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[00:00:00] Psalm 149. Psalm 149.
[00:00:08] Here's an amazing psalm, the 149th psalm. Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song and his praise in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise his name in the dance. Let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. He will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints exult in glory. Let them sing for joy upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two edged sword in their hand, to vengeance upon the nations and punishments upon the peoples. To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute upon them the judgment written. This honor have all his saints praise ye the Lord. Now will you please notice high praises of God in their mouth and a two edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance upon the nations, punishments upon the peoples. Bind the kings with chains, nobles with fetters of iron. Theres something when we think all these principalities and powers and world rulers of darkness and hosts of wicked spirits. And here is the key to it. Verse nine. To execute upon them the judgment written.
[00:01:42] In other words, its something that God has already ordained. We cant do it. We cant go beyond what the Lord has has willed. Now. Psalm 47. The 47th psalm.
[00:01:55] Psalm 47.
[00:01:58] O clap your hands, all ye people. Shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible. He is a great king over all the earth. He subdueth peoples under us and nations under our feet. He chooseth our inheritance for us the glory of Jacob, whom he loved. God is gone. Up with a shout. The Lord with the sound of a trumpet sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises unto our king. Sing praises, for God is the king of all the earth. Sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the nations. God sitteth upon his holy throne. The princes of the peoples are gathered together to be the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong unto God. He is greatly exalted. And just notice the tense through the psalm.
[00:03:02] He subdueth peoples under us. He is a great king over all the earth. He subdueth peoples under nations under our feet. And God reigneth over the nations. God sitteth upon his holy throne the shields of the earth. That means all the victories, because they used to bring the shields back to hang in the house of the Lord. And that means all the victories belong unto the Lord. Now psalm 118, psalm 118.
[00:03:34] We will only read a few verses of this from verse eight. Psalm 118.
[00:03:41] From verse eight. It is better to take refuge in the law than to put confidence in men. It is better to take refuge in the law than to put confidence in princes. That's the most educated of men.
[00:03:58] All nations compassed me about. In the name of the Lord, I will cut them off. They compassed me about. Yea, they compassed me about. In the name of the Lord I will cut them off. They compassed me about like bees. They are quenched as the fire of thorns. In the name of the Lord I will cut them off. Thou didst thrust, saw at me that I might fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord. Now will you notice that all these nations that surround the psalmist, he cuts them off in the name of the Lord. And then we have this extraordinary statement. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. So when he cuts them off with his right hand, the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
[00:05:09] In other words, the right hand of the Lord will not come in until he uses his right hand in faith. Now when you're surrounded by all the nations, you may feel you're a minority, and therefore you might as well give up and let the Lord come in sovereignly and do something instead of you. But the Lord will not do it until you cut them off in the name of the Lord. The right hand of the Lord does not do valiantly, but the moment you act in faith, then according to the will of God, then the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. Now look at psalm 110, psalm 110.
[00:05:50] The Lord saith unto my lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
[00:06:07] Thy people offer themselves willingly in the day of thy power in holy array or in the beauty of holiness. Now notice that again till he says, sit thou at my right hand to the Messiah until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Now who under God and through the sovereign power and direction of the spirit of God, makes those enemies the footstool of the Lord Jesus. They don't just become the footstool of the Lord Jesus willy nilly. It is through the church that one after another of these principalities and powers are vanquished and put where they belong under the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we have to do it.
[00:06:54] It's as simple as that. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Now turn to the New Testament. Matthew 16, Matthew 16 from verse 16.
[00:07:12] Matthew 16 from verse 16. And Simon Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, blessed art thou, simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my father who is in heaven. And I also say unto thee that thou art Peter. And upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
[00:07:53] And then chapter 18, verse 18, you notice unto thee a singular unto thee will I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Now chapter 18, verse 18. Verily I say unto you, plural, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, if two of you shall agree as touching anything that they shall ask on earth, it shall be done for them of my father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together into my name, there am I in the midst of them. And lastly, mark, chapter three and verse 27. Mark, chapter three and verse 27.
[00:08:42] But no one can enter into the house of the strong man and spoil his good, except he first bind the strong man and then he will spoil his house.
[00:08:56] Well, now, that doesn't seem to be. Praise the Lord. Any late comers at all? We'll go straight into this study this evening. What do we mean by executive prayer? We are talking this evening about executive prayer. Now, what do we mean by executive prayer?
[00:09:18] Why do we use the word executive in connection with parents? Good for us. To get quite clear what we mean by the phrases that we tend to use amongst ourselves here. We mean that kind of corporate prayer in which and by which the purpose of God is carried out or executed in the secret place before or it is publicly manifested. Now I will repeat that we mean that kind of corporate prayer in which and by which the purpose of God is carried out or put into effect or executed before it is publicly manifest.
[00:10:10] The word executive means an administrative body which has power to execute specific policies.
[00:10:23] An administrative body which has power to execute specific policies. We speak of the executive, the executive in this government department, or that we sometimes speak of the executive, the government executive, meaning, of course, a body which has the right to carry out the policies of the government.
[00:10:58] It all comes from the word execute, which means to follow, follow out, to carry into effect, to give effect to or following from that, carrying out laws and decrees.
[00:11:16] Now we speak in business of executives. What do we mean when we say, oh, so and so is an executive? You know, we mean that he is not a clerk or even a manager.
[00:11:33] He is more than that. He is someone who has authority to sign on behalf of the whole body.
[00:11:44] He is one of those elite in the business, in the firm, in the administration, who can sign on behalf of the whole and can authorize various things in the name of that body, someone who can get things done by authorizing them. For instance, you may need this, you may need that, you may need the other, but you can't get it done. You go to someone who can authorize it on behalf of the firm, in the name of the firm. Another way of looking at it is an executive is someone who executes the policy of the board of directors. So we speak of an executive, someone who's got authority.
[00:12:34] Now we are all such executives.
[00:12:40] This is the wonderful thing about being a child of God. We are all executives of the kingdom of God.
