Bill Johnson teaches on the authority we have when we use the Word of God as our weapon to fight and to build. Authority and leadership are never for the purpose of ruling over or controlling others, but to serve and empower. Through our authority in Christ, we have the responsibility to serve and fight on the behalf of others and to co-labor with God and see His Kingdom established in the earth. Whether you need strength for a battle, or wisdom for the things God has put in your heart to build, God’s Word will sustain and lead you, and carries the power for every breakthrough you need. Subscribe for weekly videos: https://bit.ly/bjmYoutube
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Scripture References: Romans 12-13 Nehemiah 4 1 Peter 2: 14 Genesis 4: 9 1 Timothy 1: 18 Originally shared at Bethel Church, Redding California, on April 29, 2018.
the sword that we fight with is that
word this is what God says over this
household you may say it over your own
as for me in my house we will serve the
Lord this is not optional and there’s no
exceptions you get into that situation
with the word of the Lord you and I are
no match for the enemy but we are more
than a match when God is with us the
point is get the word of the Lord and
use the
[Music]
decree I do have something important to
read
it’s actually one of the first ones I
read years ago but I just like
it after having dug to a depth of 10
feet last year New York scientists found
traces of copper wire dating back a 100
years they came to the conclusion that
their ancestors already had a telephone
Network more than 100 years
ago not to be outdone by the new New
Yorkers in the weeks that followed
California archaeologists dug to a depth
of 20 ft shortly after headlines in the
LA Times read California archaeologists
have found traces of 200-year-old copper
wire and have concluded that their
ancestors already had an advanced
High-Tech Communications Network a
hundred years earlier than the New
Yorkers one week later in a local
newspaper in Texas they reported the
following after digging as deep as 30 ft
in his 2,000 acre pasture near
Montgomery County Texas Bubba Rathbone a
self-taught
archaeologist reported he found
absolutely
nothing Bubba has therefore concluded
that 300 years ago Texas had already
gone
Wireless how many Texans are in the room
here
you’re welcome you’re
welcome I’m really excited about this
book you guys thanks for for doing this
this is so
cool love love love what you guys are
doing all right you ready uh open your
Bibles going to look at two portions of
scripture the first one we’ll read is in
Romans chapter
12 the second one is in Nehemiah 4 so
put a piece of paper in Nehemiah 4 it’ll
take me a while to get
there Romans chapter
12 and then Nehemiah chapter
4
for several weeks now I’ve been working
on uh on a
book and when you spend week after week
writing on one thing you tend to get so
absorbed in that one thing that you
can’t think of much else outside of that
and that’s kind of the position I’m in
today I’m I’m writing on parenting on
raising kids and uh I I think I
mentioned to you last week or week
before sometime uh the title of the book
is Raising giant killers and uh I
figured e either go big or go home so
we’re just we’re going to go for the
juggler on this
one um but the the whole uh the whole
point the thing that got me stirred up
for this morning was something I’ve
mentioned to you on several occasions
and that is the purpose for all
government all government has two basic
functions number one is is to provide
protection number two is to empower
protection and to empower and it doesn’t
matter if that government is the
government of a Nation like this nation
or a mom and dad in a household a pastor
a church CEO of a corporation doesn’t
matter what it is those two basic
functions are transferable to every
responsibility that carries
Authority one of the most interesting
things about Authority in scripture is
that Authority is never used for one’s
own
benefit Authority is never used for
self-promotion Authority is not used for
um for the Bene of benefit of the person
in other words it’s not used to increase
our self-esteem it’s not used to
increase our our sense of responsibility
before people and before God it is not
self-serving government Authority in
scripture is basically the ability to
speak on behalf of those who have no
voice and when you think about the
nature of Kingdom government it was the
reason Israel uh God didn’t want Israel
to have a king as they weren’t ready
because he knew that the king would be
self-serving and yet the Lord did say
that isra that through Abraham’s loins
there would be Kings and so he had the
intention of fashioning Kings after his
own kingship which Jesus as the King of
Kings stood and washed the feet of his
disciples so it’s a unique posture that
biblical kings are supposed to have back
to our role of authority authorities to
be used for the benefit of
others when we come to Romans chapter 12
we’re going to look at two very distinct
and different passages of scripture when
we come into Romans 12 Romans 12 is
