Sunday Service 11-1-09

Sunday Service 11-1-09

Living the victorious Christian life?
Sermon 2

NOTES FROM SERMON HEARD AT:Spirit of Fire Evangelistic MinistriesPastor Jerry BeginTo listen to the sermon, visit:http://www.spiritoffire.org/To Comment on this sermon, look for the small "comment" button at the bottom of this Sunday's sermon. If you go to the bottom of the whole blog to comment, you will have scanned through notes of several earlier sermons. Note: sometimes the post does not come up, in which case press the preview button after you have written and then submit.

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The enemy is real. We have allowed ourselves to be taken over in society by demonic forces.
These days, we are no longer paying attention to demonic forces. We make excuses and use our rational mind to say anything that we want it to be.

Consider that we use hand sanitizers as precautions against germs. When handling people with blood, we use gloves to protect ourselves from blood borne pathogens… we cannot see them, but we know they are there and fear them, therefore we take precautions.

And yet, though we are taking precautions about germs, we are not taking precautions against demonic forces.

We allow ourselves to be taken over. The demonic world has invisible enemies.
If you are going to be a victorious Christian, you can’t just embrace a “feel good” Gospel of convenience.
God took Israel out of Egypt and brought them into a desert land to get rid of Egypt. He had to take away everything that had anything to do with Egypt.

Until we stand up to fight against the things of the enemy, those things will take us over. They will take our bodies and souls, and take us over spiritually.

Those who defend the faith, stand against the whiles of the devil, know them, and destroy them.
We need to make a decision. The enemy will slowly take us over because we are not conscious of who we are, we have made the things of the world more important than the things of God. The reason our families and communities are so messed up is because we have no more God to look up to.

We have an invisible army attacking us at all times. In the New Testament, Jesus is dealing with demons at all times. We aren’t aware of them because they are undercover. They have infiltrated.

We are going to have to make some sacrifices.

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Italicized font indicates direct quotes from notes handed out with the sermon

Our Christian walk

Being a Christian Is more than just boasting that we are saved and born again. It is to take on the nature of Christ and establish the Kingdom within us.

It is taking on the nature of Christ
Is the Church world teaching that we need to take on Christ’s nature? We are inheriting the Kingdom of God.

Jesus did say to seek the Kingdom and His righteousness. As Christians we are to set out to call God’s Kingdom, COME, and it will be done. We are called to be victorious over sin and able to find victory in life. We have been saved from sin, yet we still are tempted and struggle over it. We are set free from the power of sin, but we need to see that the battle waged against the sinful nature and we must find victory. We need to confront our natural weaknesses and with the strength of God overcome them.

The Ephesians and the occult

Many of the Ephesians had entered into occult practices and knew the world of demonic activity. Their practices had driven them to demonic interaction and influenced to serve satan. Paul speaks the truth and teaches the process of warfare towards the elements of the Kingdom of darkness.

Ask yourself:”Am I serving satan?
We have relinquished our rights. The enemy has infiltrated. We have done little to take over the enemy.
When we sin, we are serving the invisible enemy. We mean to serve Christ. We can easily get into slavery, so we need to do something.

Demonic forces study us and know us. We get into demonic things.

Act 19:17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Act 19:18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
Act 19:19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Act 19:20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

It will be the Word of God that will prevail. We need to decide,” I will no longer be enslaved to my emotions.”

The Gospel is the Gospel of forgiveness, loving, caring, being kind.
The first thing that the Ephesians did was acknowledge their deeds.
Confessing deeds brings us to freedom from the slavery to the enemy.
Ask yourself, “AM I CONFESSING MY SINS ON A DAILY BASIS?” Then He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Before you cast out a demon, you must overcome the reason that it is there. You must bring righteousness back into your house.

We need to be in God’s Word to be sure our prayer is in accordance with God’s Kingdom.

The Ephesians were not putting significance to their deeds. YOU NEED TO HATE YOUR SIN. Locate the demons that are after you… demon of hate? etc.
If we were serving God we would be patient, kind, loving, etc.

1. Confess your deeds (sometimes you may need to go to someone and confess). We need to go to the Lord on a daily basis and confess, “Lord, these are the ways I have served satan today”, then He can strengthen you in those areas.

Then the Ephesians took their books and destroyed them… it shows how much they would invest in the ways of the satan. Consider what you are watching, reading… ear gate, eye gate… Is it influencing you to depart from God. If you see a murder, you have experienced a murder. When you watch something that is not according to God’s Word, you have allowed your mind to experience it. We need to identify what is not of God.

satan is slowly getting into our minds and hearts.

Through the Word they had to prevail in their minds, and destroy those things that are not of God, that are occult.

We have submitted ourselves and allowed the enemy to take us over.

2. Our enemy is subtle… infiltrates… blends , so they study us well .

If we don’t stop him, we are in trouble.
If we aren’t aware, we are in trouble. We need to look at those deeds that bring us into the hands of the enemy.

Are we changing the practices of God to demonic practices (escape through ungodly movies, ungodly games, etc.)? We need to make decisions and say, “no, that is not of God”.

We need to start thinking differently. Are we going to remove anything that serves satan?

Foundational Steps:

1.We learn the art of our warfare from the Word of God. It is the Word that equips the Christian for a victorious life. The Scriptures reveal the spiritual power of God and the Kingdom and, through the Word, success is established.

Does your life conform to the Word of God?



2Ti 3:14-17
(14) But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
(15) And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
(17) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Heb 4:11-12
(11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
(12) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2. We will find that it takes faith to establish the Word in our lives and to bring victory to light.

We do not walk by site, but we walk by faith.

It’s going to take faith in the Word of God

1Jn 5:4-5
(4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
(5) Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

HOMEWORK:
Is there something in my home, life, that is distracting me from serving the Lord?
Am I confessing my deeds? Look at the perfect Word of God as a mirror?

You will not put the armor of God on if you do not do this. The choice is yours. Will you recognize the enemy, or allow him to come and just be friendly with you?
We must not play with the snake, we must see the dangers.