WEBVTT 00:00:00.161 --> 00:00:04.347 And let's lift our Bibles up, wave them around, make Jesus glad and the devil mad. 00:00:04.347 --> 00:00:09.888 Let's say this together Say Heavenly Father, I'm hungry for more of the Word. 00:00:09.888 --> 00:00:22.929 It's by hearing and hearing that Word that my faith is built, that my spirit is developed, and I am an overcomer through faith in this Word. 00:00:22.929 --> 00:00:33.219 In Jesus' name, amen, I want to bring you a message tonight out of Hebrews, chapter 12. 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:44.179 So let's turn there and read verses one through three, and of course I just prefer the King James, but you can read it out of whatever you prefer. 00:00:44.179 --> 00:00:46.159 But I'm going to read it out of the King James tonight. 00:00:46.159 --> 00:01:06.932 Verse one Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience or with patient endurance. 00:01:06.932 --> 00:01:08.506 I like that translation. 00:01:08.506 --> 00:01:30.349 Let's run with patient endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 00:01:30.349 --> 00:01:42.563 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. 00:01:42.563 --> 00:01:50.670 And so the title of the message tonight is keep looking up, keep looking up. 00:01:50.670 --> 00:01:53.528 You know we have to keep looking up. 00:01:53.528 --> 00:01:59.992 I mean you know we can look down, we can look all around, we can get distracted. 00:01:59.992 --> 00:02:02.665 There's such evil. 00:02:02.665 --> 00:02:05.152 You know what's going on in the world. 00:02:05.152 --> 00:02:12.408 I mean they're calling evil good and good evil and it can be quite distracting. 00:02:12.408 --> 00:02:21.387 But you know, anyone can faint, anyone can allow the contrary tides of this world that's what I like to call them a tide. 00:02:21.387 --> 00:02:30.110 If you ever been waded out in the Gulf of Mexico, you know we're close to the Gulf here, so we have more contact with that body of water. 00:02:30.110 --> 00:02:33.806 And sometimes when there's tides, I mean they can be pretty contrary. 00:02:33.806 --> 00:02:34.181 They can. 00:02:34.181 --> 00:02:39.462 You know those rip tides can take you off your feet and get you out in trouble if you're not careful. 00:02:39.462 --> 00:02:44.943 And so this tide of evil is in the world and it can distract you. 00:02:44.943 --> 00:02:56.950 You know the enemy wants to dull our perception and so that he'll be easy for him to cause us to believe the lies that he's putting out. 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:05.508 I was listening to just a sports show the other day and just, I mean it's just. 00:03:05.508 --> 00:03:06.743 You know, it's just sports. 00:03:06.743 --> 00:03:07.501 Okay, you're not. 00:03:07.501 --> 00:03:07.882 You're not. 00:03:07.882 --> 00:03:09.588 You know theologians. 00:03:09.588 --> 00:03:15.247 You're not politicians You're just talking about right now you're probably talking about the Texans. 00:03:15.247 --> 00:03:17.586 You know might be talking about a bowl game. 00:03:17.586 --> 00:03:25.888 The college bowls are being played, started being played and they got into this idea that you know it was better for people to curse and swear. 00:03:25.888 --> 00:03:29.748 You know we've got too many things to be offended about. 00:03:29.748 --> 00:03:33.448 They were no longer offended about hearing filthy language. 00:03:33.448 --> 00:03:35.106 I just thought you people are nuts. 00:03:35.106 --> 00:03:39.006 Why are you saying that's totally wrong, completely opposite of the truth? 00:03:39.006 --> 00:03:41.687 I wanted to scream at my radio. 00:03:41.687 --> 00:03:45.844 I know I'm the only one that does that, but no, we've got listen. 00:03:45.865 --> 00:03:49.926 We've got to continually consider Jesus. 00:03:49.926 --> 00:03:50.943 That's what the Bible says. 00:03:50.943 --> 00:03:53.805 Consider, look unto him and consider him. 00:03:53.805 --> 00:03:57.746 That endured these sinners, the contradiction of sinners. 