Scroll down each week to find the session notes you need. Session 1 will stay at the top of this page and Sessions 2, 3, & 4 will be found in chronological order after Session 1.
REAL STUDY
Session 1: Relevant Fishermen
|
|
REAL is the acronym for this series.
Robert Morris
"Can you imagine if everyone won one person to Christ this year!"
|
|
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Matthew 4:18-21
Simon and Andrew were commercial fishermen.
They were casting a net into the sea.
Jesus calls them "fishers of men."
The word immediately is important and is explained why later in the message.
James and John were brothers and the sons of Zebedee.
They were mending their nets.
There are two types of nets.
The word immediately is used again.
2 Types of Nets:
|
|
James and John were at the shore mending their nets. They are bigger nets measuring 328' long by 8' long. They are dragged out and pulled in to catch bigger fish. Casting nets catch the smaller fish.
Many theologians believe that 7 of the 12 disciples were fisherman based on John 21:1-2.
Robert Morris
1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and [a]immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
John 21:1-3
|
"The number 12 is significant in scripture. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were in a conversation before Jesus came to earth. They chose 12 disciples for Jesus. They also decided upon 12 tribes, 12 stones, and
|
I will show you very practically how to fish for people.
Robert Morris
3 PRACTICAL POINTS TO CATCH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST:
|
|
"In the natural, can you imagine a guy fishing without bait?"
"Put bait on your hook if you are going to catch people for the Kingdom of God."
|
"What is bait?"
|
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 34:8
"In the New Testament, we have a taste of the things to come.
A taste is real!"
Robert Morris
|
|
"We can taste (experience) God here on earth.
We don't just describe Him.
We can give people a taste of how good He is!"
We have tasted the Lord and we know that He is good!
There's a taste to bait."
Robert Morris
"Every person in the world, even if he or she won't admit it, would like to know God. I know it from scripture. It's because God has put the desire in every person, even the atheist."
Deep down inside if they get sick, or if someone they love gets sick, if there is a possibility that there is a God that they could know and have a miraculous encounter with, they would seek Him.
|
|
It's innate!
Every human being wants to know God!
Any story of God's goodness can help them know God.
Robert Morris
|
|
"When you get saved, God changes your desires!
God changed my desires when I got saved at 19. He changed my wife Debbie's desires before her teenage years.
The same grace that got me out of doing bad things, kept Debbie from ever desiring to do bad things.
Just share your story!"
Robert Morris
"A member of our church had a daughter whose eyes were crossed when she was young. He and his wife took her to the doctor and along with friends and family also prayed her continually. One morning she woke up and her eyes had been healed overnight. He owned a construction company and wrote an email to all his clients telling them how his daughter had been healed. No one wrote back telling him that he was trying to cram his religion down their throats! Many people replied that that was great! He stated in his email that if anyone wanted to talk further about it, he was available to answer questions. As a result, several people accepted Christ.
All he did was tell his story.
He put bait on the hook.
Robert Morris
|
|
"Can you imagine a guy who puts bait on his hook but doesn't put it in the water?"
Robert Morris
Practical tip: "Learn to tell your story well."
"Some of us think just don't tell stories. We all have stories to tell. We have to tell them to win people to God."
Robert Morris
|
|
|
"Let's say you bait the hook but the water you put it in is the swimming pool. "
|
Just tell what happened to you, not trying to cram religion down someone's throat."
|
|
For example....
God healed our marriage. We almost got a divorce.
How did God heal your marriage? Well, let me tell you...
The title of this series is REAL.
I'm not asking you to be fake.
I'm just asking you to tell a real story about God.
God will do the rest!
Robert Morris
"Let me now explain the meaning of immediately..."
Why would the Holy Spirit prompt the writers of scripture to use the word immediately?
I believe its because there is an urgency.
I believe we need to feel the urgency of wining people to Christ by witnessing and sharing our testimony.
|
|
"If you are here, you have no promise of tomorrow if you haven't given your life to Christ."
There is an urgency that we need to share the gospel with people!
Ask the Holy Spirit what He is saying to you in this message.
Just take a moment and ask the Lord what He is saying to you.
Maybe you are supposed to share your story, or witness, or defend the faith, or pray for lost people.
Maybe its about you giving your life to Christ, giving Jesus control of your life.
