Archive for Authority and Dominion
The following sermon is based on Acts 2:32 and includes sermon outline and sermon illustrations.
HEAVEN’S NIAGARA–THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
by Eddie Lawrence, D.Min.
Romans 5: Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
WE HAVE ACCESS TO ASCENDED LIVING
33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God
B. Power – Acts 1:8
C. Favor – Luke 4
and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
He poured out this which you now see and hear.
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
This coming Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I have included the following quote to share with you from his pen. It was written while he was incarcerated in a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama on April 16, 1963. I encourage you to read the whole letter he wrote. It is filled with a reasonable passionate plea for injustice to be addressed and for the church to awaken to the cries of the oppressed. Following is one paragraph of many contained in the long letter.
"There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators"’ But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
April 16, 1963
From the Birmingham Jail
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
(The following is an excerpt from chapter 8 of Andrew Murray’s book, PRAYER. It is as he wrote it. I have taken the liberty to change the layout slightly to make it more preacher friendly.)
THE VICTORIOUS LIFE
In the chapter on ‘The More Abundant Life’, we viewed the matter chiefly from the side of our Lord Jesus. We saw that there is to be found in him – the crucified, and the risen, and the glorified one who baptises with the Holy Spirit – all that is needful for a life of abundant grace. In speaking of the victorious life, we shall now look at the matter from another standpoint. We want to see how a Christian can live really as a victor. We have already often said that the prayer life is not something which can be improved by itself. It is so intimately bound up with the entire spiritual life that it is only when that whole life (previously marked by lack of prayer) becomes renewed and sanctified that prayer can have its rightful place of power. We must not be satisfied with less than the victorious life to which God calls his children.
You remember how our Lord, in the seven epistles in the Revelation of John, concludes with a promise to those who overcome. Take the trouble of going over that seven-times repeated ‘him that overcometh’; and notice what unspeakably glorious promises are there given. And they were given even to churches like Ephesus, that had lost its first love; and Sardis, to whom it was said, ‘thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead’ (Rev. 3.1); and Laodicea, with her lukewarmness and selfsatisfaction – as proof that, if only they would repent, they might win the crown of victory. The call comes to every Christian to strive for the crown. It is impossible to be a healthy Christian, still more impossible to be a preacher in the power of God, if everything is not sacrificed to gain the victory.
The answer to the question, of how we attain to it, is simple. All is in Christ. ‘Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ’ (2 Cor. 2.14). ‘In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us’ (Rom. 8.37). All depends on our right relationship to Christ, our entire surrender, perfect faith, and unbroken fellowship with him. But you wish to know how to attain to all this.
Listen once more to the simple directions as to the way by which the full enjoyment of what is prepared for you in Christ may be yours. These are – a new discovery of sin; a new surrender to Christ; a new faith in the power which will make it possible for you to persevere.
1. A new discovery of sin
In Romans 3, you find described the knowledge of sin which is necessary, in repentance, for forgiveness ‘That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God’ (verse 19). There you took your stand, you recognised your sin more or less consciously, and confessed it, and you obtained mercy. But if you would lead the victorious life, something more is needful. This comes with the experience that in you, that is, in your flesh, there ‘dwelleth no good thing’ (Rom. 7.18). You have a delight in the law of God after the inner man, but you see another law in your members bringing you into captivity to the law of sin and compelling you to cry out: ’0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’ (verse 24). It is not, as it was at conversion, when you thought over your few or many sins. This work goes much deeper. You find that, as a Christian, you have no power to do the good that you wish to do. You must be brought to a new and deeper insight into the sin of your nature and into your utter weakness, even though you are a Christian, to live as you ought. And you will learn to cry out: ‘Who shall deliver me; I, wretched man, a prisoner bound under the law of sin?’
The answer to this question is: ‘I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Rom. 7.25). Then follows the revelation of what there is in Christ. It is not just as given in Romans 3. It is more: I am in Christ Jesus, and ‘the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death’, (Rom. 8.2) under which I was bound. It is the experience that the law or power of the life of the Spirit in Christ has made me free and now calls on me, in a new sense and by a new surrender, to acknowledge Christ as the bestower of the victory.
