As a group we need to pray about contending for the faith. We don’t’ know what we’ve got.
Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.
We can use healing in this group and outside this group. There’s struggle to get there, sovereignty is an area that keeps people from getting there. David doesn’t recall his pastor using the term sovereign.
The president of the Full Gospel of Business Men, Demos Shakarian which is a world-wide organization is an Armenian millionaire dairy farmer. He would pray and ask the Lord for the right bull to breed his cows to produce the most milk. He had a stroke and believed because he didn’t get healed it was the sovereignty of God. He had this put in their magazine which goes around the world. He wanted to have a testimony like his father who dies like Abraham. Armenians were persecuted badly way back when. His father was in his ninety and walked in divine health until he rolled over and passed away. Demos Shakarian had been around T.L. Osborn, Jack Cole, Oral Roberts, A. Allen, Kathryn Kuhlman. He saw all the miracles where he had prayed for people. He felt there was no reason he shouldn’t have been healed. He not only wanted to be known but wanted this testimony of healing for him.
Charles Trombley does some good teachings. He’s said sometimes it’s easier to pray for somebody else to get healed than yourself because you’re the one who’s hurting.
The Lord told David to go to California and tell him it’s not because of the sovereignty of God. He wasn’t doing everything right. This testimony that he wanted was not proof that he was doing everything right. He’s responsible for telling the Catholics to stay in the Catholic Church. It became a big split in the organization that he and some others encouraged the Catholics to stay in the church. God told David to also tell him what the next move of God was. David didn’t have a lot of money. He was struggling in what he was doing. California is a long was away and didn’t know how he was going to get there. Time went on and on. A brother called up and wanted to know how things were going. He told David that Demos Shakarian will be in Cincinnati, Ohio. David went and told them he wanted to talk to him. They said a lot of people want to talk to him and say they have a word from the Lord. Most of the time it’s nothing and if you approach him without his permission we’ll have you arrested. His car pulled and David thought it’s been a long time since the Lord told me this. Did the Lord really tell me? He had a vision and turned his back to the car and saw him get out with his arm up like he had a stroke and in a wheelchair. When David turned around he was getting out of the car and that’s the way he was. The oppressive thing is how those men loved him. He was a dapper old man and they really cared for him. David hung around and after one of their executive meetings with leadership from all over the United States and other countries. They said David could talk him now in the executive meeting with all these people. David told him what the Lord said, it’s not because of his sovereignty. It was he had not done everything right. He had not entered the covenant. He did not understand being made whole. Osborn never taught thou shall make a covenant. Osborn taught be made whole. David said the Lord of God wants me to tell you what the next move of God is - a covenant keeping people. Shakarian started to leave and turned around and said “what’s the next move of God”? David said a covenant keeping people. Shakarian left. David doesn’t know what effect or what happened at that time.
People think because of sovereignty the Lord may change his mind and say you’re not going to be healed.
The scriptures say renew our minds.
There’s so much trash we’ve been raised in we don’t think the way we ought to think. Some of it becomes an excuse for not fighting for what belongs to you.
David taught on before about the Israelites going through the land. They were overcoming all these nations. The Gibeon tribe saw what they were doing to all the other nations so they lied to them and said they had rags and moldy bread. They should have checked with Yahweh to get his direction on it but they didn’t and believed a lie. Then they found out they’d been lied to but they had already made a verbal agreement. Even though they had broken the deal with the Lord but because their word was out there they could not go back on it. They would have been punished.
There’s blessings and cursing’s. David was a lesser representing us. Johnathan was a king’s son. He gave him is military belt. David had nothing to give him except his word. When David said you’re dads trying to kill me. If you have found iniquity in me kill me yourself. That was the cursing. Don’t let your dad kill me if I’ve broken covenant kill me yourself. They took covenant pretty serious where we don’t. There are lawyers trying to break covenants.
The Lord told them what to do so they were unintentionally disobedient which we all can be. David says there were times he didn’t want to be disobedient but got to thinking and got stuck or delayed what he was supposed to do. Copeland wrote a book - Is That You God. Sometimes you don’t know if it’s God talking to you or what it is. There was a time the Lord told David not to shoot an opossum and he thought all the opossum I’ve shot why the Lord would tell me not to shoot an opossum. It was an object lesson so he always gets into trouble thinking.
