Spoiling Satan’s Kindgom
Luke 11: 14-20 Preach tonight about Spoiling Satan’s Kingdom
1 Kings 18:1 1 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
This was a promise. God was going to send rain. He said HE would. It was settled. It was eminent. It was going to take place.
How many of you tonight believe that when God says He is going to do something, that HE is going to do it???
Elijah knows that God is going to move! He’s convinced he is… even to the point where he tells the King
Vs. 41 …Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
Wonderful! He tells Ahab what God has promised.
He believes the promise.
BUT then notice vs. 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
He knows God is going to move…
But he still prays for it anyhow!!!!… God already said it, but he still importunes… He continues to pray even after his servant checking 7 times until the answer comes!!!
We need what God has promised. But we’re not going to get rain until we pray for it.
You can claim it, try to shout it down, preach it down, but it won’t come until you seek God’s face in prayer.
It wasn’t just a little old prayer either. It wasn’t a form of prayer.
James 5: 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
IT was an Effectual fervent prayer: to exercise force over… to accomplish.
Elijah prayed earnestly. Not just a simple prayer, but very earnestly.
Church, if we are going to SPOIL Satan’s Kingdom, we must learn to PRAY Effectually and Fervently!
Turn to Luke 18:1 Across our nation, we are seeing such a decline of real PRAYER in our churches…
And as a result, instead of seeing a genuine move of the Power of God that comes from genuine prayer, we are instead seeing fleshly manifestations and imitations.
Luke 18: 1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Don’t give up on prayer, don’t stop praying.
This woman asked the Judge to Avenge her of her adversary.
-we’re to pray for our enemies.
But our adversary is the devil and that’s one we can pray that God will avenge us.
And he would not for a while.
She could not get him to respond at first.
He said… She troubleth me… I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Understand what the unjust judge did.
HE WAS GETTING TIRED OF HER CONTINUAL asking, so he granted her request!!!
And God does the same thing… and when he moves, he moves Speedily…
9 Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
“faith on the earth” a faith that will continue to come even though you didn’t get the answer yesterday.
Will God find the faith on the 2nd month?
5th month?
11th month?
Will he find faith tomorrow?
It doesn’t take faith if you know the answer will come tomorrow… but it takes faith to keep you praying tomorrow and the next day and the next day!
God is trying to teach us that If we stop praying for the same need, it is really a lack of faith.
And church… that is quite contrary to what the FAITH preachers are preaching… for example…
They say that in regard to sickness and healing
that you are to CLAIM that you have been healed.
And that if you keep praying to be healed
after you have claimed it, you are sinning.
But I’m preaching to you tonight that if you have not received your healing yet, and are still sick, and say that you are healed, you are lying and deceiving yourself!
I known that doesn’t go over well…
I know Jesus said… John 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
BUT let’s wait until HE DOES IT before we start confessing and saying that HE DID DO IT when HE hasn’t done it yet!!!
I’m preaching about Spoiling Satan’s Kingdom
Now let’s look at
Luke 11 Lord’s prayer
1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Thy kingdom come. That ought to be the greatest desire in our prayer, is for God’s Kingdom to come unto us.
You see when we pray our desires must be right
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Our greatest desires when we pray ought to be for what God wants to do, not what we want Him to do for us.
The model prayer is dealing with our desires.
Then look at vs. 5
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, an inopportune time and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine that is my friend, who does not know God, or he could go to God himself in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing
nothing: I can’t save no-one, can’t heal, can’t cast out devils. (in my own power)
Peter and John said to the lame man at the gate Beautiful… such as I have give I thee… where did they get that from? From their friend, God. Acts 3:12 … Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
Back to vs. 6 He said…
I have nothing to set before him
Sincere, earnest fervent prayer is born out of our inabilities, insufficiencies… our saying… I can’t.. I have nothing!
THAT’S WHERE MOST PEOPLE FAIL because they attempt to do it in their own power
The trouble with us is that we try to operate off our own abilities, charisma, talents, and then ask God to bless them, that they may be used to give to someone else who is in need, but in reality, we have nothing.
CHURCH.. when you realize you have nothing to give.. it will change your prayer life!!!!
The problem is: We have too much to offer.
Laodecian church. I am rich. Increased with goods.
I have need of nothing..
But they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
We’re operating on what we can do.. .in our own power.
Example: at campmeeting.. call a prayer meeting at 7 in the morning and get 10 out of 500 show up.
You know why??? Because most people don’t feel their need to pray! Most preachers already have a message they feel will bring a pat on the back, and really don’t come with a message from God for the congregation!
So they rely on their oratorical skills, and on their charisma, and on their ability to preach, but really don’t have a message from God.
And let’s bring that on down home here: How many times have you frequented that SS classroom in your own power? In your own ability?
How many times have you stood to sing with your own talents, and never took time to pray and seek God for the right song that would minister to someones soul???
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Until we come to the realization that WE HAVE NOTHING, we will never have anything in the future to give to our friends in need!
Nothing! Nothingness!
Do you understand what we’re preaching tonight???
There is nothing YOU or I have within us , meaning our own abilities or power that will SPOIL SATAN’S KINGDOM!
So let’s quit kidding ourselves that if we bring in the right preacher, we’ll have revival.
If we’ll have a great quartet come and sing, we’ll have revival.
If we’ll have another seminar, we’ll have revival.
