Leon Fontaine - The Power of Jesus
There's an incredible verse about Christmas. In Isaiah 9, that I want to read you, and I'm going to unpack it a little bit and teach from it, because it is so mind-blowing, and it is, so not what Christianity is. We've missed it somehow. And so I want to use this portion of scripture to maybe help you, help us, kind of get back on course, as to why Christmas is so important, and this Jesus that Christians around the world celebrate, and serve. It just brings out something I think we need to look at. So, here we go. Isaiah 9:6-7, "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it, to uphold it with justice and righteousness. From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this".
I love Christmas, for those of you who have been around I mean, from our house to churches, I mean, I just love Christmas. I love all the Christmas stories, fables, someone nailed me one time said what's all about Jesus. What's Santa, the Grinch, and everything else. And so I waxed eloquent, and is said, well, even Jesus made up stories. He did? I said yeah, they're called parables. And the purpose of a parable was to tell a story that wasn't, didn't happen, it was a made-up story to make a point. I said, so, what's your big issue? With all this fairytales and stuff. Most societies use fairy tales to teach points. Don't lie, good will always win, and so I said as long as you realize Jesus is the reason for the season, I have no problem with all the rest of this stuff. Relax, stop being so religious and judgmental.
We're celebrating Jesus, but we can have all the other fun and not be someone that people see coming to work going ooh don't talk to this guy. But, Jesus. A baby. A lot of people don't get past the baby. Now, I love babies. Anyone hangs around me, I mean, Sally and I had five kids. She would have had more, and maybe we should have, I don't know. Now we've got grand, and there's something about this baby when you pick him up, with little toothless smile, these little chubby cheeks, and you get to kiss him on both cheeks, and then they hit about five or six months where they actually cuddle you and they hang on to you. I mean, I could go, I love babies. But, that's as far as some people see Jesus. Is this cute baby. And, they'll read this verse, the government will rest on His shoulders, how many times have you heard that verse read?
It's read all the time everywhere, the Christmas story, and I love it. I love the fact that Jesus is a gift to us. But I want to show you something here that actually is really inspired me even more this season as I was meditating on this portion of scripture. It's talking about a child being born. And it says, the government will rest on His shoulders. Now the word government isn't the one government that you and I think of. Because, here in Canada, when we think government, we think democracy. Who are we going to vote for? Liberals, PC, NDP. But, the word "government" here in the original means, "his rule and his dominion". It says, so, the rule, and the dominion, is going to rest on Jesus' shoulders. What rule? What dominion? When Jesus came, a new kingdom was established. This kingdom is called the Kingdom of His Son. The Kingdom of Light.
They asked Jesus, where is this kingdom? He says, it's not a kingdom you can see with your physical eyes. He says, it's a kingdom from within. Even when Jesus walked the planet, as He grew up there in Israel, occupied by an enemy country. Rome was in charge. Yet, it couldn't stop the gospel. China can't stop Jesus. North Korea can't stop the Kingdom of God. It's alive and well in Russia. It's alive and well in China. It's alive, there were days they used to kill you for being a Christian in some of these countries. And all it did was make the church grow greater, grow stronger. The Kingdom of God can't be stopped. And on this kingdom, there will be no end. This kingdom is going to increase, it's going to increase, it's going to get bigger, it's going to get more powerful. In fact, the Bible says, that we will disciple nations.
Some Christians, well actually, a lot of Christians as I travel and get kind of a more, a greater world-view of Christian's ideology, their world-view. I'm surprised that the majority of people that I speak with, their world-view of Christianity is that we're kind of the resistance. You know, when Nazi was occupying France, there was the French resistance. And they would kind of, you know, blow up little convoys, and they'd attack, and maybe you've seen movies and then they'd disappear into the bush and they'd hide in the alleys, and they'd try to plague this great big evil group, and sometimes people see the church like that. That the world is impossible to stop, it's going to get worse, and it's going to get worse, and it's going to get more evil. And they use a few verses out of context, to paint that picture.
And so we the church, we're the David of this great big giant. No, get it right. The Bible says, that upon this kingdom, this rule and reign of Jesus. It says, there will be no end to the increase. No end. Well, but I heard my favourite preacher on TV say, that it's going to wax worse and worse. Oh, some people will. It says there's going to be a great falling away. It's not talking about now. This is talking about the time when Jesus left. And what was taking place in the timeframe that's already happened. The teaching of the Bible, is one that Jesus is the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. And that we belong to that Kingdom. You know, all of us are trying to find our heritage. You can go get a blood test now, one of my daughters got a blood test, and found out that how much native is in her, now much First Nations, how much of this. And you know, we're probably Heinz 157. And, you start looking at this, and you think you're finding your roots. You think you're finding who you are.