The dean of the bible college said one time if the Lord said he’s going to meet you at nine o’clock at Broad and High and you meet him at one minute till or after nine it’s not the Lord. The Lord said nine o’clock. If the Lord tells you to jump, jump and don’t ask how high. Too many times David says he’s asked how high and messed up.
The Lord is trying to get the church ready to stand. Ester’s job was getting the people ready to stand but we’re not going to stand with physical weapons. Haman falls over on Ester begging for his life and the king walks in and thinks he’s trying to make out with her.
Ester 8:4-8 the king could not change the orders he’d given before but he could give it to Ester and use his ring and enable them to stand. The king is keeping his word. It can’t be reversed. He already made a deal with Haman to go kill them. He said I can’t change my word but you take it and write it.
Some say you’re not supposed to swear. They don’t understand there are times you can swear just don’t swear by heaven etc. Abraham swore by oath. Yahweh swore an oath. That is the assurance of the benefits of our salvation because he swore. He said he looked around and there’s nobody any greater than he was so he swore by himself. His word is out there. The blessings I will bless you: When it pertains to us he says we will have the blessings of Abraham. He swore that this kind of salvation will last until the end of the world. That’s where our assurance should be. He swore if there’s any breaking on it it’s on our part. If there’s any unbelief it’s on our part. It’s not his determination to change his mind. The scripture says there’s no shadow of turning. When it says he repented of it, it doesn’t mean he committed sin. He just backed off the judgement he’s putting on. His word is the assurance we’ll see in Hebrews. We have this assurance that he does not change his mind. He wants everyone that comes to him in faith to have the full benefits activated in their life.
When looking at the definition of sovereignty it doesn’t include the idea of somebody putting their word out there and then changing their mind.
The word contend means to fight or struggle. It’s like salmon. If you’ve been in fast water you’ve felt the power of that water. Just standing can move you. Yet the salmon swim up close to it, jump and hit the powerful water, fall back and jump again. It’s like a repetitious miracle. If anyone has ever been hit with a firehouse you have an idea how you’d be off your feet with tons and tons of water hitting you. The battle is in your head and your heart. The battle is getting rid of the trash you’ve grown up with. We need to be able to say the Lord said so, so I can.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation (rescue, safety, physically or morally, saving health, deliverance, aid, well-being), it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend (struggle) for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
When David was studying for the book he was writing he came across redeemed from the curse of the law. It was so great what he saw. He spent twenty five years in the church. It wasn’t so much about healing because he always heard about how God can heal. He had been very sick himself and his dad prayed for him. David was faced with a decision once when the assistant pastor asked if he wanted him to pray for a healing or pray the operation goes well. He stopped and thought for a minute and said pray the operation goes well. This was the first time he was faced with something like that. He was afraid to go get operated on because he knew too much about the history of doctors practicing on blacks. He had seen his son raised from the dead; David had been partially paralyzed and healed and this was before he learned about redeemed from the curse of the law.
When the bible talks about my crops, my animals and all that being blessed he said this so great I don’t know if I believe it myself. Then his dog came around the corner with a swollen jaw. David had tears in his eyes. He said if this true that dog should be healed. He was also dealing with an itch on his arm he had been dealing with for a long time. The dog got healed and David didn’t at that time. Does he like dogs better than David?
Hebrews 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
David needs to remember this when he adds Issue 5 to his literature for the Seventh Day Adventist. Ellen G White prophesied in eighteen hundreds that Jesus was going to return. They were part of the Millerites which was part of the Jehovah Witness’ at that time. They had the same prophesy. When he didn’t return she said what she meant was he’d return to the outer court.
In verse 18 of Hebrews 10 and other verses there is no more outer court ministry. The outer court is where they examine the lambs and do their washings (divers washings), preparing to go into the inner sanctuary and slather the blood. Once he’s in there the high priest does not come back out to minister. He doesn’t minister outside the outer court anyway. The Lord himself has become our Melchizedek or high priest. So what’s he doing getting out preparing to go back in to sacrifice? It’s just another one of those lies. There is no more offering for sin.
Hebrews 10:19-24
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Otherwise baptized by the spirit, the Lord himself baptizes)
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the (covenant) profession (confession Romans 10:9) of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) he will keep his word if he hold fast to the covenant we made. If thou shall make a binding agreement (covenant) with your mouth the rescue, safety, physically morally – the covenant-keeping God thou shall be made whole.
So when you go before him “I’ve got a covenant with you”. He’s my deliverer, he’s my healer. In covenant relationship we have a blood covenant.
