You say, well, we've not sung yet. Yes, we have.
We sung Power in the Blood. And you sung a little
bit of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms before
I got up here. My heart is stirred today. Just
a little side note. We probably were not going
to do Chili Cook -Off today anyway, had it been
pretty. there's a 98 .3 % chance it would have
been postponed anyway. I've just had a stirring
that we needed to be in the house of the Lord
today. Not that we wouldn't have been, and we
would have screeched a little under the pavilion.
Amen. We'd have had some word. We always do,
don't we? We would have done that, and the Holy
Ghost is just as... Welcome under the pavilion
as he is in this sanctuary. Amen. So he could
do whatever he wants to do with us inside or
outside. But I just felt constrained to the Lord
to be on the inside today. Amen. And so let's
look. I don't know about you, but I'm nervous
as a cat on a hot tin roof. Boy, I've just got
the jitteries all inside, you know. Praying the
Lord just has his way with us today. They're
going to sing us out after a while. Amen. It's
not that we're not going to worship. We're going
to worship. Amen. Revelation 20 beginning at
verse 1 reads, And I saw an angel come down from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit
and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold.
On the dragon, that old serpent, which is the
devil. And Satan then bound him a thousand years.
And he cast him into the bottomless pit. And
shut him up. And he set a seal upon him that
he should deceive the nations no more. Till the
thousand years should be fulfilled. And after
that, he must be loosed a little season. I just
feel really good today about preaching on shut
him up. Amen. Shut him up. I'll pray for you
if you pray for me and we'll leave here lifted
in the grace and the glory of God. Father, I
love you this morning. So thank you for your
goodness and your mercy. Thank you for the power
of your rich blessings. I thank you for the power
of your word and not only the power of that word,
but the promise of the word. This great promise,
the time is coming when he will be wrapped in
a chain. Such a great sermon titled years ago
I heard. Somewhere in heaven, there's an angel
polishing a chain. And Lord, that he will take
hold of the old dragon, the old serpent, the
devil, Satan himself, bind him up, cast him in
a pit, and shut him up. Help us today, Father,
in the name of Jesus. We thank you and praise
you for all things. In Christ's name, amen and
amen. You can be seated. There's a lot going
on here and a lot already taking place by the
time you get to the 20th chapter of John's revelation
that he received. Just prior in verse chapter
19, you see the second coming of the Lord. You
see him taking his authority. You see him speaking
and claiming victory just from his voice alone.
You see the declaration of who he is, that new
name written on his vesture, King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. John is seeing a lot of different
things, and he's recording as the Spirit is laying
on his heart. And he's writing these for our
encouragement, for your and my encouragement.
It's a warning. People see Revelation as a scary...
And it can be when you look at it in the apocalyptic
sense and the destruction of the earth. It's
not really the destruction. It's the revamping.
Amen. When it's going to be purged and cleansed
by fire, we see all these things. You read about
trumpets and vials and all these things being.
Unleashed upon the earth, you see scrolls open,
seals being opened, and the staging of the end
of time. And it's very alarming. Amen? It can
be very alarming. But it should not be alarming
for the child of God. It should not scare you.
You should not be afraid. of the words written
in the book of Revelation. If anything, it should
put a smile on our face in knowing that Jesus
is coming. Amen. That that King of kings and
the Lord of lords is coming in glory. Amen. He's
going to be upon the steed of victory, and he's
going to claim that victory for you and I. So
we begin to wonder, are we nearing these times?
And we could say yes, and we could say I don't
know. We could say that the signs of the times
are pointing to the return of the Lord and these
things coming into fulfillment. Because they
are beginning to align. The end times are beginning
to unfold before our very eyes. But what you
and I do not know is when the moment that the
Father is going to say, Son, it's today. Go get
my children and bring them. We don't know. We
don't know how God works in eternity, in the
span of time. We don't know what time means to
God. Matter of fact, it doesn't mean anything
to Him because He moves in the past and the present.
in the future. He is there. God is existent in
all points of what we know and how we have been
refined and defined to what we call time. You
always need to know that. Remind yourself, God
is not restrained by time. He is the author of
time. He is the creator of time. Time is in him,
and that's how we receive what we have. In the
dimension that we live, amen? God is in control.
