Transcript: Jesus Christ: All Authority and Power in Him

In the Gospel of John 17, verse 1 Jesus was praying with his disciples right before he was going to be taken and nailed to the cross for the sake of sinners so that he might give eternal life to all the whomsoever who would choose him as their Savior as Jesus was praying with his disciples and for himself in the garden he said in verse 1 of John 17 as he lifted his eyes up to the heavens and he said father the hour has come glorify and exalt and honor and magnify your son so that your son may glorify and extol and honor and magnify you verse 2 just as you have granted him power and authority over all flesh over all humankind now glorify him so that he may give eternal life to all whom you have given to him you see the heart of the Savior here dear believer as Jesus pleads his commission or his charge before his father is the undying and the unfathomable passion to glorify his father Jesus knew that without the father glorifying him as the son he would not be made known as the promised Messiah that the Jewish people have so long awaited and had expected down through the ages God's people had been groaning in slavery and hardship and knew that the universal Savior would come and save them from the darkness of the world and from their sin and Jesus knew that by dying he might magnify the law and make it honorable and he knew that by his death he would be respected among men by showing the strictness of God's justice and the immaculate purity of his father's flawless and impeccable nature Jesus knew also that by his Father glorifying him and being willing and obedient even unto death of the cross, that he would become a glorious channel for the extension of his Father's love to a dying and perishing world. And Jesus also knew that by his father glorifying him, that his power would sustain him in his death, in his resurrection and ascension, and be the proof that he was indeed the son of God, of the one in whom his father had sent. being glorified was to be clearly known in a scene as a manifestation of God's honor and power which would be necessary to spread the gospel of the truth and message of who Christ is and what he has done and what he has provided Jesus prayed that God would so honor him in his death that it would be the striking and impelling proof that he was the Messiah as a result of this men and women from every nation would come before God his father and honor and worship him hallelujah hallelujah you see by Jesus's death he brought glory to the father and the law and the truth and the mercy of God We're all honored in this way by the spread of Christ's gospel and the conversion of sinners. By all that Jesus did and will yet do until the end of time, he is glorified and his Father is honored. The salvation and conversion of one sinner brings glory to God and honors him. Whatever honors the Son honors the Father. Jesus said in the first few verses of John 17 he said father glorify me that I may glorify you and in verses 4 and 5 he declares I have glorified you down here on the earth by completing the work that you gave me to do father and now glorify me along with yourself and restore me to such majesty and honor in your presence as I had with you before the world existed Jesus was going to meet death on the cross and he knew that he had done his part up until that time so he basically is saying father I've done my part now my father do yours and the hour had come when all the powers of darkness dear church would be combined to degrade to abuse to assail to condemn and ultimately crucify the Son of God and Jesus was not looking to be rescued from this commission he was divinely sent to do this dear this work dear church instead he was praying that he might be glorified in the world through his death on the cross and his father didn't disappoint him but he did in fact glorify him in his sufferings by signs and wonders that appeared in the times and stages leading up to his death and even after he breathed his last breath on the cross and when the Sun darkened Hear this. When the sun darkened and the veil of the temple was rent in two, the father not only justified, but he glorified his son. An earthquake opened up the graves of 500 people and they were resurrected and raised back to life and walked throughout the cities in the countryside as proof of the father glorifying his son. and even by Jesus' suffering when he was crucified he was magnified and honored and glorified oh I pray you can see that it was on the cross that he conquered Satan and death and his thorns of suffering was his crown and the father glorified his son when he raised him from the dead and showed him openly to chosen witnesses along the way and then poured out his spirit to support and plead his cause and to set up his kingdom on the earth in the church and in the hearts of men. Hallelujah. This brought glory to the Father and to the Son. And Jesus says, Father, glorify your Son as you have given him the power and the authority. And it is here, dear church, where Jesus Christ shows us the origin of his power and his authority. Authority, in a sense, means privilege. It means force. And it means superhuman power. It means control or freedom and influence. And Jesus is acknowledging that his power has come from God, his Father, to whom all power belongs. Because man was in his fallen state since the time of the rebellion in the garden, God had sent his Son to the earth to act on behalf of himself, to be the new model of government which could not be built up by anyone else that is a mere creature of clay, but only under divine commission, under the all-inclusive and comprehensive undertaking of the glorious work that could be found only in God's own Son, Jesus Christ alone. There would be no other greater allegiance or alliance that could ever carry out this great commission than there would be between the self-existing and the almighty God, creator of the universe, and his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who would act on God's behalf as his spokesman. This commission in office that God had sent his son in as his divine spokesman carried with it All the power and authority that was necessary to execute, to set up, to govern, to carry out this awesome new government of God upon the face of the earth in what is known as his church today. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. please know dear believer that Jesus Christ is the head of his church and that our king is no usurper as the prince of this world is and who is known to us as Satan the devil but Jesus Christ is king of kings and he has the right to rule and that is irrefutable and undeniable because his father sent him in the supreme office and gave him the titles of Messiah, his son, his unspeakable gift, son of the highest, the king in his beauty, creator of all things, the first and the last, The Word, the image of the invisible God, the true light of the world, King of glory, Lord over all, the great judge, King of kings and Lord of lords. You see, these unending scriptures depicting the names of the priceless one tells us of the extent of Christ's kingship. He has all power and all authority over all mankind and is highly esteemed by his Father in heaven. Jesus said again in John 17, verse 2, Father, you have granted me power and authority over all flesh, over all humankind. Apostle Peter declares in 1 Peter 3, 22, and he, Jesus, is now entered into heaven. And is at the right hand of God with all the angels and authorities and powers made subservient to him. So not only does Jesus Christ have power and authority over all humankind, but he holds all power and authority over the spirits of the world. And the powers and the upper realm and the unseen world are subservient to him as well. And we come to the place where we must ask ourselves and we must ponder and ask, how is Jesus exercising this power and authority in our time as he has done since he had come to the earth on