Acknowledging God's Address

Remembering to Rejoice

August 4, 2021 • Pastor Arthur Jackson III

A JOURNEY INTO POWERFUL PRAYER “REMEMBERING TO REJOICE” Matt.6:13b “…for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” As we come to the end of our teachings on the Model Prayer, I want to pause for a moment and reflect on the seven things we’ve discovered about prayer: • PRAYER IS ABOUT REMEMBERING — “Our Father which art in Heaven.” • PRAYER IS ABOUT REVERENCING — “Hallowed be Thy name.” • PRAYER IS ABOUT RULING — “Thy kingdom come.” • PRAYER IS ABOUT RESIGNING — “Thy will be done.” • PRAYER IS ABOUT REQUESTING — “Give us this day our daily bread.” • PRAYER IS ABOUT RELEASING — “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” • PRAYER IS ABOUT RELYING — “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Tonight, we will learn the truth that PRAYER IS ABOUT REJOICING — “For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever, Amen.” Jesus concludes His teaching on The Model by giving His disciples a beautiful DOXOLOGY.  “Doxology” by definition is, – “a hymn or form of words containing an ascription of praise to God.”  This phrase (or its equivalent) occurs many times in the Old Testament. For example, in I Chronicles David released a similar doxology to God.  1 CHRONICLES 29:10-13 (NIV) - David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. In a world so filled with trials, troubles, and tribulations, it is a comfort to serve a God Who is worthy of all the praise and glory we can give Him. It is a comfort to find someone and something to rejoice about. Let's dig into these precious words for just a few minutes this evening and learn the truth that Prayer Is About Rejoicing. I. WE CAN REJOICE IN THE PREEMINENCE OF GOD “For thine is the kingdom” A. He Is Sovereign When we say that God is sovereign, here is what we mean. This word means “independent and holding complete power.” It comes to English from the Latin language where it meant “over or above.” That is what God is! He is “over and above” this world. As we look around this world this evening, it may look like Satan and the forces of evil are running the show. In fact, what we see is a visible, physical kingdom, dominated by fallen men and a creature called the devil, 2 Cor. 4:4. What we cannot see however is that there is also an invisible, spiritual kingdom dominated by an all-powerful God. A God Who is working out a perfect, eternal plan in this world. The Bible is clear, the God we serve is all-powerful and in absolute control of all things. Notice these passages: • Isa. 43:13, “Yea, before the day was, I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?”  Isaiah 46:10-11, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” • Eph. 1:11, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:” B. He Is Supreme Our Lord rules this evening because it is His right to do so. You see, when man was created and place in Eden, he was given dominion over this world, Gen. 1:26-28. When man sinned, he gave that dominion away. Now, according to scripture Satan, not man, is the god of this world, 2 Cor. 4:4. When Jesus Christ came into this world, died on the cross and rose from the dead He redeemed everything the first Adam had given away. He paid the price, and He stripped that evil pretender Satan of his dreams of ruling the universe. Our God and not Satan is the Supreme being in the universe. Since that is true, He alone deserves our worship, our love, our devotion, and our allegiance. Therefore, when we pray this prayer, we acknowledge His supremacy and our own subjection to the Lord as our Sovereign Lord. We are acknowledging that He is our King, and we are His servants. This implies that we are His and His alone. Yet, we still use the word “My” to describe the things we claim to possess. “My money, my job, my life, my house, my family, my church, my this and my that, my, my, my.” May the Lord help us all to remember that all we have and all that we are is due to the kindness, love and grace of our glorious King, 1 Cor. 15:10. II. WE CAN REJOICE IN THE POWER OF GOD “And the power” A. His Power Is Enormous We have already established the fact that God is Sovereign and that He is in control. Now, we are told to rejoice in the fact that He has the power to control things as well. Church, please understand we do not serve some anemic, weak God. WE SERVE A GOD OF POWER AND ABILITY! He can do anything He pleases to do because He holds all power. He is Almighty God!  Gen. 18:14, “Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”  Job 42:2, “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”  Psalms 62:11, “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.”  Jer. 32:17, “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”  Eph. 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” It is far easier to list what God cannot do than it is to list what He can do! You see, God cannot lie; He cannot change; He cannot make mistakes; He cannot fail! When we come before Him in prayer, we can pray with confidence because He has the power to hear us and grant our requests! Hallelujah! B. His Power Is Eternal We are told that all these things, His kingdom, His power, and His glory are “for ever.” Another of the great attributes of our God is the fact that He is “immutable.” This word means “unchanging or unable to change.” That describes the Lord God, Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; James 1:17. His power today is the same as it ever has been! What confidence that should give us when we come to Him in prayer! All God has ever been He still is and He will continue to be. After all, He is “I AM.” (⇒ Do you need__________________________? Well, He can do that! Since our Lord has all the power, He has the ability to grant our requests.) III. WE CAN REJOICE IN THE PERSONALITY OF GOD “And the glory.” A. He Alone Deserves Glory Everything God is doing as He exercises His preeminence, and His power is for His glory. Psalms 8:1, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.” He does what He does so that He might be honored by His creation. He does what He does so that men might be drawn before Him in worship. He does what He does so that His name might be exalted. He alone is glorious, and He alone deserves glory! As we pass through this life, we will often try to accumulate glory for ourselves. However, God alone deserves all the glory, 1 Cor. 10:31. If we could ever learn that simple truth, it would forever revolutionize our lives, our churches, and our praying. Perhaps one reason we do not see our prayers answered is because we do not seek His glory first, James 4:3. Perhaps one reason we do not see more people saved is because we do not desire that for His glory alone. Perhaps one reason revival tarries in our day is because we do not seek it for His glory alone. Our God is a jealous God, and He will not share His glory with another, Ex. 34:14; Isa. 42:8. When we come to prayer, let us therefore remember that not only does our Father have the authority and the ability to answer our prayers, but He also has the alacrity to answer them as well. He wants to move in our lives, our homes, our churches, and our world in power and for His glory, but He will only do so, when He and He alone receives all the glory! Therefore, we can rejoice in a God Who had the ability, the authority, and the desire to hear and answer the prayers of His children! Praise His name! And my, what a promise! His glory will never fade but will endure forever! And those who know Him will share in that glory some day, John 17:24. B. He Alone Determines Glory We are told that His kingdom, His power, and His glory are “for ever.” This is a great promise that we can rejoice in. He will ever possess the kingdom, the power, and the glory. But I just want to point out that He and He alone determines who will share His glory some day. Only those who know Him in a grace relationship will be permitted to enter into His glorious kingdom at the end of the way, John 14:6; Acts 4:12.

