“Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
Introduction:
The importance for the body of Christ, (the true church), to operate with spiritual sight (understanding by the spirit with our heart), and moving- living in God’s wisdom, has never been more important than it is today. We are in the end of times. The book of Revelations is coming to fruition before our eyes. Our purpose is to walk by faith and please God, for the sole purpose of his glorification! As we travel on his path, he instructs us as to the plan that he has set for each of us daily. If we, as his servants and disciples, are not actually serving him or discipling in his word, we are not walking in his plan or will, and are not pleasing and glorifying him!
I. Why does he need me?
A. God is all sovereign, right?
1. He sovereignly yields and limits himself by his covenants, commandments and promises. He will never undo the words that have come out of his mouth. Psalms 89:34 “My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”
B. James 1:22-25 “22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
Since the coming of Christ, he only flows and does his works through his people, his word and spirit. This is done in order that faith is enacted, and he is pleased with our honoring of Christ. This also draws us closer to him. All of this is for his pleasure, and glory but we reap the blessings. But love is our motivation and power!
C. But he said, “he would not lose a single one of his”. Why do I need to be involved? John 6:39 “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me but raise them up at the last day.”
1. To please him and glorify him out of love for him.
2. To honor his command to undo the works of Satan.
3. To love your neighbor as yourself.
4. Love of self, or love of God? There is no middle ground!
II. The heated battle, (Do you see? Do you fight?)
A. The third great awakening versus the road of the Antichrist
1. God is first in all things. We often do not see the good for being overwhelmed by the bad.
2. Satan can only react and imitate to what God is doing.
B. The irony and the contrast
1. Believers have such a difficult time hoping for and seeing the manifestations of God’s power in their lives, and meanwhile we are living amid the spiritual manifestation of evil every day. Unbelief blinds us to this fact. Stop and consider all the evil that we see around us:
a) War on identity- he / she.
b) Child sex trafficking-slavery is more prolific now than anytime in human history.
c) Child mutilation- sex changes/ lifelong damage
d) Forcing homosexuality as normal/ preferred
(1) Movies, TV, commercials
(2) Politics, LGBTQ laws created.
e) Making abortion a normal and accepted part of society.
(1) Some churches and preachers are stating that it is acceptable. In example: Raphael Warnock in Georgia.
2. All these examples fall under the rising tide of the spirit of Jezebel and Ahab, as well as the resurgence once again of ba’al worship. (See attachments).
3. The emasculation of society: toxic masculinity, which also is a result of the Ahab and Jezebel relationship.
4. The destruction of the biblical family structure, removal of the spiritual leaders of the home.
5. Persecution and martyring of Christians around the world. There are currently more Christians being martyred now than any other time in human history.
6. Removal of God from society.
7. Godless leaders in government and churches.
8. Total dependence on government with pandemic- welfare.
a) We were made to work- earn- contribute. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 “10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and [a]exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.”
Genesis 2:15 “15 Then the Lord God took [a]the man and put him in the garden of Eden to [b]tend and keep it.”
9. Some Churches submitting to government.
10. Some churches preaching false doctrine and religion.
These are some general descriptions of how evil is manifesting in this physical realm. Ask yourself, what has been your response to all of this? Apathy? Weakness? Silence?
C. Seeing the contrast
1. You must first know the good, in order to see it.
2. Are you a spectator or a warrior? Are you lukewarm?
3. Do you hear the far-off cannon fodder while you tend your fields? The war is among your homes! It will be thought amongst you and before the eyes of your children why do so many Christians not act?
a) Lack of knowledge of Jesus, intimacy, the word of God
b) Not being sensitive to or knowing the Holy Spirit.
c) Spiritual immaturity equals pride/ unsurrendered.
d) More unbelief than faith, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:23-25 “23 Jesus said to him, “If[a]you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”
III. Why are things so bad in the world now?
A. Failures of the church
1. Little active faith that isn’t self-serving (what do you pray about?)
2. No emphasis on glorifying/ pleasing god.
3. No relationship with God.
B. Identity crisis of the church
1. They don’t know or believe who they are in Christ.
C. Very little submission to God.
1. Not willing to sacrifice everything to make him Lord of their life! This gives way to unbelief in certain areas.
D. A void in the world, a gap in the wall, results that Satan devises and fills with himself and sin and death.
1. God out of households.
2. God out of schools.
3. God out of government.
4. “Good is bad/ bad is good”
Isaiah 5:20 “20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
E. We have relented our authority as Adam did.
F. The church has stopped discipling in his word, resulting in ignorance of his will and their purpose.
1. Worship has become a production, designed to give people” a feeling”, goosebumps, and has turned into a ” give in order to get from God” Session, not out of love for him alone.