behalf of sinners? And the answer to this question is that he is now mediating between God and man. and he still maintains his power over all flesh. He has a remnant of people down through the ages that his father has given to him, whom he has subdued and he saved, and they have made him the centerpiece of their lives and are carrying out his divine commission upon the earth today. And these represent the true castings, The mature 60 and 100 fold spoken about in Christ's parable of the sower. These people have grown to understand that faithfulness and obedience and submission to Jesus' command or his word demonstrate the love that they have for him and for his father. But you should know also that there is a vast majority of these people who do not sincerely and honestly honor God. In Genesis 6-3, the Lord spoke and said, My spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man. You see, mankind since the fall in the garden have always needed a savior. here mankind is always ignored God and they have refilled God they have mocked God even over this sinful and vast for multitude that we see today on the face of the earth Jesus holds all power and hear this he holds all judgment as well John 3 35 Jesus said the father loves the son and has given and entrusted and committed everything into his hands Jesus has all power concerning them to loose to vindicate or condemn and he holds all power on earth to forgive sins or not Jesus Christ is mediator it's had the government of the world put into his hands the scriptures tell us and it rests upon his shoulders he is king of the nations even though the nations do not obey him but deny him and Jesus has power over those who know him not nor obey his gospel Psalms 22 verse 28 declares for the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord and he is the ruler over the nation you see he may not rule them but he overrules all and determines the number of their days in Job 14 verse 5 the word declares since a man's days are already determined and the number of his months is wholly in your control and and he cannot pass the bounds of his allotted time. That's quite clear, isn't it? You see, the awesome prayer of Jesus Christ before he went to the cross was to be glorified and restored to the same glory that he had once when he was seated next to his Father in heaven. And he knew that this glory would be necessary to bring eternal life to as many as God had given him. he knew it this is where the mystery of our salvation precious one is laid open for us to see and understand it is supernatural and it is divine intervention the power and the love of God in our lives there's a scripture that the Holy Spirit has been working in my spirit and soul and this has been a long time in coming and yet it began with a great trial how many of you know that God will sometimes allow great trials in our lives to drive us into deeper into his arms of love and then he reveals truths that come in no other way the scripture is found in Psalms 91 verse 14 reading out of the New King James translation because he has his love set upon me therefore I will deliver him I will send him on high because he has known my name and he shall call upon me and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and I will honor him and in law with long life I will satisfy him and I will show him my salvation hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah the Holy Spirit is showing me this as being a major key in understanding the power and the authority that has been given to our beloved Christ you see a true believer cannot come to God unless it be through the blood of Jesus Christ his son and as you have seen Jesus as the spokesman for God the Father and it is by Jesus's death his burial and resurrection that you and I come before our Heavenly Father and claim any one of the promises or blessings that are given to obedient blood-washed blood-spot believers of this way and these promises can only come to pass when all those who live a life of communion with God are constantly safe under his protection and maintain a divine peace and security of mind at all times because Jesus Christ made this possible by his death he that dwells in the secret place and under the shadows of the Most High has set his love upon God will find by faith all the needs that he can desire and meet it will be satisfied they will be met and satisfied the character of the true believer in Christ is to desire a continual dwelling without interruption in this secret place because he is at home with God and finds his rest and peace in this place he makes this place a heart work of getting to know his God in a deep in an intimate way this or her worship pleases God because he loves to be alone with God and converse with God in solitude and it is in this place where the true worshiper comes to know by the revelation of the Holy Spirit the awesome power and authority of God's own Son Jesus Christ verse 14 of Psalms 91 declares because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he has known my name because he has his love set upon me the Lord says therefore I will deliver him and this is God himself speaking here make no mistake about it these are words of comfort to the believer God is showing his love and compassion throughout these words to the one who was the apple of his eye and he was declaring his mercy and what he had in store for the one whose love is set upon him we know that there is no doubt that God had released his holy angels to take charge of the circumstance in King David's life at this time and he was going to ensure that his beloved one who was a man after his own heart would be protected and safeguarded against all the attacks and the missiles of the evil one. It is said as if God said to his holy angels, take care of those who have their love set upon me as they are dear to me and I have a loving and tender affection for them did you know that this is a promise for you today too that this is the privilege and comfort for those who live in this secret place under the shadow of the Almighty the promises that God will shelter you and come between you and everything that would come against you and be troubling for you such as the storms of life that seem to come up suddenly remember we need him always in good times and in bad times and you should desire continual residence under God's protection dear one he will be your rest you will be your refuge in your comfort forever but you see neither you or I can inherit or claim the promises without setting our love upon him and also by submitting ourselves completely to him by our strict obedience to do what he commands and you will never know his power or his authority if you do not love him and you do not acquaint yourself with his perfection and his love and it was here in this great place the the trial that I was going through in my life a few years ago when the Holy Spirit began to bring these scriptures of life into my heart as the trial intensified I was driven deeper into the word and it was through the word of God that the Spirit of the Lord began to reveal these truths how many of you know that when trials and tests come faith takes flight and soars high like an eagle like an eagle we must fly high enough to peer into the Sun a Christian in order to receive any revelation from God must draw near to to his son Jesus Christ and only when we are shielded and protected by the blood of Jesus in his most beautiful name are we able to approach the light of the Sun and receive insight into the revelation that is the mysteries and secrets of the deep and intimate knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and And it was in 1 Corinthians 2.13 that Apostle Paul declared, These things we also speak not in words, which is man's wisdom, which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Verse 14, But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned but he who is spiritual judges all things yet he himself is rightly judged by no