Well how do you find out who you are, in forty different countries that you're from? Oh, I know you're a purebred, but. I'm a mutt. The kingdom that gives me my identity is not Canada. Oh, I'm Canadian. But I'm Heavenian first. I'm a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. And, amen. And although I'm in a democracy here, I love democracies in the physical world. Jesus is not, we don't vote on the decisions Jesus makes. He is the King of Kings. And the Western world knows nothing about Kingdoms. And we've got to understand. Now what kind of a ruler, what kind of a king is He? Well, it says, His name will be called Wonderful. He's not called a tyrant. His name will be called Counsellor. Why would they put the word counsellor in there? Because when you've got a tyrant who rules people, he rules them with a fist of iron, and he says move you move. He doesn't tell you why. But here, the King of Kings will counsel you in your own heart. About your identity, your call, your future, your giftings. Discovering where you should be.
It's not this socialistic thing where you're going to pick potatoes and you're going to make vodka, and that's it. No, no, this is something that the King will counsel with you. His presence will heal you, He'll touch you. It says He's the mighty God, he's the Eternal Father. The Prince of control, no. He's the Prince of Peace. Upon His shoulders, rests the government. Upon His shoulders, rests all rule, and dominion, and that's who we serve. I serve Jesus before I serve Canada. I serve Jesus before I serve popular opinion. I serve Jesus, and if I have to offend, at times, I won't back down from Jesus. Others, by the thousands, have given their lives. All we need to worry about is a little embarrassment. This Jesus, the government rests on His shoulders. And oh his rule, his dominion, is wonderful, peaceful. But at the same time, it's not like, it's not like don't mistake God's kindness for His weakness.
One of our greatest problems, in some businesses and countries is you think to be powerful you've got to be mean. To be powerful, you've got to dictate. To be powerful, take out anybody that messes with you. But Jesus is the servant King. He said He came to serve mankind. But upon His shoulders, rests the government. The rule of this kingdom. When you give your life to Jesus, whether you are American, Canadian, you know, French or, I don't care, it doesn't really matter. You enter the most important citizenship of all. The family of God. And Jesus, the one we celebrate at Christmas, He's incredible. He's amazing. And if your world-view of the world is that the world is so powerful and Satan's going to become more powerful, then we've got anti-Christ's and beasts and harlots, somebody took the book of Revelation, and misunderstood it so bad, that it made the devil big and God little. It made the world amazing and the church pathetic. It made the world the, no.
The church of Jesus Christ, is the only reason this planet has not imploded or exploded. We are the reason, and if ever this church is gone, this world is finished. The only hope is that Jesus is building His church. Jesus must be such an ineffective builder that the church He's building is pathetic. And unable to touch the world. It must be that Jesus is such as wimpy leader and king, and although the government and the rule and reign rests on His shoulders, but to be a part of the church is to be kind of, huh huh, gosh golly gee. Where are we getting these ideas? The church of Jesus Christ is the only reason that countries are even making it, because even if it's an evil leader, inside that country, it's kind of like, you know, when Abraham was interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah. God was talking to him. Evil, evil cities. He said, but Lord if there's but twenty, would you spare it? They'll spare it, Abraham, for twenty. But, Lord, don't think I'm too forward, if I could find ten, would you spare it for ten? God said, I'd spare it for ten. I think Abraham made a mistake, he should have went for four, three.
God is so good, God is so amazing, we need to understand, that this Christmas as we celebrate Jesus. It's not a one-time happening, that we all go Jesus, little cute baby with chubby cheeks and no teeth, and He's smiling, and He's laying with these three wise men, and the camels, and there's a star above Him. I do all that, we've even got all that set up in our, it's beautiful. But I have a deeper understanding. A deeper wow on the inside of me, that goes 2000 years ago was the start of a kingdom, that the greatest champions on this planet join. Men and women, warrior princesses. Men that know who they are in Christ. Standing for something, and the only thing that'll keep your family, your kids, and you grandkids strong, will be the freedom of religion. The ability to bring Jesus to a world that is hungry. Only Jesus can meet this deepest need that every one of us thinks we get it from our career, our spouse. Sex, drugs, whatever it is. It's this Jesus.
It says at the very last part of verse 7, as it talks about His kingdom will always increase. I want you to notice that. It's never going to decrease. It only increases, it started with 120, 2000 years ago. And today it's passed a billion to two billion people that profess Jesus as their Lord, as their Saviour. The last line says, from then on and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts, will accomplish this. Any time you see a name of God, you need to examine it. The word, The Lord of Hosts, the word hosts means hosts of armies. Excuse me? Hosts of armies. What armies? The angelic hosts. Jesus Himself said when they were going to kill Him, says you don't take my life. I give it. You're going to kill God? I don't think so. I lay down my life for the human race that I love. Said I can call ten thousand angels, legions of angels. And destroy the world.
