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Dr. Myron Golden
Well, praise the Lord it's good to be here this morning, of course when I get done, I'll say it's good to be here this afternoon. Praise the Lord. I'll tell you what I'm 23 years old. Well, I guess I can't say that here.
Can I I'm 39 years old. I'll be 40 this year and the best news I've ever heard is Jesus loves me. This I know. For the Bible tells me so I can't think anything better than that Amen, I really love coming back here and.
And there's parts of it. I like and parts of it I don't like the parts of it. I don't like or all these kids I can remember when they weren't. Now they're bigger than me and then I look at some of the guys, you know.
They look like they came in got off the motorcycle and blew their hair up. That is so cool, man. That is cool. I mean See when I was a kid we combed our hair to make it look comb now that they Make home it to make it look like they didn't come with a bit.
That's all right. That's okay. I Used to do cool stuff, too. I Did I I know you guys can't believe this but I really did used to be pretty cool, okay. And praise the Lord first John chapter chapter number one.
And what I'm gonna do this morning is I'm gonna give you Two different parts of the same message give you the first part this morning the second part this afternoon. And what I want to tell you is this that The best part Is gonna be this afternoon.
So if you got a miss between this afternoon and this morning miss this morning, but don't miss this afternoon okay, and So we're gonna save the best for last. But I tell you what, I'm having a time of personal revival right now.
I mean, I've been saved for it'll be 23 years in April and Sometimes, you know if we were honest, we'd have to say that, you know being saved. We can let it we can let it grow old sometimes, you know, it's just kind of like well You know, I'm just kind of doing those Christian things, you know.
Sometimes folks say we ought to act like a Christian. That's what a lot of us do go around acting like Christians. You know, we act like a Christian now. We say what a Christian supposed to say and go where Christians both say we know how to say Amen at the right time and we know how to say, you know, praise the Lord at the right time.
But I want to talk to you about This morning. I don't even know what I'm gonna call it this morning. Then the title of the whole both messages together is is how to emerge victorious over your enemies.
But I guess if since we're gonna break it down into parts that would be the title of this afternoon and this morning. Well, I'll just call it why God saved us. Okay first John chapter 1 and we'll read verses 1 through 4 and I've got a little Tickly thing in my throat.
So y 'all bear with me. It ain't funny, but it's tickling me and First John chapter 1 verses 1 through 4 the Bible says that which was from the beginning. Which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes.
I love the Bible. You know, the Bible is an emphatic book. He said we've seen it with our eyes. We didn't see it with somebody else's. I we've seen with our eyes. I like that which we've seen with our eyes, which we've looked upon.
Which our hands have handled of the Word of life. For the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life Which was with the Father and was manifested unto us that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have Fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father.
Let me ask you this this morning. Can you say truly My fellowship is with the father. Can you say that truly my fellowship is with the father and with his son? Jesus Christ and verse 4 says and these things right we unto you that your joy May be full father.
Bless your word as we hear it help us to implement it into our lives that we might live this word In Jesus name. Amen. I've been saved for a long time. To me it's a long time. The better half of my life.
I've been a Christian. I've loved the Bible for a long time. The Bible is just an awesome book when I first got saved I think the thing that affected me the most and the thing that impacted me the most was how this book right here has Everything to do with my everyday life.
That impacted me. I mean when I was lost I wasn't unsaved.
Feels like I'm unsaved. Unsaved means I was saved and now I'm saved again. When you undo something it's already been done. When I was lost I was headed a hundred miles an hour on the road. I couldn't be going that way.
And when God saved me And I got in that Bible He began to turn my life around. He gave me some new desires. He gave me some new ambitions Gave me some new aspirations Gave me a new spirit Gave me just a new excitement And a new, a new vim and vigor.
He gave me new energy With which to live my life Gave me a new purpose And gave me the word of God New instructions how to live my life. And I've loved the Bible for a long time.
I mean I was so amazed When I got saved. How when I opened up the Bible.
It was like it was just for me. And I don't know if you've had that experience. But I believe if you're saved you're comprehended. I opened up the Bible. And I came back home and it was just for me. I loved the Bible.
The Bible taught me that I needed to be honest and not lie. Because I used to lie all the time. Taught me how to not steal. And taught me how to tell the truth. And taught me how to not cuss. And how to obey my parents.