00:03:57.746 --> 00:04:01.926 They were against him and the religious crowd were against him. 00:04:01.926 --> 00:04:03.685 People were against him. 00:04:03.685 --> 00:04:06.527 He had betrayal, even in his own camp. 00:04:06.527 --> 00:04:14.789 And you know, if you don't consider Jesus, it's easy then to get weary and faint in your mind. 00:04:14.789 --> 00:04:16.747 You know, this is where people faint. 00:04:16.747 --> 00:04:21.024 They faint in their mind first, they faint in their thought life. 00:04:21.024 --> 00:04:29.509 So we have to continually consider Jesus, literally, to factor Jesus into the equation. 00:04:29.509 --> 00:04:31.004 I'd like to put it that way. 00:04:31.004 --> 00:04:38.250 Let's factor Jesus into our plans, let's factor Jesus into our solutions, let's factor in who is Jesus. 00:04:38.250 --> 00:04:40.603 He's the Word, the Word of God. 00:04:40.603 --> 00:04:45.391 And so look to him at his finished work of redemption. 00:04:45.391 --> 00:04:51.192 Keep looking up the Word and looking down on the devil. 00:04:51.192 --> 00:04:52.504 I mean, he's way down there. 00:04:52.504 --> 00:04:58.586 We're said, in heavenly places, far above all, principality, power, might and dominion, every name it's name. 00:04:58.586 --> 00:05:00.504 So keep looking up. 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:10.307 And so here Paul is talking about running a race, and he uses often in his writings illustrations of the games. 00:05:10.307 --> 00:05:12.487 The Greeks are the ones that brought the games. 00:05:12.487 --> 00:05:18.185 Our modern Olympics draw their inspiration from the games that they had. 00:05:18.185 --> 00:05:22.509 And he's talking about a race, a running, a race to win. 00:05:22.509 --> 00:05:24.927 And he used it as an illustration. 00:05:24.927 --> 00:05:26.781 He said let us run, see. 00:05:26.781 --> 00:05:28.166 In other words, up to us to run. 00:05:28.166 --> 00:05:29.925 You know, you gotta run the race. 00:05:29.925 --> 00:05:35.607 It's either gonna sit down and not run it, or you're gonna run it, or you're not gonna run it. 00:05:35.607 --> 00:05:37.264 Well, it's all up to you. 00:05:37.264 --> 00:05:39.165 The race is there for you to run. 00:05:39.165 --> 00:05:47.944 And so he said let us run, let us run and lay aside every weight, every hindrance and the sin. 00:05:47.944 --> 00:05:50.267 See, it was up to us to lay it aside. 00:05:50.267 --> 00:05:59.872 And when we do, and let's run with patient endurance, that race, because you know, it's not in competition with anyone else. 00:05:59.872 --> 00:06:03.601 It's really basically our race, our only race, it's our. 00:06:03.601 --> 00:06:05.788 We're competing against ourselves, if you will. 00:06:05.788 --> 00:06:16.389 And so this illustration that Paul uses, I like to use football because I'm you know, I'm not, I can't really relate that much to the Olympics, but I can to football. 00:06:16.410 --> 00:06:17.351 It's my favorite sport. 00:06:17.351 --> 00:06:27.612 I love to watch football, I like all kind of football, and so I like to watch good football games. 00:06:27.612 --> 00:06:32.846 I saw one, a part of one, the other day, where the team came from behind and won in the last second. 00:06:32.846 --> 00:06:33.964 You know, those are exciting. 00:06:33.964 --> 00:06:37.769 But I was reminded of an Aggie football. 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:51.069 I've been watching Aggie football for many, many years and a few years ago they were playing Alabama in Alabama and I don't know, it just seemed like from the very beginning of the game Alabama was fired up. 00:06:51.069 --> 00:07:00.238 I mean, they were ready to play and I don't know, a&m looked kind of dull and listless and they got out there and got behind seven and nothing. 00:07:00.238 --> 00:07:04.387 They got behind 10 to nothing and I noticed that they were walking around. 00:07:04.387 --> 00:07:17.766 You know, with their hand on defense they're walking around with their heads down like this and their hands on their hips and Alabama would come out and they scored every time they had the ball in the first half. 00:07:17.766 --> 00:07:20.627 But it started with just a 10 to nothing. 00:07:20.627 --> 00:07:23.146 Score A 10 to nothing is still anybody's ball game. 00:07:23.146 --> 00:07:27.028 And it looked to me like A&M had already given up. 00:07:27.028 --> 00:07:30.988 And so, yeah, they were behind, you know, big at the half. 00:07:30.988 --> 00:07:34.603 And it was so big at the half I forgot how. 00:07:34.603 --> 00:07:36.168 27 to nothing at the half. 