[00:12:48] Now, that may seem very odd to you. It's certainly a bit abnormal to find that every single person in the kingdom of God is an executive. But that's exactly what our lord means when he speaks of us as kings.
[00:13:05] You see, we have been authorized in the name of Christ, the head of the church, to carry out the policy of his kingdom, to carry into effect the decrees of the throne of God. Whatever God has decreed, you and I have been authorized to carry it into effect.
[00:13:26] We have been, as it were, made executives in this sense, that we are to see that the policy of the throne of God, the policy of the kingdom of God, is put into effect here on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:13:46] We are not only priests, but we are kings unto God. Now, if you take your bible, you look at revelation, chapter one and verse six. Revelation, chapter one, verse six. He made us to be kings and priests unto his God and father. To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. He made us to be kings and priests. And some of your versions will have a kingdom. And the thought there is not just territory ruled over, but a kingship, an executive body, an administrative body with the right to carry out the policy of heaven. Now you've got it again in revelation, chapter five and verse ten. And madest them to be unto our God, kings and priests, and they reign upon the earth. Not and they shall reign upon the earth, but they reign upon the earth. In the present tense, they reign upon the earth. These people who've been bought out of every kindred and tribe and tongue and nation and have been made a a people unto God, kings and priests unto God, they are to reign on this earth. Now it's made even more clear if you turn back to Ephesians chapter two, where and verse six, and it says this, and raised us up together with him and made us to sit with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Now what on the world does that mean?
[00:15:27] Think about it again. Raised us up together with him and made us to sit with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. What does that mean? Unless it means that we are to reign with him. Now we are, as it were, to sit with him, we are enthroned with him. We have come to a place of ascendancy. It's not only that we've been made alive together with Christ, we've not only been raised, and that word raised, by the way, means ascended. It doesn't mean that we've been raised from the dead, it's the further thought of ascending and made to sit together with him in heavenly places.
[00:16:11] Now let me show you another scripture also in Ephesians, Ephesians one from verse 20.
[00:16:18] Now listen carefully to this, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. Now this statement precedes the other one. Raised him from the dead, made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named. That's a pretty exhaustive list, isn't it, when you really think about it, all rule. That includes everything, doesn't it? All rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named. Now listen to this. And he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body. Now think for a moment. Where are you where are you in this?
[00:17:23] Has brought things in subjection under his feet and made him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body. You are in him. Now. The wonderful thing is this. You are between the head and the feet.
[00:17:35] You begin to get to see you are between the head and the feet. Therefore he goes on to say, and made a together with him in heavenly places. He's been made head over all things, and everything's been placed in subjection under his feet.
[00:17:52] Kings and priests unto God. Kings are executives carrying out the laws and decrees of the kingdom. They see that the laws and decrees of their kingdom are carried out in to the full. That is, they are executives. Now this thought of executive action is contained in the phrase the name of Jesus. Matthew 18, 1920. Again and again we've looked at those verses in this school of prayer. Again I say unto you, if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together into my name, there am I in the midst of them.
[00:18:46] The name of the Lord. Now look again at Philippians chapter two, verse nine and ten. Wherefore also God highly exalted him and gave him unto him the name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth. It doesnt just mean that one day everything is going to happen, but it means that even now all principalities and powers and demons are subject to the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:19:20] They are now subject to the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:19:24] And we need to see this, that the name of the Lord speaks of authority. When a wife has married, when a woman marries a man, she takes his name, and his name is her authority. She can speak. I am misses so and so. That carries authority. Award too.
[00:19:47] She is the other half of so and so. She is misses so and so.
[00:19:54] And therein lies authority. You see, you go to the bank and say, I'm misses so and so. There's authority because you are misses and there's the name.
[00:20:07] You've got authority in this sense. We find it in Colossians 317, where it says this, that and whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through him. Now what does that simply mean? It means this, that whether we meet together, whether we pray together, or whether we act together, we are to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
[00:20:42] And of course, there are many, many scriptures that tell us that if we ask the father in his name, he will give it to us. There is authority. There is something about this sort of some idea of being executives in the name of Jesus. We see it even more clearly, I think, in the symbolism of keys. You see, Matthew 1619. To thee I have given to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. If you look at revelation chapter one in verse 18, I am sure John remembered these words to Peter and to the other apostles when on the isle of Patmos, he saw the Lord risen in the midst of the churches and heard these words, fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one.
[00:21:46] And I became dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. And I had the keys of death and hell before ever John was to see some of those terrible visions, those revelations of the power and might of Satan and of the beast and of a false prophet and all these other things before he was to see that, he was first to see that the Lord Jesus had not only the keys of heaven, but the keys of death and hell.
[00:22:18] They were all in the hands of the risen Christ.
[00:22:24] Keys symbolize authority everywhere in the Bible, right the way through the whole Bible. Keys symbolize authority. And I should think even a child would be able to understand that because you don't give keys to a fool or you shouldn't.
[00:22:43] I mean, normally if you give keys in an office to someone, that person is responsible. You just don't give keys to someone who's going to throw them around or let anyone use them. You give keys to people that you can trust. In other words, you invest them with authority.
[00:23:04] For by giving them keys, they can get into things and they can get out of things.
[00:23:10] They can lock things up and they can unlock things. And when you think about it, that's just authority, isn't it? Someone who can lock a door and someone who can unlock a door. Not everyone can do that. Only the person who's got the key can unlock the door and lock it again. Symbolize authority.
[00:23:31] Keys are such simple things when you, I suppose you've all got keys on you, but really when you look at keys, they are really such very simple little things, aren't they? Little pieces of metal, some of them so small that really they're hardly worth thinking about, you know, just look at them little pieces of metal sort of cut in certain ways. That's all. And yet every one of them has a job to do.
[00:23:58] And, you know, you don't even think about keys when you use them. Generally speaking, I've seen people often when you're with them and you're going to their home, and they will take a key out and they're chattering away at you and they just put it in, and while they're talking, they twist it and the door opens. It all do come in.
