Rise and Shine In Righteousness - Will Brocker 2-1-2026mp3

Rise and Shine In Righteousness - Will Brocker 2-1-2026mp3 by Will Brocker

Connect With Grace & Truth Church 

Website: https://gtchouston.org/

Visit Us

Sundays: 10:30 am service (10 am fellowship)

21902 Northwest Freeway Access Rd, Cypress, Texas 77429

(in the VFW Post 8905 small hall - next to Carl's BBQ)

Onine Giving

https://graceandtruthchurch.churchcenter.com/giving

Connect with Pastor William Brocker

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@willbrockermin

Follow on Socials: 

https://www.facebook.com/GTCpeople/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hallelujah. They're still coming in from the north, the south, the east, and the west. Thank you, Lord. This place is filled to the brim. Hungry. Hungry seekers. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for everything you have for us. Hallelujah. Repeat after me. The blessing of the Lord is upon me. The favor of the Lord surrounds me. And wonderful things are happening to me today. In Jesus' name. Amen. Bless the Lord. Well, I'm glad to see you here. Amen. God bless all of you online. All of you who will listen or hear or see this message in any other place at any other time. Praying for you. Love you. The anointing knows no bounds. Time or space. No distance. Hallelujah. Love to hear from you. Glory to God. It was so good to hear from our friend in Ireland the other week. That was really, really nice of you. I got another message from someone this week. I haven't had an opportunity to respond. I generally don't. If it's just no place for that when I moved on to something else. But this particular one, she was reaching out in love to me and sent me a long text. Or uh not a text, but a deal on one of the social media platforms. So they listened to several of my messages, and in love, they were just asking if I had ever considered teaching the Bible stories to you to my congregation. And then they uh expounded on uh the story of the book of Ruth. And uh to quite uh some extent. Looked like it came right out of a Bible study, maybe. But I didn't have a chance to go back and find the uh the two messages in a row that I preached on Ruth and gave uh some great revelation of the the book of Ruth and uh the types and shadows and that you find in there. And uh I always I'm always interested to know if people see Jesus when they're reading the Old Testament, because that's what I'm looking for and trying to teach everyone. So if you're just looking for a good Bible story, then go read you one. Because everything I preach is about a good Bible story, the story of Jesus and you. That's the Bible. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and you. Hallelujah. But I love everyone and I'm thankful for. Maybe they'll keep listening and they'll uh get to the part where we talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, where you can really begin to see some things revealed to you. The light bulbs just begin to come on, praise God. My wife sends her love. She was gonna be here last week on her birthday, uh, but as you know, things uh didn't work out with all the ice and everything was closed down. So praise God. Ah, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this beautiful day that you've given us, and for this opportunity to come together, we as your children, to worship you, to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for the anointing that breaks every yoke. Thank you for your precious word, the manner from heaven. Let it be sown into the hearts of your children and to those who are seeking you, and help it to take root and bear fruit. Help us to populate heaven and vacate hell, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. Ah, Jesus is here. Right in our midst, Joey. You know that. Do you believe that? You know that He is good and good for you, and only has good for you. Hallelujah. You know, Jesus said, ask, seek, knock. And the first letter is A S K, ask. It's all about the asking. And when you do, all the results, if you notice in there in the Bible, are positive with Him, aren't they? Because when you ask, you receive. When you seek, you find. And when you knock, the door will be open for you. Not once you get yourself all straightened out and cleaned up and doing right, and you earn the right to be accepted in. He just says, not. Just come looking for me, and you're going to find me, he says. That's a good God right there. Hallelujah. 2 Corinthians 5.21 says that God made him, Jesus, who had no sin, to be sinned for us. So that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Wow. Do you think of yourself as righteous? Well, you are righteous if you're saved. If you believe the Bible. Hallelujah. But do you know you can you can you can be in church, you can you can be like a family of skunks and have your own pew with your name on it. You can and still be an unbeliever. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, though. Amen. People say I don't have any faith, so you can get you some. It's the Today I Choose to Follow Jesus book, 30 Days of Intimacy with God. I tell them you've got to read it out loud. I encourage you to read it out loud. Make those declarations out loud. Read the whole thing out loud because you know you get greater faith from hearing your own voice than from any other voice. If you will say what God says, your faith will grow strong. That's a fact. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, and faith without works is muerte. Dead. First Corinthians, I think it's fifteen thirty-four. The Lord says, awake to righteousness and do not sin. For some do not know or have the knowledge of God. Some people say, awake to righteousness and do not sin. So it's one or the other. You see, that's not what he's saying. That's not what we're talking about here today. Although we don't want to sin. You are the righteousness of God, but you don't want to sin because it opens doors for the devil, it ruins your testimony, and it just goes against your new nature of who you really are. So you're being a hypocrite once you're born again if you do sin because you're trying to act like a sinner when you're really the righteousness of God. A lot different than most people look at that. Romans 12, 2 says, do not be conformed, poured into the mold of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. This is talking about your soulish realm. You've already been born again. Your spirit is sealed and holy. One third of your salvation is complete. You are a spirit with a soul and a body. Hallelujah. But don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind now, to come into agreement with this born-again spirit in your mind, in your personality, your mind, will, and emotions, that by testing you may discern or know what the will of God is. What is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God? And I submit to you that those are coming stages in your maturity in Christ. Amen. Pardon me, but Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. So your life is going to go the predominant way of your thinking, right? Yeah. Wherever we are, we have really thought ourselves to that place to some degree. Not saying bad things don't happen to good people and all that fallen world. Of course they do. But there's a lot of wrong thinking, even in a born-again believer's life. Because this soul is still being renewed, still being saved. Hallelujah. But God's thoughts towards us are good. That's half the battle, just knowing that. A great man of God, after 60 years in ministry, they asked him if he could sum up briefly his ministry in just a few words. He said, I can do it in three words. God is faithful. And he is. But coming to know that and believe that and trust that and walk in that is a different thing. So we're trying to recently, I mean, in the last few meetings and messages, we've been trying to be sure that our thoughts toward God, about God, are good. And in turn, about ourselves in Him as believers in Christ. We should see ourselves as He sees us. That's what's in it's just so important. I know it sounds like I'm beating a dead horse or going around the mountain, but I'm just trying to say it a thousand different ways to make sure you hear it once at least. Because sometimes people go, oh, I I now I see. And if I had a dollar, if you had a dollar and I changed, I give you a hundred pennies, that's a dollar. So if I took ten of the pennies, that's ten one hundredths, which is the same as one tenth. If I gave you ten dimes and then took one, that's the same as taking ten pennies from a hundred. That's one tenth. Oh, I said, so when people give you change or you're saving and you're trying, uh you're gonna need fractions all day, every day, your whole life. Oh, zipped right through it. Oh never heard it like that. I think she said something like that. She probably did. But anyway, you get my point. When we finally get something, I always go back to ninth grade algebra, and I dreaded it every day walking in there until one day the flip, the switch flipped and I got it. And after that, I was so hungry. Give me, give me, gimme, gimme, gimme, give it to me. I got it. Watch this. There you go. You see what I'm saying? It was exciting then. It's the same way with this, with this, with God. When we get the revelations of the things that He has for us and our new identity in Him, it makes things so much more exciting and fun than religion. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Ephesians, I say, go on to the five and dime. Ephesians 5.10, find out what pleases God. Well, that means we can. Spoiler alert. It pleases him when we walk in the grace and the victory that Jesus has already provided. Yes, it does. When we receive from him. Yes, it does. Because he wants us blessed. And see, this is where people get so upset with the prosperity message because it has been preaching error many times where people, what are minister, if I leave you here today, if I preach a whole message on prosperity, God's prosperity, and I stop short and just leave you where you, I have you lusting after the things of the world and showing you how you can cooperate with the law of sowing and reaping to get the things that you want, then I am at fault. I have done you a disservice and I have dishonored God, you see. But if I continue on and preach and show you why you want to be blessed with every good thing in every good way to be a blessing, and to pray for good stewardship with all the things that He entrusts to you to be a blessing, then I will have preached it correctly. Yes. If you have children, do you want them living in poverty or do you want them living as a prosperous and victorious person reigning in life? Not in pride and arrogance, but in humility and honor and grace and peace and as an extravagant lover and giver. Wouldn't you rather see your children that way? So would he. So would he. He loves his children, us, way more than we possibly ever could. We just don't have the capacity to love like him because his love is perfect and he is love. So, yes, we want to be blessed in every aspect of our lives, and we want to be extravagant givers in every way, and we want to give honor to the Father and the Son in doing so. This is the only kind of jealousy that God promotes, that we would provoke jealousy from others to have what we have in Him. Because it's available to them, and them taking everything that we have in God and having it for themselves depletes us none, depletes him none. They can have the same, you see. That's why we can be joyful and others are blessed, and we should be always. So it pleases him when we receive from him, walk in grace and victory, the abundant life, walking in not only his favor, but his power and righteousness. And how do we lay hold of the grace of God that Jesus has provided through the atonement? By faith. Faith is that hand that reaches out and lays hold of everything. Because the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, Titus 2.11 says, right? But everyone's not saved, because you must have a faith response to the grace of the cross, the atonement of Calvary through Christ. So faith pleases God. Because that's the way we receive from God. He says, without faith it's impossible to please God. You're saved by faith, by grace through faith. Amen. Amen. Amen. When Jesus returns, he said, Will I even find faith? So he's looking for faith. So that's something that's pleasing to God. So we want to make sure that we are trusting. You know, I get so much better response when I say trust instead of faith. Because people have heard faith so much, and they and sometimes in some circles they've turned, they've been turned off by faith. The faith movement, then the grace movement, then the, you know, it's always been about Jesus. So when things are done to extremes, that means they got a hold of something good, and then they just overdid it. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Let me read you a story. A Bible story. Hey, thank you, Lord. It's not from the old covenant, but I can tie it in there 14 ways if you want me to. Matthew chapter 12, verses 22 through 29. Show you something Jesus did here. It says, Then was brought to him, him being Jesus, one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb. And he healed him. Insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed and said, Is not this the son of David? So, isn't this the Messiah? But when the Pharisees heard it, so here comes religion, here comes the religious hypocrites. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub. That's the Lord of the flies. That's a name for the devil that Jesus gave him, the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts. Word of knowledge. Discernment. And he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he's divided against himself. How then? How shall then his kingdom stand? And if I, by Beelzebub, the devil, cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? So, in other words, these Pharisees had had people going around doing exorcisms too. So if I'm casting them out by the devil, who are they casting them out by? And he says, therefore they shall be their judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit capitalist, Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else, how can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house. Now that gets a little wordy and a little intricate. Jesus is saying that casting out devils is proof of God's power working in the casting them out. The one casting them out. You see what I'm saying? Because Satan would never allow someone to cast out his demons if he had any power to stop them. Right? That's the whole point of a house against itself will fall and all that. So, if anyone can defeat Satan's demons, then they must have authority over Satan too. His works, anyway. And Jesus was referencing that he was plundering the strong man's house. In this case, the strong man he's referring to is the devil. And he was plundering the goods that Satan had stolen from mankind, particularly this one man manifesting at this particular time, but it went all the way back to the garden. What the devil has stolen from mankind. Healing, blessing, love, joy, peace, prosperity. You see. You with me? Because Jesus was without sin. So the light of Jesus' very presence, his righteousness is what bound Satan. That's why they would always say, Oh, get away from us, Satan. Jesus, we know who you are. Did you come to torment us? You see what I'm saying? He didn't have to say anything. Because the devil has no authority where there's no sin. Now, righteousness has authority over sin and the devil. I'm belaboring this because I want you to get it. Jesus didn't have to say, I bind you, I take authority over you. No. He just showed up, and his righteousness gave him authority to plunder the strong man's house, in this case the devil. It was a man, but Satan had taken over that house, that vessel. You see what I'm saying? Because of who Jesus was, it gave him authority because he was righteous and holy. And his knowledge of that, and his confidence in his identity. Just made it a done deal. Now, here's the point. Because you have Jesus, you are righteous. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. The kingdom of God is in us, is in you. And what does that mean? Righteous. Just means that you are in right standing with God. You are able to stand before God in right standing without fear of judgment. Are you with me? Without fear of judgment. Because of his mercy, Jesus died for our sins, and by grace we have been credited with Jesus' righteousness. That's why you're righteous. Not because of your right doing, but because of his. Still got some of the stinking thinking. Somebody cut me off in traffic the other day, and I didn't think the best things of the. That's because it was your spirit, which you can't discern with your five natural senses. You have to have that sixth sense. You have to have the Spirit of God to discern what's in the kingdom of God within you and draw it out and come into agreement with this word that is in you. In your soulish realm, and then it will come out here and it will affect everything here, including this. These bodies. Amen. 2 Corinthians, just a few verses forward, chapter 5, verses 20 and 21. Therefore, since we're new creations and we have these things, we are the righteousness of God. We have the kingdom of God within us. We're born-again children of God. This is no longer, we're not, we're in the world, but we're not of the world. Our home is in heaven with Him, but we're here for a time, just a flicker. So help us to number our days aright, Lord. But therefore, we are here as ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us. That's why it's so important that we walk in the confidence of our identity in Christ. Because when we come across someone, and you will, every day of your life, who needs him so desperately, do you want to just get down in the mud and go, oh, I hear you, me too, and all that? Or do you want to show up as the one who has all the provision from heaven that they need? That's what they need.

