Tag: Lord Jesus Christ

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Bible Preaching

The Great Mountain

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 5/21/2023 | 7:00 PM

There are moments in life that we call, “mountain top experiences.”

Like a GPS (global positioning satellite), our minds can take us back to places and locations where we fought battles that effected our hearts and minds.

Sometimes, the struggles wrestled within our spirits, and barrages of attack where even our bodies were worn down to the point where we couldn’t see a way through the craggy pass.

There is a place on top the mountain for you.

God has established it there.

Text: Daniel 2:31-35

(31)  Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

(32)  This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

(33)  His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

(34)  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

(35)  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

I am preaching tonight from this thought:

The Great Mountain

It is 606 B.C., and four young men (teenagers really) have been forcibly taken from their homes in the nation Judah, and marched 880 miles into a land of exile to serve Nebuchadnezzar in the gentile city of Babylon, in the land of Shinar.

In Babylon, their captors try to rob them of their identity and these four Hebrew boys (Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) receive new Babylonian names (Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego).

It might seem simplistic to say this, but I rise to tell you once again that your adversary, the devil, seeks to devour you.

Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”[1]

He wants to erase all identifying markers from your life that would remind you of your identity.

You are a child of the living God. Your Father is the One who created you and made you. You are part of His people and the sheep of His pasture.

You can rest sure tonight in your identity in Jesus.

This foe would love to put on you a name of shame that marks you as his possession, but we serve the only wise God – Jesus Christ.

There are places in Scripture where people received new names, either by the LORD or some loved one because they refused to allow some negative moniker be put on them for the rest of their life.

How would you like to go around with name “Ichabod” (“no glory”[2])? Why Ichabod? Why No Glory?

“And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.”[3]

Every time Ichabod entered a room they all knew he was named for the day God’s presence left the children of Israel when the Philistines in battle took the Ark of the Covenant.

“…The glory is departed…”

There was no one there to say, “NO! We are not going to call him by that name.”

And he went his entire life with that name of shame upon him.

There is Rachel, she is dying, and she is getting ready to pass this life after giving birth to her second son with Israel.

“And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.”[4]

Benoni = son of my sorrow[5]

Benjamin = son of the right hand[6](“right hand” symbolizing strength)

You have a name given to you, by the Lord. Do not let the enemy put a name on you that separates you from His presence, and hinders you from reaching your potential in Christ, and in life.

Names like: Loser, Failure, Liar, Thief, Addict, Useless – some of the many names the father of lies has tried to put on you.

But, Jesus, “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God,” has a name for you.

What is that name?

Will you choose to wear it?

Isaiah 62:1-4

(1)  For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

(2)  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

(3)  Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

(4)  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah [my delight[7]], and thy land Beulah [to marry[8]]: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

God has a great name for you. He wants to delight in you, you are the apple of His eye, and He loves you with an unfailing love.

The name of Jesus Christ is the name we take on when we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.

That name is “a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”[9]

You became espoused to Jesus Christ the moment baptism took place. Why? Because you were baptized in His name.

If you have not been baptized in His name, then you have not taken on the family name.

You need to take on that name because in Jesus “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”[10]

When you take on that name in water baptism all the characteristics of God are available to you.

Let’s talk about our Husband:

  • Isaiah 54:5, “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
    • Our secular culture today resists the Creation account in Genesis, but when you stop believing in the Creation then you lose contact with your Husband.
    • You were made in the image of God.
  • Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
  • 2 Corinthians 11:2, “…I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
    • When were you espoused to the Husband? When you were born again of water and Spirit.
    • When you went down in the waters of baptism and took on His name as the preacher said, “I now baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost,” and you came up out of that water a new creature in Christ Jesus taking on His name.
  • Ephesians 3:14-19, “(14) For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (15)  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, (16)  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; (17)  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18)  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19)  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

Our identity is complete in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are filled with all the fullness of God, and He has a great love for you.

So, never allow satan the pleasure of calling you by some other name because you have been called by the only saving name that is above every name:

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”[11]

“Jesus is the One, Yes, He’s the only One”[12]

We love the fight, the grit, the determination and the dedication of these four young men to Jehovah:

  • Daniel and the lion’s den – he refused to stop praying
  • The three Hebrew children and the fiery furnace (Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) – they would not bow to an idol. They were told to bow, they were commanded to bow, but they refused to bow.

Don’t bow to an enemy who wants nothing but your destruction.

Do not compromise yourself for other people.

David Johnson & Jared Runck point out the parallels present in the time of Daniel and today:[13]

  1. People are allowed to believe anything at all so long as they don’t happen to believe their beliefs are right and the beliefs of others are wrong.
    1. There is only one way to be saved: you must be born again of water and Spirit to enter into the kingdom of God.[14]
    1. This is the Word of God, this is what Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”[15]
  2. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t care what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego believed, or who they worshipped, as long as they bowed to his great image (Dan. 3:5-6).
    1. Martin Luther King, Jr: The most dangerous type of atheism is not theoretical atheism, but practical atheism —that’s the most dangerous type. And the world, even the church, is filled up with people who pay lip service to God and not life service. And there is always a danger that we will make it appear externally that we believe in God when internally we don’t. We say with our mouths that we believe in him, but we live with our lives like he never existed. That is the ever-present danger confronting religion. That’s a dangerous type of atheism.
  3. In our day, we feel the constant pressure to conform and to be accepted, but that only occurs if you worship their gods (small “g” gods) and cease to worship the One True God.
  4. To stand when everyone else bows…to pray when all others fall silent. You can do that because “we serve the God who delivers from fiery furnaces and lion’s dens.”[16]

These mountain experiences were also proving grounds for their faith: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

Do you think it was easy for these four men to face down everybody? The peer pressure must have been at least as intense as the heat of that furnace.

However, it all began a long time ago when they were teenage boys and the refused to eat the king’s meat.

Do you want to know how to be successful in God? It is in the consistent every day practices and disciplines of faith. Every day growing your faith by doing the right thing one day at a time.

Do not compromise yourself and give up the principles of the Word of God to be accepted by a society that simply wants to destroy you and count you unworthy of the Living God.

Do not allow yourself to turn back to the valley below while climbing the mountain.

You belong spot on top of The Great Mountain.

There is no time to preach about Mt. Horeb, Mt. Sinai. Mt. Moriah, Mt. Gilboa, Mt. Nebo, Mt. Tabor, Mt. Carmel, the Mount of Olives, or Mt. Zion.

