New Perceptions

Yes Can Do! How to Pray with An Attitude

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: NP

Program Code: NP180407A


00:00 ♪♪
00:10 >> Well, good morning, and welcome to
00:13 Pioneer Memorial Church on this special weekend of fasting and
00:18 prayer, in which our mission has been simple.
00:22 We're praying, we're seeking, for the power and the presence
00:26 of God to demolish spiritual strongholds.
00:30 We actually started last night at 7:00 p.m. We had host here throughout the
00:35 night every hour on the hour praying. We had people gathering, and it
00:39 doesn't finish until 7:00 p.m. tonight. So there's still lots of time.
00:43 And today what we're gonna do is also spend time in prayer and worship, so today is a good day.
00:49 Please stand with me as we sing "Holy, Holy, Holy!" [ "Holy, Holy, Holy!" begins ]
01:12 [ Congregation sings ]
03:16 >> You may be seated.
03:26 >> Let's pray the prayer of confession.
03:29 And I'm gonna invite us to kneel or sit as you're comfortable as
03:33 we begin.
03:50 "Lord, hear each prayer. We ask that you soften our hearts and reveal, impress us,
03:58 with how glorious and majestic You are. Give us the gift of repentance.
04:04 Loving God, gently reveal to us our cherished rights, our resentments, our rebellion,
04:14 illicit relationships, and destructive habits, and the things our eyes won't unsee
04:21 and our guilt. Lord, set us free from the discomfort.
04:28 Break our hearts with your grace. Oh, my Savior, help me.
04:36 I'm slow to learn, prone to forget, and weak to climb. I'm in the foothills when I
04:44 should be on the heights. I'm pained by my graceless heart, my prayerless days, my
04:53 poverty of love, my sullied conscience, my wasted hours, my unspent opportunities.
05:03 I'm blind while the light shines around me. Take the scales from my eyes.
05:09 Grind to dust my heart of unbelief. Make it my highest joy to study
05:16 You, meditate on You, gaze on You. Sit like Mary at your feet.
05:24 Lean like John on your breast. Appeal like Peter to your love. Count like Paul all things but
05:31 rubbish. Believe -- I believe. Help my unbelief.
05:41 Loving God, we have remained silent, but because we have not thought of ourselves worthy of
05:50 speaking for what is right, to pray for what is right. Set us free from chains of shame
05:59 that binds us. Set us free to pray against the strongholds today.
06:08 Loving God, as your people, we pray as once was prayed in Psalm 32:5, 'Then I confessed
06:20 my sins to you, I did not conceal my wrongdoings. I decided to confess them to
06:27 You, and You forgave all my sins.' Amen."
06:32 We pray Psalm 51:10-15. "Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal
06:40 spirit in me. Do not banish me from your presence, do not take your
06:44 Holy Spirit away from me. Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation and make me
06:50 willing to obey you. Then I will teach sinners your commands and they will turn back
06:55 to you. Spare my life, O God, and save me, and I will glady proclaim
07:01 your righteousness. Help me speak, Lord, and I will praise you."
07:06 In Jesus' name, let God's people say "Amen." [ Organ plays ]
07:21 [ "Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)" begins ]
11:29 >> Morning, boys and girls. Oh, there's so many of you. I'm sure you can be louder than
11:34 that. Good morning, boys and girls. >> All: Morning!
11:37 >> That was pretty good. All right, so this morning I'm going to tell you a story about
11:41 a little girl named Julie, and Julie loved -- she loved to run and play.
11:46 How many of you like to run? A lot of you. Nice. And Julie, she loved to run and
11:50 play, and Julie was seven years old. Do I have any 7-year-olds in
11:54 here? Awesome.
11:56 So, Julie was at an age where she loved to run and play, and
11:59 she used to run a lot with her mom, and her mom would play with
12:02 her. They'd play games like
12:03 hide-and-seek and a lot of other fun games.
12:05 But Julie's mom had gotten sick recently, and so because of that, she couldn't really play
12:11 with Julie that much, and so when Julie would ask her mom to come run and play with her, her
12:16 mom would just say, "Oh, I enjoy watching you run and play. That makes me happy."
