The Bait Of Satan

[Music] so to open this up tonight I'm gonna go to the book of Matthew and in Matthew 24 it is an amazing chapter the disciples come to Jesus and they say hey what's going to be some of the indications that are gonna take place right before you return now how many of you believe we are living in the days of the return of Jesus let me see a show of hands okay you have to be blind not to see that Jesus said we would not know the day or the hour but we would know the season we are in the season amen I mean Jerusalem to think about it I mean you know it's amazing to me the more I've been meditating on this last couple of weeks Israel here they are just fragmented all over the world but yet they become a nation in 1948 and then Jerusalem comes back and you're just like wow Jesus literally said that generation will not pass away until all these things are fulfilled so you know Jerusalem became the capital in 1967 of Israel again after thousands of years and so a generation could be 40 70 years in the Bible I think it's probably 70 so you take 70 and 67 then we're talking twenty thirty seven we're we got a short time to get a lot of work done you see what I'm saying so get ready buckle up it's gonna be a good good few years ahead of us amen because there is gonna be a reign of God on the earth he's gonna pour out his spirit and you know God spoke to me he spoke to me he said this to me this blew me away he said son the book of Acts would look like child's play compared to what I'm about to do so just go through the book of Acts and think child's play next time okay compared to what he's gonna do cuz remember he gave the former a moderately gosh it's amazing when you think about it right and so we're gonna be a part of that can you say Amen we got to be ready for it so Jesus he tells these signs but these signs give us an indication of how to be ready for it he starts out in verse 10 by saying ninny everybody shot many now the word many there in the Greek literally means most or majority so we're talking about at least 51% many will be offended everybody shout offended will betray one another end will hate one another now that's actually a progression an offended person will eventually betray and if a betrayal is not dealt with it can lead to hatred say whoa whoa whoa where do you get this from John well proverbs chapter what is a proverbs chapter not eighteen verse 19 says a brother offended is harder to win than a strong City now think about it in the days of Solomon who wrote the book of Proverbs what did strong cities have around them walls what were those walls built for protection those walls would keep out those people that you believe we're against you and they would allow in those people you believe were for you this is exactly what happens when a person is offended they begin to build walls but they're not physical walls their mental walls okay they're in the soul the realm of the soul the New Testament uncommon walls the New Testament calls them strongholds Paul says it like this for though we walk in the flesh we don't war according to the flesh okay we're in a war we're not a playground we're in a battleground right for the weapons of our warfare he says this in 2nd Corinthians 10 for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly carnal but they're mighty in God to the pulling down strongholds right what are those strongholds he tells us casting down every imagination other renditions are reasonings all right and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God so we're talk about reasonings imaginations knowledge are you seeing this and bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ so 1 are these walls these strongholds they are thought processes or reasonings that we develop deep within our heart within our soul that are contrary to the Word of God now how many of you know God's Word is rooted in his nature ok what is God's nature geez does anybody know don't be afraid you said it love right so God's nature his word always seeks to give to give to get you you know the most miserable people are on the planet not sinners Christians who don't serve because you are going against your very DNA your spiritual DNA so if you want to be miserable here is I promise you this is the this is the formula just serve yourself you will be miserable as a Christian now as the sooner you'll be happy it's the truth but as a Christian you will be miserable because you'll be a house divided your spirits wanting to serve your minds lying to be selfish oh I'm preaching better than some of you say Amen right now so the love of God is always seeking to give to give to give but a person has been offended I've been hard I'm not gonna get hurt again so they develop these reasons these thought processes to seek to protect protect protect alright so they are moving towards misery okay this makes you a perfect candidate for betrayal now can I tell you why you didn't get that because a lot of people don't understand what really betrayal is when you hear a betrayal they think of the extreme thing like Judas right a betrayal is simply this when I seek my benefit or protection at the expense of one I have a relationship with that's a betrayal now betrayal is the ultimate abandonment of a relationship and if it's not dealt with it