Deal In Truth
I.
Ephesians 4:11-21-The fivefold ministry gifts are gifts
from Jesus to the church and these gifts are given so that saints will be
perfected so that they can do the work of the ministry so that the body will be
edified
A. Without the fivefold ministry gifts the saints won’t be
perfected and to body won’t be edified
1.
Without a connection with the
fivefold ministry gifts that God has hooked you up with you won’t be perfected,
you won’t fulfill the work of the ministry or the assignment God has for your
life and the body won’t be edified and you won’t be fulfilled because your
fulfillment tin life comes from doing what the father told you to do and you
won’t be equipped to do that without these gifts-John 4:34
2.
You fulfilling the assignment on
your life is directly related to these divine connections with the fivefold
ministry gifts
3.
It’s through these gifts that you
get furnished and equipped and strengthened and made sound to do the work of
the ministry
a. Perfecting-Complete furnishing and equipping, strengthen, complete,
make one what he ought to be, to be sound
b. These gifts
don’t equip you with love our faith God already did that; they equip you with
truth
4.
He didn’t give these gifts to do
the work of the ministry because that’s what the saints are for
a. A problem that fivefold ministry gifts have is they try
to do the work of the ministry for the saints and while they are doing the work
of the ministry that the saints should be doing they aren’t on their knees praying
and hearing from God so when the saints gather they aren’t being perfected because
they fivefold ministry gifts haven’t heard from God and therefore the saints
are not equipped for the work of ministry and the body isn’t edified
b. The fivefold ministries work of the ministry is
perfecting the saints – That’s their work
5.
The end goal is maturity – God is as much
interested in the growth and maturity of his body as he is in the expansion of
his body (but the way you here most believers talk the only thing that matters
seeing the lost saved and yet this is a verse as much as Mark 16:15)
a. This gifts are to equip the saints for service and edify
the body
1)
CEV-So that his people would learn to serve and his body
would grow strong
2)
VOICE-So that God’s people would be thoroughly equipped
to minister and build up the body of the Anointed One
3)
ERV-Christ gave these gifts to prepare God’s holy people
for the work of serving, to make the body stronger
4)
PHILIPS-His gifts were made that Christians might be
properly equipped for their service that the whole body might be built up
b. Edifying-Act of one who promotes another’s growth in Christian
wisdom, piety, happiness, holiness, building up
c. Perfect man-Full grown, adult, full age, mature, consummate human
integrity and virtue
1)
13 AMP-That we might arrive at really mature manhood (the
completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of
Christ’s own perfection
B. One thing that marks spiritual immaturity is that you are
easily deceived, easily dooped, and tricked to believe something not true
1.
Children-Untaught,
unskilled, infant, little child – Deception and immaturity-people who are
spiritual immature are easily deceived
2.
Spiritual immaturity lacks perspective of reality; The
more mature you become the greater perspective you gain of reality and truth
a. Luke 15-The prodigal son was spiritually immature and it
was connected to his lack of perspective of reality; he thought he’d be better
off away from his father and he’d have more fun away from his father and he
lacked perspective of reality and the truth
b. 1 Corinthians 3-They were immature and that was made
evident by their strife, but the reason they were immature was because they
lacked perspective of reality/truth and the reality they couldn’t see was that God
gives the increase and the minister is nothing without God they didn’t see that
they didn’t need to be glorying in individual men because all these gifts are
theirs and they belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God
3.
Spiritually immature people are
easily deceived and tossed from one lie to the other because they lack
perspective of reality or the truth so when a lie comes that look strue they take it
C. Growing up into Jesus, is to grow up in the truth-John
14:6
1.
Growing up and maturing has to do with dealing in truth
and in reality
a. Speaking the truth-Professing the truth, Loving the truth, truthful
b. Grow Up-Inward Christian growth
2.
If the five fold ministry gifts
will step up and help the body grow in truth the enemy won’t be able to deceive
them and lead them astray
a. To do that you
the five fold ministry gifts have to get revelation from God and see the truth
and you don’t get that running around on your feet, you get that on your knees
b. What you have right now in the body is the blind (saints)
trying lead the blind world; it doesn’t work
II.