And how to get along with my brothers. The Bible taught me all these things That I didn't know before. And I've loved the Bible. But I've always relied on life. And discovering things That I didn't know.
I get in the Bible and I just study a passage. And the Lord would open up. And I think what last year in August or September The Lord opened up to me Romans 6, 7, and 8. Man it was so good. I'm standing here right now.
And you just go through Romans chapter 6, 7, and 8. Boy I think what man. There's no way I've seen that before. And I love the Bible. But I've always looked at the Bible. And the Bible is kind of like a mystery science book.
It's got all these little scientific things in it. And you go in there and you find it. And man it's really exciting. Or a mystery math book. It's got all these little math things. It's got all these math formulas And math problems in it.
And that's kind of neat. Or a mystery history book. And you discover things that maybe you've read before. But you've never seen them before. But just a few weeks ago God showed me that the Bible. Though it is all those things.
Mainly it's a mystery love story. And God revealed something to me That I've never seen before In these verses.
And when he did Man I just I don't know I just went into personal revival. I'm just having a good old time in the Lord. Amen. I mean I'm more excited about my salvation Than I ever was before. I feel like I just got saved a few days ago.
And here's what he said. He said that which was from the beginning. Which we have heard. What we need to do If we're going to Emerge victorious over our enemies. And we're going to comprehend The reason God saved us.
We need to go back to the beginning. We need to realize the purpose of our existence. What happened in the beginning. God created everything. We need to come to the realization Of the purpose of our existence.
We need to discover Why God made us.
As we look around the world. And people seem so aimless.
And they seem so purposeless. The reason is They've never looked in the word of God And found their purpose. The Bible tells in Revelation chapter 4 Verse 11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory And honor and power For thou hast created all things And for thy pleasure They are and were created.
God made everything For his pleasure God made me for his pleasure.
God made you for his pleasure. God put the moon and the sun in the heavens To please him. God decked the heavens with the stars To please him. God smoothed out a chaotic earth And scooped out a place, put the water in it Tied it down with a rope of sand And called it oceans All to please him.
God put a garment of green Over the valleys and the mountains and the hills And buttoned up with lilies and garlands And wove it with laughing daffodils. All that God did my friend For one reason And one reason only He did it to please himself.
And I want you to know this morning Young and old alike Man and woman alike Boy and boy and girl alike. If you're not seeking to please God With your very breath With every breath you take You are wasting your life.
That's right. That's why God made you a pleaser. We live in a society.
That says please self. Looking out for number one. That's right.
We ought to look out for number one. But before we do that We need to realize who number one is. It's him.
The purpose of our existence is to please him. The Bible tells us in Proverbs chapter 16 verse 4 The Lord hath made all things for himself Yea even the wicked for the day of evil. The Bible tells us in Romans 11 verse 36 For of him and through him And to him are all things.
To whom be glory forever Amen. If you are not pleasing God. If you're out to please yourself.
If you're out to do your own thing. You are wasting your life. Now know. We all have these ambitions.
And desires And all these other things we want to do.
We think because our world revolves around us. That the world revolves around us.
But it doesn't. We need to understand the purpose of our existence. But we also need to discover The purpose of our election. Why did God save us? The Bible tells us in 1 John chapter 3 verse 3. The Bible says that which we have seen and heard.
We declare unto you That you might have fellowship with us. And then he said and truly And the reason he said and truly.
He was saying That fellowshiping with us is not a big deal. He said The reason we want you to fellowship with us Is because we fellowship with him.
And if you fellowship with us you're going to be fellowshiping with him And with his son Jesus Christ. The reason God Saved us is for fellowship.
Now that ain't no big deal. Because we don't understand fellowship. When we think of the word fellowship We're back to getting together and eating Matter of fact. These little boys they went to school.
And the teacher said I want you to bring something to school tomorrow. We're going to have show and tell. Bring something that has to do with your religion. A little Catholic boy said My name is Johnny.
I'm a Catholic and this is the crucifix. A Jewish boy stood up and said My name is. My name is Shem and this is the star of David. I'm Jewish. A little Baptist boy came and said My name is Tommy and I'm a Baptist and this is the casserole.
We don't understand what fellowship is. But when I began to study this passage And I looked up that word fellowship. The word fellowship there is from the Greek word Koinonia. Which doesn't mean anything to me because I ain't Greek.