[00:24:17] You never think about keys. Keys are almost something that you use automatically, spontaneous. You never think till you've lost them.
[00:24:27] You never think about keys until you've lost them. But the moment you've lost them, then your troubles begin. What was so simple, so swift, becomes complex, awkward and difficult.
[00:24:45] Yeah. I've told you often the story about how when Paul and I were in Sinai that time, I mean, we were having a wonderful time in the sea, about a hundred and I don't know how many miles south of Erlat, halfway between there and Shamasheh. And it was only afterwards, after we'd had the wonderful time, when we went back to the car, that suddenly Paul said, where are the keys? Where are the keys? Couldn't find the keys now. It was so silly. Three little keys. They weren't very much bigger than. Well, I mean, I don't think I've got one the size, but they weren't very big. They certainly weren't as big as that.
[00:25:19] Little keys. Three little keys.
[00:25:23] We had the israeli sort of defense forces. One went in with sort of things, searching underwater, backwards and forwards, trying to find it. Others came. In the end, someone came across from the moshe and was in the car in a few minutes with a. But even when they got into the car with a knife, but even when they got into the car, they couldn't unlock the steering wheel. And we had to stop three or four of the fellows from the engineer, whatever it was, in the army, from sawing through the steering lock. Since it was a hard car, we were a bit nervous.
[00:26:01] Paul had to stay down there in the desert. I had to go back to Elat, hitch Alif back to Alat. Then we had to phone Tel Aviv. They flew down these silly three little keys, and then we went back all the way down to Dahan, and then immediately the key went in and the car went off. Now, when we had the key, what had taken us hours and hours and hours was over within a minute. Paul just put that key into the. And it went like a bomb.
[00:26:33] There was no problem at all.
[00:26:35] You know, as well as I do that. When you've got keys, things are so simple. You walk up that. That front path of yours, and you hardly think about. You take a key out, you insert, go in.
[00:26:45] But when you've lost the key, you've got to go rushing around. Have you got the money? Can you find a phone then? Have you got the money? And is the person you've got a phone in then you've got to say, could you help me? I've lost my keys. Can I get keys from you or whatever else it is? Or someone has to come and they have to force windows. What it was a simple little operation. Takes hours just by losing keys. Now, my point is, the church has mislaid the keys of the kingdom.
[00:27:17] And things that were once so simple are now complex, involved and difficult matters.
[00:27:30] In other words, there were times when they got to prayer and immediately things happened. Not always immediately, but things happened because they had the keys of the kingdom. But when you've lost the keys of the kingdom or mislaid the keys of the kingdom, then those things which seem to be so simple now become complex, difficult matters. Somehow or other, we've got to get round it. Oh, what a need there is for executive prayer.
[00:28:08] In our day and generation, we all believe that we are surrounded by spiritual powers. At least I hope we do, if only in the hit.
[00:28:18] But the fact of the matter is this. You can preach till you're blue in the face, and you can work your fingers to a bone, and we can have meeting after meeting after meeting. But until people can go behind the scenes and lock up those principalities and powers that are behind things, nothing can happen.
[00:28:40] Nothing can happen. We can have 20 evangelistic meetings one after another, and not a thing will happen until there are people who can go behind the scenes and lock things up and unlock things.
[00:28:53] But in the moment that we rediscover the keys of the kingdom, in that moment we have the secret as to how to lock up the powers of darkness and unlock the captives that are in their grip.
[00:29:09] Now, that leads me to say something about the executing of the will of God. Having keys is of little use if we do not use them.
[00:29:19] You can have keys. But if you're standing in front of the door of your home with keys in your handbag or in your pocket, what's the point of having keys if you still can't get through the door? You're trying to get through the door without using the keys. Of course you're not going to get anywhere.
[00:29:40] You seem to be mystified. You say, yes, but you know, we're praying. We're praying about this man. Yes. You see, because some people's idea is that as long as you pray, something will happen. You can pray till kingdom come, and it won't happen.
[00:29:55] Prayer pouring out of your heart. The inquiry that there's been and then the pouring out of your heart has got at some point to be turned into executive action in the name of the Lord in the place of prayer.
[00:30:09] Otherwise, nothing will ever happen. You've got to use them. We are meant not only to inquire of the Lord, earnestly seeking him, not only to pour out our hearts before him, but we are meant, in the name of Christ, to take action in the secret place of prayer. Our Lord taught us, in the pattern prayer to pray. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done as in heaven, so on earth. That's Matthew, chapter six, verse ten. This is a declaration. It's not a plea. Most people seem to think it's a plea. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Really, what they would love to put into is a plea. Please let thy kingdom come. Please let thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But there's no please, and there's no let thy kingdom come. It's a declaration. Thy kingdom come. The Lord Jesus said, go out two by two in my name and say to them, the kingdom of God has come to you.
[00:31:21] The kingdom of God has come to you.
[00:31:26] And thats exactly what he said when he said we were to go and preach the gospel to every creature. And these signs would follow those that believe.
[00:31:33] The kingdom of God has come. Thy kingdom come. Its a declaration.
[00:31:39] Thy will be done as in heaven, so on earth.
[00:31:47] We see this very clearly in Matthew, chapter 16, and those verses 18 and 19 that we have read a little earlier this evening. It appears that this building work of Christ, if you will look at those verses, all of you.
[00:32:05] It appears that the building work of Christ and his clear statement about the forces of evil not prevailing against it is related to our use of the keys of the kingdom. Now listen to what the Lord said. Thou art Peter. That is a little splinter of the rock. Upon this rock that is the bedrock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. To thee I have given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Now, Protestants have been afraid of this. Verse 19. You find they skip over it very, very rapidly, because for them, it seems to smell of the papacy, papal authority, you see, the Vatican and all of that. So they skidded over. But you can't go. You can't just evade something, because certain people appear to have made certain statements about it which we feel are erroneous.
