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Stand Firm

Allen Jackson Ministries

August 4, 2020

27:28

Pastor Allen Jackson's mission is to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

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Stand Firm

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♪♪♪
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CC by Aberdeen Captioning(800) 688-6621www.abercap.com
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♪♪♪
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male announcer: God has madeextravagant provision for us
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through the crossof Jesus Christ.
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And with prayer, you can openthe door for God's plan in
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your life.
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That's why, when you donatetoday, we want to send you
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Pastor Allen's book of prayers,"Through the Cross."
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We hope these prayers help openthe door for the power of God to
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intercede in your life.
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Plus, those who generously give$40 or more will also receive
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Pastor Allen's "Through theCross" five-part DVD set.
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So request yours today when yougive by calling 1-800-880-5102,
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or by visiting allenjackson.com.
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And thank you for supporting theAlan Jackson
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Ministries' broadcast.
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Together, we are making adifference.
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Allen Jackson: And we have aspecial program for you today.
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We're having churchoutside these days.
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Tennessee's opened up a bit, butwe're not back in the building.
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It's the safestways to be outdoors.
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But God did something lastweek, he opened our hearts to a
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perspective that was valuableenough that we scrambled this
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week to be able to sharethe program with you today.
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There's a battle underway in ournation for the heart and soul of
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who we're becoming.
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And it may have been introducedto us with the virus from China,
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and it's being extended now withunrest in the streets, but the
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underlying challenges to all ofthis are spiritual, which means
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the church's responseis mission critical.
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The politicians can't fix this.
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The scientistswon't resolve this.
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It's the spiritual authorityof the church that's necessary.
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Get your Bibles out, open yourhearts, and ask God to give you
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a perspective of the authorityhe's given you for this unique
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season to be a difference maker.
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Enjoy the lesson.
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Allen: We've talked agood bit that there's a battle
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underway for the heartand soul of our nation.
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Not a physical battle, nota battle between groups or
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segments of our nation, butthere's a spiritual battle
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underway for the heartand soul of our nation.
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And that the primary forcebehind all the disruption, be it
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medical, or to our health, or toour habits, or whatever it may
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be, the primary force beneath itall is the spirit of antichrist.
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We'll look at that abit more in a moment.
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There's some evidence thatthere's a spiritual struggling
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unfolding before us.
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That if you're not listening, ifyou don't have eyes to see and
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ears to understand and areceptive heart,
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you could miss it.
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But there's some thingshappening around us that I don't
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think you can define in any
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other way except asexpressions of evil.
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There's unprecedented chaos andconfusion, and that's not just
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about what's happeningin our streets.
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It started weeks and weeks andweeks ago with fear, tremendous
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fear that sent us home,disrupted our routines, emptied
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our schools, and our collegecampuses, and our stadiums,
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and our arenas.
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There's been tremendousdeception and manipulation.
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There have been physicalchallenges, there's been hungry
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people, there's been murder.
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We've seen the weak andthe powerless abused.
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All of those things are
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descriptions of theexpressions of evil.
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They're not the result of avirus or antagonism between
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segments of our culture.
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All of those things emergeas the presence of evil.
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But in parallel to that, wesee unprecedented expressions or
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evidence of the movingof the Spirit of God.
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We have spent more time inprayer in these last weeks than
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I suspect at anytime in our lifetime.
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Hundreds and thousands of you
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have prayed everyhour on the hour.
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You've taken timefor the Word of God.
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You've attached newvalues to your families.
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You've given moreattention to your children.
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You've laid aside the busynessof our lives, all expressions of
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the Spirit of Godmoving amongst us.
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Don't give your attentionto the expressions of evil.
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Focus your heart and yourthoughts and your minds and your
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emotions on what God is doing.
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It will keep you and protectyou, it'll bring a joy to you.
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Now, there are two things thathave occurred in the last couple
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of weeks that I believe are of
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tremendous significance inthe kingdom of God.
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And if you recognize them inthat way, it will give you some
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insight and understanding.
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I believe they were pleasing toGod and are expressions of his
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purposes comingforth in the earth.
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The first was in May, thepresident of the United States,
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still the most influential andpowerful nation in the world,
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said as a matter of publicrecord that the church of Jesus
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Christ was essential to thewell being of this nation.
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Now, that's a victory.
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When the president of the UnitedStates says open the churches,
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they're essential.
