Part I: Never Forget 

Posted on March 8, 2024 by growintheword

 

Synopsis of sermon 3.2.24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Psalm 103:1-12 NKJV
Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, 
Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. 8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

I. INTRODUCTION 

  1. One thing important in child of God’s life is remembrance. You have not subscribed to the spirit of amnesia.
  2. Memory serves as record of God’s past deeds, and it gives us strength to go forward.
    1. Remember the children of Israel would say, the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob? What about the 12 smooth stones they left behind when they crossed the Jordon?
  3. It is important we don’t forget what God has made available to us. He has protected us and made stuff available to us, stuff we thought we would never have.
  4. Our posture and our pride are evidence that God is with us.
  5. This Psalm in the lesson today is written by David. David was anointed as King by Although David was anointed, he didn’t take the position of king until much later.
  6. David has incredible victories, including his victory over Goliath.
  7. David had many gifts too. David would play the harp and sooth King Saul when he would have episodes of depression.
  8. David was not always the best. We see David in a bad light with his incident with Bathsheba, yet God still used him.
    1. Just like David, there were episodes that happen in life that make you wonder who the person really is.
  9. Some people are not kind about your low times. Some people try to hold you to the stuff that you did in your 20s, but God looks beyond your faults.
  10. Don’t lose your empathy. Because of your past, you can’t be critical of others. We can’t lose sight of where God has brought us from.
  11. David is giving us an understanding of how God takes our flawed life and still uses us. God’s faithfulness is greater than any flaw you have. God can still use you.

II. REMEMBER WHY YOUR SOUL SHOULD REJOICE 

  • We don’t praise God out of reaction. Instead, we praise God out of what He has done in our lives and who He is to us.
  • Forget not his benefits!

A. He Gives Us Benefits That Money Can’t Buy 

  1. God forgives my iniquities. Money can’t buy that.
  2. God heals our diseases. All healing doesn’t mean you had the disease. Some healing is based off His preventing you from getting it. You ought to thank God for the stuff you didn’t get, the stuff that God blocked!
  3. God redeemed my life from destruction. He saved me from myself. The enemy sometimes is what’s inside of me.
  4. How did God keep us from destruction?
    1. He didn’t let the car start at that time we were headed for trouble.
    2. God let you get sick the time you were going out to turn up. There are many ways that God kept us from destruction, and we didn’t even know it.

B. He Fills Us with Good Things and Renews Our Strength 

  1. God fills my mouth. That means that He fills it with the Word of God.
  2. God has a tendency to train us. God gives me what I need to be
    1. You can be on the edge and God can give you the right word, at the exact time you need it. In the world, you thought another drink was going to strengthen you or maybe even another smoke. Later, you matured and realized this is why you have the Word of God. The Word of God strengthens us. We get our strength through the Word of God.
  3. The scripture says he strengthens me like an eagle. The eagle has strength because it welcomes the storm. Instead of avoiding the storm, the eagle flies into the pressure of the atmosphere. This is how the eagle gets so strong.
    1. Look at how you pray. It is much like an eagle. You wouldn’t pray like you do, if you hadn’t gone through all that you’ve gone through. The storms made you stronger.
  4. We thank God for the Word for the storm, but it doesn’t dismiss the fact that we have become tired. Sometimes we get tired of trying, tired of our supervisor, tired of people, tired of work, and tired of church folk.
    1. Isaiah 40:29-31 says He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

III. REMEMBER THE STRENGTH OF HIS RECORD 

A. He Always Takes Care of Who Did Us Wrong 

 

  1. God brings just to those who are oppressed.
  2. Many of us want God to get people in our name. We act like God is supposed to be our personal bodyguard. Romans 15:4 says ”For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.“ – God will handle people that did you wrong. This means that you have to be spiritual enough to know that God fights your battles.

B. His Record Is a Public Reference 

1.     God told the children of Israel to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God told Jehoshaphat to put the Praise Leaders out front and the enemies turned on each other. Know that your praise is your weapon!

  1. If God will be for us, who can be against us? God’s word demonstrates this over and over.
  2. God will release me of fear. God fights your battles every day!
    1. When you know God fight your battles, you are freed to focus on your assignment.
  3. God said of David that he was one after His own heart, even though he had messed up a few times.