one for who has known the mind of the lord that he may instruct him but we have the mind of christ to know christ's power is to know his heart or his mind and we cannot fully know christ's nature that we only know in part but it is by his word and by his all-powerful name that he has made himself known to us in this period of time that i was walking through in this great time of trouble i had a rare and privileged visitation from the most holy and eternal one in my bleakest hour jesus broke through the darkness and appeared to me saying i am jesus i am your savior my peace i give you my peace i leave you and there was more jesus spoke to me that night but my point in sharing this with you to point out the first thing that Jesus spoke was his name he identified himself by saying his name my name is Jesus I am your Savior we see the importance of his name precious ones when Jesus broke through the darkness I heard and experienced a manifestation of the invisible realm where the atmosphere had been parted as though a veil had been rent and it was as though I experienced Jesus stepping through eternity into a created atmosphere and what I'm trying to say is that there was a great audible sound and a thrilling but yet commanding and respectful awe that came with his holy presence that was tangible yet unexplainable before I heard Jesus announce his name and identify his cause as my savior all darkness had to flee that night at the mention of his name and when Jesus stepped forward he did so in his presence and his power and in his authority you see those who have their love set upon him and who truly know him by name will love him and will place their love upon him as the only capable object of it and will never allow it to be removed by making a firm resolution to never allow any other rival or idol to replace it. To know God's name is to know the person of God himself. And we know who he is by his word. God makes himself known to us by his works. Psalms 8.1 declares, O Lord our God, how excellent, how majestic and glorious is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory on the heavens, O God. And here David contemplated the majesty of God's creation. And no doubt, he was having the experience of seeing the Milky Way. The Milky Way galaxy is the home galaxy of the solar system and of the earth. it contains 200 to 400 billion stars and is estimated to have at least 50 billion planets David was expressing amazement that God would even bother with such insignificant creatures such as we are after observing the glory of God in the heavens just think dear one psalm 147 verse 4 says God determines and counts the numbers of the stars and he calls them all by their name great is our God and great of power his understanding is inexhaustible and boundless you see if naming the stars seems insignificant to God and giving each a name then think of how important his name should be to each one of us individually Isaiah 40 verse 26 declares lift your eyes on high and see who created these things who brings out their starry hosts by number and he calls them all by name by the greatness of his might and the strength of his power not one is missing I love that the greatness of his power authority and his strength not one of these stars is missing somehow this ought to cause our heads to spin in our hearts to be thrilled by the awesomeness of our self-existing God whose power and authority over all is beyond any other when Jesus was on the earth giving witness of himself in John 8 58 he said I assure you most solemnly I tell you before Abraham was born I am he said I am and this is saying Jesus is the eternal the unchangeable living God he always was and is and is the same yesterday today and forever and he will be what he will be and what and who he is no matter what any created being might say contrarily about him he is who he is he says I am just that way I am and he's always faithful and true to all of his promises and he is unchangeable in his word as well and in his nature he is not a man that he should lie he said let israel know that i am has been sent to you dear church i am has made himself known to you today and he will not beg you or coerce you to come to him but know this he will not give up on you until he is alone decides when the day of grace will close and slam shut where each one of us is concerned for those of you hearing this word who do not personally know Jesus Christ God's own son as the Almighty and the all-powerful I am I pray that you will drop to your knees and repent of your sins and ask him to come into your life and change you into his image and likeness so that you may be forgiven and eternally saved draw near to him and he will draw near to you learn of his love and his greatness and power by submitting your life to him God's Word says that no man knows the son but the father and neither does any man know the father but those whom the son will reveal him to and this is so true that we cannot truly comprehend the nature the attributes the power and authority of God and his son Jesus Christ because the full comprehension and acknowledgement of the Godhead and these mysteries of the Trinity belong to God alone to belong to God alone all the mysteries and the secrets of the Trinity workings of the Trinity belong to God alone and we are only privileged to know these in part by the grace of God through the impartation of the Holy Spirit because Jesus was God his power and authority was not merely derived from the father but it always was Christ's power and authority knew no limitations and it was the very ground of his commission to his disciples mark 6 7 Jesus called to him the twelve the Apostles and began to send them out as his ambassadors two by two he sent them and gave them authority and power over the unclean spirits you see a supreme and number one source of derived authority comes from the scriptures themselves because they are inspired by God himself and therefore since the Word of God is given by his inspiration and represents his supreme authority that is the reason that we as believers are required to obey them if we do not obey them we will never be privileged to know the very person of Jesus Christ whom God loved before the foundation of time we will never walk in this same authority and power that he bestows upon his faithful servants today Jesus revealed his father's name when he walked upon the earth and made it known by his submitted life to do the will of his father and also by divine miracles signs and wonders that he performed in his three-year ministry he revealed the love the mercy and compassion of god he revealed the power and the authority of god through his miracles through christ's one all-time act of giving his life as the atonement for our sins his name is now set above every other name this means there's no other name that is more powerful than the precious name of Jesus Christ Philippians 2 9 says therefore because he stooped so low God is highly exalted him and has freely bestowed upon him the name that is above every other name that in at the very name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven on earth and under the earth at the mention of his name every knee shall bow God exalted his son because he humbly gave himself for our sins did you hear that Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins he humbly gave himself for our sins then God raised him up to the highest heights of heaven and has given him a name in a position in place of all authority above all other names and one day he will be acknowledged as Lord by everyone regardless of whether it is in heaven that is by the angels or on the earth by believers and sinners alike and lastly under the earth by daemons he will it be acknowledged as Lord Lord of lords and all we have to do is see what God has made known of himself in his word in his works and we'll see that he is indeed great and greatly to be feared his name is holy his infinite purity and uprightness appear in all where