And it could be today that the trumpet sound,
the archangel shout. The heavens open and Christ
appear and stand with arms open wide saying,
Come home, children. Come home. Come home, sisters.
Come home, brothers. Come unto me. Amen. My Lord,
wouldn't that be wonderful as we begin to think
about that? But I know the alarm comes because
we also understand what's going to be poured
out on the earth. And we also know what's going
to take place in the lives of unbelievers. It's
going to be devastation. It's going to be tragic.
Amen. But for a thousand years, guess where we
came from? get to be we get to be at the marriage
supper with the lamb amen we get to be sitting
with him amen in his presence and and knowing
but during this thousand years when we think
about our text today and the title of this message
shut him up amen i'm ready for the devil to be
shut up Amen. Figuratively, amen. I am ready
for him to be bound up with that chain, and I'm
ready for him to be cast in that bottomless pit
because of the devastation that he wreaks upon
humanity. Are you hearing me? The devastation
that he wreaks upon humanity. You look through
Scripture all the way. You can find the word
shut in many places and used in many various
forms throughout Scripture. But mostly it's a...
material or it's a figurative pattern of speech.
And knowing that in the text that we're looking
at today, it's a future event, it's a future
promise that's what's going to take place on
the devil. And I am one who is looking forward
to that promise. And if we just had that alone,
shouldn't that be grounds for shouting? I don't
know what he says against you, but I'm ready
not only to see him physically shut up, but that
figurative form of just shutting his mouth. I'm
ready. I'm ready to see that angel take a loop
of that big spoke chain and wrap it around his
face and gag him with it. I am tired of hearing
the voice of the enemy. I grow weary, and as
I grow weary, I don't know how you are, but I
kind of get stank -eyed and cross -eyed the tireder
I get, the shorter my fuse. Are you hearing me?
I'm more easily irritated. when I've come to
my limit and my limit is being encroached upon.
I get very cranky. You say, surely not. Well,
it's one of those flaws that I often remind you
that I have. I'm short. And my patience with
the enemy is worn. Not like it really matters
a lot. I don't know that it matters a lot, but
it does to me. My patience is wearing very thin,
and I'm getting very weary, and I'm tired of
everything that the devil is doing. I am sick
and tired. tired of what he's doing to you, amen,
and what he's saying against you. So not only
am I ready to see him locked up and chained up
in a bottomless pit, but I'm ready for him to
be shut up, amen. I'm tired of hearing him. I'm
tired of that sitting on my shoulder and hearing
that voice speak negativity into my life. I'm
tired of hearing it, amen. Every time we have
prayer requests and I hear what's going on in
your lives, You may think it doesn't move me,
but I'm telling you, I'm deeply moved. Every
time I hear that the devil is getting an upper
hand in your life or in the life of your family
members or your friends, it really just starts
to... My mama used to use this phrase, irk. You
about to irk me to no end, and that's about where
I'm at. I'm about irked to no end. And so I'm
ready to see that the devil is shut up. I am
ready to encounter where we can go about a day
and not hear his antagonizing voice, not hear
his accusations, not hear the intimidation of
the forces of darkness, not hearing how fear
is rising and faith is diminishing. I'm ready
for faith to... I'm ready for the voice of the
enemy to be closed and to be shut down. I am
ready. Understand and know this, from time's
beginning, the devil ain't nothing but a loud
mouth. He's always been a loud mouth and he always
will be a loud mouth. You say, you're getting
brave. Well, the spirit that's in me is greater
than he that's in this world. So yes, I am getting
bold and I am getting brave. Because again, I
am tired of what he's doing against you. I am
sick and tired of how he's coming against your
family. And I, for one, am fed up. And I, for
one, am ready to exercise in the authority that
God has given us through the one. work of his
son Jesus Christ and the power that works in
us if truly greater is he that is in us than
he that is in this world. Aren't you about to
get irked? Aren't you about to get sick and tired
of what the devil is saying against you and how
he's coming in to deceive you? Aren't you about
fed up with everything that he's coming against
you with? I am fed up when he begins to be the
accuser. He stands before God. day and night,
and all he does is accuse the brethren. He is
an accuser, but something you've got to know,
he is a liar according to John's gospel. John
said, you speak of your father who is not only
a liar, but he is a lie, and everything that
proceeds from his voice is a lie. I don't care
if he tries to implement scripture. He'll always
implement it wrong, and when you implement it
wrong and you misquote it, it's a lie. unless
it's directly from the word of truth. The devil
is a lie. What are some of the common names through
Scripture and titles? Satan, the most common
name, meaning adversary or one who opposes. You
do know that, right? The devil means false accuser
or slanderer. Lucifer, his name, the name from
a Latin translation of Isaiah referring to a
fallen day star or sun of the morning. The serpent
refers to Genesis' encounter with the great deceiver.
