Robert Madu "The Pathway To The Kingdom""

[Music] honor the reading of God's Word we've been in a series called what Kingdom Kingdom and I think this is such a powerful series especially because of the only thing think about this the only thing that Jesus ever publicly preached about what's the kingdom it's all he preached about you download Jesus podcast all you again is sermons about the kingdom and never preached on healing he just healed people never preached on salvation picked up his cross and saved us never preached on deliverance note instead for deliverance just one step he said come out he preached on was the kingdom of God so I think this is really an important series and the life of our church and pastor has kicked it off and I had just another layer another addendum to it today so are you ready to read the word with you ready to read say yeah if you need some time to find Matthew chapter 3 verses 13 through 17 say hold up all right if you hold up how do you actually bring a physical Bible to church still can I see you honest part to people yeah you real special how do you got your phone with you charged up your Bible today come on awesome awesome Matthew chapter 3 thank you thank you guys appreciate it we'll start at verse number 13 and it says then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him and John tried to prevent him saying I need to be baptized by you and you're coming to me but jesus answered and said to him permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness then he allowed him when he had been baptized Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were open to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him and suddenly a voice came from heaven saying this is my beloved son it's exactly how God sounded that day by the way just in case you were wondering Matthew chapter 4 Matthew 4 1 through 11 it says then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights who help me know that's a long fast that is a long fast earlier this year I did like 21-day Daniel fasts and three days into the fast I was convinced that Daniel a chick-fil-a may I struggle to fast for minutes but Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights and I love when the Bible is just blatantly obvious it says afterward he was hungry food verse 3 says now when the tempter came to him he said if you are the son of God command that these Stones become bread but he answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God then the devil took him up into the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are the son of God throw yourself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge over you and in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone jesus said to him it is written again you shall not tempt the Lord your God again the devil help you no the devil just keeps coming at him just keeps coming just felt like honestly again the devil again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and he said to him all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship Me jesus said to him away with you Satan for it is written you shall worship the Lord your God and him only you shall serve then the devil left him and behold angels came and ministered to him then verse 17 says from that time from that time Jesus began to preach and to say repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand can you say a man-made standing we're gonna pray in a moment but it's interesting to look at the life of Jesus to think that he went from nativity to complete anonymity to his inauguration then temptation and then began his ministry to preach and all he preached was the kingdom there was a pathway to it I want to appreciate it a for about 6 and a half hours from the title the pathway to the kingdom the pathway to the kingdom look at your neighbor the one you like the most get in their face get in their personal space and say neighbor there's a pathway to the kingdom find another neighbor find another neighbor say other neighbor you're my second option I want you to know there is a pathway to the kingdom if you believe God's gonna speak with you give him some praise up in here father speak to our hearts today in Jesus name Amen you may be seated in the presence of the Lord the pathway to the kingdom truly family this year this year I will celebrate and commemorate 15 years of full-time ministry 15 years of full-time itinerant ministered for the last 15 years I've had the incredible privilege and opportunity to travel around the world and preach the gospel the good news about Jesus for 15 years and it's hard it's hard for my young mind to believe that it's even been 15 years because if some of you would know I first started coming to Trinity when I was just three years old I preached my first sermon when I was 16 single scrawny still living at home of my parents today I am happily married thirty four three kids one dog no cats one mortgage six chest hairs I'm a grown man now people I'm a girl 15 years of traveling there is a question that I've often been asked and it is a question based on an assumption it'll generally happen when my father is traveling with me somebody will inevitably come up to me and say hey Robert how long has your father been preaching Robert how long has your dad been a pastor and to some people shocked I let them know that my father is not a