Questions of Jesus Series #8
Pastor David T. Elms 11/18/2025
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Summary
Pastor David T. Elms explores the profound questions Jesus used to challenge the heart, focusing on the impossibility of a divided house and the urgent need for believers to maintain a fervent, prayerful relationship with God as they await His return.
Key points
- •Jesus used the rhetorical question 'How can Satan cast out Satan?' to expose the logical fallacy of his accusers and to highlight the necessity of spiritual unity within a kingdom or house.
- •Spiritual success is not about 'ringing the bell' of getting the Holy Ghost once, but about cultivating a consistent relationship of prayer and communication with God.
- •In a world increasingly looking toward AI or political solutions for utopia, the church must remember that human suffering is fundamentally a 'sin problem' that only Christ can resolve.
- •The Book of Revelation shows that while the world faces judgment and trauma, the people of God respond with recurring songs of praise and the declaration that the Lamb is worthy.
- •A 'divided house' cannot stand; believers must choose to be active worshipers rather than passive watchers, especially as the return of Christ nears.
Scripture
Spiritual Warfare
Consistency in Prayer
The Return of Christ
Unity vs. Division
Authentic Worship
Life application
This week, choose to be an active participant in your relationship with God rather than a spectator. Instead of waiting for a feeling or a specific moment in a service to respond to Him, proactively offer a sacrifice of praise and fresh prayer from your heart each day.
Reflection questions
- Pastor Elms mentioned that 'unsuccessful marriages are those who cease to communicate.' How does this concept apply to your daily walk with the Lord?
- In what ways do you find yourself seeking the approval of men rather than the approval of God during worship?
- When you hear reports of world chaos or technological shifts, is your first instinct fear or looking toward 'the same Jesus' who promised to return?
- Are there areas of your spiritual life that are 'divided' or half-hearted? How can you offer your 'whole heart' to Him tonight?
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Full transcript
0:00asked that is in this 8week series that
0:00we've done. So tonight is the seventh
0:01edition and I'm inviting your attention
0:03to the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of
0:06Mark, the third chapter. And we will uh
0:09read verses 23 through 26 as we continue
0:15to use these as just launching pads to
0:20look into the depth and the breadth of
0:22how Jesus would cause those who followed
0:26him to think more richly, more deeply,
0:30more broadly, more high than they would
0:33normally think. So here we are Mark the
0:363r chapter the 20 the uh 23rd verse uh
0:41how can Satan
0:44this is a pretty good question here how
0:47and he called them unto him and said
0:50unto them in parables
0:52how can Satan cast out Satan
0:59>> I mean if you want to ask a question
1:02>> if you want to look at many layers. Uh
1:06there's a lot of layers here. And if a
1:10kingdom be divided against itself,
1:14that kingdom cannot stand.
1:17>> And if a house be divided against
1:19itself, so he he started metarrative
1:23kingdom, then he brought it close. If a
1:26house be divided against itself, that
1:30house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up
1:35against himself, who would have thought
1:37of saying that? And if Satan rise up
1:40against himself and be divided, he
1:44cannot stand but hath an end.
1:49Jesus probes the heart and he asks these
1:53massive questions. And of course, how
1:57can Satan cast out Satan came as a
2:00response to people who had seen him cast
2:03out the devil. And they were some there
2:06were some that were saying, "How can he
2:08do this?" They couldn't believe that he
2:10would do this. And of course, the
2:11religious people who had their theology
2:13they thought all figured out, literally
2:16stood up and said, "He casteth them out
2:18by bellub,
2:21which was another word for Satan."
2:23And that's when Jesus presents them.
2:26INSTEAD OF SAYING, "NO, I DON'T."
2:31He said, "Um,
2:33how can Satan cast out Satan?"
2:36He probes the heart. Our first week, we
2:38talked about awakening the flame of
2:40faith. And we looked at how the Lord
2:43exposed and labeled doubt. He said that
2:45the way you know doubt is not because
2:48you have fear, not because you have
2:51moments of secondary thoughts. It's that
2:54you decide that you're going to choose a
2:56primary way. That a doubt is really
3:00recognized because it's two mindsets. It
3:04is two opinions. How long halt ye
3:08between two opinions? And so doubt is
3:12not the fact that you have separate
3:14thoughts. It's that you will not choose
3:18which way you want to go. And faith
3:20saying, "I don't care what the world
3:22says. I don't care what the flesh says.
3:24I'm going to choose faith. I'm going to
3:27choose God." And it it ignites people to
3:30action. And then we talked the second
3:32week about questions Jesus asked when it
3:34says confronting. He talked about
3:36confronting the shadows of hypocrisy.
3:38And he said he was talking about how
3:40there are some who more uh seeking the
3:43approval of men than the approval of
3:46God. That is a process that every one of
3:48us need to think about. When you start
3:50worshiping, you need to say whose
3:53approval am I trying to get? You know,
3:55when you receive the Holy Ghost, if if
3:57some of you are here tonight and you
3:59haven't received the Holy Ghost yet,
4:00listen, I there's a part of me that
4:02rejoices in the fact that you're seeking
4:06for the Holy Ghost. I know everybody
4:08would like to get it the first time they
4:10they go to seek the Holy Ghost. But the
4:12Holy Ghost is not something that can be
4:14handed out like we can hand out waters
4:17here at the church. It is a condition of
4:19preparation of the heart, the hunger of
4:21the soul, and understanding that I can't
4:24live without him. And so you learn how
4:27to pray. And the more you seek for the
4:29Holy Ghost, the more you're acquainting
4:32yourself with the process of prayer.
4:35I've witnessed people who got the Holy
4:36Ghost the very first time they sought
4:38for it and when they got it they
4:40thought, "Wow, magic. I got it." And
4:42they never learned how to pray and they
4:46didn't live for God very long because
4:48it's not the Holy Ghost that we're
4:50after. It's relationship that we're
4:53after. The Holy Ghost is just learning
4:55how to love him more. I'm not going to
4:58come and seek for the Holy Ghost and
5:00then get disappointed if I don't get it.
5:02I mean, I understand those real
5:04feelings. You're like, "Lord, what else
5:05I got to do? I've told you a thousand
5:07times I need you." You know, I I've know
5:09those processes, but I I pro I
5:12proclaimed to you. I talked to my mother
5:13today for about 50 minutes, and she
5:15didn't get the Holy Ghost for three and
5:17a half years seeking for the Holy Ghost.
