Though No One Go With 

Genesis 37 

Sermon Transcript by Rev. Ernest O’Neill

It really does seem very important that we live in the midst of what God is doing in our own individual lives and in our lives as a body, and that we never get so old in our spirits that we can’t rise to that.  It’s terrible to yearn back for what it used to be.  It’s always important to see what God is doing in you among us.  And I don’t know, sometimes I had little wonderings about all of you.  Have you ever stood – I know you haven’t because most of you have never been to Ireland but have you ever stood in Moville?  Moville is a tiny little town in North Donegal. Have you ever stood there as a Methodist minister, just newly married I was, with the clerical collar on and discovered that your evening congregation was six people.

There was no organist in church and the only way to have music was to go to the man who owned the grocery shop across the way and get him to record the music on a record player or a cassette player.  And then you announced, “All hail the power of Jesus’ name,” and then you hit the switch and the organ would play from the recording.  And I often felt that it was really important for you all to have some experience of building, and that in some ways you’d missed that, by coming into just such a glorious, wonderful, packed church.

I often felt really, if God is going to use you to create a fellowship of the redeemed, you need to be able to see how to do it through faith and not to have it just handed to you on a platter.  I don’t know how many of you were in Bethany Presbyterian when we started, with our 150 students the beginning of the fall.  And normally, as you went on then they would drop of course to about 70, or 60 as the year ended.  And then instead of that happening God began to multiply it and we multiplied, and multiplied until we had to go downstairs with the television, and then we moved to the Cedar Dance Theater, and we multiplied and multiplied. 

I really do think, loved ones, that God wants you to see how to see that happen again through your faith.  And we should not be sorry for the things God does in our own personal lives or for the things he does or allows to happen among us as a body.  They are good things.  The Lord does all things well.  We dumb idiots do all things badly and we get before God and repent of all that.  But, the Lord himself does all things well and that’s why he says, “In all circumstances give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus,” and there are mighty things that God has for you and me to learn that actually, I think, you’ll see it even tonight, in what God is teaching us that you could not learn in any other situation.

The verse we didn’t sing of the hymn was, “Though none go with me still I will follow.”  It’s important for you to come to that place and it’s a great privilege to experience it and unique to experience it if you’re going to be solid in Jesus.  One of the things that we find it so hard to face in our American society is to go it alone.  It’s very hard.  We got very used to our brothers and sisters being alongside of us and maybe God knew exactly where we need to be hit.  Maybe he did.  And now what we’ve to do is to go in faith now and enter into this ministry of reconciliation that you’ve prayed about and we’ve to see the thing build, and reconciled, and grow, and develop into a more beautiful body, a stronger body because you know how you got there.

When you know how you get there you fight before you give it up.  In a way, if a thing is easily won, it’s easily lost.  Many of us loved ones, entered into much of the grace that we have with very little effort and we missed the hard early days and what we need to do now is to go through those days and learn them.  Then what you win that way, you don’t give up fast. 

So, these are precious days and I would encourage your hearts to see they’re precious days. Not in any way to regret them but to go forward now and to begin to learn how to bring this about.  I think God has some good things to teach us tonight about how to do that.

Loved ones, we’re actually studying Genesis 26, but I’d like to give one of those 15 minute introductions, you know, that my wife tells me off about.  In Westminster Chapel, London, Martin Lloyd Jones used to spend 20 minutes on introductions and then 40 minutes on the rest of the sermon and so really we’re lucky here.  Genesis 1:28, “And God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.’”

God put you and me here to subdue the earth, to bring the world into order.  That includes everything in your job, your workplace, your home, in our body.  To subdue the earth, that’s what we were put here to do, to definitely subdue it. 

Now, what we didn’t realize at the beginning was that there was another power in the world, a power of evil, Satan, who was determined – Satan means adversary -- who was determined to not only prevent us subduing the world and bringing it under God’s will and out of his domain, but was determined to destroy us in the process.  So, you remember, he suggested to us, “Now really, the life of God is not the only way to subdue this world.  You can subdue it by knowledge.  If you simply understand all about good and evil you’ll be able to bring this world under your control.”  We, of course, naively and rebelliously, and unbelievingly followed Satan and we began to study the knowledge of good and evil, and we began to try to acquire it, and we began to try and bring the world under God’s control by our knowledge of good and evil.