pastor never been a preacher my father's firefighter in fact this year he just retired after 32 years of serving the city of Dallas as a fireman 32 years come on shout out to all of our first responders 32 years when so my dad Robert would do senior we have the exact same name totally different vocations same name distinctly different callings I think that's imperative for you to note this morning because in the unlikely event that your house should catch on fire and you were to be trapped inside of that house that caught on fire and for whatever reason you can only call a Robert Madhu to get you out make sure you call the right Robert okay make sure you called the right Robert now don't get me wrong both of us will do our best to make sure you get saved Church jokes I'm just trying to wake some of you up okay neither one of us would want you to experience flames however how we accomplish that objective will be distinctly different totally different my father Robert duccini who's the fireman right on the front row he is going to jump on the fire truck go inside the house and rescue you from the flames my approach gonna be a little bit different okay I'm just gonna grab a microphone a microphone and I'm gonna stand outside a considerable distance away from you that's trapped in the fire and I'm just gonna encourage you I'm encourage you and I'm gonna say something like consider it pure joy my brother whenever you face various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance and perseverance patience in the fire but you're coming out SPR cold because of no weapon formed against you shall be a but a prosper key change you're not the only one that's ever been trapped in a fire y'all remember Shadrach Meshach and Abednego they were in a fire - I said not me but he get you out - all I'm sayin is I am a preacher not a firefighter that was fun scary to some of you but anyway you know some of my on a more serious note some of my greatest memories as a kid was when I would visit my dad at the fire station you don't understand when you are a little boy your dad's a fireman you can visit him at the fire station people the fire station - a little boy is like Disney without the ticket prices okay it's a Legoland without the lines I vividly remember running around the fire station I'm trying on the uniform climbing the ladder I am pretend driving the fire truck I remember kids at school would be like hey Robert I think a firetruck for Christmas like that's cute I dropped one hashtag dream bigger it was awesome moment I'll never forget hear me Church I will never forget the day I'm a kid I'm visiting my dad at the fire station I'm pretend driving the fire truck and all of a sudden without warning I hear on the intercom engine 26 5 alarm house fire engine 26 5 alarm house fire and all of a sudden my father went from laughing and smiling at me pretend driving the fire truck - all of a sudden in his Nigerian voice a son heat up night now he picks me up throws me out of the seat - my mom immediately firemen started coming out of the crevices and the corridors of the fire station like ants escaping an ant bed that had just been stepped on I saw two firemen who were playing ping-pong they saw the paddles in the air and started put on their gear one farmer was eating a turkey sandwich he stopped mid bite of the turkey sandwich and jumped on the fire truck and in no less than three minutes the same fire truck I was pretend riving was now peeling out of the parking lot and the same siren I was pushing for my entertainment was now being pushed for an emergency because time was of the essence and destinies were on the line and I will never forget the look on my father's face and be immediacy of the moment as he had to quickly transition from a moment of fellowship with his son to now racing to put out a fire that he didn't even start I share my childhood memory with you today in a feeble attempt to accurately articulate the tone and the tension of what is happening in Matthew chapter 3 with Jesus baptism and in a Matthew chapter 4 with Jesus temptation and I need you to feel the whiplash of our Savior today because in chapter 3 with his baptism he is in perfect fellowship and communion with the father but in chapter 4 with this temptation he is racing to put out a fire that he did not start but was started in the book of Genesis when Adam and Eve were disobedient and took up the forbidden fruit and brought sin into the world and got Humanity and the mess that it is in today and the tension is in his transition from Matthew chapter 3 to Matthew chapter 4 okay I hope you brought your scuba gear to church today because we want to go deep if you can stay with me okay but one of the things I want you to understand at the onset is the chapter numbers and the verse numbers that are printed in your Bible although sometimes they can be helpful sometimes they can actually be a hindrance and stop you from getting the context of the text that you're reading so if you're not careful you do what I've done for years which is to read about Jesus baptism in Matthew chapter 3 pause for a commercial break and then read about his temptation in Matthew chapter 4 and you'll be tempted to look at these two events as isolated events that should be viewed independently but I submit to you today that these two events were never supposed to be viewed independently but