he has made himself known by name indeed psalms 111 verse 9 says that he has sent redemption to his people He's commanded his covenant to be forever. Holy is his name, inspiring awe and reverence and godly fear. I don't know about you, but that thrills me. Hallelujah, that thrills me. holy is his name inspiring awe and reverence and godly fear and because his name is holy it is therefore a name to be revered it is to be thought of and mentioned with holy awe and wonder dear church we have read in scripture that because God is so holy and reverent the angels behold his holiness and cover their faces when they stand before him and we too should understand and place God in this high place of honor and deeply respect and adore him for who he is his holiness ought to inspire us to stand in awe of him too you see the promises as I had mentioned before are for those who have their love set upon Jesus Christ and who know and understand his name that is who he is what he has done and what he has provided and you will not take these things lightly but you will hold a deep reverence for him in your heart just like David did when he would be holding the wonders of God's creation and was awestruck by the works of his hands knowing God's name means that you are familiar with his love with his mercy his kindness and that you trust and you rely on the knowing that he'll never leave you nor forsake you no matter what might be going on at this present time right now in your life verse 15 of our opening scripture today in Psalms 91 declares he shall call upon me and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble and I will deliver him and I will honor him and this is saying to you dear one I will deliver you of the affliction or the infirmity that you might be experiencing in this present moment and this is saying that this affliction or infirmity or this trial is not evil, but it comes from the love and the hand of God, and it shall be sanctified. And it shall come not for your hurt, but for your good. And though at present it is not joyous, nor comfortable, but grievous, yet in the end it will yield great fruit. and it is here you can declare no evil befell me but this was the love of God that was sent to me my help is in the name of the Lord the maker of heaven and earth psalms 9 verse 10 says and they who know your name who have experienced an acquaintance with your mercy will lean confidently upon and put their trust in you for you Lord have not forsaken those who seek you on authority of God's word for the right of their necessity and then this brings you into the place whereby you learn and you grow in understanding of God the Father and his son Jesus Christ love and mercy for your soul in return you begin to reciprocate this divine love back to him and to others around you because you understand the greatness of his name because you have personal knowledge of his authority and power for its work salvation and healing and deliverance in your own life hallelujah He's opened up the windows of heaven and he's poured out such a great and unfathomable blessing that you cannot contain them nor grasp them fully at this time. Neither can I. all you know is that you've been divinely and supernaturally enlightened and strengthened and you realize at this point just as I have said when I went through a great trial several years ago that God will sometimes allow great trials in our lives to drive us deeper into his arms of love so that he might reveal truths and mysteries that could come in no other way I asked you the question today. How do you handle trials that come your way? Do you kick and scream? Do you shake your fist at God? Do you blame Him for the trials? If you do, I doubt that you live in God's Son as your source of daily strength. Nor do you understand or have an inkling of His awesome power and authority over all matters in your life. Do you pick up his word and declare it over your life? Reverently hold it up to him and say, My Father in heaven, do as you have promised. My love is set upon you, and I know the power of your name and the authority that you hold over my life. You are my port in the storm, and you are my secret place. You are my waymaker and my healer. You are my deliverer. You are my salvation. I am your child and you are my God. I am the apple of your eyes. And if your eye be upon the sparrow, surely your eyes are upon me. Oh, Father, I know that your promises are yea and amen for those who live in your Son, Jesus Christ. You might pray, Jesus, you hold all power and authority over my life and my soul and my spirit. Just say the word and I will be healed. Just give the command to your holy realm and I will be delivered. Precious Jesus, I know that you love me too much to allow the enemy free reign to wreak havoc in my body or my life in any way. Jesus, I am in trouble and I need the deliverance that you promised me according to your word. You see, dear one, God's word as you know declares. because he has set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he has known my name and he shall call upon me and I will answer him and I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him you see setting your love upon the Holy One of Israel means that you have faith and trust that he will do what he has said he would do and this as I had previously stated is what the Holy Spirit is showing me as being a major key in understanding the power and the authority that has been given to our beloved Christ you cannot inherit any one of the promises if you do not know God's love and know him personally he requires something more of you than your one-time confession that Jesus is my Savior you see many people stop right there with their Christianity which is really nothing at all God requires obedience to his command he said you must love the Lord your God with all of your heart all of your soul all of your your mind your whole being this is the greatest commandment and you cannot know his love or the greatness of his name if you do not pursue him with a passionate and ardent fiery hot zeal to know him alms 91 15 declares he shall call upon me and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him so anyone who does not pursue God persistently and continually should not expect God to answer in times of trouble God said when you cry out I will hear you I will answer you I will deliver you you have constant communion with God and his son through the power of the Holy Spirit in due time expect them that he will answer you out of your trouble and you can count on that but you must have faith and trust him until he does and there are those of you hearing this word today and others who will hear this word at another time that as it goes out on internet radio all over the earth who have present situations and trials whether they be financial or health trials or loss of a loved one a loss of a job or career and so on that you are dealing with right now there are some of you who are experiencing other trials and tribulations that involve a need of deliverance in your spiritual life some of you are fighting against addictions and vices such as drinking drugs sex addiction homosexuality pornography anger lust jealousy and so on and when you came to Jesus Christ he said look behold I make all things new and Jesus can say that because he holds all power and authority in every realm that is in heaven on the earth and below the earth he holds all authority and power over your flesh and the battles that you are fighting belong to Jesus and none of the vices or addictions that you have just heard mentioned our normal behavior for God's children and these are called sin they bring harm to your own body which is to be the temple of God's own spirit these bring harm to others who experience the result of affliction and perpetration of any one of these serious sinful devices Jesus says I will make you knew now you have to do your part you must be obedient to his command you must allow his spirit to change your