IV. REMEMBER THAT GOD DOES NOT SEVER THE RELATIONSHIP 

  • God is still concerned about maintaining a relationship with you. After all we have done, we would think God would be done with us.
  • We have to remember that God is not like us. He is merciful and long suffering.


A. We Are Here Because Of His Grace and Mercy 

  1. We are able to do what we do, because of God’s grace and mercy. God has always been holding back the consequences.
  2. Peter was hood and holy at the same time. You would think Jesus would have stopped dealing with him, but Jesus never gives up on us. He knew that this was something Peter would outgrow through
    1. Example: Bishop said he was a terror as a kid. He was the kind of child that gave the teachers a headache. He would not sit down, he wouldn’t stop talking, and he was always into something. Who would have thought he would have ended up as a Pastor and better yet, Presiding Bishop over the Full Gospel.
    2. Bishop’s parents never gave up on him. Just like this, God never gives up on us.


B. God Does Not Hold a Grudge

  1. We have generational issues going on where we don’t even speak to some of our family members. We have a habit of holding grudges. If God doesn’t hold a grudge, then why should we?
  2. God doesn’t keep up with all that we have done. Psalm 30:5 NKJV says 5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But [a]joy comes in the morning.– Concerning anything you may have done, God is over it!  
  3. If God is over it, what did he do with it?

 
V. REMEMBER OUR SINS HAVE BEEN REMOVED

  • Roman 8:1 NIV says 8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,- There is no condemnation. Religion condemns, but Relationship doesn’t.
  • Church people love to pile on when people fall. It makes some people feel good to kick a person while they are down. Remember though, it could have been you that fell.


A. He Could Have Punished Us, but He Was Patient

  1. We are not in a position to make light of someone else’s situation. We were only one more drink from being in their same situation. We were one person shy of being in a situation, because of someone we slept with.
  2. It could have been us outdoors with no clothes or no food to eat.
  3. God took your issues as far as the 3rd heaven. You have 3 heavens. The first heaven is the place where the birds fly. The second heaven is where space and the solar system are. The 3rd heaven is where we believe God resides. God took you issue all the way to the 3rd
    1. Psalm 107:2-3 NKJV says 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, 3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.
    2. Psalm 103:9-12 NKJV says 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
      1. As far as the East is from the West. When you look at this, this is really amazing!
      2. North and South are different from East and West in that North and South are absolutes — you can go north only until you hit the North Pole. Once you are at the North Pole, any direction you go is South, and the same thing at the South Pole — there, any direction is North.
  • East and West, though, are relative. There is no “East Pole” or “West Pole”. Any point on Earth is east of somewhere and west of somewhere else. You can keep going East or West forever, and just wrap around the Earth again and again. – So, the phrase “… far as the East is from the West…” is a really a Big Deal.
  1. Reaching towards those things that are behind me I press towards the mark of the High Calling. I can’t dwell over what was done in the past.

B. He Puts Distance Between Our Past and Promise

  1. Can God use me? Romans 6:1-4 KJV says 1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
  2. Openbox:
  3. Bishop explains going to the store and seeing sign that said, “Sale Open Box”, so he asked the Manager what this meant. The Manager told him that this is Product that came from the Manufacturer with a minor cosmetic flaw. Since it had that flaw in it, they could no longer sell it as “New”.
  4. Bishop wanted to know, does it still have the same warranty, and does it still work like it should? The Manager said “yes.”
    1. We are open Box too. We’ve got flaws, but we still work like everyone else. Some people send me back, but that doesn’t mean God can’t use me. I’m open box, but I still function the way God intended.
  5. Refurbished Section:
  6. Bishop moved to another section of the store and saw a sign that said “Refurbished”. He asked the Manager what this meant and the Manager said, “This product was broken, so it was sent back to the Manufacture to be Repaired, and now it is good as new”.
    1. If you take a look back over your life, you will realize that you have been broken. You found out that a drink couldn’t do it! You found out that a smoke couldn’t do it, so you went back to the Manufacturer and God fixed you up!
  7. Recycle:
  8. Finally, Bishop went to a section that had a sign that read “Recycle”. Bishop asked the Manager what this meant. The manager said this is Product that was used, thrown away, cleaned up, and prepared for
  9. Just like this, you’ve been used, messed up, and dirty, but God picked you up and cleaned you up. He recycled you and made you where He could use you again!
  10. Never forget what God has done for you!