12:20 And this particular day, Julie was about to go school, and they were gonna have a
12:25 track-and-field day. How many of you guys have had track-and-field days at your
12:28 school? A few of you. Okay. So you know that there's lots of
12:32 running, there's lots of activities, and if you win, you can get awards and stuff, and so
12:36 Julie had it in her mind -- she was determined that she was gonna win a ribbon for her
12:40 mother. She was gonna win a race, and she was gonna bring it back to
12:43 her mom. So, the thing is, though, about Julie is Julie was pretty small,
12:48 and she had pretty short legs, especially compared to the other 7-year-olds.
12:52 And so Julie couldn't run that fast, so she decided that if she wanted to win this race, she
12:57 would need some help. So Julie decided to -- Does anyone know what Julie decided
13:01 to do? >> She liked -- She got a friend so she could -- the friend could
13:12 help her. >> She did get a friend that could help her, and the friend
13:15 was Jesus. She decided to pray to her Heavenly Father.
13:18 And so she prayed this prayer. She said, "Dear Heavenly Father, we're gonna have
13:21 track-and-field day today, and I want to win a ribbon for my mother, but I need your help,
13:26 but if I don't win, that's okay, but please help me, too." So after she prayed, you know,
13:30 she kind of felt the Holy Spirit warm her heart, and she decided that she was gonna have a great
13:34 time no matter what. So Julie got to school, and it was track-and-field day, and
13:37 there was lots of activities, and so as she was, you know, trying to think of what activity
13:41 she was gonna do first, she saw her friend Sophie, and her friend Sophie called her over,
13:45 and she said, "Hey, Julie." She said, "How about you come and do this race with me?"
13:49 And so the line that Sophie was in was for the long-line jump, and the goal of this activity is
13:55 to jump as far as you can, and different people try and the kid that jumps the farthest, they
14:01 win and they get the ribbon. And so Julie, she crouched down and she jumped as far as she
14:06 could. And it was pretty far. It's farther than she's ever
14:09 jumped. But it wasn't far enough to get a ribbon.
14:12 But Julie thought, "That's okay," so she decided to try another race.
14:15 So she went and she got in line with her friend Evie for the 50-yard dash.
14:19 And so for this race, there's a set distance, and like four people, four children, they run,
14:25 they start at start line, and they run 50 yards, and whoever finishes first gets first place.
14:32 And so Julie, she got in the line, and she got ready to run, and when they said "start," when
14:37 they said "go," she ran, and Julie got fourth place. So fourth place wasn't high
14:43 enough to get a ribbon. "But that's okay," Julie thought.
14:46 She thought, "I'll at least do one more race." So Julie got in line for the
14:50 relay race, and in the relay race, you have to work with a team, and you guys pass a baton
14:56 between each other, and the team that finishes first wins. So Julie got in line for the
15:01 relay race. And so when it was Julie's turn to get the baton, she got it and
15:05 she ran as fast as she could, and then she passed it to her friend Evie, and Evie ran fast,
15:09 too. But as Julie was watching, she noticed another girl was passing
15:13 Evie, and so Julie got kind of discouraged, and she thought her team probably wouldn't win.
15:18 So Julie just went in her corner and she prayed again, and when Julie was finished praying, she
15:23 was kind of walking around the field not really focusing on anything.
15:26 And then her friend Evie came up to her, and Evie said, "Hey, Julie, guess what," and Evie
15:30 passed her a ribbon. She said, "We got first place." You see, Julie -- She didn't win
15:35 any of the races by herself, but when she did the team race, she won, and it's really important
15:40 that when we look at this story, we realize that the power of prayer makes a difference.
15:44 And you see, all of us, we're in a race, too. But we can't win this race by
15:49 ourself. We have to work together as a team.
15:52 And we're fighting for our lives, but we need God to help us, 'cause we are in God's army.
15:57 So as the praise team comes up, we're gonna sing the song "I'm in the Lord's Army."
16:02 How many of you know that song? A lot of you. Okay. Well, I'm gonna need all of you
16:06 to stand up so we can sing it.
16:34 [ "I'm in the Lord's Army" begins ] >> All: ♪ I may never
16:42 march in the infantry ♪ ♪ Ride in the cavalry ♪ ♪ Shoot the artillery ♪
16:48 ♪ I may never fly o'er the enemy ♪ ♪ But I'm in the Lord's army ♪
16:55 ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ ♪ I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪
17:01 ♪ I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ ♪ I may never
17:08 march in the infantry ♪ ♪ But I'm in the Lord's army ♪ >> That was pretty good.