What we didn’t realize was a certain truth that exists and is stated in Ephesians 6:12.  Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  We didn’t realize that.  We thought, “Certainly, we just need to understand how these trees grow, we need to understand how these rivers flow, how we can get coal from the earth, how we can bring things into order, and how we can work with our friends here on earth.”  We thought that was all that was needed and we didn’t realize that Satan was actually in control of the world.  If we would give into this business of thinking we could do it by knowledge, he had us at his mercy because all the knowledge in the world will not destroy him. 

So, when we would come up against difficulties with a mom that didn’t understand the way we wanted to live our lives, or a dad that disagreed with what we were going to do in school, or when we came up against friends that seemed to disagree with us on certain things, we just thought, “Well, it’s a matter of knowledge.  It’s a matter of explaining to them.  Mom, if you’d only understand.  Dad, if you’d only understand.”  That’s the way we kept on going. 

We kept on doing that whatever problem we came up against we would say, “Well, it’s just a matter of understanding it.  Now, let’s sit down and let’s talk this over.”  But the years began to pass and we began to realize that things were not coming about in reconciliation the way we wanted.  Things were not coming into order.  In fact, strangely enough, our life was kind of more or less on track but it left behind it masses of broken relationships or unsatisfying relationships.  It left behind it masses of unfinished things and more and more, both mums and dads, and sons and daughters, began to feel they were moving on leaving behind them maybe not wreckage but certainly unsatisfied situations. 

Increasingly we got used to living that way until it would be amazing tonight, if there’s anybody in this room, who has not at least two or three of those very unsatisfactory situations laying behind them, things that they’ve kind of given up on.  We have relationships we can’t see any answer to or situations that aren’t really clear to us.  Careers, professions, futures that aren’t at all clear.  Loved ones, the reason is that we are not contending against flesh and blood.

It is not a matter of talking each other around.  It is not a matter of persuading our dads or mums.  It is not a matter of persuading our sons or our daughters.  It’s not a matter of thinking through our future and our plans for our careers.  The fact is we’re not here contending against flesh and blood, we’re contending against principalities, against powers, against the world rulers at this present darkness, against all kinds of powerful Satanic spiritual enemies that operate in the atmosphere of this world and that control all kinds of people including ourselves by various forces that we cannot even identify.

That’s why so many of us have so many unsatisfactory situations in our lives, because the only things we can sort out by knowledge of good and evil are the things that really don’t matter too much.  I think you’ll all agree that as life goes on the things that wear you out are the things that will not yield to your best knowledge.  They’re the things that will not rise.  They’re the people that don’t seem to have the life in them to change. 

We could all tell stories about the things we’ve been able to change in our own lives and other people’s lives but our life is filled with people whom we’ve not been able to change and who will not yield to psychology, analysis, or anything, or the best books that we can give them.  Those are the people that we are often concerned and anxious about and the truth is they’re there because of these principalities and powers that govern them in an invisible unseen ways. 

Loved ones, you can’t change a person’s heart with all your talk.  A person who is under an illusion, or a lie, or a deception, you cannot change with all your talk because the deception, or the lie, or the misunderstanding that they’re under is in their spirit. It is because of the influence of spiritual powers upon them and is not because they don’t understand.  Do you realize that the mind defends what the will dictates it should defend?

The mind defends what the will dictates it should defend.  The mind is not anything but a neutral instrument.  In the hands of a will it will go – I shouldn’t say this with an attorney sitting there but, if you employ it to advocate one side for you, it will advocate that.  If you employ it to advocate the other side, it will advocate that.  It itself does not discover truth or goodness, it simply is used to analyze things and then it defends what you dictate it should defend.

That’s what’s wrong with loved ones, that’s what’s wrong with our dear friends, that’s what’s wrong with loved ones that we care for that are under all kinds of overwhelming habits, and illusions, and lies.  That’s what’s wrong with us when we have certain things in our lives that we can’t change.  We’re under the pressure of certain spiritual powers that we cannot break by ourselves. 

Now here’s the truth, loved ones, Colossians 2:15.  Colossians 2:15, Adam, of course didn’t realize that at all and so we all fell in behind in trying to subdue the world by our knowledge and our understanding.  Colossians 2:15, “He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.”  How?  The verse before, “Having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands.” 