 

 

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Part IV: Better Not Bitter 

Posted on March 1, 2024 by growintheword

 

Synopsis of Sermon 02/25/24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

 

Genesis 50:20 NKJV
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

I. INTRODUCTION 

  1. Nothing can derail the destiny of a child of God. Things occur in our lives and God is in control of it all. Admittedly, when we go through some situations that we would rather not go through, we kind of wish God would stop it for us.
  2. There is a plan and purpose for why we go through what we go through. Perhaps God is doing it for our development. In fact, you are reading this right now, because you have matured spiritually.
  3. Though spiritually maturing, you realize that for some things, if it’s got to be done, God has to be the one to do it. At this point, you have learned to depend on God.
  4. What you go through is not for your demise, but instead for your Things you go through make you a little wiser. When you’ve gone through enough stuff, you know how to filter through what is authentic.
  5. We come out of our situations better, not bitter! God doesn’t want us to come out bitter. Life is filled with swift transitions. Just imagine holding on to stuff and causing yourself not to live out the fullness that God has intended for your life.
  6. Today we are talking about a character in the bible called Joseph means God will add, God will bless. Joseph is the great-grandson of Abraham.
  7. Jacob has a son by his wife Racheal. The first one is named Joseph. This is the Joesph we will talk about today.
    1. Joseph is the 11th son of Jacob overall, because Joseph also had kids from his other wife, Leah.
    2. Jacob loved Joseph. Jacob loved Joseph so much that at his death, he blessings over him. He said Joseph would be a fruitful bough.
    3. Joseph was a dreamer. He shared a dream with his brothers which later caused them to hate him.
    4. Joseph received a coat of many colors from his dad. This was favor. His brothers hated him for this, because he wasn’t the one that was supposed to have the birthright. He was not the oldest.

II. THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH THE FAVOR OF MY FATHER 

  • When God chooses to favor us, God will skip over people to get to you.


A. Everybody Can’t Handle Your Dreams 

  1. You think because people are close to you, they can handle your dreams. This is not true. You have to share your dreams at the right time and with the right people. You have to act in the right season.
  2. Stay in secret until God is ready to release you.
  3. Some people don’t know how to celebrate what God is doing in your life.


B. Wear Your Coat 

  1. You are special. Just like Joseph, who was given the coat of many colors, you are God’s chosen child. If God gave you a coat, wear it! Don’t be afraid to show God is blessing you.


III. THEY TRIED TO FINISH ME, BUT GOD ALLOWED ME TO BE FOUND 

  • Joseph’s brothers threw him in a pit and left him for dead. They made up a story to tell their father. They told their father that Joseph was killed by some animal.

A. Your Pit Is Never Permanent 

  1. When you’re in a pit, it’s like being buried alive. Pits are a real thing.
  2. They put Joseph in a pit, but it was on a path. God will allow bad things to happen, but at the right place. This is called Geographical Grace.
    1. Example – Jonah was thrown overboard, but there is a fish there to catch him. Had he been thrown anywhere else, then he could have drowned. Being thrown overboard was a bad thing, but it happened in the right place.
  3. When they put Joseph in the pit, it was in the right place. The pit was in an area where the Ishmaelites traveled. Had it not happened at the right place and time, Joseph wouldn’t have been sold and later ended up in Potiphar’s House.
    1. God needed to put you in a pit. If it had been your choice, you would probably bypass the pit all together. The pit actually brought Joseph closer to his assignment.
  4. Joseph was found in the pit. When Potiphar found him, he needed to be found, so that he could go to his assignment in Potiphar’s house.
  5. Joseph is so faithful in his season; he later gets elevated. Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him and after he rejected her, she made up a story about Joseph attacking her. This lands Joseph in prison.
  6. In the prison, Joseph interpreted dreams. The Baker has the dream of a basket on head. Joseph let him know that this meant he would get his head cut off and this came true. The Butler had a dream and Joseph told him that in 3 days, he would be restored to his place as Butler. Sure, enough this is what happened, but the Butler forgot about Joseph.
  7. Two years passed and Pharaoh starts having dreams. The Butler remembered that Joseph had interpreted his dream in prison, and it came true. So, the Butler told Pharaoh that he had a guy in his prison that could interpret dreams. So, the Pharaoh sent for Joseph immediately. See God puts you in the right place at the right time!
  8. My rejection was always for direction. Your gift will always make room for you. Your dream will always put you before great men. God will put you in a place where your gift is needed!


