The 3 Fold Cord of Apotolic Indentity is Holiness by Raymond Woodward

[Music] we've done it we talk about it we preach it we read it would you just do it let's shout to the Lord one more time with a voice of triumph [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yes yes I I want to get I'm just anxious to get into the word of the Lord so I'm going to ask for your forgiveness that I don't say everything that's on my heart my way of thanks but I would be remiss if I did not say that this has been just absolutely the privilege of a lifetime for Beverley and I to be here with you folks we appreciate your leadership brother sister Cox of course brother and sister tinny the District Board all the ministers some of my heroes in the gospel live here in Louisiana in fact many of them and I'm a pastor so there's nothing I appreciate any more than a faithful saint of God and I appreciate all of you and I'm so grateful to be in the presence of the Lord with you if you would take your Bibles and turn to the theme Scripture we've been using for the last couple of morning's Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 12 and if one prevail against him two shall withstand him and a three-fold cord is not quickly broken we've been talking about the three-fold cord of apostolic identity and I one more time for the last time I'll give you the disclaimer I'm not naive nor arrogant enough to think that the great vast varied apostolic movement in the earth could be summed up in three particular pet doctrines however say having said that we are not being criticized for prayer and we are a people of Prayer and we need to be a people of Prayer we are not being criticized or lambasted because we are a people that evangelize and we need to do way more evangelism than we're doing we are not being criticized because we are a people of worship and I'm so thrilled by the dimension of worship that's been in this camp so and I just use those three by way of example but we are being heavily criticized and in some quarters even fought and in a few quarters even questioned from within about some Apostolic identity issues now you don't have to be very intelligent to understand what these three issues are because all you'd have to do is go look for us on the internet and you'll find out what they say about us and they will tell you that number one we do not believe the Trinity we have this different doctrine one as well you know what to us oneness the mighty God in Christ is not just a doctrine it's an absolute revelation don't you dare be arrogant with that revelation it's a privilege to have that revelation don't you dare look down on somebody that's coming to ward truth it's an honor to possess that truth but that's one strand of the three full court of Apostolic identity yesterday we talked about the second thing that they say about us our friends say this about us our enemy say this about us and everybody in between they say that they don't believe that you just say I believe in Jesus and you're saved they believe in this thing called the new birth they believe in being born again of the water and the spirit they believe in repentance and baptism in Jesus name and in fact even in baptism they're different than many other groups that are out there they realize that whether you realize that's part of your identity or not they realize it that's the second strand in the cord and the third strand it's always there and let me tell you about this cord and I know you're standing let me tell you about this cord a twofold cord will unravel try to braid a two-fold cord it'll unravel on you a three-fold cord is not quickly broken there is a third strand they always pick up this strand and they always talk about it when they talk about us I fear lest we would easily discard something that is part of our identity that we have been known for for years now now preface here it's not enough to just be known for something for years I'm a pastor now this would never happen in Louisiana but perhaps in Canada there my be some saint in the church that's known for something that you'd really prefer they weren't known for that after a lot of years so it's not enough just to be known for something okay but this is more than just being known for something this is actually core this is actually part of what we are this is part of God's revelation to us and so with the help of the Lord this morning I want to talk about this third strand in the cord of apostolic identity and that is holiness now before any of you get nervous I just like you to allow me the freedom as you have been so kind the last two mornings to just preach to you and if you would just open up your heart to God and lift up your hands and ask God the same as we've done the last couple of mornings to reveal his word to you not even everybody else to you that God would speak to you speak to me Lord Jesus we invite the move of your spirit here we invite the revelation of your spirit in this room we invite the conviction of the Holy Ghost to seize us in a new generation that must do an incredible work for you before you return Jesus we invite your intervention even your interference in this service got arrest us by the Holy Ghost if necessary but talk to us Jesus we invite that this morning in Jesus name in Jesus name Amen you may be seated to answer the question how important holiness is in this threefold chord because I must tell you it seems to me to always be the first strand to be discarded but never the last just remember this you've heard the saying history repeats itself perhaps you've also heard this saying the only thing we learn from history is that we never learn anything from history church history sadly is a record of that I could take you back all the way to Acts chapter 6 and I could take you to a young man named nicolas a proselyte from antioch and he was one of the first seven church deacons chosen to look after the business matters of the early church in acts 6 and 5 but his dedication to the apostolic message was sadly short-lived according to several early writings on heresy nicolas the deacon nicolas the one appointed by the apostles nicolas eventually back slid and he introduced what we call now the doctrine of the Nicolaitans to the church his doctrine came about as a knee-jerk reaction to another extreme that was in the first century and that was the Judaizers the Judaizers literally followed the