Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Spiritual Warfare Pt.1

Hallelujah. It's good to be in His presence, amen? The Lord's good to us and His presence is always there at these particular times when we face the realities of sin, and the realities of life. It's appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgment. Aren't you glad you're ready tonight?

Let's turn to Matthew 28, and while you're headed there, stop at 10. We want to look at a couple of passages as we start a new series this evening. When I told the guys what we were going to be teaching on, they said, "Oh no." First they said, "We're going to be praying for you Pastor," and they also knew that they needed to put on their own helmets, because we're going to be talking about spiritual warfare. As we talk about this, of course you know it's always an opportunity to exercise our faith, and to experience the reality of the fact that we're living daily at war with principalities, and powers that are in the heavenlies. Thank God that our weapons are not carnal but they're mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, amen?

Our enemy's very real. His tactics are proven that the majority fall at his hand, what's going to keep us safe? Well, thank God we've been given the full armor of God, amen? Aren't you glad tonight that our advocate, our intercessor, our savior ever lives to make intercession for us? Aren't you glad that He gave us promises that the Holy Spirit would come and dwell in us, and that we would receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon us? We have some great and mighty promises of God, the Scripture says, but they're not automatic. We have to put them into effect, we have to pray, we have to fast, we have to study to show ourselves approved unto God, workman that needed not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. The fact is, tonight we're at war. What have you done to prepare yourself?

We know that in the military we get to go through boot camp. I was talking to a fellow today when I was out and about, a Vietnam veteran, and he was just about my age, a very young man. As we were talking about different things of those times, and he had a little hat on, "Vietnam Veteran and Proud of It." Nothing like trying to make a point, amen? I shared with you about the old gentleman that I ran into in the mall that one day. He was in a wheelchair, had oxygen on it, and different things, and he was coming toward the door as I was going out. So I grabbed the door, and pulled it open to hold it for him, and he had a hat on, and I stopped him for a moment and I said, "Is that for real?" He said, "Yeah." On his hat it had, "Veteran: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam." I reached down and shook his hand and I said, "I just want you to know, I appreciate it." Veterans of these wars.

Preparation for battle. They take you in and teach you the basics. I remember when I was in boot camp and I've shared with you before the different things that you get to learn that you know you're going to put into practice like they put you in a gas chamber. You get to take off your gas mask, begin to recite to them your rank, and serial number. Then of course, thank God you get to exit. They locked us in a container cement bunker and poured all the area full of jet fuel and lit it on fire, and said, "Put it out." We did. All of the preparation that gets you ready for battle.

I remember when I was a kid growing up by Fort Ord, a guy was killed out there when they were using live ammunition. Out in that particular area there're a lot of rattlesnakes. The guy was crawling through the area, came upon a rattlesnake, stood up, and the machine gun fire got him. It's supposed to be training. Wouldn't it be a bummer to die in training?

Preparation for the battle. What have you done to prepare yourselves? What have you done to build yourself up physically? You know you get to march everywhere and run, and double time it, and do all of your different exercises. I remember we used to get to stand there and hold our nine pound six-ounce piece until you couldn't hold it anymore. Preparation for battle. What have you done to prepare yourself and to make yourself ready? The enemy's real. His power's real, but the good news is found in Matthew, chapter 28, verse 18, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, [following that great resurrection] saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: [Oh, beloved, look at this promise] and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Can you say praise God for that?

You see, He's sending us into battle but He said, "I've gone before you, and now I'm going with you. You're going to go forth as my representatives," He said, and "I've given you power, because all power has been given unto Me." Exousia is the Greek word here. It really means authority. It's not talking about the omnipotence of God, the ability of God, the strength of God. It's talking about His rights. You see there're certain legal rights that we have as believers. One of those rights is to be able to live victoriously over the power of the enemy, and we need to understand that. We've legally been set free. We've legally been entrusted with the ability of God to go out, and as the Scripture says, in all things are more than conquerors.

