The Leader with the Spiritual Knowledge and Eyes (Eph. 2:1-3)
May your spiritual eyes be opened today. This is not by studying but it is by God’s grace. If not by God’s grace, your spiritual eyes can never be opened. Then, how can we know the spiritual things? We can only know by the spiritual Word God has given to us. If you study music, your eyes may be opened to music. If you study engineering, then with the knowledge of engineering, your eyes will be opened to that topic.
Likewise, your spiritual eyes are opened with spiritual knowledge. The reason why people fall down is because they lack spiritual knowledge. It’s not that they don’t fall because they attend church; they fall because they lack spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge is only gained by God’s Word, then our spiritual eyes will be opened.
Spiritual Knowledge, Spiritual Eyes ) Leader
King Saul went against God’s Word and brought back the spoils of war. Before the war started, the prophet Samuel was a little late. There needed to be a sacrifice before the war, but the king himself offered that sacrifice, and that was humanistic.
Humanistic
If you don’t have spiritual eyes to see this, this is the reason why he and his future generations were destroyed through these two incidences. It was the entire generation ahead of them that was destroyed, that’s how important this is. If you go out into the world, it’s all about effort, success, diligence, and making money but the church is all about grace, so the world views this as useless, they look down on it.
Why is the church all about grace? It’s not possible with effort. If remnants misunderstand and look down on the church, it’s the way of death for them. Humanistically you can say the church is important but that is death. Without spiritual eyes, you won’t know how they will die. Last week, Pastor Kim told me why he couldn’t attend last week, “It was raining so I couldn’t make it,” but that’s not the truth. Actually, that Saturday, a disciple he brought up, an elder, was shot and killed by a shooting incident. How shocking must that have been for him? He said he will go to that person’s funeral service, and today’s message was the answer. Being unable to understand that today’s message is the answer, you’ll fall into humanism.
The black person who shot the gun didn’t target the elder, but it was just the spiritual state being revealed. If you do not have this knowledge, you cannot become the leader. The person was just in a state of being unable to receive God’s grace. Otherwise you have to study hard and be an elite to understand this, but it won’t take place. You cannot overcome or win over the disasters that come upon you. People think they are fine if they attend church, but people who attend church have that mentality. These are works that happen because, even if they attend church, they lose hold of the spiritual knowledge and spiritual eyes. Then what happens to that family? The spiritual state is relayed to the children. But if one person is able to have their spiritual eyes opened, that one person can change the spiritual background.
So, someone may say, “I attended church so well,” but don’t listen to that. Their spiritual eyes haven’t been opened. If our remnants do not have their spiritual eyes opened and instead have a humanistic walk of faith, it will be revealed.
Spiritual
Where there is a cause, there is an effect. If your spiritual state is the cause, there will be a result.
Drugs, Alcohol, Games – Addiction
“I don’t do alcohol or gambling. I’m not addicted. Pastor, if you gamble once, you’re statistically bound to win,” but that’s evil spirits. You can just play games and drink alcohol and you may not get addicted. Even in middle and high school, you can try drugs, but why does this go into addiction? You must have the eyes opened to see this to not fall into this and to save the person.
Satan
Without knowing spiritual things, it’s about not touching these things. How can a child not know games? You have to go to Vegas sometimes and people have situations where they have no choice but to drink alcohol. In the past, I almost died drinking, so I don’t touch it. I don’t smoke. In Dallas, some pastors smoke pipes, but is smoking the problem? The problem is the state the person is in. Depending on the spiritual state of the person, they may fall into addiction. But we cannot see the spiritual state because their eyes are not opened; instead, people try to restrain and block problems, but we cannot block addiction. I’m not saying we shouldn’t discipline with the law; I’m not saying we shouldn’t prevent people from doing this, but I’m saying it is not solved by that. If the person’s spiritual state is not healed?
Healing
You may say, “It’s just Christianity and God, you can just listen to good words,” but you’ll be in big trouble, unable to discern unbeliever states.
Sin – Dead, Authority of Sin
What is sin? It says you’re dead in your sin, but now you’re revived in sin? The Bible clearly says not believing in Christ is sin. That’s what is written in the Bible. What is sin? Sin is going away from Gen. 1:27, the Life that is God. That sin doesn’t simply arise.
Sin – Curse, Authority of the Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air, Ways of the World (Culture)
The culture of America is not for Christ. The culture of the church is the Christian culture. What does that mean? The cultures separated from God, under Satan. The culture outside is not the culture of the church, isn’t that right? If you’re not able to discern that, you will also be dragged along with this. It says you are following after the ways and the culture of the world. Halloween. We also have Halloween at church. People host things because they don’t want their children to wander around, but if you do not teach the children about the culture of Halloween, the children will be caught up in the culture of Halloween.
