Summary
- The sermon emphasizes the transformative power of truth and faith in Jesus Christ.
- It discusses the church’s impending move to Bellflower, highlighting the unity and potential collaboration between congregations.
- The preacher stresses that true disciples abide in God’s word, which liberates them from past traumas, present burdens, and future worries.
- The sermon encourages believers to actively reject lies and deceptions from Satan, take control of their thoughts, and rely on God’s promises for freedom and victory.
- The message concludes with a call to grow in faith and a reminder of the spiritual authority believers have to overcome spiritual strongholds, urging them to live proof of their belief in God’s truth.
First, I want to start with an announcement, an important one. This is going to be our last Sunday here. When the Lord moved us here less than a year ago, some of us felt like it was a necessary move, but it was going to be kind of a short-term move.
And I wasn’t sure why, but now I think the will of God is starting to unfold more. There’s a church, and some of us, we’ve been praying about it for a little bit. There’s a church in Bellflower. Daniel Lim’s mom attends that church.
She, for whatever reason, she was praying for me and praying for the future of her church and just felt like this is a good partnership. And so she brought up my name to the pastor. And so Jackie and I met the pastor and his wife at the end of December. And since then, we’ve been just kind of praying on it, waiting for God to speak.
And it was the 11th hour. Because I thought we didn’t have any time pressure, but I got a text from the pastor a week or two ago, and he said the elders would like to know by the end of the month if you’re going to take the offer. The offer was a generous offer.
On February 29th, a leap year, he gave me a dream, and the dream was quite, quite clear that he wanted us to move. And so, I was waiting for that sign, and praise the Lord, he came through in the final hours of the month. And I could tell the pastor the very next day, March 1st, that we are coming, and he was excited.
I think he has a vision also to reach the English speaking world, and he’s been trying his best faithfully to do it. And so there’s a handful of people in his congregation that would be happy, I think, to join our church. And so we are going to be an independent church, but I think we’ll be putting on display the unity of God’s universal church as we gather two separate churches under one roof, but perhaps God has some plans for us to work together in the years ahead. So excited about that.
We’re going to wrap up everything here at the close of the service, and we’ll have our first prayer meeting sometime this week, Thursday, or maybe we can even change the day to Wednesday, change our time possibly.
So, we’ll be having our prayer meeting, move all our stuff that day, and then next Sunday we’re not going to be here, we’re going to be in Bellflower. And that’s the blessing of being in a small church is that we can move on a dime. We’re very agile.
Let’s turn with me to John 8:31.
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, (John 8:31, ESV)
Okay, let’s pray.
Father, we’re all children of God gathered in the name of your Son, and the truth sets disciples free, those who are abiding in the word of God.
And we pray, Lord Jesus, as you are the Word embodied, we pray that you would come meet us during this service, and you would set captives free. We pray that you would increase our faith. We pray that you would cast out all deception, so that we can see the word as it is, and every verse in Scripture, that we would take it to heart, we would believe it, and we would be set free by it. Thank you, Lord. We avail ourselves to you during this time. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Jesus is the Word of God, and he sets us free from past traumas, from present burdens, and from future worries.
Past traumas. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
Do you believe that verse? It’s either true or it’s not true to you. If it’s true, then we are a new creation. The old has passed away, and it’s a new day. It’s a new you.
You either believe this, and that truth will set you free, or you do not believe this for, I think, at least a couple of reasons. If you don’t believe this, then you are a new creation. If you don’t believe this, then you are a new creation. If this is the case, then the old has not passed away. your past still dominates you, and you are still in bondage to some trauma of your past.
For Christians, there are people you hear their testimony, and it’s such a traumatic upbringing past. And yet, when you look at them today, they are new because this truth actually sank and came into them, and they became a new creation.
We all have different starting points in life. Some of us had a head start, we had a good upbringing, some of us had a terrible upbringing, and you are a minus in life. Some of us through parents, through church background, through abuse, through so many different things.
We could be in therapy for the rest of our lives, or we could ask the Lord Jesus to set us free from past traumas, and the truth can come in that I am new. I am a new creature, a new creation. I believe the old has gone and the new has come, and that truth, once it comes in, sets you free.
