I Have a Message From God

[00:00:00] Judges chapter three, verse number 15. [00:00:04] This is what the Bible tells us. It says, but when the children of Israel cried unto the lord, the lord raised them up a deliver Ehud, the son of Gera, a benjamite, a man left handed by him. The children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon, the king of Moab. [00:00:25] But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges of a cubit length. And he did gird under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon, king of Moab. And Eglon was a very fat man. [00:00:43] That's not the way I want to be described in the Bible. If I only get one chance, please don't let that be my description. [00:00:51] But it says, but when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bear the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal and said, I have a secret, aaron unto thee, o king, who said, keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto him. He was sitting in a summer parlor which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat, and ehud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly. [00:01:35] Here we find a very wicked, vile and unrighteous king named Eglona, who for years and years had destroyed, that abused, that mistreated the Israelites and the people of God. Here comes just one man by the name of Ehud. And he tells him this. He says, I have a message from God for you. [00:02:05] And that's what I want to preach this on tonight. I want to speak to us on this thought. I have a message from God. I have a message from God. Would you lift your hands? Would you raise your voice? Let's ask the Lord to speak to us right now. Father, in the name of Jesus. Your spirit is here already. God, you've anointed the singers and the musicians. We're praying now that you would speak to us from your word. Speak with certainty and clarity and conviction. God, we give you praise, glory and honor in the name that's above every other name. In the name of Jesus Christ. [00:02:48] Amen. Turn to your neighbor. Give him a high ten. You could be seated in the house of the Lord. [00:02:58] Well, throughout history, there are defining moments when ordinary individuals display extraordinary, courageous. Time and time again, we see it transpiring. That moment when Moses walked into the for the courtroom of pharaoh and proclaimed pronounced to him that, you've got to let my people go. [00:03:27] It was David that walked out on the battlefield when the giant Goliath was talking so much trash. David had all he could handle. And I don't know, you may be different than me, but I can only handle so much trash talk. Something's going to start rising up. And David had all he could handle. And he came to Goliath and said, you come to me with the sword, with the spear, and with the shield, but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou has defied. [00:04:02] He displayed extraordinary courage. It was Daniel that when the law was passed, they were not allowed to pray to any God. It was Daniel that decided to open his window and pray louder than before. He was displaying extraordinary courage. [00:04:23] And we see that same courage, that same valor unfolding in the book of judges, the third chapter. And it tells us at the very beginning of this chapter that there was a generation coming up that didn't know all of the victories of Israel. They weren't familiar with all the miraculous stories. Sure, they had heard accounts told by elders and grandparents. Maybe a grandma or a grandpa sat them down, told them what God had done for them in the past, how he brought them out of Egypt and they were able to cross through the Red Sea on dry ground. [00:05:12] Maybe it was those same grandparents that told them that when we got on the other side, when we would wake up in the morning, there was manna waiting for us to eat. You just woke up and those red lobster cheddar biscuits were waiting at your door. [00:05:31] All you had to do was open your eyes. And those Texas roadhouse rolls with the cinnamon butter on the side, they were already there. [00:05:43] It almost sounded too good to be true. [00:05:47] Sounded like somebody was stretching the truth. Somebody may have been embellishing the story. Kind of sounds like folklore. Sounds like a fairy tale you're telling us. I could only try to imagine those elders telling them we were in the wilderness for 40 years and our shoes never wore out, our clothes never got old. And maybe they thought that's why they were wearing the Jordans from the nineties. I don't know, 40 years, you still look the same. It tells us that we have to be careful going too long without a miracle. We have to be careful adjusting ourselves to go through the motions and just have another day of normal, common, every normal