Culture of the Family
It’s all about success and going to a good school. Where did this culture come from?
Individualism, Democracy, Communism, Freedom, Capitalism, Human Rights
Why can’t America lock up homeless people? Human rights. So, even though people are outside, we can’t lay a hand on them, and America has become divided. Saudi Arabia went to China and Russia, They’re selling oil to China because it’s a Communist country, so the price of oil drops, and the value of the superpower nation drops. When the oil changed to China and Russia’s hands, the value of the dollar increased. The fight between the US and Saudi Arabia was over human rights. A person was killed on foreign soil.
God’s Sovereignty, Capitalism
You’re taught about capitalism in schools so you think it’s good; even churches talk about it. You guys don’t know about evil spirits and you don’t know what you did was wrong because you lack spiritual discernment. So, most definitely this has been imprinted and rooted inside of you, through your work, school, family, and culture, and it’s only at the church where you can change this. Not only change it, but it is only by God’s Word and spiritual discernment that you can be changed. If you don’t know this, you’ll be dragged along and swayed by the world without this discernment.
Let’s say you graduate high school and enter college, and your class is taught by a famous professor. At Harvard, there are famous professors teaching, and you think it’s grandiose so you get swept along. God is the One Who gives the blessing of finances, so without spiritual knowledge and eyes, you cannot discern. All of you must receive grace.
When spiritual things are opened, you’ll become the leader of your specialty you study and your work. Someone became the Pharaoh of Egypt, but who was greater, the Pharaoh or Joseph? Who was the leader there? The Pharaoh put all his responsibilities on joseph. Try working hard in your studies, if you don’t try, your physical eyes will be closed. The spiritual eyes must become opened through the Word. Then you’ll become a leader and you’ll become a proper leader. Even as you get married and start a family, you’ll become a proper parent. If you become a politician, you’ll become a proper politician; if you become a doctor, you’ll become a proper doctor; if a professor, you’ll be a proper professor as you teach with these spiritual eyes opened. Do you understand? What do you think of this? Do you think, “I just have to study hard at school and not miss church”? You’ve already fallen; that’s the worth and value. The first priority must become this spiritual knowledge and eyes, then the worldly knowledge comes from this, then you won’t be dragged along by the world, but you can guide it. You received suffering from the world, meaning you’re a slave to the world. Treated as a slave means you’re dragged along. You have to be dragged along by Satan, and even though you don’t want it, you suffer. What’s the result? There is a result that cannot be changed. The one who knows and can change this is the leader.
If you’re dating to someone and you can’t bring them to church, don’t date. It means it’ll be difficult in the world as you date that person. But you can’t guide your studies? Then you lose to your studies. If you cannot bring in money, you are losing to money. How do we bring this in? It’s not with my strength, if you have this, then God will move with His power. The entirety of this is worship.
Rockefeller, who knew this, was able to lead the world. Crosby, who knew this, was able to lead the world. Joseph, who knew this, led Egypt. Daniel, Esther, and the Early Church, it’s the same with everyone. The Pharisees religiously upheld the law, but what was the problem? Do you understand? It’s not about attending church regularly, but it’s God’s grace. Then what happens? The people who want to receive God’s grace must ask, “Lord, I am a sinner. I cannot do anything,” so you ask for God’s grace. If you think, “I don’t know if I need this or not,” you have to confess, “Lord, if it’s not by Your grace, I cannot give worship,” then God pours His grace on you. You have to know who you are and you have to know the world, then God’s grace will continuously fall upon that person.
It’s important to attend church from a young age, for a long time, so, I didn’t have a platform to stand on, since I started believing at 30, but it depends on God’s grace upon that person. Let’s say a person works until 6pm, the person who starts from 5am or 9am, the wage will be the same, so the things you cannot learn from school or the world, you learn it by grace through worship.
There are some people who are drowsy and falling asleep, however, you won’t be tired at a party. It’s the spiritual state. There’s no doubt. It’s a problem of life and death. Are you falling asleep? You think it can be this or that, that’s why you fall asleep. If there’s a test tomorrow, will you fall asleep? You will not fall asleep if there’s a test in front of you, but you fail because of the spiritual test because you don’t know what kind of time this is. You think this could be right or wrong, you shake; but if you have confirmation and assurance, you won’t fall asleep. It’s not about whether you fall asleep or not, but what kind of time is this? If you don’t know the most important time God has set for you, how could you know the important things?