G. Religion has muted the Holy Spirit in many cases, making it unacceptable to operate in the gifts, let alone manifesting signs and wonders.
1. The manifesting of signs and wonders is where the spiritual realm crosses the veil into the physical realm.
2. This is very important! We must understand that God uses the signs and wonders for the unbelievers, and it is a starting point of their salvation!! The starting point is knowing God’s faith by his word for the believers!!
H. Many believers are distracted by the cares of this world and this life, making them numb to their conscience and being soul sick.
I. The holy scriptures have been made of no effect by the traditions and doctrines of men. This has caused several generations of believers to be impotent in the Kingdom, not knowing of or desiring the things of God.
J. Unbelief abounds and works against faith, which God placed in us.
1. Unbelief due to ignorance. Remedied by the truth of the word of God.
2. Natural unbelief due to being carnal. Our natural reaction to supernatural events.
3. Disbelief-knowing the truth but rejecting it completely.
IV. Putting on the mind of Christ –
1 Corinthians 2:16 “16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
A. Scripture teaches “be like Him” and “do as He did”
1 Corinthians 11:1 “11 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
1 John 4:17 “17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”
1. It is not our power, but we are “authorized” to use his power..
B. Completely dependent on his power
1. If not, we will never see signs and wonders manifest.
C. God’s power requires his love.
Galatians 5:6 “6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
1. None of this is accomplished out of a feeling of obligation or fear. There is no faith in that.
2. Not by our own abilities. There is no faith in that.
3. Not out of selfish motives. There is no faith in that.
D. Your depth of love for God is equivalent to your realization of his love for you!
1. “Faith comes (love comes), by hearing (with your heart), and hearing the word of God” (not physically but spiritually) Romans 10:17
V. Faith is the bridge that brings the spiritual into the physical. All of God’s power, blessings, promises and covenants have been provided in their entirety and exist, readily available to us in the spiritual realm. It is a fountain of endless grace that we only must access by faith. “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). “Tetelestai”, it is finished. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” he meant that he had fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies that pointed to him. He also meant that he had completed the work that God had sent him to do, of offering his life as a sacrifice for our sins and eternal life (knowing him intimately). He never left an incomplete work!!
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
A. The contrast between the physical/ unbelief and the spiritual/ faith
1. Begging, versus basking, walking, and operating in God’s promises.
2. Weakness of flesh, versus strength of spirit.
3. Pride, versus humbling yourself.
4. Confidence in self, versus confidence in Christ.
5. Responding to physical stimulus, versus responding to spiritual stimulus.
6. Can’t sense God’s presence, versus intimate relationship with God.
7. Sickness, versus healing.
8. Depression and fear, versus joy and peace.
9. Ignorance of God’s word, versus revelation.
10. Foolishness versus wisdom.
11. Poverty and lack, versus prosperity and abundance.
12. Confusion and strife, versus clarity of God’s will and plan.
13. Bondage, versus freedom and liberty.
14. Selfishness and glorifying self, versus all glory to God.
15. Resistance, versus submission.
16. Passivity, versus taking the Kingdom by force.
17. Worship for feelings, versus worship by love.
18. Unworthiness, versus being the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.
Summary:
Why is it important that we see with our spiritual eyes? Jesus instructs us to be sober and vigilant 1 Peter 5:8. He tells us to keep our lamps burning. Luke 12:35-36. These examples above are so that we stay ready for his instruction, his will, and his glorification. All of this is to be done until he returns. All these things are responses in the spirit Romans 8:16-17, by grace through faith Ephesians 2:8-10, to build our testimonies so that God can be glorified! Revelation 12:10-11
1 Peter 5:8
8 Be [a]sober, be [b]vigilant; [c]because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Luke 12:35-36 The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant
35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
Romans 8:16-17
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Revelation 12:10-11
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
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