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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP180407A
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00:10 >> Well, good morning, and welcome to 00:13 Pioneer Memorial Church on this special weekend of fasting and 00:18 prayer, in which our mission has been simple. 00:22 We're praying, we're seeking, for the power and the presence 00:26 of God to demolish spiritual strongholds. 00:30 We actually started last night at 7:00 p.m. We had host here throughout the 00:35 night every hour on the hour praying. We had people gathering, and it 00:39 doesn't finish until 7:00 p.m. tonight. So there's still lots of time. 00:43 And today what we're gonna do is also spend time in prayer and worship, so today is a good day. 00:49 Please stand with me as we sing "Holy, Holy, Holy!" [ "Holy, Holy, Holy!" begins ] 01:12 [ Congregation sings ] 03:16 >> You may be seated. 03:26 >> Let's pray the prayer of confession. 03:29 And I'm gonna invite us to kneel or sit as you're comfortable as 03:33 we begin. 03:50 "Lord, hear each prayer. We ask that you soften our hearts and reveal, impress us, 03:58 with how glorious and majestic You are. Give us the gift of repentance. 04:04 Loving God, gently reveal to us our cherished rights, our resentments, our rebellion, 04:14 illicit relationships, and destructive habits, and the things our eyes won't unsee 04:21 and our guilt. Lord, set us free from the discomfort. 04:28 Break our hearts with your grace. Oh, my Savior, help me. 04:36 I'm slow to learn, prone to forget, and weak to climb. I'm in the foothills when I 04:44 should be on the heights. I'm pained by my graceless heart, my prayerless days, my 04:53 poverty of love, my sullied conscience, my wasted hours, my unspent opportunities. 05:03 I'm blind while the light shines around me. Take the scales from my eyes. 05:09 Grind to dust my heart of unbelief. Make it my highest joy to study 05:16 You, meditate on You, gaze on You. Sit like Mary at your feet. 05:24 Lean like John on your breast. Appeal like Peter to your love. Count like Paul all things but 05:31 rubbish. Believe -- I believe. Help my unbelief. 05:41 Loving God, we have remained silent, but because we have not thought of ourselves worthy of 05:50 speaking for what is right, to pray for what is right. Set us free from chains of shame 05:59 that binds us. Set us free to pray against the strongholds today. 06:08 Loving God, as your people, we pray as once was prayed in Psalm 32:5, 'Then I confessed 06:20 my sins to you, I did not conceal my wrongdoings. I decided to confess them to 06:27 You, and You forgave all my sins.' Amen." 06:32 We pray Psalm 51:10-15. "Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal 06:40 spirit in me. Do not banish me from your presence, do not take your 06:44 Holy Spirit away from me. Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation and make me 06:50 willing to obey you. Then I will teach sinners your commands and they will turn back 06:55 to you. Spare my life, O God, and save me, and I will glady proclaim 07:01 your righteousness. Help me speak, Lord, and I will praise you." 07:06 In Jesus' name, let God's people say "Amen." [ Organ plays ] 07:21 [ "Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)" begins ] 11:29 >> Morning, boys and girls. Oh, there's so many of you. I'm sure you can be louder than 11:34 that. Good morning, boys and girls. >> All: Morning! 11:37 >> That was pretty good. All right, so this morning I'm going to tell you a story about 11:41 a little girl named Julie, and Julie loved -- she loved to run and play. 11:46 How many of you like to run? A lot of you. Nice. And Julie, she loved to run and 11:50 play, and Julie was seven years old. Do I have any 7-year-olds in 11:54 here? Awesome. 11:56 So, Julie was at an age where she loved to run and play, and 11:59 she used to run a lot with her mom, and her mom would play with 12:02 her. They'd play games like 12:03 hide-and-seek and a lot of other fun games. 12:05 But Julie's mom had gotten sick recently, and so because of that, she couldn't really play 12:11 with Julie that much, and so when Julie would ask her mom to come run and play with her, her 12:16 mom would just say, "Oh, I enjoy watching you run and play. That makes me happy." 