 All right, so we're gonna jump into the Word of God. Our time is not on our side. And if you have your Bibles, open up to Matthew chapter 23. We will read from scripture. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples saying, the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do. But do not do according to their works, for they say and do not do, for they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders. But they themselves would not move with, would not move them with one of their fingers, but all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacthropies broad and enlarge in the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feast, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplace, and to be called by man rabbi rabbi. But you do not be called rabbi, for one is your teacher, the Christ. And you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your father, he who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers, for one is your teacher, the Christ. But he who is the greatest among you shall be your servant, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled. And he who humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you scriben Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither go in yourself, nor do you allow those who are entering in to go in. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers, therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Now, we see Jesus in the scripture addressing the Pharisees. Now, can I ask you a question? Anybody here in the first or second sanctuary or those that are watching us online, any of you would like to be a Pharisee? Come on. Anybody? No, nobody? I thought maybe we can have one or two or something. Now, talk to me. Why? Why you don't wanna be a Pharisee? Why? Talk to me. Huh? Hypocrites, okay, help me out, come on, we got one, hypocrites, what else? You don't wanna grieve the Holy Spirit. Okay, what else? To be seen of men, okay, what else? Huh? Okay, I think you need some help. So, the Pharisees, did you know that the Pharisees, they can take, back then they had scrolls, right? They were rolled up, they can take a pen and they can poke a hole through the scroll and they can tell you what letters that needle poked. Meaning, they knew the law inside and out. They had the law of God. They had the law of God. But the problem is, they had the law of God but they didn't have the heart of God. You see, the Pharisees, they had a hole in their heart. They had the outward appearance, somebody say the looks. But inside, somebody say inside. Jesus said inside, there were full with dead men, bones and everything on clean. You see, on the outside, they appeared beautiful, righteous and clean and holy and everything, all great. But inside, they had a problem with the inside. You know, if we look at verse eight, Jesus says, but you do not be called rabbi for one is your teacher, the Christ and you are all brethren. You see, Jesus says, you are all brethren. Meaning, Jesus says that we are family. If you mean you are brethren, that means me and you, we are family. Amen? And he says, don't call anyone on earth your father for there's only one father who is in heaven. Now, understand, we honor our spiritual fathers, our earthly fathers, but Jesus says there's only one father and he is in heaven. Only one papa and he's in heaven. So, you may know Jesus as your savior, as your Lord. You may know the Holy Spirit as your comforter, as your guide, but I wanna ask you a question. Do you know your heavenly father? Talk to me. Do you know your heavenly father? If you know your heavenly father, if you receive the love of the father, you're gonna be different. Jesus taught his disciples to pray like this. He says, pray like this. Our father in heaven, halloweth be your name. Did you notice that Jesus didn't say our master in heaven? Understand, God is our master, God is our Lord, but when Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he says, pray like this. Our father in heaven. You see, a father is a person that is in relationship with his children and he's the founder of the family, a person who establishes in the book of Ephesians, it says the father from whom all families derive their name. You see, the father has the ability to make established, secure, root a son or a daughter of his. See, that's the power that the father has. And let me tell you something. We're growing up in a generation where you see a lot of people in prisons and you know what? Most of the people that are in prisons, they come out of broken homes that their dad wasn't there. Come on. And they grow up with a hole in their heart. You see, Jesus, one of the reasons Jesus did so well on earth, hear me out, is because he and his father were what? He came out of the bosom of the father. He was always intimate with the father. He says, I only do what I see my father do. You know, when I was reading the Bible, I thought Jesus had one mission and it was to die for our sins, for our sins to be forgiven and 100% true. Without Jesus, me and you, we don't have salvation. But reading the Word of God, seeing the Bible, I saw that there's a two-fold mission that Jesus had on earth. Number one, it was to die for our sins, but his second-fold mission was to reveal the father to mankind, because in the Old Testament, yes, God was the father, but he wasn't revealed to the children as a father. He was more like a master, like a boss, like a CEO, not the fact that he wasn't a father. He was a father, but Jesus came to reveal what the father is like. You know, because some of us were born in a family where our earthly dad wasn't there or we grew up with this hole in our heart that we don't have that father figure. And we know the right words in the Word of God, but there's a hole in our heart that we become a little cold, a little harsh, a little kind of like Pharisees. They have the law, but they didn't have the heart. So why did Jesus do so well is because Jesus came out of the intimate place from the father. You see, Jesus didn't have identity crisis. Jesus didn't have to