Message

Today we’re going to be talking about “Defeating the Enemy.” To learn how to defeat the enemy, we need to understand that there are two world that we live in. The two worlds are the seen and the unseen. The seen world is the physical world, that which we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell.

For most people, the seen world is all that they perceive. Yet there is another world the unseen world. The unseen world is the spiritual world. A world in which there is a cosmic battle raging. A battle between the kingdom of God and Satan’s domain of darkness.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (ESV) as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

As believers, we are not to focus on the seen world, rather the unseen world. The seen world seems so real and so permanent, yet it is transient, it will eventually be destroyed. The unseen world is eternal, it is going to last forever.

John 3:3 (ESV) Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Unless a person is a believer and born again, they cannot see the unseen realm of the kingdom of God. Yet, too often, even as believers, we simply tend to live in the physical world alone. Leaving the spiritual world for eternity. However, we must get our priorities straight and look first and foremost at the unseen world and God’s kingdom.

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Too often, we see other people as our enemies, the ones that we can see with our eyes. But our real enemies are the unseen spiritual forces of evil and darkness. They are the ones that God calls us to defeat. God desires for you to advance His kingdom by defeating the enemy in the spiritual dimension.

Today, we’re going to learn how Jesus defeated the enemy. He provides us with an example to follow so that we can do the same.

Would you like to see your life changed in one way or another? I think that we all would. It’s part of how God made us. He made us with a desire to so something new or better. Or to stop some undesirable behavior. That’s why man of us try New Year’s Resolutions each year. But that sad fact is that most people’s resolutions for life change never get accomplished.

However, I do believe this morning that God desires for each of our lives to change for the better. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. I’ve entitled today’s message – Life Change Secrets. God has secrets that He desires to share with you. Secrets that can change your life. Those who seek God to discover His secrets will find treasures. Treasures that will lead to life change.

1 Corinthians 2:7 (ESV) But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

The apostle Paul is telling us that God had revealed to him secret and hidden wisdom. And Paul shared those secrets with those he taught 2000 years and with us today. How can you and I gain access to God’s secrets? You have to seek after God’s secrets, sometimes referred to in the Bible as treasures.

Matthew 7:7 (ESV) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

This promise of Jesus refers to not just any asking, seeking or knocking. It refers to seeking to discover the secrets and wisdom of God. When you seek after God’s secrets, Jesus promises us that you will find those secrets. Where are God’s secrets to be found? God’s secrets are hidden in God’s Word, the Bible.

But things aren’t so simple. There are many people who read the Bible, but don’t discover the secrets. Just as there were many people in Jesus’ day who heard Him teach, but didn’t discover His secrets. We need the Holy Spirit to enable us to understand and put into practice what we read in God’s Word.

1 Corinthians 2:10 (ESV) these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

The secrets of God that lead to life change are only revealed through the Holy Spirit. He is the one who helps us understand and reap the benefits of God’s secrets. So, let’s get started with some profound teaching of Jesus, which will help us learn about the secrets of life change.

Our hearts were torn this week as we saw the story of the elementary school children killed in Texas. It was a stark reminder that Satan and his demons are still active spreading evil. It was a reminder that we live in a fallen world where evil stalks. What can we do about the evil in the world?

I’ve entitled today’s message “Bringing Heaven to Earth.” God desires to use you and me to bring heaven to earth. Back in the garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve a promise.

Genesis 3:15 (ESV) I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The promise was that an offspring of the woman, a human being, would bruise or crush the serpent’s head, that is Satan’s head. All through the Old Testament, the prophets spoke of a coming Messiah. A Messiah who would defeat evil and bring heaven to earth. Finally after thousands of years, the Messiah came, Jesus Christ, the anointed one. When He came, He spoke of the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 4:17 (ESV) From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Other translations say that the kingdom of heaven is near. What that meant was that the supernatural power of heaven was breaking into our world for the first time. Heaven was invading earth and driving out evil in people’s lives. Jesus taught us to pray in …

Matthew 6:10 (ESV) Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

We are to pray that the kingdom of heaven would come to this earth so that God’s will would be done on earth as it is perfectly done in heaven. The process of the kingdom of heaven coming began in Jesus’ ministry and continues to this day. If you are a believer today, then you also have been authorized by Jesus to bring heaven to earth through your life. Then end of the Bible tells us when the process of heaven coming down to earth will be complete.

Revelation 21:2 (ESV) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Ultimately at the return of Christ, heaven will come down and all evil will be removed from the earth as heaven merges with earth. 

Today, we want to better understand how we can make a difference in our world. Making a difference by bringing heaven to earth in our own lives. A difference that will impact eternity. So let’s look more closely at how Jesus was bringing the kingdom of heaven near.

Our message today from the gospel of Luke is entitled “Power of Faith in Healing.” Gospel of Luke is filled with accounts of Jesus healing people. There are fifteen detailed specific accounts of healing miracles in the Gospel. These accounts tell us what Jesus did 2000 years ago. And what He desires to do today through His body, the church.