rather interdependently because God is given us biblical blues clues as to what you're gonna face as a believer god he's just letting you know you want to be the kingdom you want to step into the kingdom how many know there is a pathway there was a trajectory that your life has to go through if you're gonna step into the kingdom all I came to tell you today is that there was a connection between the water experience and the wilderness experience maybe I read the wrong verse of scripture and I shouldn't read Matthew's account maybe I should have read Marky Mark's account because look at how Mark puts it in mark chapter 1 verses 9 to 13 he says it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee was baptized by John in the Jordan and immediately coming up from the water he saw the heavens parting and the spirit descending upon him like a dove then a voice came from heaven you're my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased know verse 12 no pause no chapter break he's still got the wet waters of baptism on his forehead immediately the spirit drove him into the wilderness and he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan and was with the wild beast immediately Jesus went from this water experience to the wilderness and is that immediately that irritated me and gave me biblical indigestion because I'm trying to figure out how in the world one moment he's being baptized the next moment he's in a battle one moment he is in total comfort the next moment he is in total conflict one moment he is in cohesive community the next moment he is in complete isolation one moment he's hearing a voice from heaven the next moment he's hearing a voice from Hell one moment he's in the water getting a word from heaven the next moment he is in the wilderness facing real warfare come on don't sit down act like you ain't never been there before how in the world is it on Sunday morning you experience God's power his presence and his glory but on Monday morning it's like the enemy puts a laser beams from Hell on your forehead one moment you step it out in great faith the next moment fear has gripped your heart one moment you want to pray for your enemies and bless those that curse you the next moment you want to look at all y'all haters and let them know you ain't always been saved and you can't speak in a tongue that needs no interpretation come on somebody does anybody know what it's like I don't want to be real does anybody know what it's like to go from the water to the wilderness the tension is always in the transition on the pathway to the kingdom why is it why is it on the pathway to the kingdom that the GPS system God's positioning system always seems to tell you start on water road that make a sharp right turn into the wilderness you always go from the water to the wilderness before I talk about what happened in the wilderness I first want to discuss what happened in the water how many know Jesus baptism was a big deal it was a big deal this was an epic moment as a matter of fact if you're here today and you put your faith in Jesus and you haven't gotten baptized yet what's wrong with you get baptized plunge party October 28th yeah Baptists Jesus got baptized you know you're crazy so Lisa get baptized okay this is an epic moment Jesus baptism it's like that scene at the beginning of the movie that if you missed it because you were putting extra butter on your popcorn you may as well go home and wait for the movie to come out on Netflix you will be confused the entire movie this was a epic moment in the life of Jesus I know his baptism was a big deal because the Bible says when Jesus got baptized and immediately the heavens opened up the heavens opened up come on you know when the heavens open up the atmosphere has just shifted you know when the heavens opened up your life will never be the same again anytime the heavens open up you're gonna get a word from God that's gonna change your life forever I hope that's why you came to church today I hope you came not to have another cute church service but so the heavens could open up in this place and you can experience God's power and his glory and his presence come on when the heavens open up your life is gonna be changed forever there's gonna be an announcement when the heavens open up come on you do know the next time the heavens open up a trumpet is gonna sound and we are leaving this earth and going to our real home that is a glory with heavens open up your life will never be the same I know his baptism was a big deal simply because of who showed up at the baptism because for the first and only time of the New Testament the entire Godhead the whole Trinity made a cameo appearance at the exact same time come on God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit cuz you got God the Father making a declaration from heaven you got got the son being baptized in the water and you got the Holy Spirit descending like a dove come on when the Holy Trinity shows up this is a significant moment his baptism was a big deal church simply because of what the father was declaring over Jesus see the father was not declaring random words the father was declaring a truth a truth there's got to be the anchor in your soul whenever life comes against you the father was declaring something that you have to know that you know that you know no matter what you're facing in here today