No time to tell the stories related to those places where mighty men and women saw their faith’s reward.

Life will take you to a mountain.

We talk about how beautiful it is on the top of the mountain, but nobody wants to talks about the struggle to get to the top of the mountain. We like the valley, the well-watered plains, and we often sing:

When I’m low in spirit I cry Lord lift me up I want to go higher with Thee

But nothing grows high on a mountain so He picked out a valley for me

And He leads me beside still waters somewhere in the valley below

And He draws me aside to be tested and tried in the valley He restoreth my soul[17]

We like it there in the valley. It’s green and plush. The Shepherd has placed us by a stream where we can be restored, but you have to get up at some point and climb that mountain in your life.

It matters really matters what mountain you are climbing, and if you are going to give your all, or not.

Just make certain you make it to The Great Mountain

The Great Mountain

Isaiah 2:1-5

(1)  The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

(2)  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

(3)  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

(4)  And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

(5)  O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

In our text, Daniel shares a vision of a great image.

That vision is a prophetic look at four major world powers that would rise and fall:[18]

  1. Head of gold = Babylon = Lion
  2. Breast and arms of silver = Media-Persia = Bear
  3. Belly and thighs of brass = Greece = Leopard
  4. Legs of iron = Roman empire = Dreadful and Terrible Beast[19]

These kingdoms, each in their own time, would become the dominating power in that part of the world, and would conquer the other kingdoms and territories near themselves.

Nevertheless, the Word of God tells us that there was a stone hewn out of the mountain that struck the feet of the great image and that stone became a Great Mountain.

That Great Mountain – The Great Mountain – The Stone, the Rock, the mountain, is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The “LORD’S house” that Isaiah told us would be “established in the top of the mountains,” which is going to fill the whole earth…

…Just prior to the coming of the Lord for His Bride, the whole earth will have heard of Jesus Christ, and The Great Mountain will have filled the whole earth.

That House, on The Great Mountain, is the Church.

The Great Mountain is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Children of Israel (2 million of them with their animals) were wandering in the wilderness and had a water supply problem, and they murmured against Moses:

And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.[20]

Paul later tells us the identity of that Rock at Mt. Horeb:

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.[21]

The Holy Ghost is a River tonight that comes out of the Rock.

…Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.[22]

Jesus Christ is the Rock and the Stone

  • Daniel 2:45, “Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” 
  • Deuteronomy 32:31, “For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.”
  • Deuteronomy 32:3-4, “(3) Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.  (4)  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
  • Psalm 18:2, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
  • Psalm 18:31, “For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?”
  • Psalm 95:1, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
  • Isaiah 2:10, “Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.”

How do you “Enter into the Rock?” How do you get in Jesus? Peter told us on the Day of Pentecost how to do that:

…God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.[23]

The answer is simple.

Obey the plan of salvation and be born again of water and Spirit.

That is how to enter into the Rock.

Upon this Rock

Matthew 16:13-18

(13)  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

(14)  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

(15)  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

(16)  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

(17)  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

(18)  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

“Thou art Peter” = Petros – “a (piece of) rock.”[24]

You are a small pebble, Peter, I’m not going to build My church on you…

“And upon this Rock” = Petra – “a (mass of) rock.”[25]

I am going to build My church on this massive boulder, this Stone hewn out of the mountain, which is going to come and crush the feet of this worldly governmental system…

…and establish an eternal Spiritual kingdom that cannot be destroyed.”

That is what Isaiah was prophesying about: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains…”[26]

Jesus declared it: “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”[27]

You are the Church; you are God’s House sitting in the top of the mountain – The Great Mountain – Our Lord Jesus Christ.

No foe can defeat Him; nothing can overcome Him, or supersede Him.

You can be like the foolish man who builds his house upon the sand, if you want to, or you can be like the wise man who says, “I’m going to build my house upon the Rock.

I am going to build my life upon Jesus. I am going to trust in the words of the Master and know that He is going to be with me no matter where I go.

God is with me.”

God is with you.

What have you built upon?

Have you built upon the Rock? The Rock is here to touch, heal, save, deliver and redeem you, if you will simply turn your heart to Him.

The New Testament tells us about that Rock, the Stone, and we understand who Jesus is: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.[28]

In the Old Testament, the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on stone:

  • Exodus 31:18, “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”
  • Exodus 32:15-16, “And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.  And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.”

Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the Law written on tables of stone by the finger of God.

He sees the children of Israel doing what they should not be doing and he destroys those tables of stone in exasperation.

You would think that destroying those stone tablets is what stopped Moses from entering the Promise Land.

The reason was that he disobeyed God’s Word, not because he broke stones tablets, but because he broke God’s Word.

Do not break the Word of God through disobedience.

It is established on the Rock, because those stones are a type of Jesus Christ.

That was the Word of God, given to the people of God in the wilderness, and the Bible is says that “Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”[29]

God hewed the tables of stone out of the mountain, and God’s Word was inscribed on them.

Jesus Christ is that Word made flesh – the Stone hewn out of the mountain.

The Church is established upon the Rock.

We stand upon the firm foundation of who Jesus is.

So, no enemy, no foe, can defeat you, or put a name on you that is not identified with Jesus Christ

Unless you allow it.

You have been baptized in His name. You have been established upon the Rock, and wherever you go, you take the Rock with you because you are in mountain of the Lord’s House on the top of the mountain – The Great Mountain – an ever-growing mountain.

“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end….”[30]

How and when does the Stone destroy the image?

How and when does it destroy the godless system of this carnal world?[31]

Through the preaching of the Word, the preaching of Jesus Christ – The Great Mountain – the spreading of the Gospel destroys the kingdoms of this world.

That is how the stone in Daniel’s vision broke the great image.

Daniel 2:34-35, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”

The Great Mountain is the Lord Jesus Christ; on top of that mountain is the Church, the kingdom of God. 

In addition, we, the Church, will preach Jesus until the Gospel is preached throughout the whole earth.

The message of Jesus Christ is filling the whole earth right now.

When that happens then Daniel’s vision is fulfilled: “and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.[32]

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”[33]

[1] John 10:10

[2] Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions. H350

[3] 1 Samuel 4:21-22

[4] Genesis 35:18.

[5] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. H1126.

[6] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. H1144.

[7] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. H2657.

[8] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. H1166.

[9] Philippians 2:9-11

[10] Colossians 2:9-10

[11] Acts 4:12

[12] Otis Wright. Jesus is the One, Yes, He’s the Only One.