basically a pastoral chapter it is where
um you show Mercy you show kindness you
respect respond gently you people who
deserve uh retaliation you don’t give it
instead you show mercy and then in
Chapter 13 I’m glad they’re next to each
other because chapter 13 basically
announces that government has been
anointed by God with a sword to bring
Justice and these verses are like three
or four verses apart it’s like God
wasn’t confused when he put them
together because it’s in the contrast of
the two the problem that we have
especially now with social media on such
an insane level of inviting just
anybody’s opinion we have we have
leaders who make difficult decisions I’m
so glad I don’t have to make some of the
decisions that our our our nation our
congress senate president governor these
people have to make I’m so glad that
that I don’t but I pray that God gives
them wisdom but here’s the point is
often times they will make a decision to
bring about Justice and there’s whining
and complaining in the church about the
absence or lack of mercy and there are
times
where it’s just not what God has
ordained and we’ll read the scripture in
a moment for you the Lord has actually
anointed a sword to bring about Justice
and why Justice is one of the
cornerstones one of the foundation
Stones if you will of society without
Justice there is absolute chaos it is
necessary it is essential it doesn’t
erase the need for Mercy it doesn’t
erase the need for kindness thankfully
we still have both but but the whining
and complaining that goes on in the
church when justice has been applied is
really uncalled for we’ll read it in a
moment what’s necessary is that the
church responds to need with mercy and
then we pray for our government leaders
to be able to use Justice
appropriately both
and let’s let’s just take a look at the
scripture and that’ll that’ll help to
let you know that’s not my
opinion all right um let’s start with
verse 17 of chapter 12 did I did I tell
you Romans 12 yes all right if I told
you 13 just back up Romans 12:17 repay
no one evil for evil have regard for the
good things in sight of all men if it is
possible as much as depends on you live
peaceably with all men
beloved do not avenge yourselves but
rather give place for wrath some
translations say leave room for the
wrath of God for it is written vengeance
is mine I will repay says the Lord
therefore if your enemy is hungry feed
him if he is thirsty give him
drink in so doing you will Heap coals of
fire on his head that verse is so funny
to me show kindness because when you do
that you’ll just burn their brains out
you just you just you just pour coals on
their head that’ll teach them that it’s
kind of like the sneaky way of getting
justice as as I understand I’ve I’ve
heard this story told before as I
understand uh biblical culture what
would happen is there would be a a a
community would have a fire in the in
the center of that community and that
Community would that fire would be
tended throughout the day
and there would always be coals on that
fire so that when it came came time to
cook a meal people from every household
could come they could get the coals they
could take it back to their stove and
they could actually cook a meal but
those who lived on the outskirts of the
city would come to the city Square they
would get the coals but by the time they
would get home often times those coals
would have burned out so what this is
saying is that person who’s going to the
outskirts of their home what would
happen is people would see them hurrying
trying to get home knowing that their
coals are burning out and they would
look at their own fire and say well I
have enough to share so they would take
coals and put it into the container that
was on their head as they were going by
to go to their own home it’s not a
sneaky way of afflicting people it’s
it’s a way of sustaining people it’s a
way of feeding people it’s a way of
sustaining providing life for people
when the Bible says don’t take Vengeance
on yourself but leave room for God’s
wrath it’s it’s it’s not saying God’s
not saying get out of the way I want to
destroy people what he is saying is this
is if you use your authority to
vindicate yourself and to pay someone
back then God is called to defend that
per person because you’re misusing your
Authority your Authority has been given
for the benefit of people not for their
destruction and if we use our author
Authority for the destruction for the
demise of individuals then God defends
that individual but here’s what he says
he says leave room for the wrath of God
what does this mean this means that if I
as a person refuse to vindicate myself
but instead I stand as the encourager
the one who supplements strength for
this individual then God can come with
wrath and bring discipline because
they’ll survive the discipline because
they have someone to care for them they
have someone to love them they have
someone to refurbish and to rebuild them
up so God can go for the issues of the
heart knowing that they have strength
around them so that the discipline turns
them into
righteousness does that make sense so
