F4F | John Gray Godspeed Manipulation

Fighting for the Faith

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:15

Welcome to another installment of Fighting for the Faith. My name is Chris Rosebro, and I am your servant in Jesus Christ, and this is the channel that compares what people are saying in the name of God to the

00:26

Word of God. So let me ask you a question, you know, just straight up. Have you ever been in a dire circumstance?

00:33

You know, things are not going well in your life, maybe it's your marriage or relationship, you've lost your job, you've failed an exam in college, you know, things of this nature, and as a result of it you have found yourself in dire need.

00:48

By the way, this happens to pretty much all of this. If something like this hasn't happened to you yet, just give it time and it will happen.

00:56

All of that being said, note here that these are like, you know, if you were the big consequences of the cursed creation, and this is a result of man's fall into sin, and our, well, siding with the devil, and as a result of it, the current creation we live in, cursed.

01:16

We're under a curse. We die. Things go bad in our lives. We seem to be on a downward slide into the grave.

01:23

This is all normal. This is how it's been since the beginning because of humanity's rebellion against God.

01:31

But all that being said, when you find yourself in a situation like this, or when people in general find themselves in situations like this, it's not uncommon for them to seek a solution from God.

01:45

Yeah, that happens. People, for real, seek for solutions from God.

01:51

And this is what makes false teachers so dangerous, is that it's as if the devil knows that it's just a matter of time before we find ourselves in dire need, and so somebody is in trouble, and they go to church in order to seek the face of God, to seek his favor, to seek his help, to seek whatever.

02:13

You get the idea. But rather than being taught the truth, or being told the truth, they instead have their ears scratched and tingled, so that what is told to them in the moment makes them feel better.

02:28

But the problem is this, is that the promises that these false teachers make for God are not at all promises that God has made.

02:39

And as a result of it, they have been sold a bill of wood and nickels that they can't cash anywhere, and God is not only not beholden to answer the false promises that the false teacher has made for him, or to somehow honor them, in fact

02:58

God is almost kind of beholden to not honor them, if you know what I mean. So with all of that, that's our setup today.

03:05

What we're gonna be doing is we're gonna be heading to Relentless Church. Now, I know that John Gray and Relentless Church, they continue to be in the news, and apparently there's a pending lawsuit from Ron Carpenter, they've been given an eviction notice.

03:20

We're not gonna talk about any of that. The only reason why we're gonna be looking at John Gray is because, number one, he's a false teacher.

03:26

I am not interested in the fight that he's having with Ron Carpenter and the legal battle that they find themselves in, although it's interesting to some.

03:36

Instead, what I'm gonna do is kind of hold John Gray up as a type of false teacher.

03:43

And one of the requests that we get all the time here at Fighting for the Faith is for us to review, you know, particular pastors and preachers.

03:54

Somebody is in a church and they think something's wrong in their church, and so what they want me to do is to review, you know, a sermon from their church.

04:01

Now, we do that from time to time. In fact, there may be segments coming up in the future where we'll have a viewer -slash -listener chosen sermon that we're gonna be listening to and evaluating.

04:14

But what I generally try to do is go with people that are a little bit higher profile, not always, but higher profile, because what ends up happening is that the same false teaching or the same manipulation that they engage in, others down the food chain that are less known follow suit and do the same thing.

04:35

So what we do is we're gonna hold John Gray up kind of as an archetype, a typological false teacher, and he is.

04:43

He manipulates like you wouldn't believe. And sadly, what we're gonna see here in this sermon that we're gonna be, you know, previewing and spending some time in, the name of the sermon is

04:54

God's Speed, and what we're gonna see happening here is that John Gray will be praying on, making promises for God, and praying on people who, for real, look like the reason why they're there at that church is because they need

05:12

God to come through for them. But unfortunately, what they're being taught is false doctrine, and what

05:20

John Gray does here is typical. It's just so predictable. So let's head over to Relentless Church.

05:30

Let me get my desktop up here, and I'm experimenting with a different camera angle for this installment of Fighting for the

05:36

Faith, and we're gonna listen to a bit of this. And so you'll note that my eyes are over here, because that's where I can actually see the sermon, but you're over here, so if I'm over here,

05:48

I'm looking at the sermon. If I'm doing... I'm talking to you. I hope this works. Always trying to, you know, twist and change things up, and hopefully make them better, but let's check in with John Gray, and a sermon titled

06:01

God's Speed, and we'll note how he twists the scripture along the way, but we're gonna be specifically trying to look at how he is manipulating people.

06:16

If you'll do me a favor, elder, if you'll do me a favor, and everybody stand if you have the ability to stand.

06:22

I feel the presence of God. All right, so you're... okay, manipulation technique numero uno.

06:29

This is what we'll call the glow -in -the - dark Christian. Yeah, so, I mean, have you ever been in a church like this where the guy says, oh,

06:35

I can feel the Holy Spirit here, and you're going, I don't feel nothing. What's wrong with me?

06:41

And so this is a manipulation technique. Oh, I feel the Holy Spirit here, and God's telling me to do this, or God's...

