Sermon
The Words of Faith (Part 3)
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. Thank you, Father. We've been teaching.
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I've been leading us in understanding the words
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of faith. The words of faith. This is the third
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session of it. The words of faith. Last Sunday
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and on Wednesday and today is the third. The
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words of faith. And today we'll just be looking
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at the words of God on our lips as a subtopic.
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The word of God on our lips. And let me just
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give us a recap so far. On Wednesday we established
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some facts. We said, God's walk through his words.
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God, who is our example, our father, he walks
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through his word. And his word carries the power
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to establish his purpose on the earth. And we
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read through the creation story. We saw this
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in the creation theology in Genesis 1, how God
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speak things and things come into existence.
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And there was nothing that came into existence
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without God speaking it. And we saw that even
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in the creation of man, before man came into
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existence, man was spoken of. And God set a pattern
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for us. God set an example for us. In the activity
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that he did on earth, we see that he used words
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to speak things into existence. So, went on to
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say that words have power. And what we hear and
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believe and speak can shape. Our conduct, it
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can shape our experiences and words can shape
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our realities. And we saw an example in the fall
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of man in Genesis 3. We saw it in the fall of
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man in Genesis 3. We saw how the words of Satan,
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you know, spoken to Eve and Adam in the Garden
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of Eden, shaped the realities, their reality.
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We see them believing the words that Satan spoke.
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And then their realities were established. So
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also on to Rosa, what we hear, what we give attention
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to, and what we allow to reign supreme by words
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have the capacity to shape our experiences and
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our realities. And we went on to say that our
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words can express either faith or unbelief. Our
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words, the things we say, can express either
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faith or unbelief. We're going to look more into
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this in a few minutes to come. So our words express
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either faith or unbelief. So we must take responsibility
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for what comes out of our mouths. We don't just
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open our mouth and speak anyhow. We assume responsibility
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for every single word that comes out of our mouth.
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Our words do not only have the capacity to shape
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our own realities, but our words can also influence
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others around us. It can either edify them or
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tear them down. So we have a responsibility,
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first and foremost. You know, in Scripture, the
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Bible says that we will give account for every
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idle word. We will give account for every word
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that we speak. So therefore comes the responsibility
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to speak properly. Because every word we speak,
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the Bible says we give an account for it. And
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as believers, we must learn to speak in agreement
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to God's word. We must learn to speak always
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in agreement with God's word, expressing faith
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rather than fear. doubt, negativity, or unbelief.
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The words we speak daily must always be in alignment
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with the word of God. Our words must express
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what must express faith rather than fear, doubt,
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or negativity or unbelief. Now I want us to begin
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by looking at the believer's confession. The
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believer's confession. What is the confession
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of the believer? The confession of the believer
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must be the word of God. The confession of the
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believers must be the word of God. Now, when
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we say that your words shapes your realities.
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And what we expect to see you speak are positive
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words. Now, positive words must be the word of
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God. Hallelujah. Your confession must be the
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word of God. What is confession? What is confession?
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Romans chapter 10, verse 8 to 10. Romans chapter
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10, verse 8 to 10. But what does it say? The
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word is near you. In your mouth and in your heart.
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That is the words of faith which we preach. The
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context here is the gospel. Now that if you confess,
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what is that confess? What does it mean to confess?
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What does it mean to profess? That if you confess
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with your mouth, what are you confessing? If
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you confess with your mouth, you confess what?
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The Lord Jesus. and believe in your heart that
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God had raised him from the dead, you will be
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safe. So our confession to salvation is Christ.
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We confess Christ and we are safe. For with the
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heart one believes unto righteousness, and with
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the mouth, oh, is it with the mind? With the
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mouth, right? Confession is made. onto salvation.
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Confession is made onto salvation with the mouth.
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Hallelujah. So we make confession, we confess
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Jesus. In fact, the confession that brings salvation
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is not the confession of sins, but the confession
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of Jesus. You don't confess sin to be saved.
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I've given this example some years ago. I said,
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when you catch a thief red -handed and him, Agreeing
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there is a thief does not make him exonerated.
