A Battle and King

I was teaching one time from the spot, I watch the person I've never seen walk in the back, kind of hesitantly, walk up and sit down next to earn Garden teaching this whole time and wondering how the new person came in. The Racine that person before whisper something to earn guard gets a response, stands up and walks out.

Later, I asked her, I'm guard. What was that all about? She said, the woman asked me if this was the funeral for a particular person. And I thought, you really have to have more Vitality people, it got to have more life. Mortuary on your face.

I don't see the body. Okay.

So, I've been showing this picture for the couple weeks that I've been teaching.

Robert Plant, the last couple weeks while we were out of town. This is A rendering of the final tree. And it's the image has been important to me especially at leading up to shovel loads and thinking of Shavuot and the association to fruit. I would have entered this summer growing season and their religious calendar. But also in the agricultural, calendar of the Jewish peoples, and I've been thinking about this tree at the, at the end of times and it says that the fruit. But also the leaves are important. Okay. If there's fruit and season regularly, each month and its leaves are also for the healing of the Nations. And, you know, people are like trees. This is in our faith. We make this comment regularly people are like trees and we bear fruits and we have roots and we need to be pruned and we need to be cultivated and we like trees.

You were leaves are for the healing of the Nations. Not just are your roots, be good.

But your needs should also be good. You help heal other people. You kill your neighbor. You heal your brother you help heal. Damn day help kill you because we have hurts and we have loons. So I've been thinking about this tree and berry fruit in the season and we're thinking about the fruits of the spirit Someone, when I turn 40 at my birthday party, my wisdom birthday party. Someone gave me a car that had on it, fruits of the spirit. I think maybe it was Margo. I don't remember, I think it was. But it said, you know,

One fruit leads to the next. Someone has consumed with this way. Love leads to Joy. Joy leads to peace. And you can think of it that way. And so this season, I'm kind of thinking of it that way. Over a month since shovel or love is kind of creates all the others and it leads to the other. So now we're kind of the joy season in my own mind of grow. Thinking about focusing on Joy for this, this. Growing in joy. And I encourage you to think about the fruits of the spirit love, and joy, and peace, and patience, and kindness, and goodness in gentleness, and faithfulness, and self-control. And Grow in then, increasing measure. That's our furnace should be good and our leaves also for the healing of the Nations.

second or fourth of July holiday independence of our nation from The British crown.

There. Fireworks last night in Xenia. I know others. Have you celebrated in your own ways at different times? I think it's worth celebrating. It's a good country. The perfect country but it's a good country as somebody who's traveled a little bit in the world. You know I lived in the strange feeling for 4 years but I saw probably 15 or 20 countries of Europe in the time that I was there traveling. And man, it's a pretty good, it's a pretty good country. It's not the only one that has Freedom's. Not the only one that has Democratic principles. And its government is not the only one that has representation and its its government. But it's a it's a pretty good country. You want to see some really bad country racism. Especially I go to Europe. I mean what I sense their what I observed there in the historical animosities 1 people for the other is not good.

For instance, the week gypsies were treated in Finland or view. The voice of Molly is reviewed in Finland. The way the Russians were viewed in Finland from the fens the way Estonian swerve, you, I mean it it's it's deep.

I think we have a pretty good country. Country is still good. People don't usually leave if they don't like it, it kind of stay.

So-called this teaching a bottle and a king. If you've done any of the readings for today, you know, that the major tally is new, war or battle. The root of this word, Islam.

Some of you know, the word left him as bread, but as a verb is this word, he fought. Right? I don't know how much they're connected, but

Neil, is the word baffle. Or War. And I titled this is a sub pilot adjust War because I do believe that we are fighting a just War. I'm not going to go to too deep into what some people call just War. Theory, the idea that certain Wars are just from the outset. The

