Jentezen Franklin - One With Him So I'll Be One With Them
If you have your Bibles I want you to open them with me. And I'm going to the Book of Matthew 24. Jesus said something that is powerful. He compares us to eagles. He calls Christians eagles, believers eagle. And He said, "Wherever the carcass is there the eagles will gather". He's referring to His own body. His own carcass. And He said, "When I present a meal 'speaking of communion' the eagles will gather". He likens the believer to an eagle. Isaiah said that, "They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength like an eagle". Psalms 103 says, "He satisfies our mouths with good things. 'Speaking of that table.' And it renews our youth like an eagle". Psalms 34 said, "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good".
There's something interesting in Deuteronomy 14. It talks about the dietary laws that the Hebrews had under the old covenant. And it forbids them to eat certain food. There were birds they could eat and there were birds they could not eat. But it's so interesting, and I preached a whole sermon on this many years ago and I'm not gon' do that today. But I was reminded of it in study this week, that in Deuteronomy 14 he says, "But you're not to eat eagle". He forbids His people to eat the eagle. Because He likened you and I to eagles. And the apostle Paul put it this way in the New Testament. He said, "Don't bite and devour one another". He said, "You bite and devour one another".
And I preached the sermon, this was my title: It's Illegal To Eat Eagle. You bite and devour one another. You're eagles, you're chosen, you're God called, you're of the same family. And you bite and devour one another and God said stop that. It's illegal to eat eagle. Now I wanna show you something in Matthew 12 because... this is what Matthew 12, Jesus in verse 25 said, "But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: 'Now watch the progression now. Watch it. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation". I just want to pause right there and I want you to give me your full attention because this is powerful. Any kingdom that is divided against itself will be brought to desolation if they don't deal with it. And then he goes even lower from kingdom. "And every city that is divided will come to desolation. And every house 'The family, the home that is divided will come to desolation against itself will not stand".
And then he goes one layer lower and he says, "And if Satan cast out Satan 'watch these words.' He 'or you, it's a principle.' is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand"? So you go from a divided kingdom to a divided city, to a divided house, to a divided individual. But notice if you flip that around you get the way that it ends up being a divided kingdom. It starts with the individual who becomes divided from God and His word, more and more distant from God. And then that division of not being close to Him, being one with Him suddenly it spreads to the house. If you invert it goes from the individual to the house, suddenly the marriage is divided, the family is divided. And then from the house it goes to the city, and then from the city it goes to the nation or the kingdom. But it all comes back down to the individual relationship with Jesus Christ.
If we would all fall in love and be one with Him then it would affect the house, it would heal the divide, it would affect the city, it would heal the divide, it would effect the nation, it would heal the divide. Not that we would agree on everything, but we would love one another because "by this shall all men know that you're my disciples". Not that you go to church and talk a lot about the Bible, but that you really love people.
Now this is the last prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17, in the garden of Gethsemane. And He said, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who believe in me and through the word; 'Go to the verse.' That they may be one". I'm praying, and the Literal King James says, "I do not pray for the world". Jesus said, "I'm not praying for the world to get their act together. I'm praying for my church, my disciples to be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, and that they may be one in Us, then the world will believe that You sent Me". When they see us with undivided homes, undivided kingdoms, undivided city, undivided in our worship, undivided, and it's not that we don't have diversity, but we come together in the name of Jesus in love and let there be no divisions among you.
That's what He said and Jesus' last prayer was, "Make them one". Make the family one, make the marriage one, make the house one, make the church one, make the city one, make the nation one. It's so important. I don't care what they say or what they do, zip it up and speak the truth in love when you have to and do your best to follow after peace with All men. Your very best. And I'mma tell you why. I'mma tell you why.