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Hallelujah. Doesn't make him exonerated. But
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when a judge passes a judgment of acquaintance
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and a person confesses the judgment of the judge,
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it becomes his reality. Look at what that confession
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is. 1 Timothy 6, verse 12. 1 Timothy 6, verse
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12. Find the good fight of faith, lay hold of
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eternal life, lay hold on eternal life, to which
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you will also call and have confessed. So what
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have they confessed? They've confessed the confession
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of faith. They've made the confession of eternal
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life. The good confession in the presence of
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many witnesses. Confession. Hebrews chapter 3
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verse 1. Hebrews chapter 3, verse 1. Therefore,
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holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
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consider the apostle and the high priest of our
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confession, Christ Jesus. So confession has specification
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and the confession is a person. And the confession
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is who? Is Christ Jesus. Hebrews 10, 23. Hebrews
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chapter 10, verse 23. Hebrews 10, verse 23. Let
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us hold fast the confession of our hope without
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wavering. For he who promises is faithful. For
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he who promises what? Is faithful. Now, the word
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confess in the New Testament Scriptures is translated
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from the Greek word homologio. Let me spell it.
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H -O -M -O. L -O -G -E -O in the Greek. Homologio.
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Some places we see homologia, equally meaning,
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you know, similarly the same thing, which means
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to speak the same thing. It means to speak the
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same thing. That is, to assent to something.
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To agree with something or with someone. To declare
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what someone has said or to admit. So, confession
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is not just speaking in the air. Confession has
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a focus and a direction. Confession is to say
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the same as God has said. Alright? We saw in
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the scriptures we read that Jesus Christ is our
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confession. So when the Bible says that Jesus
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Christ is our confession, what we're saying is
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that we are agreeing with what God has done in
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Christ. Jesus came to die for the forgiveness
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of our sins. So confessing Jesus Christ is admitting
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that what God has done is your reality. That
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is a confession. Hallelujah. Now, do you now
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see why I said that we don't confess sin to be
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saved? All right? We confess what God has done
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concerning sin to be saved. And our confession
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is a person, is Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. So,
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confession is to say the same thing as God has
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said it. Not just cutting scriptures in this
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context, but believing and agreeing with scripture.
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All right? The scripture is about the person
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and the person is Christ. We boldly say what
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God has said in his word. Confession is driven
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by conviction. Confession is driven by what?
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By conviction. Conviction is a state of persuasiveness.
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You heard the thing. And you've come to know
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that that thing is true. And there's no wavering
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in your position concerning that which you've
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heard. You are convinced, you are convicted within
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your heart that this is a fact concerning what
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you've heard. So confession is driven by conviction.
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It is birthed from the faith that we find operational
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in the heart of the believer. So confession of
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faith should not be substituted for positive
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confession. You know, we are in an era where
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people are encouraged to speak positive things.
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Now, when it comes to the confession of faith,
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it's not just speaking positive things. Not every
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positive thing you say is a confession of faith.
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Positive confession... is to keep saying something
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good and positive so that by saying it, it will
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happen. That is positive speaking. But the confession
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of faith is not positive thinking or positive
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speaking. Somehow we found, you know, this misconception
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in the faith teaching in many churches today
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that they substitute positive speaking to the
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speaking of faith. It is not the same thing.
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In the case of faith speaking or speaking the
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words of faith, speaking what you believe in
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your heart with your mouth is positive. Alright?
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Speaking what you believe in your heart with
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your mouth is positive. But it is not positive
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speaking. It is a confession of faith. For example
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now, in the Bible, the Bible says that For example,
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if I confess and say, I am the righteousness
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of God in Christ Jesus, it's something positive,
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right? I am the righteousness of God in Christ
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Jesus is positive. But I'm not saying it to be
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positive. I'm not saying it to make it good,
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even though it's a good saying. The confession
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of faith is Christ -centered speaking. It's a
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Christ -centered speaking. Are we together? The
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confession of faith is Christ -centered speaking,
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specifically. It's a Christ -centered speaking.
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It's not everything that is positive that is
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Christ -centered. Are we together? So, confession
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of faith is Christ -centered speaking, Jesus
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-dominated speaking. It is a Jesus dominated
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speaking. I'm distinguishing positive speaking
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and the confession of faith. The confession of
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faith is Christ centered speaking. It is a Jesus
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dominated speaking. And this is birthed by Christ
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dominated thinking. Hallelujah. It is dominated
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by what? By Christ thinking. Christ centered
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thinking. So my words must give expression to
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that which has been done or will be done in Christ.
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So the parameter of my confession is within what
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Christ has done. what Christ is doing or what
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Christ will do. This is the confession of faith.