Hebrews 10:37-39
Hebrews 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (destruction); but of them that believe to the saving (preservation) of the soul (their life). He talks about the anti-Christ he’s talking about the son of destruction, the son of perdition.
The desire of the Lord is he does not want us to draw back in unbelief. It can be a fight. It can be a struggle. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t get bitter. Lose one battle go on to win another.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Abraham told his servant I and my son will be back down. He was determined to carry out sacrificing his son. The Lord said I see you believe me don’t do it. There’s a ram in the bush. What he couldn’t see and what he was about to do – he was looking forward past that.
Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God (the Creator), so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
There’s so much trash about evolution. It’s being hounded and hounded in the schools, radio, TV, National Geographic. They say there’s so much proof out there. It’s a wonder people still believe in creation. As the system devil undermines faith it’s a time when believes are saying he’s a creator and gets raised up on it. There have been too many created miracles. Then Pope Francis says what do you think he did just wave a magic wand? Jack Hayford said you have to leave room for some evolution.
You don’t have to leave room for any evolution.
At Rod Parsley’s church they prayed for a baby born without a brain stem. It was such a tremendous thing it was on the evening news. Colleen Marshall said “Catholic’s have miracles”. David saw a lady with no knee cap get a knee cap.
Hebrews 11:4-40
Hebrews 11:6 the first step is to believe that he is
Hebrews 11:7 Noah is where it’s never rained before.
Hebrews 11:8 everywhere Abraham went, he prophetically laid out the temple and places of worship. Unknowingly he prophesied Romans 10:9
Hebrews 11:9 they built the city but the one he’s looking for is the one coming down from heaven. People think we’re going to die and go to heaven. The scripture says the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. We’re going to be down here.
Hebrews 11:11 this is encouraging because Sarah blew it but after she blew it she went on to conceive and have the promise child. The mess in the Mideast is because Abraham listened to her. She’s also accounted as a person of faith.
Hebrews 11:13 some pastors teach he believed God but he died and never got what he was looking for, which is another work of Satan in the pulpits.
Hebrews 11:19 Abraham believes God to the point he’s going to kill his son. This is the kind of faith we’re supposed to have. This is examples for us.
David shares a story of a lady whose mother had cancer and they lord said she’d be healed. Her mom kept getting worse. The real thing was did he really say? That’s all it takes. It’s a lie from the devil making you question that. Her mom did get healed.
Hebrews 11:28 Through faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. The church is facing another death stroke, a historical event prophesied because they don’t come out of Babylon and through the blood in covenant relationship. Jesus became the door. Can this body of Christ or the next generation get to the point “I have gone through Christ to the Father through the blood of Jesus when that time comes?
Hebrews 11:29 Moses was doing what Yahweh told him to do but the people are worrying. They did their shouting when they got to the other side and sometimes the time to rejoice is before you go to the water.
Song:
I'm going through, I'm going through, I'll pay the price whatever others do; I'll take the way with the Lord's despised few. I'll start with Jesus. And I'm going through.
Hebrews 12:1 most teach there are saints up in heaven looking down on us cheering us on and praying for us. What it’s talking about is a bunch of people witness to the fact that God’s able to take care of anyone that believes. The word witness there is a legal statement like being in court and raising your hand to tell the truth the whole truth so help me. I’m a witness to the greatness and mercy of God.
Hebrews 12:6-8 some people say he chastens you with sickness and that’s not at all what he’s talking about. It can cost you when you goof up but the whole point is to straighten you up so you can obtain the blessing not so he can kill you. We have the sure mercies of David.
Some chastening can be physical because you have free will. He warns us not to go that way. When we don’t listen it costs us but we can get up and go on.
The bible says grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby we’re sealed unto the day of redemption. If you don’t have the sense in you that what you’re doing is wrong the spirit of the Lord is not in you.
The wages of sin are death. It’s not just talking about eternal death. Sin can kill marriages, relationships, health, trust, business, freedom. Those that practice sins will not inherit eternal life. There are those who have fallen and righted themselves and are no longer practicing sin. It says such as were you but now you don’t. When God says, don’t do it, that’s rebuking. There’s a still small voice telling you not to do it. Sin can cost you but the mercy of God is still there.
The Lord knew Peter was going to mess up and Judas but they had a different heart and understanding. We’re supposed to be lights. We’re supposed to be salt.