There's Apollyon from the Greek and Abaddon from
the Hebrew, which means destruction and destroyer.
He is the accuser of the brethren. He is your
adversary. Amen. Know that. Similar to Satan,
adversary meaning opponent or enemy. Beelzebub
meaning the lord of the flies or the ruler of
demons. The dragon, a symbolic name, especially
we read throughout Revelation. The tempter, a
name given to him. when he tempts Jesus in the
wilderness. The evil one, a direct description
of his nature and character. Prince of this world
and the prince of the power of the air. Titles
described to tell you what his influence is.
But what I know today, the one that I prefer,
is he is a liar. Amen? And he is the father of
them. And that's who I see him as, and that's
all I know him to be, and that's all I care to
know him as. And when he comes again, I just
remind him you are a lie. And there's a difference
between a liar and a lie. It's the very root
source. He is a lie. And every accusation he
brings against you and I begins with his mouth.
I told you he is a loud mouth. And all he does
is shoot off his mouth. According to Isaiah 14
and 13, that's exactly what got him kicked out
of heaven. For thou hast said in thine heart.
I will exalt my throne above yours. I'm going
to take dominion in the sides of the north. But
let me tell you, no, you are not. You'll be on
the sides, but you'll be on the sides of the
pits of hell. That's where you are going. God
established him. He said it in his heart. He
said it and he believed it. And therefore, he
was ruled over and cast out of heaven. I love
what Jesus said. He said, I beheld him like lightning.
and fallen to the earth. Come on, somebody. Oh,
when God said get, he had no other option but
to get. Can I tell you that greater is he that's
in you than he that is in this world? And if
you begin to resist the devil and the influence
of the voice of darkness, then you exercise the
authority that's been given to you. You can shut
him up, and you can use the authority that's
been vested in you because greater. Is he that
is in you than he that is in this world? You
can ask Adam and Eve. You can ask Abraham. You
can talk with Lot. You can have a discussion
one day with Moses. You can talk to David. Every
temptation he uses against anyone and everyone
involves his mouth. And I can't wait till he
gets shut up. I know we're raised not to say
that. That's not nice. Oh, don't say that's not
nice. Well, it's a fact. I'm not saying it to
be nice. I am not trying to be polite. I mean
exactly shut. Aren't you about sick and tired
of hearing it? Amen. I'm tired of hearing everything
that he says. You know, he comes against you
with junk like, well, you're sick. Well, you're
tired. No, I'm sick and tired. Come on. You're
hurting. You're in pain. You're weak. You're
scared. Oh, you're just different. No, I can't
get hung up this morning. You're just different.
That's a lie from the pit. You're not different.
You're being deceived from the accuser. He's
trying to drag you to the place he knows in which
he is destined to. He's trying to take you to
hell with him. You're different. No, you need
delivered is what you need. And if you're sick,
you need healed. If you're hurt, he is the one
who is able to apply his good grace. He begins
to say, you're confused. You're struggling. You're
depressed. You're oppressed. You're discouraged.
You're disillusioned. And he begins to feed that
junk to you. Let me tell you something this morning.
You've got to shut him up. up the instant he
begins that. If you are a born again, blood -bought,
child of the living God, then you've got to declare,
no, I am a royal priesthood. I am a chosen generation.
I am the one who has been called in separate.
I've come out of darkness. I'm in his marvelous
light. And by the way you tell him that as he's
on his way out, you resist the devil and he will
flee from you. You've got to shut him up. He
said to Eve in the garden, hath God not said?
