This Bible study was taught 11/26/10

Someone asked about the problems that are arising from Korea.  Pastor Don said that we never really resolved the Korean conflict.  The conflict is supporting Christ’s prophesy of wars and rumors of wars.  The South is connected with USA and NATO.  What is really happening is the desire to save face.  Another area that we need to keep an eye on is Somalia and the Sudan.

Isaiah 59 is a look at the end times from the side of sin, laying a foundation for Isaiah 61.  This lays down the prophetic foundation of issues of sin, justice, morality, and ethics.  There is a myth that because we are a Christian that God hears us when we pray, and we get all of the blessings of God all the time.  The truth is that good things happen to bad people and bad things also happen to good people.

We don’t know God’s sovereign will, but we do know that His sovereign will also includes the Cross.

Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 

God can reach into your situation and He hears our cries. God’s hand is not limited, but there is a problem that will stop God from being able to deal with your situation.

Isaiah 59:2  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. 

Sin.  Many churches teach the prosperity doctrine but fail to tell you that my may not prosper because of your iniquity.  The Old Testament viewed negative circumstances by looking to see if you sinned or did not sin.  Sin is an issue.  In the New Covenant we fail to mention that iniquity still can be a problem. We don’t want to focus on sin because we want a seeker-friendly church.  We want people to feel good and not be convicted of sin.  But sin is a problem.  God is not required to cover us when we are in blatant disobedience to Him.  Our sins hide God’s face from us and He does not hear.

There is a solution for the believer.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

If the condition of repentance is met, then God opens His ear.

Out of our mouths sin is rampant.  Our words can affect ourselves and others.  Once we have repented, received correction, the Holy Spirit comforts us and we are at peace.

Isaiah 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. 

Perversity, we have muttered, grumbled, opposed God.  We are a culture that accepts sarcasm as neutral or positive.  (Check out sitcoms to see this is so.)  It is a lie.  It is a lie when you speak doubt, unbelief and lack of success over ourselves.  We need to think about what we are thinking about and speaking over ourselves.  Our words should not be casual, but rather weapons of God’s arsenal.  Idle words have an impact and demons can grab onto an idle word of doubt and unbelief and run with it.  If we don’t have faith it is sin.  

God’s divine plan for you is bigger than you.  It includes little things that you may consider unimportant but are major steps in your teaching.  The devil beats you in the realm of our mind, in the realm of faith.  In the book of Daniel, for example, instead of bowing to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, the guys stay standing.  They could have justified bowing by saying they will bow but worship God not Nebuchadnezzar.  Instead, they chose to not bow and honor God.

What you say is powerful and we have to hold each other accountable without offense.  If there is no declaration of faith you are not standing in faith.  If you declare something in faith, you need too stand in faith, not speaking doubt and unbelief.  We must eliminate our negative outlook.  Ask what we’re believing for and decide to keep a positive outlook.  Make your mind hook up to what your mouth says.

Isaiah 59:4  No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. 

Was Isaac or Ishmael blessed?  Look at history and see what each line brought forth.

Isaiah 59:5-6 They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; he who eats of their eggs dies, and from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.  Their webs will not become garments, nor will they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 

What stops the webs of spiders from becoming garments?  Their evil works and acts of violence will fail.  This is a promise to believers that these evil plans will come to nought.

Isaiah 59:7-8 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.  The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

Those who do evil will not know peace.  But now comes the good part as the truth of their position is realized by them.

Isaiah 59:9-12 Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness!  For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places.  We all growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves;  we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them: 

They are beginning to see the truth of their sin, that they have separated themselves from justice.  Unrepented sin has a multiplication effect, sin heaped on sin.  A failure to repent brings repercussions, spiritual blindness and a deadness.  

Isaiah 59:13 In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 

When you speak outside of faith or say negative things, saying falsehoods, you are speaking out against the LORD.

Isaiah 59:14-15 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.  So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.  Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. 

When we turn back justice, let truth fall in the street, then we easily become prey to evil.  God is not pleased when He sees no justice.

The scene changes

Isaiah 59:16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. 

God is now speaking in the prophetic of the Messiah to come.  He is speaking this prophesy while the people are still sinning.  Before Christ came on earth, God looked at the condition of man.  No man was without sin, there were no intercessors, and so God had to bring about salvation, his own arm brought it for Him and His own righteousness sustained Him.  This is speaking about Jesus to come.  A hope and a promise. Jesus will bring salvation.  Without truth we can miss the identity of Christ in scripture.

Isaiah 59:17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,  and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. 

The armor of God.

Ephesians 6:13-18 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—       

Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Isaiah 59:18-19  According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully repay. So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. 

God looked through the annals of history and there was no one to stand in the gap.  No David, Solomon, Josiah, Hezekiah, there isn’t anyone to stand in the gap.  God has to do it Himself.  Under the Law no one is cutting the mustard. 

Pastor Don told us that the comma in this passage should be removed and then the meaning of this passage changes substantially:  when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. 

Without comma:  when the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. 

The comma gives more power to satan.  Without the comma God has the power.  Who do you want to make bigger?  I choose the Spirit of the Lord.  Jehovah Nisei, the standard bearer.  The standard bearer lets us know where our company is centered, and also where to leave the spoil.

Isaiah 59:20-21 The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” says the LORD. “As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore.”

The Redeemer (Jesus) will come to those who turn from sin.  Most of us have raised our kids in iniquity, then when we turned from sin, God redeems our descendants, and they are saved.  God knows the changes we have made, and what we do impacts our children and our children’s children for generations.  God is making an everlasting covenant.  God brings the promise of salvation so that those in future generations will long for God and His covenant.  This applies boh to our birth children and to our spiritual children.  You haven’t sown seed in vain.

The condition:

2 Chronicles 7:14 …if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

I pray your day is blessed.  

Heather

Sermon Sunday November 21, 2010

We live in a time where people do not take time for God.  

We keep thinking we are the mom, but we are the children in the womb of God’s plans.  When God is birthing us it is messy, and the moment we are born our journey is not over.  God works stuff out in us through the battles of life.  The way we face the battles will determine if we are the victim or the victor.  We do not want to fall prey to stress and defeatism.  Life is a midterm exam, not a final exam.  We have our final exam in glory where we earn our crowns or not.  

Pastor Don, when faced with a problem, asks himself, “Will it matter 100 years from today?”  Most of our “problems” are not as major as we think they are.

How we handle our problems from sickness to troubles, shows us where we place our faith.  Do we place our faith in carnal responses to our problems or do we place our faith in God?  We’ve all got stuff that we need to win the battle.

Jesus wrote and passed all the exams.  He has prepared us for victory through Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Are we a victim or gaining the victory?

The definition of victim is a person who suffers from a destructive or injurious agency, a person who is deceived or cheated (by own emotions, ignorance, dishonesty of others or an impersonal agency), misplaced confidence, a person or animal sacrificed for a cause (war victims or religious rites).  To injure or go after an object or to gratify a passion.  Ruthless.  A person who falls prey to a scheme or scam.  Fall prey to ruthless ambition.

At the altar or in the battlefield the place that the army wants to be is at the top of the hill because that gives them the advantage to be able to see everything around it. 

The victim falls on the battlefield unable to rise, vanquished by the enemy.  The victim may have lost that battle, but the way they respond to the enemy or the circumstance determines the outcome.  If a victim is injured and lays in the field long enough he can become comfortable in his fallen state and forget that he has fallen on the battlefield.  The victim can think he is a loser, fallen prey to the enemy, accepting the perception that he is conquered.  He can fall back on the thought that he is injured and doesn’t need to fight the battle much more.  They can think, it’s just the way I am, they hurt me.

Or as the commercial says, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up. 

If you are speaking to someone who feels like they are a victim, you may want to say to them, “I’m sorry for what happened to you.  But, if you met Jesus…”

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

We no longer have to be the victim.  In Christ we have the victory.  We are called to be the victor.

I am looking forward to the victory, how about you?

Heather

Darrell taught Bible study both services on Sunday 11/21/10. I combined the notes to give the fullest message possible.

Nothing takes God by surprise. God is not divided about our situation.  He knows the end of the story before the story becomes the end of the story.

He said that we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord at a time like this.  

1 Samuel 30:6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

David was on the run from King Saul who was trying to kill him.  He was at this time removed from the Kingdom and hiding, surrounded by enemies.

Psalm 23:5a You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;…

God has a purpose beyond what we see for ourselves.  

Not go into battle with David against Saul, for Saul might flip the script and turn against us.

Saul got upset when the women sang Saul killed his 1000′s and David his 10,000′s

When things are going good, and we are in the highlights, people celebrate and encourage us.  But when things go bad, where is your encouragement?  The people deserted David.

What if on the way home you receive a phone call that your wife, children and possessions are being taken away?  Will you still praise God?  What do we do when everything important is taken away?  How does or faith hold up in that situation?

David and his mighty men were in the wilderness fighting, and when they got back they found out that their wives, children and possessions were taken by the enemy.  They were so defeated in spirit that they did not have strength. The men under David were contemplating stoning David.

You were once preaching, and now they want to stone you.  First the people are blessed by your gift, then when something goes west, they speak bad about you.

What do you really believe in a time like this?  How do I give thanks in all things, believing all things work together for good  when everything that happens to me is not good?  Suicide, addiction to drugs pregnancy out of wedlock, tough circumstances.  In times like this what do we really believe?  The media is filled with bad news.  We are living in perilous times.  The week that Darrell spoke two women were found stabbed and put in garbage bags.  In Pakistan women are being stoned to death for supposedly blaspheming Islam.

