Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: Listen, I wish somebody would make up in your mind today you're going to resolve to live in obedience to the Word, no matter what price you have to pay. The Word says don't play with sin. Don't hang out, don't preoccupy yourself.

Guest (Male): "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the captives and release the prisoners from darkness." That's Isaiah 61:1, and this is Destined for Victory where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Sheppard.

Well, Jesus wants to set you free from bondage, to take you out of the darkness of sin and temptation and into the light of His glory and grace. But you have a role to play in your own deliverance. Today you'll discover several key ways to help you break free and stay free from bondage. When you get a chance, we hope you'll pay us a visit at pastorpaul.net where you can listen to any of our recent messages on demand, including today's. That's pastorpaul.net.

And if you haven't already, don't forget to download our free mobile app. Search Destined for Victory in the App Store and listen to Destined for Victory wherever you go. Now, let's get started with today's Destined for Victory message, "When Jesus Comes."

Paul Sheppard: Joseph had a dream when he was 17. He had a dream that one day God was going to make him a man of prominence and even his family would be bowing down to him. And he remembered that, and remembered that he didn't see Sister Potiphar in the dream. I wish somebody would remember what God told you is yours and what He said is not yours.

And so when this temptation came to him in the form of this fine woman, who said, "Look, I paid Potiphar, he's not coming home until late. We have time, come on." The Bible says he turned her down and gave a reason for doing so. He said, "Your husband trusts me. Has placed me over these affairs. I can't do that." And he said, "Furthermore, not only would it be a poor reflection and a poor response to your husband's trust, but it would be a sin in the eyes of my God."

I need God to deliver me, so I can't afford to get on His bad side fooling with you. And so he refused her. Now the text goes on to say there in Genesis 39, day after day... see, you think she was discouraged by that? She wasn't the least bit discouraged by that. In fact, it turned her on a little bit. She said, "Oh, integrity. Oh, that's what I'm talking about. I always did like a man with some integrity."

And she decided that she would go after him day after day, thinking she'll break him down over time. But look at what the Bible says. It says day after day she approached him with that same indecent proposal. And day after day it says he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. There's your key. You want to overcome bondage? You got to stay out of temptation's neighborhood.

Joseph wasn't around there playing with sin. "All right, let's see what she's going to wear today. Yesterday that outfit almost got me now. That one almost got me. Let's see what's going to be today." No, no, no. The Bible says if he knew she was in one part of the house, he went to another part. He knew not to play with sin. I'm sure there were days he had to hide from that woman. Joseph sitting somewhere in the laundry room.

She walked right by. "Anybody seen Joseph? I don't know where he is." Listen, I wish somebody would make up in your mind today you're going to resolve to live in obedience to the Word, no matter what price you have to pay. The Word says don't play with sin. Don't hang out, don't preoccupy yourself. Don't go as... "Let's see how close to the edge I can get without falling." No, no, no. You get away, you flee, so that you can do the will of God.

You got to resolve to live in obedience to the Word. You got to make up in your mind. God will only set you free when you decide you're going to live a lifestyle of obedience. Some of you need to be set free. You, too, are in an illicit relationship. And you've got to decide I'm going to live according to the Word of God. I'm going to live it like the book says.

I'll never forget years ago in Philadelphia when I was the associate pastor in my home church there. There's a couple that came to our church. They were living together in a sinful relationship, otherwise known as shacking. They were veteran shackers. They had lived together so long they had had children and were now having grandchildren while they were living together like this. But they came to the church, both got saved.

And the Word of God began to speak to them and they began to learn that this is not God's plan. That what we're doing is called fornication. And I don't care how politically correct it is, it's wrong in the sight of God. And that we can't take our own personal views and impose them on the Scriptures. You know, a whole lot of folk today want to have "have it your way" Christianity. This is not Burger King. You can't have it your way.

