Transcription
[music] [music] [music] God bless you and welcome to another exciting episode of Doers of the Word Ministries broadcast on the marketplace network. My name is Bishop Reginald Given and I'm the senior pastor of the Word of Truth Community Worship Center. We are located at 17610 Belfflower Boulevard, sweet A113 in the city of Bellflower and our mailing address is 75 West New Road E342 in the city of Paris, California 92571. We're blessed and we're excited. We're delighted to be able to come to you and share another message that the Lord has laid upon my heart that I hope will be a blessing to you. Amen.
And so without any further ado, we're going to go right into the message, but we're going to open up in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you and we praise you for the blessings of this life. We thank you, Lord, for making a way out of now way. We thank you, Lord, for all that you have done. And father, we entreat you on today, Father, that you will bless this broadcast, Lord. Let the words go out. Let it resonate in the hearts of those who will watch this ministry. And God, that you'll bring healing. That you'll bring health, Lord. That you'll supply every need. That you'll give us wisdom and understanding. And help us, oh God, to hide it in our hearts that we not sin against you. Father, I thank you for the audience today. And I just ask Lord that your will above all else will be done. We ask it in Jesus name.
>> Amen. >> Amen. >> Amen.
As I deliver this message to you today, there are some key things that I hope and pray through the help of the Holy Spirit that will make a profound impact on how you view the events that are about to take place in the very near future of this dispensation. The Bible has a lot to say about the end times of which we call the last days. And we really need to be spiritually discerning as much as possible now more than ever before. And I say that because the events that are taking place in Matthew chapter 24 are really beginning to materialize, especially where it talks about people being deceived, watch this, by false Christians.
>> Amen. False Christians who bear absolutely no fruit of what true Christianity is all about. They speak of God with their lips, but their heart is far from him. It also talks about wars and rumors of wars and threats of wars. And you can just turn on the news and you can you can see this happening right in front of your face. It also talks about nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms. This also is taking place. It also mentions famines and pestilences and earthquakes in in places where things like this used to not even happen, but it's happening today. It also talks about true Christians that are being persecuted and some are even being killed because of the name of Christ, who they represent.
[snorts] And listen, false prophets are flourishing everywhere.
>> No matter where you go, there's always somebody claiming to be speaking in the name of the Lord and God has not spoken to them. And it also talks about that the days in which we live, it says because iniquity shall abound, the love of many has waxed cold. And we see this in our churches. We see this everywhere we go. People just don't love like they used to. Amen.
>> And I say this simply because in spite of all the things that we see happening in the world today, please understand this. Not everything is as it seems.
>> Amen. A lot of what we hear on the news and a lot of what we read over the internet is nothing more than a distraction away from what's really going on behind closed doors. The god of this world, which is Satan, he knows that his time is running out. So he's doing all that he can to fulfill his agenda in the lives of all humanity which is to steal, kill, and to destroy.
Now last week I preached a message at my home church entitled Hold On. That was the title of the message, Hold On. And it was making reference as to what God has promised us in his word. Hold on. His promises are yay and amen.
>> Hold on because God is not a man that he should lie. Praise God. He will fulfill his promises. And as Christians, when you speak in terms of holding on, his word is really all that there is for us to hold on to. All right.
>> Seeing that his word cannot fail.
>> God's word is settled in heaven. As a matter of fact, we're reminded of this all throughout scripture. And and and if you go with me to the book of Psalm 119 verse 89, it tells you plainly. It says, "Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven."
>> Amen. Now the word settled simply means that it is set. There's there's there's no changing it. There's no modifying it. Uh there there there's nothing you can do to amend it. It's set. It's appointed. It is established from the beginning and cannot be altered in any way. God's word is the foundation that God himself stands on to base all of his creation by. So if his word is the only thing that he goes by, you know how powerful it is.