12:20 And this particular day, Julie was about to go school, and they were gonna have a 12:25 track-and-field day. How many of you guys have had track-and-field days at your 12:28 school? A few of you. Okay. So you know that there's lots of 12:32 running, there's lots of activities, and if you win, you can get awards and stuff, and so 12:36 Julie had it in her mind -- she was determined that she was gonna win a ribbon for her 12:40 mother. She was gonna win a race, and she was gonna bring it back to 12:43 her mom. So, the thing is, though, about Julie is Julie was pretty small, 12:48 and she had pretty short legs, especially compared to the other 7-year-olds. 12:52 And so Julie couldn't run that fast, so she decided that if she wanted to win this race, she 12:57 would need some help. So Julie decided to -- Does anyone know what Julie decided 13:01 to do? >> She liked -- She got a friend so she could -- the friend could 13:12 help her. >> She did get a friend that could help her, and the friend 13:15 was Jesus. She decided to pray to her Heavenly Father. 13:18 And so she prayed this prayer. She said, "Dear Heavenly Father, we're gonna have 13:21 track-and-field day today, and I want to win a ribbon for my mother, but I need your help, 13:26 but if I don't win, that's okay, but please help me, too." So after she prayed, you know, 13:30 she kind of felt the Holy Spirit warm her heart, and she decided that she was gonna have a great 13:34 time no matter what. So Julie got to school, and it was track-and-field day, and 13:37 there was lots of activities, and so as she was, you know, trying to think of what activity 13:41 she was gonna do first, she saw her friend Sophie, and her friend Sophie called her over, 13:45 and she said, "Hey, Julie." She said, "How about you come and do this race with me?" 13:49 And so the line that Sophie was in was for the long-line jump, and the goal of this activity is 13:55 to jump as far as you can, and different people try and the kid that jumps the farthest, they 14:01 win and they get the ribbon. And so Julie, she crouched down and she jumped as far as she 14:06 could. And it was pretty far. It's farther than she's ever 14:09 jumped. But it wasn't far enough to get a ribbon. 14:12 But Julie thought, "That's okay," so she decided to try another race. 14:15 So she went and she got in line with her friend Evie for the 50-yard dash. 14:19 And so for this race, there's a set distance, and like four people, four children, they run, 14:25 they start at start line, and they run 50 yards, and whoever finishes first gets first place. 14:32 And so Julie, she got in the line, and she got ready to run, and when they said "start," when 14:37 they said "go," she ran, and Julie got fourth place. So fourth place wasn't high 14:43 enough to get a ribbon. "But that's okay," Julie thought. 14:46 She thought, "I'll at least do one more race." So Julie got in line for the 14:50 relay race, and in the relay race, you have to work with a team, and you guys pass a baton 14:56 between each other, and the team that finishes first wins. So Julie got in line for the 15:01 relay race. And so when it was Julie's turn to get the baton, she got it and 15:05 she ran as fast as she could, and then she passed it to her friend Evie, and Evie ran fast, 15:09 too. But as Julie was watching, she noticed another girl was passing 15:13 Evie, and so Julie got kind of discouraged, and she thought her team probably wouldn't win. 15:18 So Julie just went in her corner and she prayed again, and when Julie was finished praying, she 15:23 was kind of walking around the field not really focusing on anything. 15:26 And then her friend Evie came up to her, and Evie said, "Hey, Julie, guess what," and Evie 15:30 passed her a ribbon. She said, "We got first place." You see, Julie -- She didn't win 15:35 any of the races by herself, but when she did the team race, she won, and it's really important 15:40 that when we look at this story, we realize that the power of prayer makes a difference. 15:44 And you see, all of us, we're in a race, too. But we can't win this race by 15:49 ourself. We have to work together as a team. 15:52 And we're fighting for our lives, but we need God to help us, 'cause we are in God's army. 15:57 So as the praise team comes up, we're gonna sing the song "I'm in the Lord's Army." 16:02 How many of you know that song? A lot of you. Okay. Well, I'm gonna need all of you 16:06 to stand up so we can sing it. 16:34 [ "I'm in the Lord's Army" begins ] >> All: ♪ I may never 16:42 march in the infantry ♪ ♪ Ride in the cavalry ♪ ♪ Shoot the artillery ♪ 16:48 ♪ I may never fly o'er the enemy ♪ ♪ But I'm in the Lord's army ♪ 16:55 ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ ♪ I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ 17:01 ♪ I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ ♪ I may never 17:08 march in the infantry ♪ ♪ But I'm in the Lord's army ♪ >> That was pretty good. 17:17 However, I think we could use some more help. Do you guys think we need some 17:21 more help? All right, so I'm gonna invite the congregation to stand with 17:25 us and sing it with us for the next one. [ "I'm in the Lord's Army" 17:34 begins ] >> All: ♪ I may never march in the infantry ♪ 17:40 ♪ Ride in the cavalry ♪ ♪ Shoot the artillery ♪ ♪ I may never 17:46 fly o'er the enemy ♪ ♪ But I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ 17:52 ♪ I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ ♪ I'm in the Lord's army ♪ 17:59 ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ ♪ I may never march in the infantry ♪ 18:04 ♪ But I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ >> Amen. 18:11 >> Volunteer to pray. All right, Hasiel. All right, boys and girls, we're 18:17 gonna bow our heads and close our eyes as Hasiel prays. >> Dear Jesus, thank you for 18:22 this beautiful Sabbath, and thank you for all of us going to Sabbath School and learning more 18:30 about You, and we can be like You more. Amen. 18:35 >> All: Amen. 18:44 >> Thank you, all of you, for coming on this day that we have been -- Ooh, we've been 18:49 anticipating -- this day of prayer and fasting, calling upon God, "Take down these 18:56 strongholds." Did you get the little sticker that -- I'm not seeing them. 19:01 Did they not hand it to you at the door? These are beautiful, little 19:05 stickers. "Yes, can do because He can do. See, last week was 19:10 Easter Sabbath. That was "Yes, can do" in the cool shadows of the empty tomb. 19:14 "Yes, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 19:18 Today is "He Can Do." Is that in the Bible? You bet it is. 19:22 Open your Bible to a verse you may have read before, if you've read the book Deuteronomy 19:27 through. But you may never have stopped at this verse. 19:30 It's powerful. Deuteronomy chapter 3. I want to read this, and 19:36 you're hearing, "Scribble the verse down." We got a study guide in the 19:40 worship bulletin. This verse did not get included there, so just scribble it down. 19:44 Deuteronomy 3:24. 19:46 Moses is praying to God, powerful prayer. 19:49 "Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show your servant your 19:54 greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven 20:01 or on earth who can do --" Those are the two words, 20:06 "Can do." "What God --" How's it go again? 20:09 "What god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds 20:14 and the mighty works you do?" "Yes, can do" for you and me, 20:18 because "He can do." 20:21 What god is there in this universe? Oh [scoffs] there are gods by 20:25 the millions on this planet, clamoring for the allegiance of the human race, but there's only 20:31 one living God -- eternal, omnipotent -- and He's the one. He's the one we're coming to on 20:40 this day of prayer and fasting. "Yes, can do because He can do." 20:48 Once upon a time, there were five kings, five armies, five 20:55 strongholds. But they end up -- and emphasis 21:03 on the word "end" -- They end up in a stunning defeat in a story 21:09 you're hardly gonna believe. Some of you have never heard 21:11 this story before in your lives. Open your Bible to Joshua 10. 21:16 Joshua 10. Take a look at this. 21:19 The perfect story for the Andrews University, 21:23 Pioneer Memorial Church on this day of prayer and fasting. 21:27 We'll pick it up in verse 1. I've got the NIV. 21:29 You didn't bring a Bible? Grab the pew Bible in front of 21:31 you. It's page 155, there. 21:35 Little book, but with a dynamite punch. 21:38 Joshua 10:1 -- "Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that 21:44 Joshua had taken Ai --" or "Aye," it's a nearby city -- 21:48 "and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king what he had 21:53 done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of 21:56 Gibeon --" another city -- "had made a treaty of peace with 22:00 Israel --" The children of Israel have come past Jericho. 22:04 They're conquering Canaan. "But the people of Gibeon had a 22:08 peace treaty with Israel and had become their allies." 22:21 We are in big trouble. He sends communication to four other Amorite brothers in the 22:30 kingship. They're kings. He says, "Guys, this is -- 22:34 They're coming against us. If we don't strike first, it's curtains." 22:39 Verse 4. 