Untangled | Pastor William McDowell

hello family around the world we are so grateful to be with you today so glad that you have joined from around the world we did this I think last week or a couple of weeks ago but definitely during our 6:00 a.m. prayer we had you put where you are watching from just kind of let people know where the family is gathered together from around this city around the state around this nation and around the world you can just throw that in the comments really quickly today I was able to see that on a 6:00 a.m. prayer I can't shout you out but I'm not trying to shout you out at this one we just kind of want to let people know where the family is gathered from and we want to say echo again what Pastor Caleb just said and what's been said earlier happy Father's Day to all the fathers we're so so incredibly grateful for you and grateful in this house to be surrounded by so many great fathers and both spiritually and naturally and so we're so grateful I want to personally shout out the pastor's of Bieber fellowship church pastor Jason pastor Jerry pastor Caleb pastor Matt for being exemplary men and exemplary fathers and we're so grateful for you and so I'm personally saying happy Father's Day to our pastors who are just incredible men and incredible examples that people can look to as it relates to raising godly seed and being godly men and and to everyone who is watching who is a father happy Father's Day my encouragement to you of course no matter where you are in the stage of your relationship with your earthly father make sure that you show honor today by reaching out to them wherever they are and then also if you are blessed to have those who have spoken into your life spiritually as well it's also appropriate to do that as well and so let's just show honor all the way around today I know that you know our celebrations are a little bit different as we are still distanced I know not every church is but as we still have distance I know our celebrations are a little bit different than what they normally can be and on the honor that we're able to show publicly it's a little bit different than what it normally can be but we want to take this moment to just bless you in the name of the Lord and say one more time happy Father's Day I do want to say a couple of quick things before we jump into the word today I'm one as a pastor I just want to encourage you I'm not media influenced or or anything of that nature just a pastor who's in Florida and who's in Central Florida who is aware of the the rising number of cases that are happening in our city and in our region and I just want to share with you family who are watching specifically those of you who are in Florida do not let your guard down the reason I'm saying that to you as a pastor I want to say that first don't let your guard down in the place of prayer I know that we've been in this season for quite some time and it can be wearying and entire ring and exhausting and mentally exhausting physically exhausting and socially exhausting and I get all of those things but I recognize it as the collective mood of our nation wants to move on I want to encourage you not to let your guard down in the place of Prayer number one and the second thing is actually a physical act I do not want you to let your guard down as far as being diligent and protecting your health and protecting the health of your family and those who you love now one of the things that we are seeing in this this time is a lot of selfishness to be honest even if you feel okay even if you're alright even if you're not afraid even if you're not worried you do not know how it can affect someone else and so for those of us who are believers were to prefer one another to love our neighbor as ourselves if you don't want to do it for yourself at least be a Christian and do it for your neighbor do it for your neighbor as you know as we've talked before who is your neighbor anyone who needs mercy which is everyone and so what we need to understand is I want you to stay diligent in that protecting your health and then also stay diligent in the place of Prayer um we need God's mercy particularly in this nation I've spoken with people in other nations and and honestly it's not as pervasive there but here in the United States we need God's mercy and one of the areas that we need God's mercy is to turn the selfish heart to become a heart that actually prefers a neighbor and so I just want to encourage you in that place to stay diligent in protecting your health and the health of others and stay diligent in the place of Prayer this is a shameless plug you know whatever if you need a mask Trinity has masks available on her like lives depend on it site it says pray like lives depend on it you can wear a mask that way if you want to and and and it'll help you especially if you're unable to find masks anywhere else you can find them there I don't want to over flood her with orders but I just I just want to you know it'll remind you to do both pray and also be diligent and protecting yourself and so please do that your pastor is asking you not from a media slant not from over being over worried or anything of that nature just recognizing that is still pervasive in our land and I want to make sure that as we pray the blessing of goshen over our house that we are also doing what we're supposed to do now let me make this clear about the blessing of goshen god gave them instruction specifically on the Passover he gave them instructions to stay in their house apply the blood over the door and the death angel would pass if they chose to be outside the death engine would not have passed them there was a specific instruction they were supposed to keep in order to maintain safety and so I want to say to you but just even as we're praying don't be careless because just because we can do it doesn't mean we should do it so I want to just encourage you to not be careless but to continue to be diligent in the place of prayer and also in protecting your family because you're not in the room I can't get a response to that but I just trust you are hearing that and and and taking taking heed yourself now the next thing I'll say right before I jump into the word which I'm excited about today I'm still sitting but I'm healing and I am so grateful to the Lord for what he has done and Oh pastor Caleb mentioned it last week but just to give you a quick update you know I had a situation with my me where they thought I had a torn ligament examined me physically thought I had a torn ligament had to go get an MRI to see the surgery that I'd possibly have to get and be out for several weeks and even made plans and provisions with the pastors for me to be out several weeks and not speaking for several weeks and they delayed my appointment to go and find out and I was a little frustrated but I'm so grateful but I have some great friends who are also our warriors in this in the place of Prayer who just said hey don't worry about it just gives us more time to pray for God to do something there was a night where I was in quite a bit of pain and my leg was super swollen and things of that nature and I just had kind of thought you know this is this is a really bad situation it's gonna require a surgery and that kind of thing and so I prayed specifically for the Lord to send some angels to minister to me and I just closed my eyes and I laid down and my wife came in a little bit later after you know doing some things around the house and came in to check on me and came in the room began to pray for me and as she was praying for me she saw an angel standing over my leg repairing my ligament and so she let me know that not you know she did not know that I had prayed that the Lord would send her into the minister to me but she saw this this whole thing literally repairing my ligament and at the time to be honest with you while I was grateful I didn't know if that meant that the Lord was trying to give me peace about surgery and and that kind of thing but but she said no do not take the languages of surgery in your mouth let's believe God to heal you completely don't don't speak the language of surgery let's believe God to fix your ligament and so I said okay and so I agreed my life and I agree together and I would no longer use the language of laying there waiting to hear about my surgery but instead will believe that the Lord would heal my knee and so literally when we went back to the doctor I didn't know what to expect but I stopped using a language of surgery but I did not know what to expect when he walked in but when he walked in and my my friend and brother Chris was with me and when he walked in he said hey you have a perfectly good me there's no tear there's no damage there's no structural issues there's no mechanical issues anything like that you just have some fluid and some other things on your knee and we're gonna give you a shot you're gonna be all right and and so literally in addition to him saying that um that the miracle end that is I'm on that same knee just a few years back I had to get MRIs and things like that for for that same me a few years back and when they saw it a few years back it was not a perfect neatest that I had the beginnings of some osteoarthritis in my knee which is actually a hereditary but this time they said there's no signs of that either which means that not only the deloitte healed the ligament but he also took out what they saw before and so I'm so so grateful and so to be honest with you I could stand today actually walked up here on my own and I'm grateful for that but I'm trying to use wisdom to be honest with you because as soon as they said no damage no surgery no anything like that I was totally expecting to be like normal in a couple of days and so because of that I started moving around like I didn't need to continue to rest and forgot that they said a couple of weeks and forgot that they said you need to continue to rest and to be honest with you I have not rested and I have not done what they said they was I was supposed to do however the Lord did what he said and so now I'm gonna do what I'm supposed to do rest and so I'll be standing soon so but we're sitting but the Lord still did a miracle and I'm so so grateful for the miracle that the Lord did and so I want to let you know that I am so so grateful for that so we are grateful if you are ready for the word before we even start you know what to do already let's say let's go deeper let's go deep you can type that in the comments right there that's something that pastor Caleb started on the IG live for dya and it just is appropriate and so we're borrowing it and it'll be a part of our phraseology that we use here let's go deeper let's go deeper so let's pray together father I thank you so much for the power of your spirit and the power of your word I thank you for the tangibility