You know how he starts off putting words in God's
mouth. Huh? Hath God not said? No, that ain't
what he said. And the old serpent deceives and
pulls you aside and drags you under. Job 1 and
9, Satan said unto the Lord. Doth Job fear God
for naught? No, Job feared God for a reason.
Just like I do. I don't fear God for naught.
I'm not in awe and revere of God for naught.
I got good reason. Amen, I got good reason. Why?
But what did Jesus say? Don't fear man who can
destroy the body, but you better have an awe
and a revere and fear of God who can destroy
both the body and the soul and the spirit. That's
who you better have reverence to. There are people
who are more reverent to the devil than they
ever thought they would be to God. They are more
polite to him. They're afraid they're going to
hurt his feelings. That's my main goal in life
is to hurt his feelings. Amen. That is my main
modus operandi that every day that I walk in
victory, I hope it gags him when he sees me get
out of the bed in the morning and get up with
a smile and beginning to sing, I see Jesus coming
in the clouds. I hear trumpets sounding so loud.
I hope he gets sick on it every day that I get
up with the victory when he tries to discredit
me, when he tries to diminish my faith, when
he tries to tell me that God don't care. Devil,
you are a lie. Get out of here. I long to see
Jesus coming in the clouds. I'm going to lift
my voice until he gets here. My God, it's time
to shut him up. It seems as though I have the
same struggle, fat or skinny. I can't keep my,
that don't go out. I can't seem to keep my britches
where they belong. When I was fat, y 'all would
say, you need some spenders, pastor. I was holding
out, I figured somebody would bring me a couple
pair. But I've lost weight and I still can't
keep up. My main goal is to offend the devil.
That's why I'm here this morning. That's why
we started with this first. I don't care what
he thinks. Amen. I don't care what his opinion
of what we do this morning in the house of God
is. It's none. Of his business. Amen. It's nunya.
What's that? Nunya business devil. Why we're
proclaiming the word of God. Before we enter
into worship. Amen. We're going to worship. We're
going to pray. We're going to anoint with what
oil we got left in the jug down here. Because
I'm sick and tired. And I'm telling you, if you
go home today without getting anointed, it's
your own fault. You deserve what the devil tells
you. You deserve everything that he brings against
you. If you walk out and leave your help and
your hope in this altar today. I'm here to tell
you this morning, there's been a stirring in
the atmosphere where praise has been going up.
Prayer has been going on. People have been fasting.
And because they need God to move, we need God
to invoke his power and to enter into our situation.
We need God to set us free and deliver us from
the voice of the enemy. So since he's been kicked
out of heaven, all he's been doing is running
his mouth everywhere he goes. Everywhere he goes,
everywhere he shows up, he just runs his mouth.
It's time that we take authority over that. Your
sanity is not a welcome mat for his spewing of
doubt, disbelief, and fear. There's not a place
for that. Your mind is to be concentrated and
concentrated on the Lord. But he keeps coming
and reminding you of everything that's going
wrong. Let me tell you something. There's something
going to be going wrong all the time anyway.
That's just the nature of the life in which we
live in this sin -filled world. Something's going
to transpire. Something's not going to go the
way that it should go. You're going to mess up.
I'm going to mess up. Something is going to mess
up the status quo of things and life's smooth
sailing. Something's going to go wrong. We're
going to make a mistake. Amen? That's just in
our fleshly nature. The devil doesn't have to
actually do much. We're going to take care of
doing some stuff by ourself. Hello? We're going
to take care of doing enough on our own without
him. He's going to jump on board when you do.
He's going to magnify every issue. But let me
tell you one more time. He is a lie. He's going
to tell you, oh, God will never forgive you.
Right there is lie number one. Unless you've
blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, and if you've
done that, you wouldn't even be here this morning.
Hello? If you've done that, this is the last
place you'd want to be, hearing what I've got
to say. You wouldn't be anywhere around. Your
conscience would be turned over, be seared with
that hot iron. No compassion, no drawing, no
quickening of the spirit. God would forsake you.