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So what I'm doing is that I'm agreeing that this
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is what the Word of God says concerning what
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Christ has done. What I'm agreeing, which is
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the word confession, is that I'm agreeing with
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what God will do in Christ because there are
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some things that God will do in your life. And
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it's... It's founded on what God has done already
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in his death, in his burial and resurrection.
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So what we do as we confess that we are agreeing
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with what Christ has done. We are agreeing with
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what God said he will do. We are agreeing with
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what God says he's doing right now in our lives.
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That is faith confession. That is a confession
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of faith. Our words must give expression to that
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which Christ has done or is doing or will do.
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So the confession of faith are things that are
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said that we thoughtfully consider the person
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of Jesus Christ. The confessions of faith are
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the things that we say that as we say them, we
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are thoughtfully considering the person. The
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character, the ability, the faithfulness, the
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promises that are in Christ. So, our confession
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has a boundary and the boundary is Christ. So,
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when we talk about... good things, speak better
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things, speak positive things. We're not saying
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don't speak anything that you feel like speaking.
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We're saying that your speaking has a parameter
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and your speaking is situated within what Christ
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has done. Your speaking is situated within the
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character and the ability of God. Your speaking
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is founded on the foundation of what God has
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said, what God has done. What God is doing and
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what God has said he will do. Therefore, the
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word of God must dwell in us richly. The word
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of God must dwell in us richly. Why will the
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word of God, why must the word of God dwell in
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us richly? So that our confession will be centered
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on what God has said. The word of God must dwell
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in us richly so that our thinking and our meditation
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will influence the things that come out of our
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mouth. So that we will have sufficiency of words
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to speak concerning our lives, concerning situations,
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concerning our realities, concerning our future,
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concerning everything that pertains to us in
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the earth. Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. Joshua chapter
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1 verse 8. Let's see the exhortation that Moses
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gave to Joshua. It says the book of the law shall
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not depart from where? Hello? From your mind?
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Where should the book of the law never depart
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from? From where? From the mouth. Now, there's
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no how you meditate without your mouth. Okay?
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Let me establish this. Meditation is thinking
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and speaking. The book of the law, this book
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of the law, shall not depart from your mouth.
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Which means that Moses explains that Joshua continually
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speaks what God has said. It means that Joshua
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should continually speak what God has said. In
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his speaking, his teaching is what God has said.
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In his life, he speaks what God has said. This
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book of the Lord shall not depart from your mouth,
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but you shall meditate in it day and night that
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you may observe to do according to all that is
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written in it. For then you will make your way
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prosperous. And then you will have what? You
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will have good success. But it begins from where?
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From the word not departing from your mouth.
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Hallelujah. Which means that his confession,
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his profession, and his speaking continually
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must be the word of God. The word of God not
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departing from his mouth. Then we see his meditation,
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what happens within his mind. As he meditates,
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he speaks the word of God. Then we see his actions
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also, the word of God. And then we see success,
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we see prosperity. Colossians chapter 3, verse
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16 to 17. Colossians chapter 3, verse 16 to 17.
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It says, let the word of God, the word of Christ,
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dwell in you, how? Richly. Richly. the word of
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God dwelling in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
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and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
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and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
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heart to the Lord. And whatever you do in your
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speech or in your conduct, do all things in the
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name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
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the Father through him. It says, let the word
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of God dwell in you richly. So thinking about
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God's word is good, but speaking the word of
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God is much more important. Hallelujah. You can
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think about it. When you don't speak it, you
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limit what you're thinking from finding expression.
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Hallelujah. So we have a duty to meditate, to
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think over the word of God. But most importantly,
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we allow the word of God to find expression in
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our lips. It becomes our conversation. It becomes
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our testimony. It becomes our reality. It becomes
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our affirmation. It becomes what by which our
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lives are shaped by. So the word of God becomes
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our reality. It becomes our speech daily. It
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becomes our songs. The word of God becomes our
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songs. Hallelujah. Our words are empty as men
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in regards to the purposes of God. In regards
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to the purposes of God. Our words are empty as
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men. We must fill them with God's word. Alright?
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As regards to the purposes of God. Our words
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are empty. We fill them with God's word to see
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God's result manifested in our lives. Hallelujah.
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So contextually, to God's plan and God's purpose,
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our words have no effect. We fill them with what
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God has said to see God's result manifested in
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our lives. When we fill them with another word,
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The words of God that can come from Satan, from
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whatever, what do you call, origin, we will see
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the result from that source. But believers will
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fill our words with the words of God. We fill
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our thoughts, our speech, with the word of God.
