Representing the Lord’s Side

I’m thrilled to have my baby in service with us today. (“Fill ‘er up!”) And my wife, the love of my life, who just had a birthday this week. She is a precious source of strength to me.

I love my church.

Great teaching this morning. Also, great, GREAT teaching by Pastor LaRue last Wednesday night.

Again, I love my church.

Text

Exodus 32:19–25 KJV 1900

19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. 21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

So really, the people had removed themselves from any restraint, any morals. One translation actually says “they were running wild and… out of control”.

The exact same word used twice in this verse is also found in Proverbs 29:18, where we find a strong warning: “Where there is no revelation [message from or understanding of God], the people cast off all moral restraints...”

So Moses realized that there needed to be decisive action, and it needed to be right now. And so he challenged the people:

Exodus 32:26 KJV 1900

26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

“Who is on the Lord’s side?”

I’m going to preach about Representing the Lord’s Side.

And I’m getting ready to administer a little push today… don’t let that scare you! I mean, I’m even giving you a heads-up right now. And, we’ve determined that we are headed into the BEYOND, with the help of God. And I believe that part of us going BEYOND is getting a bit of a push throughout this year.

Representing the Lord’s Side.

Intro

Endtime Facts

What I see in the world… is a mobilization of the world. And it’s vast.

But… it is now time… for there to be a new mobilization on the Lord’s side!!!

I’m telling you what I feel God speaking to me!

It’s really easy to look at the endtime world in which we live, and see the negative. We tend to focus on the scriptures that talk about “wars and rumors of wars”, and that “evil men will wax worse and worse”. And these things are sure to be, but we have to remember that the mighty revival plan of God is going to be carried out at the same time!

I know that it is easy to see how the force of worldliness is mobilizing and banding together… but I don’t believe that God gave us the negative prophecies so that we would forget about the positive ones!

God is MOBILIZING HIS CHURCH!!!

Mobilizing

Babel

Now what was happening at the bottom of the mountain while Moses was in the presence of God almighty, was that there was a worldly mobilization that was taking place.

This was not the first time something like this had happened. Oh yes, there had been a similar spirit come on the people that built the tower of Babel. They had decided that instead of live for God, they were going to compete with God, and they got good at mobilizing for it.

Genesis 11:4 KJV 1900

4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Scattered - it’s interesting: that’s what Moses did with the grounded powder from the golden calf.

“Lest we be scattered abroad.” What’s the opposite of “scattered abroad”? Mobilized, of course!

Genesis 11:5–6 KJV 1900

5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

“Now nothing will be restrained from them.” Sounds much like the people Moses found at the bottom of the mountain!

Genesis 11:7–9 KJV 1900

7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

And so, God scattered them. Why did God scatter them??? LISTEN! Because God knows that the greatest mobilization there will ever be WILL NOT BE A WORLDLY ONE!!!

I believe I’ll say that again...

The greatest mobilization that history is ever going to see is THE CHURCH THAT YOU AND I ARE A PART OF RIGHT NOW!!!

THE WORLD CAN’T MATCH UP TO IT! TRY, IT WILL! BUT IT WON’T!

SATAN CAN’T DISBAND US! TRY, HE WILL… YOU MAY HAVE FELT HIS LITTLE STABS AT YOU, YOURSELF! BUT HE’S GOING TO FAIL!!!

I’M TELLING YOU THAT GOD IS IN THE BUSINESS OF MOBILIZING US INTO THE GREATEST THING HISTORY HAS EVER SEEN!!!

And what’s more: HE SEES NEW LIFE RECTOR AS A VITAL PART!

At the Bottom of Sinai

Now, let’s come back to the bottom of Mt. Sinai.

The people did much of the same thing. They went ahead and picked a side.

Exodus 32:1 KJV 1900

1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

God talked to Moses and described it this way:

Exodus 32:8 KJV 1900

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

And then, they began to mobilize. I’m not going to read all of it right now, but in order to do what they did, it took organization and some structure. They had to work together.

And what they had done is to mobilize against the Most High God!

Knowing Our Side

Tribal Nature

There is something that is ever more evident about humanity as time goes on… and it’s that we have a TRIBAL NATURE.

Yes, we do! It’s a TRIBAL NATURE.

Sociologists (who I would often disagree with, because they don’t take into account sin nature or spiritual entities) will tell you that we naturally have tribalism about us.

“Tribalism is the state of being organized by, or advocating for, tribes or tribal lifestyles.”

Wikipedia

It’s this idea that naturally, being human, we pick sides in all sorts of things.

With tribalism, it involves having what’s called an “in-group” and an “out-group”. You’re either a part of us, and that’s good. Or you’re not with us, and that’s bad. And if you’re a part of the in-group, then you have to show your loyalty.