when the Lord says leave room for the
wrath of God he’s saying leave room for
my discipline don’t you do it you stand
there as the lover as the supporter as
The Giver of Mercy because if you’ll
take that posture you’re using Authority
correctly it’s for the health well-being
building up sustain staining of Life For
The
Individual Justice is an essential part
of uh of life so let’s go into chapter
um chapter 13 and let’s go right to
verse
three rulers are not a terror to good
works but to evil do you want to be
unafraid of the authority do what is
good and you will have praise from the
same
for he is God’s minister to you for good
but if you do evil be afraid for he does
not bear The Sword in vain now listen to
this phrase he is God’s Minister an
Avenger to execute wrath on him who
practices
evil put that one on your
refrigerator claim that
promise God
anoints individuals in governmental
roles to avenge wrath and establish
justice again that does not mean Mercy
cannot or should not be shown it’s just
Justice is
essential people say well you can’t
legislate
morality yeah in part that’s true but
how many you think there would be more
murders if murder was
legal if it was legal to cheat on your
taxes how many of you think might
be more people would yeah nobody here
but others would for sure outside this
room yeah yeah you you get the point the
point is is that Justice enforced helps
to hold the standard for those who don’t
know how to live with the internal
standard God has written in their hearts
those who live under the rule of God
live under grace those who live
unrighteously live under
law it’s
true now notice what it says here it
says punishment on the wicked Praise on
the one who does
good in 1 Peter 2 we have a a similar
passage uh let me just read it to you it
says Governors are those who are sent by
God for the punishment of evildoers and
the praise of those who do good what’s
the point government has two functions
to empower and to protect everybody in
this room carries some measure of
authority where God is looking for you
to implement to use those two basic
tools as I said earlier it doesn’t
matter if you’re a parent in a home if
you’re the CEO of a country company
doesn’t matter what it is we all have
responsibility but now we have another
area or element of responsibility and
that is that we are actually members of
one another when Cain killed Abel God
came looking and spoke and Cain had this
classic response am I My Brother’s
Keeper well the answer is
yes because we are members of one
another we actually have responsibility
outside of
ourself it doesn’t mean in a sick way
carrying you know undo weightiness of
burden uh you know that that’s
devastating to to carry burdens that
that are not yours in an unhealthy way
to to feel responsible for everything
that goes on around you that’s unhealthy
but it is healthy to be moved by the
difficulty of a friend of a relative of
somebody that you care for what Nehemiah
did is very very profound we’re going to
read it in a moment
Nehemiah Nehemiah was released by The
King to go back to Jerusalem to help
rebuild the city
70 some years
earlier Israel started rebuilding the
temple in Jerusalem they had uh let me
just back up on the story Israel had
been taken captive by an enemy Nation
because of the Rebellion against God and
so God after the period of time was over
God released them to go back and to
rebuild what was destroyed so they went
back and the first thing they did is
offer sacrifices to the Lord
and after they offered the sacrifice
they rebuilt the temple what happens in
your life in my life when we come to
Christ the first thing that happens is
we say yes we sacrifice our will we give
an offering to the Lord and we say yes
to being saved yes to being forgiven yes
to Turning from sin and following after
him the first thing he does in that
response is to rebuild the Temple in our
life in other words he takes up
residence in in us and our body
literally becomes a temple of the Holy
Spirit but what he’s looking for is to
build up walls of strength walls of
Integrity walls of morality around an
individual life picture this in in
biblical days a city’s strength was
represented by its wall in other words
if it was tall and thick it was a
stronger City there were some cities the
walls were so wide that on top of the
wall they could actually do a chariot
race so they would have houses sometimes
actually built into the wall they were
so thick they were so uh uh powerful and
so when you’ve got how many you know if
you’ve got in this room we’ve got four
walls you have walls on three sides and
you don’t have a wall on one side
where’s the enemy going to attack and
that’s the point that’s the picture is
we want strength on all sides all issues
of the heart for there to be strength
because in that Integrity in that
discipline of personal well-being
there’s actually safety picture living
in a city like that with these massive
walls you could have your biggest enemy
on the outside of the wall throwing
rocks shooting arrows throwing Spears
cursing doing all this stuff at the wall
and you’re on the inside you don’t even
