Out and Up Part 5 - The Jebusite

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Happy Pessach! The Passover moon was brilliant in the sky last night.

 

2 Samuel 5 NKJV

6 ¶  And King David and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.”

7  Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

 

The nature of the enemy known as the Jebusite is to wear you down, beat you up, and make you feel worthless. The Jebusite is hoping you will lose heart and quit trying. This enemy spirit with whom many people wrestle is a formidable opponent. 

 

The picture most often associated with the Jebusite is that of the threshing of wheat. The process of threshing is one of continual beating. Allow me to show you:

 

https://youtu.be/b4Kj960o_Co

 

The Jebusite will use anything he can to make you feel worthless …

 

https://youtu.be/jleK4pHtQIw

 

·        Sickness

·        Sin

·        The loss of a loved one

·        Unemployment

·        Retirement

·        Failure

·        Disappointment

·        Mental and emotional pressures

·        Post Traumatic Stress

·        Economic downturns

•          Political concerns

 

His attacks seem constant, aggressive, relentless and unfair. One blow right after another. Even the disciples of Jesus experienced it.

 

Luke 18:1  Then Jesus spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

 

Just before Jesus was arrested on that last Passover eve, He told Peter:

 

Luke 22

31  And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.

 

• Satan wants to own you …

• His desire is to “Jebusite you” …

• Cause you to fail and make you feel worthless and ashamed …

• He is hoping he can make you quit.

 

32  “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

33  But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

34  Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

 

54  Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance.

 

Later as Peter sat by a fire in the courtyard with others watching to see what would become of Jesus, a woman recognized Peter as one of the followers of Jesus. So she said to others, “This man was also with Him.”

 

57  But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

 

It happened that others accused Peter of being a follower of Jesus two more times in the courtyard that night and twice more Peter denied even knowing Jesus. 

 

60  But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

61  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

62  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

 

Satan wanted to own Peter; abuse him; confuse him; and use him for satan’s own gain. If only he could destroy Peter’s faith and make him feel worthless and ashamed and cause him to quit the group and quit following Jesus. 

 

That is still the aim and the goal of the spirits of the darkness of this world and the spiritual wickedness operating in heavenly places today. We are in the last days, we are in our last days for sure, and the enemy of our souls is trying to deceive, trick, beat down, wear out, abuse and confuse the disciples of Christ with his lies and his fear tactics. 

 

What is the devil doing to dislodge you from the faith that brought you to Jesus and the faith that has always worked to the benefit of His Kingdom. Having begun in the spirit can we now be made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3)

 

Satan desires to own you: your hope; your faith; your family; your finances; your friendships; and your future. And it’s not just you … but the devil will try to get you to make it all about you …

 

1 Peter 5 NKJV

8 ¶  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

 

2 Corinthians 4 NKJV

17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

18  while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

 

Luke 18:1  Then Jesus spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

 

The Jebusites told David he was weak and worthless … Nevertheless, David took the city.

 

Take Aways from today: 

 

1. Be sober, Satan wants to own you.

a. “you” is plural … all of you!

b. Be sober and vigilant.

c. He wants to mess up your life; make you feel worthless and ashamed.

2. Stop listening to the devil and your flesh.

a. Resist him steadfast in the faith.

b. Help your brothers recognize and resist him too.

3. Pray and do not lose heart.

a. The devil wants you to quit on Jesus and separate you from the group.

i. You’ve seen it on National Geographic … the Jebusite singles out the weak and young and vulnerable and cuts them from the herd.

ii. He wears them down before going in for the kill.

iii. This is what happened to Peter – singled out and slain.

b. Perhaps this is why Peter wrote: Be sober and vigilant … you have an adversary … it’s the devil … resist him!

 

Next Sunday is Easter Sunday. Bring a friend to Jesus!

Out and Up ​Part 4 – The Test

 Out and Up

​Part 4 – The Test

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In the book of Exodus, God warned His children to not live in peace with their sworn enemies. God identified these enemies in Exodus 3:8. It took a long time, but Joshua and the Children of Israel faced and defeated each one, except one. This brings us to the next enemy on our list, The Hivite. 

 

Joshua 11

18  Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

 

Verse 15 says that Joshua left nothing undone of all the Lord commanded.

 

19  There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle.

 

Why the Hivites? Well, there is an interesting story which you can read in Joshua chapter 9. It seems the Hivites were more cunning than any other enemy in the land. By the word cunning I mean crafty, sneaky, artfully deceptive. Allow me to tell you the story. (The account of Joshua 9)

 

Joshua 9:4 says the Hivites worked craftily and pretended to be ambassadors from a far away country bringing support to Israel. They pretended like they wanted to help Israel accomplish their God given destiny. But they were liars, just like their father the devil. He too was a liar from the beginning. 