can lead to hatred now I'm gonna I know I I might sound like a little broken record here right now a lot of Christians don't understand hatred you know what they think when they think of a teacher doll he's so angry and mad and emotional you know what no that's not hatred the word hatred in the Greek literally means love less so if you want to get an image of it it's a vacuum where there's no love in there so hatred can have no emotions Absalon hated a man therefore he neither spoke good nor evil to him the Bible says you hate your brother you're a murderer Wow I wish preachers would be as blunt as the Bible is your murder and you've got no eternal life abiding in you and he's writing to Christians about this you see what I'm saying so Jesus is saying in the days right before his return he's gonna be massive offense and the offenses are going to lead to a lot of betrayals because people protecting themselves and those betrayals are gonna lead hatred am I talking about United States and South Africa right now and then he goes and then then because then Manny isn't this interesting you see this word many so many times false prophets will rise up and deceive many who are the many they're going to deceive the many that are offended you know what that tells me that offended purse the an offended heart is the breeding ground for deception Wow so Wow now remember what is deception I said it this morning that the problem is just one problem with deception one massive huge problem it's deceiving person who's deceived leaves with all their hard to write when our reality they're wrong see see that to me is probably one of the most scary words in the New Testament deception but yet Jesus said it's gonna be rampant in the last days because you're gonna have a lot of offended people you with me I just want this to settle in for a few minutes because I want you to think before you take on an offense with somebody if it's worth risking being deceived okay and then he goes on to say and because lawlessness will abound now what in the world is this word Lord was this it is the Greek word anomia and this is simply all it means it means not being submitted to the authority of God so when our thoughts are contrary to the heart the counsel the will the Word of God we've entered into lawless thinking so these are the offended people because lawlessness is going to abound look what he says the love of there it is again many will grow cold now how many of you would say lawlessness is abounding in our society right come on let's be honest but you know what's amazing Jesus isn't talking about society he's talking about inside the church how do you know that I know that for sure because of two reasons reason number one the word love that he uses there is not phileo the word he uses is agape agape is the love of God that is shed abroad in and believers heart the world cannot receive it jesus said the world can't receive this love the only ones who possess agape agape is the love that lays its life down for its brother right or sister the only ones who have Rigate are Christians okay this is riveting when you think about this so the agape of many is gonna grow cult and this is how I really know he's talking about Christians because in the next verse he says but he who endures to the end shall be saved you don't say to a sinner if you endure you gonna be saved he hasn't even started the race the only ones are in the race are believers we've received agape so here's the scenario people are going to be offended Jesus is probably weeping why he's saying this the offense is gonna lead to betrayals it's gonna have a lot of people in hatred then you're gonna have false prophets rising up and everybody's always looking for the false prophet behind the pulpit can I tell you in my thirty year five years of ministry I've seen a whole lot more false prophets in the pews than I have in the pulpit in your quiet tonight you know you know false prophets they're wolves in sheep's clothing not wolves in Shepherds clothing and they travel in packs and you know what wolves do they seek out the weak and the wounded the offended and their goal is to isolate the sheep from the herd you know there's actually protection from you being in community as a believer but if you isolate yourself this is what happens I'm telling you I've seen a time over time time time time time and time again you isolate now you can still go to a big church have a big family but your isolation occurs in the soul you following me now you're meet for the devil's table so now the person who can hurt you the deepest is the person that is closest to you coming you know that why because her expectations are higher see David said it like this he said it wasn't an enemy that reproached me I could bear that but he said was you my brother my equal my friend we went to the house of God together we heard the word of God together you're the one that's lifted up your heel against me why is it why isn't the person that's closest to us can offend us the deepest because our expectations are higher you know we have an expectation level on the world that's zero we have an expectation on most Christians that's here we have an expectation on our spouses about here and our pastors about here so think about it if a Christian only does this