Satan said to God, “You said they would surely die if they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They’ve eaten of that, by your own word they have to die.”  That was the legal bond that stood against us and we had to die or someone in whom all of us were included had to die.  Jesus was that someone, he died and he canceled the bond that stood against us and when Satan went before God to accuse the brethren and said, “You said they had to die,” God said, “They did die.  Christ died for all and all died in him.  He bore all their sin in himself and all the pain that they should have borne he bore.  I have let my wrath work out against him.” 

“He has canceled the bond that stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” [Colossians 2:14]  So, “He disarmed the principalities and powers,” and Satan had to stand back and admit that he had no longer any rightful possession to us.  That is our situation today and Satan knows that.  Satan knows that he has no power, or possession of us, or no right to us.  He knows that all of us here have been crucified with Christ and have died with him and he has no right to accuse us before God and the only way he has any influence over you or me is if he can lie to us that he has that right and that is why the Bible puts it so plainly.

It says just resist him.  Just resist the Devil and he will not only retreat from you, he will flee from you.  He will flee from you.  He will run in terror from you.  Why?  Because, Christ has put an end to the threat that Satan could make to any of us.  He took the worst that Satan can do, death itself, he triumphed over it, Satan has no power over man and he has no power over you, and he knows it of course.  He knows it. 

That’s why the Bible describes him as simply the father of lying.  That’s the only power he has, he has the power of lies.  That’s why what he does with you is he fires a fiery dart into your emotions, gets you depressed and says, “There, you’re finished.  There’s no hope.  There’s no hope.”  And if you even, in the midst of depression and in the midst of discouragement, if you would simply say, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I resist you,” he would flee from you because he has no power over you.  But if he can once get you to accept the suggestion of his lie, “Yes, that’s right I am depressed, I am discouraged.  I must be beaten, I must be overcome,” and you cast away your faith then Satan brings about, through the lie, what he was unable to bring about through his own power. So, loved ones, the victory is in what God has done in Jesus. 

Now, here’s the glorious way in which he has brought it about because after Jesus died and was raised this is what happened.  Ephesians 1:20-23, “which he [God] accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” 

Jesus destroyed death, destroyed Satan’s chief weapon, took away Satan’s legal bond which stood against you and me -- his right to accuse us before God and to say that God owed each one of us death.  Jesus took away all of that and then he himself was raised from the dead and was made to sit at the right hand of God in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and dominion and power.  Don’t get it wrong, there are still spiritual authorities and dominions and powers on this earth.  They have no real influence in the sense of power.  Their only power is to lie and deceive.  Their power is under Jesus.  Jesus has been raised above all power and dominion and he has power complete over Satan. 

You see why he was given it in Verse 22, “And he [God] has put all things under his feet,” that is under Jesus’ feet, “And has made him the head over all things for the church.”  Jesus is head over everything that would harm your life for your benefit, for your sake.  Jesus is the head over all evil for your sake and mine.  For your sake and mine and so there is no need, no need for any of us here to fear Satan for one moment.  Why?  Because of where God has placed us.  It’s in Ephesians 2:4, “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses.” 

Loved ones, do get that clear in your minds.  This is what the Greek actually says, “Even when we were dead through our trespasses.”  Even when you were dead, before you had made any move towards God.  Even when you were dead, when you were out there an absolute sinner with no love of God, with even a hatred of him going your own way and wanting your own thing, when you were dead through your trespasses, at that very time God raised you up and made you, “Alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” 

God did all that for you long before you ever became a Christian.  In fact, he did it for you from the foundation of the world, from the beginning of the world, he did that.  He raised you up and made you alive with Christ and made you sit with him in the heavenly places.  Why?  Verse 7, “that in the coming ages [1984 for us who are alive today] he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” 

God has raised us up with Jesus, set us in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and dominion and power and above Satan our arch-enemy so that all we have to do is resist him and he will flee from us.  And that is it, that’s the truth of it and that’s what living by faith means. 

There are two ways, two ways to subdue the world.  One is by your knowledge of good and evil, the other is by the tree of life.  One is by your own will power; two is by your faith -- by your faith.  Faith, loved ones, is not having a mighty battle with Satan.  Don’t fall into that trap, don’t fall into the trap that the only way to cast out demons is by all kinds of manifold and mighty spiritual powers.  The authority that you have over Satan is given to you here by God in these verses.  He has given you authority over Satan because he has placed you in Jesus and he has put all things under Jesus’ feet and you’re at least as high as the sole of Jesus’ feet.

