Aug. 14, 2011 - Carter Conlon - Let No Enemy Find Safety

my message this morning is from Josh from a chapter 10 beginning at verse 8 and it's called let no enemy find safety let no enemy find safety say it with me let no enemy find safety now father I thank you for the anointing of your spirit thank you Lord for your strength and for your power without you Jesus none of us have life none of us have strength our boasts anything we say anything we proclaim would be empty it would be powerless you're the only one that can make your word come alive we're even dependent upon you for that our natural minds can't comprehend spiritual reality Holy Spirit of the Living God quicken us let the Word of God begin to burn within us let there be a supernatural faith that rise among the people of God help us Lord Jesus in this generation help your church all throughout this country and throughout the world Lord help your church help your people to come alive God Almighty God Almighty breathe again breathe again into your house into your temple Lord it is a no glory to you to have a church that just simply whimpers out in the last moments of time I read in the scriptures that there be a church that's alive that's vibrant that's filled with the Spirit of God that knows you Oh God in a profound way thank you Lord Jesus I give my body to you and mind in my heart do with me what you will all I ask is that your name be glorified Jesus your name be glorified the Father we thank you for it in Jesus mighty name let no enemy find safety now I've over the years been around long enough I think is a Christian to see that there are some people have been in the church a long long time and finally arrived at a place where they seemingly are unchangeable unmoved certain patterns of thinking rightly or wrongly I've gotten into the heart and it even goes so far as that wrong can become right in the sight of somebody who professes at least to love God and there's a reason for this and what I'm about to share with you today especially those who are young in the Lord doesn't matter if you're 80 years old and you just came to Christ five years ago it's for those who are young in the Lord there's a season in your life that you need to be aware that God gives you a special touch from heaven to fight against all your enemies everything that would oppress your mind everything that would bring down the testimony of Christ within you you have been given the power this was the problem with Israel they they were told this but stood at the shore of a place of incredible blessing the first generation simply couldn't go in because they would have if they could have even found the courage to fight with the Giants the tendency of their heart because of unbelief most likely would have been to create whatever peace they could find and many people make peace as it is with things that should be destroyed things of the heart things of the mind things that are making your life much less than God intended it to be and because you are perhaps lacking in faith or maybe intermixed with the ways of this world you end up making peace and that's what happens people get to be 50 60 years of age sometimes have been years and years and years in the house of God but have so entrenched things into their life that are clearly declared to be wrong that they can't see it anymore there's an enemy there that they have made peace with Joshua chapter 10 beginning at verse 8 and the Lord said unto Joshua fear them not for I have delivered them into thine hand there shall not a man of them stand before thee joshua therefore came unto them suddenly and went up from Gilgal all night and the lord discomforted them before israel and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and chased them along the way that goes up to Horan and smoke them to ezekiah and into Machida and it came to pass as they fled from before Israel and were in the going down to beth horon that the lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Ezekiel and they died and there were more which died with hailstones and they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the EM rights before the children of Israel and he said in the sight of Israel son stand those still upon Gibeon and thou moon in the valley of a Jalan and the son stood still in the moon stayed until the people that avenged themselves upon their enemies is this not written in the book of Joshua so the Sun Stood Still in the midst of heaven and hasted not to go down about a whole day and there was no day like that before it or after it that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man for the Lord fought for Israel and Josh were returned in all Israel with him unto the camp to Gilgal but these five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makita and it was told Joshua saying the five kings are found hid in a cave of makita and Joshua said roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave and set men by it for to keep them and stay e naught but pursue after your enemies and smite behind most of them suffer them not to enter into their cities for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand now there's a time in every Christian believers life when hell will throw everything it has against the new life that God has given you and I know I'm speaking to somebody here this morning all of Hell seems to be against you hell is against your mind hell is fighting against your body hell is fighting to rob you of confidence in the future hell is tormenting you with thoughts of the past you're being fought against in a manner that you never thought you would be fought against as with the children of Israel they had crossed the Jordan River in Joshua chapter 3 and verses nine to eleven let me just read it to you for times sake says in Joshua said to the children of Israel come hither and hear the words of the Lord your God and Joshua said hereby shall you know that the Living God is among you and he will without fail drive out from before you all the Canaanites the Hittites the Hittites the perizzites the girgashites the amorite and the jebusites behold the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into Jordan now that Ark was a type of Christ the ark went first that symbolizes the presence of God the power of God every promise of God went before the people of God through the Jordan River now remember it was in the Jordan River that Jesus Christ was baptized it was in the Jordan River that the Holy Spirit came upon