unknown 32:01

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

You're what they need. You have what they need. He goes on to say, we implore you. He's basically begging us as believers, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. God made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. So that is the essence of our life here now. The balance of the life that he has given us here, the time that he's given us here, is not only for us to expand our salvation and our souls and the knowledge and grace of God, but it's to share him and to help be kingdom builders. Amen. Ephesians 4, 21. Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self. Well, I thought you just said, the old has gone, the new has come, all things are new. They are. That's why you have to understand 1 Thessalonians 5.23 that we are three-part beings: spirit, soul, and body, because God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4.24, what he told the woman into well. So we are spirits. If we're created in his image, we are spirits too. Because they said, let's make them in our image, didn't they? Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. And God is the Spirit. He created us in his likeness. It's our spirit that's been born again, perfected, sealed, holy. You have the mind of Christ within you, the kingdom of God, full blown, full grown, all the fruit of the Spirit within you. But here you don't, in your soulish realm. That's where you're trying to get it from here to here. By reading this word, by praying in the Spirit, by the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit to get you to come into agreement with who you truly are now. So now he's talking. So sometimes you're reading the Bible and you're like, I don't understand. Just said I'm brand new, everything's new. And then it says, put on the new self, which is being transformed. Which is it? Well, God is not confused, He's not conflicted. He's sometimes they're talking about what's been done, the part of you that's been done, and then they talk about the part that you're still working on and growing in. From time to time, he'll even talk about the vessel that you're carrying it all around in. So know that. Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life, and is corrupt through deceitful desires. That's your old stinking thinking. And to be renewed in the spirit of your mind. See, now he's talking about the soul. That's what I was talking about. And to put on the new self. So put on the new self, which is right here. You don't have to walk far to that walk-in closet. It's just uh 12 inches below your chin or whatever. Huh? And you take from it instead of from instead of the internet. Huh? And you know, you go to Jehovah Rapha, who is your doctor. That's what that literally means in Hebrew. The great physician, the God who heals you, before you go to WebMD. Not saying there's not a place for it. We love doctors. Thank God for doctors and all the wonderful medical. We live in a great place. Most of the Christians would be dead if it weren't for all the wonderful doctors we have. But don't you know God wants you to come to him first? Before you exhaust everything else, all your resources, like the woman with the issue of blood, and then in a final resort. Let me give God a try. He would much prefer, and he loves you anyway, no different. Not going to change the way he feels about you. He's crazy about you. He's never going to take your picture out of his wallet and stop bragging on you. But he went looking for more opportunities to brag on you. Hallelujah. And that's when you're standing in faith and speaking faith and life, when everything around you, the storms of life that have come upon you and are swirling around you, you're letting them swirl around you, but you're not letting them get in you. You're still saying what God says, and the world says, look how foolish and silly they are. But you're not. Because what's happened is you've transformed this to agree with this, and now you see the unseen realm, which created this realm, as more real than you see this one. Because it is. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new self create. Look, here's the new self that it's he's asking you to take from your spirit and put it on in your soulish realm and wear it proudly because your new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. That's you. That's your new self. Created in true righteousness and holiness. You are truly righteous and truly holy in God's eyes. Because when he sees you, he sees Jesus Christ, his son. Everything he has is ours. Now, right now. Not only his eternal life, but his righteousness, his power, his authority, his character. He has taken back what the enemy stole in the garden. Why do you think when he, why do you, oh, why do you think on that day when he rose from the dead, they thought he was the, they mistook him for the gardener. Oh, Lord. Help them see it, Lord. So he took back what the enemy stole. So now you're not trying to get it, you're just trying to protect it. Big difference. Big difference. If he's already given you the provision, if he's already given you the healing, if he's already given you the peace, then you don't have to wait and beg for it to come. You just have to protect it from the enemy and realize when any when the enemy comes and tries to take it from you, you catch him red-handed and take back what he stole. And he will have to replace sevenfold if you declare it and demand it in Jesus' name. When we find that he's deceived us, or anyone else that we love or care about, and try to steal from us or from them, and just know that we're not defenseless. That's the thing. The devil is. He's the liar. He's the one pretending, he's the mouse with the megaphone, trying to pretend like he's got power and authority, but you're the one with all the authority, and he's just trying to get you to agree with him so he can get you to use some of your authority to do his stealing, killing, and destroying, you're not defenseless. If you rise up in confidence and boldness and just take back what the enemy stole, in Jesus' name. Have dominion, authority, take control of this life, the reigns of this life. How much more will you reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ? Much more. Those who walk in grace and righteousness will reign and have dominion in this life because of the grace, because of the gift of righteousness, Jesus' righteousness credited to our account. That's who we are right now in Christ. Amen. He's not only in our midsts, he's in us, and he lives through us. And we need to believe it to live it. Acts 17, 28 says, for in him we live and move and have our being. Glory to God. Do you get that? I mean, it sounds wonderful, but do you literally see how that is a reality? In him we live and move and have our being, for we are indeed his offspring. So stand before the devil without fear. Like Smith Wigglesworth when he woke up that night and he was, he lit his lamp and he looked and saw the devil standing at the foot of his bed. He said, Oh, it's just you. Blew it back out and went back to sleep. That's the confidence we can have. Because we are righteous. That means without sin. And you're like, whoa, wait a minute. No, you are in right standing with a holy God who the only punishment for sin is death. But he sees you in right standing. You can come boldly right into the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find favor now in the time of need. How are you rushing in? Through the torn veil of the curtain, which is Jesus Christ Himself.