06:47

I'm feeling this and feeling that, and you're going, well, I don't feel nothing. That's because you're not close enough to God, but he is, and so as a result of it, this is what we'll call the glow -in -the -dark

06:56

Christian manipulation. There are no glow -in -the -dark Christians, and when somebody tells you they feel the

07:03

Holy Spirit somewhere, yeah, this isn't good. This is not good at all.

07:10

I say again, I feel the presence of God. Hebrews chapter 12.

07:15

Y 'all forgive me if tears start flowing, but I needed to get free because it's been a very heavy season.

07:21

I'm exactly where God wants me to be, and I'm grateful that he called me here. Now, this is

07:27

John Gray basically signaling to his followers that despite the eviction notice, the pending lawsuit, he's where God wants him to be, and so he's standing defiantly.

07:43

You know, the Bible says, James, that he makes you to lie down in green pastures.

07:51

And that's a manipulation technique, too, where he kind of starts a sentence, pauses, and then just, you know, does...

07:57

Furtick does that. T .D. Jakes does that. It's a manipulation technique. He leads you beside the

08:02

Reedy River, still waters, and it's there that he restores you. Manipulation.

08:10

Oh, there's he, there he restores you. Manipulation. This is all emotional manipulation.

08:17

Wait till we get into the biblical text, because he'll actually say something that is factually wrong.

08:26

Hebrews chapter 12, starting at the first verse, the

08:32

Reedy River. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight.

08:42

Everybody say every weight. Now, by the way, don't have a problem with him starting with a biblical text.

08:48

This is how you should start a sermon. You either read it before the sermon or at the beginning of the sermon.

08:53

Both are considered acceptable. So, apparently, this is a sermon based on Hebrews 12.

09:00

Okay. Every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance.

09:07

Say run. Yeah, this is not a job. Yeah, say run. Manipulation technique.

09:14

And the purpose of that particular manipulation technique is actually quite psychological. The idea behind this one is that when somebody gives you a command, an order, and you obey it, what that does is lower your body's and your brain's natural defense mechanisms.

09:36

The idea here is that, well, if this guy isn't on the level, then why am

09:41

I obeying him? By obeying him, you lower your ability to think rationally and critically during the sermon.

09:50

So, I minute 17 into this sermon, and the manipulation techniques are already quite numerous.

10:00

But it continues. This is a run. It's going to elevate your heart rate.

10:06

You're gonna sweat a little bit, but it's good. It's time to run. But what kind of running?

10:12

Run with endurance, the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross.

10:23

There's that word again. I'm so uncomfortable with the word endure, because endure means there's going to be some pressure.

10:29

Endure means there's going to be challenge. Endure means I'm going to have to walk through something that feels uncomfortable, but I must endure it.

10:37

And Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

10:48

Hebrews 12, verse 1. Right?

10:54

But then let me keep going. I need to keep going. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

11:09

You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. Now, you've gone through some stuff, but you have not, you ain't lost your life.

11:17

Ask somebody, did you, but did you die? Have some fun this morning. Look at somebody else and say, excuse me, did you die?

11:26

Then one of the deep saints is like, well, my heart did stop three years ago, then they brought me back together. Okay, notice again.

11:32

Turn to this neighbor and say this, but did you die? Still the same manipulation technique. Run your race.

11:45

Race has a rate of speed. Okay, now this is interesting, what he does here next.

11:53

So exegesis, and so we're going to talk about two ways of approaching a biblical text.

12:00

One is correct, the other is pure manipulation. Exegesis is going to be reading out from the biblical text what is there.

12:11

When somebody exegetes a biblical text, God himself is in control of its meaning.

12:19

Why? Because all the words of Scripture are theanoustas, God breathed. And so the one who had these texts written down by human beings, there was a meaning and an intent in something that he was trying to communicate in each of these texts.

12:36

So when you exegete, God is the one in charge of the message. What he's doing is called eisegesis, and that's spelled e -i -s -g -e -s -i -s, eisegesis.

12:49

It means to read into the biblical text things that you want to be there.

12:55

So when somebody is engaging in eisegesis, they're the ones in charge of the message, not

13:02

God. And that's what makes this so dangerous. So he'll note, run with endurance the race, right?

13:10

So racing and endurance, these are concepts that we're familiar with, but the issue is this, is that the text itself, although it uses the metaphor of running a race, doesn't talk about speed.

13:25

He has inserted speed into this text, and people are not able to detect the eisegesis, because usually races and speed go hand -in -hand in our minds, but speed is not a factor in this text, just the race.

13:43

So let me see if I can back this up and just listen a little bit again. Run your race.

13:54

Race has a rate of speed. Run your race.

13:59

Look at somebody, tell them run your race. Okay, there we go again. Tell somebody run your race. Again, manipulation techniques.

14:08

I'm preaching from the subject heading God speed. All right, God speed.

14:17

Okay. God speed. God speed has nothing to do with Hebrews 12.

14:23

This is eisegesis. This is a message that John Gray is inserting into the biblical text.

14:31

God speed. God speed. You may be seated.

14:40

Speed is the rate at which someone or something is able to move and operate.

