“TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES”
-We live in a world that is attacking the truth. We live in a world that is trying to re-define what truth is.
-We live in a world that has a strong Anti-Christian Bias.
-Truth is being redefined in how we talk, how we text, how we tweet and how we speak.
-The #1 group around the world and in America who is being marginalized, harassed and attacked for their faith are those who believe in traditional Christianity. Matthew 10:22
-We live in a world that claims the truth, but we are afraid to declare the truth.
“WHEN TRUTH CRUMBLES.”
TEXT: Numbers 13:25-33
-God declared His stated will to the Israelites.
-The land was already theirs. The land was already given to them.
-God’s will wasn’t to create a FEAR FACTOR but rather a FAITH FACTOR.
-See the land, see the fruit, see the vision-Caleb & Joshua try their best to rally the people, however, truth crumbles in the midst of a Bad report.
-“THERE ARE GIANTS IN THE LAND, HERE ARE ALL THE REASONS WHY IT WON’T WORK.”
-“There are giant obstacles in the way, there is no way that it can be turned around.”
-BUT GOD…..NOT BUT……BUT GOD.
-The focus isn’t always on how big God is, but rather how big the problems are, and whether or not God could take the Israelites to the promised land.
-If God is for us, who can be against us?”
–The question isn’t, “Are their giants in the land, but can God take us into the land?”
-Who we choose to listen to in life will determine what we attempt in life.
–There are Faith-Sayers and there are Nay-sayers.
-There are God canners and there are God can’ters.
-There are people standing with you-these people believe that God has called us to reach the next generation. These people are excited for us to reach out to the children and youth of our community. They believe that God has called us to be involved in Missions, and do everything we can to reach our world.
We believe in the great commission, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel, whoever believes shall be saved, and whoever doesn’t believe shall be damned.”
-If you allow people into your life who question everything, who ask questions that no one is asking, who constantly doubt what God can do, and who God is…they will cause you to go around the mountain, and you will go in circles just like the Israelites did.
-The problem is when you go around the mountain, and around the mountain…and never go up the mountain then the dream dies, and the vision is unfulfilled.
POINT: The greatest problem today is the people who have a dream and they have given up because they believed that it could not be done.
-The Bible says in the last days: Acts 2:17b-18
- “HE SAID OR WE SAID?”
God had a plan, we got excited about it, and yet we gave up on it because it was too hard.”
-A lot of people say, “Life is hard.” It is. It’s even harder without faith, prayer, and worship.
-Losing is worse than praying hard, working hard, and believing in faith watching for the miracle.
-Let’s get up and go up the mountain.
“HE said, “We are more than conquerors.”
“We said, “I could never do that.”
“HE SAID, “Greater things you shall do because I go to the Father.”
“WE SAID, “I won’t really ever amount to much.”
“He SAID, “All things are possible to those who believe.”
“We said, “I’ll never get a miracle.”
“HE SAID, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.”
“WE SAID, “I DON’T HAVE THE FAITH.”
“HE SAID, “There is life and death in the power of the tongue.”
“We said, “I’m not going to make it…..I will lose everything.”
ILLUS.: I went to the hospital to pray for a dear lady that struggled with being positive. I was in the room just a few minutes, and she said, these people are killing me, and I am going to die.” I said to her, “ I think you should concentrate on being more positive.”
She said OK………. “I’M POSITIVE THAT THEY ARE KILLING ME…” -I lost that battle, but she lived another 10 years.
HE SAID, “No WEAPON formed against you shall prosper.”
WE SAID, “I can’t win this battle.”
HE SAID, “YOU SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
WE SAID, “THAT IS FOR SOMEBODY ELSE.”
I am amazed how many times we apply faith to someone else, but often apply doubt to us.”
ILLUS.:I have had a number of men tell me, “If I came to church, the roof would cave in…..” I said, “How prideful are you to think you are the biggest sinner in the history of the world.”
-Everyone thinks they are the worst of the worst. -EGO……..
God’s grace is greater than your sin, and I don’t care what it is.
-We have to move from what “We said” to what God said.
-Jesus was talking to the Apostles, and the Apostles said, “Increase our Faith.” –Jesus said, “If you had faith as a mustard seed, and say to this tree, “Be plucked up, and be moved into the sea, and it shall be done for you.”
-Jesus went to a whole new level in faith. We are heightened in our senses about what God is delivering us from…..but we need to focus on what God is delivering us to.
- HE SAID – WE BELIEVE.
God is delivering you to RESTORATION AND DOMINATIONThat was the original plan back to Adam and Eve.
