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September 15, 2019 6:33 pm
Well today so good to be with you. I am sure my heart for a few minutes that I want us to have a powerful alter service and we need to be at the altar on what's best for you, but else must be doing well right. I feel that we have lost we have lost the significance of the altar would lost the significance of prayer. In fact churches today.
Modern postmodern churches. They don't even have an altar in their church. And that's what I have no sacrifice from people because it's not taught it's not it's not something that's given much importance.
The altar, it's a place of sacrifice. I had a seven part series.
Take my volume down just a tad on my Mike if you would please. I had a seven part series in the book of Proverbs that I wanted to start today, but the Lord has constrained my heart once again. So I don't really know where I'm going this morning, but I do know that is taking us where he wants us to be a man in second grade.
In chapter 10. All week long.
I wasn't with you last weekend.
I heard you guys had a good service and Wednesday we had a missionary with us in India. If you were here at what a blessing that was and I've been under the weather here but I am ready to go this morning. My mind is good my bodies for week but my mind is strong so just bear with me segregates chapter 10 and I want to look. I want to focus on one word this week I received an article somebody sent me concerning a pastor in California who took his life. You heard about that read about that. Jared Wilson 11 nine 2019 associate pastor Greg Laurie of harvest missionary church or Christian fellowship rather in California. The ironic thing about this gentleman was that he was an advocate for mental health is a counselor written many books concerning suicide, depression, fear, and the other thing that struck me was that he had just conducted a funeral on the eighth day before he took his life for a lady who had taken her life. What concerned me about this in course will be remembering them in prayer this morning. His family this church, this body of believers that have been impacted, but what what is I guess bothersome to me is the comments the thread the discussions that I read concerning What Took Pl. in Mister Wilson's life and him taking his life and my fear is that even in the body of Christ today that we are allowing this thing to become commonplace as if it's the new normal.
I'm not here to debate whether I can say about everybody in here including myself. We know someone or have been close to someone who have taken their life and I believe the grace of God covers a multitude of sin. I'm not here to say whether anybody's in heaven or hell. Not my place. Number one, but my bailiwick what I have to deal with is you were here before me right now. I was working in law enforcement.
One of the worst parts of my job was having to check on someone who had been heard about while heard from in a while, and then you would find that they have taken their life several occasions that happened in my life and in my career as a law enforcement officer and I can still remember everyone up such an impact, but I guess I'm from the old school because I still believe that Jesus heals today. That's what I believe in my fear and I'm not going to let it happen here is that things like this pastor and then the other pastor that took his life this past year where we look at that and we say well that's just the norm and then we twist the Scriptures to make that seem like it is the norm were not going to be that not here. You follow what I'm saying and if you do know someone you're close to someone who has taken their life. You and I should be advocates that it doesn't have to happen segregates chapter 10 I will look at verse one apostle Paul is fighting a battle here were all fighting battles of some sort. The apostle Paul was fighting the battle of his reputation. He was fighting the battle of his apostleship. In fact, the Corinthians were saying you're not an apostle is this other group of people who came in preach to us there more charismatic.
There there more engaging there more hypnotic than you are when they speak and we want to follow them but they're saying things you don't say. So you must be teaching us false doctrine will Paul is combating that by saying listen you're fighting a battle here and syllabi, but it's not a battle in the flesh.
It is a battle in the spirit.
It's a battle that is raging in the spirit around the Corinthians circumstances. It was false doctrine of his people telling them the opposite of what their apostle was telling them about the kingdom of God about Jesus Christ. So he's combating that it was see what he says are not Paul verse one, second greatest in verse one receipt you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ who imprisons and base among you by being absent and bundled toward you, but I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence wherewith I think to be hold against some witches think of us as if we walked according to the flesh, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not learn more after the flesh of the weapons of our welfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. I want you to go ahead and highlight that work strongholds.
That's what I want to talk about casting down every imagination, every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ and having an readiness to revenge all disobedience when your disobedience is fulfilled. In other words, he saying when I come and see you for the third time I'm to let you know straight up what the truth is and how you want to be conducting yourself. That's what he was saying in a nutshell, and he was saying you need to quit listening to the world. You need to quit listening to the philosophies and the justification of the world that try to twist what the word of God.