If you’re even in Jesus, you’ve just got the heel or the little toe, at least you’re that far, at least you’re that high up and it puts you above Satan.  Remember what Jesus himself said, “All authority in heaven and earth is given unto me and behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you.  Nothing shall hurt you.” [Luke 10:19] And that’s the situation with all of us. 

Now, how does it work out?  Well, I’ll try to tell you some little sides of it.  I don’t know if you’ve heard of this dear man but he seems to me a dear man.  He’s the older Kenneth Hagin. I mixed him up with Kenneth Copeland but he isn’t Kenneth Copeland, he’s the older Kenneth Hagin.  There seem to be two, father and son. 

This is him, “As long as Satan can keep you in unbelief or hold you in the arena of reason,” it’s interesting, isn’t it?  “He’ll whip you in every battle.  But, if you’ll hold him in the arena of faith and the spirit, you’ll whip him every time.  He won’t argue with you about the name of Jesus, he’s afraid of that name.  I have found that the most effective way to pray can be when you demand your rights.  That’s the way I pray, I demand my rights.  Peter at the Gate Beautiful did not pray for the lame man, he demanded that he be healed, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth be healed.’  You’re not demanding of God when you demand your rights, you’re demanding of the devil.  The Devil says, ‘You have no rights you deserve death.’  You answer him, ‘I don’t deserve it because the blood of Jesus has cleansed me from all sin, the blood of Jesus satisfies my Father.  I have died with Christ and been raised with him you have no right over me at all.  I demand my rights.’  Satan has to back away.

Jesus made this statement in John 14, ‘And whatsoever you shall ask in my name that will I do.  If you shall ask anything in my name I will do it.’”  He’s not talking about prayer.  The Greek word here is demand not ask.  “On the other hand John 16:23-24 is talking about prayer, ‘And on that day you shall ask me nothing. Truly, truly, I say unto you whatsoever you shall ask, the Father in my name he will giveth you.  Hitherto if you ask nothing in my name; ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full.’”  The Father is mentioned here in connection with prayer but he isn’t mentioned in the passage from John 14.  The Greek actually reads whatever you demand as your right and privilege.  You’ve got to learn what your rights are and that’s what Jesus actually said, “Whatsoever you demand in my name that will I do for you.” 

Loved ones, I think not only in this present situation that we’ve recently come through, and thank God we’re coming through it but in other situations you and I have shown yellow to Satan.  We have.  We’ve shown fear and we’ve been too ready to accept his acquisitions and his charges. His job is to accuse the brethren and to tell you that you are not worthy and you have no power over him.  And too many of us have taken it as the conviction and said, “Yes, you’re right I have no power.”  We’ve thrown away our faith and that has finished us. 

All we have to do is stand our ground in Jesus, in the name of Jesus and say, “I may have all kinds of things wrong with me but I died with Christ and I have been raised according to Ephesians 2 with Christ and I have been raised and made to sit with him in the heavenly places and I’m above you and the demand that you had against me has been nailed to the cross and you have no rights over me.  So, I demand that this be done.” 

“Many years ago when I was pastoring a little church in Texas,” Hagin says, “A woman brought her violently insane sister to the parsonage to be prayed for.  Because this woman had tried to kill herself and others, she had been in a padded cell for two years.  However, her health had deteriorated and doctors had recommended a furlough at home for her because she was no longer considered dangerous.  When her sister introduced me as a preacher, scriptures started to roll out of this woman’s mouth.  She thought she had committed the unpardonable sin.  The Lord told me to stand in front of her and say, ‘Come out thy unclean Devil in the name of Jesus.’  I did that but nothing happened she just sat there looking like a statute.” 

And I think often you and I don’t speak this in faith, we speak it by sight.  We rebuke Satan in a certain situation or circumstances, or we rebuke Satan in a certain person, or we cast him out in a certain situation.  You have a certain financial situation or a certain salary situation, or a certain personal situation and you rebuke Satan in Jesus’ name and then you look to see if anything’s changed.  And of course, God knows that you’re walking straight by sight. So, as soon as you see nothing has changed you back off into the natural and you say, “Well, it didn’t work.”  And of course your last state is worse than the first.  It’s important maybe to see what he did, you know. 