[00:33:18] The fact of the matter is that our Lord connects his building of the church and the gates of hell, not prevailing against it, with the use of the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
[00:33:35] In other words, it is as if the Lord is saying to us, listen, if you use the keys of the kingdom of heaven, this building work will go on, and nothing that hell can do will prevail.
[00:33:47] But if you do not use the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the whole building operation will be paralyzed. Now, if we look at church history, we discover. This is borne out in very much evidence indeed for every time that we have a tremendous amount of activity in the building of the house of God, we discover authority.
[00:34:13] We discover that there are men and women who are able to use the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
[00:34:21] Every God sent Holy Spirit revival has been accompanied by executive action on the part of the members of the body of Christ.
[00:34:33] It doesn't matter where you turn, you will find that church history bears this thing out. Now, what am I trying to say? Well, let's look at these words a little more carefully. Will you please note carefully that it is gait. I'm very, very sorry for some of these modern versions who have tried to be clever and have put powers of darkness, forces of evil and so on. I'll come to that in a moment. The fact is that literally, it is gates of Hades. Gates. Now, gates, listen, gates can be locked and can be unlocked.
[00:35:12] There wasn't a single gate in the old world that was ever the kind of gate you just barged your way through.
[00:35:21] The whole point of gates was to lock them so that people, unauthorized people, couldn't get in.
[00:35:31] That was the point of gates. Now, listen again, dark Peter. Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I have given thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
[00:35:45] Now, what is the Lord really saying?
[00:35:49] He is saying that there are gates to be locked and there are gates to be unlocked. And here we come to another very wonderful thing. And this is why I am such a firm believer in the authority and inspiration of the word of God. And no matter what kind of problems people have with the word of God, because it is amazing to me that when you get ambiguity. It is nearly always because the Lord, in his great wisdom, wants to include two thoughts in one verse. And here you've got it in this, you see this word, you've got two thoughts here in this idea of shall not prevail against it. The word is, shall not be strong or powerful against it. That's all it is. Shall not be powerful against it. Shall not be strong against it. Meaning, one, that the powers of darkness will not destroy the building work of Christ by overwhelming it.
[00:36:45] They will not prevail against it. They will not overcome it. Or the other thought is, they will they? They will. Nor will they be able to hold out against the church's offenses. Now, you've often heard people say that, haven't you? Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not hold out against it. You've heard people say that because that's the other interpretation. But I think both are right. Why do I say both are right? For this reason? First of all, if we use the keys, we can lock up the gates of hell so that they cannot come out in that way to overwhelm the building work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:37:30] But within those gates, there are multitudes of captives that the Lord Jesus would bring out and make part of his building work. And until you and I have unlocked the gates of hell, they can't come out.
[00:37:48] In other words, you can evangelize and evangelize and evangelize.
[00:37:55] But until we learn how to use the keys, you will find sooner or later, if your evangelism has got depth to it, Satan will make sure that nothing can heal. He will keep those gates shut to keep in the people who should be coming out. Haven't we found that? Haven't you noticed again and again how we run into blockades? What are they? It's as if Satan has said, shut the gates. Shut the gates. Too many are getting out. Shut the gates.
[00:38:27] We don't know what's happened. All we know is that suddenly people don't get saved and no people coming out. And we start to, if we're not careful, we turn in on one another and so say, oh, so and so is wrong. It was this or it was the preaching or it was this or that, or we should have this or we should do that or the other, when in actual fact, all we've got to do is get behind the scenes and use the keys. We have authority. There is not a person that the Lord cannot bring out once we use the authority which is given to us. I want you also to notice something else.
[00:39:03] This word gates of hell. That's the authorized version. Gates of Hades revised version American Standard Version powers of death the powers of death revised standard version forces of death New English Bible now here is something very interesting in this matter. The old authorized version is much nearer to the truth. The word is not hell. It is Hades and means that realm. The word Hades just stood for death. That's all. In that sense, we could say the gates of death. And that's why the revised stand versions tried to be clever and said the powers of death and the new English Bible even more clever, the forces of death.
[00:39:49] But the authorized version translators were nearer to the truth when they said the gates of hell. Because you see, it is true that Hades stands for death. And we have here a term for the powers of death. But who are the powers of death may I ask? If it is not hell itself, what is the supreme weapon of Satan? Death. How does he keep men and women in bondage all their lifetime through fear of death.
[00:40:23] What is his great weapon? Spiritual death.
[00:40:27] How does he destroy every single work of God? By imposing death on it.
[00:40:34] That's how his whole his supreme weapon is death. Now listen again to the words of our Lord. Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell. Death. The powers of death shall not prevail against it.
[00:40:52] He will neither be able to keep captives in bondage through fear of death, nor will he be able to impose death upon the building work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:41:03] Now do you begin to see something here? Why are you prayer warriors? Here's ground for you to take up things. Every time we find that death is coming in, it's something to be thankful for. The enemy's up in arms seeking to impose something upon us, seeking to destroy something that's of God.
[00:41:22] We're death. We have keys in this matter. We can unlock these gates of death and let out people who are trapped in it. And we can lock up these gates when it's an imposition upon the building work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:41:40] We know very well, do we not, that when people have been saved, that's the beginning of the battle. The battle is to get people built up into the house of God. And isn't there a battle over it? All kinds of issues come up and we get so worn out, many of us trying to face those issues. And so we will be worn out until we learn to use the keys. And if we would learn to use the keys behind the scenes, we would see a good deal more building up we wouldn't put up with this work of the enemy, bringing fragmentation and disintegration and deterioration and death.
[00:42:16] If we had just a little bit of spiritual guts about us, we'd start to stand up in the name of the Lord and use the keys that have been given to us. In this matter, there's much more. But you see, we're always beaten by the clock in this matter. Gates in scripture, because of their importance and their protective strength, symbolize power.
[00:42:41] Now, you see, we tend now to be forgetting. Although I do believe in the days that lie ahead, we shall probably be somewhat thankful for gates.