14:47

Speed is the rate at which someone or something is able to move and operate.

14:54

We know who God is, the eternal, all -knowing, omniscient, omnipotent one, the living

14:59

God, the creator God, the God of the universe, the God who spoke and the word is still expanding, filling all of space and time.

15:08

This is the God that we serve. Speed is the rate at which someone or something is able to move or operate.

15:18

There are people who play for that basketball team that can jump higher than me and run faster than me, but that's because that's what they have been trained to do.

15:30

I have not been trained to do that, and I am not in the physical space to do what they do.

15:37

It does not mean that I don't have value. It just means I haven't been trained there. Now, this is the manipulation technique known as pseudo profound bovine scatology.

15:57

Yeah, he just said nothing, but delivered it in a pseudo profound kind of ironic way.

16:09

Again, a manipulation technique. One of the great challenges with running your race is that we often equate success and the metric of success based on someone else's achievements, but it's your race, and they have their race.

16:28

Yeah, you're overcooking the metaphor here, and by doing so, you're isageating.

16:36

And so this idea of speed cannot be the only measurement of success when running because some people can run faster, but that's because they have a different calling.

16:50

Calling. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He just delivered that with. Yeah. Yeah.

16:58

This is kind of a pseudo profound mic drop, but again, this is bovine scatology.

17:04

He's not really exaggerating the text at this point. Tell somebody, stay in your lane.

17:21

Do any of these things that he's saying have anything to do with Hebrews 12? No. I grew up watching the

17:28

Olympics. I remember the 1984 Olympics. Yeah, I do too. I actually attended them. A lot of days

17:34

I spent at the Olympics in Los Angeles. Grew up there. Carl Lewis. Anybody remember

17:39

Carl Lewis? He was running the 100, the 4x1. I think they were doing the 4x2.

17:46

He was an unbelievable athlete. Then Edwin Moses. I don't know if anybody remembers

17:52

Edwin Moses, but the way he would take strides, it was just graceful.

17:58

It was phenomenal. And they were winning gold medals. They got the prize, but there were other people in the race.

18:06

But one of the things that commentators would say then all the way up to now is that when you're running in a race like that, the last thing you need to do is look to the left or to the right or look back.

18:27

Again, this has nothing to do with Hebrews 12. Nothing. Nothing.

18:32

This is all eisegesis. He's trying to be pseudo profound. And what he's trying to do here, you'll see it, is provide comfort and assurance for people who are in dire need.

18:45

All that does is it causes more drag. It causes more drag. It's a drag on your ability to maintain your forward motion.

18:56

And God wants us to understand that speed and distance and timing are colliding to allow you to walk into a season of your life that you have only prayed about but have yet to experience.

19:12

And there it is. He set the hook right there. He's fishing for victims at this point, and he just set the hook there quite skillfully, too.

19:25

God wants us to something. Let me back this up just a little bit. I want you to hear what he said.

19:30

God wants us to understand. So God wants us to understand. All right.

19:37

If God wants us to understand something, he's going to want us to understand that message as found in the biblical text rightly exegeted.

19:49

And is what's going to happen next, what he's going to say next, a valid inference, valid understanding, valid exegetical point from Hebrews 12?

20:02

That speed and distance and timing are colliding. Speed, distance and timing are special.

20:11

Blammo! They're colliding. Yeah. What does that mean?

20:18

Speed, distance and timing are colliding. To allow you to walk into a season of your life that you have only prayed about but have yet to experience.

20:32

So, yeah, you've only prayed about something, but you haven't yet experienced because speed and distance and timing are special.

20:39

Blammo! They're colliding. Yeah, I'm pretty sure Hebrews 12 has nothing to do with that.

20:47

Hang on a second here. I'm going to close up my NASB, which I had opened earlier. Let's duplicate that tab and let's go to Hebrews 12 and consider the context here.

21:01

And Hebrews 11 provides us the context itself. Hebrews 11 is the great whole of faith passage.

21:09

And he talks about how the patriarchs of the Old Testament accomplished the things that they did by faith, by faith,

21:15

Abraham, by faith, Noah, by faith, Israel, by faith, Jacob. You get the idea. So and then the author of Hebrews goes on at the end of this to say,

21:25

And so what more shall I say for time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, of Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms and forced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword and were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war.

21:45

And everyone going, Yeah, yeah, that's what I want to be. Mighty in war. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Women received back their dead by resurrection.

21:52

Some were tortured. The turn happens really fast in Hebrews.

21:58

Some were tortured. Yeah. Think about the Christians in the first century in an illegal religion.

22:05

And martyrdom was a real possibility. In fact, a high probability.

22:12

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life.

22:17

Others suffered mocking and flogging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two.

22:23

They were killed with a sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about in deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth.

22:34

All of these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us, they should not be made perfect.

22:44

There's your context. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

22:58

Looking to Jesus, the founder, you could say the author and the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throat of God.

23:09

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted in your struggle against sin.

23:18

You have not yet resisted the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

23:25

My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the

23:30

Lord disciplines the one he loves, chastises every son whom he receives. So nothing here in Hebrews 12 about timing and speed and other things colliding for a season for you.