But the word means Community. The word means Intimacy. The word means The same kind of intimacy That a husband and wife have. Now when we think about that We think of the physical aspect of it. But God doesn't see it that way.
God thinks of what that physical aspect Represents. And what it represents is.
One of us. We clearly think.
That he might have the fellowship. Jehovah the self-existent one He always was here Always is here And always will be here. He's self-existent. He's without beginning, without end. He's self-existent He's self-satisfied He's self-sustained He's self-contained.
I don't need anybody, I don't need nothing. And yet you say to me.
That that word intimacy. We think of it as being Passionately consumed. I remember 20 years ago 19 years ago.
I remember 19 years ago. When I first saw her. I remember the first time I ever saw her. I remember the first time I ever saw her. I remember the first time I ever talked to her. I remember the first time we ever got together.
We went out, we got to know each other a little bit better. She told me a little bit about her. I told her a little bit about me. Sometimes I couldn't get her off my mind. I couldn't think about nothing.
I go to class, the teachers are up there talking. They sound like Charlie Brown's teacher.
I couldn't think about nothing.
But that girl. That's all I could think about. I couldn't get that girl off my mind. She smiled at me Oh, she smiled at me Oh, and her voice Oh, amazing Charlie. Passionately consumed Was the thought of my wife.
I remember we got married.
And people always think Come on, you've been married. We've only been married 15 years, we're still moving.
But I'm still passionately.
Consumed with my wife. I mean, I'm going to be honest with you.
I can't get her off my mind I can't think about anything.
Especially when I've been gone for a while. I've got to get back home and see my baby. Don't let me go out. She smiled at me. I'm so glad you're here. I'm like, oh, hey. Take my mind if you want God. When I think about the fact that God thinks about me, I can't get him off my mind.
And wants to do what? To bless me. God wants to make me one with himself. God didn't save me just to take me ahead. He didn't just save me to keep me out of hell. God saved me Because he wanted me to have an intimate Relationship with him.
He wanted me to be overwhelmed. He wanted me to be overwhelmed with the fact that he thinks about me. And overwhelmed with the fact that He wants me to be one. He wants me to be overwhelmed with the fact.
The Bible says we are to apprehend that. For which we have been apprehended. What have we been apprehended for? Do you know just a lot of the pictures.
Of salvation in the Bible Are a picture of oneness Jesus said.
Except ye eat my flesh And drink my blood You don't have any part with me. They said oh no we're Jewish.
We don't go around eating people's flesh and drinking people's blood.
What was Jesus saying? When you eat something, when you drink something. It encompasses several parts. The purpose.
Of our salvation Is to be one With God. God saved us for one reason. God saved us for himself. Isn't that awesome? Isn't that the most exciting thing you've ever.
God saved me for him. Now I, God don't need me. But I need him and yet he saved me for him. That's awesome.
Do you know what? Christ practiced that oneness. Jesus said I and my father are one. Jesus said the father works hitherto I work. Jesus practiced that oneness. Christ Prayed for that oneness for us. Did you know that Christ.
Jesus as our example practiced that oneness. But as our intercessor He prayed for that oneness. Jesus said in John 17 9 -11 I pray for them. I pray not for the world But for them which thou hast given me.
For they are thine and all mine are thine. And thine are mine and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world. But these are in the world. And I am come to thee Holy Father. Keep them through thine own name.
Keep through thine own name Those whom thou hast given me That they may be one As we are one. How were they one? Christ was one In practice with God. Christ was one in purpose with God. Jesus prayed for our oneness and purpose with God.
Remember when the disciples came back to Jesus. And uh Jesus.
I don't remember exactly where he was. At this particular junction. But they said would you want us to go into town And get something for you to eat. Jesus said no I don't need to eat.
They said you probably didn't need to eat. He said oh no my need is to do the will of him That sent me into this world. See that oneness. God wants us to walk in oneness with him In purpose. You and I can think of nothing more exciting than walking Our very few things as exciting as walking In oneness with God in purpose.
Because when I walk with God In oneness of purpose guess what happens. 100 of my prayers get answered.
I'm walking in oneness.
Of God in purpose 100 of my prayers get answered See if my will is over here And God's will is over here And I'm praying over here for God to do all this stuff over here.
God said Talk to your man I ain't hearing you.