moral or legal tradition deems, a war Justified, even a preemptive War can sometimes be considered just depending on the reason you are going into war, I'm not going to feel too much with this, but it is a concept and I do believe that you and I Part of the Kingdom with a king or a part of a just battle or just War. We're fighting something. The part of what makes up a war Justice at the justification for going into the war, the actions inside the war, which we saw a little bit the last couple weeks. And actually, how do you conduct? War. I even today in our seder and then what is the result? Is there peace. That comes as a result of this a lasting peace. Now, lots of people think their Wars are just probably Putin thinks his words. Justin Baby, Hitler thought. His work was just so we can make excuses for the justiciar battle, but I'm talking on a spiritual level today. I'm not really talking on a physical level and I think you'll probably recognize that. Here are passages. We put these on a schedule so that your kind of familiar with them when we come. And I would say the songs that Steve chose and the things that Mariah talked about you will play and the stuff that they afford very well together. What we talked about in Torah study also, Are state or or Moses reading ahead of Deuteronomy 21 The Hofbrau. The prophet reading is out of Isaiah to Arnie's more the Psalms and 18 + 24. The New Covenant readings, the British had the Shah Matthew, some Sermon on the Mount Galatians in Revelation. I'll be mostly in Revelation 9, which talks about a battle and a king, are tally words, the words that link the passage has historically milk, as I've said.

Some of our cook or the captive. Annex tree.

that one I won't deal with really at all, but the first two we will Over the last couple of weeks I wasn't here. So I don't know exactly what I'm talking about. But in the text from Deuteronomy, 20 and 21, there have been a number of instances of how you conduct Warfare, right? And especially how you do it the right way or like like God's way, we've had a couple teachings here is talking about how cruel the ancient world was war was just brutal. Why? What kind of brutal in the ancient world? The treatment of women, the treatment of foreigners, the treatment of Orphan. It was just brutal. Life was hard. It was uncomfortable. But Using this principle of guest, lecture about Lincoln passages by word, the beginning of Deuteronomy. 20 starts with the same couple of words that are reading this week starts with keep pets when you go. When you go to battle, when you go to war and we have a couple things listed, right? We see that. There's some principles for when you go to battle and I'm not just talking about when you go into a 4in theater to do War, right? I'm talking on a spiritual level. When you go into battle when you're ready, to actually engage in some Fighting spiritually, speaking that a person should not be fearful or preoccupied or rash as they go to war. If you remember from the reading this week, but it says, when you go out to war against your enemies, The Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take captivity captive or you take captives captive. Right. And you see Maiden You don't just take her and abused her.

the, the

The sounds of War.

observation of Death Around you, the The fighting that goes on and close hand-to-hand combat, it can't be pleasant and creates in a man. Thank you. Doug, dudus testosterone.

And usually would happen was just when one defeated. Another was just the abuse of women. That says what happened and God says, we don't do that. We don't do it that way. If you made me, bring her in your house, to slow, everything down, get a month, she shaved her head, fingernails, she cries. She kind of makes herself unpleasant to you, and then we'll see what happens after the month is over, right? So slow, it all down. Scott's ways, but different.

That's next week but Deuteronomy 22 couple weeks ago. Was the saying that the game when you go to war against your enemies and you see horses and you see chariots in the Army is bigger than you, you don't need to be afraid of them. The Lord, your God is with you. What you got to eat, I'm going to fight for you. He also says, if you have people who are fearful who are in the battle, send them home. Shrink your army, if someone's fearful, send them home. If somebody preoccupied, they have a Vineyard that they haven't enjoyed yet, or they have a wife that they haven't enjoyed yet, send them on their mind, is somewhere else. We can do it with fewer people. So if you are fearful or preoccupied or impulsive, you're really not ready, as nice as I spiritualized this, but I said principal eyes, when I'm reading here in the text. You're not really ready for battle if you were any of these things. All right, if you really going in to spiritual battle, you can't be these things. Okay, I think that's a good word for us because really, I think all life is sort of a battle. Everyday, when you wake up right those Traditions to say Shema and put on the kingdom. I just want to take it off at night when you said the evening, she might put it back on the morning when you say smile and you are in the Kingdom all day long, you were a servant in the Kingdom. You got King, you're in a kingdom.

And all day is like a battle. You're fighting. and if for some people, I recognize life is harder than it is for other people, some people's life is hard,

that's just, I don't know if there's an explanation for that for why it is

Some people think they're like it's hard and it's really not is that's why we have this. I think this phrase, right. The struggle is real, right? I think this phrase was burst out of some really simple problems. Like got in my car to go to Chick-fil-a today but it's Sunday off. The struggle is real like I think that's the or had to look it up cuz I didn't really know. I think that's the origin of this like my problem. Recognizing your problems are really not that hard for some people. Life is a struggle.

not that the Chick-fil-A struggle, but that But really struggles, maybe because of decisions that you made in your life that you still deal. Deal with 20 years later life can be hard.