23:46

And the reason is simple, is that John Gray is eisegeting, putting something into the text that isn't there.

23:53

And he's making a promise for God that God has not made. And again, the issue here is that many times people find themselves in dire need and they go to church seeking the face of God in answer to their prayer, in help, help for their need.

24:14

And then they're giving promises like these promises, which are not promises made by God at all.

24:22

So let me back this up again. Listen to this false promise. Timing are colliding to allow you to walk into a season of your life that you have only prayed about but have yet to experience.

24:34

This is the year of eye hasn't seen nor ear heard. Neither has it entered into the heart of man.

24:41

Oh, this is the year of eye hasn't seen, ear hasn't heard. Really, this is is this the year that Jesus returns?

24:49

You know, I have to ask the question, because if you understand the referent here, you'll see what

24:55

I'm saying. So we'll take a look at First Corinthians chapter two.

25:01

First Corinthians chapter two, Paul talking about preaching the foolishness of Christ and him crucified for our sins.

25:08

He says to the church at Corinth that when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom, for I decided to know nothing among you except for Jesus Christ and him crucified.

25:20

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling. My speech and my and the message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the spirit and power so that your faith may not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

25:35

Yet among the mature, we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or the rulers of this age who are doomed to pass away.

25:42

But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

25:47

None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. But as it is written, no, what no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what

25:58

God has prepared for those who love him. These things

26:04

God has revealed to us through the spirit, for the spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. Yeah, so you're going to note here in the one sense, you can say that no eye has seen or ear heard nor imagine what

26:17

God has prepared for those who love him in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.

26:24

But this is also used in the context of we have yet to see what's coming and that's going to be revealed at the end of time.

26:32

So what John Gray is saying, this is the year of what no eye has seen or ear heard. Wow, that's just, again, complete and utter manipulation.

26:43

And now by twisting this text, not exegeting, but twisting it, he again is making promises for God that God has never made and that God is not bound to keep.

26:55

We continue. I'm going to I'm going to prophesy to those who have the faith to receive it.

27:02

This is the year of eye hasn't seen. So now he's prophesying. Now, this is a false prophecy, neither has ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for those who love him.

27:17

Tell somebody Godspeed. Determination or the terminology

27:23

Godspeed is an expression of good wishes to a person starting a journey.

27:30

When I would look at some of the archive footage of space launches, the people from the

27:41

Space Center would say, good luck, astronauts and Godspeed. It was them saying,

27:48

God be with you. I know we're in a PC country now. You're not allowed to say God in context of anything.

27:54

They want God off of everything. And that's fine. You could take God off of all of that. You can't take him out of my heart.

28:00

You can't take him out of my mouth. Apparently, this is his brave stand against the politically correct country that we live in.

28:10

This coming from a fellow who had a reality TV show on Oprah's network. But the term

28:15

Godspeed for our purposes is me helping you to understand that God has a speed at which your life is about to start moving.

28:29

Helping me understand that there's a speed at which my life is about to start moving.

28:34

Again, another promise for God. This is pure manipulation. That is going to defy conventional wisdom.

28:41

It's going to defy natural understanding. And it's going to defy all of the things that you thought you knew about God and yourself, because God is about to expand your borders.

28:55

I don't want my borders expanded. It's so hard to lose weight. So hard.

29:01

He's about to expand your capacity. Again, these are promises that God has not made.

29:10

And the people there are eating this up. And before this is all done, they're going to be giving him a standing.

29:16

Oh, he's also about to expand your influence. So you need to write down borders, capacity and influence.

29:23

Borders, capacity and influence. God hasn't promised to expand any of those in my life, especially in Hebrews 12.

29:31

Once God is expanding your borders, he's expanding your capacity and he's expanding your influence.

29:39

Everybody say it out loud. Borders, capacity, influence.

29:48

Sounds like the only thing expanding there is heresy. Say it again like you mean it. Borders, capacity, influence.

29:58

There is a scripture that's been in my heart since the beginning of the year, and I've shared it, but I've got to say it again.

30:06

And I asked the Holy Ghost, I said, do you want me to keep harping on? He said, keep speaking until it breaks. So I asked the

30:13

Holy Ghost. This is, again, the glow in the dark Christian manipulation. See, he and the

30:19

Holy Ghost, they are on speaking terms. I mean, but I would note this normally when people are hearing voices in their head.

30:29

That's a bad thing. Usually they need to go and visit a facility with white rooms and, you know, those jackets that make it so you can't move your arms and things like that.

30:38

But this is a manipulation technique. Again, he hears directly from God. So now if you are if you're putting your thinking cap on and going, you know, some of the things he's saying don't square with scripture.

30:53

This doesn't sound right. Hebrews 12 doesn't promise me that timing and speed and other things are colliding or that I'm going to have an acceleration of things in my life or anything.

31:06

That's not what Hebrews 12 says. So you're thinking, you know, maybe I just need to have a conversation with him and say,

31:11

Pastor Gray, I I think you're you're twisting God's word. But then what happens is you get a check and the check goes something like this.

