Participants: Hal Steenson
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000812
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01:00 Well, good afternoon,
01:02 I am so glad all of you are here 01:04 at 3ABN Spring Camp meeting, 01:06 and are all of you having 01:08 a good enjoyable time here at 3ABN? 01:10 Amen. 01:12 You know, I want to encourage all of you that, 01:14 our viewing audience all over the world, 01:16 just want to encourage you, 01:17 next time you hear that there is a 3ABN camp meeting, 01:21 make plans now to come and be a part of it 01:23 because it will encourage you, won't it? 01:25 It will bless you mentally, 01:27 physically, emotionally, and spiritually, 01:29 you won't leave here the same way you came. 01:31 How many of you want to be changed? 01:33 I don't wanna be the same as how I got here this morning, 01:36 I want to be changed and the way we get changed 01:40 is through the power of the Holy Spirit 01:42 as God works through His Word 01:44 and we've got some tremendous speakers, 01:46 we do every year. 01:48 Speakers, ministers, and singers 01:50 and we've got a tremendous singer 01:52 with us now. 01:54 I want to introduce our lovely sister, 01:56 Jennifer LaMountain. 01:57 Jennifer, will you come on now. 01:59 I've got to know her through the years 02:01 and I just have learned to love this lady. 02:03 She's full of God's Holy Spirit as well as a little boy 02:07 that's coming here before very long. 02:10 But, Jennifer, you're gonna minister 02:11 a beautiful song for us, 02:13 "Make me like Jesus". 02:15 Thank you. Thank you. 02:18 This is such a simple little song. 02:20 It's a children's hymn actually 02:23 but the truth of it is something 02:25 that is so hard to learn. 02:28 We spend a lifetime learning 02:30 what it means to be like Christ. 02:42 Teach me Father 02:48 What to say 02:52 Teach me Father 02:58 How to pray 03:03 Teach me all 03:08 Along the way 03:13 How to be 03:17 Like Jesus 03:25 Teach me 03:28 How we may be one 03:35 Like the Father 03:40 And the Son 03:44 And when all 03:49 Is overcome 03:54 I will be 03:59 Like Jesus 04:06 Lord make me like You 04:12 Please make me like You 04:17 You are a servant 04:22 Make me one too 04:28 Oh, Lord, I am willing 04:34 To what You must do 04:39 To make me like You, Lord 04:44 Make me like you 04:53 I would be 04:57 Like Jesus 05:02 I would be 05:06 Like Jesus 05:11 Help me Lord 05:15 To daily grow 05:22 More and more 05:27 Like Jesus 05:54 Thank you, Jennifer. 05:57 Well, we have an afternoon speaker here 05:59 this evening or this afternoon, 06:02 someone that I am very partial to. 06:05 I think he's a mighty man of God, 06:08 full of valor. 06:09 I would like to introduce now, my husband, 06:11 Pastor Hal Steenson, if you will come out, please. 06:15 He's got a message for us 06:16 and I think that it's going to be a message 06:18 that will touch every one of our hearts. 06:20 It's the accuser of the brethren. 06:21 How many of you have read in the Bible 06:24 about the accuser of the brethren? 06:26 Well, today, we want to learn more about that. 06:29 Bless you, baby. Thank you. 06:32 It's an honor to be here. 06:33 How many of you have your Bibles with you? 06:35 If you will, turn to Revelation the 12th Chapter, 06:37 we're gonna start with the 9th verse. 06:39 We're gonna take a look at the accuser of the brethren, 06:40 find out how your enemy works, 06:43 and how you can overcome him instead of him overcoming you. 06:45 All right. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 06:47 Father, we're here for no other reason, 06:49 no other purpose today, 06:50 other than to worship You. 06:52 God, if we get out of here 06:53 and we've not built a spiritual bridge 06:55 from this pulpit, through this congregation 06:58 to the people that are watching this at home, 07:00 then God we failed You. 07:02 Lord, we don't want to do that. 07:03 We want to allow Your word to come alive. 07:06 Your word will work if we will work Your word. 07:08 We thank You for it, in Jesus name, 07:11 how many of you can say amen? 07:13 Amen. 07:14 Now I'm from the south but I had lady tell me recently 07:17 you don't talk slow like you're from the south. 07:19 I speak a 120 words a minute which goes to up to 500. 07:22 So buckle your seatbelts and hang out 07:24 and let's get into this, okay. 07:26 What we're gonna do is we're gonna examine 07:27 our foundational scripture, 07:29 it's very important 07:30 that we take a look 07:32 at what the scripture is saying. 07:34 The reason why is because one of the reasons 07:36 that I was in a church recently 07:37 and they were telling me 07:39 where we got the new this and God's provided this, 07:41 and we have the new this and the new that 07:43 and everything. 07:44 And I pointed to the baptismal pool and said, 07:46 "How many people, you've had this for 10 years, 07:48 how many people have been baptized in that pool?" 07:51 And he got real quiet. 07:54 We can have the silver communion service, 07:57 we can have the padded pews, 07:58 but that's not what it's all about. 08:00 What it's all about is J-E-S-U-S, 08:03 it's Jesus is what it's all about. 08:05 Okay, Revelation 12:9, starting verse 9, it says, 08:08 "And the great dragon was cast out, 08:11 that old serpent called the devil and Satan 08:13 which deceiveth the whole world," the what? 08:15 What is it saying? 08:16 "The whole world, he was cast out into the earth, 08:19 and his angels were cast out with him. 08:21 And I heard a loud voice saying, in heaven, 08:23 now is come salvation," this is number one 08:27 and strength, number two, 08:29 and the kingdom of God, number three, 08:31 and the power of His Christ, number four. 08:34 Now, what causes these things to happen in the end time here 08:38 that we're in. 08:39 It says, "For the accuser of the brethren is" what? 08:42 "Is cast down." 08:44 This is what we need to learn today. 08:45 If you don't hear anything else, I say, 08:47 I want you to hear this. 08:49 The accuser of the brethren must be cast down. 08:53 Now don't think for one minute 08:54 this is some far off distant day scripture 08:57 because it's not, it's a right here 08:59 and now scripture. 09:01 And when we learn how to recognize our enemy, 09:04 and how to cast down the forces of hell 09:06 and the powers of darkness, 09:08 then what we're gonna have is 09:09 we're gonna start having salvations. 09:11 We're gonna start seeing strength, 09:12 we're gonna start seeing the kingdom of God manifest 09:15 in the power of His Christ in our churches, 09:18 and in our services. 09:21 We need the power of God in our services. 09:24 In the latter days 09:25 and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 09:26 Sister White says, "We need to be 09:28 so well acquainted with the gifts of the Spirit, 09:29 lest we look at the real and call it fanaticism." 09:32 Some of us that are cold and sit back into 09:35 and think oh, I don't want anybody 09:36 to even say amen, 09:38 you better get used to it 09:39 because in this last outpouring, 09:40 in the latter days, the Holy Spirit, Brother Cox, 09:43 they're gonna be such manifestations 09:44 of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit 09:47 that it's going to trigger some of us, half to death. 