Lifting Oppression : Pastor Greg Mitchell

Bibles turned with me to the book of Acts chapter 10 we're going to read from God's word tonight God is going to set people free there are people before you leave oppression is going to lift off of you others you are going to be healed in your body some of you are going to get a breakthrough tonight by the power of the Holy Spirit I'm telling you in advance what God is going to do Acts chapter 10 is where we're going to read by way of introduction uh reading an article a woman in Connecticut started having pain in her abdomen for several months then a tumor started growing in one of her ovaries at the rate of 10 pounds per week leaving the working mom unable to walk in a wheelchair bound the the tumor made her appear vastly overweight but in fact she was actually malnourished because this huge tumor was sitting on her digestive tract by the time she came to seek help the tumor weighed 132 pounds Dr Von andikian said he had never seen a tumor of this size and I hope you appreciate I did not put a picture of the tumor on the screen uh he said the woman was desperate for help after a five-hour surgery removing the tumor fluid and skin the patient was a hundred and eighty-five pounds lighter four weeks after surgery she went into the doctor's office the front desk people were shocked they looked at her name three times they didn't believe it was the same patient the patient said when she went back to work her own workmates didn't even recognize her a weight was lifted off of her literally in the text that we're going to read just one verse it speaks about the ministry of Jesus Christ and it says that he healed all those that were oppressed which literally means weighed down and I want to speak about lifting oppression there are some people here that you have been weighed down by the assaults from hell and this scripture is going to give us good news that God wants to lift oppression let's read acts 10 38 just one verse how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him lifting oppression let's begin let's talk about the problem of Oppression the Bible declares that we are involved in a supernatural conflict that this text is talking about God invading Earth and establishing his rule on Earth Jesus preached about the kingdom of God the Kingdom of Heaven Luke 10 9 he told his disciples heal the sick there and say to them the kingdom of God has come near to you or is here so God's desire is to establish his will in the Earth but the Bible says that the enemy of our souls attacks God's people to try and hinder or even stop God's will Revelations 12 17 and Revelation is filled with symbolism and picturesque language but it says if the dragon was enraged with the woman and went to make war with the rest of her Offspring this is a picture of the powers of hell that that Waging War With The Offspring or the children of this This Woman This is a picture of True Believers and the devil seeking to assault Second Corinthians 10 4 speaks about the weapons of our Warfare and Ephesians 6 12 says in the new century version we are not fighting Flesh and Blood enemy but against evil rulers and authorities of the Unseen World against Mighty powers in this Dark World against evil spirits in the Heavenly places now that could take many different forms Temptation other kinds of things but our text speaks about a type of assault that the enemy brings against God's people and God's work and it's called oppression verse 38 healing all that were oppressed of the devil the word oppressed literally means to hold down to weigh down and it has the idea of exercising Dominion against or ruling over so the devil's desire is to seek access against God's people and weigh them down and rule over them Hold Us Down in some way if you study oppression in the Bible you see three main ways that the Bible talks about oppression we see first of all there is oppression in our bodies in this text it says healing all that were oppressed of the devil this is speaking about the spiritual roots of sickness that sickness has a spiritual Dimension to it that it can be an assault for no reason not because you deserve it or you've opened the door to Hell simply the devil is in the area through no one's fault he is trying to attack or sometimes he is trying to take advantage of of uh emotional issues in US but this text it's interesting it links healing with oppression it is describing the effects that sickness have upon people the devil understands this if you he can make people sick or in pain in some way it is not just going to affect their elbow or or their eye or whatever the problem is it is going to have an emotional and a spiritual effect upon them no one feels spiritual when they're sick I don't know about you I have never woken up with the flu and thought Hallelujah while I vomit I think I'll go to morning prayer that is not what happens rather we we uh are not feeling spiritual and when the devil seeks to oppress or weigh down one of the things that happens in God's people is false guilt they start feeling guilty for even being sick in the first place maybe I I must have done something to bring this on me or may I got prayed for it I didn't get sick there must be something wrong with me I'm not a very good Christian that is a classic strategy of hell that is why the devil attacks with sickness he's not simply after your body what he is after is your spirit he wants to mess with your mind and he is talking about the effect and the Bible calls this oppression listen if you have been battling sickness there can be times when you can find out reasons why but I want to say something to you do not obsess do not make an obsession in your life why why why am I sacred why am I not getting healed what you do need to focus on our text says sickness is from hell it is an attack that is what you need to keep in mind you might understand the reasons why you might not understanding makes no difference sometimes of whether you are healed or not but understand this it's called oppression it is an assault from hell secondly the Bible speaks about oppression being in our minds to oppresses to weigh down and many people can describe a season of life when there is a heaviness that weighs upon their mind or their spirit usually when oppression comes it is connected with despair you might feel bad you know if you crash your car or lose a job it's natural for you to not be happy