Speaking the truth in love, dealing in truth is how we
won’t be deceived and caught and led astray by the enemy and tossed to and
fro
A. Rather than being tossed to and fro and deceived deal in
truth and you won’t be deceived
1.
Ephesians 4:11-15-How would you
avoid being swallowed up in darkness and led astray and deceived? Speak the
truth, deal in truth
B. 3 John 4-We are to conduct our lives and regulate our
lives in the truth and if we do we won’t be led astray
1.
We Deal in truth-To deal in, to have to do with, to be engaged in, to
practice, Behave, To conduct oneself
a. VOICE-The
greatest joy in my life is hearing how my children are walking in the truth; GNT-Nothing
makes me happier than to hear that my children live in the truth; NLV-I can
have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth
2.
The thing that gives God the
greatest joy is when his children are dealing in truth, conducting and
regulating their lives in the truth
a. Proverbs 12:22-Lying lips are abomination to the Lord,
but they that deal truly are his delight
3.
Deal in truth
a. Leviticus 19:11-Neither deal falsely, neither lie one to
another.
b. Joshua 2:14,
Genesis 24:49, 47:29-That we deal kindly and truly with you
c. Exodus 8:28-Let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the
people go to sacrifice to the LORD.
d. Jeremiah 6:13, 8:10-For from the least of them even unto the
greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even
unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
e. Revelation 22:15-[But]
without are the dogs and those who practice sorceries
(magic arts) and impurity [the lewd, adulterers] and the murderers and
idolaters and everyone who loves and deals in falsehood (untruth, error, deception,
cheating).
f.
Malachi 2:16-Take heed that you deal not treacherously
(deceitfully)
C. Ephesians 4:17-25-The enemy wants to swallow you up in
darkness and his strategy to do that is to get you to deal in lies
1.
17-Walk-They are not dealing in
truth, regulating their life and conducting their life according to the truth,
but rather lies and falsehood
2.
18-They are being cut off from
something God wants them to have because they are dealing in lies and not the
truth
3.
18-Why are they ignorant? Why do
they lack light? Why do they lack truth? They are ignorant because of the
blindness (covering callus, stubbornness, hardness) of the heart, they hardened
their heart to the truth
4.
22-Deception is in this because
these lusts are painting a pictorial fantasy about the future and how good it’s
going to be that is not true
5.
21,25-We need to deal in truth and not lies and reject
all falsity and be done with it
6.
The way to overcome the spirit of error, the deceiver
himself is to always deal in truth-1 John 4:6
III.
To win this fight you have to deal in truth; Always deal
in truth
A. We got some truth regarding this land and these giants
and if they are going to be free and walk in victory then they must deal in
truth
1.
The truth is God’s going to send
an angel before us and drive them out and that is our land
a. Exodus 33:1-3-I will send an angel before you, I WILL
drive out the giants
b. Numbers 13:2-Send thou men, that they may search the land
of Canaan, WHICH I GIVE unto the Children of Israel
B. ***Once you get the truth, once you have the truth, once
you see the truth don’t deal in anything else
1.
The strategy of the enemy is to
get you deal in falsehood and lies and he wants to distract away from the truth
a. They start
talking about the walls and the giants and how they can’t go in and as they do
that are not dealing in truth
2.
They brought up an evil report (defamation-the malicious uttering of a falsehood which
tends to destroy one’s good name)
a. 28-29-What does this have to do with the truth? The
people are strong, they cities are walled and
inhabited by giants, SO?
b. 31-LIE: They are not stronger than God’s people because
God is with them
c. 31-What does their strength have to do with it? They
don’t have to drive them out
d. 32-What does them eating up the inhabitants have to do
with anything? Are they going to eat up God?
e. 32-They are men of great
stature, So? Greater than God?
f.
33-You saw giants, so? Are they
bigger than God?
g. 33-LIE: They were not grasshoppers in the sight of those
giants; this is a lie-Joshua 2:9
h. 14:2-3-LIES-God didn’t bring them their to die and it’s
not better in Egypt
3.