The most obvious examples of this idea are in:

Politics - democrat or republican

Sports - you’re either a Cardinals fan or a Cubs fan (in which case you lose a lot)

And there are MANY other examples of how tribalism occurs. (we do this with trucks, banks, music styles, chicken sandwiches!)

And tons of work is put into getting people excited about and more loyal to all of these things. People will do wild, unreal things for their side of whatever the issue is! They’ll spend large amounts of money for what they are committed to, they’ll get pumped up and excited - even you and I do this without realizing it...

And hear me: all of this is for things that are going to pass away!

But I’VE got something to submit to the Church today: OUR GOD IS SOMETHING TO GET WILD AND EXCITED ABOUT!!!

Moses is coming down that mountain to a mess of worldliness that has mobilized… he’s aggravated, he’s frustrated, but he’s also SHOCKED at the fact that the people have forgotten about the God that had shown Himself so mighty for them. He knew that it was time for a GODLY mobilization!

And the Bible says that he walked up to the gate of the camp; he placed hisself in front of the people… and he lifted up his voice and yelled out the question: “I WANT TO KNOW: WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?!”

God has made it clear in the last three months that what is getting ready to happen is UNPRECEDENTED. You hear me right now: what God has planned is getting ready to shake this region and shake this world!!! It’s a MOBILIZATION!

And this morning, I have been commissioned - I have a responsibility - to ask that same question that Moses asked that day: I WANT TO KNOW: WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?????

Is there somebody who will take a stand?!

Is there somebody who’s ready to be used of God?!

Is there somebody who’s willing to sacrifice, give of themselves, and get wild and on fire for Jesus?!!!

If the sports fan can do it, I can do it! If the political candidate supporter can do it, I better be able to do it!

“If we are children of God, then we represent His kingdom everywhere we go.”

Pastor Phil LaRue

We Need To Have A Revelation Of Whose Side We’re On!

Sometimes, we just need a reminder of just who’s side we’re on.

Let me remind you a little bit about who it is we serve...

When it comes to Jesus...

He’s never lost a battle!

His train fills the temple!

Anything that is, it’s because of Him!

He doesn’t need anybody’s help to do anything, but He allows us to be involved anyway!

On the seventh day He rested, but it wasn’t because He had to!

He’s so powerful that anything or anybody who holds power only does because He allows it so!

He suspended the earth at just the right position from the sun where we could live and work for Him!

He sits high, and looks low, but yet He still became flesh and dwelt among us!

When people who struggle in life decide to give what they have to Him, He fills them with something that causes them to overcome and get victory! He causes us to triumph!

I want to ask you again: WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?!

You’ll have to forgive me for a moment today, but I can’t understand why someone would want to turn away from a God like what I’m talking about!

I just can’t understand why somebody wouldn’t want to sell out 100% and give all to Him! And I can’t understand why somebody would want to live for Him halfway - just enough to get by!

IT’S TIME TO GET SOLD OUT!

We had Anna just a few weeks ago now. And pretty quick after we had her, a little while after we had oooh’d and aaah’d, there was a point that I took that baby in my arms, and I opened up a Bible to Acts 2:38 and Deuteronomy 6:4 and I sat in a hospital room and read the truth of the word of God to that baby! And somebody might think, She don’t understand what you’re reading! Why do it?! Because I want that girl to be grounded in truth and sold out to God 110%!!!

We’re representing the Lord’s side!

And there are some people who would say, “Well, that’s just more tribalism. You’ve picked a flavor of Christianity and you’re fighting for your tribe.”

Let me say this: the Pentecostal experience is not just another flavor of Christianity. Don’t let somebody tell you that you’ve just picked another tribe that you’re fighting for. Don’t let them try to devalue and diminish the Apostolic experience!

THE HOLY GHOST IS REAL! AND IT’S POWERFUL!

YOU’RE NOT JUST ON THE SIDE OF ANOTHER THING! YOUR ON THE SIDE OF THE ONLY THING!

Now are you ready for the little push??? Here it comes...

I want to talk about what people on the Lord’s side do...

What People On The Lord’s Side Do

People On The Lord’s Side… They Make Prayer A Priority

People that are committed to their political party… they stay connected to what’s happening, what the issues are, and who’s doing what!

People who are loyal to their team… they make sure to carve out time in their day for when the game starts! And when it does, their attention is undivided!

Your prayer is the heartbeat of your relationship with God. And it’s inescapable: the Church that God is going to have (this mobilization)… is going to be a praying church!

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 KJV 1900

16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Colossians 4:2 NIV

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Peter 4:7 NIV

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.

I don’t believe for a moment that God wants us to forget about prayer. It’s been revealed that if anything, prayer is going to intensify in this church!

Tuesday night prayer!