Christ in the profound and a very deliberate way that was visible to the people it was at the Jordan River that the voice of God the Father spoke at that time symbolizing the Covenant of God in Christ Jesus going through the river first in perfect covenant promising to drive out all your enemies promising to gain a victory for you that you and I could not have ever won in our own strength not just so that we could gather here and worship as wonderful as that is but that we could be a victorious people we could be a people are supernaturally empowered to go in to possess things that are not available to ordinary been borrowed I mean people are not enabled by God the scripture promises a new heart and a new mind and a new spirit daniel said they that know their God in the last days shall be strong and shall do exploits that means to be able to accomplish things that are not able to be done with any power of natural reasoning with any power of good will through the people that God has in the earth through simply through their lives there's a declaration that there is only one God there are a lot of concepts about life but there is only one God there is only one way to eternal life there is only one resurrection there is only one salvation in Chapter six of Joshua they won a big battle they went in through the Jordan and went to Jericho now Jericho is is that entrenched place walls thick and deep that that within your own heart that told you that you can't this is not for you and some of you had to fight that battle the first time you ever heard the gospel there's there's something that's just you saw the river you understood Christ but just beyond the river there was there was such entrenchment is it possible that I could change is it possible that new life could be mine and that Jericho you learned that the promise of new life is yours when you when you cross through and simply by faith won that first victory by faith you began to realize that there's new life is mine by faith you began to change by faith that very thing in your heart and said you'll never be anything more than what you are crumbled it fell and it fell because you simply chose to worship it fell because you stayed quiet and began to realize the battles not yours the battle is the Lord's and you want a big battle and there are many here today you can that would be your story as said pastor I the biggest battle of my life was to believe that this was for me I remember sitting in church as a young man and hearing words like this and my heart pounding and this question in my mind is it possible that this life could be mine is it possible that there could be freedom and change and that I could become what God destined me to be and I had to go through my Jericho like you have to go through here Jericho and there's a point I don't know what had happened that somehow I just started to feel like shouting just like the people did they walked around that wall and they probably meditated on it for those first several days and then finally a shout came into their heart and when that shout came in it was yes it's mine the life of God is mine hope is mine I have a future I will be what God said I will be and then after Jericho they won a small battle in Chapter 7 and 8 a little town called AI but they only won it after much soul-searching and determination to walk in obedience this was the second lesson you will win great victories but you will not win them without obedience to God there's the two are inseparable how can two walk together Amos 3:3 unless they be agreed when you and I walk in agreement with God with what His Word says and what his plans are for our lives we'll win all of the battles the big ones and the small ones in Chapter 9 something interesting happens a very powerful enemy comes in and simply bends his knee Gibeah they give me a night without a fight and becomes a servant to supply water and wood to God's people now there are some things in your life that have lost their power to overcome you though they may still linger I have a good friend who suffers greatly with physical pain in his body this pain would over it's so intense it would overcome a natural man but this man has not overcome he stands and he's a man of Prayer and he stands believing God for the victory of seeing the name of Jesus Christ vindicated and glorified in our generation and the people of God being made strong I have another friend who suffers in his mind because of a physical affliction in his body it causes him to go into periodic bouts of depression these things would destroy an ordinary man but this friend of mine stands even though the Gibeonites are still there they bend their knee to the presence and power of God and the Gibeonites became hewers of wood and drawers of water Paul the Apostle had a thorn in his flesh he asked God to take it away from him three times and the Lord finally says Paul don't ask me that sending more you need this in your life for a specific reason that you may or may not understand and my grace my presence my supply is going to be all that you need and that thorn became a supply depaul believe it or not because I believe in that difficulty that he experienced in that trial in that hardship Jesus Christ proved to him that no matter how much your body hurts no matter how deep you may struggle in your mind no matter what it is that you have to fight these things within you have to bend their knee to my presence in your life and all they can do they could have destroyed you in the times past because Gibeah was a strong City but all they can do now is bring a cup of cold water to you when you're thirsty that's all they can do they come in the door but they don't come in with any authority anymore they only come in with a jug of water in their hand and they only help you to understand and me to understand that Jesus Christ is that source of living water he's that supply he's that one that enables us to have a fountain of life springing out from within us no matter what our circumstance in life might be whether on the top of the mountain or the mountains on top of us whether we have no problems or we seem to have accumulated every problem known to humanity the presence of Christ is all that I need is all that you need I don't need to be free from struggle I don't need to be free from the trials of normal and ordinary people around me I simply need that well of everlasting water within me and these things that are all around just serve to remind me that I have