Apostle Paul around and tried to tie every new believer to the Jewish religion they tried to tie every believer in Jesus every newborn Apostolic to some of the Jewish rituals that's an extreme you don't need a bunch of ritualistic ceremonial ism to serve God what you need is the new birth in your life and so they were wrong that was one extreme but Nicholas aired and I fear less many people err today in combating one extreme with another extreme that's what Nicholas did his doctrine was a knee-jerk reaction to the Judaizers it abused Paul's doctrine of grace and it introduced a false freedom into the church Nicholas aired his followers erred in bringing one false doctrine on this side to combat an equally false doctrine on the other side in the book of Revelation the Apostle John is writing and he compares the Nicolaitans to Balaam in the Old Testament who revelation 2:14 cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel now you probably remember your Bible lovers you remember the story of Balaam he was unsuccessful multiple times in cursing Israel from without he couldn't stand on the outside of their camp and curse them but what he eventually did was he taught them to mix godliness and worldliness and by doing that Balaam got them to curse themselves from within now Nicholas had to say a similar spirit and his doctrine was loosely based on Greek dualism dualism that the the physical and the spiritual are miles apart and they don't necessarily relate and so Nicholas eventually would declare that Christians since they were actually quote sinners saved by grace could live like the world on the outside and still remain saved on the inside his teaching would later be the basis of many false doctrines like eternal security once you're saved you do whatever you want you're always saved since Nicholas teaching required really no outward or even inward change to be saved he and his followers actually were successful in attracting large numbers of converts from the pagan religions who wanted an easy way and by the end of the first century from a lukewarm church that wanted an easier way Nicholas actually taught many things but he taught through his lifestyle and through his teaching and through his beliefs that really holiness was not all that important but God had a different opinion twice in Revelation 2 6 and 2 15 God said I hate the doctrine of the Nicolaitans and if God ever hates something he still hates it you can be assured in his brilliant work against heresies a Greek theologian Aranea s-- he lets us know how far that worldliness eventually reached quote the Nicolaitans are the followers of that Nicholas who was one of the seven first ordained as deacons by the Apostles they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence end of quote I'm here to suggest to you that an outward standard of holiness was one of the first things to go in the great falling away of the latter first century but that tide of change did not stop with holy living the loss of holiness was soon followed by the loss of real repentance and water baptism by immersion in Jesus name and speaking in tongues and the gifts of the Spirit and eventually the doctrine of the oneness of God as you know by reading your church history and as the elder apostles died one by one leaders with smaller vision and weaker conviction stepped in and subtly began to after their message it was only much later decades later as gross doctrinal errors took place and took root in the church and propelled her into the dark ages only then did it become apparent how much was lost when the holiness lifestyle was abandoned I have a warning for the Great District of Louisiana the Nicolaitans are once again rising among the Apostolic s-- in North America I don't say that lightly nor arrogantly but these people will compromise the non-negotiable principles of Scripture for personal convenience or societal acceptance they will surrender holiness at a whim because it is too burdensome and they will lay absolute truth in the cold grave of tolerance because it's too exclusive and truth is too inflammatory and I don't like to be confrontational but they have massacred Scripture to do that and they have maligned the Apostles to do that and they have mortified their God to do that in many cases it is shoddy scholarship but more often it is simply loose living but the modern Nicolaitans do not deceive me because I can read I know the damage they did the first time around and their new freedom as CS Lewis once said that freedom in some kind of new cloak is just bondage an old error Louis said in new dress is ever error nonetheless you have to be careful if you observe some of these people long enough you will find that holiness is only the first item on the steep slope to massive dramatic change I would suggest to Louisiana this great district that I have grown to love and have been so influenced by let's not repeat the errors of the first century in the 21st century and so this morning with that in mind we need to go to Scripture because it really doesn't matter what my opinion is on this nor yours it matters what scripture says first Peter 1:15 but as he which has called you is holy so be ye holy now that would be quite vague unless it said this in all manner of conversation conversation is a King James 400 year old word for lifestyle in every manner of your lifestyle be holy because it is written be ye holy for I am holy and I have to declare to you on the authority of the word of God that holiness is absolutely expected in your life in every area of your life by God himself we are commanded to live holy in a way that affects all man or every part of our conversation or our lifestyle and that is non-negotiable to God but pastor Raymond couldn't that idea of holiness just be an inward work of God because this really is the question isn't it does the Holy Ghost really affect the outward actions and the outward appearance of a vessel that he chooses to dwell in do the standards of conduct and appearance given in Scripture do they still apply to us today couldn't we just discard them in favor of a lifestyle that is less conspicuous and less offensive in modern society so the real question is does God really want us to be that different Titus would weigh in on this in 2:14 he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works I know we try to tweak scripture to make it a little more palatable