09:50 I like you all. 09:54 "And they overcame him by the," what? 09:55 "By the blood of the Lamb 09:57 and by the word of their testimony, 09:59 and they love not their lives unto death." 10:02 They overcame him by what? 10:04 By the blood of the Lamb 10:05 and by the word of their testimonies. 10:06 Now listen to this, okay. 10:08 More churches have been destroyed 10:09 by the accuser of the brethren and his faultfinding 10:11 than either by immorality 10:13 or abuse of church funds, stay with me, 10:16 so widespread is his influence in our society, 10:18 our churches, our prayer ministry, 10:20 such as 3ABN Broadcasting Network, 10:22 that among many, faultfinding has been elevated 10:25 to the status of a God ordained ministry. 10:28 God help us. 10:30 What is your ministry? 10:32 I have the ministry of faultfinding. 10:34 I don't think so. 10:36 There is no such thing 10:38 as the ministry of faultfinding, 10:39 but it has been elevated to a God ordained ministry. 10:43 However, in these last days, 10:45 the Lord has promised that in His house, 10:47 accusing one another 10:49 will be replaced with prayer of the saints, 10:52 and faultfinding demons with love 10:54 that covers a multitude of sins. 10:55 How many of you like to have a multitude of sins 10:57 covered today? 10:59 An attempt to frustrate, if not all together 11:00 stop the process of the next move of God, 11:03 Satan has set forth an army of faultfinding demons 11:07 against God's children. 11:09 The purpose of this assault 11:10 is to entice the body of Christ 11:11 away from the righteousness of Jesus 11:14 and on to the blemishes of one another. 11:18 I don't know about you guys, 11:20 but I got a lot of blemishes. 11:22 I got a lot that I would like to cover up. 11:26 But what I do is I cover them up 11:28 with the blood of Jesus. 11:30 Not with a faultfinding demon out there 11:32 to point their finger and look down their long nose 11:34 and sister long tongue and sister gossip. 11:37 How many of you know that every church has 11:39 a church gossip? 11:41 You weren't there when she was voted in 11:43 or he was voted in, but you have a church gossip. 11:45 If you don't think so, 11:46 who came to mind when I said this? 11:48 Somebody came to your mind, didn't it? 11:51 The faultfinding spirit's assignment is to assault 11:53 spiritual connections on every level. 11:56 It attacks every family. 11:58 It attacks every denomination, we're not above it. 12:01 It attacks every prayer ministry 12:02 such as 3ABN and Danny Shelton, 12:05 and Inter Church Association seeking to bring 12:07 permanent division to our unity. 12:11 Let me ask you some questions here. 12:13 Why aren't we seeing 12:15 abundant salvations in our church today? 12:19 Where is the strength? 12:21 Where is the kingdom of God? 12:23 And where's the power of Christ? 12:26 Let me tell you where they are. 12:27 According to Psalms 119:89, it says, 12:30 "Forever, O Lord, thy word is for settled 12:33 in the heavens." 12:34 All four of these promises are there in the spirit realm, 12:37 they are out there. 12:38 However, the accuser of the brethren 12:40 is blocking them, 12:41 and how do we bring them out of the spirit realm 12:44 and into the natural realm. 12:46 We need to have people flooding in here. 12:50 We need to have so many people that gets born again 12:53 and seeking the Word of God that we need to set up 12:55 a 24-foot swimming pool out here 12:58 and have about 20 pastors in there baptizing them 13:01 and getting them in and getting them out. 13:03 I mean, we got the message, we got the remnant church, 13:06 the end time church, 13:07 and we don't need to put it somewhere on a backstreet, 13:09 we need to get it out on four lane highway 13:11 where it belongs. 13:12 Can I hear an amen? Amen! 13:14 We need to start selling some of these 13:15 old rundown Baptists and Methodists buildings 13:18 that our denomination has bought, 13:19 we need to start selling them back to somebody else 13:22 and believe God for something that will stand 13:25 under the pressure 13:26 and fill up the people that's gonna be coming in here. 13:28 They're going to flood into here, 13:30 do you hear this? 13:31 The nations are gonna flow 13:32 into the mouth in the Lord's house. 13:34 They're gonna fill your churches up, when? 13:36 When the accuser of the brethren 13:39 is cast down. 13:41 We must realize that our foundational scriptures 13:43 are a way back, yonder scripture is right now. 13:46 Somebody hit me with this, John 10:10, 13:48 "The thief cometh not but for to," what? 13:51 "Steal and to kill and destroy." 13:53 He said, "But I've come that you might have life 13:55 and that they might have it more abundantly." 13:59 We must evaluate our attitude toward others, 14:02 in fact, thoughts or anything 14:04 other than faith working by love, 14:06 then we are missing it as big as Texas. 14:09 So let's thoroughly examine the characteristics 14:12 of this faultfinding spirit. 14:14 And you're gonna find that you know one, 14:17 that you're acquainted with one, 14:19 that there's one in your area, might be one in your church, 14:22 and you'll be able to know how to deal with this thing, 14:25 and know how to handle it. 14:26 And God help, 14:28 anybody that's in here that may be one. 14:31 But, boy, all we need to do is just repent. 14:33 What do we do? 14:35 We repent. 14:37 "First, masquerading as discernment, 14:40 the faultfinding spirit 14:41 will slip into our analysis of other people 14:44 and their views of us, leaving us critical 14:48 and judgmental." 14:50 True discernment, please hear this, 14:52 True discernment will always line up with God's Word." 14:55 Hebrews 4:12 says, 14:57 "For the Word of God is quick and powerful 14:58 and sharper than any two edged sword, 15:00 piercing even to the dividing asunder 15:03 of the soul and the spirits, 15:04 and the joints and the marrow, 15:06 and is a discerner of the thoughts 15:07 and the intents of the heart," 15:10 true discernment. 15:12 I have people tell me, well, I have the gift of discernment, 15:15 that's why I have a God ordained 15:17 faultfinding ministry, 15:18 no true discernment. 15:21 True discernment is biblical discernment 15:24 will be divided into two camps. 15:26 It will always be either Satan or Christ, 15:29 who's it gonna be? 15:30 It's either gonna be Satan 15:32 or it's either going to be Christ, 15:34 there's no difference in there. 15:35 On the left side of the page, 15:38 you can put Satan. 15:39 On the right side, you can put the Holy Spirit. 15:42 And discernment under Satan 15:44 first is the flesh. 15:46 Satan deals in the areas of the flesh. 15:47 Well, why do you say that? 15:49 Because John 3:6 says, 15:50 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, 15:53 that which is born of the Spirit is," what? 15:56 "Is spirit." 15:58 Under Satan, you got flesh. 