Bill Winston - The Mystery of Meditation - Part 3
Somebody say, good news. It will be good news for everybody. No matter who you are, where you from, or what your pedigree is, it's going to be good for you. Look what it says in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 22, but you are come under Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to the innumerable company of angels to the general assembly and the church of the firstborn. Say firstborn. You'll notice that Jesus is no longer called the only begotten son of God once you get out of the gospels, because after that, he is not the only begotten son of God. I am also a begotten son. He is now called the firstborn, which are written in heaven. And to God, the judge of all... underlined that because you just saw the judge up here, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.
So notice what we just read that God is the judge. So now when we're talking about wrong being done, the way that we can cut some things off and the way that we can get a recompense is that we must bring the right party to the heavenly court. Alright, now let's, let's deal with this for just a minute. The kingdom one man said that the kingdom really hasn't been preached and over 400 years, that's what he's saying. Now religion's been preached. I'm a Baptist, I'm preaching this. I'm a Methodist, I'm preaching this. I'm a church of God in Christ, I'm preaching it. I'm Pentecostal holiness, I'm preaching this. Now let's go overseas. I'm the Anglican church, I'm preaching this, but one of them churches was over those slaves. And religion blinds folk, because it's all about you coming to a place and doing something and then try and act nice for a few hours and then going back and do what you do. But the kingdom is in you and wherever you go, God is there convicting you compelling you, come on now, guiding you, speaking to you.
So now the kingdom must be preached. And Jesus came to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. Now, what is it about? It's not so much about you going to heaven because if you look at Ephesians chapter 2. He said, you are already seated there with him in heavenly places. So it tells me I got heaven made. What I got to do now is work on getting heaven, come on, down to this earth. And heaven is a place of justice. Say amen to that. So you and I are going to be carriers of justice. Now Jesus said something. He, that is not with me, come on, is against me. Is against me. So I'm saying religion, look at the religion now that spawned terrorism. That's religion, folks. Come on now. They're saying, if you don't belong to that, you're an infidel. Say amen to that. That's what they say. How about another religion? Even KKK, they burn a cross, man. Just hear what I'm saying now, because we're not talking about people.
You better hear what I'm saying. Not talking about people, I'm saying that all of them are walking in darkness. If they don't have the light of the kingdom and they are not depending on the kingdom and see God as their source, then the light of the kingdom are not shining in them. The apostle Paul wasn't extremely religious man, but he was a terrorist. He would come in people's house and they confess Christ as the Lord and savior. And he grabbed him and pull him out of there and hear their children crying, mama, mama don't go. And Paul had no mercy. How bout the man who was hauling some of those slaves on those coastlines, and he came in, but one day something happened to him. He once was blind, but now he could see, and he came up with a song. "Amazing Grace, how sweet". Let me tell you some of us, if you knew what you know now you wouldn't have did what you did then. Come on now. Say amen to this.
So don't be trying to take the splinter out of somebody else eye without first taking that stick out of your own. Say amen. No, no I'm saying if you get out of love, none of this will work. You've got to stay in love. So it's interesting here, justice. So now let's see how this fits into what we're talking about. Let's go to two places. Let's go to Luke chapter 4 and then Isaiah chapter 61. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus was given a book of the prophet Isaiah verse 17, and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book and gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Now notice what he did. He now read out of Isaiah, and he read out of Isaiah chapter 61. Okay, let's go back and see what he read. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn, to a point under them that mourn in Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified, and they shall build the old waste. They shall raise up former desolations and they show repair the waste cities. The desolations of many generations and strangers shall stand and feed their flocked, and the sons of the alien shall be your Plowman and your vine dressers. But you shall be named the priest of the Lord. Men shall call you the ministers of our God, and you shall eat the riches of the Gentiles. And in their glory show you boast yourselves for your shame you shall have double. For your confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Come on down to verse 8. For I the Lord love judgment. That word judgment translates. Guess what? Justice. I hate robbery for a burnt offering and I will direct their work and truth. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles and their offspring among the people, all that see them should acknowledge them that they are the seed, which the Lord has blessed. Jesus came to preach that. So in this we're talking about vengeance and recompense. Vengeance has nothing to do with hate. It's nothing to do with resentment or some emotional retaliation. Vengeance proceeds from God's love of justice. The necessity of punishing offenders, recompense. Recompense means to compensate. It means to repay, to return an equivalent of anything done or suffered to make amends.
