John Hagee - The Power of the Promise
Turn to Deuteronomy 6:1 through 3, as today we begin a sermon series titled "Promise, problem, provision". I want to introduce you to a supernatural principle that will open the windows of heaven and bless you with blessings the rest of your life that you cannot contain. And if you learn how to apply this divine principle, you're going to have the ability to transform your problems into divine provisions, which is A.K.A. success for the rest of your life. It's based upon the promises and the faithfulness of the Word of God.
Read with me Deuteronomy 6:1 through 3. Ready? Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments, which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you: that you may observe them in the land, which you are crossing over to possess: that you may fear the Lord your God to keep all of his statutes and commandments, which I command you, you, and your son, and your grandson, all the days of your life: that your days may be prolonged. Therefore, hear o Israel, and be careful to observe it: that it may be well with you: and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey.
Father, bless this word to this congregation. And let us learn this divine principle that our life may be filled with love, and joy, and peace, and the unlimited success that God gives to the righteous. And all of God's children said, praise the Lord.
You may be seated. Let's establish the basics of concept. This is mount Sinai. This trail around Sinai is the worn out area that the tribes of Israel wore out as they went around and around Sinai before they decided obeying the Lord was the right way. God gave them a promise: I'm going to give you a land flowing with milk and honey. That promise was over 430 years old. How many of you believe that after 430 years, you ought to be able to get it? This is mount Sinai. And every time they disobeyed God, they just went in one huge circle.
Finally they came(this is the Jordan river. And I assure you it's not nearly that pretty), that they were getting ready to go over into the Promised Land. But because they could not receive the provision, one whole generation died in the wilderness because they would not accept the provision of God. There's the promise, the problem, the provision. Therein is where most Christians do not enjoy the rich resources of God, because they cannot take that last step to receive the provision. How you react to the problem determines how long you stay in the problem. When you disobey God, he doesn't wring his hands and say, oh, my goodness. He just turns up the heat.
The majority failed to see the problem as sent from God. They become bitter. They become resentful. They complain. They whine. They murmur. And they live forever in the problem, because they can't see this as God asking them to check what's in their life. So don't make a career out of your problem. Keep your eye on the prize, the provision, the Promised Land. God has a Promised Land for every person sitting in this auditorium. He has a perfect will, a something he wants to do in your life, in your business, in your home, with your marriage. He has something special he wants to do, but you've got to focus on the sovereign, perfect will of God. Do not make a career out of your problem. Can I get a witness?
Listen. The problem that infuriates you the most is the problem that God has assigned you to solve. Don't look at your wife right now: just like right here. The problem that infuriated Moses was the abuse that the Egyptians placed upon the Jewish people. One day he became so infuriated: he killed an Egyptian who was whipping a Jewish slave. He was taken to the backside of the wilderness as a shepherd for 40 years where he learned the supernatural power of God. God brought him back to Pharaoh. And he spoke a word that brought deliverance.
There's a whole sermon here in 60 seconds but it's this. People often try to do in the flesh (Moses killing the Egyptian) what God wants to do in the spiritual. If you will give God the chance, and release the spoken word against the enemies of your soul, the supernatural power of God will wipe your enemies off the map. He will destroy them. He will scatter them, because you are a child of God. There's a miracle in your mouth! Open up and give it!
God wants to do something in us, then through us, then for us. Most of us want the "For us" Gospel. What's God going to do for us? But first, he has to do something in you, and then through you, and then for you. If all he ever does is do something for you, you'll be a spiritual cripple because you cannot learn to receive the good things of God. Look at that. Pastor Hagee, I don't believe that God sends problems. Read my lips. Oh, yes, he does. Israel was forced to follow the cloud by day and the fire by night. Who controlled the cloud? God. Who controlled the fire? God. Who sent them out into the wilderness? God. Matthew 4:1, Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Who led Jesus out there? The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. Who was out there waiting for him? The devil.
Now you just can't get by that. Where did God take Israel after they crossed the Red Sea? Straight to bitter water. Three days before they were dancing on the banks of the Red Sea, Pharaoh's body had been turned to fish food. Miriam was on the banks with 700.000 Jewish women, beating their tambourines. It was greatest estrogen choir in the history of the world. They were probably singing, "I've got a feeling everything's going to be all right". Whackity, whack, whack, whack. Seven-two hours later, God led them straight to bitter water. Now there's no song, there's no shout, there's no smile. Why? This is a problem. They've got bitter water.