about that but there's hope a new day will change things despair is always a work from Hell despair is the absence of hope it will never change no matter what we can do and when people are oppressed when something is Weighing on them the Bible says the effect is it often causes them to pull away from other people in the Old Testament there was a supernatural darkness that came and as a judgment in Egypt and it said no one could see anyone else this darkness is Supernatural but it has the effect of separating people from each other that is a work of Oppression sometimes people pull away because of conflict sometimes they see other people incorrectly when job is going through hell his wife is adding to that there's an extra conflict added to that dimension some people when they are oppressed in their mind it causes them to pull away from God one of the classic strategies of Hell the people who need to be in church the most don't feel like going they're oppressed you need to be in the presence of God no doubt there were people who said I don't feel like going to church tonight why because they're under a soul that is the opposite of what they should have done but that is a classic strategy from hell when people are oppressed it makes it difficult to function judges 10 8 says that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that word vexed means to be harassed it has the idea of something that is broken in pieces and people sometimes describe their mind being scattered it that is actually what the word is describing oppression affects your mind and your emotions when we went to Pastor in South Africa the numbers of the missionaries we used to call you can go to bed with the victory in love with Jesus wake up in the morning and something would be sitting on you it was like something squeezing your head we dubbed these Vice head days it was like you put your head in advice and the devil was cranking it down on your head that is what oppression is like third dimension in the Bible oppression affects our finances there are scriptures in the the Bible that speak about oppression but it's connected to a financial Dimension Proverbs 22 22 Rob not the poor because he is poor neither oppress The Afflicted in the gate so oppression here is connected to a financial uh Dimension or a financial Factor see oppression is always larger than the problem again the devil assaults not so your elbow hurts and I'm done that's all I want is to hurt your elbow what he is after is something larger the point of Oppression and why the devil oppresses people is to get you to change your mind for some people they change their mind about God like job's wife they her and her husband are under assault and and finally she says to her husband curse God and die she now is viewing God differently than she did before for some people it is getting them to change their mind about God's word they read in God's word they say I know what God Said God wants me to be well he wants me to be prosperous he wants me uh to uh have peace but but it must not be true maybe it's not true maybe maybe that whole healing thing isn't true at all because after all my loved one died or after all I prayed numbers of times and nothing changed so maybe it's not true maybe maybe it's me maybe everybody else can get a miracle maybe God loves everybody else but for some reason I am just not a quality Christian enough that is a classic strategy from Hell he's getting you to change your mind and finally the the point of Oppression is to get you to accept the oppression as being normal judges six says that the midianites for seven years oppress God's people for six years of harvests every time in a row when it was time for Harvest the midianites and all of the enemies would come in and would steal all of the food and all of the crops so now by the seventh year Gideon is the only one doing anything no one was fighting because they had come to the conclusion that's just the way it is here that is what the devil wants there are some of you you have been under sustained assault sickness after sickness and oppression and confusion and false guilt and your finances have been assaulted and you are coming to the point where this is starting to be normal you are waking up thinking where is the problem going to be today because it has become a part of your life Lisa and I took over Church years ago in the city of Melbourne in Australia when we took it over no one had been saved and added to the church for several years most of the people were struggling with poverty when we took it over the church had 60 people 30 adults 30 kids in one week five of the adults were in the hospital in the same week five out of 30. imagine that would be you know out of our church that would be like having 150 people or so whatever you do the the ratio it would be a huge amount but the pro so I come from the outside and I'm like what what is and they're like what this was normal because that is what the devil wants he wants you to accept this oppression as being normal let's talk secondly about God's will of healing oppression in this text Peter is preaching about Jesus Christ I want to tell you tonight my message is not a program I am preaching about a man Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is God In the Flesh literally God came out of Heaven to reveal who God was John 14 9 Jesus said he who has seen me has seen the father or in other words Jesus is God in the flesh so Peter is speaking now about oppression the answer is the man Jesus Christ it is fully man and fully God at the same time that's who Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ is God invading planet Earth where the devil was ruling where he had power and he was invading in order to set people free Luke 4 18 the spirit of the Lord is upon me to set at Liberty those who are oppressed same word as the as the the scripture that we read Jesus is giving a mission statement this is the first sermon that he preaches publicly and he says I am here because I want the oppressed to go free listen to me I don't care how long the oppression has been at work in your life I don't care how many members of the staff how many evangelists have prayed for you it doesn't matter to me do not accept oppression as being normal because our text says God doesn't accept it you know in the Bible Jesus interrupted church services I know back then they didn't call it church for the Jews it