“She just sat there looking like a statute.  I knew I had spoken the word of faith.  You don’t have to stand there all day long and command devils to come out,” and that’s good to know lads.  Some of us got into that, you remember, in the old Exorcist stuff, they thought the longer you talked to the Devil the more success you’d have.  It’s not technique.  Do you see it’s not technique?  It’s not even maturity in the Lord, that’s the strange thing.  Every born again believer has this authority.  Has a young policeman on duty as much authority over the traffic as a 20 year old veteran?  Of course he has.  Of course he has, it doesn’t matter whether he does this or that.  It doesn’t matter, he has the same authority.  It’s the same thing, you see.

“I knew I had spoken the word of faith.  You don’t have to stand there all day long and command devils to come out they’re going to do it at the moment you tell them to when you know your authority.  They have to go sooner or later.”  And that’s the key, you stand your ground.  You stand in the situation.  You never, never, never give up.  You never back off.  You never yield.  Satan has only one weapon against you, “It didn’t work.”  That’s it.  That’s the only weapon he has.  Lie, to persuade you, “It doesn’t really work.”  No, you stand on God’s word.

“Two days later I was told the woman was having a violent attack.” This is what happens, it gets worse.  “She was having a violent attack similar to the kind she had when she first lost her mind.  This news didn’t disturb me.  In the Bible we read that when Jesus rebuked the Devil in such cases people would fall and the Devil would tear them.  I knew the Devil was just tearing this woman before he left her for good.  I knew she wouldn’t have any more spells and she didn’t.  The doctors pronounced her normal and sent her home for good.  Twenty years later she was happy and healthy teaching a Sunday school class and working in a business.”

Yeah, it’ll work.  Sure it will work and it will work in our present situation, those of us who are concerned about loved ones we all care about. Let’s not get caught and let’s make sure that we’re lead by God’s Spirit.  Don’t let’s say, “We want to use this for our own sakes.   Well, I have some friends that I’d like to have back with me.”  No, no, that’s not right.  We can’t use this power for our own selfish purposes.  We must use them as Jesus’ Spirit guides us.  But if we will use it there it is absolutely infallible.  Loved ones, it’s the only thing that will change things. 

Take another little instance, “Faith is involved in exercising spiritual authority.  Yes, there are times when evil spirits come out immediately but if they don’t when you speak the word of faith don’t get disturbed about it.”  And this applies, he’s talking about demons in this instance but you’ll see later on it works in all things.  “Satan is determined to destroy us by destroying our circumstances, by destroying our minds, our personal experiences, our relationships with others.  God is determined to prosperous in our circumstances, in our relationships with other people.  I base my faith on what the word says.  Some people’s faith is not based on the Bible, however, it’s based on a manifestation.

They operate outside faith in the sense realm.  They take a position in faith and if they see the thing getting better they say their faith is encouraged.  It’s not.  That’s not faith that’s encouraged.  It’s credulity that’s encouraged by what you see with your eyes.  Faith is built up by hearing and hearing by the word of God -- by sinking deeply into this word.”  Where it seems to me important, some loved ones like Clyde and others have said, “Now it is important, isn’t it, not just to decide, ‘I want this done,’ and do it?”  No, that’s right it has to be from God and the only way to get from God what needs to be done is to spend time in his dear word and to sense from him, to live with him and sense what he wants done in your situation or in the lives of others.

“They operate outside faith in the sense realm.  If they get certain manifestations they think the Devil is gone.  But he isn’t gone just because you get a manifestation, he’s still there and you need to know that and exercise your authority.  When circumstances don’t change immediately some people become discouraged and slip back into the natural.”  The thing doesn’t change immediately, you’re looking for it tomorrow and it doesn’t change and then you slip out of faith and you no longer resist Satan, and you no longer take your stand in faith that Jesus has given you in Luke 10:19, “Behold I’ve given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions.”  They start talking on unbelief and they defeat themselves.”

That’s it.  I should read that again, “When circumstances don’t change immediately some people become discouraged and slip back into the natural.  They start talking unbelief and they defeat themselves.  They give the Devil dominion over them.”   Then he quotes old Smith, “As Smith Wigglesworth often says,” I don’t know how these dear guys got to know each other.  Wigglesworth was in England, was a plumber and this guy was in Texas but they know each other now anyway.  “As Smith Wigglesworth often said, ‘I’m not moved by what I see.  I’m not moved by what I feel.  I’m moved only by what I believe.’” 