Jesus sets us free from present problems, burdens, frustrations. We all have them. My problems are probably different from yours, but they’re similar in some sense. There’s nothing new under the sun.
We face challenges at work, challenges in our family, challenges just in life, challenges living in California. There are just many problems, burdens, and frustrations. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV)
Are these verses true for you at present?
When you face life that is filled with problems, frustrations, and burdens, do you believe this and put it into action? Do you bring all of your problems, your burdens, your frustrations to Jesus and allow him to take the heavy stuff, give you the lighter stuff, the easier stuff? Do you feel like this truth is real enough that I can put it into practice and thereby I will be free at present? If not, then life is hard, life is burdensome. I’m grumbling, I’m complaining, everything’s heavy, nothing’s going my way.
You can live that way, bound by all the present circumstances, or you can believe these verses, be set free by Jesus. Jesus sets us free also from future worries and uncertainties.
Matthew 6:31.
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33, ESV)
Are these verses true for you?
Or are you worrying about the future? Either yourself, your spouse, or your kids, something is gripping you about the future. And this truth escapes you constantly. Then, you don’t believe it. At least a couple reasons that I’ll cover.
Because when God says something in His Word, we have one way we should be as Christians. God says it, I believe it, and my life will prove it. God says it, I believe it, my life will prove it. If God says it and you believe it, really believe it, you will, in that moment, you’re free.
And over time, the freedom shows forth, and you can prove to yourself and to all creation that the truth has set you free. Isaiah 54:17.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord , and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord . (Isaiah 54:17, KJV)
Satan is always coming after us, and either you believe that in Christ you can overcome all of the accusations, or in that moment of accusation, you listen to the wrong voice, the wrong shepherd’s voice, and it comes into you. And you, this weapon that should not succeed, actually does succeed from the enemy and then we fall.
So we just have to wash ourselves with the truth. We actually have to believe. Nothing that the enemy throws at us should stick. No accusation, no condemnation, no charge against us in Christ should stick.
Mentally, emotionally, mainly it’s in our head. Any attack of the enemy which is mental, emotional, against your soul, none of that should stick if you are in Christ. 1 John 4:4.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4, ESV)
Is this verse true in your life? That Jesus in you, the Holy Spirit in you, is greater than Satan, than satanic thoughts, demonic attacks, charges, accusations, which are day and night constant?
Do you believe that in Christ, we should overcome all the attacks of the enemy? Or do you allow these accusations, these attacks to come in, which means you don’t believe the truth? You don’t believe God’s word. And because you don’t believe God’s word, you are not set free. Instead, you are in bondage.
It really comes down to what we believe deep down. Romans 8:33, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is it that condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died.”
More than that, who was raised and who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall bring any charge? In terms of God’s perspective, nobody can bring a charge against his elect. And yet, we know Satan is accusing us day and night. He is coming for us day and night. He is bringing charges against us. But in Christ, this verse is true. None of it should stick. None of it should stick. We should say, oh, this charge that’s against me, this accusation against me, I am in Christ.
It should not stick. You either believe the truth, and the moment the accuser’s voice comes in, you disregard it, you cast it out in Jesus’ name, or you believe the accusation. It comes in, a stronghold starts to form, and then you are in bondage, mentally and spiritually.
God says in the same chapter, Romans 8:38, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 38 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, ESV)
These verses, are they true for you? If you believe the truth, the truth will set you free.
If you believe that nothing can form a wedge between me and the love of my Father, because I am in Christ, no attack formed against me shall succeed. No charge shall stick. Nothing will separate me from this love that is guaranteed.
Either it’s true, and this truth sets you free, or it’s not true, and somebody, your parent, a friend, a co-worker, says something to you, and that thing separates you instantly from the love of God. Or it just rolls right off, because it’s not true. It’s not true of you. God’s love is surrounding you.
You are in Christ. God says it. I believe it. And because you believe it, the truth sets you free. And my life will prove it. That should be the mantra of a believer. God says it. I believe it. My life will prove it.