[13] David P. Johnson & Jared S. Runck. (2017). Handbook on the Prophets. Word Aflame Press: Weldon Springs, MO. p. 84-85

[14] John 3:1-8

[15] Mark 16:16

[16] David P. Johnson & Jared S. Runck. (2017). Handbook on the Prophets. Word Aflame Press: Weldon Springs, MO. p. 84-85

[17] Dottie Rambo. (In the Valley) He Restoreth My Soul.

[18] Purpose Institute. (2019). Old Testament Studies. #6104 – Major Prophets. Lesson 4:  The Book of Daniel. p. 5.

[19] Daniel 7:1-28

[20] Exodus 17:4-6

[21] 1 Corinthians 10:1-4

[22] John 7:37-38

[23] Acts 2:36-39

[24] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. G4074.

[25] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. G4073.

[26] Isaiah 2:2

[27] Matthew 16:18

[28] John 1:14

[29] John 1:1-3

[30] Isaiah 9:7

[31] Ibid.

[32] Daniel 2:35

[33] Matthew 24:14

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Christ, The Chosen, The Crucified

Apostolic Life Cathedral | April 9, 2023 | 7:00 PM

Matthew 26:1-2

(1)  And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,

(2)  Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

In this passage we see

The Christ – The Chosen – The Crucified

The Christ

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 16

(11)  For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

(12)  As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

(16)  I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

An absolutely oneness view of the Messiah. He came Himself to save His people:

Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Ezekiel 37:24-25

(24)  And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

(25)  And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

“…David shall be their prince for ever.” =  God manifest in the flesh

1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

It was this Christ, this Messiah, This One True God in flesh, that gave Himself on the Cross for you.

The Chosen

John 15:15-19

(15)  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

(16)  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

(17)  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

(18)  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

(19)  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

When God Wants to Drill a Man[1]

By: Angela Morgan[2]

When God wants to drill a manWatch His methods, watch His ways!And he lifts beseeching hands!
And thrill a manHow He ruthlessly perfectsHow He bends but never breaks
And skill a man,  Whom He royally elects!When his good He undertakes;
When God wants to mold a manHow He hammers him and hurts him,How He uses whom He chooses
To play the noblest part;  And with mighty blows converts himAnd with every purpose fuses him;
When He yearns with all His heartInto trial shapes of clay whichBy every act induces him  
To create so great and bold a manOnly God understands;  To try His splendour out–  
That all the world shall be amazed,While his tortured heart is cryingGod knows what He’s about!

You have been chosen

Your present struggle awaits a perfected future

God knows what He’s about!

He knows what He is doing.

Jas_2:5, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?”

1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

Rev. 17:14, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

The Crucified

See paper: The Crucifixion Fulfills the Passover

Romans 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Gal. 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Mat. 10:38, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”

Mat. 16:24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

The Christ – The Chosen – The Crucified

Ezekiel 36:26-27

(26)  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 

(27)  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 

[1] https://marbaniang.wordpress.com/2017/09/07/origin-of-the-poem-when-god-wants-to-drill-a-man/

[2] Believed to be an anonymously “Christianized” form of her 1918 poem When Nature Wants a Man.

Categories
Bible Teaching

Understanding the Depths of the Name

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 11/6/2022

Text: Exodus 3:13-15

(13)  And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

(14)  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

(15)  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Matthew 1:18-25

(18)  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

(19)  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

(20)  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

(21)  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

(22)  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

(23)  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

(24)  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

(25)  And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

“To know” and “to understand” are different from one another.

Many know the name of Jesus,

But they don’t understand the greatness of the Name.

Name refers to the fame, authority, report, honor, character and record of God.

In the Hebrew the Name was known as far back as Moses.

It was not the articulation of the Name,

But what He who had the Name would do.

In this passage, the LORD established His eternal name as a record and a memorial with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Therefore, He was also their God as the children of those patriarchs.

The “I AM THAT I AM” is the progressive revelation of the name.

It simply means that Jehovah,

the Self-Existent One who exists all by Himself,

has no beginning or ending,

and needs no other to validate His existence.

He is to you what you let Him be to you.

So, when you understand that Name you find that the Lord is everything we need:

  • He is our Salvation
    • Genesis 49:18, “I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.”
    • Psalm 3:8, “Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.”
    • Isaiah 12:2-4, “(2)  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. (3)  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (4)  And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.”
  • He is our Redeemer
    • Isaiah 49:16, “…and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.”
    • Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
  • He is our Saviour
    • Isaiah 43:11,  “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
    • Isaiah 63:8, “For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.”
    • Luke 1:46-47, “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

This all deals with the work of God to deliver people from sin and harm by paying the price necessary for their deliverance.

This great salvation we have was bought with a price: 1 Peter 1:18-21

(18)  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

(19)  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

(20)  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

(21)  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

“…and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

for he shall save his people from their sins.”

“This is my name forever” refers to God’s record and fame, his authority and character,

But when Gabriel spoke to Mary the name he told her to name the child was a proper name.

That name, the name of Jesus, held within it all the fullness of the record, fame, authority, character and honor of the I AM.

Colossians 2:9-10, “(9)  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (10)  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”

You need to get a personal and continuing revelation of Jesus Christ.

His first responsibility was to “save His people from their sins.”

How? Immanuel = God with us.

The only way He can reveal to you the superiority of His name is through you daily experiences.

You will never understand how God works until you get to the place where you allow Him to work.

Then you will begin to understand His Name.

The name of Jesus is a continuous and increasing revelation of His greatness.

You may be struggling with you present circumstance and having a difficult time with the “why” of it.

It may be that this is what God wants for you right now so that He can reveal more of Himself to you.

God love you too much to allow you to stay static, stagnant, and motionless.

Now would be a good time to give Jesus the credit for all the good things in your life.

For example, “Thank you, Jesus, for keeping me free from sin all day long.”

The Lord has different ways that He reveals Himself to us continuously.

A prayer this morning: “Lord, I want a greater revelation about and of You.”

To say as Paul, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings…” (Philippians 3:10).

Salvation has come to this house

Luke 19:1-10

(1)  And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

(2)  And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

(3)  And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

(4)  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

(5)  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

(6)  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

(7)  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

(8)  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

(9)  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

(10)  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Notice: Jesus is the salvation coming to Zacchaeus’ house

  • V. 5 – Jesus said, “To day I must abide at thy house.”
  • V. 9 – Jesus says, “This day is salvation come to this house…”

_______

Acts 4:12 – there is no other record, fame, authority whereby you must be saved.

