Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Ordained of God Pt.1

Chapter 2 of Thessalonians. We've been talking about the coming of the Lord and we've been talking about the preparation of our hearts; we've talked about the return to the first love. I want to go in a little different direction, but I want to start with the same spirit that we've been dealing with and contending with in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 where it says, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." We're not going to stay here long at all on this passage--what I want to relate to you is this--we're living in these last days against a supernatural rise of the spirit of iniquity, or as the language is more clearly, in the original language, "the secret power of lawlessness." We see it in the spirit today in the world, and we see that men are living as entities unto themselves. Red lights don't mean anything; HOVs don't mean anything. "I'm an exception to all of these things. I'm really one who doesn't have to pay my taxes, and I don't have to stand in line, it's all right for me to cut in." You see these guys on the road that make you so happy, that pass on the shoulders and pull in line. All of these people that are "exceptions." Now that never enters our minds to consider ourselves in that way, but it's those other people that we have to deal with, and the fact of the matter is, it's in all of our flesh, isn't it?

When we understand that not only is it in our members, but that it's being supernaturally enhanced and fueled from behind the scenes by demonic powers, then we're aware of the spirit that we're going to be contending with in these last days--not only in those that hate the gospel and are opposing the work that's being done for the Kingdom--but something we have to contend with in our own members. Some of you may even have been sensing that in your own lives in recent months and years, and just that you weren't aware--it had been gone for a while--but that tendency to exalt self and self-will and that rebellious spirit and many of these things that the Scripture says are going to be the signs of the last days that we're in. Only the church, the Holy Spirit through His church, is going to hold that at bay until it be removed. Then when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ rise, and those of us that remain are changed, we'll be caught up with Him to be with Him in the air, the Scripture says. That's an exciting anticipation!

But what do we do in this waiting process? We need to be aware of this spirit that's around us--this spirit that wants to exalt self when the greatest among us, the Scripture says, is servant of all (Mark 10:44). And that if you want to experience exaltation, the Bible's method is that you've got to humble yourself and God will exalt you. He'll exalt you, the Scripture says, in due time. And so we have all of these promises, but we can't be ignorant of the enemy's devices and the hour that we're living in. We have to let our exaltation and our placement be of God.

John 15 says that every one of us has been called of God and ordained to go and bear fruit, and that our fruit should remain. I want to talk about being ordained of God tonight, and understand that it's not just the placement of ministers in our midst. I remember my ordination years ago in southern California. I shared the story with you how--I truly believe in the transference of spiritual authority and gifts, always have, and as men were laying hands upon the young ministers--and I remember that men were laying hands on me and I was praying, "Father, I just really want this brother to lay his hands on me. Ordain it, Lord." There were numerous of us that were there, and sure enough, this man came over and as he laid his hands upon me, I remember being able to by faith believe God to imbibe a portion of that Spirit. I can remember when Sister Ethel Hook had said, "It's my prayer that the mantle that I've carried would fall upon you." One of the true prophetesses of God, and we've wanted to believe that that ministry and that gift would work in our lives all of these years, and it has evidenced itself through the years by the mercy of God and at His will. The thing about ordination is that. It's someone who is being sent, it's someone who is being recognized, and set apart, and it's done by God. And yet man's tendency is to put himself forward and to try to make room for himself, but the Scripture says, the gift will make room for you. "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men" (Proverbs 18:16), the Scriptures says, if that is in fact where He wants you--and in Kenya, that's seems to be where the Lord wants us right now, before kings. It's an exciting thing to see the ordination of God and to recognize it for what it is.

Let me show you a couple of passages in the Scriptures that have to do with this. Turn over if you would to Psalm 75 for just a moment. In Psalm 75, verse 6, "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another." Can you say praise God for that? So don't look for your promotion from your manager. You don't need to play the games that everybody else plays on the job. Our promotions come from above, amen? The Lord is able to pull down and to set up, the Scripture says. Do you believe that your steps are ordered by God? You say, "Yeah I do, I believe that the course of my life is ordained by the Lord." Well, that's great, but do you believe that your role is ordained by God? The role of being a man or a woman? "It's always been a man's world, but now, praise God, we've changed that--ERA!" It's supposed to be a man's world; God ordained it that way. The man was not made for the woman; the woman was made for the man. That's not a real popular message today, but it's the Word of God, how many of you believe that?