 

Did you know that the root word in the Hebrewlanguage for craftily is the same root word God used to describe the cunningness of the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

 

Genesis 3:1 ¶  Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

 

Notice that the devil never asked Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit … he was crafty, artfully deceptive. As well, unless you have had the occasion to study the original Hebrew text, you may not know that before sin Adam and God referred to Eve as “the woman” while after sin she is called Eve. 

 

Eve means the mother of all living and is also the same Hebrew root word for the word Hivite. The connection between Eve and the Hivites centers around deceiving or being deceived. To bring to birth lies and falsehoods … things that have life without the life of God.

 

The spirit of the Hivite is an enemy to the child of God- Believing things and sharing things that are not the truth. Believing it does not make it true.

 

Ephesians 6:12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

Specifically focusing on the rulers of the darkness of this age, we know for a certainty that the Apostle Paul was referring to the deceptive art the devil has perfected concerning the divine things of God. 

 

James 1:14 teaches us that a person can only be tempted with something they want … drawn away by their own lust, and enticed as he puts it. We see this happening with Eve and the original sin. 

 

Eve was a good woman. In fact, she was the most perfect daughter of God ever to live. Eve was not a bad person; however she was wrong. The only thing Eve wanted was the same thing God wanted. She wanted to be like God; she wanted a better life; she wanted to be wise; she only wanted what she wanted, and I believe it was what God wanted for her as well. 

 

I believe that in time, God’s time, and in God’s way, as she grew and took the next steps God offered that God would have given her everything her heart desired. Her problem, and where deception and sin entered the picture, was when the devil offered her a quick fix. All she had to do was go a little outside of what the Word of God said. The devil is sneaky, crafty, cunning, and artfully deceptive when it comes to God’s will for your life.

 

The devil tried the same thing with so many people, especially God’s chosen throughout the Bible and God writes about it. From Abraham to David and from Rahab to the Apostle Peter, the devil only offered them what they always wanted. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says there is nothing new under the sun. People want what they want right now … the Hivite is selfish.

 

The devil even tried it with Jesus in Luke 4:5-7. He knew what Jesus wanted and what God was intending to give Him. So what did the devil do? Satan offered Jesus a quick and painless way to get what He always wanted. “You can be king of all the kingdoms of the earth right here and now!” All you have to do is step a little outside of the way and boom, they’re all yours. Satan offered Jesus a crown without the cross. 

 

Ephesians 4:14  We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of their deceitful plotting.

 

Ok – for the conclusion. Seeing that so many men and women of faith have been tricked by the spirit of the Hivite, how can I be sure I am not being deceived into thinking I am hearing from God when I’m really not?

 

Glad you asked … Here is the only fool-proof way to know you are hearing from God and not being deceived by the devil.

 

3 Step God Test

1. Is it the Word of God?

2. Is it the Will of God?

3. Is it the Way of God?

 

Violate any one of these and it is not God.

 

The devil tried to deceive and control Jesus by using the Word of God and by using the Will of God … Jesus knew better. Knowing what God wants is but one part of the equation … how you achieve it is equally important. Test yourself often and remember: Believing it does not make it true and being truthful does not equal being right. The Word; The Will; The Way!

Out and Up ​Part 3 – Sacred Pillars

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As certain as there is a God in heaven and souls of men awaiting judgment, there are appointed times and seasons on the earth. We are given glimpses of this reality throughout the scriptures. For example the Bible says:

• There is a set time to favor Zion – Psalms 102:13

o We know Zion to prophetically speak of the New Testament Church, the Body of Christ in the earth.

• Genesis 21:2 says that Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

• Galatians 4:4 tells us that in the fulness of the time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

• Acts 19:11 says that there was a time when God did special miracles by the hands of Paul. 

o Later in that narrative Luke 19:21 says, “After these things were ended …”

• Luke 4:13 When the devil had ended all temptation, he departed from Jesus for a season.

o The New King James Version says the devil was only waiting “for a more opportune time.”

 

Evidently there are opportune times when the devil believes he has a better chance of deceiving God’s children.

 

Revelation 12:12  “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

 

These accounts, along with many others, reveal that there is a spiritual consciousness at work in the earth. There are times and seasons in which the Spirit of God works more openly and there are times and seasons in which the devil works more openly. At the conclusion of almost every message I have preached I say the same thing. My parting words to you are:

 

“Go in peace, don’t go in pieces; God has a plan for your life … but so does the devil, learn the difference.”