and we've I've got all the definitions for peculiar it's a rare precious people and that's all true peculiar really just means peculiar you are not going to fit in this world if you're going to serve God with your whole heart you've got to make a choice you have to make a choice you have to make that choice [Applause] first Peter 2 and 9 but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood and holiness oh here it is again a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light now I know we quote that and we shout about that but let me give you a couple of definitions so forth literally means that you should publish abroad or completely proclaim and praises isn't the same word there in the Greek that we use for this all the time praises means virtues vine says it properly denotes whatever procures preeminent estimation for a person or thing in other words what's the main trait of the person you're showing forth their virtues well with God we know what that is our God is a holy God be ye holy for I am holy so let me read that again you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that you should completely show completely fully published and proclaim the virtues the holiness of God because he has called you out of darkness into his marvelous life you all got a great debt for that salvation you're enjoying right now he's a holy God you need to be a holy person the amplified version of that verse says you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a dedicated nation God's own purchase special people that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light you are a billboard for the god you serve you're supposed to stick out like an advertisement for something that somebody needs that's what a billboard out does that's what you're supposed to do you're supposed to advertise something that's otherworldly and supernatural and beyond this world you're supposed to be that kind of advertisement for your God now I I'm on a two-hour time delay here I'm from New Brunswick I'm in the Atlantic Time Zone so I've been doing early mornings and I get into this scripture this morning and I was just gonna give you the the one verse and and the Lord just kind of prompted me to look at context and then it just it's like chewing gum the word just gets bigger and bigger and bigger so so with apology I've got a little bit of a lengthy passage of the Bible I know we're not supposed to read lengthy passages of the Bible but here we go Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1 wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us let me say something there and I'm not meddling and and and if you believe different that's fine but that great cloud of witnesses doesn't mean there's a group of people in heaven leaning over the balcony watching you because that would be really depressing for people in heaven Oh oh he's bad today oh oh don't do that don't they that's not what it's talking about it's talking about a group of people that made it and their lives and their faithfulness there's a witness to us and there's a great crowd of those kind of witnesses in heaven that's saying you can do this this isn't rocket science you can live for God if Paul could live for Jesus in a prison cell you can live for Jesus in Louisiana it's a great cloud of witnesses we're compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses so let's lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us and our example looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him he endured some stuff here because there was joy there so this is our example who for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself last you be wearied and faint in your minds because you know what you haven't done it like Jesus did you have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin you can do this and you have forgotten and here's where the Holy Ghost just kind of smote me this morning because I've always read this word chastening chasing this chastisement corrected I've always read that and I've always thought punishment I've always thought now I know if you ask me for a technical definition I would you know use the loving parent there but really in my mind I've always thought the negative side of that punishment that's not what that word means chastening literally means in this next few verses the training of a child the instruction of a child investing your life in your children's lives so you can bring them to maturity now sometimes it does include correction sometimes it does include discipline but the overall thought of the word chastening is not punishment it's education it's instruction it's maturing so so that's very important watch this and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as children my son despise not thou the instruction of the Lord don't faint when you are reviewed of him for whom the Lord loveth he instructs he educates he invests in so you can mature and he scourges every son whom he receiveth so there is discipline to it but disciplines not the primary thought here if you endure this instruction and this education and this wonderful investment of the Holy Spirit in your life God is dealing with you as sons for what kind of a son is that whose father doesn't instruct him and educate him and invest his life into mature and if you're without that you're not partakers at all you're an illegitimate child this is serious business furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us same word now most of you would be in this category and I know there are horrible exceptions and so let's not go there but let's go with we know in a normal non dysfunctional family you resist and rebel against your dad for a while don't you but if you've got a normal non dysfunctional family you grow up and you think dad had my good interest you know at heart dad taught me that God dad showed me that dad wanted me to do that dad made me do that because he had my best long-term interest in her well your heavenly father is not any different and let me tell you this God doesn't have a dysfunctional family you know what that means that means that God has all kinds of kids and they're at all kinds you know what how it works at our house at any given time some people are sick some people are well some people are weak some people are strong some people are doing great today some people aren't doing so great some people are immature and