17:17 However, I think we could use some more help. Do you guys think we need some
17:21 more help? All right, so I'm gonna invite the congregation to stand with
17:25 us and sing it with us for the next one. [ "I'm in the Lord's Army"
17:34 begins ] >> All: ♪ I may never march in the infantry ♪
17:40 ♪ Ride in the cavalry ♪ ♪ Shoot the artillery ♪ ♪ I may never
17:46 fly o'er the enemy ♪ ♪ But I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪
17:52 ♪ I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ ♪ I'm in the Lord's army ♪
17:59 ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ ♪ I may never march in the infantry ♪
18:04 ♪ But I'm in the Lord's army ♪ ♪ Yes, sir! ♪ >> Amen.
18:11 >> Volunteer to pray. All right, Hasiel. All right, boys and girls, we're
18:17 gonna bow our heads and close our eyes as Hasiel prays. >> Dear Jesus, thank you for
18:22 this beautiful Sabbath, and thank you for all of us going to Sabbath School and learning more
18:30 about You, and we can be like You more. Amen.
18:35 >> All: Amen.
18:44 >> Thank you, all of you, for coming on this day that we have been -- Ooh, we've been
18:49 anticipating -- this day of prayer and fasting, calling upon God, "Take down these
18:56 strongholds." Did you get the little sticker that -- I'm not seeing them.
19:01 Did they not hand it to you at the door? These are beautiful, little
19:05 stickers. "Yes, can do because He can do. See, last week was
19:10 Easter Sabbath. That was "Yes, can do" in the cool shadows of the empty tomb.
19:14 "Yes, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
19:18 Today is "He Can Do." Is that in the Bible? You bet it is.
19:22 Open your Bible to a verse you may have read before, if you've read the book Deuteronomy
19:27 through. But you may never have stopped at this verse.
19:30 It's powerful. Deuteronomy chapter 3. I want to read this, and
19:36 you're hearing, "Scribble the verse down." We got a study guide in the
19:40 worship bulletin. This verse did not get included there, so just scribble it down.
19:44 Deuteronomy 3:24.
19:46 Moses is praying to God, powerful prayer.
19:49 "Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show your servant your
19:54 greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven
20:01 or on earth who can do --" Those are the two words,
20:06 "Can do." "What God --" How's it go again?
20:09 "What god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds
20:14 and the mighty works you do?" "Yes, can do" for you and me,
20:18 because "He can do."
20:21 What god is there in this universe? Oh [scoffs] there are gods by
20:25 the millions on this planet, clamoring for the allegiance of the human race, but there's only
20:31 one living God -- eternal, omnipotent -- and He's the one. He's the one we're coming to on
20:40 this day of prayer and fasting. "Yes, can do because He can do."
20:48 Once upon a time, there were five kings, five armies, five
20:55 strongholds. But they end up -- and emphasis
21:03 on the word "end" -- They end up in a stunning defeat in a story
21:09 you're hardly gonna believe. Some of you have never heard
21:11 this story before in your lives. Open your Bible to Joshua 10.
21:16 Joshua 10. Take a look at this.
21:19 The perfect story for the Andrews University,
21:23 Pioneer Memorial Church on this day of prayer and fasting.
21:27 We'll pick it up in verse 1. I've got the NIV.
21:29 You didn't bring a Bible? Grab the pew Bible in front of
21:31 you. It's page 155, there.
21:35 Little book, but with a dynamite punch.
21:38 Joshua 10:1 -- "Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that
21:44 Joshua had taken Ai --" or "Aye," it's a nearby city --
21:48 "and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king what he had
21:53 done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of
21:56 Gibeon --" another city -- "had made a treaty of peace with
22:00 Israel --" The children of Israel have come past Jericho.
22:04 They're conquering Canaan. "But the people of Gibeon had a
22:08 peace treaty with Israel and had become their allies."
22:21 We are in big trouble. He sends communication to four other Amorite brothers in the
22:30 kingship. They're kings. He says, "Guys, this is --
22:34 They're coming against us. If we don't strike first, it's curtains."
22:39 Verse 4.
23:00 I'm talking about a confederated, united, dark, and pagan thrust at the people of
23:08 God. That's what we've got right here.
23:11 But with your permission, I'd like to see -- I'd like to see this stunning tale as a
23:14 metaphor -- as a metaphor for life on this planet today, with a dark occultic confederacy that
23:23 at this moment is a raid against the human race and against the people of God.