2. A new surrender to Christ
You may have used these words ‘surrender’ and ‘consecration’ many times, but without rightly understanding what they mean. As you have been brought by the teaching of Romans 7 to a complete sense of the hopelessness of leading a true Christian life, or a true prayer life, by your own efforts, so you feel that the Lord Jesus must take you up, by his own power, in an entirely new way; and must take possession of you, by his Spirit, in an entirely new measure. This alone can preserve you from constantly sinning afresh. This only can make you really victorious. This leads you to look away from yourself, really to get free from yourself, and to expect everything from the Lord Jesus.
If we begin to understand this, we are prepared to admit that in our nature there is nothing good, that it is under a curse, and is nailed with Christ to his cross. We come to see what Paul means when he says that we are dead to sin by the death of Christ. Thus do we obtain a share of the glorious resurrection life there is in him. By such an insight we are encouraged to believe that Christ, through his life in us, through his continual indwelling, can keep us. Just as, at our conversion, we had no rest till we knew he had received us so now we feel the need of coming to him, to receive from him the assurance that he has really undertaken to keep us by the power of his resurrection life. And we feel then that there must be an act as definite as his reception of us at conversion, by which he gives us the assurance of victory. And although it appears to us to be too great and too much, yet the man who casts himself, without plea, into the arms of Christ will experience that he does indeed receive us into such a fellowship as will make us, from the beginning onwards, ‘more than conquerors’.
3. A new faith in the power which will make it possible for you to persevere in your surrender
You have heard of Keswick, and the truth for which it stands. It is that Christ is prepared to take upon himself the care and preservation of our lives every day, and all the day long, if we trust him to do it. In the testimony given by many, this thought is emphasised. They have told us that they felt themselves called to a new surrender, to an entire consecration of life to Christ, reaching to the smallest things, but they were hindered by the fear of failure. The thirst after holiness, after an unbroken fellowship with Jesus, after a life of persevering childlike obedience, drew them one way. But the question arose: ‘Shall I continue faithful?’ And to this question there came no answer, till they believed that the surrender must be made, not in their own strength, but in a power which was bestowed by a glorified Lord. He would not only keep them for the future, but he must first make possible for them the surrender of faith which expects that future grace. It was in the power of Christ himself that they were able to present themselves to him.
0 Christian, only believe that there is a victorious life! Christ, the victor, is your Lord, who will undertake for you in everything and will enable you to do all that the Father expects from you. Be of good courage. Will you not trust him to do this great work for you who has given his life for you and has forgiven your sins? Only dare, in his power, to surrender yourself to the life of those who are kept from sin by the power of God. Along with the deepest conviction that there is no good in you, confess that you see in the Lord Jesus all the goodness of which you have need, for the life of a child of God; and begin literally to live ‘by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me’ (Gal. 2.20).
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
WHEN THE MASTER OF BREAKTHROUGHS SHOWS UP
2 Samuel 5:17 Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18 The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”
And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.[a] 21 And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.
Footnote in Bible Gateway tells us that the word Baal Perazim (v20) literally means the Master of Breakthroughs. All of us know what it is like for circumstances engineered by the enemy has us hemmed in. In these times, we need breakthrough. David learned that God was the Master of Breakthroughs.
The above passage shows us that God brought breakthrough to David against the Philistines. From David’s life we see what kind of man we need to be to see breakthrough against the barriers before our lives:
1. A MAN WALKING IN HIS ANOINTING
2 Samuel 5:17 Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel,…
-Make sure you do what you do under the anointing of God upon your life when going against the enemy.
2. A MAN PROTECTED IN HIS STRONGHOLD
2 Samuel 5:17 Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.
-Know how to stay in your stronghold. For the Believer, it is our place in Christ. Our lives are hid with Christ in God.
3. A MAN WHO ENQUIRES BEFORE HE CHARGES
19 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”
-The sin of presumption and haste has brought the failure of many well meaning endeavors entered into by God’s people, even His choice servants.
4. A MAN WHO HAS THE COURAGE TO OBEY GOD
And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.[a] 21 And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.