No church… the only way we’ll ever have revival is
2 Chron. 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. The answer was no. It was midnight.
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, It is not a positional aspect… Abraham was a friend of God yet did not get everything he asked for… Sodom and Gomorrah… he importuned, and because of it, Lot and his family was delivered.
So just because we are a friend of God… a child of God… does not mean that we will get every answer to our prayer on a moments notice.
** BUT here’s the key to what I’m preaching tonight…
yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
IT IS IMPORTUNITY THAT GETS THE ANSWER
IMPORTUNITY: insisted or repeated requests,to ask for urgently or repeatedly, to plead persistently, TO ANNOY. This friend got his bread because of importunity.
Then Matt. 15:21 We must learn to PRAY with persistency! To pray urgently and repeatedly!!!
Matt. 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. How do you feel when God does not answer you??? And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
We try to get people to shout, make them happy so we’ll look better, get the pat on our back… great service… and then we send them on home…
and really, they have not left changed! They leave the same way they came in!!!
We fail to get them into the altar where only they can get with the real friend and see their need met by him.
WE don’t care about the friend in need. We care about us.. we care about what we can get.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Again the answer is no. First he didn’t answer, but then answer is no.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. She worshipped him. Lord help me. Notice the pitfulness of her plea…she was desperate.
God is not looking just for the pitfulness of the cry. What he is looking for is faith.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. samaritan
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
Just a crumb. She wasn’t asking for a loaf or three…
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
When he comes, will he find faith? Even when the answer is no.. will he find faith?
We are to pray for God’s will, but HE does not mind if we bring in our will… just like Jesus did.
Back to Luke 11:9 God does respond and will respond if we importune.
Then this is when the friend will meet that need.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
What my friend needs for me to get is the Holy Ghost, the gifts of the spirit, so I have something to give to my friend.
We don’t have anything to give unless we have the Holy Ghost.
We need a constant refilling, so we have something to give.
WHY? not to lift ourselves up, but to give to our friend in need.
My friend is under oppression. If it was a monetary need, I might be able to meet it, but it’s a spiritual need.
And for the most part, we’re talking here about things we don’t posses and don’t have, because we don’t pray!
Luke 11: 14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
What should be our number 1 desire??? For the Kingdom of God to come unto us.
How then are we going to have something to be able to give our friend??
How are we going to see the Kingdom of God come unto us and spoil the kingdom of Satan?
We’re not having a move of the Holy Ghost, because we don’t care about this friend right here.
We’re not reeking havoc in satan’s kingdom because we are not being filled and refilled with the Holy Ghost.
You know why the Disciples received the Holy Ghost in Acts 2? Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication,
Supplication: to ask for humbly or earnestly as in praying. It symbolizes that a person has a great need.
Thy kingdom come. Covet earnestly the best gifts.
Luke 11:21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: talking of satan. Mark 1… people were having peace in the synagogue… week after week… his goods were at peace. But then Jesus comes in…. Nobody is doing anything.
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, when Jesus comes into the house. he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. We’re not stronger than the devil in our own power. But in God’s power.
We must have the Holy Ghost.
We are not spoiling Satan’s kingdom.
The weakest amongst us under the power of the Holy Ghost is stronger than any army that Satan can send against us.
What keeps me knocking, seeking, asking? Sis. Brown’s mother… was weak, had cancer. She knew she couldn’t save her boy, but she went to him who could.
Throughout the OT and NT… People went to prayer and God moved.
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
They prayed and God moved.
Cornelius went to prayer and God moved.
Sent the Apostle Paul to preach to him and his house and they all got saved.
Five college students in Aug. 1806 found refuge from a thunder storm underneath a haystack, and prayed for foreign missions, and God moved.
Out of that prayer meeting grew the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the first organization to send missionaries from America oversees.
Church, when we pray with importunity, God will move on our behalf!!!
Jesus said, Look unto the fields, for they are white unto harvest.
Do you not see the need to find your haystack tonight? This week? From now on???
Look at Samson.. yes he messed up.. yes he failed God
And he is just like many church folks, who once had a touch of God upon their lives, and instead of getting fresh oil, they are trying to live off of yesteryears experiences.
Just like Samson, they are trying to be spiritual off their own talents and own abilities, and have nothing at all fresh from God…
Samson shook himself as before and wist not that the Lord had departed from him!
Listen church: How long has It been since you’ve been in contact with THE FRIEND???
When is the last time you really prayed until Heaven came down and glory filled your soul?
What is it you’re trying to give to those in need?
What do you have to give???
Tonight, you ought to feel condemned about your lack of praying… about your lack of faith.
BUT don’t stay that way. Do something about it!!!
The Bible says in Rev. 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
We all want to be KINGS… but there are very few that want to be PRIESTS….
Joel 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them:
Are there any here tonight that will weep between the porch and the altar during this revival for the lost to be saved?
Any that will travail in prayer to see God move???
Samson prayed one last time Judges 16:28 28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Church… it is God’s will for us to be a militant church… a body of believers that will pull down strongholds…
…that will spoil Satan’s Kingdom
BUT the KEY to being able to accomplish that will never come through “singing it down”
“preaching it down”
“shouting it down”
BUT through PRAYING it down!!!!
You may feel like Samson tonight in that you’ve failed God in your prayer life… and we all have…
BUT let’s pray one more time!
Let’s touch God one more time!
Let’s get back to the battle one more time!
AND then let’s persevere!
LET US TONIGHT SPOIL SATAN’S KINGDOM
