Tag Archives: sermons

The Forbiddings Pt. 6

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Today we continue our discussion on the believer’s authority. Specifically we are discussing what the believer needs to do to walk in and hold on to that authority. Did you know that many believers have let go of their authority in Christ?

If you need to catch up on our previous discussions they can be found below:

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 3

Pt. 4

Pt. 5

Sunset Prayer

Yesterday I asked you what spiritual weapons were in your arsenal that could help you walk in authority. Today we are going to identify and discuss those weapons.

THE FIRST WEAPON IS PRAYER!

 It’s time for the church to start praying.I don’t mean wishing for things to be different and I don’t  mean listing off our struggles in a passing prayer request in our morning devotions. I mean it is time to pray regularly, intentionally and in the Spirit until something happens. It is time to begin spending lunch hours doing nothing other than speaking in tongues. Can I encourage you here? If you are not Baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, God will never force you, but trying to wage spiritual war without the gift of tongues is like taking a knife to a nuclear war and thinking your going to come out on top.

Let me explain something about tongues. Paul said tongues was the least of all the gifts (I Cor, 14) and that is true but as often happens with God, He has chosen to use the weakest of things to bless the strong. I have learned that tongues is the gateway, the door that opens  to us the availability of all the other gifts. It is when I am praying in tongues that the supernatural gift of faith is most frequently activated in my life. It is in that space that the gifts of healing flow; Prophecy comes; Miracles take place. In fact, I would say that probably 85% of all the supernatural events that have taken place in my life have occurred in and around times of praying in tongues. Praying in tongues is a big part of spiritual victory.

IT IS TIME TO PRAY IN THE SPIRIT.

ANOTHER WEAPON IS THE WORD OF GOD!

It is time to start spending  copious amounts of time listening to or reading and studying the Word of God. Nothing should be getting in the way of Bible study. If you are saying I don’t have time to join a Bible study what you are saying is “I don’t have time to work on getting the victory in that tough area.”

FASTING!!!!!

It is time to start adding regular fasting to our prayer. Prayer and fasting in the days ahead is going to become a normal part of the powerful Christian’s life. Christians who won’t fast won’t have power. Listen, this is a huge challenge to me personally but one I am looking at taking up.

The Lord’s desire is to take down the strongholds of the Devil in our personal lives, our family lives and also in our communities but He did not say the gates of Hell will not prevail against God. He said the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church. The gates aren’t coming down because He says so. They are coming down because the church says so. He has given that authority to us to see what we are going to do with it.

Jesus told this parable.,

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[a] and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents,[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Ma. 25:14-30

You see we have been given the authority, the spiritual capital, to deal with the gates of Hell, the forbiddings, which the enemy has raised against us. But we have to begin to use that capital. Folks in the days ahead your protection your power is not going to come because you have physically prepared for the apocalypse. That might be an important directive but your power will come from prayer, from you study of the Word of God,  from fasting and from the Spirit of God who enters through those disciplines and nowhere else. Your level of authority and victory is going to be directly linked to how much time you spend in the Word of God, and in prayer and in church.

WALK IN YOUR AUTHORITY!

The Forbiddings Pt. 5

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

I had to take a brief break from our spiritual discussion on the believer’s authority in Christ due to my writing and pastoring schedule this week, but tonight before I launch into another marathon book edit session I am going to publish the next portion of our discussion.

Here are the last installments to refresh your memory:

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 3

Pt. 4

Sunset Prayer

I meditated on the first part of this  message (part 4) for about a week and then in another time of prayer God began to speak to me again about “forbiddings.”

HE said to me, “ My people were not meant to be on the defensive against the enemy all their lives. My people were meant to walk in authority according to Matthew 28:18-20 and Matthew 16 and Luke 10. “But the enemy has raised up “forbiddings” against them. These are called the gates of Hell. They are those areas in people’s lives and relationships where the enemy has built walls and strongholds that the people cannot seem to break through.”