That’s good.  “I’m not moved by what I see.  I’m not moved by what I feel.  I’m moved only by what I believe.”  And too many of us are moved by what we feel.  Be moved by what you believe so, stand your ground.  He gives a little story that I just thought was interesting because you might get a bit lost in the old demon one but it works in everything.  “Before I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit I was a young Baptist pastor.  This was during the Depression and I had a mother and a little brother to help support.  My mother’s small income paid the utilities, taxes and insurance.  My income bought our food.

I owned only one suit and one extra pair of pants.  During those Depression days much stealing went on and someone stole both pairs of my pants.  They were stolen on a Monday and I was to preach that Thursday so I prayed Tuesday as I left my job, ‘Lord,” I presume he had overalls on the job, ‘Lord, all I’ve got is a pair of khakis and I can’t preach in them.  They’re old work pants.’  I told the Lord that by Thursday I expected to see my stolen pants hanging right where they had been.  I prayed that the person who had stolen them would be so miserable he would have to bring them back.  You see it’s a wrong spirit that makes someone steal.  I was dealing with that spirit and not the person.”

That’s it, isn’t it?  I was dealing with that spirit and not the person. We’ve done all kinds of harm to ourselves, even in this present situation, by looking at people.  Don’t!  Don’t do that.  It’s not the loved one at all. Satan’s desire is to get into Dan and have me kill Dan thinking I’m killing Satan.  That’s it.  Satan wants to try to get us to kill each other with hate and resentment.  Don’t.  Always divide between the person and the Spirit of Satan.  Rebuke the Spirit of Satan and love the loved one.  That’s it.

“You see it’s a wrong spirit that makes someone steal.  I was dealing with that spirit and not the person because we have authority over spirits.  I commanded the spirit to stop this action.  When I came home on Thursday afternoon I knew those pants would be there and they were there.  So, we can and should rise up against the Devil.”  That’s right. 

We don’t need to put up with this stuff.  You don’t need to.  You do need to get from God what – where he wants you to take out authority and you have to be careful that you don’t take authority over people’s wills.  You can’t do that otherwise. You’re in the same position as the hypnotists and spiritists, you’re taking a man’s free will from him and you know that you can do that if you so choose.

Now, you don’t want to do that.  You can’t take authority over people.  You can’t make them do what you want them to do but you can take authority over the spirits of deception and lying that are influencing them.  And you can rebuke those and charge them to depart from them. You can stand in that position continually -- so long as you stand you can shove them from those and you can pray that the Holy Spirit of Jesus will woo them to themselves.  They themselves have to be willing to be wooed. 

Loved ones, that’s what we mean by walking in faith.  That’s what walking in faith is.  And I’d just ask you maybe, to look very briefly for a moment or two, at the chapter so that at least you’ll agree that we did get the chapter.  Genesis 26, what prevents us walking by faith?  Genesis 26:6, “So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.  When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, ‘She is my sister.’”  Because he was afraid, of course, they would think she was his wife and they would want to take advantage of her and would kill him to get her. 

If you’re going to walk by faith, what we said last day is true, you have to be absolutely honest.  You have to give over all other weapons and one of the weapons you and I use to solve the problems that we have in life is to lie.  To use our own techniques, “Okay, they’ll think she’s my wife and they’ll want to kill me so they can get her.  She’s my sister.  I’ll use my head.  I’ll use my knowledge of good and evil to say something that is partially true.  It isn’t absolutely honest but it’s more or less true.”  Loved ones, if you’re going to subdue the earth by faith you must turn your back on all your own ways -- all your own subtleties and all your own tricks. 

I don’t know how alike we are, but I certainly fell into that often in my life.  You came into a difficult situation, you saw how you could maybe get around it by kind of manipulating a little of the truth or swinging it a little one way.  Do you see the tragedy of that is not even the lie?  The tragedy of that is saying, “God you aren’t big enough, or loving, or faithful enough, or you have not made provision to take care of this so I’ll have to take care of this.”  That’s the insult in the face of your loving Father.  It’s saying to Jesus, “You died but your death was not enough to take care of this, I’ll have to take care of this.”  That’s it. 

