Talk
BRO. BO SANCHEZ: Welcome!
I want you to ask the person beside you: Have you opened your door? I want you to give a big hug to that person beside you, and maybe four, or five more persons around you. Just give that person a big hug.
God is here. God is here. So good to be in the Presence of the Lord. May we give a big hand to our Worship Team? Maraming salamat. You are so good.
Everybody, just tell the people here, You’re so good. You’re so good. If you see a servant beside you, tell that person, “You’re so good.”
What I want to do is I want to honor the people who do not come from Metro Manila but they traveled here. I want you to stand up… if you came from the province, if you came grom another country, you flew here, just stand up.
So good. Unbelievable. Thank you so much.
There’s this woman here who flies from New Zealand just to come here, just to serve. Would you believe that? Thank you!
We’ve got a big bunch of people from Singapore—Feast Singapore.
Really, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you. What Fr. Bob loves to say, you make us believe… It is easier for us to believe that what we’re doing is worth it because you’re making that effort. And it’s difficult to, you know, come here, and take off that space, that time. Maraming salamat. Thank you so much!
Vows Do Not Expire
May I ask all the wives to raise their hands?
— Just all the married women. Thank you.
Married women, I’m going to ask you this question: How many times do you want your husband to tell you, I love you?
If your husband will say, “I said
I love you on our wedding day, five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and so on– and that’s enough.”
What would you say? Some married women here will say, “Up to date na ba ang life insurance mo?”J
I want to believe that married women would want to say, “As often as possible. Yes. Every day. If possible.”
Yes, or no? Yes!!!
If you’re a husband beside that woman, can you tell that woman I love you?
Twenty-five years ago, I married this gorgeous woman who gets more and more gorgeous every day. It seems like she just came off her Freshman orientation in college today.
Last July, a few months ago, in front of a thousand people, or more, we said I love you again to each other. And this woman, it’s really interesting because we renewed our vows after 25 years. Now, Fr. Dennis Paez SDB, would say, the vows do not expire.
There is no expiration date for vows. But why do we renew them?
Why did we renew our marriage vow, Sweetheart? Why did we say again I love you to each other? You don’t know… So, the vows do not expire… But we still have to say, I love you to each other constantly, every day, if possible—and I really believe this: it’s for us. To remind us, to make it fresh, to make it real.
What Is New?
And so, today, the theme of the Conference is New Promise.
Why? What’s the New Promise? Is there such a thing as New Promise?
What is the new Promise?
The New Promise is the Old Promise. But God is renewing it. He’s saying it again. He’s declaring it again. He’s saying I love you again. With Jesus dying on Calvary, it was the most eloquent, most powerful declaration of love from the Father. And every single moment, He says it again. He shares it again.
And He says I love you… When the sun rises in the morning, He says I love you.
When you see a friend, a loved one beside you… Can you smile at someone beside you? Just smile. What is that smile? It is God saying, I love you.
When there’s food on the table and clothes on your back, and there’s roof over your head, God is saying I love you.
When you’re able to pray, when you’re able to read the Word, when you’re able to worship in The Feast, it is God saying, I love you.
And yes, especially, when you break bread in the Eucharist, it is God saying
I love you—dramatizing what happened on Calvary.
My dear Friend, the New Promise is the Old Promise. God saying:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end They are new every morning, new every morning
Great is Thy faithfulness, O, Lord. Great is Thy faithfulness.
The New Promise is the Old Promise made new every morning. It is God’s love.
And today, what I want to do is I want to preach the very simple Word: You belong to God.
I want you to put your hands over your chest and say: “I belong to God.”
May I invite you to stand up for a while?
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet And a Light unto my path.
We’re going to read a passage from the book of Revelation. We don’t usually read the book of Revelation. Have you noticed? It’s so confusing. And we’re going to do it now. Chapter 3:7:
Philadelphia, not the city in Pennsylvania, but Philadelphia in Asia Minor. There are seven churches that Jesus addresses in the first three chapters of the book of Revelation.