They are so far away from the
truth: It’s our Land God will drive them out
a. They are not dealing in truth, they are covered in
darkness and they are deceived and they fall short of what God wanted for them
C. Romans 4:17-21, 3:4-The way that you deal in truth is you
let God be true and every thing else be a lie-Romans 3:4
1.
17,18-He’s
already got the truth so he’s not going to deal in lies and falsehood
2.
19-His
body and Sarah’s body are lying to him telling him they can’t have what God
said they would have and he won’t deal in falsehood
a. 17-He’s calling things
that be not as though they were and dealing in truth
b. 19-He’s letting God be
true and their bodies be a liar
3.
Why is he not staggering?
Why is he not wavering? Why is he not in unbelief? He staggered not because he
consider not, he was strong in faith because he considered not
a. The enemy is trying to
get him to deal in lies by getting him to consider something contrary to the
truth, but Abraham just won’t do it
b. Considering things contrary to the truth is going to eat away
at your faith until you no longer have any and that means you lose the faith
fight and don’t possess what God promised you
4.
If you are considering
stuff you shouldn’t be considering it shows you that your faith is weak
a. So the measure for your faith is not what you can quote like
a parrot or the face you can put on in front of your Christian friends, but
rather how much stuff did you consider and think about today that you shouldn’t
have
b. Strong faith won’t consider anything that contradicts the
Word
1)
2 Corinthians 4:18-Faith
doesn’t consider or pay attention to what it sees, how it feels, or anything
that contradicts the truth
5.
You get to this fully
persuaded faith place of total trust and total rest by considering not; You
consider not long enough and you’re going to get fully persuaded and that’s the
place where nothing moves you, no report, no thought, no feeling, no
circumstance, no devil
D. Truth is simple; lies are complicated
1.
The simplicity of the truth and
dealing in truth-Numbers 13:30, 14:7-9
a. Joshua and Caleb are dealing in truth and it’s simple
b. To the rest it’s complicated and confusing and dark
because they are dealing in lies (33-You look like grasshoppers to them)
2.
Whenever stuff starts getting complicated you are off of
the truth
a. The enemy likes
to complicate it and your flesh will indulge him, but truth is never
complicated
b. Genesis 3-This is real simple, he said don’t eat it or
you’ll die; the enemy complicated it
3.
John 3:21(AMP)-Practice the truth; Take the emotions out
of it and let truth govern your life
a. Psalm 86:11-Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk (proceed, live, manner
of life) in thy truth:
IV.
Dealing in truth will keep you free and preserve you and
keep you protected from deception
A. Psalm 57:3-God will send his truth to deliver you
1.
3-The enemy wants to swallow you
up in these lies
a. Reproach-Taunt, rail, upbraid, shaming, abusive, foul
mouthed language
b. Slander-A false tail maliciously uttered
2.
3-God delivers you from that by
sending you His truth
a. If you’ll deal in the truth you can overcome the one who
wants to swallow you up
3.
4-My soul is among the lions
a. My soul-Activity of the mind, emotions, will – We are
talking about the inner man
b. 1 Peter 5:8-The is like a roaring lion and his attack is
on your thinking and believing
c. Teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp
sword-This is a war of words and thoughts and beliefs and lies and truth
4.
6-They have prepared a net for my
steps – This is the deception, the trickery they want it to look safe
when it’s not
5.
7-You heart is fixed on what? On the truth that God sent
me
a. Fixed-Steadfast, stable, established firmly, enduring
6.
8-Many times you have been
unaware of the truth so your inner man has to wake up to it
7.
10-He’s singing and giving thanks
for the greatness of God’s mercy and truth
B. The truth will preserve you and protect you and sustain
you
1.
Preserve-Guard, keep-To preserve from falling or
danger; to protect, to guard or to sustain, to take care of
2.
Psalm 40:11-Withhold
not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy loving kindness and thy
truth continually preserve me.
3.
Psalm 61:7-He shall abide before God
forever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve
him.
4.
Psalm 91:4-He shall cover thee with
his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy
shield and buckler.
5.
Psalm 45:4-And in thy majesty ride
prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness;
V.