life and this is a supernatural and divine miracle and work that transforms your old nature in your habitual ways into the new nature that is conformed to the image and likeness of God's own son and the mind of Christ you'll find your strength in this place you'll find your deliverance here you learn of his love for you here and you learn of the greatness of his name and his power to bring you out of the bondage in the darkness that you have lived in for so long and then when you go through trials and deep waters you are anchored in faith and trust and you You know that you know that he will bring you through and you won't doubt him. He'll keep you from offending him when you are in the midst of these troubles. For some he makes our death, our release from all of our afflictions. Here in this way he has kept his promise in bringing us out of all of these troubles and trials. yet for those of us who continue on, we must know that he will do as he has promised. God will be with us in times of trouble. He will never leave us nor forsake us, and yet we shall have his wonderful and gracious presence and peace with us as we go through them. Dear one, be sure to know that God notices your sorrow and tears in these times, and he knows that your soul is in anguish and he will visit you by his word by his spirit and he will even communion with you and bring you comfort and he might even make a personal visitation when you least expect it in the time of my greatest trial the lord jesus christ as i had said broke through the darkness of the night and appeared to me and spoke so many things some things that he spoke to me giving me comfort again were saying I am Jesus I am your Savior my peace I leave you my peace I give you I will restore you as I said he spoke many things that dark night but what I can tell you dear church what Jesus did speak to me that night is carried me through the greatest trial I I was given. And I must say my faith and trust and knowledge of God's greatness and his power and his authority have increased and have been solidly cemented and nailed into the very fabric of my being. I can only thank him today for allowing me to go through it all because I can look back and I can see what he's done in my life in making me stronger. My love and faith and trust for him has grown immeasurably my understanding of his power and authority at work in my life has been opened up like a treasure house of wonders and I can personally say that Jesus Christ is indeed a mighty King and he is ruler over my life but I and respect we should have for him and what he makes possible for the sons of men mere creatures of clay he gives comfort and support and he sanctifies your afflictions precious one he promises that he will never leave nor forsake you trust him hold on very tightly to him if you call upon his name he will answer you he will pour a spirit of prayer upon you and he will bring you relief just as he has promised he will strengthen your soul and he will not allow any trial to go any farther than it is purposed in your life remember he told Apostle Paul who called out to God three times my grace is sufficient for you and my strength is made perfect in your weakness and this is saying that Jesus's grace is enough it is sufficient against any danger and allows you to bear up in any trouble and its strength and power are made perfect and allow themselves to be most effective in our weaknesses Paul glorified Jesus in his weakness and in his infirmity so that the power of his Christ may rest upon him Paul could sincerely then say when I am weak then I am strong in the strength of the Lord you see dear ones when you live in Christ you will live long enough and will continue long enough in the world until you've done the work that you were purposed to do before the foundation of time really I ask you who would want to live a day longer on this earth I wouldn't but for those who have never been weaned from the world they will never experience the loving presence and the strong arm of the Almighty God who runs to their rescue when they're going through trial and I'm afraid in the church today that there are many sitting in the pews of church who is with compromise their Christianity because they live worldly lives yet flock to church every Sunday to do their duty the treasures in their hearts are those that the world has to offer they have no shame in the way they live what they think what they hear where they go or what they let their eyes rest upon they have no oil in their land they do not know the manifested love and power and authority of god because it does not govern their lives they have other idols and their eyes are fixed upon other gods and not upon jesus christ who should be the author and the finisher of their faith they talk the talk but they do not walk the walk they live sinful lives totally contrary to christ's commands for all true believers they do not have a true fear of the living God in their hearts this fear of God is defined as one that is a mix and mingled with reverent awe of God and also with a fearful expectation of his almighty wrath or judgment due to sin we're living in a day and a time for the whole world stands on the brink of economic ruin and there is great turbulence over all the earth today the whole earth is groaning for the return of Jesus Christ As was mentioned Jesus holds all power and authority over the nations And he determines when the day of grace shall end for each one individually, who does not heed the truth when it comes to them. And we can know and be familiar with God's power and authority and all of his promises, but dear church, we should as well be very aware of his justice or his judgment as well. God is a loving and compassionate God, and yet the scriptures tell us he is a fearful judge who hates sin and is quite indignant with it. Psalm 7 verse 11 declares God is a righteous judge, Yes, a God who is indignant every day. If a man does not turn and repent, God will wet his sword. He has strung and bent his huge bow and made it ready by treading it with his foot. Verse 13. And he's prepared for him deadly weapons, and he makes his arrows fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked man conceives iniquity and is pregnant with mischief, gives birth to lies. he has made a pit and hollowed it out and has fallen into the hole which he has made before the trap was complete verse 16 his mischief shall fall back in return upon his own head and his violence shall come down upon his own scalp I am saying in warning to all who have neglected Jesus Christ's commands to be obedient to his precepts and ways are doing their own thing and that is You are deceiving yourselves right into the lake of fire. It doesn't matter what the masses are doing in the church today. If they're believing a lie and mixing it with New Age doctrines and God's word, they are in error and so are you if you are following them. And it doesn't matter how many Christians flock to the movies and sit there watching and listening to sexual innuendos to sex and violence and perversions of all kinds, murder and so on. It is called sin, garbage in and garbage out. And it doesn't matter how many so-called Christians, both men and women, are wearing indecent fashions today, both on the job and at church. It is against God's law of morality and modesty. immodesty has permeated the church today by low-cut fashions and tight jeans and pants both for men and women exposing all the bumps and curves the church is sick and she needs a wake-up call how can these call upon the name of the Lord in times of trial and expect him to move on their behalf this earth is soon coming to experience times and tribulations such as never has been seen before and only those who have found themselves the comfort of making God their refuge and know the secret place where his presence and power and authority dwell cannot help but desire that others may know these things as well but we cannot force anyone to do something they