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The early reports had said theliquor stores were essential,
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and the abortion clinics wereessential,
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but the churcheswere in question.
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And the presidentsaid, "Open the churches."
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And that messagewent around the world.
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It went far beyond theborders of our nation.
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It was a declaration about the
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significance of thechurch in the earth.
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And there was a second thingthat happened, you could have
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missed it, it's aboutthe nation of Israel.
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At the center of God's purposesin the earth is the regathering
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of the Jewish people to that
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piece of territory thathe promised them.
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It goes back tothe book of Genesis.
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And in May, the plan for Israelto acknowledge the west side of
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the Jordan river valley,biblical Samaria, the hills of
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Samaria and the Jordan valleywould be recognized as Israeli
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territory with the blessing ofthe United States of America.
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It didn't get a lot of attentionin the media, other things were.
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But Israel is emerging into
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the territory that Godsaid were theirs.
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Now, both of those things arestatements, declarations that
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influence the earth, and theyare of biblical importance.
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Without spiritual awareness, ifyou don't have ears to hear and
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eyes to see, those eventsseem to be nothing more than
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political maneuveringor posturing.
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However, with a bit of anunderstanding of God's purposes,
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I would submit to you theyare of tremendous importance.
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So, what did we see onthe heels of those things?
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We saw all of suddenly, almostinexplicably, our streets filled
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with riots and expressions of
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chaos and violence andprofanity and murder.
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I understand Satan and hiskingdom are violently opposed to
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the purposes of Godemerging in the earth.
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There was a demonic torrentreleased in response to what the
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Spirit of God was doing.
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There's biblical precedent.
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When Jesus was born inBethlehem, the arrival of the
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Messiah, overlooked by almosteveryone, a handful of shepherds
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and a few travelersfrom distant countries.
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Most didn't see and hear,
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but there was a demoniconslaught unleashed.
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And all the male children inBethlehem from two years old
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and under were murdered.
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There's a spiritual battletaking place in the earth.
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Yes, there are physicalcomponents, and we have to give
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awareness to that, and attentionto that, and concern to that,
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and prayer to that.
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But underlying it arethe spiritual forces.
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There will be a new source ofconfusion in a couple weeks.
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There will be anew source of chaos.
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There will be an introductionof something else to disrupt
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because the circumstancesthat are being presented are
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secondary to the underlyingcause, and it's spiritual.
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We need to be consciousthat Satan rules the kingdom.
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And it has a structure toit, there's a hierarchy to it.
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Satan or Lucifer, both names areattached to him in Scripture,
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was a chief angel, one of the
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chief angels inthe kingdom of God.
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But he led a rebellion and tooka third of the angels with him
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in that rebellion.
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And he was--he lost his place,he lost his authority in the
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kingdom of God.
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He was cast out, but heestablished his own kingdom.
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And he mimicked the structure hehad seen in the kingdom of God.
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In the book of Revelation, we're
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given a little window intothat whole drama.
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Revelation 12 and verse 7 said,"There was war in heaven, and
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Michael and his angels foughtagainst the dragon, and the
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dragon and hisangels fought back.
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But he wasn't strong enough,
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and they lost theirplace in heaven."
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So, I want to plant an idea inyour heart that Satan is the
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ruler of a very carefully,systematically structured
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kingdom of authority.
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It's not imagination, it's verymuch the fabric of Scripture.
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And Ephesians chapter 6, wejust read the book this week, in
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verse 10 it says, "Be strong in
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the Lord and in the strengthof his might."
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That's our assignment, to lead
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our lives through timestrong in the Lord.
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"Put on the full armor of Godso that you'll be able to stand
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against theschemes of the devil.
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Our struggle isn'tagainst flesh and blood."
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The Living Bible says that we'rein this wrestling match with
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persons without bodies.
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I like the imagery of that.
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"We're in a wrestling match withpersons without bodies, against
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the rulers, against the powers,against the world forces of this
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darkness, and against thespiritual forces of wickedness
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in the heavenly places.
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Therefore, take up the fullarmor of God, so that you'll be
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able to resist in the evil day,and having done everything,
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to stand firm."
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It's very clear we're notcalled to a passive response.
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We're called to engagein a wrestling match.
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We're called toresist, to stand.
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And our opponent are notpeople, or institutions, or
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organizations, orexpressions of government.
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The wrestling match is with
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spiritual forces of darknessin this world.
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And far too frequently, we'vejust preferred to dismiss it and
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say, "Well, you know, Idon't believe in that."