 

The spiritual world is real. Allow me to name a few people in the Bible that the devil was able to trick or deceive and altered their destiny and legacy:

• Eve – the perfect, sinless daughter of God.

• Cain – murdered his brother.

• Noah – got naked drunk in his tent which led to his son being cursed.

• Abraham – didn’t wait on God with Hagar.

• Lot – chose Sodom; vexed with confusion; 2 incestual relationships.

• Jacob – lied to his father and stole his brother’s birthright.

• Judah – sold his brother; lied to his father; cheated his daughter-in-law, then got her pregnant.

• Moses –  Smote the rock a second time …cancelled his ticket …

• David – we don’t have enough time to tell it all …

• Shall I go on?

• Peter – denied Christ 3 times.

• Judas – sold Jesus and betrayed Him with a kiss.

• The Disciples – hard-hearted and refused to believe Jesus was alive.

• John Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark 

• Barnabas – separated from Paul and the Church at Antioch in an argument over who was hearing from God.

• Matthew 24:23-24 – Jesus revealed the end times would be shortened so even the elect might not be deceived in the last days …

 

2 Timothy 4:10  Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica — Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.

 

2 Timothy 2 NKJV

17  And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,

18  who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

 

The road sign on the way to deception, failure, and ruin reads: “It can’t happen to me.” Deception is so deceptive … this is why we need each other to hold us accountable with love and God’s word.

 

The devil wants to blind us to the truth and keep us in bondage to sin and this world. He does not want you to ever be saved and delivered out of his hand. He will try everything he can to keep you from believing in and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. His primary goal is to weaken the Church so that it will stop evangelizing the world. Deception is his strong suit.

 

Once you are saved, the devil will try his best to keep you from becoming a disciple of Christ. He hopes he can keep you living in the wilderness of this world. The enemies he will use to keep you from becoming a threat to him are found in Exodus 3. God revealed them to His children 3500 years ago.

 

Last week we discussed the Canaanite and found him to be a spirit of Compromise. You cannot live the victorious life God intends for every one of His children if you have one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the world. Repent and resist.

 

We also briefly reviewed the Hittite which speaks of fear and dismay. God told Joshua to not be “Hittited.” We cannot allow fear to shape our lives. What would you for God if you weren’t afraid? Do it!

 

This morning we are going to take a look at two more of the enemies listed in Exodus 3. First the Amorite. The nature of the Amorite is Prominence:

• Outspoken

• Arrogant

• Unbending

• Insecure

• Pridefulness

• Opinionated

• Stubborn

• High-minded

• Emotional

• Quick Tempered

• Territorial

 

These are sacred pillars to the Amorite. Challenge them and you will be attacked and most often the attack is public. (Amorite – Publicity)

 

The Amorites set themselves up in high places to have the high ground advantage over others. They often attacked others before they even knew they were enemies. They even attacked members of their own group. Proverbs says the first person to speak is believed … they speak first in efforts to control the narrative and shape the opinions of others.

 

Romans 12:3  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself  more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

 

When we search for high ground and speak first to protect ourselves and our decisions, even from those who love us, it is often the insecurity of the enemy known as the Amorite. If you are on solid ground, you will invite counsel and embrace instruction and not fear review. 

 

Proverbs 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.

 

The next enemy God’s children face in the Promise Land is the Perizzite. Not the Parasite, but the Perizzite. 

 

The word Perizzite means without walls. It’s an “anything goes” spirit. Tolerance is the keyword. This spirit will not accept standards, boundaries, limitations, and does not accept absolutes. Rules are for others. The Perizzite will shame you for not being more tolerant of their destructive behavior. 

 

The Perizzite’s right to protect their own truth is the sacred pillar of their faith. Challenge their truth and you will be attacked … even if you are their family.

 

We must live a principled life based on God’s Word. We cannot cover the rules we break with one hand so that we can point to the ones we are keeping with the other. 

 

What we tolerate in our lives today becomes the norm tomorrow.

 

Now, before you start thinking of people you believe may be controlled by this spirit, think again. We are admonished by Jesus to not judge others. This is a rule … we should follow the rules Jesus laid out for us. Today is about you.

 

God is not asking us to judge anyone but ourselves.

 

So what shall we do?

 

Exodus 23 NKJV

23  “For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.

24  “You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

25  “So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.

 

1. Don’t bow down to their Gods.

2. Don’t do like they do.

3. Overthrow and break down their sacred pillars in your life.

 

And don’t believe deception can’t happen to you. Accountability is a good thing.

 

James 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.