still love we can only carry the message of warning the message of a hope and salvation and make mention of the name above all names only true believers will be kept in the times of imminent danger even when it could be fatal to them but because of their faithful attachment to the one in whom they have grown to love they shall walk and live eternally in his light and love this is a promise Jesus will be our divine protector he only promises true believers his protection imposters or the self-deceived should not expect a thing from him Jesus spreads his divine protection over his own just as a mother hen spread her wings over her little chicks oh to know the shadow of his wings our great God and King cares so much for his own that the enemy has no right to them if Jesus Christ is so jealous or us any promises never to leave or forsake his own only God can keep his own from the evil one your church all Jesus ever asks of us in return and it is with great exhortation many times throughout his ministry is that his followers prove their love for him by their obedience to do what he asked it is the only way any one of us will ever inherit eternal life and the reward that comes with it this and all the wonderful promises are ours by faith in Jesus Christ by our obedience and reciprocal love imparting today as one last word Jesus spoke something very significant to his disciples in John 14 12 he said most assuredly I say to you he who believes in me the works that I do he will do also and greater works than these will he do because I go to my father and whatever you ask in my name and that I will do that the father may be glorified in the son if you ask anything in my name I will do it these same words of Jesus then to his faithful and obedient followers apply to every one of us since that time who love him in this same way he is in effect saying i will share my power my glory and my authority with you as you go out in my name and perform the same mighty miracles and signs and wonders and healing the sick and raising the dead opening blind eyes and deaf ears jesus's desire is to clothe you too with his power to carry on his ministry on the earth today there's a great work yet to do before the return of the king of kings and the lord of lords he who believes on christ and who lives in him in close fellowship will be clothed with power from on high jesus is telling us that we shall be able to do the works that he has done and that he was going to imbue us with the same divine power that his heavenly father had given to him since jesus healed the sick cleanse the lepers raise the dead so should we since jesus convicted and converted sinners so should we in his name and by his authority do the same since jesus spoke the word that his father told him to say so should we give testimony of the gospel for sinners sake many spiritual eyes and ears will be supernaturally opened up so that they will know the truth and the truth will set them free we should not let his work fall short because of any weakness on our part the greater works that jesus was speaking of that we would be more in number and therefore the miracles and additions to his kingdom would be multiplied miracles always drew others and all things that we do in his name is a result of his power and his authority he is entrusting it to us you shall do greater works just as jesus said if there be an occasion for the glory of god to shine he will empower you to do it all in his name the prayer of the faith will move mountains dear church we must all ask ourselves at times where do I stand when it comes to being faithful to my Christ and I asked you personally that question today where do you stand have you been faithful to him by doing as he asks of you are you progressing and advancing in faith or do you waver back and forth like the waves of the sea depending on what mood you're in that day or because of the troubles that come unexpectedly your way are you obedient to your king have you made him ruler and master of your life or have you given him permission to change a part of your life and you keep on doing what you really love with the other part can I tell you if this is the case you are standing on rocky ground and what you are building is really built on sand. Jesus wants all of your heart, not just a part of it. And he will not entrust his power, his authority and glory to a part-timer. I say to us all, today is the day when we all must truly examine our own hearts and judge our own walks, our own lives, and our faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ and his Father in heaven, because tomorrow may be too late. as I was seeking the Lord for a word to bring you today I kept hearing what I believe the lord to say sound the trumpet of the forthcoming times and warn my people to be ready for these days and give them hope for their future in the promises i have already given so that they do not become weary of well-doing and neglect their duties and responsibilities to me so out of obedience to the holy spirit and my lord jesus christ i am going to bring you a word that is vital to the body of christ it is a wake-up call for many of us as christians it is important to our physical well-being but mostly it is vital for our spiritual well-being let's open our bibles and begin to read in acts 2 16 acts 2 16 but this is what was spoken of by the prophet joel And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And on my men servants and on my maid servants, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall turn into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. Well, these scriptures are talking about the last day harvest. Yes, there is going to be a great move of God. But verse 20 says that after God pours out his spirit, the sun shall be turned into darkness before the coming of the great and awful day of the Lord. Where and how do you and I fit into God's scheme of things in these days that many are calling the last days? These days will be all about Jesus Christ and about his coming in all power, in all glory with the armies of heaven riding with him. Jesus Christ is coming for his bride. I ask you today, are you personally preparing for that day? Scripture declares, the Holy Spirit says, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the desert. What a warning to us all. We're living in the days where there is much apostasy in the church. I hope you heard that with the urgency in which I said it. We are living in days today, right now, where there is much apostasy that is permeating the church, dear ones. We have gotten away from the simple foundational truths and principles of God's word, which leads us into the meat and the very depth of Christ's mysteries and secrets through the revelation of precious Holy Spirit spoken of in Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1.17. There is a present move in the church which is affecting many, many unsuspecting and ignorant and uninformed Christians under the guise of an apostolic reformation. These people use buzzwords like DNA, dominion, God's chosen ones, seven mountain theories, and their interest in New Age religion is extended along with unusual and much conversation about angels and so on. They believe that God lost control of the earth in the Garden of Eden to Satan when our first parents sinned. and their belief is that the church must rise up and take it back and put the enemies of God under their feet this is totally contrary to God's Word Jesus declares throughout the New Testament that he has been given all power and all authority by his father in heaven Paul's epistle in first Corinthians 15 24 declares after the end comes the completion of time when he Jesus delivers over the kingdom of God to the father hear that Jesus delivers the kingdom to God the father after rendering inoperative and abolishing every other rule and authority and power for Christ must be king and reign until he has put all of his enemies under his feet so we see who has been given