much and your expectations been here they've offended you by that much that's why you ever see Christians say well the world treats me better than most Christians why is that because your expectations zero in the world and if they do that much they're a blessing but if your spouse only does that much they've offended you by that much now if you want to put all offended Christians into categories you can do it okay category number one those who have been genuinely mistreated category number two those who think they've been mistreated okay I don't want to deal with category number two right they have inaccurate information or they've had accurate information and have discerned inaccurately not dealing with them I'm dealing with number one those have been genuinely mistreated because how many of you know there's been a lot of people mistreated right do you have the right to be offended if you've been mistreated do you have the right you have the right to do anything please always remember that here's the right to go to hell forever if you want to go to hell forever and God will protect your right okay because God made us free agents we have free wills so yes you have the right to be offended but if you want to walk with God no you do not have the right to be offended how many he's never hurt somebody's head you just didn't know what they did to me let me see you show him okay come on do I pray for the rest of you for lying right now sure you've heard be how many you've ever said that don't raise your hands okay no no you don't know listen to me no you don't know what you did to Jesus see let me let me say like this let me say there's this an offended person is a person that has forgotten what they've been forgiven us some of you didn't get that yet let me try it again an offended Christian it's a Christian that has never realized what they've been forgiven of or they've forgotten what they've been forgiven it see if you go a few chapters earlier six chapters earlier you're in Matthew 18 Jesus talks the whole chapter about offenses right and Matthew 18 and you know how many you know the disciples were constantly jockeying for who was gonna be the greatest and Peter's to notches up on all of them right I mean he walked on the water he's the one you said you're the Christ right so Peter you know they're in competition not good it's good for it's good for rugby but it's not good for it's not it wasn't good competition yesterday no but anyway and that was a sad game all the way here to sow that we're gonna watch you guys lose in the last two minutes yeah y'all do better than that next time come on all right so so Peter you know he's in competition right and he just uh he's thinking I'm gonna go as big as I can think I'm just gonna I'm gonna I'm just gonna stretch it to the max so he goes Jesus my brother sins against me seven times and I forgive him that's enough right and Peter's expecting Jesus say blessed are you simon barjona because you gotta remember these guys grew up under the law I for eye tooth for tooth you punched me I get to punch you back you kill my dog I get to kill your dog that's when I for eye tooth for tooth means and so Peter just you know he knows jeez have been talking about this forgiveness stuff so he just stretches it as far as he can you know seven times right and Jesus goes Peter not seven times seventy times seven and in Luke's Gospel he added it in one day alright so for me to sin against you 490 times in one day means that I'd have to send against you every three minutes provided you and I don't go to sleep that day now I don't know anybody that can send that good I mean professional sinners can't do that good right okay so what is Jesus saying he's saying hey Peter your forgiveness is to be like your heavenly father's in exhaustible because that's the way God's forgiven us that's a good place to clap so Jesus says I gotta tell these guys this story cuz you know he's telling stories make sure he gets just like I like to show videos I don't have a video for this I do it because I didn't bring it with me because I wasn't planning on preaching this so next time I'll bring a video so Jesus tell stories he would have done he would have shown videos I'm convinced if he was preaching today right on this earth right so so she said okay you got this this great great King he's gonna illustrate his point right and this King has these servants that are money and this one servants brought to this King that owes him ten thousand talents what is ten thousand talents I'm not gonna take the time to amp multiply it out you read them bait a second book if you want but it's basically about ten billion dollars u.s. Rand who knows okay that's how that's out in the stratosphere okay how many of you would call ten that billion dollars us and unpayable that loser your hands yeah if not pastor wants to talk to you about multi campuses all right so yeah so immediately we see the Kings like God the Father because how many you know we were forgiven at the unpayable dead the Bible says that Jesus when he hung on the cross took the note the note of order an ordinance that was the note of debt that was against us and he nailed it to his cross he forgave us of the unpaid unpayable debt [Applause] this guy's forgiving of the unpayable debt he goes out and