Safety in the Presence of God - Bill Johnson (Full sermon) | Bethel Church 2020

[Applause] man what a amazing selection of songs I was about to get lost on that blessing song that song was just written by the way if you don't know it Steve Steve verdict and and Carrie joven and the husband and the funk yeah Cody and buncha bunchems just wrote that which is like a prescription God wrote you know a couple of weeks ago for what's going on right now and the blessings beat curses in the in the Bible people would suffer with a curse to the third and fourth generation but blessings go to the thousandth generation because it's superior in every way and it's critical that we adjust our thinking our anticipation or expectation of prayers or everything according to the lifestyle of heaven the way God thinks the way he lives and he's not intimidated about anything if you know decide who's going to shape your thinking decide hurry if you have more input from the media than you do from the Word of God your depression is your responsibility your discouragement your heaviness of heart is self-inflicted turn the thing off and turn this thing on I'm serious just adjust why because we've been called to be an influence in the midst of difficulty and Clementi doesn't matter what the situation is we are always there to be not the we are not the answer but we usher in the answer through the wonderful wonderful message of the gospel and this is the privilege that we have as as believers an illustration I've been using for the last several years seems to be even more fitting than it has been in recent times and that is what you see in scriptures you see that Israel in the wilderness when it was in the heat of the day God would manifest as a cloud covering the shelter to bring coolness in the cold of the night he was there as a pillar of fire he shows up opposite to his surroundings so how does he show up in a virus in a pandemic he shows up as the solution the redemptive solution to bring healing to people's bodies I agree completely with what Christos led him in prayer is this is supposed to be the ignition point the ignition point for a massive healing revival unlike the world has ever seen I believe eclipsing what took place in the 50s which was the greatest thing I believe the world had ever seen the things that took place in that particular period of time I remember talking to one of the revivalist a man who was alive during that era to see what God was doing and he told me at one time there would be up to 350 revival tents scattered all across the nation with miracles taking place unlike anything had been seen before and I believe what God is is doing right now is going to eclipse that but we've got a position of hearts for that and so our online community this is a we always are thrilled that you are there but but we you just grew in number because we won't let our people come to church today so and we'll let you know week by week what we're doing but we're really really thankful for our online community and today I just want to bless all of you we're going to receive Communion at the end if you joined us just recently we're going to receive communion at the end of the service we've got these little cups set up with the wafer included so I would encourage you those of you that at home or your place of business if it's possible at all for you to get communion supplies together I'd like for you to do that so that you can join us I believe it's going to be a prophetic release of power for us our church family our households as well as for this nation in the nations of the world so I want us to look today at Psalms 91 so if you had open your Bibles to that do that please by the way I want to suggest that everybody download the antivirus software called the power of the Holy Spirit the antivirus software his name is Jesus and he is manifest through the power of the Holy Spirit it is not a philosophy remains a philosophy you're vulnerable to the virus to all all all things credi so I just I just declare the good news that Jesus is our antivirus software and hopefully every one of us can find something to really grab hold of out of this 91st psalm today so it's my personal conviction I know guilt or shame for anybody who is suffering with this virus please wear pray for it that that as a result of our gathering today that multitudes of people would be absolutely healed a visitation of God that we're going to set something up in in the coming weeks where people with the virus will be able to call in or do FaceTime or something Kevin Dedmon had a suggestion this week so we're going to try to figure out how we can do that and have have our phones or our screens occupied by believing believers and pray for people around the world with this disease because we're we believe that in every hellish situation Jesus has predetermined to get vindication he is predetermined to reverse the effects into the promotion of the gospel he didn't start this thing but he he is prepared to reverse its effects so what if what if fear threw a party and nobody showed up that's that's kind of what I'm thinking about this whole thing that's this is just my opinion but I believe the virus is real I believe it's very serious but I believe what's happening around the nation's is 5% virus and 95% fear and right now it seems to me that viruses is writing the wings of fear and you can't you know you can't embrace fear in love the embracing of fear is the rejection of love and we're going to look in this particular study today that the love of God is one of the things that abiding in love actually repels affliction infirmity and helps us to live integration alright enough of the warm-ups let's just get into the word and let's begin with verse 1 in fact you know what I want to read the whole psalm and then we're gonna back up and go back through verse by verse all right so let's just read the whole thing I'm reading out of New King James the title of the psalmist safety of abiding in the presence of God oh here's my prayer I believe that the manifest presence of God upon his people is the key to divine health and learning to host him learning to yield to her to him learning to cooperate with him is what he is going to train us in and teach us in in this particular season come on in guys come on we've got a worship team looking for places to sit so let's come on in we've got seats all over here so and those of you online just crawl through the screen no I'm just kidding all right all right verse 1 of Psalms 91 he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty I will say of the Lord he is my refuge in my fortress my god in him will I trust surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the Fowler from the perilous pestilence he shall cover you with his feathers under his wings you shall take refuge his truth shall be your shield and buckler you shall not be afraid of the terror by night nor of the arrow that flies by day nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked because you have made the Lord who is my refuge even the most high your dwelling place no evil shall befall you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling for he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways in their hands they shall bear you up unless you dash your foot against a stone you shall tread upon the lion in the Cobra the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he has known my name he shall call upon me and I will answer with it answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation this is a wonderfully well known Psalm because of its the element of safety the element of protection the elephant element of vindication in a sense throughout this Psalm so I want us to go through this because I believe there are some specifics that the Lord would want us to take hold of today especially in light of this that is going on all over the world and today is supposed to be the day where we start a revival series I am I am but we're gonna restart but I am this is what I'm doing this is just this is this is revival flavored antivirus software is what it is all right but he who dwells verse one this we're gonna go through a verse by verse all right so please follow with me in your Bibles he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty stop right there he who dwells you remember the scripture talks about abiding in Christ if we abide in him his words abide in us when it talks about dwelling in the shelter of the Almighty we're not talking about a point of theology we're talking about a lifestyle in other words it's not just a verse you've memorized it's supposed to be the developing of an ongoing lifestyle of a consciousness and awareness of the by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit many people stopped short of a divine encounter because they're satisfied with good theology the word is the invitation to meet the person this is not supposed to be just a verse I quote that's valuable it's supposed to be the endeavor of my heart is the discovery of the manifest presence of God upon me as a surrendered Sun upon me as a yielded vessel he says he who dwells in the shelter of the Almighty shall abide under the shadow of his wings the shadow of the Almighty the shadow is a dark place I'll never forget I my grandmother my mom's mom she was losing her eyesight and and so many of us would read I would take ten turns reading to her from the scripture she would memorize entire Psalms and my uncle would memorize books of the Bible they were just into that memory thing which becomes contagious after a while you know and I would sit down I remember she wanted me to read her a particular book by Corrie ten Boom and in this book it was as I recall it was some sort of a of a devotional book that she had written and in this book she talked about dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty as she made this statement and I've never been able to shake it thankfully she made this statement that sometimes it's dark because he's so close sometimes it's his nearness that causes things to be out of focus it's that shadow of presence and sometimes we we miss state the moment that we're in by by natural interpretation instead of the realization of what scripture says scripture says you're in the shadow of the Almighty so the people who turn their affection towards the ongoing manifestation of the abiding presence of the Spirit of God those people dwell in a habitation that even when it's dark it's only a testimony of his nearness verse 2 alright I'm back I think I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress and my God in him I will trust I will say of the Lord is my refuge my fortress my god in him I will trust this is the only proactive position in the saw one is implied later but this one is the the action point of this song and as I will say of the Lord he is my refuge my portion in him I trust I always take this and I turn it into a personal declaration God you are the one that I trust you and you are my refuge and and for years when I come to that I don't like the wording because I want to make it personal and then it hit me the wording is chosen for a reason we are so supposed to confess and declare that he is our trust but this is actually a confession we are to make to one another I will say of the Lord it's important that we guard what we say to people to one another to the community you're in their grocery store yesterday I was on a plane flying back from New Mexico from a healing conference of all things packed with people that were living the antivirus thing you know and I sat next to a lady who she said I I wish I didn't have to fly I'd rather not be in here and she was wiping everything down with sanitizing call which i think is smart let me come back to that common sense needs to be embraced just on that common sense be the hiding place of fear there there are some people that are that are saying right now taking any precaution is an act of fear now don't be stupid don't play with a rattlesnake and call it faith I feel better so the lady next to me was wiping everything down she said would you like one of these I said now I've got the liquid stuff I've already done it I'm I'm good she said I wish I didn't have have to fly I'm you know she's just very afraid and that's where you step in and just just you don't want ever want to make somebody feel ashamed for their fear you don't ever want to do that you just want to throw them a lifeline that's all don't don't make people feel guilty because they're struggling with fear because you know some people have lost loved ones other people have they have a history of sickness they've got a reason for it you know don't don't make people feel guilty for for their struggle just throw them a lifeline just be Hope Center both hopelessness and hope are contagious choose how how infectious you want to be alright so here it is he says he was I will say of the Lord he is my refuge my fortress my god in him I will trust so when I was thinking about this here's this passage in Colossians it says let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms hymns spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord what is that it's actually a confession of truth scripture and even in song it's interesting they would apply Psalms hymns spiritual songs Psalms are biblical songs hymns are things that were written in things songs that have been written spiritual songs are spontaneous and they actually there are times for them to be sung to each other which is not a practice that we that we do but we should maybe learn how to do it except some of you just saying softly yeah I'm talking about as a badger as bad bad Joe else yeah that was like when Chris went to visit my dad when he was in his final days Chris said I feel like I'm supposed to sing over you and and my dad asked him to sing on the hill far away and he said you mean the song on the hill far away she's no on a hill far away so he was always good with a good sense of humor some excuse me so here it says I will say of the Lord there's another place in Isaiah 35 where it says and I'll just read it to you quickly here it says that we say to the one with weak knees with feeble heart be strong take courage and the very next verse says then the eyes of the blind will be open then the ears the tongue of the dumb will be loosed