[00:42:49] But in the good old days, there wasn't a city that didn't have huge walls and gates. And when those gates were closed, no one could get in. I remember my great uncle, who lived all his life in that amazing city, Peking, telling me, and I was enthralled by it, how when he went out to play golf in the club somewhere out of Peking, so many miles outside, some old warlord came up against the other warlord who happened to be in charge of Peking. And they had a fight. And the warlord who was in charge of Peking closed the gates.
[00:43:26] And for three months, no one got in because that old warlord said the gates were to remain closed. My uncle lived for three months in the gold cup. Well, it was a very, very sophisticated gold cup, so he liked it.
[00:43:42] But the fact of the matter was, of course, you in this country, we just wouldn't. We can't conceive of such a thing. Some old warlord saying, shut the gates and the gate. Don't forget, Peking has three great solid walls, one after another. And when the gates shut, that was the end of the matter.
[00:44:04] Until a century or two ago, all the cities of Europe had walls and gates. And those gates were strategically important.
[00:44:15] That was the way in and out.
[00:44:18] And they were the protective strength. No good having a great wall if the gates could be battered in. The whole point of the gates was that not only were they a way in and a way out, but they could be closed and kept closed.
[00:44:32] Otherwise, there was no point in all the fortifications.
[00:44:35] So they symbolized, in scripture power, but they symbolized more than power. Do you remember again and again how in the Old Testament it speaks about the elders sitting in the gates? I imagine that many of us wondered what the elders were doing sitting in the gates. Most of us having seen gates of some kind or another. I mean, if you've been to Chester or you've been to York or you've been somewhere else, and you see, in gates you wonder what on earth were the elders doing sitting in the gates?
[00:45:05] But in the old days these gates were very big and cavernous and they provided shade and cool. And they were of course a point of very good, a great community centre point for the whole city. And it was there that the elders held court there, that they administered law there, that decisions were made. It was there that anyone could come with complaint and receive some kind of adjudication or arbitration. In other words, gates came to symbolize in scripture counsel judgment policy, if you like, but counsel and judgment.
[00:45:50] And now we have something tremendous. Let's go back to this matter. Upon this rock I will build my church and the council of hell shall not prevail against it. Now isn't that tremendous? Here again, listen to this. Let me put it another way. The policy of the powers of darkness will not be achieved or carried into effect against the building work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Put it another way, if you like. The judgment of Satan. Not his judgment, but what he wants to do.
[00:46:24] The judgment, the plan, the purpose of Satan will not prevail against the building work of the Lord Jesus. Now I've said all this, but the whole danger in saying it is that you think that that's enough. Why, thank God for that. Jesus said, upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. But the Lord said, I have given thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. In other words, the counsel of hell will prevail unless you use the keys.
[00:47:05] The judgment of Satan will prevail. He will bring about disintegration. He will come in like a flood. He will overwhelm everything. He will destroy every bit of building work unless you as the people of God rise up and use the keys.
[00:47:20] That's what sometimes it's no good sort of saying. Well, every single matter of prayer has got to have executive action. The Holy Spirit has to direct us. But you see, sometimes you feel sick when you just hear, o Lord, please do this, please do that, please do the others. It's never carried into any action. There's never any executive action taken. There's no using of the keys. And Satan laughs.
[00:47:44] He just laughs. All those silly people spending all that time on their knees.
[00:47:52] Don't they understand that until they will take action nothing can be done?
[00:48:06] There's so much in this matter.
[00:48:09] Thus we have the kingdom of heaven, the gates of hell and the building work of Christ.
[00:48:20] Let me say that again. We had the kingdom of heaven, the gates of hell, and the building work of Christ.
[00:48:29] The gates of hell will prevail unless we learn to use the keys. And this work here in Richmond is no exception.
[00:48:41] There is nothing special about us.
[00:48:44] And unless we learn to use the keys in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Come another 20 years, if the Lord tarries, the whole thing will be in death.
[00:49:04] Note very carefully what our Lord said. Only in the new american standard Bible has an attempt be made to really give it to us. In verse 19, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. That is the only version that seeks accurately to convey the meaning of that verse. It's not that you and I say, we're going to bind this, and heaven says, oh, yes, they're doing that. Well, we ratify it, or you're going to lose that. All right, we'll do that. It's rather that because our Lord, our risen Lord, is in the midst by the Holy Spirit, we're gathered together into his name. Agreement comes into us. There's a witness of the spirit that this matter, such and such, has got to be done about it. Do you see? We're back again to Matthew 18, verses 1920. Again I say unto you, if two of you shall agree, as touching anything they shall ask on earth, it shall be done for them and my father, which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together, and to mine, there am I in the midst. In other words, you can't bind anything that heaven does not will to be bound. You can't loose anything that heaven doesn't will to be loosed but once by the spirit of God, we know the mind of our risen Lord, of our risen head, then we only have to utter the words, and it's done.
[00:50:36] We are carrying out the will of heaven, the policy of heaven, the decrees of heaven. Everywhere in the Bible, we see this thing illustrated. We could spend the whole evening. We can't. But the Bible is full of examples. You take Moses. Do you think that Moses just suddenly said, oh, dear, all of us, we've got to get across the red sea? Well, the only way to do it is to split it open.
[00:51:03] So if I lift up the rod and say sort of authoritative word, heaven will fall in with me. Not so. The Lord said to Moses, do this thing. If you look in Exodus, 14. And I think it's verse 16. You had this lovely little humour of the Lord with Moses.
[00:51:21] He says, lift thou up thy rod, stretch out thy hand over the sea and divide it. Fancy the Lord saying to Moses, you divide the red sea. It really is laughable, isn't it?
[00:51:33] Lift up your hand, stretch out your rod, stretch out your hand and divide it. Moses, you do it. You do it.
[00:51:41] It really is quite laughable when you think about it. Moses knew very well that he wasn't dividing the Red Sea. But here is the point. If Moses had refused to lift up the rod and stretch out his hand and say the authoritative word over the Red Sea, it would have remained as impossible a sea as it ever has been.