5:19And she said, "David, I never missed an
5:22altar service. Everyone, I walked to
5:25that front and I prayed for the Holy
5:27Ghost." And she didn't get I said, "Mom,
5:28you must have been a terrible sinner. I
5:30I'm just telling you, God knew better
5:33than to give it to you fast. And uh you
5:36know, when you're that bad, we got to
5:37hold you off at least six months. Come
5:39on now. You know, I got to have a little
5:41more help in the house. You got to hold
5:42some people back. No, I'm joking. But my
5:45point is his mom said, "You know what
5:46though? I learned how to pray."
5:49>> And that was the greater lesson than
5:51just going and ringing the bell saying,
5:54"I got the Holy Ghost." IF YOU ALREADY
5:56GOT THE HOLY GHOST, IF YOU GOT IT THE
5:58SECOND TIME YOU SOUGHT FOR IT, I WANT TO
6:00TELL YOU, SERVING GOD ISN'T JUST GOING
6:03UP AND TALKING IN TONGUES. SERVING GOD
6:05IS SAYING, "HOW CAN I BE IN HIS
6:07PRESENCE? HOW CAN I ABIDE IN HIS
6:09PRESENCE? I WANT the word touched me
6:12today. I'M GOING TO GO in there and I'M
6:13GOING TO TALK to him a little bit
6:15because we're learning how to walk with
6:17God."
6:19>> Unsuccessful marriages are marriages
6:21that cease to communicate.
6:24Unsuccessful marriages are those who let
6:26something bother them to where now we
6:28shut off the talking.
6:30>> You know, I've been angry with my wife
6:32once in my marriage. Once once. And I
6:35determined that one time
6:39that I was going to kiss her goodbye in
6:42the morning. No matter how I felt.
6:45No matter how I felt. I didn't feel a
6:48lot. My lips were as hard as concrete.
6:53They were as narrow as I could make
6:55them. You know, when you're really I can
6:57make my Never mind. I don't need to go
6:59down that road. But you know, you know,
7:01when you're when you're in love, you you
7:03have ways of making your lips a little
7:05bit more luscious. And then there's
7:07times when you're not wanting that, you
7:10can make them a little more tough. You
7:12know, you know that that cold. And then
7:15I can make mine into arrows, brother.
7:19How about those lips?
7:23I mean there's but I vowed
7:27because it doesn't matter how frustrated
7:29and angry I was with her
7:31>> that this was a covenant I not with her
7:34this was my covenant
7:36>> because I'm going to have a marriage
7:37that lasts the way I I mean me and who
7:40was I with the other day? Was it you and
7:43me, Justin? It was you and I, wasn't it?
7:47Is Justin missing church? There he is.
7:50Justin, weren't we together? And we
7:51walked in on a on brother and sister
7:54Garfinkle and they were just kissing and
7:55all that stuff. I mean, good night. We
7:59walked in. I said, we're walking back
8:02out and we walked out and Justin and I
8:05walked in. WE'RE
8:11coming in.
8:18I mean, they they're so in love. THEY
8:20WERE SHARING A SUB FROM FIRE SUBS.
8:23Firehouse Subs. They were sharing a sub.
8:25You know you're in love when you're
8:26sharing a sub.
8:28I mean, he had take a bite and she had
8:30take a bite. Good night. Alive. Come on.
8:36My mom and dad were holding hands in the
8:39minutes before my dad died. My grandkids
8:42were I mean my kids were around the bed
8:44and my mom was crying. She leaned over
8:47and tried to kiss him and she kind of
8:48missed him and he looked up at my kids.
8:50THIS WAS JUST MINUTES before he died and
8:53he said, "She's trying to kiss me."
8:57>> How do you get there?
9:01That's not lucky.
9:05>> BECAUSE I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THERE ARE
9:07DAYS THEY DID NOT see straight.
9:13HOW DO YOU GET THERE? YOU DECIDE. WE'RE
9:15GOING to keep the lines of communication
9:18open.
9:19>> We're going to talk. We're when I every
9:22one of you that have been counseledled
9:23by me, but free marriage counseling, you
9:25know, two of my lessons is how to fight
9:28unfair and how to fight fair. Now, I
9:31know people don't want me to say fight.
9:32So, let me use the new f modern day
9:34language. Somebody grock it and so I can
9:36say it real sweet. Okay. How to keep you
9:39in a safe space very sweetly.
9:48Okay, I'm bored already.
9:52How do you do that? You work at it. You
9:56love through it. You find a reason to
9:59keep on keeping on. The same thing is
10:02your walk with God. The devil wants to
10:05sever your communion with the Lord. He
10:08wants you to be let down that you didn't
10:10get your headache healed. You had to
10:11endure that one all day long.
10:14>> You prayed and it wasn't until you got
10:16that fourth Tylenol in you. No, don't do
10:18that.
10:22Sometimes you don't get your prayers
10:24answered. God's still good.
10:27>> He's still good. I'm not going to walk
10:29in and hold it against him because I
10:31didn't get my way. I'm going to love
10:34you, Lord. I'm going to find all the
10:35reason to praise you.
10:39I'm telling you, I may I I'm going to I
10:42you know, around Thanksgiving time, all
10:45these things come out. But then in the
10:47beginning of of of of America back in
10:49the pilgrim Plymouth Rock period, there
10:52was a period at the very beginning when
10:53the Christians came in and they have
10:55prescribed they were suffering and
10:57people were dying and things were not
10:58doing so good. And because of that that
11:00preachers were saying, "All right, we're
11:02going to go extra fast and extra fast."
11:04And they were fasting, fasting, fasting,
11:06and it was more prayer and suffering
11:07until one old uh gentleman stood up in
11:10the middle of he said, "You know what,
11:11folks? I think I think that we have
11:14moaned enough about this. The sun's
11:17coming up. The honeys are making honey.
11:19I I and and we're in a land where we can
11:22worship God freely. And you know,
11:24there's wheat out in the field and and
11:26there's there's been some pecans on the
11:28pecan trees. We've got a lot of reason
11:30to be thankful. And it changed the whole
11:32tone of it all. You can focus on that
11:35which is negative or you can focus on
11:38that which is true and virtuous. You get
11:41to choose. But whatever you choose, the
11:44Bible said, if there is any virtue or if
11:47there's any praise, think on these
11:51things. So when I come into the house of
11:53the Lord and I want to talk to HIM A
11:55LITTLE BIT, I DON'T FOCUS on the things
11:58that the enemy says I lost. No, I'M HERE
12:00TO SAY, "LORD, I KNOW YOU'VE been good
12:03to me all day long. You've been good to
12:06me. You've kept me when I didn't even
12:08know to keep myself. YOU WERE WATCHING
12:10over me when I wasn't even praying.
