Built Different | Pastor Benny Perez | Forward City Church

((applause)) Grab the Bibles. Grab your Bibles. Let's go to quickly to the book of Acts, chapter 1. And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to somebody say, "Wait." >> Come on, say it louder. Say, "Wait." >> Wait for the promise of the gift of the Father, which he said, "You have heard from me."

For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Therefore, they had come together. They asked him, saying, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And he said to them, "It is not for you to know what times or seasons which the father has put in his own authority, but you shall."

Come on, say somebody say, "Shall." >> Shall. >> Say it like you have a You shall. >> You shall what? Receive what? >> Come on, say it like you shall receive what? >> When what? The Holy Spirit, >> the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you should be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and to the very uttermost parts of the earth.

Father, I pray right now, speak Lord God to your people. I got to deposit this word in them in Jesus name. Come on, give me a big amen right now. >> If you're taking notes, the title of the message is it's on that beautiful screen. They're going to put it back there for me.

Built different. >> Built different. What does it mean church? When I say built different, it is a phrase primarily used in certain context to describe someone or something that possesses unique, exceptional, unconventional qualities that set them apart from others. Exceptional abilities meaning they are able to do things others cannot easily do. >> Unusual talent or skills.

They may possess remarkable talent or unusual abilities. Superiority. It can suggest they are uniquely superior in specific ways. Distinctiveness. They stand out from a crowd and may not conform to typical expectations. It can be described. It can be used to describe someone who is physically strong, mentally resilient and exceptionally skilled at a particular task.

They are built different. We we say this about like sports athletes like I'm a Kobe guy. You don't argue with me who was the greatest. >> It was not it's not LeBron. No, no, no shame on my friend. I'll text him later and make him feel better. I I think MJ and Kobe and we could have argu but suffice it to say, how many of you believe that MJ, Kobe, and even LeBron, come on, are built different?

We use this term to describe somebody that is unusual. They're not normal. Like you got like the Williams sisters, right? Like these great tennis play. They they they they are built different. You think about entertainment and they have different kinds of artists that are were just built different.

Like like name an artist whatever genre. It's like, man, that they hit those notes or they could dance or they're just just incredible entertainers. They are just built different. Think about the business world that there are men and women. They're just built different. Like Jeff Beasel starts his company in the garage in Seattle called Amazon. >> And I had opportunity to invest in Amazon. >> You know what I said? >> Who wants to buy books online?

You know, if I invested in Amazon, I wouldn't be a preacher today. I'd be so rich. Come on, somebody. I'd be like hanging out in Monaco. Come on, somebody. Wave your hand at me. Think about people that are built different, unique, distinct, different. Don't conform. These are the men and women that influence and shape culture.

But can I tell you you here, you're built different. >> No, you have to hear what I'm saying here. Because if you're a kingdom man, come on, a kingdom woman, that means that you are built different. You're not like everybody else. See, I'm not just a natural individual.

I am supernatural now in origin. Why? Because when I said yes to Jesus and the spirit of God came in me, I didn't go from bad to good. That's not the gospel. God will make you good because you're bad. No. The gospel is you go from being dead to alive in Christ.

So now that means if any man or woman be in Christ, they are they are a new creation. Come on. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. So now I am built different. You are built different. How do I know? Because Jesus in the text that we read.

He now is resurrected from the dead. And now Jesus is talking to his disciples and he's going to tell them, "Listen guys, you're are built different. And here's the reason why." And he lines it out for them. And I'm tired of men and women that go to church, that call on the name of Jesus, and they act like God isn't with them. >> Let me tell you what I mean by that.

Because a lot of people respond the same way culture responds. >> So when I hit a financial thing, it's like, oh, and I act the same way. But when you understand that I am built different, come on. You are built different. Why? Because Jesus said, let me tell you why you're built different.

Let me give you just four ways you're built different. Number one, the first thing Jesus said is he says, I'm going to I'm going to tell you this that the father has a gift for you. >> Now, I want you to understand what he's saying here. And he says, listen, the father, my father has this gift for you.

The father, our heavenly father, gives us many gifts. Matthew 7:11 says, if your earthly fathers being evil give good gifts, how much more does your heavenly father give good gifts? Now listen when I say this. Gifts are gifts because they are gifts. That's deep. >> Let me explain this to you.

I have found that people don't understand that the kingdom of God operates by believing and receiving. >> And how do I know I believe? Not just cuz I say, it's because I do. >> Obedience is the indication that you believe >> what God is telling you. There's a lot of people that have lip service, but they never walk out in obedience what God has told them to do.