But you're here, so you're in good shape. Well,
you don't know what I've done. You're still in
good shape if you hadn't done that because everything
else is covered by the blood. That's the reason
I declared there's power, wonder -working power
in the blood. Everything, everything else. So
when the devil jumps up on your shoulder with
the weight of condemnation and begins to declare
to you how sorry you are, how low life you are,
how pitiful you are, how hopeless you are, you
can't get over it. I've got you where I want
you. Are you hearing this preacher this morning?
That is a lie. He knows that he is subject to
the power of Jesus Christ. He knows it better
than we know it. But all authority has been given
unto him in heaven and in earth. And he displays
that authority in your life as he made that declaration.
It is expedient that I go away so that when I
go away, the comforter can come. Comforter has
come. Greater works than I do shall you do also.
Why? Because you're going to receive power. And
after that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you.
You shall receive power of me that you may be
witnesses of me in every place you go. And on
the day of Pentecost, when it was fully come,
there was a sound from heaven as of a rushing
mighty wind. And the Holy Ghost descended with
tongues like of cloven fire. And he sat upon
each of them. They begin to speak and glorify
God. It was one thing to exercise power while
Christ was still on the earth. He sent the 70
out and they came back rejoicing. Why? Because
they'd been into the far reaches of the stronghold
to the enemy. They had laid hands on the sick,
and they were healed. They had cast out devils
in Jesus' name, and they fled from them. But
let me give you a little secret. They weren't
running from not one disciple. They were running
because of the authority that existed. in the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And when a
faith -filled, spirit -filled believer stands
boldly with their faith rising like a wrought
iron up their spine and look the devil in the
eye and say, shut up in the name of Jesus, I
rebuke you, and you flee. Do you know what he
has to do when you resist him with every effort
in grace and in the spirit? He has to. You flee.
There's no, it's not optional. It's not an option
for him. Well, they couldn't even pass him in
the street without screaming. Right? He'd just
be walking down the street. Devils go to crying
out. What are you here for? What are you here
to do? Shut up. He would put it more politely,
hold thy peace. Amen. He's more polite than I
am. I'd say, shut up. Would you please just shut
up? Hush only goes so far. My children really
didn't know I was serious about them being quiet
until I said, would you please shut up? After
I've asked them to hush a time or two. No, I'm
serious when I say shut up. Next time it's going
to be the palm or the back of the hand coming
your way. Don't open. Let me tell you parents
something while I'm just right here. When you
tell one to shut up, it's not optional. That's
the way you got to be with the devil. Look here.
Quit messing around. He ain't just going to hush.
You've got to shut him up. And you do that by
not giving heed to those seducing spirits that
are coming to your mind and deceiving you with
truth and lie. You know the truth, and it's the
truth that sets you free. And the authority of
the power that's in the Word of God, that's the
reason you've got to read the Bible. Keep your
nose in the pages and your mind meditating upon
the fruit of it every day. And then when the
devil comes like he did against Jesus and tempted
him on those occasions, he declared, it is written.
Conversation over. It's over. It is written.
It ceases the conversation. 2 Corinthians 2 and
11 tells us, lest Satan should get an advantage
of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Too many, I won't say Christians, but that's
a broad stroke of the brush. Let's say churchgoers.
Too many churchgoers. Folks, give way too much
attention and lend way too much weight to the
validity of the voice of the enemy. Now, don't
get me wrong. He is a formidable enemy, and you
can't mess around with the devil. He's going
to get the best of you. He's been at it for thousands
of years, and you're no whooper -dooper. You're
no super duper saint. Hello? And so you have
nothing to say to him but what God has already
declared. That's all you need. The moment you
enter into conversation with him, you lose. Unless
it's a one -sided conversation on your part,
when he becomes in and he arrives and starts
his deceiving and tempting and planting, you
resist him and declare it is written. And you
shut down that situation right there. James 4,
7, and 8 says, Submit yourselves therefore to
God, resist the devil. He will, not maybe, not
might, not possibly. He will flee from you. Revelation
12, 10. The accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
Cast down. Removed from his little perch. Hello?
1 and 18 of Revelation. John said, I am he, as
he records it, that liveth and was dead. And
behold, I am alive and forevermore. Amen. And
have the keys. Of hell. And death. Colossians
2 .15 says. Having disarmed principalities and
powers. He made a open spoil. A public spectacle
of them. Triumphing over them. In it. You. Have
the upper hand in this situation. Because you
are not standing in your authority. You stand
in the blood -covered authority of Jesus Christ.