And these were cities in Asia Minor, or present-day Turkey.
No, not the one that you eat. Not the giant Lechon Manok (Roasted Chicken)J. It’s Turkey—the country.
The Door to the Kingdom
Just in case you’re thinking of a big church like all the churches in Smyrna, and Pergamon, and Teatera, and Sardis, and yes, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. No, no. These are not big churches; these are not big parishes—these are home churches.
In our language, these are Feast Lights. Shout out to all those who attend Feast Lights here!
These are small churches. These are Feast Lights that gather in homes and offices and here, most likely in homes. These are ten persons, 20 persons, 30 persons, 40 persons that gather weekly.
And then Verse 8 says: I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close.
What is this door?
The people in Philadelphia were a group of Christians but many of them were Jewish Christians. And these Jewish Christians had a little problem. Not a very little problem—actually, a big problem. They were Jewish but they believed in Jesus. And so, on a Saturday, they would attend some sort of a synagogue gathering with other Jews. And then on a Sunday, they would report for duty to their Feast Light and worship the Lord, and listen to the Lord, and love Jesus.
And so, their fellow Jews who were not Christians, were persecuting them.
And the Jews– their relatives and their friends and their families, they were saying, “What are you doing with this Jesus stuff? We already have the door to the Kingdom. We already have it. You know, you believe in God, and you believe in Abraham and Moses – you have it already. Get rid of that Jesus stuff. We have the door!”
Then Jesus says they don’t have the door. You have the door: “I have opened a door for you that no one can close.”
Jesus Is the Door
Tell somebody beside you, “You have the door. His name is Jesus.”
Are you excited to have the door? Yes!
And then it says here, “You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.”
The Jews who were persecuting them were most likely powerful. They had influence. And the small Feast Light, the small church, meeting in a home—10, or 20, or 30, or 40 persons— they were struggling and they were wondering,
“Are we doing something right? These are people who are influential in society and they’re telling us that we’re doing something wrong…”
But Jesus is here and He is telling them, “Even if you feel that you are small, and you have little strength and little power, I’m telling you, you have obeyed me, my Word, and you have not denied me.”
Do you sometimes feel small? Do you sometimes feel that you have little strength? Do you sometimes feel that you have little power in your life?
And that there are powerful people, important people, and big people who actually look down on you? Uh-hmm.
It’s time to stand up. And it’s time to say, “No—as long as I follow the Lord…”
Verse 9:
My gosh, You are the ones I love.
My dear Friends, if there are people that are against you, if there are people that are looking down on you,
I want you to believe this:
God will fight the battles for you. And you make them irrelevant.
You don’t have to bother. You don’t have to fight them. You don’t.
You don’t have to go to battle.
Three Names on The Pillar
You have a crown.
What crown is this?
I just want you to know, the Greek word for crown here is not the one with gold. No.
It’s the wreath made of olive leaves, given to the champion of an athletic game. And so, this is somebody who has gone through, for example, a race– you’ve trained for the race, and you’ve reached the finish line, and this wreath of victory is given to you.
I want you to know that Jesus also had a crown—and it was a crown of thorns. And the reason we have a crown is Jesus took the crown of thorns. He took it upon himself. He traded it with a crown of victory, And He gives that crown of victory to you. And that is why it cannot be taken away from you—because it was given by the King of Kings who suffered for you.
This is my message to you… We go to Verse 12:
All who are victorious will become pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it.
Oh, my gosh: Three names God will write on the pillar– That is you:
- God’s Name;
- The name of the city—New Jerusalem;
- The New Name of
Put your hand over your chest:
Father God, this is a difficult passage. Please unpack it for us. And I pray that You would speak your Word so powerfully that the person who will leave this place will be different from the person who came in. And I pray Father God that Your power supernatural will just move stuff, like dislodge stuff, and break open what has been so locked up within me.