What do we say to people in that situation?  Where is our faith?

John 16:31-33 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

You are not helpless.

Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

God is greater than our circumstance. God is greater than our fear.  The Spirit of God turns situations against your enemy.  God defeats the spirit of antichrist.

You have to have your own relationship with God.  You have to know God for yourself.

When circumstances challenge us, when people turn against us, when all hell is breaking loose, we have to go to the secret place.

Psalm 91:1-2   He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” 

David went to that secret place.  Even though his men were thinking of stoning him, David said that he knew that His help comes from the Lord.  He stregthend Himself in the Lord.

Pastor can’t call everybody to make sure they are ok.  We need to be able to encourage ourselves.

God gives you something that can sustain you, even if you are facing the situation alone.

Isaiah 61:3d The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; 

Is faith what comes out when you are under pressure?

2 Corinthians 10:4-6  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

The enemy attacks are not always about us. Bad things can happen even when you are doing the right thing.  The attacks against David and his men built their assurance in God.  God protects His own.

The king tried to get Balaam to curse God’s people and Balaam told the King that he could not curse what God had blessed.

Things happen.  Just because you are saved doesn’t mean that you will never have challenges.  When things happen they get our attention. The enemy knows what he does and he does it well.  The enemy knows our weak places and attacks those.

lucifer wants to be like God.  He said the five “I’s”

Isaiah 14:13-14 For you have said in your heart:  ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 

All of satan’s attempts to kill us are against the knowledge o God.  The enemy keeps us fuzzy, sick, down and out.  

The Lord says:

Exodus 15:26c For I am the LORD who heals you.

Psalm 50:10-11  For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. 

Matthew 17:24-27  When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” 
He said, “Yes.”  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”  Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”  Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

Jesus was able to get from a fish the tax money.

Things that would be issues for us are not issues for Him.  Jesus did not attack those who attacked him.  He went to the source, the source was his God.

When there are challenges, we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord.

Darrell shared with us that he was once in prison, and without the help of God he would not be here.  He was supposed to be in prison 40 years, but God had other plans.  Jesus understands where we are at.  He was deserted, hung up on the cross naked and shamed.  Darrell shared that there were times when people deserted him and he felt alone. But he did not give up hope.  He would pace his cell and sing songs like, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”  And other songs.  He prayed and said Scripture out loud.   Scripture like Joel 2:25 So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.   Words of encouragement and testimony.  God is not ashamed of you.  Darrell’s hope is based on Jesus blood and righteousness.  

In the lowest of times God can make things happen. Keep faith in God, even if you don’t feel your prayers are answered.  

Circumstances don’t have to be alright before its alright.  That’s where faith comes in.

Genesis 13:14-15  And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 

God told Darrell, “If you can look beyond the place where you are, I can take you beyond the place where you are.”  Whatever happened Darrell sought a Word from the Lord.  Pursue them and overtake them.  

Darrell said that you keep praying the Word of God knowing that Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.  When they reject you, shake it off.  Darrell made a deal with the Lord.  He prayed “Lord, if you make me free inside and I can be happy with a smile on my face every day, I’ll do the 40 years.  If you make me free inside, I’ll be free in this place.”  King Solomon was permitted to ask God for anything – instead of riches and power, Solomon asked for wisdom.  God gave Solomon wisdom and all the other things added on to that.

Because Darrell was willing to stay in prison and be happy there, worshipping God, the doors ultimately opened for him.

Whatever difficulty you are facing is nothing too hard for God.  Darrell was sitting in a cell and could only see a hill in the distance through the bars and wires.  He kept singing, “It’s already alright in my heart.”

Matthew 10:14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

The Word has an answer for every situation.  All will work together for good, even Darrell’s prison sentence.  Jehosephat was surrounded by the enemy with no place to run.  He needed an answer for God.  He got a Word of the Lord and that changed the situation.  Jehosephat put the praisers in front of the army to go into battle and the enemy went into confusion and destroyed itself.  2 Chronicles 20:18-22  And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.  Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high. So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:  “Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever.” Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

Even when God shows up late He’s on time.

Psalm 121:1-2  I will lift up my eyes to the hills— from whence comes my help?  My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 

Although Darrell’s circumstance was that He was in prison, he knew God, the Alpha and Omega, and even in prison, Darrell sang praises to God.  Paul and Silas sang praises, and got freed.  Darrell kept singing songs of deliverance,

Psalm 23 is based on a song.  

He sang and danced to the Lord.

Psalm 150:1-6  Praise the LORD!  Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament!  Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!  Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals!  Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD!

When God is in the mix no situation is impossible.

Habakkuk 3:17-19  Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills. 

Taught 11/19/10

Pastor Don shared with us some of what he uses to make sure that when he teaches the Word it is rightly dividing the Word of truth.  One problem that we have is with language.  The Bible is written in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic, and when words are translated the meaning of a passage can be altered by the choice of the word used.  It gets complicated if we take a current usage of a word that in the past had a different meaning.  For example the word “gay” years ago meant happy, but today it is used in reference to a sexual orientation. 

Pastor Don demonstrated the use of Strong’s Concordance.  He reminded us that if a term is in the Old Testament you look in the Hebrew, in the New Testament you would look in the Greek.

In Strong’s the first part is a listing of all the words used in the Bible.  You find the Word you want to understand.  We looked up the word “hypocrite”.  Strong’s gives you part of the sentence with the word and the verse that it is used in.  Find the verse you want to find the meaning of the word in, and look for the Strong’s number that is next to that verse.

For example Hypocrite is found in Job 13:16 and it’s Strong’s number is 2611 (Hebrew)
In Matthew 7:5 Hypocrite is 5273 (Greek) 

You would then go to the back of Strong’s and look either in the Hebrew or the Greek dictionary depending on where the word is used in Scripture.

(I don’t know how to put the accent marks)

In Hebrew the meaning is: 2610 chaneph – to soil, espec. in a moral sense: – corrupt, defile, greatly pollute, profane

Other words near that are 2611 chaneph – from 2610 (so we would look at 2610) moral filth, i.e. wickedness – hypocrisy.

2612 – choneph – from 2610 moral filth, i.e. wickedness – hypocrisy

5271 Hupokrinomai – from 5259 and 2919 – to decide (speak or act) under a false part, i.e. dissemble (pretend): feign

5272 Hupokrisis – from 5271 acting under a feigned part, i.e. (fig.) deceit (“hypocrisy”) condemnation, dissimulation, hypocrisy

5273 hupokrites from 5271 an actor under an assumed character (stage-player) i.e. dissembler, hypocrite

Pastor Don also looks up the word in Webster’s Dictionary.  Why Webster?  Because Webster was a Christian – Pastor suggests using the oldest version of the dictionary you can find for it has the closer meanings to the words of the Bible.  Really old Webster dictionaries had a salvation message printed in them.

From Webster’s:

hypocrisy – 1. a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc. that one doe not really possess.  3. a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.  3. an act or instance of hypocrisy.  Webster’s gives the Greek hypokrisis – play acting, equi to hypokri(nesthai) to play a part, explain.  Hypo -krinein to distinguish, separate.  It was reintroduced in the 16th century.

Hypocrite. 1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc. that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. 2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.  hypokirtes – gr a stage actor, hence one who pretends to be what he is not.

Pastor Don suggests that we look at the whole meaning of all the definitions (Greek and Hebrew) so that we get a whole picture of what the word means.

If we don’t get to the original meaning of the words we end up reading Scripture with a 2010 filter.  

Churches want to be seeker friendly, and revise the tenets of the Church to what the seeker friendly church feels is an acceptable meaning for the heathen.

Jesus preached the truth, and sometimes His words offended the listener, but He spoke the truth.  His goal was to reach people with the truth, not make them feel comfortable.

When Jesus comes all the churches are going to be in trouble when they have to face up to the fact that they have altered the meaning of what Jesus said.

We need to understand Key Words in the passage so that we get to the import of the passage.

Pastor Don uses a Key Word study Bible, and also reads the same passage in various translations like the Amplified, King James, New King James, Message, and other translations so that he sees the meaning of the passage.

We need to study the Word to stop the spin.  ”The spin stops here.”

Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, and He used Hebrew to speak, but the New Testament is written in Greek. So when we see a Word in the Greek, we should also check out the Hebrew meaning of the Word.

The church fathers are not holding pastors accountable to the Word. 

We all are priests and kings, so everyone from the pastor to the congregation has to make sure that the scripture is rightly taught.  If you have a question, at least in our church, we can respectfully ask for clarification – where did the pastor find it in the Word?  The Spirit and the Word must agree.

One of the words on the same page as “hypocrite” is the word “hyssop”.  Someone asked Pastor about hyssop, and he told the person to research hyssop and present this at the next Bible study.  She did and did it beautifully as you will see in a later post.

Pastor Don told us that when we teach our studies we should also look deeply into the meanings of the Words so that we rightly divide the Word of truth.

I pray this helps you wield the Sword of Truth (the Word of God) even more powerfully.

Heather

Notes from a Bible Study taught 11/12/10

Someone asked Pastor Don why Moses was told to put a serpent on a pole for the Israelites to look at to receive a healing?  It seemed strange because a serpent is a symbol of the devil and the serpent in the Garden.  Why is this a symbol of Christ?

The Israelites were being bitten by snakes and were told to look toward the image of a snake.  

Numbers 21:1  The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. 

Things are not good.

Numbers 21:2-3  So Israel made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.”  And the LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah. 

Hormah means utter destruction.