of your presence which is in this room what I pray for the grace to declare your word in your heart for your people Lord I pray that you would elevate our hearts elevate our minds cause us to see differently cause us to live differently cause us to walk differently cause us to think differently cause us to speak differently what I pray they will be changed because of your word but I pray for the grace of proclaiming and the anointing of God that would rest upon me and as always I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart would be acceptable in thy sight although out my strength and my Redeemer and Lord because of your goodness and your mercy I pray that you would save people reveal Jesus to the hearts of the unbeliever and save them in Jesus name I pray amen amen well family we're gonna begin as you know as we've made it a custom here to honor the reading of the word of the Lord even if you are there in your home I encourage you to stand for the reading of the word I'm not gonna do it just I don't make a big ol mess up here but I encourage you to stand for the reading of the word and I will be joining you standing soon we're gonna start with Colossians chapter 3 interesting because we were there right before this this quarantine we're gonna start with Colossians chapter 3 we have quite a bit of Scripture today because we we need we had to get to work in the scripture we're gonna go some places here but I want to read Colossians chapter 3 starting with verse 1 starting with verse 1 and it says this since you have been raised to new life with Christ set your sights on the realities of heaven where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand think about the things of heaven not the things of earth for you died to this life and your real life is hidden with Christ in God and when Christ who is your life is revealed to the whole world you will share in all his glory that is the word of the Lord we're gonna begin with today and we'll believe God for grace to proclaim his heart and elevate our thinking today if you are at home you can be seated now as we jump into the word of the Lord I gotta tell you we are excited and anticipating this season that the Lord is bringing us into the Holy Spirit has been pressing something on our hearts for a number of weeks we've been alluding to it and and even exhorting on it in our times of our prayer calls with the pastors and we've been talking amongst ourselves as elders really about the direction of the Lord wants to take our body in and then specifically not just for our body alone although it is for our body specifically both here our brothers and sisters in Australia our brothers and sisters in Namibia who are connected with us but also all of those who are part of the remnant who are part of the the deeper family globally and then also for those who are really since that the disturbing of God in their hearts in the body of Christ we believe that the Lord is leading us into an extended time of teaching concerning I don't know what exactly we're gonna call it yet but we're really what it means to be a Christian and what it means to walk out this Christian life in this world I think it's vitally important for us to do this and so we're gonna be here family for a while now of course we're gonna always keep a prophetic ear open to what the Lord wants to say to us prophetically in moments and in seasons and in times and we believe that the Holy Spirit is directing us leading us into this particular time of teaching for us to really firm our foundation and really cause us to become untangled with some some ideologies and axioms that really need to be untangled and so to that end we're gonna begin pretty lengthy time of teaching between all of us pastors in this way and so we're gonna get ready but as I began to prepare this night I texted pastor Caleb last night and I said there's so much to say that I literally have to pace myself and recognize that I cannot give you a series in a message so I'm not gonna try to do that and I was actually surprised at the direction that the Lord gave me in order to begin this because it's a little bit different than what I thought the direction and he'd give me but in order for us to become untangled he wants our our our understanding of Christianity to be elevated first and this is very very important because I'm there's been a particular comment that has been made we've been talking amongst ourselves and I know for those of you who have been a part of dya Instagram lives on Fridays there's been a particular phrase that has been used here on Sundays and also on Fridays and that is this that we've set the bar a little too low and it's time for us to raise the bar as it relates to how we view Christianity now I begin this way I absolutely love and marvel at technology and specifically the advent of social media and the reason why I say that it's not just because it's cool anything like that I just I look at I frame my life a little bit and and I remember a time in the early 2000s but sometimes feels like was five years ago but was twenty years ago but but I remember a time in the early to thousands of being in in Southeast Asia and not having the ability to communicate quickly back to the United States I had one friend I was traveling with at the time he had like a blackberry so I was able to like send the email but it's like a million dollars and all that kind of stuff you know just really really expensive and that kind of thing to my mother that I needed to get some information to her but I and I met some friends over there that literally I remember you know even having to email at that time and literally waiting a day or two for a response just because of the time difference and things like that and now we are in a place where with with iPhone and things of that nature that we're able to get communicate with people across the world in real time and then even for those who don't have iPhone things like what's that you know sometimes it's real time with your arm but but things that nature but I messaged allows us to do that and and I just marvel at and how far we've come because I remember just within the 2000s when we could not do that same thing with social media now social media is very interesting because it not only allows us to communicate with one another but then also gives us Windows into time and in activities with other people and and I to be honest with you I love the connectivity that it affords us especially in a time when we're distance and things of that nature but even even though it times it gives us a false sense of connection anywhere where to be honest with you because you're on social so much and you can see what people ate last night and the way they went last week and things like that you don't realize that you you think you know what people have been doing but you haven't actually talked to them for months so it does sometimes give you a false sense of connection but even then I still enjoy what we're able to see and how we're able to interact particularly with friends but there is another side to socials that has actually been really interesting you know the scripture says out of the abundance or the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks now if you've been around before for any length of time you've also heard me make this phrase that also means that that out of the overflow of the abundance of the heart the fingers tweet and and I've made that statement before but but but to be honest with you family I have discovered something about this last season not just a season really with the advent of socials and everything else I'm gonna be really really honest I discovered that I think I like the world better when I didn't have to know what people thought III think I liked it better when I didn't know what people thought I think I liked thinking that you were saved more than you proving that you're not oh I think I liked thinking that we loved each other I think I liked thinking that we we were on the same page I think I like that better um then actually the confirmation you know um that there was a phrase um it's not a modern phrase now but but more than hung out and my grandparents and parents generation which went something like this it's better to be silent and to be thought of as a fool than to open up your mouth and confirm it you're like okay this is one of those things where sometimes the windows that that that we've allowed into our soul the windows that we've allowed into our thinking sometimes they prove certain things to us and and family to be honest with you I'm as we've walked through this global pandemic and political divisiveness and social unrest it has become a chief concern of ours that the foundation and understanding of those who say that they are believers and and what it means to be a Christian is not right it is it is one of the things that the global community all being on socials and everybody having an opinion and everybody saying something and everybody writing something and everybody posting something everybody liking something and agreeing with something is revealing something as well now you know for those who are not on socials praise God for that like don't join but but for those who who have at least been able to be in this season a kind of see of the collective soul of a nation and the collective soul of those who call themselves believers be open it has it has a awaken in us who are responsible for shepherding God's people and serving God's people and being heralds and Proclaimers of the gospel a chief concern about our foundational understanding of what it means to actually be Christian because there's so many who profess to be that so many who self-identify as that that don't actually bear the fruit of being christ-like perhaps we have too many houses built on faulty foundations Matthew chapter 7 verse 24 through 27 raised this way this is Jesus talking he says everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them or be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it family I am chiefly concerned and I know that as we've been talking among the elders as well I'm chiefly concerned that we have a lot of sandy houses not a lot of houses that are built on the foundation of the rock based on doing his word not just hearing it only but doing his word I am becoming unfortunately more convinced than we have more religious people to say people in our churches people who actually here and here and here but never do and so now we're making up our own version of Christianity and it's important for us to begin to lay a foundation everything family that stands is built and framed by Christ everything that stands is built on and framed by Christ now Malta times in Scripture and I exhort on some of this Monday on our prayer call but multiple times in Scripture the term Christ being defined