some people are mature and Beverly and I hope that most of the time the mature ones are the parents but that's the way it works in God's family that's why your pastor doesn't have listened to me he doesn't have a double standard because you're in the choir and he wants you to live a certain way and honor the word and the convictions and the lifestyle statements of the Bible and then he's working with somebody that just came in the church and you say he's just letting them off with stuff he's got a double standard listen I in Stein he doesn't have a double standard he's got a different standard he's got one standard for the two-year-old and one standard for the 22 year old same as you do in your house because God doesn't have a dysfunctional family that's not a double standard that's just a different standard get over it grow up sorry last morning and brother Cornwell preached last night he's not a good influence for they barely for a few days they chastened us after their own pleasure they instructed us but God does it for our profit that we might be here right here we go that we might be partakers of his holiness what's this instructing educating maturing process about ice God investing his Holy Spirit and his blood and his name is so you can become a great big billboard saying I am different yeah I'm different all right I belong to a different country I belong to a different king I belong to a whole different lifestyle it's supposed to be different and God invests that in you we might be partakers of his holiness this is all leading somewhere now no chastening no instruction or educating or discipline or none of that for the present seems to be joyous it seems to be Grievous nevertheless afterward watch it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby in other words if you don't rebel against your heavenly father if you don't pitch a fit and leave the church and sit on the back pew and say I'm not gonna do that what God's gonna grow in your life it's the fruit of righteousness are you gonna let him do it therefore wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees basically stop having a temper tantrum about this stop going around with your lip hanging on the ground and I have to live this way you don't have to live this way give me a break you get to live this way so lift up your hands that hang down stop dragging your knuckles on the carpet and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet less tea that less that which is lame be turned of the way in other words there's people coming behind you on the same path so would you smarten up and make a smooth clear path for them stop going to the left and the right and up and down and going in the woods for a few months and coming back out make up path for those that are coming behind cuz somebody behind you they may be weaker so don't be wishy-washy on what you believe make a clear path for them let's that was just laying we turn another way but let it rather be healed now here we go and this is the only verse I was gonna read to you this morning follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord see it's all in context you follow peace we're not here to argue we're not here to win debates in fact if that's your spirit you need to correct an internal holiness issue before you get on everybody else for your their external holiness issues because this is not about winning a debate follow peace with all men as much as as possible that's elsewhere in Scripture get along with everybody but follow holiness because without holiness no man shall see the Lord but we got to keep going because there's more context here looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God now we're in the context of holiness in fact we're in a major context of being educated and matured and instructed and corrected and disciplined until we grow up and we develop in us the character of the holy spirit and as we do that we evidence the fruit of righteousness you're supposed to live this better after 25 years than you did after 25 days you're supposed to be more like Jesus after serving him for 50 years than you were after you served him for 50 minutes you're supposed to grow up I'm so sorry anybody's welcome to pull my coattail here our problem is we've got people that have lived in Pentecost for years and years and years and they've never understood why they did something and so they've resented it and the reason they police all the rest of us is because they're miserable and they never wanted to do it so they want to make sure you endure the same thing they had to endure what a horrible awful immature ungodly unbiblical spirit His commandments are not Grievous unto me I live this because I love it [Applause] you got the wrong spirit if that's your attitude I don't have to live this I get to live this I get to not be a drug addict I get to not be an alcoholic I get to not have my family all messed up by what they're watching on the media all the time I get to live this so watch out look diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness literally literally in the Greek poison lest any root of poison bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled 'no this is all in the context of growing into the chastising of the lord that the correction the education the instruction of the Lord leading us to righteousness and holiness this is all in that context so now beware because somebody may come up alongside you and they may have poison in their spirit against what you just heard and if you let them talk to you and if you let them influence you thereby many will be defiled lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright his authority his double portion he sold it for a little morsel of meat who is it in this congregation that you've struggled please I beg you don't sell your double portion apostolic birthright for some morsel of meat that you saw in the media or in a megachurch please don't do that you've got a double portion apostolic blessing that resides in your life and here is the warning here's the warning for you know how that afterward when he would have inherited the blessing when he saw what his choices had done to his children when he saw how a generation of turning away from principles affected his church when any of those options happen people have this conclusion when he would have inherited the blessing he was rejected he couldn't get back for