Numbers 21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 

The soul of the people are discouraged.  A spirit of discouragement fell on them.  You have to fight for your sanity and your spiritual stability.  The devil wants to get your discouraged, cause you to lose sleep, stop exercising, stop acting right.   For us to stay battling we need sleep.  The devil will keep battling you when you are tired.  He waited to tempt Jesus for 40 days in the wilderness.  When Jesus did not fall for his wiles, the devil left Jesus and waited for a more opportune time.  You need to know why you are fasting when you are fasting.  There will be an onslaught of the enemy if you are not spiritually strong.

If you are fasting the answer will come at the end of the fast, not during the fasting.  The enemy will attack when you are stressed, not handling a situation well, and if life is oppressing.  Jesus will face another attack in the Garden of Gethsemane.

If you are out of shape you are devil bait.  Don’t make a declaration without commitment to do healthy living.  Walking in the Spirit means dominating your flesh.  Stop making excuses.  Get up and do something.  Eat right, think right, do right.  We need to control our thoughts.  We must think about what we are thinking about.  Why am I speaking evil against myself or other people?  It takes two to be discouraged, you and the devil.  Discouragement is a spirit.  Laughter is a medicine.  Discouragement may wear down a nation.  When we are discouraged we try to find someone to blame.  Why?  Because we didn’t do something about our situation.  We lost the battle or moved away from God.

Numbers 21:5  And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

This is not the truth.  They are not distinguishing between the truth and a lie.  They even complained against the bread (Manna), the Heavenly food which was a perfect balance of protein and amino acids to maintain perfect health.  They were calling it worthless.

We are speaking death over ourselves and our circumstances.  Circumstances happen.  Life happens.  The electrical switch can go bad.  The car won’t start.  We say the devil did it, but it isn’t always the devil. Don’t empower the devil.  When he does show up, speak against it in the Name of Jesus.

Numbers 21:6  So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 

We are made in God’s image.  God experiences.  When we feel crummy, anger, jealous, discouraged, in a state of sin we are in agreement with the devil.  When we get out of God’s will for our lives, it is evil.  We need to call it what it is, evil.  Sin rises up to the nostrils of God and that sin stinks.  We are not doing our kids any favor if we let them get out of order without correction.  If the pastor does not speak the truth about sin, but lets us feel that sin is ok, that is not doing a person any good either.  A pastor should encourage a person that there is a better way, and that if we seek God, God will give us the victory.  

Why fiery serpents?  Pastor Don spoke about a recent plague in our area – the gypsy moth plague.  There is also a plague of bedbugs in some major cities.  God can change the weather and a species multiplies.  If God withholds rain or lets it rain things can multiply.

In the Old Testament the people saw God’s hand but in today’s age we don’t seek God’s hand but come up with a scientific reason for what is happening.

Numbers 21:7  Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 

In the Old Testament they realized that there is a connection between prosperity, sickness, and sin.  They realized they were sinning with their mouth and actions.

Simon the Sorcerer, Acts 8:18-23  And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,  saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”  But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!  You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” 

He needed to ask Peter to pray for him, intercede for his sin.

Numbers 21:8-9 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”  So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Now that we know the reason, we can find out why it is a bronze serpent.  

First we want to know what happened to the pole and the serpent.

2 Kings 18:1-3 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to what his father David did.

2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.

Nehushtan means the unclean thing and it referred to the bronze serpent on the pole.  Even after God’s commandment against worshipping idols the Israelites built idols and sacred pillars in high place.  They also were worshipping the the bronze serpent on the pole.  Idol worshipping was also happening in the groves of trees in high places which are phallic symbols.    The devil took over the high places to try and better the God of Isaac.

The Temple of Israel was on a mound, but there are other places higher in Jerusalem which is where the idol worship occurred.  

Islam moves into areas and seeks to build mosques in places higher than other places.  

The Bible speaks about the Tower of Babel.  Churches have high steeples, and there are new places and constructions being built for the new world order.

2 Kings 18:5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.

Hezekiah was bold enough to do something about what was taking the Lord’s people deeper into sin.  He destroyed the Nehushtan because people were burning candles to it, etc.  They were making it an idol, so it had to be destroyed,

We then looked at a passage to get a better understanding of why the serpent on the pole.

Numbers 21:8-9 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”  So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

It does not make sense that to look at a serpent on a pole will help to heal the people.  God takes the foolish things of men to confound the wise.  

John 3:12-16 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

When we are saved we realize that we are no longer who we once were but are a new creation in Christ.  That is a spiritual truth that seems wrapped up in insanity.  But our value system changes with our salvation.  

There really are spirits in the spiritual realm,  When a person dies their Spirit is still in existence although their mind, will and emotions are not functioning.

It is in the supernatural that things happen.

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This makes no sense to the carnal mind, how things that are not seen have substance.  Therefore our hope and perspective is the faith view that we can know that even though we don’t see it in our circumstances, that does not mean that it doesn’t exist.  We do not want to fall into doubt and unbelief.

In a football game if the team is one foot from a touchdown and the coach has the kids kick a field goal that shows the team that the coach doesn’t believe that they are capable of pushing the ball that last foot to get the touchdown.

We need to identify the Holy Spirit, believing that Jesus sent Him, and that you are capable of receiving the Holy Spirit the same way that you received your salvation – through faith.  The Holy Spirit impacts our physical.  With the Holy Spirit inside of us, we can speak things, spiritual works, and impart spiritual things, by faith.  It is not dependent on our circumstances.

Numbers 21:8-9 AMP  And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.  And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived.

In the Amplified Bible it tells us that we need to look at the bronze serpent attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze.  This is the look of faith.  It was not oops, I glanced at the serpent but it was a deliberate studying of the serpent, a looking with the eyes of faith.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

Whatever is put on the pole, it needs to be beheld.

John 3:15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Looking at the serpent in the wilderness on the pole is an act of faith that is equivalent to looking at Jesus on the Cross for salvation.

We spent some time in a guided meditation of nailing our sins on the cross, and then looking at how Jesus took our sins, being nailed to the cross for our sins, and how as we look to Him our sins are covered with His blood and we receive salvation.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

You took your sin, grabbed a nail and nailed it to the Cross.  Jesus made Himself to be sin for us, so that we might be forgiven.  The symbol of the serpent (our sin) is morphed into that of Jesus, the one who did not sin, but took our sins upon Himself.

With the serpent on the pole Moses was showing the exchange of sin.  That Christ became sin for us.

The sacrifice of faith that we are asked to make is to believe that Jesus died for our sins.  Moses and the Israelites had to believe that their sin of unbelief was nailed to that pole in the form of the serpent, and that when they looked at that serpent they would be healed.  We too need to look at the Cross and believe that Jesus’s sacrifice for us frees us from all our sins.  That Jesus became my sin on the Cross, not just that He carried my sin to the Cross.  

Galatians 2:16-20 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.  “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!  For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

I am the snake that deserves to be nailed to the Cross, but Jesus became the snake for me.  He became my sins nailed to the Cross.

Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 

The serpent gives us the picture of sin. The serpent’s bites us and we are dying with its poison. But instead of dying we live when we look to the Cross.  The error of the Jews who died was that they did not apply their faith to what they believed.  We need faith mixed with obedience.  Do we believe that the shed blood of Jesus is sufficient for forgiveness of our sins?  

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Either Jesus paid it all for our sins or he did not.  What do you believe?  I believe Jesus paid it all.

1 John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

The only way that Jesus could make that sacrifice for us and take away our sins is the fact that He had no sin at all.  No other person could make such a sacrifice.

Acts 3:1-10 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.  And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.  And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”  So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”  And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.  So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.  And all the people saw him walking and praising God.  Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

The crippled man at the gate looked at John & Peter – placed his attention on the expecting to receive.  He did receive, he received his healing in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  The man looked at them with a look of faith.

Acts 14:9-10 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

Paul saw that the man had faith to be healed.

Pastor Don concluded by saying, that Jesus is no longer up on the Cross, the Cross is empty.  We need to apply our faith to the work that Jesus did on the Cross and receive.

I hope this blesses you.  I am so grateful that Jesus died for my sins.  I pray that you grow to know Him and love Him.

Heather

Bible study taught Friday 11/12/10

Are you like your dad or your mom?  Some people call you a chip off the old block.  We learn from our parent’s actions.  It is not what they say, but what they do that we imitate.

Jesus did what His Father did. 

John 5:18-19 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 

When we are saved, we need to clean our garments item by item.  Then what?  Just laundering the garment is the beginning, but we want the whole wardrobe of salvation.  

Jesus’ teachings was not just what He said, but what He did by example.  He teaches us how to be like the Father so we can be a chip off the old block of our Heavenly Father.

John 14:7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.

It’s like Ike and Mike – you don’t see one without the other.  If we do what Jesus did, we are like our Father, God.

Caroline gave us the “Do’s” to be like the Father

The First “Do” is Passover – knowing Scripture

Luke 2:41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

At 12, Jesus went to Jerusalem with His parents to celebrate Passover.  Returning home was like the wagon train to the Ponderosa (Nazareth).  There were so many traveling together that it took three days before Jesus’ parents discovered he was not with the returning party.  His parents found him in the Temple discussing scriptures and asking questions.  Jesus spent three days and three nights debating scripture.  Jesus had to learn the Scriptures in order to be able to do that.

The Second “Do” was when Jesus was 30 years old – intimacy with the Father and resisting temptation

He was baptized, and then went into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days and 40 nights. He was alone with the Father, and strengthened Himself in prayer, warship and intimacy with the Father.  Jesus thoroughly knew the Father in order to do what He did.  The 40 days was 960 hours, 57,600 minutes with the Father.