You can do that today!"
Robert Morris
REAL STUDY
Session 2: Engaging Influencers
"What we are really talking about in becoming engaging influencers is sharing our faith - being witnesses in the world.
In other words, God gives us influence to influence,
but He wants us to engage people."
Robert Morris
Jesus uses the analogy of salt and light and takes it one step further telling us that
WE ARE SALT.
WE ARE LIGHT.
Robert Morris
1. YOU ARE SALT:
|
|
And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
Leviticus 2:13
“All the heavenly offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”
Numbers 18:19
|
|
COVENANT OF SALT: The Lord is going to preserve you.
God says He will preserve the souls of His saints.
You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psalms 97:10
|
|
We are salt.
We are preserving our world from ending.
We are preserving our society from decaying.
The more you take Christian faith principles and morality out of our society, the quicker that society will decay and die.
We took prayer out of our schools and look what has happened!
We took the 10 commandments out and look what's happened!
"We still have Christians in our schools, our courtrooms, on our school boards and city councils, in our state legislatures though
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good salt taste good.
|
How does salt loose it's flavor?
In the Greek, salt is actually made up of two Greek words meaning "become foolish" comparable to the word moron.
|
|
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Romans 1:21-22
|
|
|
|
that He might [a]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Ephesians 5:26
|
|
Let me show you how Jesus can say He's the light of the world and also say that we are the light of the world.
|
|
John 12 - Jesus prepares His disciples for the end. He tells them He is going to be taken out of the world.
John 13 - Jesus washes the disciples' feet.
John 14-16 - conversation at the Last Supper
John 17 - prayer in the garden
John 18 - Jesus arrested and tried
John 19 - Jesus crucified
John 20 - Jesus rises from the dead and appears to the disciples.
John 21 - Jesus appears to the disciples eight days later.
35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
John 12:35-36
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's not so God can provide for you.
|
|
|
|
|
Think about the two elements of salt and light.
Salt is an internal influence.
Light is an external influence.
Salt is a covert. It works over time.
Light appears immediately.
Salt is a subtle influence.
Light is an obvious influence.
Darkness goes away immediately when light comes in.
|
|
Pastor Robert told of a time that he and another pastor where trying to lead man to Jesus. The man kept saying that something was stopping him from giving his life to Jesus. Their friend came in and reminded them about demons. He told them demons talk to us. They tell us we are unworthy and no good and that the world would be better off without us.
He told them not to let the one who hates you (the Devil) stop you.
Give your life to the One who loves you (Jesus)!
Pastor Robert reminds us that Jesus never strayed away from talking about demons. He cast them out of people.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can give your life to the Lord (the one who loves you),
or
give your life back to the Lord.
REAL STUDY
Session 3: AUTHENTIC WITNESSES
|
|
This scripture takes place right before Jesus ascends. It's 40 days after His resurrection.
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [a]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The disciples then pray for 10 days after Jesus ascends. On the 10th day, the Holy Spirit descends on them.
The promise of the Father is the coming of the Holy Spirit.
|
Verses 7 & 8 remind us that their is no doubt!
|
The question is whether or not you are a witness that talks,
|
|
1. What is a witness?
|
|
You will not believe how many times the words seen and heard are in the Bible. I will show you some. I want you to see some amazing people in the Bible who were just witnesses. The first person will shock you!
Robert Morris
a. The Son of Man Himself came to this earth as a witness of what He had seen and heard the Father do and say!
John the Baptist is talking about Jesus in this scripture:
He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
John 3:31
I just showed you how powerful a witness is!
Jesus is a witness.
He came and testified about what He had seen and heard
and
it changed the world!
Robert Morris
|
|
c. The disciples of John were witnesses. They came and they told Jesus that John wanted to know if He was the One.
d. Jesus' disciples were witnesses. After Jesus' resurrection, Peter and John healed a man at the temple and were then beaten and told to stop witnessing.
e. Paul, the greatest apostle that ever lived was just a witness! In the scriptures below he conveys how he got saved.
12“Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, 13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
Acts: 22:12-15
f. John, later in his life after the other disciples had died, writes 1 John 1:1-3 to set the record straight.
What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:1-3
|
|
Some may well say that they were not alive when Jesus was.