[00:52:01] They would never have gone across, for the sovereignty of God would not have worked till Moses himself uttered the decree of heaven over that sea. Now do you begin to understand what I'm trying to get at? I'm trying to say that until God can get hold of your human lips and my human lips, and us as the members of Christ's body and utter on earth the decree that has already been passed in heaven, God will not do it.
[00:52:30] You know, the priests, when they carried the ark into the river Jordan, it wasn't that they said, now, we're going in here, and when we go in, we expect you, Lord, to follow us and do something on our behalf. No, no. The Lord had told them that wherever they put the sole to their foot, that would be theirs. And they were told to go into the river Jordan and stand there. And that's exactly what they did when they got their feet wet, the river stood up in a heap quite a few miles upstream, at a place called Adam Damya bridge. For those of you who visited Israel in that region. Well, now, that's amazing. There it all stood in a heap while they went across. But it was the decree of heaven that those people should get across into the land, and therefore, whatsoever they bound on earth had already been bound in heaven. It was as if heaven said, this Jordan is bound. This Jordan is bound. But it wasn't bound. Not until the children of God on earth, with their feet on the actual soil, said, it's bound, in the name of our God, it's bound. Then heaven said, right, it's done.
[00:53:43] And it was done. You had this everywhere. You see, our Lord put it all in very simple words. He said, if we are to enter the strong man's house and spoil his goods, we must first bind him.
[00:53:59] I don't know. I find this a missing link. In evangelism.
[00:54:03] I have never failed to be amazed at so much evangelism, which doesn't seem to understand that unless we get behind the scenes first and bind the strong man, you can't bring anything out of his house.
[00:54:15] But the moment he is bound in the name of the Lord, then you can spoil his house and his goods.
[00:54:28] We all know that we're up against principalities and powers and world rulers of this darkness, hosts of wicked spirits in the heavenly places. The point is that the decree of God's Christ, of God's throne has got to be carried into effect before anything can happen.
[00:54:46] The word of faith has got to be said in the place of prayer over that. Now that cant be said easily. There has to come a point in our time of prayer where faith is manifested by the spirit of God, and in that moment someone breaks the sound barrier and others witness to it.
[00:55:07] Then at that moment something can happen. God help us. If theres no such manifestation of the spirit of God, we are lost, because it means that we can cry and cry and cry and plead and plead and plead, but until faith is given to actually mouth the very will and decree of God, as if the thing is done here on earth, heaven will not do a single thing.
[00:55:38] We can have our evangelistic outreach, we can have our evangelistic meetings, we can have our children's work, we can have teaching times as we do on Thursday evening. But, you know, we can feel we're up against a brick wall, speaking against a brazen wall, teaching, teaching, teaching, teaching. Still there's no building up. Still there's no integration. Still there's no relatedness. Why? Because there are principalities and powers that are sitting on the whole thing and will not go until they're told that they're bound in the name of the Lord, until the word is said that the building work of Christ is released.
[00:56:15] But when that word is said in faith and is supported by other members of the body, the work goes on. Listen to me in this thing, or you'll rue the day. You'll rue the day. That's a word of prophecy. There will come years ahead when you will look back and someone will put their finger upon some of these days and say, thus, and thus, and thus. And thus was said at that time, but no one listened. No one listened. They just, they just simply sat there like a lot of puppets and they didn't take it in.
[00:56:50] Don't you understand that we have broken through in the front line in this little company that somehow other things have been done don't you realize that hell will marshal all its forced it to destroy any breach in its front line?
[00:57:08] Just you sit back and think, oh, it's all right. It's all right. We'll come through. We'll come through. God is sovereign. God is sovereign.
[00:57:20] Why then has every movement of the spirit of God gone into death?
[00:57:25] Why hasn't the Lord sovereignly kept the Methodist revival alive? The puritan revival alive? The Quaker revival alive, the brethren revival alive? Why has he let it all die? Why the pentecostal revival? Why have they all died?
[00:57:38] Why?
[00:57:39] Because no one was prepared to listen to what God was trying to say at a point of crisis. That is why we may well ask why the Lord requires us to use the keys since he is sovereign, and I answer in this way.
[00:58:03] The only answer seems to be that he is training us all for eternal service in his kingdom. We shall never learn to exercise authority whilst he carries us.
[00:58:17] It seems to be a principle with God that he will not do anything until first we find out what his will is, and then in the secret place of prayer, speak of it as done.
[00:58:32] And when that happens, God steps in and does it. Why? Because he's training you. God is far more interested in your eternal service than what we're doing here and now. We may think that everything now is the important thing. It isn't with God. God is, in fact, training us for eternal vocation.
[00:58:53] Well, I think we ought to bring this time to a close. How do we execute the will of God in prayer?
[00:59:00] Here are a few things that may help you practically firstly, take our place in Christ.
[00:59:08] Put on the whole armor of God.
[00:59:12] You should do this always in all times of prayer. But when executive prayer, when there is going to be executive prayer or the possibility of executive prayer, then every one of us must consciously, deliberately, by faith, put on the whole armor of God. That is, take your position in Christ. That's where God has put you. Stay there, remain there, abide there. Ephesians 610 18 remember that we stand in him. We don't go back, we don't go forward, we don't do anything else but stand, withstand, and having done all stand.
[00:59:49] Take our place in Christ. Put on the whole armor of God. Secondly, we must have a knowledge of his will in the matter before us.
[01:00:00] We must have a knowledge of his will in the matter before us. You can never take executive action till you are quite clear as to what the will of God is in that matter. Ephesians 517 do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is now, thats why this matter is so serious and why ive spoken so vehemently about this matter, because its utter nonsense for members of the body of Christ to well, we too young, we don't understand. We don't know what the will of the Lord is. The word of God to you is. Don't be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. God is far more interested in you knowing what his will is.
[01:00:49] You're being a fool. I'm being a fool? If we hide behind some smoke screen of I can't detect what the will of God is. It's your business to find out. You'll never get into the eternal service of God unless you and I do.
