You Can Come Through Victorious - Part 1 — Derek Prince

Derek Prince Ministries, proclaiming the inspired word of God around the world. Derek Prince is an internationally recognized Bible teacher and author. Through books, audios, videos, and radio broadcasts, Derek seeks to reach the unreached and teach the untaught.

In over 50 years of ministry, Derek has reached over 100 nations in more than 50 languages. And now, Derek Prince.

You might say, well what have we got to come through? And I'm going to remind you of just a few of the passages that we've been looking at together, just to give you a little glimpse of what we have to come through.

You may recall that I spent a good deal of time in Matthew 24. And in verse 8 we had that word, all these are the beginning of sorrows or birth pangs. And then the following verses say this, then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

And when I read that to Christians I always ask, who is you? You remember the answer? You is us. That's right. And then many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another. And many false prophets will arise up and deceive many.

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Now that's what we're going to be coming through. You understand? It's not a little to come through that victorious. And then in 2nd Timothy chapter 3, I read a few verses there.

But know this, that in the last days fierce times will come. We're going to come through fierce times. Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power.

That's what we're going to have to come through. And then another scripture that I didn't read, but I will read now, is in Romans chapter 8. Just two verses 36 and 37. As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long.

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. And the next verse says, yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. So we have to be able to say the positive as well as the negative.

We are being killed all day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. That's we, it's believers. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. And I asked the Lord once what it was to be more than conqueror.

And I felt the answer he gave me was, when you go into a trial you emerge from it with more than you had when you took in. That's to be more than a conqueror. Not only do you emerge victorious, but you emerge with spoil.

And that I believe is God's provision and standard for us. Now how can we enter into this life of victory, of fulfillment? I want to read 1st John chapter 2 verses 15 through 17. Do not love the world or the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And see there are two things that are mutually exclusive. You can have the love of the Father or the love of the world, but you cannot have both.

Because they don't mix. They're like oil and water. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. John uses the phrase the world about ten times more than any of the other gospel writers.

And if you read it you need to ask yourselves what is the world? And the world is not necessarily an assortment of wicked people. This is my definition of the world. The world is all those who are not under the righteous government of God's appointed ruler Jesus Christ.

All those who are not under his rule are the world. And you may say well there's some really good people out there and nice people. Certainly they are. But you just challenge them with one thing. Are you willing to make an unreserved commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

And you'll find out how nice they are. They're nice in everything except that. That is the world. Now the next verse John says the world is passing away and the lust of it. All the things that the people of the world are scrambling for and craving and desiring and fighting for are all passing away.

They are impermanent. Then he comes to the scripture that I want to deal with. But he who does the will of God abides forever. That is the key to emerging victorious. He who does the will of God abides forever.

In other words you have to align yourself with the will of God. When you align yourself with God's will you are as powerful and undefeatable as the will of God itself. That is the only key not merely to survival but to victory and to emerging with spoil is to align yourself with the will of God.

To do that you have to find out what the will of God is. And I'm going to suggest to you tonight quite briefly three main purposes of God clearly revealed in Scripture which are His will. The purposes that He is working out in the earth right now.

We'll begin with Matthew 6 verse 10. This is really the supreme statement of God's purpose in the earth at this time. It's part of what we call the Lord's Prayer. Just the first two verses. The strange thing is I preached on this through Central Europe.

In Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany. And in every place I intended to tell them what the will of God was. And in every place I was arrested by the opening words. This is the Lord's Prayer. Our Father in heaven.

And I said to those dear people I hope you understand you have a father. You're not abandoned. You're not left to yourself. You're not of just a little worth. If you believe in Jesus you are a member of the best family on earth.

You never need to be downcast. You never need to feel inferior. In one place in Czechoslovakia when I began to say that, the women in the front rows began to weep. And I said well I know what their problem is.

And I can't just go on preaching and leave them weeping when I have the answer to their problem. So I began to speak about people who feel rejected, unworthy. They don't have any sense of self-worth.

I said your problem is if you're a child of God you don't know who you really are. Because you have a father. You may have no earthly father but you have a father in heaven who loves you, is all-powerful and is planning the best for you right now.

You belong to the best family on earth. And I said in each of those places how many of you really feel abandoned, unwanted, worthless. And in every one of those places a majority of the people stood to their feet.

Now we'll come to the reason why I read that scripture. I was going to lead up to the first prayer in the Lord's Prayer. This is prayer number one for all of God's people. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What's objective number one for God and his people? It's for God's kingdom to come to earth. That takes precedence over every other need and every other situation. The reason why Jesus came was that he could bring God's kingdom to earth.

And we're here as his servants and his people to assist in that process of bringing God's kingdom to earth. That's the first priority in your life. It takes priority over your earning money or eating food or raising a family.

It's to be an instrument to bring God's kingdom to earth. That's the thing that's first on God's list. And if we want to be in harmony with God it has to be first on our list. And when you align yourself with that purpose of God, you're flowing in the purposes of God.