15:59 Under the Holy Spirit, you have spritely. 16:02 So here's your flesh and here's your spirit. 16:05 Under Satan, you have the accuser. 16:07 Who is Satan? 16:08 He's the accuser. 16:10 Under spirit, you have the helper. 16:13 Under flesh, you have, under Satan, 16:17 you have that he's a faultfinder. 16:19 But under the spirit you have that he is a what? 16:22 He's a restorer. 16:24 Under the Satan and the flesh, 16:27 you have that he is a destroyer 16:30 but under the Holy Spirit, what is he? 16:32 He is our redeemer. 16:34 I've heard it said that what people think of us 16:37 is none of our business. 16:39 You know, I'll buy that. 16:42 I can go along with that. 16:44 But what they say about me is my business. 16:47 What they think about me, I can't control, 16:49 but what they say about me I can. 16:51 I can take authority over it. 16:53 I can stand up and say that 16:55 that's not so 16:56 and that this is coming from nowhere else 16:58 but the accuser of the brethren. 17:00 If God gives and God does, 17:02 if God gives somebody real discernment, 17:05 God ordained discernment enough to see the problem, 17:08 they should also receive enough anointing 17:09 of the Holy Spirit to receive the solution. 17:12 Are you with me here? 17:14 Oh, I see a problem here. 17:15 Well, if you see a problem, 17:16 you've discernment to see that problem, 17:19 then you should be given godly Holy Spirit discernment 17:22 of how to solve that problem, 17:24 or deal with that problem. 17:26 Are you with me here? 17:28 Let me share this with you, okay? 17:31 God saw a problem 17:33 and that problem was in John 3:16-17. 17:37 It says, "For God so loved the world 17:38 that He gave His only begotten Son, 17:40 that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish 17:42 but have everlasting life." 17:44 You see, God saw problem, a world fallen in sin. 17:47 What's the solution? 17:49 The solution was the supreme sacrifice 17:52 of His Son, Jesus Christ. 17:55 "For God sent not His Son into the world 17:57 to condemn the world but to," what? 17:59 "But that the world through Him 18:01 might be saved." 18:03 Do you realize how gracious our Jesus is? 18:06 Do you realize how forgiving our God is? 18:10 I would not be here. 18:11 I would not be here today, 18:13 I would not be standing before you today 18:15 if we did not have a forgiving, loving God. 18:20 I would be somewhere off out in the wild blue yonder 18:23 or I tell people, God would have killed me 18:25 a long time ago 18:27 but He didn't, you know what He's done? 18:29 He loved me. 18:32 He sent His Son to die for me. 18:33 He solved the problem, 18:35 but He also by the grace of God 18:37 saw the solution. 18:39 Even when Jesus by the discernment 18:41 corrected the churches in Asia, 18:43 He sandwiched His rebuke 18:44 between praise and promise. 18:45 This is how good our God is. 18:47 True discernment doesn't center 18:50 in only on the negative of the matter. 18:53 There's a positive to every negative. 18:57 I used to have people come to me 18:58 and they say, "Oh, Pastor Hal, 19:01 I just got caught up in the spirit 19:02 and I went over the spirit and there's angels 19:04 all in there." 19:06 And I said, "Well, how many demons did you see?" 19:08 "Oh, none." 19:09 "Well, let me tell you what, you get in the spirit realm, 19:11 there's not only angels but there's also demons, 19:14 but we don't center in on the demonic, 19:15 we center in on the Spirit of God." 19:17 Are you with me here today? 19:20 Here's the praise, 19:21 Revelation 2:3-7, 19:24 "And hast born, and has patience, 19:25 and for my name's sake hast labored, 19:28 and hast not fainted." 19:30 That's the praise. 19:31 Here's the rebuke, Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, 19:34 because thou hast left thy first love." 19:37 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, 19:39 and repent, and do the first works, 19:41 or else I will come unto thee quickly, 19:43 and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, 19:47 except thou repent." 19:49 Here is the praise. 19:51 All right, here is the rebuke 19:53 and now here's the promise. 19:56 "But this thou hast, 19:57 that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, 20:00 which I also hate. 20:02 He that hath an ear, 20:03 let him hear what the Spirit had said unto the churches, 20:06 to him that overcometh, 20:08 " to whom that do what? 20:09 "To him that overcometh 20:11 will I give to eat of the tree of life, 20:13 which is in the midst of the paradise of God." 20:16 Even with the church of Thyatira, 20:18 I'll never forget the first time I saw this, 20:19 even with the church of Thyatira 20:21 that was steeped in error, 20:23 Christ still offered grace if they changed. 20:26 Revelation 2:20 says, 20:29 not withstanding or 2:20-21, 20:31 "Not withstanding, I have a few things against thee, 20:33 because thou have suffered the woman Jezebel." 20:37 You never noticed there's two names 20:39 that people don't name their kids. 20:43 They don't name the girl Jezebel, 20:44 they don't mean the boy as what? 20:46 Judas. 20:49 Yeah, "Sufferest the woman Jezebel 20:51 which calleth herself a prophetess, 20:53 to teach and to seduce 20:55 my servants to commit fornication, 20:58 and to eat things sacrificed unto idols." 21:03 I'll never forget first when I saw this. 21:06 "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, 21:10 and she repented not." 21:12 Isn't that amazing? 21:14 Christ gave Jezebel an opportunity to repent. 21:21 We're dealing with faultfinding spirit, 21:22 the accuser of the brethren. 21:25 Do you hear the song that we sang? 21:27 We don't want to, I don't want to be like Moses, 21:29 I don't want to be like David, I don't want to be like John, 21:31 I don't want to be like Peter, I don't want to be like Paul, 21:34 I want to be like Jesus. 21:36 And if I'm like Jesus, 21:38 and I can give everybody 21:39 an opportunity to repent, 21:42 no matter what they've done, 21:43 instead of putting him in a shoot, 21:45 sending him to hell, 21:46 they don't cross go and they don't collect $200. 21:50 That's not what God wants. 21:52 Well, we serve a loving God, a loving Father. 21:56 Christ even gave Jezebel a chance to repent, 21:58 but she didn't. 22:00 How many of you ever read in 1 Kings 21, 22:02 there was a man named Naboth 22:04 and he had a plot of land near the summer home 22:06 of Ahab and Jezebel. 22:09 And Ahab wanted Naboth's land to plant him a what? 22:13 A little garden and a little vineyard there. 22:15 And so he went back in 22:17 because Naboth wouldn't let him have it. 22:18 He went back and he covered his head 22:20 and he wouldn't eat and he had a pity party. 22:25 You know, who shows up at a pity party? 22:27 Only two people, 22:29 you and the devil. 22:31 But this time, there was another one 22:33 that came in and Jezebel was there 22:35 and here's what happens. 22:36 I want you to see this in the Message Bible. 22:39 I like this way that reads, 22:41 "She wrote letters over Ahab's signature, 22:43 stamped them with his official seal, 22:46 and sent them to the elders of Naboth's city 22:48 and to the civic leaders. 