NOT CONDEMNATION AND UNBELIEF.
God’s mind does not change. His ways are forever, and His declared will 2000 years ago is His declared will today.
God’s intention is to restore you to an authoritative place.
A place of dominion.
He’s not just trying to get you out of hell and into heaven.
He is trying to get you to have victory on the journey.
Day by day, and walking in authority and power.
POINT: God is infinitely more interested that we would understand what HE is delivering us INTO.
The Bible is clear that we are created in the Image of God.
ILLUS.: Byron Tanner Cross, Louden County VA.
“It’s not my intention to hurt anyone, but there are certain truths that we must face when ready. We condemn school policies [that] would damage children, defile the holy image of God. I love all of my students but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences. I’m a teacher but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it’s against my religion. It’s lying to a child, it’s abuse to a child, and it’s sinning against our God.”
-In the image God -He created them both Male and Female.
Sin changed our nature. We no longer want to rule and reign, we just want to survive and not hurt.
Many people decide truth theologically based on what is easier, and what is more comfortable.
**We can overcome our fears, and walk by faith.
**Many people fear things, but the key is to understand what God said is right.
I know God can do anything, I know God hears my prayers. I know God is able…..I’m just not sure that God will.
-That one thought will remove you from the TRUTH and PLACE you in the consequence.
-We pray for things to be easy…but maybe we should learn to pray according to the word.
-Jesus said, “According to your faith, be it unto you.”
-It doesn’t matter if your Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, the pastor has faith. God wants us to operate in faith. The level of your faith will determine the level of your daily activities and answers.
-Life and death are in the power of your tongue, not the person praying for you.
ILLUS.: The Gift of faith, working of miracles, and healing.
Gifts that remove our level of faith for a moment.
-Daily Life –Daily Christianity is a Faith-road. You have to walk it out. Other people’s prayers will never over-ride your lack of faith, lack of desire, or lack of pursuit of God.
FEAR GROWS DOUBT – FAITH GROWS ANSWERS Romans 8:29
-We are being conformed to the image of God. This is the part called sanctification.
–Many people say, “We should see more miracles. We should. People say, “The Church should be doing more.” Who’s the church? WE ARE…
The great commission wasn’t the idea of the church board at ROL.
-Jesus told the disciples to speak to situations, and we pray about them. There are a lot of things we don’t know.
-Jesus said to speak to the mountain.
-The Disciples look at Jesus and said, “Lord increase our faith.” They saw something in the life of Jesus that was in their lives.
-The vast majority of Christians struggle to maintain the victory.
When we were born again-“WE WERE BORN INTO VICTORY.” -I John 5:4
-When we became born again, we were positioned in a place of victory. Jesus wants us to live that out.
-Jesus said, “Have Faith in God.” (Not your Mother, Father, The Government, the preacher, but HAVE FAITH IN GOD.)
-When we don’t exercise our faith in God, we STINK REAL BAD.
-When we operate in doubt and unbelief we are not pleasing to God. God wants us to believe Him.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE PURSUE GOD WORKING IN OUR LIVES. GOD WORKS BY FAITH.
-“Faith is the substance of things hoped for.”
-Faith is the substance of everything that God will do in our lives.
-Every situation, every circumstance, every idea, every thought is initiated and continued by faith.
–Many people confuse HOPE WITH FAITH.
-Hebrews 11:6: We Have to believe God.
-A lot of people say, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes.”
God doesn’t take anything away unless He is moving our life to a different place to add something else to our Life.”
-There have been moments that my faith was weak, and I thought I lost something only to find out later that God was re-positioning my life for an added blessing.
-God never takes -God always adds.
-God doesn’t take anyone……..God receives them in heaven.
–“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His saints.” God doesn’t kill anyone, but He does receive them.
–The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.
-Sin entered the garden, and the world is consumed with sin.
-Faith comes from the word.
-Faith comes spending time in the word.
- “HE SAID – WE ARE.”
-God has already declared who we are! There are many people today, who do not know who they are in Christ.
Romans 8:16 Many are not aware of their spiritual heritage.
I’ve discovered that Jesus is a wonderful counselor, He desires to set the captives free! Bind up the brokenhearted! When we realize that, we can submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.
POINT: There is no need for the Christian to defeat the devil. Jesus has already done that! We just need to believe it!
-It is our individual responsibility as a believer to repent and believe the truth that will set us free.
The western world is experiencing a massive paradigm shift in its worldview.
New age Philosophies, and beliefs that are negating Judeo Christian beliefs and secular mindsets into secularized science of religion.