Lord, God, I don’t expect a Talk. I want a miracle to happen today. I don’t want just a message. I want You to clear the mess out of my life so that there will be room for the glory of the King to come. O, transform what needs to be transformed. Heal what needs to be healed. Lift what needs to be lifted. We lift it. In the mighty Name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Extend your hand in honor of the Word:
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet And a Light unto my path.
Give the Lord a big hand and love Him today.
I want to read it again. Read it with me. Verse 12:
All who are victorious will become pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it.
Pillars. What in the world is that? You’re a pillar in God’s House? You know what God is saying here? God is telling you “You’re not a décor in My Home.
You’re not a trimming. You’re not an extra that can be thrown away. You’re not replaceable. You’re not expendable. You’re not disposable. You are not only important in My house, you are essential. You are a pillar in my house.”Can you just imagine that?
I’m a Pillar
Put your hands over your chest and say, “I’m a pillar… in God’s House!” Really? You?
“Bro. Bo, I’m a nobody. Maybe, you,
Bro. Bo– you’re standing onstage. And that Archbishop whose name is Charlie Brown. Did you know that? Maybe he’s a pillar—for crying out loud, he’s an Archbishop. And maybe these beautiful nuns here, in front who are speaking about Life. Maybe they are pillars—but not me. I’m a nobody. My parents think I’m a nobody. My wife thinks I’m a nobody.
I think I’m a nobody. People look down on me. I look down on me.”
Well, God is telling you right now: “I rebuke you. You are not a nobody.
In my House, you are a somebody.”
And God is telling you: “You are a pillar in My House. Without you, My House collapses.
Did you hear me? No. You think I’m preaching to the person beside you.
You think I am not talking to you. Well, I am talking to you.
And God is telling you: “Without you, My House disappears. You are a pillar in My House.”
It’s hard to accept. You know why? Because it means that God needs you. Say that with me: “God needs me.”
And every preacher, every priest, and every pastor, and every theologian worth his salt will tell you that’s a heresy, right there. That’s a heresy. God does not need you because God is God. And if God is God, He needs nobody. He just does not need anything because He is God.
Well, I will pose to you a disturbing question: What if God, precisely because He is God, chooses, decides, to need you?
I don’t know the answer, by the way. Let the theologians debate on that. But what if God decides, and says, “No. I need you. I really do. I need you for My House. And this House will not be the same if you are not there.
You are a pillar in My House.”
I have another question:
Do you have what it takes to be a pillar in God’s House?
I’m sure 99.99 percent of you will say No: “For crying out loud, Bro. Bo, I don’t have what it takes to be a pillar in God’s House!”
But when you study Scripture—we’ve been studying this at The Feast– one of the words you’ve been hearing is hyperlinks. It seems as though, you know, you go through Scripture and you look for other references or places in the Bible that talk about pillars in temples—and there is one other place, and so probably the author of Revelation, you know, is hyperlinking his passage to that one in 1Kings 7:1
Let’s read together:
You know we don’t read passages like these because they’re all about cubits and measurements and stuff like that.
Verse 15: He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.
That’s big.
Everybody say, “I’m a pillar and I am big.” You’re BIG!
He erected the pillars.
But by the way, just want you to know, if you’re going to be a pillar, you better be sure that you’re made of bronze, better be sure that you’re strong.
Are you strong?
“I don’t know, Bro. Bo. I’m flaky. I’ve been unfaithful. I’ve been coming into this Conference with guilt in my heart because I did something wrong. Bro. Bo, No! I’m not strong! And now you’re telling me I’m a pillar in God’s Temple and this Verse says, Oh, my gosh, I’ve got to be strong…”
Verse 21:
He erected the pillars at the portico of the Temple…
Get this. I love this: The pillar to the south, he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.
The pillars had names… Historians will tell you this is not common in ancient times. They did not name pillars—which makes the verse even more significant.
So, 1,400 years after that verse was written the author of Revelation was meditating on that verse– and the pillars have names.
