Making deals with the devil : Pastor Greg Mitchell

amen thank you workers I appreciate your help good morning if you have your Bibles turn with me to the book of 1 Samuel chapter 11 the island of Haiti was hit by an earthquake in 2010 and the majority of the houses in Haiti were destroyed that is not common usually some are destroyed but in Haiti the majority were destroyed and the reason why because of poverty when uh many Haitians are building their houses sand is cheap and so to save money they used more sand than they should have in the the cement and then steel being expensive often they left it out or didn't use enough Ste so they lowered the cost of what should have been there that is lowering the cost is what we call compromise and because they compromised on the building when the ground quak the houses absolutely crumbled I use that as an illustration preaching out of the text that we're going to look at the men of a place called called jabes Gilead in the Old Testament the enemy is threatening them they don't want to fight so they try to lower the cost they try to make a deal with the Enemy and this speaks of the dangers of compromise I want to preach a message I've entitled making deals with the devil we're going to skip through CH 1st Samuel 11 we'll start at verse one then nahash the ammonite came up and encamped against jabes Gilead all the men of jabes said to nahash make a covenant with us and we will serve you nahash the ammonite answered them on this condition I will make a covenant with you if I can put out your right eyes to bring reproach on all Israel verse 6 and seven then the spirit of God Came Upon Saul when he heard this news and his anger was greatly aroused so he took a yoke of o them and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of Messengers saying whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle so it shall be done to his ox and the fear of the Lord fell on the people and they came out with one consent verse 11 so it was on the next day Saul put the people in three companies they came into the midst of the camp and the morning watch and killed ammonites until the heat of the day and it happened that those who survived were scattered so no two of them were left together making deals with the devil let's talk about deals with the devil our text is talking about people who want to make a deal with their enemy and their enemy is called nahash nahash the ammonite the name nahash literally means shining Serpent and you know that the Old Testament you have physical and literal events but actually Are Spiritual or symbolic nahash The Shining serpent is a picture of the devil the enemy of our souls these men they were facing brutal Warfare this man if he attacked them he was going to brutally not just kill them he would torture and would do terrible things but this is true for you and I the enemy of our souls hates us listen the devil wants to destroy you John 10:10 the thief comes only to steal kill and destroy 1 Peter 5'8 in the New Living Translation says stay alert watch out for your great enemy the devil he prows around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour so these men like us are facing an enemy who is determined to destroy very simple thought in this text the men of jabesh didn't want to die unless you are strange that's that would be true for most of us they didn't want to die and they but the problem is they were unwilling to fight so there your option when you have an enemy you either fight him or you die they didn't want to do either so in our text they propose to make a deal with the devil what do we have to do to get you to leave us alone how can we lower the cause verse one the men of JB said to nahash make a covenant a PCT a treaty with us and we will serve you this is what we call compromise compromise compromise means an agreement by making concessions or in other words lowering the cost God had told his people you're going to face enemies in the land again physical enemies back then spiritual enemies for us and God put it in plain terms the enemies there is only one option you need to fight them you need to kill them all or they will kill you they will ultimately have an effect on you Deuteronomy 7:16 you shall destroy all the people whom the Lord delivers in over to you your eyes shall have no pity you shall not serve their gods for that would be a snare to you so God had said very clearly fight or they are going to overcome you or they're going to destroy you but the men of Jaber says we don't want to fight how can we make a deal so that we don't have to do what God told us to do so why would you want to compromise I think there are numbers of reasons unbelief many people simply don't believe what God says God says if you'll fight I'll help you you'll win Deuteronomy 24 ver4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you but many people they feel I just can't do that there are people that they come pray at an altar but in their hearts they say I just can't I don't think I can live for God I can't do right unbelief and because they don't think they can they want to make a deal they want to lower the cost weariness people get tired of the battle the moment you give your life to Jesus Christ you enter into to a conflict you're now on God's side in opposition to the powers of hell and you are going to have to