Living Word Interdenominational Church

                                                                       Victory in the Hour of Darkness

There is NO DOUBT we live in a HOUR of DARKNESS
The CULTURE has fallen to a REPROBATE MIND
The PEOPLE …….
SOME CHURCHES …….
OH JESUS COME SOON LORD!!!  COME ON
Isa 60:2  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people:
As I hear news stories roll in like….
Floods,earthquakes, wars, rumors of wars, politics, people have LOST THEIR COMMON SENSE    COME ON
AND I feel OVERWHELMED….WHY
Because it CAN SEEM TOO EASY for darkness to overpower the light.
It FEELS LIKE it isn’t REAL….but IT IS!!!!
One moral principal after another is challenged and toppled  
Did you know…
•    some towns are actually making domestic violence LEGAL…..cannot pay bill to prosecute
•    some town have had their red light signal repossessed
•    Prebetyrian USA church has ordain 1st Gay minister
WHEN WILL IT END?
WHO OR WHAT WILL STOP IT?
Things are occurring so SWIFTLY it seems like we are POWERLESS.
YES, things are being SET IN MOTION for THE WORLD to MOVE SWIFTLY toward the end-times.
BUT these things MUST HAPPEN to ACCOMPLISH God's ULTIMATE PURPOSES
JESUS HAS A PLAN…..I SAID      COME ON
HE HAS A PLAN….(point people out)
His plan MAY NOT ALWAYS LOOK like WE have envisioned or desired it.
BUT MY GOD       HE HAS A PLAN!!!!
AND it's a plan we can FULLY   TRUST / EMBRACE.

You see, God sees things DIFFERENTLY than we do
God SEES THE BIGGER PICTURE….COME ON
God wants MORE for us….
•    than a good economy
•    safety
•    comfort/luxury
NO 3x ….GOD WANTS MORE THAN THAT
GOD WANTS OUR SOULS RESCUED FROM THE PIT OF HELL!!!!
GOD WANTS HIS BRIDE TO WALK IN               POWER / AUTHORITY
GOD HAS ORDAINED THE ULTIMATE VICTORY FOR HIS CHURCH!!!     COME ON
I DID NOT SAY COMFORT…I SAID VICTORY
And this Victory is unlike ANYTHING YOU HAVE SEEN BEFORE!!!
I'm NOT speaking of an Earthly victory, NO SOMETHING GREATER ….. infinitely greater.

Like Christ, our kingdom is not of this world.
We are NOT to be MOVED by what we SEE in the natural, but are to KEEP our EYES on JESUS!
We must FOCUS on the KINGDOM and NOT cling to the Comforts of this Earthly Realm
THESE ARE SO TEMPORAL…
BUT HIS KINGDOM is ETERNAL AND THAT      MUST BE OUR FOCUS
Worrying too much about Temporal things keeps us in BONDAGE and VULNERABLE to the enemy.
The ONLY TRUE FREEDOM is found in scripture…
Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

AND

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

AND

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
(laugh)   I MEAN DO WE READ THE BIBLE?
GOD is trying to get this message across to the church, not just this church but the BRIDE…
God NEVER promised us we would have NO TRIALS
He only promised He would be WITH US in our trials.
Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
He'll let the fire burn UNTIL He sees His PERFECT WILL COME FORTH IN OUR LIVES
He will NEVER give up on us though.
WE MAY WANT to give up, but He won't
AND He won't let us give up on ourselves either…..       WE ARE A PRISONER OF HOPE!!!

Through the FIRE/FLOOD HE IS WITH US
Though the ENEMY RAGES, HE IS IN CONTROL
The HARD TRUTH IS the HARDER the enemy rages against us….
THE DEEPER our ROOTS SINK into Jesus and into His strength/power.

Hell may rage against us, BUT this is ONLY to Accomplish God’s ultimate purpose.
JESUS KNEW He would have to endure a TIME when darkness would have its way…..                                      BUT the ULTIMATE VICTORY WAS WHOSE???
JESUS   COME ON…say that name AGAIN
The Hour of Darkness would PRODUCE the Glory of Heaven FOREVER…..
An HOUR/FOREVER
A LIFETIME/FOREVER
WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR CHURCH???
While being arrested, Jesus told His captors "This is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns" (Luke 22:53).
JESUS KNEW, this was their moment.
But it was ONLY A MOMENT –   COME ON
The FINAL VICTORY BELONGED TO JESUS!!!!
Evil would have its moment, BUT EVEN IN THAT MOMENT, (pause)                                                                    God's WILL / PURPOSES would be FULFILLED

GOD IS IN CONTROL                                                      GOD WILL HAVE HIS WAY                                    NOTHING GETS PAST GOD                                          FOR HE IS GOD!!!  COME ON….SHOUT OUT PRAISE
IT SEEMS like darkness has won, it has not!
For a SEASON/TIME the kingdom of darkness may have its way
BUT WHEN YOU SEE WHAT GOD CAN DO…..     HEY SOMEBODY WITNESS WITH ME
EVEN In the DARKEST of MOMENTS, YOU WILL STAND IN AWE    COME ON.

Our TREASURE IS NOT of this world - our HOPE IS IN JESUS!!!!
Our Joy CANNOT be BOUND to temporal things….. Because OUR PEACE IS ETERNAL IN NATURE
Our Praise/Worship is UNDENIABLY POWERFUL.
Our Enemy is DUMBFOUNDED when we WORSHIP HIM in COMPLETE SURRENDER
CASTING OFF WORRY AND FEAR…..
Our Enemy is ENRAGED when all that comes from our mouths is JESUS 3x….  COME ON
Your DARKEST hour will become your FINEST hour, an HOUR of GLORY RELEASED IN YOUR LIFE!!!

SOMEBODY SAY MORE GLORY….3x

Remember Isaiah 60:2

Isa 60:2  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people:

NOW YOU ARE READY TO HEAR THE 2nd PART

But the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

As darkness has its hour, the world will become desperate, BUT NOT I and NOT YOU!
We will WORSHIP OUR GOD when our enemy Expects us to crumble

WE HAVE HOPE/ WE HAVE VICTORY                      AS WE WORSHIP HIM
As His light shines through us, the darkness makes it shine brighter and brighter.
WE CANNOT HELP IT!!!                                                     IT IS JUST WHAT WE DO!!!
We radiate His joy EVEN when despair surrounds us.

EXPECT                                                                            God to move!                                                                                                                                                                God to challenge the darkness!                                            God to use YOU to change the world!
Darkness is given a moment, but it is ONLY THAT        Just a moment.
BUT we as believers are given ETERNAL JUSTICE.

TAKE TODAYS MESSAGE AND HOLD ON TO IT WITH BOTH HANDS
1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
HE IS GREATER…3x      ALTAR