So we're living in a day when the secret power of lawlessness just blatantly mocks the face of God and the authority of God's Word, and it wants to bring up an equality of all, but God says we're not all equal. "Well now, that doesn't sound fair to me!" Who are you judging? I don't remember God asking any of us, do you? Where is the wisdom of man as it holds your mind and your heart in these areas? When all of our society is promoting equal rights, children's rights--parents no longer have the authority or the right to discipline their children--when the Word of God makes it clear that there's a distinction of roles, true, ordained authority that's being mocked in our generation. The secret power of lawlessness. It's the original sin, it's what was found in the heart of Lucifer when he rebelled in the heavens, when he said, "I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:14). You read Isaiah and you see him wanting to ascend above the throne of God. The creature! Not only seeing himself equal with, but wanting to replace the Creator. Are you familiar with that spirit? How many of you know that spirit? Has it moved in you, when you see children rebelling against the parents and wives that are refusing to submit to their husbands, and husbands who are refusing to lead their families into righteousness and to be the priests of their households--it's the spirit, the mystery of iniquity! And tragically, God has a people that He wants to ordain and set apart and empower to walk free from that spirit, to walk in a way that the world knows nothing about.

You know we as a fellowship, we have an interesting reputation in the community--greater Washington, D.C. People have a lot of perceptions of who we are, and what we are, and how we work. And probably the thing, if you really went back and asked, what is it that causes people to look at us like "Unh, there's just something different, I don't know what it is, but it's not right." What is it, what it is that has us, in their eyes, a half bubble off? How many of you know that's how people look at us? We're going to talk about what it is--this is what it is (holding up Bible). It's that we recognize authority, and they move in lawlessness. They are an authority to themselves; they will not have God or man set course for them. And the god that they serve is the god that says, "Eat this fruit, your eyes will be opened. You'll no longer have to be in or under authority. You will become as gods, and you will know good from evil, and you will not surely die." Now that message is wrapped in many different types of doctrines and "...by good words and fair speeches," the Scripture says, the simple are brought down (Romans 16:18).

Let's look at that spirit and ask if that is how God, from the beginning, has chosen to redeem His man and to fellowship with His man, "...for promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, or from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and he setteth up another (Psalm 75:6,7). Let's find out whether or not socialism, communism, equal rights is the method that God has chosen in the Scriptures to deal with man. There are a lot of different passages, turn over to Proverbs 8 for just a second. In the 8th Proverb, we see the wise man speaking to us, and as I've given some thought recently to this "half bubble off," I've gone back and spent some time searching the Scriptures and trying to identify the hour that we're in. The Scripture says in Proverbs chapter 8 verse 14, "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength." The "I" that's being spoken of there, of course, is the Lord, but it's also talking about this "I" that is represented by wisdom or the Word of God, the counsel of God. "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures." It goes on and talks about the benefits of knowing the presence of God and the ordination of God, and the application of the wisdom of God--I want you to hear that word clearly--application--not being able to recite the Word, doing it. Choosing at all times the wisdom of God, the ways of God. You see the thing that makes a people different is that they are doers of the Word and not hearers.

Jesus spoke it very clearly in His teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. He was One that spoke having authority and they marveled! And in all of this that Jesus spoke that caused them to marvel was this, He made the comment, and this is what really blew them away. Turn over to Matthew--I wasn't going to do this--but we'll take just a moment and look at it. Chapter 7 of Matthew. Chapter 7 ends with those words I was just referring to, it says, "And it came to pass [verse 28], when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine." Now let's see what it was that caused Jesus' doctrine to be so distinct from the spirit of the religion of that day, because He was speaking to the religious people, the professed believers, those who said "We're Christians," or as these, "We are the children of Abraham." Some boasted in their Pharisaical credentials, others who were Sadducees set themselves apart as true intellectuals and not believing in the supernatural--they weren't that archaic in their understanding. But they boasted each in their righteousness and their relationship with God, and Jesus continually said, "You don't have a relationship with God, you are whited sepulchers; you're clean on the outside and you're full of dead men's bones." You look religious, you talk religious, you draw nigh unto me with your lips, the prophet says, but your hearts are far from me. Now what is it that Jesus is referring to here that caused them to be astounded? Go back to verse 24, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." The lack of obedience, the lack of doing things God's way, building God's foundation, your house will fall. The day of judgment will come, the storm will finally--"the perfect storm"--will arise and sink your ship, and it's going to be done, the Scripture says, in an hour when you think not.