[01:01:03] Thirdly, open our hearts and beings to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We need to be filled with him so that we are full of faith, full of power, full of grace, and full of wisdom. Ephesians 518 don't be drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be being filled with the spirit.
[01:01:28] Why so often do we not take executive action in prayer? Because we are not filled with the spirit. That is why people just can't rise to it. They can't get there, because somehow or other, through devices of the enemy, we are not filled. There's no excuse. Because our being filled is not a question of zeal, not a question of goodness, not a question of good works. It is a question of the grace of God and the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ Christ.
[01:01:57] Fourthly, we must be agreed together by the Spirit.
[01:02:02] Matthew 1819 and I won't quote that again with quoted Locke, but we must be agreed. You cannot take action until there is real agreement that this is the way. We must then use the key. One of the more responsible ones amongst us, by the spirit, will do this. We need to be together and to second him.
[01:02:26] In other words, it's no good someone trying to use the keys unless others are really with him. In this matter, it has to be seconded.
[01:02:36] Using the keys consists of three things.
[01:02:39] What do we mean by using the keys? These are the three things declaring the will of God and the facts over this matter.
[01:02:52] That's how you use the keys. You declare the will of God and the facts. In other words, say it's a certain matter, and we have come to the clear conclusion together that the Lord is going to dislodge whatever it is we say. This thing is dislodged in the name of the Lord. We've driven it out. It's driven out. The Lord is here. He has taken this place, whatever it is we're thinking about. You've heard, of course, a fraser of Lisu land. It's in behind the ranges. That amazing biography. When, after many years, he finally got to the Lisu tribe in southwest China, an animist tribe. They were so demon possessed, worshipping spirits. And he alone was the only believer in the whole, whole of that area, ranging over hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles.
[01:03:49] He sought to do everything he could in that time to bring the gospel to those people. But not only did he not succeed, he himself, in the end, was unable to pray. And he says that it was as if an iron hand physically took hold of his throat, and he was unable to get the words out of prayer. This happened day after day after day, and he wrote off. In those days, it took months for letters to get from China home to the prayer groups that supported him. Pray, pray. I cannot get through. The powers of darkness are so, so tremendous here. Until one day, he read in the scriptures about God is gone up with a shout, and that God reigneth. And suddenly into his head is said, shout to the Lord with the voice of triumph. And so he decided to go up on the highest peak in Lisuland. And he climbed that peak, and turning to the south, he shouted, jesus Christ is Lord of Lisuland. And then turning to the north, he shouted the same thing. And to the east and to the west, when he came down, the power of the enemy had been broken. He was able to pray again for the first time. Now, you see, all the prayer in the world did not do that. It was executive action. He didn't even pray. He went up on the top and he declared something. And in that moment, the keys were used, and the powers of darkness in Lisu land were locked. What happened? Within weeks, the first family of the Lisu turned to the Lord Jesus. Then another family, then another family, then another family. Until in all the annals of the work of God in China, there is none more glorious and more bright than the work of God amongst the Lisu people right up to date. Just a few years ago, after all the suffering of the Lisu people and the people who laid down their lives to bring the gospel to them, including Fraser of Lisu land, the Bible was finally published completely in Lisu and given to the Lisu people. It all came out of executive action. Supposing Fraser of Lisu land had never climbed that mountain, and supposing he had never declared the fact. And what was the fact? The fact was Jesus Christ is lord of Lee Sulan.
[01:06:26] All the circumstances were against him. All the evidence shouted to the contrary, but he declared the fact in that instant it happened.
[01:06:39] So declare the will of God and the facts. Secondly, using the keys, possess the situation in the name of the Lord. Take it. This may involve us in binding things or loosing things, but we have to take a situation in the name of the Lord. We have to possess it in the name of the Lord. Thirdly, praise and worship the Lord. Now here we come to an aspect of executive action which is very, very real and is often overlooked, that executive action is a matter of worship. In no other aspect of prayer ministry has worshipped such an integral part than in executive action. Because how do you really use the keys? You will not only declare the facts, you not only possess it in the name of the Lord, but you start to worship the Lord and praise him as if the whole thing is actually, literally done.
[01:07:34] Actually, it's done in the unseen. It has yet to be carried out in the sea. But you worship the Lord. Now, the best example of that, of course, is King Jehoshaphat. In two chronicles 20, when they were surrounded by all those enemies, a great confederacy of evil, and everything seemed to be hopeless, they were blockaded. And you remember what happened. You will remember that they sought the Lord, supplication. They inquired of the Lord, and the Lord spoke to them. To a prophet, there was a manifestation of the spirit. And what did the prophet say? He said, listen, all of you, don't fear. Don't fear. The Lord is with you. You do not need to fight in this battle. Take your position, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Tomorrow. Go out against them. You shall find them at such and such. Now, where did Jehoshaphat finally use the keys? Now, here's a point. At that point, they all worshiped the law, but they didn't really use the keys, finally, until the next morning, early in the morning, when the army was ready to go out, Jehoshaphat and his counselors had a conference. And evidently Jehoshaphat must have said to them, how do we express our faith in concrete terms? And they must have had a talk about it. And finally they said, we'll put the choir in front of the army.
[01:08:55] And then you would have thought the choir would have sung a very militant song, like something like, the Lord he is. Lord, our enemies have been defeated. They're under the feet of our Lord, or something like that. But no, they sang the most amazingly peaceful song, as if there wasn't even the scent of war. In the air they sang, for the mercy of the Lord endureth forever. And so they went out into the battle just as if they were having a Sunday school picnic. One side singing for the mercy of the Lord endureth forever and the other side singing about the mercy of the Lord endureth for them the mercy of the Lord endureth forever the mercy of the Lord endureth forever and it says this in two chronicles, chapter 20. And I think it's verse 22, it says. And when they began to sing the Lord set liars in wait against the armies of Edom. And so. And they all began to kill each other.