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And we see the God kind of result in manifestation
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in our lives. So God's words on our lips. It's
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not only for sharing or for evangelism. Okay?
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We go out to preach. We tell people about the
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good news. We tell them about what Christ has
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done. We tell people about what Christ wants
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them to come into. But most importantly, the
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Word of God on our lips is also for our daily
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living. We keep saying God's words to see His
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Word at work daily in our lives. Our desire in
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this church is to see that your life daily is
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shaped by the Word of God. Not only that you
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accurately understand the Word of God, that you
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are properly taught the Word of God in its accuracy,
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but that you take up what has been taught and
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make it your own meditation and make it your
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own confession daily. Therein you will see the
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prosperity, the prosperity that is in God's Word.
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So God speaks his word so that we in turn can
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have what to say. Our life, the Bible says that
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the life that we live, we live by the faith of
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God. Hallelujah. It means that we live by the
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word of God. God's word is to be our word always.
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God's word must always determine our communication.
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God's word should always determine our communication.
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Our communication must be based on the certainty
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of what God has said. On the certainty. What
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does it mean to be certain that God said this
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thing? I believe it and I walk by it and I say
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it. Because God has said it, it becomes my confession.
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In all things and in all ways. Hallelujah. Now,
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I want us to see also, if you're writing, you
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can write the believer's authority. I want us
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to see that the believer's authority in Christ,
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the believer's authority is in Christ. That authority
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that we have in Christ is expressed through the
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words of faith. Without the expression of the
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words of faith, it becomes impossible for the
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believer to establish the authority on the earth.
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The believer's authority is expressed by words.
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We saw in the creation of Adam, the story of
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creation. that Adam's dominion was transmitted
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to him through words. That Adam's dominion was
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transmitted through words. Genesis 1, verse 26.
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Quickly, give me Genesis 21. All you can write.
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We've read this before. Last teaching. Genesis
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1, 26 to 28. Genesis 2. But let's read Genesis
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2, verse 15 to 20. Genesis 1, 26 to 28 speaks
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about God creating man. and giving him dominion.
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And then in Genesis chapter 2, verse 15 to 20,
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Then the Lord God took the man and put him in
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the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the
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Lord commanded him, Man saying, Of every tree
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of the garden you may freely eat. But of the
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tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall
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not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you
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shall surely die. And the Lord God said, It is
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not good that a man should be alone. I will make
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him a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground
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the Lord God formed every beast of the field
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and every bird of the air and brought them to
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Adam to see. And what he called them, whatever
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Adam said concerning what was brought to him,
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Whatever Adam called each living creature, that
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was his name. So we see that in the plan of God,
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that man will live on the earth and his expression
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of the dominion will be in what he says. So man
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began to express authority over creation. by
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what he sees. So Adam gave names to all the cattle,
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to the birds of the air, and to every beast of
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the field. But for Adam, there was not found
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a helper comparable to him. Hallelujah. Equally,
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at the resurrection, in the new creation, we
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also see Jesus Christ giving believers authority.
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In Matthew 28, verse 18. And I want us to read
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this in the NLT. Matthew 28, verse 18. In the
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NLT. Jesus came and told his disciples, I have
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been given all authority. I have been given all
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authority in heaven. and in the earth. That is
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Genesis 1 conversation. In the heavens and the
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earth. Let's read that similar text in Mark.
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Mark 16. Mark 16. So Jesus has been given authority.
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How did he achieve that authority? By his death,
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his burial and his resurrection, his humanity
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and all that he has done on earth. Mark 16. Yes,
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the same NLT from verse 15 to 18. And he told
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them, continuation of that story. And he told
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them, go into all the world and preach the good
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news to everyone. So all authority in heaven
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and the earth has been given to him. And then
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he has delegated that authority to what? To the
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believers. And in that delegation, he gave an
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authority, he gave a commission to them. Verse
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15. He gave them a commission. Give me verse
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15. And he told them, go into all the world and
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preach the good news to everyone. Verse 16. Anyone
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who believes and is baptized will be saved. But
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anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
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These miraculous signs will accompany those who
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believe. They will cast out demons in my name.
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Does it look like authority? Yes. The believer
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has authority to cast out devils in Jesus' name.
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And they will speak in new languages. Verse 18.
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They will be able to handle snakes with safety.
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This is a qualified language here. And if they
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drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them.