Now in the book of Matthew chapter 24 verse 35, it says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." God's word will not change. God's word will not be altered. God's word will not be uh how can you say um modified to fit someone else's standard. It's not going to it's not going to work. God's word is what it is and God's standard is still set at a certain height and we he's not going to bring his standard down to us.
>> We have to go up to God's standards. And it is this very infallible word of God in which we believe in that you and I cannot afford to lose sight of especially in these last and evil days. So my message simply is entitled today, don't lose sight of your godly focus. Say that with me. Don't lose sight of your godly focus. And listen, one of the best ways how Satan can steal, kill, and destroy is for us to succumb to his distractions, which will cause us to lose our godly focus. In these last days, saints, this is how Satan plans to make us all miss heaven. That is his goal. by getting us to focus more on temporal things and lose focus on the things that are of the spirit.
Let me read to you an encounter that Jesus had with Satan while he was fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. You'll find this encounter in Matthew 4 beginning at verse 1 through verse 11. Notice what it says. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was afterwards hungry. Amen. And when the tempter came to him, he said, "If you be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread." And Jesus answered and said, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Watch this. Then the devil took him up into the holy city, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, "If you be the son of God, cast thyself down. For it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." In verse 7, Jesus said unto him, it is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Now, I could go into a long drawn out dissertation on Jesus versus the laws of gravity. I could do that. But I want to expound on something that I believe would be more beneficial to you. It is interesting to note that this marks the second time Satan challenged Jesus's identity as the son of God. Amen.
>> This was significant because it was an attempt to make Jesus prove his divinity for personal gain.
>> Rather than fulfilling God's will through faith and obedience. This particular temptation was also a direct challenge to God's word as Jesus's identity had just been affirmed at his baptism.
>> And Satan was trying to seow doubt. Amen. And get Jesus to act on his own pride and on his own self-interest, [applause] which is similar
>> to the tactics he used in the Garden of Eden
>> against Adam and Eve. Amen.
>> Back to verse 8 again. The devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.
>> Yes.
>> And said unto him, "All these things will I give you if you will fall down and worship me."
>> Then said Jesus unto him, he said, "Get thee hence, Satan. In other words, get out of my face, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And in verse 11, it says, "Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him." Amen.
Now, I want you to take note that Satan came after Jesus in three specific areas. And he waited until Jesus was at his weakest point physically
>> to launch his attack.
>> Amen. So you see, Satan [snorts] is a coward
>> and he's a dirty devil and he does not fight fair. First of all, he attacked Jesus through his physical appetite. Then he attacked Jesus concerning his faith. And then he attacked Jesus with the allure of material possessions. Amen. And all of this was done in a brazing attempt to get Jesus to do what he wants all of us to do.
>> Wow.
>> And that is to lose our godly focus.
>> Wow. That's good. Because if Jesus would have given in to any of those temptations,
>> he would have failed his mission.
>> And would have altered the course of mankind's eternity.
>> Jesus knew who he was.
>> Wow.
>> And he knew what his mission was and he refused. He refused to be sidetracked and give in to acquiescing to no other will but that of the will of the father.
But the Bible declares that there will be those unfortunately there will be those who will lose their godly focus and they are described in Matthew 24 37-39. It says, "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming
>> of the Son of Man be. For as it was in the days that were before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
>> and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
>> And here's the deal. Here, here's the deal. Noah preached to these people for 120 years.
>> Oh my goodness.
>> My God. 120 years. And they all they all chose to continue to live business as usual because not one soul repented.
>> But rather allowing the cares of this world to be more important than their eternal destination.
>> Wow.
>> What happened was they lost their godly focus.
>> Wow.
>> Amen. And even if you're in the church, you still have to be diligent in maintaining your godly focus and and not love the work of the Lord more than the Lord of the work.
>> Wow.
>> You see, Martha was doing a noble thing by preparing a feast for her Lord during his stay at her house. She had a sister who was more interested in sitting at the feet of Jesus to hear his words than giving her a helping hand. Martha became indignant. She was furious that her sister would leave her to serve alone and not help her.