22:50 She wrote, 'Call for a fast day 22:52 and put Naboth at the head of the table. 22:56 Then seat a couple of stool pigeons.' 23:00 "I like this." 23:01 One translation says a couple of scoundrels. 23:04 Then seat a couple of stool pigeons 23:06 across from him 23:07 who, in front of everybody will say, 'You! 23:10 You blasphemed God and the king.' 23:12 Then they'll throw him out and stone him to death.'" 23:17 Verse 11, 23:19 "And they did it. 23:21 The men of the city, the elders 23:22 and the civic leaders followed Jezebel's instructions 23:25 that she wrote in the letter sent to them, 23:27 they called for a fast 23:29 and seated Naboth at the head of the table. 23:31 Then they brought in two stool pigeons." 23:36 I just like the way that sounds, stool pigeons. 23:40 You know what I'd say? 23:41 In Alabama you say about them, 23:43 they were dumber than a box of rocks. 23:48 Their porch light was on but nobody was home, 23:52 that they would do something like this. 23:55 "And seated them opposite Naboth. 23:56 In front of everybody the two degenerates 23:59 accused him, 24:00 'He blasphemed God and the king!'" 24:02 The accuser of the brethren 24:04 will never overcome God in the end. 24:06 The accuser of the brethren 24:07 will never overcome God in the end. 24:11 My mother has a saying, 24:14 my mom had a lot to say, 24:17 good Southern lady she was. 24:19 Her saying was, "Every dog has its day." 24:22 I mean, you've ever heard that before? 24:25 Yeah, we got some older people in here 24:26 know these old sayings. 24:28 Oh, me, every dog has its day. 24:30 The only thing about this is the dog 24:32 that's in this story is the one that licked Jezebel's bones. 24:37 Did she pay a price 24:39 for getting these two stool pigeons in here 24:41 and being accuser of the brethren 24:43 over a little plot of land 24:45 that was given to Naboth as an inheritance? 24:47 Yes. Did she pay a price for it? 24:50 Did Ahab eventually through his family 24:52 pay a price for it? 24:54 Yes. 24:55 Let me tell you, there are faultfinding demons out there. 24:58 There's those that are accuser of the brethren 25:00 that thinks everything's going fine, 25:02 that they're gonna be elevated 25:03 to the status of somebody that's really accomplished 25:05 something for the kingdom of God, 25:07 and their children and their grandchildren 25:09 will pay a price for it. 25:12 God help us. 25:13 Help us to recognize the accuser of the brethren. 25:17 Now second, let's look at this. 25:19 Where do these faultfinding demons 25:21 found their accusations against others? 25:23 In the body of Christ? 25:25 Where did they find them, Pastor Hal? 25:27 With you repented of your sins 25:29 they're under the blood of Jesus. 25:31 The enemy can only draw his accusations 25:33 from either hell itself, 25:35 or from the black hearts of man. 25:39 Now, I'm gonna have to show you that this is true. 25:42 Psalms 103:12 says, 25:43 "As far as the east is from the west, 25:45 so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." 25:49 Isaiah 43:25, 25:50 these are good, you need to get the DVD 25:52 or the CD or whatever. 25:54 Give this to somebody 25:55 that's out there wounded and heartbroken 25:57 because their life has been shattered 26:01 by an accuser of the brethren. 26:03 Isaiah 43:25 says, 26:05 " I, even I, 26:06 am he that blotteth out thy transgressions 26:08 for mine own sake, 26:10 and will not remember thy sins." 26:12 Praise God. 26:13 Isaiah 44:22, 26:15 "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, 26:17 thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, 26:19 thy sins, return unto me, for I have redeemed thee." 26:24 Hebrews 8:12, 26:26 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, 26:29 and their sins and their iniquities 26:31 will I remember no more." 26:34 With God that we could be like Jesus, 26:37 and we could forgive somebody. 26:40 I just wrote devotional recently 26:41 about a guy that was out fishing 26:43 and he stayed out three hours 26:45 and he's supposed to take his wife 26:46 to the fireworks display, and he realized 26:47 because he'd stayed out three hours too late. 26:49 He didn't have to take her to the fireworks display. 26:52 When he got home he was gonna see 26:53 the fireworks display. 26:56 Yet when he got home, he walked in 26:58 and he's gonna make up this lie 27:00 about the boat motor running out, 27:01 or quitting 27:03 and left his cell phone in the truck. 27:04 But he said no, why add to it? 27:06 So when he walked through the front door, 27:08 he put his arms around and he said, 27:09 "Honey, 27:11 I'm sorry, I promised you that it wouldn't happen again. 27:15 And yet it happened again, will you forgive me?" 27:17 And she said, "Sure, I'll forgive you." 27:19 The words were like a symphony coming out of her mouth 27:22 and he said, "This is amazing. 27:25 I've done this before, 27:27 and yet I've done it again, and yet you still forgive me?" 27:30 And she said, "Well, before when you did it 27:32 and you asked for forgiveness, I really forgave you. 27:37 I didn't hold a grudge against you. 27:39 I forgave you 27:40 for what you asked forgiveness for." 27:42 Now, this is like the first time 27:44 that this has ever happened. 27:46 Would it be something if we did, Jesus said, 27:48 "Oh, Jesus, would You forgive me 27:50 for the sins that I've committed." 27:51 He's no, no, no, I'm not gonna do it. 27:54 Now, you did that before and you told me 27:55 you weren't going to ever do it again. 27:57 Now you've done it again. 27:58 So you can forget about forgiveness. 27:59 Aren't you glad that Jesus will never do that to us, 28:02 that we can go to Him 28:04 time and time and time again 28:07 and He'll forgive us. 28:09 Romans 8:33, 28:10 "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" 28:15 Anything to the charge of God's elect? 28:20 It is God that justifieth. 28:23 How many of you realize that Satan does not have access 28:26 to the investigative judgment books 28:29 that Jesus is reviewing in the Holy of Holies? 28:32 He is not in the Holy of Holies looking over Jesus shoulder 28:35 and saying, "Whoa, there's Bill and Mary, man, 28:38 I didn't know they did that. 28:40 I'm gonna go get on him for." 28:41 No. 28:43 So the only place 28:44 that he can draw the accusations against you 28:47 is either from the pits of hell 28:50 or from the black hearts of men. 28:53 Whenever the accuser of the brethren 28:54 comes against you to try to tear you down, 28:56 tear your ministry down, 28:58 tear up the kingdom of God. 29:00 He did not get those accusations from God 29:03 or from the Holy Of Holies 29:05 because he doesn't have access it. 29:07 Aren't you glad? 29:09 Jesus going through the books. 29:10 I don't want Satan looking over my life. 29:14 This is where the accuser of the brethren 29:15 was cast out of heaven by the Cross of Calvary. 29:17 We overcame him by the what? 29:19 By the blood, the blood was not until the Cross of Calvary 29:22 and just put him out of the Holy of Holies. 