finds a fellow servant who owes him 100 denarii what's 100 denarii a denies the day's wage 100 denies 300 a hundred days wage let's say you work 300 days a year if you take out weekends and holidays that's 130 be year's salary so obviously you can see Jesus is saying that his stellar brother really did him bad I mean somebody takes let's say let's say you make 100 hundred thousand Rand a year okay and somebody takes from you a friend takes from you and doesn't pay back and won't pay it back thirty three thousand Rand is that one of those hey dude I'm sorry bro don't even think about it no no so what Jesus is communicating is this fellow brother has really done him dirty but compared to what he was forgiven are you getting this a hundred thousand Rand isn't even a drop in the bucket compared to ten billion dollars u.s. so Jesus is saying the very worst that we can do to one another compared to what we did to him is like comparing a drop in the bucket to a bucket full of water see the problem we have in the church is that we categorize sins now think about it with me all right we have the big ones adultery murder wage craft stealing and then we have what we call weaknesses gossip side you understand what I'm saying yeah you look at proverbs 6 it says these six things the Lord hates and the seventh is an abomination adultery is not in the list am i advocating adultery absolutely not the Bible says does it practice adultery will not inherit the kingdom to God I showed you that this morning but what I find amazing is the seventh one that God calls an abomination is sowing discord among brethren gossip so this is what I like to say treat gossip the way you treat murder you probably get delivered treat Cheeta unforgiveness the way you do witchcraft you'll probably get free sea stop and think about it you know when Adam sinned against God yet the father could have said let them all go to hell Jesus let's go over here and create another universe we'll create some people that really love us he would've been a hundred percent justified because what we deserved our just reward for what we did to God is to burn in a lake of fire for ever and ever and ever because God's not unjust that's why I said a person who cannot forgive this person has forgotten what they've been forgiven us so this guy will not forgive his fellow servant who took a third of a year of his salary so he throws him into prison fellow servants find out about they go tell the King Kings furious in case you haven't read the Bible God can get angry hello we're creating His image you understand but his reign angers always righteous so he's furious and he calls him he says you wicked servant I'm gonna put it up notice he doesn't say you wicked heathen he doesn't say you wicked outside of this guy's been forgiven of the unpayable debt said you wicked servant I forgave you of the entire ten billion dollar debt and you couldn't have pity on your fellow servant wow he's angry so he gives this command he says hey turn him over to the torturers this is why people that are offended or tortured they don't realize it but they have tortured until he should pay all that was due all that was due that's the unpayable debt I'll let you work through that one do you know this is the only parable in all four Gospels that Jesus gives the interpretation without being asked think about it all the other parables they had to come and say what did that mean and he tells them he says guys what I just said is so out there I want to make sure you get it don't even you don't even to come and ask me what does this mean he said so shall my Heavenly Father do to you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses Wow this is not a bunch of theory for me I I became I became a Christian when I was nineteen years old and I was a really good center and I got saved okay and when I got saved I man I'm telling you what it was easy for me to forgive people do you notice that when love of God filled your heart right but there was a man who was really close to me he he was like a father figure matter of fact he was closer to me in my natural father and he did some things to me over a course of a year that devastated me it was a whole year of stuff and it climax was some really devastating stuff I mean it was so obvious what he did to me people are coming up to me going you okay yeah I'm fine I had people coming up to me are you gonna go to him no no I'm going on with the call of God in my life people go are you hurt no get ready I was too proud to admit that I was offended because I saw being offended as being weak and I'm not gonna say I'm weak bad news months go by the fire of God in me is going cooler and cooler and cooler its dwindling it's like the Frog in the kettle but the reverse ministry is becoming like an occupation to me not a passion I know you've never ever seen something that happened to somebody and this is what was scary I was still preaching people are still getting healed people are still getting saved I'm getting cooler and cooler and cooler it got so bad Lisa and I Lisa had a worship CD on and we're driving down the road and she's got she's like worshiping tears coming down her eyes she looks over me and I hate a stone-cold look on my face I'm just driving she goes John are you okay I'm fine I'm meditating