31:18

But yeah, but I mean, God talks. The Holy Spirit talks directly to him. Don't you think that if if he were manipulating the

31:26

Bible, the Holy Spirit would say, hey, knock that out, John, you need to rightly handle the word.

31:31

And since the Holy Spirit never seems to say that to him, who am I to tell him he's wrong? Because if I tell him he's wrong, it's

31:37

I'm not saying he's wrong. I'm actually saying, God, the Holy Spirit's wrong. And see, it's this manipulation on top of manipulation, on top of manipulation.

31:49

John Gray does not glow in the dark and know the Holy Spirit does not speak conversationally to him.

31:55

Just flat out, that's not happening. Why? How do you know? Because he twists God's word, makes promises for God, doesn't preach

32:02

Christ to him, crucified for our sins. He scratches itching ears and he fits all of the hallmark symptoms and signs of a false prophet and false teacher.

32:14

He's not hearing from the Holy Spirit at all. And if the Holy Spirit had anything to say to him, it would be to repent.

32:22

But we continue. So I'm going to speak it again, this story of Elijah and Jezebel.

32:29

Now, this is interesting. He's going to factually get this wrong. Watch how he does it. And Ahab in 1

32:35

Kings 18, then into the 19th chapter, after the prophets of Baal were killed,

32:44

Elijah gets a note from Jezebel saying,

32:49

I'm going to kill you by this time tomorrow. And the Bible says he takes off running a day's journey.

32:55

He's in the wilderness. Elijah sits under a broom tree and he says this, it's enough.

33:02

Take my life, for I am no better than my father's. And he falls asleep.

33:09

I want to ask you in this race, have you ever been so weary? You had no strength. You just had to fall asleep.

33:16

You can't even you don't even have the strength to get up. You just got to. Now, this is Narcissus, the reading of yourself into the biblical text.

33:24

Lay down. You got to take a nap. You got to rest. Has anybody ever been so weary that your sleep is troubled?

33:30

It's hard to. Yes, I have. And you'll note here, that's who he's seeking to reach with this message.

33:41

And those are the people whom he is manipulating. It's hard to let your heart rest. I want to talk to some people that have been stressed, whether it's a job.

33:49

So that's his target audience, the people who are stressed, who are in need, who need the help of God or a family challenge or a personal challenge or a personal place of struggle or a place of addiction or a place of personal shame that you don't feel comfortable talking to anyone about.

34:09

And you've asked God about it and you thought that you were hearing from God and it still did not turn in your favor at the time that you thought it would.

34:17

Have you ever been so discouraged? God, I just I'm tired. I don't have anything left.

34:22

I'm ready to give up. Just come on and take me home. I want you to know, if you're hearing me, it was

34:31

God's love and his commitment to you and his development of you that he didn't answer that prayer.

34:42

God didn't answer the prayer because you can't die yet. Oh, yeah, actually,

34:48

I could I could die any moment. And so could you. God didn't answer the prayer because you can't give up now.

34:55

God didn't answer that prayer because you still have too much to do. The purpose on your life is so significant that God is not going to allow you to die thinking that the enemy gets the last word.

35:09

All right, so let's take a look at First Kings chapter 19, shall we?

35:16

Let's see where I put that. First Kings 19. So in First Kings 18, we have the showdown at Mount Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

35:26

They've slaughtered animals. And the showdown is the God who answers by fire is the is the real true

35:31

God. And wouldn't you know, Baal didn't answer, but Yahweh did. And so 19 now tells us what happens in the aftermath of this.

35:41

Do you think Jezebel and Ahab repent? Not on your life. In fact, Jezebel is going to be really upset that all of her favorite prophets of Baal had been slaughtered by Elijah, and she's going to threaten to take

35:54

Elijah's life as well. And that's our context here. And let's see what

35:59

God does in answer to Elijah's complaint in Elijah's prayer. So Ahab told

36:05

Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, so may the gods do to me and more.

36:14

Also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time and tomorrow, then he was afraid and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah and left his servant there.

36:25

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, came and sat down under a broom tree tree.

36:31

And he asked that he might die saying it is enough now. Oh, Yahweh, take my life for I am no better than my father's.

36:38

And he laid down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said, arise and eat. And he looked and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water.

36:48

And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of Yahweh came a second time and touched him and said, arise and eat for the journey is too great for you.

36:56

And he rose and ate and drank. And he went in the strength of that food 40 days, 40 nights to Horeb, the mountain of God, which is

37:03

Mount Sinai. And he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of Yahweh came to him and said to him, what are you doing here,

37:11

Elijah? He said, I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts. Sava here is is going to be armies, the

37:19

God of armies for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, killed your prophets with a sword.

37:25

And I even I am left and they seek my life to take it away. And he said, go out and stand on the mount before Yahweh.

37:32

And behold, Yahweh passed by and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, broken pieces, the rocks before Yahweh.

37:38

But Yahweh was not in the wind and after the wind and earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake, a fire.

37:44

But Yahweh was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

37:53

And behold, there came a voice to him and said, what are you doing here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for Yahweh, Sabaoth, Yahweh, the

38:01

God of hosts for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, killed your prophets with the sword.