[01:09:57] But it was only when they began to sing that was using the keys, wasn't it? When finally the choir got there, what did they find? Not a single soul alive. The whole place was littered with dead bodies. Not only dead bodies. Plenty of spoil of all kinds. It took them three whole days collecting everything and bringing it back to Jerusalem. It was a tremendous triumph. So those are the three things.
[01:10:30] Using the keys consists of declaring the will of God and the facts possessing the situation in the name of the Lord, praising and worshiping the Lord. Now one last point on this matter and I make a few practical points and finish. Often some further positive and concrete action has to be taken.
[01:10:46] And that's where I think we often fail.
[01:10:49] Let me say it again. Often some further positive concrete action has to be taken. If we have prayed for someone's healing, it may well be that we should. Then once we are clear from the Lord that the Lord has spoken to us quite clearly about the person, it may be that we should go and pray for them in the name of the Lord. Sometimes when it's something else, a concrete action has to be taken. If you look back in the history of this place you will remember that there were times when God directed us to do certain things. He told us that this and this was ours or we were to do this and this and we took it in the name of the Lord. But then we had to take positive action. Sometimes it was sending a sum of money. Sometimes it was something else telling the builders to come in and get on with the job when we hadn't got it. But we always had to take positive action before the Lord supplied our need.
[01:11:45] Remember that. Now some practical points. Remember, we execute the will of God by standing. Be careful about being drawn out by the enemy and uncovered. Very real danger in this matter. He tries to get you to come out and to sort of get uncovered. Be careful. Always remain hidden in the Lord.
[01:12:06] The victory is ours. As we stand in Christ.
[01:12:11] Secondly, never enter into conversation with the devil, calling him names or deriding him. Remember, even the archangel Michael does not bring a wailing accusation against him. But said, the Lord, rebuke thee, Satan. If the archangel Michael was only able to say that, we ought to also be very, very careful. Don't think that you can call the devil names and get away with it. I remember years ago when there was a particular situation amongst us over a sister who was undoubtedly in very, very great distress. One younger brother got carried away.
[01:12:47] He didn't know too much about the fear of the Lord and began to call the devil all kinds of names. You slimy serpent. He called him you, you liar. You this, you this, you this. And those of us who knew the Lord a little more deeply in these things, we trembled for that brother, and we couldn't even pray. The rest of us. Afterwards, all we could do was, in our hearts, appeal to the lord to cover the brother.
[01:13:13] A curtain fell on that brother that night, and he never recovered until, I think, about eight years later, when the lord graciously restored him. In those years, he was as dead spiritually as it's possible to be, and it came down that night.
[01:13:34] Never think that you can enter into conversation with the devil or call him names or sort of deride him or be cheap.
[01:13:42] Thirdly, see that you are right with the Lord before the prayer time begins, or we waste valuable time. Sometimes people seem to. They don't seem to get right with the Lord even before the gathering. You know, they don't just bow their heads and say, now, lord, if there's been any uncleanness or any defiant, I put it under the blood of the lamb. I take my position in thee as my righteousness. Instead, we find that sometimes valuable time is taken up. Our people shall say, oh, Lord, we're so unworthy. I'm so unworthy. I do feel the need. Please do this, too. I mean, it's quite humble, but it's much better to have that, to get that right with the Lord before we enter into a bad time of prayer. Do you understand?
[01:14:19] Always remember, that's why in the old days amongst evangelicals, people used to get in in time and sit there, not talking, but getting right with the Lord.
[01:14:33] Maybe you didn't realize that's why people in the old days used to go in and sit there with their heads bowed in chapels and so on. Really, they were getting right with the Lord so that when the time began, we were all ready.
[01:14:45] I think that's an important point. This can contribute to the heaviness and the difficulty in the time.
[01:14:53] If you're not right, if you are a sister, take real note of one corinthians eleven 1010.
[01:15:01] You know where it says about having something on the head. Now far be it from me to tell you what to do, but remember, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
[01:15:15] And I would have thought that that one little phrase because of the angels would be enough to make any sister sit up and take note.
[01:15:26] Now you say, ah, but I dont understand it. Yes, but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
[01:15:33] If theres something there in the word, you say ah. It was an old Testament custom. See, it was one of those customs today. But what else was an old Testament custom? Are you sure that our salvation wasnt an old Testament custom?
[01:15:44] Where do we stop? What else do we throw out?
[01:15:48] Im saying this simply because you may get away with it even in a time of prayer. But when executive action is taken in prayer, we have to be very careful indeed for principalities, powers, world, rules of darkness, hosts of wickedness are all involved. So take that to heart and ask the Lord about it. And then lastly, we execute the will of God by declaring positive facts, ignoring Satan and praising God. Do you know, sometimes, not always, but sometimes the way through in executive action is just to praise the Lord as if Satan isnt even in sight, just like they did Jehoshaphat did with the others. You wouldnt have thought, would you, when they were going out into the wilderness that there was a great huge military confederacy waiting there to destroy the whole nation and take the city?
[01:16:45] They just ignored. They didn't even mention Satan. Didn't even mention him. All they said was, the mercy of the Lord endureth forever.
[01:16:53] Well, now, I think we ought to just bow our heads in prayer, shall we, and seek him.
[01:17:10] Dear Lord, we bow here in thy presence this evening, and we all feel, Lord, our need of thee. And we pray, Lord, that thou wilt write something of this, thy word in our hearts.
[01:17:24] We need, Lord, to learn how to be with thee and how to be instrumental in thy hands in seeing, Lord, that the policy of thy kingdom is carried out not just in general all over the world, but, Lord, here in Richmond.
[01:17:40] And thou hast set us here, Lord, first of all. And, oh, how we need to see, dear Lord, that plan of thine, that purpose of thine, that will of thine for this area carried into effect.
[01:17:55] Dear Lord, we need to know how to bind the strong man.
[01:17:59] And only thou, Lord, canst teach us, Lord, wilt thou, we pray, come in on this day time and by thy spirit, really get this into our hearts? We ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