After this temptation in the wilderness when Jesus defeated the devil’s temptations, Jesus was led to the Temple.  Without the intimacy with the Father Jesus would not have successfully faced these temptations.   

That is why it is important to spend quality time with the Father.  One Bible study a week and one Sunday worship is not enough.

The Third “Do” was the wedding feast at Cana – obedience and humility

Jesus obeyed His mother.  Jesus let the bridegroom get credit for that magnificent vintage of wine.  Jesus did not take the credit.  

Pride becomes an issue when we want to get credit.  Is it He God or me god?  The Son does not do it by Himself.  Whatever the Father does, the Son does too.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

The Fourth “Do” was Passover – praise, worship, standing up for righteousness sake, teaching, servant-hood, compassion, setting aside pride and dignity for the Kingdom

Praise and Worship was taught to the people through the Prophet Moses.  The Temple and it’s construction was presented in the books of Moses.  When Jesus enters the Temple he finds a flea market.  The High Priest Caiaphas and the priesthood were making a profit from the prophet.  They were fleecing the faithful and taking advantage of the people.  They were getting kickbacks from the sale of sacrificial animals and the exchanging of secular money for Temple currency.  Jesus confronted the leadership’s corruption and stood up for what was right and righteous. 

Stand up and make sure that the Name of God is not corrupted.

Jesus is a talker.  He talks to everybody on every level all the time.  He speaks of the Kingdom and Good News.  He can talk with the hierarchy, the educated, Pharisees, the rich, the poor, those with infectious diseases, and Romans.

Jesus’ teachings were multipurpose.  He mentored his disciples.  He began with the first twelve, but it did not end there.  He stayed with people to teach them.  He stayed with the Samaritans for two more days, taught the people.  He taught and stayed at peoples houses.  For example, He stayed with the Chief Pharisees, Zacchaeus, Peter’s house, Simeon the Leper.  He taught and mentored 6 days before the last Passover.  He stayed with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus for supper.

Jesus gathered new followers wherever He went.  

Jesus left a comfortable house with His Father (God) to walk the streets and had encounters with unrighteousness, unbelief.  He faced rejection, ridicule and suffering.  He knew that He knew God’s will and purpose. He was called and we are called.  He is our example of servant-hood.  

Jesus took one of the most demeaned jobs at the last Passover, that of washing feet.  He took a towel and basin and washed the disciple’s feet.  That was absolutely shocking.  Washing feet was the job of the lowest level of servant.  Jesus set aside pride and dignity to show us that no job is too low to do in the Kingdom.  Whatever God or your pastor asks is a good Kingdom job.    There are enough jobs in the Kingdom that we can have more than one.  Look to see where you can serve.

The Last “Do.” forgiveness, sacrifice

Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Jesus was innocent, yet He forgave those who crucified Him.  An offender is sinful and so is the offended.  Jesus stayed perfect, sinless, and was not offended.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Trespass is to violate a rule, cross a line, miss the mark.  Forgive is to set free, let go, release, liberate completely, forfeit any right to hold a person to previous offenses.  

The offender violates God’s children.  But God is the one who will deal with the injustice, we do not have to retaliate.

It is not a sin to get angry, but it is a sin to hold on to anger.  If you take offense you are judging the offender and holding them hostage.

Matthew 18:18 KJV  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:18 NLT I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

Forgive all offenses and know that you have the authority to bind and loose.

Caroline suggested that, to imitate Jesus, we need to know Scripture, spend time in Scripture, spend time with God, and stand firm against the dishonoring of God’s Name or God’s children.  Be a conversationalist.  Stay focused on the Kingdom.  Be a faithful servant.  Forgive.  

It is hard to ask forgiveness of those I have offended and those who have offended me, but we need to do this.  Be a student, learner, and disciple.

Pastor Don – WWJD, self examination, reaching out to others

Pastor Don added that we need to mirror what Jesus does in our walk.  Pastor likes the bracelet idea of WWJD.  What do we do to look like Daddy?  What didn’t I do?  What am I accusing you of not doing that I feel you should have done for me, but really I should be doing myself?  So often people will make complaints like she didn’t call me or she didn’t hug me.  Well, did you call her or hug her?  Give out love.

Praying your day is blessed.

Heather

Bible study taught on Friday 10/29/10

The previous Sunday Pastor Don showed us a video called Indescribable about how vast and incredible our universe is. 

How do we limit a limitless God?

Are we walking in lack our are we walking in power?

John 14:6-14 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”   Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” 

Jesus did nothing on His own authority, but what His Father told Him to do.  Jesus also told us that we would also do greater works than those He did.  We take Jesus and put Him on a pedestal, but He gave up Godly power to come to earth as a man.  The Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, gave Jesus the ability to do all that He did.  Jesus is our role model, who showed us what we were designed for and capable of.  We get bogged down in circumstances.  We listen to the doctor’s report or our financial reports on the bank statement, or the boss’s words.  

We need to remember that the Lord is our provider and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can achieve what we ask.

John 14:15-18  “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

God is going to give us the Holy Spirit, a comforter and helper.  He has a plan for our lives.  Each one of us has a plan for our lives.

Acts 1:7-8  And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

We receive power.  People in the world will do anything for power, but we in the Christian world do not utilize the power of God that is available to us.  We do not exercise our power.  Just like with muscle, use it our lose it.  We can get weak and not speak the truth of God over our situation.

We looked at Acts 2 to learn more about the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:1-13 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, andone sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.  And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”  Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

The voice of the devil wanted people to believe that they were drunk, not that this was power from God. Peter set them straight.

Acts 2:14-24 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’ “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

When the Spirit moves miracles happen, eyes are opened, and signs and wonders follow.  It is the power of God’s Word that effects changes.

John 15:16  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 

Saul (Paul) had heard it all.  When God came to Him, Paul learned that God had a plan for his existence.

God has a plan and purpose for our existence as well. He chose us.  He has a glorious plan for our lives.  We are not a mistake.  We think we can’t get it togehter, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we are able.  

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

When we are led by the Spirit of God, we are capable of doing all that He did.  We are not doing the healing or the works of God, we are the conduit.  We place our faith in God and allow the Spirit to flow through us.  All we need to do is get ourselves out of the way and let the Spirit flow.

Mark 11:22-24 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Have faith in God.  We have a lot of believers, not a lot of sayers.  We have to speak to the situation.  Don’t say, if it is Your will.  It is His will.

Speak it and leave it alone.  So often the response comes at 11:59:59 – the last minute.

Jesus is our role model.

We worship who we were, forgetting what He wants us to become.  God gives us gifts.  Two people can get the same gift, but each person will use the gift in a unique way.  God gives us knowledge, power, and experience bringing a particular perspective to the usage of your gift.  We use that power to address our circumstance so that we are not distracted and will do what He tells us to do.

Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

As we believe and speak His Word, signs will follow.

Ezekiel 36:26-27  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

God gives us a new heart.  Scientists have shown that praying in tongues increases our immune system.  Speaking in tongues is like taking your spirit to the gym.  Our natural mind hears more.  The devil knows how to push your buttons.  

These signs will follow.

The world is enamored with the supernatural.  In Third World countries, there is a belief in the supernatural.  If Christians do not operate in the power and authority of God, those in those countries will be fooled by the imitation of satan.  God is the real supernatural power, and people need to see that.

When we let the power of God flow through us He turns the super into the natural.

We speak things into existence.  God can give us wisdom to speak to those whose language we do not know.  The people are looking for signs and signs will follow the Word of God.  We can handle serpents (poison planted by the enemy).    We don’t deliberately place ourselves in danger but in doing His will, if danger comes, He can guide us through it.

How do we gain this?  We read the Word.  We have to go from knowledge to belief.  And from belief to obedience.  

We read His Word and go.  

Some challenges are best met by prayer and fasting.  Pray for an increase.  Seek the Kingdom of God first and all the rest follows.

As we increase in knowledge of His Word, He will be able to work more in your life and we will be better equipped to do His will.  Give Him praise.  Glorify His name.  Keep saying His Word.  Keep Him constantly before you.  Praise and thanksgiving.  Whatever you want, thank Him for it.  

I pray this blesses you.

Heather

SAY AMEN, SHOW 170, UNDERSTANDING THE MIND Part 2  taught on 10-24-10

This is the closed captioning transcript for this show.  What is in [brackets] is what the congregation said.  

Alright now, lift it up.  Lift it up, come on.  This is [this is]  the Word of God [the Word of God] It’s in my hand [it's in my hand]  in my heart [in my heart]  in my mouth [in my mouth]  I love [I love]  the Word of God [the Word of God.]  Amen. [amen]  

The human mind is an amazing and very amazing piece of equipment.  It can process thought, but it also stores thought.  It stores information.  It begins working at the moment conception is achieved and then it works until the day we leave our body.  The problem is that if we do not understand the mind, then the mind can be just as much a problem to us as it can be to our advantage and can be a blessing to us.  

In Romans 1 verse 28, I think, yeah 28.  You there?  [yes]  Anybody there?  [yes]  Look what it says.  ”And even…”  verse 28, Romans 1.  ”And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;…”  God gave them over to a reprobate mind.  You know what that means?  He permitted them, listen.  He permitted them to follow the dictates of the flesh of the mind.  

See, you can get to a place where you chase and lust after the wrong thing and God then, after awhile says, “There ain’t no need speaking to his spirit mind because his flesh mind has locked all gates of receptivity.” … [my God]  And so, He says, release them.  Give them over.  They want to smoke, let ‘em smoke.  They want to get drunk.  Let ‘em get drunk.  They want to lie and cuss, let ‘em lie and cuss.  Just release them.  What’s the point?  They’re gonna, they’re doomed to their own destruction.  Let ‘em go.  Well wait.  We’ll sit here.  We’ll sit here and wait to see if they ever wake up.  If they ever get a right mind.  