38:09

And I even I am left and they seek my life to take it away. And Yahweh said to him, go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus.

38:17

And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria and Jehu, the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel and Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel Mehaloah, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.

38:35

And so note here, Elijah has prayed that he might die.

38:41

God says, all right, go anoint these two fellows and also anoint in Elisha, the son of Shaphat, anoint to be the prophet in your place.

38:54

Elijah is wrapping up now his time on earth. God has said, OK, but rather than kill him,

39:00

Elijah gets a ride to heaven directly in a chariot of fire. But his time as a prophet is done.

39:09

And God answered his prayer and basically said, all right, you want to be done, you're done.

39:15

And he was done. So, you know, that's how the text goes. But watch what John Gray is doing with this.

39:27

If you all will continue to pray me through because I'm preaching and my fever is breaking at the same time.

39:34

I don't know if that's spiritual or whatever, but I just I feel God giving me the strength.

39:39

I told Charles, I said, Charles, I feel God giving me the strength again. Glow in the dark

39:45

Christian manipulation here. He doesn't glow in the dark. I don't feel well. I'm heavy today, but I got to press through.

39:50

I got to press my way. And so I'm asking that you all just intercede so I can get this word out.

39:56

Elijah was ready to give up. And I'm here to tell you this morning, don't give up. You can't give up because there are people that are counting on you to press through.

40:06

They're counting on you to make it, because if you make it, it gives them the hope that they can make it as well.

40:12

Oh, aren't I so special, man? I am so I'm so special. Again, notice this is scratching itching ears, form of manipulation.

40:21

He's not confronting him with their sins, not calling them to penitent faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

40:27

He's not placarding Christ in him crucified for our sins. He's filling their heads with just how important they are.

40:35

And he's made it clear the people he's speaking to are those who found themselves in dire need of God to answer their prayers.

40:46

But what is he promising them? Nothing that God has promised. These are false promises.

40:53

These are empty promises. These are not the promises that God makes to those who are in need.

41:00

If you make it, it gives them the strength to endure what people are walking through. This challenge that you are facing is not about you.

41:09

It is about the people that are connected to you. Sounds like it's about me, though.

41:14

It doesn't sound like it's about you and me. Yeah, it does. For later seasons in your life, later.

41:21

No one's promised that, by the way. No one has promised later seasons in their life.

41:29

Elijah was ready to give up. He was ready to quit, and God says, no, you can't quit here and you can't quit now and you can't quit at all because you're getting ready to run at a rate of speed that is going to shake devils off your life.

41:50

Now, did you catch that? I'm going to back it up, let it run out for just a little bit. But what he just said is the exact opposite of what we just read in First Kings 19.

42:02

What do you think? 15 seconds here. Quit. And God says, no, you can't quit here. All right, let me back it up just a little further.

42:09

Listen more. Elijah was ready to give up.

42:16

He was ready to quit. And he was ready, man. He was ready to be dead. Says, no, you can't quit here.

42:24

God says, nah, you can't quit here. And Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abba Mehaloah, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.

42:42

And shortly after this, Elisha anoints

42:47

Elijah and Elijah is off to heaven.

42:55

Did God say nah to Elijah? No, he said, OK, that's what he said.

43:00

Listen again. Elijah was ready to give up.

43:07

He was ready to quit. And God says, no, you can't quit here and you can't quit now and you can't quit at all.

43:15

No, God allowed him to quit, provided for his replacement to strange because you're getting ready to run at a rate of speed that is going to shake devils off your life.

43:30

What does that even mean? I'm going to run at a speed that's going to shake devils off my life. No text says this.

43:39

Well, what do you mean, pastor? Yeah, what do you mean? Because you just made that up. We've already talked about the fact that Ahab had a chariot and four horses and Elijah had two legs and a word, and he made it to the city before Ahab did.

43:52

You're getting ready to run at a level that makes no sense. And you're getting at a level of the sermon that makes no sense.

44:00

You're going to run at that level. This is nonsense.

44:06

But this is pure manipulative nonsense designed to hook those who are in dire need for God to intervene, being ready to accomplish goals that no one thought were possible for you or your family, because you do know you're the key for your whole family.

44:27

I am. Really, they may not tell you, but they need you to win so that the anointing on you can flow to everybody else.

44:37

See, why am I important? I and apparently I'm an anointed one, too. Who knew?

44:42

I'm not just here for myself. I am the answer to prayers that my grandmother prayed.

44:47

Now she's up in heaven waiting on the manifestation of God's word. There are things that you and I are supposed to fulfill.

44:55

And God's about to move in 2020 at a rate of speed that nothing but heaven can hold on.

45:05

Now, in the audience, there is a woman who clearly is receiving this word, probably because she's in dire need.

45:14

And this is something that makes her feel good in the midst of her difficult circumstances.

45:22

But John Gray isn't telling her anything that the Bible for real says. This is all just manipulative nonsense designed to make promises for God that God has not made so that he can keep his audience coming back.

45:45

God's speed means you're about to move into supernatural acceleration. God's.

45:51

Where's my prophecy? Bingo cards. I'm going to move in acceleration.