Then you are doing the will of God. Then you are unshakable. You're unsinkable. You're just as strong and firm as God's will itself. Now let's turn to Matthew 6 verse 33. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things.

The things we need every day in life. All these things shall be added to you. Now I've had many times of weakness. I've often failed God. But basically I can say for more than 50 years I have sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And he has never failed to add to me the things I need. You don't have to pursue things. What you have to do is be committed to the kingdom of God. Seek first the kingdom of God. Again it's a matter of priorities.

It's not second. It's not third. The first purpose in your life is to be an instrument to bring God's kingdom to earth. And when you align with the purposes of God, God accepts responsibility for you.

He says I'll provide for you. I'll open the doors. I've learned in my own experience, if I really get tight, pressured about something and I begin to pray about it, I seldom get it. Because it's not the will of God.

Most of the really important things in my life, from my perspective, have happened by accident. Let me tell you how I became an immigrant to the United States. I had no intention of ever making my residence in the United States.

I said to myself, if there's any nation that has enough preachers, it's America. I don't need to be there. Well I was in Canada and I wanted to come to a friend that I've known in military service in the Middle East.

An American pastor. Assembly of God pastor. He invited me to come to Minneapolis for six months. So I was with my first wife Lydia and our little adopted African girl who was about three and a half at the time.

And we had no papers on her. Only she'd been added to my passport. So we arrive at the border at a place called Pembina in North Dakota. And they said, what are you coming for? I said I'm coming for a visit.

I'm visiting a friend. They said how long? I said six months. They said that's too long for a visit. Well I've had to deal with a lot of immigration personnel in different places. Because I've had a family of eight adopted girls that I had to get all sorts of places.

So I know you never argue with them. I simply said, well maybe you can help us. And he looked at my wife and he looked at this little black girl. He said come in. We'll see what we can do. Come to Minneapolis and we'll arrange for you to become an immigrant.

I'd never planned that. It wasn't even in my thinking. So I arrive in Minneapolis 1963 February. Which is not the best time of year to come to Minneapolis. Especially when you've come from East Africa.

And basically I've been here ever since. They arranged the immigration. I got my little green card. And in 1970 I took American citizenship. And that has been one of the most significant events in the unfolding of God's purpose in my life.

But I didn't plan it. God planned it. I tell you it's better to let God plan for you than to plan for yourself. I don't mean we've got to be indifferent or prayerless. By no means. But God's ways are higher than our ways.

His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. The highest we can plan for ourself is far below what he's planned for us. So let's consider now in some further detail how you can align yourself with God's purpose.

I want to give you three successive commitments that you have to make. First of all, as I've said already, you have to be committed to God's kingdom. Matthew 6 33. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Matthew 10 verse 7 and 8. Jesus is sending out the twelve apostles for the first time. And this is instruction to them. Verse 7 and 8. As you go preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That is the message of the gospel.

It's not often preached today. I've examined this many times. As far as I know the Apostles never held a healing service. They had never held a service for people to tarry for the baptism. They simply said the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

You can join if you like. If you meet the conditions. Now I don't mean it's wrong to pray for healing. I've held many healing services. But I realized that wasn't the approach of the Apostles. The approach was, there's a kingdom.

If you meet the conditions, you can join. If you don't meet the conditions, you're excluded. And then in Matthew 24 14. And I suppose some of you know what that says by now. This gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world.

Not this gospel of get your sins forgiven. Or you can be healed. Or speak in tongues. But this gospel of the kingdom. The message has never changed. It started that way. And it will close that way. It's a message of a kingdom and a king.

And I'd like to just illustrate this by the reaction of one group of people to whom the Apostles came. In the city of Thessalonica. And as usual when Paul turned up there was a riot. I mean he either had a riot or a revival and both.

Or both. I was with a group of missionaries in East Africa just before I went to Canada and to the States. And they were dear brothers and they were talking about opening a church in a new area. And one of them said let's make them mad or let's make them glad.

But let them know we're here. And those are my sentiments. The worst thing is to be ignored. So Paul and I think it was Silas arrived in Thessalonica and there was a riot. And the people wanted to get hold of Paul.

But Paul's assistants had learned by that time to spirit him away. So he wasn't there. And says when they did not find them. That's Paul and Silas. It's Acts 17 verse 6. They dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city crying out these who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

Now I ask you would they say that about us? We've turned the world upside down. We've upset things. We're really sometimes too polite. Too careful. We'd rather do almost anything than upset people. Let's maintain the status quo.

Regardless of the fact that the status quo is the devil's status quo. And then this man said these people that have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason, that's one of the new believers, has harbored them.

And these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar. Saying there is another King, Jesus. Now you learn a lot from the opposition. This was this man's understanding of their message. He didn't say anything about the forgiveness of sin or healing.