situation. Oh, no, we can't have that happen to us every now and then. We got to have a sovereignty, supernatural moving of the spirit of the Lord. Can't have mundane, can't have business as usual. I've got to have a manifestation of the Holy Ghost where God comes through and does what only God can do. [00:07:09] We got to have that every now and then I can remember was preaching a service. [00:07:17] We had gone through the worship and finally got to the end of the sermon, and I had felt like faith was there for healing to take place. [00:07:28] So I'm trying my best to encourage and trying my best to inspire. You ever been in one of those services where not much is going on? [00:07:38] I was trying, but not much was moving into service. But I still felt in the Holy Ghost that God wanted to do something amazing. So I just gave an invitation. Anybody want to come down to the front? Anybody want to come down to pray? [00:07:57] Not many people moved. There's nothing that ignites your faith like nobody responding to an altar call. [00:08:06] I'm still giving the invitation. Again, I just feel like if somebody would come down to the front, God would do something for you. [00:08:16] All of a sudden, I see this precious elderly sister stand up, and it was kind of like a pity response. You ever had a pity response before? And she just was just, come on down to the altar so you could pray for me. [00:08:31] So we called some of the ministers together, and she was kind of hunched over in her back. She was using a walker. She said, I need you to pray for me. My back has deteriorated, and I'm completely hunched over, and I really need some relief from this pain. So we did. We started praying and calling on the name of Jesus. That's the only way I know how to do it. You just got to call on that name. There's power when you start praying the name of Jesus Christ. [00:09:04] Romans 1013 says, whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, they shall be saved. Proverbs 18 and ten says, the name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it, and they are saved. Psalm 27 says, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord. Psalm 113 and three says, from the rising of the sun and to the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised. David said, in psalm 34 and three, he said, oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. [00:09:47] Acts 412 says, neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name unto heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Philippians two and nine says that God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. [00:10:06] A name which is above every name. Jesus said in mark 16, he said, in my name, you shall speak with new tongues. In my name, you shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. [00:10:21] It's all about that name. And we started praying that name of Jesus, would you believe? Something came over grandma right then, and all of a sudden, she was kind of hunched over like this, and she shot up, started looking around at everybody. And she took her foot and kicked her walker and started dancing all across the front. [00:10:47] That did something. People saw that. And faith started to move in the building. You got to be careful latching on to faith. You got to be careful grabbing hold of faith. It'll jump on you. Hebrews eleven one says, now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. You can't see faith, but you could feel faith. When faith moves into the room, she's dancing. All of a sudden, this man stands up. Somebody's grabbing him by the hand. He comes all the way to the front. He said, brother, you got to pray for me. I am completely blind. I was able to see in my younger years, but now, for decades, I've never been able to see anything. And so we started calling on that name, that name that has all power in heaven and in earth. And we started praying. And all of a sudden, something happened to him. And he looked at me. He said, I really see you now. He looked around, started describing what people were wearing. There was a miracle that took place. [00:11:57] You can't deny when God really moves. You can't dismiss the fact when he really begins to operate. [00:12:07] I don't want to wait too long. I don't want to get too adjusted without the miraculous. You have to stir it up in me every now and then. [00:12:19] Hebrews 13 eight says that Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. Those elders would tell that young generation coming up, the God that we serve, he's not just the head of another religion. The God that we serve. He's more than just a statue. He's more than an idol that we're serving. [00:12:44] Psalm 115 four says, the idols of this world. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not. Eyes have they, but they see not. They have ears, but they hear nothing. Noses have they, but they smell not. They have hands, but they handle not. Feet have they, but they walk not. Neither do they speak. [00:13:12] But our God, Isaiah 40 and eleven, says, he gathers us in his arm and he carries us. Psalm 100 1973 says, his hands made us and fashioned us. Proverbs 15 three says, his eyes are in every place. Isaiah 59 one says, as ears hear us when we pray. Psalm 29 four says, his voice is powerful, his voice is full of majesty. Isaiah eleven four says, just the breath of his lips, it can slay the wicked one. Corinthians 1525 says, he puts all enemies under his feet. Our God has eyes, he can see. He has ears, he can hear. He has hands he can reach. He has feet, he can walk. He has a voice, he can speak. And when God speaks, I said, when God speaks, hallelujah. Mountains begin to move and storms cease to exist. When God speaks, demons tremble and angels bowden. When God speaks, men can rejoice. Sicknesses are healed. Diseases are cured. When God speaks, lives are changed and destinies are altered. [00:14:41] When God speaks, obstacles are obliterated. Evil is exterminated. Enemies are eliminated. Adversaries are annihilated. Devils are debilitated. Revival is rejuvenated. When he speaks. [00:15:02] So they're telling them these stories of what God has done in the past. [00:15:10] You want to believe what he's done for us. [00:15:14] That's all that was, was just stories of a time long ago. [00:15:21] It almost seemed like another life. When God would work for us, God moved on our behalf. The fact of the matter is now they were living in bondage. [00:15:35] They were under the weight of a cruel and a wicked ruler by the name of Eglon. This was one that they watched him destroy their families. They watched as he would abuse the children. They were eyewitnesses where he would burn their houses down and invoke curses on them. They had to live under that oppression, live under that torment, live under that tyranny. And they did not know what to do. [00:16:11] Can I let you know? His name was Eglon then. But it really doesn't change much through the years. The enemy is really the same enemy. He tries to confuse our conscience. He tries to frazzle our faith. He tries to manipulate your mind. He'll get you all caught up in feelings. He'll get depressioned away, heavy in your mind and heart. He'll get you to feel lonely by yourself. He'll afflict you with sickness and disease and pain to try to get you convinced. There's nowhere to go, there's nowhere to run, no one to turn to. [00:16:54] It seemed like such a heaviness that they could not escape. [00:17:00] Every time they turned one way or the other, Egglon was there. Every time they got a little momentum behind them here comes Eglon to squash it all over. They were feeling defeated, discouraged. They were distressed and in dismay. I don't know what to do. [00:17:23] How are we going to escape this treacherous ruler? One Peter five eight tells us what the devil does. It says, he is a roaring lionhouse, seeking whom he may devour. But the verse before gives us the answer of what we can do. When the devil fights, when the world surrounds us, when the odds are stacked against us, when the enemy is attacking us, when the boss doesn't understand us, when family mistreats us, when the world confuses us, when politics tries to divide us, what do we do? One Peter five seven says, cast all your care upon him because he cares for you. Can I preach to somebody here tonight? There is a caring Christ. There is a loving Christ. He loves us when we are unlovable. He cares for us when nobody else cares. He believes in us in our lowest moments, in our worst times, in the long and difficult days, he is there for us. [00:18:41] Jesus said it in Matthew 1128. He said, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest if you're feeling down. Jesus said, come unto me if you're feeling isolated. Jesus said, come unto me if you're feeling discouraged. Jesus said, come unto me if you feel like the passion is not there like it used to. Come on unto me if you feel like you lost your zeal, come on unto me if you feel the weight of the world on your shoulder. Come on unto me and I will give you rest. [00:19:25] So you see the picture. [00:19:29] You see this darkness over the children of Israel. [00:19:34] All of a sudden, in judges chapter three, it tells us that there is a man that rises up by the name of Ehud. [00:19:45] He doesn't have much really going for him. He doesn't have an army to fight alongside him. He doesn't have security to protect him. He doesn't have the advanced weaponry. He doesn't have fame and popularity, doesn't have prestige and notoriety, doesn't have what others would say is essential. [00:20:12] But he did have something. [00:20:15] Didn't have the