Raising The Bar | Tim Sheets

I was going to I actually put this sermon together probably a month or so ago and I even did some of the powerpoints for it but I felt like the Lord said no hold that and I want you to do some things on Hope which I did and end it with the thrill of hope and didn't know why this was something in in my heart but I I was he was saying put it on hold until today until of course I saw the activity of this week and then it started to make sense to me I believe this is a word for us and for our nation and it's going to speak to us I believe for our a year and again welcome to those of you that are watching all over the nation today and in Canada Australia other places thank you second Corinthians 10 verse 3 though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds New Living Translation reads we are human but we don't wage war as humans do we use God's mighty weapons not worldly weapons to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments we destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God we capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 2 through 7 message Bible Paul tells Timothy and the church at Ephesus or the ekklesia that he writes to at ephesus ephesus these words pass on what you heard from me the whole congregation saying Amen to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others competent teachers were needed then competent teachers are needed now when the going gets rough take it on the chin with the rest of us the way Jesus did a soldier on duty doesn't get caught up in making deals at the marketplace he concentrates on carrying out orders an athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere it's the diligent farmer that gets the produce think it over God will make it plain New King James Version reads this way you therefore must must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ no one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who enlisted him to be a soldier in our case that of course is king Jesus is also so that we can please him and also so that we can please the Holy Spirit who is our leader he is our superintendent our commissioner and so that we can please the father his love for us isn't based on this that's unconditional but pleasing him is based on this it's a magnificent to know that we're loved unconditionally but it's fulfilling to know that we have pleased the father someday when I walk into the gates of heaven and have to give an account for my life talk to the father about why I did what I did I want to hear him say well done good and faithful servant enter into the joys of your Lord and of heaven I like the Latin version of well done it's the word Bravo I want to hear him say Bravo come on in I'm not overly concerned with whether or not God loves me unconditionally I know that he does and I'm grateful for it I am to concern myself with pleasing him America and the church must understand that father today talked to us Holy Spirit communicate give us truth pray God for the anointing of Samuel that not one word that I speak fall to the ground let revelation let enlightenment flow supernatural recall let it come forth Lord a flow of communication from your heart to our heart Holy Spirit wonderful teacher you stand in the King's presence you hear what he's saying and he said you would come and tell us do that today may we hear what you are saying to the church and we will thank you for it in Jesus name Amen you may be seated as we begin what I believe is the most strategic year in my lifetime I feel drawn to some New Testament doctrines concerning warfare spiritual warfare yes it's true that the cross has provided us with great victories over sin and authority to fight battles and win has been given to us to fight and overcome has that anointing has been put upon us but to overcome implies that there are things by faith that we must come over that is in fact the definition of an overcomer an overcomer is one who comes over the great Apostle Paul calls us to fight to fight a good fight and come over to fight the good fight of faith he said that to Timothy in first Timothy 6:12 and he also says here we are called to be soldiers soldiers in the kingdom of Almighty God he writes to Timothy in 2nd Timothy 2:3 endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ endure difficult times like a good soldier engage in life's battles as a good soldier clearly in some respects the Bible teaches that life is described often by Monnaie military way through a military turn there are battles some of them are great battles there is warfare and we are to be holy spirit empowered soldiers we are called to be warriors warriors who engage with weapons of warfare that are not of this world they are not carnal meaning fleshy they are real and they are spiritual real spiritual weapons there are very strong weapons that can knock down strongholds of man's making or of demon making either one yes they are given to us by God but they must be used if we are going to live in victory we cannot just admire the fact that we have weapons we must use them they are not just ceremonial they are to be used in in battle and Paul said these things in a way that is supposed to inspire us to make a competent stand on this planet for our king and his kingdom he said these things to his son in the faith Timothy and of course to the church that he himself founded at Ephesus of course these words are also admonishments to to all believers all scripture is and he sums up these thoughts with these words in 1st Timothy 4 and verse 12 by saying I want you to be an example believer in what you say in the way you live in your love in your faith in your purity and I want you to be an example believer as a good soldier in the kingdom of Almighty God we ought to be alert we are to be engaged disciplined and faithful soldiers of our kingdom I think I feel that more of this year than any other time in my life I'm hearing a call of the Holy Spirit deep inside of me and to his church of battle stations of all hands on deck it is time to face the bullies it's time to face the