Strange Fire = Good Intentions Are Not Enough

Let's go to the word of the Lord. How many remember the topic we are dealing with these days. I know I wasn't here last Sunday, but what topic is it? About authority. Everyone say authority, that is the key word, and I have insisted on this issue because I feel from the Lord that it is a prophetic issue, it is a key issue for our church at this time of its development, it is something that God is speaking, I believe, for all his church with a capital I, universal.

I believe that God has great things for the coming times. We are going to witness a movement of the spirit on this earth and in history like never before in the entire history of humanity.

I believe that God is preparing to open a new era in the history of humanity and that is why times are becoming so closed and the conflict between good and evil and good has become more and more defined, more graphically clear and the devil is doing everything he can to speed up and tighten his grip on humanity because he knows his time is short and God is preparing something that, I'm not sure exactly what the proportions or how that fits into the entire chronological plan of God in history, but I do know that a great move of God is preparing and God is going to return a level of authority to his universal church that perhaps he has never had on earth, on governments, about institutions, about international relations and a number of things, the arts, the intellect, the universities. The church is going to receive unprecedented authority and in order for the church of Jesus Christ to be able to properly exercise the authority that God is going to give into its hands, it needs to understand the principles of authority and the church is going to first need to know how to use authority in the meek, humble and helpful spirit of Jesus Christ who was a servant leader, a leader who served and serves those who are under his authority, he does not use them, he does not take advantage of them, he serves them with humility, with love, with generosity, but the church is also going to need people who know how to submit to authority.

How many can say amen to that? People who know how to submit to authority, first of the Father, of the word and also of their leaders. In that church that God is raising up, a powerful church at a broad level, apostolic authority is going to be needed. Repeat that word, apostolic. If you go to the Bible in the book of Acts you see there that the word says, that the Lord Jesus Christ delegated authority to 12 Apostles and that original council was in Jerusalem and when there was a dispute, a controversy, something to resolve concerning the affairs of the church that was growing and expanding, where did the Christian people go to receive their directives and to resolve any issues that were not clear among the followers of Jesus Christ, where did they go? They sent to Jerusalem where the Apostles were so that they could give the legal ruling on what the guidelines to be followed were going to be. It was an almost military authority that existed, it was a central authority.

Now, these men were anointed by the Holy Spirit, they had received authority from Jesus Christ, they had been dealt with by Jesus Christ. Look at Peter as he was treated and humiliated in preparation to exercise authority. So, when the Apostles gave a ruling in that direction, they left. When there was the issue of whether new Jewish converts had to be circumcised or even Gentiles, especially Gentiles, whether Gentiles had to be circumcised or follow Old Testament laws to be bona fide Christians, or whether they could just continue their culture but accepting the authority of Jesus Christ, where did they go to determine what the directive was? They went to where the Apostles and the Apostles listened to Peter, they listened to Paul, they listened to everyone and from there they said, okay, you know what? They sent a letter to all the Christians, they told them, it seemed to the Holy Spirit and to us, listen to that, in the same voice they said, it seemed to the Holy Spirit and to us, because they had the authority of God with them. It has seemed to us and to the Holy Spirit that Gentiles should not be bothered with matters of Judaic law, but simply exempt themselves from this and that, and submit to the teachings of Jesus Christ. And there at once everyone took their guidelines and the problem was solved, there was no such thing that we don't like that because we Jews feel bad, because our principles are not being kept and nothing. It seemed good to us and to the Holy Spirit and everyone had to line up.

You see, that's a town that knows. And that is not in the Old Testament, because when I speak of authority many times there are people out there who could say, but the pastor always relies on stories from the Old Testament. Look at the concept of authority runs through every page of the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament. The very matrix of the Scriptures depends on a frame of reference of authority and unfortunately today the church has allowed itself to be contaminated with the principles of modern culture that is contrary to authority.