Well, I was in a hotel room when I was 19. I had been addicted to drugs and I'm telling you, I saw Him but not in the natural! My life was changed! So I'm a witness because I have met Jesus!
|
|
I think sometimes the world is throwing out our witness because we aren't testifying about what we have personally seen and heard.
How many Christians are going about testifying about what others have seen and heard instead of about what they have seen and heard?
|
For instance, let's say that you witnessed a car wreck and the police asked if anyone saw what happened. You saw what color the stoplight was. If you go to court to testify, are you going to have to go to automobile school to testify about cars and brakes, or have to go to stoplight school?
|
There's a story that you could tell five minutes after you get saved.
|
|
2. A witness doesn't argue.
You don't have to argue with people when you are witnessing. You just tell them what happened to you.
They can not argue with your testimony because it is yours!
Here's an acronym (SALT) to remember when you are going to witness to someone:
S- start a conversation
A-ask questions
L-listen
T-tell your story (It can be the story of Jesus Christ - God becoming man and dying for our sins, or it can be your story).
The problem is that most of us talk when we go witnessing:
T- talk
A-argue
L-louder, get louder
K-kick 'em
That's NOT the way to witness!
At some point when you are asking about their story, they are going to ask you about yours.
One of the reasons why we argue is that we get hung up on the person's actions or their beliefs.
We argue with them about politics, drinking, living together, etc.,
when the most important thing to tell them is
that Jesus loves them
and
wants to change their life!
|
|
|
|
Somehow, we expect them to know the rules.
We didn't know the rules!
|
|
The sin is not what matters. What matters is what Jesus died for!
Paul wrote that he would have not known not to covet if the law had not told him.
Living together, getting drunk, etc., that's not the issue.
That's what Jesus died for!
He will take care of all those things.
3. Witnessing is fun.
|
It's a lot of fun to share with people what God's done and just to be open to do something when God says to.
|
I'm telling you that you are a witness because you have accepted Christ and you have experienced something!
I'm just trying to get you to tell people your story and if you do so, you never know what is going to happen!
Robert Morris
Ask the Holy Spirit was He is saying to you in the message.
|
|
|
|
"Let's don't just let this be a good series. Let the series change us.
Let us get more excited and begin praying about witnessing and sharing our faith.
Think about it...
We are on this earth as ambassadors for Christ. The Lord could take us to heaven as soon as we get saved. But He leaves us here because His desire is for every person to come to know Christ and we are His only hope!
|
|
"We have the greatest story to tell
and
that is His story
and
what He has done in our life!"
Robert Morris
"This week we will use the analogy of farmers
|
|
|
|
That seed might not come up right then, but eventually it might come up.
Also, when we witness, we might just be planting, or we might be watering a seed that someone else planted. But at some point, that seed could be harvested. That person could be saved!"
Robert Morris
In this chapter of 2 Corinthians, financial giving is the topic of discussion,
but
this principle works anywhere in your life.
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows [a]bountifully will also reap [b]bountifully.
2 Corinthians 9:6
If you are a student, studying is sowing.
|
|
What about the area of witnessing?
I think all of us would like to lead people to Christ.
That's reaping,
but hear me,
if you sow sparingly,
you reap sparingly.
You win people to Christ sparingly.
Robert Morris
3 Simple Laws About Sowing & Reaping:
1. You reap what you sow.
|
|
Again, this is not about finances, but the principle works the same.
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of [a]necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
If you sow kindness, you reap kindness.
I you sow forgiveness, you reap forgiveness.
All I am asking you to do is to apply a principle that you are already mature in other areas of your life to witnessing.
Everyone of us here wants to win people to Christ, but you can't reap where you haven't sown.
I have witnessed to a lot of people that I have not won to Christ
because we don't always win the people. Sometimes, we are just planting.
I try to plant everywhere I go.
I get my story out somehow to everyone.
I used to be a drug addict. Now I am a pastor.
Sometimes people don't care. They aren't ready to be reaped yet, but sometimes they engage.
|
|
2. You reap after you sow.
You have to plant before you can harvest.
All these people want to win people to Christ, but they don't share the Gospel.
|
|
We need to learn the Gospel so that we can tell it!
God's Word never returns void!
The reason we are not seeing a harvest is because we are not planting.