invaders appeasement theology that some pastors and churches are adhering to now is not biblical and it is very dangerous the appeasement doctrine is dangerous on a natural or in the natural realm and also the spirit realm there are times when confrontation is required there are those even even so-called Full Gospel churches now who are saying and they are teaching that spiritual warfare is no longer needed Jesus fought our battles for us so we don't have to fight we even have and it's quite a movement across the America right now we even have some who say don't even fight by engaging in voting don't vote which shows a gross misunderstanding of Scripture and a gross misunderstanding of what Jesus meant when he founded the church and called it his ekklesia I was in a train in one town recently and was told that most of that town has never voted why because they were taught that voting is actually this it is divisive and Jesus wouldn't want us involved in anything divisive this incompetent illiterate understanding of Scriptures needs to be confronted with biblical truth and it needs to be said it is actually demon doctrine voting is in fact according to Jesus own definition of his church being a necklace Zia is governing body voting is actually one of our spiritual weapons that is to be used to pull down strongholds yes spiritual warfare is real and it is a New Testament doctrine that we are to observe why would we need weapons of warfare if there were no warfare why fight the good fight of faith if there's no fight against our faith why are we provided armor if there is no battle why Armour if there is no danger it makes no sense spiritually nor does it make any sense experientially why call us soldiers why call us overcomers if there's nothing to overcome why reference Christian warriors at all why not call us spineless wallflowers appeasing wimps spiritual chickens without a cause worth standing for why not call us purposeless exist errs spiritual snowflakes Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to May of 1940 he is best known of course for his foreign policy of appeasement which nearly destroyed at that time Great Britain and nearly destroyed all of Europe Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany were invading the nations all around Britain but Chamberlain wouldn't engage wouldn't fight he simply kept signing peace agreements with Adolf Hitler that he knew Hitler would never honor and in fact he did not honor the remnant in in Britain were screaming for a stand to be made Winston Churchill and others were writing op-eds saying we're going to get run over we're gonna get destroyed we're going to be speaking German before you know it Churchill even wrote this statement an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it eats him last all other without courage all other virtue is meaningless but Chamberlain he just cowardly held to his appeasing of the enemy and not wanting to offend the Nazis he didn't want to get involved it was not until the bombs begin to fall and the situation became absolutely dire with millions having already died and with the Brits in bomb shelters that they finally got him out of office and Winston Churchill took over the whole world was imperiled by the doctrine of appeasement passivism and millions lost their lives billions of dollars were spent because appeasement propagated vile hatred with six million Jews being tortured and murdered appeasement did not work and it never has don't get don't make Hitler mad don't upset the Nazis be docile cowards and pretend it's going to be okay it wasn't okay then and it's not okay today equally so and my point a church doctrine of appeasement is also damning it's destroying its imperiling our nation right now and our world and yes millions are losing their lives their eternal lives babies are being killed but don't make the progressives mad don't make the Liberals mad don't make the Socialists lawmakers in Congress mad don't make the media liars mad don't make the deep state mad don't make the culture mad don't make Antichrist agendas mad don't make nominal causeless religion man hang your heads you soldiers of the cross and close your eyes to the invading of your culture let your weapons on the ground and hope we let you survive appease us and maybe we won't run over you bow to us in fear and in trembling reverence us as we berate you and everything you believe submit to us and maybe we'll let you live it's to that mindset that the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy and the ekklesia that he founded and it was not a message of appeasement it was a message of very Gress aggressive engaged Christianity yes we are to be a loving people a peaceful people a meek people a giving people a serving people but we are not to be a gullible people meekness does not mean weakness in the New Testament in the Greek text it means strength under discipline disciplined strength we are to be disciplined soldiers of Jesus the King example believers in what we say we speak the truth of God's Word in the way that we live in our love in our purity and the Apostle says as good soldiers of Christ's Kingdom good soldiers are not cowards they are not absent without leave they are warriors who make a stand Paul wrote this to the Corinthian church he founded these words of admonition to that ekklesia second Corinthians 10 verse 3 and 5 the world is unprincipled is dog-eat-dog out there the world doesn't fight fair but but we don't live or fight our battles that way never have never will the tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture you cannot biblically say we're to stay out of the culture we use our powerful God tools for Smashing warped philosophies tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ there's the real call in the New Testament there's the real reason to use the weapons of our warfare there is a massively corrupt culture we are to fight and if we don't fight then bombs are going to fall cultural bombs are going to go off some already have there are some warped philosophies we have got to smash if we don't confusion