Young Guns Jacob/Esau/John the Baptist

Young Guns Jacob/Esau John the Baptist

This series takes on such a cool feel to me for when you begin to talk about young leaders who are dangerous to hell, dangerous to the Devil, dangerous to everything evil and destructive that fires me up like no other.

Genesis 25:27-34 (NLT)

"As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. [28] Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. [29] One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. [30] Esau said to Jacob, "I'm starved! Give me some of that red stew!" [31] "All right," Jacob replied, "but trade me your rights as the firstborn son." [32] "Look, I'm dying of starvation!" said Esau. "What good is my birthright to me now?" [33] But Jacob said, "First you must swear that your birthright is mine." So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. [34] Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn."

• A birthright was a special honor given to the firstborn son.
• It included a double portion of the family inheritance along with the honor of one day becoming the family's leader.
• The oldest son could sell his birthright or give it away if he chose, but in so doing, he would lose both material goods and his leadership position.
• By trading his birthright, Esau showed complete disregard for the blessings that would have come his way if he had kept it.
• Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food.
• Esau exaggerated his hunger. "I'm dying of starvation!" he said.
• The pressure of the moment distorted his perspective and made his decision seem urgent.
• He acted on impulse, satisfying his immediate desires without considering the long-range consequences.
• We can fall into the same trap.
• When we see something we want, our first impulse is to get it and we can exaggerate its importance in the moment.
• We can avoid making Esau's mistake by comparing the short-term satisfaction with the long-range consequences.
• We often experience pressures like Esau did.
• For example, when we feel sexual temptation, a purity vow, a marriage vow may seem unimportant.
• Maybe you haven't prepared for a big test and cheating seems like now the only option you got, resisting that urge builds character, cheating destroys it.
• Maybe you choose to do things feeling as if no one is looking, no one is paying a attention, no one cares.
• When I begin hearing that voice immediately I rebuke it knowing that I will know, I will see, I will experience the pain, shame and guilt of doing wrong and that it will disappoint my God.
• Perspective is everything.
• Your attitude and the way you regard life, your calling, your relationships, and others is everything.
• Getting through that short, pressure-filled moment is often the most difficult part of overcoming temptation.
• Ask God to help you see life from His perspective and to help you resist making Esau-like choices.
•  Instead of selling our birthright we need to embrace it.
• Embrace that God has called, destined, and designed you for this purpose. 
•  It's choice not chance that determines your destiny in life.
• My birthright is what God has planned for me.
• It's what He has designed, blueprinted, and planed for me.
• This is so special to me.
• This is something I will protect even if it were to cost my life, my birthright.
• My freedoms, God's exceptional purpose through me.

 

Illustrate here: Blue Prints. 

• God has constructed me in such a manner and He built everyone of us with great thought, with great design, with greatness deposited inside of each area of our lives.
• Why would I ever disregard, dismantle, or destroy that?
• I wouldn't trade that for anything this world would ever have to offer.

 
Speaking of that another Young Gun comes to mind named John the Baptist.
 
Luke 1:8-17 (NLT)
"One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. [9] As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. [10] While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. [11] While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. [12] Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. [13] But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. [14] You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, [15] for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. [16] And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. [17] He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly."

• Filled with the Holy Spirit within his mothers womb God had a plan for this Young Gun.
• While Zechariah was in the "House of God" representing and serving the people of God an angel came and spoke to him about his family.
• God is personal, His design is personal, His plan is personal, His presence is personal, His dream and mission for you is personal.

 
John 1:6,7 (NLT)
"God sent a man, John the Baptist, [7] to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony."
 

• You talk about being blueprinted, the scripture stated that "God sent a man" I love this God sent, John went.
• We need to have this mindset built into our psyche that we will hear from God, then do what He says.
• Don't make excuses, don't waste time, don't procrastinate, just execute.
• Execute His plan for us.

 
John 1:17,32-37 (NLT)
"[17] For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. [32] Then John testified, "I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. [33] I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' [34] I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God." [35] The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. [36] As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!" [37] When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus."
 

• A great leader of God will always point all to Jesus.

Next month at Youthrock: 

 

Evil destroys vision

We have taken a couple of weeks to “unmask” the Devil and his mission, evil. His strategy to destroy, his pattern of planting deception and assignment of inventing evil!

1.Evil seeks to destroy mission.

Luke 8:12 (NLT) "The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved."

1.These are the very words of Jesus telling us that we have an enemy on the loose and one of his missions is to oppose people's salvation!

1.God's mission:save, rescue humanity.