fight if you want to survive over time Hebrews 12:3 consider him who endured such hostility from Sinners against himself lest you become weary and discouraged in your Souls making a stand for Jesus isn't something you do one time deciding to do right morally or in Integrity that is not something you do one time and then you're done you're going to have to do that again and again and again and some people the Bible in many different scriptures says they simply get tired they get tired of doing what's right they get tired of the problems that come sometimes standing what's right and weariness says how can we just not fight so hard Ataturk was the commander of the Army in Turkey during one intense battle in World War One his men had been fighting and fighting and fighting they were exhausted but he knew that uh the enemy forces were going to be coming against them and he warned them if you fall asleep now you will never wake up again weariness so some people say how can I make a deal so it's not so tiring and then there's cost I want to be honest with you serving God there are wonderful benefits and blessings but there is a cost and if you're going to do right there is a price to pay for obedience to God there's a personal cost if you serve God that means you no longer can serve yourself you can't do everything that you want to do in life Matthew 16:24 if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me so that means then when we get saved there are things that we intended and God says no I want something else for you there are things that we feel are okay and God says that's not okay there's a personal cost to serving serving God there's a relational cost lost when you choose to follow Jesus Christ that naturally puts you in conflict with people Matthew 10:36 a Man's enemies will be those of his own household some of you were shocked when you got saved you thought your family would be so pleased that your life is changing but in fact your family got very upset you're changing the family religion you you stop doing what they're doing mockery and persecution when I got saved I I didn't pick quality friends and when I told them that I was no longer going to party with them I was going to live for Jesus Christ they delighted in mocking they would wait until uh uh everybody was around and they would begin to Hallelujah Mitchell praise the Lord Mitchell's a Jesus Freak now and they like doing that I I don't want anybody to mock me but that's the cost sometimes people are not pleased so for whatever reason and there may be others the Temptation when faced with the cost is people want to compromise they want to lower the cost how can I do this cheaper how can I be belong to God but it not cost so much and so when people are compromising they're not saying you know what I don't want to live for God I want to be a Satanist they're just saying is there a way that I can still do what I want that no one will be upset with me I want to lower the cost let's talk secondly about losing your eye it's interesting they come to the devil and say say can we make a deal and he says absolutely the devil is the ultimate used car salesman have I got a deal for you nahash hates them he is coming against them not because they have a minor Tiff a little spat a a a little disagreement he wants to destroy them but the devil's a strategist he know knows that he doesn't have to kill them listen if the devil wants to destroy you he doesn't have to turn you into a drug dealer a Satanist a transvestite in order to defeat you all he has to do is get you to compromise if he can get you to lower your commitment to God it will have the same ultimate effect of Destruction as open battle in our text it gives us a powerful lesson if you're ever tempted to compromise and that is there is always a cost to compromise can we make a deal with the devil and nahash says absolutely on this condition I will make a covenant other a peace treaty I won't kill you but this is what it'll cost you I want to come and I want to poke out I want to stab and remove all of your right eyes and on that condition then I will make a deal with it listen you can't compromise with the devil you make a deal with a devil it's not free it's not cheap there is always a cost think about the cost of compromise when you compromise you lose lose the ability to defeat the enemy he was very specific he didn't say pick an eye any eye he said I want your right eye and the reason why the majority I'm sorry left-handed people the majority of people in the world are right-handed and so usually that meant if they're fighting those days swords or spears they would fight using their right hand they often would going to battle holding a shield with their left hand and they often would have it up here and with their right eye they're judging and they're able to fight one commentator says he who opposes his shield to the enemy with his left hand he hides his left eye he looks at his enemy with the right eye he therefore who plucks out the right eye makes men useless in war the devil said says we can make a deal on this condition I want to make you vulnerable I want to make you unable to resist listen once you make a deal I don't know what the compromise is is the compromise in honesty is it in commitment is it morally whatever way the devil is tempting you to compromise if you give in