12:13YOU'VE BEEN GOOD TO ME MORNING, NOON,
12:15and night. And so I'M GOING TO PRAISE
12:17YOU. I'M GOING TO THANK YOU.
12:23HALLELUJAH.
12:25>> And so we we we we go down this way of
12:29praise and we understand that I'm not
12:31interested in the approval of men nearly
12:34as much as I am in interested in keeping
12:37relationship
12:39>> with the Lord.
12:40>> And I know I'm preaching to the choir.
12:42Look at you. You're all in church all
12:44packed up and full and your kids are
12:46back there practicing and and looking so
12:48pretty on this Tuesday night in the
12:51house of the Lord. You already love him
12:53like that. But oh Lord, give me more.
12:56Throw another log on the fire. I want to
12:58make sure that MY FIRE IS HOT when the
13:01Lord comes back.
13:03>> And Jesus asked these questions. The
13:06third was an assessment of giving. Don't
13:07give what is holy to dogs. Don't cast
13:09parable for swine. Don't put grapes uh
13:12don't don't go look for grapes among the
13:14thorns. Don't look for figs among the
13:17thistles. Shall the blind lead the
13:19blind? These were not random metaphors,
13:21but they looked at us square in the eye
13:24and said, "Decide that you're going to
13:27spend time in the sacred and not spend
13:30time in the profane."
13:32>> Then he talked about teaching kingdom
13:34culture. Our fourth one, where we're not
13:36of this world. We are in the world, but
13:38not of this world. that in the midst of
13:41our fumbling, bumbling humanity that we
13:44reset ourselves again and again. That
13:47there will always be seeds and soils and
13:51there will always be wheat and tears.
13:54There will be a net that will bring fish
13:56of every time kind into the kingdom.
13:58That there would be a pearl and many
14:00pearls and one pearl of great price. and
14:04that even though uh the pearls are
14:06valuable when you find the one, it is
14:10worth selling all the little ones to get
14:13the one. Then we talked about priorities
14:15of mercy and what was the appropriate
14:18measures of mercy and Jesus talked about
14:20how that that the the leader of that day
14:23had taken people who were making
14:25sacrifices and he had killed them while
14:28they were making sacrifices and and they
14:31said, "Well, what about those people?"
14:32people. And Jesus said, "Well, if except
14:34you repent, you shall likewise perish."
14:37And he talked about a tower collapse.
14:40And he said that tower fell on them and
14:42except you repent, you shall likewise
14:45perish. He said, "Be zealous, therefore,
14:48and repent." And it was something that
14:50we were supposed to do often. Uh then
14:53our last one was about challenging fear
14:55and worry. He said, "What can you add to
14:59your statue?" statue uh stature by
15:03worrying. You can't add one cubit, not a
15:06inch by worrying. And he said, you don't
15:09need to spend a lot of time in worrying.
15:11Just dwell in the day that you're on. Uh
15:14th this lesson is one where he's urging
15:18us to have renewal of power, repentance
15:22for power every time that we have to
15:25recalibrate. And that is often that we
15:28do it so that we understand the power of
15:32God. And this is something that is
15:35striking. And you know many times I
15:37don't like to talk about the devil but
15:39Jesus made it very plain. There are
15:42forces of evil
15:44>> and he said how can Satan
15:47cast out Satan? He just demonstrated
15:50power in the spirit world and it changed
15:53the stress load of this this family. It
15:57changed the the trajectory of this boy
16:00who would cast himself in the fire. The
16:03demons of hell always lead toward
16:05suicide and damaging of yourself. And
16:09then he goes and demonstrates that there
16:12are two forces in this world. And I want
16:15to touch it just a few minutes right now
16:18talking about the two forces. If a
16:20kingdom is divided against itself, can
16:23that kingdom stand? We have heard
16:26Abraham Lincoln quote that a kingdom or
16:29a house divided against itself cannot
16:32stand. But Jesus was the one who said it
16:34first. He even used the question he said
16:38in Matthew 12:34. He said, "Oh
16:40generation of vipers, how can you being
16:44evil speak good things?"
16:47>> People who were speaking harm to others,
16:52how can you? This is evil. It's not sin.
16:56It's evil. If you're trying to harm
16:58someone else, if you're trying to tear
17:00them down, if you are a backbiter, a
17:02whisperer, a gossip, if you fi try to
17:05find the bad in the person near you, or
17:08even if you try to find the bad in the
17:10person you're married to instead of
17:12finding the good, how can you being evil
17:16speak good things?
17:18>> What a question. And he emphasized that
17:21you need to continually reassess,
17:23>> right?
17:24>> And look for actions what would that
17:28would reconcile you to God.
17:30>> And so he talked about
17:31double-mindedness. How can you have a
17:33divided mind or a divided house? How can
17:36it stand if it's divided? Can you have
17:39one foot in the world and one foot on
17:41the side of God? I can categorically say
17:44yes, you can.
17:48I've been in the church my whole life.
17:50I've watched a bunch of people do it.
17:53>> But you can't do it
17:56>> and please God.
18:00>> You can't.
18:02>> You've got to choose.
18:04>> Am I going to be a worshipper or am I
18:07going to be a watcher?
18:10>> Am I going to be A CHILD OF GOD OR am I
18:14going to be a child of the earth?
18:17whose report.
18:20Oh, y'all listen. You know, you know
18:23this is an aisle running moment, okay?
18:26You know how often you got to decide
18:28whose report you're going to believe.
18:30>> You know that's the truth.
18:32>> It doesn't matter how much you've
18:33prayed, how long you fasted. Come
18:35tomorrow, you're going to have to decide
18:37whose report.
18:39You're going to get a report from hell
18:42every day.
18:43>> You can count on it. It's going to show
18:46up and give you all the numbers that are
18:48against you, all the forces that are
18:50against you, even to TELL YOU WHERE GOD
18:53let you down, where saints have let you
18:55down, where the preacher let you down.
18:58HE'S GOING TO SAY ALL THESE THINGS ABOUT
19:00HOW YOU'VE been forgotten.