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They will be able to place their hands on the
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sick. Doesn't look like authority on sickness,
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right? And they will be healed. Now let's look
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at verse 20. Did it happen? Verse 20. And the
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disciples went everywhere. Now, the entirety
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of the book of Acts is summarized in this one
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verse. All we see written in the book of Acts
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is summarized in this one verse here. And the
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disciples went everywhere. We see in the book
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of Acts. And they preached. And the Lord walked
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through them, confirming what they said. By what?
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By many. Miraculous signs. He confirmed what
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they were saying with signs and wonders. So as
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they say, we see the authority expressed in miraculous
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signs and wonders. Hallelujah. But they have
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to go about to preach, to say. So Jesus gave
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authority to the disciples in the resurrection
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as we've seen in this text. As they went speaking,
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God was with them. And he was confirming their
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words with their accompanying signs and wonders.
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So we see in verse 15 that the gospel that saves
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men is preached through words. Alright? One of
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the ways a believer expresses his authority in
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Christ is through the preaching of the gospel.
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When you go about preaching the gospel, you've
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been authorized by God to preach the gospel.
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So a way by which you express authority you have,
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you've been licensed by God in Christ to preach
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the gospel. So one of the ways by which you express
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our authority in Christ is actually by going
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to preach. So the words that saves men is delivered.
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What saves men is delivered by words. Yesterday
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there was evangelism. I heard of testimonies
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of people going out and they were speaking. Alright?
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That's the authority. You are exercising your
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authority by speaking. You have the authority
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to speak to someone concerning Christ. Because
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you've experienced Christ and Christ lives in
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you, you've been authorized to speak about Christ.
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To tell people about God. To announce to people
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about the good news. They won't preach in that
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verse 15. It's translated from the Greek word
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kerouzo. The pastor was teaching us this. K -E
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-R -U -S -O. Kerouzo. It means to proclaim, to
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herald, to proclaim. Alright? To announce a message
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publicly with conviction. That is with persuasion
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in your heart. This announcement is done through
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words. This announcement, this proclamation,
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this preaching is done through words. For there
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to be salvation, there must be a preaching of
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the message of God. There must be The proclamation
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of the message of God. There must be the announcement
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of the message of God. Romans chapter 10, verse
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14 and 15. It says that how can men be safe if
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they have not heard the word? Romans chapter
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10, verse 14 and 15 says, How then shall they
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call on him whom they have not believed? And
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how shall they believe? in him of whom they have
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not heard. So they must hear of him to believe
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in him, to call on him. And how shall they hear
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without a preacher? All right, verse 15. And
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how shall they preach unless they are sent? So
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if you are not sent, it means you are not qualified
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to preach. And by virtue of you believing, you've
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been sent actually. As it is written, how beautiful
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are the feet of those who preach the gospel of
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peace, who bring glad tidings and of good things.
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So salvation is in words spoken. If we don't
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speak, there will be no salvation. Hallelujah.
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See, you can do drama. You can act drama. Right?
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And as you are acting that drama, Let me tell
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you, what people are seeing is different. All
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right? We can all watch the same movie, but what
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we're seeing is different. But if we say something
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about Christ, it's certain that this is what
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Christ has done. Hallelujah. The gospel is in
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words. God has made it that the salvation of
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men will be through words. That the salvation
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of souls, you were saved because of the word
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you heard. You heard about Jesus by someone preaching
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Jesus to you. And you came to believe in what
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has been preached about Jesus. Acts chapter 11,
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verse 12 to 14. Acts 11, verse 12 to 14. We see
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an example. It says, Then the Spirit told me
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to go with them, doubting not. The context here
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is Peter. Moreover, these six brethren accompanied
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me and we entered the man's house. And he told
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us how he had seen an angel. Okay? How he had
-
seen an angel standing in his house who said
-
to him, send men to Joppa and call for Simon
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whose son's name is Peter. Now, An unbeliever
-
had an encounter with an angel. The angel did
-
not preach the word of Christ to him. The angel
-
asked him to go and call a man. Peter. Alright?
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Very specifically. Who will tell you words by
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which you And all your household will be saved.
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Why didn't the angel told him the word that his
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household will be saved? Why didn't the angel
-
assume the responsibility of telling this unbeliever
-
the words by which he and his household will
-
be saved? God has delegated the announcement
-
of the words of salvation to us men. have the
-
responsibility to preach the word of God for
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men to be saved. Hallelujah. In rare cases, I
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will say this carefully, in rare cases, we see
-
angels sent to speak the word of God to people
-
so that they will be born again. In very rare
-
cases. But the usual way by which God acts on
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the earth in announcing the gospel to men, It's
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true men. And you and I have been commissioned,
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we've been authorized, we've been given the ability
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to do what? To exercise the authority that we
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have in Christ by preaching and bringing authority.