know you’re under
attack because the wall actually in in
many cases in insulates you from knowing
the adverse conditions that exist
outside the
wall it’s absolutely true there is a
place of personal integrity and strength
where you can you can exist in the
middle of a conflict and have it not
affect you at all I’m not trying to
imply that if you’re affected by things
you’ve got a broken wall I’m not trying
to apply that but I am saying the
purpose for these walls is to create
place of safe and personal strength now
Nehemiah
chapter 4 turn there if you
would I’m I’m reading these verses only
because they emphasize these two
postures
of of protection and
empowering
verse 13 of Nehemiah 4
by the way Nehemiah his name means
comforter and he’s really a picture of
the Holy Spirit Israel tried for at
least 72 years it may have been 76 I
don’t recall right now we’ll just say 72
72 years to rebuild the walls around
Jerusalem 72 years and what would happen
is they would build some during the day
an enemy Nation would come in at night
and tear down what they built so they
it’s it’s a lesson of futility what they
built was torn down overnight 72 years
of this nonsense Nehemiah comes
comforter comes and he rebuilds the wall
completely in 52 days they completed in
52 days what they couldn’t do in 72
years in an entire lifetime they
couldn’t do it and yet they could do in
a couple months under the guiding the
leadership the empowering of the
presence of the holy spirit all right
now chapter 4 verse
13 therefore I position Men Behind the
lower parts of the wall at the openings
and I set the people according to their
families with their swords their Spears
and their bows and I looked and arose
and said to the Nobles to the leaders to
the rest of the people do not be afraid
of them remember the Lord
boy do not be afraid remember the Lord
you’ve got one of two ponds you can
drink from fear or remember the Lord
you can’t do both you can’t consider him
and be afraid on
good do not be afraid of them remember
the Lord great and awesome and fight for
your brethren your sons your daughters
your wives and your
houses and it happened when our enemies
heard that it was known to us that God
had brought their plot to nothing that
all of us return to the wall everyone do
his work last verse so no excuse me a
couple more so it was from that time on
that half of my servants worked on the
construction while the other half held
Spears Shields bows and wore armor the
leaders were behind all the house of
Judah those who built on the walls those
who carried burdens loaded themselves so
that with one hand they worked at
construction with the other they held a
weapon every one of the builders had his
sword gted at his side as he built
what’s the point these two concepts of
of uh protecting and building or
empowering these are the roles of all
government and it doesn’t matter to me
if you’re a brand new disciple of Jesus
you’ve been saved for one week or you’re
the president of a Nation you have
responsibility by God to be a protector
and an empowerer a builder we have we
have interesting pictures here that
Nehemiah describes of his own servants
on one hand the work they were doing in
building required all of their both of
their hands all of their attention so in
that case Nehemiah would release that
person to build but then he would give
that person a soldier that would stand
by them with sword spear armor
everything and they would work to
protect this one who is doing the work
so there’s that
role the others they could carry a load
up the wall but they could carry a spear
too and so they would carry a load and
they would have a spear so we have
individuals that did both at the same
time there were others that were able to
do work but have a spear at their side
and they were ready the point is these
two roles are very dis uh
distinguishable in these Builders of the
wall and they are marks of
responsibility and privilege for every
believer in this room every person who
watches by bethl TV the privilege
responsibility we have is that we’ve
been called by God to build and to
protect to protect and to build to build
and protect sometimes sometimes we have
a friend that’s just In the Heat of the
battle and they are in there just trying
as best they can to to get something out
of their life maybe maybe you have a
friend that’s pouring themselves into an
individual that’s just going through
hell and they’re there counseling and
praying you the soldiers stand in a
place as a Watchman to watch and to pray
and to contend God just we draw a circle
around these two the one who gives the
counsel the one who needs the healing
the deliverance and you stand there as
the one just protecting other times
you’re the person carrying The Sword and
the trial you’re working on building
you’re bringing encouragement you’re
looking for the promise of God for an
individual but you also have skin in the
game you’re ready to fight notice
Nehemiah positioned people to the wall
the part of the wall that was closest to
their
home they they they’ve got personal
investment yes they’ve got personal