I wrote a song. A couple years ago, I wrote for song. This is foam three. But my phone 3. In the home.

Okay, I've written three songs. I encourage you to write songs about, you know, I suggested running Parables from here. I suggested writing songs from here for songs. I'm going to take a nap off the Recently. I don't know. My inspiration is waning but the song free.

I wrote this and I, I don't know if you're going to understand this, but this actually isn't me. Like I wasn't, I had, it's not me, but I was in this moment where I felt this for someone else. Some people have Hertz in their life. God of understanding I Lay My hurts before you. She has Hertz.

Her struggles are real.

She got hurt. I know. I know.

She okay. She's fine. She fell over.

Oh well, you shouldn't be chewing on keys.

I'm going to start over. Perfect God of understanding. I lay my head hurts before you. No, man knows the depth of my grief. No human knows the Cry of my soul, you will only listen and Care. Men may attempt to hear me or feign compassion but you you offer and understanding that is genuine. No, where on Earth has Justice prevailed but in your courts, no false word abides there and they're alone. Does the wound on my soul receive a fair hearing? Compare not my suffering to those of mortal men. My suffering is my own, none Knows It, But Me

Declare me free. Oh God staff my wounds that? I'm I praise you. Wholeheartedly from my mended heart and speak of your compassion with an unchanged tongue.

I know that some people have hurts deep hurts. Cuz life is a battle.

And the enemies are there. I said evidence here, but I do know if the enemies are as evidence as I want you to think that they are. I don't really think that we're fighting people, right? You like it was there's a person across town who believes a certain way and I'm fighting against that, you know, no matter what they think or how they lived. That's not actually your enemy. 70%. Wow. That's my that's my enemy and maybe if you want to think that, but that's only partly the enemy. We said this before in rabbinic literature who are the enemies of Israel.

Israel, the enemies of Israel to this. Damn, that's what I mean. Because sometimes we are Our Own Worst Enemy. the things that war inside of us, the thing that makes life a struggle isn't

the other person. It's my attitude towards the other and actions towards the other person hits me. That's the struggle. That's the battle. The battle is my selfish desires. The battle is my anger, the battle. The battle is my dishonesty, but the battle is my impulses and I can't keep blaming other people for my actions. If everybody else would just change. I'd be fine if my kids would obey. I wouldn't lose my temper. If my wife would do what I said, then we wouldn't have conflict right now. The problem is me,

Thank you. I accept that. The problem is me. Right. So, I was thinking about enemies and we read some passages that have enemies in here. It's not someone else Whose actions might be your enemies spiritually. But but really it's those same things in them that is causing them to act that way that they need to war against. Selfishness has lost prydz.

Lack of gratitude. It's these things that war in us. That's why I'm glad that Mariah went back to. Matthew 5 is the remedy for functional living. Broken relationships, back to Matthew 5 in The Sermon on the Mount. West Indies. People bless their release people? Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek of the peacemakers. This repairs. This is the battle. And those people Desiring to live differently Desiring to live in the Kingdom Under a king, are battling. Mostly against themselves. So that's why I think the enemies are at the gym. Battle king is not for the tally words, it was a couple weeks ago, right? I talked about King parables.

We're in a kingdom, and we have King. So, very much appreciate Steve's choice of songs. because in our reading today, which comes one of them would come from Revelation, 19 talks about the king, the king of all Kings. He is a king that has no equal. Revelation 19 says this. Before I go to Revelation 19, I do want to remind you when we talked about King Parables a couple weeks ago, and I mentioned that the genre of King Parables, right Tinkerbell's are very common in rabbinic. Literature doesn't use King Parables very often surprisingly few of the fifty or so Parables that. That we see that he's given only three of them really are King Parables and all of them had something remarkable. They were very the king and all these Parables was very magnanimous, she was very generous, very forgiving, very gracious.