“Just like the enemy has been shut out of certain victories by the prayers of my people so the people have been shut out of certain victories because of the spiritual power the enemy has exerted in areas of their lives. But I have said that ‘the gates of Hell would not prevail against my church’, and I have said ‘the weapons of my people are spiritual and mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.’ The problem is my people are trying to use carnal weapons to tear down spiritual power and that will never work to do anything other than exhaust them. The forbiddings the enemy has built against my people are going to come down but only when my people begin dealing with them using their spiritual weapons.”

Is there any area of your life that you are struggling with? Does it seem like you cannot get victory in that area no matter what you try? Have you been to the doctor and the psychiatrist?  Have you been to therapy and have you tried meds? Have you sought out human counsellors and found they don’t work?  Have you tried confrontation or have you attempted to run away only to find none of those things work? Then its time to  try the spiritual weapons.

In your estimation what spiritual weapons do you possess?

The Forbiddings Pt. 4

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We have been discussing over the last several days the nature of the Christian’s authority. Today we continue that discussion in “The Forbiddings Pt. 4”  but if you have missed any of the previous parts of our discussion they can be found in the underlined links below:

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 3

Sunset Prayer

Now here we are at today’s discussion on authority:

So far we have established that, it is vitally important in the days ahead to come to know and understand what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to the churches.

A few weeks ago the Lord began to speak to me in my prayer time and he said, “My people have raised up forbiddings against the enemy in this land. Some have taken up their authority in prayer and they have begun to raise up walls of power in the spirit realm that are shutting the devil out of territory he has controlled for many generations in this land. The enemy has been free to exercise authority in this region for many years because my people did not know they through prayer had the authority to change anything. They did not understand that prayer was more than a wish list but that it was a powerful tool that through persistent use by praying over things again and again they could begin to deal with issues in the spirit realm. Now because of the prayers of some of my people I have raised up forbiddings against the enemy and he is  forbidden or shut out of those areas. He is angry. He has not been forbidden anything for many years in this land and he will not take this lying down. He cannot undo the forbiddings. He cannot unlock the doors my people have locked against him through prayer. But he my people can unlock them. Knowing that he will attack the people in hopes of getting them to unlock the doors and let him back in through frustration or weariness. If my people will not hide behind me during this time they will be greatly tempted to just give in and give up and then they will lose all the ground they have begun to gain.”

Can I ask you this morning. Have you begun pursing God in new ways recently? Have you begun to try to follow God more obediently and are things in life making that journey very difficult? Are you being tempted sometimes to just give up and go back to the way things were. Are you finding yourself saying. “Life was easier when I wasn’t so crazy for God?”

Then you are one of the people being tempted by the Devil. The question is What are you going to do about it?

The Forbiddings Pt. 1

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“The Forbiddings” is the most recent sermon I shared at Cornerstone Church. It speaks specifically to situations that our church faces and generally of the authority all Christians possess. As you read it you will find that this sermon is less expository in nature and more directly prophetic than most of my sermon work but I felt it important to share…

Opening Scriptures:

” Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

“7 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20

on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadesc will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bed bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bee loosed in heaven.”  20Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Matthew 16: 18-20

We are going to be talking about our authority as believers!

What Happened To Pastor Wrinkles?

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Any of you who have been following me for any length of time know my alter ego is Pastor Wrinkles. Both of us (which is really just me) have been absent from WordPress for the better part of two weeks. It has been a busy and fruitful time of ministry. The first week I was busy writing sermons for the second week. Over the course of the last seven days I have preached eleven times and led one baptism service It has been an incredibly rewarding time. I marvel at what God is doing through one such as I.

It is a time of mighty harvest folks and I believe we are just at the beginning.

Here are some photos of the week that has just passed.
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The library of the manor house I stayed in at camp.
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The manor house.
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Camp begins with a photo op.
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Eddie Raymond entertains in the chapel.
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Counselor Dan at the pool.
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Cathy and Ann catch a little fish.
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John shows his work at the art show.
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Some of the guys at pendulum painting.
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The tree of life at Eisner Camp.
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Packing camp away.

Sunday Sermon Quotes 8-16-2015

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Here are some quotes from yesterday’s sermon delivered by Pastor Brad Hackett. Which one speaks the most to your heart?

“It’s hard to pedal a bike with just one pedal.”-

A Lone biker by Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam

“Know the Word. Do the Word.”

Out of your identity comes your activity.”