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That's a verychildlike response.
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Our stubborn refusal to
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acknowledge it doesn'tdiminish reality.
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Those spiritual forces ofwickedness in the heavenly
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places clearly interact withwhat's happening on earth.
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And the posture we're given inEphesians is that standing firm
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is our posture of victory.
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Having done everything tostand, it says stand therefore.
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Standing firm in our faith,that is our declaration of the
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victory that is ours through the
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redemptive work ofJesus on the cross.
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He won the battle,
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but Satan hasn't been banishedfrom his realm yet.
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Jesus referred to Satan asthe ruler of this world.
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In John 12 and verse 31, hesays,
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"Now is judgment of this world.
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The ruler of thisworld will be cast out."
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He was speaking about Satan.
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In Ephesians 2, we're told thatSatan is the ruler of a kingdom.
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That's important to know.He's not some rogue agent.
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He's not an escapeefrom the purposes of God.
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he's a ruler of a kingdom.
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Ephesians 2:2 said, "Youfollowed the ways of this world
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and the ruler of the kingdom ofthe air, the spirit who is now
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at work in thosewho are disobedient."
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You understand, I hope, that
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your life is influenced byspiritual forces.
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To the degree that we'llcooperate, the Spirit of the
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living God will dwell within us,and bring guidance and direction
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and leadership to help us be
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transformed more completely intothe image of Jesus.
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If you reject that, we aresubject to a whole host of
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unclean, demonicspiritual forces.
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Satan opposes thepurposes of God.
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If he can't stop them outright,if he can't stop you from
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yielding your life to thelordship of Jesus, he'll do
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everything in his power todelay, distract, diminish,
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obscure thepurposes of God for you.
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He's not bound in hell.
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There's a rather naive opinionamongst many people who fill
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churches that Satanis condemned to hell.
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That may be a part of hisfuture, but he's not there now.
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He's alive andwell on planet earth.
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And it's significant to notethat these forces of darkness
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have a structure, they'reintentional and purposeful.
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They are not random.
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They may implement chaos,but they're not chaotic.
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They're described in thatpassage in Ephesians as rulers,
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spiritual authorityover regions of the globe.
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Do you have that imagination?
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There are spiritual forces thathold authority over regions of
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planet earth, powers Paul said.
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They express unique spiritual
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power over theaffairs of humanity.
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If you study a bit of history,it should be no surprise that
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almost every expression of humanauthority over a variety of
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formats, over many centuries andcultures and languages always
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deteriorate into oppression.
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Without a spiritual backdrop,
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there is no satisfactorysolution for that.
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Spiritual forces ofwickedness opposing.
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You see, Satan hates humanitybecause we're the object of
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God's love.
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In his grace, he intervenedon our behalf to redeem us, to
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welcome us into his kingdom,that we can have a place in the
00:13:08.179 --> 00:13:10.748
eternal kingdom of God thatSatan forfeited,
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and he hates you for it.
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So, the destruction of humanity,the brutal treatment of
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intolerance and hate andviolence towards one another
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isn't rooted in thethings that make us different.
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It's rooted in aspiritual thing.
00:13:25.663 --> 00:13:28.566
It's why the mission of thechurch is so vital, to bring
00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:32.670
peace and hope to human beings.
00:13:32.704 --> 00:13:37.242
Now, we learned from theEphesian passage that standing
00:13:37.275 --> 00:13:39.811
firm is our posture of victory.
00:13:39.844 --> 00:13:42.480
May I ask you a question?
00:13:42.513 --> 00:13:43.815
What would you imagine to bethe opposite of standing firm?
00:13:43.848 --> 00:13:48.653
I would submit to you it'syielding, maybe even kneeling.
00:13:48.686 --> 00:13:54.459
In fact, I want to take justa minute with that because
00:13:54.492 --> 00:13:56.361
biblically, kneeling ispresented to us as an expression
00:13:56.394 --> 00:14:00.265
of yielding, particularlyin the context of worship.
00:14:00.298 --> 00:14:03.835
We kneel as an expression of
00:14:03.868 --> 00:14:06.237
worship to thecreator of all things.
00:14:06.271 --> 00:14:09.974
In Psalm 95 and verse 6, itsays,
00:14:10.008 --> 00:14:12.543
"Come, let us bowdown in worship.
00:14:12.577 --> 00:14:15.146
Let us kneel beforethe Lord our maker."