and irrational belief will begin to be the dogma of our land there are some barrier walls erected against truth that must be torn down and we are to be good soldiers using the weapons of our warfare and tear them down weapons such as prayer prayers a mighty weapon why one of the reasons were fasting and praying the next 21 days weapons such as decrees of faith faith in God's Word principles of God's Word declared into an unprincipled world our mighty spiritual weapons and we must use them decrees of authority our weapons that help us overcome such as praise praise is a weapon it binds hell's strategies it causes confusion in demon philosophies that are rampant in our times the psalmist said in Psalm 149 eight it wraps Hells Kingdom in Chains it demolishes demon ideas and shapes thoughts to align with Christ's thoughts such as ruling and reigning as a true ekklesia Christ named for his church a governing body that does vote it's in the meaning of it it raises its hand and publicly votes if votes to forbid things or permit things it's a body of Christians the ekklesia by definition is a body of Christian believers who raise their hands and vote because voting is a weapon that's Christ's own definition not mine and yet you're not hearing it in the land very much use your weapons Christian warriors you don't lay them down you are not here to appease you are here to shape to shape things to align things of culture according to the principles of the Living God and it doesn't matter if it's dog-eat-dog out there you'd be a good soldier of the kingdom Paul writes to the church in Ephesus that he also again he also founded these words Ephesians 6:10 God is strong any ones you strong so take everything the master is set out for you well made weapons of the best materials and put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way this is no afternoon athletic contest that will walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours this is for keeps a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil and all his angels fallen angels demons be prepared you're up against far more than you can handle on your own take all the help you can get every weapon God has issued so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll be still on your feet you'll be the ones shouted truth righteousness peace faith and salvation are more than words learn how to apply them you'll need them throughout your life God's Word is an indispensible weapon in the same way prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare pray hard and pray long pray for your brothers and sisters keep your eyes open keep each other's spirits up so that one when one Falls so that no one falls behind or drops out hear that in the New Living Translation put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil for we're not fighting against flesh and blood enemies but against evil rulers authorities of the unseen world against mighty powers of this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places therefore put on every piece of God's armor so that you'll be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil then after the battle you will still be standing firm stand your ground putting on the belt of truth in the body armor of God's righteousness for shoes put on the peace that God that comes from the good news so that you'll be fully prepared in addition to all of these hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God pray in the spirit at all times and on every occasion stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for believers everywhere that most certainly is not a gospel of appeasement or complacency indifference or pacifism and it is straight out of the Word of God I read it these statements of Paul to Ephesus and his letters to Timothy are so insightful for our times right now it's as though they were breathed by Holy Spirit for us right now remember that Paul had mentored Timothy for years at this point and he had personally placed Timothy as the new pastor in Ephesus he had founded it and he says here it is Timothy I'm turning it over to you Paul started church after church at this point Thessalonica Phillipa Colossae Galatia and others but he had now become concerned about complacency he was now concerned about appeasement actually calling it bewitching to the Galatian ecclesia in other words it's like witchcraft it's like it's like a witch's dark spell appeasement is like witchcraft it's a destructive spell of darkness he says it's bewitching that's the context of what I've just said and read so he writes to Timothy challenging him as a spiritual father as a spiritual mentor Paul loved Timothy like like it was his own son he really did there was just such a strong bond between Paul and Timothy like really nothing like whew you see in the scriptures so he writes him with some advice of how to live successfully in the face of this dog-eat-dog culture this this rising opposition that was at that point actually stressing Timothy out to the point it was causing him health problems we think it was probably and officer of some sort it was the stomach health problem the context of those times is so revealing and Paul lists them in some cases he says nominal leaders are taking the church the wrong way giving heed to seducing spirits and even teaching doctrines of demons and compromising spirits spiritual truth that of course is happening all over this world right now they were compromising to keep positions of power many will not teach the truth because they do not want to lose their position of power others were compromising for financial reasons the offerings don't go up if you teach this they were compromising because of personal passivity similar to how many of our church leaders in fact now we have entire denominations that are compromising the gospel of Jesus Christ today polluting it with doctrines of demons from abortion acceptance to partial-birth acceptance to homosexual marriage acceptance nominal and you should know by now what that means in name only nominal in name only religion is being taught by hireling shepherds