it's it's gardening what we say to each other being being intentional in our decrees to one another is a huge part of this thing we call faith this life of faith this thing that we call the faith that we are in this faith in Christ is walk with Christ it's the it's the caution but it's the proactive position of declaring what God has said what God is saying in this environment and not feeding and fueling this this fear element that is gripping so many people's heart so here's the one intentional action in this Psalm is I will say of the Lord he is my refuge my fortress my god in him will I trust verse 3 surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the Fowler and from the perilous pestilence to me this implies snare of the Fowler they would set a trap for a bird to catch to catch a bird Fowler snare he will deliver you from the snare to me it implies that maybe you got caught in the snare and he's gonna release you so if if if you if you didn't get the protection you're supposed to get to keep you from the snare once you're in it he's going to release you the whole point is so all of you that are watching some of you are an absolute divine health others of you are struggling he will deliver you from the snare if you got caught in this snare it's not shame it's not condemnation we live in a world of sin we get exposed to stuff and it's not your fault the good news is he will deliver you from the snare of the Fowler and from the perilous pestilence verse four he will cover you with his feathers under his wings you shall take refuge his truth shall be your shield and buckler buckler is a small shield so it's more of a hand-to-hand combat type picture all right I always quote this first when people complain about feathers appearing in our meetings he shall cover you with his feathers well that's not literal bill and I'd say I know that's what I thought all right first verse five verse five you shall not be afraid of the terror by night nor of the arrow that flies by day this is important the distinction in the New Testament the arrows are the the enemy's thoughts remember that the the example of the armor of God the shield of faith it's to absorb the shield of faith is to absorb the thoughts the ideas the suggestions the temptations all the junk that the enemy throws our way so that's what the the arrow comes during the day when you're alive and thinking at night is the terror and so he's distinguishing if if you go to bed with fear you you are you're embracing this thing this says I could something could happen in the night it's that it's that thing that foreboding spirits are Chris deals with a lot the the expectation or anticipation of something wrong happening oh man I hope our family member I hope something bad doesn't happen to this person that person that foreboding spirit is that terror in the night and so the Lord is actually equipping us to take a position shield and buckler the the figure the shield of faith to absorb the stuff that comes at us during the day but to do it so well during the day that when it's time to go to bed we can go to sleep in rest knowing that he will defend us now I'm going to throw in a word it's not a biblical word it's a word it's the one of two times in my life I've had the Lord wake me up in the middle of the night with his voice it happened about ogen is 23 probably 23 years ago here soon after we came to ready we've been there I think it's 24 maybe it's 25 years I lose track 24 years 24 years this last month so it's about maybe 23 years ago I was awakened in the night with this phrase he watches over the watch of those who watch the Lord he watches over the watch of those who watch the Lord which we know in pondering after I heard that he awakened me with that voice I don't ever want to equate that with Scripture I'm just saying he spoke something to me that was important for me to hear in that season but also right now he watches over the watch we know what a watchman is a watchman is positioned on a wall to see what might be coming towards the city good good news here we have people coming in to trade open the gates bad news here we have we have people trying to sneak into the city city to kill steal and destroy and so the watchman keeps away and this verse said he will watch over my watch if I'll watch him so this terror by night thing is that is that we go to sleep literally with our eyes on him knowing that he will watch our watch on our behalf amen no that was a excellent point all right let's verse 6 is basically the same thing nor the pestilence that walks in darkness the destruction that lays waste at noonday verse 7 a thousand may fall at your side ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked I want to be careful here first of all the judgment verses in the Old Testament I don't want to ignore I don't want to wash them away and pretend they don't exist that's not healthy nor is it accurate whenever I see a person who lives in corruption in evil it doesn't matter how deep they are lost I always am praying for mercy I don't care how loss they are now you know how demonized they are how they may be a self-proclaimed devil worshiper makes no difference to me I'm gonna pray for the mercy of God but I will let you in on a secret if I in my prayer Lord if they absolutely refuse to repent and they will not turn then please use your dealings with them to release the fear of God to the people of God awaken us to this to this reality now another thing I need to say is just because you have difficulty or are struggling or you're sick or whatever that's not the judgment of God so anybody who's watching online hear we're going to pray for this at the end it's not the judgment of the Lord that's not what he's doing this is a quite a different deal here all right verse 9 smoove on from that because you have made the Lord who is my refuge even the most high your dwelling place referring back to verse 1 no evil will befall you nor shall any plague near come near your dwelling for he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways let's go back over verse 10 and 11 again I'm sorry verse 9 because so here's a reason because you have made the Lord who is my refuge even the most high your dwelling place no evil shall befall you nor any plague come dear your dwelling stop right there I just want to re-emphasize learning to live in the manifestation of of the presence of God the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit I I cannot I cannot overemphasize the importance of us learning to live with continuous affection for the person of the Holy Spirit there's something about that abiding presence it's not just that he protects us it's it's that the closer I stay to his heartbeat the more I know what to do in a difficult moment the disciples come to Jesus and say why couldn't we cast the demon out of the child Jesus says it only comes out with prayer and fasting and he didn't pray or fast why because the tenderness the closeness was already there the devil was on his shoulder and remain so there was a continuous ongoing relationship and awareness of the Spirit of God so he didn't need to turn to say what is fasting for is to refine our focus to