and that truth is this I am loved I'm a child of God and he is pleased with me I am loved I'm a child of God and he is pleased with me I am loved I'm a child of God and he is pleased with me that truth right there will change your life forever you don't believe it I make you believe it in a minute I'm telling you the day that truth get cemented in your soul that you are loved you're a child of God and he is pleased with you that will change the way you walk into a room now will change the way you hold up your head well you know you are loved you're a child of God and he is pleased with you I want to give you I want to give you a dare I'm gonna give you a dare a free country I want to give you it there every morning you wake up everyone you wake up before you brush your teeth just go to the mirror and declare over yourself which else thank you breath and just say I am loved I'm a child of God and he is pleased with me how many know that would be a great way to start your day okay if you're if you're thinking about getting a face tattoo a face tattoo I wouldn't but if you want to anyway I would suggest you know what you should put on your forehead you should put I am loved I'm a child of God and he is pleased with me and the barista says what name should I put on the drink you ought to tell her I got three I am loved I'm a child of God and he is pleased to me you don't like that one next time you're on Instagram or Facebook and you're not getting the likes or the comments you thought you were going here on that particular post I tell you to cut off your smart device that's making you stupid and just declare all for your life I'm not living for other people's likes because I'm already loved I'm a child of God and he's pleased to me I'm getting excited off my own sermon y'all recording this I'm gonna watch it later it's blessing me because that is a game-changer that is a game-changer the day you know your love you're a child of God and he is pleased with you what if what if what if you filtered every circumstance every negative comment from other people through that transcendent truth that you're loved you're a child of God and he is pleased with you you will lose your joy so easily if you were confident in that somebody wouldn't be so insecure if you were confident in that somebody would walk in the church looking constipated like you've been sucking on lemons all morning if you know you are loved you're a child of God and he is pleased with you I'll stay right here in this point I'm stay right here on this point I love it I love it that means some people like I don't like you so that's cool I'm still loved I'm a child of God and he is pleased with me you're entitled to your opinion I'm still loved I'm a child of God and he is pleased with me pleased with me that truth change your life forever but hear me Church unfortunately on the pathway to the kingdom the water experience is where most believers stop we always stop at the water experience now don't get me wrong the water is significant the water moment is paramount because the water is the place here me well your identity gets confirmed the waters a place where you find out who you are and whose you are please note when the father when the father makes this declaration over Jesus this is before he's done a single miracle he's not walked on water yet hadn't healed anybody yet had multiplied the fish in the five loaves yet hasn't cast out a demon yet had even been to the cross yet hadn't gotten up from the grave and yet the father still says at the beginning you're loved you're my child I'm pleased with you I know but this has nothing to do with performance everything to do with proximity and relationship to me you are still loved you are still my child I'm pleased before you ever perform that's what most believers stop we always stop and we tend to just love on the pathway to the kingdom the water experience so you come to church services like this parking lot you're like wow I'm loved I'm a child of God he's pleasing me you feel real good in the water but I felt the need to warn you right after the water you will walk straight into the wilderness aren't you glad you came to church today right after you hear the voice from heaven please believe you will hear the voice from hell this is what messes us up as believers because it's like we've almost been programmed and conditioned to thing that once I have the approval of heaven that must mean I won't have an attack from the enemy oh yes sometimes this ideology is even promulgated from some pulpits to the point that we have relegated the approval of God to a bigger house a better car a promotion on our job oh I got a check in the mail hallelujah God must be pleased with me and we've just relegated his approval to blessing and don't get me wrong I'm for blessing upper blessings on blessings on blessings on blessings I believe God sincerely wants to get a blessing to you so he can get a blessing through you however the life of Jesus is proof positive that the approval of heaven does not absolve you from an attack from the end me y'all don't like this sir but I should have preached something else matter of fact I'll go further to say I'll go further to say that the reason some of you some of you are facing what you're facing right now is simply because God is pleased with you you didn't do something wrong you did something