Do you know the scripture talks about getting in the right, having a right mind?  [yes]  Remember the Prodigal Son?  The Scripture says he took his stuff, left daddy, went to a country, partied up all his money.  Got broke, finally he’s in with the pigs, wants to eat the leftover corn that they ate, and guess what the Scripture says?  It says, “Finally, he came into his right mind.”  … [hallelujah]  

Well, what does a right mind look like?  Lord have mercy.  Don’t mess with me.  You know what a right mind looks like?  It says, my mind, I have stayed my mind on Christ.  And therefore what?  I have peace. [yeah]  Getting a right mind means what?  I’m listening to what my spirit man has to say.  And therefore, I’m in my right mind.  The flesh mind is the wrong place to live.  Wrong place to live.  But He says, you can get into your right mind.  Which means that when God is speaking, now, whooooo, You can hear what He’s saying.  [whooooo]  

I think sometimes that’s why God whispers.  It says, in a still small voice.  Sometimes I think He whispers because it’s at that point, I had a teacher in Junior High School, Mr. Goldman.  Mr. Goldman’s 6’4″, huge guy.  And so I figured, first day of school he’s going to start screaming.  And he could overpower us.  He’s going to overpower us.  Mr. Goldman just stood there, the class is going crazy.  8th grade.  They’re just going, we’re going nuts.  We’re just nuts.  And he just said, “You will be good.”  Didn’t say it any louder than that.  [laughter]  Then he said, “You will be good.”  … He looked at, “You will be good.”  After a while, all us little juvenile delinquents were wondering, what is this big guy saying?  We couldn’t hear him. [laughter]  So we had to get quiet to hear him.  

Jesus speaks quietly to us.  Cause He wants us to get quiet so we can hear Him.  Because if He roars, He is then competing with the nonsense that’s roaring in our minds.  [alright]  I got in my car the other day and I put on the news, I wanted to listen and I got nothing against our local radio station.  But they play too much what I call be bop ta boopin and I can’t always hear God.  And so, it’s just going on and on, and the spirit just very quietly was saying something.  I turned off the radio to hear what He’s saying.  And He was saying, put on Scripture.  [amen]  I don’t know about you, but I keep Scripture in my car.  I have it on CD and I have it on cassette.  Poot.  Pup.  I pushed the button just like that, got in touch with the presence of the Lord.  

Now I want to demonstrate something to you.  I should by now have convinced you that you have a flesh mind that goes where it goes.  It does what it does.  It desires the things of the flesh.  It desires stimulation and so forth.  But you also have a Spirit mind that is in there trying to get your attention, all the time.  Everybody with me?  Wave at me if you’re with me, cause it makes no sense if I go on.  Now, what is the process then of this battle and how does it play out?  

The Bible tells us very clearly that when you were born, when you’re little… certain experiences began to happen to you.  These experiences began to get stored in your fleshy mind… Are  you listening?  When you’re born and you’re little, you’re playing in the sandbox, you’re two or three years old, and some little kid throws sand in your eyes, and you go, “It hurt!  Ow!  It hurt!  I hate you!  I hate you!”  And you grab some sand and threw it back.  And your flesh mind says, “Yeah, don’t take no crap from nobody.  Anybody does that to you, you get him back.”  [yep, laughter]  Right?  [yes]  Right.  

Now, a year later, You’re in a gymnasium, you’re playing and somebody hits you real hard with the dodge ball.  Boop.  Boop… [laughter]  Well wait a minute.  What has been recorded in your flesh mind?  [get him back]  Your flesh mind has recorded get him back.  So then, what do you do?  You run, get the ball.  You don’t care whether you are supposed to be on first base, second base, third base, or home.  [laughter] You run across the playground, you get in front of him and you wham!  And give him a good one right between the eyes.  Because why?  It has been recorded in your flesh mind, if they abuse you, you get ‘em back.  Get ‘em back.  

Age 12, age 12, age 12, … you see him cruising across the classroom.  … [laughter]  Your perfect picture of the man you’re going to marry.  …. [laughter]  12 years old.  So you put on your walk.  … [laughter]  You put on your walk, and he floats right by you, doesn’t say, “Hello.”  Or notice you.  So you go, “Hi, Tommy.”  [laughter]  Tommy’s thinking about football practice today.  He gives you the scant look, and floats on.  What have you been programmed to do?  You have now been programmed, he dissed me.  He was mean to me.  I’m going to get him back… After your third divorce, [ooooh]  after your third broken marriage, you are still getting people back.  

You are still the one that is the victim and you haven’t changed because you have been programmed that way from a child, and you’re still holding on to the same railroad track that should have been pulled up and destroyed, but you didn’t know and you didn’t want to give it up because it’s the way your mind was put together.  I’m trying to help somebody here.  …

Life is like a railroad train and you’re going on the track.  Let’s say these aisles are the track.  These aisles are the track.  You hear a message like today, and you say, I’m gonna change.  I don’t have to always get ‘em back.  Stand up in the aisle. (asks a member to stand in the aisle like a roadblock)  In the aisle.  And you’re going down life and you’re saying, “I’m gonna be different.  Ha, ha, I’m going to change.  I’m going to change.  But you’re going down the aisle of life.  Your brain has been programmed.  It has been locked in.  And your thought life takes you.  Well, I could keep going down this new road and be different.  

But, but….the programming of the mind blocks your way and sends you back down the detour aisle you’ve been going on for all of your life.  And you go, “Yeah, you threw sand in my eyes, shouldn’t forgive you.  Yeah, you didn’t do me right in fifth grade, yeah, you walked by me on my way to football practice.  You were a terrible first husband.  You hurt my feelings.”  [laughter]  ”You hurt my feelings.  I’ll get you back. Get you back.”  You remember then in the conditioning of your mind, your second husband, you killed him and he doesn’t even exist anymore.”  [laughter, oh wow]  So then you take all of your rage that you’ve been conditioned, that’s your hurt, your victimization, on to the third one.  And then you go, “Wait a minute.  I don’t even know you.”  [laughter]  You can sit down.  [applause]  … But I know if you had time you’d do something against me.  [laughter]  …

Now you’re back on the road.  Life is working good, Ooh ah, There’s room to  move.  I’m not a victim anymore.  I’m doing good.  It’s alright.  Hah.  The flesh is quiet. Everything’s alright.  Everything’s good.  You get to the same place on your job, your new boss says something, you’re not sure why he’s said it.  Or what he said.  But you triggered.  Your mind steps up again, your mind steps up again.  [I think he's talking to you, laughter]  blocks your ability to get past your boss in the confusion, and you return.  [oh no, don't do that again, laughter]  

Why are people so mean?  They’ve been mean to me since I was little.  They’ve been difficult to me, if I could get that boy in the sandbox I would kick his butt now, boy.  aaargghaahg.  [laughter]  You dissed me too.  You did.  You dissed me too.  And you did the worst because you walked by me.  You walked by me.  If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have married those three beat dogs.  [laughter]  Oh, there he is!  aaargh   I hate you, it was all your fault.  It was all your fault.  all your fault.  Hah.  I forgive you this time.  That makes me a  true saint.  [laughter, oh, oh]  I can be nice to you. … [laughter]  …. But Jesus loves me.  And He’s going to bless me because I’m being nice to you.  ….

Therefore, and when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, that your Father in Heaven may forgive you.  [hallelujah]  The mind, the mind.  The fleshy mind will take you back to the hurt.  It’ll take you back to the hurt, until you break the cycle.  Until you break the cycle it’ll take you back  to the hurt.  It will take you back to the witchcraft that you were looking to escape.  It will take you back to the abuse, it’ll take you back to the problem.  It’ll take you back to your anger, it’ll take you back till your thinking and you will go back in the same cycle.   [laughter]  Until you take your thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.  [hallelujah, applause]  You will not escape.  You will be bound by the pattern.  

It is a, are you ready for me now?  [yes]  It is a physical scientific proof now.  We have the proof now.  Pastor’s been preaching it for years now.  One of these days they’re going to prove me right.  They have the pictures to show the evil, painful hurts, in your brain.  It shows up as these dark places in your brain.  [whooo]  That until you get the mind of Christ, they will bind you to continue to go through the detour.  [come on]  It’s a scientific fact that unless you take the steps and change your brain patterns, your brain will every time you go to step forward, will take you back to your blockage.  

What are you going to do about it?  What are you going to do about it?  You’ve got a space in there where, yeah your daddy died.  Yeah your momma took drugs.  Yeah your first, your first boss fired you and you hate your old girlfriend who stepped over  your dead body as she went to the prom with the guy you hate most.  It’s all still in there.  It’s all still in there.  What are you going to do about it?  I don’t know about you, but I’m going to tell you how you get it fixed.  [alright]    (laughs)  Ok.  

The first thing that you have to do is honestly acknowledge, you got to acknowledge it, yeah… You got to just first take off your coat and get down dirty with yourself.  Yeah.  Your father was a piece of crap. … Let’s just accept that.  Let’s stop dancing around it.  Let’s stop running, let’s stop running from one bad romance to another looking for your daddy.  Daddy messed up, is gone, forget about it.  Time to get that part of your brain fixed.  Because, see, it’ll keep triggering and you’ll keep going down that same road.  You’ll keep triggering.  You have to acknowledge, you have to get an awareness of self.  Take the blame for what you did.  