You need a name change.

Your soul has not lived until you get a name change.

This can only take place when you are baptized in the only saving name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Moses changed Oshea’s name to Jehoshua.

Joshua had a job to do and his name was changed to fit his job.

Categories
Bible Preaching

Religious, But Lost

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 3/19/2023

Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10

(4)  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

(5)  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

(6)  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

(7)  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

(8)  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

(9)  Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

(10)  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

Ancillary: Jeremiah 29:11

(11)  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Moses

He is walking one day along a path when he turns to inspect something he has noticed for some time, but never investigated…

A bush that burns but is not consumed…

There, in that holy place, he meets the I AM and receives a calling that changed his life and resulted in the formation of a nation.

Here, in the The Exodus, we meet God as Savior.[1]

400 years in Egypt have turned a small tribe of 70 Hebrews into a mighty tribe of 2-7 million.

They have become, through no fault of their own, a threat to Egypt and so the Pharaoh of that day, forgetting the salvation brought by the hand of Joseph, enslaves these children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Children of promise enslaved.

You know the story, Moses comes to Pharaoh and delivers the Word from the I AM, “Let My People Go.”

Refusals and plagues ensue until eventually the Egyptian ruler let’s God’s people go.

When they leave, they make a journey, over the Red Sea, on dry ground, and their enemies are never seen again – Water Baptism.

On Mount Sinai God gives Moses the Ten Commandments and these Hebrew descendants of Jacob become a nation and take on his new name – Israel.

The Law – The Torah – 613 Commandments containing “248 Positive Commandments (do’s) and 365 Negative Commandments (do not’s).” [2]

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17):

  1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
  2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…
  3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain…
  4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
  5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
  6. Thou shalt not kill.
  7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
  8. Thou shalt not steal.
  9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
  10. Thou shalt not covet…

Then they travel the wilderness for forty years

Why? An evil report…

After those long years, God sends Moses to Mount Nebo where he views the Land Promise and dies.

Moses introduced Israel to God as Savior and as the God of their Exodus who brought them out of bondage and made them into a nation.

God has done that for you tonight, He has put into place a way for you to exit sin, addiction, bondage, wickedness and given you a new name and put you into a holy nation:

(9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (10) Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Israel rejoiced in this identity, but in time they lost sight of something important – Relationship.

They had the covenant, but they lost the relationship.

Jeremiah

Over the course of 800 years, from Moses and The Exodus to Jeremiah’s day, these Israelites had turned away from and back to Jehovah – their Savior – untold times.

They would fall away and God would allow an enemy to rise up to chastise them and they would repent.

They would backslide and same process would take place again…

It became a cycle that denigrated the relationship God wanted with them to mere ritual and religion.

Would you want a relationship with someone who treated you like that?

They were Religious, But Lost.

These covenant people would sin, eventually feel guilty, offer the required sacrifice, go on their way forgiven — until they sinned again.

They had covenant with God, but no companionship with Him.

Into this atmosphere of sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent, we are introduced to Jeremiah. God knew and had a plan for him before he was ever conceived by his parents:

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”[3]

That passage alone is a primer on God’s view on the sanctity of life…

Jeremiah then tries to get out of his calling, much like Moses before him, and he tells God, “I cannot speak: for I am a child.”[4]

And the Lord replied, Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.[5]

You see, Jeremiah had a job to do

While Moses introduced the people to God as Savior, Jeremiah’s job was to introduce Him as God the Judge.[6]

So, The Exile of Judah becomes the main message of this young prophet as he begins his prophetic ministry at the age of 20.

He sorrows, laments, grieves, lives in depression at times as he deals with the loss that he witnesses over the course of 40-50 years.

Why? Because somewhere along the way these covenant people lost sight of their relationship with God and simply did not follow Him

WHEN THEY DID FOLLOW HIM it was with mere formalism, religiosity and ritual.

They knew what to do, but not how to do.

“He that knoweth to do good…”

Jerusalem falls, the Temple is destroyed, all the best and brightest young men and women are gathered by the Babylonian king and sent into exile.

And adding insult to injury, every time Jeremiah would open his mouth to speak the Word of God he was horribly mistreated. He prefigures Christ as a Suffering Servant with both his lamentations and his mistreatment.[7]

He was mistreated, imprisoned, beaten, lied on and abused – FOR THE WORD OF GOD – by kings, prophets, friends and even family.

This “son of Hilkiah” could have been a priest, but God ordained Him to be a Prophet.[8]

As such, he was mistreated, to the point where he said, “O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jeremiah 20:7-9).

In this environment of destruction and disappointment, heartache and hurt, fear and frustration, Jeremiah writes a prophecy of Hope and healing from the Lord (Jeremiah 29:4-14):

(4)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;  <<Marduk v. Jehovah = no match. Jehovah did this>>

(5)  Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

(6)  Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

(7)  And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

(8)  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

(9)  For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

(10)  For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

(11)  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

(12)  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

(13)  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

(14)  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

Deliverance and return is on the way. Even for the Religious, But Lost

You who love and want a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus still desires to dwell in the midst of His people.

He still wants relationship with you.

The Danger of Religion is that you lose relationship with Jesus and become religious, but lost:

  • Repentance is not about confession to change, but you just want to relieve guilt.
  • Your clean robe of righteousness (bag of sins is full) becomes dirty with sin and you pray, “I’m sorry, Lord. Please forgive me.”
  • The routine of repentance has nothing to do with change, but in just “feeling” better.
  • You feel better now, since you confessed, you’ll be ok until you forget what the guilt felt like and then you sin again. Why not? Your robe of righteousness is clean now anyways (your bag of sins is empty now).
  • How can you maintain a relationship with someone who treat you like that?
  • God is not into religion, but He loves relationship![9]

The People of Judah has lost that connection of relationship with God. Their behavior towards one another and their worship of God was addressed by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:9-11):

(9)  Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; (10) And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? (11)  Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

It appears that Jeremiah is listing the Ten Commandments in reverse order to show that God is more interested in righteous behavior (right relationship) than in covenantal position.[10]

How you treat your neighbor is more important and a more clear indicator of your relationship with God than if you are born again and speak in tongues all the time.

If you speak in tongues all day long and don’t know how to treat your neighbor right then you are Religious, But Lost.