the kingdom it's to say no to other appetites so that we can truly hunger for the reality of the unseen promises of God there to become manifest that's what it is fasting is refining focus Jesus didn't fast in a moment why he lived with a refined focus he lived with the connection to the abiding presence of the Spirit of God so this promise here is not just this casual the Holy Spirit is with us always think it's the invitation to develop an awareness of the Spirit of God upon our life in such a way it's not just to protect me from plagues it's it's to keep me in the center of what he is doing on planet Earth it makes me the the offensive weapon if you will the one who can bring hope in hopeless situation the one who refused to to cower in the face of threat and disease and all the junk that goes on unwilling to cower I will not I will not give honor to a disease I will not give honor to a disease cancer is with a small C Jesus is a capital J always keep it big let me see him silly to you but that's that's what's going on in my head alright because you've made the Lord who is my refuge even the most high your dwelling place so here's to people ever conversation because you've made the Lord who is my refuge even the most high your dwelling place no evil will befall you how about seeing people that live in that abiding presence and making that confession over them realities are released through decree not what we choose to say I mean life and death is still in the power of the time but you know I'd rather just make sure I'm saying what he's saying but how about being in that moment where you can look at somebody say you know what I've got a good word for you no evil will come near your tent no evil befall you it's got to be declared Christian remember that time you prophesied about the people who couldn't have kids that were trying for 13 years or whatever the Lord spoke to spoke to Chris and said tell them they'll have a child by this time next year and he was struggling as everyone of us would be to make that kind of a declaration to somebody who couldn't have children and the Lord spoke to me said if you don't declare it if you don't say that won't happen so he did and they did some things actually have to be declared to happen we have to understand we are a part of that economy that's that's who we are that's how we live that's how we function verse 10 no evil will befall you nor any plague come near your dwelling why for he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways in their hands they will bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone I as as most of you know one of my dearest friends is is Randy Clark I was just with him in New Mexico and he tells the story of his time of ministry in Argentina and Brazil both but in Argentina one of the leaders that he was learning from and partnered with as he ministers in that country made made a statement to him and I'm not going to get an exact but I'll get to just of it told him that basically you in the American Church know a lot about operating in the gifts of the Spirit but you don't know how to partner with the angelic now personally I do not believe in me telling angels what to do I I won't go I won't go there I will not go there but what I will do is I have found that in Scripture our decrees that the angelic realm know what their assignment is our decrees when we say what he is saying I would like to suggest that a decree that comes from the throne room carries the fragrance of the father carries the fragrance of its origin there's something about that that the angelic realm have a sense this came from the throne room and this is their assignment in Psalms 103 it says that angels carry out his word in my thinking that's when God declares the matter there are sometimes he just declares the matter that's their assignment you can vote yes you can vote no doesn't matter it's gonna happen anyway but but the second part of the verse says that the Angels give attention to the voice voice of his word in my experience I believe the voice of his word that's you and me it's when God speaks in the quiet of our heart and unless we declare it it goes unsaid so if you can picture this saying something that had its origin in the throne room and we make that decree his angels would give charge over you that's a part of this confession that is made from one to another his angels will give charge over you what happens as that comes from the heart of God himself the angelic realm knows that's their assignment I'm just supposing that's how it works I know that in in the natural world we know flies are attracted to decay Satan is called the Lord of the Flies the demonic realm is attracted to decay in thought and morals values that's why what we say is going to attract one of two worlds that's why there's life and death in the power of the tongue gardening ourselves to deposit in one another not just hopeful words but actually putting on them a bull's eye that the angelic realm will reinforce that's our assignment a people of courage that must deposit the bullseye if you will of the target of God in this situation in itself it's a lifestyle that we have the privilege of living he will give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against the stone let's go to verse 13 you will tread upon the lion in the Cobra the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot this is a passage that Jesus quotes at least in part in the Gospel of Luke you will tread upon the lion in the Cobra the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot here's an important thought in this passage this whole Psalm is about protection until this verse then it basically says the protected are going to get vindication they're protected are going to get vindication they're protected are going to trample on the very efforts of darkness to kill steal and destroy to protect the ones who have been kept in safety the ones that death a thousand fall at your side ten thousand at the other side those folks are now released to tread upon the powers of darkness that cost that the cause the disaster in the first place we are we are summoned not to sit idly by and just pray oh god please protect me protect me please keep me from harm to think that way is is almost is almost yielding to the virus is it in this case the corona virus but just in general in the life of a believer to just try to be the protected safe person is the opposite of our calling the opposite of our design the opposite the safest place in the kingdom is the front lines of battle you will tread upon the lion in the Cobra the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot Jesus made that statement to his disciples he brought it into New Testament context verse 14 because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he has known my name he shall call upon me I will answer him I will be with him in trouble go back to verse 14 let's cover just that one for a moment because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him who deliverance come from come to the people who set their love on I don't want to twist the meaning of this so again everything do everything to resist any kind of guilt