Psalm 22, verse 28, and then we'll get into our teaching. "For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations." "For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations." The Lord sets in place and He brings down, as we saw. We just had to deal in one of our satellite churches with this spirit that we're referring to, and it's sad. It's the ministry in Buffalo, and we had to spend time with the Pastor and actually some delegates that we asked to come down from the congregation and we met with them and we dealt with this particular spirit. It's nothing new; it's no new thing under the sun. It manifests itself always in many different ways. We'll always find those that rise up in the midst and with good words and fair speeches deceive the simple; they'll take doctrine and twist it. You'll always find the Absalom spirit that's among us that will go to the gates and say, "You know, we just need to pray for the king; he just needs the wisdom of God. If I were in charge, of course, I would treat you all this way, but you know, he's just a man that really doesn't care, but we just need to really believe and pray that God would speak to him," and the spirit of Absalom. Or the Korah and Dathan spirit to where they blatantly rise up and say, "We're ordained of God. We're called and anointed, and we can hear from God as well as you do, Moses. Who do you think you are, trying to make yourself a ruler over us?" And it doesn't matter how it expresses itself; it's always the same spirit. It just expresses itself in the way it feels it can be most productive in bringing about division and destruction. As I shared with these from that congregation yesterday, "You be careful that you don't bite and devour lest you be consumed. Be very careful and put a watch over your lips." As I shared with this pastor the need to take responsibility and authority to lead these people beside still waters and into green pastures. To keep his eye open for wolves, and to carry the rod and the staff of God and to protect the flock of God, and that the good shepherd lays his life down for the sheep. The secret power of lawlessness.

Now how does that relate to us here in this fellowship and where we are today, the secret power of lawlessness? How about as we've related just recently concerning our homes and the children, and we talked about the absentee parent of this generation and the need to be involved in your children's life, and the highest calling on your life is to raise up a godly seed--another generation that are doers of the Word of God, and there would be the understanding of the call of God on our life. If you leave anything behind, beloved, leave somebody that believes the Word of God, amen? You want to leave an inheritance for your kids, cause them to be able to be young people that know what it means to worship God and to stand in faith on the Word of God, and say, "Though He slay me, I'm going to trust Him and serve Him; I believe that the Judge of all the earth does right; I believe that if God is for me, nobody can be against me; there is not a weapon formed that can prosper, praise God!" Children who know that they are the heritage of God, and those that will bring in that message of deliverance to the next generation. How do we do that? How do we raise up a godly seed? It's by establishing for them the true treasures, the ones that are above, not the things of the earth where moth and rust does corrupt and thieves break in and steal. All of these temporal things that are just that--they are going to burn someday. That there are eternal treasures and goals to be achieved that the highest calling of God in our life is Christlikeness. Or do we allow in our homes that secret power of lawlessness to work? To where our children are left to themselves, to where their opinions and desires and the natural adolescent doctrine--and it is so natural--everybody else is doing it! Everybody is doing it! No, you're not, so it's not everybody. Everybody's doing it--pierce this, draw on that, squeeze into this, whatever it might be. No, everybody's not, because there is a standard that even I, Dad, must obey; or tragically, in too many homes, I, Mom, must obey.