to drink hallelujah so when that old pain comes back in that old depression knocks on your door just say please would you mind filling up my glass of water and while you're at it before you leave put another log on the fire these are the victories we experience as the children of God but then comes Joshua chapter 10 we're five powerful kings rose up suddenly and said enough of this and Joshua chapter 10 is that season where all hell seems to come against the victories that you've had and tell you this is as far as you're going to go we've come out to stop you and this is not a battle that usually the new brand new believer experiences God in His mercy thank God gives us that season of wondrousness that season where all we can do is shout and dance and clap in the house of God I went through that and wonder why some of the older Christians look so verdant around us not realizing that yeah we're going to be there pretty soon you see a lot of people are in the five kings season where everything hell has is suddenly thrown against you old struggles old battles old trials and new ones knocking at your door seemingly coming at you from every side as five kings would and God spoke to Joshua in our opening text and it says the Lord said to Joshua fear them not for I've delivered them into thy hand and there shall not a man of them stand before thee verse 9 says Joshua therefore came to them suddenly and went up from Gilgal all night now that is that is significant because Gilgal is a place of separation the scripture tells us that many of the children born into the house of God in the wilderness season after the time where they refused to go in under Moses and spent those many years in the wilderness there were many that were born into the family of God at that time but they weren't sir they weren't separated they didn't have that mark on them of separation unto God and I feel that in our generation there been a lot of people come into the camp of God especially in Argent in our time but many of the people are not separated to the purposes of God and not separated from the ways of the world man put it that way there's a dual pursuit going on here and what we learned from here is that without separation or the desire to be separated to the purposes of God and formed the purposes of God there's no strength remember Samson lost his separation of the god he was born in Nazarite he was he was born with a mark upon him which was here that was longer an uncut than that was typical in his generation but that was the mark of the Nazarite he had a mark in his body that set him apart from other people of his time and that separation of God gave him his strength now when he played with that separation and he began to follow pursuits of the society that was around him that's where he fell asleep and lost his strength you and I have to be separated to the purposes of God whatever that purpose of God is for your life only you know that and the Holy Spirit knows that don't be running somewhere and asking for somebody to tell you the purpose of your life only God knows his plan for your life and is able to bring it to fruition then second Corinthians I'll just read it to you chapter 6 and verse 14 Paul says don't be unequally yoked together with unbelievers in other words did don't be running after the same things that people that don't know God are for what Fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion has light with darkness and what Concord has Christ with Belial or that which is against Christ or what part is he that believes with an infidel what agreement has the temple of God with idols for your the temple of the Living God as God has said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I be their God and they will be my people wherefore come out from among them and be separate says the Lord and do not touch the unclean thing and I will receive you that doesn't mean that we and Paul clarifies that it doesn't mean we don't live in the world I mean we lived there but we're not of it the pursuits are conversation what we are and who we are we are we live for the purpose of God and the purpose of God is that the name of Jesus be glorified in the earth and men and women find him as Lord and Savior that is the purpose of God it's the mission of Christ that's what Calvary is all about to be separated unto that and whatever that means in my life and in your life and in Joshua chapter 10 again and it says in verse 10 it says that the Lord discomforted them before Israel and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and chased them along the way that goes up to beth horon and smote them to syke and to Makita and it came to pass as they fled from before israel and we're in the going down to beth horon the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto syke and they died that were more woods died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slim with the sword when when we choose to be separate to the purposes of God I'm not talking about weird there are factions in the body of Christ that have taken this and the separation has made them strange and somewhat irrelevant to their generation I'm not talking about that you and I live in a normal neighborhood we live in an apartment we go to the job I'm not talking about not associating with people who don't know Christ for goodness sakes that's the call of the gospel is to associate with people who don't know Christ not to not to start looking weird and living in a corner that that's not what the gospel is implying it means that we don't simply have the same value system we're not we're not looking to Wall Street for our supply we're looking to God for our supply and we're not looking for the big promotion to fulfill us we're looking for people to come into the kingdom of God that's where our fulfillment is found and you'll find when you choose to be separate under God that a divine enablement this this reminds me as this these stones came down from heaven is great truth suddenly come alive and conquer all that would oppress you and body and in mind great truths of God come and literally remember jesus said he likened himself to the cornerstone of the church and he said whoever falls on this stone will be broken but whoever it falls on it will grind him to powder the Lord is saying I'll fight against your enemies how conquer that wood stands against you but choose to be separated unto me and as you walk on this journey suddenly great truths will come alive in your mind