he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears I wish you'd lift up your hands right now and actually give the Lord permission to convict you about some of this please don't - please don't be distracted by somebody else that you think needs to hear this please let the Holy Ghost convict you right now about this just like the oneness of God in the new birth message apostolic so we got to get this in our spirit we got to anchor to this this is a core strand in the cord of apostolic identity living a holy life style is the new normal when you become a child of God you should think differently talk differently act differently yes and dress differently the point of the apostolic lifestyle is to stand out this is not just for a few deep Christians this is for all Christians you don't get extra points if you do this holiness is the point be ye holy for I am holy the Hebrew word for holiness Kadesh and the Greek word hagu sunay which are translated holy in the Bible they literally mean to withdraw from something now you would have no trouble apostolic Stelling me that my baptism was wrong if I didn't immerse somebody in water because you would say I've heard you do this that baptism the very word baptize means to immerse in water so you would take me to task if I was immersing somebody because the word baptism means to immerse well let me tell you something the word holiness means to withdraw from something you can't be holy you can't live holy you can't have a holy lifestyle unless you're willing to withdraw from the world you can't do it by definition you can't do it can't do it now just in case I just kind of flipped somebody's arrogant apostolic switch we are not withdrawn from the world so we can look down our nose and make them feel unholy because we are so holy no no no those words are ancient words they go back to could escort eschew holy of Holy's they go back further than that they go back to the early Acadian Peninsula and they go back to even the Garden of Eden and those words mean that we withdraw from something only because we want to withdraw unto some one that's the only reason we withdraw from something this is not about making other people look unholy this is about withdrawing yourself that is so prone to carnality and worldliness so prone to temptation withdrawing from all those stimuli if you will so that you can anchor your life and your character and your motives in the holy spirit our original state of holiness was lost in the fall of man and the reason we live holy lives is so we can withdraw into that original state of communion with God I love you Jesus the word holy means to withdraw another synonym for the word holy is separation you cannot be holy by definition unless you are willing to be separate from something the word holiness is a synonym for sanctification God spirit wants to do a work of sanctification in your life all of your life and you can't be holy without letting him sanctify you now let me be very clear I'm watching the time we do not teach that our lifestyle convictions save us we do not teach that our lifestyle convictions save us because the Bible's very clear isaiah 64:6 all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags but we do teach we emphatically teach we stand on the Word of God and teach that our lifestyle convictions are the result of us being saved our lifestyle convictions are not just because we're thankful to God that's part of it our lifestyle convictions are because we have been transformed by God the Bible says to delight yourself in the Lord he'll give you the desires of your heart and we always think that's the Cadillac in the driveway because that's what I really desire that's not what that verse means you delight yourself in the Lord and he'll do heart surgery on you he'll put in your heart new desires if you don't have a desire to live holy you need some heart surgery from the master physician this morning that's why Paul says in Romans 12 I beg you though the strongest word he could use I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present this is bad present your bodies yea your outward dress it up in clothes go out in society go to the mall go to wherever you go your body present your bodies a living sacrifice and yes your body holy acceptable to God which is only your reasonable service and be not conformed see that's the world's process they talk about being individuals they talk about I'm my own man and I'm my own woman but they're so conformed they wear the same blue jeans and the same sneakers and the same glasses and the same labels they're not individuals at all they're just conformed because that's the world's process and the world would like to put peer pressure on the Apostolic Church and say you need to conform but Paul said don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God now Paul tells us he's emphatic and I've had people quote this and they usually have one side of their nostril turned up in a sneer pastor Raymond Ephesians 2 verse 8 says for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God pastor Raymond I got you here not of works lest any man should boast so I'm saved and I didn't have to do anything and I'm not gonna do anything it's not by works it's just by faith and I always look right back eyeball to eyeball and say have you read the next verse for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them so yeah I got it I got the memo you couldn't do enough good works if you live for 10,000 years to merit salvation but for heaven's sake and for God's sake and for your sake if you are saved God has good works before ordained that you should walk in them so you're not doing your good works to get saved you're doing them because you already are saved [Applause] [Music] and and this isn't just preacher bravado because I know I'm preaching to a biased audience here this morning but holiness is more than just a few external dress codes second corinthians 7 verse 1 having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit but perfecting the word perfect in the King James Bible and it's not talking about God it's talking about you it's talking about maturing perfecting is maturing so maturing holiness or completing holiness in the fear of God you got to cleanse yourself from the filthiness of the flesh but you also need to cleanse yourself from the filthiness of the Spirit because you can get some filthy things