Huh. When I begin to pray God begins to draw me Closer to himself and closer to his purpose. And before long they overlap. And right there. That little spot right there where they overlap. Everything I pray here is going to get answered.
They get perfectly overlapped. And all I want is what he wants for me. I'm also in the Lord and he will give you the desires of thy heart. A lot of people interpret that to mean You delight yourself in the Lord He'll give you what your heart desires.
But I believe it means If you delight yourself in the Lord He'll give you what to desire. And when he gives you what to desire He'll give you what to desire. That's why the bible says If we ask anything according to his will.
We know that he hears us. And we know that he hears us. What. All things, all things, not some things. Not most things, not a few things. But all things, whatsoever we ask in prayer. We know that we have the petition That we have received from the Lord.
We know that we have the petition That we desire it in. Why? Because our will is one. See the mistake we as Christians make.
We think mistakenly That prayer is to get God Man's will done in heaven. But the purpose of prayer is to get God's will done on earth. People say, well, prayer changes God. No, prayer ain't supposed to change God.
God don't change, prayer's supposed to change me. He wanted us to practice that oneness With God in purpose. He prayed not only that we practice oneness with God In purpose, but also that we practice oneness With God in presence.
As he was one with the Father in presence Jesus said, the Father hath not left me alone. Boy, now, shouldn't that be our prayer? Now, God doesn't leave us alone. He's always with us. But we're not always aware Of the fact that he's always with us.
You know what's amazing? You know what amazes me? As a father, the thing that amazes me Probably the most with my children.
Is The way they will sometimes respond To their mother when they think I'm gone And I'm really here.
Some young boys can understand all that.
And I'll be sitting there in my office. And they'll think I left. And my wife will say something to them. And they'll give me some of that lip. And I'll think to myself. That boy has lost his mind. And he is about To lose his life.
But often times what happens is Just like my boys. Were not aware that I was there. We are not aware of God's presence. And so what do we do? We do those things that don't please the Father. Why? Because we're not practicing the presence of the Father.
We're not practicing oneness with God in presence. We need to be one. At one with the Father in prayer. You know what prayer is? It's practicing the presence of God. It's being aware that He is with me all the time.
It's listening for Him And then listening to Him. He prayed that we might be one with God in practice. As He was one with the Father in practice. Jesus said I do always those things Which please the Father.
Can you say I do always those things Which please the Father? No, but you can say this I do always those things that please the Father. When I'm aware of the fact that the Father is with me. That's why the Bible says in 1 John 3, 6 Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not.
But whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him. Neither hath known Him. In other words, when you are sinning You are not aware of the Father's presence. Well, Christ not only prayed for that I mean, practiced that oneness.
And prayed for that oneness. But Christ also paid for that oneness. What does the Bible tell us in 2 Corinthians 2 Verse 14 and 15. For the love of Christ constraineth us. What's that word constrain mean?
It means to hold together. Does it hold us together to ourselves? No, it holds us together to Him. It glues us to Him. The love of Christ constraineth us. Because we thus judge That if one died for all, then we're all dead.
And that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves But unto Him which died for them and rose again. Jesus Christ died in our place. So that we might live in His place here. Now That's the first two points.
And I'm gonna give you this last point. Then we're gonna finish it up this afternoon. I want y 'all to think about this. Before we even do that, let's read the verse. Let's go to 1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter number 2.
Look at verse 15 through 18. 1 John chapter 2 verse 15 through 18. The Bible says, Love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world The love of the Father is not in him.
In other words, he is not consumed. He's not passionately consumed. You can't be passionately consumed with God and passionately consumed with the world at the same time. That's why the Bible says in James chapter 4.
He adulterers and adulterers. Know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God. You can't be passionately consumed with two at the same time. Love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world The love of the Father is not in him. 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 it is of the world.
And the world passed away in the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Little children, it is the last time. As you have heard, that Antichrist shall come. Even now are there many Antichrists.
Thereby we know That it is the last time We need to discover. We need to discover The purpose of our enemies. Did you notice that in verse 18 He said there are many Antichrists. Did y 'all notice that He said many Antichrists.
Now the word Antichrist Means adversary Of the Messiah. Now I want to ask y 'all a question this morning.
Y 'all are an intelligent and intelligent congregation. I can see that If The primary purpose for God's saving your soul Is to bring you into an intimate relationship With him Do you not stand to reason that the primary purpose Of the Antichrist The adversary of the Messiah Is to keep that oneness.