Don’t do that.  Just never lie.  Just declare by your – even if it’s going to make an absolute fool of you, even if it’s going to get you into trouble, speak absolute truth and honesty because while you do that you have the power and resources of heaven at your disposal and they will turn that thing right around and change it completely.  That’s one of the things.  Verse 7b, “For he feared to say, ‘My wife.’”   Don’t fear.  Don’t fear.  Don’t show any fear against Satan.  Don’t.  Why?  Because he’ll see it and he’ll know he’s almost got you?  No, because fear is not consistent with faith.  Fear is the opposite of faith.  Fear is a denial of faith so never fear, never.  Even if the thing seems to be coming on top of you, even if everything is lost, never fear.  Never fear, go straight on into it and say, “Lord God, I know that impossibilities are your specialty.”

I think it was Charles that said at the meeting we had, you remember that committee meeting that we had on Thursday night, he said, “When God is going to do something wonderful he gets you into a very difficult situation.”  When God moves you into an impossible situation he is going to do something very wonderful.  And I think that’s it, you see, never fear.  Never be afraid.  Even when the whole thing looks hopeless, do not fear for a moment because that is partially saying, “There’s something to fear Satan has not been overcome.  He can destroy me.”   He cannot.  You have been put on this earth to subdue Satan by your faith in Jesus’ name who has already destroyed Satan’s power all you have to do is say, “Mighty fortresses -- our God says one little word will fell him.”  That’s it.

And it’s amazing, Jesus has actually done the work, he has actually destroyed the power of Satan but you, and you, and you, and me, we have that privilege of actually manifesting that by saying it here on earth.  That’s all we have to do.  We only have to say it and act in accordance with it.  That’s all we have to do.  You don’t have to fight Satan, you just have to say, “In the name of Jesus Christ who has already destroyed you, I rebuke you and cast you out and resist you in his name,” and Satan will stand back.  And if he comes again, you simply do it again and you act in consistency with that.  You do not worry, you do not be anxious, you do not fear, you move in confidently knowing that you’ve an authority that is greater than any other. 

A little further in that Verse in 7c, “For he feared to say, ‘My wife,’ thinking, ‘Lest the men of the place should kill me for the sake of Rebekah.’”  Why is that wrong?  Because it is not faith.  It’s not faith.  Never, never, never think of tomorrow and what could go wrong.  Never.  That’s absolutely a denial of faith that God works all things according to the counsel of his will.  It’s absolute denial of God’s declaration that he has already made the rough places smooth, that he has already filled all the valleys, and lowered all the mountains.  It’s an absolute denial of faith in God love and faithfulness for what could happen.  Never, never, never think what could happen.  No, Dale Carnegie [American author, 1888-1955] was wrong.  I thought he was okay though but “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living,” his book, one of the tricks is imagine the worse that could happen and face that.  Then, you’ll have no trouble. 

It drives you insane. I did it for a while, and it seems pretty good except when you get into those murky situations and then you start thinking the worse that could happen.  You never get out of them to get victory over it.  No, don’t, never do it, never do it.  Why?  Because, I mean – oh whatever, dear old Kenneth Copeland, whatever is good or bad about the guy, he’s right, expect a miracle today.  Sure.  God has something good for you today, that’s right.  I mean, he’s right there.  We have a loving dear Father who has put you on earth and has surrounded you with his love and his protecting arms and he isn’t planning a wretched Monday for you tomorrow.  No dad, no dad does that.  No dad has a little boy and is thinking, “How can I let everything possible drop on him tomorrow?” 

Yeah. Every dad who loves his little boy or little girl is looking ahead to tomorrow, if he can, not every dad can, but he looks ahead as far as he can.  This dad we have, he looks to the very end of time so he sees it all and then he has said that he has smoothed it all out in his Son’s death.  He has crucified the world that would hurt you tomorrow.  He has prepared it for you and you can look forward to a good and blessed day tomorrow and when you see any shadow coming up you simply rebuke Satan in Jesus’ name and you look up to the Father and the Father will see you through it or move it out of the way.  But you’re never thinking, “Oh, they’ll do this,” or, “They’ll do that,” or, “This other will happen.”  No, that’s not faith. 