29:24 Let me assure you that he has no place in it. 29:27 This is the blood that we use to overcome Satan. 29:31 Nevertheless, I have to admit 29:34 that the accuser of the brethren 29:35 has constant demonic reports 29:38 on your present sins and he can't wait 29:39 to throw your past sins in your face. 29:44 You've asked forgiveness for something, 29:47 and you go back to God, 29:49 5 minutes later you say, 29:50 "God, 29:52 You know that sins that I committed 29:54 that I asked You to forgive me for." 29:55 You know what God will say? 29:57 "No. 29:59 I don't remember it." 30:01 You know, that God's omniscient, 30:02 He's all knowing. 30:04 Do you know that God doesn't have a memory? 30:05 He had to turn to Gabriel, say, 30:07 "Hey, Gabriel, when was it that we went down 30:09 and we did that thing back with the Red Sea?" 30:11 Can you help me with that?" God doesn't. 30:13 He's omniscient, He's all knowing. 30:16 And yet He forgives and forgets our sins. 30:18 And the reason why He does 30:20 is because He chooses to. 30:22 He does what? 30:23 He chooses to forgive these things. 30:27 Today, God is seeking to raise up 30:29 His true servants of God 30:32 with 100 fold power. 30:35 Well, I'd like to see the day 30:37 when the remnant company, 30:39 the 100 fold company 30:41 would be walking in this earth 30:43 as Jesus walked in the earth 30:45 and they bring in people to be healed 30:47 and people to be filled 30:48 and people to make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives. 30:51 Do you know that that 100 fold remnant company 30:54 clean out the funeral homes, could clean out the hospitals? 30:57 And the power of God be released in the churches. 30:59 Or just stack the data back there, 31:01 they're not in any hurry forward anyway. 31:04 Get the ones down here 31:05 that need a touch from God right now. 31:07 This is what the authority 31:09 of the remnant company of believers, 31:11 when this process begins, 31:12 there will be pruning stages. 31:13 What will there be? Pruning. 31:16 How many of you have been pruned? 31:19 There will be pruning stages in your life. 31:21 The faultfinding spirit will seek to use those times 31:23 to destroy the brethren. 31:27 You know the weakest times that I've ever been 31:29 and some of you that have been there. 31:32 The weakest moments in my life 31:35 have been right after I stepped out of the pulpit 31:38 and the Spirit of God, 31:39 and the power of God manifest in such a way. 31:43 And I get in the car, 31:45 and I go. 31:48 Now sometimes I had a little help. 31:51 Honey Sue, 31:54 Mollie Sue, 31:55 she used to grade me on my sermons. 32:00 I quit asking her too. 32:03 I'd get in the car and I'd say, 32:04 "Honey, what was that?" 32:06 She'd say, "Oh, that was a B." 32:08 Another time she might say, "Oh, that was good. 32:09 That was A. It's A minus but it was an A." 32:12 All right. 32:14 And I got in the car one night after service and I said, 32:17 I know I didn't do real good, "How was it, honey?" 32:19 She said, "Yeah, that was an F minus." 32:23 I said, "There's no such thing as F minus." 32:25 And she said, "It is now." 32:30 When we're being pruned, 32:33 the true children of God must water those 32:35 with dryness and with prayer 32:37 that are being pruned. 32:39 If we do not intercede for these men and women of God 32:44 and I know several right now 32:47 that are being pruned, the faultfinding demons 32:49 will be standing there in the shadows, 32:51 waiting to make false accusations. 32:55 How do you know? 32:56 Because I've been there, that's how I know. 32:58 We had one of the largest churches 32:59 anywhere in this area and many of you know 33:01 Mollie and I came out of the charismatic movement. 33:03 Can I hear praise God? 33:05 And we are now 33:06 in the Seventh-day Adventist church, 33:08 we are water baptized 33:09 and we are members of this body. 33:11 And let me tell you something, I'm proud of it! 33:14 December 25, 1999, 33:16 Mollie and I came into this church. 33:19 My friends thought I was crazy. 33:22 They said, "You're a nut." 33:24 I thought, "I might be a nut, 33:26 but praise God, I'm screwed on the right boat." 33:30 And His name is Jesus Christ. 33:34 But in 1995, under a lot of pressure, 33:36 I'm not going to go into details 33:37 but I had a complete breakdown. 33:41 It was on April 19, 1995, 33:44 any of you remember what happened 33:45 on April 19, 1995? 33:47 The Oklahoma City bombing. 33:50 Timothy McVeigh and there was a rumor that 33:52 there was John Doe Number 2 33:54 that had purchased or rented the truck with him 33:57 and everybody was looking for John Doe Number 2. 34:00 So first thing you know the rumor 34:02 all over Southern Illinois in a Free State area 34:05 is that Hal Steenson, 34:07 that's why he had a breakdown 34:08 because he was John Doe Number 2. 34:12 I promise y'all I did not have anything 34:14 to do with the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 34:16 I did not. 34:18 Somebody said a few months before that, 34:20 "Well, Hal Steenson is the antichrist?" 34:24 Well, Satan must be a dummy. 34:27 He's going to restore the church 34:28 by sending Hal Steenson to West Frankfort, Illinois. 34:32 They got one stance, says, 34:34 "You are now entering and leaving West Frankfort." 34:40 Antichrist. 34:43 The accuser uses yet another weapon. 34:45 He uses it well. 34:46 There are times in our walk to increase our fruitfulness, 34:49 the father prunes us back. 34:52 This is a season of preparation 34:54 where the Lord's purpose is to lead His servants 34:56 into a new level of power in ministry. 35:00 During this time, God requires new levels of surrender. 35:05 Have any of you in here ever been broken 35:08 by the Spirit of God, 35:10 where you couldn't do anything, 35:11 you couldn't say anything? 35:14 I mean, one time the Spirit of God broke me in such a way, 35:16 I was out on the platform. 35:18 Brother Cox, and our elders were over here 35:20 and they were sitting on the stage, 35:22 I think there was 12 of them. 35:23 And I was out here and I was talking, 35:24 the Spirit of God came on me and broke me in such a way 35:27 that I literally almost crawled over 35:29 to where the elders were 35:31 because I thought, "If God's gonna kill me, 35:33 He gonna get to kill all of them with me. 35:36 Get rid of all of us at one time." 35:37 But to truly be broken 35:40 by the Spirit of God, listen to this, 35:41 be broken by the Spirit of God is a pruning stage 35:44 where people are vulnerable. 35:47 And this is where this faultfinding Spirit 35:49 will come in. 35:50 John 15, every one of you know this, 35:52 15:1-2, says, 35:55 "I am the true vine 35:57 and the father is the husband man. 35:58 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away." 36:02 He does what? 36:04 If you're bearing fruit or me that beareth not fruit, 36:07 what does he do? He takes you away. 36:09 "And every branch that beareth fruit, 36:11 he purgeth it, that it may bring 36:12 forth more fruit." 