I want to prepare our hearts in these next couple of sessions not to just maintain but to go and be victorious. Not just to try to hold on as the spirit of antichrist begins to rise in these last days, and the Bible says many are going to fall away. There's going to be a great falling away the Scripture says. Many are going to depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. What's going to cause us to stand? Preparation and knowing who we are in Jesus Christ. Do you really understand what your rights are? We're going to talk about that.

Go back to Matthew 10 for just a second. You know the commission of the twelve as they were getting ready to go out. What a great promise this is in the tenth chapter, and you begin to look here in verse one. It says, "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power [exousia, authority] against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease." He said in verse seven, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick..." Therapao is the Greek here. It's the Greek word from which we derive therapy. It's talking about physical healing. A lot of people try to say, "No, it's spiritual healing." Beloved it's physical healing. By His stripes we are healed. He's told us to go out and to lay hands upon the sick and see them recover, praise God.

What have you been doing with your rights lately? When's the last time you laid hands on somebody and believed God to heal their body? When's the last time you encountered known spiritual warfare? You knew, "Hey, I'm not dealing with flesh and blood here." These are principalities and powers, and you just began to rise, that spirit man began to rise up in you, and you began to speak with authority, and take authority over the powers of darkness, and bind the strong man. It's your rights. Have you been using them? Or have you found yourself just kind of moving into the wiles of worldly wisdom trying to manipulate things on the job instead of praying, and believing God. Fighting with the same weapons as all of your contemporaries instead of resting in the ability of God, and seeing God send His angels and shut the lions' mouths, praise God. Standing firm in the promises of God and watching Him quench the flame so that you're not only not burned but there's not even a hint of smoke upon your garments as the three Hebrew children were able to stand against all that the world could throw at them.

Where are you tonight? What's your tendency? Have you begun to be seduced by the world's methods? Have you begun to trust in their weaponry? Have you begun to use the techniques that seem to be working for others around you? Or is your heart being stirred and you're even more jealous for the visitation of your God, so that when He becomes the deliverer, the source, He receives all of the glory, and all of the honor for the victory? Go and preach, heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give. "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence."

A little different than today, people say, "Oh man! Bummer. I have to put this guy up," or take care of this. Find out who's worthy to support the ministry and who counts it a blessing, and go and dwell with them, and let them be your source. When they begin to see the ministry and they become a part of it, and they begin to support the man of God like Elijah was supported by the widow, God begins to be the source, then praise God, and He gives exceeding abundant. You remember, wherever the ark was those houses were blessed when the ark was absent from the temple of God. Where God's presence is, where His power is, His provision is. Look to get involved in ministry that's exalting the kingdom of God, and working about the eternal things.

As I was meditating, giving time in preparation for this, I've been preparing this for weeks. And few of the things that we kind of got side tracked on, excited about the stirring in our hearts for the presence of God, and the power of God to manifest not as a show, not as a defense of a doctrine, but for the glory of God. The jealousy again for the simplicity of His methods being the source to which we look first as we seek Him early the Scripture says quick. First is another way of saying it. Seek Him first. Have you found yourself seeking other avenues and like so many other people God's the last resort? You start to pray and people, my lord, is it that bad we're going to have to pray. You've run into people with that kind of an attitude.

Here we are called to represent Him to go into all of the world and preach the gospel, how prepared are you? Since we're His ambassadors, the Scripture says we're what? We're the light of the world. We're the, what? Salt of the earth. How great is our illumination as it opposes the kingdom of darkness, the principalities and powers of the air? How bright is that authority within us? Does everyone around us know that we look to a different source? That we serve in a different kingdom? We live by different standards. We are beloved, a peculiar people, amen? A people that are set off and marked, and precious, and separate.