You can't reap before you sow. You reap after your sow.
In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul is having to straighten them out because some are saying they are disciples of Paul and some are saying they are disciples of Apollos. Paul told them no, that they were disciples of Jesus!
God might have used a Paul or an Apollos in your life, but you are a disciple of Jesus!
4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? Watering, Working, Warning 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:4-6
Notice the sowing and reaping and watering concept in the above scripture. Paul is saying that they are being fleshly, immature, not spiritual. Verse 6 says Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
In other words, God saved you!
God is the only wise One
and
God is the soul winner!
Look at Proverbs 11:30
and
1 Timothy 1:17:
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who [a]wins souls is wise.
Proverbs 11:30
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to [a]God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17
|
|
35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
John 4:35-38
You are going to reap some people that you are not the one who planted the seed for them,
but one sows and another reaps.
Both, however, will receive a reward from the Lord.
|
|
|
|
3. You reap more than you sow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What many people don't know is that he was adamant Christian and he witnessed everywhere he went! He was planting more than apple seeds. He was planting the Gospel!
They say he is responsible for more Native Americans accepting Christ than any other white person because he shared his faith everywhere he went. They left him alone because he was also planting apple seeds that helped them and helped their tribes.
They also left him alone because word spread that he knew "the Great Spirit."
He did!
The real One!
Robert Morris
How does that work with the Gospel?
7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
1 Corinthians 3:7-8
|
|
|
|
|
|
You reap more than you sow,
but I remember thinking it doesn't seem that way God!
It seems to me I witness to more people than actually get saved.
Why doesn't the law of harvest work in witnessing?
Well, it does.
See, you don't know how many people actually get saved from the one seed you plant because you don't know if that person gets saved down the road and his/her family gets saved. You don't know if one of his/her family members becomes an evangelist and 100 or 1,000 more people get saved!
Have you ever heard of Edward Kimble?
He was a Sunday School teacher who witnessed to a shoe salesman named
Dwight L. Moody.
Dwight L. Moody accepted Christ and then was preaching and Fredrick B. Meyer got saved and became an evangelist. He witnessed to J. Wilbur Chapman. J. Wilbur Chapman accepted Christ and witnessed to a baseball player named Billy Sunday. He accepted Christ and became an evangelist. He held a great crusade Charolette, North Carolina where thousands of people got saved including Mordecai Ham. Mordecai Ham went back the next year to preach a revival there. Only a few people attended and only one little boy accepted Christ.
His name was Billy Graham!
It all started because a Sunday School teacher shared Jesus with a shoe salesman.
|
|
|
In my family, my father got saved because Ray Alexander shared Christ
|
I got saved and became an evangelist and pastor and so many have gotten saved as a result.
I led my grandfather to Christ 45 years later before he died.
Robert Morris
Photo by Avi Werde on Unsplash
|
|
Take a moment and ask the Lord what He is saying to you in this message.
|
|
|
|
|
FREE INDEED SERIES
Session 2: Beware of Chaldeans
|
|
|
|
"Believers can be in bondage. It's nothing to be afraid of. It's something to be aware of. You need to know how to get out of bondage and stay free."
Robert Morris
"Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers,
Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days,
A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.’ ”
Acts 13:40-41
|
|
“Look among the nations and watch--
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans,
A bitter and hasty nation
Which marches through the breadth of the earth,
To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
They are terrible and dreadful;
Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their [a]chargers [b]charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. “They all come for violence;
Their faces are set like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.
Habakkuk 1:5-9
The word possess doesn't mean ownership in the above scripture. It means to gain mastery over.
Skeptics of that day would have said Paul was out of his mind because there aren't any more Chaldeans. In 539 BC, the Chaldeans were destroyed. In Jeremiah 50 and 51, it says that there were no Chaldeans left.
Paul is not talking about literal Chaldeans though.
Skeptics today would say, "Did you hear that Robert Morris is preaching about a series about demons? He's out of his mind! There are no more demons!"
I say, "Yes there are demons today and you better beware because they are trying to possess dwelling places that are not theirs! Chaldeans represent demonic spirits."
Robert Morris
1. They are thieves. ( "trying to possess dwelling places that are not theirs" Habakkuk 1:6)
Satan is a thief. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is not omnipresent though. He can only be in one location at one time.