in yours Oh somebody please I'm not trying to drag this out but somebody please lift up your hand right now and let God talk to your spirit our holy God would like a little appointment with you you that house His Holy Spirit what are you letting in to the fringes of your heart nada could yes Tomas yes about but that being said that being said no one in their right mind could read Scripture and attack holiness of spirit but for some reason people read scripture all the time and attack holiness outwardly but Paul said in first Corinthians 6 verse 19 what know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which you have of God and you are not your own you don't get to make the calls about this if God's Word has an opinion on it that's now your opinion if you're a child of God your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you you have of God you're not your own you're bought with the price therefore conclusion glorify God in your body and in your spirit because they're both God's and I've got to say if you have true righteousness in your spirit because your spirit is preeminent and predominant if you ever said about somebody man they've got a bad attitude well you're feeling their spirit is what you're doing you can sometimes some people you can feel their spirit before they get in the room but if you've got righteousness in your spirit because your spirit is predominant and preeminent you will have true holiness in your body because both of them belong to God and because God has done so much for me I want to live a life that is separated from the world and separated under him in body and in spirit now God has a family and it's not a dysfunctional family and at any given time there are immature and mature there are sick and well there are strong and weak immature Christians always think in terms of I have to I have to do that to be saved I have to do that pastor said I have to do that maturing Christians they begin to change as they grow and they begin to think not I have to they begin to think I want to do that I want to do that had a little girl that came to our church not too long ago she got the Holy Ghost amazing amazing story she came in and she met with me she said pastor hey man I've been reading in the Bible about these the dresses thing she said do I have to do that because if I have to do that I want to do that but you just tell me if I have to do it I said I really love your spirit young lady she told me later she said you know what I've learned my first Apostolic dress lesson she said don't run upstairs in a dress but her spirit was so pure she wanted to do this but you know what mature believers don't even think in terms of I have to or I want to they think it terms up I get to if this pleases God I get to do this Jude was preparing to write an epistle about the common salvation he tells us that the common salvation the new birth experience that all Christians received but he was prompted by the Holy Ghost to turn course in his epistle he didn't even get he only has one chapter he didn't even get to write about what he wanted to write about he was prompted by the Holy Ghost to tell us to contend for the faith everyone say the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints now sometimes the Bible speaks of faith but other times it speaks of the faith definite article the faith and the faith is not just your faith the faith is not just individual belief the faith is the entire body of truth and revelation that we believe about Jesus Christ that's why we read in Scripture Paul preached the faith which once he destroyed or Timothy was Paul's son in the faith or you can depart from the faith or you can deny the faith or you can err from the faith or you can be reprobate concerning in the faith you need to stand fast in the faith you need to examine yourself whether you're in the faith you need to come to the unity of the faith you need to be grounded and settled in the faith you need to be established in the faith you need to be sound in the faith then you need to keep the faith it's more than just a few pet scriptures that you need to keep you need to keep the faith that entire body of a revelation about Jesus Christ you need to get in the faith not just your two pet verses and your one favorite chapter you need to get in the faith and so Jude says that when he goes to write below it when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation it was needful for me see Jews writing at the end of the first century middle to end and it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints the faith needs some people to fight for it for there are certain men here's why'd you said there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation ungodly man they turned the grace of God into lasciviousness loose living they just say it their their theme song is it doesn't matter it doesn't matter it doesn't matter it doesn't matter it doesn't matter that's their theme song it's loose living and they deny the only Lord God in our Lord Jesus Christ I will therefore put you in remembrance though you once knew this how that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed them that believe not I just got to tell you I'm not I'm not trying to earn political points with any end of the political spectrum and the wonderful you PC I I'm not trying to do that I'm just as honest as I can stand here and tell you that but there's a danger that if we believe truth and embrace the faith and turn away from him you open yourself up to so much vacancy there that anything can creep into your heart your life your family your ministry your church you've left a huge vacancy there to walk away from any part of the faith now I'm finish here this morning Paul gives us on major passage in the New Testament the major passage really where the word yield is used multiple times the Greek word for yield means to exhibit or substantiate or prove or show so in other words what Paul is saying here I want you to watch for it if you're yielded to God it will show now this is a very important passage in Romans chapter 6 verse 12 if you can read along with me and when we hit the word yield I want you to say it with me let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that you should obey it in the lusts thereof neither yield everyone say yield yield you your members as unrighteous as instruments of unrighteousness under sin so don't