You go to Burger King and ask for the Whopper and hold the onions and the pickles and all of that. No, that's fine for Burger King. When you come to the Scriptures, you can't customize Christianity. You can't say, "Well, God knows my heart." I understand that that's your view, that's your opinion of what morality is. But see, your definition of morality is not everybody's definition. And what you have to learn today is to honor...

I'm so sick of this generation deciding they can tell God what's right and what's wrong. No, we don't have to honor your view because the Word says it's wrong. Word says it's wrong and it's wrong, that's the bottom line. And these people came to be confronted weeks after they got saved. They realized this is not God's will for us. And because their hearts had already changed, now the enlightenment of the Word has come, and they said we got to do something.

First thing they did was move out of each other's bedroom while living in the house. Then they called up and talked to us in the office and they explained where they were and what was going on and that they need to make a change. And we said, "Okay, we can marry you. Just go get a license and we'll marry you." And the sister said, "Listen, Pastor, would you do me a favor? I think I'd like to get married in the Sunday morning service."

She said, "Because we got a bunch of friends and relatives and we'd love to invite them all to church, tell them we have a surprise for them." And so we set it up where they were going to get married in Sunday service. And so they invited all these folk and they had all their friends and relatives sitting up there, not knowing what in the world was going on. And right in the middle of service, I stopped and said, "All right, today we have an unusual part of our service."

And they came on up. She had on her nice little dress, he had on his suit looking sharp. And they came up grinning. They grabbed the mic and gave a testimony of how they had recently gotten saved and how God showed them that they had never been legally married and that this was a disgrace in the eyes of God. So they wanted to reconcile with the Word of God and said we love the Lord and we want to prove it by the way we're going to live our lives.

And I went on and pronounced it. Do you promise? Do you promise? All right, now I pronounce you man and wife. Those folk kissed and the church took off. See, y'all got to understand, I had to learn to broaden my horizons and appreciate cultured and refined, quiet Christians. I had to learn to appreciate y'all. And I understand that there's all kind of brands of Christianity and stuff like that. I preach in a few of them every now and then. Just sit there and just say, "Oh God, help in here."

These folk need to learn how good You've been and I'm sure you don't have to be wild and crazy like some of the saints, but at least cry out of one eye. Do something. You think of the goodness of Jesus and all He's done for you and you can sit there like a bump on the log. I don't get it, but I've had to learn to appreciate it. So I'm cool now. But I come from a church where if you gave them half an excuse, they'd take the service over.

And that gave them half an excuse. They saw these folk getting their lives lined up with the Word of God standing up there kissing and getting married on a Sunday morning. The saints took off, they were dancing all over that place. Listen, let me tell you something. You got to learn to be obedient to the Word. You want to see God work in your life, you can't thumb your nose in God's face and disregard His Word and be blessed.

And so you got to learn, you got to resolve that you're going to live in obedience. You want to be free? God has the power to set you free. Some of you are in toxic relationships with people who are killing you. And you can get free. The issue isn't whether God can get you free, He can get you your heart back. When you've given your heart to some no-good person not even married but you got to run everything by them and they're defining you and telling you who you are, that's not God's will.

You can get free, you can get your heart back, you can get on with your life, but you got to make up in your mind to live in obedience to the Word of the Lord. And so you got to resolve, you got to resolve to live in obedience. Then the fourth key to overcoming bondage is to request help from knowledgeable members of the body of Christ. You got to request help. If you are bound, God wants to get you free, but if you are bound and nobody knows it...

The Bible says in James 5:16, "Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed." In other words, James said it's not good enough to just confess where you are to God. Why? Because God has anointed, has placed a corporate anointing, if you will, on the body of Christ so that there are gifts and that there is power that is available to you through other members of the body. So you confess your faults to one another and you pray for one another that you may be healed.