unknown 43:34

Amen. Glory to God.

SPEAKER_00 43:37

He is the one who has given you access. So do we make mistakes in the flesh? That's what we're all like, wait a minute. Well, yes, of course. As long as you're in the Body, you're going to. You have a new creation. You are a new creation. You have a new spirit. Depending on I I'll put it like this. Do you make mistakes in the flesh? Yes, was the answer, right? Let me let me start let me shock you to the core some more. Yes, you do make mistakes in the flesh, depending on your level of unbelief. Depending on my level of unbelief. Not pointing at anyone. Because all sin is unbelief to some degree. Yeah. But that does not define you. Hear me on that. That does not define who you are. You could get down in the mud and roll around with a pig, but that doesn't make you a pig. And you could clean him up and put clothes on him and let him sleep in your bed, but that don't make him a person. He's still a pig. So your sin, your mistakes, while it's not encouraged, it opens doors for the devil. It destroys your witness and it goes against who you truly are. It doesn't honor God. And there are consequences for your sin in this life. But not with God. You either believe Jesus paid for it all or you don't. You have a new identity. You're a new creation. You are one with Christ. You are one spirit with Him. Capital S. The Spirit of God. Not a Spirit from God. The gift is the gift, the Spirit of God. As a gift. 1 Corinthians 6.17 says, anyone who joins himself, and tell me when this applies to you, anyone who joins himself to the Lord, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, have you done that? Well, what's the rest of it say? Is one spirit with him?

unknown 46:42

Yes, Lord. Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 46:46

So do you believe me now when I say when God looks at you, he sees Jesus? If we are a spirit with a soul in a body? Same, same. Same spirit that was in Jesus as a man and cast out demons and opened blind eyes and raised the dead. Same spirit that raised him from the dead lives and dwells in you and through you.