shame or whatever to me this is an invitation by God to learn what it is to fix the affection of our hearts to be anchored in him continuously he makes a point for a reason because he set his love on me I deliver I know when I'm home I I tell my wife that I love her many times a day many times a day many times sometimes during a meal it's going to be repeated frequently I'm going to reset I've already set my love on her but I reset see in Acts chapter 2 it says and they continually devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching to the breaking of bread to prayer to fellowship etc they continued continually devoted they continually reuptake on tract re-signed the contract there's something about this passage that provokes me because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver there's something about the ongoing I hate to reduce it to a discipline but if that's what it takes do it the ongoing resetting of our affection for him throughout a day if we need it set it on your alarm to remind you the resetting of our heart of affection for him there's something about that on he's such a lover that he's drawn that you know I've talked about this for the year through the years but I in going to sleep at night I turn my affection towards him when I go into a difficult I'll stop turned my affection towards him until I can sense his presence resting upon me it's not that he wasn't before but something happens either he comes or I become aware I don't care what it is I like it turn my affection towards him and something happens in that moment where there there is a manifest presence of God upon me for whatever environment I walk into and I've told you before I remember a story I used to shop in that as a grocery store but had celtic stuff there too and and I'd love to shop there and I remember the owner taking me aside one day before I'd walk in I just stand at the door as I'd go the back to understand at the door and just turn my affection towards the Lord make sure that I could sense the Spirit of God resting upon me then I would walk in and just shop I wouldn't do anything different than anyone else but the owner took me aside one day said bill said something is different when you walk in the room I know it's because the manifest presence of God resting upon me so this is what he's saying he said because you set your love on me therefore I will deliver so I just pray right now that every one of us upgrade that resetting of the affection of our heart for him not just reduced to a discipline but the increasing passion of the Lord would become our passion I remember a prophetic word I heard no goodness as probably in 1972 as before I was married which is 73 I remember sitting in a service in Bethel Church the other old location and that's this woman prophesied and she said if you long for me as I have longed for you you will be satisfied ah if you long for me what does it mean to set your love on God it means you've received his love do you know that do you know the Scriptures is we love him because he first loved us do you know when I love him I'm only love him him back with what he gave me he when I opened up my heart to receive his love he gave me the capacity to love him back strangely in Scripture you see instruction on the husband to love the wife but the wife to respect the husband why because if the husband does a good job loving the wife she doesn't need to be commanded to love and return and all the women said yes but you get the point you get the point the point is is is it it's actually carried on in the illustration of Christ in his church the husband and the wife because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he has known my name I'm not sure what it means my mind goes quickly to being seated in heavenly places and it's at that particular passage we are seated in heavenly places with Christ is a wonderful wonderful truth the problem that I have not with the verse but with the issue is it gets reduced to a point of theology and never becomes an experience heavenly places is supposed to be a place from which we think and from which we see it's not a mind over matter thing it's not a you know discipline our minds to imagine this and imagine that it's not that it's that is that our love runs so true with the resetting of our hearts of affection towards him become so ongoing that we not only have the point of theology that is accurate we are seated in heavenly places but we actually think and see from that place because our burning heart of affection for him and his burning heart for us brings us into such a place that our perception changes everything changes because in that abiding place of presence we think and we see different see it's of that person that can say to the disease it's that person as John G Lake discovered to hold the disease in his hand put it under the microscope and watch it die not everyone could have done that what because not everyone has life long from them continuously if you take a garden hose and you put it in foul putrid water whatever is in that puddle is going to leak into the hose the only way to keep the inside of the hose unaffected is that before you put it into the stuff make sure the waters turned on and if there's a continual flow through the hose you can put it in any environment and it doesn't get infected we got people setting up barriers of protection around themselves because they don't have enough flowing out you get this stuff flowing through you that yielded us yield earnest not yielding this just for the sake of power but yielding this because of this romance because of this love because I've set my heart of affection on suddenly there's stuff flowing from us that starts changing the atmosphere so changing the environment that we walk into we've been called into this for this season this is the season of advancement all right we're getting close to the end that's right [Applause] there's 14 again look at it in your Bible there's 14 again because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high it's actually a place of safety in a sense unreachable by the way the scripture teaches pretty clearly that we are out of reach of the enemy but not out of sight that's why he prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies you're out of reach but you you're not out of sight why I think the Lord loves to torment the devil that's just my thought I think he rather enjoys and you know what you're sitting at a table and you've got the enemy all around you what is your attention on any situation where you feel like you're under heavy assault if you'll if you'll refine your focus you'll find the table of fellowship he prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies if all you see is the enemy then you need to readjust get back to what God has said about your life find the table of communion but in that table of fellowship with God is your is all of our place of great strength great confidence great life great health all right getting down to the end verse 15 he shall call upon me I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation verse 15 again he shall call upon me I will answer him I'm not going to go along