Omni means all.
God is omnipresent (always present), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipotent (all powerful)!
Many times the Bible talks about Satan but is actually referring to the work of Satan, not Satan himself. When Satan tempted Jesus, he was actually there. Satan has an army of demons and they do his work.
Jesus said there was a woman who had a "spirit of infirmity" and He said shouldn't the woman be loosed from this whom Satan had bound. Satan had her bound through a spirit; one of his demons.
"You need to know that if you are going after God, demons are coming after you. They already have the unbelievers. They want to keep believers defeated so they don't win the unbelievers to Christ!"
|
|
The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names definition of Chaldeans is demons.
The root word means to lay waste or to destroy. The actual word means wanderers.
Jesus says in Matthew 12:43-45:
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.”
|
|
|
|
More about Chaldeans...
Chaldeans are wanderers.
Chaldea at that time was never more than 40 miles wide. It was about the size of New Jersey. The Chaldeans were never conquered until they were destroyed. God said when His purpose was finished with them, He would destroy them.
Think about Satan and the demonic spirits. God does have a purpose for them. God used the devil all through the Old Testament to teach His children to call out to Him. When they went into bondage, they would cry out to Him and repent. It's the same way today. Many times we don't think we need God until we are in trouble and then we call out to Him.
The Chaldeans actually took over Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was a Chaldean. He set up the 90 foot gold image. Assyrians would appoint kings of Babylon, but the Chaldeans conquered both Assyria and Babylon. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were Chaldean names for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
When Nebuchadnezzar came in he took two things that Satan is trying to take today:
1. the tithe -the gold and silver from the temple
2. young, future leaders (the next generation) - The world is trying to train young people in its language and literature. We need to train young people in the Word of God!
This is how Satan came against the Children of Isreal and how he comes against us:
-by what they put in their minds
-by what they put in their bodies
-by what belongs to God
Robert Morris
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god. Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
Daniel 1:1-5
delicacies - bondage to the lust of the flesh
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
1 John 2:16
,
pride of life - any person who does not tithe is arrogant because you believe you can make your way and not by doing it God's way. You have to be arrogant to steal from God. If you don't tithe, that's an open door to demons, because that's what the enemy does and he is a thief!
lust of the flesh - what you put in your body and what you do with your body
lust of the eyes - what you put into your mind, what you see to try to make you smart
Robert Morris
2. They are vicious.
"Satan never has a good day, never a merciful moment, not one."
Robert Morris
They are terrible and dreadful;
Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their [a]chargers [b]charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
“They all come for violence;
Their faces are set like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.
Habakkuk 1:7-9
their judgement - They think they can steal from God.
They are like wolves.
Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy [a]people, and to get dishonest gain.
Ezekiel 22:27
Again this verse above refers to 1 John 2:3 - the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes.
Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
Zephaniah 3:3
|
"It means they feed at night...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wolves are vicious! They watch us and study us to learn our moves so they can attack us. They look for our weak times. When there's a whole herd of sheep, the wolf attacks the sheep all by its self. Get right in the middle of the sheepfold; right next to the shepherd!
|
|
|
|
That's the exact same way when we are trudging through life , that's when the enemy is going to shoot!
|
3. They are cunning.
Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Daniel 2:2
Chaldeans take a crafty counsel against people.
Chaldeans are synonymous with astrologers, magicians, and sorcerers.
A magician distracts you so he can deceive you.
A sorcerer deceives you by actual spirits (spirits that tell your future).
An astrologer tries to determine your future by natural events that you have any control over.
Don't read your horoscope!!
Let me tell you who determines your future if you are a believer. The Lord, Jesus Christ does!
To sum it up, demons are trying to distract, deceive, and determine your future!
Robert Morris
Why do You make men like fish of the sea,
Like creeping things that have no ruler over them?
They take up all of them with a hook,
They catch them in their net,
And gather them in their dragnet.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
Habakkuk 1:14-15
|
|
|
|
They are cunning. They study you. Who else but a mastermind could have a beautiful woman take a bath on a rooftop at the exact time when David would walk on his balcony? They studied David's movements and knew exactly when he walked on that balcony and that's when they put it in her mind to go take a bath.
Robert Morris
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11
Wiles are schemes, plots, or methods.