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:44.269 So Alabama put their backups in in the second half and A&M lost that game 59 to nothing. 00:07:44.269 --> 00:07:48.625 They never scored and they had a pretty good team that year. 00:07:48.625 --> 00:07:51.007 I mean, that was just the worst loss in history. 00:07:51.007 --> 00:07:53.206 But you could see what was going on. 00:07:53.206 --> 00:07:59.528 They had their heads down and their hands on their hips and they let the other team know that they were defeated. 00:07:59.528 --> 00:08:04.845 They fainted in their minds, they fainted in their bodies, they fainted in every way. 00:08:05.307 --> 00:08:10.586 You know, listen, we can't afford to let the devil know that we're worried about anything. 00:08:10.586 --> 00:08:14.766 We should never be worried, because we've always got the game changer living on the inside of us. 00:08:14.766 --> 00:08:17.488 We've got the Word of God available to us. 00:08:17.488 --> 00:08:20.749 It's this word, right here, is written for you. 00:08:20.749 --> 00:08:27.028 It's got the answer to every conundrum, every trouble, every circumstance that you face. 00:08:27.028 --> 00:08:33.586 He's got the answer for you and then he shows you how to access it by the Holy Ghost on the inside. 00:08:33.586 --> 00:08:34.423 Keep looking up. 00:08:34.423 --> 00:08:43.366 Let's look down on the devil, and we can't let the devil think that we're worried and fainting. 00:08:43.366 --> 00:08:48.225 We might be tempted in that era, but we don't have to do it. 00:08:48.225 --> 00:08:49.745 We don't have to go that far. 00:08:49.745 --> 00:08:52.667 So just two simple things. 00:08:52.667 --> 00:08:54.767 You'll keep looking up the Word. 00:08:54.767 --> 00:08:58.148 Look up and find out what the Bible has to say. 00:08:58.148 --> 00:09:00.846 Look it up in the Word if necessary. 00:09:00.846 --> 00:09:03.125 Find out what the Bible says. 00:09:03.125 --> 00:09:07.486 Consult the Word, consider the Word. 00:09:07.486 --> 00:09:08.884 So he's considered Jesus. 00:09:08.884 --> 00:09:09.506 Who is Jesus? 00:09:09.506 --> 00:09:11.868 He's the Word made flesh, dwelt among us. 00:09:11.868 --> 00:09:14.144 He's one of us. 00:09:14.144 --> 00:09:14.902 You know that. 00:09:14.902 --> 00:09:15.443 He's got that. 00:09:15.820 --> 00:09:22.932 I've been kind of hitting on this, this bunch of advertisements on television. 00:09:22.932 --> 00:09:27.726 He gets us, he gets us, and some of them are clever and some of them might just make me kind of wonder. 00:09:27.726 --> 00:09:31.467 I really don't have a witness to get in with it. 00:09:31.467 --> 00:09:34.552 He gets us because he is us. 00:09:34.552 --> 00:09:35.557 You know we're him. 00:09:35.557 --> 00:09:36.942 We are one with Jesus. 00:09:36.942 --> 00:09:38.721 He is a human being. 00:09:38.721 --> 00:09:44.038 There's one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus. 00:09:44.038 --> 00:09:44.660 He's a man. 00:09:44.660 --> 00:09:46.899 Yeah, he gets us. 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:50.177 He's one of us, but they don't say it. 00:09:50.177 --> 00:09:56.663 I don't think they know it, but anyway, well, I don't know if they know it or not, but you know I'm stickler. 00:09:56.783 --> 00:10:05.479 Listen, I wanna stick with this word right here A-Bin, consult the Bible, consider Jesus instead of your circumstances, instead of your feelings. 00:10:05.479 --> 00:10:10.260 You know, god's thoughts are higher than ours, that's true, but they're accessible. 00:10:10.260 --> 00:10:14.101 Right here we have access to these higher thoughts. 00:10:14.101 --> 00:10:19.363 You know a little statement that Smith Wigglesworth used to make. 00:10:19.363 --> 00:10:26.299 He said I'm not moved by what I see, I'm not moved by what I feel, I'm only moved by what I believe, and I believe God's Word. 00:10:26.299 --> 00:10:29.543 I've had to tell myself that. 00:10:29.543 --> 00:10:41.261 I've had to calm my emotions down with that, because the devil's over here doing a, you know, lighting a fire, trying to get our attention, trying to create a diversion. 