23:30 You know these words well, but come on, keep your finger right here in Joshua.
23:34 We'll be back. Ephesians chapter 6. You need to come and take a look
23:39 at these prayer booths in the youth chapel. Slip in after worship at 1:00.
23:45 Take a look. They're based on the pieces of armor here in
23:51 Ephesians chapter 6. So you're finding Ephesians chapter 6.
23:55 Pick it up in Verse 10. Paul writing, "Finally, be strong in the Lord --" He's
24:01 writing to all believers. That'd be you and me.
24:11 What kind of a confederacy is this? Keep reading.
24:26 That's -- That's the host. That's the army -- Every single man, woman, and child in this
24:35 space and outside this space is up against today. That's the host.
24:39 Do you know how many of them there are? I'll tell you.
24:44 One third. No kidding. Revelation 12 -- One third of the angels, the perfect and
24:50 pristine angels of God's kingdom. In a faraway galaxy long, long
24:57 ago, one third of them bought the line of this rebel named Lucifer, whose passion is to
25:07 usurp the throne of the universe. "Follow me, and we'll rule one
25:12 day --" one third out. These are the demons. You've heard of demons?
25:19 Of course you have. You've heard of ghosts? You have. Spirits?
25:25 The spooky stuff we don't like to think about? It's all real.
25:28 Hollywood makes us think it's all a figment of some producer's imagination.
25:33 It's real. One third of the heavenly kingdom battled --
25:42 battled from the beginning and are now battling against us. By the way, you know how Lucifer
25:48 rules them? I'll tell you -- a little inside story.
25:52 He rules with them with fear and terror. He's not a winsome leader.
25:57 He's not a friendly leader. He is a brutal, terrorizing leader, by sheer force and fear.
26:07 How do we know? You remember the demoniac in Mark chapter 5?
26:11 Remember, he was in the tombs? He comes clawing out, and the disciples run and Jesus -- Jesus
26:16 just, unmoved, just stands right there -- foaming and [growls] at Jesus' feet.
26:26 Jesus doesn't flinch. He knows -- He knows who he's up against.
26:31 "What's your name?" "Legion."
26:40 And do you remember when he raised his hand to begin to cast the legion out?
26:45 They interrupt and the voices within the man speak, "Don't cast us into Hell and torment
26:55 us." They use the word "torment." Where did they get that idea
27:01 that sometime along the way if this Christ wins, you'll be tormented forever and ever?
27:09 Where did they get the idea? The general, who through sheer terror, is manipulating his
27:17 forces. Ladies and gentlemen, these strongholds we're gonna be
27:20 praying about in just a moment -- 'cause you'll be doing the praying -- they're not the
27:25 figment of anybody's imagination. They are real-live demons who
27:32 are holding this planet because the word is out -- the King is about to come.
27:40 Hold your ground. Don't yield an inch. Yeah.
27:45 How's does that go in Verse 12?
27:55 That's the deal. That's who we're up against in this day of prayer and fasting.
28:01 That's why we need the sticker to be the way we pray. "Yes, can do because He can do."
28:08 Stop. What's your name? Go. There's not a stronghold that is
28:15 resistant to Christ himself. Good news, huh? I thought I'd get a bigger
28:20 "amen" than that. Good news, huh? >> All: Amen.
28:23 >> Yeah, Amen. Come on, guys. Absolutely. All right, a little lady, about
28:27 5'3" tall, over a century ago described behind the scenes this evil confederacy.
28:33 I thought you'd like this. You have these all in the take-home study guide, all these
28:36 quotations.
28:37 Let's put it on the screen, please.
28:39 More than a century ago, Ellen White warned, "Could our
28:41 eyes be opened, and could each of us see the conflict of
28:45 angelic agencies with the Satanic confederacy, who are
28:49 combined with evil human agencies --"
28:51 They have partners on this planet -- "what astonishment
28:54 would come upon the soul." Keep reading.
28:56 "The holy angels are working with terrible intensity --"
29:00 Those are the good guys. "The holy angels are working
29:02 with terrible intensity for the salvation of men, women, and
29:06 children because the destroyer of souls is seeking to make of
29:09 no effect the salvation which has been purchased at Calvary
29:13 by our Lord Jesus at infinite cost."
29:16 They know what has signed their death warrant. They already know they've lost.