23:00 I'm talking about a confederated, united, dark, and pagan thrust at the people of 23:08 God. That's what we've got right here. 23:11 But with your permission, I'd like to see -- I'd like to see this stunning tale as a 23:14 metaphor -- as a metaphor for life on this planet today, with a dark occultic confederacy that 23:23 at this moment is a raid against the human race and against the people of God. 23:30 You know these words well, but come on, keep your finger right here in Joshua. 23:34 We'll be back. Ephesians chapter 6. You need to come and take a look 23:39 at these prayer booths in the youth chapel. Slip in after worship at 1:00. 23:45 Take a look. They're based on the pieces of armor here in 23:51 Ephesians chapter 6. So you're finding Ephesians chapter 6. 23:55 Pick it up in Verse 10. Paul writing, "Finally, be strong in the Lord --" He's 24:01 writing to all believers. That'd be you and me. 24:11 What kind of a confederacy is this? Keep reading. 24:26 That's -- That's the host. That's the army -- Every single man, woman, and child in this 24:35 space and outside this space is up against today. That's the host. 24:39 Do you know how many of them there are? I'll tell you. 24:44 One third. No kidding. Revelation 12 -- One third of the angels, the perfect and 24:50 pristine angels of God's kingdom. In a faraway galaxy long, long 24:57 ago, one third of them bought the line of this rebel named Lucifer, whose passion is to 25:07 usurp the throne of the universe. "Follow me, and we'll rule one 25:12 day --" one third out. These are the demons. You've heard of demons? 25:19 Of course you have. You've heard of ghosts? You have. Spirits? 25:25 The spooky stuff we don't like to think about? It's all real. 25:28 Hollywood makes us think it's all a figment of some producer's imagination. 25:33 It's real. One third of the heavenly kingdom battled -- 25:42 battled from the beginning and are now battling against us. By the way, you know how Lucifer 25:48 rules them? I'll tell you -- a little inside story. 25:52 He rules with them with fear and terror. He's not a winsome leader. 25:57 He's not a friendly leader. He is a brutal, terrorizing leader, by sheer force and fear. 26:07 How do we know? You remember the demoniac in Mark chapter 5? 26:11 Remember, he was in the tombs? He comes clawing out, and the disciples run and Jesus -- Jesus 26:16 just, unmoved, just stands right there -- foaming and [growls] at Jesus' feet. 26:26 Jesus doesn't flinch. He knows -- He knows who he's up against. 26:31 "What's your name?" "Legion." 26:40 And do you remember when he raised his hand to begin to cast the legion out? 26:45 They interrupt and the voices within the man speak, "Don't cast us into Hell and torment 26:55 us." They use the word "torment." Where did they get that idea 27:01 that sometime along the way if this Christ wins, you'll be tormented forever and ever? 27:09 Where did they get the idea? The general, who through sheer terror, is manipulating his 27:17 forces. Ladies and gentlemen, these strongholds we're gonna be 27:20 praying about in just a moment -- 'cause you'll be doing the praying -- they're not the 27:25 figment of anybody's imagination. They are real-live demons who 27:32 are holding this planet because the word is out -- the King is about to come. 27:40 Hold your ground. Don't yield an inch. Yeah. 27:45 How's does that go in Verse 12? 27:55 That's the deal. That's who we're up against in this day of prayer and fasting. 28:01 That's why we need the sticker to be the way we pray. "Yes, can do because He can do." 28:08 Stop. What's your name? Go. There's not a stronghold that is 28:15 resistant to Christ himself. Good news, huh? I thought I'd get a bigger 28:20 "amen" than that. Good news, huh? >> All: Amen. 28:23 >> Yeah, Amen. Come on, guys. Absolutely. All right, a little lady, about 28:27 5'3" tall, over a century ago described behind the scenes this evil confederacy. 28:33 I thought you'd like this. You have these all in the take-home study guide, all these 28:36 quotations. 28:37 Let's put it on the screen, please. 28:39 More than a century ago, Ellen White warned, "Could our 28:41 eyes be opened, and could each of us see the conflict of 28:45 angelic agencies with the Satanic confederacy, who are 28:49 combined with evil human agencies --" 28:51 They have partners on this planet -- "what astonishment 28:54 would come upon the soul." Keep reading. 