I love how women get in a divorce situation and it’s all the guy.  By the time they get through their fourth marriage they finally start figuring out they were part of the 50% of each one of those marriages.  Come on somebody.  Teenage kids, I would be ok if it wasn’t for my parents.  Well, wait a minute now.  Hold on.  You parents aren’t holding your hand, now leading you down every road.  It’s the brain pattern that you’ve established that’s leading you down the road.  [come on]  … How are you all doing?  Alright?  Young black boys have been so abused, when they get through the system, that when they get into the world it’s whitee is the problem.  Well you know, it’s all whitee’s the problem.  At some point blackie gotta take responsibility for blackie.  [come on, pastor]  … Russell they tell me I get too real.  Well, we just tell it like it is.  [amen]  

Some of you in here are all upset, I can’t get a job. It’s they’re fat phobic.  …  [laughter]  They won’t hire me because I’m overweight.  My boss has fat phobia.   My boss has woman phobia.  My boss has, what’s another phobia?  No, no, homophobia.  [whoa]  … Curly hair phobia…people with curly hair want to straighten their hair.  People with straight hair want to curl their hair.  

I’m saying you have to figure out where is it I am?  What is my excuse?  What is my excuse?  … What is it that I’m phobic about?  What is it that is conditioned my brain and it’s not letting me think straight.  And you’re not thinking straight.  If you’re facing the same problem over and over and over again.  You need to figure out that there’s something wrong with your thinking.  Doesn’t make you psychotic.  But it makes you neurotic.  And we have to put up with you.  [laughter]  …

This is only for people that really want to get it together.  If you’re really happy going over the same track, running around the same mountain, year after year, then fine.  I’m talking to the people that say, “You know, I need a change here.”  It can’t all be everybody else.  I need to get my carnal mind, line it up.  I need to face some facts here.  I’m going through, I can’t be blaming my parents.  They love me and did the best that they could.  And what I’m lacking right now is there’s a trigger in my brain that takes me back to that same place all the time.  [right]  … Come on, wave your hand at me.  Don’t, come on, and we keep going back to the same place.  Having the same fight.  Having the same problem, not realizing your brain has been conditioned to do that.  

But you can change it.  The power of God is available to break through that darkness and re-order your mind.  [applause]  What does the Bible say?  Go to Romans, Chapter 12.  What does it say?  Come on, let’s have church now.  Let’s go to Romans, Chapter 12, what does it say?  Verse 2.  ”And do not be conformed…”  what does it mean?  It says don’t keep riding the same track.  Don’t be conformed to it.  Don’t …”be conformed to this world, but be transformed….” changed.  How?  ”…by the renewing of your mind…”  

Why is that in the Bible?  You don’t have to sit up and listen to some guru.  Jesus said it, they just read it and figured it out, and changed it to their own advantage.  The reality is, from the Word of God, your mind can change.  You can be renewed.  You can think different than you ever thought before.  [applause]  Glory be to God.  He will renew your mind.  [applause, yeah]  You just have to make an assessment of where you are, and what needs to change.  You must assess that.  

There is no drug.  There is no power.  There is no, listen.  Get off of this, people have to treat you kind.  Why do they have to treat you any kinder than they treat anybody else, unless you are a broken track.  And your mind is saying, the people have to treat me, the people have to treat me different, people … are you?   … You are a broken track.  But you can be fixed.  

Look what He says.  ”…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…”  To transform means change.  You can throw the switch at that juncture of the track, and renew your mind.  [amen]  … Lord have mercy.  

I want to give you a shocking piece of Scripture that I found.  Romans, Chapter 7.  This is shocking.  Chapter 7, verse 23.  ”But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”  … A law, there’s a law in my members.  Warring against the law of my mind.  I never thought of that.  That my mind has established a law.  Gosh sha na ma ma neh … Somebody get that.  [yeah]  Your mind has established a law.  Your mind has established  that, when pressure comes upon you.  Listen to me.  When pressure comes upon you, when something happens that you didn’t want to have happen, when somebody said something that you did not want to have said, you will return to  the law of your mind, which says, “Get ‘em back.”  [yup]  Which says, “I’ve been abused.”   Which says, “I hate him.”  Which says, “I act like a little child, since I was a little baby, he didn’t chughl, guglsugh,”  Oooh hooo hooo, I just cagukhgljulsa.”  That was pretty good acting.  [laughter]  But it is a law in your mind.  

Your mind has been trained that any juncture of stress, any juncture of competition, any juncture of opposition, you revert back to what you tried to learn back in 5th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade, and you get back on that same track.  But it is a law, a law of the mind.  

I got another good one for you.  Chapter 8, verse 5… I’m trying baby.  Somebody’s going to get this thing.  Chapter 8, verse 5.  ”For those who live according to the flesh…”  How do they get loaded to the flesh?  They set their minds on the things of the flesh.  [yup]   … Can’t pay your bills, finances are not working out.  You do the same thing that you’ve always been trained to do.  Well, I don’t have enough money to pay the bills, let’s party.  [laughter]  I’ll get around that.  We’ll go spend that money… Lord, have mercy.  I’m working here.  Don’t mess with me.  

Look at verse 8:27,  8:27   There’s so much truth in the Word of God.  27.  ”Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”  In other words, there’s a way out.  Lord have mercy.  Come on, I’m giving you.  There’s a way out.  Here’s what Jesus said about it.  You can look this up in Matthew Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, Chapter 22.  Jesus said the same thing.  He says it all over the Bible.  Here’s what He says.  He says, listen, don’t take a thought and then speak it out of your mouth… He says, don’t say what you’re thinking in your mind.  [come on]  If it doesn’t line up with God.  If it doesn’t line up with the Word, don’t then take a thought and then speak it out of your mouth.  

******

This is extra that did not get on the video:

Pastor Don gave us a list of questions to ask ourselves:

1. What is blocking me in my brain?
2. How does my mind beat me down?
3. What are my goals?
4. What is my strategy to achieve my goals?
5. Am I willing to make a nonstop commitment for 30 days?

When we want to change a habit it takes 30 days to do so. 

SAY AMEN SHOW 169 UNDERSTANDING THE MIND10-24-10

Alright now, lift it up.  Lift it up, come on.  This is [This is]  the Word of God [the Word of God] it’s in my hand [it's in my hand]  in my heart [in my heart]  in my mouth [in my mouth]  I love [I love]  the Word of God [the Word of God]  Amen [amen]  

What we’re going to do today, you need a Bible because we’re going to look at a lot of scripture.  And I’m going to try my best not to embarrass anyone.  If you can’t keep up that’s ok.  Write them down and then study them at home.  We need to look at a lot of scripture but it is impossible to cover all of the passages of scripture that are on this sheet that pertain to what I want to talk to you about.  

The human mind is an amazing, a very amazing piece of equipment.  It can process thought, but it also stores thought.  It stores information.  It begins working at the moment conception is achieved and then it works until the day we leave our body.  The problem is that if we do not understand the mind, then the mind can be just as much a problem to us as it can be to our advantage and can be a blessing to us.  

The problem happens to be that most of us, when we think of our minds, and the operation of our minds, we treat them with what I call, “independence”.  We let our minds function as if they are independent of anything else that is going and if I thought it, then it is so, and we don’t get a picture of the reality that the mind, if left without control, can be your worse, worse, worse worse worse worse nightmare.  [come on now]   It can be a terrible thing.  Your mind can stress you to death.  

I’m very glad that in the years of ministry there have been things that I have taught that I didn’t have scientific information for.  But I’ve happened to live long enough to find that the scientific information is now available to all of the things that I have taught.  [amen]  I’ve taught from this pulpit that cancer is man-made and that we are as much the cause for it in our culture and in our environment as anything else.  And it wasn’t until recently that all the research, and here’s how they did the research.  They dug up all the old dead people they could find.  And they tested their DNA that was left in their bones and checked everything they could, to find out what were the different causes of death.  And here’s what they found.  They couldn’t find any ancient skeletons, any ancient ones, that when they went beyond, this is amazing.  When they went beyond 500 years or so, they couldn’t find incidence of cancer…

I need you to think about that.  We have a lot of skeletons that are 1000, 2000 years old.  And those people died.  But they did not die from malignant cancer like we have in our culture now.   The world that man has created for us in these last days is killing us.  The stress that we expose our bodies and our mind to are unnatural.  Can you say “unnatural”?   [unnatural]  Red, yellow dye, soplo die, cholesterol, bly, bly blug, glud, monosodialmug bleg seg db dubed. jub, zablet vob bob bop.  Everything that they have invented to enhance our lives is a pollutant to our body and it is killing us.  

In addition to that, our minds have told us that we can think the way that we want, and as a result, we are thinking overtime.  We’re having trouble sleeping.  We’re having trouble getting up.  We’re taking pills to go to bed, pills to get up, and then during the day we’re looking for any other pill or medication we can find.  We’re running after lust and pornography, and excitement.  Football is now on all the time.  Baseball’s on all the time.  I have on my digital TV, I looked last night, over twenty channels of mental distraction.  [amen]  …

You need to hear what pastor’s trying to say to you today.  [amen]  We are killing ourselves and we’re the source of the sickness that is running through our bodies.  And I mean we, I’m talking about we can’t put it all on Monsanto, Monsanto, but we have to take and accept the blame for it ourselves.  We don’t even choose our movies wisely these days.  And we put our minds in the motion of excitement.  Our culture has told us that smoking cigarettes is ok.  After all, everybody comes home from work, has a double martini and starts smoking cigarettes in order to relax.  And the reality is, all that does is wind you up.  I don’t need to go on with that train of thought because I know you know I’m telling you the truth.  And now I have the scientific information to back it up.  Don’t mess with me.  [laughter]  Don’t you mess with me.  Alright.  