as a chief corner stone or the stone that the builders rejected has now become the chief Cornerstone it's amplified multiple times in Scripture meaning that God really wanted this to be known and it isn't I didn't give them this we're not gonna read all of these but psalm 118 verse 22 Matthew 21 verse 42 mark 12 verse 10 Luke 20 verse 17 acts 4 verse 11 and first Peter chapter 2 verse 7 all amplified this idea of Christ being the chief Cornerstone I want to take first Peter chapter 2 verse 4 through 8 and I want us to read this we're gonna we're gonna roll up our sleeves and do some work in the scripture today alright you are coming to Christ who is the living cornerstone of God's temple this is Christ being referred to as the cornerstone of God's temple he was rejected by people but he was chosen by God for great honor and you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple what's more you are his holy priests through the mediation of Jesus Christ you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God as a scripture say I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem chosen for great honor and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced yes you who trust in him recognize the honor God has given him but for those who reject him the stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone you see this again and he is a stone that makes people stumble the rock that makes them fall they stumble because they do not obey God's Word and so they meet the fate that was planned for them now when we hear this this this term cornerstone I recognize that most of us are not Masons by trade I'm not a Mason by trade I'm not one of those people who build stuff at my hands I call people to do it that's my little joke there but I'm not I'm not that that kind of person um and there are other things that I will do like for example there was a snake at my house yesterday and I killed it so I'll do that but I don't build stuff alright I let my wife know yesterday and this is just some kind of I'm a little Father's Day you know put my chest out for a second every snake that has ever been around our house I've killed all right amen I had some help Chris came yesterday and he went from executive assistant to Crocodile Dundee and we just we knocked it out we knocked it out so and I killed it and then when I I was like in the deck Chris like it's dead or I hit it like another four or five times make sure it's dead dead you're not gonna play dead you dead did let the Bears get it right so anyway let me bring it on back bring on back especially for those who don't live here you have no idea what I'm talking about but it's all right so not a Mason by trade I'm not a builder by trade and so um cornerstone to me while I'm well-read and well learned and educated still it's important for me to understand the nature of it itself the cornerstone if you do not know now this is what Jesus is referred to multiple times in Scripture the cornerstone is the first stone set it is the first song step the first stone set in a construction of masonry foundation all other stones will be set in reference to this stone thus determining the position of the entire structure everything and the Christian life is built on Christ who is the chief Cornerstone the reason why this is an important statement to us family is because Christ can't be added to anything he's the foundation of everything but it cannot be added to anything I want to say it again Christ is the foundation for everything that is built in Christianity he cannot be added to anything which means that he cannot be added to an ideology if you add Christ to an ideology the foundation is not Christ it's your thought the foundation is not Christ it's your opinion Christ according to Scripture is the chief Cornerstone he's the foundation by which the spiritual house of God is built it is not built on Christ if it doesn't begin with Christ if it's not founded in Christ if you're not standing on Christ you are not standing firm you are building a house that cannot and will not stand every thought every deed every action every ideology must begin with Christ if you identify yourself to be a Christian it begins and ends with the word it begins and ends with Christ this is this is so important our our one-on-one of the people that we know very well Brian Meadows was a pastor out of and I just give credit where credit's due I don't want you to think I made this up and be quoting me he posted on Instagram a couple of days ago and he said everybody says they're a Christian until it gets biblical and he's so right in that um because because we like to identify with Christian but unfortunately I believe family that our definition of Christian is off Jesus Christ is the chief Cornerstone he is the foundation and because he's the chief Cornerstone and the foundation what we discover in first Peter is it for those who reject him as the foundation he is a stumbling block he is that the foundation by which everything is built but for those who don't want to live that way Christ becomes a stumbling block something that people trip over it and and honestly and this is not the crux in my message today but even for those who self-identify as believers if Christ is your stumbling block what the scripture is saying to us in first Peter is that those who stumble are unbelievers this is hard but this is right it's important for us to know the only way to build is to start with Christ the only way to build is to start with Christ you can't make Christ fit into what you've already built this is why you have to be born again you you can't make him fit into what you've already built if you've already built a life you need a new life if you've already built a construct of thought you need new thoughts everything begins with Christ everything he is the foundation of everything and it is not the foundation that's a building that you might want to tear down begin again with the cornerstone which is Christ now either he's the most valuable thing or he is the stumbling block this gospel that has been preached to us there is only one gospel there is only one gospel galatians chapter 1 verse 6 says this because everything in our lives is measured against the foundation which is Christ we heard last week and a strong powerful expository prophetic word that the plumb line is being used by God right now to measure against the foundation how is the wall straight when the foundation is right that's how the wall is straight when the foundation is right so God using the plumb line now measuring whether we are in line or aligned with the foundation this is this is our foundation is the gospel of Jesus Christ and there's only one gospel galatians chapter 1 verse 6 and ESV Paul's writing now and he says this and we can identify with this in this moment he says I am shocked that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are into a different gospel not that there is another one but there are some who trouble you and want to destroy it the gospel of Christ he goes on to say this and I didn't give this to them in the notes but verse eight I think maybe I did I'm not sure but but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you let him be accursed as we have said before so now I say again if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received let him be accursed for I am mad for I am now 4mi excuse me now seeking the approval of man or of God or am I trying to please man if I were still trying to please man I would not be a servant of Christ this is so important there is a concern that we are sensing and seeing or that we are then seeing from those who are self professed believers who say that they have heard the gospel and have responded to this gospel but yet live lives and say things that are contrary to the gospel and even at times opposed to the gospel of Christ in his kingdom it is a there's a concern there's a concern um family we we are we are political we are social we are carnal we are greedy we are selfish we are self aggrandizing which means that we are making ourselves to appear bigger or greater than we are and we are enmeshed now this is part of what I want to deal with today and what the Holy Spirit wants to deal with us because we're calling ourselves Christians but we are awful political and we're awful social and awful carnal and awful greedy and awfully selfish and and awfully self aggrandizing and and awfully self-serving and we are a mess you're saying okay that's not a word that we're typically using and you're absolutely right so so let me let me help you in mesh means to be entangled we are entangled or or or or are really in a ball or a mess far greater than we actually think the best way I could give it to you this was kind of the analogy that I was using or thinking about in this it's kind of like if you if you put your Christmas lights away but you're not organized when you have to come back out and and put the Christmas lights back out your your Christmas light string is entangled it is it is a mess it is it is it is a Methodist and we need to untangle some things this is this is vitally important and part of the work of the Holy Spirit today is that we would actually become untangled and look at Christianity with a higher view because one of the things that we've done is we've lowered the standard we've lowered the bar and so this is one of the reasons why we're so entangled with politics were so entangled with social things were so entangled with carnality was so entangled with greed we're we're so selfish and we're so self-absorbed and self-serving and trying to use the gospel to get our own way and to make us be in prosperity in all sorts of things the gospel was never intended to do an immense entangled people I was thinking about this entanglement and one of the things that I need you to know is that entanglement is not something that is sent from God and this is very important for us because he plants one thing when we get entangled it's because we are literally dealing with an enemy and I think I need us to see this today strongly in Matthew chapter 13 verse 24 in Matthew chapter 13 verse 24 this is what the Bible says it says here is another story Jesus told the kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field but that night as the worker slept his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat then slipped away when the crop began to grow and produce grain the weeds also grew the farmers workers went to him and said sir the field where you planted that good seat is full of weeds where did they come from and enemy has done this I want to stop right there and said it again and enemy has done this the farmer exclaimed should we pull out the weeds they asked no he replied you'll uproot the wheat if you do let both grow together until the harvest is wisdom of our gone