“He is a God of completion, not competition.” –Harold Hoffman

Come to Jesus – Get to Know Him – treat each other right

It’s all about relationship

[1] Runck, Jared S. and David P. Johnson. (2017). Handbook on the Prophets. Weldon Spring, MO: Pentecostal Publishing House.

[2] Hecht, Mendy. The 613 Commandments (Mitzvot). Accessed: 3/20/2023. https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/756399/jewish/The-613-Commandments-Mitzvot.htm

[3] Jer. 1:5

[4] Jer. 1:6

[5] Jer. 1:7, NLT

[6] Runck, Jared S. and David P. Johnson. (2017). Handbook on the Prophets. Weldon Spring, MO: Pentecostal Publishing House.

[7] Purpose Institute. (2019). #6104 – Major Prophets – Lesson 2: Jeremiah and Lamentations.

[8] Jeremiah 1:1

[9] Partially derived from Harold Hoffman’s teaching on 1/16/2022. Heart Attack (Lesson 3). https://www.youtube.com/live/GrCM32v1haA.

[10] Runck, Jared S. and David P. Johnson. (2017). Handbook on the Prophets. Weldon Spring, MO: Pentecostal Publishing House.

Picture Credit: Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn. (1606-1669). Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem. Accessed: 3/30/2023. http://www.rembrandtpainting.net/complete_catalogue/storia/jeremiah.htm.

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Forgotten Message of Pentecost

Text: Acts 2:38

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

2 Corinthians 7:10

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

I am interested in the spirit of renewal and expectancy that has entered into the Body of Christ, and I’m thankful for the people who are rising up to say, “I see the Hand of God at work among us and want to be part of this end-time revival.”

To be renewed simply means to retrace our steps to the beginning of our walk with God making new those precious commitments we either let slip from us or that we forgot.

Paul wrote to us to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph 4:23). 

Tonight, I am fighting for your minds in order to re-establish a principle there, which if grasped will lead you to a fruitful life in Christ Jesus.

My subject:

“The Forgotten Commitment”

-OR-

“The Forgotten Message of Pentecost”

The first word that Jesus preached was not about the gifts of the Spirit, or how to receive your miracle, or seven steps to a prosperous life.

The first word of the Gospel preached by our Lord Jesus Christ is found in Mark 1:15 where He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

This is the first commitment our Lord requires of us – REPENT.

Repent = “to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider,”[1] and “to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.”[2]

When we initially came to repent we wept, or at least we should have had some sort of sorrow.  We sorrowed for the pain we had caused ourselves, others, and Jesus because of our sinful nature.

We were through with living lives of recklessness, and selfishness, and we abhorred the ways that we had treated others, and were appalled by the way our lifestyle had effected those around us.

We repented, we knelt, and we grieved.

Snot, sweat, and tears mixed at the altar as we searched our hearts for every sin and wrong deed we’d ever committed.

Then we made promises, and new commitments. We said, “Lord, I’ll never do that again.”

I look at this altar here in this church house.

I’ve come to ask you, “How many knees have bent at these altars to repent? How many tears have been shed in sincere grief and guilt for sin here on this floor? How many people have stood up and felt the overwhelming sense of joy that a clean conscience gives the repentant child of God?

John the Baptist preached loudly a message of repentance.  He said, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:8).

The Apostle Paul gave his testimony to Agrippa and said, “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:  But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:19-20).

Repentance is accompanied by a certain conduct that people all around you can observe.  That is the fruit, that change of action and behavior is the “works meet for repentance” Paul was speaking about.

When you repented you changed. Your friends noticed it, your spouse noticed, your kids, parents, siblings, co-workers, employees, employers, and acquaintances all noticed the new you.

You didn’t talk like you use to talk, or go where you use to go, or do what you use to do.

You were modest in speech and in dress.

And sin, the very presence of it, sickened you to your stomach.

So, I look at these altars and thank God for the many conversions and repentant hearts that have knelt here over the years that this church has been in this city.  They’ve knelt by the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands.

What happened to them, where did they go? Why aren’t they here anymore?

Some have gone to their eternal reward and have become for us a great cloud of witnesses – Heroes of the Faith.

Others have walked away, fallen, died, or turned back to their former lives of sin.

It takes time for a person to walk away from God. Sometimes they become cold and indifferent to His Presence.  So much so that they are even unaware that they’re drifting away from Jesus and turning back to the world of sin and carnality.

How many times did those same knees bend at the same place to repent of the same sin at these very altars?

Repentance is not a one-time thing.  You cannot expect to live your entire life without living a lifestyle of repentance.

When you repented you made commitments.  Every time you are tempted that commitment is tested. Your response to that testing determines how much your commitment to God really means to you.

Some here have repented & sinned, repented & sinned, repented & sinned for so long over the same things that you don’t even think you can be delivered.

You’ve gotten yourself into a cycle of behavior that is difficult to break.

BUT—you can overcome this trap that you’ve fallen into.

You’ve got remember:

  • Repentance is not saying, “I’m sorry.” That’s an apology.
  • Repentance is not feeling bad that you got caught. That’s guilt.
  • Repentance is not feeling sorry for yourself. That’s egotistical; and self-absorbed.
  • Repentance is a grief that comes from God, which helps you to confess your sins, forsake your sins, and then commit to never sinning again. It’s a lifestyle.

Repentance becomes “The Forgotten Commitment” when we fail to keep our word.

Repentance becomes “The Forgotten Message of Pentecost” when we rush people through it just to pad our evangelistic numbers of souls filled with the Holy Ghost. 

It is time we stop leading people through some sort of Spiritless prayer where no conviction resides and allow God Almighty to once again convict the heart and lead people to repentance.

I long to see bent knees and bodies draped across altars racked with the heaving great sighs of tears, grief, and repentance.

You, sitting there thinking, “This message isn’t for me, you’re preaching to the choir.”

There’s an old Indian Proverb that says, “Whatever you are overflowing with will spill out when you’re bumped.”

What bumps produce incorrect responses from you?

Listen to Romans 2:1-11 tonight:

(1)  Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.  (2)  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.  (3)  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?  (4)  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?  (5)  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;  (6)  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:  (7)  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:  (8)  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,  (9)  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;  (10)  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:  (11)  For there is no respect of persons with God.

Jesus is calling us tonight to renew our commitments of repentance we made at our conversion.

Remember what you told Him as you repented.  You cried out for mercy and He granted it. You made promises and vows that you need to keep…that you must keep.