>> That's good. But listen, Jesus had to calm Martha down and get her to refocus on what was really more important,
>> and that was sitting at the feet of Jesus and focusing on his word. Amen. And so, if I was to ask you, what is the one thing that is the most important to you today, right now, what would it be? Think about it.
>> Amen.
>> If I were to ask you, what is it that you are focused on more than anything else in the world? What would it be? Well, if you were sick in your body, I'm quite sure that you would want to be healed. I mean, that would be a worthy focus. uh if you having money problems and I'm quite sure that that would want to come out from under all that debt. You'd want to come out from all on the debt that you're suffering. I'm quite that's that's that's a worthy focus. Uh and and and not all not all but but there are a lot of people who are single and I'm quite sure you would you would really like to find that one person with whom you can spend
>> the rest of your lives with. [laughter]
>> Not all people are doing that but there are some that that that's their focus to find that one person with whom they could spend the rest of their lives with. And listen, there is absolutely nothing wrong with warning any of these things. Nothing wrong whatsoever. God just does not want us to become consumed
>> with anything that's going to cause us to lose our godly focus of his return.
>> Amen. When you take your focus off of his return, you you your mind starts drifting. your interests start going elsewhere and you get caught up and swept away in all kinds of things uh uh that that that that will distract you
>> from his return. Jesus is coming back.
>> He said he was he promised to his disciples he's coming back and he talked about the times the end times and the signs that would be taking place during uh the preparation of his return. And you can see it all around you. And the Bible says when you begin to see these things come to pass, look up for your redemption draws nigh. Now listen, Satan knows that if he can pull off causing any of us to lose focus on what the Lord has in store for us, the chances of you missing the rapture are multiplied. And this is what he wants to do. He wants to distract us,
>> causing us to lose our godly focus.
>> But hold on to your godly focus, saints, because uh the enemy is trying to to get you to trip up. Don't allow the stumbling blocks of your past. And we all have a past. Each one of us sitting in here today, we all are a ex something. We all have a past. But don't allow the stumbling blocks of your past or your present temptations overtake you. As it says to us in second Peter chapter 3 verse 11-14. Second Peter 3 11-14. It says, "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved." It asks you a question. It says, "What manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" What kind of person should you be? And in verse 12, it kind it gives us an answer. It says, "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God."
>> That's the kind of person we should be.
>> Yes.
>> Looking for and hasting until the coming of the day of God.
>> That's the right focus right there. [snorts] wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.
>> Verse 13 says, "Nevertheless, we according to his promise, look for new heavens,
>> and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
>> Wow.
>> Verse 14 says, "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, this is the kind of persons we ought to be. Be diligent that you be that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. Have you made your peace with Jesus today?
>> Wow.
>> When he returns, will you see him as your savior or will he be your judge?
>> Wow. Some people go to church week after week seeking to be entertained and seeking to be prophesied to by their favorite prophet. Some people go to church to hear good music and and and there's there's some great music in the church. Trust me, some people go to church and while they're sitting there, my goodness, their mind is literally somewhere else and they're not receiving anything that the pastor is saying to them. But I hope that you are the ones, those of you that are in the audience and those of you that are watching this broadcast, I hope that you are the ones who who go to church for the express purpose of being renewed in your minds. That you go to church to be fortified in your spirit. That you go to church to be encouraged in your hearts. having a mind to work together in the spirit of harmony and not division. And I hope that you're the kind of person that as well as to be reminded not to lose your godly focus on the fact that Jesus could return any day now. Amen. He's coming back, saints. and he's coming back to take a prepared people to a prepared place. If he shows up in the next 60 seconds, can you honestly say without any reservation, I'm ready. So come, Lord Jesus. Can you say that without any reservation? If not, here is your chance to get it right with him. right now as you watch this broadcast, as you listen to me minister unto you this message. Here is your opportunity. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Marvel not what I say unto you. You must be born again." There's very few things in the Bible that say you must be, but it right here it does say this is what you must be.