The stance of modern culture is the less authority there is to contend with, the better. Authority must be reduced to the minimum that allows the basic functioning of society or institutions because there is an essential skepticism towards the concept of authority, modern culture, the modern mentality is based on the opposite, it is skepticism towards authority , rebellion against authority. Rather, what rules in modern culture, in the modern mentality, is the principle of democracy and that everyone... and look, I'm the first to say amen to that, but even in democracy, let me tell you, there's a lot, a lot authority everywhere. Get on Route 93 and get stopped by one of those state policemen with his smoky hat and stop you, throw you aside, and tell him, no, I don't have to respect the laws of the road because this is a democracy. When they come to look, you're going to be with two little metal things on your wrists on your way to a state police precinct. There is authority, there is authority.

You tell the IRS, you know what? My moral principles do not allow me to pay taxes to the United States government, no problem but we need your house tomorrow so get out of there. There is authority, brothers, authority is everywhere. The principle of authority looms, and you will wonder, and where is the Bible that the pastor is supposed to read before beginning the sermons? Don't worry, that's coming too, we're in the Scripture now.

The most unexpected things work according to principles of authority. I was sitting there and one of those examples occurred to me; an orchestra, art, look at the art. Art kind of feeds off the idea of what would seem the opposite of authority, which is creativity, the freedom of the artist, yes or no? Artists are all about expressiveness, originality, the freedom to play with the laws and principles of music, to create new things, the artist is the fundamental example of freedom, and yet art cannot function. if it is not within frameworks of authority and laws and rules, be it that of colors, shades, proportions, the rules imposed by the sensitivity of the culture within which the artist operates, his own training, many things that they encircle and limit the freedom an artist has.

But even further, an orchestra, a symphony orchestra that is composed of artists, of musicians for example, an orchestra in order to produce beautiful and ear-flattering music has to be absolutely adhered to authoritative principles. Take, for example, the driver. The conductor has almost absolute authority over those musicians who are there. The conductor, before that orchestra plays that night, for example, will have met many times with those musicians to rehearse the piece that they are going to be performing, and will have said to those musicians, I want that when we get to that point of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the violins play sottovoce, real soft, while the percussions pick up more forcefully, or go in a crescendo, whatever, and at that point the piece here says that the winds, the woodwinds they have to keep quiet because that's what the score says, I don't know how to say it in Spanish, what is written, what the composer wrote. And I want this part to be interpreted this way.

Now, notice the conductor, while he has quite a bit of interpretive authority, he can't go beyond the notes that the composer wrote. The conductor has to abide by the authority of the composer while the composer has abide by the authority of the music, and the laws of music. And at the same time the musicians stick to the authority of the conductor. And it's all a chain of authority. And when it's time to play the piece, the violinist can't say, guess what? I feel an inspiration entering my veins and I'm going to start. He has to stick to the established pattern and everyone has to function within the framework of authority that has been established. If that musician rebels very soon he will find himself in line to look for work because he has to stick to authority.

So, you see that even in the most unexpected areas the world functions according to principles of authority, and the church of all the institutions of the world is one that has to learn to function in authority and needs people who know how to adhere to principles of authority. When I see our musicians here, and I hope they listen to this at 12 with love, I love them, I bless them, they are precious people. But musicians have to stick to the authority of their conductor. Gonzalo has delegated authority from me as pastor, and those musicians have to stick to his authority. Those musicians can't say, well, what I want... no, no, no, they have to obey the delegated authority. While Gonzalo is also not going to lord it over them but is going to treat them with the respect they deserve. But in order for those musicians to be a blessing to the church, they have to adhere to authority; if they are in rebellion in their hearts and do not adhere to authority, God's blessing does not flow through them.

How many understand what I'm saying? They will be able to play a lot technically but there will be no anointing, because the anointing only runs through God, broken and humble men and women. That is the paradox of authority and it is that many people are hard to serve. I know a lot of people in the churches, not in this one, because they are all saints, I know, but in other churches where the Plomiza sisters come from, for example, there are people who don't know how to stick to authority, they have problems, they have issues with authority and for this reason many times they continually stumble, they do not progress, they do not enter other levels and other spiritual heights of knowledge of the Lord, of being used by God, of entering into deep intimacy with the word of God. In their lives they often do not progress because they are in rebellion, they are in struggle. Say the word, it is hard for you to kick against the goad. It's a hard thing when you are in your heart, it's like the little boy his mother told him, she put him on his knees as a punishment and told his mother where he was, yes, I'm on my knees physically, but I'm standing inside. There are people who are like that, they do things but reluctantly, but while they are grumbling as we Dominicans say, inside, always complaining, muttering that this, that that, that the pastor, that the leaders, that this, and there are roots of bitterness in their hearts that prevent God's grace from flowing freely through their lives. As Gige Avila says, smile, Christ loves you. You have to submit to authority, brothers, and you have to receive authority with pleasure.