investment they they’ve got this wall
that they are not only going to benefit
from but more specifically their
children their grandchildren their
spouse their sister their brother their
a all these people that are in this
family unit I’m working on this wall why
because I’m building a place of safety
for my family all those that matter to
me and I realize not everybody in this
room have children or grandchildren but
we all have friend friends we have
people that we’re connected to people
that we’re willing to fight for we get M
we get rocked when we see oh man I hate
what this person is having to go through
right now so we pick up the sword we
pick up the trial we say God give me a
word for this person give me the a
promise that I can fight with
interestingly the sword that we fight
with is the word of the Lord the
building material that we fight with
that we build with is the word of the
Lord
the sword that we fight with is that
word this is what God says over this
household you may say it over your own
as for me in my house we will serve the
Lord this is not optional and there’s no
exceptions as for me in my house we will
serve the Lord you get into that Fray
you get into that situation with the
word of the Lord you and I are no match
for the enemy but we are more than a
match when God is with us the point is
get the word of the Lord and use the
decree and so here we have interesting
two roles protection and building
protection and EMP power both use the
same
tool both use the same tool the sword
that works that destroys powers of hell
here builds up and edifies here it’s the
same
word so
good I I I think this morning if I I’m
not into making wishes
I I’d rather pray but if I could have
one wish this
morning it’ be that everybody in the
room would hear a word from
God it’s just when God has spoken every
every other
voice every other voice loses its power
loses its effect it’s it’s the need of
my heart
every I I think I can say it absolutely
certainly
close most every situation that I get
into
the first thing I do is what has God
said or what is he saying I’ve got to
know what he said I will review tapes I
I mentioned to you a week or so ago I’ve
I’ve got my uh my
iPhone I have so many things in here
I’ve got a lot of music I’ve got I’ve
got
prophecies you know Bob Jones
prophesying to me I I I just I put it in
my car and it just plays randomly
whatever is recorded I could program it
but this is more fun to have the Beatles
singing Yellow Submarine one
moment and then have Robin McMillan
prophesying over me in the next I mean
I’d rather have that combination it’s
just it just seems healthier to
me I I love sitting there re hearing oh
yeah that’s right Benny and I were
ministered to by Mike ble about 10 years
ago and he and his team began to
prophesy they made make these CES over
over me and i’ I’ve heard them a couple
times this week it makes me just want to
drive around
town keep looking for another prophetic
word to randomly play I I had a weird
experience last week I had an
appointment with somebody and uh a
friend of mine that flown from out of
the area to to meet and on my way to the
appointment literally a lady I’d never
met before or since I recorded a
prophetic word and she described this
individual that I’d be meeting and so
here she gave me this word like 5 six
seven years ago and I’m driving into the
restaurant hearing her prophesy about
this this me so I I
just
Siri and Jesus work together that’s all
I know that’s all I know they they
they’re working together and they they
work hard to bring me the mind of the
Lord in any given situation so sorry for
the Apple commercial I’m sure yours will
do the same all
right
it’s fascinating though that the the
building
material that you can build in the child
that you’re fighting for that friend
that you’re fighting for is the fact
that you heard from God is you just take
what he says and you just you you you
administer this is what the Lord is
saying if you can’t find what he’s
saying find what he
said just use what use his word as the
building Block in that in that broken
situation but the same is also true in
in the
battle Paul said to
Timothy fight this fight of Faith with
the prophecies previously made
concerning
you Timothy you’re in the middle of a
war grab hold of what’s been declared
over you and use those like a sword make
your decree make your pronouncement
you’re not a wimp waving a straw you’re
a soldier waving the word of the Lord
and it is the Lord himself who backs up
and supports the decrees that he has
made it’s best for us to take the
posture of the word of the Lord so we’ve
all got friends that are that are facing
different things and it doesn’t mean I
take ownership if I have your problem
but what it means is is I pay attention
to that tender place in my heart that is
so moved when I hear oh someone has gone
through this oh this crisis happened
here this promotion has happened here
there wisdom to gather together the
building blocks of my own life begin to
release through decree this is what the
Lord is saying this is what I’m willing
to fight
for
what I like to do is when I’m with my