then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds and tie them into bundles and burn them and put the wheat in the barn now I could preach this passage of scripture for the rest of the time well I want us to understand that that the in measurement that we are in right now as a result of something the enemy has planted among the field this is one of the reasons why it's important for us not to get so tangled up an enemy has done this our concern here as a group of elders and my concern as a pastor is that we are so meshed that we don't know the difference we don't know the difference between Christianity and a political ideology we don't know the difference between Christianity and a social ideology we don't know the difference between Christianity and a means of financial prosperity god help us this is how immense we become that literally our identity is no longer in Christ but in our social beliefs and we've made it so that Christianity has become confused and as a result family we have a low view of Christ and Christianity somehow over the course of time we've made Christianity about us Christianity is not about us in fact if you would be truthful it's about the death of us in the life of Christ Christianity is not about us are we died to this light our life is now hidden in Christ it is about his life Christianity is about him it is about Christ being formed in us that we look like him that we talk like him that we put on Christ Christianity is not about us at all it is not about us in fact it is about the death of us and in our low view causes us to war wrong to fight fights that we were never intended to fight and more specifically in places where we were never intended to fight I'm gonna make this pretty clear to you and just a moment because this is where the Holy Spirit took me I didn't actually know he was gonna take me here but he wants us to become unentangled because I understand that the enmeshment is so deep in the hearts of people who profess to be Christ followers that it's going to take a quite a while not a single message but quite a while to change our mind this begins it we are not intended to fight the fights that we are fighting the way that we are fighting them Christians are not supposed to live in willful ignorance I want to say it again Christians are not supposed to live in willful ignorance why because the scripture doesn't allow us to live in ignorance to do so is to do so willing willfully because we have this Bible in order to live in ignorance we are doing so willfully because this scripture does not keep us ignorant this Bible does not keep us ignorant to what it means to be a Christian what it means to walk this out and actually what it is that we are doing and what it is that we are facing what keeps you and I from reading Scripture and knowing Scripture is not a discipline issue it's a demonic issue I'm gonna go here now what keeps you and I from knowing this Bible and from reading this scripture is not a discipline issue it is a demonic issue and I need you to understand this today because if you don't understand this today you're gonna continue to have your 7 Bibles at home and closed that is willful ignorance it is one of the reasons why we have so many people who don't know what it is to live and walk out being a Christian in the earth because the devil is keeping you in bondage the reason you don't open your Bible is because a devil doesn't want you to oh I know I can't I can't get a response from you right now but I'm not preaching for your response I'm preaching for your understanding I want you to understand and you would look at this as an enemy the fact that you don't read your Bible the fact that you do not think about his word the fact that you're not meditating on his word day and night it's actually a dark demonic force that is trying to convince you to stay in willful ignorance so that you will not be like Christ can we keep going this is what the Bible says to us because what the enemy wants to do is he has the intention of keeping us bound up in ignorant living a crisis Christianity and a powerless life I want us in our becoming untangled today to begin to see Christianity with a higher view a higher view the Bible says to us you know this well in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 and the New Living excuse me in a new King James Version it says this for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places I want you to hear it a different way than like we've heard it in the past before just to paint a different picture I want you to hear it in the past in translation it says this your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings but with the highest principalities and authorities operating and rebellion under the heavenly realms for they are a powerful class of demon gods small G and evil spirits that hold this dark world and by I need you to see this we're going somewhere new living says it this way for we're not rest fighting against flesh and blood enemies but against the evil rulers and authorities in the unseen world against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places and then it goes on to tell us what to do therefore put on every piece of God's armor so you'll be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil and then after battle you will still be standing from stand your ground put on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness for shoes put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully prepared in addition to all those hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God pray in the spirit at all times and on every occasion stay alert and persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere family we are not fighting against flesh and blood we are not fighting flesh and blood enemies let me help you keyboard warriors we are not fighting against each other we are not fighting against alternate ideologies we are not fighting against alternate opinions we are not fighting flesh and blood people you and I need to understand if we are fighting at that level we are fighting the wrong fight and therefore also destroying our Christian witness and laying down our power and authority I want to help us I want to help us because 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 says this in verse 3 for though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse 3 through 5 if I were to say it in the passion translates are also to give you another view of it it says this way for although we live in the natural realm we do not wage a military campaign employing human weapons using manipulation to achieve our aims instead our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defences behind which people hide we don't do that by arguing it's a spiritual weapon we can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God we capture like prisoners of war every thought and assisted it bow in obedience to the anointed one now I need you to understand something this thing is greater than what we consider it to be now I'm in the middle of something let me let me let me build this continue to build this for you because I I need you to understand something because the way that the Holy Spirit had me began this it's actually completely different than I thought he would do but it's important for us to get it because we need to raise our view we need to understand that unbelievers Minds are actually being darkened by the devil it is not just the idea that they can't conceive it second Corinthians chapter four verse three and four reads this way it says if the good news we preach is hidden behind a veil it is hidden only from people who are perishing listen to this Satan who is the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don't believe they are unable to see the glorious light of the good news they don't understand this message about the glory of Christ who is the exact likeness of God why are they blinded because Satan is blinding their minds now you say pastor I thought you said you were going to talk to us about what it means to be a Christian I am the problem is our bar has been so low our mindset has been so low that we exist at a lower standard than what Christianity actually calls us to I want to raise it want to raise it just before we were quarantined just before we were quarantined we were compelled by the Holy Spirit it's amazing as you begin to look at the arc of what the Lord is saying to us prophetically and it's almost like okay you know the virus was out there and everything else and we're preaching things and then suddenly it hits our nation with force a global pestilence now in 186 different nations but specifically hit the nation of the United States when quite a bit of force but right before we were in this time of quarantine the Holy Spirit had us reading Colossians chapter 3 had us preaching out of Colossians chapter 3 and now I understand what he was preparing us for we began this time of teaching in this particular passage of Scripture I want to read it again because I want us to go somewhere with it since you have been raised to new life with Christ set your sights on the realities of heaven where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand think about the things of heaven and not of Earth for you died to this life and your real life is hidden with Christ in God and when Christ who is your life is revealed to the whole world you will share in all his glory now that was a crucial understanding because we would come in the next few months as we begin to get prophetic contextual understanding as to what the Lord was doing and what the Lord was saying throughout the global pestilence and throughout the social unrest that is happening in our nation as we begin to preach about the things we were preaching about prophetically we would also come to understand how low the view of believers is how low the standard is how low our view of Scripture is and how low our view of Christ is it is almost as if right before we entered into this like in the Lion King with Simba there had become a voice to say to us remember who you are there that we can almost forget who we are just like Simba who had a low view of himself what we are also seeing is that believers had an awfully low view of themselves Christians had an awfully low bar by which they were defining Christianity and I want to help us because a Christian with a low view has major ramifications on the interconnected system of operation in the universe I know that's a large statement but i'ma say it again and I'm gonna explain it a Christian a Christian a Christian with a low view has major ramifications on the interconnected operation of the universe now when I make a statement like this I want to help us right here because because this is vitally important for us to become untangle somebody say let's go deeper there are two realms