“God says,  ‘Because I love you work from my love.'”

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” A proud heart is unable to receive a good gift.”

“We sometimes turn Christianity into something we can study instead of something we can become.”

“Jesus studied but Jesus got stuff done.”

Don’t just know stuff. Do stuff.”

“Some of us live under condemnation because all we hear is accusation.”

Pastor Wrinkles: Unintended Consequences Pt. 6

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Today we shall finish up our discussion regarding the fall of mankind into sin. We have spent the last posts talking about some of the things we lost in the fall. If you would like to chime in on any or all of those discussions they can be found,

HERE

HERE

HERE

HERE

AND HERE

The fall was truly devastating for our race but there is a solution…

It is true, we lost so much in the fall and most days we don’t even stop to realize that it didn’t have to be this way. Friend:

If you have ever felt like you have no purpose in living and life is just an empty shell not worth living.” It’s because you have lost your sense of significance in the fall;

If you are ever afraid that you won’t be able to provide for yourself or your family. That is because you have lost your sufficiency in the fall;

If you ever feel like your life doesn’t matter and the world would be better off without you. It’s because you lost your security your sense of belonging in the fall;

If you feel like you are less than enough and disappointed in how you have turned out. It is because you have lost your assurance in the fall;

If you feel powerless and like the world is about to swallow you whole it’s because you have lost your authority in the fall;

If you feel like you are on a hamster wheel and all your work is nothing more than trying to knock down a mountain with a toothpick, it is because you lost your rest in the fall;

And if you feel like your world is a war zone it is because you are under the influence of the fall!

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Our race gained nothing good by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In fact, whatever knowledge or ability we gained in those moments has done nothing  but destroy us. I am glad that the bible does not end with the book of Genesis. The Fall of Man, the eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not the end of the Bible. It is the beginning. While our story starts in darkness the rest of the Bible is about God working in our history to fix the mess that Adam and Eve made and bringing us back into the light.

You may be reading today feeling insignificant, insufficient, insecure, not sure of anything, ashamed, guilty, feeling weak and hopeless, tired, weary and at war with the world. All  of that is perfectly natural. Life has become all of those things for all of us. It is the human condition; BUT GOD has provided an answer. He made Adam, and Adam failed in the Garden, but God has solved the problem of the Fall. The Bible tells us that God clothed himself in flesh and became a man named Jesus and the Bible tells us that Jesus is a second Adam.

  When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Ro. 5:13-18 NLT

The Devil may have gotten Adam to destroy the world but,

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work 1 John 3:8

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You may be here today feeling like your life has no purpose. Jesus can give that to you.

You may be here today and your life is falling apart and you can’t fix it. Jesus can provide what you need to get back on track.

You may be here today feeling alone and unwanted. Jesus can put you in a forever family.

You may be here today feeling ashamed because of the life you have lived. Jesus can forgive you and clean your conscience.

You may be here today feeling powerless to do anything about your circumstances. Jesus can give you back your authority to live the life He always intended.

You may be here today tired and weary from life’s hardships. Jesus can refresh you with His presence.

You may be here today feeling like you are at war with yourself and the world. Jesus can give you peace.

Jesus came to destroy the devil’s work. Jesus came to restore what the fall of man took away.

But if that is so you might ask why doesn’t everyone experience this restoration. Because it is based on each person’s faith in the son of God which leads people to give their lives to Jesus Christ and to declare Him Lord. Paul the Apostle said it this way,

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”d that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

So if you need any of the things listed above pray with me now and let Jesus do the work that needs to be done.

Sunset Prayer

Pray: Jesus, I know God sent you to Earth to deal with the consequences of the fall. I admit I have allowed sin to affect my life and now I am broken by this evil power. Please forgive me for letting sin into my life and please forgive me for sinning. Jesus come and set me free from the power of the fall and fix my life. You are my Lord. You alone are my God from this point forward and I believe God has raised you from the dead and because of that you have the power to hear this prayer and help me. Thank you Lord for doing that and saving me from myself and sin. Amen.

Pastor Wrinkles: Unintended Consequences Pt. 5

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We have been having a discussion about all the things mankind lost in the fall from grace. If you would like to catch up on the previous parts of the discussion you can find them

HERE

HERE

HERE

AND HERE

Today’s discussion is about PEACE.