We want to talk about the ordination of God and the order that has to be followed if we're going to move in personal victory and leave a ministry built on a rock of obedience in doing the Word of God, and recognizing the placement of God. As God puts into the body these members as it pleases Him, the Scripture says; to where we teach our children, and we learn ourselves, that we are not contending for position, and we're not trying to promote ourselves, but God is placing us as it pleases Him. God is gifting us as it pleases Him. God's called us into a life that is set up to please Him. I've shared with you just recently some of the counsel we've had to do, some of the marital problems we've had here in our fellowship. I can't even fathom this, but as we've dealt with numerous situations and you hear of wives that are just getting up in their husband's faces and defying them, and "I hate you! Who do you think you are? And I'm not going to do it..." I can't relate to that, but I want to tell you where it's from--it's from the pit of hell. You can't in any way put it off on anything other than the secret power of lawlessness, the original sin, the defiance of the authority of God. And to do that is to express the lack of lordship of Jesus in your life. You cannot behave that way, and Jesus be your lord, period. Period. Children cannot be rebellious and disobedient and sneaking around behind the scenes and wanting to somehow manipulate all of the circumstance so that they can have their way, and Jesus be the Lord of that situation.

Let's not even put it in the realm of getting blatantly in somebody's face, and outwardly defiant. Let's just look at it as using other forms of manipulation, and whining and pouting, or little secret accounts and different things, that are had or the different methods of getting your will and disguising the checkbook. You know, to where you buy a dress and list it as tools. What is that spirit? What are we dealing with here? What we're dealing with, beloved, is a house that's divided against itself cannot stand, period. Now we're not just talking about your home; we're not just talking about this fellowship called Calvary Temple. We're talking about the body of Christ. Now the true church is going to stand, there's no question, and it's going to remain pure and strong, and it's going to restrain this power of lawlessness until it's removed out of the way, Thessalonians tells us. But what are we going to have to contend with down the stretch here, and what do we need to guard ourselves against? Constantly being bombarded about what our individual rights are.

Well let's look at Romans 13 for just a second. It's been a long time since we've been to Romans 13, hasn't it? Some of you are saying, what's Romans 13? It's been way too long since we've been to Romans 13, then. The Apostle speaking to us says, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." Hmm. Mao--ordained of God. Stalin--ordained of God. Idi Amin--ordained of God. Bill Clinton--ordained of God. "...the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for [judgement], but also for conscience sake. For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." Now, let's go back for just a moment, and we're going to clarify some of the things the Apostle is saying.

"The powers that be are ordained of God." Now, government, he's basically saying is ordained of God--not all the evil that these men that I've named have done--but the fact that God raises up and He brings down. Many times as these evil leaders, as you read the Scriptures and you see it very clearly, are things that people have brought upon themselves, and God judges them. They've denied the truth, they've denied the Word of God, they've rejected God and sought, for instance, another philosophy such as humanism--in whatever form it might be, the American humanism, or the Soviet humanism. It's the deification of man. And God, as He spoke to Samuel said, "they haven't rejected you, they've rejected Me. They want this king like the nations, they want to be like the nations, then I'll let them be like the nations." And God allows and answers according to their idols. God raises up men like He did Pharaoh, the Scriptures say, that He might show Himself mighty in bringing him down. He used him to discipline His own children, but then He brought him down to show His own power. And so we realize then, that nothing happens by chance. So we believe that these powers that are in place, God has put them there.

But there is more to this chapter than that; we realize what government is all about. And when I talk about government, I'm not just talking about civil government, I'm not just talking about ecclesiastical government, we're also talking about domestic government. So we have civil, we have the church, we have the home and some great truths are in here and why God has set up government, why everybody is not the same. You know we want to have in our nation, the big..., We really don't, but since the Florida fiasco, people have said, "You know what we need is to have a true democracy." True democracy really isn't equal. I don't want to get off on a political science thing, but we begin to see that since we are a democratic republic, the writers of our Constitution saw that you can't just give everybody an equal say if you're going to also allow what we call "states' rights" to be in existence. How many of you know if we went with a popular vote, places like Rhode Island, Delaware, and Alaska, might as well stay home. The whole government, the whole government would be run by the inner cities. The whole government would be run by New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. No, thank you. God had a different perspective than the genius of our founders--it's ingenious, this Constitution that governs this nation. It's ingenious, it's a phenomenal document, and it's worked, and if you don't begin to interpret it, it will continue to work if you just do what it says. God's got a better one. And God set it up this way, He said, "You've got to understand something, My form of government is to be seen this way. I will set people in positions of authority, and if they honor Me, I'll honor them. If they honor Me, I'll bless them, and I will support them. I'll fight for them." As you study the Scriptures, with Israel, you look into the church, the Apostles, Jesus said, "If they hear you, they've heard Me" (John 15:20). He rebuked Saul and said, "...why persecutest thou me?"