and three kingdoms there are two realms and three kingdoms I'm gonna say it again there are two realms and there are three kingdoms the two realms are the natural realm and the spiritual realm the two realms are the natural realm and the spiritual realm two realms three kingdoms the two realms are the natural realm and a spiritual realm the three kingdoms are the kingdom of God also known as the kingdom of heaven the kingdom of darkness and the kingdoms of this world those are the kingdoms this is important for us Christians this is important for us believers two rounds three kingdoms two realms natural realm spiritual realm three kingdoms the kingdom of God also known as the kingdom of heaven the kingdom of darkness and the kingdoms of this world one of them stands forever that's the kingdom of God the other one is destroyed that's the kingdom of darkness and the other one is passing away which is the kingdoms of this world we need to understand as we are a part of an unshakable Everlast kingdom we are a part of an unshakable everlasting kingdom the one that stands forever the kingdom of God the one that is destroyed the kingdom of darkness and the other that is passing away which is the kingdom or the kingdoms of this world now when Jesus came family were going somewhere when Jesus came what Jesus came doing was Jesus came publicly announcing the revelation of what was unknown or what was invisible or what the eternal heart longed for but did not know it long for Jesus came announcing the kingdom he came announcing the kingdom this is what Matthew chapter 4 verse 17 says this is the inauguration of Jesus's ministry now John the Baptist was announcing it and then Jesus comes and he's now announcing this and this was his inaugural message from then on Jesus began to preach repent of your sins and turn to God for the kingdom of heaven is near or as most of us grew up hearing it at hand repent of your sins and turn to God for the kingdom of heaven is near now family I need you to hear this especially those of you who have been listening to what the Lord has been saying to us prophetically over this last season are you ready repent in this verse specifically means turn from idolatry when Jesus came announcing the inauguration of the kingdom when he said repent of your sins and turn to God for the kingdom is at hand or the kingdom is near literally what sins was he asking us to repent of the sin of idolatry Jesus came onto the scene announcing the kingdom by saying turn from idolatry and turn to God turn away from idolatry and turn to God it was a revolutionary statement family given the time he was born in now I spent quite a bit of time researching the whole circumstances behind that the timeframe on which Jesus was born it's his own message all together and so I'm not gonna get into all of it today I will get into it in subsequent weeks but it was a revolutionary statement at the time he was born because Israel at that time was under Roman rule now most of you understand that but Israel being under Roman rule it's also importantly to understand that it was under Roman rule and at the time Caesar Augustus was was was ruling over the Roman Empire or Roman imperialism at that time and Caesar Augustus was worshipped as a deity or considered to be the son of a god and so as a result of the fact that the entire Roman rule or Roman Empire was actually given to worshiping a man as a deity or a son of a God when Jesus came Jesus came this is one of the reasons when some people are stumbled because they were expecting that the Messiah would actually come and and be in mess and trying to turn over political power so they could not recognize the Son of God because he did not come to set them free from Roman rule he came to set them free from something greater so he begins to announce the kingdom and at the time he's announcing the kingdom and saying try for your idolatry he's literally saying for all of you who had now in a moment of political idolatry for those of you who are in a moment of worshipping at the feet of men for those of you at the moment I did not come just to to get you out of this system but what I actually came to do was announce a new one and a higher one Jesus was born on during a time of Roman imperialism to mean an authority so he said turn from your idolatry I've come to announce to you a different reality a higher reality a greater Kingdom you are no longer in bondage to the kingdoms of this world or to the darkness that controls them this is what Jesus came to announce now this is important because you're saying pastor didn't you say you want to talk about how to live as a Christian yes but if we're gonna get untangled we need to understand something higher we need to understand something higher the Bible says this in Colossians chapter 1 verse 13 for he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his dear son God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his dear son again I'm just giving you different ways to hear it so I'm reading the passion on this one as well he has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and as translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved son I need us to understand that what God did when we got saved is he transferred us from the rule of the kingdom of darkness in the natural realm and into the kingdom of his son Christians are something different than the way that we've been looking at him the way that the world worked the temptation that Satan tempted Christ with after he invited him to turn the stones into bread was to offer him the kingdoms of this world that is what Satan wanted to do in order to keep the world bound was to not talk about the inauguration of the everlasting kingdom Luke chapter 4 verse 5 Luke chapter 4 verse 5 then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world we said that's one of the kingdoms right all the kingdoms of the world so now when we said Jesus is announcing the kingdom of God that's in Matthew 7 4:17 Colossians 1:13 tells us that we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness and now we have Luke chapter four which is talking to us about the kingdoms of this world the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them the devil said because they are mine to give to anyone I please I will give it to you if you would just worship me jesus replied the scriptures say you must worship the Lord your God and serve him only family hear me Satan offered Jesus political power in the natural realm in exchange for worship I need you to hear the temptation of the enemy to try to get us from being who was supposed to be the temptation of the enemy to try to get us from being who we're supposed to be is to give us authority on the earth only and to exchange the authority in the heavenly realms for power here here it again what he offered to Jesus was glory and authority in the world in exchange for Allegiance I will give you political power in exchange for your allegiance Jesus refused it in our quest for so many things in our speech and in our actions it is clear that many who self-identify as believers in and followers of Jesus Christ have either forgotten or never knew what it meant to be christ-like it is not about earthly prominence we have we have to be careful I'm choosing my words carefully we have to be careful in this because for for many years we've essentially been taught to put our faith in political process and somehow another to use all of our influence there instead of in a place of Prayer it's important that if we do that we don't recognize that we've lowered the bar of Christianity we've lowered the bar of Christianity let me help you two realms and three kingdoms right what it means to be christ-like we've actually forgotten what it means to live like Christ to think like Christ to act like Christ to move like Christ to respond like Christ to teach like Christ yes I'm giving you a long list to give like Christ's you confront like Christ to walk like Christ embrace like Christ to heal like Christ and forgive like Christ talk like Christ to do community like Christ and to love like Christ we've forgotten that or possibly we never knew it but family this is why we have to talk this way for just a moment because to be like Christ to be like Christ to be like Christ to be like Christ we must understand what Christ understood and that is this we are sent we are sent we are sent this is so important for us family because if we go through a time of teaching and this is why I was so surprised on the Holy Spirit beginning to take me this direction if we go through this time of teaching when we try to teach you how to think like Christ and act like Christ and move like Christ respond like Christ and teach like Christ and forgive like Christ and love like Christ all of these things you'll begin to do things with the modification of behavior but you will not understand why he did it I want us to understand why because here's why is what drives him it's what makes us Christians to be like Christ you have to understand what Christ understood are you still there family I hope you are John chapter 17 John chapter 17 verse 14 Jesus is praying and he says this he says I have given them your word and the world hates them because they do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world I'm not asking you to take them out of the world but to keep from the evil one they do not belong to this world even any more than I do make them holy by your truth teach them your word which is truth just as you sent me into the world I am sending them into the world and I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message family we are sent we are sent this is what Jesus said it is from this particular passage that we often hear this phraseology in our church circles we are in the world but not of it we are in the world but not of it but but it's important for us to understand and that does not just mean don't be like the world I understand that's kind of how we use that scripture we're in the world but not of it don't be of the world we're in the world I get it you first John deals with that quite a bit but but I need you to hear and when we draw it out of this particular passage of Scripture it's saying something else that doesn't mean don't be like the world nor does it mean that we are just waiting and biding our time until we leave this world we are in the world because we are sent to the world we are in the world because we are sent to the world and what this passage of Scripture lets us know is that we've been given protection from the evil one while in it so that we can proclaim Liberty to those who are captive in it we are in this world because we are sent to it this is one of the reasons why it's important for us to raise our view of Christianity we are in this world because we are sent to it we are sent we're not