B. God Always Has a Plan for Your Deliverance 

  1. Pharaoh brings Joseph up from Prison and Joseph interpreted his dream. His dream meant that he would undergo 7yrs of plenty and 7yrs of famine. Joseph tells Pharaoh to store food away in the 7yrs of plenty, so that they would be able to sustain in the 7yrs of famine.
  2. Egypt was the most advanced civilization around because of the Joseph principle.


IV. THE TRAJECTORY WASN’T FAIR, BUT I REMAINED FAITHFUL 


A. There Is a Reason for Every Season 

1.     If it wasn’t for Joseph being placed in prison, his gift would never have been discovered.


B. Your Gift Will Always Make Room for You 

  1. Joseph was put in charge of giving out the bread.
  2. During the famine, the same brothers that threw Joseph in the pit, had to come to Joseph for bread. God will prepare a table for you in the presence of your enemy!


V. THERE IS A TESTIMONY OF FORGIVENESS CONCERNING MY FUTURE 


A. Don’t Be Bitter, Pass Out the Bread 

  1. Can you pass out the bread and not be bitter? Can you pass out bread to those who have done you wrong?
  2. God says the same people that done you wrong, will come knocking at your door! Everything we got was because of our heart. The thing you thought evil against me, God meant it for my good.


B. God Brought Me from The Pit to The Palace

  1. You can be bitter and hold on to loaves of bread or you can make people jump through hoops to get the bread. Remember though, this isn’t your bread.
  2. You have to remember where God brought you from.
  3. Joseph typology. This means one story is parallel to another story. There will be a generation of people who only know Joseph as second to Pharaoh. They will only know Joseph at the height of his life. They will see him at the place he is, and they will see him at that place only.
  4. Some people engage you at the point where you are now. You are responsible for letting them know your Before Story.
  5. Looking at an oak tree, you wonder how it became so tall. What is it about the oak tree that makes it tall and able to live through generation after generation?
    1. One day, somebody buried a seed in the earth. The seasons it went through, stimulated the seed and allowed the oak tree to push through the earth. Throughout every season, the oak tree got taller and stronger.
    2. No one knows that the oak tree started as a little seed. Your story is you were buried. Somebody broke you, but you weathered your way through many difficult seasons. You are a product of being buried and watered. You’ve endured seasons that you didn’t think you should have had to, but now you are better! You didn’t allow what you’ve gone through, make you bitter!
    3. You are better, not bitter!!

 

 

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Part II: How To Handle Your Judas 

Posted on February 16, 2024 by growintheword

Synopsis of Sermon 02.11.24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Matthew 26:14-16 NKJV
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

I.          INTRODUCTION 

  1. If there ever was a person that was famous for betrayal, it was Judas. Judas was real person that betrayed Jesus. All of us will have to deal with a Judas in our lives.
  2. It can be difficult dealing with Judas because the betrayal cuts deep. Jesus chose the 12 disciples and Judas was one of them. When you discover what Judas is, you will have to be more spiritual in your response.
  3. When you look at this, Jesus left Judas in with the Disciples for 3 ½ yrs, even though he knew he would betray him. How do we deal with betrayers among us?
  4. When you look at the Last Supper, Jesus is reminding the Disciples that something was about to happen. He says, “Someone at the table is about to betray me”. This lets you know that this didn’t catch Jesus off guard.
  5. Know that there is a potential to be a Judas in all of us. You can start off right, doing your spiritual assignment, but the enemy can ease in and cause you to have a hidden agenda. Jesus will show us that some disciples have hidden agendas.

II.          REMEMBER SOME DISCIPLES HAVE A HIDDEN AGENDA 

  • We think our discernment is off when we miss seeing our Judas. Realize that some disciples have hidden agendas. You can do all you can to help people, but when the enemy gets a hold of you, then you can still develop hidden agendas, meant to bring you down.
  • The coward rejoices when the Prominent fall.

A.    The Devil Always Uses the People Closest to Us 

  1. We can deal with betrayal with people we don’t know, but when it is close to us, it hurts a little more.
  2. To betray someone, you have to have access.
  3. People betray you because:
    1. Some people can’t handle your anointing. – When someone is anointed, it doesn’t matter what they have. God can still elevate them to amazing places.
    1. Some people can’t handle your assignment – People can do ministry and still have the wrong motive. Everyone can’t go with you to different levels.
    1. Context: In John chapter 12 (please read). Mary comes and wants to wash Jesus’ feet. She anoints Jesus’ feat with this expensive perfume. Judas is the Treasurer, but he’s a crook at heart. He says that they could have taken this perfume and gave it to the poor, instead of wasting it to wash someone’s feet. He really wasn’t worried about the waste. He was worried about his cut being affected.