Amen? So you don't have to placate to him. You
don't have to entertain him. You look at him
with the authority of Christ and say, shut up.
And meditate on his words no more. Move yourself
on. You and I make more mountains out of molehills
than the devil has time to muster up mud. This
life is as simple as, this life of faith is as
simple as repent and move on. You've got to understand
there's always repercussions for sin. There'll
always be a kickback with sin. And if you've
done it, deal with it and move on. Don't whine
about it. Don't mope about it. Don't drag your
lip around about it. If you've done it, repent
and let's go on. The only reason we feel bad
is because the condemner of your soul ushers
into you condemnation. But there is therefore
now. It is written. There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
When the blood covers, the blood washes. And
when the blood washes, he purifies and cleanses.
Now, it would be wonderful if he would take the
repercussion for sin with it. But he doesn't.
I always equate it to like shooting a shotgun.
When you pull the trigger on a shotgun, you're
going to get kicked. How many has ever done that?
How many has never shot a shotgun? How many would
like to? I mean, it's okay. I know this woke
world out here wants to get in, but it's all
right. We may just set up a skeet day. And that
way, next time the pastor preaches about the
kick of sin, you'll say, I remember that. That
illustration I finally got. You know what you
do? You rub your shoulder and you move on. Because
I assure us. I'm putting me in. I started to
say you, but it's us. I assure us there's going
to be ample time for another mistake. All we
need is about two minutes to make another mistake.
But you know the good thing? It is written. That
if a man sins, he has an advocate with the Father,
Christ Jesus the righteous. If a man sins, if
we have an advocate with the Father, so shut
him up. You know that's the way he does when
you make mistakes. He just piles on. Then we
begin to believe that mess. Shut him up. Move
along. Amen? Does that rain? Thank you, Lord.
Everybody say that with us. Thank you, Lord.
We need to rain. He is a lion. He is a father
of every lies. And some of the lies he begins
to tell us is, first one he'll tell you is this.
Now you see, I don't have to worry about getting
past 12. You see why I wanted to go first. I
get my say in without you ready to go. The first
lie he's going to tell you is there's no harm.
There's no harm in it. Amen. Everybody else is
doing it. Just go ahead. There's no harm. That's
a lie. It won't hurt just once. The overdose
crack addict heard when his friends shamed him
into hitting the pipe the first time. And you
become an instant addict. Isn't that the devil?
One time. Everybody else is doing it here. We
have to know our limits, people. And yes, there's
harm in it. The harm is this. The wages of sin
is death. But the gift of God is eternal life.
And that eternal life is received through Jesus
Christ. Another lie. You know, one of the strongest
figures in Scripture was so easily deceived.
Samson. Samson, I mean, I haven't read of any
others that were any stronger than Samson. He
was so easily deceived. He couldn't withstand
the pressure. Pressure would get to him. You
remember in Judges when he's put the riddle out
at the wedding feast and his wife just, they
went to her and said, well, we got to know. Surely
you didn't just bring him here to take everything
we own. And so she went to leaning on him hard,
put the pressure to him. And because of that
pressure, he gave in. And that wasn't the only
time that that pressure got to him. Laying his
head in the lap of Delilah. Oh, just tell me.
Tell me your secret. What's your secret? What
is the secret to your strength? He held out about
like the time before, about as long as he could.
And the pressure. He said, I have taken a Nazarite
vow. No wine has crossed my lip and no razor
has touched my head. And the anointing of God.
Then he hears the alarm. Samson, the Philistines
are upon you. And he stirs himself. He awakens.
He said, I will stand and shake myself as times
before. But he shook and no anointing. There
is harm. Don't give in. Next lie, he's going
to tell you there's no hope. Some of you in here
may have actually heard this one lately. There's
no hope. Your situation is hopeless. And when
we hear no hope and hopeless, we begin to feel
helpless. But you are not helpless. Neither are
you hopeless. Amen. The hope you have is in God.