19:02>> And you got to decide whose report will
19:06I believe. First Peter tells us the
19:10fourth chapter 17th verse. For the time
19:13is come that judgment must begin where
19:18>> at the house of the Lord. The house of
19:22God. God's refining judgment. God's
19:25purifying judgment always begins at his
19:29house. Ezekiel 9:6 tells us that when
19:32God was judging Israel that the judgment
19:35was to start at the sanctuary.
19:38>> Amen.
19:38>> Now, here's what's stunning about that.
19:40We're living in 2025.
19:42I would not be stunned if the Lord came
19:45tonight. I would not. There are so many
19:48things that are happening so fast. I
19:51don't know what the world's going to
19:52look like in three and a half years. If
19:54you follow the the modern-day uh
19:57political scene, which I don't recommend
19:59it, I do recommend you paying a little
20:01attention to the world, but if you
20:03follow it too far, and I haven't had the
20:05time to see it, but apparently Tucker
20:07Carlson just interviewed Sam Alman, and
20:10Sam Alman is the creator, the founder of
20:13CE. He's not the own well, whatever.
20:15He's got check GPT and he literally
20:18said, if I can believe the title, I just
20:20saw it where it said he believes that AI
20:23will replace God. And so that's that's
20:27one of those things that I expect people
20:30to say that they think it's going to
20:31happen. And I know some people who would
20:34they don't pray, they just go ask they
20:36just go ask AI and AI gives them all the
20:39answers and they they give those answers
20:42they get from AI, they send them to
20:44other people. And you know the bottom
20:46line is God knows God knows those that
20:48are talking to him and he knows those
20:49that are praying to AI.
20:51>> He knows.
20:53>> He knows the high sounding words of
20:54men's wisdom and he knows this holy book
20:57right here.
20:58>> He gave us this. And if if we're going
21:00to let Ai become our God, then choose
21:03you this day whom you will serve.
21:05>> This house will never have Ai become our
21:08God. It can't do it. Yet in the modern
21:11day era here in America, Peter Thiel,
21:14who is a another uh very rich
21:17billionaire, he he's gone and and
21:20through curiosity, I think he's done a
21:23series. I haven't heard him talk about
21:24it yet, but apparently he has uh talked
21:27about how Antichrist and the book of
21:31Revelation is becoming a reality now in
21:35our present world. and he's seeing how
21:37this could very well parallel one
21:40another. Now, this isn't a church-going
21:42man. This is a very wealthy man who's
21:45made his money and he's he's looking
21:48into the scriptures alignment with where
21:50we're at right now. And so, all of us
21:54walk this way. And I do I've been around
21:56some folks who say AI is the antichrist.
21:58And and listen, I don't want to belittle
22:00what people think and say, but I I just
22:03tell you, so is 666 on that barcode that
22:06you use to check out at CVS today. Uh so
22:09you until you got a worship, it's really
22:12not the antichrist because I've been
22:15through so many different assignments of
22:17what the antichrist is. And even though
22:20there's a great reason to be afraid of
22:22it, there'll never be a world without it
22:24again until God
22:26>> does it. men will not do it. It will
22:30take God if it's ever to be done away
22:32with. And so because of that, we've got
22:34to live in this present world, in the
22:37world, but not of the world. And so, we
22:40walk and we listen and we press and we
22:42push so that we're uh walking in a way
22:45of holiness. But here's the thing. The
22:47book of Revelation is as relevant at now
22:49as it's ever been. And the book of
22:52Revelation is known as the revelation of
22:55who?
22:55>> Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. It is the
22:58revelation of Jesus Christ. And I've
23:01heard it preached and taught my entire
23:02life. In fact, our office devotion on
23:05Monday, we got chasing that. And I don't
23:07know if it was just me or all of us, but
23:09we got off and before we knew it, we had
23:11been going about an hour and almost 20
23:14minutes, I think, was what the clock
23:15said, talking about Revelation and all
23:18the different variables that we've heard
23:20and the different ways it's been taught
23:21through the centuries and the way we're
23:23used to hearing it and the way it was
23:25taught before 200 years ago and all this
23:28historical knowledge. All I know is that
23:31it's true. It's real. It's relevant. And
23:35it's more right now than it's ever been.
23:37>> Amen.
23:39>> So it the Bible tells us that there is a
23:42special blessing to the one who reads
23:45that book. Now people have extrapolated
23:47and said that means the whole Bible, but
23:49if you look where that's read or
23:51written, it's really written in the book
23:52of Revelation.
23:54So there's a special blessing to those
23:57who understand or or read that book. Now
23:59what is it when you transact with that
24:01book? When you dance with the book of
24:03revelation, well, there's a lot to glean
24:05from it. There's a lot to learn. The
24:07book of Revelation, it starts out with
24:10the first section. There's a
24:11introductory section section and then
24:13the first section first chapters 2
24:16through three and four is written to the
24:18seven churches of Asia minor. But before
24:22that, there's a vision of Jesus Christ
24:24and his risen glory on the earth. And
24:26the Bible said, "I saw this the the the
24:29son of man walking among the
24:31lampstands."
24:34>> Now, the book of Revelation is full of
24:35codes, symbols. You look at it and you
24:39think, "What does a beast mean? What
24:41does a lampstand mean? What what what
24:44does a foreheaded monster mean? What is
24:46the bowls? And what are the vials? What
24:49are the trumpets, the seven trumpets?"
24:51And each one has a specific all of these
24:54things are they they they they move your
24:57imagination and they stir you. And these
25:00symbols which I talked about a few
25:01Sundays ago how we're constantly walking
25:03this stress between what is literal and
25:06what is metaphor. And there's a dance
25:08that we're used to doing if you've been
25:10around the church. But a newcomer who
25:12comes into this church, they don't often
25:14many times know how to walk the walk of
25:16religious uh metaphor back and forth.
25:18You know, they they say, "Well,
25:20lampstand. what is that or who is that?
25:22And of course, the Bible tells us that
25:24the lampstands were the seven churches
25:27of Asia. The in other words, these
25:29metaphors stand for realities.
25:32>> They're not that it may not be literal,
25:34but it is a reality that exists.
25:37>> You know, and people use metaphors all
25:40the time and they think nothing of it.
25:42You know, Jesus said, "I am the door."
25:44When we think that, uh, all of us who've
25:46been raised around the church, we think
25:48nothing about it. And and the people who
25:50come to church the first time and don't
25:52understand metaphors, they say, "Is he a
25:53wooden door or is he a steel door? Does
25:56he open out like in hurricane land or
25:58does he open in like in North Carolina?"