-Secular Humanism put out a manifesto 3 decades ago, very similar to the communist manifesto. They have succeeded in every level of education.
ILLUS.: What we think about, often what becomes our value system. What we meditate on, becomes our focus, our focus becomes our value system, our value system causes us to talk about these things, thus we believe what we focus on.
This is why we are told in scripture to think about things that are God’s will. We should be thinking about things of the Spirit. Philippians 4:8
A. Western World view.
The Western Mindset believes in a 2-tier system of beliefs. One is a system of religion that explains God. The other is a science that fills in the blanks.
The western mindset uses rationalism and naturalism to explain reality. Americans will talk about God, prayer, but it is more in transcendent terms not in the understanding that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and that He has defeated the enemy of our souls.
- Many Christians have excluded the supernatural from their worldview.
Scripture teaches that supernatural, spiritual forces are at work in this world. When we exclude the supernatural from our belief system, we exclude God’s power from our theology and practice.
-I am convinced that some Christians battle physical symptoms unsuccessfully through natural means when the essence of the problem is spiritual.
ILLUS.: Where there is bitterness, guilt, shame, unforgiveness, there are many other problems that are manifested physically. In the Western Mindset, we are conditioned to look for every problem in the natural first, and if that doesn’t work we say:
“There is nothing left to do, but to pray.” (Matt. 6:33)
The first thing a Christian should do about anything is to pray.
We live in the natural world, but we are involved in a spiritual war. Many attempt to meet their spiritual need apart from God. Luke 13:11
B. Confronting our worldview and giving ourselves the perspective of the cross.
Adam and Eve were the first mortals who believed that they could be like God. Satan believed that before he was tossed out of Heaven.
Countless others now believe that they are their own gods, and the New Age movement (Secular Humanism) promotes a messed-up view that we god. Genesis 3:5
The Biblical account of creation teaches that only the Creator is God. We are created beings and we cannot exist apart from God. We became a living being when God breathed into us the breath of life.
We must learn to deny our beliefs in order to take up His beliefs.
-Denying yourself is different than self-denial.
To deny ourselves is to deny self-rule. Denying self is the primary battle of life. The flesh scrambles for the throne and struggles to be God. Jesus doesn’t enter the battle.
He’s already won it. Matthew 6:24
-To pick up the cross daily means to acknowledge every day that we belong to God. Not our cross, but Christ’s cross.
Heritage means everything. Understanding that it is your privilege, your right, your blessing to be free in Christ is key to FREEDOM.
C. We are a child of God.
That understanding makes darkness flee. It makes doubts leave. It makes suspicions flee.
Nothing is more foundational than understanding and affirming what God has done for you in Christ, and who you are as His child.Romans 8:16-17
- Know who you are in Christ Jesus.
It’s important to accept what God says about who we are. All too often we live with feelings of deep inadequacy. We may regret the past or fear the future. A wise Christian grows in understanding who they are in Christ.
A person who knows how God sees them is confident in their identity. They know God made them just the way they are.
We don’t compare ourselves with others, but we compare ourselves with Christ.
We must make every effort to grow in the knowledge of the truth of what God says about us.
God says, “We are beautifully and wonderfully made.”
–We are not a product of our past, but rather a new creation in Christ Jesus. A Christian who understands who they are in God’s sight knows they are:
* Accepted (Ephesians 1:5) by God.
* Secure (Philippians 1:6 )in Christ.
* Significant (John 15:16) in God’s plan
Our identity is not bound up in what we have, what we look like, or what we wear. Our identity is secure in who we are an as beloved children of God.
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
-Jesus meets our need for identity, life, acceptance, security, and significance.
- We are spiritually and eternally alive.
II Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 2:1
-Because of Adam’s sin, every person who comes into this world is born physically alive but spiritually dead.
-When we became born again, our spirit/soul is united with God, and we became spiritually united with Christ no longer in Adam.
D. We are a New Creation in Christ.
When we don’t know who we are in Christ, we believe that we are just another person rather than a child of the living God. We must understand that God has a grand plan for our life!=
Life in the Spirit = No condemnation!
Living in the Spirit is freedom, life, and fulfillment.II Corinthians 5:17
- We can be victorious over sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2
We are no longer in the flesh as our old self was, we are now in Christ Jesus. We live a new life and have a new attitude. What gives me a new attitude is Christ working in me.
Romans 8:12,13
- We can be free from the power of sin.
The law is incapable of setting us free. Romans 7:15-25
Trusting God extends beyond family, friends, career, society, culture, and age.