The liar against mankind attempts. and tries
to put this lie into the mind of all who believe
and trust in God. The psalmist said in 38, 16,
I am troubled. I am bowed down greatly. I go
mourning all the day long. 77 and 4, the psalmist
says, I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 2
Corinthians, Paul says, we are troubled on every
side. Looks like we're surrounded in no hope.
39 and 7, the psalmist says, and now, Lord, what
wait I for? My hope is in thee. Paul didn't just
leave the Corinthians in trouble in that 8th
verse and that 4th chapter. He said, yet not
distressed. We are perplexed. but not in despair.
Ooh. You feel hope beginning to rise. You feel
help beginning to show itself up. Persecuted,
but not forsaken. Right? Cast down, but not destroyed.
One of my favorite verses of the Minor Prophets
is in Micah 7 and 8. You've heard me quote it
many times and you'll hear it many more times
before the Lord's done with me. Rejoice not over
me, O mine enemy, when I fall, for I shall arise.
And when I sit in the dark places, Jehovah shall
be my light. And that's what, shut up. That's
what I'm saying. Devil, you better not stand
over me gloating when you're down. It's not that
you're never going to be knocked down, people,
because we're going to get knocked down. Isn't
that what the psalmist said? Oh, my soul, why
art thou cast down within me? Hope thou in God.
Amen. Hope in the power of his word. Why? Because
somehow, someway, the psalmist understood that
it was written. That psalm that everybody knows,
the shepherd's psalm. Have you ever just kind
of broken that down a little bit? It's been taught,
preached, I don't know how many different ways
from Sunday, a bunch. But to simplify it, it's
simply this. He leads me. He restores me. He
guides me. He comforts me. He anoints me. And
he keeps me. The Lord is my shepherd. Is he your
shepherd? Well, tell the devil, just shut up.
Shut him up. The Lord is on your side. The last
lie that he's going to tell you, there'll be
many others, but the last one I'll cover today
is he's going to tell you there's no reason for
your praise. What do you have to praise God for?
All the preacher wants you all to do is praise
and worship. What do you have to praise God over?
Doesn't he know all hell's breaking loose in
you, around you, and everything you touch? Don't
that preacher know that I've got you by the throat?
Don't he know that? Yeah, he knows. Yeah, he
knows. I know that. Why do you think I'm trying
to get you to praise your way out of your bondage?
Huh? Because, look here, you can't praise God
and remain bound by the hand of the enemy. A
child of God cannot bow himself in worship and
not expect God to show up. Are you starting to
get the correlation here? If I could just get
you to praise past the garbage that he's hammered
you with all week. If I could just get you to
sacrifice some praise. Amen. There's days that
it's a sacrifice. I know you've cried all week.
I know you've been in fear and shudder hiding
in a closet all week because the devil is out
to get you. I know that our adversary is as a
roaring lion and he goes about seeking whom he
may devour. But I also know the Lord is your
shepherd. And I know he leads you. And I know
he guides you. And I know he restores you. And
I know he comforts you. And I also know he anoints
you for the battle that you're looking at. When
you stand before your Goliath and he begins to
spew his poison, I also know that greater is
Christ in you than in a devil. in this world.
I know that. Yes, you're sick. Got folks sitting
in here been diagnosed with cancer. I don't care
what the doctors say. There's nothing insignificant
when they cast out the C word, Brother Randy.
No. You tell me that, we got problems. Yeah,
it may be curable. Yes, it may be in the right
point. It may be finding it at the right moment.
But you already told me I got that junk. Right?
So then you've got options. I'm just going to
toot his horn. He won't. So you have options.
Such a small place for it to be. And they go
take 13 little plugs out of it to test them all.
Where was he at? That happened on a Wednesday.
So where was he? About right here. For about
50 minutes. Teaching about the goodness of God.
Having faith in God. God being your strength.
Was he hurting? Sure he was. Right? We're going
to anoint him in just a minute. If God heals
him, we'll shout. If he doesn't, Brother Randy,
you know what we're going to do? We're going
to keep on shouting. We're going to shout anyway.
Well, that's easy for you to say, oh, is it really?
Is it? Is it? No, no, I beg to differ with you.