I am blessed by so many people in my congregation that I see in their hearts that subjection to authority and you know what? It's not because that flatters my ego or anything like that. On the contrary, when I see that, what I want is to throw myself at his feet and say, look, do what you want with this church because I see his humble and simple heart and God save me from abusing that kindness and that subjection to the authority they manifest. On the contrary, what it does is humiliates me, because I know that I don't deserve that kind of respect.

Now, I immediately transfer the glory to Jesus Christ whom I represent, I know that they submit, not me, Roberto Miranda, they submit to the authority that I represent and to the values that I am embodying at that moment , because if I didn't incarnate them they wouldn't respect me. So for me there is nothing, that passes through me and reaches Jesus Christ immediately, I immediately make a check transferring it to whoever deserves it. God forbid I retain the glory, none of that. And people do not understand this, brothers, that the more humble one becomes, the more broken one is, the more simple-hearted one is, for the glory of the Lord, the more one is blessed, the more the glory of God flows through the individual. . It is a paradox of the kingdom and in that the paradox of the cross is involved, that the more you let yourself be crucified and your self dies and the more that human pride that is in us dries up, the more room there is for the spirit of God to dwell. Christ within us. Because that is the spirit that he manifested when he submitted to the Father.

Look, for example, at what it says in Hebrews, let's go to Hebrews for a little bit. Look at what Jesus Christ's attitude was toward authority, Hebrews 5:7 and 8. Look it up there so you don't think I'm just talking about my flesh here. I always like to base the things I say and reason on the word of God because that is my main authority. By the way, no matter how much what I am saying about authority may bother you or disturb you, the only question you have to ask yourself is the following, is Pastor Miranda reasoning according to the Scriptures? Because if I am reasoning according to the Scriptures, even if you don't like it, you don't have to fight with me anymore, you have to fight with the Bible, yes or no?, right? Because many times people hear things that bother them and I know that these things bother them. What's more, if I were smarter I wouldn't preach about this, but since I'm stubborn I force myself as a pastor to preach things that I know alienate many people.

Let me tell you, our church could have a lot more people if we compromised the Gospel a little more but what a big deception that would be. I tell the Lord, Father, I only want the number of people that you allow to live in this congregation within the framework of your word, I do not want anyone who is here under wrong pretenses. I am never going to compromise with the help of the Lord, the word of God to have people in ties and coats here in this church. I am very sorry, I have to preach the word of the Lord and I know that when one pays the price before, God blesses them later. If this church is going to grow, it has to grow on solid, lasting foundations, principles because the day I die, God takes me or whatever, if there are principles established in this church, those principles are going to keep it powerful and prosperous forever . When a church is founded on a man or on a show, as long as the man or the show lasts, the church stands, but what a shaky foundation that is, what a treacherous arena that is. A church has to be built little by little, as the song says, by the way, solidly, day by day, week by week, year by year under the principles of the word of God.

So when you hear me talk about these things that are sometimes, I think, for a lot of youth, for a lot of professionals this type of teaching is difficult, for people who come from the Anglo-Saxon or European world, this idea of authority sounds in the middle ages, that sounds medieval, that sounds like a caveman, but I think that interpretation is for me, caveman, the sophisticated and intellectually sound interpretation is one that respects the principle of authority because the whole universe, as we have shown, is governed by principles of authority. So don't fight me, fight the word of God.