to right that's why hell is coming against you conversely the reason why some of you life just might be perfect right now and you're in a romantic comedy and you tiptoeing through the two loops at kool-aid coming out of your water fountain it might be just because your life is stagnant and you haven't done anything to actually upset the kingdom of darkness but can I testify when you start taking a stand for God when you say I'm gonna be the light in the midst of darkness when you say I'm gonna speak for truth and justice and righteousness when you start kicking demons out of your house and say as for me in my house we go show the Lord oh that's when hell gets nervous and demons start to tremble and Satan starts to sweat oh he's sweating because you're actually a threat to his kingdom it is it's the smile of heaven that actually attracts the scowl from hell what a ttle tweet I said it is the smile of heaven that will attract the scowl from Hell and all I came to tell you today on your pathway to the kingdom receive the smile from heaven receiving but don't get shocked in the wilderness when you get the scowl from hell from the water give me my water in the wilderness oh yes Fiji if I can pick the brand give me my water in the wilderness room temperature give me my water in the wilderness maybe I got too much imagination but I feel like this text would read a whole lot better a whole lot better if it started off in the wilderness can you see it if I start off in the wilderness and as soon as Satan rolls up on Jesus and says if you are the son of God then boys come from heaven and let God the Father say what you mean if yes he is the son of guy cuz I already said he was the son of God say I'm gonna tell you right now you better put some respect oh jesus no RESP CT you better find out what it put some respect on Jesus now as a matter of fact let there be water and then water shows up in the wilderness and the whole Godhead takes Satan by the throat and just us drown in him in the water and then I wish you would say if one more time just lifeless body is floating in the water that's when you call John the Baptist and say you ready for the baptism now bro I feel I could read better like that but it's not gonna happen not on the pathway to the kingdom it's not gonna happen God has this uncanny ability it's profound proclivity to always take you from the water you gotta go from the water to the wilderness from the water to the wilderness from the water to the wilderness from the water to the noise you from the water to the wilderness but what this is the pathway from the water to the I want you to hear my voice in your head tomorrow going from the water to the wilderness system it is his pathway to John the Baptist baptized people in the and when they asked John who he was he said I am a voice crying out in the crying out prepare the way of the Lord what is the way of the Lord he'll take you from the water to the wilderness from the water to the wilderness from the water to the now I see while the children of Israel had to go through the Red Sea because the Red Sea is water remember water is the place where your identity gets confirmed and Pharaoh thought they were just slaves but they were not just slaves they were loved there were children of God and he was pleased with them and how many you know when you are God's child there was no stronghold there was no bondage there was no addiction that can ever hold you down because whoever the son sets free come on somebody is free indeed somebody needs to just give God some praise over the freedom that you have in Christ Jesus it's a part of the pathway Oh Moses hard to lift up his staff Charlton Heston if you're old-school and split the water they didn't go straight to the Promised Land they went from the water to the wilderness they were in the wilderness 40 years Jesus was in the wilderness forty days and God always has this system this pathway in route to the kingdom to take you from the water to the wilderness I want to sound like a broken record today and I hope I'm not bringing my own presupposition that is biblical passage but Taylor and I have a four-year-old two-year-old and a one-year-old pray for us and because our children are so young birth is not too distant of a memory to us so I would like to pose and posit today that even the way we enter the world is just a picture it's just a microcosm a mirror if you will this transcendent truth the gun will always take you from the water you do remember how you were conceived right you do remember how you were can see it you were conceived in your mother's womb identity confirmed in the world we having a boy oh I'm having a girl and then funny in your mother's womb you were surrounded by so much so that when your head got too big and your birth was imminent your mama looked up over the dining room table and said oh ma just broke and rushed to the hospital and do you remember your first birthday do you remember how you entered the world did you come into the earth laughing no did you come to earth singing no did you come to the earth dancing no did you come to earth rapping started started from the ballet now I'm here no no it's not how you came to the earth it's not it's not it's not every single baby every single baby around the world comes into the earth just like this screaming crying at the top of your lungs and that's silly