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Listen, when you go to preach, you are giving
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people life. You've been authorized to give life
-
to men. And this life you are authorized to give
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is an eternal life. You are the urgency by which
-
men will come to eternal life. Hallelujah. So
-
we must speak the words of salvation. Our authority
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is expressed by speaking. By speaking words.
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So the disciples had authority to cast out demons.
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Mark 16 verse 17, you see, when Jesus was telling
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them. Let's read back that Mark 16, verse 17.
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In the NKJV, Mark 16, 17. It says, and these
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saints will follow those who believe. In my name,
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they will what? They will cast out demons. They
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will speak with new tongues. So how will they
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cast out demons? How? By speaking. The way by
-
which they'll cast out demons is by speaking.
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When we read through the gospel, we see that
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whenever Jesus had an encounter with demons,
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he spoke to them and he exercised his authority
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as God by speaking to the demons and then casting
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them out. Equally, let's see in Acts chapter
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16, verse 16 to 18. Acts 16, verse 16 to 18.
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Now it happened as we went. To prayer that a
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certain slave girl possessed with the spirit
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of divination met us, who brought her masters
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much profit by fortune -telling. This girl followed
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Paul and us and cried out, saying, These men
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are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim
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to us the way of salvation. And this She did
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for many days, which means that this slave girl
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was with them for many days. But Paul, greatly
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annoyed by what? By her activity, turned and
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said to the Spirit. He spoke to the Spirit. He
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said to the Spirit, I command you in the name
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of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came
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out that very hour. Hallelujah. So verse 18 says,
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is it verse 18? Yes. Verse 16 says she did many
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days with them. Is it verse 16? Verse 17, give
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verse 17. Yes, verse 18, is it verse 18? And
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this she did for many days. That means that she
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has been saying and speaking. Until Paul decided
-
to cast out the demon by speaking a word. Now,
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was the authority, was Paul having the authority
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for those days that he has been speaking the
-
word of God? And the demon was in the girl. And
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we don't see the authority exercised. We don't
-
see the demon coming out. Until when Paul decided,
-
alright, to act on his will. And in acting on
-
his will, concerning that demon, concerning that
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devil, he spoke words of authority. He gave an
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instruction and he spoke and we see that the
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demon left the lady. So until we speak, nothing
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happens in our lives. It is not the absence of
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power. It is oftentimes the absence of speaking.
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And sometimes even when we speak, do we speak
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with conviction? Do we believe what we are speaking?
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Do we agree with persuasion that that which we
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are speaking will happen? So I want to throw
-
us a challenge. We must go on speaking the word
-
of God concerning situations, concerning circumstances.
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Casting out devils is a way by which the believer
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expresses authority. And every believer has that
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ability, has that authority in him to cast out
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devils. So we must speak with confidence that
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the power of God is indwelling in us. And as
-
we speak, we look forward to seeing the power
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of God at work through our lives. Hallelujah.
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So, we see also that Peter was able to exercise
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healing. The Bible says that they will lay hands
-
on the sick and the sick will be healed. Mark
-
16 verse 18. How will the sick be healed? The
-
sick will be healed by the speaking of healing.
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They will take up serpents and if they drink,
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anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.
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They will lay hands on the sick and the sick
-
will recover. The laying of hands is accompanied
-
by the speaking of that healing. And the healing
-
takes place. Acts chapter 3 verse 1 to 8, an
-
example of this happening. Acts chapter 3 verse
-
1 to 8, we see consistently in the life of the
-
apostles. especially Peter in this context. Now
-
Peter and John went up together to the temple
-
at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a
-
certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried
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home. They lay daily at the gate of the temple,
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which is called beautiful to ask alms from those
-
who enter the temple. Who seeing Peter and John
-
about to go into the temple asked for alms and
-
fixing his eyes on him with John. And Peter said,
-
look at us. I mean, Pastor Carson was teaching
-
this. So he gave them his attention. And his
-
attention he was expecting what? To receive something
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from them, to receive money from them. Then Peter
-
said, silver and gold I do not have, but what
-
I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ
-
of Nazareth, rise up and what? And walk. And
-
he took him by the hand. and lifted him up, and
-
immediately his feet and ankles bones received
-
strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked
-
and entered the temple with them, walking, leaping,
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and praising God. Hallelujah. Peter spoke healing
-
into this man's body, and lifting him up, laying
-
hands on him and lifting him up, he received
-
healing. Let's see another example, Acts 9, verse
-
32. To 35, Peter was able to heal through the
-
use of words. We see the power of God in him,
-
finding expression by his speaking of faith and
-
establishing the healing in this life, in the
-
life of this man. Acts chapter 9, verse 32 and
-
35. And Peter said to him, Now it came to pass,
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as Peter went through all the parts of the country,
-
that he also came down to the saints who dwell
-
in Leda. There he found a certain man named Aeneas,
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who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed.