all around us this morning all around the state all around this nation they're teaching humanism and cultural values that are exactly the opposite of us of the scriptures it is prevalent and it is destructive so Paul writes Timothy challenging him to never compromise no matter what you do no matter how you feel even physically do not compromise he says to be a model be a model of true Christianity be an example of a real believer be an example of how genuine Christians live their lives no compromise Paul says Timothy we have so many that have lowered the bar but I implore you to raise the bar as we begin a new year I'm hearing that challenge of the Holy Spirit saying don't lower the bar don't lower the standard raise the bar we must raise the bar we must raise the standards we got to go to a higher level of genuine Christianity yes the culture is filled with demon doctrine yes compromise of biblical doctrine is rampant yes fake Christianity is abounding polluted with idolatry blended now with other religions that way you can pick and choose your own doctrines and live by your own reasoning that way as though truth were somehow a smorgasbord pick and choose live how you want to live it's okay take the part of God's Word that you like it's okay everyone's going to heaven anyway there are no eternal consequences as though creating your own way to heaven works when God swears to man it will not work there is only one way there is only one way and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is that one way living according to God's Word is that one way yes it may be straight yes it may be narrow but the wide way will lead you to destruction that's what the King says and yes a loving God says that how loving would he be if he didn't tell us God says I don't want anyone to go to hell I made it for Lucifer and his angels I don't want you to go please don't go I want you to spend eternity in heaven with me and here's how you do that and yet many want to be their own God and make up their own rules of eternal life which is a fool's position there are millions today around this nation who have accepted the fool's doctrine of their own way and they're attending churches that are apostate and they are teaching them that their own way is okay and it is not it's a fool's position there is no bigger fool than he or she who decides to be their own God and do it their way except he who he or she who says in their heart there is no God Psalms 14 and verse 1 the Word of God says there's no bigger fool those who are declaring there is no God you are listening to fools it is fool's speech the short years that we have left on this planet and I don't know how many there are but they are going to end and when they do we're all going to find out if God was telling us the truth or not Paul says Timothy don't compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ don't do it in any way shape or form don't compromise the gospel of truth truth I don't care how much dog-eat-dog it is I don't care how much obstacles are placed in your way I don't care who likes it do not compromise that Timothy don't lower the bar be an example of a believer in Christ be an example of a good soldier of our kingdom train yourself to be godly in your lifetime style quit goofing around and seeing how far you can go to the edge without falling in strive to be more like Jesus strive to follow him at a higher level raise the bar don't lower it the word example it is the Greek word to posts and it means a sample of or it means a complete model of something like a model car model airplane means a pattern of something and it is the Greek word for a role model a role model be a complete role model of what a believer is or how a believer lives so others can pass themselves after you raised the bar the challenge of the Holy Spirit to us and it is a big challenge the calling of the Holy Spirit to us is become mature examples of believers and how they live be a Christian role model be a good soldier the church today is in desperate need of believers who live Christianity as role models they don't just talk the talk they walk the walk they don't fake it they demonstrate it not to perfection no one can no one's perfect but with dedication they they press the mark for the prize of the high calling of Jesus they are role models of those who are passionate believers passionate believers because sadly in recent years we have spawned believers who talked the talk but they don't walk the walk they don't live it they are examples of passivity complacency they are examples of half heartedness there are examples of those that have one foot in the church and the other foot in the world wrongly thinking that God is blind and won't notice where are the heroes of faith today heroes like those listed in Hebrews chapter 12 and please don't dfi them that were men and women with like passions like you and I some of them did not know half what we know where are they those heroes like were listed there in Hebrews 12 men women whom the world it says is not even worthy of them yes we have a few but we don't have nearly enough are we examples of faithfulness those who make a stand and having done all stand they stand or are we examples of those who quit pretty easy are we examples of those who take offense easily or those who lay it aside are we examples of forgiveness or unforgiveness are we examples of bitterness or kindness are we examples of resentfulness or good will our example of criticalness critical attitudes or are we accepting and reassuring our examples of judgmentalism Pharisee ISM or can we be trusted with another brother or sisters character are we examples of evil surmises or those who think the best of others are we examples of slanderers gossipers or are we defenders and commanders are we examples of accusers of the Brethren or are we examples of true worshipers in spirit and in truth what is our example what are we modeling are we examples of givers of ties or offerings or we are are we examples of those who robbed god what are we modeling are we examples of Prayer or those who faint easily are