It's like God coming to Abraham, Abraham, leave everything that you know and go to a land that I will show you. Got you, God. But he never leaves. And a lot of us profess believing, but our life does not show believing. >> And we wonder why we're not going into a breakthrough.

Because you got to start walking in obedience to see what God says he will do in your life. >> Think about this. And so we believe that in the kingdom is believing and receiving. That's what a gift is. See, a gift is a gift because it's a gift.

If if I now qualify or earn a gift, it's no longer a gift. It's a payment. >> And we have to be careful because some of us are payment oriented with God. Let me tell you why I went on an 8-day fast. because the spirit of God told me to do it.

And because the spirit of God told me specifically why to do it and there's something specifically that he wanted to do in me. I don't read my Bible. God, I'm reading my Bible now. Do something. God, I'm praying now. No. Maybe you read your Bible and made you maybe you pray so you could have greater intimacy with him. >> Maybe I could hear his voice.

Come on, somebody help me preach this a lot more clearly. Maybe what I'm doing is I'm responding to the gift of salvation and because he saved me and filled me and now my great response is to offer my life as a living sacrifice to him. >> Haven't we been hearing that over and over again?

Surrender and submission and kill something. Why? Because listen, you and me, we walk in this it's kingdom and it's now God I believe and I receive. But if I really believe God, I will offer my son on the altar. >> Believe and receive. It's so funny because I was preaching at a church and the power of God was hitting this place, Pastor Travis, and the Holy Spirit stopped me and he said, "Lady in the third row, prominent church."

And what? And the Holy Spirit tells me, "Stop and give her the money that's in your pocket." So, there was a $100 bill and a $10 bill. So, I took out the $10 bill cuz that represents the tithe. And how many know the Holy Spirit rebuked me on that one?

He said, "The $100 bill." I said, "Dear lady, what's your name?" She told me her name. I said, "Dear lady, God just told me to give you the $100 bill in my pocket." Now, she starts screaming like screaming like screaming. Everybody's screaming. She's crying. Everybody's crying. I'm crying because I have to give her the $100 bill.

And in that moment, the spirit of God told me this. Never heard this before. I said, "Dear lady, a gift is given on the merit of the person giving the gift, not on the merit of one receiving the gift." >> I want you to hear what I'm about to say. >> It's all relying on God, but he's relying on you to understand who he is.

So now I respond out of his greatness >> and out of submission because God, I want to receive everything, come on, that you have for me. >> I don't know about you, I don't want just a double blessing. I don't want just a quarter BL. I want everything that heaven has for me and heaven has for my family.

Come on. Is anybody talking? I want to engage God in a greater way. So interesting what Jesus said because here I'm not going to get to a whole sermon, but he says this. the father's going to give and the gift here is the gift of the holy spirit and we know that the holy spirit according to John chapter I think 16 he says that it is expedient for me to go because if I go the father will send another helper or another comforter or the Greek word is pericletos >> which that word pericletos means motivator comforter and consultant.

In Jesus' day, they would call a paricletos in to motivate soldiers that were down and discouraged. >> They would also call a paricletos to come into a court of law and testify on your behalf. >> And they would call a paricletos in because you had to have a consultant to make a wise decision.

The Holy Ghost is a person. He is not just a feeling. He's not just shaking you. He's not just filling you. He is there with wisdom. He is there with encouragement. He is there to help you. He is there to comfort you. He is there to lead you.

And he is there to guide you. >> He is the precious Holy Spirit. And he is there. And he is there. And he says this is a gift of my father, the Holy Spirit, the advocate, the comforter, the counselor. And he will come. And this is what Jesus said, which is crazy.

Listen to this. He's telling primarily his disciples who've grown up in a religious system that understand that the that the presence of God, the the the the power of God, the the the shakana glory of God only was in one place at one time. It was actually in the Holy of Holies.

And one man could go in once a year. And he had to go in the right way because if he didn't go in the right way, he would be pulled out. >> See, we we don't understand when we read the text contextually because the disciples understood when Jesus said, "And the Holy Spirit will come on you."

They understood that. They understood that so much that they saw this when the Holy Spirit, I think Pastor Travis said, would come on somebody and then leave. Come on somebody and leave. And and came on a young man and he outran a chariot. The Holy Spirit would always come and then leave. >> That was not revolutionary.

Jesus blew their mind. He said, "He's not just going to be on you. He's going to be inside of you. You don't understand." That shook them. Wait a second. Because I I I I cannot have that unless there's the shedding of blood. He was telling them that his sacrifice had made a way for them to be living holy temples for the Holy Spirit to come in and live inside of them.