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Eight years. And Peter said to him, Aeneas. Peter
-
said to him. Peter spoke the word of healing.
-
Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. That is how
-
we administer healing. We speak healing to people.
-
Alright? We speak healing to people. We declare
-
healing by our words. Someone is sick, when you
-
lay your hand on him, don't speak in tongues.
-
Speak healing. Hallelujah. Speak healing. Sometimes
-
we speak in tongues because we don't want to
-
say something that we don't believe in. Speak
-
healing. Alter healing. command the sickness
-
to go, command healing to come. And Peter said
-
to him, Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise
-
and make your bed. Then he arose. How? Immediately.
-
All the examples of healings we see in scriptures,
-
the Bible says immediately. Hallelujah. And verse
-
35. So all who dwell at Leda and Sharon saw him
-
and turned to the Lord because of what they've
-
seen. Hallelujah. So we must believe that healing
-
proceeds when we speak. When we utter words,
-
healing happens. The apostles also did miracles
-
by speaking the words of faith. Acts chapter
-
13 verse 4 to 12 is an example of So being sent
-
out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia,
-
and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when
-
they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word
-
of God in the synagogue of the Jews. They also
-
had John as their assistant herein. in Salamis.
-
Now, when they had gone through the island to
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Paphos, Paphos is in the Greek site, they found
-
a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose
-
name was Bar -Jesus, who was with a proconsul,
-
Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man
-
called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear
-
the word of God. But Elymas, the sorcerer, for
-
so his name is translated, withstood them, seeking
-
to turn the proconsul away from the faith. What
-
was he doing? He was doing magic. Alright? He
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was doing... What would I call it? I know it
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in my tribe, but I can't say it in English. He
-
was doing some things anyway to shift the attention
-
of... The proconsul from hearing. Alright? Then
-
Saul, who also is called Paul, fear with the
-
Holy Ghost, look intently at him. And he said
-
to him, O fool of all deceit, he said, and all
-
fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all
-
righteousness, will you not cease perverting
-
the straight ways of the Lord? And now indeed
-
the hand of the Lord is upon you. That is a declaration,
-
that is an exercise of authority. He is speaking,
-
exercising his authority to what? To withstand
-
the activity of the devil through the man Elemas.
-
And you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for
-
a time. If it's your Bible, please, when you
-
read this verse 11, underline that for a time.
-
All right? And immediately a dark mist fell on
-
him, and he went around seeking someone to lead
-
him by the hand. Hallelujah. Then a proconsul
-
believed when he saw what had been done, being
-
astonished at what? At the... teaching of the
-
Lord. What made Elie Mas, what made the proconsul
-
believe is not the miracle. Alright? Come on.
-
Those people, they've seen power manifesting.
-
Those kind of activities are not new to people
-
in power. Alright? So, Elie Mas has been doing
-
a lot of miracles. They've seen many things happen.
-
But, Seeing that Paul was able to exert a particular
-
authority that tamed Elemas, and then by the
-
teaching of the Lord, the proconsul came to faith,
-
was able to believe. Hallelujah. He believed
-
by what Paul was able to speak and teach. Hallelujah.
-
So we see here that Paul was able to, for a time,
-
limit the activity of Satan, the activity of
-
the devil by the exercise of his authority. And
-
we see him exercise authority by speaking what
-
he wants to see in that particular time and it
-
happened. Hallelujah. So as we close, as we close
-
for today, greater works require greater expression
-
of faith. And God has given us his word so that
-
it can fill our hearts. It can shape our thinking
-
and also become our confession. So God has given
-
us his word and his word is expected to fill
-
our hearts. That is, we believe in God's word
-
and God's word is our meditation. And then we
-
give room for the Word to shape the way we think.