00:10:41.261 --> 00:10:43.322 You know that's a military tactic. 00:10:43.322 --> 00:10:56.365 A military tactic is to create a diversion, to divert the attention of the enemy while you attack from a different direction, and he is a master at creating diversionary tactics. 00:10:56.365 --> 00:11:01.419 He'll light a fire over here and while you're all busy with that, he's coming in another place. 00:11:04.660 --> 00:11:08.149 No, let's only consult and consider the Word of God. 00:11:08.149 --> 00:11:12.344 You know, again, we faint first in our minds. 00:11:12.344 --> 00:11:18.984 We faint first in our thinking, and so we have to pay attention to how we're thinking. 00:11:18.984 --> 00:11:24.860 What we're thinking, what we're meditating on, we absolutely cannot afford. 00:11:24.860 --> 00:11:28.576 You know, pity parties, amen. 00:11:28.576 --> 00:11:29.880 You just can't afford it. 00:11:29.880 --> 00:11:36.557 It's too destructive to your interests, amen, all right. 00:11:36.557 --> 00:11:40.283 So keep looking up, keep looking up the Word, keep looking up the Spirit. 00:11:40.283 --> 00:11:43.296 See, he lives on the inside of you, you know. 00:11:43.296 --> 00:11:44.421 You know his address. 00:11:44.421 --> 00:11:48.186 See, you're his address in the Spirit, right in here. 00:11:48.186 --> 00:11:49.279 He lives right here. 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:52.937 He doesn't you don't have to go any place, you don't have to go way up there, he's right here. 00:11:52.937 --> 00:12:09.462 The Holy Ghost lives inside of us, and so Ephesians 5, 18 says you know, may not drunk with wine where as an excess, but be being filled, be filled, be being filled, be continually and habitually filled with the Holy Ghost. 00:12:09.462 --> 00:12:11.320 Speak into yourselves. 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:15.961 You know, sometimes we have to speak to ourselves and stir up the gift that's in us. 00:12:15.961 --> 00:12:22.940 You know, pray in tongues, but also take the Word and start confessing it over yourself and claiming it for yourself. 00:12:22.940 --> 00:12:29.058 You know, don't let your negative emotions run away with you. 00:12:31.118 --> 00:12:39.302 I was watching in harm's way it's a John Wayne war movie about World War II and they were attacking the Philippines. 00:12:39.302 --> 00:12:42.845 He was part of a big Navy convoy. 00:12:42.845 --> 00:12:50.394 He was an admiral in that movie, and so he had a son that was also assigned to the PT boats. 00:12:50.394 --> 00:13:06.394 And you know it's a movie, so it's got all these side issues, you know, you've got the war and you've got all these different things going on, and his son had fallen in love with a young nurse and the young nurse died Long story won't go into all that but she died. 00:13:06.394 --> 00:13:13.077 And so his father, who's the big admiral John Wayne is. 00:13:13.077 --> 00:13:22.355 The son is played by Brandon DeWilda and he played in John Wayne and he played in Shane back, way back when you know. 00:13:22.355 --> 00:13:30.284 And so anyway, he's a young ensign serving on a PT boat. 00:13:30.384 --> 00:13:32.292 So here comes John Wayne and the Jeep. 00:13:32.292 --> 00:13:38.985 He has a driver drive all the way out to the Navy yard to go tell his son the news personally. 00:13:38.985 --> 00:13:42.764 He didn't want to send it through channels, he wanted to tell him personally. 00:13:42.764 --> 00:13:48.370 And he comes up to his son and his son introduces him to his commanding officer and lieutenant. 00:13:48.370 --> 00:13:52.024 So and so Well, to what we have this honor. 00:13:52.024 --> 00:13:54.445 Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to visit with my son. 00:13:54.445 --> 00:13:55.448 Oh, go right ahead. 00:13:55.469 --> 00:13:56.051 And he leaves. 00:13:56.051 --> 00:13:57.996 So it's just him and they're awkward. 00:13:57.996 --> 00:14:00.913 They don't hug, you know, they just shake hands. 00:14:00.913 --> 00:14:04.509 You know it's just kind of weird, must be a military thing. 00:14:04.509 --> 00:14:09.275 But anyway he said, son, I got something to tell you. 00:14:09.275 --> 00:14:11.331 You're going to have to get a hold of yourself. 