Guest (Male): Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message, "When Jesus Comes," featuring the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Sheppard. If you enjoy listening to Pastor Paul, you'll be glad to know that we've archived all of our recent messages at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net. You can also listen and subscribe to the podcast at Spotify or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

We may not say it often enough, but we're going to make sure we say it today. The only reason we're able to bring you these Destined for Victory messages is because of you, our listening friends and partners. You're the ones who provide all of our financial support and we're so grateful to you, not only for your generosity, but for all the good it's doing in the world. To give generously today, please visit pastorpaul.net or call 855-339-5500. Well, the Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. We need other members of the body of Christ to help us out along the way. Now, let's get you back to the rest of today's Destined for Victory message, "When Jesus Comes."

Paul Sheppard: So it's not good enough to just go before the Lord in your secret closet and say, "Lord, please deliver me." No, you've got to be willing to say I am praying that God will deliver me. Here's what I'm going through and I need you all to join me in agreement. Confess to one another and pray for one another. You got to make sure that you discern the importance of the body of Christ. There are things that other members of the body can bring to you that you alone cannot do.

See, if you stub your toe in the middle of the night... I always give this illustration because it helps make the point. You ever walk in the dark and stub that last toe on the end of the bed or on some piece of furniture? That last one. When that pain hits you, you hardly know where you are. Do you know what I'm talking about? If that hurting toe isn't connected to a body, it is in trouble.

But it's connected to a body that rallies. It says there's trouble. Come on y'all. The toe can't say anything, but the mouth flies open to express what the toe is feeling. The vocal cords get involved and say, "Oh Lord!" That's what you say now that you're saved. You didn't used to say that. Come on, I know y'all looking cute, but I know where you come from. Got your big Bible, I'm not fooled by that. You used to say some other things.

Your vocal cords got involved. Then your hand reaches down to grab the toe, to just let it know it's not by itself. See, that's the body working together. There's some help that the body will give you, but they got to know you're in pain. You got to say I'm hurting. I'm in trouble. I'm bound, I can't shake this by myself. These drugs have had a hold of me for years and I want to get free, but I need somebody to help me.

You need to let the body of Christ know where you are. And you've got to be willing to request the help. You've got to be willing to say, "Come on, somebody. I need you to pray with me. I'm believing God, but I need the power of agreement to be at work here." I need the power of agreement. The Bible says one can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight.

There is synergy in the body of Christ. When we synchronize our energy, when we focus together, Jesus said if two of you agree as touching anything on the earth, it shall be done for you of your Father in heaven. You got to learn to tap into the power that's in the body of Christ and to request some help. And then let me tell you, there's a final key here. Not only do you request help from knowledgeable members of the body, but then you've got to remain accountable to others in the body.

Ephesians 5:21 says this: "Submitting one to another in the fear of God." Requesting help is one thing, but remaining accountable is quite another. Because accountability means not only are you requesting some help and you realize your need for the body to rally around you and to help you as you see God bring deliverance and freedom into your life from your bondages, but then you make sure that you stay plugged into the body so people can help you walk away as a matter of lifestyle from the old and walk into the new.

Accountability, you must understand, this whole concept of submission in Ephesians 5:21. The word submission means to voluntarily yield to others. In other words, I am going to voluntarily let you know where I am and give you the right to speak into my life, to give me direction and to give me guidance. Now, there's a lot of talk about accountability in the church world these days, but sometimes we don't understand the biblical concept behind it.

Accountability doesn't mean that somebody goes snooping around trying to dig up stuff in your life. Accountability doesn't mean that people play private eye. Accountability means you voluntarily let them know where you are. Folk shouldn't have to pull teeth to get you to tell them the truth when you say you're going to be submitted to others in the body of Christ. When someone who is lovingly holding you accountable asks you how are things, how are things going this week?

That's your time to submit. Ephesians 5:21, voluntarily yield myself and to let them know where I really am. I've got to cough up the truth no matter how it makes me feel or no matter what it is. So that when they ask how are things going, that thing we were talking about the last time, what's going on in your life about that right now? You've got to be willing to tell them, "Listen, let me tell you the truth. It's worse than ever.