Satan is not a man dressed in red underwear, with horns, a tail, and a pitchfork. Do you understand that the world makes fun of Satan and tries to tell us what he looks like so we won't understand how serious it is?
Satan has an entire army and they are organized.
Robert Morris
|
What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
|
Joel said the demons are like an army of locust that come in and devour everything in sight. They march in rank. They know exactly where they are going and what their marching orders are.
Robert Morris
Satan has an army.
There are seven categories of demons in scripture:
1. Thrones
2. Lordships
3. Rulers
4. Authorities
5. Principalities and Powers
6. Rulers of Darkness
7. Evil and Unclean Spirits
It's quite an impressive organization that the enemy is running.
Robert Morris
He shall...wear out the saints of the Most High
Daniel 7:25 (ESV)
Weary comes from the word wear.
Satan will attack you when you are weary.
The Chaldeans are the ones who stole from Job.
Satan has permission. We will talk in this series how Satan gets permission to come in and steal from you and how to take that permission back (take that open door back).
Abraham was born in Chaldea and called out by God. The nation of Israel is birthed and then Israel went back into bondage to the Chaldeans. That is a type and shadow of Christians today. Christians are born out of that and then go right back into bondage for the same thing.
Robert Morris
|
|
Sober means to be in control.
Don't let something else be in control of you! A person who is drunk is not in control. Don't be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. Don't be out of control. But be under the control of the Holy Spirit!
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Ephesians 5:18
My son and I drove by a store that said Wine and Spirits. How deceptive Satan is for us to actually walk in a store and say yes, I'd like to buy some wine and spirits and then take those spirits into my body and not expect there will be any consequences.
Robert Morris
|
|
In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is pictured as a roaring lion. A roaring lion is an old lion the does not have any teeth. You need to understand that the old lion does have any teeth can't catch any prey so he actually goes behind and scares the prey so they will run into the mouths of the young lions. These are the demons.
I believe Jesus is the one who pulled all Satan's teeth. The reason we don't need to be afraid is Revelation 5:5.
"And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Robert Morris
Scientists say that wolves and sheep can not co-exist without a shepherd. We have the shepherd to take care of us!
Robert Morris
|
|
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
|
You need to understand that He does not hit us with His rod otherwise the scripture would not say His rod comforts us. He uses his rod is to beat the snot out of the wolf!
|
|
Paul is trying to tell us in Acts 13 to beware of the Chaldeans.
Chaldeans are trying to march through the land and possess dwelling places that are not theirs. That's what the enemy is trying to do; take you into bondage if though you are a child of God, owned by God and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Robert Morris
|
|
Session 1: Under the Influence
|
"IS THERE ANY AREA OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU CAN'T GET THE VICTORY IN?
|
"A Christian cannot be possessed by a demon in the sense of being owned, but a Christian can be under the influence of a demon."
|
|
|
"Therefore
|
"I can't tell you how important I think it is that you are taking part in this study. Satan will do everything he can to stop you from hearing this series. Satan does not want to get caught and when a thief gets caught, he has to restore what he has stolen seven fold. That's in Proverbs."
Robert Morris
|
|
Jesus is actually speaking to believers in John 8:36. He is talking to those Jews in verse 31 who believed in Him.
|
|
Mark 5:1-20 A Demon-Possessed Man Healed
5 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the [a]Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind [b]him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore[c] You by God that You do not torment me.” 8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What isyour name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. 11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And [d]at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. 14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. 18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in [e]Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
unclean spirit - one way the Bible refers to a demon
dwelling among the tombs - lived in a cemetery
worship - to bow down
legion - Roman word meaning 6,826 soldiers (a troop of soldiers) In this case, Jesus is talking about many demonic spirits-atleast 2,000 who had inhabited the man's body. Demonic spirits like to stay where they already have a stronghold.
Decapolis is not one city. It's ten cities.
Deca is a Greek word meaning 10 Greek cities
The Greeks raised swine not the Jews.
"In Mark 5:7, the demonic spirit is talking to Jesus.
In Mark 5:17, the people are afraid and plead with Jesus to leave. You would think, they would beg Him to stay! This man is demon possessed and he gets set free!"
Robert Morris
1. There really are demons.
"There really are demons because Jesus set the man free from them.