on this one but I am so tempted and let me just tell you why continuous answers to prayer are what we were designed for to not have them is abnormal and that needs to matter it needs to matter what I see happen for us is that we'll pray about this pray about that have no breakthrough and just assume it's the will of God the disciples tried to cast a demon out of a child if we could bring that analogy into today when the child wasn't delivered we would just assume that in the sovereignty of God it must be his will he works in mysterious ways which is the cop-out answer it's the cop-out answer to explain away our powerlessness I'm trying so what did the disciples do Jesus comes along he brings the deliverance I made reference to it earlier it brings deliverance to the child he has two disciples how long am I gonna be with you which seemed to be a question he asked often how long shall I be with you and then the disciples they're stunned but first of all they're stunned by the fact they couldn't bring deliverance why because they have a history of success Jesus since I'm not two by two they've they've been with him in those moments they've been in there with him they are the most trained people in deliverance of anyone to ever live except for Jesus up to that time and so they're shocked when it doesn't happen that's a good shock when something doesn't happen the day is coming when we're going to be shocked when somebody isn't healed so Jesus brings deliverance and it says the disciples took Jesus aside privately they said how come we couldn't do it how come how come and didn't work when we try and of course Jesus said this kind only comes out prayer and fasting what's the point when they didn't get an answer they took Jesus aside what we tend to do is stop praying it's supposed to bother us enough that we look at the lack of a breakthrough as an abnormality something didn't work right I'm not going to blame it on the sovereignty of God I'm not just going to say well somehow this must be God's will I'm not gonna do the cop-out thing and push it under the sovereignty of God I'm gonna take responsibility and come before the Lord until I find out why take Jesus aside take Jesus aside I'm asking all of the Belleville family online community and the reading of the local community take at least a day this week if it's physically possible to fast and to cry out to the Lord we've we've got to hone our focus in this season we have to refine the focus to what God is saying doing this is our greatest opportunity for advancement this is our greatest opportunity it needs to come in miracle power it needs to come in economic release both for businesses churches ministries all over the world are being unbelievably hit by this thing what has happened we are being set up for massive massive revival how do we know this let me give you just one historic lesson you know we talked a lot about the Azusa Street revival I did not know until yesterday this is a street revivals 2006 excuse me 1906 maybe I just prophesied alright 1906 as the Isuzu survived what I did not know until yesterday is that there were sparks of revival all over the the United States in in 1905 and there were about a million which the country signs at that time is very significant a million new conversions in 1905 which set the stage for an explosion in 1906 what's happening right now corporate gatherings around the world of tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands we have Luis Palau we have Franklin Graham we have so many others in the Calvary Chapel movement they're evangelists are holding these massive Crusades we've got the send we've got the call we've got all these things Daniel kolenda we've got this stuff all over the worlds of the gathering belphin music and they're gathering of tens of thousands of people all over the world this stuff's going on and what's happening right now all of it is shut down why the enemy fears the impact of that of that and the assault is on the business community because that's what funds the the the movement this is the moment for vindication but I believe it takes aggressive prayer on your part in mind where we stand in the gap when we say not on my ship not on my shift what's been happening in the last couple years is 1905 all over again it's it's that God has set the stage for an explosion to take place then it's to take place right now we're being positioned for if we'll posture ourselves with faith guard guard our hearts from those random fearful thoughts where we deny love and embrace fear and position ourself to find out what God is saying and make the decree get into the get into the battle get into the fight take that time take a day too fast cry out to God lift up your voice contend for those who are suffering we have friends right now people that I know that have been hit by this thing they're suffering horribly we stand in that place we stand in that place we make that decree I took the communion with me this week and just it just walked in my hotel room just declaring the names of these individuals Jesus bore their affliction on his body he bore yours mine on his body there's no sense two of us paying the same price no sense makes no sense so here he says I will be with him in trouble he says I will answer him I will be with him I just I feel like do you know where every one of us started our life in Christ all of us you could take all of our gifts all of our history our heritage or all the stuff about our life and just take it everything away until you come down to the one common denominator the one common denominator is we called upon the Lord he heard us and he saved us our life started with an answer to prayer our life started as an answer to prayer we lifted up our voice we cried out to God he met us and he performed the greatest miracle we will ever see in our life and that's the salvation of our own souls we started in the miraculous it was never supposed to decline it was never supposed to decline so he says he'll call upon me I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him in honor I will be with him in trouble that tells me sometimes I'm in trouble but he's with me the table of fellowship is there in the presence all right I will deliver him and honor him that's a strange conclusion I'm not just going I like this I'm not just going to set him free and protect him I'm not just gonna get him out of the snare I'm gonna honor him as one of mine I'm gonna mark him I'll let him know let her know that this one follows me I'm reminded of Gideon's prayer he told all of us the 300 soldiers around him as you break these pictures remember these torches with pictures Overman as you break those pictures yell out for the Lord and for Gideon there are times where he will actually have somebody honor you publicly for your courage maybe in front of another friend I remember as a parent I would I took on the intentionality of bragging on my children while to another adult while my children are present I remember when Eric drew on a bedroom wall in our house and injured the city landscaping of these high high-rise buildings you know with windows and everything and I got home Benny said you need to