Our Sermons
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
Psalm 111:10
Ephesians 5:11 NLT “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.”
Deal with the cause, the consequences will be taken care of. It is time to confront darkness, so the consequences of the reign of darkness can be taken care of. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit to manifest the boldness and love of God through us. We are living in a culture where we are labeled as intolerant, narrow-minded, and judgmental when we speak up for truth. As Christians, no matter what, we should not tolerate sin. We are to confront sin by speaking the truth in love. We need to compassionately and lovingly explain the truth. Apostle Paul warned the believers in Ephesus, “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them” (Ephesians 5:11 NLT). The Lord Jesus Christ also warned, “Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness” (Luke 11:35 NLT). We Christians are dealing with very serious issue; that of eternity. We have to tell people the truth. It may be difficult. It may be uncomfortable. It may separate us from some people and groups. But we have to tell the truth. We love to tell people that God loves them and has compassion on them. And of course, that is true. Yet we are reluctant to say they are sinners who are separated from God, or believers living sinful lifestyles. We need to tell the truth. People need to hear the truth. Yes, it is easier to blend in to avoid offending anyone. But do we want to offend God? If we do not tell the whole truth, then we will offend God. Every believer is called to declare the whole counsel of God. He has called us to preach the gospel and to be His witnesses. Our common enemy is the devil; let us unite to confront him and his evil works!
Ephesians 5:11 NLT “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.”
Deal with the cause, the consequences will be taken care of. It is time to confront darkness, so the consequences of the reign of darkness can be taken care of. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit to manifest the boldness and love of God through us. We are living in a culture where we are labeled as intolerant, narrow-minded, and judgmental when we speak up for truth. As Christians, no matter what, we should not tolerate sin. We are to confront sin by speaking the truth in love. We need to compassionately and lovingly explain the truth. Apostle Paul warned the believers in Ephesus, “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them” (Ephesians 5:11 NLT). The Lord Jesus Christ also warned, “Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness” (Luke 11:35 NLT). We Christians are dealing with very serious issue; that of eternity. We have to tell people the truth. It may be difficult. It may be uncomfortable. It may separate us from some people and groups. But we have to tell the truth. We love to tell people that God loves them and has compassion on them. And of course, that is true. Yet we are reluctant to say they are sinners who are separated from God, or believers living sinful lifestyles. We need to tell the truth. People need to hear the truth. Yes, it is easier to blend in to avoid offending anyone. But do we want to offend God? If we do not tell the whole truth, then we will offend God. Every believer is called to declare the whole counsel of God. He has called us to preach the gospel and to be His witnesses. Our common enemy is the devil; let us unite to confront him and his evil works!
James 4:7 AMP “So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.”
We are all called to be in submission to God as addressed in James 4:7. James conveys the idea that when we submit to God, we are committed to Him and we will be able to withstand the temptations the devil, and the devil will “flee from us”. A place of submission to God is a place of power, provision, and protection. Resisting the devil must be preceded by submitting to God. Believers who are not obedient or submissive to God will not be able to resist the devil so he can flee (run away) from them. To resist means to withstand, strive against, or oppose in some manner like in resisting or withstanding the temptation to sin and resisting the devil in afflicting us. We cannot be disobedient to God and expect the devils to be subject to us at His Name. The seven sons of Sceva attempted to cast out an evil spirit in a man only to receive a resounding beating (Acts 19:16). Why? They were not submitted to the authority of Jesus they were using! The words of believers, who are submitted to God resonate God’s authority in the spirit realm. We must realize that the enemies we are up against are not humans, but real forces that come from the powers of darkness. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12 NIV “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The Bible assures us that we need only to put on the full armor of God to be fully protected from evil and to actively resist it. There is nothing more frightening to Satan and his kingdom than a believer who is submitted to God and fully equipped with spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:14-18).
ROMANS 12:21 NIV “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
There is no shortage of evil in the world we live in today. The devil is running riot everywhere. However, despite the evil abounding, there is still much good around. There is abundant opportunity to overcome evil with good. We will be offended or hurt, and we will be tempted to repay evil with evil, to strike back at those who hurt us. But that will not be a Godly choice, and it can lead to pain and misery. The answer is to walk in divine love. The love of God is in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and with God’s love inside us we can return good for evil done to us. That will restrain the power of evil to affect us. Love is stronger than hate. Good is more powerful than evil. You can walk in victory no matter what anyone does to you, if you walk in love. Remember the instructions of Jesus ” But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44). Hear the counsel of Apostle Paul “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:18-20). With God’s love you can overcome evil with good! Let us love indeed, without pretence (Romans 12:9-10 NLT).
LUKE 10:19 NKJ “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Jesus defeated the devil for you (Colossians 2:15). According to Matthew 28:18, all authority on Earth now belongs to Jesus. As His earthly representatives, Jesus has delegated His authority to us. All believers have authority to use the Name of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, or authority, we can cast out devils (Mark 16:17, Luke 10:17). After Jesus’ resurrection, Scripture clearly puts responsibility on the believer to exercise the delegated authority of Jesus to resist the devil, and all his works (Philippians 2:10; Ephesians 4:27; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9). The devil’s plan is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10a), and one of the ways he carries out this plan is by inflicting people with diseases. Our mandate, through the delegated authority of Jesus Christ, is to stop the devil from carrying out his plan. In Christ, you have authority over the devil, all his forces, all his agents, and all his works. You can resist the devil and not allow him any place in your life, because you have authority over him, in Christ! As believers we should not be afraid of the devil, although we should be aware and on guard against his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). The way to exercise your authority is through words – speaking the words of God with faith in the Name of Jesus Christ!
Ephesians 6:4 NKJV “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
How would you describe your relationship with your children? Strained? Exciting? Heartbreaking? Enjoyable? Amicable? If you want a real revelation, ask them to describe their feelings about you and the family. What they would say may be shocking to you! And having a Christian home does not necessarily exempt you from conflict with your children. The flesh still rears its ugly head from time to time, and consistent bad habits can lead to broken communication, even in a Christian home. There will be resultant pain and strain in the family when Biblical principles are disregarded. There are examples of such families in the Bible: Rebekah loved her son Jacob more than his brother Esau, so she set him up him to deceive their father, Isaac, and cause division in the family (Genesis 27); Eli, the high priest, allowed his boys to run wild, and in the end it cost him his life (1 Samuel 3-4); David preached one thing but practiced another, and his children were more influenced by what he did than by what he said (2 Samuel 11, 13, 15-16, 1 Kings 11). Nobody is immune from family pain and strain; not David, not Rebekah, not Eli, and not you! So, evaluate the state of your family and take necessary corrective action to remove any pain and strain. Take time to get close to your children. Deal with the barriers between you. You cannot change anything unless you are willing to acknowledge it, and sometimes change must begin with you. For example, does your lifestyle need adjusting? How about your priorities? What about the example you have been setting all along? Be honest and intentional in building a Godly relationship with your children!