26:01You don't know these things if you don't
26:02know code. But the only place in the
26:04world that the doors open out in the
26:07world is in South Florida because of
26:10hurricane doors. If you go anywhere
26:12north where there's not hurricane rules,
26:14doors always open in. Not here. They
26:18open out. Well, if you don't know that,
26:20you don't know it. I'm glad I could
26:22educate you tonight.
26:26Nobody wants the door being blown in.
26:29>> Can't be blown in in Florida. Could be
26:31blown off.
26:34It can't be blown in.
26:37And so here Jesus is a door. He said, "I
26:41am the bread of life." Well, you're
26:42wondering, is he white bread or brown
26:44bread?
26:46Well, he was a short tan man, so I
26:48suppose he's probably brown bread. I
26:50don't know.
26:52>> He was never a white man. Okay, go ahead
26:54and get that out of your mind. Jesus was
26:56never a Caucasian.
26:58>> Never. No matter what art you read,
27:00we're going to dwell in the truth. I'm
27:01going to preach it no matter who it
27:03offends.
27:05The average height of the Jewish man in
27:07that day was about 5'4. Okay? He was a
27:09short tan man. If he walked in and you
27:12towered over him, would you still
27:13worship him?
27:20He came and made of himself of no
27:22reputation.
27:24>> He didn't come in any way that make you
27:26want him by looking at him.
27:29>> He was the most brilliant man in all the
27:30world, but he never spoke with high
27:32words to impress you with his
27:34vocabulary.
27:36>> He is God and yet he made himself
27:38accessible to all.
27:40>> And so we find out that metaphors stand
27:43for reality. And so here we have these
27:46metaphors that are given to us in the
27:48gospel in the book of Daniel and Ezekiel
27:50and particularly in the book of
27:51Revelation that there are two forces and
27:54there's a war going on and it's
27:55constantly raging. It's raging right now
27:58in this room.
28:00>> It's looking at churches and the first
28:02place that the Bible said judgment's got
28:04to start is in the house of God.
28:07>> Amen.
28:08>> That's what Peter said. Judgment must
28:10start at the house of God. If you read
28:12the book of Revelation, you'll find out
28:13it's filled with judgment.
28:15>> It's a horrifying, frightening book. All
28:18these things you read, they're so
28:20frightening. You could make a terror
28:21movie out of that book. And yet, it
28:24starts where?
28:27>> Seven churches.
28:29>> Before God judges the world, he judges
28:32the churches.
28:34>> He walks through the church. And let me
28:35tell you, in the last day before he
28:38judges the earth, he's going to still
28:40judge the church. That's why I want
28:42repentance in my heart. That's why when
28:44Jesus said, "Can Satan cast out Satan?"
28:47I want to check my spirit to see whether
28:49it's of God or if it's not of God. Is it
28:52of the carnal nature or is it
28:54spiritually minded? Am I walking towards
28:56evil or am I walking toward good?
29:00>> Hallelujah. He he's he talks about the
29:03seven churches and they're like
29:04lampstands and and that is sources of
29:06light to the city to the nations and the
29:09churches are are how you're supposed to
29:11reach all of these nations. And when he
29:14goes through that in chapters 1 through3
29:16the reason why he reveals himself to the
29:19churches first the churches are
29:21lampstands. Now you know why they're
29:23lampstands. That's a source of light.
29:27>> So how does Jesus reveal himself to the
29:30churches which are sources of light?
29:32Well, read how he appears. When you look
29:35at him, he encapsulates several sources
29:38of light. When he shows himself to the
29:40churches that he walks among, the Bible
29:42said that his eyes were like the flame
29:45of fire. His feet were like fine brass,
29:49not cold. If you've ever seen brass in a
29:52furnace, it glows like light. His feet
29:56were glowing like f brass in a furnace.
29:58His right hand held seven stars. His
30:02face shone as the strength as the sun in
30:05its strength. In other words, he's going
30:07among the sources of light to the world.
30:10But when he walks up to them, his face
30:12is like fire. His feet are like fine
30:14brass. His hand is full OF STARS. HIS
30:17FACE GLOWS LIKE THE SUN. And he's
30:19revealing himself to who? The
30:22candlesticks.
30:24>> Oh Lord, when I come to the house of
30:25God, I don't want to see just people.
30:28I've got to get in his presence and I
30:30got to see Jesus. I want to see his
30:32glory. I want to see his majesty. I want
30:35to see his power.
30:38And he reveals himself to the churches.
30:41He judges the churches. And then he
30:43comes and judges the churches before he
30:46judges the world.
30:48>> Amen. In the final chapter of the book
30:50of Revelation, three times Jesus says,
30:53"Behold, I come quick quickly." Behold,
30:57I come quickly. In the last verse, he
30:59said "Surely
31:01I come quickly." In the first chapter of
31:03the book of Revelation, he said that I
31:06am alpha and omega and I am coming soon.
31:10He said twice, I am he that was and is.
31:14And wait, the to be verb always shows up
31:18in a category of was, is shall be. Was,
31:25is, shall be. Those are the three tenses
31:28of the 2B verb. But that's not what
31:30Jesus said. He said, "I am he that was,
31:35is, and what
31:37>> is to come."
31:39>> IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT I SHALL BE.
31:41>> IT'S THAT I WANT YOU TO know Oh, come
31:44on.
31:45>> I'm coming back.
31:48>> Don't be confused. I was
31:52I AM. BUT I ALSO HAVE SOME OTHER AGENDA
31:56ON MY MIND. I'M COMING BACK. AND I'M
31:59COMING BACK FOR A CHURCH that has made
32:01herself ready. A CHURCH THAT SAW ME
32:04WALKING AMONG THE BODY. A CHURCH THAT
32:07FELT HIS PRESENCE. RECOGNIZED WHEN HE
32:10WAS IN THE HOUSE.
32:12Oh Lord, I pray that it doesn't take
32:15some kind of blow upside my head before
32:18I feel this presence in the church
32:19house.
32:21>> I was watching the service Sunday when
32:23brother Spears was preaching and there
32:26was a time that it was just Sister
32:28Spears, Sister Elms, and me standing and
32:30I thought, what was afflicting us that
32:32didn't afflict everybody else?
32:35>> Why are y'all sitting so much? Is there
32:38nothing being said that fires up your
32:40soul? Is there nothing worth standing in
32:43the presence of God about while the
32:44preaching's going on?