When I declared unto you, and I'm telling you, I see it I see it all over twitter. I see it all over these articles I just shared with you about this pastor explaining it away.
Justify as if it's a normal thing. It's not a normal thing in the kingdom of God. It's something that can be combated and it can be dealt with but I'm telling you that it takes the anointing of our mighty God we are not fighting a fleshly battle. Are you hearing what I'm saying to you. We are fighting a spiritual battle a spiritual battle where there is victory. Now I know mental illness is real. I get that. I understand that had to do my own life. Everybody's had at some point in their lives by what separates those who allow it to contain them and suffocate them and those who don't. Well there's a myriad of reasons and I got, I understand. I teach the fact that ultimate healing body soul and spirit does come at the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And there's a time to talk about that healing also comes through time patients waiting a man and there's a time to talk about that, but I also know that according to this Bible that healing can come instantaneous and right now and that's what I want to talk about Mark chapter 5 turn there with me if you would please Mark chapter 5 and I want to talk about a man who was out of his mind.
Mark chapter 5 and related verse.
I don't know you, Mark chapter 5 verse one. They came over unto the other side of the city into the country of the Gadarenes and when he was come out of the ship immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. Everybody shot an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the two was taken out of the graveyard and no man could bind him. Nobody could cut him open not with change because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains and the change had been plucked asunder by him broken. That is in the fetters, broken pieces, neither could any man tame him, control him, and always night and day. He was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones.
He was at unrest. His mind was at unrest. He had no peace. Constantly anxious, constantly fearing what was going to happen constantly under the strain and the pressure of life. But let me tell you what his fight was, it wasn't in his brain. It was a spiritual battle, he was tormented by unclean spirit, and that's what caused him to have this what we term mental illness for six but when he saw Jesus afar off. He ran and worshiped him notice it doesn't say he ran up way from him.
He ran to him. The problem in American church today and the reason we see this so often today is because there is no anointing in our churches is not enough anointing sometimes develop met with a bad cold, much less take care of spirit is that I'll tell you why, because there's no commitment to prayer. It was last time you fasted was last time you pushed back the plate for Sunday morning service believing God to touch the heart and mind of an individual that would come into this place. Maybe like this lunatic who had an unclean spirit, and I got it so you know this annoys me about preachers who get up and I say every spirit, I command you to be quiet and this made you shout. If you're in this place unclean spirit. Let me hear you, so you place to hide in this place all the time by demonic powers, but there's no power to set them free. I don't blame the preacher by this that this has to be the new norm. I'd forgive me if I'm from Bayonne still used to pray for people like this till midnight to see what I'm talking about just sitting by demonic forces to see out in my service is also seeing the name of Jesus through this, it's not. But the question is will we see because we are not things that we do. The power of God vacationing there.
This is and people think I'm angry I'm not angry I'm passionate. I believe that I'm telling you generational curses. He took care of generational curses at the cross somebody doesn't have to be safe for seven and cried with a loud voice and said what I like to do for Jesus else on the most high God, I journey by God that don't torment me not for he said to him, come out, of the man that will unclean spirit and asking what is thy name.
The entertaining my name is Legion for we are many. There are many strongholds I can name the three worry, fear, depression, anxiety, suicide, that's a spirit that is a spirit, sickness, disease, malady malfunction, don't ever get to the place that you're not believing God to change your circumstances don't preacher talk you out of the fact that God heals the sick. I don't care how impossible it works usually pastor giving them false hope. I'm giving them some kind of hope. Notice what Jesus did. Verse nine this is what is your name and he called that thing buys nine because when you can expose something when you can expose something and bring it to the light. That's when freedom comes a man, bitterness, unforgiveness, when you can admit I'm better. That's when you can be forgiven for. But when you make excuses as to why you can stay better. Guess what the devil has a grip on your heart in your life when you think you have a reason to locate unforgiveness and you justify your unforgiveness test walk that gives a devil a grip on your life when you allow me of the Bible says, you become the company that you keep in would allow that company in your life to drag you to the place of bondage.
God help you man ask chapter 3 turn there with me.