parents looked at a new point that is screaming at the top of his lungs and we got the nerve to be smiling oh I am convinced I am convinced that if you could translate and transcribe the cry of every newborn baby the caption across the screen would read what you mean welcome to the world don't you mean welcome to the spin all your life wrestling with the weight the frustrations the complexities of the wilderness that you were born into that's why I've learned you got to be quick to love people not quick to judge them cuz you don't know the wilderness that some people were born into the wilderness is a real place it's the heat of the wilderness that seeks to evaporate your experience from the water and it can leave you with daunting questions like Who am I where am i and how do I deal with what's been placed in front of me the quintessential question that must be answered before we leave here today is on the pathway to the kingdom if this is the pathway I got to go from the water to the wilderness to the kingdom how are you gonna handle the temptations that will face you in the wilderness because that is the last test before the kingdom how are you gonna handle the temptations that will face you in your wilderness some of you are shocked that I asked the question like Oh Robert help dad if you ask it's such a question I'm a child of the Most High God I've been serving the Lord for years now been coming to Trinity for years I floated in here today I had communion for breakfast what is this temptation I've been charged today I know I'm glad you came but this is the water tomorrow you got to go to work that is the well - the tension is always in the transition I'm almost done are you bored yet but I want you to see something I want you to see that the same spirit this was profound to me the same spirit that descended upon Jesus in the water is the same spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness be careful you want to be spirit land really really big the spirit led Jesus into the wilderness you came prey to wilderness away come on buckle up buttercup you got the spit the same spirit that descended in the water is the same spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness let's think about this if the Spirit is lead me into the wilderness that means the wilderness is not my problem if the spirit is lead him in there that's not my problem the problem is who is in the wilderness post it up waiting for you to get there Satan was already in the wilderness post it up waiting for Jesus to get there and watch how calculated doesn't open his mouth didn't even clear his throat until after he watched him fast 40 days and 40 nights but please believe he was there the whole time just watching him just watch it 10-day fans what do you want a fast third you are the son of God no Jesus go Jesus go go Jesus got forty day fast oh you're done I'll approach it now excuse me turn these stones to hot water cornbread if you don't mind watch I'm trying to show you the tactic of the enemy he waits he watches did he attack this is all the enemy does let me show you how he does he waits he watches he attacks you thought you just worship Him by yourself now you had a creeper he waits he watches then he attacks he doesn't even get new tricks he did it as a snake as a serpent in the Garden of Eden he slid it up in there the Garden of Eden the original whole food market he slithered up in there and he waited he watched then he attacked he did this as a snake a serpent he's gonna mess you up I will never forgive I'll never forget watching the Discovery Channel and they did a special on snakes almost changed the channel that'll do snakes I'm glad I kept watching because they said something that I will never forgive they said that snakes are one of the only species that never blink Church snakes do not like they don't but this is a snake Oh Blake they just watch and they wait for moments of vulnerability and weakness I was another special they did all snakes I'm special this was about a lady a lady who had a pet snake a pet hey that's a that's a different kind of Craig Craig a pet snake she ran into a problem because her pet snakes stopped eating she's defeated rats and rotors this snake for several months refused to eat out of calls and concern she takes her pet snake to the veterinarian says that I have a problem she's my pet snake refuses to eat stopped eating veterinarian looked at the snake look at the woman look at the snake that's the woman then began asking her a litany of questions veterinarian said ma'am by any chance have you been sleeping with your snake lady said yes I have he's a Python he's not poisonous and his cage is right next to my bed and there are some nights then I let my snakes let her out of his cage and sleep in the bed with a man everybody's shocked like there aren't humans today who have slept with snake marry the snake okay I digress that's another sermon for another but let's act shocked like nobody else has slept with a snake before my snake while sleeping with your snake have you ever woken up to your snake right next to you and stretched out beside you yes some matter of fact the other morning I woke up in my snake was right next to me and it was stretched out beside me the veterinarian said hmm said ma'am I have some good news and I got some bad news said the good news is your snake is not sick she goes