Matt Hagee - The Cause of the Crisis
The whole world is out of order because the whole world is under the sway, that word sway means the influence. It's like an individual who is intoxicated, whenever they begin to move, they can't stand straight because they're under the influence. And therefore, they're swaying back and forth, unable to control themselves because of what they've brought into their lives. This whole world is out of order because it is under the influence of the wicked one.
Now, John is writing to the church and he uses the term, "The wicked one," but the wicked one, if you look in the Bible, he is that serpent of old, the devil, the one that Jesus said is a liar and the father of lies. If he opens his mouth, he's lying. That's who's got the world under his influence. And so, when you look at the world, you start to ask, "What's wrong"? It's out of order. It doesn't function like it's supposed to. We can talk about it all we want to, but it doesn't fix it. Discussing a problem doesn't solve a problem. But think about it, what sense does it make for the world's elites to fly to exotic locations to discuss things that are important for the survival of the world?
Things like global warming, where science has shown that the earth's temperature has risen one degree over the last seven years. I do 20 jumping jacks, my temperature goes up ten degrees in two minutes. Then they get on their private jets, and they fly back to their nations. And the gas from the dinosaurs that they talked about not using, pollutes the air. And then they land at home and they tell farmers who are living off the land and producing food, that they need to buy electric tractors so that they can do their fair share in saving the planet. What sense does that make? It's out of order. This nation is a part of a world that's out of order.
We talk about let's make America great again, God is the only one who can do that. Because this nation is so out of order. Just think about this one aspect. Eighty years ago during World War II, there were young men in this nation who lied about their age, they were 15, 16, 17, and they raised their right hand and said, "I'm 18," because they wanted to go defend this nation and fight for our freedom and our liberty. Now, 80 years later, we've got grown men in this nation lying about their gender so they can go compete with the girls. That's coming a long way the wrong way. And it's out of order.
People say, "Well, I don't know that that's really happening". Open your eyes. Shewon.Org is a group that has been formed to try and protect the rights of female athletes who are actually females. And they said, this year, 692 female athletes had records taken, championships lost, medals lost, and scholarships taken away and given to men. The church, in some cases is a part of a system that's out of order. The biblical definition of the church, according to Jesus Christ it's the thing that we just sang before the sermon began, "Upon this rock will I build my church". And he said, "The evidence of that church is that the gates of hell would not prevail against it".
When you see a world that has all hell breaking loose, you have to wonder what's wrong with the church if the church is supposed to make sure that hell does not prevail. The church is out of order. We're disoriented. We've lost focus of what we're here to do. We're here to fulfill the great commission. We're here to go into all of the nations and make disciples of every tribe, and every tongue, and every person. But instead of doing that work, we're going to conferences and we're debating. We're debating the truth, not declaring the truth. And in some places, we're perverting and twisting the truth. Mainline denominations are having votes on whether or not they can ordain homosexuals. Not according to the Word of God.
If the world is out of order because it's in deception underneath the devil's plan, if the nation is out of order because we're divided, if the church is out of order because it's disoriented, it's no wonder that families are out of order because they're dysfunctional. The Bible says, "If the foundations be destroyed, what then can the righteous do"? And if the family is out of order, the question that we must ask ourselves is, are we? Am I a part of the solution or am I a part of the problem?
This is what 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, Paul told the church, he said, "Examine yourselves". Now, say those two words, "Examine yourselves". How many of you know people in church who are really good at examining others? "Oh, I know how to fix them". That's not what Paul said. He said, do what? "Examine yourself," he said, "To see if you are in the faith. Test yourself. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you"? Now, I want you to listen to those words and let them sink in for just a moment. Jesus Christ is in you. Jesus Christ, the one who conquered death, hell, and the grave, he's not around you, he's in you.
Jesus Christ, the one who calls order out of chaos, and calls those things that are not as though they were, that's the one who's in you. Jesus Christ, the bright and the morning star. Jesus Christ, heaven's hope and hell's dread. Jesus Christ, the name that is above every name. Jesus Christ, the king that is above all kings. Jesus Christ, the way maker and the mountain mover and the miracle worker, he's in you. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God for sinners slain who is worthy of all honor, and all glory, and all power, and all dominion, that same Jesus is the one who's in you.
So, when you look at a world that's out of order, you have a decision to make. Do I wanna be in that world or do I wanna be in this word? This where we get the biblical concept, we are in this world, not of it. And the reason that the whole world is out of order as we read in 1 John 5:19 is because it is under the sway of the wicked one. It's under his influence. Romans 1:25 said that there was a generation that exchanged the truth of God for a lie. That's us. They exchanged the truth of a God for a lie.