unknown 47:16

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 47:18

Hallelujah. And Jesus has made you righteous. So we need to believe it. But why is this so important? Again, because from that understanding of our righteousness, that right standing with God flows authority. Or the confidence to walk in that authority. So now you can have confidence. Because you believe and you're trusting in your new identity and the righteousness that has been granted to you, given to you as a gift in Christ, you can walk in confidence in the authority that He's given you because this is where you become powerful. And it's why the enemy hates it. That's why the enemy loves to fill huge church buildings with the best music in town and parking and coffee. And I'm not against any of that stuff. I love all of it actually. And then the smoke machines and maybe a 15-minute message guaranteed not to offend. And then break them all up into small home groups that are football watching parties and who has the best cheese dip for Super Bowl. And I'm not saying, listen, that's painting with an awfully broad brush, and I'm not trying to be offensive. I'm just trying to shake some people up. I want people to go, wait a minute, that's not us. We get down and we pray in the spirit and we study and we do good. That's what I wanted to hear from you. I wanted to ruffle some feathers. Because for every one of those, there's a hundred more that go, well, you know. You know, at least we get together. If you can believe, I'm trying to finish up here, but I don't want to. But if you can believe you're righteous, and because of the gift of righteousness, you have authority, and believing that, knowing that, understand that that strengthens your faith, your trust that God is faithful, so that you can operate in working faith. Because faith without works is dead. Real faith, mountain moving, devil-stomping faith is what we're after. Yeah? There's just so much about the church as we know it that the devil's not afraid of. I think he participates in a lot of the programs. He definitely enjoys a lot of the music and most uh many of the messages, I would say. Because they're not empowering, they're crippling. Whatever God's will is, oh, God put this sickness on you to teach you a lesson. Lie number one. God put divorce on you. You know, God's ways are not our ways. He's just bringing you through a trial so that you'll learn from it. Lie number two. Oh, well, this has come upon you because of the sin in your life. Could be. Probably not. You can believe for crop failure if you come to the reality of your new creation in Christ and what you have and who you are. They won't teach you that. Because then if they pray with you and it doesn't come to pass, then they might have, then you might ask them why. They prefer to be able to say, well, you know, they'd rather be like the weatherman. Well, you know, we can throw a prayer up there and just hope. But you never know. See, those are cop-outs.

unknown 51:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:33

And I'm not against anyone who is serving God or trying to do the will of God, and many just do it in ignorance. You know? We're raised in a culture that just teaches you you go to the best school you can afford and bigger on up the biggest debt. And if you master in frisbee, that's okay. Just get that degree. And if you want to be a preacher, then you've got to go to seminary, which should have a T instead of an N. I have a three-year degree from the greatest Bible college in the country. Their only textbook is this one right here. 66 books. The Bible. So I'm not saying there aren't any good Bible colleges. I'm just saying. Well, anyway, I'm getting off. I love everyone. I don't know if I can alienate very many more people. But I only answer to one. God Himself. And I'm telling you the truth from the Word of God. We got that authority and that power from Jesus Christ. Matthew 10, 1. He called to himself the 12 disciples, and he gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal every disease and every affliction. Didn't he? That was the 12. And then look in Luke 10, chapter 17 through 20. He called the 72 returned to him. This is when his ministry was coming to the end, you see? And he needed to get the word out more. So people say, oh, these things were just the original apostles. Well, here's 72 of them right here, just while Jesus was still alive in Luke chapter 10. They weren't all apostles. Hallelujah. The 72 returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And you know, Jesus was not impressed. Why? The same reason he wasn't surprised when he cast out that deaf and mute spirit from that other man, because he knew his identity and he walked in righteousness and holiness and identity, and just his presence scared the heck out of them. They had to flee. And that's what he told the ghost. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, talking about demons, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall harm you. Nevertheless, here's what he said you should be impressed with. In other words, that's not a big deal, though. Don't rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you. I wish you would just get that and be settled in that and walk in that victory and confidence and power and authority. Just like I'm trying to convince us to do. He said, but instead be impressed with this, that your names are written in heaven. In the Lamb's book of life. And then it got even better. After Jesus' work here was finished, and the Father sent the promise, the Holy Spirit, the first epistle of John chapter 4, verse 4, he said, Little children, you are from God and have overcome them. The world and the spirits of the world, the devil who's in charge of the world for a time. He says, You're from God now. Don't you understand? I mean, if I could just make a new amplified version of this and expound on what he was saying, he said, you're not even. This has nothing to do with you. All this junk and these people and these things and this demons, you're from God. And you have overcome them. For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Oh, if we only knew it and would walk in it boldly and humbly. You can do both. That's meekness. Power under control. My point of saying all that about those disciples, those first disciples, they had delegated authority. He had to give them, just like in the Old Testament, you only hear the Spirit mentioned a couple of times in faith, a couple of times, because it was given to certain people for certain jobs and things to do in ministries. So it was delegated authority to them because he had not been resurrected yet. And the Holy Spirit hadn't been poured out. But now we have abiding authority within us. It's not delegated to May or to Samuel. You see what I'm saying? It's an abiding fruit of the Spirit. It's abiding the kingdom of God within you, the anointing of God, the anointed one, the Christ is in you. The hope of glory. So now we have confidence from Jesus' gift of righteousness. We are guilt-free. There's therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. So we have strong faith. We can, if we believe. And if we know this and operate in that faith, no demon in hell can stand against us. That's the truth. Praise God. Matthew 10, 80 said, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Freely you've received, freely give. All by grace. It's all a gift given to you, and he wants you to give it away too. Hallelujah.