Said these people are presenting another King. Why? Because they were proclaiming the kingdom. And that's what upset the local authorities. This is contrary to the rule of Caesar. I heard a brother once who'd been a believer behind the Iron Curtain, while there still was an Iron Curtain.

And he said you can tell people Jesus loves you and no one gets angry. But when you say Jesus is King, they'll put you in prison. See we are not really declaring the essence of the message. There is another King.

This is the gospel of the kingdom. There's a kingdom coming and you can get into it or you can be left out of it. But you can't stop it coming. That's a powerful message. Doesn't always make you popular.

When they proclaim that message all sorts of things happen. The sick got healed. Demons got driven out. But they never, I think you can check this yourself, they never had a meeting specifically for that purpose.

They had one message. The gospel, the good news of the kingdom. And I believe that's what we need to align ourselves with. We are here to become part of the workforce that will bring in the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

See I am completely pessimistic about human and humanistic solutions to world problems. I don't believe man has it in himself to solve his problem. I don't believe the problems of war or sickness or poverty will be solved by human plans.

If that's all I believed I would be a pessimist. But I'm not. Because I believe there's another kingdom coming. It's not far away. There's a king coming who will reign in righteousness. And when there's righteousness there will be peace.

You study the teaching of the Bible on peace. You will never find any promise of peace apart from righteousness. That's why the whole peace process in the Middle East is a farce. Because they're trying to bring peace but they're not trying to establish righteousness.

The Bible says there is no peace says my God to the wicked. So that's the first thing you have to do is align yourself with the purpose of God. To proclaim and help to bring in the kingdom of God. Secondly, and this is very closely related, they all follow from this, you have to commit yourself to the final order of Jesus to his church.

Which is given in Matthew 28 verses 19 and following. Now I joined the British Army, not by choice but by compulsion, on the 12th of September 1940. I happen to remember the date because it was my mother's birthday.

And the first thing the sergeant told us, well one of the things he said was, don't do as I do, do as I say. And he had good reason to say that. Now in the kingdom of God we can't say that. We have to say do as I do.

We can't give people instructions we don't follow ourselves. Anyhow the two things they taught me were this. That once an order is given it's in force until it's cancelled by someone with authority. Second, ignorance of orders is no excuse for disobeying them.

And that is true in the army of God. I smile when God's people talk about being an army because they're so far from being an army. Let me tell you one thing, when I joined the British Army under King George the sixth I never got a little certificate signed by the King saying I guarantee you you will not have to lose your life.

No soldier has ever joined an army on that basis. And no soldier has a right to join the army of Jesus on that basis. It may cost you your life. Don't talk about being a soldier if your motive is self-preservation.

So let's read the words of Jesus. Matthew 28 18 19 and 20 All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. It's important to know who has all authority. Not some authority but all authority.

It's all vested in one person and his name is Jesus. That's right. So having said that having cleared up the whole issue of authority once for all. Jesus says go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you. And lo I'm with you always to the end of the age. Now he said go and make disciples of how many nations? All nations. Are you sure? Have we done that?

By no means. 19 centuries have passed and we are still far from doing that. Then I want to point out to you that he did not say make church members. He said make disciples. One of the biggest problems that we have in the church is members who are members but not disciples.

Because by their lives they contradict the message that we bring. If you've never started a work for the Lord and you feel led to do so begin with disciples. Don't begin with members. If you make disciples sooner or later the members will come along.

But they are not primary. I really mean this. I think the greatest single problem of the church in America is that we've made members who are not disciples. They tell me such and such a church has so many thousand members.

I say that's wonderful. How many of them are disciples? A disciple is one who is under discipline. A disciple is one who has laid down his life. Jesus said unless a man forsakes all that he has he cannot be my disciple.

It's not it's difficult but some succeed. It's impossible. That's what we're told to do. You see our problem is disobedience. We've not been following the commander's orders. Then it says baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Understand that properly practiced water baptism is a commitment to discipleship. And if people are not willing to be disciples and come under discipline and lay down their lives they shouldn't be baptized.

Because they're going to be buried. And then they're going to be resurrected. See. So water baptism is as important in the New Testament as the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is a decisive step and it's urgent.

Jesus said when going to all the world incidentally preach the gospel to every creature. Not just all nations. Every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. And I do not find a single instance in the New Testament from the day of Pentecost onwards that anybody ever claimed salvation without being baptized in water.

And I tell people if you say you're born again and I am I'm a believer in Jesus but I've never been baptized by immersion. I say you're taking a risk. Because there's no guarantee in the New Testament that you are saved.

Right? I think you find it's right. And don't be in this line well if you want to be baptized we're having a baptismal service in two weeks put your name down. That was not the attitude of the people in the New Testament.

When God visited the house of the Philippian jailer and mind you he visited it in a powerful way with an earthquake. I'm sure he had the jailer's attention. When he and his family became believers they were all baptized that hour of the night.

They didn't wait for dawn. Water baptism is urgent.