29:23 But misery loves company, and they'll take every man, woman, and child that will yield to
29:26 them. Keep reading. "Could our --" Oh, this is some
29:33 line -- "Could our spiritual vision be opened --" In other words, could the veil
29:37 between us and the invisible world drop right now? If we could see, this place
29:41 would be filled with beams. There's a guardian angel for every human being in this space,
29:47 and there is a demon that is just, perhaps, outside this space.
29:55 And we saw what they live with 24/7.
30:00 What does she say here? "Could our spiritual vision be
30:03 opened, we should see that which would never again be effaced
30:06 from the memory as long as life should --" We would never forget
30:10 what we would be able to see. "We should see souls bowed
30:13 down under oppression --" slaves with this dark slave master --
30:18 "loaded with grief, pressed down as a cart beneath the sheaves --
30:21 this heavy weight -- "and ready to die in discouragement.
30:25 We should see angels flying swiftly --"
30:27 [ Whooshing ]
30:30 Coming from where? From the celestial courts. "She's under attack.
30:34 I need help." "He's under heavy artillery. Send in help!"
30:40 [ Whooshing ] You think it's funny? You think what we're doing down
30:45 here is some make-up kid stuff? We got it from somewhere else. The first war in the universe
30:54 was in God's house.
31:02 "These tempted souls are unable to help themselves --" Oh, how
31:06 true -- "and avoid the ruin which threatens them; but the
31:09 angels of God are forcing back the evil angels and guiding the
31:13 souls away from the dangerous places --" Don't go there, don't
31:16 go there! Come back, come back,
31:18 come back -- "to plant their feet on a sure foundation.
31:22 "We should see battles going on --" if only our eyes could
31:25 see -- "between the two armies, as real as those fought by
31:28 opposing forces on earth."
31:29 Listen to this -- It's silent right now. We don't hear a thing.
31:37 We can't hear the movement. We can't see in the nether space above us -- the hosts, the
31:46 hosts -- because every army is fighting for keeps. That's Paul's point -- every
31:55 army. And, by the way, they're not three choices you have.
31:59 You have only two. There are only two armies. You're in one or the other.
32:04 There's no middle -- There's no no-man's-ground, not in this battle.
32:09 You're on one side or the other.
32:15 So...here's Joshua. Five kings. Five armies.
32:24 Five pagan dark strongholds. And what will happen? Let's keep reading. Verse 6.
32:31 Go back to Joshua. Joshua 10:6.
32:49 Let me ask you a question. Is there a more powerful prayer than "Help? Help me"?
32:57 Can you think of a more powerful prayer? Let's be honest. Come on.
33:02 It is our natural or our unnatural inclination as human beings to really be slow in
33:08 asking people for help. Do you get a little hesitant about just going across the
33:11 hallway or going across the neighbor's yard and having to ask for help?
33:14 Why? Because I don't want to look like I'm out of control.
33:17 I don't want to look like I'm in a jam that I need somebody to step in and help me.
33:23 And you know what? You're not gonna believe this, but with God, we're even worse.
33:26 Not a word to Him. We're going through hell -- Not a word to Him.
33:30 "I don't want to bother him now." "I can get this. I can do it."
33:34 It's not "Yes, can do." It's "I can do." And we don't call the one-word
33:40 prayer that can unleash angels in your defense. "Help me!"
33:46 Two words. Listen to Anne Lamott in her own unique style of writing.
33:55 Turn the tables for a moment.
33:56 Put Lamott's words on the screen.
33:59 "There's freedom in hitting bottom --" Uh-oh.
34:02 There's freedom in it. Why? "In seeing that you won't be
34:05 able to save or rescue your daughter, her spouse, his
34:10 parents, or your career, relief in admitting you've reached the
34:13 place of great unknowing."
34:22 How much human energy is in the state of trying to fix the unfixable -- as a group, as an
34:28 individual? Keep trying, keep trying, keep trying -- Why don't we ask for
34:34 help? What were we waiting for? Not a word.
34:39 We'll just do it again. [ Sighs ]
34:44 "Relief in admitting you've reached the place of the great
34:47 unknowing."
35:04 Now here it comes.
35:13 She's right. "Help! You got to help us."
35:20 We're in trouble, big trouble. Back to that other woman author.
35:28 I put the words on the screen for you.
35:29 It's outrageous. What a quotation.