Since God has separated us and ordained us to go out and herald the kingdom of heaven as verse seven told us, it's a little more than just passing out tracks. It's a little bit more than sharing the four spiritual laws. We're dealing with a generation that's bound. Bound with fear bound with lust. The spirit of antichrist as we've been talking in the last weeks that's on the rise, this secret power of lawlessness that we've been talking about that is raging in our midst bringing about the anarchy that's so obvious in this new generation, they recognize no authority. Every man doing what's right in his own eyes as it was in the day of the judges. That's the spirit that we're opposing. It's not only one that we're going to have to contend with as we minister the gospel. It's the same spirit that's after your soul. It's the same power but to a greater degree that was faced by men that I perceived, better men than I am, and they didn't make it. It causes me to fear. Are you sitting back content with where you are and thinking, "Well, I'm doing alright, praise God?" Do you not understand the power of our enemy? Have you not seen the mighty that have fallen? Now remember, lest you get overwhelmed and say, "Well, you know, who's going to make it?" Oh there's going to be a faithful generation that's going to make it. Though the Scripture says few there be that find it; there are those that find it, but it's to those that diligently seek Him the Scripture says.

So here we are as we begin to introduce this subject. And the thing that I don't want you to do is to move with the misnomer that so many people have in the past couple of generations, especially throughout the faith teaching, that seems to think that all you have to do is parrot the right words. And all the power of heaven's at your disposal. All you've got to do is say the right word and the power of God will manifest, and God will watch over His Word and perform it. His Word will be performed but that's not an unconditional guarantee to everybody that opens their mouth. So it's very important for us to understand the principles of authority. You remember that's how we got sidetracked on the other aspect of authority, and we were talking about the fact of realizing that if we're going to be in authority we have to be what? Under authority. Your authority over the kingdom of darkness is going to be in direct proportion to your submission to your head, Jesus. To the degree that you live subordinate to Him and dependent upon Him, to that same degree you'll be able to destroy the powers of darkness, and the kingdom of darkness. It's not just because we name His name.

We all know the story of the seven sons of Sceva, right? You remember the time that they were going to go out and cast out the demon man, and this is kind of interesting, and they go rolling down there man, and they saw Paul, and they saw the ministry of the believers, and there were Jewish exorcists. So these thought they would go ahead and minister so they come down to this demon possessed man and they say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, come out." They weren't expecting what happened next. Those demons came up with roll call. They whipped out a book of remembrance and they said, "Jesus we know. Paul we know. Who are you?" They were in trouble man. They were in big trouble.

Can I ask you something tonight? Do the devils know who you are? Down at the devil post office there ought to be a poster with your picture on it. "Wanted: Dead." You see, there're a lot of us that know the dogma, in my name you shall cast out devils. Yeah but it doesn't mean that just because you know about that doctrine or you speak that name that you're going to get any results. The power is in direct correlation to the relationship and the dependence that we have on Him, not just depending on Him for this event, but depending on Him as the source of our lives. So it's important for us to see then that as these disciples went out they were going out representing His authority. We go out not only representing Him but also being accompanied by Him. He couldn't accompany them because He was limited to time and space with His physical body at that time. But He said in Matthew 28 if we would go out, He would go with us, amen? He said that if they hear you they've heard Me. So here we are representing Him by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He's with us.

What have you to do to prepare yourself for that grace to flow through you and see captives set free? How much of today went by and you didn't even think about using this authority? Did the day go by and you weren't even aware of worldly satanic kingdom of darkness wiles in your midst and go, "Man, look what the enemy's up to here?" We're going to talk about putting on the full armor of God as we go on in the study. We're going to talk about possibly some of the gifts of the spirit and the discerning of spirits in recognizing what is spiritual, and then what is soulical, and that actually not everything's a demon.

Not everybody that's mentally ill has a demon. Not everybody that's dumb or deaf has a demon. Not every person that's maimed or lame has a demon. But we know from the Bible that some do that have those symptoms, amen? How do you know the difference? By walking in the spirit, by preparing ourselves daily, by being quick to hear in the spirit realm, and not have all of the worldly noise interfering with our spiritual receiver. How much noise do you put up with? I'm convinced that's why cell phones were invented: To keep Christians from having peace, and being able to spend enough time in silence to hear from God. How keen are you in your daily walk to hearing the voice of the Spirit that says this is the way walk in it? So we realize then that we are at war and we need to prepare ourselves accordingly.

