyone to a place you’ve never been yourself.
If you are to walk in and fight for righteousness, you must anchor yourself in truth.
And not the truth according to you.
Do you wait for two witnesses before establishing a matter in your mind?
How many lies do you believe about someone or something based on the testimony of one person? Even if that one person is you.
You know how you think and what you think.
How many lies has the Adversary told you that you just plainly believe?
How many lies have you told yourself that you just believe?
Maybe this is why we get so defensive when someone comes and accuses us of something. Maybe it is that second witness affirming the matter in your life.
Having a witness isn’t sufficient, however. The witness must be trustworthy.
Is the adversary trustworthy?
Are you trustworthy?
Or are you both false witnesses?
Stop listening to lies and seek truth. His Kingdom is full of truth -- which could be why men have such a hard time living in it.
Matthew 6:31 “So don’t be anxious, asking, ‘What will we eat?,’ ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘How will we be clothed?’ 32 For it is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. 33 But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Don’t worry about tomorrow — tomorrow will worry about itself! Today has enough tsuris already!
But we seek those things first, don’t we? Seeking His Kingdom and righteousness tends to come in a distant second.
What does the Kingdom of God really look like?
How do people behave?
What is the daily focus?
How does your schedule look in the Kingdom?
We can visualize that with a “that will come someday” perspective but what about today.
Luke 17:20 The P’rushim asked Yeshua when the Kingdom of God would come. “The Kingdom of God,” he answered, “does not come with visible signs; 21 nor will people be able to say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or, ‘Over there!’ Because, you see, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
The Kingdom of God is among us.
Or it isn’t.
What are your actual daily goals and objectives?
When you go to work, are you seeking opportunities to walk in righteousness?
When you go to class, do you look for the chance to serve a fellow student in need?
What does this look like?
Should you be passing out pamphlets and telling them the “Good News”?
Should you be asking to pray for them right then and there?
Perhaps, but unlikely.
You should be hunting for their needs and doing whatever you can to meet those needs.
This isn’t just throwing money at a situation and feeling good about yourself. This isn’t about raking your neighbors leaves then going in for a beer to celebrate a job well-done.
This is about seeing the world through Abba’s eyes. It is about having that fluttering in your heart Yeshua experienced as He looked upon a broken world.
What are people’s true needs?
In the physical: food, shelter, clothing.
These get covered pretty well for most people in this country but there are situations that require intervention. The homeless are the first thought that comes to mind but there are students that live off campus right now that have limited resources. There are kids in this community going to bed hungry because their parents use every resource they have for their addictions.
In the emotional: hope, love, compassion, forgiveness
These don't get covered well at all. People are hurting but they dare not tell anyone. People have learned how to put up walls of protection and the only way in is through relationship. This takes time -- but we’re really busy and truly don’t have that kind of time, do we?
In the spiritual: righteousness, submission, intimacy
These needs are rarely met even among believers. This is the purpose of the service here today. People have to want to enter into this domain and they must work diligently to have these needs met. You can’t be someone’s savior. This level of living requires a choice.
Physical needs get met with a monetary investment.
Emotional needs get met with time investment.
Spiritual needs get met when someone decides to give up the ways of the world and seek first the Kingdom of God.
If that is you..
Justice, Justice -- THAT you are to pursue!
Isaiah 51:1 “Listen to me, you pursuers of justice,
you who seek YHVH:
consider the rock from which you were cut,
the quarry from which you were dug —
2 consider Avraham your father
and Sarah, who gave birth to you;
in that I called him when he was only one person,
then blessed him and made him many.
3 For YHVH will comfort Tziyon,
will comfort all her ruined places,
will make her desert like ‘Eden,
her ‘Aravah like the garden of YHVH.
Joy and gladness will be there,
thanksgiving and the sound of music.
4 “Pay attention to me, my people!
My nation, listen to me!
For Torah will go out from me;
I will calm them with my justice
as a light for the peoples.
5 My righteousness is at hand,
my salvation goes out,
my arms will judge the peoples.
The coastlands are putting their hope in me,
trusting in my arm.
6 “Raise your eyes toward the skies,
look at the earth below.
The skies will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like clothing.
Those living on it will die like flies;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my justice will never end.
7 “Listen to me, you who know justice,
you people who have my Torah in your heart:
don’t be afraid of people’s taunts,
don’t be upset by their insults.
8 For the moth will eat them up like clothing,
the worm will eat them like wool;
but my justice will be forever,
and my salvation for all generations.”
You are being called into a new level of living. One that requires you to lay down EVERY care of this world. You are to lay down EVERY bit of worry you possess and start walking in the fullness of what you’ve been called into.
You are to be walking out the reality of the Kingdom in all you say, in all you think, in all you do.
There is no wiggle room here.
Luke 17:21 “Because, you see, the Kingdom of God is among you.”