you worship I'm meditating so I'm so proud you see one time' okay so finally months and months go by and i am at the point where I can't stand myself I'm so dry so cold so indifferent no passion hard to love people and I walk outside my backyard one day I go father am i offended I heard us on the inside yes it is honestly the loudest I have ever heard the voice of God to this day and I remember I just I just went I dropped my hands I went I don't know what to do I've prayed to forgive I fasted I have confessed I've admitted what I really didn't it to anybody else but to you I admitted I need help so I'm in the end of a four-day fat or end of a three-day fast and I go to this funeral and it just so happens the man who really really hurt me is doing the funeral I'm in way way back right and about three quarters of the way through the funeral who the wels broke open for the first time in like six months tears are pouring down my eyes and I remember I got you know I forgive you I forgive you I forgive you I forgive you I forgive you I'm just crying I go home I think it's over I cried I forgave him everything's good two weeks later I saw the guy again I think how can he be so blessed he did this to me he did that to me he did this to that guy he did this to me oh now I left that place where I saw him I went home I thought about it all the way home I ate lunch and talked about it with my wife he did this to me it did that to me I thought about it all afternoon I eat dinner talked about it at dinner again I went to bed thinking about I got up the next morning took a shower and I'm thinking about it and then I got scared whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa I forgave him two weeks ago I cried why am I still so tormented well there's a there's a thing I didn't understand the truth I didn't understand Paul makes this statement acts 24:16 he says in here and do I exercise everybody shout exercise myself to always have a conscience free from offense towards God and man now everybody say exercise Steven I need your buddy can you help me okay Steven can you run up here everybody give Steven a hand oh yeah yeah that's good now Stephen stand right there and face me now Stephen um they did all this nice stuff for me and I'm messing up the house no just stand there so calling you I can walk up to Stephen and do this did you like it thank god you're honest okay but he's fine everybody see that he's funny but I could do this okay and I could go up and do and if I did that what would I do I would wound him there's some offenses that hit us when they hit us we don't I get when it's over it's like water off a duck's back we're okay there's other offenses that hit us that wound us and how many of you know wounds don't heal overnight and if wounds listen if they're not properly treated they never heal thanks Stephen you still my friend thanks buddy thanks buddy Danny's strong okay so I'm in Hawaii oh man this was years ago years and years ago I think this was like 20 years ago right and I'm in Hawaii suffering for Jesus right and so I'm preaching this conference right it's a missions trip and so they have this this this rock wall right you know this like this it's got it's made out of rock so it's uneven right and I want to take a picture so I go to get up on the wall and by the way the sign says do not climb the wall anyway I put all my weight on my right near and I hear this right now my wife's laughing at me with the assistant pastor of the church and but when I get down I'm like I'm like this and she comes see him walk so they run out of the car they grabbed me and they they help me back in the car well for the next six weeks I'm in braces and crutches I'm actually being wheeled onto an airplane and a wheelchair you know I mean Wow so the next day in Hawaii there was a there was a physical therapist who was working on the associate pastor's wife because she had had an injury and so he he said yeah man I'll take a look at his knee so he owned a gym he's big he's huge man I mean huge bald head kind of cocky guy he's not saved I don't think yet but he's got me on a mat in the gym and all these people are working out around me you know and he's gonna Matt he's really making me kind of hurt and he goes hey you know what you want to know why you injured your knee yesterday he's saying it really cocky I said why did I injure him he said you know what you look around this gym look at all these people not one of them would have injured their knee yesterday you did I said now I'm really getting kind of irritated with the guy okay why did I injure my knee and none of them wouldn't he said cuz you're out of shape you don't exercise you want to know what I told Cho Stephen cuz I saw it right away my shook his hand earlier today this man's in shape if I would have hit some of you as hard as I hit him up here the first one you invented the doctor tomorrow there are some people they're out of shape spiritually the only meal they eat is Sunday morning and Sunday night they're not praying they're not reading the word so they're easily offended but then there are other people like my next-door neighbor my next door neighbor was WWF wrestler six foot four weighed 240 pounds 4% body fat perfect V Ches perfect eight pack I just play basketball with him and I Drive