Jesus is personally involved in His church, and in every member of His church. He can call us by name; the hairs of our head are numbered. He cares about your condition. He set up different principles and said, don't you dare abuse the orphan or the widow. Husbands, don't you lord it over your wives and treat them as chattel, but you lay your life down and you love them as I've loved the church. And He set up a government that always protects the innocent. He said if you abuse them-- remember what He said about widows and orphans--He said if you take advantage of them, your arms are going to fall off. I like that passage. Raise your hand in injustice to smack them and it falls off--Monty Python. So we look at the Scriptures, and the thing that we have to contend with is that God has a plan. He has an order; do we trust Him? Or do we have to clamor like the world and defend ourselves and fight for ours and "dog eat dog," and climb over dead bodies to the top, and do unto others before they do unto you? The secret power of lawlessness.

Or do we move into a spirit of trust and reliance upon God's wisdom? That before you were born, He knew you, and He knew what His plan was, and He knew that to send you into this world as a man or a woman was going to give you different responsibilities, and He was going to gift us separately. Since woman was taken out of man--we've talked about that, I don't want to get into it in great depth but, how when woman was removed from man--you see woman wasn't created ex-nihilo, out of nothing--man having been formed by the hands of God from the dust of the earth, that that He had spoken into existence, the very decree of His mouth. His words are what made these planets, and His hands formed man and He breathed into his nostrils and he became a living soul, and man was able to live as a separate entity, just like God Himself, not needing anything without man other than God, needed nothing, he was self-existent. Yet there was still a loneliness in there. Just like God Himself, having made man for His fellowship, He said there needs to be some more fellowship for this man and he didn't find it in the animals. So God removed from him this feminine part of himself and made this woman. Man was not made for the woman, but the woman was made for the man, and the woman was taken out of the man, and the woman was there to provide the helpmeet ministry, the ballast. You see it's nothing new, it was within man already, man had the feminine perspective internally; it was removed from him. When it was separated from him, it wasn't good for man to be alone, and so the two became one. That's why there's that need to have the feminine perspective, and there is that need and that longing for the communion of a man and a woman to have fellowship.

It wasn't created for you to rise up and say, "I hate you! I don't need you, I can make it on my own." God says you can't. God never created us to be alone, to be an entity to ourselves. Sin, as it's perverted and exalted us in our own eyes, to where we have this false perception of our "godship." "When you eat it, your eyes will be open; you'll be as gods," Satan told the woman. And those eyes were opened and the ability to live separate from God became a reality. They lost their innocence. What was the loss of innocence? The loss of innocence was the loss of dependence upon God. "I don't need God anymore, I'm not totally dependent upon God. I can make decisions for myself; I have the ability to reason. I can choose now right from wrong." Innocence was total dependence; it was just doing what it was told. It tended the garden; it fellowshipped with Him in the evening when it heard His voice, when they walked with Him in the garden. Innocence didn't set its own schedule by watches and calendars; it was in the garden at the time appointed to fellowship with God. We see it as weakness. We see it as lack of ability, and yet it is the highest form of relationship that can be experienced--dependence, as opposed to "independence." We say that with such high regard, when it's just in many times another word for rebellion, selfishness and self-will. So we have to be careful with the spirit that's out there and what it's saying to our hearts.

Romans 13, let's look at it again. "Let every soul be subject...." The word "subject" here just means to put oneself under habitually. To be in subjection is to be under. It's interesting that this passage says we're to put ourselves under, habitually; it's to be our lifestyle. Put ourselves under who? Everybody? Am I like the peon of the world? Am I America's doormat? No, the authority that we are putting ourselves under is the authority that God has placed over us. He defines it. The President of Kenya has no authority over us; he does over Ronnie, but he doesn't have any authority over us, does he? God has placed us in America, and so we're under authority. The powers that be are ordained of God, and we have our government, and we have our President, and we have our Governor of our state. We have the Mayor of our city. We have the head of our Home Owners. Where God has placed us, we then begin to recognize authority. We have employers and we are under that authority of the secular, civil, economic government. We don't like that, so we start unions.