come to see what Eric did so in and I'm looking at this wall Eric standing there like this you know I remember how old you were four or five so I like that so I'm looking at all you know he did it with crayons you know and marked all over the bedroom this spare bedroom wall I'm looking at these things I said son that's really good you did a good job look at these look at the look at the details you look at these window windows here is you big building small buildings amazing we did a good job so I went on to praise them for all I'm gonna say you know next time you want to draw they'll just let us know we'll get your paper and then a week or so later we had guests over for for dinner we had friends over for a meal and after the beyond say hey you guys got to come with me come see this come back in a bit so I took our guests back in their bedroom and Eric standing there all happy and I said I said this want you to look at my what my son the artist drew you know but what Eric you look at this look at the details here look at the windows look at all the stuff you know that's what he does and be the child that realizes the privilege that he promised and I would honor him don't deflect it don't deflect it if we don't know how to receive honor we'll have no crown to throw at his feet last verse with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation it's the promise of the Lord just two wonderful things about today because there's not another service following I don't have to tell you to go home I love that part and the other part is I don't have to watch the clock there'll be no parking problem today there'll be no parking problem he bruises open though I encourage you to get coffee afterwards but look at this look at this this promise with long life I will satisfy him there's two things there there's the promise of long life but the long life is given to satisfy I don't know if I can say this very well the quest for life means I must live longer some have lost the quest for life some have lost it they've retired from this that quit from that all they have is just the routine of making it through every day it's no longer the adventure of faith for them is no longer the conquest it's no longer bringing in fruit harvest for his glory it's just been reduced to just abiding in Christian discipline and fellowship but there's no quest for life he says with long life I will satisfy all right we're gonna share a communion I want you to stand you've been sitting forever if you're at home please grab your elements and we're going to share a communion together and I more now than ever in the beauty and the power of communion of the broken body the shed blood of Jesus I won't make this as long as I do when it's me in Jesus alone because I like to take time I like to take time I like to be careful to never do anything just out of a routine I believe in discipline but I try to make sure that whatever I've disciplined myself in that I can that I can turn my passion towards that thing so that so that I am all in I so always want to be in no matter what it is I want to be all in Jesus do you need help there Chris [Laughter] those of you at home probably don't have this problem of trying to get the combination to work here Jesus broke bread and he turned his disciples and he said taking eat this is my body now to understand this part but I don't I don't feel I need to I just want to honor what he said he said this is my body he didn't set represents my body I said this is my body so my approach to this is supposed to be with that kind of reverence with that kind of value I don't need to understand I don't need to explain what I need is to approach it with the value he placed on it later in Corinthians he says many sick are sick and a number even die because they don't judge the body correctly he could have been talking about this he couldn't the context been talking about this so today we hold in our hand the testimony of his death the stripes that he bore when I partake of the bread I used that as a moment to declare over myself my family my extended family to declare over them by the stripes of Jesus I was healed by the stripes of Jesus I was healed I pray for different friends by the stripes of Jesus I've taken you through this in times past something I added about three or four months ago is I remembered something out of the book of Ephesians chapter 2 where it says Jesus bore in his body the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile he destroyed the power of division with this offering so I prayed not only for people with sickness disease friends of mine based on the payment has been made I have then moved into praying any place I know where there's division Jesus you paid more than an adequate price for there to be no division in that situation doesn't matter to me whether it's a family conflict it's racial reconciliation that needs to happen doesn't matter in what category how large or how small the payment he made was more than enough more than enough so I'm gonna ask all of you here all of you at home we're gonna take maybe two minutes I want you just to pray for whoever God brings to mind but I here's what I'm gonna have you do that's important in my walk I have to make it a confession by the stripes of Jesus I was healed by the stripes of Jesus and then I'll pray for different people for Cathy Valentin by the stripes of Jesus Cathy Belton was healed eli Spooner was in a very very tragic accident last night very very tragic I'm not going to go and do it now but one of our own and and we today need to stand in agreement for an absolute creative miracle in his body right now and you have different people but let's take like two minutes and I want you to pray for whoever God brings to mind you won't be able to cover everything but let's do the best we can in two minutes but make the confession and I'm gonna ask you to pray this out loud no one needs to yell but I want to hear the sound of people before God with the value for his body that has been broken for us let's do that now I've got two minutes by your stripes I was healed by your stripes by the stripes of Jesus almoner a was healed by the stripes of Jesus Mary Burke lives in divine mantle by the stripes of Jesus Cathy valve was fully versed or Elife Spooner fully restore jean fully restored fully restored entire house fully restored by the broken body of Jesus by the broken body of Jesus remember pray for both for division areas and healing areas declare absolute peace the peace of God to overwhelm the broken situations any broken situation in our community we declare the peace of God rules and reigns over all and now let me pray over this and we'll partake together I'm glad that these are harlot wafers the reason is I it's just a reminder to me it was broken he was broken that I could be whole he was emptied that I could be full he was despised that I could be celebrated he was rejected that I could be embraced he bore affliction that I could be healed he became poor that I could become rich he did everything in opposite to launch us into what's available right now so let's just make this decree together by His stripes I was healed I pray for divine