00:14:15.179 --> 00:14:17.515
Now, it's a consistent principlethrough Scripture that kneeling
00:14:17.548 --> 00:14:21.319
is an expression of yielding,
00:14:21.352 --> 00:14:23.021
and it's an integralpart of worship.
00:14:23.054 --> 00:14:26.291
In fact, we could arguebiblically you can't truly
00:14:26.324 --> 00:14:28.826
worship until in times andplaces you're willing to
00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:31.763
kneel before the Lord.
00:14:31.796 --> 00:14:35.099
In Philippines chapter 2,there's a message that's
00:14:35.133 --> 00:14:38.436
delivered about Jesus, Ihope you read it this week.
00:14:38.469 --> 00:14:40.738
It says, "God exalted him to thehighest place and gave him the
00:14:40.772 --> 00:14:43.841
name that's above every name."
00:14:43.875 --> 00:14:45.710
How do we know that, how'sthat going to be demonstrated?
00:14:45.743 --> 00:14:48.479
Because at the name of Jesus,every knee will bow in heaven
00:14:48.513 --> 00:14:52.617
and on earth andunder the earth.
00:14:52.650 --> 00:14:54.385
Every person, every spiritualforce, every spiritual being
00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:58.256
will bow before Jesusbecause God exalted him.
00:14:58.289 --> 00:15:03.461
"And every tongue confess thatJesus is the messiah and Lord of
00:15:03.494 --> 00:15:07.065
all, to the gloryof God the Father."
00:15:07.098 --> 00:15:10.468
God's power established Jesus
00:15:10.501 --> 00:15:12.270
at the highest place inall of creation.
00:15:12.303 --> 00:15:18.409
In Isaiah 45, it's a deepprinciple in Scripture,
00:15:18.443 --> 00:15:21.279
Isaiah 45 and verse 23.
00:15:21.312 --> 00:15:23.781
God said through the prophet, "Imyself have sworn, my mouth has
00:15:23.815 --> 00:15:26.718
uttered in all integrity aword that will not be revoked.
00:15:26.751 --> 00:15:31.522
Before me every knee will bow.
00:15:31.556 --> 00:15:34.425
By me every tongue will swear.
00:15:34.459 --> 00:15:37.295
They will say of me, 'In the
00:15:37.328 --> 00:15:38.763
Lord alone are righteousnessand strength.'
00:15:38.796 --> 00:15:41.432
And all who have raged againsthim will come to
00:15:41.466 --> 00:15:43.534
me and be put to shame."
00:15:43.568 --> 00:15:45.503
It goes back to the firstcommandment, God said, "You can
00:15:45.536 --> 00:15:47.472
have no other gods before me.
00:15:47.505 --> 00:15:50.775
You'll bow your knee to noone but me or it's idolatry."
00:15:50.808 --> 00:15:56.214
In Romans 14 and verse 11,it's picked up, it says, "It's
00:15:56.247 --> 00:15:59.717
written, 'As surely as I live,says the Lord, every knee will
00:15:59.751 --> 00:16:02.286
bow before me, everytongue will confess to God.
00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:05.556
Each of us will give an accountof himself to God.'"
00:16:05.590 --> 00:16:09.527
We will all yield to God and hisrighteous judgments.
00:16:09.560 --> 00:16:13.398
Now, Satan in his pride, in
00:16:13.431 --> 00:16:15.299
his arrogance led arebellion against God.
00:16:15.333 --> 00:16:18.436
He said, "I wantto be like God."
00:16:18.469 --> 00:16:20.438
Jesus did the exact opposite.
00:16:20.471 --> 00:16:22.073
In Philippians chapter 2,it says of Jesus, "He didn't
00:16:22.106 --> 00:16:25.076
consider equality with Godsomething to be grasped, but he
00:16:25.109 --> 00:16:29.013
made himself nothing,taking the form of a servant."
00:16:29.047 --> 00:16:32.917
He became one of us.
00:16:32.950 --> 00:16:34.719
Becoming a human was the
00:16:34.752 --> 00:16:36.054
ultimate expression ofhumility for Jesus.
00:16:36.087 --> 00:16:40.358
He humbled himself and says hebecame obedient, even to death.
00:16:40.391 --> 00:16:44.128
Now, Satan rebelled, hewanted to usurp God's place.
00:16:44.162 --> 00:16:47.498
He wanted the worshiprightly due to Jesus.