The elephants in Africa are the largest land animal in the world, they can live up to 70 years of age. They grow up to 14/15 feet high. They're called the heavy weight champions of the African savanna. The bull elephant weighs up to 7 tons, that's the weight of a school bus. A full grown elephant has no natural enemies in the animal kingdom Except another Full Grown Elephant. And when there's another full grown elephant in it's territory and it goes into musk that male bull suddenly becomes so temperamental and so touchy that he becomes extremely aggressive. And the only thing that can kill it, the only threat to it, there's no other animal in the jungle that's it's natural enemy. The only thing that can destroy it is if those two giants start to fight one another.
During musk a full grown male elephant can become extremely aggressive. It reacts with anger at the slightest provocation. The reason it does that is competition for domination to run the herd becomes fever pitch. It wants domination over the whole say-so. And it gets this hair trigger rage that bulls into a huge conflict, and suddenly theses two mammoth massive giants are fighting one another. The conflict can become so ferocious that sometimes the defeated elephants succumb to their injury. And even though their of the same family, nobody outside can destroy them. But when giant fights giant, when Christian fight Christian, when pastor fights pastor, denomination fights denomination, when church members fight church members, when moms and dads fight each other there is no demon authorized to destroy outside that's powerful enough, cause greater is He that is in you.
You're a giant, you're an eagle, you're mighty, you're strong, the weapons of your warfare, you got tusks that can take on any demon that comes, so the only hope the enemy has got is that he can get two of you out of agreement. For if any two of you touch and agree, don't care what's going on right now, if you touch and agree and keep praying God said, "I will hear that prayer". And I'm praying for you 'Jesus said' that He would make you one. Cause if you stand as one and not fight each other the enemy knows of he can get family against family, if he can get, that's the only way he can destroy the Church, and destroy the City, and destroy the Kingdom, the nation.
Just as the giant elephants and eagles have no natural predators, they have no natural enemy so there's no natural enemy that can take you down or your family down. You have the power to paralyze Hell. You have the power to terrorize Satan. You have it. Greater is He that is in you. You're gifted. God says that Hell fears you. God says that He can use you. And He can use a couple that stand together. No natural enemy has authority to prevail against your family when you stand in faith on the promises of God and you do not to give up, but you believe. But the enemy wants you to turn and use your stuff against each other. Beware of leader against leader. Beware of husband against wife. The little one are looking on and they feel the vibrations when those titans are crashing into each other. The whole family, the whole business when there's fights going on the whole church feels those vibrations. The leader will eventually leave, but the devastation is there.
This is what the Bible says in Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turns away wrath; But a grievous words destroy". Proverbs 18 said, "There is he that speaketh words like the piercing of a sword. But the tongue of the wise brings healing". In the multitude of words, the scripture said, "There is quarrels, fights and break ups, but he that closes his lips is wise". Isn't that something? Proverbs 15:4: "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but vicious words cause fraction and tearing". I'm saying to you today that the words that you speak, the letters that you send, the texts that you send, the emails that you send, the posts that you put up, the saints and the sinners are affected when leaders fight. In a home, in a city, in a nation, when we as the body of Christ are fighting one another and allow that stuff to come in here... Not that we don't have disagreements, not that all of us are exactly the same in every persuasion, in every area of our lives, absolutely not.
The Bible clearly lets us know that there are diversity of gifts and there is diversity in the Kingdom of God! It's not right for giants to fight. The only thing that can destroy, is the house divided will come to desolation. A church divided will come to desolation. When giants fight the saints suffer, the children suffer, the young people suffer, the children suffer. When husband and wife fight all the family feels the vibrations of those fights. You've heard the expression, "The elephant in the room". The expression "The elephant in the room" has to do with a controversy that everybody knows is there, but when we walk in we have to... He'll be in the dinning room where the turkey is and all the food, and you'll walk in there, and if you're like most families and most people and anybody all your relatives are going to be there. And there's gon' be some elephants. Maybe two or three or four will be in there and you're gon' have to barely, you won't even, hardly be able to get to your seat. I mean it's gon' be filled up with elephants.