oh thank you Jesus so the bad news is the reason your snake refuses to eat is because your snake has been preparing to eat you she said the reason your snake has not eaten for several months it's because your snake is strategically orchestrating its digestive system to have enough room for you she said the reason you wake up to your snake right next to you and stretched out beside you is because your snake is sizing you up and it's trying to see how big it has to get to swallow you home and I think that's how some believers act as a relationship the kingdom of God and the attack of the enemy that is on your life come on do you think the enemy likes that you in church on a Sunday morning and you said I'm still gonna go do you think the enemy lines that you worship Him in spite of what you've been through no he is watching he is waiting he's trying to destroy you but how many are thankful that you don't have to be afraid because he's already defeating because of what cheap oh come on somebody updated give God some praise in this place today like you're faithful that you're covered that you're protected in spite of the enemy's glare oh I'm telling you Christianity is not a cakewalk this is a battle this is about the kingdom and that's why the attack is coming against you worship team join me I didn't come this morning to scare you with snake stories I really want you to be aware and alert and a prize to the fact that you have a real enemy and pathway to the kingdom you will go from the water to the wilderness into your destiny but the wilderness is always the test and that's where the enemy attacks you the most how do you win the war in the wilderness antwuan play softly because soft music behind a preacher makes him sound more spiritual you gonna win the war on the pathway to the kingdom you're gonna win the battle how many no you can't just shout you like to shower you better have a strategy strategy I want to give you what I'll rarely do just points just just four points for the note takers things to keep in mind and that's season in between in the wilderness you're gonna win the battle in the wilderness number one this is these are four things you must know not feel no one you got to know where you are location is everything what season of life is this for you where are you note when the enemy launches his attack he's trying to stop the kingdom of God he has a kingdom notice where he starts at the beginning they just made the announcement that Jesus is the Son of God he's battling him at the beginning the enemy fight you the hardest at the beginning of a thing he's trying to stop you before you ever get started that she gives him perspective to some of you live the moment you were born there was such an attack on your life it's because the enemy knew the purpose and the plan of God that was on your life he's trying to stop you before you ever get started he battles hard at the beginning he's always fighting but there are seasons where the attack is more intense any time you get ready to start something set your alarm clock you gonna get an attack from the enemy starting a business expect an attack starting a family expect an attack starting a ministry expect an attack he didn't just battle hard at the beginning he also battles hard at the end sometimes when you're right at the finish line he'll attack you the hardest think about Jesus he's on the cross on the cross the enemy is still fighting through a voice in the crowd has shouted out he saved others how come he can't save himself trying to get Jesus to come off of the cross and abort his mission cuz he was right on the edge of our salvation some of you you cannot quit you were right on the edge just one more step and you're gonna be there that's why the battle is so intense number two you go win the war in the wilderness and get to the kingdom you have to know that the word is your weapon word of god is your only weapon with every attack what was Jesus response it is written it is written it is written it is written out of his hash tag not it is tweeted now to send a sermon I heard pastor preached on Saint let me download the podcast real quick no it is written found this intriguing in the water the word came over Jesus in the wilderness the word came out of Jesus church people today we get it twisted we're in the wilderness we're going through a battle we want a word over us don't we I've seen you come to shows like wow you better have a good sermon today I event though we'll don't know it is WWE wilderness that car it's better be the best sermon you got need a prophet well I need something and I'm all for prophet it worse I'm all for good sermons I preach the gospel but can I tell you when you're in the wilderness and hey let's breathing down your neck you better just have more than a word coming over you you better have some work coming out of you if you've never taken the time to put it in word your weapon where's your weapon number three Silla quick you have to know what is that stink what is that stake I'll tell you I love Jesus so much so many reasons the reasons I love Jesus because Jesus made decisions with my destiny and mine he knew that we were at stake you understand if he turns those stones to bread and eats of it he is no better than Adam that ate of the forbidden fruit and got humanity and the particular design today he knew that you and I were at stake