Root (Col. 2:2-3) – Christ is Everything
Imprint – Law
People look at others and themselves through the law, but what is the fruit of the law? It is death.
Prosperity, Mysticism
People who are imprinted in mysticism, they want mystical experiences. These are for people who’ve gone to church. They say, “I have the nature in law and these things,” it’s not that they are bad people but they keep judging other people, why? That’s imprinted inside of them. So, what must we be imprinted in?
Psalm 23:1 – Christ is Enough
If this isn’t imprinted, I will start wandering. You may have listened a bunch of times, but is it imprinted? Simply said, even if you listen, it hasn’t become yours. It has to be imprinted and become yours for this to come to life for you. Jesus Christ is the answer to all problems.
Gal. 2:20
You listen but it’s not working because it’s imprinted once, but will root over time.
2 Cor. 5:17
The outside is the same, the hair and look might be the same, because the software has changed on the inside, the outer appearance is the same, but the inside is different. There are people who drive around immensely big trucks, and they are so sturdy, but in the recent models, the old engines aren’t good. You have to change the inside. The outside may be an old classic car, but the inside is different.
Before, I was seized by Satan; the outside may be the same but the inside is different, then even if you’re older, the inside is constantly changing. That’s why imprint is so important. Right now is the time for you to be imprinted and rooted. Unbeknownst to you, this is continuously going into you. If you listen to a song, you’ll keep singing it. If you watch a drama, you’ll keep thinking of it. All your actions are the result of what you’ve seen or heard.
Do you know why they keep giving ads? Are models crazy to keep going on advertisements? All the clothes that models wear are being sold because people are bound to follow what they’ve received. If you go to a different nation, the first thing you learn are bad words; even if you don’t teach it to them, those are what people follow after. In California, there’s an accent that’s different from the East or South. Why do you think Californians have accents? That’s what they see and hear. It’s not that they try to learn it, but as they go to school, they listen to the teachers and follow what they’ve heard.
The way that God’s Word enters into us is what tends to come to our hearts. Today is the root.
Col. 2:2-3
That’s why Christ is everything. Through the evidence of the Word, in Christ is everything because God gave Christ everything. In Christ are all treasures of hidden wisdom and knowledge. Through Christ we receive all of these. To the ones who proclaim Christ, you receive so much more treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Christ is Everything
Be rooted in this. There is so little rain in the desert that most things end up dying, so cacti are the only things that can survive in the desert because they absorb a lot of moisture. With the moisture they retain, they’re able to survive, and they were made like this. Even if you survive in the desert like this, or if you’re a tree, in order for you to change America, you have to be deeply rooted in this. “I’m going to do well on my own,” but that’s a misconception. Everyone here does well because America has drawn all the people who do well.
“I’m going to do something here by myself,” that’s laughable because America draws all the specialists. That’s how our science keeps developing. Even the army is developed. Everything is developed because it’s made of people who do well. You have a misconception. People say America is so great, but then, what do they think? “It’s possible without God. Succeeding without God is possible.” This enters into the children at a young age. Why? The teachers don’t teach their kids, “America is subpar,” they say, America is great.
Ask homeless people, they say America is great, then they become, “We don’t need God; we can become great without God.” That’s the message of the devil and that will not suffice. That is a person who needs to buy a lot of drugs, and even with money, they become homeless. They don’t have the answer so they go around, vacationing. There’s no answer on this earth. You have to touch into the things of heaven. Things of the earth are not going to do. That’s why we have to say, we have met Christ and the power of the throne has to come upon you. All of your wisdom and everything has to come through that, through Christ. That is what you must be rooted in.
A person like this will have re-creation wherever they go. Joseph changed Potiphar’s land into a land of blessing. He became governor of Egypt and had re-creation. Answers come from above, so he had the answer of re-creation. David was unfairly chased around by Saul and couldn’t change his situation, and Daniel was taken captive to kill everybody but couldn’t change his situation. What is the mystery? Daniel was rooted, three times a day he looked towards Jerusalem. He was waiting for the treasures and wisdom that come from God’s power.
If you don’t survive by doing this, you’ll say America is great and then die. For people like that, even if Jesus comes, they won’t thank Jesus. They’ll look at powerful kings. For example, who would look at someone who is always poor and has no car, who has nothing to their name? You have to borrow some money but the person doesn’t even have money. They go to Jesus for support for their future but that person has nothing.
Jesus says, “Why follow Me? I don’t even have a home,” so those who look physically cannot follow Jesus. But those who have their spiritual eyes open? Elisha knew this and asked, “Give me a double portion of your spirit.” Everyone else didn’t need this, why? They were content only with the things they needed to eat and live to survive. But Elijah said, “Give me a double portion of your spirit,” he was rooted in this. A person who has this can change their environment as they bear fruit.
Word
Everywhere you go, you run the errands of Satan. It is not me, but it is the words of Christ that become my Master. If I experience an incident, what is the Word? Otherwise you’re rooted in humanism, thinking what you can do. With the methods of man, you cannot overcome the devil.
Deut. 6:4-9
In a land bound by the idolatrous culture like Canaan, God says to hear. They lived with their own things so even if they listened, they’re not hearing. When do these people surrender? When the things of their own aren’t working out. It could be at the last brink of death. Or it could be a situation where physical things broke down and left them no option. Or, it could be with children who have completely fallen apart. The parents may be fine but they surrender. It’s actually a blessing. Why? God is showing you the things of your own are not enough.
From the beginning, it’s important for you to hear God’s Word, why? He is the LORD our God, the LORD is one. There is no other method. It’s not like right now we’re going to worship idols, but He is saying there is no other method. They say, “We already have salvation,” but we’re talking about all methods. Because we’re not just talking about salvation, we’re talking about the method for all things in our lives: it has to be Christ, but why is it that we keep searching for other methods? That’s what we’re talking about.