supposed to mess with it we're supposed to influence it can I said again we're not supposed to mess with it we're supposed to influence it you can't influence the world while I'm messed with it everything that Christ did came from this understanding I want you to understand this because if we're gonna be like him then we need to understand this everything that Jesus Christ did came from this understanding the revelation of another system the revelation of another world and what that one is ever-expanding while this one is passing so that means that everything he did the way that he loved the way that he lived the way that he thought the way that he taught the things that he did how he moved how he healed who he spent time with all came from the paradigm of being sent to reveal the everlasting kingdom which has no end everything he did he did from that standpoint and if we're gonna become unentangled then we need to understand this that everything that Jesus Christ did he did from the paradigm of revealing the everlasting invisible kingdom we are not to be in love with this world we're sent to it we're not to be in love with this world we are sent to it this is why first John chapter 2 verse 15 through 17 says this do not love this world nor the things it offers you for when you love the world you do not have the love of the Father in you for the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure a craving for everything we see and a pride in our achievements and possessions these are not from the father but are from this world and this world is fading away along with everything people crave but anyone who does what pleases God will live forever 1st Corinthians 7 31 and those who use the things of this world should not become attached to them for this world as we know it will soon pass away in order for us to raise our view it is important that we see ourselves as sent in order to recognize this we must evaluate our view while in the natural realm our assignment is to pray for the manifestation or the revelation of the kingdom on earth to mirror that which is in heaven that's our assignment we are sent here and one of our assignments is to pray for the revelation or the manifestation of the kingdom on earth to mirror what is already in heaven that's why Jesus said in Matthew what we already know in Matthew 6 verse 9 and 10 pray them like this our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven I want you to pull into the natural realm the realities of the invisible realm so that people can actually see that they don't have to be in bondage to spiritual darkness the natural realm is influenced one way or the other either by the kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness our assignment is a weighty one particularly as those who are followers of Christ this is one of the reasons why we're talking this way in order for us to become untangled we're actually taking a large view because I want you to see the why behind what Christ did because we we have a bunch of people then one time about Jesus did this and Jesus did that and Jesus did this and Jesus did that but they don't know why which is one of the reasons why we've now created a new Jesus that does in our image somehow whatever we think he should do but there is the scripture that sets the standard and the bar there's a reason why Jesus did what he did why he went where he went why he thought we thought and said what he said and it's a reason why he's left us here as his followers to carry out his mission we have quite an assignment it's important for you and I call ourselves believers to know who we are I'm almost finished almost almost Matthew chapter 16 verse 13 once you see this in Scripture I could just give it to you but I wanted to see it in scripture when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples who do people say the Son of Man is well they replied some say John the Baptist some say Elijah and others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets and then he asked them but who do you that I am Simon Peter answered you are the Messiah the son of the Living God jesus replied you are blessed Simon son of John because my father in heaven has revealed this to you you did not learn this from any human being now I say to you now I say you now I say to you that you are Peter which means Rock and upon this rock I will build my church and all the powers of Hell will not conquer it and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven now this is a very powerful passage of Scripture but there's a reason why I want us to get this remember we are we are dealing with what it means to be a Christian but we're taking a higher view two realms natural realm spiritual realm three kingdoms kingdom of God kingdom of darkness kingdom of this world and now Jesus establishes in the midst of this his church what is the church the ecclesia the called people those called out or assemble in the public affairs of a free State the body of free citizens called together by a Herald the term at Casilla denotes the New Testament community of the redeemed and it's twofold aspect first all who were called by and to Christ and fellowship of a Salvation and the church worldwide at all times the church or the echo SIA is not just any gathering but a gathering of the redeemed this word is not used to denote any other gathering ever the church is unique in the way that God looks at it in the way that he describes it the Church Universal is the most unique gathering on earth it is the most unique gathering on earth so it is the echo sea it is the gathering of the redeemed it is a church Universal but it's something that I also need us to understand and I need us to understand this clearly one of the responsibilities of the acts are or acts of the church itself is a church it's a physical representation of the invisible kingdom of God in the realm of the natural the church is a physical representation of the invisible kingdom of God which is one of the reasons why the enemy tries to get the church in meshed and tangled up because the enemy understands if he can get the church confused if you can get the Church who are the called out ones the Redeem wants to live a lower life to lower the standard to lower the bar then there's no hope for those who are in bondage in the natural realm the church is the in physical representation of the invisible kingdom of God and not only is it the physical representation of the invisible kingdom of God but it has the authority of the king now the way that this is structured I'm doing a lot of teaching but we end with the bang cuz I need us to understand this today because because our idea of who we are must come up because if it does not come up we're gonna continue to fight wars and places that we were never intended to do trying to act like Jesus needs us to be his lawyer to defend him and to defend his ideology and to defend his way and all of a sudden now we're so confused about should we be political she would be social should we be this should we be that what's this ideology I don't think he means this I don't think he means that the devil is sitting back saying AHA I got him they don't know who they are and as long as they don't know who they are I have free rein in the natural realm we as believers of God ought to be offended when he was the assertion of the kingdom of darkness and a land that we were called to take we are the physical representation of the invisible kingdom of God it is one of the reasons why the church itself is persecuted all over the world we're not just persecuted by people who don't like us it's the kingdom of darkness that recognizing that wherever the church gets a foothold it automatically loses territory why because we are the children of like so where we go darkness has to flee this is one of the reasons why churches can't meet in certain nations and churches can't meet in certain places it's one of the reasons why this persecution that thing is spiritual and when we look at Christianity as an ideology or a means to get rich or a means to get political power we are actually ceding our position of what God has called us to be what it means to live like and walk like a Christian is to walk with the authority of the king because we are revealing the invisible kingdom we've been given Authority I got two more passes of Scripture and we're done I've been given authority mark chapter 16 mark chapter 16 you know it's so ironic because I just did not think then when the Lord began to burden our heart this way this is the way that he would take us but this is the way that he's taking us and so I'm following him mark chapter 16 verse 14 afterward pastor Matt pastor Matt Hartman exhorted on this I believe last week and man so good afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves is also known as a commission as they were reclining at the table and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen and he said to them go into all the world and proclaim the gospel the good news to the whole creation whoever believes and is baptized will be saved but whoever does not believe will be condemned and these signs will accompany those who believe in my name they will cast out demons they will speak in new tongues they will pick up serpents in their hands and if they drink any deadly poison it will not hurt them they will lay their hands I was sick and they will recover now we're gonna go back to here for just a moment because it says it and these signs will accompany those who believe in my name they will cast out demons now pastor Matt brought this out and I was so so um it just came alive and to begin to say this because he he let us know that this word cast out in the Greek is the word iqbal oh now the interesting thing is I had looked at the word that Barlow before in times past and particularly um the word at Barlow and other passes of Scripture is used to mean sinned or to sinned like as to send someone out or to send someone to evangelize or something like this but in this particular passage of Scripture the word balla balla actually means to forcibly drive out or remove or expel from people or regions the kingdom of darkness now this is now what it means to be a Christ follower because the first thing he said would be a sign for those who believe it's a fact that they would forcibly remove or move from one region to another demon spirits or principalities out of one region to another which is to say that one of the first signs that follows those who believe is actually the displacement of demonic power now this is one of the reasons why we're talking this way because we have a bunch of people who want to argue with each other about ideology but don't actually get offended about the fact that some of these things are a result of demonic power that has yet to be displaced what does it mean to them be a believer if