>> You must be born again. The Bible also says that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. If that is you today, I would not leave here or turn this this broadcast off uh and and walk away the same way that you came. I would love to pray with you right now. Amen. If you're already saved and you already know the Lord and the pardon of your sins, but there is a still a pressing need in your life. Amen.
>> You may need a healing. You may need a financial blessing.
>> You may need intercession for a loved one. That's it.
>> I don't want you to leave this broadcast the same way you came either.
>> That's
>> I'd love to pray for you for that as well.
>> Amen. So if you're there and you need Jesus in your heart, I want you to pray with me and just repeat these words. Father, I thank you for Jesus dying on the cross for my sins. I know that I am a sinner and I need salvation. Only Jesus can save me. Only Jesus's blood can wash me from my sins. Father, forgive me of every sin I have done. I repent and I come to you Lord and ask that you will change my heart, change my mind that you will become the Lord of my life. I receive you now as my Lord and Savior and I ask you Lord to teach me to follow you for the rest of the days of my life in Jesus name. Amen. If you prayed that prayer and you've meant it from your heart and you've repented of your sins and you've given your life to Jesus, when he returns, guess what? He's coming back for you.
>> Amen.
>> Amen. He's coming back for you.
>> And so, as I close this message out, I just want to pray a closing prayer. Amen. For those of you that are viewing this broadcast, the Bible says that we serve a God who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think according to that which works within us, which is our faith. And so, we're going to trust God right now. Let's bow our heads once again. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of faith. We thank you Lord for guiding us to walk not according to what we see but according to our faith in you. We acknowledge that your word is the foundation of our belief and we trust in your promises Lord even when they seem impossible. Like Abraham, may we remain steadfast, strong in our faith, giving glory to you, fully persuaded that you have the power to fulfill every one of your promises. Help us, Lord, to prioritize your word over our circumstances and our senses and and to uphold our faith in Jesus Christ throughout the entirety of our lives. Help us Lord to remain focused. Help us Lord to remain focused to maintain our godly focus and to remain committed to following you on the earth by faith in Jesus name. Amen.
>> Praise God. Well, that's my message for today. I want to encourage each and every one of you. No matter what you're going through, no matter what you are facing, don't lose your godly focus. Don't allow the enemy to distract you, sidetrack you as he did Peter. When g when Peter got out of the boat to walk to Jesus on the water, Peter was doing just fine until the wind started blowing and the waves started rolling up and Peter got distracted and he started to look around. And what did he do? He took his eyes off of Jesus. He lost his godly focus. And the Bible says he began to sank. But he regained it quickly by saying, "Lord, save me." And the Bible says Jesus immediately reached down and pulled him up.
>> Amen. And here's something that I often times mention to folks. I don't believe Jesus carried Peter back to the boat.
>> That's it.
>> I believe Peter walked again. Amen. They both walked together back to the boat.
>> Praise God. So you may stumble, you may slip, you may fall, but you can get back up and you can keep on going. Well, we thank God for this ex opportunity to come into your homes once again to teach you another message on the Doers of the Word ministries broadcast. Once again, my name is Bishop Reginald Given and I am the senior pastor of the Word of Truth Community Worship Center. Our physical address is 17610 Belfflower Boulevard, sweet A113 in the city of Belfflower, California, 90706. And our mailing address is 75 West New Ao Road, Sweet E342. That's Paris, California 92571. If the Lord lays it upon your heart to send in a love offering, to send in a financial blessing to help keep us on the air so that we can continue to come to you and share with you encouraging words from the scriptures, then I pray that you will send in a love offering to us. Our our mailing address is on the bottom of the screen. Ask the Lord to impress upon your heart. What should you send in? And trust and believe that whatever you send in, it will help us to take this message and this broadcast even that much further. So, we thank God for you and we pray that you'll join us again on the next exciting episode of Doers of the Word Ministries broadcast on the Marketplace Network. God bless you and hope to see you again real soon.
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