That was pretty severe judgment. It was surprising to me when I was researching that week to see the few, the few King, Terrible's all of them, ended very harshly. It's not really the view that I like to have of the king. All compassion, but but he had compassion long compassion, great compassion. He forgave that debt. That was like trillions of the holders, right? For the guy. then when the other wouldn't forgive, He faced judgement almost in Parables ended in judgment in this Revelation, which, of course, is a picture of the end details Revelation theology right here. But writing like Revelation, I put in a category of apocalyptic Jewish literature they have seen since they have no teeth and I don't know if all the specifics are really critical but the general message is you're going through hard things right now.

God Reigns. I didn't hear he will be victorious. I think really, but look, good point of the Revelation but watch out. This King are our team functions.

His eyes were like a fiery flame and all his head were many Royal Crown and he had a name written, which no one knew about himself. And he was wearing a robe soaked in Blood and the name, what you was called was the word. Word of God and the armies of Heaven, those at fault with him, those that followed him, they were closed and Final in white and pure and they followed him like horses and out of its mouth from the sharp sword, with which to strike down Nations, he will rule them, or the staff of iron. Psalm 2 reference.

He will love rule them with an iron Rod shatter than likely a pot. There for Kings, be wise. We warned you, judges of the earth, serve the Lord with fear and trembling kiss, the son, lest he be angry and you perish along the way when suddenly his anger blazes. How blessed are all who take refuge in him, right? This is home to where we have a good pictures of kings of the earth, having to decide, which Camp are going to are they going to yield to the king?

The king of all Kings. But he did have anger insult to. Also, I saw the Beats of skipping a little bit, I saw the Beast and the kings of yours in their armies gathered together to do battle. Here we have our tally

Final battle. There's still a battle going on right now. Every day, there's a bottle. Spiritual forces with physical forces. The battles in me, the battles in you everyday, or fighting back.

It's good to know. I have a king. A king that has no equal.

In about the volume Talbot, it's 199. They're talking about like Look, they're talking about the days of Messiah, right? Because the Jewish concept of Messiah cannot really exist without King attached to it. All right. Sure enough. Even a high priest is a messiah, a type of messiah, messiah means anointed right? What? Which Christ Christ is, the Greek word of the same Hebrew word, which is mashea. But this is talk about a messiah or the prophets are dealing with Concept of Messiah does not using the word beside. We're dealing with the concept and I talked about David King, when they say, you can't have the Messiah Concept in a break. Mine without King being underneath it a little bit. That's good that the qumran community in the Dead Sea Scrolls. They had these two Messiahs cuz they really thought it was important for them. That the two Messiahs of God, a high priests and the King function separately. It was really important for them, but mostly when you're dealing with a concept of Messiah which we do it, a lot here, Church of the Messiah.

King. Is it extricable from that idea? It has to be there. The idea of Messiah here, we see this in the Babylonian talmud in 799 a run has Alia said, it said they'll be 6 years, somebody else a 10w 40 years. I'm just using this as a point to show that. When you're talkin about King, you're talkin about Messiah, right? Was he sick cuz he's quoting, he's quoting. Now Tire will be forgotten, seven years according to the days of one king. Cuz Isaiah 23, says tire will be forgotten for 70 years, according to the life of one millisecond. He says. Now who is the one king Messiah? Of course, they were talking about King anywhere in the scripture. You better? Think about Messiah.

Rabbi Hillel said, there will be no Messiah. There will be no King for you, so they have already enjoyed him during the days of King Hezekiah. Hello. I think this is a later. Hello, actually, based on a footnote that I saw, but anyways, Reb. Yosef said may God forgive him for saying that? Because King Hezekiah though he was a good King. Not the king that were looking for to bring Universal peace. On Earth, not the king that we're looking for to bring Justice on the Earth. Not the king that we're looking for.

He's a kid. King Hezekiah, good job. Well done. As king got to be hard to be king, maybe it's good to be king. I don't know, but it's also got to be hard to be king.

It's hard to be king.