work for God's approval. Jesus didn't have to work for his approval. He already had his approval. That's why he did so great because his dad was just covered him. Does that make sense? Look at Matthew, verse three, verse 17 says, and a voice from heaven said, this is my son whom I love with him. I am well pleased. Jesus received the love of the father. You see, the father God established, rooted, secured Jesus in his love. You see, Jesus wasn't moved because of position. You know, because when Jesus started to do miracles, people were like, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. But he wasn't moved by that. He was moved by his father. And the only thing, one of the things that actually broke his heart because when he took on the sins of the world and the father turned away because he was becoming sin for us and that broke his heart. He says, father, why did you turn away from me? You see, he was rooted in the love of God. He was established, secured. You see, Jesus had the father's love so he was able to give the father's love to others. You see, people of God, we give what we ourselves carry. You see, the Pharisees, they had the law of God but they didn't have the love of God. And so they gave what they had. And you know, with the law, you can actually kill somebody because the law is a high standard. And you look at them, you know, they brought that woman that was caught in the act of adultery and they wanted her dead. They had the law but not the heart. If we don't receive the father's love, hear me out. If me and you don't receive the father's love, we will be working for God's approval instead of working from his approval. We will be working for the love of God instead of working from the love of God. And you know, growing up, men, women, especially men, you can have a problem with your identity. You don't know who you are. I mean, look at some of the young people growing up. They don't even know if they're a man or a woman. Confused, needing affirmation from men, women. Women giving away their bodies because they want that affection from that other man to tell them that you're loved. Fighting cravings from different things, addicted to the lust of the world. Men dealing with insecurities, rejection, abandonment, dealing with feelings like you're always lacking, seeming like there's never enough, feeling like there's just something always missing. And you know, growing up, we need to be very careful because we can become masters, CEOs, rulers over people, kind of like Pharisees, having the law but not having the heart. And you see, what Jesus had, the Pharisees, they needed that. Because Jesus had the love of the Father, the Pharisees, they had a hole in their heart. They were literally bleeding from the inside. And what Jesus had, it could have solved their issue. And you know what Jesus says? Hear me out what Jesus says. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Now let me ask you a question, the way to where? The way to where? Huh? Exactly, the way back to the Father. Because did you know in John 3, 16, the Bible says, for God so loved the world, what? The Father so loved the world that He gave, who? His Son, Jesus, the Father God that loved you so much gave His Son, Jesus, for you and Him to be reconciled back to Him, for you to receive His love so that you may be made whole. Because some of us, we're living this life with a hole in our heart and we're bleeding from the inside out, dealing with insecurities, dealing, going to this addiction, going to this, maybe this relationship, maybe that girlfriend, maybe that person will fill that hole, but hear me out. That hole needs to be filled with the love of God, with the Father's love. He is the only one who can root you, establish you, secure you just like He did to Jesus. And you don't have to be moved by the applause of man or by popularity or by finances, whatever it is. You know, I make more money so people would love me more. No, you can be loved by God. The Father has love for you that can heal all your brokenness, heal all your insecurity, remove all your rejection, a love that will establish you, restore you, and make you whole. Give you a secure identity. That's why the Bible says, be rooted and grounded in the love of God. The Bible doesn't say be rooted and grounded in your works, in your fasting, in your prayers, which is very important. We as a church, we believe in fasting and prayer and all that Christian disciplines. But my Bible says, be rooted and grounded in the love of God. And that's what Jesus was rooted and grounded in. Look what 1 John 4, 18 says. It says, for there is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. Now, when Jesus physically walked on earth, you know that some of his disciples, they had some problems, they wanted to be the best, the greatest, Peter always wants to be ahead of everybody else. But there was one man, one man in the group of disciples and his name was John. You know, he's like, guys, you can be the best, you can be the greatest because he wrote the book of John and this is what John writes about himself. This is what he writes. He writes, the disciple that Jesus loved. He says, you know what, you can take your position, you wanna be the best, be the best. You wanna be the greatest, be the greatest. I'm gonna be the disciple that Jesus loved. And you know, he was the only disciple that laid on Jesus's bosom, that intimate place on his chest. The only disciples that was just near, you know, even there was a time that appears like when Jesus says something, John, what he means? And you know, Jesus, he was in that close place and he had the greatest revelation of love. The only disciple that was interested with Mary, not with Mary, the, exactly the mother of Jesus, the only disciple that stood near the cross where while all the other disciples ran and he had the greatest revelation of love. If you come out of broken homes, I wanna let you know the Father God loves you with the great love and he wants to change your life. He wants to fill that hole on the inside that you would be healed. And