Now, what is the greatest problem then in this whole thing?  We can get the information but it depends upon how we think about the information that will determine what we do with the information.   Did you hear what I said?  [yes]  You can get all the right information, but then when  you think upon it, you can choose to think whatever you want and therefore either use the information, or have something go in the process of the mind that doesn’t permit you to use the information.  Everybody got that?  [yes]  Alright.  

Naima come up here because you’re young, quick and you can move fast. Come.  Now the first principle that I want to talk about, come up here honey doll, is very simply this.  Naima is a spirit being that lives in this physical body.  She has a mind, but she also has a will.  Make a fist.  She has a will.  No make a fist like, yea, that’s it.  She has a will and she has now both hands up in the air.  Emotions.  Open your fingers and go wah, wha, wah.  [laughter]  Emotions.  So she is a soul, a living soul.  She has a mind.  Her spirit lives inside this body.  She has a will.  She also has emotions.  If she dropped dead right now, [laughter]  don’t do it honey.  Yeah, you could do it.  We’ll bring you back.  [really]  In the Name of Jesus, yes.  [Do you want me to just drop?}  I've been waiting for years for somebody to do that.  Just like pft. If you have, Your mom's here, we're here, we'll pray.  [laughter]  Listen to me carefully.  She is a spirit being, living inside this body.  If she keeled over dead right now, her spirit is going to come up out of her body.  [right]   So, if she’s dead right now, just look at, you’re fine.  

Close your eyes now like you died.  Her spirit will come up out of her body, will hover on the ceiling, looking at us at church, and the discussion will begin.  The Lord will say to her, “Naima, you just dropped dead at Living Word Chapel.  Do you want to come home, be with me?  Or do you want to go back because you’re young and you haven’t lived out the fullness of  your capacity to live.  What do you want to do Naima?”  Naima would then think and make a decision, and the decision would be made between herself and God, as to whether she is going to return.  Close your eyes, you are dead.  [laughter]  She’s going to return to this body or if she’s going to go be with the Lord eternally.  Everybody got that?  [yes]  Alright, now thank you.  Give her a big hand. [applause] You’re still alive.  

Now you just took it, you just heard what I said, and you just took it.  Does it sound believable and plausible to you?  [yes]  Here’s what you didn’t think about.   If her brain is laying here on the floor dead, and she’s talking to the Lord, who’s talking to the Lord?   [her spirit]  If she has to make a decision, how’s she making a decision?  [by her spirit]  Everybody got this?  [yes]  We have made a mistake in that we think that when we die our brains cease to exist but our spirit being has a mind.  [yes]  

God is a Spirit.  Can God think?  [oh, yes]  … Some of you aren’t sure about that.  Absolutely!  God is a Spirit, and He thinks.  He makes decisions.  Let me ask you a question.  Does God have emotions?   [yes]  Ok, does God have a Will?  [yes]  Alright, so then, when you die and when I die, we still have a mind, we have a will, we still have emotions, but we’re all out of the body.  … Let me say it again.  We have a mind, a spirit mind.  We have spirit body.  We have a spirit, remember, you said she’s floating over the…  well, who’s floating?  Her spirit body is floating.  [right]  right.  She has a will.  She has emotions.  But she left her physical body.  Which means then, that as she’s laying here, her mind, which is mostly water but electrons, electrons, protons, and all that jazz, working in there, is now dead.  The mind in her body cannot think.  Isn’t that right?   [right]   Ok.  Now, how many of you are with me so far?  I didn’t lose you.  Alright.  So, here’s the problem.  

We have to realize that what I’m tring to convey to you and to the young people and everyone here, you have more than one mind.  [yeah]   You have the mind of the flesh, of your physical body.  But you have a spirit body that is inside the physical body and that has a mind.  Your spirit mind thinks differently from your physical mind.  Your physical mind questions the reality of the spirit.  Your spirit mind knows it is a reality.  And therefore there are certain things in the area of faith, and there are certain things in the area of the unbelievable, that your spirit mind, which is sitting here right now listening to me, your spirit mind has no problem hearing what I am saying by the spirit.  It is your flesh mind that may have difficulty because you can’t cause it to focus because it’s carnal, because it wanders.  Because it is indirectly tied to the devil and evil one of the earth and therefore it does not want to hear, nor does it choose to understand the things that are spiritual.  [right]  … We ok?  [yes]  Everybody alright?  [yes]  Alright.  

So there’s a part of you that thinks in the spirit realm and is more inclined to think God things.  And there’s a part of you that will always think earthly things.  It will think carnal things.  It will think lusty things.  It will be a distraction to the Spirit man.  Everybody ok so far?  [yes]  

Now, if we begin to hear what God says about thinking, thought and the mind, and we begin to realize that we can listen to it from a spiritual standpoint, we then can live a happier life.  [hallelujah]  The process of living a life of wisdom and truth is that you begin to think with your spirit mind, and it begins to dominate your flesh mind.  [hallelujah, amen]  How am I doing?  Am I alright?  [yes]  Alright.  

Now we’re going to go through some scriptures.  And we’re going to zip around in this.  Don’t be afraid.  I’m not going to hurt anybody.  But we have to learn a few things.  I want you to find the book of Samuel.  …

Now, what’s happening just now?  (two people left the sanctuary)  Their flesh mind and their carnal mind just overrode their spirit mind… Look up here, I’m serious.  Do you understand what just happened?  Right before your eyes?  Their flesh mind said, “Let’s go.”  And their spirit mind had to take a back seat when the truth is being emanated, the flesh mind will shut down the spirit.  [definitely]  … In 15 minutes your flesh mind will shut some of you down and put you to sleep.  In order that you do not hear the fact that your spirit man needs to have dominance over your flesh man.  [amen]  Your flesh mind will not give up ground easily.  It will fight every step of the way to maintain control over you.  [hmnn]  And we just saw an example of it… They need this more than they need what they’re going to go do today.  

Samuel, First Samuel, the beginning of the front of your Bibles… 1 Samuel chapter 26.   Father, I ask that you would bless them and open up their eyes, their spiritual eyes so they can see that they need you more than they need whatever it is they’re going to do.  [amen]  In the book of 1 Samuel we’re going to just look at one verse.  

1 Samuel, chapter 2, verse 35  Everybody there?  Yes.  What does it say?  It says, “Then I will raise up for Myself...”  This is God speaking, “…a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind….”  [Jesus]…. God is saying, I’m gonna find Me a priest who’s not operating by his heart, his mind, his will and emotions, or his mind.  But he’s operating by the heart and the mind of God.  Everybody doing alright?  [yes]  

Ok, see if you can find, Isaiah 46… Go back a little further.  we’ll run through a bunch of these and then we’ll then give our example.  Isaiah 46, verse 8.  46, verse 8. “Remember this….”  Do what?   [remember this]  Now, where are you remembering it at?  [mind? spirit?]  Well, let’s find out.  What does it say?  He says, “Remember this, and show yourselves men;  recall to mind, O you transgressors.  Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other;…”   Remember this.  

Look up here.  I want you to think about this.  Your mind is doing what the mind does.  What causes things to be remembered?  … You’re thinking about whatever you’re thinking about and doing whatever you’re doing about.  And then all of a sudden, something goes oop.  Remember, you were going to go to Wal-mart.  Oop, remember you hate your mother.  [laughter]  Oop, remember, you’re going to get them back.  Oop, remember, you were going to give back the money that you stole.  Remember.  

Where does remember, where does memory come from?   It seems that it functions independent of your consciousness.  Meaning that as your consciousness is functioning, something pops up and says, “remember.”  In other words, call it to mind.  In other words, have it come to mind.  Well, where is it coming from to get to your mind?  How come your mind didn’t have it?  Most of you think you produced it.  But your spirit is trying to speak to you but also your flesh is trying to speak to you.  So we say, God is telling us remember.  Meaning, you have the ability by your spirit mind to call to the mind of the flesh things that need to be remembered.  [amen]  Everybody alright?  [yes]  Let’s look at a few more here.  

Go to Jeremiah 44. In back of this is the book of Jeremiah.  Chapter 44… Jeremiah 44 verse 21.  …. “The incense that you burned in the cities…”   are you there?  [yes]  ”…that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and did it not come into His mind?  So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed.”  Well, what is He talking about here?  He is saying that even God who has a spiritual mind has to cause or call things into remembrance, but since God is a spirit being, He doesn’t have any trouble getting in touch with what’s in the spirit mind.  Cause He walks outside of a fleshy body.  But He is saying that it is possible for us to call certain things to mind or cause them to come to mind if we would begin to, get this lesson today, that you have a physical mind but you also have a spiritual mind.  [amen]  Alright?  

Now, let’s go to Jeremiah 51:50. 51 go back a little bit further.  Verse 50.  Are you there?  What’s the first word?  [you]  ”You who have escaped the sword, get away!  Do not stand still!  Remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come to your mind.”  That’s one of my favorites.  What’s he trying to get us to see here?  He wants us to see that even in a dangerous situation,  after you’ve escaped it, you godda, you stand still, do not stand still, he says, and notice, he saying, do not stand still. He’s not referring to don’t go running anywhere.  He’s not talking about go down the road a mile, go down the road a mile, he is saying, do not stand still in the presence of your mind… Sometimes we just get stuck in a rut, in the presence of our mind.  And we’re standing still mentally.  Well, he is saying, do not stand still but actively do what?  Remember the Lord afar off.  And let Jerusalem come to your mind.  