36:14 Mollie Sue says it like this, 36:16 "You pruned if you do and you pruned if you don't." 36:19 So we might as well be fruit producers. 36:22 Unfortunately, this is a time of weakness in a parent, 36:26 not only to other men and women 36:28 at the body of Christ, 36:29 but it frequently occurs before the entire church. 36:34 You're going through a tough time, 36:35 you're experiencing depression, you've got sickness, 36:38 you got cancer, whatever the case may be, 36:40 and I'm not saying, God puts it on you. 36:42 But it seems like when you're down, 36:44 the enemy is right there to do what? 36:46 To kick you. 36:49 The faultfinding spirits 36:50 and those who have come to think of as it thinks 36:52 and act as it acts, 36:54 finding their targets to be very vulnerable. 36:58 The accuser uses this opportunity 37:00 to crush him and crush her. 37:03 Hear this statement, 37:04 "Time and again, 37:07 what would have otherwise become an incubator of life 37:12 becomes a coffin of death 37:14 for a mighty man or woman of God. 37:17 Mighty more warriors 37:19 who might have otherwise emerged for clarity 37:21 and the power of God's prophetic vision 37:23 are beaten down and abandon. 37:25 They're cut off from the very people 37:27 who should have prayed them through 37:28 to resurrection and to restoration." 37:32 What was that word I just used? 37:34 Restoration. 37:37 We have got people... 37:38 How many of you know somebody 37:40 that was serving God wholeheartedly, 37:41 now they're out away from the church 37:43 and away from God and not serving God? 37:44 Why are these people not restored? 37:47 Why do we have men and women of God 37:48 that are in the pulpit and in eldership 37:52 and deacons in the church that have gotten away from God, 37:56 and are not serving the purpose of God? 37:59 Galatians 6:1-2 has the answer. 38:02 It says, "Brethren, if any of you be 38:03 overtaken in a fault, 38:05 ye which are spiritual." 38:08 Smile at me, okay? 38:10 Ye which are spiritual, here's what the reason is, 38:14 because so many people are not being restored. 38:17 They're out there away from God, 38:19 wounded and bleeding and dying. 38:23 Once again, how many of you know somebody 38:25 that's gotten away from the church 38:27 and away from God because of this? 38:29 And let me see your hands again, 38:31 if you're going to be truthful. 38:32 How many of you in here have been attacked 38:34 by the accuser of the brethren and faultfinding demons? 38:38 Let me see your hands. 38:40 Yeah. 38:42 We need this message, 38:45 not over there, 38:47 not back there. 38:48 We need this message right now 38:51 to counter at the counterfeit. 38:55 It says, if any person be overtaken in misconduct or sin 38:59 of any sort you which are spiritual, 39:02 who are responsive and controlled by the Spirit. 39:04 This is the Amplified. 39:06 The reason why brethren are not being restored 39:08 is because we, 39:11 you see this finger pointing to me, 39:13 we are not spiritual enough to restore. 39:18 Brother Cox's message last night, wow! 39:22 Man, get that. 39:24 Listen to it over and over again. 39:25 He talked about faultfinding. 39:27 He talked about being judgmental. 39:30 We need to stop looking down our nose at people. 39:33 When somebody is down, we don't need to kick him. 39:36 When their marriage is being torn all the pieces 39:38 by the force of the evil and the powers of hell, 39:41 we need to pull on in the all in one. 39:48 The reason why people aren't restored is because 39:52 we don't cast down imaginations. 39:56 Pastor Bill was driving home late one night 40:00 after vespers... 40:04 and there was this hitchhiker on the side of the road. 40:06 It was raining, it was cold, it was damp, it was wet, 40:10 sleeting a little bit and he thought, 40:11 "Man, the Christian thing to do 40:12 would be pick this young man up." 40:15 So sure enough, he stopped the car. 40:17 The young man got in 40:18 and sat down next to him in the car. 40:20 He took off driving on off and it was dark in the car. 40:23 He didn't know this young man and so he got to thinking, 40:26 "You know, my wallet's in my coat here 40:28 in the middle of the car right between us. 40:31 I don't know this man. 40:32 He's probably gotten my wallet out of my coat 40:34 while I'm driving along here." 40:38 So sure enough, he slid his hand over there 40:39 slid in his coat pocket 40:42 and his wallet was there. 40:46 He slammed on the brakes, he jerked the door open, 40:49 he went around the other side of the car. 40:50 He jerked the door open, told this young man, 40:52 "Get out of the car!" 40:54 The guy got out of the car, he said, 40:56 "Now give me the wallet!" 40:57 The guy said, "Okay, and handed him the wallet." 41:01 You already know, don't you? 41:03 He gets back in the car goes home, 41:04 he's anxious to tell his wife about this guy 41:06 trying to steal his wallet. 41:07 He walks in before he can open his mouth, 41:09 she says, "Bill, before anything else happens, 41:12 do you know that you left your wallet 41:13 at home this morning?" 41:20 Do you know that there are encouragers 41:21 and there are discouragers? 41:23 Do you know what a discourager is? 41:26 If someone that takes courage from you. 41:29 An encourager is someone that puts courage in you. 41:34 Now I've run across three 41:35 of the most powerful encouragers 41:38 that I've ever run across in my life. 41:39 Number one is my wife, Mollie. 41:41 She's probably a Rock of Gibraltar. 41:42 She's not any different here than she is at home. 41:45 She's always the same. She's constant. 41:47 I wish I could say that about myself. 41:49 Another one is Roy Ewing, 41:51 our system department director in pastoral. 41:54 She encourages you no matter what. 41:57 And the other one is Angie Lomacang. 41:59 How many of you been around Angie Lomacang? 42:01 You ought to spend 10 minutes around her, 42:03 I'll tell you what, 42:05 she would just build you up and encourage you. 42:07 But in the 12 years 42:09 that Mollie has been working for 3ABN, 42:11 I have never heard her say 42:13 one negative thing about 3ABN. 42:17 I've seen her come home mad. 42:21 But I've never heard her say anything 42:22 damaging about 3ABN 42:25 or about Danny Shelton. 42:27 Never, not one time. 42:29 And she's truthful. 42:31 And I asked her sometime, "Do we need to talk? 42:34 Is there something?" No. 42:36 "Is there something bothering you?" 42:38 No, nothing that I can't work out? 42:39 But instead of discouraging someone, 42:43 she encourages and she builds up. 42:47 How many of you ever heard this expression before, 42:51 "Eat honey everything on your plate 42:53 people in China starving to death?" 42:59 I got the shower here while back 43:00 and I looked in the full length mirror, 43:03 and I'm standing there 43:05 and I said to myself, 43:07 "Dear Lord, how's this helping the people in China?" 43:13 We got married, I weighed 128 pounds, 43:15 now one of my leg weighs 128 pounds. 43:20 She doesn't find fault, Mollie doesn't, 43:22 that's why she's truthful. 