we examples of commitment or those whose strength is small and commitment is easily abandoned are we examples of faith or doubt are we examples of those who live the Christian life and its values is our example mature is it average is it mediocre is it immature are we pursuing growing up in Christ God is looking for and the church needs those who are pressing onward towards spiritual maturity those who regardless of the level of spiritual maturity they are currently on and we're all on varying levels of maturity but they are examples of those who are at least pursuing another level in the kingdom of God they are not stagnant they're not role models of stagnant Christians who are still living at the level they live 20 years or more ago we need to be a people who live our lives as true believers we don't just say we believe we live it we act it we conduct ourselves accordingly we need to be a people that raise the bar whether anybody else does or not we need to raise the bar we got to go up a notch that's what raising the bar is it started in the Olympics at the high jump you incremental II raise it you don't lower it you go up another level we need to be we need some we need some exemple believers in America right now that are raising the bar coming the coming generation needs to see some example believers who are raising the bar the culture needs to see some true believers in Christ Jesus that are raised rising for for such a time as this we need to be a model Church pushing it to another level I'm not satisfied with the level we're on because the fact is someone's watching what are we teaching we've had enough of those who lead but cannot decide if they're bisexual homosexual heterosexual or now other we've had enough of those who have compromised our brand to accommodate their personal sins with equality mentors who live the Scriptures rather than bend them to fit their lowered standard rather than live lives that reveal their incompetence in the summer of 1805 a number of indian chiefs and their warriors met in Council at Buffalo Creek New York they were there to hear a presentation of the Christian message given by dr. crane of the Boston Missionary Society after his sermon one of the leading Chiefs chief red jacket gave the Indian Indians response brothers we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place and these people are our neighbors we are acquainted with them we will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them if we find it does them good makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians we will then consider again what you've said not much has changed since 1805 the world is still waiting to see the gospel lived and this year the call of the Holy Spirit to you and me and to us corporately as live it take it to another level raise the bar be good soldiers of the kingdom of God fight the good fight of faith with genuine passion fight it this world is crying out for genuine Christianity and it is time for you and I again not with perfection but with passion to push it to another level I challenge you personally you take your spiritual maturity to another level this year I've challenged myself to take it to another level this year and I'm challenging this house take it to another level no matter what's thrown our way no matter what comes against us no compromise we raise the bar singers and musicians come please johnson Oatman jr. 1898 he wrote a song that was based on Isaiah 55 nine one of my favorite passages to preach on for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than than your ways he wrote a song about it the song was popularized from 1910 to 1920 by an evangelist whose name was Billy Sunday and another evangelist Homer rodeheaver it was saying at most revivals sometimes in a week revival this thing at two or three times and so from 2010 to or excuse me from 19 and 10 to 19 and 20 it was saying all the time it it was a song that affected the era and it is a song that I think should affect this era it went like this I'm pressing on the upward way new heights I'm gaining every day how long has it been since you heard that one still praying as I'm onward bound Lord plant my feet on higher ground my heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay though some may dwell where the eastbound my prayer my aim is higher ground I want to live above the world though Satan's darts at me are hurled for faith has caught the joyful sound the sound of saints on higher ground I want to scale the utmost height and catch a gleam of glory bright but still I'll pray to and I've found Lord lead me on to higher ground Lord lift me up and let me stand by faith on heaven's table land a higher plane then I have found Lord print plant my feet on higher ground we need to press all let's let the pros do it stand please [Music] today Lord the challenge of the Apostle Paul to the echo SIA was clearance there's so much more to it but we issued it today because it is the doctrine of truth and it is meant Lord in the way that he meant it to challenge each of us to raise the bar so we begin a fast Lord of pressing in May somehow in the awareness of who we are deep in our spirit and soul we stir it with passion and begin to press it towards a higher level there's so much more before us there's so much in front of us Lord that a position of no compromise can lead us to a gospel that transforms the changes culture may that call be a call to sanctify ourselves for this time to push whatever our gift is to another level to resist to push our example Lord to another level raise up those Lord that will be example believers [Music]

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Keywords: the oasis church, tim sheets, dr. tim sheets, oasiswired, oasis church, middletown ohio, oasis middletown, tim sheets middletown, heaven made real, angel armies, planting the heavens, the new era of glory, new era, no more delay, dutch sheets, chuck pierce, prophetic summit, mikey lamb, rachel shafer, jen tringale

Id: rrwN8LVQ9cY

Length: 52min 52sec (3172 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 14 2020