Can you see? We don't get this concept, but I'm actually understanding this more. The Holy Spirit's on me and in me, and now I now live holy and upright. Why? Because I am the temple, come on, of the Holy Ghost. This is crazy. Listen, this is crazy because what happens is is that now he says, "And when the Holy Spirit comes, which is the gift of the father, he's going to give you power." >> The word power, as the pastor said already, is the word dunamis.

Somebody say dunamis. >> Dunamis. >> It means might. Say might. >> Strength. Say strength. >> Strength. power. It means that which overcomes resistance. It's the super on your natural. Come on. To get the job done. It is power in every area of your life. Don't compartmentamentalize the Holy Spirit.

You need him in your marriage. You need him in your money. You need them in your relationships. You need them in your mind. You need them out of your job. You need him wherever you go. He is the power of the Holy Spirit. >> You need to let him lead you and guide you.

Listen to me. I'm a ghost guy. I I flow and I love it. Shake, rattle, roll. Give me words, God. God, this is awesome, God. But what I need isn't just that kind of power. And this one I tell you about because some of you don't understand this.

There's different kinds of power for different kinds of seasons. >> I'm going to Somebody's going to get helped right now. >> Because there is sustaining power >> and there's overcoming power. >> Fact of the matter is most people don't want to admit that they're in a season that the breakthrough hasn't come yet. >> And we have taught you it's a lack of faith.

But what if I told you that there is the power of the Holy Spirit that is sustaining power in your life? What is sustaining power? God holding you up when nothing around you changes. Sustaining power is God's grace and strength that holds you steady in the middle of adversity.

It does not necessarily change your external circumstances, but gives you inner capacity to endure without giving up, breaking down, or losing faith. I want to talk to some real people that understand sustaining power. Right now, let me give you a story. You know it. There's these three young adults.

They're living in Babylon. And the Bible said that they have this massive idol. And it says that when the music plays, you got to bow down and you've got to worship. The Bible says there was three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneo. And they were determined that they would not bow no matter what the pressure was. >> You know the story.

They begin to play and everybody bows down. And there they are. They're standing there and they're standing and the king is looking at them. The king gets mad and says, "Don't you know I have the power to throw you in that fiery furnace." And the king says, "Make it seven times harder." >> Now, this is where most cultural Christians would bow. >> This is where most cultural Christians will compromise. >> This is where most of us say, "Well, God understands."

And the problem with that statement is you never give God a chance to stand up strong in your life. You capitulate and you don't even recognize that that is an excuse. And God is saying if you just would stand I will give you greater grace to sustain you to stand.

Now watch this. So all of a sudden I love this text. They say this. Oh king, let it be made known to you today that the God we serve >> shall deliver us from your hand. >> But even if he doesn't even if he does not do it, we will not bow.

((music playing)) See, I I'm not conditional in my walk with God. I'm positional. ((applause)) >> Can I break it down for a second? >> I know I'm seated with Christ in heavenly places. Position. My condition may be awkward, may be difficult, may be hard, but I don't live conditional. I live positional. >> You know what they do?

Pastor Travis got these big old rip guys been working out in Babylon. They take these three young adults and they throw them in the fire. And the fire that was supposed to kill the three young adults killed the guys >> that were throwing them in. Gets even greater.

So they're in there bound up. I don't know how long it is, but the king says, "Yo, how many gods did we throw in?" >> Oh, king, we threw in three. But wait a second. I see >> a fourth man in the fire. Now, this is crazy. And he looks like the son of God.

No, no, no. Stop. How does a pagan king >> know what the son of God looks like? Now watch this. ((music playing)) If God doesn't keep you out of the fire, he sustains you in the fire. Let me talk to some real people. Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, >> when you encounter various trials and tribulations of your faith.

Watch me. For this momentary affliction, ((applause)) is doing for us something that's created an eternal weight of glory. >> See, what God calls temporary, we call permanent. ((applause)) So watch this. >> They're walking around talking with Jesus in the fire. >> I don't think they were saying, "Why are we in here, Jesus?

Why are we in here? Jesus, I've been fasting. I've been praying. I've been tithing. Why am I in the fire, Jesus? Why am I here?" Because you understand the text. It said, "What was binding them got burned off of them." >> See, we think the fire is to destroy us, but the fire is to refine us.

((applause)) No, no, no, no, no. ((applause)) >> They're walking around talking. >> Watch this. >> And they say, the king says, "Hey, come out." I just think this, when you're in the fire and the sustaining power of the Holy Ghost is sustaining you, people that aren't saved will start to say, "I don't really believe in God, but there must be a God because the way you're handling this is different than everybody else.