B.     You Can Do Ministry and Still Have a Motive 

  1. Jesus reveals to the Disciples, always let the devil know that you are awake.
  2. Jesus says someone is about to betray him. He never mentions the name, yet everyone asks, “Is it I?”. Why would you even ask this, if you didn’t have the potential to betray Jesus?
    1. This teaches us that we all have the potential to be a Judas. 1 Peter 5:8 NKJV says, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. “

III.          ALWAYS LET THE DEVIL KNOW YOU ARE AWARE 

A.    Publicly Call It Out for What It Is 

  1. Jesus calls Judas out while they were at the table. Some of you are so worried about being politically correct, you are scared to call the enemy out.
  2. Jesus calls the plot and the plan out. He says, “Somebody at this table is about to betray me”. Jesus never addresses who it was, but when Judas asks if it was he, Jesus says, “You have said it”.

B.     Learn To Release People from The Relationship 

  1. Jesus says someone is going to betray him, then he says do it quickly. You got to learn to release people from the relationship. When you release people, its not always better.
  2. When you release someone, it’s releasing them to be available to its intended audience.
  3. When you are released from a relationship, it makes you available to your intended spouse.
  4. Story of the snake and gopher:
    1. There was this snake that wanted to cross the River. He went up to the gopher and asked if he could ride on his back across the river, so that he could get to his family.
    1. The Gopher refuses and tells the snake that he didn’t want to get bitten by the snake. The snake assures the gopher that he would not bite him, if he did this favor for him. After pleading for a while, the gopher finally gave in and let the snake ride his back across the river.
    1. After the snake was safely on the other side of the river, he got off the gopher’s back. The gopher smiles thinking he didn’t have anything to worry about after all.
    1. Suddenly the snake leans back and strikes the gopher. The gopher is taken by surprise that the snake has bitten him! He asks the snake how he could bite him, after he had just done a favor for him? The snake responds, “I guess it’s just in my nature”.
    1. It’s just in some people’s nature for them to harm you. Just like this, it was part of Judas’ nature to be a betrayer.

IV.          DON’T LET YOUR ADVERSARY CAUSE YOU TO DOUBT YOUR ALLIES 

  • The offense is always after your heart. Jesus never lets this get to his heart. The Spirit of Judas is also about collateral damage. Never let Judas destroy your future by letting it destroy your heart.

A.    Judas Was Just One Of The 12 

  1. Judas’ actions shouldn’t bring down the whole group.
  2. We have to get away from the thinking that one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. The enemy wants to bring about offense.
  3. You have to release some things to remove the toxicity at the table. This doesn’t mean the whole table is bad.
    1. How many people don’t go to church, because one church hurt them. How many people do you know that won’t date, because they dated one bad guy?
    1. Don’t generalize a whole group, because of what one person did. Don’t allow what happen to you, put you in a place where you can’t let God use you for the future.

B.     Celebrate Who Stayed Rather Than Be Consumed with Who Left 

  1. Don’t spend energy talking about Judas and forget those that are left.
  2. Judas went from transformational to transactional. His agenda changed to that of exchange.
  3. Jesus never mentions Judas anymore after he left. Jesus just tended to the Disciples that were left.

V.          DON’T LET WHAT HAPPENED DISTRACT YOU FROM YOUR ASSIGNMENT 

  • Remember Jesus had an assignment. He was God in Christ. He came to die for the sins in us.
  • Everything the Old Testament prophesied, had to come to past in the New Testament. Jesus couldn’t let what happened to him, mess up his assignment.

A.    Those Who Do Bad to God’s People Reap Worse 

  1. Keep working in your assignment. Stop waiting on an apology!
    1. Galatians 6:7 NKJV says ”Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.“- We will stand back and let God deal with it! 
    1. Genesis 12:3 NKJV says 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”- God will curse those that curse you.
  2. We study God’s word theologically, psychologically, and socially. Metaphorically speaking, Judas’ suicide shows what can happen when you do harm to God’s people. Judas ended up hanging himself. In other words, his deeds came back to haunt him.
    1. Example: This person did you wrong and later on, they ended up needing a letter of recommendation from you.
  3. The Bible says God will make your enemy a foot stool. Don’t try to get even. Let Judas hang himself in his own trap! Don’t try and get even.