46:00

Speed, you're going from. Tortoise and hare, remember that anybody ever watch that?

46:08

Yeah, I remember that. Bugs Bunny with the tortoise and the hare and he's and the and the rabbits running and the tortoise is moving slow.

46:14

Anybody ever felt like the tortoise just just moving slow? Everybody else is running fast. But this is the key.

46:21

God is not finished with you. So what looks like delay. What if he is?

46:27

What have he's done? What if my life is over? I could hit a step off the curb and get hit by a bus tomorrow is actually development.

46:38

And there are a couple of questions you need to ask God when you're in the development phase of your life.

46:44

Number one, what am I to learn about God in this moment? I'm 51 years old,

46:53

I'm still in the development phase of my life. Oftentimes we want to get to the destination, but God is not interested in the destination, he actually is interested in the journey because the journey is not to be taken by yourself.

47:07

What is the destination promised us by God? New heavens, new earth.

47:13

That's what we're promised. The journey is to be walked with him. Pastor, what biblical reference can you give?

47:23

Well, the voice of God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And now we're twisting

47:33

Genesis three. That thing blesses me. Wasn't even God, it was just his voice.

47:39

I need you to know God's voice walks. God's voice has legs. See, my curiosity's got the best of me here.

47:49

Genesis three, because you note the context that that that phrase appears in and we'll see what what's really going on there.

48:02

So the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that Yahweh Elohim had made.

48:07

So he said to the woman, did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, well, we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden.

48:15

But God said you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that's in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it lest you die.

48:22

But the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you'll be like God, knowing good and evil.

48:29

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

48:38

And she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate. And then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

48:50

Yes, so they've disobeyed God and now they know good and evil experientially because they've committed evil.

48:58

So they heard the sound of Yahweh Elohim walking in the garden in the cool of the day, heard the sound, the coal.

49:08

Yeah, I guess he could translate coal as voice. That may be one way of translating it.

49:15

But the but that the context doesn't make it. Now, let's just say this coal here in the context is probably sound rather than voice.

49:26

So the ESV, I think, is more accurate. But the point is, is that this the sound of Yahweh in the cool of the day is not a comforting thing because watch what happened to Adam and Eve when they heard the sound.

49:41

So they heard the the sound of Yahweh Elohim walking in the garden. In the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh among the trees of the garden.

49:51

But Yahweh called the man and said to him, where are you? And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.

49:59

So no, he's not talking. John Gray isn't talking about our sin and Adam and Eve hiding from God.

50:07

He's just quoting this out of context as if, oh, well, this proves what I've been saying about the some sound that's going to create an acceleration in your life and stuff and thingies.

50:18

You know, let me back this up. Of the day, I got to go a little voice of God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

50:29

That thing blesses me wasn't even God, it was just his voice. I need you to know God's voice walks.

50:35

God's voice has legs. His words. Yeah, that's twisting.

50:43

That's that. That's flat out twisting, ignoring some can run. The voice of God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

50:50

No, no, no. The voice of God was not walking. They heard the sound of Yahweh Elohim.

50:58

OK, this is this is so bad. And who was he looking for?

51:06

Adam and Eve, I need the 830 crowd to get a little louder. Who was he looking for? Adam and Eve, who just sinned against him.

51:12

He was looking for Adam. He said, Adam, where are you? Come out, come out wherever you are.

51:19

God was not asking a question he didn't know the answer to. The question was asked because God was saying, why are you out of place?

51:28

Who have you been talking to other than me that causes you to hide from me when I'm the one that not only gave you your name and gave you my breath,

51:36

I gave you this garden. And for any of us, I don't recall that particular monologue from God in Genesis three.

51:44

Where'd you find those words? Notice this is Isis, this again, John Gray is in charge of the message.

51:52

He's putting words into the biblical text that are not there. Us who feel like we made it on our own or we pulled ourselves up by our bootstrap.

52:00

May I lovingly remind you that you don't even have breath in your body without the Lord. Well, yeah, that's true, but the point you're making isn't valid.

52:08

You don't have that job without the Lord. You don't have those achievements without the Lord. I don't have this pulpit without the

52:15

Lord. I have no measure of influence without the Lord. And so what God wants you to remember is that I'm not trying to get you somewhere without me going.

52:29

Really, that that's the point. Yeah, no, I'm going to do here is I'm going to just plop the play head somewhere in the future of this sermon, go a little farther down the road and see where he goes next.

52:42

Let's see. And what God's love does is it paces you and he slowly ramps you up until you are able to run the race at full speed speed.

52:55

You're running at God's speed. OK, so God's ramping me up to run the race at God's feet.

53:00

You are able to run the race at full speed. And that's why it looks like everybody else is going faster.

53:06

But you're not running at their speed. You're running at God's speed. But I know that there are a few people in here that know when you hit

53:13

God's speed, everything slows down. Now, I again remind you,

53:23

God's speed is not even a concept found in Hebrews 12. And now he's making the claim that God's going to get you up to his speed.

53:32

And and once you get to God's speed, everything else slows down. OK, why?