I feel a shift in this place today I chapter 3 I just had it with the devil I have asked chapter 3 verse one now Peter and John went up together into the temple, the hour prayer whole, imagine that they had a prayer meeting being the ninth hour in a certain man that came from his mother's womb was carried from whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple, seeing Peter and John. Now what you think about this man. How many times you think Jesus will pass this man because he was there long time Jesus walked bind several times but never healed. Why because he was waiting for this opportunity to allow Peter and John to display his power. That means there somebody out there that he has divinely ordained for you to intervene in their lives.
But how can you do that if you're not full power. How can you do that when you look at Facebook more than you do. Matthew Mark Luke and John, how can we give these emergency players in the hospital when we haven't built ourselves up in our most holy when I was in law enforcement once again. They always said be ready for the unexpected. How you train for the unexpected. Will you do everything you can prepare for what could happen right and it never fails when you least expected. That thing did happen when you least expect a guy to have a gun on his legs to do it when you least expect somebody to swing their fist at you. They did and you had to be ready for when you least expect somebody to run away from you. Guess what, I took off in the Nikes at the pump. But you know make them go faster. I doesn't story but I caught him though, because I was ready for. This is when Iran worked out. Be good shape and I was ready for today. I'm not ready for that. If I ran I would run after because I'm not ready, but it's I want you to apply that to your spiritual life because when you least expect that something's going to happen. A tragedy will come something drastic, something major will take place in your life and you go through a time of pure hell trial and tribulation and but if you're not played up and you haven't been fasting and you haven't been here feeding yourself on the word of God preparing yourself in worship. If you haven't been doing those things. Guess what you won't be ready.
You can use prayer like a spare tire, only using it when you need it. You can use church attendance as a spare tire, that's what they do on 9/11.
They were for over a month. Never step foot in back into the house of God. Why and when it happens again they will be prepared, but the next catastrophic event take place as the rapture of the church and you'll be like the foolish virgins to have the oil in their lands right to come on a man that since I get to all right, all right, let's read acts three verse three and seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple last alms and Peter fasting his eyes upon him, with John said look on us and he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of the bid. Peter said silver and gold have I none but such as I have divinely in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you're going to be healed at the resurrection. But you want to go through a heart ache here and I pray you get your comfortable while you do what it says, he said in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and well and he took him by the right hand them up and I'm really where Natalie is feeding his bones received strength and he, leaping upstairs well entered into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. They used a spiritual weapon here and that weapon is the name of Jesus saying man like you believe that that was their weapon. There was a stronghold here in the Bible goes on to say that when they lived upon him that he was in soundness of mind. Verse 16 in the presence of everybody.
Now I probably said this guy is a mental illness is homeless is out here on the street is destitute for the Peter and John had another idea did whole. Hallelujah. Because they were played up. They were ready and they were going into the temple of God grant this man by the hand and said, rise up and look at verse 16 of acts three and in his name there there explaining how this happened and in his name, through faith in his name. The name of Jesus had made this man strong, whom you see. No, the faith which is by him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all that's weapon number one. The name of Jesus weapon number two is the blood of the Lamb. Everybody shut the blood.
The blood when I when I was growing up. My grandma used to say I plead the blood over you that's all they used to do it. I plead the blood over my children.
I plead the blood arrival what does that mean a lot. Tell you what it means when you take the blood in the Bible.
The Bible says in Leviticus 17 verse 11 that it is the blood that is the life of the flesh, and he says I have given unto you on behalf on the altar to make atonement for your souls. Because it is the blood that makes the atonement for the soul in Christ when he hung on the cross. He shared his first Peter 118. Since we been redeemed not with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious bad now that I go to Job, Job was making sacrifices blood sacrifices for his children and they were protected was the first thing the devil took out of his life. Now it was in his children.
It was animals because he knew if he could get his animals that will remove the heritage of the blood covering on their lives. Then he could take his children.
A man and I go to Revelation 12 verse 11 and I read where it says we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. The second weapon is the blood. Number three on talk about this when they were to pray, go to see acts of acts 13 which let's try that which already annexed.
I think that's where I want to ask 13 verse one. This is Paul and Barnabas setting out on the first missionary journey. The apostle Paul now verse one there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of styrene and Manion, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul and as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted underlined that as they minister to the Lord, and fasted as they minister to the Lord, and fasted the Holy Ghost said separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work, whereunto I have called them and when they had what fasted and prayed laid their hands on them.