-Asking and discerning God’s will is just the first step, doing His will is the step that brings the breakthrough. Too often breakthrough does not come even though it is just one step away, the step of obedience.
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
GOD’S POWER FOR YOUR THORN
2 Cor. 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
1. Satan’s Attack on God’s Revelation
2 Cor. 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
-All through the Bible the enemy attacks those people who carry a message from God or those people who are becoming a message from God.
-Satan attacks to keep us from advancing the kingdom.
2. The Prayer for God’s Deliverance
2 Cor. 12:8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
-It is natural for us to call on God to back the Devil off.
-It is not wrong but Scriptural to pray for God to deliver us from evil (or literally, the Evil One).
3. The Reassurance of God’s Grace
2 Cor. 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
-God promises Paul He will give him enough grace to handle the Devil’s harrassment.
-God works to manifest His glory through man’s frailty.
4. Paul’s Resolution to Rest in the Power that Rested on Him
2 Cor.12:9 …Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
-We must come to the place where we know God is doing something even when we feel nothing is happening.
-We must realize the power of Grace to overcome all our human deficits.
-We must consciously receive and be secure in the grace God gives rather than struggle through our fleshly efforts.
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
Eight Truths About the Anointing
by Eddie Lawrence
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.(NKJV)
In looking at Acts 10:38 as Peter ministers to Cornelius and his household, we see how the Anointing operated in Jesus while he walked the Earth. We also can apply these truths to how the Anointing works in Christ’s body (believers) in the Earth today. Following are eight truths with the part of the verse they originate. Add your own thoughts and comments and enjoy teaching them to others.
1. It is God who Anoints
"how God anointed"
-Men may appoint you but only God can anoint you.
-No man can receive anything except be given from above.
2. It is his human children whom He Anoints
"Jesus of Nazareth" This is the designation that points to Jesus’ humanity.
-People are anointed by God to continue the message of Jesus to humanity.
3. He Anoints with the Holy Spirit
"with the Holy Spirit"
-The Holy Spirit covers, comes upon, endues, seals, and fills believers.
-Regardless of the order people debate these things happen, the exciting thing is that they do happen and they happen as a result of God’s goodness to us.
4. He Anoints with Power
"and with power"
-God’s power through man’s weakness. Wow!
-We need power to do the things that have to be done to overcome Satan.
-There is a release of power available to us to do God’s will in ministering to other people.
-It is awesome to realize that God makes this availble to us.
5. The Anointing Enables People to Do Good
"who went about doing good"
-To do good we need the help of the One Who is Good!
-Jesus went about doing good! Do we?
-List some of the good things that Jesus did…
6. The Anointing Enables People to Bring Healing and Wholeness to Others
"and healing"
-The anointing can cause shattered lives to become whole.
-Healing is the restoration of what living in a cursed world has stolen.
-Healing of the body.
-Helaing of the mind.
-Healing of the Soul
-Healing spiritually and ultimately.
7. The Anointing Frees People from the Devil’s Oppression
"all who were oppressed by the devil"
-Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.
-Oppression is a "pressure that opposes" what is good and right and holy.
-The anointing breaks the yoke and lifts the burden off people.
8. The Anointing is Evidence that God is with You.
"for God was with Him."
-When people are made whole through the ministry of the Holy Spirit it is evidence that God is near.
-We should constantly rejoice that God is with us!
-How much evidence is there that God is with us? This is testimony of how much anointing is operating in our lives.
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
Ephesians 6:17… Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”.
1. The Sword is a weapon.
A. To defend against the enemies attacks.
B. To assault the enemies strongholds.
C. We need to be trained how to use it both offensively and defensively.
D. Must keep it easily accessible to be ready.
2. Keep Your Sword in Good Condition
A. By using it. (Ecc.12.11).
B. Take it out of it’s sheath.
C. Don’t allow things to build up on it.
3. Familarize Yourself with Your Sword
A. Study it (1 Tim.2.15)
B. Realize it is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12)
C. It is two-edged. Regardless of how you swing it, it cuts.
4. Understand the Spiritual Nature of Your Sword
It is the sword the Holy Spirit will use in and through your life. It has power and…
A. It convicts of sin (Jn.16.7; Acts 2.37).
B. It regenerates (1 Pet.1.23; Jas.1.18).
C. It illuminates (Ps.119.130). I
D. It activates faith (Rom.10.17).
E. It can prevent sin (Ps.119.11).
F. It can cleanse us (Ps.119.9; Jn.15.3).
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
The following is one of my sermons on Jesus and his heart toward us all.