in he just stand there I'd Drive in and I'd bounce off five feet and he wouldn't budge so once he looks at me and goes come watch my wrestling videos I'm like fake I'm thinking that some but I use my neighbor I gotta go watch so I can't watch her baby breaking guitars over his head I watched him break a chair over his back I saw a 400-pound guy jump off the ropes and land on top and with any of us in here we'd be in traction from six months right and whoa nothing could injure him and there are people like that spiritually see the Bible says great piece of them who love your word and nothing can offend them that's why I chose Stephen I knew nothing could injure him do you see what I'm saying so I get on the airplane fly to Indonesia now there's another physical therapist working on my knee in Indonesia and this this guy was a little nicer he was a Christian actually a Christian yeah and he said mister Bevier would you would you like to know how to get your knee heal I said yeah man what do I need to do he said exercise and I thought to myself yeah man rugby players football players soccer players they injure their knee right what do they do they go through physical therapy what is it focus exercise get that knee back in shape better than what it was before it got injured right so Holy Spirit said that's what you need to do I said how do I exercise member Paul said I exercise right to having a conscience for you I said how do I do it he said Matthew 5 so I go read Matthew 5 and verse 44 I discovered something look at this Jesus Jesus says this but I tell you pray for anyone who mistreats you now do you notice Jesus never said in the Gospels pray for your mother now am i saying don't pray for your mother no no no no no that's a given I find it very interesting the person he does tell us to pray for it's those who mistreat us and one translation says those who abuse you so the Lord said your exercises to pray for him so I got it from the table I was like father in Jesus name bless him next day next day Lord by the way bless him next day Lord if you can bless him that's the way I was praying over the next four weeks and that's like lifting a little little coin on your your foot you know so after six weeks or four weeks of this praying I got no better and I'm on another fast and the Holy Spirit said I want you to read Psalm 30:5 you ever had the Lord do that with you I'm just curious every I hear over Psalm 30:5 and just make him not even a bit of sense does it frustrate does anybody know what I'm talking about but then I get to 11 verse and all of a sudden said whoa because David made this statement in eleven first he said hey evil people you know they pay me back evil for good said hey that's me I did the guy good he pays me back evil oh oh I know what the next verse is gonna say it's gonna say Lord break their teeth out right right I'm confident but look at the next verse says this is but ask for me when they were weak when they were sick I dressed in mourning I deprived myself of food I prayed my head bowed low as I would pray for my friend or brother the Lord spoke to me and said you pray for that man what you want me to do in your life for your family oh my goodness okay so get it from the table and I said father I'm asking that he would know you the best a man can know you that he would please you the best a man can please you that he would love you the best a man can love you I pray they know your heart I pray that you'd surround him with counselors Lord God counselors that would give him godly counsel not wicked evil people deliver him from those I pray Lord that you bless him did you surround his family with your angels did you protect his wife his children that you bless his ministry that she'd causes ministry have greater and further reach I pray can I tell you something that was so hard even painful so here can I abolish something somebody ever looks at you and says pray what feels good don't listen to them when that guy is going through physical therapy anybody ever gone through physical therapy you want to hit the physical therapist it's so painful that guy is almost screaming when you got the twenty kilos on that leg crowing machine it's not comfortable that focused exercise to be healed is not comfortable but I said I don't care what I feel like I'm praying everything I want for this man so I did it the next day and the next day the next day well a couple weeks later I've got a little little pep in my step law I'm praying for him what's happening I'm starting to get healed no now I'm actually playing with excitement and I remember after about five weeks of praying like this I was outside in a remote place one morning and I screamed his name that I was deep in prayer and I screamed his name up I've yelled his name I said so-and-so yeah and when I said that was like junk came out of me I remember that morning I thought I'm healed I'm healed man I went home told my wife Azam healed so I saw him a few weeks later another loan on the inside I know what so my wife she is so prophetic I don't get away with anything between Lisa and the Holy Spirit I don't get away with anything and I actually like that so she sits me down on the couch she puts her arm around me she goes honey I think you need a go to him I jumped off the couch out of her