Take The Gate

Take The Gate in 23

Opening Text:

Abraham - Gen 22:16-17 “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;”

Isaac - Gen 24:60 “And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.”

Movement 1: Defining the Gate

For Abraham, the Gate was a place on entrance - a portal if you will - it was through a gate that one could enter the city courts. They could do business through the gate. The gate is a place where one enters or is denied entrance to a restricted zone.

The Tyndall Gate - you don’t just roll up and go through. A gate secures the inhabitants of those within its boarders.

A GATE SIMPLY IS A PORTAL TO SOMETHING THAT IS OTHERWISE RESTRICTED.

Being Born Again - the Gateway into New Testament Covenant with Jesus

The only way to make it to heaven is through the Death, the burial, and the resurrection

It is by His grace that we may be saved through our faith in action!!!!!

HOWEVER, Gen 22 and 24 talk of a different gate, and that is the gate of one’s enemies. You see Deut 7:1-2 highlights seven great nations greater and mightier than that of Israel - the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

These enemies would be the bane of Israel’s existence and God’s direction did not change from Gen 22 & 24!

Here is what verse 2 in Deut 7 says, “And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them”

The Bible says utterly destroy them

Do not make a covenant with them

Do not show mercy to them…kill them off

These Nations had vast amounts of lands - they had cities with inhabitants - within those cities were communities and within those communities were individual homes. In order for Israel to take the gate of the city, they would have to start somewhere, but eventually total victory would lead into the depths of the city. It would require every warrior to do their part in defeating the enemy!

However, the first place of business was the gate - the place of coming and going for that city

Movement 2: The Personal Gate, the Local Gate, and the Gate of the City

Judges 16:2-3 “And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.”

First, we should note that God gave victory to Samson while he was in a place that he wasn’t supposed to be. In verse 1 the Bible states that he had an affair with a prostitute.

- Some will say, God has allowed victory in my life; hence, I must be in His will. God gave victory to Samson because of His faithfulness not Samson’s.

- God’s mercy and grace was bestowed upon Samson’s life at that moment, but his sin didn’t just grow legs and walk off - no pun intended - it continued to grow. Samson’s rebellion towards God through his neglect in consecration would ultimately be his demise

We say, “O I don’t need to do that. O the Bible doesn’t explicitly say that I need to do that, but in all reality - in efforts to enjoy the pleasures of the world, we grow closer to falling into her traps.”

1 Jn 2:15 “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.”

If Samson would have conquered his personal gate, imagine what he could of done - his 3000 could have been 4000 or 5000 like Jesus’ victory in the NT. Jesus fed the 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Think about that - 7 items of food! Jesus was able to complete what Israel refused to do! He was able to conquer not just a promised land, but the entire WORLD!

3000 is elsewhere in the Bible and it can be thought of as a number of failure in this context - Joshua 7 talks of 3000 men, when Israel lost due to Achan’s sin

So the first gate to take is the one within our own personal lives! You take the gate of your mind and soul!

What do you think about day and night?

What is on your mind at midnight? Is it God or Delilah?

The next Gate is our local Gate

How could Samson or Abraham take the gate of their enemies if they didn’t even have control of the gate of their own cities

To many times, we allow ungodly stuff into the church!

Backbiting

Lying, cheating, stealing

Fornication

Manipulation

Rebellion

Hatred, envy, and strife

AND ALL OF THIS COMES FROM A LACK OF BOUNDARIES

You cannot take the enemy’s territory if you haven’t even conquered your own!

The last gate is the enemy Nation’s gate!

Like Samson we too can have a victory, but will our victory be one that leads to death, like Samson’s, or life like Jesus’

Jesus never died! Samson did!

However, Samson’s victory was God empowered - don’t think I’m refuting that! He took the entire gate, weighing in well over a ton, 36 miles! It was his last bit of consecration that saved him with God…God had mercy because God was faithful to Samson. However, Samson’s victory could have been so much more if he would have stayed away from the harlot!

The enemy’s gate must be taken with consecration and our methods of warfare!

Movement 3: Take the Gate

2 Cor 10:4 “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)”

Eph 6:11-12 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Worship/Praise - Psalm 107:15-16 “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass, And cut the bars of iron in sunder.”

YOU WANT TO SEE GOD DO MIRACLES AND MOVE IN THIS CITY - PRAISE THE LORD! WORSHIP LORD! PRAY TO THE LORD! INTERCEDE TO THE LORD!

Get stirred in the Holy Ghost and let God permeate through you!

The New Revised Standard Version Paul Defends His Ministry

3 Indeed, we live as human beings,b but we do not wage war according to human standards;c 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human,d but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments 5 and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. 6 We are ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.

2 Cor 10:3-6 NRSV

In other words, Paul was saying every high argument must come down that tries to exalt itself above God’s Word!

If you deny the power of God in this world through His Spirit - that’s got to come down!

If you deny the power of God through the five-fold ministry - that’s got to come down! Why? Because his Word proclaims its usage in Eph 4:11-12! God’s army can’t be formed without His means of forming it!

In 23 the Gate will be captured!!!!

In 23 I’m taking my family’s gate!

In 23 I’m destroying every argument that exalts itself above God because I know how to use my sword, THE WORD OF GOD!

LET’S TAKE THE GATE!!!!

Let’s win the battle and not fornicate with the enemy!

I’m tired of producing Jezabel Juniors and Hittite Harrys - It’s time to take their gate and spread the Gospel!!!!