We were just in Chicago at the car show. They set these little stands out like this. One guy is taking them off this thing and he's setting them down and he's going like that. Then there's this rail, little curtain; the guy that put this thing down there couldn't move the curtain. There was a curtain man, okay, and the curtain man had to move the curtain so the podium man could put podium over this 12-inch high curtain and then the curtain man put it back in. Then the paper distribution man... Dear God! Unions, we have to protect ourselves! Were there things that we can benefit naturally from that? Of course, because there were corrupt people that were trying to make slaves out of folks and you had all the different child labor laws that have come in and all, a lot of good stuff--good in the natural sense. You see God is assuming that in His order, you look here and it says, "For rulers [verse 3] are not a terror to good works...." You see, God's leadership doesn't hassle you for doing good. In fact, they are there to protect you from people that are trying to oppress you in the midst of your doing good. They are not a terror to good works, but they are to be a terror to evil works. You can recognize God's authority when it recognizes and honors the good, and oppresses and resists the evil. Tragically, in our generation right now, civilly, you find them honoring and giving all types of preferential treatment to the wicked, and oppressing the good. The secret power of lawlessness.

Now how does this affect us as a fellowship; how does this affect us in our homes? As we're closing for tonight, the first thing I want you to understand is you have to find out what your place is. How do I fit into the scheme of things? What has God called me and ordained me to do in His Kingdom? I'm not talking about civilly. I'm not talking about where God has called me in the business world, and where God... I'm talking about within the Kingdom of God--that that is the eternal realm--what has God called you to do? What has He ordained you to do? Are you aware of that spirit that we're talking about in your members? Is there any tendency in you that wants everybody to be treated equally--except you? "I'd really... we'd really like to see equality, and I'm going to see to it that everybody's equal, and I'm going to make sure that everybody's treated properly; and if everybody's not treated equally, they are going to answer to me." Socialism. Can I ask you something: was Stalin equal in this great philosophy? What is it that causes man to think he is the exception? Well, what about authority? Stalin was an authority, what about authority, what are we going to do with those in authority? Well, we first of all have to ask this question: who put them there? Did God put them there, or did they put them there? Well part of that now we can begin to track back and--I'll close with this for this evening--we have to track back and we have to think, okay, what's the original source? If God's the original source, let's go back and look at my role. Hmm, I was created a man, my wife was created a woman (hopefully--we're trying to change that too.) And the child says, I was born as a child; and all the women say, "Praise God, because if they were born as adults, it would really hurt!" Bill Cosby's great record, "I started out as a child." That must mean something. That speaks to me, a child has a different role than the parent, imagine that! We have people that can't figure that out in our society today. They are supernaturally ignorant, blind. Equal rights, equal rights, the kids messing himself! Clean up your act, you're not on the same level! Take your zits to the room! There's an evolution in the sense of growth and maturity and ordination that has to be experienced as it relates to men and women. It's different in our society than a lot today, and around the world things are changing. It's humorous to me to go to some of these countries like Kenya, like the different countries we've ministered in, St. Kitts, whatever, that are more blatantly matriarchal than our society. And to refuse to see the distinction that God's made between men and women and their roles of authority and responsibility.

When you begin to look at it in the house of God and we'll talk some as we go along into those areas. You understand that people that--and I made reference to this in our meeting with these folks that we were talking with, it's interesting to me. A number of these people in this particular fellowship, having come out of different backgrounds and church affiliations, and perceived religious organizations, you know, they seem to feel that--and in some of the letters we received, these were actually words that were spoken--that they wanted the Pastor to be accountable to them. They wanted him to answer to them why, and when, and how come, and.... And we talked about them with them just a little bit, and I asked them, I said, "Is that how you operate your house? Does your home operate that way? Do you answer to you wife and children?" They said, "Yes." That explained part of the problem. No, they didn't verbalize that, they just do it, they live it. Homes totally out of order, no authority, each an entity to themselves. Do you operate that way in your home? Do your children pray about, "It's time for bed"? "I'll pray about it. No, I don't feel the Lord's leading me to bed at this moment." Pray about this! Because you see, the authority doesn't bear the sword in vain, Romans 13 tells us. God's going to back the authority. To resist the power is to resist God. It's rebellion; it's confusion; there's every evil work that begins to move in that kind of an environment! And you have to understand what you are looking at.