And I wonder why and he reflected on it and probably—I’m just guessing,
you may argue with me, and tell me I’m wrong and that’s fine—but I’m telling you now, yes, in God’s House, the pillars have names…
And do you know who they are?
Sonia and Pearl and Jam, and Arun, and Alvin, and John, and Obet, and Marowe, and Francis…
The pillars in God’s House have names– because they are your names.
And you notice how there were two pillars? Do you know why there are two pillars mentioned in 1Kings 7? Why? Because you cannot stand alone. You need that person beside you. I want you to hold someone’s hand and tell that person, “Kailangan kita. — I need you. We’re going to do this together.”
If we’re going to be the pillars of God and make the House of God stand, we’ve got to do this together. We need to start forgiving each other. We need to start forbearing each other. We need to work together with difficult personalities.
I’ll tell you why: Because we can’t do it alone. The House of God needs pillars– not pillar, singular, but pillars.
“But Bro. Bo, you still did not solve the problem: What does it take to be a pillar of God? And you said strong but I’m not strong…”
I’ve got Good News for you: God will make you strong.
You’re not excited… He calls you to be a pillar in His House, and you’re saying I’m not strong enough, and God is telling you, “Well, I’ll take care of that. I will make you strong. I will make you strong.”
Put your hands over your chest and say, “God will make me strong.”
But do you know how God will make you strong? How?
Through your burdens. That’s the only way. There is no second way. There is no third way. There is no fourth. There is only one way that God will make you strong.
And that is through your burdens.
Specimen A: Samsonite 1960s. As old as me.
I know, I know, I look like I was born in 1980. Thank youJ.
But this: Do you see anything different, any defining characteristic that makes this different from your luggage today?
Look at it: It’s beautiful, it’s vintage… And you know, today, we have this:
What’s the difference?
Of course, the old suitcase doesn’t have wheels.
Why? They started putting wheels on luggage in 1970. This was made a few years before. From 1970 until now, 99.99 percent of all pieces of luggage have wheels. Yes, or no? Yes! Why?
Hello! I mean who in their right mind will have a luggage without wheels today? Walking around in airports. Oh, my gosh. By the time you arrive at your check-in counter… But do you know that there are two medical journals that I read concerning exercise and sports? And both of them made this finding: That between people who use luggage with wheels and the people who use luggage without wheels, people who use luggage with wheels report more back pains, and weaker legs, than people carrying luggage with no wheels.
Sit on the Floor…To Live Long
And this was confirmed by a series I was watching on Netflix,
Blue Zones—four episodes, very short, watch them.
There was this guy who said that there are blue zones in the world.
These are geographical spots on Planet Earth that have a high concentration of centenarians, 100 years old– and healthy ones, still riding a horse, swimming in rivers. It’s wild!
So, the question was: What makes them so strong, and alive, and live long? Hah—many answers. You know, food, and climate, and beautiful air, and a sense of purpose.
But there is one thing I picked up: These centenarians who are living strong and healthy life, they did not live comfortable life. They walked all over the place. They would carry heavy stuff with their hands. They would bend on the ground and do gardening at the age of 90 and 95.
One of the Blue Zones of the world is Okinawa, Japan. And in that place, the old people there, amazing! Their life is not comfortable. In their house, they don’t have chairs. And so, when old people lose their balance, they break a hip because parts of their legs are getting weaker.
They cannot stand up from the floor. In Okinawa, they have no problem standing from the floor because 30 times a day, they stand from the floor because that’s their chair.
You know, somebody gifted me with a chair many years ago. It’s supposed to be very, very good for the back. It’s very expensive. It’s an office chair.
It’s high-end. You know how much it was back then, many years ago? P120,000. And the advertisement is this: It will heal your back problems. I want you to know it did not. It did not heal my back problems. Do you know what healed my back problems? This … the floor. The best chair on the floor is the floor. Who told me that? A doctor who specializes in back pains. Because when you sit on the floor, you have to keep on adjusting. It’s not comfortable. You have to use your muscles.