00:16:47.532 --> 00:16:50.802
Again, it's not asubtle theme of Scripture.
00:16:50.835 --> 00:16:52.537
In Matthew 4 and verse 8 says,"The devil took Jesus to a very
00:16:52.570 --> 00:16:56.007
high mountain and showed him allthe kingdoms of the world and
00:16:56.040 --> 00:16:58.176
their splendor.
00:16:58.209 --> 00:16:59.944
And he said, 'Iwill give you this.
00:16:59.977 --> 00:17:02.013
I'll give you all of this, allthe kingdoms of the world if you
00:17:02.046 --> 00:17:05.383
will bow down and worshipme.'"
00:17:05.416 --> 00:17:09.120
Now, Jesus didn't disputeSatan's authority.
00:17:09.153 --> 00:17:12.457
He didn't say, "You don't haveauthority over those kingdoms."
00:17:12.490 --> 00:17:16.794
But he said,"Away from me, Satan.
00:17:16.828 --> 00:17:18.629
It's written, 'Worship the Lordyour God, and serve him only.'"
00:17:18.663 --> 00:17:25.069
Now, the book of Revelationor the last book of your New
00:17:25.103 --> 00:17:27.905
Testament is an account of God'sjudgment at the end of this age.
00:17:27.939 --> 00:17:34.145
Doesn't have to be frightening,evil is going to be judged and
00:17:34.178 --> 00:17:36.614
destroyed, but righteousnessis going to be rewarded.
00:17:36.647 --> 00:17:40.685
And at the center, or at leastas a significant part of the
00:17:40.718 --> 00:17:43.154
book of Revelation, is anindividual who will accept that
00:17:43.187 --> 00:17:46.057
bargain that Jesus rejected.
00:17:46.090 --> 00:17:49.494
He will bow hisknee to worship Satan.
00:17:49.527 --> 00:17:53.197
And he's labeled in thebook of Revelation as a beast.
00:17:53.231 --> 00:17:56.667
In Revelation 13 and verse 11,
00:17:56.701 --> 00:17:58.302
"I saw another beast comingout of the earth.
00:17:58.336 --> 00:18:00.304
He had two horns like a lamb,and he spoke like a dragon.
00:18:00.338 --> 00:18:04.575
And he exercised all the
00:18:04.609 --> 00:18:05.910
authority of the first beaston his behalf.
00:18:05.943 --> 00:18:07.812
And he made the earth and its
00:18:07.845 --> 00:18:09.180
inhabitants worshipthe first beast."
00:18:09.213 --> 00:18:11.616
Two persons are describedthere, a false prophet.
00:18:11.649 --> 00:18:15.052
The antichrist will be avery religious character.
00:18:15.086 --> 00:18:20.224
And the beast is the antichristhimself, the embodiment of this
00:18:20.258 --> 00:18:23.528
spirit that we're seeing
00:18:23.561 --> 00:18:24.929
displayed aroundthe earth right now.
00:18:24.962 --> 00:18:27.131
Deception, hatred,violence, murder.
00:18:27.165 --> 00:18:31.369
There's no other explanation forwhy we wouldn't freely disclose
00:18:31.402 --> 00:18:35.139
information about somethingthat had the ability to destroy
00:18:35.173 --> 00:18:38.176
hundreds of thousandsor millions of people.
00:18:38.209 --> 00:18:40.278
Why would you hidethat information?
00:18:40.311 --> 00:18:42.046
That is demonic.
00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:45.716
That can't be explained simply
00:18:45.750 --> 00:18:47.251
as competition betweennation states.
00:18:47.285 --> 00:18:49.987
But in Revelation 13, wemeet these two persons, a false
00:18:50.021 --> 00:18:52.557
prophet and the antichrist.
00:18:52.590 --> 00:18:54.225
The false prophet has theappearance of the Lamb, but the
00:18:54.258 --> 00:18:56.260
nature of the dragon.
00:18:56.294 --> 00:18:59.530
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
00:18:59.564 --> 00:19:01.666
The antichrist is described bythe Spirit of God as beastly.
00:19:01.699 --> 00:19:06.170
And the objective of theantichrist, please note this, is
00:19:06.204 --> 00:19:09.440
to obtain the worship due thetrue Christ, the true Messiah.
00:19:09.473 --> 00:19:14.979
In fact, the whole initiativein the book of Revelation on the
00:19:15.012 --> 00:19:17.615
part of the antichrist is tosecure the worship of human
00:19:17.648 --> 00:19:20.918
beings underthreat of execution.