00:14:11.331 --> 00:14:14.028 That's what he said. 00:14:14.028 --> 00:14:19.253 He said you're going to have to get a hold of yourself and so, you know, he's kind of afraid. 00:14:19.253 --> 00:14:23.091 He said what in the world does that mean that little girl is dead? 00:14:23.091 --> 00:14:26.475 You know he didn't soften the blow. 00:14:26.475 --> 00:14:27.748 She's dead. 00:14:27.748 --> 00:14:34.727 He didn't say she passed away, she's no longer here, she left, she's dead. 00:14:34.727 --> 00:14:39.716 But I got, you know, you got to have to get a hold of yourself. 00:14:39.716 --> 00:14:54.812 We have to get a hold of ourselves emotionally and not let ourselves get taken away and carried away with whatever passion we have Sometimes it's anger, sometimes it's just disgusts, no matter what we're seeing and hearing. 00:14:54.812 --> 00:14:57.846 We've got to get a hold of ourselves, amen. 00:14:57.846 --> 00:15:01.769 And we absolutely can't indulge, as I said before, in pity parties. 00:15:01.769 --> 00:15:10.548 You know, what we just need to do is take a big, long drink of the Holy Ghost, I'm telling you, and then laugh at the devil. 00:15:10.548 --> 00:15:14.431 I'm reminded of a testimony. 00:15:14.471 --> 00:15:21.490 Brother Copeland tells he was going through some challenges and everybody coped through them. 00:15:21.490 --> 00:15:29.134 And he had a dream one night and in the dream he would found himself in some smoky region. 00:15:29.134 --> 00:15:37.261 It was, you know, he didn't use the word spooky, but I heard him explaining it and it sounded like a spooky place. 00:15:37.261 --> 00:15:41.296 You know, it was dark and smoky and you know, and it was unfamiliar. 00:15:41.296 --> 00:15:42.509 And here were these beings. 00:15:42.605 --> 00:15:49.767 This one being got up and was walking toward him, threatening him, and you just had to assume it was a demon. 00:15:49.767 --> 00:16:00.214 And so he's standing there and he's shaking, he's got fear coming upon him. 00:16:00.214 --> 00:16:03.158 He hadn't said a word, he hadn't done anything, he'd just stand in there. 00:16:03.158 --> 00:16:07.275 And suddenly, between him and the demon, jesus appeared. 00:16:07.275 --> 00:16:14.152 But Jesus wasn't facing Brother Copeland, jesus was facing the demon and his back was toward Brother Copeland. 00:16:14.152 --> 00:16:19.196 And it shocked Brother Copeland in the dream. 00:16:19.196 --> 00:16:22.908 In the dream, he was shocked that Jesus would show up in a place like that. 00:16:22.908 --> 00:16:32.297 And Jesus started walking backwards, one step at a time, backward, backward, never taking his eyes off that demon. 00:16:32.297 --> 00:16:52.524 Finally, he took one step and he stepped into Brother Copeland and his legs went into Brother Copeland's legs, his arms went into Brother Copeland's arms and he was looking out Jesus' eyes at this demon, and suddenly he said, his arms went up like that and he pointed to the demon. 00:16:52.524 --> 00:17:00.298 He said bow, and that demon bowed and he woke up. 00:17:00.298 --> 00:17:03.253 You see, he got the news. 00:17:04.345 --> 00:17:10.224 Everything bows to the name of Jesus and you've got the right to use the name of Jesus. 00:17:10.224 --> 00:17:11.451 See, that's the Holy Ghost. 00:17:11.451 --> 00:17:22.769 That's the Holy Ghost keeping you strong and keeping you where you're not a victim and you're not victim minded, keeping your thought, life cleansed, hallelujah. 00:17:22.769 --> 00:17:32.191 So let's keep looking up the Word and keep looking up the Spirit and looking down, way down, on the devil, because he is defeated. 00:17:32.191 --> 00:17:33.910 It works every time. 00:17:33.910 --> 00:17:39.305 Amen, keep looking up, amen, lift your hands and receive the Word tonight. 00:17:39.305 --> 00:17:41.653 Father, we thank you for the Word and the Spirit. 00:17:41.653 --> 00:17:43.191 What a treasure they are to us. 00:17:43.191 --> 00:17:56.392 Thank you that you have taught us these principles and we're embracing them, we're using them, we're doing them day by day and we're receiving the victory in Jesus' name. 00:17:56.392 --> 00:17:58.493 Amen, amen, amen.