2.Evil's mission:destroy humanity, plant confusion, inspire unbelief, propagate dishonor, disrespect, and rebellion.

2.John 19 one of the accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

John 19:28 (NLT)

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, "I am thirsty."

1.Christ's mission was fulfilled now we must fulfill ours.

1.What is God asking of you?

2.What has God planned for you?

3.           God had written out, blueprinted, and engineered "you for such a time as this."

2.Evil seeks to keep you masked, keep you faking your relationship in God so the world will never hear the message of Jesus, never hear about the hope of the cross, or the forgiveness of sins.

Illustrate here: baton

1.There is a mission desperately trying to be passed to you, there is a calling desperately seeking to overtake you, there is a gifting that God is seeking to pour out of you, are you ready?

1.Mission, calling, gifting and evil can not coexist!

2.Are you ready to be all that God has designed you to be?

3.Have you let go of all other things to just embrace Him?

John 8:44 (NLT) "For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies."

•                              The Devil cannot tell the truth!

•                  He is the ultimate liar!

•      Isn’t this ironic…the greatest lie of all is to be deceived and convinced that the Devil does not even exist!

•                  Atheist-person who does not believe in the existence of God.

•                  Agnostic-a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.

Romans 1:28-32 (NLT)

"Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. [29] Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. [30] They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. [31] They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. [32] They know God's justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."

1.Acknowledge God in your calling, acknowledge God in your finances, acknowledge God in your service, acknowledge God in your future, acknowledge God in your relationships, acknowledge God in and through all that you do.

1.God gives life and Satan takes it! 

2.So the only power that the Devil has and that sin has is what we allow it to have in our lives.

3.Don't give in to evil.

Psalm 23:4 (KJV) "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;"

1.God is with me.

2.God is as close as the mention of His name, His angels guard, protect and overshadow me.

Habakkuk 2:1-4 (NLT)

"I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. [2] Then the Lord said to me, "Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. [3] This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. [4] "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God."

1.Write the vision(answer)--which I am about to reveal to thee.

2.Make it plain--In large legible characters.

3.Upon tablets--boxwood tablets covered with wax, on which national affairs were engraved with an iron pen, and then hung up in public, at the prophets own houses, or at the temple, that those who passed might read them.

4.So that a runner may carry the correct message--commonly explained, so intelligible as to be easily read/understood by any one running past but then it would be, that he that runneth may read it.

1.Run your race for God to carry the correct message.

5.The vision is yet for an appointed time/future time--Though the time appointed by God for the fulfilment be future, it should be enough for your faith that God has spoken it.

2. Evil destroys vision

1.Evil in you will keep vision from you.

2.Evil destroys vision.

1.Di vision

2.Die vision

3.That's the Devil's job to keep you from envisioning better, to keep you from envisioning freedom, to keep you from envisioning God's perfect plan in your life.

1.If he continues to keep you distracted with the evil things of this world then he will keep the spiritual things, the vision, from you.

2.He will keep the vision from being fulfilled, he will keep the vision hidden, suppressed, keep you running without a message, keep you running without spiritual purpose.

Proverbs 29:18 (NLT)

"When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful."

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."

1.No vision means: no instruction in God's truth, no clarity in His plan, purpose, and will.

2.People perish--deprived of moral restraints.

1.Therefore sin to destroy them, eternally.

3.Obeys the law--has hold of it's understanding, and observes, instruction.

Galatians 1:4, NLT "Jesus gave His life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live."

1.If you are feeling overwhelmed, allow God to comfort you.

2.Every trial you endure will help you comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles. No matter what manner of evil you ever face God is bigger, God is more, God is close.

3.Evil disassembles the most admirable dreams, disrupts the greatest of plans, destroyed many a talented people and thwarts away the purest of motives.

4.Evil divides, evil disrupts, evil evades, evil confuses and evil dispels.

3. Evil will keep you from wisdom.

Proverbs 2:12-15 (NLT) "Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted. [13] These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. [14] They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. [15] Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong."

1.Some people say I don't know how to make right decisions but that's not true, look around someone will guide you into the ways of God. 

2.Look closely, someone will guide you into wisdom.

3.Look closely someone will guide you into freedom. 

Illustrate here:masks. Use an evil mask to understand how you wear this all day yet this is not what you are. Wear a good mask to understand this is what you wear all day yet this is not what you are. 

Evil / Who is the Devil

Tonight we are going to talk about the father of all evil.
The Devil.
The Bible has a bunch to say about the Devil.
Who he is…how he works and what he does!
WE are going to take a couple of weeks to “Unmask” him, his strategies, patterns and mission!