Turn to Ephesians for just a moment. As you look over at Ephesians, of course, the classic spiritual armor passages and we're going to spend a little bit of time going through there and dealing with the armor. But I want you to look basically at the whole context of this where it starts in verse ten, chapter six verse ten. "Finally, my brethren, be strong..." How? You know, I'm confident that some of us especially after long periods of serving the Lord become strong in our belief, strong in our habitual lifestyle, strong in our convictions, and then sometimes lose our dependence on His presence. Our strength is in the Lord. Our strength is in the power of His might not our knowledge, not our experience, not our longevity, but the power of His might. Without Him we can do... say it. Oh beloved when we can come to really believe that.

When we are weak then we're strong, praise God. When we don't trust in our own ability anymore and I'm talking about our perceived spiritual ability. I'm talking about our perceived spirituality. When we're no longer trusting in our ability to pray, and our ability to quote scripture, but when we're strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might, when we're small in our own eyes, God's power begins to perfectly manifest itself. How are you daily preparing yourself to come to that place of emptying yourself of your own abilities, and trusting in yourself, and being totally reliant in God for everything in this particular day? That's what's going to be necessary beloved if we're going to stand.

So when Paul speaks here to us and he says now listen brethren, finally--finally he's bringing this book of Ephesians one of the great books of the revelation of our position in Jesus Christ. Ephesians talks about our position, who we are as the righteous of God, how we're to conduct ourselves as His representatives. He gives practical applications of authority as we see through the fifth chapter, and he shows that it's only a type of our representation of the kingdom of light, and the authority that we're to submit to under Him. He says finally brethren if you're going to stand, if you're going to be able to affect My will you've got to be strong in My ability, and weak in how you perceive yourself. Now here's how you protect yourself. You know I'm convinced the more I think about this, that not only does the armor keep the devil out, it keeps us in. Traps us inside so that we can't help. How many of you know that the old man needs to be trapped in there and not get out into this situation? Keep him out of the fray. Let the fighting be the armor of God, the presence of God.

Let His righteousness surround you with the robe of righteousness. Let the light of God's presence be the only thing that represents us in any given incident as we share the gospel, love the unlovely, whatever it is that Father places us in.

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Now I think that's interesting. You notice he didn't say power of the devil. What did he say, the what? You see most of us know that we have authority over the devil. The problem is the Scripture says we're not ignorant of his devices, but tragically so many people are. He has no new tactics and yet people fall for the same thing over and over and over again. I don't know that he's so clever. I think maybe it's that we're so ______. Look at this. This is great: Wiles, the cunning devices or the deceits. He just doesn't come out and blatantly oppose. He just puts little doubts in your mind, "Wouldn't this be better? Everybody else seems to be doing it this way. It's working. That could be a little radical fanatical." Having done all, do some more. "Don't ever take a stand." Just be ready to move. "Just bob and weave. You'll get through life. Don't ever take a stand." And the Bible says stand.

He's given us a foundation of truth; the Word of God and tragically too many professed believers today are choosing the world's wisdom. The church is embracing and imbibing the spirit of antichrist, which is turning her into the revelation whore, the apostate religious system. A church here just recently, if any of you saw in the newspaper, a church that's here in this community--I won't mention the name of it. It's the one that I said I was going to go to last week. There was a phrase that the leader of this congregation made that they were so glad that they could unite the religious and the civil or secular. Basically what's happening is the county's giving this church thirty thousand dollars for computers for their youth center, and the first thing that came to my mind was, "I wonder how much that thirty thousand dollars is costing them." "...come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," If you'll step back and look you'll see that it's not something that's unique to this particular fellowship but more and more there's the marrying of the religious and the secular. More and more you see the seduction of the spirit of iniquity as it's drawing in through the wisdom of the world. Those that are bowing their knees to perceived success, pseudo-evangelism.

I shared with one of our parents here the other day that has a young child that's been out of the home for a number of years now and the child wanted to return. He has been in trouble with the law, went down to live with another relative not wanting to be under the oversight of parents that were Christians. Now having gotten in trouble and different things and on probation in different areas, he wants to come back. So I asked the man what is he wanting to come back to? Basically he just wants to get out of that bad environment. I said, "Yeah but what's he wanting to come back to?" I said, "Make sure that you don't misapply the teaching of the prodigal." The prodigal didn't leave the pigpen to come to a more comfortable environment. When he perceived the wickedness of his heart that put him in the pigpen he said, "I've sinned against heaven, and against you." There was repentance. He wasn't looking for personal comfort and ease. He was looking for reconciliation. He wanted to come under authority and to be able to see again the lordship that was needed in his life.