43:24 Roy Ewing and Angie Lomacang is truthful too. 43:28 And I stood down looking in the mirror 43:29 and I got to looking at all the lines 43:31 and wrinkles on my face and the hair. 43:33 I used to have a lot of hair and no belly. 43:36 Now I see the other way around. 43:39 I got to look at myself, 43:40 Pastor Cox. I had wrinkles, my hair falling out, 43:42 my tummy protruding a little bit here, 43:46 just a little bit. 43:49 I went in and I told Mollie, 43:50 I said, "Honey, say something to encourage me. 43:53 My hair's falling out. 43:54 I got wrinkles all over my face. 43:56 My eyesight is getting poor and I'm getting fat." 43:58 And she looked at me, she said, 44:00 "You got great eyesight." 44:05 And I said, "No, come on encourage me!" 44:09 And she said, "You don't sweat much 44:10 for a fat person." 44:13 Now listen, when we can do this, 44:15 and we can do it and we can laugh about it, 44:17 when someone is down and broken and bleeding, 44:21 and they're pleading for someone to help them, 44:24 we need to encourage them. 44:27 We need to say, come on. 44:29 I remember my dad, I was round in third base, 44:31 never hit a home run, first one ever hit. 44:34 I was round in third base. 44:36 My dad was an excitable man, 44:38 but I could hear him yelling, 44:42 "Come on son! 44:44 Run, boy, run! 44:46 Come on, son, you can make it!" 44:48 This way God does us. 44:50 That's the way we need to do others, 44:52 "Come on, come on, you can make it." 44:54 Third, this next this faultfinding demon 44:56 will attack you whenever 44:58 and wherever you're the most vulnerable. 45:00 Most often you will be accused and attacked 45:02 when you're giving birth to a new dimension of ministry 45:05 that God has for you. 45:08 Revelation 12:1-4, if you can turn to this, 45:11 you need to turn to this. 45:12 It says, "And there appear a great wonder in heaven, 45:14 a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, 45:17 and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. 45:19 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, 45:23 and pained to be delivered. 45:24 And there appeared another wonder in heaven, 45:26 and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads 45:29 and ten horns, 45:31 and seven crowns upon his head." 45:32 Now listen to this. This is important. 45:35 How many of you ladies have ever, in here, 45:37 have ever given birth? 45:39 Do you know 45:41 that's one of the most vulnerable positions 45:43 that you will ever be in your life? 45:46 Here is the woman, a representation of the church, 45:49 she's in a birthing position. 45:51 Verse 4, says, "And his tail drew 45:52 the third part of the stars of heaven, 45:54 and did cast them to the earth, 45:56 and the dragon stood before the woman 45:58 waiting to devour her." 45:59 No. 46:01 That's not what it says. 46:03 "He stood before the woman was ready to be delivered 46:06 for to devour her child 46:08 as soon as it was born." 46:12 Now I'm gonna say something it's going to shock you 46:14 but it's the truth. 46:16 Satan doesn't give a rip 46:19 about 3ABN. 46:21 Satan could care less about Danny Shelton, 46:25 could care less about Hal Steenson, 46:27 could care less about 3ABN. 46:29 What he is upset with 46:31 is what 3ABN is birthing. 46:35 He wants to devour what's about to be birth. 46:39 How many of you in here know that 46:40 we went on DISH Network this week 46:42 and picked up 30, 46:43 I think Connie Keen our marketing director said, 46:47 34-35 million new people. 46:50 Boy, the devil laughed 46:52 when we were taken off the Sky Angel, 46:54 250,000 viewers, 46:56 oh, he thought he had us. 46:59 What he meant for bad, God turned for good. 47:02 So we lost 250,000, 47:05 we picked up 34 million, 47:07 and you know what came with the package? 47:09 The 250,000 that we lost 47:12 is back in there with the package. 47:14 This is what... 47:15 Yeah, I mean give the Lord hand. 47:22 This is what the enemy wants 47:25 what we're birthing. 47:27 If I'm not mistaken there's nine satellites 47:29 that we're on now, Mollie? 47:30 Ten. Ten. 47:32 Okay, I can't keep up with it, it is happening so fast. 47:34 Moses Primo, pray for him 47:36 because the enemy would like to devour him. 47:38 He's an armed in a deadly weapon 47:40 against the forces of evil, and the powers of darkness. 47:42 He's punching darkness, 47:44 or punching holes in the darkness of hell, 47:45 the forces of evils what he's doing. 47:47 Ten satellites, we just went on in China. 47:51 The enemy could care about 3ABN, 47:54 but you watch it, I believe, 47:56 Isaiah Chapter 2 where it says that, 47:58 "The nations are going to flow 48:00 into the mountain of the Lord's house." 48:03 I believe, there's going to be 48:05 such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 48:06 y'all listen to me, okay? 48:08 This is not just faith speaking. 48:10 This is B-I-B-L-E. 48:13 We are going to see a great revival, 48:15 an end time revival 48:17 and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 48:18 like we've never seen before. 48:19 Are you with me here? 48:21 Well, what all as 3ABN done? 48:24 4.8 million 48:27 Ten Commandments Twice Removed books 48:30 that were given away. 48:33 I mean, you can find them everywhere, you could. 48:35 When it is just going on, you go to a restaurant, 48:37 may be people at the restaurant handing out books. 48:40 On the streets of Washington DC, 48:42 in the subways people handing out books, 48:45 passing in to them. 48:47 Brother Merle was telling me the other day, 48:48 he handed out to every friends that he has, and said, 48:52 "Now if you are not going to use these," now how many? 48:54 Six million. 48:56 What? Six million! 48:57 I told you I can't keep up with, 48:59 it is happening so fast. 49:01 Six million of these books. 49:04 That's more people than it is in Thompsonville. 49:09 Six hundred in Thompsonville. 49:11 But we got 6 million books out, 49:14 we got 34 million new DISH Network viewers. 49:18 For you those of you 49:19 that have friends that own DISH Network, 49:20 call them and tell them 49:22 to watch 3ABN. 49:23 We get calls every day from people that said, 49:27 "I've been watching 3ABN, just yesterday. 49:29 Graccious was telling me had someone, 49:30 and watching 3ABN, ready to be baptized." 49:32 We're having people to walk in, in Las Vegas, 49:34 people that are watching 3ABN walking in off the street, 49:38 ready to be baptized. 49:39 And the pastor at first said, 49:41 "No, we need to give you 49:42 some Bible studies and Bible lessons." 49:43 They said, "You don't understand. 49:45 I've been watching 3ABN. 49:46 I've been watching Kenneth Cox. 49:47 I've been watching Doug Batchelor. 49:49 I've been watching these men 49:50 and listening to their teaching, 49:52 I'm ready to be baptized." 49:53 The Wisconsin Conference send people down here 49:55 to find out what's going on 49:57 'cause they had so many people come into their church 49:59 is ready to be baptized. 50:02 And there's some people out there faultfinding spirits 50:05 that doesn't want 3ABN 50:06 even though 3ABN's filling their churches up. 50:10 No, let me free. I'm sorry, Father. 