They sit them in the way notice correlation here between prayer and fasting. Now our culture. We tried to church.
Fasting up and we say well it fast Starbucks fast TV fast. Whatever you want. That's fast.
No biblical fast is skipping a meal not Starbucks so when they put out more. Pray, but how much do we fast but will be incorporated for not talking about strongholds here. I'm talking about strongholds in your life and your children's lives strongholds that hold them back from being who God has called and ordained them to be. How do we break those strongholds in our lives and the lives of our family.
I'll tell you how prayer and fasting when you need direction in your life when you need to know which would what is the next step which way should I go prayer and fasting. That's how Paul and Barnabas knew where to go. The church surrounded them, prayed over them. They fasted, they sought God and that's when God sent them out, and the Holy Ghost took them. If you want the Holy Ghost to speak to you push back the plate. I challenge everyone of you before next Sunday morning service want to fast on Saturday fasting lunch.
Everybody in your fast. That's the point Peter I'm out on the what you got going on to prioritize this thing so that we can see a move of God and see the hand of God, because I'll tell you something. When I read to you about this man, this will become the norm in Christianity in the body of Christ and people will take their ideas, they'll take their justifications because you see as humans we always want an answer for why things happen. So we want an answer and we really can't come up with anything in the word of God is giving us anything we thought we have to sort given good justified answer as to why that happened and that's what the church is doing music there giving a justified answer as to why this man took his life when really there is no answer. As a pastor you have questions from people all the time. I still like this happen. Why did this happen.
Why is this going on and I just simply say I don't know because I don't know and neither do you.
Nor do we have to know all right and when they fasted and prayed. Verse three and later hands on the base of the boy verse four and they been set forth by the Holy Ghost, not by mama, not by the Church of God by the Holy Ghost, departed onto Solutia and from thence they sailed to Cyprus and when they were at Salamis, they preach the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews and they had also John Mark who was there minister and when they had gone to the island to pathos.
They found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Jesus. Now think about something the contacts I gave you for second grade. In chapter 10. The apostle Paul was fighting false doctrine. Now and he's saying were fighting spiritual warfare. Let me put that into our context today were not necessarily fighting somebody saying Pastor Gary is not a pastor he's not an apostle were not fighting someone declaring that that the apostleship of the apostle Paul was not real. What where fighting is people justifying why people do certain things in Christianity. That's really fighting.
Well, God doesn't always heal God does it.
It's always is willing to do this. It's not always is willing to do that don't justify you have to take him at his word and believe what he says and the Bible says that faith is now. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for when you pray your partner playing in the present. Now when you get sick in your body or in your mind wherever your spirit you go to God. You say God I thank you that I'm going to be here (I don't know.
I know that's a fact. But I also know that I can call upon him now and I believe he's willing to touch my body and a touch my mind and set me free. I a man he is. Any list Oral Roberts at this one time. He said God is an eternal now a man wherever you are in the present.
He's there with you and he wants to touch a man is ultra horribly God.
In fact, just quit preaching for a couple months and we may get this offer.
Just pray take care of some of these things and been ailing you for ages. A man I know what it's like to be depressed.
I know what it's like to have anxiety.
I know exactly what that's like. But I also know what it's like to have the hand of God break a stronghold in my life and that's what I'm preaching today. Amen. And I know we can deal with the certain spirits. These principalities and powers.
I know that we can deal with them here and we have spiritual weapons number on the name of Jesus.
Number two, we have the blood of the Lamb number three we have prayer and fasting. I'm not done this. Did your Bible back and I saw you close our Jesus verse six or seven which was with the deputy of the country.
Sergius Paula's a prudent man who called for Bart Barnabas and Saul and desire to hear the word of God. Why because they pray they fasted, they were anointed with the Holy Ghost. They didn't have to go tracking down people to come to church. That's not the Holy Ghost. System laborers for the harvest. He said hello but I am us the sorcerer for so was his name by interpretation would stick them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
You know how many principalities and powers are at work against this church. If I gave you a list, you would not believe it if I told you wouldn't believe it, just like the sorcerer withstanding this other sorcerer from coming to faith. Misery loves company and hills never fool the Bible says a man, but we have to have a distinctive and that distinctive has to be the power of God.