I told this particular person, "As you talk to this young man and pray fully, see what Father would have you do," but I said, "Don't misapply that because so often as parents we become guilty, or we're moved by our natural emotions." I said, "You're going to be contending with those forces that are coming against you, so don't misapply Scripture. If you make the decision to allow them back at least do it knowing that you made it based upon emotion and not upon a biblical principle." I said, "Let me share one other thing with you that I think would be helpful." I said, "As you talk to this young man make it very clear what you're expecting, and what you're hoping for. If in fact you were to make this kind of a decision." I said, "Tell this young man, 'Look, I have no desire to see you come back home and clean up your life, get married, make a hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year, have some children, be voted parent of the year, and go to hell. I have no desire to see you go to hell as a well-adjusted worldly occupant. I'm jealous for your soul. We have different standards and we have different treasures. I'd rather see you under pressure and suffer, and eventually end up in heaven. I will not succumb to the world's wisdom or the world's methods. If I decide to allow this it will be based upon the Word of the Lord and that only. Biblical principles and that only.'"

So many "ministries" today just wanting to reach out and make life better and easier on the youth or people. There are so many that are hungry and sick and suffering, and yes they are and we can't wrap our pharisaical robes around ourselves and be blind to what's out in the world and those that are hurting. We as believers are to be concerned for the widows and the orphans. Jesus was always very quick to minister to those that were the poor, but remember that He also was the one that said, "The poor you will always have with you," amen? You see when the better was chosen when they began to misunderstand the application of the worship of the Lord as the ointment was spread upon Him in worship, and others said that could have been given to the poor. "The poor you're always going to have with you the priority is the relationship with Me, the recognizing of My worth."

If we don't put the armor on, these wiles of the devil, we're going to begin to think like the world system. We're going to begin to think like the church, the perceived church, the recognized church. Let me tell you something beloved, the church that the world recognizes isn't the church that Jesus is the Lord of. Those that the world puts their seal of approval on, "Those are Christians. Yeah, this is acceptable. These people have the right idea. They're out wanting to help humanity. These are people that are tolerant. These are people that wouldn't even begin to think about offending homosexuals by telling them that is sin. These gay bashers." We're just telling them that they need to fall on the Rock and be broken. They're going to find their place in the lake of fire. Somebody needs to love these people enough to tell them the truth. The whoremongers. Somebody needs to love them enough to tell them the truth. The Pharisees within the church walls. Somebody needs to go out with some authority and tell them the truth.

Are you willing to put this armor on and go to war? You're going to be hated for His namesake. Keep your finger here in Ephesians for just a second and turn back to that 10th chapter in Matthew. If you're going to go out and represent the authority of God you better be ready for what the consequences are. Verse 16, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles." Verse 22, "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake..." If you don't have the armor on, you're not going to be able to stand under that.

Let me take a little bit of a survey tonight. How many of you would like people to think well of you? Let me see your hands. Every hand ought to be up or you're lying. We all like people to think well of us. We don't want people upset with us. We want people to think we're good folks, and that we're trying to do what's right. The Bible says you're going to be hated of, what's that next word, man. "You mean there's no fellowship between light and darkness? You mean really to be a friend of the world is to be the enemy of God?" That's what the Scripture says.

Can I ask you something? How many of you think you need to go to seminary, have your THD, be able to speak, read, apply Hebrew, and Greek to interpret that to be a friend of the world makes you the enemy of God. I think we can read that and understand it. Do you believe that? How many of you believe that tonight? Let me see your hands. Do you believe that? I believe that with all my heart. Then everybody, who is a part of that system, everybody will hate you. Some will do it behind your back. They'll be very nice to you. They'll tell you that what you're doing is noble. "Oh I'm so glad that you found what really makes you happy." "If you tell it to me again I'm going to kill you." "Oh did I say that out loud?" "I'm so glad that you're at peace. There is so much turmoil in the world, and you found something that's brought you peace, and I'm so happy for you." "The guy's just a sniveling, weak coward who needs a crutch." "Oh did I say that out loud?"