that's why he got baptized John said I'm not worthy to do this she's like no he told you have to do this cuz this isn't just about me this is for those who are coming after me we've got to fulfill all righteousness Jesus did not just come to die the death that we were supposed to die he came to live the life that we were supposed to live he was faithful can I tell you you have to be too when you're near wilderness don't you forget what's at stake don't forget you are not just living your life for you there are generations that are coming after you that are watching you know what's at stake on the pathway number four my last point my shortest point the best point you gonna win the war and the wilderness and get to the kingdom you have to know where your help oh come on sir but is it about it no way your help comes from in here today I love it because after the enemy tried everything he do how to try the final battle was what you fall down and worship me he was trying to get his worship come on you know that's what the enemy really wants he wants your worship he wants the wilderness around you to stop worship from rising up on the inside of you but not me you know if you would flip the script on the enemy and say guess what Satan I'm not gonna allow this wilderness to affect my worship but my worship is gonna speak to this wilderness I'm still gonna worship Him even when I'm in the midst of a wilderness season because he's worthy of the praise this is how I fight my battles I'm turning my worship down in the wilderness I'm gonna turn my worship on it's how I fight my battles tell somebody on the pathway to the kingdom the middle tests will be in the wilderness it can you still worship when it looks like you're surrounded surrounded by the lives of the enemy but it may look like you're surrounded you're surrounded by hell just add up to your feet all over this place today this is how a [Music] [Music] this is how I how's Howard [Music] father I thank you today we're on a pathway [Music] although thank you that you are with us every step of the journey but I'm praying we would not give up in the middle just one more step we're gonna be a purpose father help us to develop a faith that will trust you in water seasons and wilderness seasons so that we might reflect your kingdom in the earth this moment with heads bowed and eyes closed all over this place today you'd be so honest to say you know what I'm on the pathway to the kingdom and I am and they will do this season the enemy has just been so loud in your ear you saying I need supernatural strength to hold on watch this to what God spoke in the water this is about identity it always is shouting lies and the wilderness but if you could hold on to the truth from heaven you can face whatever lie he's screaming in your ear even in the wilderness but you can't do it in your own strength angels even came and ministered to Jesus in the wilderness how much more do we need supernatural heads bowed and eyes closed from here today he'd be so odd to say you know what I bet the world to this and I need that strength today I believe it's available for you today at this you would just lift up your hand all over this place today say that's me that's me [Music] just lifted up put it right back down come on that's why you had to be here today you're on a pathway don't stop in the wilderness he's taking you somewhere it's too bad I'll still close if you're here today you've never taken that first step which is to say Jesus my life is yours give me what we make this declaration I've loved I'm a child of God understand because God is creator whether you like it or not in some sense you are his child by creation there's a difference between being a child by creation and child by redemption that's what you have a moment where you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that he is Lord it's been here today and you've never surrendered your life to Jesus I love to pray with you in this closing prayer if that's you I'll look it was just one person do you be worth it today especially would you just lift up your hand say I'm never giving up my life but today today my life lifted up high enough long enough to where I can see you thank you God thank you God you gotta see that hanging up looking in the balcony see that hand can we just pray this prayer is what big family we're all gonna say it especially those of you who responded would you say this from your heart they do Jesus thank you so much for being a faithful on the pathway to the kingdom Jesus I know that because you won the battle I'm not fighting for victory I'm fighting from victory Jesus today come into my life make me brand new forgive me of my sin from this moment forward I trust you I trust you in the water I trust you in the wilderness I trust you in every season I know I can face the life from hell coz I'm holding on to the truth from heaven and says I'm loved I'm your child and you're pleased with me in Jesus name a man a man a man come on if you meant what you prayed would you give God praise today oh come on you can do better than that can't we give Jesus praise [Music]

Channel: Trinity Church Cedar Hill

Views: 7,787

Rating: 4.9306359 out of 5

Keywords: TrinityChurch, Trinity, Church, CedarHill, Robert Madu, Kingdom

Id: IePWwIBTquQ

Length: 53min 13sec (3193 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 15 2018