Turning Down Temptation

July 28, 2021 • Pastor Arthur Jackson III • Matthew 6:13

A JOURNEY INTO POWERFUL PRAYER “TURNING DOWN TEMPTATION” Matt.6:13 “…And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” The six petitions of the Model Prayer are structured like a ladder. The top three rungs are in Heaven, having to do with God's FATHERHOOD.... His NAME. The next rung down concerns God's KINGDOM, the third rung involves His WILL. The next three rungs descend to earth as we pray for daily BREAD, FORGIVENESS, and finally PROTECTION from evil. On the ladder of this Model Prayer, we descend down from the contemplation of who God is, our Father, to who we http://are...sinful children. In the first three petitions of this prayer our soul rises directly to God; in the three following we face the hindrances of these aspirations. IN THE LAST PETITION WE DISCOVER THE SOLUTION TO ALL THESE DIFFICULTIES. Proper prayer includes praying for spiritual protection. This final petition has two requests. The first is negative: "And lead us not into temptation". The second is positive:"... but deliver us from the evil one." THE PRIMARY THOUGHT IN THIS PETITION IS THAT NO ONE IS ABOVE FALLING. No one is above shelving his or her faith, family, and/or future. No one is above yielding to temptation of sin. No one! Not the Pastor in his pressed suit, not the Deacons with their bibles and hymn books in hand, not the choir members in their robes nor the Church Mothers sitting on the front row! No one is immune to falling into sin. Secondly, the emphasis of the petition expresses the need to know how to pray for spiritual protection for ourselves. That is what the sixth and final petition of this Model Prayer is all about: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil or the evil one." There are two things we should seek here.  THE DIRECTION OF GOD AND  THE DELIVERANCE FROM SIN. THE DIRECTION OF GOD  It goes without saying we should constantly seek His direction! If we are to be the kind of Christians that bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, then it is vital that we seek God's direction and His leading in our lives. Our attitude should be, "Lord lead me. Show me what you want me to do." Is this your attitude?  Psalm 143:10 —“Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness".  Psalm 5:8—Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face”.  Psalm 25:5 — “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day”.  Psalm 27:11— “Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies”. “Lead us not into temptation”. To understand this petition we need to take a close look at the word "temptation" It comes from the Greek word {pi-ras-mos}, which carries the main meaning of "TESTING." It refers not so much to solicitation to do evil or enticement to sin, as to TRIALS THAT TEST THE CHARACTER OF A PERSON. We need to be clear that God does not tempt us to do evil. God did not cause Adam and Eve to sin. He is not the author of sin. If God tempted men to sin, then His nature would not be holy.  JAMES 1:13-14 — “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: [14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” Why do we need to pray that He will not lead us into testing or temptation? Even though God is not the instrumental cause or author of our testing, He does permit or allow us to experience temptation from the World, from the Flesh, and from the Devil. The Bible is clear that temptations and testings are going to come into our lives. They are unavoidable. Times of intense temptation are going to happen. Therefore, this petition is a request that the Lord minimize (not eliminate) the occasions of our testing that may result in our sinning or giving in to our fleshly desires. It articulates the repentant disciple's felt weakness to stand up under severe trials in view of our sinfulness. The idea here is, "Lord, preserve me from temptation that will bring me under its sway and will cause me to fall." It is the expression of the redeemed soul that so despises and fears sin that it wants to escape all prospects of falling into it, choosing to avoid temptation rather than having to defeat temptation. We cannot help being exposed to temptation, and we are not to pray that we will be spared being tempted at all. Rather, we are to pray that we will be spared those temptations from Satan that we cannot withstand. This phrase, then, must be used in the sense of permitting. DO NOT ALLOW OR PERMIT US, TO BE TEMPTED TO SIN. • THANK GOD, HE PROMISES THAT WE WILL NOT BE GIVEN MORE THAN WE CAN HANDLE.  