you're going to be the physical representation of the invisible Kingdom on earth it is a say listen the reason why we love the way we do the reason why we teach the way that we do the reason why we talk the way that we do is to reveal a king so that those are in bondage in this world who are under the influence of dark ideology and the kingdom of darkness can actually see that there is a great light we have a problem family when we have a number of people who are walking solo and who are living solo that literally they're not walking and Kingdom Authority and so therefore they're not actually acting like Christ because everywhere that Christ went he displaced darkness I'll give you one last scripture you can play let me give you one last scripture I'm amazed at the Holy Spirit because I just did not know this is what the first level of becoming untangled would mean get your mind off of this earth set your mind on the realities of heaven yeah we got a lot of work to do we got a lot of work to do can't preach it in one message can't preach it in ten we got a lot of work to do but one of the issues that we have one of the issues that we have is that we've looked at Christianity so low that we forgotten and we're not of this world we forgotten that we were sent to it we've forgotten that when we were rescued and we were snatched out of here not into heaven but snatched out of death and brought into life and at that moment we turned around and was sent into this world to reveal his kingdom what does it mean to be a Christian or a Christ follower it means to dispel darkness everywhere you and I go dispel darkness everywhere you and I go we've lived so low that we allow the devil to mess with our families and we don't pray mess with our bodies and we don't pray mess with our cities and we don't pray have influence over governments and we don't pray the manifestation of the kingdom forcibly removes things let me read this last passage of scripture to you Luke chapter 11 I hope you're getting something Luke chapter 11 I read this a couple of weeks ago and I applied a different context to it but I want to read this to us now so we can also get this one day verse 14 Luke chapter 11 verse 14 one day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn't speak and when the demon was gone the man began to speak the crowds were amazed but some of them said no wonder he can cast out demons he gets his power from Satan the prince of demons others trying to test jesus demanded that he show him a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority he knew their thoughts so he said any Kingdom / civil war is doomed he's talking about the kingdom of darkness a family splintered by feuding will fall apart you say I'm empowered by Satan but if Satan is divided and fighting against himself how can his kingdom survive and if I am empowered by Satan what about your own Exorcist they cast out demons - so they will condemn you for what your sin but if I am casting out demons by the power of God then the kingdom of God has arrived among you for when a strongman is fully on and guards his palace his possessions are safe until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him trips him of his weapons and carries off his belongings family when they go back to this verse but if I am casting out demons by the power of God then the kingdom of God has arrived among you what is one of the signs that the kingdom of God has arrived among you the displacement of the kingdom of darkness what is one of the sign that the kingdom of God has arrived among you the displacement of the kingdom of darkness Jesus was literally saying there is another Kingdom but if that Kingdom were divided against itself and I was operating under that Kingdom it wouldn't be able to stand in other words there is no civil war among kingdoms but there is a more powerful kingdom and the proof that there's a more powerful Kingdom is why the inauguration of this kingdom it literally causes the other kingdom to flee this is a sign that the kingdom is among you one of the ways that you know that the kingdom is come is a displacement of the kingdom of darkness this is how we know that there is confusion about who we are this is how we know that there is a low view do you know why why preach this why start here I didn't know either but why start here how do you know that we have such a low view and confusion about what is happening because when stuff in the earth or in a region happens and we don't get upset about the manifestation of a spirit we have a love you what that means is that our view of being sent has been lowered what that means is that our view of being a representative of Christ in the earth has been lowered why because we've been given authority in the earth we have the authority of the king we are the physical representation of the invisible Kingdom when we got saved we got saved into an assignment and we were sent into the earth to tear down the works of the devil to displace the works of darkness and when something happens in the earth and we are not upset about it it means that our view of Christianity is low it means that our view of Christ is low when a spirit like racism can manifest and we want to argue back and forth on social as to whether or not system and systemic oppression exists or it doesn't exist is it a myth is it not a myth should you get over it or should you still be mad I'm tired of this why instead of talking about this you're being political you're being controlled by mainstream media you're being this you're being that are you kidding that is not and we're not just talking about this thing alone we're talking about in general let's take let's take the recent events off the table because some of y'all get triggered about that let's just look at this and say if there's a global pestilence that hits the earth and the Bible makes it clear that pestilence is actually something that the Lord uses in order to turn the hearts of his people back to his children and you want to argue and so whether or not God is in it or he's not in it or whether or not this looks like love or it doesn't look like love or whether or not we should repent or do we and we're repentance already taking or do we need to turn from idolatry or we don't have our dollar trees we're saved now and we have all these petty arguments and we need to understand that this is the devil who from another Kingdom is trying to influence those of us who live in this Kingdom and if we don't see that there are two realms it's spiritual and natural with three kingdoms the kingdom of this world which is passing away the kingdom of darkness which is trying to influence him and the kingdom of his everlasting kingdom which will have no end the kingdom of God which wins we are representatives if we are representatives of the kingdom that will have no end why would we ever be silent when darkness advances darkness must flee to the children of lights this is who we are this is who we are we don't argue over politics we dispel darkness we don't argue over oppression that we dispel darkness we don't argue over silly things we dispel darkness this is how we know we have a low view of Christianity because it ought to offend you whenever you see the enemy trying to assert dominance on the land that Jesus paid for on a region that Jesus paid for on the people that Jesus died and bled on a cross and rose again so that no one has to live in the bondage of the world and we are the carriers of that our understanding of Christianity must come up the bar has been too low when we find ourselves arguing over silly stuff the bars low its low its low people who identify themselves as Christians who don't know their scent people who identify themselves as Christians who think it's an ideology who think it's a political stance it is not a political stance because the truth of the matter is when you read this Bible Jesus doesn't fit into the natural world system when you hear people say things like Jesus is not a Republican or he's not a Democrat the reason is because he doesn't fit he did not come to overthrow he came to establish and reveal he was proclaiming another system he was not proclaiming the chain to the current one Jesus is not in to systemic alteration it's not what he does he came proclaiming a new system altogether the kingdom of which will know no end if we are unbothered my last sentence i'ma throw to Pastor Caleb if we are unbothered by the assertion of another Kingdom in the national natural realm then we have a low view of what it means to be a Christian in the world let's pray and investigating with friends well father raised our view give us a new view of what it means to be a Christian in this world we are sent to dispel darkness and everything that we do to be like Christ and to put on Christ it's from this understanding and so lord I pray that you give us a higher view of what it means to be a Christian that we would become untangled and not being meshed with the cares of this world and the ideology of the natural world when you've given us something so much higher you get us a higher standard and a higher calling let us walk in that in Jesus name Amen family we are being invited again by the Lord and I know that usually you would type in the comments let's go deeper but what can you do this in response to what the Lord has said would you put in the comments let's go higher let's go higher let's go higher yeah that's what what's what heaven is inviting us to do this what the Lord is inviting us into a higher perspective that we would see ourselves as truly sons and daughters of God given authority by God to demonstrate his kingdom in the kingdom of this world while we have been sent to this world we are not of this world we are of a greater kingdom of a greater reality and it is that reality that we declare and we demonstrate by being obedient and submitted to Christ what a powerful word and I believe the Lord has set us on a course that is going to have us collide with glory and it's going to see us demonstrate his kingdom in the earth and I don't know about you but I'm ready to go higher so if you haven't done so already we know we usually tell you to let's go deeper let bond to put that in the comments let's go higher let's go higher God is taking us higher not in a place where we can become arrogant but but in a place where we can recognize our true identity and our true authority as sons and daughters in the earth so blessed by the word of the Lord so blessed by what the Lord has has has begun to speak to us and I'm so grateful and excited for where the Lord is going to take us in the coming weeks we are going to live this thing family we are going to be followers of Jesus we are going to be Christians we are going to demonstrate the kingdom of God in this earth and we are going to dispel darkness if you're watching and