kids or my grandkids
or any the younger people that I fight
and contend for when I’m with them I
just
build but when I’m a lord well
alone I pull out the
sword you’ve got to know you’ve got to
know when to fight when I’m with them I
just I just build but when I’m
alone I pull out the
sword this is what God says over this
household this is what the Lord says
over this family over this
individual you know we wear two
hats we’re con construction workers
we’re contractors we’re Architects we’re
Builders but we’re also military agents
representing the King of Kings and the
Lord of lords bringing about the in
influence of his will his purposes into
the Earth don’t ever downgrade the role
that you play it’s not about
you it’s about him being known for who
he is in the earth do you know that
every time you and I represent him well
his majesty is released and his name
becomes revealed the beauty of who he is
as a perfect father becomes known by
many this is the great privilege of
every believer is to make him known what
do he like they don’t know they don’t
know they think he created cancer they
think he just created disease to teach
people a
lesson they don’t see him as a father
that heals that disciplines but he heals
and he brings into
strength you and I have that
privilege we’re going to have we’ve got
a little bit of time left we’re going to
have uh just a little bit of ministry so
I’m going to ask if I could get Ministry
team to come quickly up to the front
everybody else to stay seated for a
moment this will we we’ll make this
transition quickly but I want I want our
ministry team up here real fast if you
can make your way up that would help me
out we could to have everyone else just
kind of hold your place for a moment
that’ll really be a great great help to
us
beautiful there is nothing more
important this this
morning there’s nothing more
important than the greatest Miracle of
all and that is the
Salvation of a soul that’s an individual
being being forgiven of God brought into
his family he’s the great reconciler
he’s the great Redeemer he’s the adopter
he’s the one who chooses and brings into
his
household and this greatest Miracle of
all is available to anybody either
watching on bethl TV or here in this
room or in one of our overflows this is
available to every person I want you to
consider with me anybody in this room
they would just say Bill I I don’t know
what it is to walk with God I don’t know
what it is to be forgiven I don’t know
what it is to turn from from the way I
do life to follow Jesus but I want to I
want to I want to make that turn I I
want to give myself completely to him
and it may be somebody here who has
walked with the Lord but for whatever
reason you’re going this way he’s going
that way and you wouldd say this has got
to end I don’t want to leave the
building till I know I’m right with God
if if there’s anyone in those two
conditions right now I want you just to
raise your hand by doing so you’re
saying bill I don’t want to leave till I
know I’m at peace with God put your hand
up real high real quick we had a couple
on the first service way back here is
two two people right here bless you it’s
wonderful Amen to that anybody else real
quick anyone else real quick if I if I
sometimes it’s hard it faces hands melt
into faces I can’t see all right this is
what I’m going to ask you to do if you
would stand with me very quickly we’re
going to call out certain conditions to
pray for I want everyone to stand I want
to ask for the two and if there were
others that put your hand up I want you
to come right up over here to my left
come up here real quickly and I have
friends that we know and trust that will
talk with you pray with you and it’s
going to be wonderful it’s going to be
glorious come on up here Church bless
them as they come this is beautiful
greatest Miracle of all greatest Miracle
of all
we bless you
guys yep there is no greater
[Applause]
Miracle now anyone here that has a
terminal disease of any kind you may
have six months to live you may live 10
more years but the point is you have
something that will end up taking your
life and I don’t want to have you come
forward for prayer I want you to come
forward for a miracle I I just feel like
we’re supposed to draw a line in the
sand and say let’s go after this thing
so if you have any kind of terminal
condition come quickly come quickly
right now to the front come to one of
the team members here they will pray for
you anyone with sugar diabetes uh for
some reason that thing seems to be
spreading and what you tolerate
dominates we want to draw a line in the
sand on this one and just declare no
more uh digestive issues it may be food
allergies it could be um um Crohn’s
disease uh some those digestive
conditions now you have any kind of need
at all I want to encourage you to come
forward as soon as uh as soon as you’re
release but these folks I want to come
right now just come on up to one of
these folks here and they will minister
to you their their
healing all right digestive issues food
allergies whatever come up quickly Tom
why don’t you come and wrap this up for
me