Now, I want you to see something. There is a former and lattering Jesus ministered, mainly under the former. Let's go and look at Luke chapter 9, please. And starting at verse 53, Luke 9:53, I just told you vengeance had nothing to do with hate or resentment. Now understand when Jesus preached the Spirit of Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. You send me to heal the brokenhearted, preached deliverance to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set liberty to them that are bruised, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord. He closed the book and sat down. He didn't say anything about vengeance because vengeance was not a part of his ministry. He was under the former reign, but as soon as Jesus left and the Holy Ghost came, the day of vengeance came upon the enemies of God's people. Lord have mercy. Stay with, look at verse 53, and they did not receive him because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
Look at me, Jesus went to preach, went through that village. He was headed to Jerusalem. Now he had prayed for Jerusalem and he did not pray for that village. He headed to Jerusalem because of now is the time for his passion, that he was going to give his life for all mankind, humanity. So what happened? He's gone to Jerusalem and he came went to the village and the disciples was used to people coming out and so forth. Nobody came up. Look at the reaction of the disciples. And when the disciples, James and John saw that, they said, Lord, will thy thou command fire to come down from heaven and burn this bunch? I'm just talking, put in my own word now. Consume them just like Elias did? But he turned and rebuked him. He said, now you don't know what matter was spirit you are. For the son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them, and they went to another village. Whoa, Whoa, look how he handled this case considering somebody that didn't come out to see it so forth and so on.
Look how he told his disciples to handle that . Now this is Jesus' ministry. But once he left, the Holy Ghost started. Let's look at his ministry. Let's turn to Acts and chapter 13. Now remember this is time for God's favor. Now what is favor? Remember favor means to support. It means to assist. It mean, now I'm not talking about, Hey, you know, you favor your daddy. I'm not talking about that favor. Again, we got the wrong definition. That's not in the Bible. Favor has to do with divine assistance. It has to do with God providing advantages to you above everybody else, him showing you special privileges. Him featuring you, him bringing you into a place of making it easy for you. Him granting you special privileges, providing advantages for you. You ought to expect favor everywhere you go. You go into a place you supposed to expect favor to come. Say amen.
So look what it says here. Acts chapter 13. Now this is when they're going and Paul had joined them because Paul had gotten born again now and so forth and verse 2, and they ministered to the Lord and fasted. And the Holy Ghost said separate me, Barnabas and Saul for the work until I have called them, let's go to verse 4. So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia. And from thence, they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogue of the Jews. And they had also John to them minister. And when they had gone through the aisle of Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus, which was with the deputy of the country. Deputy means governor. Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. Prudent means got some sense, intelligent man. Who call for Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the Word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer for so his name is by interpretation, withstood them seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him. And he said, Oh, full of all, subtlety and all mischief thou child of the devil thou enemy of all righteousness will thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord. Now Jesus would have ignored Elymas. And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you and thou shall be blind not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him, a mist in the darkness. And he went about seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
Now the deputy, when he saw this was done, he believed being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. Now, wait a minute. I want to say something here. I want to see vengeance taken over. I want to see the fact that Jesus gone seated at the right hand of the father, making intercession for us, but now the Holy Ghost is here. Now Jesus had made a statement. He said that upon this rock, I'm going to build my church, and the Gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So the first job of the Holy Ghost in these last days, is to execute vengeance upon all the enemies of God's people and nothing will escape Him. Are you with me here? Now you got to understand it's not about hatred. It's about judgment. It's about justice. It's about something that God is going to do through you. That the set time has come. That nothing is going to be able to stop you. Because the favor of God is working for you.
And now you cannot any longer be molested. You cannot any longer be assaulted. You can no longer be harassed. You can no longer be tormented. God is going to judge anyone who wants to take you on because he said, touch not my anointed, do my prophets no harm. God is going to build his church and execute vengeance upon everybody that's trying to stop it and stand in the way. The Holy Ghost is come now, he's going to convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. And I'm here to tell you right now that God is not intended for you to have to fight your own battles anymore. You're not going to have to get even with anybody.
So whatever from now on have been tampering with your destiny in God is going to have to be dealt with. Whatever's been afflicting your body is going to have to be dealt with. Whatever's been humiliating you, whatever's been against your peace, and your progress, against your career, your business, your children, everything else being put down because God's vengeance has now taken over. Say amen to that. We can't leave off recompense. Look what he says in Hebrews chapter 10. Look at verse 30 if you will. For we know him that has said what? Vengeance come on, belong to me. Who is me? God, and who will recompense? God will recompense saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall what? He's going to judge his people. I told you that when the latter rain comes, that's when the vengeance begins. And I'm saying that it begins in the day of vengeance upon all the enemies of God's people.
Now, this is going to beautify the church. I'm saying that everything that has been done to you, heaven has monitored it. Heaven has kept records of every bit of injustice that's been done to his people. No matter what your background, no matter where you come from, everything that has been embezzled from you, extorted from you, stolen from you, defrauded from you, exploited from you, scammed from you, robbed from you, substituted for you, everything that's been resisting you have now got to be restored. Everything is going to be brought back, because now is a set time of God's favor among his people.