How do you know that you believe the truth? You only know if your life shows it. We say, yes, we believe in the scripture, because we read it. How do you know if you actually believe? your life will put it on display. Is it true in your life? Or is it not?
Revelation 12:10.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:10-11, ESV)
We have to pass a series of tests to know what we’re made of in life.
If you say you love God more than anything, you believe in more than anything, then there is this final test that may come our way in a world that is persecuting and hating the followers of Jesus.
And these disciples proved that they believed because they loved not their lives, even unto death. They were willing to die for their faith. Their life proved it.
It wasn’t just in their head. God says it. I believe it. My life proves it.
Does your life, does my life, prove that we believe that we’re free, that the truth has set us free? If not, why not? And I just want to give you two possible reasons why our life might not prove that we believe, but instead testifies against us that we don’t believe. One is you want to believe. You genuinely, sincerely want to believe. But you simply cannot because your faith is small. That’s one reason. Jesus says it constantly, “you of little faith, why can’t you believe?”
Like the disciples, they want to believe, they just can’t, because their faith is so small. And there are areas of our life, we want to believe God is for me in this. But because my faith when it comes to money or whatever is so small, I don’t really believe he’s gonna come through for me.
In that area, we lack faith. And we end up being deceived. And the truth that should set us free cannot, because we choose not to believe it, because of a lack of faith.
The other reason, instead of believing the truth, you deliberately choose to believe the opposite of the truth, which is a lie. And where does a lie come from? From the father of lies, Satan himself.
So due to demonic deception, some of us, instead of lacking faith to believe the truth, you don’t even believe the truth, you believe the opposite of the truth, which was coming from demonic deception.
John 10:10.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10, ESV)
Jesus’ promise is abundant life here and now. A life that is totally free. Every verse, you believe it, and how do you know you believe it? Every test that comes your way, the way you live your life, it validates and vindicates you that you really do believe. Or, Satan will come to deceive you in various areas. He will steal away truth from you. He will erode away confidence that you once had in the Lord.
His goal is to kill you slowly, and if He can kill you all the way and destroy you, He will pull you down to hell. That is Satan’s goal. He’s taking abundance away from you. He’s taking freedom away from you. He’s taking the truth away from you.
Ezekiel 2:6, this is God when He calls the prophet Ezekiel to preach to Israel. He says an interesting thing in verse 6. He says, “Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”
6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 2:6, ESV)
And this is just a test, a question that we can ask ourselves. Do I take God at His words, and do I do what He says no matter what other people will say, no matter what people will think, no matter the looks we will receive, because all I care about is what He thinks of me? Or, do you ignore God and believe the lie that what other people say really matters to you?
And so, instead of being free to live life confidently, just living for God’s approval, you live instead for a deception, the praise of man. What happens when you believe a lie? You forfeit your freedom in Christ. You forfeit your freedom in Christ and become enslaved by a demonic deception, and over time a stronghold forms.
2 Corinthians 10:4.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:4-6, ESV)
And this is a pulling down of a stronghold which is a fortress, something you deeply rely upon. And you need to ask yourself, what do you, at the core, when it really matters, what or who or possibly even yourself, what do you rely upon? That is your stronghold. That thing needs to be pulled down in Jesus’ name.
Also, there’s a pulling down of an argument, which is our thinking. We just trust our thinking way too much. Way too much. God’s thoughts, His ways are much higher than ours. Our arguments, our thinking needs to be pulled down in Jesus’ name. Because we don’t even know where did our thinking get influenced. Most of the time, if it’s not God who is influencing you, leading you to truth, the thinking got polluted by Satan, leading you to bondage. So, examine your thoughts, your thinking.
Are they leading you to believe in God’s Word, take Him at His Word, and you are becoming freer day by day? Or, are your thoughts enslaving you and making you more and more deceived? Pulling down of every lofty opinion. This is a high thing, a barrier. It’s our pride. It is our presumption, which we think is right. We just think we are right all the time. That high thing needs to be pulled down in Jesus’ name. God does His part, and we need to do ours.