to compromise you're not going to be able to defeat the enemy anymore once you compromise in honesty you're not going to be able to resist peer pressure or lust it's not going to happen it's not like okay I'll let you put out my right eye but that's it then I will never no no no you once you start the process of compromise you know we there's a a a word that is used in often in boats in uh I guess they would use it in airplanes as well but especially in boats or submarines they say that the hole was compromised you know what that means there's an opening there's a hole why did the boat sink because the hole was compromised there's a an opening that is exactly what the devil is proposing here I'll make a deal with you but then you are open and once you are open you cannot keep the devil out secondly compromise causes a loss of vision verse two that I may put out all your right eyes you know what happens to people who compromise they compromise their integrity their honesty their commitment to God their morals whatever it is they become unable to see danger it's amazing through the years I've seen and many years of Salvation And pastoring I see people who choose to compromise in their walk with God and then they lose spiritual vision they miss obvious danger signs they get into trouble and I'm often P like how did you not see that coming the Old Testament Samson he wants a woman any woman will do he chooses a Philistine woman who's a prostitute and lo and behold she arranges for him to be overpowered and they poke out his eyes Samson she was a hooker what did you think was going to happen how could you not see she was a hooker who was of the enemy who hates your people people how did you think that was going to end butterflies and rose petals falling from the sky that was a pretty easy thing to see it wasn't going to end well but compromised people is exactly the problem they allow things in their heart in their life in their family that those who are not compromised thinking that's insane that's not why would you do that but they can't see it because they've lost their Vision you know last year the the Titan submarine tragedy a man built a submarine instead of out of steel he built it out of carbon fiber because carbon fiber was a lot cheaper and it took less time the owner of the company he received many warnings experts in submarines they wrote letters to him the own the owner Mr rush they warned him if you go into this ship that is carbon fiber it is not strong enough to withstand water it could end uh uh in disaster they warned him about that for years June 23rd last year 2023 the sub imploded killing the owner and all five people on board how could you not see that was coming once you compromise you lose vision compromise causes you to become a reproach verse two and bring reproach on all Israel reproaches shame embarrassment nahash says I don't just want to hurt you I want everybody who sees you to be affected I want everybody around you to be affected you know what by the way that you live you affect other people's opinion not just about you but about God a reproach on all of Israel Israel were people that were supposed to be God's people so nahash says I don't just want to shame you I want to shame God I want everyone to have a bad opinion have you ever had this happen you ever witness to somebody tell them about Jesus they need to get saved and they say I knew a guy I used to work with a lady and then they tell you what a lazy dishonest unrighteous person they were so they're saying no I don't want anything to do with your God or the person while being lazy immoral dishonest that I go to the Potter house there's no way I go there that's not right there there are people that are living right that do have Integrity shame comes on them because of the way someone lives that is exactly what the devil wants if you compromise you lose the ability to influence people who you love the Bible tells about lot lot compromised Abraham said pick wherever you want to live we go an opposite Direction so we won't fight lot chose the land near Sodom there were unbelievably immoral and ungodly people there but he could make more money for money he didn't ask God he didn't ask Abraham who was older in relationship with God for money and I've seen this again and again there are people that sell their souls for a few more dollars an hour for money the day comes two angels are sent God is going to judge and burn up those two cities of Sodom go and Gomorrah get lot out and the angels warn them you and your family get out because God is going to kill every everyone in this city and so lot the compromiser goes and tells his family come on we got to go God is going to judge and the Bible says to his sons-in-law he seemed like one who mocked or we would say in modern terminology his words were a joke what he said was absolutely true and correct we are in danger we need to move but the problem is his compromising lifestyle to them they what a joke I've seen this through the years parents that for years have compromised and compromised and compromised they won't do right they lower the commitment they do things they know are wrong and then the kid kids start getting in trouble and they go honey you need to live for Jesus absolutely true but to their children their words are a joke and you lose the ability nahash means