-
We think through the lenses of what God has said.
-
We judge circumstances and situations by the
-
Word of God. We use the Word of God to measure
-
the things we hear. We use the Word of God to
-
measure the decisions we take. So God has given
-
us His Word so that it can fill our hearts to
-
shape our thinking. And also become our confession.
-
Faith is not merely believing what God said.
-
Believing what God said is very important. But
-
it's not just believing what God said alone.
-
Faith speaks what God has said. Amen? Faith does
-
what? Faith speaks what God has said. You believe
-
what God has said, you speak what God has said.
-
I believe what God has said, I speak what God
-
has said. So faith speaks. Our authority is expressed
-
through words. If you want to see authority in
-
your life, daily manifested, then you must take
-
advantage of your words. and speak. But your
-
words must be filled with the words of God. So
-
our authority is expressed through words. So
-
we must train our words to agree with what God,
-
with God. We must train our words to agree with
-
God. That is to agree with what God has said.
-
Rather than fear, Rather than doubt, rather than
-
the circumstance, rather than unbelief, rather
-
than what is presented before you as facts. Of
-
course, you can feel some symptoms on your body.
-
It's a fact that you have a problem with your
-
stomach. But what God is saying is you are healed.
-
So you agree with what God has said that I'm
-
healed. You side with what God has said concerning
-
your healing. Until you see you are healed, you
-
keep confessing the word of God. You keep believing
-
the word of God. And then you see healing manifested.
-
So this week as we go, we must put the word of
-
God in our lips. Joshua 1 verse 8. The book of
-
the Lord, the word of God, the doctrine of God,
-
the teaching of God, the heart of God. Must continually
-
be on our mouth. Must continually be on your
-
lips. The word of God must continuously be on
-
your lips. So we must fill our hearts. Spend
-
time daily in God's word. Spend time in God's
-
word. You must think the word of God. Firstly,
-
fill your heart with the word of God. A man that
-
is not worded is a man that cannot express authority.
-
Because you don't just speak your own word, you
-
speak the word of God. You speak from your position
-
of understanding of God's word. You speak from
-
the position of the conviction that you have
-
in God's word. So the word of God must fill your
-
heart. You must spend time daily in God's word.
-
Secondly, you must think the word of God. Meditate
-
on what God has said, not on your circumstance.
-
Some of us are fond of meditating. Every human
-
being meditates. If you can worry, it means that
-
you can meditate. Worry is a form of meditation.
-
You are just thinking about your problem before
-
you know it. You start speaking. Have you ever
-
seen someone walking around and he's just talking
-
to himself? He's just speaking to himself. He's
-
speaking his problem. Speaking the things happening
-
to him. It's not fear. How can I be in this kind
-
of a thing? And then all that comes from you
-
is expression of the things that is happening
-
to you. This week, make up your mind that your
-
meditation will not be about the problem. In
-
fact, if you keep meditating on the problem,
-
you will not see solution. Hallelujah. So, your
-
mind must be transformed by the word of God.
-
And your mind must be filled by the word of God,
-
meditating on the word of God rather than the
-
circumstance. Then number three, you must speak
-
the word of God. Make God's word your confession
-
concerning every situation. Alright? Number four,
-
reject contrary words. Because your circumstance
-
will speak. People will speak. The media will
-
speak. Chadibity will speak. Some of us, the
-
moment we just have a symptom, the first place
-
to go is to Chadibity. We tell Chadibity what
-
we're feeling. And Chadibity has a way of telling
-
us what he feels about your situation. Now, I'm
-
not saying that having a knowledge is bad. What
-
I'm saying is that your faith is important. And
-
must be founded in the word of God. So reject
-
contrary words. Refuse fear and doubt. Refuse
-
worry. Refuse negativity. And speak the word
-
of God. Number five, the last one. Act on your
-
confession. Let your words, let the words of
-
your faith, let your words of faith produce corresponding
-
actions. Alright? We say that faith is expressed
-
in our conduct, in our actions. So let your words
-
of faith produce corresponding actions. Thereby,
-
you know, you see the power of God fully expressed
-
in your life. Hallelujah. We appreciate you being
-
here today. We hope you carry this word with
-
you throughout your week. Don't forget to check
-
the show notes for additional insights. Stay
-
connected with us through our website or follow
-
us on social media. If you are encouraged, share
-
this message with someone you care about. Until
-
next time, stay blessed.