do that but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members yield them as instruments of righteousness unto God for sin shall not have dominion over you you are not under the law but under grace what then shall we sin because we're not under the law but under grace god forbid know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness but God be thanked that you were the servants of sin but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you being then made free from sin you became the servants of righteousness you say I'm just looking to be free I don't want that old master of sin you're not looking for freedom you're looking for a new master I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity watch what Paul's saying here you know how it was when you were in sin you yielded once to that sin wasn't it easier to yield again and that's what Paul saying because when you were in sin you didn't have all these psychological issues with living for the devil you didn't let people talk to you about how bad a sinner you were you resented that and so when somebody challenged you and said you're kind of a bad sinner you just said I'll show you you just yield it and yield it some more and your life went from a nick - iniquity - iniquity - iniquity it was a natural easy process wasn't it you were in over your head before you knew it because you yielded to sin and sin just took you from iniquity to iniquity to iniquity it's not any different now that you're in a different Kingdom with a different master even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness this is the way it's supposed to work it's not supposed to set up years of psychological trauma in your head to live for God you just yield stop arguing and yield stop debating and yield stop trying to fight everybody that preaches in a pulpit and just yield and you know what you'll find you go from righteousness to holiness to more holiness to more righteousness to the character of God it's the same in the New Kingdom you've just got a new master it's not hard it's easy just yield just yield brother corn Willa just 5 minutes finally Paul says it very plainly you were once a servant of sin and now you are a servant unto righteousness it is righteousness unto holiness in other words if the justification you've experienced on the inside is real it will show up in sanctification on the outside and God is not the least bit interested memo God is not the least bit interested and being made over in your image he wants to make you over in his image he refuses to conform to your culture or my culture or your comfort zone or my comfort zone he is totally convinced that since he alone redeemed you out of sin he owns you he owns you you are bought with a price so get it embrace it glorify God in your body and in your spirit because they're both God's let me finish God wants to make you over in his image so if you have a biblical salvation experience I said if you have a biblical salvation experience it will change you in ways that you could not have previously imagined your desires will change your priorities will change your thinking will change your activities will change your dress code will change in fact your entire lifestyle will change I will go just as fast as I can but I need to leave you with one more point this morning there are two major types there are other words but there are two major types of spiritual power in the New Testament Dunamis you know this word it's the ability to do things beyond your natural ability it's supernatural might and strength released in your life it's it's what we would call doing power Dunamis doing power and you find it all through Scripture acts 4 with great power gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus great grace was upon them all with great power with doing power they went out and they took their world Romans 1 verse 16 I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ it is the power of God it lets me have power to do something for God 1st Corinthians 1:18 the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God the cross did something in my life it's Dunamis power 1st Corinthians 2 4 or 5 my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power there was a power loosed in this camp meeting as the men of God stood in this pulpit you know why that's Dunamis doing active power first corinthians 4:20 the kingdom of God is not in word but in power 2nd Corinthians 4:7 we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us God puts in your feeble frail fragile human vessel a dynamic power of this spirit so you can do exploits for the kingdom of God Ephesians 3:20 now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power the Dunamis that works in all of us God has not given you second Timothy the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind but Paul also said in 2nd Timothy 3 and 5 that some people in the last days will have a form of godliness but they'll deny the Dunamis the power thereof and you need to turn away from those people they'll deny that active living moving power of God but there is another major kind of power in the New Testament and we overlooked at many times there's Dunamis power it's doing power it is the ability to do things beyond your natural ability things the gifts of the Spirit or that kind of power Dunamis power the ability to do things beyond your natural ability but there's another kind of power that's very significant in the New Testament it's exuse e ax and exuse e ax is the ability listen carefully to not do the things that you already have the ability to do in your flesh exuse e ax is authority power or it is better put restraining power we are desperately in need of the restraining power of God in a sinful sensual world see Dunamis power we get all ramped up about that one because that's the power to go do something go do something go do something and young people and I love our young people and I'm so proud of them and they're living for God in such an ungodly age but they get all ramped up about doing power doing power I want to go do this and do that and that's all good but there's another side to God's power that's supposed to be evidenced in your life and that's exuse e of power and exuse e of power you've already got the ability in your flesh to do a whole lot of stuff but exuse e of power steps in and says not me not there not across that line not gonna