In Psalm 91, God promises deliverance from a deadly pestilence, from arrows that fly by day, from plagues. And in Psalm 91:1, he says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalms 91:1-2, ESV)
Psalm 91:9.
9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge — (Psalms 91:9, ESV)
Psalm 91:14.
14 Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.(Psalms 91:14-15, ESV)
There’s a promise of deliverance. God does his part, but it’s conditional. Those verses say, if you trust in the Lord, if you take refuge in the Lord, if he is your dwelling place, if you hold fast to the Lord in love, then the promise is certain, he will deliver you. God does his part. We do our part by holding onto Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:57.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57, ESV)
Jesus is Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of heaven’s armies. Ask Jesus to fight for you. He will if you hold onto him, if you put your faith and trust in him. That is us doing our part.
Jesus gives us, the church, power and authority. Authority in Jesus’ name to pull down strongholds. So we will do that at the end of our service. We will pull down strongholds in Jesus’ name. We do our part.
The strongholds, all sources of security, the stronghold itself, the argument, our thinking, the lofty opinion, our pride, our presumptions, all of that, we do our part pulling them down.
And then there’s one other part. It says in 2 Corinthians 10:5.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV)
I think this is where maybe we don’t take this verse to heart, that last portion of taking every thought captive.
A lot of our thoughts, of course, if it’s proud, if it’s presumption, that needs to be teared down in Jesus’ name. But if there is a stronghold, how did it get there? It got there through a subtle thought. It’s like a flaming dart. It came in. You didn’t perceive it. You just think it’s just me thinking. It’s like no big deal. But that subtle thought, if you didn’t recognize, it came from the enemy. And you did not perceive it. And that flaming dart landed. It’s going to start to burn.
A stronghold will form around that thing. You will find your security in that false thought attack of the enemy. So, what are we supposed to do? As Christians, we’re supposed to notice, “Oh, this thought is from the enemy. Why am I entertaining it? Why am I allowing it to hit me? Why am I allowing the flame to burn?” The thought came in. We’re supposed to be on guard. Examine our thoughts.
And our mind, if you know the original language, the mind is the organ in which God speaks.
So most of the time it’s our own thoughts. We need to humble ourselves. We need to tear down the argument, the lofty opinion. This thing needs to come down, our pride, our presumption. This is just our thinking. But our mind is also the organ to receive the thoughts of God. So we crucify our flesh with its passions and desires. We put down all of our lofty thoughts about ourselves. We humble ourselves. We tear down these arguments and lofty opinions. And we wait upon the Lord to speak.
It’s not easy because we’re so full of our thoughts. It takes a long time. And I think even the bellflower move, like I had certain thoughts and God had to, like, fight me with my own thoughts. But all these plans and thoughts about what 2024 could look like, it took a while for me to say, okay, Lord, these doors are closing. You must have a different plan. And I surrender again. It’s like I’m putting down my thoughts, my plans. And then when I’m finally quiet enough to hear, in the 11th hour, God speaks.
So, our mind can receive the thoughts of God. It’s a whisper. Many times, Satan also subtly slips in through the back door. And if we don’t take these thoughts captive, then a stronghold will form.
What does it mean to take a thought captive? It’s to bring it under control, into captivity. This is not of the Lord. This thing, if I entertain it, is going to ruin me. This thing that says, “you’re a victim from your past.” If I allow somebody, a therapist, to label me, “yeah, you have this condition.”
“I’m going to limp for the rest of my life.” If that thought comes in, you’re captive to it, and now it’s like, “It explains why I’m going to limp for the next 20 years.” Or the truth sets you free. “I am a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
The past has been healed. you’ve been delivered from it. It doesn’t have a hold on you today.” you take all the thoughts from the enemy that wants to keep you in bondage; you take control of it.
Do not let that thought fester and form a stronghold. In Jesus’ name, we put it under captivity. And that is what God gifts us with. He gifts us with not a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and a sound mind, a mind that is under control.
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)
Satan can cast a thought any time. If you don’t watch yourself, that flaming dart will hit, a stronghold will form, and you will limp for the next 20 years. Let’s not live life like that. The truth sets us free, right? We are a new creation, right?