00:19:20.952 --> 00:19:25.890
We see that spiritthroughout Scripture.
00:19:25.923 --> 00:19:27.625
We see it in Babylon withNebuchadnezzar and a statue, and
00:19:27.658 --> 00:19:31.028
people bowing to worship him.
00:19:31.062 --> 00:19:34.265
It's not about empires.
00:19:34.298 --> 00:19:36.634
It's not about theexcuses being presented.
00:19:36.667 --> 00:19:38.970
The underlyingforce is spiritual.
00:19:39.003 --> 00:19:42.373
It's the spirit of antichrist.
00:19:42.406 --> 00:19:46.911
In Revelation 14 and verse 9,it says, "If anyone worships the
00:19:46.944 --> 00:19:49.580
beast and his image and receiveshis mark on the forehead or his
00:19:49.614 --> 00:19:52.783
hand, he'll drink the wineof God's fury, which has been
00:19:52.817 --> 00:19:55.620
poured full strengthinto the cup of his wrath."
00:19:55.653 --> 00:19:59.123
The messaging is clear.
00:19:59.156 --> 00:20:01.726
Be careful of whatyou bend your knee to.
00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:06.631
It's disturbing whatwe've seen happening.
00:20:06.664 --> 00:20:10.434
Whole groups of people kneelingin the streets,
00:20:10.468 --> 00:20:13.404
not even sure what for.
00:20:13.437 --> 00:20:16.207
The motive behind it is notpolitical, it's not ideological,
00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:21.579
it's not a responseto current events.
00:20:21.612 --> 00:20:23.814
The underlyingmotive is spiritual.
00:20:23.848 --> 00:20:27.485
We have rejectedthe truth of God.
00:20:27.518 --> 00:20:30.321
We've set it aside, we don'twant to be encumbered by God's
00:20:30.354 --> 00:20:32.657
truth and his ideas.
00:20:32.690 --> 00:20:33.991
It's inconvenient to us.
00:20:34.025 --> 00:20:36.727
We want power andwe want authority.
00:20:36.761 --> 00:20:40.665
The only peace that will come
00:20:40.698 --> 00:20:42.300
to humanity will come from theprince of peace.
00:20:42.333 --> 00:20:45.469
It's only the transformation ofa human heart that allows us to
00:20:45.503 --> 00:20:48.372
live together in unity and
00:20:48.406 --> 00:20:50.408
respect and love andkindness and dignity.
00:20:50.441 --> 00:20:57.448
I would encourage you notjust in this season, but in the
00:20:57.481 --> 00:21:00.384
season to come, guard yourheart,
00:21:00.418 --> 00:21:02.820
be careful whatyou kneel before.
00:21:02.853 --> 00:21:07.024
And don't in stubbornnessrefuse to worship the Lord.
00:21:07.058 --> 00:21:11.896
I pray one of the outcomes ofthis season is that as we go
00:21:11.929 --> 00:21:15.032
forward, we'll stop ourquibbling about how to worship.
00:21:15.066 --> 00:21:17.601
"That's not my musicalstyle,
00:21:17.635 --> 00:21:19.103
I'm just not goingto participate."
00:21:19.136 --> 00:21:21.072
Get over yourself.
00:21:21.105 --> 00:21:23.607
If we have a kazoo and a bucketdrum, we can worship the Lord.
00:21:23.641 --> 00:21:32.450
I understand we have preferencesin taste, but we are worshiping
00:21:32.483 --> 00:21:35.953
the King of kingsand the Lord of lords.
00:21:35.986 --> 00:21:40.925
I brought you a prayer.
00:21:40.958 --> 00:21:43.260
It's one we've prayedbefore,
00:21:43.294 --> 00:21:44.695
but it seemed even moreappropriate today.
00:21:44.729 --> 00:21:47.231
I took it from thebook of Ephesians.
00:21:47.264 --> 00:21:49.567
Don't be alarmed atwhat you're seeing.
00:21:49.600 --> 00:21:51.335
Begin to pray.
00:21:51.369 --> 00:21:52.703
Take those daily prayers and
00:21:52.737 --> 00:21:54.105
pray them morning,noon, and evening.
00:21:54.138 --> 00:21:56.374
Pray them asfrequently as you have time.
00:21:56.407 --> 00:21:58.509
Get groups together.