The way you're dealing with this, come on, is different than anybody else. You're not drugging. You're not drinking. You're not sleeping around. What is it about you? This is even crazier. Are you ready? >> I'm almost done. >> Are you guys still with me? >> Watch. And they came out of the fire.

This is crazy. And it said this. No hair was singed. >> And they didn't smell like smoke. >> I got a good word for somebody right now. >> You know what we do in culture? >> We become that which hit us. So now because something bad happened when I was a kid, I now take that on as my identity.

I now say, "Well, you know what happened to me? You know what happened? If this would have happened now, can I tell you something? >> You would never know that my biological father walked out on me when I was six. left me and my three siblings >> and he never came back. >> You wouldn't know that I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and they said I'd be in a wheelchair at the age of 25. >> You wouldn't know. >> You would know that I got hit with Graves disease, Marfan syndrome, hypothyroidism.

You would know that I was emaciated. You would know they put me on experimental drugs which are outlawed today. You would not know. You want to know why I don't smell like smoke? ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) Somebody's got to shout. Somebody's got to shout. ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) ((applause)) You wouldn't know. >> You wouldn't know. I got three kids, but I got two in heaven.

You wouldn't know. >> You wouldn't know about two horrific miscarriages. People saying stupid stuff. Well, they weren't. No, no, no. You never been through one. You wouldn't know that the last one, >> my wife has a four months pregnant, which would be his younger brother. It's Easter weekend.

Easter week. We go for the son and cramp. Dr. Jackie, we're laying there. We would had one miscarriage believing God for another one. Another another baby and heartbeat's there. Then all of a sudden something happens. Technician goes, "Wait a second. It's going from 120 beats, 120, 100, 90."

Technician leaves, comes back. Doctor says, "Hey, let's just check this out. Can you stand up, walk around, Mrs. Perez, can maybe drink some water? You can do something." She lays back down again. 70 beats, 60 beats, 40 beats. The baby flat lines. The doctor says, "I'm sorry, but the fetus has expired. >> Food expires." >> Listen to me. >> You wouldn't know, huh?

You wouldn't know. So I I said, "No, no, no." So we gather our stuff up. My wife, my mother-in-law's there. I said, ' Man, we're driving home, praying in tongues, praying in the Holy Ghost, praying, praying, praying in Las Vegas. We have favor. We have a rather large church.

We have a lot of influence in Vegas. Doctor says, I I said, I want to come back cuz I'm believing God for an Easter miracle. I said, "Okay, we we'll get you in, Mr. Perez, soon." We go the next morning. They check her and they say this. The child is unfortunately dead.

Now you ladies, you know the operation they have to do to remove the baby. They take her in. The doctor looked at the wrong blood labs and we almost lost her on the table. She comes out. She's there an extra long time. They dismiss my wife. I'm driving her home and I knew something was off.

As we're driving home, my wife would later tell that she left her body and she was hovering over the car. My wife was was passing. I get to the garage. I pull my wife out and she collapses and she's hemorrhaging. Like hemorrhaging like there's no doubt she's hemorrhaging.

I don't want to get graphic. Her eyes roll back in the back of her head. All I knew to do was sight. I started praying in the Holy Ghost. >> No, I I I I pray. I'm just praying. And here's what I said. God, >> God, I I can't have my wife leave.

Paramedics rush. They come. She has hardly any blood pressure. They can't even put anything in her. They go, "We got to rush to the hospital. She may not make it." They rush to the hospital and a doctor happened to be in the emergency room that knew the procedure to do to save my wife's life.

Watch this. We get her into the hospital. It's Friday now. Good Friday. >> I'm devastated. She's devastated. I said, "Wendy, I don't want to preach." I have to preach 11 times that weekend. Okay. Cuz we had a small building. I said, "Wait, I don't want to preach." She goes, "No, you need to go preach."

She goes, "Go preach the hell >> out of people." I got up, I start preaching. >> This is where I learned sustaining power. My flesh said no. >> My mind was shattered. >> But my spirit was connected to the greater one that lives within me. I begin to preach.

Come on. The power of the Holy Ghost. Watch this. I'm weeping. People are saying, "Wow, pastor must be anointed." And pastor, it hit me that I lost my child, but the father gave his son. It flipped for me. I walked in sustaining power that weekend. It was glorious.