And then, there's a list of symptoms in Romans 1 that starts to say that they began to worship the created and not the Creator. And then, they gave up their natural affections of a man for a woman and a woman for a man, and they had a debased mind, and they turned their affections towards each other. Why? Because they're under the influence of the wicked one. This is why we have created safe places for people who feel threatened in their feelings, but we're doing everything we can to cancel the truth. This is why we can look at a beached whale on the seashore and call it a tragedy, and then look at the murder of an unborn child in the womb and call it a medical procedure.
This is why public education will allow a man to dress up like a woman and go sit in front of a kindergarten class to read them a story, but if the coach kneels on the football field to pray, he's violating civil rights. Why? Because this world is under the influence of a liar. And so, they're believing all of these lies. And the reason that this liar is lying is because this is what he does, and this is who he is. He's been lying since the beginning. Why? Because he wants to undo everything that God has done. God said, "Let there be light," satan wanted it to be dark. God said, "Let there be order," satan wanted chaos.
God said, "Let's make man," satan wanted to destroy man. And you can follow that pattern throughout the Word of God. This is why Jesus said in John 10, "He is a thief and he is a liar who comes to steal, who comes to kill, and who comes to destroy". Everything this guy touches, he destroys it. So, why would you wanna dance with the devil? He wants to undo everything that God has done. But let me give you some good news today, my God cannot be undone. Isaiah 55, it says, "Your word shall not return void".
Peter said it this way, "The grass may whither and the flower may fade, but the word of the Lord endures forever". David said in Psalms 90, "From everlasting to everlasting," meaning before time began and when time is no more, "He is God". This is why Jesus told his disciples, "Have faith in God". Say that with me, "Have faith in God". Why? Because my God is not an if, my God is a fact. The fact is God is the one who created us, not we ourselves. We are the sheep of his pasture. The fact is, God sent his only begotten son to redeem us. And there is one name given among heaven whereby we might be saved, and that is the name that is above every name. It is the matchless name of Jesus Christ.
We talk about this world, but you need to understand, this world has already been conquered. Jesus said, "You are going to have trouble in this life," he said, "But be of good cheer, I have," what? "Overcome the world". He told his disciples after he was resurrected, he said, "All power in heaven and earth, it belongs to me". Why? "Because while this world was under the influence, this world didn't belong to the wicked one. This is my Father's world. He's in control". This is why Jesus said, John 12:31 and 32, "Now is the judgment of this world". Because Adam gave us to satan in sin, the world had to be judged. And then, Jesus continues, he said, "And now the ruler of this world will be cast out".
What Jesus is saying is, "I didn't tell him to go sit in the corner and hide his face". He said, "I went down there, and I grabbed him by the nape of the neck, and I walked to the threshold of heaven, and I opened the door, and I threw him out". Everywhere that Jesus went in his earthly ministry, everything that the enemy was doing, Jesus cast it out. When he saw someone who was sick, he walked up to them, and with a healing hand, he touched sickness and he cast out every sickness, and he cast out every disease.
When he saw someone who was being demon possessed and tormented, he didn't walk up and interview it, he walked up, and with a hand of anointed power, he cast out every power and every principality. When he walked into a funeral service, he didn't walk up and say, "I'm so sorry for your loss". He walked up to death, and with everlasting life in his hands, he grabbed death by the nape of neck, and he walked to the threshold of eternity, and now we can say, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory"? For death has been swallowed up and the grave is now the gateway to glory. Give the Lord a hand clap of praise.
And how was he to do this? Read verse 32. He said, "If I am lifted up". Say that with me. "If I am lifted up, I will draw all peoples unto me". Jesus was saying, "If they put me on that cross, if they let me pay for the sins of mankind, if the judgement of the world falls on me, then there's nothing that hell can do to stop me". If satan had a clue what would happen when Christ went to the cross, he would have done anything he could to keep him from it. But God sent his son to a cross, and he was lifted up in judgement. Judgement for who? Judgement for you and judgement for me. The stripes that he bore on his back, those stripes should have been mine.
But when he took them, he gave me healing instead of sickness. The thorns that he wore on his head, that crown should have been mine. But when he wore it, he made me an heir and a joint heir and a Son of God in a royal family. The nails that held him to this tree, they should have been mine. They should have held me captive. But when he allowed them to be driven into his hands and into his feet, the nails that held him set me free. Not only did his sacrifice pay for my sin but listen to what it did to every power and to every principality.