28:56 "The holy angels are working with terrible intensity --" 29:00 Those are the good guys. "The holy angels are working 29:02 with terrible intensity for the salvation of men, women, and 29:06 children because the destroyer of souls is seeking to make of 29:09 no effect the salvation which has been purchased at Calvary 29:13 by our Lord Jesus at infinite cost." 29:16 They know what has signed their death warrant. They already know they've lost. 29:23 But misery loves company, and they'll take every man, woman, and child that will yield to 29:26 them. Keep reading. "Could our --" Oh, this is some 29:33 line -- "Could our spiritual vision be opened --" In other words, could the veil 29:37 between us and the invisible world drop right now? If we could see, this place 29:41 would be filled with beams. There's a guardian angel for every human being in this space, 29:47 and there is a demon that is just, perhaps, outside this space. 29:55 And we saw what they live with 24/7. 30:00 What does she say here? "Could our spiritual vision be 30:03 opened, we should see that which would never again be effaced 30:06 from the memory as long as life should --" We would never forget 30:10 what we would be able to see. "We should see souls bowed 30:13 down under oppression --" slaves with this dark slave master -- 30:18 "loaded with grief, pressed down as a cart beneath the sheaves -- 30:21 this heavy weight -- "and ready to die in discouragement. 30:25 We should see angels flying swiftly --" 30:27 [ Whooshing ] 30:30 Coming from where? From the celestial courts. "She's under attack. 30:34 I need help." "He's under heavy artillery. Send in help!" 30:40 [ Whooshing ] You think it's funny? You think what we're doing down 30:45 here is some make-up kid stuff? We got it from somewhere else. The first war in the universe 30:54 was in God's house. 31:02 "These tempted souls are unable to help themselves --" Oh, how 31:06 true -- "and avoid the ruin which threatens them; but the 31:09 angels of God are forcing back the evil angels and guiding the 31:13 souls away from the dangerous places --" Don't go there, don't 31:16 go there! Come back, come back, 31:18 come back -- "to plant their feet on a sure foundation. 31:22 "We should see battles going on --" if only our eyes could 31:25 see -- "between the two armies, as real as those fought by 31:28 opposing forces on earth." 31:29 Listen to this -- It's silent right now. We don't hear a thing. 31:37 We can't hear the movement. We can't see in the nether space above us -- the hosts, the 31:46 hosts -- because every army is fighting for keeps. That's Paul's point -- every 31:55 army. And, by the way, they're not three choices you have. 31:59 You have only two. There are only two armies. You're in one or the other. 32:04 There's no middle -- There's no no-man's-ground, not in this battle. 32:09 You're on one side or the other. 32:15 So...here's Joshua. Five kings. Five armies. 32:24 Five pagan dark strongholds. And what will happen? Let's keep reading. Verse 6. 32:31 Go back to Joshua. Joshua 10:6. 32:49 Let me ask you a question. Is there a more powerful prayer than "Help? Help me"? 32:57 Can you think of a more powerful prayer? Let's be honest. Come on. 33:02 It is our natural or our unnatural inclination as human beings to really be slow in 33:08 asking people for help. Do you get a little hesitant about just going across the 33:11 hallway or going across the neighbor's yard and having to ask for help? 33:14 Why? Because I don't want to look like I'm out of control. 33:17 I don't want to look like I'm in a jam that I need somebody to step in and help me. 33:23 And you know what? You're not gonna believe this, but with God, we're even worse. 33:26 Not a word to Him. We're going through hell -- Not a word to Him. 33:30 "I don't want to bother him now." "I can get this. I can do it." 33:34 It's not "Yes, can do." It's "I can do." And we don't call the one-word 33:40 prayer that can unleash angels in your defense. "Help me!" 33:46 Two words. Listen to Anne Lamott in her own unique style of writing. 33:55 Turn the tables for a moment. 33:56 Put Lamott's words on the screen. 33:59 "There's freedom in hitting bottom --" Uh-oh. 34:02 There's freedom in it. Why? "In seeing that you won't be 34:05 able to save or rescue your daughter, her spouse, his 34:10 parents, or your career, relief in admitting you've reached the 34:13 place of great unknowing." 34:22 How much human energy is in the state of trying to fix the unfixable -- as a group, as an 34:28 individual? Keep trying, keep trying, keep trying -- Why don't we ask for 34:34 help? What were we waiting for? Not a word. 34:39 We'll just do it again. [ Sighs ] 34:44 "Relief in admitting you've reached the place of the great 34:47 unknowing." 35:04 Now here it comes. 35:13 She's right. "Help! You got to help us." 35:20 We're in trouble, big trouble. Back to that other woman author. 35:28 I put the words on the screen for you. 35:29 It's outrageous. What a quotation. 