money that he wanted. He didn't have the clout that he needed. He didn't have the favor politically, but he did have something. He said, I have a message from God. [00:20:31] I'm going to tell you when it feels like all hope is lost and you don't have anything else going for you if you can have this. A message from goddess. [00:20:44] He walked in to the most wicked, unrighteous and ungodly leader. There was he came in without an entourage. He walked in without any bodyguards. He came in, and he didn't have much. He came in and said, I want to speak to the king. [00:21:07] Now, you would think they would just laugh him away right there, but they said, you want to speak to the king? Come on. We're going to bring in. [00:21:15] I wonder if he's ever thinking to himself, I can't believe that worked. You ever been somewhere where you just walked in and you just walk with confidence, and they just let you walk right in? [00:21:27] He just walked in like he belonged there and said, I need to speak to the king. They said, all right, we're going to let you in. So now he's walking down the marble floors of the palace. He sees the guards posted at every door. He finally finds the place where Eglon is. Here is Eglon, surrounded by his servants, surrounded by his confidants, surrounded by his bodyguards. [00:21:59] And then he who does this? He says, well, I've got something I will need to give to the king, but I need everybody out of the room. [00:22:10] You would think there's no way they're going to let everybody else leave. But sure enough, one right after another, they began to walk away. One rite after another, the guards began to leave, and the security begins to vanish. Those men that had swords and spears had all disappeared. Those men that were ready to pounce on him were all but gone. Until finally, there he stood alone with Eglon. [00:22:42] And he comes up to him and he says, I have a message from God. [00:22:49] Hallelujah. I'm going to tell you what we've got to do church. I want to tell you what I feel for Rac and prayer is I have a message from God, and there is a message that no matter what comes against us, no matter what is stacked against us, we have a promise and we have an assurance that. Romans 831 says, if God before us, who can be against us? Hey, we've got a God that's never lost a battle. We serve a savior that's never been defeated. He has never been overcome. He has never been conquered. He's never lost a battle. [00:23:36] Do you want to know what he has done? Exodus 1525 said he made bitter water sweet. Two kings, six, six said he made iron float. Joshua ten and 13 said he made the sun stand still. Isaiah 38 said he made the sun go backwards. Daniel 622 said he shut the mouths of lions. Numbers 22 and 28 said he opened the mouths of donkeys. Exodus 14 and 21 said he split the Red Sea. Joshua 317 said he divided the Jordan river. There's nothing too hard, there's nothing too difficult. There's nothing too complicated for him. [00:24:26] He's the God. That is the answer. He is the solution, and he is the remedy. He is the. He is the antidote, and he can do anything. [00:24:40] Somebody ought to throw your hands in the air for a moment and say, hey, you've got a message for me. [00:24:49] Hey, I have a message from God. Hey, I have a message from God. Somebody ought to settle that in your spirit. Somebody ought to say that in your mind. I have a message. Message from God. [00:25:15] I have a message from God. [00:25:22] It was Joseph, the one who was betrayed by his brethren. I'm getting ready to close. [00:25:30] It was that same Joseph that found himself living in a pit, stabbed in the back by his own brethren. [00:25:41] That same Joseph that ended up in Potiphar's house but then had somebody lie on him. Found himself next in the prison cell. [00:25:54] Just so happened that the butler and the baker had a dream. [00:25:58] And Joseph said, well, I know one that interprets dreams, interpreted the dreams, watched as one got elevated up, but he was forgotten about in the prison cell. [00:26:13] Have you ever been betrayed? [00:26:17] Have you ever been lied on? [00:26:21] Have you ever had your heart crushed by others that said they love you? [00:26:26] Preaching to somebody right now. [00:26:30] You don't think he dealt with a little bit of bitterness, dealt with a little bit of anger, tried to rise above that? [00:26:40] There's others that lied on him and gossiped on him. [00:26:45] If they had instagram, then there would be pictures of him for everybody to see, stories for everybody to read about. [00:26:54] But it just so happened that he had a message from God that carried him in the pit, that carried him in Potiphar's house, that carried him in the prison cell. And when he got elevated second in command over all of Egypt and his brothers