serpent I want to tell you the devil is a snake there is nobody you meet you say man that guy's a real snake that you're not complimenting them are you when you talk about someone who's a snake they're deceitful the bi the Bible says the devil is a liar the father of Lies you make a deal with the devil he will not leave you alone it is not going to help you to lower the cost this is what Europe is learning isn't it Europe for years has made deals with radical Islam if we're nice to people who believe in radical Islamic theology then they'll be nice to us and they have let them build strongholds throughout Europe but now they're learning they're Marching In the Streets openly saying death to you we want to kill you like we were nice to you how come you're not nice to us because there's snakes that's why and the Devil is a snake verse four The Messengers came to gibi of Saul told the news in the hearing of the people and all the people lifted up their voices and wept I want to tell you that if you make deals with the devil you are going to be left crying I was reading about a woman it at laav there a Jew living in Israel she was a peace activist you know that they're surrounded by people who believe in radical Islam who hate Israel don't believe they have a right to exist laav was a peace activist there were there was an element before October 7th of last year they said all this talk of having to fight and defend and build walls and that's that's just not nice why don't we just be nice to the gazen people she was in a caboots very close to Gaza they invited gazin to work on the caboots they made friends with the Gaza thinking this is what you do if you just be nice to your enemy your enemy will be nice to you because she said I believed in the decency of the Palestinian people then October 7th ordinary Gins including some of the workers that they had befriended and paid money they discovered the whole time that they were there they were simply taking notes and targeting people and they came and helped in the attack one out of four of her neighbors were all killed some of them brutally and now ID laav is shocked now she is shocked how could it be that these people could be so cruel they try to make deals with the devil let's talk finally about saving yourself God's will is that you have victory over the enemy he doesn't want you to make deals with the devil because you don't have to because God Loved These people he provided someone who could help them Saul the king 1st Samuel 11:9 thus shall you say to the men of jabes Gilead tomorrow by the time the Sun is hot you shall have help and The Messengers came and reported it to the men of jabes and they were glad I want to tell you we have a king who will fight for us he will help Psalm 18:3 I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised so shall I be saved D from my enemies in the few short verses that we read we learn how you can gain Victory instead of compromising Victory starts with an attitude verse six when Saul hears what he wants to poke out your eyes his anger was greatly aroused Saul was outraged that is absolutely unacceptable listen you need to get mad at the Devil who's trying to offer you a lower cost But ultimately he just wants to destroy you wants to destroy your testimony your family Nehemiah 13:21 I warned them and said to them why do you spend the night around the wall if you do this again I will lay hands on you and he does not mean he's going to pray for them from that time on they came no more on the on the Sabbath you know what you need to do some of you here you need to stop playing games with sin you need to stop holding back from total commitment to God Senator John Ashcroft once said in a speech no reserves we're called to live a life of total commitment that's not only true as it relates to our faith but also every aspect of our existence God's word makes it clear that God of the tepid and the middling Revelations 31516 says I know your Deeds that you are lukewarm so I am about to speak spew you out of my mouth we must have no half measures no reserves Victory secondly requires Faith verse 9 say to the men of jabesh Gilead tomorrow by the time the Sun is hot you shall have help you need to believe God you can do what God told you to do and God will help you if you if you do it here here's the problem when you stand for what is right it doesn't pay off within the hour this is the difficulty we have what you need to do is make a stand with it but my family is upset make a stand do what's right but they're more upset and what the devil says is if you do right your family will become drug dealers and they'll blame you they will hate you they'll burn in hell all because you decided to do what's right that's not true you got to believe God God I am going to stand for what's right I told you when I got saved I told my friends I didn't choose quality friends I'm gonna live for Jesus they mocked but I didn't back down don't care what you say don't care how you Mock I'm going to live for Jesus very interesting years later brother Dennis rice was preaching in a in a prison uh near globe and a man came up and started talking to him he was in prison and he worked out what church he was from and he said do you know Greg Mitchell and he said yes I know him and he said if you see Greg tell Greg that he was right tell Greg he