So, in Africa, they had diamond mines, but they traded diamonds for cigarettes and small things without knowing the value of diamonds.
Eph. 2:3, Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air
The words may be correct, but a state without God’s Word is a state where Satan will work upon you. For example, Gen. 3, God had given them the word, but they forgot and held onto it in a shallow way. Week by week, you cannot remember the Word? It could be like that, and that state will be shown as your state at the end of the week. You always remember your midterms and finals, and you always remember the holidays. But why can’t you remember the Word? It’s because you do not know the value.
You will forever remember the scars your parents gave to you, but you cannot remember God’s word. Evil sprits grab onto you. Do you understand? You have to stake your life and hold onto the covenant. “Pastor, how can I hold onto the covenant and my studies? I need my studies,” but that’s something you lose hold of. You just have to hold onto this, and then you study, holding onto this. You can’t hold onto things with both hands, hold onto the covenant with both hands then study and then meet your friends. But because it’s not only the covenant, it’s this and that so your spiritual state is off.
During the week, if you’re able to hold onto “only,” then your spiritual state will be good. If you’re not able to hold onto “only” as you give worship, then nothing will work out great. Everything has to come out of “only,” that’s how Satan will not be able to bother you.
Eph. 2:3 Cravings of the Flesh, Desires and Thoughts
When people think something is important, they go. Why do we fall into the cravings of the flesh and the desires and thoughts? We don’t know what’s important
Wrath
Is salvation an action? No it’s by God’s grace. Then, are they saying the actions, if you do a lot, you’re saved, and if not, you’re not saved? You’d already be dead. But I’m not saying that; it’s by God’s grace. We were by nature objects of wrath, fundamentally. If you’re able to look at people and the world with this Word, you’ll become leaders. So that’s why you have to write this Word, confirm it, and meditate upon it.
Meditation, Holy Spirit
A situation arises and you concentrate on that? Your spirit will die. But when you meditate on God’s Word, God opens up the path because depending on the person’s spiritual state, they can see the reality. Joseph knew this mystery but Pharaoh did not even though he succeeded. David knew this mystery but King Saul did not. Daniel knew this mystery but the Babylonian kings did not. That’s why they fell down. Succeeding is not the problem, but helping others to succeed is the proper way. The world says you have to succeed, but you can’t listen to those lies. That’s why it’s God’s Word. By God’s Word, the Word is a spiritual thing. That’s how you’re aligned and connected with God.
God is the Creator of all things, moving all things, so it doesn’t make sense to not be aligned. If you work at your workplace, you have to be connected to the owner to know what he or she wants; without knowing, you’ll be quickly fired. So, I shared this message with you from Eph. 2:1-3. You have to realize people are trapped in sin and curses, under the ruler of the kingdom of the air. The culture of the world is the culture of evil spirits and Satan, but you don’t think about this. How about the schools? Do they worship God? You think everything else is fine and okay but people have fallen into the culture of the world. You think, “Halloween is fine because I’m a child of God.”
I’ll talk about this in Washington DC, that there are evil spirits controlling the politics. The spirits controlling Hollywood are media-based. What about Las Vegas? It’s games. They say the people who serve tables receive a lot of tips because the people give out tips freely. The people who think everyone is a failure here, they switch the machines, it’s all dependent on the spiritual state. You have to go there and flip everything with God’s strength and power that comes from spiritual knowledge and the spiritual eyes. God didn’t call you to just live safely in compromise with one another, but He called you to flip everything over.
Family Culture
That’s when you meet like-minded people, you raise a family, and then go on. If not, then you’ll just relay the same culture to the future generations. That culture of the family. If it’s not properly shown and acknowledged, it will be relayed to the next generation. Advice may help a little spiritually, it may cause their downfall; that’s Satan’s channel. But if you do not change the culture of the family, you’ll just be dragged along.
I’ve given this message to everyone, but if you don’t know it, I can’t do much about it. I’m saying, “Look at the family culture and through that, God will give you the power and strength to flip it over.” The Hispanic couple came, and they hadn’t come in awhile, but they talked about how their family member was lesbian and they blamed Obama legalizing homosexual marriages, but if they know in their conscience or their words, advise them and help them to change their spiritual state. This was their mission. You have to have victory in worship so your children will be like that.
They came after having missed a month, so it means they don’t know worship. We have these blessings. God has given us these blessings and to enjoy these blessings, God has given us our talents and specialization.
Prayer
Father God, thank you. Let us have knowledge of, power from, and the eyes to see the spiritual world. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.