B.     The Pain Judas Caused Propels You to Your Destiny 

  1. Judas sells Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. – The 30 pieces of silver was the price for a slave. This was meant to be an insult to Jesus’ worth.
  2. The Scribes wanted Judas to point Jesus out. Judas left the table (at the Last Supper) and went straight to the scribes. Jesus went to Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper to pray. Jesus prays so hard, blood and sweat comes from his head. At one point, Jesus asked God to let this bitter cup pass from Him.
  3. While Jesus is praying, the soldiers are marching. They know how to get there, because Judas is leading them there.
  4. While the three disciples were asleep, the Scribes and the Soldiers approached. Peter and two of the other disciples finally wake up. They were supposed to be watching and praying. Judas walks up to Jesus and kisses Him on the cheek. You better be careful who you allow to kiss you.
  5. When they began to apprehend Jesus, Peter took out his knife and cut off the Roman soldier’s ear. Jesus put his ear back on and then reminded Peter that if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword.
    1. Prophecy had to be fulfilled. Jesus wasn’t meant to die in the garden. He was supposed to die on the cross, not in a brawl in the Garden.
  6. We have to thank God for our Judas. If Judas hadn’t done what he done, Jesus wouldn’t have been arrested! If Judas hadn’t done what he done, then Jesus wouldn’t have been sent through the kangaroo courts, He wouldn’t have stood before Pilot, and then taken up a cross! If Judas hadn’t done what he did, then Jesus wouldn’t have shed his blood for us!
  7. Because Judas did what he did, prophecy was fulfilled, and Jesus’ assignment was completed. Now we have the right to die that second death and live again!
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Posted on February 9, 2024 by growintheword

Part I: I’ve Got to Deal with This 

Synopsis of Sermon 2/4/24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Joshua 7:1-13 NKJV
But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel. 2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” 10 So the LORD said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. 13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”

I.          INTRODUCTION 

  1. There are times we have to confront the elephant in the room. While you are on your journey, there will be obstacles and challenges in your way for no apparent reason.
  2. You might question, why isn’t this happening for me. There are numerous reasons. Everything has an origin. You have to be willing to deal with certain things.
  3. Sometimes God calls you to be a disrupter. You will have to deal with things that cause you limited capacity to deal with the things of God. You will either come up short or do what is necessary to remove all that hinders you from doing God’s promise.
  4. In this season, you’re not tolerating dysfunction in your life. You will have to deal with it now, if you’re going to deal with it.
  5. Recognize that there is a promise out there from God that you must occupy.
  6. Joshua is a powerful book. Joshua succeeds Moses. For 40yrs the children of Israel were on a journey in the wilderness. Moses dies before they get to the Promised Land. Moses gets them out of Egypt, but Joshua must take them into the Promised Land.
    1. One amazing thing they did was conquer Jericho. They didn’t have the weapons that Jericho had, but they had the Favor of God. On one occasion, God told them march around the walls of Jericho, and on the 7th time, they were to shout, and the walls would come falling down.
    2. Joshua and the Children of Israel conquered Jericho.
  7. Now there was a city called Ai. Joshua realized that he needed to send spies over first, before entering it. He sends just 2000 or 3000 men there, because the spies had reported that they were small. They were much smaller than Jericho. These 2000 to 3000 men came back defeated. 36 men were struck down. They were in shock and awe, because they had been defeated by little Ai. How did they defeat a big country like Jericho yet be defeated by a small country like Ai.
  8. Joshua falls on his face and asks God what the problem was. God tells Joshua that he has one person in the camp that has taken something that he wasn’t supposed to. They were told not to take anything when they invaded Jericho. Achan had taken some stuff anyway. Because he did this, he brought a curse into the whole camp. Because of what Achan had done, God had taken his hand (his favor) off of them.
  9. God told Jericho that he would have to deal with Achan and what he had done, before they would be victorious again.
  10. What is your Achan?

II.          CRIPPLED CAPACITY 

  • The Children of Israel defeated Jericho, but failed to conquer Ai. We all have something we need to deal with that keeps us from being victorious.