They all hate you. They won't tell you to your face, most of them. I really appreciate the people that do. I do. I like people to just say dead in your face, "Man, here's what I think about you and your God." I've had people and I said, "Man, I appreciate that kind of an attitude. I really do appreciate that you're not hiding anything. You just got it all out there. Man, it's so great." Do you like to have it given back to you that way? Get ready here it comes. I always like to ask them, you know the people that like to put it all out there, I always ask them, "This is great, man. You just put it all out there. Can you take it?" Get ready here it comes. Just lay it back on them and the love of God. Their stiff necks are going to be broken. They're going to be cut off without remedy, cast into the lake of fire. There's going to be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. They're going to be in outer darkness. Their names blotted out, forgotten, have a nice day. They're going to hate you. If you really believe that, you wouldn't go out there naked. You'd put your armor on.

These people are trying to kill you. They hate our God; they hate your guts. They just deal with it in different ways. Yet we casually stroll out there doctrinally saying that we absolutely know that man is totally depraved but we believe that people really aren't that bad. They are. How many of your doctrine say that man's depraved but your life trusts people, and you just think, "They're not that bad. I mean, they're not saved but they're really not that bad." Now remember, I'm not saying that every guy out there is a murderer and a cheat and a swindler and slanderer, and everything. I'm not saying that. They all express it. I'm talking about their heart condition, and how when enough light is placed upon them, when enough of Jesus' presence encounters them, they will rise up and kill Him. They proved it. Jesus said they're going to hate you that way. You're going to be hated of all men for My name sake. But he that what? Say it with me: endures.

So this is an endurance contest we're in? Yes. Are you preparing to endure? Too many Christians run sprints. They receive the Word with gladness the Scripture says. In Jesus' teaching on the parable of the sower, they receive the Word with gladness, and immediately they're offended for the Word's sake Mark four tells us. What we're looking at then is the need for people to be able to stand. Having done all, stand. Having done all, endure. They that endure until the end shall be saved. Endure what? Endure all of these wiles that are trying to seduce us, to brain wash us. Endure the trials that God's bringing us through to purify us. Endure one another in the process.

This isn't a quick work. You don't just pray and all of a sudden you're out, super saint, bless God; leaping over trials in a single bound, faster than a fiery dart. It's a process and it lasts until we die. Now how many of you have taken a sabbatical? You're just kind of like, "I'm doing ok. I just had a brand new spiritual feature that I've have had put on cruise control." Instead of pressing toward the mark, the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, extending ourselves fully to apprehend that for which we have been apprehended we're just cruising.

Ken Jefferson--you guys had to see this. All the pastors went out to this little thing where you race cars. You talk about competition, aggravation. Those guys were all like that except for me. No, it was humorous to watch everyone pressing toward the mark, going toward the finish line, everything possible. Coming in just working the car, the track, everywhere you could get it working, and Ken Jefferson. This is no exaggeration. I expected him to pull in for a pit stop for a cup of coffee, and Ken is just on cruise control. Well thank God his spiritual life isn't that way.

Where are we in our pursuit of the power, the authority of God that enables us to stand and endure? You're going to be hated of all men for His name's sake. Now, He says in verse 32, Matthew 10, and we'll finish with this for tonight, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men him, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." You see we're going to have to make our profession before the world of which kingdom we're operating in and who it is that we're trusting as our source of deliverance and strength.