32:46>> I don't need it to happen right now. I
32:48just kept watching a while and then
32:49pretty soon one over here popped up and
32:51then a couple over here popped up. And
32:53I'm not saying anything except listen,
32:55this church has got to be not wait until
32:57we get a charge of 220 before we respond
33:01to the presence of the Lord. If I JUST
33:04GET A HINT THAT HE'S ANYWHERE CLOSE BY,
33:07I'M GOING TO STAND UP AND SAY, "I KNOW
33:09YOU'RE AROUND, LORD.
33:12I KNOW YOU'RE AROUND, JESUS."
33:17BARNAMEUS HEARD THAT HE WAS COMING. JUST
33:20HEARD THAT HE WAS COMING. JESUS, THOU
33:23SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME. I DON'T
33:26WANT TO WAIT UNTIL THERE'S LIGHTNING
33:28FALLING AND THE PRESENCE IS RAINING DOWN
33:30AND IT'S SO THICK. I'LL FINALLY MOVE AND
33:33SAY HE'S SHOWN UP. NO, I WANT TO BE so
33:35sensitive that if I just think he's
33:37anywhere close by, I want to stand up
33:40and say, "Here, Lord. Here, Lord." I'm
33:43not waiting for the preacher to say
33:45SOMETHING GOOD. I'M NOT WAITING FOR SOME
33:47AMAZING POINT TO BE MADE. I'M NOT
33:50WAITING TILL SOMETHING GREAT SWEEPS ME
33:52OUT OF MY SEAT. NO, I'M JUST SAYING, I
33:55KNOW YOU'RE SOMEWHERE THERE, LORD. I'M
33:57HERE.
34:04Oh Lord, I don't want our altar service
34:07to be where we just like pulling eye
34:09teeth to get people to come.
34:11>> Just dragging them down.
34:13>> The altar opens and people walk about
34:15the speed of a turtle.
34:22>> All figuring out where they're going to
34:23stand.
34:26>> They walk to their car faster than that.
34:29But it's altar call.
34:31>> And I'm talking to Pentecostals.
34:34>> If I was talking to different people, I
34:35WOULD SAY IT DIFFERENTLY.
34:37>> I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY'RE ON
34:39FIRE FOR GOD,
34:42>> which I don't know IF I'M GOING TO GO.
34:45I'M NOT SURE IF I'M EVEN GOING TO GO TO
34:46THE ALTAR.
34:48>> I'M PRETTY GOOD WHERE I'M AT, PREACHER.
34:51>> LISTEN, we're an apostolic Pentecostal
34:54church.
34:55>> I'm not trying to be anything other than
34:57that. If you want that, it's other
34:59places. It's not ever going to be
35:01welcome here. This is going to be a
35:03place where people I'm not talking about
35:05being weird. I'm not talking about being
35:07being odd. I'm not talking about making
35:09a scene. I'm talking about true hunger.
35:13>> I was raised you don't make mama ring
35:15the dinner bell twice.
35:17>> That's the way I was raised. I don't
35:19know about you, but I have had to
35:21discipline my kids. so spoiled and so
35:24blessed and so fat and so full with so
35:28many snacks and mama's been cooking
35:30dinner and they call for dinner and
35:32mama's called twice and nobody's coming.
35:37I'm preaching wonderful right now.
35:41>> This is great preaching.
35:45And I'm not trying to GET IT TO YOU FROM
35:47FEAR.
35:48>> I'M SAYING WE NEED TO JUDGE OURSELVES.
35:51CAN SATAN CAST SATAN OUT?
35:55DO YOU THINK A DRY DEAD CHURCH IS GOING
35:58TO SCARE ANY DEVIL IN HELL? DO YOU THINK
36:01WEAK, TIMID, TIPPID, ABSENT PRAYERS ARE
36:06GOING TO MOVE ONE BIT OF HEAVEN? NO. HE
36:10COME FOR A PEOPLE THAT WANT THE FIRE.
36:14LORD, SEND YOUR POWER JUST NOW. OH LORD,
36:20SEND THE POWER JUST NOW.
36:25Oh Lord,
36:27SEND THE POWER JUST NOW.
36:30AND BAPTIZE EVERYONE.
36:33BAPTIZE EVERYONE.
36:35BAPTIZE EVERYONE.
36:47If you call on him, he'll come. If you
36:51call his name, he comes.
36:55Oh.
36:56Oh. If you call him, if you call him
37:01Jesus,
37:03Jesus.
37:09Oh Lord,
37:11>> teach me to love you more.
37:14>> Can Satan cast Satan out?
37:17>> No. I want the fire of the Holy Ghost to
37:20burn.
37:24>> Jesus did something at the end to show
37:27his disciples what his coming meant.
37:31Luke was the one who recorded it. And at
37:33the beginning of Acts, he records a
37:35scene where the disciples had gone with
37:37Jesus to the mountain. And Jesus was
37:40received up into the heavens and
37:44received into the clouds. And Luke, who
37:47was a very scientific-minded
37:49writer, he uses literally scientific
37:52terms when he writes the book of Luke
37:54and the book of Acts. He was the highest
37:57educated of all of the writers other
38:00than Paul. But in the sciences, Luke was
38:03a medic or a doctor of that hour. And he
38:06writes in the New Testament and he says,
38:09"These men were staring up into heaven
38:13and two figures appeared to them and
38:16said, "Ye men of Judea.
38:20Why
38:21stand here gazing?"
38:24>> He's describing what they're doing.
38:26>> Why are you gazing?
38:28This same Jesus
38:32Not another.
38:35>> This same Jesus
38:38>> that you have seen go shall come in the
38:41same manner.
38:42>> I said he's coming.
38:44>> He's coming.
38:46He's coming.
38:48Judgment's got to start at the house of
38:50God.
38:52>> Oh, they looked up. That was a visual
38:55comment as you've seen him go. Paul's
38:57explaining to the church at Thessalonica
38:59exactly what a first church uh Christian
39:03would look like. He says to the church
39:04of the Thessalonians, he said, "What you
39:07need to do is turn from idols
39:11>> and serve a living and a true God
39:16>> and wait
39:18for his son from heaven."
39:21>> The waiting is where we are right now.
39:25>> Amen. But there were things we were to
39:27do. We were to actively serve God
39:31>> and we were to have our eye toward the
39:34future.
39:34>> Amen.
39:35>> This is why we need to understand when
39:37he said, "Can Satan cast out Satan?" He
39:40was saying, "Do you understand the power
39:42trips you have possibility in?" You can
39:45walk in a power trip of the world, the
39:47carnal world, chase the angels that
39:50appear as light, but they're not of God.