Months and months ago there was a comment made. I hope the person doesn't remember making this; if they did, don't feel bad about it, but it's a perfect example. There was a function that was going on and I can't remember what it was, and there was something, in fact, we were on a time schedule, and we were having a fellowship gathering. There were folks that were gathering down there, and Janet and I went down and we were one of the first ones to get down there other than a number of people that had gathered. And the people that were getting ready to serve, this comment was made, "I guess we can go ahead and start, one of the Pastors are here." I didn't say anything, I just thought this, "No, not one of the Pastors is here, THE Pastor is here." I could have said that, there was no need for it. All I said was, "Yes, let's go ahead and start." This person doctrinally, would never make that kind of a conclusion, but we're not just talking about doctrine, we're talking about perception and how things really work and are perceived. Children at home, out at the mall with Mom. "Can I have this?" Dad just said, "We need to wait, we're going to be doing this." The child's perception is one of the parents is here. Is there an equal authority? One of the parents is here. One parent, one child in agreement. Sorry Dad, out-voted! Now when can that be something that's acceptable? When there's no question in the mind of the child or the wife that habitually--the fruit born--the reputation is I always do the will (say it with me) of the father. When are we safe in that environment? When we always do the will of the Father, when we are comfortable that we are under authority, when we are comfortable that we are representing authority, when my heart's motive is always pure, when I'm looking to represent the headship. How subtle is this spirit today? I think if we were really truthful with ourselves, we would see that very spirit in many of our children, and in many of our husband and wife relationships--and we are horrified when we hear about these examples of screaming at one another and defying and these different areas--and you are horrified by that and you think how can that possibly be? I want to tell you how it is; it starts with the little foxes. It starts with the lack of awareness of how influenced we are by this society, and that we're all equal, that somehow that there's this democratic process that functions within the home, or within the church; and it is not God's method.

So we need to be aware of that and we need to talk a little more in detail about these things in the next couple of sessions. But be prayerful and begin to look into your heart and ask yourself, how have I responded recently in some of these things, have I usurped in my own heart, that authority in the home over my husband? Am I thinking, "Yeah, I heard what he said, but that just doesn't seem right and I think what's really fair for the kids at this time is... And he's not going to find out anyway; and if he was really spiritual, really smart, then he would really agree that this was the best, but he's not really in tune anyway, and so I will not represent his will, I will interpret it"? The secret power of lawlessness.

Father, we ask You to help us in this hour that we're living. We understand what's in every one of our members, the flesh. We don't like our homeowners, but we signed up to be in the community, and so unless they are asking us to do something that's contrary to the will of God, then we submit ourselves; and we won't paint our doors pink and our houses polka dot. We live in the spirit of the law, not just the detail, the letter. We do what's right to the glory of God. So we not only do what they ask, we do more. They want the foundation four inches, we pour it six. They want screen doors that keep out hippos, we do gnats, exceeding abundant. Our heart is for excellence. We're not looking for how little we can do, but to excel in our obedience. Where are we tonight, Father, as we look at our own hearts? Many of our young people seated here--are you living by the letter of the law and looking for loopholes? "Well, they didn't say I couldn't do this...." Are you looking for loopholes, are you looking for ways to get around, does the list have to be so detailed that every possible departure is spoken toward, or do you know the heart of your father and you just want to please him? Do you look at Dad and say, "This is really his spirit, this is how he would do this thing"? It's not the letter of the law. How much of my own will can I do and still be in favor? Forbe and I were talking about that just before we came in here tonight. No, I want to do the will of Him that sent me. Is that how you represent your husbands, ladies, as you are about the care of the house? What do I have to do, what limitations have been put on me, but praise God, I'm free over here! Free to do what, free to do your will, or to please Him that sent you? Oh beloved, there's a liberty in that death to self. There's a security, there's a peace that comes--because in pursuit of your own will and your own way, that lust cannot be satisfied. You will just continue to wander further, and further, and further into your own will. But when the heart attitude is to please Him that sent you because you've been called of God; you were born to be a helpmeet.