We have learned in parts one through four that because of Adam’s sin we lost our Assurance our Authority Our rest BUT Finally we lost our Peace.

Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” Ge. 3:

 

God’s plan was peace in the home, Peace In the family, Peace in our communities and peace in our world. But when man ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil judgment entered into his soul and suddenly peace in the home was challenged. Peace in the family was challenged. Peace in our communities was challenged and peace in our world was challenged.

Some people think that God randomly assigned the curses to Adam and Eve but I believe that God wasn’t assigning curses so much as explaining consequences.

If I may ad lib a little, I think God was saying, “The fruit changed you Eve and now you will feel pain as a result. The fruit changed you and now, wife, you will judge everything your husband does and if you think its stupid you’re going to try to control it. Oh, and by the way your going to think everything he does is stupid because the tree makes you judgmental.

Going a little further I think God was saying, “Also to you men, you are going to become forceful because you are going to think ‘my wife is just crazy and picky about everything’. Oh and it’s not just going to work that way in the home it’s going to be that way with your boss at work and with your thoughts about the President or King or Prime Minister. Should you ever get into a place of leadership it’s going to be that way when you try to work with other agencies or companies or countries. Judgment is going to steal your peace.”

Have you found that a spirit of judgment in yourself or in others has stolen some of your peace? Tell me about that.

Pastor Wrinkles: Little Heroes, Big World Pt. 3

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Today we are stepping into part three of the sermon series, “Little Heroes. Big World”. If you have missed Pt. 1 or Pt. 2

they can be found Here and Here.

Haggai said,

Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”  Haggai 2: 2-9

You see, God knew the struggle going on in the hearts of the Israelites. He knew that the people or at least some of the people, realized exactly how much greatness they had lost. He knew that while the temple they had built was a restoration, it was also a reminder of just how weak they had become. God was calling the people of Jerusalem to do some pretty heroic things at that particular time and the people were realizing that their strength would not be enough. They were little heroes with little power in a big world.

Today God is in the business of restoring many of us as well and He is telling us about big plans He has for us, for our families, for our lives. And like the Israelites of Haggai’s day, we are coming to understand that while God has restored us the plan of God is bigger than us and that we are little heroes with little power in a very big and very scary world.

Frankly, that is just how God intended it. He knows we are little heroes with little power in a very big and scary world. Still, He intends that we should move forward with His plans no matter how big, no matter how scary, no matter how impossible those plans seem.

How does that seem to you?

Pastor Wrinkles: Little Heroes, Big World Pt. 2

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Today we are continuing with part 2 of the series, “Little Heroes, Big World”. If you missed part one check it out HERE.

Now on to today’s post

Before we begin in earnest, I want to bring a little context to the verses we read in part one of “Little Heroes, Big World”. For some of you this might be old news but  when reading Scripture understanding the context, the story that is going on around the Scripture, is very important in helping us understand the Scripture itself.

In order to understand our text in Haggai 2, we have to go back to the year 588 B.C. In that year the city of Jerusalem was attacked by the Babylonian armies under King Nebuchadnezzar. The walls were breached after a two-year siege and in 586 B.C. the people of Jerusalem, totally beaten and starving, were led away into a 70 year exile in the city of Babylon

After about 50 years of slavery in Babylon a new King, named Cyrus, rose to the throne and he allowed the Jews to return to their homeland to rebuild the temple which had been destroyed in 586 B.C.

Some of the Jews returned and they rebuilt their houses but for many years no work was done on the temple. Then God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to remind the people that they were supposed to be building a temple. The people obeyed and rebuilt the temple and on the day it was dedicated in 516 B.C. the people all gathered. The Book of Ezra tells us that the young people cheered because the new Temple was built. But the old people who had seen Solomon’s Temple wept because the new Temple was nothing in comparison to the original. The sound of weeping and cheering mixed together and grew so loud that people could hear it for miles away but could not understand exactly what the sound was because it was so mixed.

Into this confusing harangue Haggai the prophet stepped and he spoke the words we read in part 1.

How would you have felt in this situation? Jubilant or saddened?