39:53Or you can understand that I have angels
39:55and I have power and I will cast Lucifer
39:58out. I'm coming back to bind him up. I'm
40:02going to bind him for a thousand years
40:04and then I'm going to cast him for
40:06eternity into a lake which burneth with
40:08fire. You are to do two things. You are
40:11to serve God actively. And then you are
40:14to understand that hope that is coming
40:16is real. Amen.
40:18>> The most attacked parts of your Bible is
40:20the beginning of the Bible and the end
40:22of the Bible. People attack in the
40:24beginning, God created.
40:25>> They just don't believe it. They want to
40:27believe something other than that
40:28happened. In the beginning, God created.
40:31The next thing that they attack is the
40:32end where the Lord's coming in the
40:34clouds and he's coming with his a with
40:36his angels and he's coming with his
40:38church and he's going to come and stop
40:39all the people that are attacking
40:41Israel.
40:43>> That's right.
40:44He is going to come and stop all the
40:46people attacking literal
40:49Israel.
40:52>> Okay. So when that happens, he's coming
40:56to a literal mountain.
40:58>> Amen.
40:59>> It's Mount Olives. It's a literal
41:02mountain you can go to right now.
41:04>> There's a hotel built on top of this
41:06mountain. But I've said this a hundred
41:08times. They wanted to build IT IN ONE
41:10SPOT, but when THEY DID THE GROUND
41:12BORINGS, they discovered a fault line
41:14that they never knew was there. You know
41:16what a fault line is? It's a place where
41:17the earth has a crack in it, and it's
41:19waiting to potentially have an
41:21earthquake. In California, it's known as
41:24the San San Andreas fault. It goes down
41:27through LA and all the way up by San
41:29Francisco. And that's where all their
41:31earthquakes come from, these fault
41:33lines. The Lord said, "I'm going to come
41:35and put my feet on the top of Mount
41:37Olives, and Mount Olams is going to
41:39split in two." It's already sitting on a
41:42trigger. As soon as he puts his feet ON
41:44IT, IT'S COMING IN TWO. That's real,
41:52but it's also figurative
41:55>> because he's coming back to set in life
41:58this world in order.
42:00>> The Lord is interested in our doctrine.
42:03He's interested in how we behave
42:06>> and he's interested in the quality of
42:08our love.
42:09>> Amen.
42:10>> So doctrine must be in this house.
42:12>> How we behave
42:14must be obvious in this house.
42:17>> That's the reason that's how you carry
42:19yourself in a way that people know you
42:21follow God.
42:23>> That that's they've got to walk with
42:24God. I can tell just by the way they
42:26carry themselves
42:27>> that they always their their language,
42:29the way they present themselves, the the
42:31the the things they do before they eat,
42:33they're just they've got to walk with
42:35God. But then he asks for the quality of
42:38your love.
42:38>> Amen.
42:39>> Oh, you have forgotten your first love.
42:43>> I have this against you. You love me,
42:45but you forgotten the first love that
42:47you had for me. That's that. I see him a
42:50long way off. I'm telling you, there was
42:52a girl that I liked in high school. It
42:55was nuts.
42:57It was crazy.
43:00I can't tell you how many different road
43:02trips I took just so that I possibly
43:04could pass her car.
43:07Isn't that ignorant?
43:09That is so ignorant. That is a southern
43:12word that means unlearned.
43:16>> I mean, if you think they're going down
43:18this road, you'll turn and go down that
43:20way. Just so you might see them at the
43:23light. Oh, there they are.
43:27I'm corny, but some of you guys need to
43:29learn something.
43:32>> All right. You need to learn something.
43:35When you when you really want something,
43:38you go get it. You don't just think
43:40about it.
43:41>> And that's the way you got to do the
43:43Lord. You don't just think about the
43:44Lord. I got neat thoughts. I think of
43:46you, too, Lord. No. I want you, Jesus.
43:50I need you, Jesus.
43:52>> The book of Revelation though is so
43:54interesting as a book. It's full of
43:56singing. Now, you would think
43:57differently because it's got so much
43:59trauma in it, so much tumult, so much
44:02death, but there's song that breaks out
44:04again and again through it. We see the
44:07judgments, the seals, the trumpets, the
44:10war, the famine, the natural disaster,
44:12the demonic plagues, the the wrath of
44:14God, the animals turning against their
44:17nature against humanity. And they come
44:20against a rebellious human human race
44:22and people that are killing one another
44:24and wrath that has increased and
44:27darkness and fear and all these things.
44:29And yet the heavens keep breaking out in
44:32song in the book of Revelation. Several
44:35times the book of Revelation climaxes
44:38with a song which is filled with praise.
44:40One is found in Revelation 5 when they
44:43said there's no one worthy to open the
44:45seal. No one's worthy and yet they say
44:47oh there was one. The lamb was worthy.
44:51And that's when they start singing the
44:53first time in Revelation 5. You are
44:55worthy to take the scroll and open the
44:57seals because you were slain and your
45:00BLOOD YOU PURCHASED FOR GOD'S PEOPLE
45:03from every tribe and language and PEOPLE
45:05AND NATION. WORTHY IS THE LAMB WHO WAS
45:09SLAIN. WORTHY IS THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN.
45:13WORTHY. IT'S THE song in the book of
45:16Revelation.
45:18Then there's another heavy period in the
45:20book of Revelation where it looks as if
45:21evil is going to win. Sister realm's
45:22come. Revelation 11. It says the kingdom
45:24of this world has become. They start
45:27singing when after it looks like evil's
45:28going to win. They said the kingdom of
45:30this world has become the kingdom of our
45:33Lord and of his Messiah and he will
45:36reign forever and ever. We give thanks
45:40to you, Lord God Almighty, because you
45:42have taken YOUR GREAT POWER AND you have
45:45begun TO REIGN. IT LOOKS LIKE THE LORD
45:48WILL NOT REIGN, but I promise you
45:50something. Don't you lose your SONG
45:52BECAUSE HE SHALL reign forever
45:56and ever. Hallelujah.
45:59Hallelujah.
46:01Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu.
46:08>> Then it gets to another part where it
46:09looks like Babylon is too powerful that
46:12the daughters of Babylon are taken over.
46:14And Revelation 19 1-6 is where we find
46:16the only place hallelujah is written in
46:18the entire New Testament. Four times the
46:21hallelujah reign. And there was a a
46:24great song written as known as the
46:26Hallelujah course which is written from
46:28this place. Hallelujah is not found
46:30anywhere except two books of your Bible.