was right that was a friend that was the road I was headed on doing time for for drugs but God was able to touch over time you got to believe God Victory requires taking action against the enemy verse 11 so it was on the next day Saul put the people in three companies they came in the midst of the camp in the morning watch and they killed ammonites until the heat of the day you know what doing right is practical the Bible is a practical book for some of you you need to not compromise you need to do right but doing right for some of you that's not just like let's all do right no it's very practical for some of you what does that mean some of you need to speak up that's doing right some of you are secret disciples aren't you you're secret Christians you work you go to school with people but they would never know that you're a Christian you're compromising so for you it's simp what does that mean speak up others of you make a stand you have people that are pressuring you to do wrong speak up and say no I will not do that I refuse to participate no matter what the pressure is listen but everybody's doing it you're going to get us all in I don't care I'm not going to participate and do what you do for some of you it's changing your relationships I understood this when I got saved I made a stand my friends they chose to reject the gospel very simple I can no longer have the same relationship with you that I had before it won't work if I keep hanging with you Bible says evil company corrupts good morals I would be the one in prison right along with my friends because that was the road that I was headed on there are people here that you have people in your life friends family people you used to go to church with but now they are not a good influence now they're trying to pull you away from the things of God they're speaking against your relationship ship of God they're speaking against the church that got you saved and spiritually supports you and some of you here you're making deals with the devil you go but we've been friends forever then die today I I don't know I just I just don't want to be I don't want to I don't want them to think I'm mean no it's simple if you're not going to do right and you're going to hurt my walk with God then apparently I need new friends if you don't you lose your eye there's a reproach Victory finally is possible because of a supernatural Dimension verse six then the spirit of God Came Upon Saul when he heard this news his anger was greatly aroused it's interesting how did the victory begin it's an attitude but the spirit of God I want to tell you God gets involved there's something empowering about doing what's right there's there's a struggle I remember the struggle as I I got saved during the Thanksgiving break going back to school I'm I'm dreading this but I knew the only way I got to speak up I want to write up to my friends I want to tell you I got saved I'm no longer going to party and when I did that strength came in me when you do right because God's spirit will Empower you when you refuse to compromise I close this story in the early 1970s the Iraqi government arrested a group of us students on trumped up Espionage charges Saddam Hussein wanted confessions so the students were tortured in order to get them to confess to something that wasn't true they weren't spies they were students but they lied to them and they said if you will confess you'll be set free pressure and pain continued One By One The Prisoners they started to confess to crimes they hadn't committed every student did that except one torturing him isolating him they finally said okay today's the day you either confess or you're going to die put a pistol up to his head pulled back the hammer and cocked it and they started a countdown he had heard other people being executed from his cell and they told him if you'll just sign your name to this confession you'll live and he said said I will not closed his eyes and he thought he was going to die that day they pulled the tri trigger but the gun wasn't loaded that prisoner was eventually released and he discovered afterward every other prisoner who had confessed they wind up hanging them in the Public Square the only one who survived was the one who would not compromise but I'm talking not just about your life I'm talking about your soul I'm talking about your destiny I'm talking about your family it depends on will you make a deal with the devil or not let's bow our heads close our eyes all across this place thank god with our heads bowed if you're here this morning I spoke about serving God I'm honest with you there is a cost for serving God the cost of not serving God is greater the Bible says that those who sin they become slaves of sin their will is no longer their own they have no power to break habits and mindsets and unhealthy ways of living and then they face judgment eternally in hell but it was never meant to be that way God who loves you provides a way out the king said I can help you in that the story that we read I'm telling you King Jesus Is The Answer God made a plan we sang it in the song he lived the life that we could never live and died the death that we should have died he paid on the cross with his blood for your sin for my sin so we can go free and if you are here this morning God loves you so much he wants to help you and I am