See I feel them in here right now, and I'm not afraid to take the word of God and surgically remove them. So everyone there ignores the obvious problem because there's an elephant in the room. They know it's not right, it's not right, it's not right but maybe because of discomfort or embarrassment, or even, "I don't wanna further worsen the conflict". But the truth is... it's an elephant in the room... and it's the little people that get devastated... when big people attack one another. Jesus said, "Father I ask you for one thing, I'm not even praying for the world, the lost people, but make my church, make my families that call themselves Christian; and they are, as messed up as they may be they are. But make their dream and their desire and their effort be, Make them one".
The apostle Paul said, "We are of one Spirit, we have one hope, we have one Lord, we have one baptism". Isn't that something? Everybody say, "One. One. One. One". God doesn't care how much you shout if you can't get to one. One in your marriage, one in your family, one, one, one. The elephant in the room, and we're trying to squeeze around it. It's even in the church. It's almost trying to overtake every church that I know of and turn races against one another. I'm so sick of labels, Conservative of liberal. Right wing, left wing. Aren't you tired of it? It's the elephant in the room. And are we gonna fuss and fight every time something happens? And go online and the sinners are watching and the kids are watching, and watch Christians hit each other? It's not worth it!
It's important. I'm not talking about the doctrine, but I'm talking about the fact that we never agree on everything, but that should have nothing to do with the fact that I am called to love Everybody! No matter who they are, no matter how they disagree with me. We must love one another. Shout "Love one another". I'm so tired of the labels. There's a powerful, powerful, powerful verse in Genesis 13 when Abraham and Lot, two massive elephants crashing into each other, the Bible said, "They were in a big argument over real-estate and over land". And their family, their family and families fighting family. Bloods fighting blood. And Abraham steps up, Lot was being a jerk, let's just tell it like it is. He was being dishonest, he was being wrong but Abraham stepped up and said, "Let there be no strife between you and me, between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, 'Listen to these words'. Everybody. For we are brethren".
That's it. And I've come to preach today that whether you're conservative or liberal if you have one Lord and His name is Jesus I am not your judge and I am not your enemy. If you're a conservative, I'm not your judge, I'm not your enemy, I refuse to be enemies. We are one, we are brethren! Let there be no strife between us over temporal things! If we're gon' spend eternity together in Heaven, of every kindred and of every tongue and of every nation. Turn to somebody and say, "We are family. Like me or don't like me". Grab them by the arm and say, "We are family".
Stop tearing down and believing the worst, and lock arms and find any ground that you can get on and say, "Lord Jesus you're welcome here, make us one". "Who are you to judge another man's servant". Jesus said. And He was referring to that's my servant you're talking about if they're Christian. Romans 12:10 - I'm almost done. But Romans 12:10 - I want you to read it out loud with me. Romans 12:10. "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another". Read it again. "Be kind affectionate to one, 'Listen to that. Not just affectionate. Kindly affectionate,' in honor giving preference, 'giving honor one translation says.' To one another".
When you understand what I'm preaching. Here's what I'm saying. You always stand for the word of God. I stand for pro-life, I stand for marriage between a man and a woman, I stand for justice, I stand for equality cause this Book does. I stand against sin, which would be anything that doesn't stand for that. But here's the difference... and maybe you're having problems with somebody in your family or in your world and it's like this, Stand against sin. I can be against what you're doing, the way you're doing it it's against God's word, I'm against that sin but I'm for you.
You have to learn that as a parent, you have to learn that as a Christian, you have to learn that as a leader. Sometimes we feel like it's our job just to, "Ugh. It's sin! It's sin"! I can be against sin, but I can be for the person 100%. And a parent understands what I'm saying right now. There are moment where you cannot give, you cannot support, you cannot aid, you cannot empower someone that you know is openly doing wrong lest you become the enabler. I'm against it but I'm for you! And there'll never be anything that'll separate you from me in that way if you're willing to be one!