How do we relate to the kingdom of darkness, to the world system? He says in verse 34 listen, don't think that I've come to send peace on the earth. He's the Prince of Peace. He said don't think that I've come to send peace upon the earth, "I came not to send peace, but a sword." Most "Christians" don't really understand this. They think that what we're supposed to do is to try to come and live at peace with all men. Doesn't the Scripture say as much as is possible, live peaceable with all men? As much as is possible. Now where are you going to find peace with men? Within the community. We have trouble living at peace among ourselves. What's going to happen out there in the world? All men are going to hate you is what's going to happen. Don't think that I've come to cause you to be accepted in the world, to excel in the world. There're those that God's going to place in strategic areas for his own purposes and his own glory. But, beloved we're in the world we're not of it. I tell you what, if you don't put this armor on you're going to become of it. They're going to look down on you if you don't marry the company like they've married the company. They're going to be looking down on you. If you're working as unto the Lord they're going to look down on you and say, "Hey man you're putting out too much stuff here. You're making the rest of us look bad. This is a union job. We don't work. We've got rights. We show up, get paid." For all you union guys you can reject that if you like. It's not doctrine; it's just the truth.

Look at how the world is trying to seduce us. And the moment you walk contrary to their God, and their system they're going to hate you. They'll use it against you just like they did Daniel. They'll use your God against you. They'll get you fired because of your faith. They'll work on grievance committees and push toward having great needs arise in the company on Wednesdays and Sundays. I'd guarantee you the devil will always on Wednesdays and Sundays cause something to go wrong. That's when the kids throw up, the car breaks, whatever. How many of you found that's when it goes wrong? Are you ignorant of his devices? "There it is. My Wednesday stomach ache. I better get in the bed. Oh, worship's over. Preaching's half over. Oh man, I feel better. I think I'll watch a movie." Those that endure. If you see that happening beloved, dear Lord crawl in the back door. They'll think we're back to the days of throwing up in bags and casting out devils like Derrick Prince, but just sit in the back and heave man until Jesus sets you free. Not really -- stay in the foyer. But don't let the enemy win these battles.

Don't go into these things ignorant and unprepared for the war. And realize what's taking place. When they try to get you to stay after work it's always Wednesdays that something comes up. "I'm not staying." "Well I tell you what, man, you'll be looking for a new job." Better than looking for a new God. So we see the battle that's at hand, and we see that He hasn't come to send peace. We're going to be in conflict. It even moves into our houses. "For I am come to set a man at variance with his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he [that takes not up] his cross and [follows not] after me is not worthy of me. He that [retains] his life shall lose it: and he that [loses] his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 10:35-39).

Oh beloved there's a wisdom that's not from above. It's earthly, it's sensual, and it's demonic. But the wisdom that's from above understands the lordship of Jesus. It understands the armor of light and righteousness that protects us against those fiery darts that is so appealing to the flesh. We're at war. We're not ignorant, but many of us are not prepared. We're going to talk about how to prepare ourselves as we continue then on Sunday.

Father, we thank You for the Word of God and as we enter into this study we know that there's going to be opposition of the enemy. So we ask You to just keep us at peace. Let Your grace manifest itself in our midst because we can't resist in our own strength. We're no match in ourselves for Lucifer. But greater is He that's in us than he that's in the world. If You're for us Lord, who can be against us and You've given us all authority, and so we ask You to manifest it now as we trust in You. Help us Father to endure to the end and we'll give You the praise in Jesus name, amen.

Let's stand before the Lord tonight. Let's take a moment and just worship Him as Gary plays for us, and we'll just take this time to celebrate. We've got a job to do. We're not living to ourselves. We're to go into all of the world and preach this gospel. We're to preach the kingdom of God. They're going to hate us for His namesake but we're going to boldly declare that there's no other name under heaven where by men can be saved but the name of Jesus. They're going to hate us, but we're going to speak as boldly as Peter. This same Jesus that you crucified with your sins, God's raised from the dead. It's that name and faith in that name that's caused this man to stand here whole. There's a lost world and the majority will reject this message and hate us but there's a remnant to be saved beloved. We're the light and we're the salt. They've heard dogma till it's coming out their ears. They need to see somebody living in the authority of God.

Let's sing it together as we worship Him tonight. Yes Lord. I love You. I love You, Lord. You're so precious. Just worship Him tonight. Thank Him for His presence. Thank Him for the blood of Jesus that's cleansed us. Oh we thank You for the Holy Spirit that lives in us Lord and brings all things to our remembrance. Help us now by that power to represent You. For freely we have received. Let us freely give, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank You, Lord.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and just say, "There's power in His name." Go in peace, God's love go with you.

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