The question is, do you believe that this Bible is the word, the revelation of God for all time? If it is, then your only question is, is the person who is preaching reasoning from biblical principles? If you can't find a way to wriggle out that you are interpreting biblically, then you have to do like this, bow your head and say, Father, I'm going to take that bitter medicine and when you take it it's going to be bitter in your mouth. but sweet in your guts. Say amen, your life is going to be blessed. I even forgot what I was going to read, I haven't forgotten.

Hebrews, Chapter 5, verse 7 says, ah, well that's more, let's go back, let's go to 5 that seems nice now that I see it, it says:

“… even so neither did Christ glorify himself by becoming high priest….”, look first there, about exercising authority in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ never gloried or tried to be equal to God as Philippians Chapter 2:5 to 11 says. The Lord always gave glory to the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ always pointed to his Father, who ultimately had all the authority and he did not rage over the people but served them. Says:

“… so neither did Christ glorify himself by becoming high priest, but he who told him you are my Son, I have begotten you today, as he also says in another place, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. In other words, the Lord never glorified himself but glorified the one who gave him the authority of high priest in his human form, he always submitted to the Father. And it is one of the things, whoever wants to exercise authority, submit to authority. Whoever wants to exercise authority in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ uses authority according to the meek, humble, simple spirit, servant of Jesus Christ so that people then find it sweet to submit to his authority.

Then in verse 7, “.. and Christ in the days of his flesh offering prayers and supplications with a loud cry and tears to the one who could deliver him from death, was heard because of his reverent fear…”

That attitude of humility towards the Father was his guarantee of being heard in times of crisis and need in his human form, I clarify this for the better, because in his divine form he is also God like the Father, but in his human manifestation he adhered to the same laws that should govern human movement here on earth.

And look at what verse 8 says, because that's the punch, the punch line, it says, “…and although he was a son, in other words, although he was of the same substance as the Father, although he had great authority, great glory as a son of God, although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation for all who obey and was declared by God high priest, according to the order of Melchizedek.

This one has to chew on for the next 168 hours of this coming week because what it is saying there is that although the Lord was the son of God, he submitted to the Father, he learned obedience through the sufferings and the struggles in his life. human form. How is it that one learns, brothers, in life to submit to authority? You know what? Through the stumbling blocks, hear me, through the brokenness, the pains of life, the failures, the pains, when you are shown that you are not, after all, the last Coke in the desert as you thought you were. ages. And when you suffer and suffer, and are disciplined by God, you learn to submit to human authorities.

How arrogant young people are sometimes, with all their spirit, their strength, their physical beauty, they believe that they are eating the world, they take it ahead and how many stumbles they give. Forgive me young people but it's true. But when time goes by, and the little arthritic pains of adulthood come and you have gone through two or three difficulties in life and have lost a couple of jobs, and have been humiliated three or four times, and they have He has gotten 18, 19 tickets for speeding on the road, and he has had three or four problems in his marriage that have humiliated him a little, and the sisters have had one or two or three children, which have reduced his beauty and his looks a little. curves and men have raised a little belly and have had suffering of other kinds. What's happening? The person is going to learn subjection. And when he goes to park he looks at the signs 17 times to make sure that he can park there, like me, they already have me tame when I go... he knows when I find a space, although I have prayed for him and I find a large space and wide, so I get out and look for a pair of binoculars and start to look at all the signs to make sure that it's okay where I'm going to park because they've already hit me with so many tickets in all the years that they already have me soft and that's how people learn humility.

Hey, and how nice it is when people reach that mature age, already adulthood, old age, son, but take it easy, if he tells you to do this why don't you do it, it's fine, no , and the grandfather, the mature person, how beautiful it is how smooth a man submitted to authority walks and how attractive is a person who knows how to submit to the authorities. But that's what it comes to, do you know how? Suffering many headaches, being treated by God and that is what the Bible says, that the Lord Jesus Christ through his sufferings learned obedience, and having been perfected, after you learn to submit, after you deal with all those bitterness that there is in your heart towards authority and when you have already been polished and treated by God then you can exercise legitimate authority over others and the power of God can run freely through your life.

That is why it says that having suffered all these things and having been perfected, then he was constituted high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. That is a mystery, the same Son of God had to submit to those principles.