All right number finisher verse nine then Saul also was called Paul fear with the Holy Ghost filled with the Holy Ghost set his eyes on and said all fool of all such agility and all missed you call him up now child of the devil child of the devil, that enemy of all righteousness will found not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord. That's what I'm doing this morning when I read these post justifying a demonic power. Taking a man of God out of this life. I don't doubt is with the Lord.
I just know he wasn't finished on this earth you hearing what I'm saying. That's God's standard. That's God's decision in it. We don't have the right to make that decision will have the right amount of God to make that decision or anybody for that matter. We have to deal with. I tell you I feel God in my body right now verse 11. Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon the thou shalt be blind not seeing the sun for a season. I wish I pray God give me that kind of declaration of her people.
Maybe I cannot, and immediately there fell on him amidst the darkness, and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand and the deputy. When he saw what was done.
He believed being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
I want to close with this note in May whom never heard of that one go to nationwide are turning to Nate, the prophet right after Micah and right before have a kook in Spanish back all right now I can hear you.
Grandpa fiercely can hear that half deaf old-timer going back to prayer and fasting, the disciples came up upon a boy that his dad said he's a lunatic he's mentally unstable. He's mentally on unwell.
He's not well, so these disciples. They got a cast the devil out of it. Pray for and believe God to heal this young man. Well, he couldn't do it.
They coded Jesus and he says how long am I don't have to deal with your unbelief and your wow know how he feels there and he said, bring them to me. Jesus dealt with in the disciples after Jesus took care of this devil is. Why couldn't we do this as well number one. All you need is faith about the size of a mustard seed said but there's some that don't come out and I don't leave except for prayer and fasting. Fasting takes you to a new level. It takes you to a new place because what you're saying is, is that I want his presence more than I want that turkey club.
I want his presence more than I want that filet mignon, mashed potatoes, loaded and asparagus all your spirit as long as it's covered in a glaze off of filet mignon. Amen. All right, I want to close and I want to pray� I make this offer call Chris comes appearing does this thing under the anointing of God you believe is an on and I'm telling you I'm anointed. I know when I am, I know I'm not the day. I am when I was 13 years old I was worshiping God not want you to hear me now, what you think I'm silly or goofy, but this is true. Worshiping God and I felt a tingling come in my hands and I felt the Lord tell me that that was his anointing upon and that when I felt that that's what I need to pray for the sick pray for people and I tried operate by that for years and you know that I felt that same feeling today. I haven't felt in about six years I felt and I feel it now, and I've had this word in my heart all week until you have a seven part series in Proverbs plan start integrate about what site about Proverbs event, the wisdom of God, but have been constrained about this man taking his life man of God and about the excuses the churches is made for and I'm tired of Nahum chapter 1, I want you to get this verse in your spirit this week when you think about strongholds of the devil in our spiritual warfare verse seven, the prophet says this the Lord is good shot.
Yes, he is God.
I feel him in this place, a stronghold in the day of trouble and he know with them that trust in him.
I want you to underline. He is a stronghold in the day of trouble when you get a bad doctor's report when you can't seem to keep it between the lines mentally.
When anxiety is running rampant all through your mind and your your right unrest and uneasy. You can't sleep at night and the pressures of life and you have thoughts that you never had about things that you could ever imagine that spiritual warfare we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
You say, what if I have a chemical imbalance will I know a God who heals physically to but he is a stronghold in the day of trouble so exchange your stronghold for his stronghold. The hand of God to touch your life. Come on Chris appear play something everybody stand with me watching Internet listing my podcast. We are so glad you joined us today and I want you right now wherever you are.
Every watching, listening, you're struggling.
I want to know that you can be free maybe watching us live in your battling thoughts of suicide. Well, I just want to rebuke that spirit off of your life right now and just declare that you shall live and not die.
Clear the word of the Lord all the days of your life wherever you are just simply bow Anita Jesus and say here I am and I surrender my life and I want to be free and you shall, in Jesus name. Thank you for watching. Thank you for listening