35:34 I have this handwritten on my Bibles. 35:36 I don't want to miss this one. 35:48 "The Holy Spirit, the representative of the Captain of the Lord's host --" 35:52 The Holy Spirit, the representative of Christ the King. 35:56 Man, have we been talking about the Holy Spirit around here or what? 36:00 Why? Because of this. Look. 36:08 Here comes this beautiful Gospel of grace. 36:20 Doesn't matter what you've done. That beautiful prayer that Sabine led us through just a 36:23 moment ago... Gods says, "We start now." 36:30 Last line... 36:36 Hallelujah. 36:38 Hallelujah. Omnipotence -- all the power of the universe He can do. 36:46 Look at verse 7. So, the Gibeonites are, "Help!" In fact, the two words are 36:52 "Help us!" Now Verse 7. 36:59 "And the Lord said to Joshua, 'Don't be afraid of them --'" 37:05 Hey, by the way, you know what I'm thinking of? 37:07 There was a little baby once upon a time born in a little 37:10 town called Bethlehem and his mother named him by the 37:13 instruction of the angel. "You'll call him Yehoshua." 37:16 He was named Joshua. In Hebrew, Jesus is Joshua. 37:20 It's Greek that called him Iésous and then we get English, 37:24 Jesus. But he was Yehoshua. 37:27 I can't help but believe that this command from the 37:29 Almighty God to Joshua is really the command of God himself to 37:33 the second person of the guided who comes to this planet. 37:36 Listen to what God says to Joshua. 37:38 What is this, verse 8? "The Lord said to Joshua, 'Do 37:41 not be afraid of them; I have given them into your 37:44 hand. Not one of them --'" Not one of 37:46 these strongholds -- "'will be able to withstand you.'" 37:50 Isn't that something? 37:52 "Listen, Jesus, don't be afraid. You're going down into the dragon's lair. 38:00 It's booby-trapped everywhere you turn. Don't be afraid. 38:05 I've given every stronghold to you. Take them. 38:10 Take the entire planet. Crush that resistance." And he comes -- born, a helpless 38:18 baby in Bethlehem. Wow. You know what? 38:24 Those little seven-word -- That little seven-word credo, remember that -- "I will put 38:28 my --" How's it go? "I will put my trust in Him." Jesus' credo, Hebrews 2:13. 38:35 He lived by these seven words. "I will put my trust in Him." I will put my trust in Him, no 38:39 matter what's happening. Is it Satan himself behind this raving maniac? 38:44 I will put my trust in Him. 2 Corinthians. Boy. Let's put it on the screen. 38:52 2 Corinthians chapter 10. This our theme text for against the strongholds, which is the 38:58 guiding light for this day of prayer and fasting. "The weapons we fight with --" 39:02 Let's read this out loud together. "The weapons we fight with are 39:06 not the weapons of the world." Now hold on, 'cause we're getting to the good news. 39:10 Read it out loud together. "On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish 39:17 strongholds." Divine power. Omnipotent. You know what the weapon is? 39:24 It's prayer. It's prayer. I've been praying with a different person every hour that 39:31 I've been here at the youth chapel, starting last night at 7:00. 39:36 We're all praying for people. Man, I've heard some anguished prayers. 39:40 We're all praying for somebody. 39:43 I carry these words in my Bibles -- connected with 39:48 2 Corinthians 10:4 -- Sidlow Baxter wrote these words. 39:53 Put them on the screen for you. You can keep them. 39:55 "Men may spurn our appeals --" Some of you have been praying 39:58 for somebody for years. Don't give up. Don't give up. 40:14 Hallelujah. "Helpless against our prayers." 40:18 They may hate you. They may spit on you. They may reject you. 40:22 They may never answer that e-mail or ever pick up the phone. 40:25 If it's your number on that phone, don't worry about it. They are helpless against your 40:29 prayers. The weapons we have are not the weapons of this world. 40:33 On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 40:38 Take them down. Take them down. Wow. 40:45 It's got to -- This is some book, isn't it? It has stuff in it...that works. 40:56 We're gonna go to our little, old lady again -- that little lady. 41:01 Put her words on the screen. 41:03 "Satan knows better than God's people the power that they can 41:08 have over him when their strength is in --" whom? 41:12 "When their strength is in Christ. 41:13 When they humbly entreat the mighty Conqueror for help, the 41:16 weakest believer in the truth --" I'm the weakest in 41:18 this room. You may think of yourself as the 41:20 weakest in this room. Who cares? 