arms I said oh no no no no no I'm fine I'm healed everything's good so I went out and prayed I said God do I need to go to him God said yes now you know when Jesus said if your brother sins against you go to him come here to me against David come on over here come on okay this is the white people take that scripture Jesus if your brother offends you go to him Stephen Yeah right you're right I just want now what are they doing they're using their scriptures as a license to vomit all over you and tell you how bad you treated me you ever hear somebody say I love you but man put the earplugs in as fast as you can run the other way as fast as you can they about to vomit on you okay okay this is not what Jesus had in mind when he said if your brother sins against you go to him what does Jesus have in mind reconciliation now there's a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation and most Christians lump the two together but they're totally different how do you understand the difference stay with me Steve look at the cross look at Jesus he's our example when did he forgive us when he hung on the cross we stood Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing he was just speaking about the soldiers in the Sanhedrin they're starting the next generation the next generation the next generation heard unto you and me cuz our sins put in there he forgave us on the cross before we ever said I'm sorry do many times I've met up with Christians and they go well I forgive him when they apologize what Jesus would have waited for you to apologize before use then you were sorry before he forgave you I mean think about that one but now when were we reconciled back to him when we repented and said I'm so sorry you're right I'm wrong please forgive me and would lead us to repentance the goodness of God so what Jesus is saying is go to your brother and create an atmosphere of goodness it's gonna want to make him say I'm sorry when you go up to someone you need this in these knees excuse me so this is what the Lord led me to do I bought this guy gift a really nice gift okay a gift I like to have right I wrap it up I bring it to his office I give it to him he opens up the gift and and I'm telling you I can still close my eyes and see it he just goes because it's a good gift and he goes he's speechless so I take advantage of that what am i doing I'm creating an atmosphere of goodness so take advantage of that and I go hey listen I've been praying and I really owe you an apology here's what no no no you don't know me apology I said oh yeah I do I've been judgmental and critical if you because no you haven't I said oh yes I have you know what that did that open him up finally so he shared with me his frustrations I saw what he was saying before that meeting was over we came together like this and we've been together like this ever since my whole life family ministry totally changed from that day on Lisa and I we've talked about this for years now we can look back to that day and said it was the changing point of our life totally completely changed that's when our ministry exploded that's when our life became full couple days later I looked at my wife I said babe when I met that man he could do no wrong in my eyes I loved him I said that's a mature look I said then I saw his faults his faults were directed at me I didn't love him anymore as a mature look I said now I still see his fault I love him with the same intensity as when I first met him I said gosh Lisa that's got to be the love of God because the love of God covers the multitude of sins [Applause] jesus said in Luke 17 I'm gonna close it up here Jesus in Luke 17 it is impossible that no offences would come what is Jesus saying he's saying if you breathe air okay this makes you a candidate you breathe air it is impossible to live in this world and not have the chance to be offended so just brace yourself okay but what you do with the fence will determine your future either you'll become bitter or you'll become stronger but you won't be the same now the Greek word therefore offense is the Greek word skandalon it's actually a very ancient Greek word that was originally used to describe the bait stick of a trap the hunters would use to catch small animals and birds in the hunter would place the bait on the skandalon the animal would take it to trap would close and capture and kill it thereby an offense is the bait of Satan to pull you the believer into his captivity Paul confirms this in second Timothy where he says to Timothy those who are in opposition those who are offended with one another they are taken captive of Satan to do Satan's will so this is the scary thing you can be in ministry you can serve in the church but you're taking captive of Satan and Satan as well now instead of releasing rivers of living water you're releasing tainted waters with bitterness there's a man that I really respect he had a vision of the final days and in the vision he saw the armies of hell that was gonna march against the church he said in his vision as the army demonic army got closer he noticed the demons weren't riding on the backs of horses they're riding on the backs of Christians who had been offended they were taken captive of Satan to do Satan's will I was gay I was doing a conference I'm gonna end it