Everybody just wants to say he's just a person To say But he is an odds with us Becoming one with God Because he is an odds with God's purpose. Now It says even now are there many Antichrists. What are the Antichrists.
That he's talking about. Well I believe they're mentioned in verse 16. 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.
It named three Antichrists right there Three adversaries of the Messiah Three things that will hinder our oneness Our passionate consumption Our passion Our intimacy with God. There are three things that are named there.
The lust of the flesh That is my desire to do something. The lust of the eyes That speaks to the world That's my desire to have something. The pride of life That speaks to the devil That's my desire to be somebody.
Because when I'm passionately consumed with God.
The only thing that I want to do Is whatever he wants me to do. The only thing that I want to have Is him Hey Abram. God came to Abram and said Abram I'm going to enter a covenant with you. I'm going to make your seed as the sand by the seashore.
I'm going to make your seed as the stars of heaven. And Abram said Lord What will you give me seeing I go childless. And God said Abram I am.
Thy exceeding great reward. And we come to the Lord and we say Lord what are you going to give me. And the Lord says to us I am Thy exceeding great reward. I don't want my wife to love me for my money.
Thank the Lord. I want her to love me for me. I don't want her to love me for what I can do for her. I want her to love me for me. She wants me to love her for her. I like having relationships With people with no strings attached.
Just because we are. God wants us to love him. Not for what he can do for us. Though he can do anything for us he wants to. He wants us to love him for him. He comes to us and he says I Am thy Exceeding great reward.
No wonder Paul said that I may know him. And the power of his resurrection. And the wisdom and the fellowship. We come back. Now hey you know what it's good to know Who the enemy is. One reason so many Christians live Defeated lives.
And believe me A very large majority of Christians Live in defeated life. They walk around getting defeat after Defeat after defeat after defeat. And they can't figure out why. They can't get on top. You give an invitation they come down here and say Lord oh help me with this problem and that problem.
And then they get up and they go back and do the same thing all over again. Why. Because they don't know who the enemies Are and they don't know how Their enemies attack. They don't know What the enemy's objective is.
And I'm going to cover That this afternoon and how those enemies Keep you from having that Oneness with God. And it's probably going to surprise you. But it's in the book why did God save you. God wants everybody In this room who's saved By the grace of God.
To walk in oneness with him. To have an intimate relationship With him. Not because we're going to heaven. Not because we ain't Going to hell. Not all the peripheral stuff Answers to prayer and all that God wants us.
To look at him googly Eyed and consumed.
That's what the Christian life is all about. That we might apprehend That for which we have Been apprehended Our father. I thank you for your word. Thank you for The fact that there's power in it. And Lord I pray that you'd help us to live Our lives to be lights In the darkness of this wicked world.
And help us to walk in oneness with you. And show us how to get victory Over those enemies That want to hinder That oneness. Walk With you In Jesus name. Heads bowed eyes closed. I want to ask this question.
Who say brother Myron. I know I'm saved no doubt in my mind about it. I know that I've already trusted Christ as my savior. That's your testimony. Testified by raised hand. Praise the Lord. And put your hands down.
Who say brother Myron. I'm not sure I'm saved but I'd like to be sure. Please pray for me anybody like that. Not sure I'm saved but I'd like to be sure. Who say brother Myron. Please pray for me. I want to walk in that oneness.
I don't want to just go through the motions of the Christian life but I want to walk in an Intimate relationship With my heavenly Father and with Jesus Christ. That's your testimony. Please pray for me.
God bless you. God bless you praise the Lord. God bless you father thank you so much. Thank you for the work your word Does in our lives and I pray that you'd help Us not to let anything stand between Us and thee In Jesus name.
Ready?
I almost hate to go right to lunch. I'd like to think about that message for a few more Minutes. I know each of you all have thoughts about it Throughout the day. Wonderful message From the Lord For us.
And I knew that it would be because we Have a faithful man with us today. Well Let's see Brother Bill would you dismiss us from this Service and Ask the Lord to bless our meal together. If you're visiting by the way today.
You may not know our practices but we'd like To invite you to have lunch with us. We have dinner On the grounds here every day every Sunday. I wish we had it every day. But every Sunday and then our Evening service is at about 1 15 This afternoon so we'd like you just to have lunch with Us and stay for that brother bill.