35:34 I have this handwritten on my Bibles.
35:36 I don't want to miss this one.
35:48 "The Holy Spirit, the representative of the Captain of the Lord's host --"
35:52 The Holy Spirit, the representative of Christ the King.
35:56 Man, have we been talking about the Holy Spirit around here or what?
36:00 Why? Because of this. Look.
36:08 Here comes this beautiful Gospel of grace.
36:20 Doesn't matter what you've done. That beautiful prayer that Sabine led us through just a
36:23 moment ago... Gods says, "We start now."
36:30 Last line...
36:36 Hallelujah.
36:38 Hallelujah. Omnipotence -- all the power of the universe He can do.
36:46 Look at verse 7. So, the Gibeonites are, "Help!" In fact, the two words are
36:52 "Help us!" Now Verse 7.
36:59 "And the Lord said to Joshua, 'Don't be afraid of them --'"
37:05 Hey, by the way, you know what I'm thinking of?
37:07 There was a little baby once upon a time born in a little
37:10 town called Bethlehem and his mother named him by the
37:13 instruction of the angel. "You'll call him Yehoshua."
37:16 He was named Joshua. In Hebrew, Jesus is Joshua.
37:20 It's Greek that called him Iésous and then we get English,
37:24 Jesus. But he was Yehoshua.
37:27 I can't help but believe that this command from the
37:29 Almighty God to Joshua is really the command of God himself to
37:33 the second person of the guided who comes to this planet.
37:36 Listen to what God says to Joshua.
37:38 What is this, verse 8? "The Lord said to Joshua, 'Do
37:41 not be afraid of them; I have given them into your
37:44 hand. Not one of them --'" Not one of
37:46 these strongholds -- "'will be able to withstand you.'"
37:50 Isn't that something?
37:52 "Listen, Jesus, don't be afraid. You're going down into the dragon's lair.
38:00 It's booby-trapped everywhere you turn. Don't be afraid.
38:05 I've given every stronghold to you. Take them.
38:10 Take the entire planet. Crush that resistance." And he comes -- born, a helpless
38:18 baby in Bethlehem. Wow. You know what?
38:24 Those little seven-word -- That little seven-word credo, remember that -- "I will put
38:28 my --" How's it go? "I will put my trust in Him." Jesus' credo, Hebrews 2:13.
38:35 He lived by these seven words. "I will put my trust in Him." I will put my trust in Him, no
38:39 matter what's happening. Is it Satan himself behind this raving maniac?
38:44 I will put my trust in Him. 2 Corinthians. Boy. Let's put it on the screen.
38:52 2 Corinthians chapter 10. This our theme text for against the strongholds, which is the
38:58 guiding light for this day of prayer and fasting. "The weapons we fight with --"
39:02 Let's read this out loud together. "The weapons we fight with are
39:06 not the weapons of the world." Now hold on, 'cause we're getting to the good news.
39:10 Read it out loud together. "On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish
39:17 strongholds." Divine power. Omnipotent. You know what the weapon is?
39:24 It's prayer. It's prayer. I've been praying with a different person every hour that
39:31 I've been here at the youth chapel, starting last night at 7:00.
39:36 We're all praying for people. Man, I've heard some anguished prayers.
39:40 We're all praying for somebody.
39:43 I carry these words in my Bibles -- connected with
39:48 2 Corinthians 10:4 -- Sidlow Baxter wrote these words.
39:53 Put them on the screen for you. You can keep them.
39:55 "Men may spurn our appeals --" Some of you have been praying
39:58 for somebody for years. Don't give up. Don't give up.
40:14 Hallelujah. "Helpless against our prayers."
40:18 They may hate you. They may spit on you. They may reject you.
40:22 They may never answer that e-mail or ever pick up the phone.
40:25 If it's your number on that phone, don't worry about it. They are helpless against your
40:29 prayers. The weapons we have are not the weapons of this world.
40:33 On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
40:38 Take them down. Take them down. Wow.
40:45 It's got to -- This is some book, isn't it? It has stuff in it...that works.
40:56 We're gonna go to our little, old lady again -- that little lady.
41:01 Put her words on the screen.
41:03 "Satan knows better than God's people the power that they can
41:08 have over him when their strength is in --" whom?
41:12 "When their strength is in Christ.