they won't be just something you've memorized and can quote on a bus somewhere it will be alive it will explode inside of your heart when the enemy tries to make you afraid suddenly the streets truth from heaven comes that says God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind there from that ashamed of the sufferings of Christ nor of the testimony of God in this generation great truths come and crush that which would oppress you and that which would cause you to be ineffective in the time in which we're living and now we come to one of the most profound moments in all of the Old Testament that Joshua 10 and verse 12 it says then speak Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the EM rights before the children of Israel and he said in the sight of Israel's Sun stand still upon Gibeah that thou moon in the valley of Edgehill on and the Sun Stood Still and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies is this not written in the book of Jasher so the Sun Stood Still in the midst of heaven and hasted not to go down about a whole day and there was no day like that before it or after it that the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man for the Lord for Israel now I'll have to wait till I get to heaven to see how this all transpired I'm not an astronomer but I know enough about it to know that if you stopped the Sun from moving you have literally suspended the movement of our entire galaxy every you don't stop one part of a Swiss watch without stopping the whole launch folks he has suspended God now you have to understand when when Joshua prayed he had it was not just rank emotionalism he had to have known he was in a divine moment he had to have known that there was something in God's heart that was so in his heart that the victory was at hand and needed to be won and Joshua said no we're not gonna let these people escape we're not gonna let these enemies find a place of refuge and it was getting down to the courts the end of the day and there was such a battle being won Joshua prayed didn't Jesus tell us up to this point you've asked nothing in my name now I ask that your joy might be full did he not tell us whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give it to you and just were prayed and ice is a type for us this is not we're not all to go outside and try to suspend the universe folks it's just simply not going to happen can you imagine if if every one of us had that power the Sun would be going down coming up going down coming up but that's not what this is about it's showing something about the heart of God about what the point is everything stopped everything stopped to bear witness to a people who had chosen by faith to honor God on the earth everything stopped everything was suspended in other words everything that had been created and moves about in the universe as the planets rotate around each other and everything else that goes on in the galaxies even the law of gravity was suspended because technically they should have been flung off the earth at that moment everything was suspended when Joshua prayed and that was a man now we would expect that if Jesus that way than that of course God would answer but a man prayed he was a man in a battle and here's there's what it speaks to you and I when you and I are separated to the purposes of God when we are walking forward and truth is beginning to explode in our hearts and we turn to pray that God is able to stop everything in your life everything that was set into motion by sin everything that came into your life by birth by association by words that were spoken over your life everything that has made you what you are and tells you that this is going to be your future when you choose to live for God and begin to pray God says to it stop torment stop suicide stop drug taking stop drinking stop anger stop bitterness stop hopelessness stop torment stop everything stops when you and I get into the battle and said by the grace of God I'm going to be what God has called me to be and by the grace of God I'm going to go or find the name of Jesus in the earth and by the grace of God I'm not going to heaven alone hundreds and thousands are coming with me by the grace of God I'm going through every wall for every troop every power of hell every demonic force everything in the devil that says this can't be done by the grace of God everything stops all things become new everything stops what would have been your future stops your past comes to a dead halt has no longer any power over your present and your tomorrow the five kings fled when they saw these things obviously they fled and hid in a cave and was told Joshua the five kings are found hid in a cave at makida and Joshua said roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave and sent men by it to keep them little did hell know that when it rolled a stone in front of the tomb of Jesus Christ that it had set hundreds of millions of people free and taken itself captive it's like a jailer and the confusion of darkness closes the cell door on himself and all the prisoners are outside and free Hebrews says the writer of Hebrews says if Helen known what it was about to do it would not have crucified the Lord of glory hallelujah to the lamb of God when Jesus rose from the dead he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men when he came out of that tomb you came out of the tomb with him and so did I when he came out in resurrection power Paul the Apostle says the same spirit that rose Jesus Christ from the dead shall quicken our mortal bodies we are brought out of death and into life out of powerlessness and into strength out of confusion into divine thinking out of everything that would tell you that you have no hope and no future out of every battle struggle and trial that believes or would have you to believe that has the right or power to stop what God has destined your life to be when Jesus came out of that tomb it settled it forever not only did he pay the price for sin but he opened the way to divine life and brought us back again through Calvary to that tree of life that was lost when mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden and we can partake of that cross and we can be strengthened every day and you and I can become everything that God has called us to be young man young woman here today please don't sell yourself short especially in this hour in which we're living today be everything that God's called you to be and verse 19 Joshua said