do it because I've got the Holy Ghost in me and he restrains me from that see that's that's power that's power and the cross believe it or not is the ultimate example of that kind of power because Jesus said in John chapter 10 verse 18 he said no man takes my life from me I lay it down of myself I have exuse eeeh I have the authority to lay it down I have excuse me up to take it up again I've got restraining power I can stay on the cross when it hurts I can stay on the cross when I'm bleeding I can stay on the cross because there's a higher greater purpose well listen that same power is in me I've got exuse your power so I can live for God when it hurts I can live for God all alone I can live for God without you if necessary because that's the exuse 'ya power of God in my life I've got three minutes actually I'm in minus two minutes right now but he doesn't go I'm impressed with the Dunamis power of Jesus but I'm more impressed even with the exuse II of power of Jesus that he would love me that much that he would stay on the cross when it hurt and the least I can do for Jesus has lived the way he wants me to live when it's not convenient [Music] see this is all through the Word of God - Colossians 1:13 he has delivered us from the exuse eeeh the restraining power of darkness he's translated us into the kingdom of his dear son I'm still restrained I'm just not restrained by the stupid devil anymore I'm restrained by the Holy Ghost here's one for you revelation 20 and 6 blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection on such the second death has no excuse iya the graves not going to keep one apostolic believer on that Resurrection Day because it doesn't have any restraining power over you but here's the big one first Corinthians 6 verse 12 Paul said all things are lawful unto me but all things are not expedient they're not necessary they're not beneficial all things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the exuse eeeh I will not let some sensual thing in the media get into my imagination and pass through my optic nerve and enter my little brain and affect the way I live I will not do that can you watch that you don't dare watch that I could watch that if I wanted to but I don't want to watch that because I don't want that to get in my spirit so I restraint I'm not gonna be brought under the restraining binding power of sin I'm gonna let the Holy Ghost tie my hands and shut my mouth and guard my eyes I delight to be under the restraining power of the Holy Ghost I'm done I'm done but here's the last scripture 1st Corinthians chapter 11 verse 10 for this cause but the woman to have exuse iya on her head because of the Angels ladies guys I'm sorry sit down ladies would you stand please [Music] with all of my heart thank you in my study of the word of God and I'm severely handicapped in so many ways and studying but in my study of the Word of God when I think I see here is that men's standards because men in the Word of God almost all of the time are told act holy act holy act holy act holy that Thole cuz guys are a mess and they need the Holy Ghost to tell him that and in my study the Word of God men's holiness standards their lifestyle convictions they bring to the church much of its offensive power I would that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting men if you're in your church and the ladies are doing all the worshipping shame on you you're supposed to stand there and take your place as a man of God [Music] [Applause] but in my study of the word of God women standards are different holiness convictions lifestyle convictions are different for ladies almost always ladies are told appear holy appear holy appear holy you know why because if men act holy then women are not tempted and if women appear holy than men are not tempted it's pretty simple [Music] ladies your lifestyle convictions provide much if not all of the defensive power of the church because the word exuse iya which is restraining power in that scripture it literally means permission and influence and jurisdiction so the word pitcher in the Greek language there is of a lady who has in covenant with God not because she's made - not because her pastor insists on it not because somebody police's her or watches her to see if she does or doesn't do this but she does it in covenant to god her hair remains uncut before God in covenant the Bible says because of this I could go through the words I don't have time but you can prove the words it's not hard to prove the words but for this cause the reason she does this is she has restraining power she doesn't have to take her cue from Hollywood she doesn't have to take her cue from some stupid designer in Paris France she doesn't take her cue from that she has restraining power in her life and there is Authority and restraining power and jurisdiction influence and permission in the spirit realm resting on her head because of her submission to God guys you're not listening sit down I'm sorry ladies I want you to stand right now I want you to lift your hands because when you lift your hands God and the Holy Angel see that covenant that you've made before God and by the way if you haven't made that covenant yet you can make it right now before God that's not the only holiness issue I'm not nearly that naive but you know what it's one that brings power you ladies do something for the Apostolic Church that the men can do ladies lift up your voices with those hands and let those beautiful feminine voices ring the rafters with praises to the God that you honor by your very body by your very dress by your very lifestyle okay guys now would you stand and I would that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath and doting lift up your voice and worship God [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Called, Chosen and Faithful

Views: 3,006

Rating: 4.8947368 out of 5

Keywords: God (Deity), Holy Spirit (Deity), Jesus Christ (Deity), Religion (Literary Genre), New Testament (Religious Text), Old Testament (Religious Text), Christianity (Religion), Pentecostalism (Religion), Apostolic (Religion), christianity (religion), monotheism (belief), religion (tv genre), Oneness Pentecostalism (Religion), the bible (religious text), salvation (belief), believer's baptism (religious practice)

Id: J-4b71xkPRs

Length: 64min 28sec (3868 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 16 2017