with this story and it was a crowd about this size this was years ago and before I got up to preach the leader the conference pastor said I want so-and-so to come up here and testify so this guy comes up he's 36 years old his jeans are dirty you could tell he just got off the job he's probably in construction I think he was he's got a beard looks like a pretty tough guy doesn't look like the crying type but he's crying I'm like boy this is interesting and he said you know I've been in church all my life so my parents raised me in church he said but all my life there's been a wall between me and God so presence of God comes in the room everybody gets touched but me he said a couple weeks ago somebody put in my hand is the book the bait of Satan this is what I'm preaching to you out of tonight he said read the book in two days he said when I read the book I realized I held unforgiveness against my mom for 36 years because 36 years ago my mom gave me away he said I talked to her two times in 36 years I contact her and talked to her for the second time 36 years he said mom I've hated you for 36 years for giving me away she start crying she said I've hated myself for 36 years for giving you away he forgave her she forgave herself because Jesus if you have aught against Danny and he includes you and now the guy now the guy's crying like a baby I mean the tears are falling off his beard under his shirt he said now that wall that's been there all those years it's gone he said when I pray in the morning I cry like this when I come to services I cry like this God is so close do you have the right to be offended yes you have the right to do anything God gave you that right but if you want to walk with God you do not have the right to be offended I want every head bowed every head bowed every eye closed every head bowed every eye closed I don't think I have to labor on this one I think you know you're sitting there you knew while I was preaching you realize now listen carefully to what I'm saying don't miss this yes you were mistreated yes it was wrong but two wrongs have never made a right your sin of unforgiveness do you heard what I said remember it's not a weakness your sin of unforgiveness is not justified by how badly you were treated so tonight if you're sitting there going I have sinned by harboring an offense harboring unforgiveness and I want to ask God to forgive me and I want to release that offense I want you to raise your hand up right now I want to pray for you Wow 80% of hands are in the room or up I want you to stand your feet if your hands are up just just stand right there at your chair I just want you to be able to stand excuse me 90 percent I want you to close your eyes while you're standing I want you to forget about who's standing or sitting beside you does it matter anymore I want you to close your eyes and I want you to turn in what do I mean turn in I want you to open the eyes of your heart Jesus if you see him you will notice he's not mad at you he doesn't have a disgusted look on his face he's actually quite happy because you're finally gonna be free yes what was done to you was wrong but you realized tonight two wrongs don't make a right I want you to lift your hands up to him right now with your eyes closed and what you say Father in Heaven say it out loud Father in heaven thank you so very much for speaking to me tonight I realize I've sinned against you I I was done wrong I was mistreated I was abused and realized tonight two wrongs don't make a right so I'm here to confess my sin of harboring unforgiveness please forgive me for I repent of it tonight I ask you to cleanse me with the blood of Jesus Christ and from my heart I want you to see that person I want you to no no no don't say that I want you to just see that person or persons may be a mother maybe a father maybe a husband maybe a wife maybe an ex maybe a next friend maybe a former pastor and I want you to say this in the pret you're in the presence of God so please don't speak superficially say father from my heart I forgive and I want you to speak to them now you're in the spirit there's no distance in the spirit say if it's your mom just saying mom whisper this I forgive you if it's a pastor pastor I forgive you say it right now just say it whisper it and just say this now say father as Jesus did with me as he forgave me from the cross before I said I was sorry so I'm gonna do now I say this father I ask you to forgive them don't lay the sin to their charge I'm asking you to fill me with your presence with your love in Jesus name keep your hands up there's the presence of the Holy Spirit right there right there right there boy I can sense the healing that's beginning to take place just lift your hands up I say thank you thank you so much I command in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for healing to begin restoration to begin and I pray for reconciliation there's his presence right there there's his presence right there now I want you to just say thank you so much come on thank him thank you so much and let's give him praise for what he's done come on amen [Applause]

Channel: Imagine Church

Views: 2,669

Keywords: Rhema, South, Family, Church

Id: 5xgj7yCa3Co

Length: 53min 59sec (3239 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 07 2018