The devil is not a myth or a legend…He is very real and very alive!
Pastor Mike I have never seen him!
Might I remind you that you have never seen gravity either!
But we see the work of it…you jump off of this church and gravity  is very real!
We have seen the works of the devil in action!
2. Jesus himself addressed this issue of the Devil being very alive and very real!

Luke 8:12 (NLT) "The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved."
These are the very words of Jesus telling us that we have an enemy on the loose and one of his missions is to oppose people's salvation!
Matthew 4:1 (NLT) "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the Devil."
Jesus had a very real encounter with the Devil.

This is the account of the Devil not only while he was in Heaven before he rebelled, but also when he got kicked out!
The Devil was a created being!

Luke 10:18 (NLT)
"Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!"

Isaiah 14:12-17 (NLT)
"How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. [13] For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. [14] I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.' [15] Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. [16] Everyone there will stare at you and ask, 'Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? [17] Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world's greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?"

Ezekiel 28:13-19 (NLT)
You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone- red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald- all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. [14] I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. [15] "You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. [16] Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. [17] Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. [18] You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. [19] All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more."

From these scriptures we can piece together that the Devil was probably the Worship leader in heaven before he chose to rebel! (Freewill)
He is not the creator…but rather the created and very alive!
John 8:44 (NLT) "For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies."
The Devil cannot tell the truth!
WOW let's recap–loves to do evil, a murderer, truth hater, liar, consistent character defamer and the father of all lies!
The devil created lying!
He is the most incredible at it!
I've met a few people who were an incredibly close second but no one is better!
He is the ultimate liar!
Isn’t this ironic…the greatest lie of all is to be deceived and convinced that the Devil does not even exist!
Atheist-person who does not believe in the existence of God.
Agnostic-a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.
Revelation 12:9 (NLT) "This great dragon-the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world-was thrown down to the earth with all his angels."

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) "Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 (NLT) "But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. [15] So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve."
He wears a mask to hide his true identity!
This is why evil is so enticing looking so pleasurable and good!
It's masked from it's true identity.
The Devil makes what is wrong appear right and what is right appear wrong and tedious.
The Devil has strategies against you!
A strategy is an “organized plan of attack” to achieve a goal or mission!
The Devil’s mission statement is found in John 10:10 – “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy your life…”
He plots and schemes on how he and his army of demons can destroy your life, your family, your reputation, your job, your finances, your marriage…you name it…He has a plan against it!
How ignorant of us to not expose and understand how he works and who he is!
2 Corinthians 2:11 (NLT) "so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes."

Ephesians 6:11-12 (NLT) "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. [12] For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

So this is the game changer for me…to realize, recognize and comprehend that he is personally after me! After my sons! My wife! My Daughters! My Family! And the ministry God has called, ordained, and separated me to.
I will not stand idly by!

The devils power is very limited!
The Devil had a plan and that plan blew up and backfired!
He thought that when Jesus died on the cross that all hell would break loose and that that the Son of God was finally defeated!
What he did not know was God’s complete plan!
Listen…The Devil can only twist what God has already put in place!
What about in Romans 1 where it says that they invent evil…just look at what they are doing.
God gives life and Satan takes it!
God created sex for a husband and wife and Satan twisted it and said do it outside of marriage, have it with whomever you want, then man with man and woman with woman!
You owe it to yourself to read Romans 1 to see what God thinks of this.
So the only power that the Devil has is what we give him!
Fear cannot get a grip on us unless we allow it to stay.
Colossians 2:15 (NLT)
"In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
God is the creator and the Devil is created!
God is omnipotent (all powerful)…the Devil is not!
God is omnipresent (everywhere)…the Devil is in one spot!
God is omniscient (all knowing)…the Devil is created!

LISTEN:  If the Devil knew everything…He would have never rebelled!  Why?  Look where he is going to end up for Eternity…

Revelation 20:10 (NLT) "Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

How do we defeat him every day of our lives?

James 4:7 (NLT) "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
The key is submitting your life to Jesus Christ.
Take up His Word every day and take up your cross every moment.
To look temptation in the eyes and face it all with the Word of God!
All my areas submitted to the Lord.
Matthew 22:37 – “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength…”

Submit=Honor, live for, be faithful to.
Being a true follower of Jesus Christ…not a pretender and a fake…that is what we just said the Devil does!
If that is the way you are doing life...who's control and influence are you under?

1 John 5:18 (NLT) "We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them."

Psalm 23:4 (KJV) "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;"