1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 — “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”. The petition, "Lead us not into temptation," does not imply that God might lead us into some evil and we should pray that He would not. RATHER IT IS A NEGATIVE WAY OF SAYING WE WANT TO BE LED ARIGHT. It is a request to be led in the right direction, to be righteous in our walk. I do not know of anyone who went into sin when they were honestly praying to be led in the right way! Why? Because this is a prayer that God will answer! He desires that we walk the path of purity. We need, however, to pray this prayer if we are going to succeed in walking the right path, for the right path is not an easy one upon which to walk. A petition similar to this is offered by David, Psalms 141:4.  PSALM 141:4 — “Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.” • GOD ALLOWS TESTINGS IN OUR LIVES IN ORDER TO GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE OUR FAITHFULNESS TO HIM. Job is a classic example of this fact. Satan tempted Job, but God allowed it. It is never God's desire to lead us into evil itself. Therefore, if we resist the devil, we are promised that he will flee from us. • GOD ALSO ALLOWS TESTING AND TEMPTATION TO STRENGTHEN AND REFINE OUR CHARACTER, AND TO DEVELOP PURITY, MATURITY, JOY, AND PATIENCE IN OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE. Conquered temptation knits the fibers of our souls into muscular cords.  JAMES 1:3 — “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience”.  2 CORINTHIANS 8:2 — “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality”. THE DELIVERANCE OF GOD IS SOUGHT... "But deliver us from the evil one"  Proper prayer for spiritual protection from “the evil one” understands that the devil is a real person, not an impersonal cosmic force. Satan is alive and well on planet earth. He is your enemy whether you are a Christian or not. We should pray that the Lord would deliver us from Satan's power, his snares, arts, and his temptations. In a cursed world where we are battered by evil all around us, in this prayer we confess our inadequacy to deal with evil. We confess the weakness of our flesh to resist temptations and the absolute impotency of human resources and strength to combat sin and rescue us from its clutches. Above all, we confess our need for the protection and deliverance of our loving heavenly Father. We need God's protection and strength that come from putting our faith in Christ for our salvation. If a person has not received Christ as their Savior, then Satan is their father, and they will be condemned to Hell for eternity with him.  JOHN 8:44 — Jesus said of the Pharisees, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” If you are a Christian, Satan is out to ruin your Life, your Testimony, your Family, your Joy and most importantly your Fellowship with God by deceiving you into sinful living.  1 PETER 5:8 — “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” The development of the idea of Satan in the Bible is of the greatest interest. In Hebrew the word Satan simply means "AN ADVERSARY." It can often be used of men. A man's adversary is his Satan. In the King James Version, the Philistines are afraid that David may turn out to be their adversary or Satan (1 Sam 29:4). Solomon declares that God has given him such peace and prosperity that there is no Satan left to oppose him (1 Ki 5:4). David regards Abishai as his Satan (2 Sam 19:22). In all these cases, Satan means an adversary or opponent. From that, the word Satan goes on to mean one who pleads a case against someone.

Remembering to Rejoice

August 4, 2021 • Pastor Arthur Jackson III

Turning Down Temptation

July 28, 2021 • Pastor Arthur Jackson III • Matthew 6:13

And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Forgive Our Debtors

July 21, 2021 • Pastor Arthur Jackson III

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church