00:21:58.542 --> 00:22:00.277
Get your text, you communicatein so many ways, I'm not even
00:22:00.311 --> 00:22:02.813
clever enough to keep track.
00:22:02.847 --> 00:22:05.082
You know how tomobilize your friends.
00:22:05.116 --> 00:22:06.617
Let's begin to pray.
00:22:06.650 --> 00:22:07.952
The way through this season, itisn't about a virus,
00:22:07.985 --> 00:22:10.421
it isn't about hatred.
00:22:10.454 --> 00:22:12.223
It's not just about injustice.
00:22:12.256 --> 00:22:14.125
It's a spiritual conflict,
00:22:14.158 --> 00:22:15.559
and the church has a centralrole to play.
00:22:15.593 --> 00:22:18.162
God is moving in the earth,
00:22:18.195 --> 00:22:21.065
and we don't want to missour opportunity.
00:22:21.098 --> 00:22:25.269
Why don't you stand with me?
00:22:25.302 --> 00:22:30.040
I've taken a prayer fromthe book of Ephesians.
00:22:30.074 --> 00:22:33.411
It's the third chapter.
00:22:33.444 --> 00:22:36.313
And in it, Paul's invitingthe church at Ephesus to kneel.
00:22:36.347 --> 00:22:40.518
And I'm going to invite you tokneel with me this morning, but
00:22:40.551 --> 00:22:42.887
I want you to understandbefore whom we're kneeling.
00:22:42.920 --> 00:22:46.824
We're not kneeling in submissionto anything other than the
00:22:46.857 --> 00:22:49.226
lordship of Jesus of Nazareth,and acknowledging Almighty God's
00:22:49.260 --> 00:22:53.564
authority over our lives.
00:22:53.597 --> 00:22:55.866
He is our defenderbecause in him, we stand.
00:22:55.900 --> 00:22:59.236
We stand against principalitiesand powers and the spiritual
00:22:59.270 --> 00:23:01.872
forces of wickednessin the heavenly places.
00:23:01.906 --> 00:23:04.642
We are yielded to him.
00:23:04.675 --> 00:23:06.811
He is the source of truth.
00:23:06.844 --> 00:23:08.813
He is the author of justice.
00:23:08.846 --> 00:23:10.848
There is no justice inthe earth apart from him.
00:23:10.881 --> 00:23:13.017
There's no just government
00:23:13.050 --> 00:23:14.952
because governmentsare composed of people.
00:23:14.985 --> 00:23:16.821
And if our hearts aren'ttransformed,
00:23:16.854 --> 00:23:18.322
we're not just creatures.
00:23:18.355 --> 00:23:20.758
We're filled withselfish ambition.
00:23:20.791 --> 00:23:24.728
But if we will kneel beforeAlmighty God and acknowledge his
00:23:24.762 --> 00:23:27.698
authority over our lives, andturn away from ungodliness,
00:23:27.731 --> 00:23:31.335
he'll initiate transformationwithin us that brings a dignity
00:23:31.368 --> 00:23:34.638
to every human being, theunborn and the elderly.
00:23:34.672 --> 00:23:40.678
We've set too many aside.
00:23:40.711 --> 00:23:43.848
I'm excited aboutwhat God is doing in us.
00:23:43.881 --> 00:23:47.318
Would you kneel with me?
00:23:47.351 --> 00:23:48.652
If you're not in a good space,if you're on the asphalt, or you
00:23:48.686 --> 00:23:50.754
didn't come dressedappropriately, or it's not age
00:23:50.788 --> 00:23:52.790
appropriate, I'm in.
00:23:52.823 --> 00:23:54.558
But it's Ephesians 3:14, theprayer's on the website,
00:23:54.592 --> 00:23:58.362
you can have it.
00:23:58.395 --> 00:24:00.030
For this reason on this morning,we kneel before the Father, from
00:24:00.064 --> 00:24:05.536
whom his whole family in heaven,on earth derives its name.
00:24:05.569 --> 00:24:09.440
We pray that out of hisglorious riches he may be
00:24:09.473 --> 00:24:11.909
strengthened--strengthen us withpower through his Spirit in our
00:24:11.942 --> 00:24:15.546
inner being, so that Christ
00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:18.048
may dwell in our heartsthrough faith.