so in moments from now, we're gonna watch a video. This is a love letter to you from the Father in heaven. One of the reasons we may have hindrances to receive the love of the Father is because some of us might be scarred by our earthly father figures. You know, some of us may be abused, rejected or abandoned. You know, maybe your dad was nowhere to be found and maybe he wasn't even there in the picture. So what happens is you grow up with coping mechanisms. Hear me out. You grow up with coping mechanisms. Mechanisms you were never meant to carry. For example, that five-year-old, six-year-old, seven-year-old kid that that dad wasn't there and he doesn't know what to do with his emotions, how to feel and maybe there was trauma, abuse, whatever it might be and so it's mechanisms to help you deal with rejection, abandonment, abuse, fear and you learn to suppress your feelings, especially men. What you do is you bottle your stuff in. You bottle it in, telling feelings just to go away but you don't understand that most likely you're wounded. Most likely there's something in your heart and what happens is we most likely can become emotionless, cold, hurt, broken, insecurity creeps in, fear creeps in, mental, emotional problems creep in, depression creeps in, suicide tendencies may creep in. Your body can react to various pains because of stress. You don't know who you are and you fall prey to this lie. I need to do something to become something. So I can be loved, received, honored and valued so you go into business, you go into working, you try to find that relationship because there's a hole in your heart that you're trying to fix with your works. But my Bible says in 1 John 419 it says we love because he first loved us. Hear me out. We love because he first loved us. The key to your healing is you first get healed. You first receive the Father's love. You wanna be a better parent, a better whatever it is, get healed yourself first because you give what you carry. You want your child to be whole, get healed yourself. Deal with all the things that happened to you in the past and we have encounter weekend, life class, you can sign up, destiny training, prayer line and all that stuff is given to your disposal that you can get healed, that you would meet the Father who can heal, establish and secure you, amen. Because you can learn theology, you can learn love from a textbook but you have to receive the love of God. Come on. You gotta receive the love of God. That hole in your heart needs to be filled with the love of God. So the way to be healed is not to suppress the pain. It's not to bottle in it. Because let me tell you, what happens when you keep bottling, bottling, bottling stuff in? Have you, you know, that soda can, you shake it up and what happens? At moments of time it just blows and sometimes it blows over your children, it blows over your wife and it blows over, who knows where it blows. So the way to be healed is not to suppress the pain and hope it goes away but to open yourself up, come to the Father through Jesus. Come as you are, you don't need to, you don't need to earn his approval. He already, he already sent his son to die for you that you would come back to him just the way you are so that he can heal you and make you whole, amen. So right now I want everyone to stand in the first and second sanctuary. If we can stand and we'll invite the worship team to the front. You know, those of us that maybe have been wounded or scarred by an earthly father figure and maybe your dad did some things that probably shouldn't have been done or maybe your dad wasn't even in the picture because let me tell you sometimes our earthly father figures hinder us to receive the love of the father and so on behalf of every father, earthly father, spiritual father, earthly father figures, I wanna give an apology and I wanna say a repentance prayer and maybe you'll never hear your earthly father or that father say these words to you but I want you to receive it as he did, amen. So I want everyone to close your eyes in the first and second sanctuary, come on. I wanna repent on behalf of every father figure. My son, my daughter, hear my sincere apology, forgive me for neglecting you, abandoning you, abusing you, for hurting you and causing you pain, forgive me for not being there when you needed me most. I was too busy, too foolish and I didn't understand what I was doing. I was too occupied with making money. Addiction was too important for me. Greed took the best of my life. My son, my daughter, forgive me for abusing you, your mom, for saying words that would scar you, for calling you names, putting word curses upon you, forgive me. I didn't know the extent of the damage I have done, the trauma I have caused, forgive me for abandoning you, leaving you and you had to grow up on your own. You had to fight the pain, the loneliness, the rejection. Forgive me, I didn't know what I was doing. I myself didn't have the love of the father to give me. Forgive me. You know, right now I want you to make a decision to release and to forgive every earthly father figure that maybe wasn't there the way they needed to be there. And I want you to forgive them because they need forgiveness also. Every one of us, we have fallen short of the glory of God but when you release, when you forgive, it's an invitation for God to come and heal your heart. So make a decision, say right now, come on, repeat after me, say right now, in Jesus' name, Jesus, because you forgave me, right now I'm making a choice to forgive every earthly father figure. I forgive you, I release you out of my heart. Every judgment, I release you and I give you to God. Holy spirit, would you heal my heart? Would you heal every wound? Would you fill me with the love of God? And Father, I run to you, embrace me, embrace me with your love in Jesus' name, amen. Watching this sermon, if this was a blessing to you, would you let me know in the comments below what stood out to you from this message? What are you taking home with you from this message? 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