Good Kings. Through history have done a couple of things and they were noticed in our half to rot and Isaiah to good Kings. Often, drink 7 time, they would feed the people from their own coffers. Providing food for people, a good King. Does that the opposite of what? Just let them eat cake, right? They said them themselves when the people needed food. That's what a good King does. A good King also brings Justice into the land historically. Get those courts going to providing Justice to people. the opposite of that, we see in Isaiah to where there is Injustice for people but a good team actually had a role did charging cases. I can drop food a king, brought Justice, King protected, the borders, internal peace protected, the people from external Invasion. That's what a good King does. A good thing as compassionate. He cares for the well-being of people, he doesn't just see what he can get from the people. A good King is compassionate. A good King is humble.

You see that the opposite where there's no leadership at all? Did I say to one of our readings for today? No leadership. No, King. No support for the people, but I have a king. I have a king historical throughout my life has always fed me and I have a team throughout my life, who even though I don't see Justice everywhere has been just with me. Here's my complaints and it's just with me. I have received way more than I deserve from his hand. and I have a king who's allowed me to create a piece for me and not everybody lives in peace, some people live in war but Throughout my lifetime. I live in. Peace, out of King through you. I praise for that piece.

I have a king who's slow to wrath with me? He's compassionate and magnanimous with me. I have a king who I know nothing but good from his hand. I live in a kingdom with a king. Could existence a really good 43 years. And somewhat may say you have an imaginary friend. That's what you have. You don't have a king or a God. You have an imaginary friend? But not based on what I've seen. Not based on the spiritual experiences that I've had too many things to be coincidence. Too many things. I seen too many things.

To believe that this is an imaginary friend, who speaks to people who speak, to me words that I need to hear who speak to me, which speak to other people words, they need to hear.

I think too much good in this world from people who follow this, King. Write the hospitals. The nonprofits throughout this country and around the world. Most of them face faith-based, most of them based on this person

So much good.

I'm just person. Are king who rules the kingdom? He is forever expanding because he's not just working in my heart he's working in your heart and he's not just working in your heart, he's working in the heart of the relatives that you think he's not working in their heart. And the person who's a co-worker, we are certain he's not working in their hearts. He is working in their heart.

He is a king whose ever expanding his kingdom. He is without equal. He's been a good King.

What's worth going into The Fray? It's worth going into the bottle with him.

On his robe and all his thigh with a name written. King of all Kings.

What is Sherry? Ward, the tenant or study most Kings have been bad? I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Most Kings were self-serving. Most Kings were not mortal thing. You can do for their people, what they should have.

What is it? The King and I what is, what is what is the son? Say, at the end was he a good King and he died? What was her name?

Me knowing she said, I suppose, no, king is as good as he could have been. Right. Target must be hard to be king but thankfully other Lords on his role in his spy is written this name. I don't know if actually this is really what the passage is going for. I think, probably not.

I don't think this is a tattoo Mark. I think it's more likely at the place where the it's stitched on the road is probably in this spot here as there on the horse. I don't really think it's a tattoo mark. I don't know necessarily if you're sure would have tattoos like this. Don't think he would in his culture. Just have mom. He's got father on his tattoo. I don't.

I don't think so. I think it's just on the road at his side level.

Pizza. King a great king.

King of kings, and he is worth loving, and serving with your whole heart. At, I know. There are.

Parts of us that we've given over to his Reign and parts of us that we haven't given over to his reign. so, I would encourage you this week, if you're looking for an application out of this teaching,

To make a call him. He reigns in this area of my life, he does not rain in this area of my life. Be honest with yourself. I still control this area of my life. I'm doing a good job over here. He rules in this.

Somebody else rules in this me.

You're not as good, a king as you could have been. You're certainly not as good as the king of all Kings and the Lord of all the wards, his kingdom is here on Earth and it is ever-expanding, and it is worth expanding.

Definitions for each, one of us. However, has been given Grace to be measured on the side of the bouncy. I wanted to point out this because it had the word captivity in it. Taking captives at the beginning of our state or talked about when you go to battle, when you go to war and it's getting numb, your expanding Kingdom, and you take captives. Here's how you treat them. How you treat your enemies?

Each one of us, however, has been given Grace to be measured by the size bounty. This is why it says after he went up to the heights, he let captivity captive and he can't get some head. It's just one good thing after another, even the rebels is this passage and it's kind of complicated because in the New Testament start music, why exactly? The way it was in the song there's two more things going on there but it talks about a great battle. God's chariots are Myriad. Repeat a thousand lies among them. After you went up into the heights, you let captivity captive. And anyways, you took them like you took them from or you took them to write the best. Why? I think the, the Hebrews ambiguous hear you, give them. You took the gifts and you gave them out among man, or you took them from that. I like the idea of giving them out even from among the rebels, the rebels come to be part of the Kingdom.