In other words, everything that’s running on, around between your ears, there is something better that you can choose to be thinking upon.  [right]  … Wave your head if you’re starting to get this.  You are not subject to the train running in your brain.  You can pull it off the track at any time by causing something to come to mind that emanates from down in here that is of the Spirit of God, that brings you into remembrance of what God said or to remind you what your spirit man said, but you don’t have to stand still in your mind pondering, worrying and wondering about the same garbage that fills your mind.  You can do something about it.  [yes, hallelujah]…

Daniel, Chapter 2… Go back a couple more books here to the book of Daniel.  Chapter 2:29  Chapter 2.  Daniel Chapter 2… Wonderful to come to church and really read the Bible, isn’t it?  [yes]  Daniel, Chapter 2, … You there?  [yes]  Verse 29.  Daniel 2:29  ”As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this;  and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.”  Oh my goodness.  Let me just read it again.  We can handle it again.  ”As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind…”  When?  ”…while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He…”  In this case, God.  ”…who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.”…Verse 30.  ”But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who made known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.”  

If you didn’t think I was right yet, maybe now you’re getting plugged in here.  The thoughts of your heart, there is something that your spirit man is thinking that your physical heart and your fleshy mind are not aware of.  [right]  There are things that are going on in the spirit realm between God and what’s on God’s heart and what’s on God’s mind, that can be made known to you in your thought life even while you sleep.  [that's right, amen]  …

I don’t know, maybe become old, they say old men’ll dream dreams, but I must be old since age 24, cause from the age of 24, God entered in to my life through my dreams.  And I learned how to write down my dreams and interpret them to hear the voice of the Lord and separated from just the faint wanderings of my fleshy mind.  You see, when your fleshy mind wanders in a state of dream, the God who is God speaks to your spirit and then it interrupts and then when you wake up, you have greater clarity concerning something that is from the spirit realm.  [umhnnah]  And if that dream is still clear to you three days later, guess what?  God visited you in a vision in that dream, and it was not the idle patter of your fleshy mind.  I know I’m not too deep for you all cause you all are the deepest church on the planet.  And the people who watch me by TV are the smartest people on the planet.  

You have to understand, that what God is saying to Nebuchadnezzar, is “Huh, I got an answer for you, but guess what?  Your fleshy mind is so filled with nonsense I can’t speak to you during the day, but at least at night, you’re kinda quiet down so then I can burst into the scene and bring something to remembrance.”  [applause]  Oh, don’t mess with me, I’ll preach today.  [amen]  …

We have to know that we are a Child of God, and that He wants to speak to us and give us the secrets, but we’re so busy, so filled with nonsense during the day.  [amen]  How dare you get up out of that bed without talking to your Master and Savior?  [hallelujah]  How dare you go through your whole day and get to lunch time and the only prayer you’ve offered up to God is bless this food.  How dare you get to eventime and sit at the table and just give God thirty seconds as you thank Him for you food.  And you haven’t spent any time with Him.  Well then, guess what?  He’s going to have to keep you up at night if He has to.  God never sleeps nor slumbers.  And if He can’t get to you during the day, He’ll speak to you in the night.  Don’t want to miss these God opportunities where the spirit of man is resonating with the Word of God in the night to get your mind to receive what He wants to say.  …

Acts, Chapter 17 in the back of your Bible.  Acts, Chapter 17.  Acts, Chapter 17, verse 11  Acts 17, verse 11.  Watch what happens here.  ”These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.  Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.”  

Look at 11 again.  They received it with more fair-mindedness.  The word there means more readiness.  Well, the question is, where were they ready?  [spirit?]  No.  They were ready in their flesh mind.  [oh, yeah]… The flesh mind says, “Let’s let this information come up.”  They were more ready to receive in their flesh mind, let’s let this come up.  

See, there was somebody got up today and said, “I’m going to church, I’m gonna get a word.”  Guess what they did?  Their flesh mind was put on notice, I’m ready to hear what the spirit mind is gonna to say.  Somebody else says, “I’m going today cause I want them to see this new dress I got.”  [laughter]  ”I look good,”  Well that person has no readiness of mind.  Another person says, “Well, I’m gonna go but I hope they don’t criticize me or get on my case, but I’m gonna go anyway, maybe the music’ll be good.  Maybe I’ll get to see Bill and Joe.  Maybe I’ll get to… maybe, whatever.”  That person’s mind is not ready.  There was no readiness of mind.  Why do we do praise and worship?  Why do we do the dance?  we’re just trying to prepare people so that they’re ready to eat the main course.  

To be continued.

This was an awesome, powerful, impacting sermon for me.  I know that it will free you as well, if you apply what it is saying in your life.  God bless you.  Wait until you “hear” the rest tomorrow!

Heather

This was taught on Sunday 10/24/10

Ethel spoke from her heart in this message. 

I have what I need and I want what You (God) want me to have.

We all need something.  Faith is now.  Sometimes we are just playing church.

We come to church and sing praise songs with lyrics like:  Lord I will go where you want me to go.

Will we really go where God wants us to go?

God is able and faithful.  We desire to be powerful weapons in the Kingdom of God.  God has been preparing me all my life for now.

There are many in ministry who have cast doubt on their ministries because of sinful, ungodly behavior.  We want to be good representatives of God.  It isn’t about huge ministries, it’s about obedience.

Between then and now things happen.

How to be obedient?

Faith is obedience.  Faith is a doing word.  God cares more about the simple stuff.  The devil wants us to think that little things don’t matter.  But little things do matter to God.  We want to walk in obedience.  Avoid disobedience.

We want our children to be obedient.  As God’s children, He wants us obedient.  In our lives we can’t be shirking obedience and falling short in the little things. Our children see what we do.  We want to tell them to do what we say, not what we do.  But the truth is that what we do speaks more loudly than what we say.

There is power, freedom, joy and blessing in obedience.

Is anything too hard for God?  No!!!  Job, Sarah and many heroes of the Bible saw God move mightily in their lives.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

A secular example of faith being the evidence of things not seen is what happens when you receive a package at the post office.  In your mailbox you receive a pink slip that tells you that you have a package you need to pick up.  You do not have the package in your hand, but you tell others you got what you ordered.  Have you seen it?  No.  Have you touched it?  No.  You just have a slip of paper and you have the faith that the box is there at the Post Office.  Once you turn your paper in and get the package, then you have it in hand and there is now no need for faith, for you are able to see and touch the package.

The Bible is like that pink slip of paper – you have all the promises of God available to you, even if you do not see them manifested, they are there.  God’s plan and purpose for your life is still there, even if you do not act on it.  Just like the package is at the post office even if you do not pick it up immediately. Many of God’s promises are conditional and one of the important conditions is obedience.

Remember what the Word of God says for you.  God will supply all your needs.  We are grafted into the Kingdom of God to make changes.  Are we ready for the undesirables who will come to our church?   Will we witness to them, call them, and help them to grow in their faith? 

We can spend hours on the phone with people, counseling them, and helping them in their challenges, and not receive confirmation that what we have invested in a person’s life is producing fruit, but we still need to persistently reach out to the person.

I think I am ready but may not be sure I am able to do what God wants me to do.  When we walk in the Spirit we will know what things are needed.  God wants us to be ready, willing, and obedient.

Jesus was always ready.  He is our role model.  He never missed an opportunity to serve someone.  He made Himself second.  

What if it is your birthday and someone calls to share a victory in their life?  Are you willing to put aside your special day to serve someone else?  Can you be happy for them even if they don’t acknowledge your special day?

We are to go the extra mile.  Do what Jesus did.  Show love, compassion, and empathy, not sympathy.  

We hold each other up in tough times.

Ethel went to the conference in Ohio, the Network of Local Churches put together by Apostle Lafayette Scales.

She shared some of her notes from that conference.

Declare the truth and speak with a purposeful voice.  Declare the Gospel and confront error.  But in the process we are to love the brethren.  

Prophetess Mary Ann Brown spoke on holiness.

How much do you love the Bible?  Will you do what it says?  Will we endure in the Last Days? Can we be in open sin and still live the life God wants us to live? No.

Will you endure or will you bend in the End Days?  Can you endure?  Or will we just settle?  We must stand for what is right, doing the Word of God.

We must minister to our children.  

We want to be pleasing to God.  I want to be as close as I can be to God.  If we are not acting in obedience, and are doing what we know or what we think is right it is not pleasing to God.  Sin is sin.  When you know something is a sin, you need to repent.

Don’t compromise.

With churches, we are not to build up numbers of people in our church, but rather build up people.  We want to ensure that people are growing spiritually strong, that is more important to God than numbers of members. 

We want to ensure that not one person will go through life not knowing that God loves them for who they are.  He won’t keep us in our mess, but He loves us now.

God wants us to come to Him so we can receive wholeness, peace, love, obedience, and healing.  

Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Saints do not come from Heaven.  Heaven is where the saints will go.  Churches are hospitals for saints.  We are imperfect people, and God is helping us grow.    We want to be faithful in our service to the Lord.

Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Right relationship with God is repentance and obedience.  

Love God’s people.  Whatever we do for the Kingdom, our motivation must be to glorify the Name of God.  Love is the greatest.  

We lead people but we can’t take people or push people to where we want them to go.  Love each other and be patient with each other.  Build each other up.

It is good to remember what mess God delivered us from, for that helps us to be patient with others.  We don’t want to miss God’s calling in our lives.  We want to be part of what God is doing in His Kingdom.

A lot of food for thought in this!  I pray it blesses you.

Heather