challenging you right now what you need to do is make a decision for Jesus Christ it won't happen automatically it must be chosen and I'm asking how many people here you want to pray for God to forgive you but by praying you are saying I want to leave my sin I want to live for God how many here if that's what you want to do I want you to do one thing lift up your hand so I can see it if you want to pray this morning and turn your life to Jesus Christ hold your hand up so I can see it all across this place I'm asking you to pray thank you I see that hand over on the side God bless you thank you you can put your hand down how many others I need Jesus I want to get right with God hold your hand up right now I'm asking you to pray I have nothing for you to buy you don't have to enroll I'm asking you to pray with a heart that wants to live for Jesus lift up your hand others you need God some of your backsliding you were saved but you turned your back on God backslider lift up your hand I want to come back I want to get right with God lift your hand up right now I need Jesus all across this place I want to turn to God I want to leave my sin there's a battle going on for some of you the battle is the cost you're thinking what about my friend what about my plan listen it's worth it to serve God it is not worth it to turn away from God anybody else quickly anybody else you want to get right with God lift up your hand right now as God would deal with you thank God this one that lifted his hand look up at me amen you meant that yes you want to get right with God over here another one yes come here I want to have someone pray with you God bless you thank you for your honesty you come to the front I'm going to have some pray with you just kneel down God bless you man need some man to come pray with them another man there quickly you pray with them I want everybody else to stand up I'm going to open the altars I'm inviting you some of you the issues of compromise the devil's been working on you maybe you already have or maybe you're just feeling pressured come to the altar make up your mind I am going to stand for God I want what God wants for my life they're going to sing while people are coming he is [Music] exalt he is exalted he is is exalted on high creation will praise him his Saint SW adore him for he is exalted on high and he is exalted he is exalt he is exalted on high creation will praise him his Saints will adoring for he is exalted on high he is exalted he is exalted he is exalted on high creation will praise him his Saints will adore for he is exalted on high he is exalted he is exalted he is exalted he is exalted oh high creation will praise him his Saints will adore him for he is exalted all sing it again for he is exalted he is exalted he is exalt exed he he is exalted on high creation will praise him his Saints will adore him for he is exalted on and let's worship God right now father God we thank you for your faithfulness thank you you Jesus Lord God for your goodness you are able to help us Lord God sh praise God I want you to Bow your heads there are people that are here some of you are in the altar that right at this moment in time there are particular people who it is a battle there's a struggle there's family there might be a friend there might be someone they are pulling on you they're speaking words and when you get around them you are swayed you are tempted to turn away from what you know is right and there's a battle some of you it's affection I I've known them whatever it might be but you're struggling and there's a particular person it's like during the day sometimes when you're in church this person fills your mind and there's a struggle going on you need Supernatural strength how many of you that's true for you lift up your hand amen amen God knows that God knows that amen I want you to say this out loud say father God I want to do your will and I need Supernatural strength forgive me of compromising I choose to do what's right I reject the words from hell that try to sway my mind I will be freed I break Unholy Connections in Jesus name from this moment on Amen let's pray for these people right now God I'm asking you're going to touch them bring strengthening in them right now enable them to to choose what is Right Lord God enable them to stand for your will I rebuke every word spoken of confusion witchcraft Temptation Rebellion right now it is broken off of their minds they will be freed by the power of the Holy Spirit you touch them now let's praise God together right now God I thank you thank you Jesus thank you Jesus for your power Lord God I'm grateful for your goodness praise God Amen we're going to be dismissed I want to encourage you to come we're going to pray one hour before the evening service in the prayer room in the other building uh at 5:30 new converts a class for you at 5:00 p.m. in the main entrance foyet but pray at 5:30 help us and then our evening service 6:30 Pastor Jesse is going to be preaching tonight and God's going to meet with us let's bow our heads we're going to uh be dismissed uh in prayer and I'm going to ask matth and Halverson you dismiss as we go

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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: lvhNS4-bEjI

Length: 48min 4sec (2884 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 10 2024