And so, why should we limp through life? Why should we live as if the truth is not true, and we believe the lie that, yeah, I am a victim? I am in trauma. I should be in therapy for 20 years. I need help. I should take it. Take this medication, you can live like that and limp through life, or you can take that thought captive. It’s from the enemy, and fight a spiritual battle with weapons of warfare that are not of the flesh. Jesus has given us divine authority to address these very things in prayer.
Is your mind out of control today? Or do you have control over your own mind? Is it a sound mind? Are you free today? Because the truth has set you free. Because you believe what God says. God says it, I believe it, and now your life proves it. Or are you a slave in terms of how you think about yourself? Does your life and mind prove that we believe? If not, could it be a lack of faith?
Then we ask Jesus, ‘Can you help me so that I can see you, so that I can meet with you, so I can fellowship with you, so that my faith, which must be even smaller than a mustard seed, can it grow?’ Because if it was even that size, mountains would move out of my way. Could it be that instead of believing the truth, you believe the exact opposite, a lie, from the enemy, and because of that, you’re in bondage? My encouragement to you is: call upon the name of Jehovah Sabaoth.
Call upon the name of Jesus. Ask him to meet you, ask him to fight for you. And then, he does his part, he will fight for you. Do your part, trust in him, believe upon him, put your faith in him.
And with the power and authority that he has given and granted to his church, pull down these strongholds in your mind, in your heart, strongholds, arguments, lofty opinions. Let’s bring them down in Jesus’ name.
We need to exercise our free will to examine the thoughts that come in.
Are they of God, or are they of the devil? If they’re of the devil, let’s not give him even an inch. Let’s recognize right away where the source of this thought is, take it captive, take control of it, don’t let it rule over you.
Let’s bring our thoughts under control in Jesus’ name. God says it, I believe it, my life proves it. Which means the past doesn’t define me, the present doesn’t bother me, and the future doesn’t trouble me.
And let’s pray.
Father, forgive us for lack of faith. Some of us, we really want to believe everything you have for us in scripture. We want to believe every verse is the truth, and that Jesus, you are the truth that can set us free. In every part that is still in bondage, we believe, but Lord, our faith is just smaller than a faith the size of a mustard seed. So Lord, we pray that you’d meet us in this time to grow our faith.
We need signs, we need miracles, we need answered prayers, we need you to move in undeniable ways, dreams, visions, prophecy.
We need things which tell us that you’re real and that you’re active and that you’re present with us. We need confirmation from you so that our faith in you can grow. Help us, Lord, help us grow our faith. We wanna believe, Lord, help our unbelief. Lord, forgive us for not believing the truth, instead believing the exact opposite, a lie. And those lies have kept us in bondage for so long. We’re tired of living like that, Lord. Now we know the source of these lies, it’s the father of lies, the devil himself.
He sent a thought our way, and now you’ve equipped us in Jesus’ name to take these thoughts captive, to cast them out of our lives. So, we come in the power and authority of Jesus Christ. We bind and rebuke any unclean spirit from our past, our present, our future. We bind and rebuke you, and we cast you into the abyss in Jesus’ name.
We pray, Lord, that you would help us, Holy Spirit, to examine all of our thoughts, especially the reoccurring ones. Are they from you, or are they from the devil?
If they’re from the devil, we’re learning now to pull down strongholds, arguments, high, lofty opinions. We humble ourselves, we don’t trust ourselves, we don’t trust our thinking, we don’t trust our thoughts, our perspective, our presumptions. We trust only you, Lord Jesus.
And we know that some of these thoughts have come in from the back door. It’s from the enemy. And so, Lord, now we want to identify the specific ones that have landed and started to burn, started to kill, steal, and destroy our lives.
We want to start taking these thoughts captive in Jesus’ name.
We pray that you renew the Spirit of our minds. Gift us with a sound mind. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your body that was broken and your blood shed. We pray that you would minister to us.
We plead the blood of Jesus over every single one of us, from our head to toe, every cell in our body, soul, spirit, mind, will, emotion, cover, cleanse, and sanctify us as we close this service. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