And that sustaining power gave us the ability to weep and to grieve. The sustaining power of God has held me together. The sustaining power of the Holy Ghost when I wanted to lose my mind when my father-in-law went on to be in heaven and then 6 weeks later my dad has a massive heart attack and he has a fiveway by nineway bypass surgery after the tragic abortion uh miscarriage.

It was it was probably the toughest season of my life and we ended up writing a book and it it's touched thousands of people all over the world and you could find on Amazon if you want and and what I what I found out was there was a power >> that was sustaining power. >> That was power that I really didn't know.

How have you made it 41 years? Sustaining power of the Holy Ghost. I don't know how you could live without the oil. Your car can't even run without the oil. >> And if you don't change the oil, your car will seize up. We need not just oil, but we need fresh oil in our lives.

The sustaining power of God. Now I tell you my story betrayed by a son that I poured my life into ((music playing)) criticized mocked I'm not trying to I'm trying to tell you >> that with every attack >> there is a greater corresponding sustaining power. Does anybody know what I'm talking about with the sustaining power?

((applause)) Danny, come here. You know this is for you. ((music playing)) This is for you. How many you want to tap into the sustaining power of God right now? You You're Who's going through something right now? Who's Who's going Come on, wave your hand at me. You know what? You wave your hand at me.

There was a guy named the Apostle Paul. How many ever heard of him in the Bible? wave your hand. You know, he prayed three times for God to take something away. Now, we don't I'm not gonna get weird and say it was sickness, disease, but suffice to say, it was a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him. >> You know what?

He prayed three times for God to take it away. And Jesus said this, "My grace is what?" >> That's not the prayer. That's not the answer to my prayer >> that I want. Most of us major on God take away things. when you got to realize God has already given you everything you need to overcome that which you're facing in your life right now. >> Can I give you one more example and then I I know I'm over time but >> take your time.

There's only one person that says that. Everybody's like don't don't say that to that guy. Children of Israel are coming out. Let me do this last illustration. Children are coming out. They complain. They murmur. They get bit by snakes. You know the story. They come to to Moses.

They say this prayer to him. Moses, pray to God to take away the snakes. You know the story. Moses comes say, "Yo, God, uh, the snakes." And God never deals with the snakes. Never takes them away. What he says is, "I want you to make a bronze serpent.

Put on a pole and lift it up." Now, my question to you is, how long does it take to make a bronze serpent in the wilderness? How many know it takes more than one day to do that? >> So they're they're they're doing this. People are getting bit.

They're dying. Moses says, "Hey, I heard from God." Everybody who's been bit, if you would just look up at the serpent, you will be healed. He didn't say, "God's going to take away the problems. God's going to take away the snake bite." He No, no, no. We want God to take away something when God has something better for you.

So now they look up, they get healed. Fast forward to the new covenant. And now this is crazy because Jesus is having this talk with this rabbi in John chapter 3 and he understands the Torah. He understands the first five books of the Bible. He understands all the stories.

He understands that Moses, he understands all that. And Jesus makes a crazy statement. He says this to him. Even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so does so must the son of man be lifted up. Jesus is telling us that when you get bit, you don't pray for something to be taken away.

You just got to look to him because he is the one that will heal you from any snake bite, from every situation because he gives you sustaining power. Last one. Remember when Paul got bit by a snake? >> I said, "Do you remember when Paul got bit by a snake?"

((applause)) You know that people said he was a god and then when he got bit, oh, he's a murderer. You know how crazy people change their opinion on you based upon what happens to you? That's why you could be hater, say what you want on social media about me, it's all good.

I don't care because God's got me. We're all good. I don't need your approval. We don't need your opinion because I'm here to please God and serve mankind. So So he gets bit. Now this is crazy. What does Paul do? Why did I get bit? Why is this happening to me?

Did he do that? >> No. What does the Bible say? He what? Now, I did some study. How do you make antivenenom? Well, the old days, you know what they would do? They would take the venom of a viper and inject it into a living lamb. >> I'm not making this stuff up. >> And they found out that the blood of a lamb has special antibodies that when the venom hits the blood, it does not kill you, but the blood is the antivenenom to what the devil has bit you with.

I say to you this way, the blood of the lamb is greater than the venom of a viper. ((music playing)) Oh, I've been bit, but I got antivenenom. I got hit, but I got antivenenom. The devil trying to take me out, but I got antivenenom. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

Give God a 10second praise. Break right now. Go family. It's Pastor Jim. I pray that this message you just heard impacted your life forever. That's our desire. and not only you, but that you would share it with a friend, a family member, anyone that God puts on your heart, that this word would affect, would change them, too.

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