41:22 "The weakest believer in the truth, relying firmly upon 41:26 Christ Jesus, can successfully repulse Satan and all -- all --" 41:31 One third of the angels of heaven that now follow Him -- 41:36 one third repulsed just by you saying, "Yes, can do because He 41:40 can do." >> All: Amen. 41:42 >> That's the deal, and that's why we pray, militantly, as this battle cry set of prayers just 41:50 modeled for us. "Yes, can do because He can do." I mean, Jesus was trying to tell 41:58 us that just before he gets executed. Late Thursday night, John 15:5, 42:04 Jesus says, "Hey, guys, I need to tell you something. Without me, you can do nothing, 42:11 nada, zero without me." "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. 42:20 Yep, but without me," the same Christ reminds us, "you can do nothing." 42:26 "Yes, can do because He can do." "Yes, can do because He can do." Do you know why? 42:31 Because Jesus is the superhero of the universe. Got a lot of superheroes going 42:35 around these days. He is the número uno superhero. And he won this battle at 42:43 Calvary. 42:44 That's why Revelation 12:11, you know these words. 42:47 Oh, my. Look at that. Revelation 12:11 on the screen. 42:50 "They triumphed --" Who's "They"? 42:52 These are the followers, you, me. 42:54 "They triumphed over him --" Who's that? 42:56 That's the Satan Dragon. "They triumphed over Satan by 42:59 the blood of the Lamb --" there it is -- "and by the word of 43:03 their testimony -- for they did not love their lives so much as 43:05 to shrink from death." 43:08 We're gonna sing a song in just a few moments, and you're gonna notice words embedded in that 43:14 song that you've never sung before. And it'll talk about those 43:20 who pay the ultimate price. Don't worry. God has the last word. 43:29 He overcame the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. 43:35 That little lady again on the screen. 43:36 "Tell him --" That would be Satan -- "of the blood of Jesus, 43:39 that cleanses from all sin. You cannot save yourself from 43:42 the tempter's power, but he trembles and flees when the 43:45 merits of that precious blood are urged." 43:49 Yep, did I tell you that we had a little huddle here before the day of prayer began at 7:00 last 43:54 night? You know what we prayed? That the blood of the Lamb would 43:57 go on every door post, that the blood of the Lamb, symbolically, would go on every door way into 44:02 that -- this sanctuary and that sanctuary, that anybody who comes in during these 24 hours 44:08 is under the blood and that the forces of darkness are expelled to the exterior. 44:18 Colossians 2:15. Oh, I love this one. 44:20 Put it on the screen please. "And having disarmed the powers 44:23 and authorities --" The occultic confederacy, a raid 44:26 against the Kingdom of Heaven and the church of God on 44:29 Earth"... 44:38 All the demonic hosts, Satan himself, bow down. And they knew that when he cried 44:45 "It is writ --" "It is finished," rather. They knew that when he cried "It 44:49 is finished," it's curtains. "We can fight...till the fight is gone out of us, but we'll 44:55 never win this now. We lost. It's over. It's finished. Finished." 45:02 "Yes, can do because He can do." All right, the story has this dramatic ending. 45:06 Look out. Verse 12. 45:10 No, let us pick up at verse 9. God says, "I'm gonna give you 45:13 all those strongholds." 45:43 Somebody once said, "All is fair in love and war." "This hellion that has usurped 45:51 my creation, and is seeking to destroy my people -- I'm taking my creation back. 45:59 I have a little bit of arsenal tucked away there that he doesn't know about." 46:03 He takes the creation back. What's the point he's making? This is the simple point -- 46:08 "You thought you were fighting Joshua and those people. You're not fighting them. 46:14 You are fighting against almighty God, and I just won." There's no stronghold in your 46:21 life or on this planet, on this campus. There is no stronghold that the 46:26 almighty one cannot single-handedly, alone, bring down. 46:33 We have nothing to fear, nothing to fear. But it gets even better. 46:39 Verse 12 -- "And on the day that the Lord gave the Amorites over 46:42 to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord --" And by the way, if you 46:44 say something to the Lord, do you know what you're doing? 46:47 You're praying. So Joshua's praying, that's the 46:49 key point here. Joshua is praying, and in 46:51 response to his prayers, I want you to get what happens. 46:53 So "Joshua said to the Lord, in the presence of Israel --" So 46:58 everybody hears this public prayer. 