We're going to talk more about the husband's role, born to be a leader. "I don't want to be a leader, man, it's too much of a hassle. I want to be a follower who leads myself. I don't want to be responsible for anybody else, I just want to do my thing; I just want to live to myself. Well, maybe I do want to get married and have my wife and children do my will, but other than that I just want to live to myself. I don't really want to lead them, I just want to send them out to do right. Go do right. Do as I say, not as I do." Young person just the other day, involved in sin, the person speaking to them said, "You know you need to get back to church, because that's really the right thing to do." What a con job, man! If it's so right, why aren't you doing it? You've got to hear the spirit behind what's being said, you've got to understand, beloved, the power of the spirit of iniquity, and it's alive in every one of our members! Every one of us prone toward it and if you don't kill it daily, it will rise up and kill you. Let's stand up before the Lord tonight.

How subtle that spirit is, and when we look at anything other than what the world is propagating, we get a little, "I don't know man, that just...." That's what I said, we're just a half bubble off, maybe a full bubble; maybe we're off the scale. You mean to tell me that you people really believe and live like the husband's supposed to be the head of the house. Yes! You mean spiritual leaders among you really have authority to say things, and people actually do what they are told. Yes! Now that really doesn't sound right to me. Suggestions would be okay, but you see I need to be led by the Spirit. What about your wife and children? No, they need to do what I tell them, but I need to be led by the Spirit. Wives with children, "Children you're supposed to do what I tell you, but I'm to be led by the Spirit." Children look and say, "Well Dad's not doing what Jesus is telling him; Mom's not doing what Dad says. So really, Christianity is saying we're under authority, but we do what we want. Okay, I've got it figured out now. That's what we do." "Amen, Jesus is Lord, let's quote some Scripture: children obey your parents, wives submit to your husbands, husbands love your wives, do what you want." If He's Lord, there's order, and we do it; we're not hearers, we're doers, and we're built on the rock. Father, make it real we ask in Jesus' name.

As Gary plays, we'll take just a moment and allow the Holy Spirit to again speak to our hearts. Let me ask you what goes on inside of you when somebody tells you what to do? How do you respond to Mom and Dad, how do you respond to husband? Oh it's dangerous, beloved. It's so strong in my members, personally. As a young man all you had to do was tell me, "Don't or you can't" and I was after it. As I see it rise up in different areas and God put His finger on it, there's never a greater peace or strength then when you are in that position of innocence and total dependence. I thank God for His grace over the years that in the real crunch times that His Spirit prevailed and that ugliness was subdued and the old man remained dead and buried. It still rises up. One day in New Jersey, I think I shared this story with you. Janet had to stop, an emergency stop. I pulled up beside the curb, and she ran into a bathroom at one of these rest stops. I was standing out in front, and there were 80 empty parking spots, literally, within 30 or 40 yards. I sat there and a police officer came up and he tapped on the window, and he said, "You can't stop here." I said, "My wife just ran in, she's going to be right back out." He said, "What part of this don't you understand?" I said, "Oh, I understand you very clearly." He said, "No stopping, or standing!" I said, "Okay, I understand, I got the letter. I got the law." I said, "There's no law against driving real slowly, is there?" And I began to roll forward an inch at a time. That's the wrong spirit. I was keeping the law. That's what's in my flesh. What should you do? "Thank you officer," you pull over there; it's not going to hurt her to walk an extra 60 feet. It's in us and it's ugly. Help us to be free, Father. Help us to be innocent as we rely upon You.

Let's sing it together as we worship Him. Hallelujah! "Let Me Be a Sacrifice." Oh, we want to worship You, Lord! Father, we thank You that as we begin to see the foundation laid in this doctrine, that You would give us hearts to hear, and give us wisdom Father, to apply properly. In this hour, Father, that we're just inundated with the secret power of lawlessness, give us ears to hear. In a day when men call this foolishness, help us to see it as the wisdom and the power of God. Help us to glorify You in it, Father, and we'll give You the praise, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Before you go turn to somebody next to you and say, "Be ordained of God." Go in peace, God's love go with you.

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