50:12 God is filling their churches up 50:13 through 3ABN. 50:17 The last thing I want you to see, 50:19 "We must be conscious of how the accuser gains 50:21 access into our lives and even our bodies. 50:25 The accuser of the brethren cannot accomplish 50:27 one single thing without a, what? 50:31 A warm body." 50:33 How many warm bodies we have in here? 50:36 He cannot accomplish a thing without a warm body. 50:39 I mean, he's ready, willing and able to do anything, 50:42 but without men and women... 50:47 he can't do anything. 50:50 So help me. 50:52 Who does he do it through? 50:54 Men and women. 50:55 Who does he use? 50:57 Men and women. 51:00 You know what? Listen to this. 51:01 Satan's not sitting in a bar, somewhere on a barstool, 51:04 in a bar booth. 51:06 He's sitting in churches 51:09 where he can do the most damage. 51:12 And people that think they're doing good 51:15 don't even realize how much damage they are doing. 51:21 It's taken me 11 years 51:25 to get over the fact that I'm not John Doe Number 2 51:27 in Oklahoma City Bombing. 51:30 I don't know if people living now there 51:31 and they say, 51:33 "Weren't you accused of being John Doe Number 2?" 51:36 I told them, "I am John Doe Number 1, 51:38 they got John Doe Number 2." 51:42 The accuser of brethren number one method 51:44 of entering into 51:46 and through someone is through their mouth. 51:49 Through their what? What did he say? 51:51 Through their mouth. 51:53 The only voice the accuser has comes 51:55 through a human's mouth. 51:57 Ephesians 4:29, 51:58 help me with this, 52:00 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, 52:02 but that which is good to the use of edifying, 52:05 that it may be minister grace unto the hearers." 52:09 Matthew 12:37, says, 52:10 "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, 52:12 and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." 52:16 Now, I love this scripture. 52:18 I've never seen this before. 52:19 But it talks about a lying tongue two times 52:22 in the scripture. 52:23 It's in Proverbs, yes, I heard somebody say it. 52:26 Proverbs 6:16-19. 52:28 "These six things that the Lord hate, yea, 52:31 seven are an abomination unto him." 52:33 Verse 17, says, "A proud look, a lying," what? 52:36 "A lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 52:38 an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, 52:40 feet that be swift in running to mischief," 52:43 and here it's again, 52:45 "and a false witness that speaketh lies." 52:49 What do you think God hates the most out of all this? 52:52 Is lying. 52:54 God hates those that would lie, not tell the truth, 52:58 those that would stand against the truth of God 53:01 and anything contrary to the Word of God is a lie. 53:06 We need to be encouragers, not discouragers. 53:11 The second easiest way for the accuser of the brethren 53:13 to gain bodily entry is through someone's ears. 53:17 Through, what? 53:18 Their mouth and their ears. 53:21 Listen to this, Adventist Home, 53:24 this ought to tear your heart out. 53:26 "Gossip and Talebearing. 53:28 We think with horror 53:29 of the cannibal who feasts on the still warm 53:32 and trembling flesh of his victim, 53:35 but are the results of even this practice more terrible 53:38 than are the agony and ruin 53:39 caused by misrepresenting motive, 53:42 blackening reputation, 53:44 dissecting character? 53:46 Let the children, and the youth as well, 53:49 learn what God says about these things, 53:51 'Death and life are in the power of the," what? 53:54 "Of the tongue.' 53:56 The spirit of gossip and talebearing 53:57 is one of Satan's special agencies 53:59 to sow discord 54:01 and strife, to separate friends, 54:04 and to undermine the faith of many 54:06 in the truthfulness of our positions.' 54:10 " You got to hear this. 54:12 Here are three keys that can change your life 54:15 and stop the accuser of the brethren. 54:18 I wish I could say that I got this all on my own, 54:20 but I got it from Mollie Sue. 54:24 She's taught me everything I know. 54:25 And I tell you, I still don't know anything. 54:28 That woman is crazy about me. 54:32 When someone comes up to you and tells you something, 54:34 if you're pastor in here, elder, 54:36 you really get it because people come in 54:38 and throw up on you under the guise of, 54:41 you need to know this. 54:42 When someone comes to you 54:44 and tells you or starts to tell you something 54:45 that might be a faultfinding 54:47 or an accusing spirit, here's the first thing you do. 54:50 You ask them, "Why are you telling me this?" 54:54 Now, what? 54:55 "Why are you telling me this?" 54:58 The second thing you ask them 55:00 is what was the source of this information, 55:03 and if they know it is factual 55:05 or not just hearsay. 55:07 Number one, "Why are you telling me this?" 55:09 Number two, "Do you know that this information is true?" 55:13 And here's what you shut him up. 55:15 Number three, 55:17 "May I quote you on this?" 55:21 Oh, no, dear Lord, 55:22 don't ever tell anybody I said that, 55:24 well, then don't tell me. 55:25 A lady called me one time, said Pastor Hal, 55:27 "I shouldn't be telling you this," 55:28 and I said, "Then don't click." 55:31 She called me back and said, "I need to tell you this." 55:33 I thought, "You told me, 55:34 you didn't need to be telling me this." 55:36 When we talk to or about someone, 55:38 we must talk to or about that person, 55:40 as if we were talking to or about God Himself. 55:47 They're not to put the fear of God in us. 55:50 If we're to usher in the Second Coming 55:52 of our Lord, the Savior Jesus Christ, 55:54 and reach the world with an undiluted 55:55 three angels' messages 55:57 and cast down the accuser of the brethren 55:58 on every opportunity, and on every level. 56:02 I taught one time, when somebody comes up to you, 56:04 I don't care if there's 10 people standing around 56:06 and they start badmouthing somebody else, 56:08 do this and say, 56:09 "Let's lift this conversation to a higher level." 56:13 Do that with me, come on. 56:14 Let's lift this conversation to higher level. 56:16 And you watch, hey it's dug. 56:17 When you're in a group, 56:19 usually one that dugs. 56:21 If you're here and you've been wounded 56:23 by the accuser of the brethren, 56:24 I want you to stand to your feet, okay? 56:26 Or you got people in your family 56:28 that's been wounded. 56:29 We only have about 30 seconds. 56:30 I want to pray with you and pray for you 56:32 that there would be restoration in your life. 56:34 If you've been wounded, I want you to stand, okay? 56:37 The accuser of the brethren has attacked you. 56:40 We're going to look at the people standing. 56:42 Look at the people standing. 56:43 Do we need 56:45 to cast down the accuser of the brethren? 56:46 Yes. 56:48 Do we need to know how he works in his accusations? 56:51 Reach out, take somebody's hand, 56:53 we're gonna go out pray, okay? 56:55 Father, I thank You. |
Revised 2019-08-29