I'm going in the wrong direction. I've made some poor decisions. Here's what I've done since the last time we talked." So that they can bring correction and guidance and reproof to your life. You've got to place yourself in the hands of God through loving brothers and sisters. Don't worry about them because if they're the right kind, they'll do it the Galatians 6:1 way. Galatians 6:1 says when you're restoring a brother or sister who's been overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness.

Considering yourself lest you also be tempted. That means while I'm restoring you, while I'm getting you straight because you've recently made some poor decisions and gotten out of sync with the will of God, I don't get uppity and act like you are some awful sinner. I think about the fact that but for the grace of God, I'm down there with you. We're all in the same boat. I tell you all the time, quit trying to act like you on the promenade deck.

You on the same boat with everybody. No one has bragging rights on the Titanic. The whole thing is going down and we need one another so that God can rescue all of our lives. When you're restoring, you do so in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself. But if you will remain accountable, if you'll let people know... you can't get free when people don't even know where you are. How's God going to set you free and you won't even share with the body of Christ where you really are?

If you call me and say, "Pastor, I'm trying to get to your house. I know you're having this little get-together and I got the invitation, I'm trying to come. So tell me how to get there." I can't. Why? Because I don't know where you are. There's no set of generic directions to my house. So when you call and say, "I'm trying to get there, I'm so turned around," what's the first thing I'm going to ask you? "Where are you?"

Tell me where you are because once I pinpoint where you are, then I can say, "Oh, okay. All right, let me tell you how to get here." I can tell you then because you have yielded the information I need. And the same is true in your life. Have you ever been in a place in life where you don't even know where you are? Somebody calls you for directions and you say, "I don't know. I've never been in this part of town."

Sometimes you're that way in life. You have so messed up you don't even know where you are yourself. But you start talking until they figure it out. Start, "Well describe, what have you been doing lately? What are your habit patterns like? How are you feeling? What's your emotional state? Come on, talk to me about where you are." And let them talk until the Holy Spirit helps you catch it. All right, I got you. I know where you are.

Here's what the Word of God says about what you ought to be doing at this point in your life and you begin to walk them out. This book will give you the directions to get your life on track. So you and I have to make up our minds that we're going to do the will of God. That we are going to resolve to live in obedience to His Word. That we're going to request help from members of the body of Christ.

And that we're going to remain accountable to the body of Christ as we experience God's freedom and deliverance and as we seek to live a life that causes us never to go back into the things the Lord has graciously brought us out of. Jesus comes to give us freedom. Don't you let a bondage settle into your life and make you believe that it's there to stay. You can evict anything that is not the will of God by His power if you will follow the instructions of His Word.

Guest (Male): So glad you stopped by for today's Destined for Victory message, "When Jesus Comes." If you joined us late or if you want to hear the full message one more time, stop by pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net. One of the reasons Jesus sets us free from bondage is so that we can go out and help others find that same freedom in Christ. And it takes all of us working together to reach the world with the gospel.

And today we're inviting you to help us do just that through Destined for Victory. When you invest in the ministry today, we have a great thank you gift to share with you. It's our latest booklet, Access Granted. When you came to faith in Christ, you were immediately made right with God. And it's because of this new relationship that you have access to peace, joy, hope, even during life's most difficult seasons.

In Access Granted, you'll learn more about your access to these and other blessings that the Lord wants to give you. That's Access Granted, a great resource based on Romans chapter five and our gift to you today for your generous donation to Destined for Victory. You can give that gift by phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. Or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. Or mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538.

The Old Testament promises are not limited to Old Testament people. They are as true for you as they were for them. Here's Pastor Paul.

Paul Sheppard: This passage tells us of what Jesus not only came to do some 2,000 years ago, but of what He continues to do in our lives today. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And what He has done He is doing, and what He is doing He will do until He comes again.

Guest (Male): That's next time in our Destined for Victory message, "When Jesus Comes." Until then, remember, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.