now don't stay here don't stay the five kings were in a cave and this morning you're listening to a message and you finally perhaps have come to an understanding that you can't be destroyed or overpowered by these things that are telling you that you have no future or the God somehow is displeased with you you can't be overpowered but Joshua said now don't stay here but pursue your enemies and smite the hindmost of them and don't let them get into their cities for the Lord God has delivered them into your hand don't let them find refuge don't let them become entrenched in your thinking and your mind or your heart or your spirit don't let these enemies bitterness Envy lust hatred strife hopelessness despair suicide whatever it is you're fighting with don't let these enemies find safety in you pursue them while faith is alive in your heart go after them you have the power within you to see them conquered you have the power to be a new person you have the power to have a new life you have the power to make a difference in your generation I believe with all my heart that the Lord Jesus Christ will have a free people in this generation we're living in you and I have to be free now we have to be free because of the hour that we're now living in listen to what the psalmist David said let God arise let his enemies be scattered let them also that hate him flee before him as smoke is driven away so drive them away as wax melts before the fire so let the wicked perish at the presence of God but let the righteous be glad let them rejoice before God yeah he let them exceedingly rejoice before God sing unto God sing praises to his name extol him that rides upon the heavens by his name yah and rejoice before him a father of the fatherless a judge of the widow's is God in his holy habitation God sets the lonely and Families he brings out those which are bound with chains but the rebellious dwell in the dry land o God when you went forth before your people when you did march through the wilderness the earth shook the heavens also dropped at the presence of God even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God the God of Israel vowel God did send a plentiful rain whereby thou did confirm thine inheritance when it was weary hallelujah to the lamb of God that God arise that's the cry of my heart for you as a church and for me as a pastor for this city for the churches that are in it for this country for this moment that we're now living in in time and in history that God would arise in his enemies be scattered but a song of praise and glory would rise in the house of God that perhaps has not been heard for many many years a song of faith a song of victory a song of a people going forward that the life of Christ might be known and manifested through them not simply that we may better ourselves but that we may be used for the betterment of others to be given for the purposes of God in the earth don't stop Joshua said don't let your enemies find refuge let no enemy I think this fine safety nothing nothing in your heart nothing in your life don't let it find safety in you make no peace with it pursue it pursue it by being separate pursue it by trusting God's truth to enable you pursue it through prayer and pursue it by moving forward and saying never never never will darkness be allowed to dominate my life hallelujah I want to give an altar call today for those simply who are fighting these five kings those here today among us that are just fighting hell and it happens to everybody and when you get out of your seat and come to this altar you're not recognising it you're a failure you're actually recognizing where your strength is it's in God and you're coming to the one who is able to give you the victory and we'll pray together and we'll worship together let's stand please and if the Lord's drawing you and you want to pray and we're going to believe God for great victory today just come and meet me here in the Annex you could step between the screens if you will we're gonna worship this for a few minutes then we're gonna pray together don't be ashamed to come if you're fighting hell you're not alone if you're fighting hell it's because hell knows your name folks you can be thankful of that hallelujah hallelujah Oh God Almighty we stand before you as your people in this generation and we have determined in our hearts to go through and to see your name glorified no matter the personal cost we thank you Lord for great truth that you have defeated every power of darkness nothing of Hell has a right to oppress us nothing can destroy the testimony of Christ within us and we have a right to condemn every tongue that rises against us in judgment we believe that our lives are going to make a difference in the earth in this generation the old Jesus thank you Lord where you are you say that you open every prison door you give sight to blinded eyes you heal those that have been bruised and the treasure of heaven becomes a reality to those who are poor in spirit Jesus thank you Lord for what you're about to do we thank you God that you're going to give us great strength for the coming days that your life is going to become our life your strength will be our strength your power will be our power and once again you'll have the people are running to the valley to face the Giants thank you God thank you Jesus then we don't have to settle for less than a new life in Christ God we praise you we bless you I ask you Lord Jesus through these you have responded today to do the miraculous do the powerful let today be the beginning of a brand new song brand new faith brand new victory a brand new glory hallelujah praise God praise God stand still just for a moment because we have some babies were going to dedicate when we're talking about brand new life and then we're going to sing because Psalm 68 says let God arise that his enemies be scattered so let the wicked perish at the presence of God but let the righteous be glad let them rejoice before God let them exceedingly say with me exceedingly rejoice exceedingly rejoice that means a song of faith the song of glory a song of trust a song of victory a song that says inside I'm not going to be tomorrow the way I am today there's going to be change in my life you

Channel: Times Square Church

Views: 18,048

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Keywords: Carter Conlon, Sermon, Times Square Church

Id: NAoTnoMRUpY

Length: 39min 32sec (2372 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 25 2011