health to rest over my household and over our extended church family in the name of Jesus amen partake of the breath now take the cup I love this hello so much this is why this is why I get to pray for every one of my family members by name and it might decree my confession at this point is as for me in my house we will serve the Lord say that with me as for me and my house we will serve the Lord I want you to declare it like you actually believe that this is the gospel truth right here all right as for me and my house we will serve the Lord say it again as from me and my house we will serve the Lord now what I do is I open the cup and I hold it before the Lord and I pray for specific family members you may not be able to pray for everyone I'm going to give you just a minute or two but in fact let me tell you what I want you to do I would like for you to take a minute to pray for family members by name and this is what I do I just took our I played the blood of Jesus over Eric and Candace over Kennedy and sailor and this is my prayer Jeremiah 24 give them a heart to know you I plead the blood of Jesus over Brian and Jen over Haley taya Braden Moses and the new little one that's coming because they're adopting another I plead the blood of Jesus over them God give every one of them our heart to know you I plead the blood of Jesus over Gabe and Leah over Judah Diego Bella and Cruz give them a heart to know you I want you to do that first pray for family members and then I'll take you into the next phase give them a heart to know you've done every family member dreams in the night encounters dreams in the night divine encounters prodigal son prodigal daughters prodigal parents uncles aunts we just declare come home come home that I pray that every household here we would see salvation extended to neighbors around us next to us across the street behind us there would be this awakening that would take place in home after home were the dreams the visions of the men and white would no longer just be in Muslim territory but it would actually invade America have actually invaded our own cities that people would be awakened in the night with encounters with a man in white now the next thing I do is I pray over those who in my case have opposed me and spoken against me videos books whatever that I pray for them that they would prosper inside now and that they would have the joy of having children and grandchildren that served him well that they would have a rich heritage in Christ because these are all people confess Christ who well-meaning as they may be I'm I you never have the right to criticize a servant to their master I will not do that and so what I do is that pretty to bless them so anybody was affected you negatively take just a moment to pray for them and then we're gonna share this together yes prosper them inside and out Lauren set the stage for them to step into why they were born but they would have the joy of a rich rich heritage family line richly devoted to you for what it's worth I'm always careful to not pray that they would have a prayer a power encounter with God because I'm not asking to be vindicated I pray for their blessing in their context like God choose how do you understand what I'm saying I'm not trying to sneak in my opinion about something I'm praying for blessing in how they walk alright so the cup before the Lord let's make this confession together as for me in my house we will serve the Lord let's share this together Wow thank you lord I would encourage you I we have a couple little jars next door a little couch sitting area and we have jars with communion supplies in there continuously and and we keep it focused for staff members just to be able to take community at any time and there's always a number of these cups in there today there was only one left so I think our team has been taking communion more often which is good news I want to encourage you I ordered I ordered on on amazon.com I get these little cups I have them at home I take them with me when I travel it is a part of our household routine I encourage you guys online do something you know if you want to do the wine and the bread however it doesn't matter to be just in this season especially we need to upgrade our focus and the broken blood of Jesus and the shed blood means something it's not just eternity it's now and it must be declared now what we're gonna do right now is we're gonna wrap this up and obviously you are the ministry team and at home you are the ministry team and so I'm gonna ask you here if you want any prayer at all turn to the person next to you and just tell them they are drafted their assignment is you and honestly ask them to pray for you it may very well be we have people that are watching that don't know the Lord and I want to take this moment listen don't go through life on your own it's just simply not worth it it's not worth it jesus paid a price for your salvation like you paid for mine all of us were saved by the absolute grace of God none of us earned it I don't care what you've done you are being set up in this moment to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior it means you turn for what you from what you've been serving to follow him and you do what the verse I quoted earlier he who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved his name is Jesus call upon that name Jesus and ask him for the absolute full forgiveness of sin ask him to fill you in this holy spirit and all of our church family at home you know what now is a great time for you to learn to receive prayer from family members if you need a miracle you can't turn to the one next year unless it's your son or daughter or spouse or whatever but do that take advantage pray God give us them or cause us to be people with great courage in this moment not to cower in the face of a virus of all things no we come forth wash our hands wash your hands don't be stupid don't play with the rattlesnake and call it faith but please let's go after this thing in Jesus name Amen amen let's pray father we ask that you would take the Army of God the Bethel family but every church across this nation and the nation's right now that there would be a supernatural equipping of courage and faith to stand in the face of this virus and say back down go back to your source in the name of Jesus the enemy came to kill steal and destroy not Jesus Jesus came with abundant life so we stand in his name and we declare the all sufficiency of Christ in Jesus name in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Bill Johnson Teaching (Official)

Views: 300,886

Rating: 4.8143167 out of 5

Keywords: bethel church, church at home, bill johnson, bethel sermons, holy spirit, bill johnson sermons, bethel, bethel.tv, jesus, bethel tv, signs and wonders, sermons, christian sermons, bethel redding, bill johnson ministry, coronavirus church, psalms 91, how to overcome fear, psalm 91, quarantine, bill johnson bethel, sermon, coronavirus response, church closed, sermon on coronavirus, safety, Gods presence, preaching, bill johnson healing, jesus christ

Id: Mc_F37Vvk48

Length: 78min 34sec (4714 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 02 2020