So that you might live forever.

King with a kingdom. That's worth expanding. And so what I'm trying to say is the battles that were part of daily To deny ourselves to fight against you, call the flash, you could call it the evil inclination, you call the strong inclination, whatever you like to call it. Those daily battles that we fight against our lost in our pride, in our desires. That we see it. whether it's

angers frustrations, which is largely, mine would have been really open about that or if it's small dishonesty.

whether it's a pridefulness, Just many many people, whether it's fear, which really is a lack of trust. Sometimes, all these battles that we fight daily, we fight them because we are part of his kingdom. If we weren't part of his kingdom, we wouldn't really care about this battle at a friend. One time. He was telling me. Why is it that? It seems like I struggle with this, but other people don't struggle with it. It's like I reach for that the mouse on the computer because he wanted to look at images and he's like,

Yeah, people died at the street didn't do was in the mouth, because he doesn't care. He's not in the battle because your shoe is not his King and Lord. So, yeah, it's a battle for you. It's not four brothers because they choose not to be in the Kingdom.

The efforts are worth it. We fight. And we fight because we have a great King has been good. So good. And will be, I leave one last passage from our song. Chase my enemies encouraging to me my enemies and I overtook them and I did not turn my back until they were finished off. And I forgot that they were not able to stand and they fell into my feet. there goes my lost and there goes my prize and there goes, my selfishness has

And you girded me with strength, you supported me in the Battle of King. Those are rising against me. You made to kneel under me.

And you made my enemies, turn their backs and I destroyed those who hated me. Those things they hate you. They cried out. There was no rescuer, the cry to you. K w a he did not answer them and I can go around them like Dust in the Wind. I empty them out like

The gods executing Vengeance for me and subdued people's under me. Who delivered me from my enemies against me. You delivered me from the man of violence. Therefore I will give thanks to you among the Nations. You take? I will sing the praise of your name. The one who makes 360 resource King.

Because our victories are the king's victories, right? If we're in his kingdom fighting battle, alongside him behind him, when we need those enemies.

The needs of the king's victories who shows loyal to his anointed, his Messiah to David is descendants forever. Again we have to be poured into the concept of machine language is Anointed there. Amon Amon I'll pray and we're finished.

This is not an altar call. We don't do that very much here, but I wanted to say something this week about the great king.

And I know most people in here have given their heart tissue. They would call themselves a Christian or a follower.

But does he reign?

Are there parts of our life? That we haven't given over to his reign.

She has been a good King to me. He has been a fabulous Lord and King. teaching me slowly

what I needed to learn what I needed to hear.

providing food Providing Justice and peace. Healing humbly with me for giving me. Teaching me. And I fail to express to you. What a wonderful King.

Show how much shock is Jesus. The Messiah has been for me.

I failed to express it.

But the more of our life. That we can yield to him the rain over.

Better. The better we are. Taken care of. When we hold parts of our Lives to rain in those particular parts that we muddle up, because we're not the king of kings.

We're a bad little kid. or queen, if you like,

In This Moment. Or this week. Consider parts. Have you filled it? And those parts that you have not yet yielded.

And give him up because he's a good King.

Father heaven. Thank you.

You are a great king. but you have,

Sun cools at the king.

King Messiah.

Thank you. Dear God for this metaphor.

We've never lived in a land with a king. We fought against the king. We Believe Kings only abused their power. Where are meeting somewhat meaningless figureheads because we never lived under one.

the best example we have is you

thank you. This King.

It's worked in our lives and innumerable ways. Was spoken, was quietly in the spirit. Taurus. Used Austin lives of others continue. Dear God, to spread your kingdom through US, expanding with each Act of goodness. Each new ministry, that started that reaches the homeless or women, or former drug addicts, all these things done in your name.

Hospitals feelings. All these things done in your name, and your kingdom. Not just the conference, the acts of goodness spread. You are good and your kingdom in this world. Let me do this. Increasing measure the Chevy. Ensure the great king.

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