People On The Lord’s Side… They Are “Front Row Praisers”

Don’t misunderstand me… when I say “front row praiser” I don’t mean that they always sit on the front row. But someone who is on the front row… doesn’t see everybody else to take cues from them on when it’s time to praise! And not only that, they can’t really see others to know their being watched! And you can have that mindset wherever you’re at!

And I made up my mind a long time ago that I was going to be a “front row praiser”. I remember Rick Lovall preaching it to us at a youth camp. AND I BELIEVE THAT’S WHAT GOD DESIRES AND BLESSES!

And they can do it in other things - let me show you...

I’m going to show you some pictures that I hope will illustrate to you the kind of commitment some people have in this world to things that are going to pass away...

Political supporters will root and yell their support at rallies and conventions, single-mindedly in full mental and physical support of their side!

They stand and clap, affirm when they hear what they like, and are ready to respond!

When you go to a game, the overflowing excitement is something to behold! They are on the edge of their seat! They will show their devotion however they need to, lose sleep and lose dignity, if need be - because they are devoted to their team!

And in Apostolic praise, we’re not afraid to lose some bobby pins! We’re not afraid to be seen losing ourselves in the Lord! We’re not afraid to be found leaping or shouting or aisle-running - BECAUSE WE’RE DEVOTED TO THE LORD’S SIDE!

Let me tell you something: DON’T LET SHOUTING DIE OUT! DON’T LET AISLE RUNNING DIE OUT! DON’T LET APOSTOLIC PRAISE DIE OUT! We are representing THE LORD’S SIDE!!!

I’ve been to a game when the wave started in the audience. BUT IT’S NOTHING COMPARED TO WHEN THE WAVE OF THE HOLY GHOST HITS!

I’ll never forget when I went with my Uncle Todd to the Arkansas Razorbacks game in the Cotton Bowl. All year they had issues with their kicker. People had been burnt by his mistakes. Somehow they made it to this big bowl game.

I remember temperatures in the teens, and the “feels like” was under ten because of the wind gusts. At one point I ordered a hot chocolate from the concession stand and I didn’t realize until after the game when we warmed up in the car on the ride home that I had scolded the daylights out of my tongue - I didn’t even feel it out there!

And they were back and forth for a bit and had fallen behind. And with the game on the line, this kicker won the game for the team, after having been a disappointment all year long. And I cannot describe to you the joy, the excitement, the explosion in that place! People were jumping over and onto the field, running wild (while yet frozen half to death) - without care for what anyone else thought!

Can I tell you something… they will do all of this and more… making a complete fool of themselves before their friends, neighbors, and family… and they don’t even know if their going to win!!!

But when you’re on the Lord’s side, you are DESTINED to be a WINNER! He’s already confirmed what the results of this thing are going to be! And my praise matters!!!

Their team out there can have zero wins and fifteen straight losses, and they are still out there going berserk!!!

But my Jesus - HE’S NEVER LOST A BATTLE! AND HE NEVER WILL!!!

HE’S NEVER MESSED UP...

HIS SPIRIT WILL NEVER DRY UP...

AND HE WON’T EVER BE SHUT UP!!!

I just have to find a way to show my loyalty to Him! I’ve got to show my devotion! Every opportunity I get!

Psalm 7:17 KJV 1900

I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: And will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

It DOES NOT say “I will praise the Lord according to how I feel at the time!” I like what Pastor said the other day about the word “feelings” being found in the KJV Bible only two times! Feelings operate on emotion! But faith operates on commitment!!!

Now I’m going to get real practical: one of the best things you can do for your church is to sit in front of visitors, worship passionately, and respond to your pastor’s preaching. Ten people like that can change the atmosphere of a whole room and lift hearts toward heaven! If service seems to you like it’s dragging a bit, if it seems like the preacher needs some help, BE THE ONE TO DIAL UP YOUR PRAISE, ANYWAY!!!

And there is something that starts happening when you begin to praise the name of Jesus!!!

That Apostolic praise… that Apostolic worship… ushers in the very presence of God.

People On The Lord’s Side… They Are Involved In The Mobilization

It’s one thing to say you enjoy watching your team play. It’s another to say you’re a real fan. The fans like to be present for all the major events, contributing somehow, if possible.

Political candidates will have what they call “grassroots campaigns” where regular everyday people will go into neighborhoods to drum up support and MOBILIZE the voters.

But people on the Lord’s Side...

They want to get involved with what is going on in the Kingdom of God! They are there, in the middle of what God is doing in His Church! They put themselves in position to serve!

The fact is: when God chose to build up His Church, He said, “I’m going to use everyday men and women who ARE WILLING to get involved with my work!”

Conclusion

“Who is on the Lord’s side?!”

The truth is, God is looking for a commitment that will not only match, but OUTDO the commitment of the world!

I wonder if there’s anybody who will say, “I’m going to go further in my prayer life? Further in my praise than I have before! I’m going to involve myself in the mobilization of His beautiful Church!”