So they formed a committee, and they attacked Moses. Weren't there enough graves in Egypt for you to bring us out here? Moses, why did you bring us out here to die? Life wasn't all that bad in Egypt. They started fondly remembering the past. And what was the past? Starving, beating, slavery. Their sons were drowned in the Nile River. How many of you think you could give that up for a land flowing with milk and honey? Don't let the devil trick you into looking at your bad times as good times. Whenever God sends you something good, it's flowing with milk and honey. It's not grit in the desert. It's something that's flowing with milk and honey.
You don't really know what you're made of until you go through a problem. Steel is tested by fire. Soldiers are tested by combat, not dress parades, combat. Saints of God are tested by fiery trials, by any other name, problems. 1 Peter 4:12: beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trials you go through which is to try you, as if some strange thing were happening to you. Peter says trials are normal. Say that with me, trials are normal. Trials are sent to expose your weakness. Anyone can shout and jump about when all the bills are paid, there's money in the bank, the Mercedes is in the garage, the blue cross/blue shield is paid up. But how do you act when you get in bitter water? Do you get angry? Do you start blaming other people? Are you becoming resentful? Are you pouting? Are you trying to form a committee to get some spiritual authority taken down?
I want to tell you that's all the devil's work right there. If you're in a trial, and it is bitter, ask yourself what's your role in getting out of this. And I assure you God will show you the way out. Everything God offers you, comes in promise form. Salvation is a promise. Genesis 3:15: the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ) shall crush the head of the serpent. That's a promise. The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?
There's a song, "What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus". It is not the blood of goats, and bullocks, and turtledoves that saves us. It is not the blood of the 22.000 oxen that were slain in Solomon's Temple. It is not the blood of the martyrs, who were slaughtered over the centuries for our redemption. It is not the blood that has been shed on battlefields for our political freedom. What blood is it that redeems us? The blood that redeems us is the precious blood of the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. That blood, only that blood. The blood that dripped into the sands of Calvary, that blood! The blood that terrifies every demon in hell, that blood! Hallelujah for the blood of Jesus Christ! Give him praise in the house!
The Holy Spirit is called "The Spirit of promise". You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. What the American pulpit needs is Holy Ghost power back in the pulpit. We have turned our pulpits over to a feel-good theology that explains our sins rather than demand that we confess and forsake our sin. We are being told how to feel good without being good. Let me tell you, good thoughts do not make a good person. You can go to hell thinking good thoughts. You get to heaven because you are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord and Savior of us all. Give him praise in the house.
After the promise comes the problem. Say that with me, after the promise comes the problem. Let's look at some Bible illustrations. Start with Adam and Eve. They had fellowship with God. How would you like just to walk with God? Jesus, let's just take a walk in the woods. Wow. God said, all you have to do is pet the lions, and eat the grapes, and leave that tree alone. Satan came along with his famous formula of fascination, form, and fact. Fascination: Eve, you can be like God. Satan always makes sin fascinating. It's fun to be a sinner for a short while. And then you catch hell in the end, literally.
She liked the idea. Satan presents the form, the apple. Eat this forbidden fruit. This is the one thing God said don't do. Break God's law and you're really going to have a revelation of your unlimited self-awareness. She bit it. An angel showed up with a sword, and drove her and her husband out of the garden into a world of sickness, and disease, and death, and betrayal, and the Genesis curse that affects the world to this day. Why? They had the promise. They were put in the problem. And they broke in the problem and did not receive the provision. When you fail in the problem, you do not get the provision.
They had a perfect marriage. Adam faced trouble like a man: he blamed it on his wife. He said, this woman you gave me... they had a perfect marriage. He didn't have to hear about the man she could have married. And she didn't have to hear about what a great cook his mother was. They were driven from paradise because they failed in the problem. Go to Abraham, Genesis 12:3. All of the nations of the earth are going to be blessed by you, Abraham. Listen. Abraham is a pagan. He has never heard of God. He didn't have a Bible. There wasn't a church every half mile down the loop. There was no radio, TV blasting 24/7, Gospel stories. He had never heard of this Jehovah God.