It is a war of attrition
with the enemy
A. 1 Peter 5:8-9-Resist
steadfast; This reveals that resisting one time is not enough; you’re going to
have to resist and then you’re going to have to resist again and then you’re
going to have to resist again and that’s where the steadfast part comes in
1.
Steadfast-Strong,
firm, immoveable, solid, hard, stand immoveable, stand firm, to be of a
steadfast mind, one who does not wavier, not fickle, not changeable, not easily
moved, not fluctuating, undeviating
a. You’re not supposed to be
fickle and fluctuating and deviating in your resisting him
2.
Hebrews
6:12-Patience-Constancy, endurance --- Why would you have to have patience with
your faith? Because apparently you have an enemy that is going to be constant
in his attack against you
3.
With
a whole lot of Christians the devil is not successful on the first time he
approaches them, to tempt them to pressure them, to influence them, but he is
successful way too often on the 30th time or the 60th
time or the 90th time and he will come back again and again and again
and God’s not going to make him stop because you are to resist him and if he
comes 100 times then you resist him 100 times; you never stop resisting him and
when you stopped resisting him is where you fell
4.
We
must not be surprised when the enemy comes back again and again
B. Acts 10:38-The enemy will
come and just push you and press you and this war is a war of attrition and his
plan is to wear you down until you give in and give up, because the moment you
stop resisting, is the moment you start losing
1.
Judges
14:12-20
a. 17-She cried before him for 7 days and this is insight into
how the devil works; what’s he trying to do? Wear him down and get him so
frazzled and tired so how do you make this pressure stop you give in
1)
He gave in because she
lay sore upon him; He’s feeling pressure and he gave in
2)
Lay sore-Press
b. She ran and told the
people what it meant and he got mad and battles ensured and it cost him but it
didn’t cost him his life and anointing; He should have learned his lesson about
philistine women and giving in when somebody is pushing on him but if you don’t
learn lesson it’s going to come up again and next time it can cost you too
much, it can cost you everything
2.
Judges
16:15
a. 15-Three times whatever
he told her she ran straight and told his enemies; Wake up, get a clue;
b. 16-She pressed him daily
and his soul was vexed to death; Yet he just keeps coming back for more
c. 17-This time it cost him
his ministry and anointing
d. Sampson was anointed of
God and by that anointing he defeated the enemy and killed 1000 philistines
with the jawbone of a donkey; armies couldn’t defeat him, city walls couldn’t
hold him in, thousands of people with spears and swords could not take Sampson
out and yet the devil took him out with Delilah, but Delilah didn’t defeat Sampson
and she couldn’t destroy Sampson herself and neither could the enemy; Sampson
destroyed Sampson by giving in, yielding to the enemy who in this case was
speaking through Delilah
3.
The enemy pushes and
pressures and nags and keeps on and won’t shut up and just keeps on and on and
there’s no peace in it and it’s just vexation and it’s trying to push you to
some action and response, to give in or to give up
a. What is most frustrating to the devil is consistency? You
might resist him once and his attitude is usually indifferent to that because
he just thinks to himself, “whatever I’ll be back,” but frustration comes to
him when he begins to realize they’re not changing
b. Patience is the enemy’s greatest frustration
C. Romans 6:6-11-Dead to
sin, dead to the devil, dead to deception
1.
Reckon
yourself dead to sin
a. Sampson had problems with Delilah, he was not dead to her,
her charms worked all to well on him, but if you took Delilah and gave her a
new makeover and got her new clothes and parade her in front of a casket of a
dead man he’s not going to have any problem with her; The dead man will have no
response at all to her seductiveness and she can whisper in his ear all year
and she’s going to get no response
b. When the devil pushes you
and prods you and it should be like he’s talking to a dead man
2.
11-If you felt dead
always you wouldn’t have to count yourself dead
a. You have a body and you
will have feelings but when you do slam your flesh back into the casket and say
you’re dead man, you’re dead to getting mad and pitching and fit and getting
frustrated so lay down dead man
b. You talk about something that is frustrating to demons and to
the devil is when they go back to the devil after 6 months with you and the
devil says what about it and they say sorry boss when can’t get through to him,
it’s like talking to a dead man, nothing I do seems to work on this guy