It's not easy. No. But it's beneficial. It's
beneficial to what? My victory. It's beneficial
to your victory. You give the devil more credit
than you should, people. And then so we walk
about in defeat. You do know it is written, there
is a sickness unto death. Unless the Lord comes
and changes us, we all going by the way of the
grave. Something going to get us. Now, I know
we don't like to talk about my pops, my dad.
He's about turning 86, and I reckon he's thinking
he's going to cheat death. I said, pops, we need
to go down and get arrangements made. I ain't
going down there. No business down there until
I have to go. I said, well, let's make it easy
on us. I don't care. That's just kind of the
way he feels about it. After about the third
time, now I say, Pop, you still got that money
put up for us to bury you? It's put up, son.
Okay. I wish you got enough to cover you up.
I say, do you want me to just cremate you? Now
look here. That's the way Mama says, Son, I have
lived my entire life since she was in her early
20s. To keep from burning. And so help me if
you burn me when I die. I said, Mom, it's cheaper.
Well, they don't care. I said, Mother, it doesn't
matter. You're going to dust just a little quicker.
Dust to dust. I give her all that stuff, but
she ain't have it. And we changed the subject
real quick. We're all going to go by the way
of the grave if the Lord doesn't come before
our time. Right? But here's the thing, folks.
We do not know our time. So that is the important
part of not allowing the enemy to dominate your
life. Yes, we're perplexed. Yes, we're troubled.
Right? But we're not distressed. Yes, we get
knocked down in life. We get cast down. But we're
not destroyed. Why? Because there's a line that
God puts on how far the devil can come against
you. It's called the bloodline. And when God
said no, that's it. No more. And in the process
of that time, you can put him to flight. Amen?
Until the Lord comes, he's going to depart. He'll
depart for a season. But then guess what? Like
a bad nickel. How many of you ever got a Canadian
quarter back in the day when you could get a
Coke for a quarter? It's a small crowd. I just
shrunk it down to a few of us. You found one
of them machines? And somehow in your change,
somebody gave you a Canadian quarter. And that's
the only quarter you had in your pocket. You
couldn't get a great knee high. It'd fall through
that thing like a dose of salsa with a woman.
And you're standing there pulling on that little
door. Some of you are like, what door? You push
the button, Pastor. No, no, the little door.
You had to jerk that thing out of quick. That's
where the devil is. He just falls out the bottom
and you put it back in your pocket and directly
he'll show back up. But there is a reprieve,
church. You can shut him up. You can shut him
up. Y 'all might already come on and do something,
I don't know what, but we're about to pray. Stand
with me all over the house. Friends of mine,
I call them friends. They like to razz me a little
bit because I'm longer winded than most all of
them. They said, well, if I preach that long,
my people would leave. I said, well, that's the
reason mine come. I don't know what your problem
is. Work on it's all I can say. Time to shut
the devil up. My heart has been moved for us.
All of us. Because I know, I know what the enemy
says to us. We know, we know all too well what
his voice says. Right? So it's a constant. Every
day I put him to flight. Every day. I know when
we get up in the morning what he's going to whisper
in my ear. Because the last thing I do every
night. Before my head slumbers to sleep, I'll
turn on my pillow and I'll put my hand right
here. Because he anoints our head. And so I pray
every day. Amen. That's what we do. And we praise
the Lord every day in spite of what's going on.
And I know if we can do it, I'm no super whooper
duper either. If we can do it in our dilemma,
in our situation, you can do it in yours. You
can. You can do like I do when I mess up. When
I'm tired and my temper gets short and I flare
a little bit. I repent to her and the Lord. So
if I can do it. You can do it. You can make it.
Shut him up. Life's not over. We're still here.
We're still here, devil. Until the Lord deems
it not so, you're still here. Well, I'm sick.
It is written, come to the elders of the church
and they'll anoint you with oil and the prayer
of faith shall heal the sick. Listen to this
one. And if you've committed any sins, they'll
be forgiven. Right? Are you weary? Here's what
the book says. It is written, come unto me all
you that labor and are heavy laden and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. It's easy.
I'll swap you. My grace for your burden. Who's
in a trading mode today? Come on down. Come on.
Who wants to trade? Who's ready to trade? Sister
Stella, why don't you come stand with Sister
Kathy for me if you could. Who's ready to swap?