you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus I want to give you this opportunity to place your faith in Jesus Christ to believe that he died for your sin was buried and rose again to give you new life this is not a myth this is not just an ideology this is the truth this is historical fact and it is how we are saved we are not saved by what we do but we are saved by placing our faith in Jesus Christ and this is true for all who believe the scripture tells us this that if we will believe it will believe in him we will be saved whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and you who are watching in this moment we want to invite you into a moment where you place your faith in Jesus in the Book of Luke Jesus is in the temple and he is he is speaking and he is teaching the scripture makes us very clear and Luke chapter 13 that he's teaching in a while he's teaching he notices a woman who has bent over bent over by actually it was an illness in her body but the scripture makes it very clear that she had been oppressed by the devil that it was literally a demonic force that had caused this woman to be bent over in Jesus stops in the middle of his teaching or his responsibility takes notice of this woman's pain and the demonic oppression and then on the Sabbath day sets her free speaks to her heals her and restores or has her stand up straight and she's healed in the midst of everyone I am I am I am intrigued by this because Jesus stopped what he was doing to demonstrate the greater reality of the kingdom of heaven and dispel the forces of darkness and in this moment you who are in this room we're watching right now who have not surrendered your life to Jesus you may feel like this woman who the scripture says had been bent over for 18 years walking mating for you you don't have a physical representation of being bent over but mating for you it is low self esteem maybe for you is the bondage to sin maybe for you it is the bondage the darkness doing the things that you don't want to do living with a low perspective in a way that you don't want to live in in this moment Jesus has come to dispel darkness the darkness of your soul the sin that you are so bound by he's come to heal you but more importantly he's come to have your stance up straight and righteousness and restore you to your proper identity and your place in him here's the thing when jesus healed this woman he healed her on the Sabbath and he did it intentionally he did it to show that he cares more about people than protocol he cares more about people than policy you see the religious leaders of that day even the synagogue ruler was was upset and said there are six days to come and and and and to do work but this is the Sabbath day or there's six days to come and be healed but this is the Sabbath day you shouldn't be healed on this day and Jesus rebukes the synagogue leader and begins to to really talk about his assignment and his mission on the earth but in Jesus's eyes one day oppressed by the devil was one day too much one year oppressed by the devil was one year too much the moment Jesus recognized someone oppressed by demonic forces he stopped he healed he saved and he delivered and I want to speak to you who have been bound by sin bound by lust bound by addiction bound by demonic forces that have tried to keep you from the kingdom of God I want you to know that one day oppressed by the devil is too much today is the day of freedom for even Jesus said in Luke chapter 4 that the Spirit of the Lord was upon and one of the things the spirit of the Lord was upon him to do was to proclaim Liberty to the captive and I'm here to here in front of you today can proclaiming that the opportunity of freedom and liberty is available through Christ Jesus that he purchased your freedom from sin he purchased your freedom from living a life that does not honor him today you can be free here's the thing the religious leader that was upset that this woman had been healed I have to ask that one a question and say was he expecting this woman to free herself would he have been happier if she would have straighten herself back up and healed herself it would assume that it would seem that he would have been happier if she would have straightened herself up on any of the six days rather than Jesus healer on the Sabbath day her only way to experience true rest which was that the Sabbath was all about was to be loosed and healed by Jesus and I want to say to you don't try to straighten yourself up on your own strength don't try to straighten yourself up by your own power the reality is you can't do what that woman can do she couldn't straighten herself and you can't straighten yourself up you don't get good to get God you get God and he makes you good which is our way of saying you don't need to clean yourself up stop doing a bunch of bad things before you come to Jesus know you come to him as you are but he will give you the power to change he will change you he will transform you and you'll be free forever from the bondage of sin now here's the thing Jesus is not interested in renovation he's interested in transformation he's not interested in you trying to do better things in order to qualify yourself from the kingdom he actually wants to make you a brand new creature he wants to make you something that has never been seen before so now is the day that you stop trying to renovate your life and now is the day you surrender your life to Jesus so he can transform it and you can be forever changed but this requires something on your end it requires faith and surrender today's the day that as you believe in Jesus yes you're receiving the gift of grace and mercy you're receiving his forgiveness of your sin the freedom to live apart from sin but what you're also doing simultaneously is making him Savior and Lord which is your surrendering your life to Him and you're saying everything I do from this moment forward is surrendered to Christ everything every moment I live I give it to Christ my will I lay it down my wants I lay it down my desires I lay it down I am giving myself over to Christ I belong completely to him it's no longer my way it's no longer my life it is his life that I live it is his way that I follow I'm giving myself completely to Christ again Jesus is not interested in in renovation he wants transformation and the only transformation that can truly take place is when you give your life to Christ so right here right now if you want to give your life to Christ you want to place your faith in Jesus you want to believe and what he has done and who he is this is the moment for you where you place your faith in Him it is this mystery that takes place when you place your faith in Christ the Holy Spirit from the inside begins to transform you you are changed you are saved you're set free and you'll receive eternal life this is the promise of the Scriptures this is the promise of Christ and you can receive it today by placing your faith in Jesus so all across not just this room wherever you're watching if you want to place your faith in Jesus I want you to right now take a moment I'm gonna count to three and I want you just to say these simple words I believe in Jesus I believe in Jesus I believe in Jesus on the count of three I want you to say this that's you you know you need to be saved you run away from God or you never surrender your life to Jesus this is the moment for you on the count of three I want you to say I believe in Jesus 1 2 3 I believe in Jesus furthermore say this I belong to Jesus I believe and I belong to Jesus you're making a declaration I don't just believe in him but I belong to him he I give myself to him I am surrendered to him if you made that decision I want to congratulate you for placing your faith in Jesus Christ this is how we are saved and now you have begun a journey following Christ giving your life to him it is the greatest journey you could ever embark on in Jesus he's not just going to renovate your life he's going to transform your life he's going to make you new it is the power of the Holy Spirit on the world on the inside of you that does this and it is a beautiful thing if you made this decision today this commitment this covenant to follow Jesus I want you to pray this prayer with me it's not the prayer that saves you it's your faith that saves you but we're just giving you a language for this moment so would you repeat after me say Father in the name of Jesus I come to you just as I am thank you for loving me thank you for saving me I receive your forgiveness of my sin and I receive your grace and mercy I repent of my sin I say goodbye to my old life and I choose to follow you for the rest of my life thank you for loving me with your help I will live for you for the rest of my life in Jesus name Amen amen we want to congratulate your family it's the greatest day of your life it's the greatest day of your life you have been born again you have been saved if you've truly meant this decision and made this commitment Jesus receives us you're saved you've been forgiven and now you will be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit if you made this decision today we have our moderators and the comments that want to communicate with you couldn't want to congratulate you want to give you some next steps on how to walk out your faith and so would you just type in the comments have you made this decision hashtag I met Jesus hashtag I met Jesus this is one of the ways that we see the kingdom of darkness on the run and we see the kingdom of God established it is Jesus rescuing Souls it is the Lord saving people and once again it is the raishin that we are a part of a greater kingdom a kingdom that rescues people from their sin a kingdom that shines light and darkness has to flee this is an amazing day an incredible day and we want to congratulate you sir one more time just hashtag I met Jesus if you made that decision today and we want to congratulate you listen family were so amazed by what the Lord has been saying to us how he's been speaking to us we want to encourage you to continue to be faithful in the place of Prayer continue to join us on the prayer cost and kin continue to be a part of what God is doing here and among us continue to demonstrate the invisible kingdom and see it a dispel darkness and shine light continue family to be Christians be Christians in the comment sections be Christians at your job be Christians and your families be Christians again we want to wish all the father's a Happy Father's Day we love you church god bless you have an incredible day [Music]

Channel: Deeper Fellowship Church

Views: 10,561

Rating: 4.9164181 out of 5

Keywords: william mcdowell, caleb grant, trinity anderson, deeper fellowship church, orlando, florida

Id: RY7DJacb-MU

Length: 104min 7sec (6247 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 21 2020