A.    Don’t Just Assess the Enemy Without Assessing the Enemy Within

  1. Often, it is difficult to deal with the enemies from within. While rebuking devils in the world, realize that the problem could be right under your nose.
  2. It is hard to see the bad in people close to you. Their attachment to you, makes you feel that they are incapable of crossing you.

B.     You Are Taking Losses You Shouldn’t Have to Take 

  1. Joshua is confused. He has taken a loss he shouldn’t have had to take.
    1. Interview: One time, an Interviewer asked Bishop what his biggest fear was. Bishop’s response was, “Being able to navigate big waters, but in the the end, drowning in a small pool”. It is always the little stuff that gets you.
    2. When you don’t deal with dysfunctions among you, you will take loses that you don’t have to take. It is the sin that so easily besets us.
  2. You have to declare this is the last time you will take a loss like this.
  3. Joshua shows us that there can be a curse within your camp.

III.          CURSE IN THE CAMP 

  • When you see ripping of clothes in the Old Testament, it was a sign of being in deep grief. Remember when Job did this and sat in ashes?
  • Joshua and the priest started praying, trying to figure out why they lost.

A.    Prayer Will Always Reveal the Problem 

  1. God will give you a revelation concerning your situation. Faith without works, is dead.
  2. God tells Joshua to get up off his knees. Prayer wasn’t going to fix it this time. There has to be work with your faith. Joshua needed to deal with Achan.

B.     Everybody In Your Crowd Is Not in Your Corner 

  1. Crowd doesn’t mean anything other than we’re all in all in close proximity.
  2. Corners on the other hand, reference a specific location. Everyone in your crowed can’t fit in your corner. Stop trying to make people in your crowd fit in your corner!
  3. Because people pat us on the back or brag on us while we are there, we think they are in our corner.

IV.          COURAGE TO CONFRONT 

  • Joshua has to confront his Achan. If you are going to advance, you have to confront the problem head on. You can’t listen to God tell you what the problem is, and you not address it.
  • There is no Devine intervention without acknowledging the problem and dealing with it. Remember Jonah, he told them the problem was him and that they should throw him overboard. Instead of throwing him overboard, they rowed even harder.

 

A.    What You Tolerate Determines How You Elevate 

  1. If you don’t deal with your Achan, it will determine your ceiling.
  2. If you tolerate disobedience or foolishness, then that’s as far as you will go.

B.     Deal with ALL of It 

  1. You can’t deal with some of it. You got to deal with all it.
  2. Joshua teaches us:
    1. Corporate Personality – This means, whenever a transgression happened in a family, the whole family had to deal with the consequences.
    2. In the Old Testament, they believed curses were contagious.
    3. They moved Achan and his whole family from the camp. Example: When Cancer is removed, they remove the tissue around it too in efforts to try and get it all. They don’t want to just get rid of the cancer. They want to get rid of all that was connected to it.
  • How can you get rid Achan and not get rid of his crew.

V.          CELEBRATE THE CONQUEST 

  • The Bible says when they dealt with Achan and his family, God gave them a redo (or a do-over).
  • This Is what happens when the curse is gone. God will give you a do-over.

A.    Go Forward Without Fear 

  1. Achan was the problem. Now that you’ve gotten rid of your Achan, don’t dwell on it! Now ill be the greatest season of your life!

B.     His Promise Is Greater Than Your Past

  1. Tomorrow is a shifting of a season. You wondered why you couldn’t achieve and now you know. It was about relationship.
  2. Some of you are on the greatest spiritual journey of your life. Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
  3. Joshua and the Children of Israel defeated Jericho, but they got tripped up by Ai. God said they had to deal with Achan. God took his hand off of them, because of what Achan did. Once they dealt with it, they get a do over.
    1. Joshua 8:1-2 NKJV says ”Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”“ – God told them that this time they will defeat Ai, and this time, they will get to take and keep their stuff!
  4. This means:
    1. Right perspective – I see things right.
    2. Right posture – I’m not going to walk around defeated.
    3. Right people – I move forward, because I got the right people around me.
    4. Right promise– As you did to Jericho, you will do to Ai.
    5. Right to possess – Your blessing might not find your in the big place. It might find you in a small place.
  5. After all of this, we have to be willing to Praise! One thing is for sure. You can’t Praise without putting Ai in the middle of it!! (Pr-ai–se). Deal with your Achan.

 

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