Some of you have been living a repented life for 20, 30, 40, & 50 years.  I’m reminded of a prayer I read about a couple weeks ago: “Lord, let me not today ruin in anything what you have taken all these years to do in my heart and provide for my life”[3]

The late Apostolic preacher and Bible teacher, Bishop Morris E. Golder once said, “The badge of discipleship is a cross.”

This is a daily thing—this life of repentance.  Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31).

So, how can we make it? There are so many temptations and influences bombarding us from without and within.  How can I keep my commitment of repentance when I’m attacked externally and internally?

Grace is the answer.  Grace has always been the answer for the Body of Christ.

Repentance is a daily commitment one works at to maintain. Grace is the teacher helping us to maintain that commitment:

“(11)  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (14)  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

ESV, “Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death”:

“(8)  For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.  (9)  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  (10)  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.  (11)  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2 Corinthians 7:8-11).

[1] Strong’s. G3340.

[2] Thayer’s. G3340.

[3] Billy Graham.

Categories
Bible Teaching

Anchored In Hope

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 1/22/2023 10:00 AM

Text: Hebrews 6:13-20

(13)  For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

(14)  Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

(15)  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

(16)  For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

(17)  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

(18)  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

(19)  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

(20)  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Hope, in the New Testament, is generally defined as “anticipation, expectation, confidence, faith.”[1]

However, in this passage it is best defined as that which we “have, hold, own, or possess.”[2]

Another way to view hope in our text today is “to hold one’s self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to.”[3]

George Beverly Shea wrote “In Times Like These,” and it contains these words:

In times like these you need a Savior

In times like these you need an anchor

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes He’s the One

This Rock is Jesus, the only One

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

With all the uncertainty of our day, it is abundantly clear that we need something, or someone to hold on to.

Something, or someone, to cling to.

That Rock is Jesus, He is the one we anchor our hope upon.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand

At some point everyone will have a testing of their faith.

When those tribulations come, you need to be anchored in Jesus.

You need to anchor into Jesus from several points.

Six anchor points are suggested when you moor a boat.[4]

We need multiple mooring/anchor points in our lives.

Approach truth from every angle.

You have scripture and an experience to match the Word of God.

Anchor points that help you to hold on to your faith.

Truth comes by revelation from the Word of God.

Reason is not the final authority, but God is the final authority.

Postmodernism = the idea that there is no absolute truth and what works for me “in the moment” is my truth, but it’s relative and may change at any time.

When you don’t have a personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ all you have is theology.

Always choose the side of truth, righteousness, & holiness.

How we choose to obey and follow Jesus in our relationship with Him is key to a life of holiness.

When we don’t have a long term goal we often fall short ofour potential.

Live with an awareness of eternity.

What if Jesus were coming today.

Live for today and live for that Day when He comes for us.

Six Anchor Points

Hebrews 6:1-3, “(1) Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,  (2)  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.  (3)  And this will we do, if God permit.”

Six Anchor Points:

  1. We must believe there is a God.
    • Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
    • Jesus is the one true God manifest in the flesh to be our Savior.
  2. The Bible is the Word of God.
    • 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  (17)  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
  3. We must believe, obey, and experience the New Birth.
    • Faith, Repentance, Water Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, and the Infilling of the Holy Ghost Speaking in Tongues.John 3:5-8, “(5) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  (6)  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  (7)  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  (8)  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
    • Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
  4. Life in the Spirit.
    • Laying on of Hands = Operation of the Spirit and its Fruit and Gifts.
    • Romans 8:12-15, “(12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  (13)  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  (14)  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  (15)  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
  5. Life of Holiness.
    • Acts 2:40, “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”
    • How? Living a life of holiness.
    • 1 Peter 1:13-16, “(13) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:  (15)  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  (16)  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
  6. The Life to Come.
    • Jesus is coming.
    • 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “(13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  (14)  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  (15)  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  (16)  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  (17)  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  (18)  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

If you feel adrift today then you need to go back and secure the lines of your hope and reattach your anchor on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Rock.

When you have made sure these six anchor points are secure, then you can weather any storm.

[1] Strong’s.

[2] Thayer’s

[3] Ibid.

[4] David K. Bernard, “Anchor Points (In Our Lives),” May 14, 2015

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Anointing & The Flow

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 1/22/2023 7:00 PM

Text: Luke 4:16-21

(16)  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

(17)  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

(18)  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

(19)  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

(20)  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

(21)  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

The Spirit of the Lord…

Ezekiel 47:1-5

(1)  Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.

(2)  Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.

(3)  And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.

(4)  Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.

(5)  Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.

Ezekiel’s vision was of waters to swim in, but these waters began flowing from under the threshold…then they deepened every 1,750 feet.

According to Albert Barnes:

The deepening of the waters in their course shows the continual deepening of spiritual life and multiplication of spiritual blessings in the growth of the kingdom of God. So long as the stream is confined to the temple-courts, it is merely a small rill, for the most part unseen, but when it issues from the courts it begins at once to deepen and to widen. So on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the company of believers, little then but presently to develop into the infant Church in Jerusalem.[1]

This small stream steadily deepens to ankle depth, knee depth, waster deep, and then

Waters to Swim In

How many times have we been the beneficiaries of such waters.

We find ourselves overcome in the presence of the Lord.

His Spirit is so manifest that we just swim in the current of His power.

The Church, born on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, is a Spirit-filled body of believers.

We have enjoyed the deepening of those waters and we can frolic, swim, rejoice, and celebrate in them.

But – There’s more to this river than the satisfaction of our own spiritual highs

These waters carry with them a purpose for the anointed of God.

Ezekiel 47:6-12

(6)  And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river [The Dead Sea / The Salt Sea].

(7)  Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.

(8)  Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.

(9)  And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

(10)  And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

(11)  But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.

(12)  And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

The Temple

Your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost

Every Spirit-filled believer has an anointing resting on them.

Psalms 1:1-6

(1)  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

(2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

(3)  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

(4)  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

(5)  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

(6)  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Wherever this river flows there is healing, growth, bounty, and all manner of fish are caught…where once the waters were polluted

Now the Spirit of God moving from and through the Church brings life

Let the River Flow

Let the River Flow

So, Jesus goes to church one day, as His custom was…

He’d just finished a 40 day fast following his baptism in the River Jordan…

He was full of the Holy Ghost…

He was handed the scroll of Isaiah and begins read these words…

Luke 4:18-21, “(18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  (19)  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  (20)  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.  (21)  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to do something for somebody else.

I am not a receiver of spiritual experiences whose only purpose is to keep them all to myself.