stood before him that were shaking in their boots. [00:27:23] He's about to mess us up. [00:27:27] He's about to turn us away. [00:27:31] He's about to take vengeance on us because of what we did to him. [00:27:38] Joseph stands up and he says, I know you meant it for evil, but I have a message from God. [00:27:52] I know. Sometimes our first instinct is to take our heart and say, you gonna pay for what you've done? [00:28:03] Sometimes our first instinct is to reach around and grab the knife out of our back and say, you don't have to worry about me stabbing you in the back. [00:28:13] But Joseph stood there, no doubt everything in him said, now's my chance. [00:28:22] You didn't see anything in me. [00:28:25] You disqualified me pushed me away, said there was no anointing on my life, pronounced my ministry dead. Some already announced it over me that we've lost it. Don't have what we have. No. Joseph stood there and said, I know you're ready for me to bring the hammer, but I have a message from God. [00:28:52] Somebody here tonight, I want to let you know there's a message for you. [00:28:58] May not come the way you think it should. [00:29:02] May not have come the way you wanted it to come. [00:29:06] Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, I have a message from God. I wonder tonight, as every head is bowed, as every eye is closed with nobody looking around, God wants you to know he's seen the tears that you've cried. [00:29:24] His eyes work, remember? He sees. [00:29:28] He wants you to know that I've heard you. You cry out to me because he has ears. He can hear us. He wants you to know that I was there when tragedy struck. [00:29:43] I was there in your lowest moment when you didn't know what to do, where to go. I saw you screaming out in agony. God wants you to know he's got a message for you. [00:29:59] Somebody tonight. You're thinking, you don't understand. You don't know me. [00:30:04] I don't, but God does. [00:30:07] He's trying to let you know. He knows where you're at. He's seen your tears, he's heard your cries. [00:30:15] But it's not over yet because there's a message you have from him. I wonder, with heads bowed and eyes closed with nobody looking around, would you let me pray for you right now? [00:30:29] I want to ask if you would really open your heart would you be vulnerable? Just for a moment? Let me pray for you, Father, in the name of Jesus. God, I stand in the gap and I rebuke the devourer. I bind the adversary, take authority over the prince and the power of the heir. I pray against every lie the enemy has tried to whisper. I pray against every sickness that's been afflicted. I pray against every battle that has raged. I pray against every onslaught that came from the adversary himself. God, I pray that right now you would loose on this Friday night a divine demonstration of the spirit of the Lord God, that you can take us when we are weak, you can find us when we are fragile, you can mend us back together when we are broken. God, I pray that right now somebody in this place feels like they've been broken into a thousand pieces, somebody that feels like they've been shattered and they don't know where to go. I pray for the healing virtue of the Holy Ghost to begin to flow. God, I pray from the front to the back, from the left to the right, that you would open the windows of heaven, you would open up the floodgates and let there be a ministering spirit of the Holy Ghost. That, God, you're going to heal and wounds. God, you're going to fix, you're going to mend, God. That right now, you're going to heal relationships, you're going to reunite families, you're going to take care of marriages. God, I pray right now into the life of every individual, every man and woman, every teenager and child. I pray. Let your word come down from the heavens. Let your word be spoken from on high. Do what only you can do. [00:32:54] Oh. Hallelujah. Would you stand with me all across the house? [00:32:59] Whoo. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. If you feel like this message has ministered to you, would you join me at an altar tonight? Hallelujah. If you. If you want the Lord to work in your life. If you want the Lord to work. [00:33:23] Hey. In Jesus name. God's going to heal years of abuse. God's going to heal minds that have been weary. In the name of the Lord. There's miracle working power tonight. Hallelujah. Not just miracles for the physical, but there's miracles for the mental. [00:33:46] There's miracles for the emotional. Hallelujah. There's a miracle for the spiritual. [00:34:00] In Jesus name. Come on. Why don't you find somebody nearby? Why don't you lay your arm on their shoulder? Why don't you find somebody nearby? Let's connect one with another. Hallelujah. God loves you. God has chosen you. God has selected.