Oh, brothers and young people, I am giving you steak right now, spiritual sirloin, if you are willing to listen to this you will save at least twelve parking tickets, three job layoffs, four sentimental heartaches, many things will be lost. You will save years of pain if you take the person you are talking to seriously, because I am not speaking in my flesh, but in the word of God, your growth process can be greatly accelerated if you submit to…. what I am speaking to you is directly from the spirit of the heart of God for this time, brothers, and that is everywhere in Scripture, I am going to tie it, because in reality what I have preached is another sermon to what I had in mind , but it's the same, it's authority, but again these things kind of spread, but glory to God for that, because all this is part of the principles.

Let's go to a passage that I had in mind, for example, let's go to Leviticus, of the many passages that we can use, Leviticus 10 1 to 7. It's all over the place, we're going to do a Bible tour and at the end of this I believe that we are going to have a better church, that is why I say, we are going to have a better church if we dare to function in these principles of authority. Let's go to Leviticus, Chapter 10, verses from 1 to 7, a very strange case of Scripture, a very strange case of Scripture that illustrates one of the principles about obedience, authority and protocols that must be followed in the Bible and how dangerous it is when one, no matter how good intentions you have, if you are not working according to principles of authority, can get into serious trouble, which can even cost you your life. These are the types of passages that make it very difficult for people to read the Bible and accept it as the word of God. Look here at the case of two young men, their names were Nadab and Abihu, I don't advise you to give any of your children that name just in case, but Nadab says:

“… Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, were sons of Aaron the priest, high priest Aaron, the first priest constituted in Judaism, was a man of prestige, a man who served the Lord, a man of great authority, a man that God loved and who loved God. Says:

“… Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, each took his censer…” What is a censer? It was a receptacle, I imagine that it was made of metal, silver or gold, and certain species were placed there which, when burned, gave off an odor, incense, incense was put in and burned, and that odor was an odor that God had established was for his worship, then says:

"... each one took their censer, of incense, and they put fire on which they put incense,..." let's say that they were fathoms that they put and then they put the incense on it, those aromatic species, they threw it on top, " … and offered strange fire before Jehovah…” that word is very important, strange fire. What do you mean strange fire? It means, foreign fire, unauthorized fire, fire outside the guidelines that God had established for how the worshipers in the temple and in the sanctuary should approach him. God had said, whoever approaches me with incense has to be this way and it only has to be a person, listen to that.

But these two young men, in their foolishness he says, “.. offered strange fire before Jehovah which he never commanded them…” Be very careful, brother or sister, to do anything for God that God has told you to do. I believe that there are many people who get involved in serving God, that God never called them and that is why they live with black eyes all the time, because the devil keeps beating and punching them everywhere and they say that God is unfaithful. You know what? God never called them. Wow, that's hard to swallow, yes or no? I just said it right now and I'm like, wow, what did I say.

That is one of the things that, meditating on authority these days, I have shuddered with the idea that there are many people today and throughout the centuries, who are even in the ministry, and not necessarily because God called them but because it was born from their heart, from their psychology, from their emotional needs that they need to satisfy, from wounds that they have that lead them to become ministers or pastors, or whatever, but God did not call them to the ministry, he did not issue a call to them and therefore despite their good intentions but due to their mixed motivations, with which they themselves are not in contact because they are subconscious, they are ultimately moving in disobedience and when God does not calls you, you can not enjoy his support.

Now, when God calls you, then you have his support and his blessing. In the Kingdom of God, good intentions are unfortunately not everything, brothers. It would take a long time for me to unpack it and thank God I am a sometimes prudent man and I am not going to do it this morning, but in the future maybe because it would take time, but that is something that I am giving you something very hard for chew. There are many people, men and women, in the church today who are offering strange fire to the Lord. They do not have, listen to me carefully, they do not have the backing of God, they do not have the authority of God, in their hearts they believe that they are pleasing God but God has not told them, you have permission to approach me and minister in my name to me people, and therefore are ultimately devoid of the protection, the backing, the illumination, the power they need to carry out what they have conceived in their hearts. God has not told them, I want you to do that.