It’s not comfortable. But what is not comfortable will make you strong.
Our problem is when it becomes uncomfortable, we don’t like it, we shoo it away. We say, “No, no, that’s too heavy.
I want something comfortable.”
When the marriage becomes uncomfortable… you walk away. Parents, when raising kids becomes uncomfortable, what do we do? When your Feast leader says come and serve in a ministry, “Ay…” It’s an added burden.
I want you to stand up. You’re too comfortable. And I want you to tell me, right now, is there a burden that you’ve been avoiding? And is there a burden in your life that you’ve been complaining about? Is there a burden in your life that you want to shoo away?
Because that’s what the world is telling us. The world is telling us, you know, “Be as comfortable as you can. And remove the burdens of life.”
But maybe that’s exactly why we’re weak. And why we have less joy and why we have less love. Because we do not embrace the burdens of life that are good for us.
I’ve got a Word for you: Don’t seek for comfort. Seek for God’s power instead. Instead of lessening your burden, you just say, “Lord,
I need more strength. Make me strong. Because I am in God’s House.” You know what they put on suitcases? Tags.
In Revelation 3:12, Jesus says, I will write God’s Name on you.
You’re my pillar…
Oh, by the way, in ancient times, that was common. Writing the name of your deity on a pillar. That was common. But what was different in Revelation 3 is that Jesus says, “I, myself, will write God’s Name on you. You’re my pillar in My House, and No.1, I’m going to write God’s Name. No. 2, I’m going to write the New Jerusalem on you…
Do you know where I’m going with this? Not yet… The moment you get it, you say Hallelujah! Okay? The moment you get it, you say, Whoo! Yes!
No. 1: God’s Name is written on you.
No. 2: God says He’s going to write the name of the new city, Jerusalem, on you…
You’re Tagged! For When You Get Lost…
The moment you get what
I am telling you, you better shout Hallelujah!
I put this tag with my name and my address so that if it gets lost, and somebody finds it, it will be returned to me.
God put His name and His address on you because when you get lost, you know where to come home.
You belong to God! You belong to God! You belong to God!
I’m not yet done… Because Jesus said, in Revelation 3:12, I will write three things on you: 1. God’s Name; 2. New Jerusalem; 3. and My New Name.
Wait… Wait. Bible scholars, for the past 2,000 years, have never decoded that last part: Jesus has a New Name?
And you ask any Bible scholar, and they will tell you, “We don’t know.
We don’t know what that means.”
And you know what? I’m okay not knowing. I’m happy with mystery.
There are some mysteries that we still do not know.
And you need to be comfortable with that mystery.
New Promise: God’s New Name and Address
I want you to know this: Perhaps – and these are guesses—that Jesus,
the earthly Jesus, has a name—Jesus. And, but, maybe the glorified Jesus will have a New Name. And our brain cells cannot yet comprehend the New Name that Jesus will have in the everlasting Kingdom. We don’t know…
But this is the message that God wants to give to you today:
Whatever is to come, that New Name of Jesus is already written here, in my heart. Because I am the pillar of God.
And the promise of Jesus is this: You don’t only belong to God. You belong to God forever.
What is to come? What cannot yet be comprehended, what cannot be understood, what cannot be fathomed by your imagination, God says, Jesus says, you belong to me!
I want you to high-five some seven persons around you and tell that person, You belong to God! You Belong to God forever! You belong to God forever!
Hallelujah! Worship You, Lord! Lift your hands, if you can., and say this prayer with me:
Jesus, You are so alive here in this place. And I Thank You that I am Your pillar in Your House. I am weak. But You will make me strong. And I embrace the burdens of life to make me stronger. Thank You for making me strong. Thank You, that I am Your pillar in Your House and that You have written Your Name, and the city of Jerusalem, and Your New Name in my life. Because I belong to You. Amen.