The anointing flows through me and I become a tributary, a river, a bridge between God and man.

“…He hath anointed me…” = The anointing is from God, it is not a result of my own merit, but of His pleasure.

He hath anointed me – “…To preach the gospel to the poor…”

To share the Good News of the Gospel to the “…spiritual zeros—the spiritually bankrupt, deprived and deficient, the spiritual beggars, those without a wisp of religion.”[2]

To tell them that Jesus Christ has come to seek and to save all that are lost – including them.

Jesus did not go to the fashionable and the rich, but to the poor.

Those who exclusively pursue the rich and the so-called elite of society are doing so to “get something” from them.

Jesus went to the poor to “give something” to them.

It was a ministry for their benefit, not His benefit.

He hath anointed me – “To set at liberty them that are bruised…”

2 Cor. 3:17, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Not only is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, but He is also the Giver of that Spirit.

John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

It is a mistake to think that because you’ve been “anointed” that you’ll automatically be lead of God to the highest peaks of ministerial power.

Jesus was anointed and then driven or led into the wilderness.

If you are presently in a wilderness experience then it is a sign that you are being prepped by God to be a vessel of His anointing.

Any time we read about a demonstration of anointing it was and is preceded by a trying and a crushing and a preparing of the vessel for the Holy Ghost flow.

It is not the plan, will, or divine intent of God for us to hoard to ourselves these ecstatic experiences of the Holy Ghost, the shouts of joy, the running and dancing and victory parades, but…

He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted.

Not just to look at them

Not just to weep and mourn with them

Not just to feel sorry for them – – to pity them

He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted.

He has not me sent to folks who already have it made, or that think they do, but…

But to preach deliverance to the captive.

To preach recovering of sight to the blind

To set at liberty them that are bruised.

This is what He has filled me with His Spirit to do…

Out of your belly flows living water…

It is the Holy Ghost in you…

He has given you the power, delegated His authority to you and through you…like a flowing river…

to proclaim good news to the poor.

to proclaim liberty to the captives

recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.[3]

How? The anointing.

Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

Anointed Preaching and Anointed Deeds

Acts 2:22, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you…”

Anointed preaching is common among us

What we are in short supply of is anointed deeds

Mark 16:17-18, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

We need, in 2023, a powerful ministry of God-directed anointing that delivers people

Not self-anointing, but God-anointed.

Quit guarding the Holy Ghost

Let it flow……..

[1] Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible. Ezekiel 47:1.

[2] Dallas Willard. The Divine Conspiracy.

[3] ESV

Categories
Bible Preaching

True Cross

Stephen Kuntzman | 12/12/2022 | 6:30 PM

Luke 9:23-24

(23)  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

(24)  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Hebrews 12:1-2

(1)  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

(2)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

In Luke 15 we have the account of three men – a father and two brothers.

Prodigal son was met by his father, and the older son was met by his father.

The father met both because he loved them both equally.

However, the prodigal son had a son mentality, but was willing to be a servant – Luke 15:17-20, “(17) And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  (18)  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,  (19)  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.  (20)  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (KJV).

The elder brother had a slave mentality longing to be a son – “All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you” (ISV).

We need a revelation of the Father’s love.

“Jesus, give me a revelation of Your love for me.”

Without a revelation of the Father’s love we will try to somehow earn our place in His family,

Children don’t earn a place in the family –  they are born into the family, and we are born into the family of God.

The new birth puts you in the family of God.

What does it mean to be a bastard and not a son?

What does it mean to be illegitimate in the eyes of God?

The church is a family.

When Jesus says I go to prepare a place for you, He is preparing a place for His Bride, His Church, His family.

Why?

So that where He is there we will be also.

Relationship

Relationship demands proximity, it demands closeness.

It’s that “where I am there you may be also” intimacy found in healthy relationships.

The devil’s tool for destruction is isolation.

To put a gap between you and God.

Sin will surely do that, but so will your inability to see yourself as a son.

You need to be confident in your identity = I AM A CHILD OF GOD.

To be unaware of your true identity and all that comes with it — the benefits of sonship is – detrimental to you.

Know the benefits of carrying His name

Ephesians 3:14-21

(14)  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

(15)  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

(16)  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

(17)  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

(18)  May be able to comprehend [to understand] with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

(19)  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

(20)  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

(21)  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Verse 18-19

  • You are the temple of the Holy Ghost
  • The Church of God is a building: a heavenly house, a habitation for God to dwell in through the Holy Spirit
  • The Love of God for His Church is wide and long and deep and tall.
    • Length = Love is eternal.
    • Breadth = All people have access to His Love in every place, age or nation.
    • Depth = His love will find people at their lowest point.
    • Height = His love will take people to the highest state of glory in Christ.

I remember laying in the top bunk at the age of 11 or 12 with my Walkman cassette player on listening to the Imperials and crying as I told God

I’d do whatever He wanted me to do,

go wherever He wanted me to go,

and be whomever He called me to be.

I can still feel the wetness of the tears as they pooled in my ears.

I don’t remember the exact song, but I remember the moment of calling, response, and commitment I made on that top bunk with my pillow wet with salty tears.

It was there I took up my cross to follow Jesus.

After that night, the devil worked to destroy my young heart, innocence and pure desire.

You may think that devil ain’t worried about a child’s commitment, future, destiny, or ordination. 

You would be wrong

The Antichrist Spirit in Herod tried to kill the Christ, and did indeed kill many children in the process.

Abortion is a satanic tool to destroy the hope and future of our next generation.

All the OT youth: David (lion, bear, giant), young Joseph betrayed, Josiah barely escaping Athaliah’s treachery.

Moses in the bulrush escaping death.

New Converts – young babes in Christ – fighting for their spiritual lives against an enemy who seeks to kill, steal and destroy.

The devil will sift because he wants to destroy, but what he sees as victory is actually God blowing away the chaff that hinders you from fulfilling your purpose.

“The 3D Strategy of Satan: Detour, Distract, Delay.”

-Ken Gurley ?

The devil will try to put a false cross on you if you let him.

This weight might be a legitimate concern that the devil inflates into an illegitimate cross.

The burden he wants to saddle you with doe not lead to victory and resurrection power,

But it leads to hopelessness and despair.

He seeks to get you isolated in order to plague you and burden you down the inner struggles and secret parts of your life,[1]

There – Alone – feelings of depression, desolation and inadequacy overwhelm us.