The word demon appears in the Bible 82 times in the NKJV and 80 times in some of the other versions. 61 times it's in the Gospels were Jesus is directly dealing with demons or talking about them."
Robert Morris
"One of the reasons why I think it's in the Gospels so much is because no one ever had the authority over demons until Jesus came and He began to immediately confront demonic strongholds and bondage."
|
|
Demons come from fallen angels. One third of the angels fell.
"I had this thought, for everyone against me, there are twice as many for me! We have them out numbered 2 to 1!! You think, even 2 to 1 they are really tough.
They are not as tough as you think in JESUS NAME because when God decides to throw Satan in the pit, He only sends one angel to do it. He doesn't come do it Himself!
-Robert Morris
Demons come from fallen angels or disembodied spirits. They are looking for a body. They enter and inhabit bodies. They entered this man's body in Mark 5, not his soul or spirit. When Jesus cast them out, they said let us go into the swine.
"There is a horrible line of thought that there weren't really demons, but Jesus pretended to cast demons out because the culture believed in demons at that time. That is a desecration of the scriptures! Why would the Bible say there were demons if there weren't?"
Robert Morris
Evidence of demons in the Bible:
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
Matthew 8:16
As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”
Matthew 9:32-33
And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Matthew 17:18
Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:
Mark 3:14-15
So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
Mark 6:12-13
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:17
"C.S. Lewis says there are two groups of people that Satan loves and gets excited over...
|
|
"Jesus came to set us free and you'll never get free if you don't know that you can be in bondage."
Robert Morris
Jack Hayford says you can't cast out the flesh and you can't disciple a demon. In other words, there are people who say what you are going through in your life is just the flesh and what you need is discipleship or discipline in your life. Then there are other people who say, no you have a demon and you need deliverance.
|
|
"The more I read the scriptures and realized there are demons, the more hope I got because I realized I really could get set free!"
|
|
2. They really do enter people.
sheep- believers
|
|
By your [patient] endurance [empowered by the Holy Spirit] you will gain your souls.
Luke 21:19 (Amplified Bible)
We don't own our souls, we need to give them to God or we will loose them or give them away to something else. We need to gain control or mastery over our souls.
Can a Christian be demon possessed? NO! We are owned by God!
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
But can be a Christian and be under the control of a demon?
More definitions of demon possessed:
Thayer's definition means to be under the power of a demon in a certain area of your life such as lust, unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, gluttony, etc.
Louw Nida's definition: One can not speak of a person "being possessed by a demon." A more appropriate expression maybe "the person possesses or has a demon." In other instances idiomatic phrase is employed, "the demon rides the person" or "the demon commands the person."
"Is there any area of your life, you just can't victory in?
|
|
|
An illustration...
|
Old Testament illustrative verses:
The adversary has spread his hand
Over all her pleasant things;
For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary,
Those whom You commanded
Not to enter Your assembly.
Lamentations 1:10
adversary - Satan
her - Israel, the church, the people of God
nations - enemy
The kings of the earth,
And all inhabitants of the world,
Would not have believed
That the adversary and the enemy
Could enter the gates of Jerusalem--
Lamentations 4:12
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like swift steeds, so they run.
Joel 2:4
They run to and fro in the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter at the windows like a thief.
Joel 2:9
they - swarming locusts that eat everything up
|
|
3. Jesus really does cast demons out!
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Luke 10:17-18
In essence, Jesus was saying I'm not impressed by Satan, a created being. When he rebelled against my father, he was out quicker than lightning.
|
|
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”
Luke 10:19-21
serpents, scorpions - demons
subject - obedience, submissive
these things - authority over demons
"Jesus is saying I know God that the smart people don't believe there are demons and that We have authority over them, but these young believers know and I thank you Lord!"
Robert Morris
|
|
"See we don't have a problem knowing God has the power, but what the enemy does is focus on our weakness, and our history. The enemy tells us that other people can get free, but we can't because we have a stronghold in this area.
I just want to remind you that none of us are as in bondage as the man in Mark 5:1-20. He was demonized (a legion, 6, 286) and he lived naked in the cemetery!
We have hope!
|
|
When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.
Mark 5:6
|
"So if you have a difficulty in your life, a weakness, an area of sin you can't stop or break, you are probably in bondage but Jesus can set you free!!"
|