John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
-His heart is to bring value, goodness, and blessing to us.
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
This is one of my free sermons that is given to encourage believers to understand some of the dynamics involved where God’s word is being recieved and honored among a people. As with all our sermon outlines, use this bible sermon to bless your people.
The Battle between Faith and Unbelief
Acts 14:1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. 3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
4 But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. 5 And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them, 6 they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. 7 And they were preaching the gospel there.
The Battle between Faith and Unbelief
The man who believes nothing will find himself opposed to everything.
The bible tells us a lot about the power of faith, but also about the power of unbelief. Whatever your faith will move you toward, your unbelief will keep you from.
1. A double-minded man is unable in all his ways.
2. Jesus could do no mighty works in Nazareth due to their unbelief.
Unbelief is more than "just not being sure."
Unbelief is choosing not to believe.
When a person is presented with a claim and the evidence is there to back it up, then they decide that they still do not believe, then they are in unbelief.
The Passage which we are studying in Acts 14:1-7 gives us some insights into understanding the struggle taking place when faith and unbelief are active in the same crowd. There are four observations to make. First notice that there was–
1. A Place and A People (v1)
A. The Place (Iconium at the synagogue where people gathered to hear the Scripture taught. It is where God’s Word is being released that faith and unbelief collides.)
B. The People (The Apostles carrying the Word of God in power, the Jews with knowledge of the Old Testament revelation, the Greeks steep in various world viewpoints. Among the Jews and Greeks hearts and minds were being influenced as the Holy Spirit opened their hearts to the truth of the Gospel. Many of them believed. It registered upon their spirits and they embraced it. This is the power of God’s Word at work.)
2. A Passion and A Poison (v2)
A. A Passion (The unbelieving Jews got stirred up. Passion moves us to do something about the object of our passion. They came against the Apostles and those who embraced their teaching.)
B. A Poison (The posion is seen in how they came against the Apostles and believers–by poisoning the minds of the Gentiles. They distributed their poison through trench warfare political tactics. This dynamic is very much alive today. It thrives on fear, suspicion, and is fueled by passion for a cause. It lives in politics, it lives in churches, it lives in the offices of the workplace, it can be found in most anywhere people are. The goal of this is to create division–v4 and opposition –v5, violence and abuse.
3. A Persistence and A Power (v3)
A. The Persistence (They stayed there a long time. They dug in and kept ministering.)
B. The Power (boldness, signs and wonders, and grace were flowing. God was confirming His Word by the release of wonder working power.)
4. A Persecution and A Plan (v4)
A. The Persecution (The enemy took things to the next level. There was an outbreak of violence and abuse. This is the way of the enemy and ubelief. It can take a stand just like faith can take a stand. Persecution has the idea of "to drive away."
B. The Plan (Rather than allow the Gospel message to be isolated and distracted with the enemy’s tactics, they decided to leave a city and reach a region. This is not defeat but rather exporting and expansion. This is seen more than once in the Book of Acts.
This is God’s way of bringing good forth in the face of evil. He does it all the time (Rom. 8:28).
Conclusion–God will do this in your life as well. Don’t allow the tactics of the enemy to cause you to give up. The Devil never trumps the purposes of God and he never check mates God. God is never on the defensive. Remember this and you will have courage in the storm and stamina filled with wisdom to see your way forward into victory. This is the heart of faith!
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin
Following is a message based on the sermon outline called 3 Steps to Your Destiny. You can see how I took that sermon outline and developed it into a unique sermon. Of course you could use this for a bible study as well. Preach it and use it to teach your congregation or small group.
“ We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy – but because they are hard! Because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one we intend to win!”
“ We need men who can dream of things that never were.”
We LOVE you so.. how about liking us on Facebook?..
Powered By Facebook Like Post Plugin