53:42

Because John Gray said so, not because any biblical text says so, he says, it's almost like the

53:49

Matrix, which is one of my favorite movies, they're shooting bullets and all he's doing is this. And it it it looks slow motion.

53:56

And at the end of the movie, they thought they had him, but he had gotten so fully aware of who he was. He just spoke to the bullets and said, no,

54:05

I need to help somebody in here that you're about to start running at a rate and a pace that when the enemy attacks, you're just going to say, no, you won't be real.

54:14

I rebuke you devil in the name of no emotion. Just know, because when you have real power, you don't have to scream.

54:20

You can just know. No, no cancer, no diabetes, no devil.

54:25

I said, no, I need somebody to get this. You're about to start moving so fast that it'll look slow.

54:35

Wow, just wow. Again, the guy has no shame.

54:42

He should fear God so that he doesn't blaspheme God in this way and make promises for him that he's not made.

54:50

So notice, you know, there's a day come. God's going to get you to God's speed and when you get to God's speed, everything in your life is going to slow down.

54:55

Think matrix here. And then cancer is going to come and you're just going to say no, because you have power to say no to cancer.

55:04

No scripture says that. So you see what's going on here. He's full on manipulating here and the payoff here.

55:12

Now, so let's, let's say you showed up at church. You, you were in the middle of a dire circumstance.

55:18

You need God to answer. You are there because you are seeking the face of God and you leave with this currency, can you spend it with God?

55:32

No, because all of this is counterfeit. This isn't what the Bible says at all.

55:38

These are not promises that God has made. This is not sound doctrine. This is all manipulation. And the people standing on their feet are the ones who are most in need and are resonating with this message going.

55:52

Finally, I'm hearing the voice of God. God's going to come and rescue me. He's going to get me to God's speed, whatever that is.

56:01

Cause pastor Gray said so, but all pastor

56:06

Gray is doing is manipulating. Did you hear what

56:14

I said? I heard it. I don't know if any of y 'all ever been in the hood, but there's these things called spinners.

56:20

It used to be on. Oh yeah. I remember those. Duh. You know about Doug, what?

56:28

Twenties their rims. And then on the outside of the rims, there were these things called spinners.

56:34

Here's what's crazy. The tire wasn't moving, but the spinner was, it gave the illusion that the whole tire was moving.

56:43

And the only reason it was still moving is because it had gained so much momentum as it was driving.

56:49

That even when it came to a stop, the spinners were still moving. What I need you to know is that your destiny and your purpose are so interconnected that even if you hit a stop, you still go move, says which biblical text,

57:06

John, which text says that I need somebody to give

57:12

God a praise like he's moving you. Even if it looks like you're stopped, you're still moving.

57:18

My sermon is coming to a close. I think you get the point.

57:24

That's this all manipulation. And again, scripture warns us about men like John gray and second

57:31

Timothy chapter four, the apostle Paul talking to young pastor Timothy says this,

57:37

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who's to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing in his kingdom to preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching, or you can say doctrine for the time is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves, teachers to suit their own passions, and they will turn away from listening to the truth and they will wander off into myths.

58:05

As for you, always be sober minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

58:12

And so you'll note here, that's what John gray does. He scratches, itches, itching ears, tells people what suits their passions and everything he's taught, taught here, this whole concept, the doctrine of God's speed, it's a myth.

58:27

It's not a biblical doctrine at all. He's making promises for God that God hasn't met.

58:32

And all along the line, we noted all the different manipulation techniques that he was employing for the purpose of making it seem like he's the man of God.

58:41

He hears directly from God. He glows in the dark and that he's got a message directly from God.

58:48

That's going to meet us in our dire need. And the reality is, is that the message is just complete flim flam, phony baloney.

58:55

These are not promises God has made. This is mythology, but people are standing up, they're on their feet.

59:02

And what are they going to do when the bucket comes by? They will reward him handsomely. By putting lots of money in the bucket in order to thank him for telling them what they wanted to hear, rather than telling him what they needed to hear.

59:18

And that's the issue. So hopefully you found this helpful. If you did, all the information on how you can share this video is down below in the description.

59:27

And just a reminder, Fighting for the Faith, we are supported by our listeners and our viewers, that's you.

59:33

And so if you don't already support us financially, all the information on how you can support us financially is down below in the description by joining our crew and all of that, you know, all of those, the different ways that you can support us directly and all that kind of stuff.

59:46

And I want to thank you. We truly cannot do what we are doing here without your help. Now I want to let you know, in the month of February, how does, how does

59:54

Princess Ebola say February? Uh, in the month of February, I will be giving away a different, uh, one of my fine art prints.

01:00:03

It's called San Clemente Dreamin', San Clemente Dreamin', and I'll have my editor put a photograph of it here on the screen so that you can see it.

01:00:12

And, uh, that will be the print for everybody who joins at Gunner's Mate or above, joins our crew in the month of February as my way of saying thank you for supporting us.

01:00:20

Cause we truly cannot do what we are doing here without your support. So until next time, may God richly bless you in the grace and mercy won by Jesus Christ, his vicarious death on the cross for all of your sins.