41:13 When they humbly entreat the mighty Conqueror for help, the
41:16 weakest believer in the truth --" I'm the weakest in
41:18 this room. You may think of yourself as the
41:20 weakest in this room. Who cares?
41:22 "The weakest believer in the truth, relying firmly upon
41:26 Christ Jesus, can successfully repulse Satan and all -- all --"
41:31 One third of the angels of heaven that now follow Him --
41:36 one third repulsed just by you saying, "Yes, can do because He
41:40 can do." >> All: Amen.
41:42 >> That's the deal, and that's why we pray, militantly, as this battle cry set of prayers just
41:50 modeled for us. "Yes, can do because He can do." I mean, Jesus was trying to tell
41:58 us that just before he gets executed. Late Thursday night, John 15:5,
42:04 Jesus says, "Hey, guys, I need to tell you something. Without me, you can do nothing,
42:11 nada, zero without me." "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
42:20 Yep, but without me," the same Christ reminds us, "you can do nothing."
42:26 "Yes, can do because He can do." "Yes, can do because He can do." Do you know why?
42:31 Because Jesus is the superhero of the universe. Got a lot of superheroes going
42:35 around these days. He is the número uno superhero. And he won this battle at
42:43 Calvary.
42:44 That's why Revelation 12:11, you know these words.
42:47 Oh, my. Look at that. Revelation 12:11 on the screen.
42:50 "They triumphed --" Who's "They"?
42:52 These are the followers, you, me.
42:54 "They triumphed over him --" Who's that?
42:56 That's the Satan Dragon. "They triumphed over Satan by
42:59 the blood of the Lamb --" there it is -- "and by the word of
43:03 their testimony -- for they did not love their lives so much as
43:05 to shrink from death."
43:08 We're gonna sing a song in just a few moments, and you're gonna notice words embedded in that
43:14 song that you've never sung before. And it'll talk about those
43:20 who pay the ultimate price. Don't worry. God has the last word.
43:29 He overcame the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
43:35 That little lady again on the screen.
43:36 "Tell him --" That would be Satan -- "of the blood of Jesus,
43:39 that cleanses from all sin. You cannot save yourself from
43:42 the tempter's power, but he trembles and flees when the
43:45 merits of that precious blood are urged."
43:49 Yep, did I tell you that we had a little huddle here before the day of prayer began at 7:00 last
43:54 night? You know what we prayed? That the blood of the Lamb would
43:57 go on every door post, that the blood of the Lamb, symbolically, would go on every door way into
44:02 that -- this sanctuary and that sanctuary, that anybody who comes in during these 24 hours
44:08 is under the blood and that the forces of darkness are expelled to the exterior.
44:18 Colossians 2:15. Oh, I love this one.
44:20 Put it on the screen please. "And having disarmed the powers
44:23 and authorities --" The occultic confederacy, a raid
44:26 against the Kingdom of Heaven and the church of God on
44:29 Earth"...
44:38 All the demonic hosts, Satan himself, bow down. And they knew that when he cried
44:45 "It is writ --" "It is finished," rather. They knew that when he cried "It
44:49 is finished," it's curtains. "We can fight...till the fight is gone out of us, but we'll
44:55 never win this now. We lost. It's over. It's finished. Finished."
45:02 "Yes, can do because He can do." All right, the story has this dramatic ending.
45:06 Look out. Verse 12.
45:10 No, let us pick up at verse 9. God says, "I'm gonna give you
45:13 all those strongholds."
45:43 Somebody once said, "All is fair in love and war." "This hellion that has usurped
45:51 my creation, and is seeking to destroy my people -- I'm taking my creation back.
45:59 I have a little bit of arsenal tucked away there that he doesn't know about."
46:03 He takes the creation back. What's the point he's making? This is the simple point --
46:08 "You thought you were fighting Joshua and those people. You're not fighting them.
46:14 You are fighting against almighty God, and I just won." There's no stronghold in your
46:21 life or on this planet, on this campus. There is no stronghold that the
46:26 almighty one cannot single-handedly, alone, bring down.
46:33 We have nothing to fear, nothing to fear. But it gets even better.
46:39 Verse 12 -- "And on the day that the Lord gave the Amorites over
46:42 to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord --" And by the way, if you
46:44 say something to the Lord, do you know what you're doing?
46:47 You're praying. So Joshua's praying, that's the
46:49 key point here. Joshua is praying, and in
46:51 response to his prayers, I want you to get what happens.