was a uh uh you know it was in the Jewish system but nonetheless in the synagogue Jesus is there and he interrupts they're doing other things and he looks at a woman who was bowed over by a spirit of infirmity couldn't even straighten up her back Luke 13 16 should not this woman a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has kept Bound for 18 long years be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound to her this one wasn't even asking for a mirror she wasn't expecting it but Jesus said this is not right it is not normal to live like this I don't want you to stay that way he interrupted funerals the boy at a at a village called name there it's the funeral procession making their way to the graveyard and he stopped he gets in front of the coffin the Bible says he touches and he says I say to you young boy arise and the boy came to life that would liven up a funeral service wouldn't that same thing when he comes to Lazarus tomb and he says a Lazarus come forth or come out of there in our text it tells us that Jesus wants to heal you where you're hurting where is the oppression at work in your life is it in your finances is it in your body is it in your mind God wants to heal you where you're hurting God can heal you there Luke 4 18 the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor he sent me to heal the brokenhearted to Proclaim Liberty to the captives recovery of sight to the Blind and set at Liberty those who are oppressed we need to take God at his word God I don't understand why I don't even have to have all the reasons why this is not your will according to your word I am going to believe believe you for freedom cry out to God for healing from oppression judges 10 12 the cydonians amalekites manites and oppressed you and you cried out to me and I delivered you from their hand and them fight oppression Matthew 16 19 I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in heaven whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven in a later sermon I'm going to show you some pictures I was waiting I didn't put it in this sermon but I'll give you a sneak preview when I was just in Sydney a week ago a week ago Saturday in a rally a band came from the city of Wollongong he had just been diagnosed with lung cancer was about to start treatment we prayed for him a very simple prayer and after that I told him go get checked by a doctor just this afternoon I received word from his Pastor that he went to the doctor and the doctor says it is not cancerous God has done a miracle for him thank God let's talk finally about anointing power if we're going to be free from oppression what is needed is Supernatural power acts 10 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power remember I said before I don't care how long it's been I don't care what it is I don't care how many times you've been prayed for the Bible says there is more than enough Supernatural power to lift your oppression Romans 8 11 how God raised Jesus from the dead and if God's spirit is living in you he will also give life to your bodies that die God is the one that raised Christ from the dead and he will give life through his spirit that lives in you Peter says the answer to oppression is the Holy Spirit the holy spirit is God's power made manifest or in ways that you can see or hear God's power made real and doing something this is a Pentecostal church we are Pentecostal what does it mean to be Pentecostals we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit God at work doing something Supernatural so if the holy spirit is the answer what is our part in this what should you do number one get filled with the Holy Spirit if you have not been filled with the Holy Spirit do not let one more night go by see the you need to understand this Jesus ministry began after the power of the Holy Spirit came on him at baptism when Jesus got baptized John the Baptist records that the Holy Spirit came down in a visible form so they would know that it was Supernatural in the form of a dove and rested upon Him verse 38 for God was with him Romans 8 31 if God before us who can be against us if you're not filled with the Holy Spirit there is something being filled with the Holy Spirit you are able to pray in a Heavenly language God will help you to pray you can praise them there's something Supernatural about speaking in tongues that builds you up but more than anything else it is the holy spirit in power inside of you and this is what you need get filled with the Holy Spirit there is power to overcome sin and habits there is power to witness and do God's will acts 1 8 you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and to the end of the Earth get filled with the Holy Spirit number two believe in the Holy Spirit see the devil assaults us with oppression so you will doubt what you have inside that's what some of you you're at that point now you're baptized with Supernatural power but because you're feeling something in your mind your emotions you're battling something physically in your body you are now coming to the conclusion I must not have anything powerful that's a lie from hell that's why he's assaulting you you need to believe verse 38 for God was with him when Jesus was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit there was something now manifested in power you need to believe that and finally you need to minister the power of the Holy Spirit verse 38 he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil this is a Ministry pattern every believer who's filled with the power of the Holy Spirit you can give out what you have this is part of why I wrote this book on healing it is not meant just for pastors every believer you have holy spirit Power which means you can Minister you can give it away you can release it on other people Mark 16 17 and 18 these signs will follow those who believe in my name they will cast out demons they'll speak in new tongues they'll take up serpents if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them and they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover when Peter and uh John we're at the the temple after Jesus had risen from the dead there was a lame man that used to beg he was there every day begging for money could not walk and he asked for money and Peter looked at him and he said I don't have money to give you but he said what I do have I will give you I do have something I was just filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and he said in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk and the Bible says not only could that man stand he could walk he was jumping up and down because Peter said I have something people filled with the Holy Spirit they can give it away here's what inspired this sermon is very very encouraging to me Emily Cassio Pastor Stephen's wife went through a long period of strange sickness it mostly was manifested in my Graves had intense pain such intense pain it was so hard to function kept getting tests from very unhelpful doctors one doctor you got pain I think you got a brain tumor that's not a healthy helpful thing to to tell someone another doctor said no it's a fungus there's a there's a fungus inside your you better get that taken care of it's going to kill you also not very helpful she can give you their names and he will never go to see them if you like kept getting tests it wasn't a brain tumor it wasn't fungi but it was strange being her head at one moment then she'd wake up being her shoulder it was moving around the body that is a sign that it is straight from hell a few weeks back what three uh three Wednesdays or so ago I think when when I was in Australia we had Pastor Manuel Delgado he was here to translate the book for the audible version and I asked him to preach she did a great job on the Tuesday night in the Spanish service asking to preach on a Wednesday and he prayed for numbers of people and they got healed prayed for Emily and I was so fascinated at what Emily said we were asking her what happened she said even before the pain left she said I felt something lift off of me what lifted oppression and then sure enough the pain left and here now it's been several weeks after that still pain-free because God lives so pressure let's give God praise right now oh God I thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit Lord God you want to lift oppression thank God and that is what God wants to do for everyone else as well praise God let's bow our heads thank god with our heads bowed I'm giving a challenge now if you're here tonight and you are living in sin some of you recognize that there are is the power of Hell at work inside of you but some of you it's because you're cooperating with hell you're opening the door willingly you choose to sin break God's commands and it's now working out in your life many different ways it's affecting your relationships some of you are addicted you cannot break free from addictions and habits that hold you hostage I am preaching Jesus Christ who lifts and breaks the power of Sin from off of people's bodies off of their minds but most of all off of their souls Jesus that I came to set the captive free some of you are held captive by sin here tonight and my challenge to you get free let God lift the weight of sin off of you some of you if you're honest you would know that God is not pleased with the way you're living right now but he made a way Jesus Christ is how God feels about your sin sin is so unacceptable and sin holding you hostage is so unacceptable God himself came out of Heaven became a man allowed himself to be crucified paying for your sin so the captive can go free and if you would be honest about your sin you could pray tonight I quoted a scripture God said I set you free when you cried out to me that's what you need to do you need to cry out to God In Prayer said God forgive me I don't want to live in sin anymore how many people are here you are not right with God and while our heads are bowed you want to pray for God to forgive you before we do anything else I want you to do this lift up your hands so I can see it Pastor Greg I need Jesus I know that I need to be saved all across this place how many would there be hold your hand up I'm not right with God and I want to be saved God loves you wants to help you and he can do a miracle inside of you lift up your hand right now or you're a backslider backsliders no God and then they turned their back on God opening the door to sin again backside it lift up your hand I Want to Be Free God will set you free thank God I want I want to pray for people my brother you lifted your hand amen I want you to get out of your seat come here hey man you want to get right with God come here kneel down to the front I want someone to pray with him anybody else unsaved or backslidden I want you to come and get right with God I need to be freed from my sin thank God I want you to stand up to your feet if there's somebody near you doesn't know Jesus gently invite them the altars are open some of you are under assault first of all come to God and say God I am choosing to believe you we're going to pray for the lifting of Oppression But first you pray first you cry out tell God I'm going to believe you and I'm going to be set free they're going to sing right now while people are coming to pray [Music] there is power in the name of Jesus [Music] there is power power in the name of Jesus to Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain there's healing in the name there is here in the name of Jesus there is healing in the name of Jesus of Jesus there is believing in the name of Jesus to Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain to break every Power in the blood of Jesus [Music] Power in the Blood of Jesus There Is Power in the Blood of Jesus Break Every Chain and Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain there is healing in the name of Jesus the series healing in the name of Jesus there is healing there is healing in the name of Jesus Break Every Chain Break Every Chain to break every to break every chain to Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every there is freedom there is freedom in the name of Jesus

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Keywords: Preaching, gospel, pentecostal preaching, christian fellowship ministries, the potters house, cfm, bible conference, prescott potters house, prescott, prescott bible conference, Holy Spirit, Pastor greg mitchell, Pastor Tom Payne, Mens discipleship, discipleship, pastor joe campbell, deliverance, the door church, truth, life, way, hope, comfort, refuge, escape, healing, spiritual, spirituality, family, love, peace, Jesus, God, rapture, fellowship, selfcontrol, kindness, Christian movie, faith movie

Id: di9lrc2iI3g

Length: 35min 42sec (2142 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 26 2023