You have to be very careful. Many people want leadership in the Kingdom of God, they want to do this, they want to do that, they impose themselves, they get in the way, they tell the pastor, if you don't give me that position, I'm leaving the church with my tithe and my family or whatever and many times we pastors hurt them by putting them in situations where they should not be. Because of our cowardice and our emotional manipulation and desires to have bodies sitting in the seats, and we are hurting people because we are not functioning according to the spiritual patterns that God has established. We don't have the moral courage to gird ourselves according to them and therefore we put our people in the firing line and we put our church in the firing line and disaster ensues. God free us, God free me from doing that, brothers.

But in the case of Nadab and Abihu they offered strange fire to Jehovah that he never commanded them. By the way, I remember that the Apostle Santiago says, many of you do not become teachers knowing that we will receive greater condemnation.

Do you remember those words? Why did Santiago say that, precisely for that reason, many people become teachers, become pastors, become evangelists, call themselves prophets, and are ministering with an authority that God has not given them and when you handle divine instruments with hands not commissioned by God, take care.

So, Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire that God never commanded them to offer and what was the result? It says, “…fire came out from before the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord..”

God didn't say, oh these guys, oh gosh, what bigheads, but okay, I'm going to bless them because they mean well, so guys, don't do that again, please, no, fire came out of God and consumed them right there on the altar because they were doing something illegitimate.

Now, you know why they were disobeying the protocol that God had established. In their hearts they said, we are just like our dad, we too can offer fire to God. Who is he? We are the same as him, etc. etc There was pride originally in their hearts. We must be careful that the things we are doing to serve are not born of the flesh but of the spirit.

Many times it is not the desire to serve the Lord but concealed pride, or rebellion against the authorities. There are many reasons why people want to serve. But then he says:

“… fire came out and they died before Jehovah. Then Moses said to Aaron, this is what Jehovah spoke saying, in those who approach me I will sanctify myself, and in the presence of all the people I will be glorified, and Aaron says, he shut up...", that is, he kept his mouth shut. The father of these two boys was silent.

God sent Moses a revelation and told him, this happened for this and this reason. Tell Aaron why his two sons died in front of me. And Moses said to Aaron, says Jehovah, that anyone who approaches him had better be careful, because he is before the very glory of God and the glory of God must be careful with it. And whoever approaches God has to approach the light of what God is, his extreme holiness, his extreme glory, his extreme danger. God is dangerous, brothers, when we approach him. Or if we had the reverence we need for God, we would avoid many of the things we do today.

I will glorify myself in those who approach me. Look, the closer the church gets to the power of the Holy Spirit, the more dangerous it's going to get. If today we do not see great dangerous movements of God in the church, it is because the church is very far from God, not because it is close to God. Meanwhile, when the Holy Spirit manifests himself with more power in the midst of his church, we must walk more straight. What happens is that since God is so far away, people do what they want and God, he is over there on another planet doing other things, but when God manifests himself in his power, you have to approach him more carefully. him, even within the dimension of the grace of Jesus Christ. We allow ourselves many liberties with God.

Then God said to Moses, tell Aaron what happened, whoever approaches me has to approach according to my principles, according to my glory, according to my holiness and you know what? What did Aaron have to do, he had to put a lid on his mouth and shut up, he couldn't complain to God. How painful it must have been for that father to have to shut up and submit to God's authority.

I imagine that as a father, brothers, if that happened to your children, how would you feel about God? That's what makes the Bible difficult, I tell you, that's what makes texts like these so difficult that we don't preach them because they're dangerous and difficult for the culture to absorb. But Aaron had to shut his mouth and swallow his mourning and submit to the authority and judgment of God.

“… and Moses called Mishael and Elzafan sons of Uziel, Aaron's uncle and said to them, come near and bring your brothers out from before the sanctuary, outside the camp. And they approached and brought them out with their robes…”

How sad that scene must have been, outside the camp as Moses said. “…Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Tamar, his sons, do not uncover your heads, nor tear your clothes in mourning lest you die and anger break out on all the congregation…”

Wow, how terrible God is, brethren, sometimes. He prevented them, he forbade them from mourning and mourning for those boys, and he told them, and if you dare too, the same fate will befall you.