What does it take for Jesus heal someone? First of all, you need to ask Him to heal you.  In Luke 18, there is an account of a blind beggar who was calling out on Jesus to have mercy on him. Jesus asked the blind beggar a question.

Luke 18:41 (ESV) “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.”

Jesus asked “What do you want me to do for you?” What are you asking for specifically? The beggar asked Jesus specifically to see again.

Luke 18:42 (ESV) And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.”

So in this account we see the man who wanted to be healed asking for the specific healing he desired. Then Jesus tells him and us that faith is required to be healed. Your faith had made you well.

Mark 6:5-6a (ESV) And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

In the town of Nazareth, there was so much unbelief, that Jesus could not do any mighty miracles there. Healing comes through asking for God’s healing power with faith. All of us would like to see ourselves and other healed through the power of God. How can we do our part to believe and have faith for miracles of healing?

Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

One of the primary ways that you can build your faith is by daily reading God’s Word. Not only read the Bible, but believe that what it teaches applies to today. Faith also comes through hearing stories of God healing people today. That is why it’s so important that when God heals or blesses you, you tell others through a God Story here in church.

Faith is not something that is binary, you either have it or you don’t. You can have little faith or you can have great faith and everything in between. If your faith is small, it can grow. The Bible tells us that over the years that Abram was waiting for the birth of the promised Son, his faith grew stronger the longer he waited. You can have faith for yourself to be healed or you can have faith to see someone else healed.

The third way that you can have faith is through the spiritual gift of faith, talked about in 1 Corinthians 12. How do you receive spiritual gifts? Some people think it is just a random choice of God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Spiritual gifts like every other gift from God come to those who ask God for them.

1 Corinthians 14:1a (ESV) Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts,

If you earnestly desire a spiritual gift, what are you going to do? You are going to ask God for that spiritual gift. If you desire to have the gift of faith, ask God for it. God desires to do many more miracles among us at Life Church than ever before. For that to happen, our faith has to grow. Today, my prayer is that our faith would grow as we learn about the power of faith in healing.

This morning, we’re going to address the question, Who is a Disciple of Jesus today? This is a very important question to answer. According to the Bible, a true disciple of Jesus is a follower of the Lord Jesus. A disciple of Jesus is someone who is saved and has eternal life. The question of who is a disciple of Jesus needs to first of all be asked of ourselves. Am I a disciple of Jesus?

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Why examine yourself? There are many who think they are disciples of Jesus, but are not. Realizing that you are not Jesus’ disciple is the first step to becoming one. Many think they are disciples because they go to church, read the Bible or like some of the things that Jesus taught. God’s Word clearly tells us how to become a disciple of Jesus. We’ll give you an opportunity to make sure you are Jesus’ disciple at the end of the service.

Not only should we examine ourselves, we are to ask the question of those around us. Are they disciples of Jesus? There are three possible answers to the question. The first is Yes, someone is a true disciple of Jesus. The second answer is No, someone is a false disciple of Jesus. A false disciple is someone who claims to be Jesus’ disciple, but is not. Finally, there are those who don’t claim to be a disciple and are not.

1 John 4:1 (ESV) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Behind every person, there is a spirit. Within every true disciple of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Guiding the lives of every false disciple or non-disciple are evil spirits. Why do we need to discern whether others of Jesus’ true disciples? Because it will help us to interact with them in the way God desires. Thos are true disciples of Jesus, we treat as brothers and sisters in Christ. Those who are false disciples or follow other religions, we seek to win to Christ and are beware of their teaching.

70% of people in America claim to be Christians or disciples of Jesus. Only 25% of people in America are practicing Christians who agree that their faith is very important and attended church in the past month. Undoubtedly, true disciples are only a fraction of that 25% of practicing Christians. Today, we want to learn more from Jesus about who is a disciple?

Today’s message is entitled “Jesus and Women.” I trust that this message will speak to mothers, as well as all women. The Old Testament has many great things to say about God’s plan and purpose for women.

Exodus 20:12 (ESV) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

This commandment with a wonderful promise tells us to honor our mothers. Through God’s grace, a mother carried each one of us and brought us into the world. There are many examples of godly women and mothers in the Old Testament. We read of Eve, the mother of all humanity. Sarah, Abraham’s wife was a mother of faith. Jochebed, Moses/ mother who hid him by faith. Rahab, who hid the Israelite spies. Deborah, judge of Israel, Ruth, Hannah, Esther and many more.

Proverbs 31:10 (ESV)  An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

This verse speaks of the great value of women and wives.

Proverbs 31:30 (ESV) Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

A woman’s worth is not measured by her beauty or outward appearance, but by her love for and fear of the Lord. Yet, despite all these examples in the Old Testament and many more, women in Jesus’ day were considered second class citizens. Yet, Jesus broke the stereotypes of his day and showed, love, care and honor for women.

Luke 8:1b-3a (ESV) And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, … and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

As Jesus travelled throughout Israel, preaching the Gospel, He as not just accompanied by the twelve apostles. There were also a group of women who had been healed and who provided finances for the ministry. Today, Jesus wants to encourage all the women and mothers listening to this message. We’re going to learn how much Jesus cares about you.