Never, never for a moment waste a moment.  Enjoy tonight, be happy tonight in the present moment.  And another reason why you should do it is of course the next verse, “Lest, the men of the place should kill me for the sake of Rebekah’; because she was fair to look upon.  When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window,” and killed him?  No, “And saw Isaac fondling Rebekah his wife.  So Abimelech called Isaac, and said, ‘Behold, she is your wife; how then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?’  Isaac said to him, ‘Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’’  Abimelech said, ‘What is this you have done to us?  One of the people might easily have lain with your wife and you would have brought guilt upon us.  So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, ‘Whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death.’”  So it didn’t happen at all.

So half the things Satan suggests to you might happen they don’t happen at all and if they ever do happen God has a way through them for you.  But the only position, loved ones, to take is a position of authority over Satan and I would encourage your hearts to do it.  I would encourage you to take authority over Satan.  I would then encourage you to look up those verses in the Bible, Luke 10:19, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you.”  Spend time in Ephesians 2, “God who is rich in mercy out of the great love with which he has loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with him and made us sit with him in the heavenly places.”  Where is that?   “Far above all rule and authority and dominion and power and over every name that is named not only in this age but in that which is to come.”  Why?  “That he might show forth the exceeding riches of his kindness and grace towards us in Christ Jesus.” 

Memorize those verses.  The one in James, “Resist Satan and he’ll flee from you.”  Just do it.  Don’t put up with it anymore.  Don’t let him get a thought into your mind that you entertain for one moment and don’t accept any acquisition or charge from him against yourself or against the brethren.  Do you see the key to our situation and to every such situation?  Stand against Satan, rebuke him in Jesus’ name and you’ll see the Holy Spirit wonderfully and beautifully making a body that is more fragrant and is stronger because it’s able to meet its adversary Satan.  And you must admit, I think I’m right in saying that until this time we’re all pretty innocent about these things and there were times when we thought nothing, not a thing could destroy the love we have. 

Well it was important for God to allow us to grow up but see it as that, you know, see it gloriously as that and now let’s move in Jesus’ name against Satan.  And as we continue to resist him and continue to love the brethren and to pray for each other, you will see God bring about a beautiful body and a strong body.  And then in regard to the things you and I face through this week, it is God that has already rectified all those things in his Son’s death.  He has crucified the world to you and he has destroyed all things in circumstances and in health and in mental wellbeing that would destroy you and you can simply accept that in faith and it will be unto you according to your faith. 

I pray that you’ll have a great week.  Let us pray. 

Lord Jesus, we thank you that you have not only borne our sins on Calvary but you have nailed to the cross the legal demand, the legal bond that stood against us.  We thank you Lord Jesus that when Satan accuses us and says, “You deserve to die,” we can say, “Of course we do, but Christ died for all and therefore all died and I died with Christ and Christ bore the pain of my death. That legal bond no longer stands against me so the blood of Jesus is what pleases my Father and I present that blood again to my Father and Satan I resist you in Jesus’ name and I rebuke you, and I tell you to depart from me.” 

Lord Jesus, we thank you that that’s all we have to do and then go on rejoicing.  So Lord, we would do that in regard to different situations that we think of at this moment.  We think of misunderstandings.  We think, Lord, of deception.  We think of real feeling in all our parts.  We think of all kinds of things that Satan has used to separate us.  Satan, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we rebuke you and we charge you to depart from us, to leave this body and to keep clear of us.  You’re already defeated in Jesus and you know that, and we know it, and we tell you that we now hold to that in every situation and we will stand against you in every situation and no longer try to sort things out by our knowledge or our understanding.  We will simply rebuke you and resist you in Jesus’ name and we know that you have to withdraw. 

Lord, we thank you for that power and that authority that we have and we thank you that the littlest one here has that authority whether they feel it or not.  And so Lord, we intend to wield it by our faith in you Lord Jesus and we thank you that you have actually said to us, “Whatsoever you demand in my name that will I do.”  And so we will demand of Satan, in your name, whatever is needed to subdue this world and we thank you that we can do it only with this weapon of faith.  And so Lord, we pray for each other now this coming week, pray for every dear one here that they’ll have a victorious time in their offices, and in their places of work, and in their schools, and in their homes and that next Sunday we’ll come again to rejoice over the victories you have wrought and the glory you have gained, Lord Jesus. 

And now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each one of us now and ever more.  Amen.