I would like, brothers, that we as followers of God, as a church, get into the world vision that this type of text embodies, into the mentality that this embodies in order to understand who God truly is and what are the mysteries of walk in the ways of God and that we learn to function according to those profound patterns of life that are in the Scriptures to be a more powerful, deeper people through whom the grace of God flows more freely because we have cheapened the Gospel , we have made it cheap, superficial, casual and God is an extremely pure, holy God, who does not change his models.

Look at Ananias and Sapphira because people might say, oh yeah but that's in Leviticus, that's back when God was still kind of annoyed and a tough old man, and now he's sugarcoating himself in the New Testament, bullshit. God is the same yesterday, today, forever. It never changes, its personality never changes, its patterns never change.

Ananias and Sapphira in the most powerful move in the Holy Spirit in the New Testament when they violated certain principles also both fell dead. It's not that God was having a bad day, it's just that that's the way he moves always, eternally and we many times take liberties that he has not given us, freedom to take.

And that is why I speak these things brothers because the more sober, more humble we are, more subject, more understanding of the word of God we are, the more powerful we are going to be as a church. God wants to run his power through his church but he needs a church that knows how to do calculus, calculus, and spiritual nuclear physics instead of the church that only knows how to do arithmetic, add and subtract, and that's all. There are deeper principles in Scripture that we have to learn and engage with so that the power of God can run through us, and that idea of subjecting ourselves to authority.

Because here it was not only about some young people who violated the holiness of the father, but also about some young people who violated the authority of Aaron, the priest to whom God had said, he is the only one who can approach me with incense . He is the only one who has the license, the franchise to offer incense before me, anyone else who does it is out of legitimacy. And they said, no, if we can do it too, and by doing that they were violating both the divine authority and the human authority that God had established, because the two things are linked, do you understand? That is why my initial meditation on obedience led me inevitably to the sustained meditation on authority because the two things are implied, one with the other.

There are many passages I could offer to back up what I'm saying. It is not just a passage. This same universe that I have just shared with you now, I can support it with other Scripture texts as well, which we do not have time to do, but it is the same idea and perhaps if God allows we will continue with this. You will say, well, when Pastor Miranda is going to end this topic, because it is spreading more and more but it is very important, very important that we understand this, because if we understand it we will be a much more blessed people, much wiser.

Do I understand? Are you getting what I am saying, brothers? Amen. May the Lord bless us. May his grace be with us.

Now, having said that, I can tell you, brothers, that we have a God of grace and mercy. That is what keeps me attached to this beautiful God that I serve, an extremely holy and picky God in the way we approach him, but a merciful and kind, patient and forgiving God who tolerates all our things if we don't. we repent and come before him humbly. We are covered, brothers, by the grace of Christ Jesus. Make sure that you come before the presence of God as the Jews did with their cloak over their heads.

Do you know what the cloak is that covers your head when you approach the father? Jesus Christ. Come before the Father in the love of Christ and in the blood of Christ and you do not have to fear. He tells her, let us approach confidently before the throne of grace. God has made things so much easier. We can get much closer than Nadab and Abihu got to the throne of God through Jesus Christ and we don't have to fear that fire is going to fall, but there are other principles that still work that we have to respect in order to have full communion with God and thus we are covered and can be greatly used by the Lord.

Let's stand up. Take a moment there to receive what you have heard and enter it into the depths of your heart. Receive it in the name of Jesus. We adore you, Lord, we bless you, we thank you, we exalt your name Lord, we ask that your word rest in our hearts. Open our understanding, allow us to discern and digest these things, Lord, that we have received. Give your people a spirit of wisdom and understanding and give us the ability to live up to what we are declaring, Lord. Thank you for your mercy and for your love, create for yourself a powerful people, a humble and simple people, a people that knows how to walk in the humility that you want us to walk. We adore you, we bless you, we exalt you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus. We give this time to you, Father.