47:00 I mean, talking about putting your whole life on the line. 47:04 Look how big his petition is. Joshua prays in the presence of 47:10 Israel... 47:16 "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation 47:20 avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the 47:23 Book of Jashar. We don't know where that book 47:25 is. Keep reading. 47:32 Verse 14. 47:40 That's what happens in prayer. When you pray, the God of the universe stoops low, and he 47:46 says, "Girl, boy, talk to me. I'm listening." God heard the prayer of that 47:54 valiant believer, and he said, "All right, Gabriel. Can we pull this off?" 48:02 "You're the creator, God." "I think we can." He wants the sun to stay up so 48:07 that he can chase the enemy to the last man, leave the sun up. "I'll tell you when to put it 48:13 down." In our Western, finely tuned sensibilities, we chuckle, 48:22 'cause we don't believe. It's just too far-fetched for the almighty to do. 48:30 Not apparently, according to holy Scripture. 48:35 "There has never been a day since, like that one, a day when 48:39 the Lord listened to a human being as he listens to you and 48:42 me. Surely --" Oh, boy. 48:44 There's the last line. We go home with that. 48:46 "Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!" 48:52 I have good news, ladies and gentlemen. 48:54 Before you pray, I have good news. 48:57 God is fighting for us. He's fighting for us. 49:00 There's no strength in little, old me. 49:02 There's no strength in little, old you. 49:04 I don't care who you are or where you're from -- 49:06 no strength. But we call up on the one who 49:09 fights for us. And if He has to empty the 49:13 arsenal of the skies, He will step in, and he will finish the 49:19 battle. How many thousand angels do we 49:23 need here at Andrews University? I don't know. 49:26 But if we need more angels here, can God send them? 49:31 But of course. I close with this quotation from 49:33 John Dawson and his marvelous book, 49:34 "Taking Our Cities for God." Put the word on the screen. 49:45 Jesus said, "If I wanted to, I could call a legion of angels 49:48 down right now as you're planning to arrest me." 49:52 That's what happens. 50:08 Because your prayers for somebody release supernatural 50:13 power to their aid. 50:16 We'd be praying all the time, all the time. Well, he's right. 50:21 We just don't think about it. We try to win this little battle with these puny, little 50:26 swords -- cut down every time. "Yes, can do because He can do." You want to pray with an 50:34 attitude? There it is. "Yes, can do because He can do." 50:37 We gonna pray today? "Yes, can do because He can do." [ Organ plays ] 51:31 >> Please join me now in reading responsively Isaiah 6:8-9. 51:37 You find that on page nine in your bulletin. 51:42 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' 51:49 And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" He said, "Go and tell this 51:55 people -- 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding -- be ever seeing, 52:02 but never perceiving.'" Please stand for the singing of the last hymn. 52:08 [ "Facing a Task Unfinished" begins ] 52:25 [ Congregation sings ] 56:23 >> Oh, God, that is our song, that is our prayer. "Yes, can do because You can 56:29 do." That's our hope. That's our promise. 56:35 "And now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His 56:41 power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout 56:47 all generations, for ever and ever. Amen." 56:53 >> All: Amen. ♪♪ 57:07 >> Think of the last time someone said, "I'm praying 57:10 for you." Didn't it give you a sense of 57:12 peace and reassurance that somebody cares for me? 57:14 I know how I feel when I get an e-mail from one of our viewers 57:17 saying, "Yo, Dwight. I've been praying for you 57:19 lately." There's nothing like knowing 57:21 someone is praying for you. So I want to offer you an 57:23 opportunity to partner -- let me, let us partner with you in 57:27 prayer. If you have a special prayer 57:28 request or a praise of thanksgiving you'd like to share 57:31 with us, I'm inviting you to contact one of our friendly 57:34 chaplains. It's simple to do. 57:35 You can call our toll-free number -- 877 -- the two words, 57:38 HIS WILL. 877-HIS-WILL. 57:42 That friendly voice that answers, you tell him, you tell 57:45 her what your prayer need is, we'll join with you in that 57:48 petition. May the God who answers prayer 57:50 journey with you these next few days until we're right back 57:53 here together again next time. 57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:17 ♪♪ |
Revised 2018-04-27