We then keep the struggle of this False Cross to ourselves and tell ourselves the lie, “This is just my cross to bear.”

That’s a lie.

You have a cross to bare, but this ain’t it.

If you carry this illegitimate cross you’ll be worn away.

Your true cross will lead to full and complete deliverance, power and victory.

The true cross will lead to death, yes, but also to true resurrection:

Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings…”

Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

Stop carrying the false cross of weights and sins.

Quit listening to the voice of the serpent whispering in your ear.

The devil is a LIAR, and the father of all lies.

Because of this, whatever he tells you is a lie and an attempt to get you to believe what he knows is untrue.

So, anytime the devil tells you something just ask yourself, “what is the exact opposite?”

When you find out what that opposite is, it’s a good indication of where the Lord is likely taking you.

Also, if the devil tells you he’s going to kill, destroy, ruin, harm, rob, etc.

You can be certain that he will not do that because he doesn’t have the permission to do it.

If he did then he would have already done it and wouldn’t warn you.

When he speaks it is a play to intimidate and a sign that you are safely in the protection of God.

Praise the Lord[2] -The Imperials

When you’re up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams

And your hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes

And you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fears

Don’t let the faith you’re standing in seem to disappear

Praise the Lord, He can work through those who praise Him

Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise

Praise the Lord, for the chains that seems to bind you

Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you

When you praise Him

Now Satan is a liar and he wants to make us think

That we are paupers when he knows himself we’re children of the King

So lift up the mighty shield of faith for the battle must be won

We know that Jesus Christ has risen so the work’s already done

2 Corinthians 2:11

Four Attacks of Satan

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

John 10:10

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

  • Obsession
    • Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety.
    • A compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion.[3]
  • Oppression
    • The act of oppressing; arbitrary and cruel exercise of power:
      • “There can be no really pervasive system of oppression… without the consent of the oppressed.” -Florynce R. Kennedy
    • The state of being oppressed.
    • Something that oppresses.
    • A feeling of being heavily weighed down in mind or body.[4]
  • Depression
    • A mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity.
    • Sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy.
    • A state of depression and anhedonia (the absence of pleasure or the ability to experience it) so severe as to require clinical intervention.[5]
  • Possession
    • The state of being dominated by or as if by evil spirits or by an obsession.[6]

Seven Weapons Against Satan’s Attack[7]

Isaiah 59:19b

“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”

  1. The Blood of Jesus Christ.
    • Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
    • Exodus 12:13, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”
  2. Our Testimony.
    • Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
  3. The Name of Jesus.
    • Mark 16:17-18, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
    • Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
  4. The Written Word of God.
    • Matthew 4:1-10, “1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”
  5. Prayer and Praise.
    • Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
    • I Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
  6. Angels of the LORD.
    • Hebrews 1:13-14, “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
    • Psalm 103:20, “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.”
  7. The Holy Ghost.
    • John 14:18, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
    • Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
    • Galatians 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

[1] Kenneth V. Reeves. The Angels, Demons & People (Vol. 1). p. 20

[2] https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/6616995/The+Imperials/Praise+The+Lord

[3] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 4-20-2005.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=obsession

[4] Ibid. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=oppression

[5] Ibid. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=depression

[6] Ibid. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=possession

[7]Kenneth V. Reeves. The Angels, Demons & People (Vol. 1). p. 33-47.

Categories
Bible Teaching

A Need for Seed

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 12/11/2022 | 10:00 AM

Genesis 1:11-12

(11)  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

(12)  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 3:15

(15)  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Galatians 3:16-29


(16)  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
(17)  And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
(18)  For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
(19)  Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
(20)  Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
(21)  Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
(22)  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
(23)  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
(24)  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
(25)  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
(26)  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
(27)  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(28)  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
(29)  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

1 Peter 1:22-23

(22)  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

(23)  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Romans 9:7, “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.”

Luke 8:11-15

(11)  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

(12)  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

(13)  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

(14)  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

(15)  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Categories
Bible Teaching

A Time of Preparation

Esther experienced a time of preparation (purification) before she was introduced to the king and subsequently gained his love and was made queen:

Esther 2:2-18 (KJV), “(1) Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:  (3)  And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:  (4)  And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.  (5)  Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;  (6)  Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.  (7)  And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.  (8)  So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.  (9)  And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king’s house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.  (10)  Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.  (11)  And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women’s house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.  (12)  Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)  (13)  Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king’s house.  (14)  In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.  (15)  Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.  (16)  So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.  (17)  And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.  (18)  Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther’s feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.”

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 2/12/2023

This time of purification was a time of instruction and examining for these young ladies. They learned what their role was to be and how to act and please the king. It was more than just cleaning and preparing the body, but also the decorum and grace of the maiden.

Hadassah? Well, she excelled and her time of preparation resulted in great success.

The psalmist David wrote, “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.”[1] 

In this passage, when we read that God “trieth” it simply means that this is God’s way of “examining, scrutinizing, proving, and testing” the hearts of those who are His people.[2]  These tests are for the sole purpose of preparing us for greater responsibility and spiritual growth. 

The apostle Paul makes it quite clear that the process of being approved by God follows a particular process: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”[3] 

As this process takes place we witness the varying degrees of preparation God places us in as they accomplish. Work out, and achieve God’s purpose for our lives.

So, what we think of as pressure, stress, or trial God uses as a means to bring about a patient, enduring, sustaining, perseverant, and steadfast quality to our Christian character.  These times of preparation are purifying our motives and actions through the teaching of grace in our lives.

When this quality is part of our spiritual nature we have become God proven because our character has been tried and found worthy.  This experience results in the establishment of hope in our lives, which is the “joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation” and the understanding that because I came through previous trials intact then I’ll make it through this one as well because God is with me.”[4]

This is why, when Esther, as queen, had to go before the King to deal with the threat of genocide her people faced because of Haman’s jealous treachery, she did to with complete faith and hope.

Esther was prepared beforehand “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:4). It likely never crossed her mind in her time of purification that she was actually being prepared to be more than a queen, she was being readied for a role of mediation and deliverance.

Right now you are being prepared through trial and tests and difficulties for a greater work than you can imagine. Let those tribulations purify and prepare you for your own God designed moment.

[1] Psalm 11:5

[2] Brown, Driver, Briggs and Gesenius. “Hebrew Lexicon entry for Bachan”. “The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon”. https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew/974.html.

[3] Romans 5:1-5

[4] Thayer and Smith. “Greek Lexicon entry for Elpis”. “The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon”. https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/elpis.html.