unknown 58:41

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 58:45

I'll pick up there next week. Oh, I was just about to get to something really powerful and awesome. But I want to stop there because I was just praying that that will sink in. We will meditate on that. I haven't told you anything that you don't know already today. Haven't heard, haven't read. But I hope I said it in a way that just sparked something new inside of you. A new fervor. A new resolve to be and to do all that He created you to do and to be. You don't have to do to be. You are already made righteous and holy. Now you just be what you've been created, and that will cause you to do effortlessly what He created you to be and to do. Hallelujah. Stand strong in your righteousness. My mother, if I heard it once, I heard it thousands of times. She would flip that light switch on. The biggest grin on her face, she was just a morning person somehow. It didn't catch with me. And she said, Rise and shine. And you know that means more to me now than it ever did then. Oh, if I could hear her just say that once more. But I do hear her say it every time I think about this, what we're talking about today. And it just, I'm like, Lord, help me to remember to rise and shine, to not give up, to not quit, to never give in. Don't live by what I see, but by what you say. And help me to go and be a blessing and to give freely what I've received from you. Amen. Are you ready to rise and shine? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Listen, everyone here has Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I know every one of you. And I'm thankful for that. But I also know that there are people that will watch this or hear this message in the future that are looking in the window, dipping your toe in the water. You know there's a God-sized void, but you don't know who to believe. The church on every corner, they all disagree. What are you supposed to believe? This is the truth. We're not a cult. This is not believe us to the exclusion of all others. No, no, no, no, no. If anyone is called upon Jesus in truth as their Lord and Savior, they're saved. And so there's a big body of believers, the church, the body of Christ. And there's all sorts of different parts of the body. But if you're just looking for the truth, you just heard the truth today. And there's more, lots more. But if you say that, I like that. I believe that. I see that. I want that. Well, let me tell you this the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And the punishment for sin is death. Only one punishment from God for sin is death. So you either better be perfect or have a Savior who is. Well, in fact, we do have a Savior and the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was perfect and is perfect, and he died for your sins on the cross. And if you'll just say this prayer, the Lord Jesus will accept you gladly. You didn't find Him. If something's been pricked in your heart and you're encouraged to do this, that's Him drawing you in. No one comes to the Father except He draws them to Himself. And He loves you. And he wants you to come into His family. Say this prayer after me. Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you came and lived a sinless life. And you died on the cross for my sins. You took the judgment of God upon your body on that cross. You were buried, and on the third day you rose from the dead, and you live today. And you're seated at the right hand of the Father in Majesty, making intercession for me. Jesus, I ask you to be my Lord and Savior. Amen. It's that simple. It's that simple if you meant it. He loves you. And if you said that prayer and you asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior to the exclusion of all others, then I'll see you in heaven. And I love to hear from you. Praise God. Now just begin to ask him to fill you with his Holy Spirit, baptize you with his Holy Spirit. This is something he really wants for you to be able to do and to be all the things he created for you to be and to do and to help him to be a kingdom builder in this life and have greater revelation of this Bible. Say, Father, please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Baptize me, Lord Jesus, with fire and the Holy Ghost. In Jesus' name. Amen. And then just continue to thank him for that as well and watch and see what happens over the next several days. I love you all. God bless you. And we will talk to you again. We never finish, we just stop and start again. Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day. Thank you for your word, the manner from heaven. Thank you for helping it, the seed of the word to take root and bear fruit in our hearts and in our lives. Thank you, Lord, for loving us so much. You are good and you are good for us, and you only have good thoughts towards us and about us. The blessing of the Lord is upon us, the favor of the Lord surrounds us, and good things are happening for us and to us and through us and our families today. In Jesus' name. Amen. Give the Lord a hand clap of praise. Hallelujah.