Are we living like this because we think, we don’t know the word, “The Way, the Truth and the Life”? No, but in all things in our lives, Jesus Christ is the way. It says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” If you love in correct things, that’s not a method. You have to love God’s correct method, which is Christ, and the Word has to keep going, because loving someone means you think about them and the words they say. You should want to receive the Word and hear the Word, to pray.
These commandments I give you today are to be on your hearts, why? The things written outside, if you turn around, you’re not going to be able to see, but the things on your heart won’t change. Impress them on your children, why? Because your kids are going to take the baton and run. Even if it works out for you, if the next generation cannot do it, then things won’t work out.
Talk about them when you walk around, when you lie down, and when you get up. Children get frustrated, “Stop talking about this to me! My mom and dad are stalkers who only know Christ.” We’re not talking about a parrot-like Christ. We’re talking about, no matter what situation arises, to imprint Jesus Christ upon them. You think that just by saying, “Christ, Christ,” they’ll listen? No, they’ll be frustrated at you.
My parents called me crazy about Christ, but if you’re correctly crazy about Christ, that’s not bad. What’s the difference between a white belt and a black belt? A judo first level will try to overcome with their own weight; a ninth level will use the other person’s strength against them. Same with the gospel, if you go to the children and keep saying, “Christ, Christ, Christ,” and convert them with your own strength, they’re not going to like it. The parents think they’re correct because Christ is correct but a ninth degree black belt won’t do that. When problems come, use the opponent’s strength. Use that to give them the answer. If the person’s problem is about to appear, give the answer in advance. That’s the difference between a first degree white belt and ninth degree black belt.
Same with Early Morning Prayer, “I have to pray with my own strength,” and they do it once but cannot keep it up. What does a ninth degree do? They enjoy it. “When I pray in Christ, God opens the doors of heaven.” They enjoy it; otherwise, if you don’t know this, you’ll yell and try to receive something. So, how burdensome is it? When you pray, the Throne of Heaven pours out on you. If you just go anywhere and evangelize, it’s going to wash away, but you evangelize while waiting for a problem to appear? Then you can immediately give the answer then. What do you have to do? You have to wait, it’s like that.
Masters will not strike first, they wait, looking for weaknesses. That’s the difference between the master and it’s the same. If you’re a master, just wait and in one moment, you can completely give the answer. Why? The opponent’s problems and weaknesses are bound to come up. If the person says they have no problem, but you keep trying to give the answer of Christ, they will reject it. Evangelism to those close to you may be done like this, but we don’t know the problems of people whom we don’t know. 1/1000 times, you go to someone you don’t know, you throw the way of salvation and the environment is right and they receive it.
When Philip and the eunuch met, it was exactly according to God’s time schedule. Even if it’s one minute different, the chariot would have driven away, so God allowed them to meet. Without that, it’s difficult. So, the majority of people you evangelize to are those around you, close to you. You must look at their interests. Why? You are fishermen who have to save people, so you have to keep an interest in them. Why? If you’re running a business, to sell items, you monitor clients. Even doctors look at the past history of office visits, and patients think it’s burdensome to compile their history, but doctors have to know the family illnesses. When you first go to the doctor, they ask for the family history, and they give you medication after asking, “Do you have allergies?” They ask you all these things because it won’t work out and you end up being allergic to it.
The world is like this so you have to be specialized in saving people. Be a specialist, why? You’re constantly with them in the workplace and there are people who are related to you, so because they are close to you, you know everything going on with them, so you have to wait and give them the answer. Do you have to do this well? You’ll be rooted in this; otherwise, you’re wavering back and forth, then how can you give them the answer? If you’re wavering in your problem and cannot come out of it, how can you give the answer?
Then, when you listen to the news, you hear about financial problems and worry to yourself. You cannot come out of your problems yourself, then how can you give the answers? This must be first rooted inside of me, and you must be able to see like this. These are the meetings where Christ is revealed. Someone who is stuck in Gen. 3 will say, “Christ upon me, Christ upon me,” but they have no interest in the Christ coming out of me. But because through me, Christ goes out. Why? Christ came and proclaimed. Now He is inside of me, doing that same work. He put all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in there; everything comes from Him, so that is why we must root down.
John 15:7
Not legalistic words, but remaining in Christ, what does that mean? When you are imprinted and rooted, what does this mean? Then answers are bound to come. Don’t look at the answers that are to come, but look at the answers that have no choice but to bear answers. Fruit has no choice but to come. Why? If the inside is good, then good fruit will bear. If you have bad things, depression will come upon you. Within your interpersonal relationships, if you just do it according to what’s in you, you’ll be messed up. That’s how the world operates. If the state inside of me continues, it will eventually come out. It’s not all of a sudden, but it will continue unseen to the eyes. Right now if you continue to concentrate and receive this word, one day, it will come out. But for people who don’t realize this, they get frustrated that they don’t receive answers. Their inner state is very desolate because what is inside of you comes out in words. How can you say those words if it’s not inside of you? “I can’t do this,” but the state of not being able to do something is already coming out. Because it’s already negative from the inside, the negative words come out. It is not the words that are a problem, but the inner state is a problem. We only know to speak of what’s in our hearts. If the gospel comes out by our words, then it means it is constantly inside of us, but if you don’t have this but they ask you to talk about it, what’s more difficult than this?
Some people speak curse words well because that’s constantly inside of them, and they constantly apply curse words, but if you hold onto God’s Word, you can remarkably apply this in every circumstance.
Prayer
God, we thank You. May the Word of the gospel be our imprint, root, and nature. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.