Colossians 2:13, it says, "You, who were dead in your trespasses," that's me. I was dead, but he made me alive in Jesus Christ. He allowed the blood of his only begotten son to wipe the record clean. It says, "He wiped out the handwriting that was against you". That means that God went into heavenly places with an eraser that was covered in lamb's blood, and he said, "Every sin, and every transgression, and everything that you have ever done to violate my word, I'm gonna wipe the record clean, because my son has shed his blood for you. That sin is no longer on you. That price does not have to be paid by you. That judgment has been fulfilled for you".
How did he do it? He nailed it to a cross. And after he fixed the record on my behalf, and it gets better, it says, "He disarmed". He disarmed. Every weapon that the enemy ever chose to use against you, Jesus took it from him. "He disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them". It southern Texas talk, that means he whooped 'em good. It wasn't a bottom of the ninth, walk off home run. He stomped 'em when he triumphed over them in it.
So, you get a choice today. Do you wanna be a part of that world that's out of order? Or do you wanna be a part of the word that was made flesh and came and dwelt among us who has disarmed powers and principalities and triumphed over every form of darkness. He's the one that said, "If I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto me". Would anybody mind if I took a little time just to lift up Jesus here this morning? Romans 8, it says it this way, "What shall we say of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? If he didn't spare his own son, how will he not with him freely give us all things"?
Church, what a mighty God that we serve that he would freely give us all things. He's a God that is a refuge. He's a God that is a strength. He's a God that is an everlasting help in a time of trouble. He's my banner in battle. When I go into a fight, he goes before me, and he tells those who are against me that I have somebody who's walking with me. He's killed giants. He's parted seas. He's closed the mouths of lions. He's opened the doors of prisons. He's rolled stones away. If he can do that for them, then what can he do with me? He's the God who snatches victory out of the jaws of defeat. He's the God who crowned you with lovingkindness. He's the God who is a shepherd, that he leads and he guides. He's the God that comforts and he protects. He's the God that prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. His goodness and his mercy, they follow after me.
It's going with me all the days of my life. He said I would be the head and not the tail, that I would be above, and not beneath. He said he'd never fail me. He said he dwells within me. So, greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world. When you lift Jesus up, hell backs up. And so many times, we focus on the wrong thing. We look at the out of order sign. "Well, I wonder what went wrong"? It's not yours to fix. You just gotta make a choice, in the world or in the word? I've decided I'm gonna start Messing with people, as if I didn't before. Somebody asked me recently, they said, "Are you pro-choice"? And I said, "As a matter of fact, I am". And they went, "What"? I said, "I choose Jesus".
As for me and my house, we're gonna serve the Lord. I choose his freedom over the fear of this world. I choose life and liberty over tyranny. I choose his blood. I choose his word. I choose his power. I choose the joy of my salvation. I choose his peace that surpasses all understanding. I choose him to be king above kings and Lord above Lords. I choose him and his kingdom because of his kingdom, there shall be no end. I choose Jesus today. There's no turning back. I say this in closing. There's out of order signs hanging all over this world, but in other ways, we're familiar with things being out of order.
Got any law & order fans in this house? You don't have to admit it. If you're like me, on those cold, freezing days when you're not going outside, that's a pretty good binge watch. I'm just saying. But on occasion, in those episodes of law & order, whenever there's tension in the courtroom, and somebody objects, and then somebody blurts out, and then somebody says something they shouldn't say, sooner or later, the judge gets fed up and he says, "That's out of order". And the courtroom gets quiet because authority has now spoken.
When you're a child of God and you see that Jesus has disarmed powers and principalities and he has triumphed over them in it, that he's made a public spectacle of them, what do you do when those powers and principalities enter into the world that Jesus cast them out of? What do you do when that serpent of old, the wicked one, who Jesus cast out, tries to get back into your life? Because you are his child, you have the right to appeal to a court.
And the good news is it's not a district court, and it's not a circuit court, and it's not even a Supreme Court, it is a court in the highest heavens where God, the righteous judge sits on the throne, and his son, Jesus Christ, is your advocate who is saying on behalf of your life in the Father's ear on a daily basis your needs. That's why the Bible says he makes petitions for us on a daily basis. So, you as his child, you have permission because Jesus said, "What you bind, will be bound. What you loose, it'll be loosed".
So, whenever the enemy comes at you like a flood, you get to say, "Father, in the name of Jesus, I do not receive this attack in my life. It's sickness, and I need healing". And all of a sudden, heaven says, "Sickness is out of order". When poverty shows up, you say, "Father, you promised provision". And he says, "It's out of order". And suddenly, whenever you walk into heavenly places, you have a petition to go in before the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and on your behalf, his word comes to life in your life because you are his child, and his victory is yours in Jesus' name.