46:53 So "Joshua said to the Lord, in the presence of Israel --" So
46:58 everybody hears this public prayer.
47:00 I mean, talking about putting your whole life on the line.
47:04 Look how big his petition is. Joshua prays in the presence of
47:10 Israel...
47:16 "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation
47:20 avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the
47:23 Book of Jashar. We don't know where that book
47:25 is. Keep reading.
47:32 Verse 14.
47:40 That's what happens in prayer. When you pray, the God of the universe stoops low, and he
47:46 says, "Girl, boy, talk to me. I'm listening." God heard the prayer of that
47:54 valiant believer, and he said, "All right, Gabriel. Can we pull this off?"
48:02 "You're the creator, God." "I think we can." He wants the sun to stay up so
48:07 that he can chase the enemy to the last man, leave the sun up. "I'll tell you when to put it
48:13 down." In our Western, finely tuned sensibilities, we chuckle,
48:22 'cause we don't believe. It's just too far-fetched for the almighty to do.
48:30 Not apparently, according to holy Scripture.
48:35 "There has never been a day since, like that one, a day when
48:39 the Lord listened to a human being as he listens to you and
48:42 me. Surely --" Oh, boy.
48:44 There's the last line. We go home with that.
48:46 "Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!"
48:52 I have good news, ladies and gentlemen.
48:54 Before you pray, I have good news.
48:57 God is fighting for us. He's fighting for us.
49:00 There's no strength in little, old me.
49:02 There's no strength in little, old you.
49:04 I don't care who you are or where you're from --
49:06 no strength. But we call up on the one who
49:09 fights for us. And if He has to empty the
49:13 arsenal of the skies, He will step in, and he will finish the
49:19 battle. How many thousand angels do we
49:23 need here at Andrews University? I don't know.
49:26 But if we need more angels here, can God send them?
49:31 But of course. I close with this quotation from
49:33 John Dawson and his marvelous book,
49:34 "Taking Our Cities for God." Put the word on the screen.
49:45 Jesus said, "If I wanted to, I could call a legion of angels
49:48 down right now as you're planning to arrest me."
49:52 That's what happens.
50:08 Because your prayers for somebody release supernatural
50:13 power to their aid.
50:16 We'd be praying all the time, all the time. Well, he's right.
50:21 We just don't think about it. We try to win this little battle with these puny, little
50:26 swords -- cut down every time. "Yes, can do because He can do." You want to pray with an
50:34 attitude? There it is. "Yes, can do because He can do."
50:37 We gonna pray today? "Yes, can do because He can do." [ Organ plays ]
51:31 >> Please join me now in reading responsively Isaiah 6:8-9.
51:37 You find that on page nine in your bulletin.
51:42 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'
51:49 And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" He said, "Go and tell this
51:55 people -- 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding -- be ever seeing,
52:02 but never perceiving.'" Please stand for the singing of the last hymn.
52:08 [ "Facing a Task Unfinished" begins ]
52:25 [ Congregation sings ]
56:23 >> Oh, God, that is our song, that is our prayer. "Yes, can do because You can
56:29 do." That's our hope. That's our promise.
56:35 "And now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His
56:41 power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout
56:47 all generations, for ever and ever. Amen."
56:53 >> All: Amen. ♪♪
57:07 >> Think of the last time someone said, "I'm praying
57:10 for you." Didn't it give you a sense of
57:12 peace and reassurance that somebody cares for me?
57:14 I know how I feel when I get an e-mail from one of our viewers
57:17 saying, "Yo, Dwight. I've been praying for you
57:19 lately." There's nothing like knowing
57:21 someone is praying for you. So I want to offer you an
57:23 opportunity to partner -- let me, let us partner with you in
57:27 prayer. If you have a special prayer
57:28 request or a praise of thanksgiving you'd like to share
57:31 with us, I'm inviting you to contact one of our friendly
57:34 chaplains. It's simple to do.
57:35 You can call our toll-free number -- 877 -- the two words,
57:38 HIS WILL. 877-HIS-WILL.
57:42 That friendly voice that answers, you tell him, you tell
57:45 her what your prayer need is, we'll join with you in that
57:48 petition. May the God who answers prayer
57:50 journey with you these next few days until we're right back
57:53 here together again next time.
57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪
58:17 ♪♪


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Revised 2018-04-27