all power all authority and who will put what under his feet you see this group of apostles have formed strategies and plans and have appointed individual territories and subsequent authority over these cities and states they believe that they must take over the world for Christ. And to do this, they take over their homes, the church, schools, government and policies, the media, arts and entertainment, and sports, and finally commerce, science and technology. They believe that until they conquer this earth, Jesus cannot come back. And he's held in heaven until they do. Now this move has claimed over 100 million Christians around the world at this present time. And it is highly organized. And their intent is to take over the world for Christ, they say. We also live in a day and time where we have as a church set a whole raft of records. I don't believe that we have seen since the 1500 records be set for the most financially corrupt age in the church as we have it today there was an error or age in the church where you could have your sins erased out of God's ledgers for cash we don't do that today but with our setting up ATM machines in our churches between the pews to provide convenience for our churchgoers our mass mailings business reply envelopes four colored brochures professional mass marketing and fundraising campaigns and sermons on stewardship the pastor has already become one of the best marketing specialists and promoters that puts the world to shame the world even comes to the church to see how we do it and we say it is God many of these Christian leaders live in a materialistic world and comfortable mansions ranging from one to three million dollars and have no shame in their extravagant way of living but we have more and more men and women walking the earth today with doctorates in theology than any other age of time and there are endless reams of papers and books written on endless varieties of subjects. An age that produces men and women who deliver mind-boggling sermons on the how-to doctrines of prayer or how to live this Christian way of life and how to know God, how to worship God, but yet know very little of its deeper experiences for themselves. We live in an age where a great many of the people in the church and its leaders really do not know Jesus Christ in a real and deep and intimate way. For many, their lives behind the pulpit and what they preach is contrary to their secret way of life, which God exposes in its proper time. Reverential and obedient fear of the Lord is a lost path for a great majority. And we as the church talk about chasing God and being God lovers and being passionate about Christ and have written many books on these subjects, but have only produced sterile, sophisticated and passionate gestures towards God who know very little of Jesus Christ in depth. we as a church seem to look for the gifts and the anointing and run somewhere for the presence of God we seem to want to run somewhere to have hands laid on us so that some kind of ministry or gift that will be imparted to us instead of looking for the one and the only gift that God gave to the world and that is the son Jesus Christ. We seem to want to run quickly to the altar to receive a blessing instead of the one who blesses us. We've gotten so far away from the true mission and purpose of the church and that is to point people to Jesus Christ. Instead we draw them to all the activities in the galas that will keep them entertained and feeling good about church. This approach to church doesn't provide the loving care and nourishment that God intended for his leaders to carefully equip and build up his precious church. Now, having given you some of the real and raw facts and conditions of the church today, I ask you, what are you doing to prepare yourselves for these days that lie right ahead of us? I'm sure most of you are aware the condition of the world today. America is a nation who is dying in her sleep. Our United States of America stands on the brink of going broke and also is faced with a battle for her freedom as a nation under God, as the war is on to make her come under the banner of socialism and next-step communism. Our Christian freedoms and God-given rights, according to the Constitution, are hard fought for as the war wages on. And never have we in the United States of America been faced with such challenges as we are faced with today. We could easily, at any given moment today, be like Pakistan, without food, medical help, and all the necessities of life. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord there and many pastors and church leaders say that they had lost everything, including the seed to plant next year's crop. They have no food, no clothing, no shelter. And as I said in a moment, we too could be there because of lack of true leadership in our nation. these precious people live in a nation we're living out their Christian faith is very difficult because it is a Muslim nation and these people were told during this disaster in Pakistan that if they would convert to the Muslim faith it would be given provision but they refused and instead go without food without clothing or shelter because they refuse to renounce Jesus Christ dear ones what can we look forward to in this time what promises do we have there's a prophesied time to come that scriptures call a great falling away that will occur during the last days over 12 years ago an article in a leading Christian magazine stated that over the last 10 years at that time 112 million Christians in the United States have left the church and are wandering around and since that date it is now 22 years later how long is long in God's timeframe when will Christ return I don't know and you don't know either but we have warnings in scripture that tell us to be ready at all times because jesus will come like a thief in the night we have the warning as well in second thessalonians 2 3 which declares let no one deceive or beguile you in any way for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come. We know according to the book of Matthew 24, where it speaks about the terrible time of tribulation in the end times, that there will be earthquakes, natural disasters, and so on, besides the great falling away, that these signs and happenings indicate the return of Jesus Christ. As we have discussed, there is a great apostasy being set up. And I might add that it is not including only one segment of the church, but it is crossing all denominational lines. It began with the Pentecostal and or charismatic denomination first, and then and now is spilling over into others with their agreement and consent to lead their flocks in the same direction. Will you be one of those in these end times whom God will not pass over? as he passes out the gift of ministry and anointing to be effective in the last day harvest the book of matthew 24 speaks about these last days and the great harvest that will take place mc24 verse 11 and many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into air and the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity but he who endures to the end will be saved and this good news of the kingdom the gospel will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then will be income how can we be sure that we are in god's will and will be included as one of those who will be instrumental in bringing in the lost and equipping them in this great harvest if we should live until that time. Look with me, please, in Ephesians 1.3. The word declares, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Verse 4. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given us in the one he loves. Verse 7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. He has made known to us the mysteries of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and on the earth under one head, even Christ. Verse 11, in him we were also chosen having been predestined according to the plan of him who works everything out in conformity to the purpose of his will that we who are the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of his glory. Did you know that these verses are declaring that you and I were chosen by the Father in the past long before the creation of the world? and that means that the father saw you and me before we even existed he loved you dear one when you existed only in his eternal idea what love he has for you this great love of god was all the while reaching through the eternal ages of time never once lessening or wavering until he laid a hold of you and redeemed you by his son's precious blood for such a time as this chosen by the father in the past and redeemed by the son in the present hallelujah hallelujah god chose us for salvation and sanctification before the foundation of the world to make us in his image and likeness and has presently given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm verse 4 says that while he himself was in the planning stage he had chosen us in him he predestined us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love all of this springs from the infinite love of God's nature because he loves us I don't know about you but this thrills me and excites my spirit and because of the reality of his truth the Holy Spirit begins to witness the revelation of this as a truism which is more real than life itself. God loves me. He chose me and he predestined and adopted and called me. He has washed me free from my sins and in his own blood to be holy and blameless in his sight. And he has a plan for my life. He has a plan for your life too as you live in Jesus Christ his son. These things will only happen, dear ones, as we truly live in Christ. And if you don't understand what living in Christ really means, then please do your homework and be a good student of the word. Jesus Christ is the head of this precious church, and he shall have the bride whom he died for, because he had a promise from his father. Apostle Paul in these scriptures that we have just read, prayed and thanked God for the people. He prayed that God would show them just who Christ really is and what he has really done for them and what he has provided for them and most importantly, who they are in him. Dear ones, we are the body of Jesus Christ, the only true and living God. We are in covenant with him and each other. we are in a new gospel era and we need to understand truly the verse in Ephesians 1 typically when people hear that God has predestined them they first think about the work that he has for them to do they think about the action or the doing before the conforming and mistakenly many ignorant Christians run out to do something for God even if it's wrong I call it putting the cart in front of the horse instead they need to reread these verses and see first things first God called us chose us predestined us he elected us to first be made in his image and likeness according to his plan he works out everything in our conformity to the purpose of his will, that we might be for the praise of his glory, that we might be truly, true worshippers of him. This will never happen, precious ones, if you never sit at your master's feet, and neither can you know his plan or will for your life, if you never sit long enough for the wonderful work of conformity or sanctification to take place. you'll never learn to hear his sweet and tender voice sitting at his feet does not speak about passivity quite the contrary I'll said to Timothy son study to show yourself approved of God I believe we can really see the parable of the ten virgins here there was a time when they were all asleep but the difference is when the call came that clarion call the five wise virgins kept their lamps full and they had extra reserve of oil on hand the keeping our lamps full signifies the pure light of Jesus Christ the causes the light of holiness to shine forth from us holiness represents the beauty of the Lord and And this is called the truth. The oil represents the Holy Spirit's presence and anointing. The oil typifies the Spirit's wisdom and righteousness. Everything of the Spirit points and directs us to Jesus Christ. And God will use people like this. as your soul dies to its own fleshly desires and turns itself humbly to obey the great and living God because of deep love and respect for him then the light of God's holy conformity in your life is kindled and becomes radiant and it shines forth before God and men to accomplish what it is purposed to do this is a wise place to be now in this present moment and not only that it will last into eternity and provide you a place at the bridegroom's table at the marriage supper of the lamb this is what we are predestined to become the bride of christ and this is why we were called and chosen we are to be a reflection of him we've been called to be holy in our conduct the ultimate goal of our election is that we might bring praise and glory to God and be known as true worshippers of God. Jesus saw you first in his eternal idea before the ages of time began. And then he reached through the eons of time, never once wavering, never once lessening his determination until the moment that he caught your attention and gave you the unction in your spirit that you needed his son Jesus Christ, and he laid a hold of you. He saw you as part of the bride whom he loves very much. But Jesus will not marry anyone who does not really love him. The most wonderful love story of this quest to the father to find a bride for his son is found in Genesis 24-1 in the account of Abraham, calling his trusted servant Eleazar who is representative of the Holy Spirit who went searching for a bride for his son Isaac who is representative of Jesus Christ himself and these scriptures tell us when Eleazar found Rebecca he described her as very beautiful and attractive she was chaste and very modest and this is the kind of bride that jesus christ will have she will be beautiful in his holiness she will be chaste and she will be modest not in dress and demeanor only but also in her inner thought life and the way that she expresses herself in her outward conversations this servant once he knew that Rebecca was the one chosen for Isaac's bride he lavished her with gifts and then he asked her parents for her hand in marriage on behalf of his master's son the key to this whole story that we are discussing lies hidden in verse 58 of this chapter and it is when Rebecca's family asked her are you willing to go with this man and she answered yes I will go dear ones when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you not only received the best gift ever but you made a commitment to follow him you received the clarion call to come forth out of the darkness and follow the lamb wherever he goes me too And the Holy Spirit just like Eleazar lavishes God elect with gifts and promises and blessings And the love story between Isaac and Rebekah is wonderfully profound The love that they had for each other is the kind of love that Jesus Christ has for his bride. She follows him because she loves him dearly and he jealously protects her. You were asked from the beginning of your call, your invitation to come to Christ will you go with this man I ask you have you been following the lover of your soul your bridegroom with a burning love for him and a passion that is full of hunger and thirst that will not rest or be quenched song of songs chapter 1 verse 4 the maiden says to her lover draw me after you we will run after you the king has brought me into his chambers we will rejoice in you and be glad we will extol your love more than wine the upright love you well the maiden in song of song says we will run after you once the love for her her lover was awakened in her inmost being her spirit and soul is the we they desired his righteousness and love more than anything else and she ran after him another place in this book she says in songs 5 8 if you find my beloved tell him that i am sick from love simply sick with longing to be with him do you lon