46:32Psalms. It has hallelujah in it 23
46:36times. It's nowhere else in your Bible
46:38until you get to the book of Revelation.
46:40And it's only in one chapter and it's
46:42right here four times in the 18th or the
46:4519th chapter of Revelation. This is
46:48hallelujah comes again and again.
46:51Hallelujah. Salvation and glory and
46:53power belong to our God. For true and
46:56just are his judgments. Hallelujah. For
46:59the Lord God Almighty reign. Let us
47:02rejoice and be glad and give him glory.
47:05And the final med marriage supper of the
47:07lamb song is sung. And the Bible said in
47:09the sound of a great multitude like the
47:12roar of a rushing waters when they sang
47:15hallelujah
47:17let us rejoice and be glad for the
47:20wedding of the lamb has come.
47:25>> Hallelujah.
47:30>> The lamb wins.
47:33>> Satan is defeated.
47:34>> Amen.
47:35>> And the wedding begins.
47:39Is the house divided able to stand?
47:42>> Oh no. So I want this church as your
47:46pastor, I'm asking you when you come
47:50into this place on Sunday,
47:54I want you to
47:56act like
47:58you can't get enough of the Lord.
48:03Don't think it, act like it.
48:10go back to that first love
48:16>> problem with all these futuristic
48:18scenarios that we've got in this world.
48:19Everybody's thinking that we can resolve
48:21this and you know, God bless Elon Musk,
48:25but that guy is talking about a future
48:27of sustainable abundance.
48:30There's only one problem, Elon.
48:33You forgot the sin problem.
48:36I don't care if you give people all the
48:37money they need,
48:39>> all the technology they need, all the
48:42affordable housing they can get. I don't
48:45care if you give them all the food they
48:46want. I don't care if they get a an
48:49adjustable living wage sent to their
48:52mailbox every day. Let me tell you what
48:55this problem in this world is. It's a
48:57sin problem.
48:59>> There's only one that can handle the sin
49:01problem.
49:03People think, well, if you give people
49:04an education, THEY'LL STOP FIGHTING each
49:07other. Oh, really? How's that working
49:08out for us?
49:11>> The worst fighting is coming from the
49:12institutions of supposed education.
49:17>> It's not working out because there's a
49:18sin problem.
49:20>> And there's only one who can take away
49:23my sins.
49:25>> Is the house divided? Only one can take
49:28care of sin. Amen.
49:30>> Jesus came and died so that we might
49:32live. People have tried and shall we all
49:35stand to imagine a utopia. All these
49:38sci-fi books talk about a utopia and
49:41everything's going to be happy and we'll
49:43have conquered disease and and and they
49:46just announced all this weight loss
49:48that's going to happen in the next year.
49:49Well, hallelujah. I'm happy about it.
49:54That's not utopia.
49:56Affordability is the new political catch
49:59word. Whatever side you're on,
50:01affordability, that's not where joy is.
50:05I want it more affordable. I want all of
50:07those things. But the sin problem can
50:10only be handled by an altar.
50:14>> Where you get rebuked,
50:19>> there was a there was an era where they
50:22said, "Guilt, we've got to get rid of
50:24it.
50:26Guilt is the problem. No. If you're
50:29guilty, you need to have guilt.
50:32If you've committed the crime,
50:35you need to have some guilt.
50:39Reprove, rebuke, exhort with
50:41longsuffering undoctrine. Why? That you
50:44may edify,
50:47build up the body of Christ. Because
50:49it's not about us having a fire
50:51insurance policy. It's about us
50:53realizing there are demons out there.
50:56I'm not just trying to come to church to
50:58have a good Pentecostal service. I've
51:01got to get on the Lord's side
51:05so that wherever the demons show up,
51:08Satan cannot cast out Satan.
51:13You need to know more than just the
51:15words to say when the devil shows up.
51:20You know the story of the seven sons
51:22ofKeva.
51:24Yeah. They encountered that
51:25demon-possessed boy and they said, "I
51:28observe
51:33of Paul
51:35that you come out
51:38of that man."
51:44And those demons spoke back.
51:49They said, "Paul, I know.
51:54Jesus, I know,
51:56but I've been watching you at church.
51:59You're not moved by God. He's walked by
52:02you 10 times, and you sit there like a
52:04bump on a log. The altar's open many
52:08times, and you don't even move to pray.
52:11You're just waiting till those few
52:12minutes can get over so you can head to
52:14where you're going to eat."
52:17Oh, the pastor's in the pull pit
52:19tonight.
52:22Listen, if the shoe fits, put it on. I'm
52:25You're not in trouble with me. I'M JUST
52:27SAYING WHEN the devils are watching you,
52:30are they going to say, "But who are
52:32you?"
52:34>> I've been watching you. When you pray,
52:36there's no passion. You just stand
52:38there.
52:41You don't even put your mind in a fresh
52:43thought.
52:45You don't EVEN SIT THERE AND THINK OF A
52:47FRESH WAY TO APPROACH THE THRONE.
52:50>> JESUS.
52:54JESUS.
52:56LISTEN, there's nothing wrong with
52:57saying his name, but there's something
53:00entirely wrong when you do it with half
53:04of your heart.
53:07Entirely.
53:09He said, "Except you serve me with your
53:11whole heart, whole mind, whole body,
53:15whole strength." This is why when the
53:17rabbis go and the whailing wall and they
53:21stand there and pray, they pray like
53:23that because this is the outward
53:26expression of my whole mind, my whole
53:30heart, my whole strength. I want the
53:34Lord to know that when I serve you, I'm
53:37doing it. I'm not saying that apostolic
53:39need to start praying like that because
53:41that itself can become an idol.
53:46>> I've been around people that do that and
53:47they're nowhere in the spirit. THEY'RE
53:49JUST DOING THAT BECAUSE THEY THINK IT
53:51CHECKS US a checks a box. I'm saying dig
53:54down into your heart tonight
53:57and say, "Oh Lord, search me. I want my
54:01prayers to be authentic. I want to be
54:04thoughtful. I want them to be deep. I
54:06want them to be real. I want him to be
54:09spiritual.
54:11Why don't we gather around this altar
54:12for just a few moments and come and ask
54:15the Lord to draw us close to him? Draw
54:18me near, Lord. I want to be spiritual. I
54:22don't want to try to cast out Satan when
54:25I have not been in touch with the Lord