This Jesus, is now King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, He's not some little baby with no power and no might. He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Revelations chapters 1 and 2 shows us what He looks like now, and He's not no longer this cute little baby in a manger, in swaddling clothes. He is, is dressed in armour with eyes like fire. Hair what, I mean, this incredible figure that made John fall on his face because of the power that radiated off of Jesus. And what he looks like now. It says, He's the Lord of angelic armies. The Lord of hosts. And that's what's going to accomplish this. Jesus as He grew up, in his thirties He died, gave His life, died on the cross for you and I. But in Matthew 16:16, He's asking His disciples, twelve of His closest friends, who am I? Who do people say that I am? They got it wrong, the eleven disciples didn't know, and they were quoting other people. But Simon Peter answered, and he said You, You're the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus said to him, blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
I want you to know that, for Christians to stay strong, they need a revelation of who Jesus is. You can't just come and try to get fire insurance. Okay, where do I got to sign to miss hell, Leon? Just say, I just want to become a Christian. It's actually, not like that. It's a relationship, it's a believing. And as you choose Christ, Holy Spirit reveals Him to you. And it says here, blessed are you Simon Barjona because flesh and blood, this was not explained to you by flesh and blood teacher, but my Father who is in heaven. And I will also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church. Stop right there. Some people think that Peter was the one we're building the church on. And so we've got St. Peter's everywhere. In every country. Most cities have a St. Peter's, which is cool. I don't care what they call it. But that's not what He's saying. We're not building the church on a man, Peter.
We're building the church on the revelation Peter got. Which was that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Anointed One. Jesus is our Lord and Saviour. That's what we build our church on. And then he says, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. So to all of you end-times prognosticators who love to sell books and get on TV. It says, that it's never going to overpower the church. That the church of Jesus Christ, which is the name of His kingdom, is always going to be increasing. Never decreasing, increasing. And it says, and then it says, and I'm going to give you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth, has been bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth, shall have been loosed in heaven. I don't have much more time, but I want to plant a thought in your mind. How can I say it in a minute and 27 seconds?
One of the greatest reasons why the smartest people, no, not the smartest. Why many of the smart people on the planet who, just think nonstop about Christianity, don't accept Christianity, isn't because it doesn't bare out. I've interviewed scientists and some of the most brilliant minds on the planet who are passionately in love with Jesus. But the one governing thought that many struggle with, is this Christian doctrine that says, God is in control. And, God is love. Take those two thoughts, and try to put them together. How many women are being raped today? How many children are being killed, molested? How many babies are starving of hunger? Who's being murdered on this planet right now, as we speak? And if you've got any kind of brain in your head, you kind of go, how do those two thoughts go together? God's a god of love, and God has the whole world in His hands.
I was debating with a group of doctorates and seminaries, this very topic one day after a television program. And they were trying to say stuff like, you know, God has a reason for everything. I said that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. And they got, their eyes got this big. I said, what do you tell that little three-year-old baby dying of brain cancer, screaming in pain, that oh there's a reason behind it. See, people who think this through, choose not to accept Christ, because of the church's stance, which is not even in the Bible, He's got the whole world in His hands. But, that's not even a verse in the Bible, it's a song.
Corinthians 4:4 says Satan is the god of this world. But now, when you give your life to Christ, and you come into the kingdom of His dear Son, you can by faith, give your life to Him, and give Him control, and speak to mountains. It literally says here, that we must believe. Christianity was never called Christianity. You know what it was called? It was called The Way. And it was the way of believers. You had to believe that Jesus was Lord, you had to believe that Jesus had died. You had to personally believe that He would be involved in your personal life. You had to believe that He had given you authority, you power, to pray. And prayer is not a begging, pleading prayer, but know how to change the things that are going on, on this planet.
In Timothy, it teaches us that first of all, pray for kings, and leaders. Those who are in authority. Why? Because when you learn how to pray, because prayer's not just talking to God. That's one kind of prayer. The kind of prayer that takes authority over the dominions of darkness, that takes authority over disease, over early death, over all, is taught in the Bible that, it has a lot to do with what you believe. How do you see Jesus? How do you see yourself? And if, we see God as, He's got the whole world in His hands, and He's a God of love. You are walking right into the trap of, where so many have tried to share their faith.
God has given you so much free will, that you can choose whatever you want. Even by default, if you don't choose Him and learn the authority and the power that is in the name of Jesus, and in prayer as we pray, you'll miss this whole thing about Jesus, the kingdom of God will always be increasing. Our king is Jesus, and He is wonderful. He is filled with peace. He is almighty. He is the authority in our world. And I want to challenge you this Christmas, instead of just listening to religious beliefs, instead of just grabbing on to things you've been taught by somebody, that you, when you start to think about it go that doesn't make sense. Go back to God's Word and believe that the presence of God will give you a revelation of who Jesus truly is.