00:24:18.082 --> 00:24:21.252
And we pray that, being rootedand established in love, we may
00:24:21.285 --> 00:24:25.356
have power, together with allthe saints, to grasp how wide
00:24:25.389 --> 00:24:29.326
and long and high and deep isthe love of Christ, and to know
00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:33.964
this love that surpassesknowledge, that we may be filled
00:24:33.998 --> 00:24:37.535
to the measure of allthe fullness of God.
00:24:37.568 --> 00:24:40.437
Now to him who is able to doimmeasurably more than all we
00:24:40.471 --> 00:24:43.407
ask or even imagine, accordingto his power that is at work
00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:48.212
within us, to him be glory inthe church and in Christ Jesus
00:24:48.245 --> 00:24:52.116
through all generations,forever and ever, amen.
00:24:52.149 --> 00:24:57.488
Hallelujah.
00:24:57.521 --> 00:24:58.822
Now, let's stand andgive the Lord a hand, huh?
00:24:58.856 --> 00:25:02.393
Hallelujah, Lord, we praise you.
00:25:02.426 --> 00:25:04.795
We give you glory today.
00:25:04.828 --> 00:25:07.064
We lift our voices to you and
00:25:07.097 --> 00:25:08.632
our hands to you andour hearts to you.
00:25:08.666 --> 00:25:11.602
Let Jesus be honored as Lord inthis nation, in our schools and
00:25:11.635 --> 00:25:15.105
universities, our hospitals andcourtrooms and classrooms, in
00:25:15.139 --> 00:25:19.810
the halls of government.
00:25:19.843 --> 00:25:21.145
We praise you for it.
00:25:21.178 --> 00:25:22.913
Let Jesus's name be honored
00:25:22.947 --> 00:25:24.682
throughout thenations of the earth.
00:25:24.715 --> 00:25:27.084
Let the name ofJesus be lifted up.
00:25:27.117 --> 00:25:29.420
We praise you today.
00:25:29.453 --> 00:25:31.889
We give you glory andhonor and thanksgiving.
00:25:31.922 --> 00:25:35.292
Let the confusion lift,may the chaos be broken.
00:25:35.326 --> 00:25:39.430
May truth prevail.
00:25:39.463 --> 00:25:41.432
We praise you for ittoday in Jesus's name, amen.
00:25:41.465 --> 00:25:46.971
announcer: God has madeextravagant provision for us
00:25:52.209 --> 00:25:54.445
through the crossof Jesus Christ.
00:25:54.478 --> 00:25:56.647
And with prayer, you can openthe door for God's plan in
00:25:56.680 --> 00:25:59.750
your life.
00:25:59.783 --> 00:26:01.085
That's why, when you donatetoday, we want to send you
00:26:01.118 --> 00:26:03.387
Pastor Allen's book of prayers,"Through the Cross."
00:26:03.420 --> 00:26:06.991
We hope these prayers help openthe door for the power of God to
00:26:07.024 --> 00:26:09.960
intercede in your life.
00:26:09.994 --> 00:26:12.229
Plus, those who generously give$40 or more will also receive
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Pastor Allen's "Through theCross" five-part DVD set.
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So request yours today when yougive by calling 1-800-880-5102,
00:26:20.404 --> 00:26:26.276
or by visiting allenjackson.com.
00:26:26.310 --> 00:26:29.146
And thank you for supporting theAllen Jackson
00:26:29.179 --> 00:26:31.248
Ministries' broadcast.
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Together, we are making adifference.
00:26:32.616 --> 00:26:35.519
announcer: Join us every weekfor another exciting message
00:26:35.686 --> 00:26:37.588
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00:26:37.621 --> 00:26:39.757
And until then, visit usonline and discover remarkable
00:26:39.790 --> 00:26:43.293
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help take your Christian life tothe next level.
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And when you visit online,consider joining our effort to
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So, considerpartnering with us today.
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00:27:02.646 --> 00:27:05.115
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00:27:05.149 --> 00:27:08.218
We're easy to find, so look
00:27:08.252 --> 00:27:09.553
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00:27:12.623 --> 00:27:15.793
Thanks so much for joining
00:27:15.826 --> 00:27:17.127
us and being a partof this ministry.
00:27:17.161 --> 00:27:18.896
We'll see you again nexttime for another encounter
00:27:18.929 --> 00:27:21.198
with Pastor Allen Jackson.
00:27:21.231 --> 00:27:23.200

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Stand Firm

Stand Firm

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Stand Firm

Stand Firm

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