All of the nations shall be blessed because of you. This is a global blessing, big blessing. What's coming? Big problems. God said, get away from your country, get away from your family, get away from your father. His father was an idolater. And I want you to put your son on an altar and sacrifice him to me to prove that you're loyal to me. Brother, that would have been the bridge too far for me. I don't think I could have done that. Abraham did that. In the problem, he came through. And God, to this day, has honored him. Anywhere you go in the world right now, people can tell you who Abraham was, because in the problem, he came through.
Jesus Christ, he was to be the Savior of the world. He was taken into the wilderness, which is the problem, to be tempted of the devil for 40 days. Listen to this: every time satan opened his mouth to challenge him, he said, it is written, it is written, it is written, it is written. He hammered back with the Word of God. It was something that satan could not overcome. And when Jesus finished the 40 days, he prevailed. He went to the world as the Messiah. He went to the cross as the champion of Calvary. And because he was victorious, you and I are in this building today. And we are looking for his soon appearing, because he is still the king of kings and the Lord of Lords! Give him praise in this house!
How you conduct yourself in the problem determines how long you stay in the problem. The children of Israel in the wilderness, for 40 years, because they were full of rebellion, murmuring, complaining. "Stiff-necked" people, the Bible calls them. How many of you know people like that? How many of you have relatives like that? God didn't get angry, start drinking maalox, and say, oh, they're not obeying me. He just said, take another walk around the mountain. And there they go. "Just a closer walk with thee, one more lap for you and me".
Many times, we are like the children of Israel. We know the word but we won't obey the word. When you read this, this is the will of God, this is the Word of God. If your conduct is contrary to this, you're not going to have peace. You're not going to have provision or prosperity. God's going to say to you, take another lap around the rock. Just go on, keep walking till you get so flat out of yourself: you're going to start obeying me, because you have an obedience problem.
Now, how promise, and problem, and provision works in your life. God gives you a promise. He gives you a word. He gives you a knowing in your spirit that he's going to save your alcoholic husband. Get your hearing ears on here. God is going to save my alcoholic husband. "Glory hallelujah" is your response. And you get a call from the baptist hospital that says your husband's been in a car wreck. He's in a full body cast. What is this? Problem. How do you respond? There's a right way and a wrong way. Here's the wrong way. Well, if this is how God answers prayer, I'm going down to Don and Ben's and buy me a bottle of wild turkey, and sing "I'll fly away". That's the wrong response. The right way: thank you Lord. O lush lips is flat on his back in the baptist hospital.
The king of the lounge lizards is in a full body cast. Your word says he makes me to lie down in green pastures. What a wonderful thing? This is the day the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad. And you go up and look at him with a smile on your face. You get a promise God will bless you financially. You go to the job the next day and you get fired. What is this? (A problem.) Good. You're getting onto it. Let me tell you if your wife loses her job, that's a tragedy.
So there's a right way and a wrong way. The wrong way is, nothing good ever happens to me. Poor me. Pity me. I'm going to tell pastor Hagee his sermon series on God's plan for your prosperity is a joke! It's not working for us. Here's the right way: glory to God. I just got fired. How in the world could I get a better job unless I lost this one? God looks down and says, angels, did you hear what that guy said? He's learned the principle. Get down there and open the gates of blessing for him.
We'll pick it up there next Sunday morning. Can we stand? How many of you in this audience can say, pastor, I'm in the middle of a problem, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to come out of that problem. Can I see your hand right where you are? God bless you. Fully, wow. Fully 80% of this congregation. Amazing. How many of you can make this true confession: that I have reacted badly in the problem, and God has extended my stay. And I want to ask him to forgive me for the way I have been acting in the past. If that describes you, can I see your hand? Wow.
Thirdly, I have refused to take responsibility for my action. I have blamed others. I have lived a life of self-pity. And I want to get over that. I am going around this mountain for the last time. And this time I want to come out in the Promised Land with the sweet peace of God in my soul. If that describes you, slip your hand up right where you are. Thousands of you have raised your hand all three times. Some of you watching by television, if you were here, would also. So I want you, rather than come forward, just to all lift your hands right where you are and repeat this prayer after me.
Heavenly Father, I'm going through a problem. And I want to discover you, as my guide, to go straight through this problem. I want to reach your provision. I don't want to go around this mountain one more time. I want the provision. I surrender my will to your will. I ask that your promises become provisions. From this day forward, I surrender my life, my problems, my will to you. Guide me, chief shepherd, to the Promised Land, in Jesus' name. Amen.