Destined To Win Part 12 – Lawson and Aaron Perdue
Destined to Win Part 12
Destined to Win part 12 with Pastors Lawson and Aaron Perdue. In this episode of Grace for Today, discover how you are free from walking in darkness and can walk in the light!
Destined to Win
When Jesus saved you, your destiny changed completely! He radically transformed us and brought us from death to life, from sin to righteousness, and from defeat to victory. Pastor Lawson goes through the book of Ephesians in detail and shows us exactly why we are destined to win. We are no longer fighting to be overcomers, we are made victorious through Jesus and any weapon formed against us will not prosper! Jesus came to give us life and have that life more abundantly! Because of God and his great love, we are destined to win!
Destined to Win Part 12 Transcript
God bless you, friends, we are in Ephesians chapter five, and we’re gonna be talking about walking in the light. The scripture says, “You were darkness, but you’re not darkness anymore. You are light in the Lord. So walk as children of the light.” When you understand who you are, when you understand who God made you to be in Christ, it causes you to walk in a brand new way. So open your heart and receive God’s good work today, blessings. Praise the Lord, friends, I am glad that you are with us today. We are sharing on Ephesians chapter five. And the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul tells us who we are and what we have in Christ. We’re seated in heavenly places in Christ, we’re victorious through Jesus. We begin from a position of victory. But He said because of that, you walk in a different way. And he says, walk worthy of your, the vocation where with your call, walk worthy of your high calling of God in Christ, in Ephesians 4:1. Don’t walk like other Gentiles walk. Don’t walk like the world walks in the vanity of their mind and the emptiness of their mind. They can, just their own way. He goes on and says in Ephesians five, verse two, “Walk in love is Christ has loved us.” Amen?
I like that Paul calls us ambassadors for Christ. As an ambassador, you’re sent to another nation, to another kingdom, to another place with a purpose.
Yes.
You’re supposed to represent your home country, your home kingdom, where you are from. We are ambassadors of heaven. We are citizens of heaven on loan to the earth. So if you’re an ambassador somewhere, you represent your home country, you represent the culture, the customs, the way of life, but you also have authority from where you’re sent from. You have authority to make treaties, authority to make economic deals. So we have authority from heaven. Our names are written in heaven. So we are ambassadors of heaven, we are citizens of heaven. And we’re sent here for a purpose, for a vocation, for a calling.
Yes, He says this in Ephesians chapter five verse eight. He said, “You were sometimes in darkness.” That’s who you were, but it’s not who you are. He says, “But now are you light in the Lord.” See, understanding who you are changes how you walk. He says, “Walk as children of the light.” So walk worth of your vocation. He says, first and don’t walk like the rest of the world walks. Then he says, walk in love, and now he says, walk in the light. Now God is love. But you know the Bible also says that God is light. And in 1st John chapter one, John talks about this. John had a revelation of the love of God. And when you read his little epistle, 1st John, it tells a lot about that. But in 1st John chapter one, verse five through verse seven, He says, “This then is the message that we heard of him and declared to you that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Do you know, darkness and light don’t mix. When you turn on the light, darkness leaves. Praise God? And so-
I like that, I like how he starts his gospel. My dad has been preaching a great series just going through each chapter of the Gospel of John. But I love how John starts his gospel right there in the first chapter. He says, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. And without him, nothing was made. That was made in him was life. And the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness. And the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Amen, the darkness of this world did not overcome Jesus.
There’s a kingdom of darkness and there’s a kingdom of light.
Amen.
When you got saved, you were translated. You were given a new passport. You had a passport, ’cause you were a citizen of the kingdom of darkness. But now as a believer, as a Christian, you are a citizen of heaven. You are a citizen of that kingdom of light. You have no association with that kingdom of darkness.
Amen, that scripture you’re talking about, it’s Colossians chapter one, verse 13. And it says that he translated us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son. So we have authority in this new kingdom, like how you’ve been talking, praise God. So 1st John one talks about, it’s kind of the same thing, verse five, He says, “This is the message that we heard of him, of Christ, and declared to you that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” God is absolute pure light, absolute pure goodness. He doesn’t have any evil in him. He doesn’t have any death in him. He doesn’t have any darkness in him. Praise God. He doesn’t have any sin in him, praise God. He’s absolute light. If we say that we have fellowship, this worked for fellowship, If you go stated out in the Greek is the Greek word Koinonia. It’s talking about relationship, partnership, sharing together. He said, “With him, if we say that we have a partnership, a relationship with Jesus and walk in the darkness, we are lying and not telling the truth.” So sometimes people say they have a relationship with God, but the Bible says, “Buy their fruit, you will know them.” And so he says, “But if we walk in the light,” 1st John one, verse seven, “As he is in the light, we have fellowship, we come into communion.” That’s another meaning of that word Koinonia. Communion with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, His son cleanses us from all sin. Thank God we’ve been cleansed from all sin. Sin no longer has dominion over us because we’re not under the law, but under grace, thank God for the grace of God that has transformed our life. And so he says, “You were sometimes,” Back in Ephesians five, verse eight, “In darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, walk like children the light.” Hallelujah, we need to walk like God’s children. We need to live like who we are. I love the next verse. He says, “For the fruit of the spirit is in everyone is in awe, goodness, and righteousness of truth.” You know what? If it’s good, not good, right? And true, we just don’t need to be involved in it. Hallelujah, just stay out of things that aren’t good, that aren’t right, that aren’t true.
I love just thinking about that are citizenship change, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of like, sometimes when you fill out like certain documents, you have to give a proof of citizenship. And really as Christians, our proof of citizenship, our proof of being citizens of heaven is the blood of Jesus.
[Pastor Lawson] Amen.
What Jesus did for us, that proves that we are citizens of heaven.
[Pastor Lawson] Amen, my God.
Yeah, and as a citizen of heaven, I was talking to my young son about this. Just how there’s different cultures and if you’re from different places, there’s different cultural things. People like different kinds of foods. He was talking about are there cultures where they like spicy food. I said, yes, some places love spicy food. That’s part of their culture. Some places like sweet food a lot, that’s part of their culture. They like certain types of music. But we should have a culture about us that people recognize us as being citizens of heaven. There is a heavenly culture and there’s a worldly culture. And Paul’s saying, don’t partake in the culture of the world. You’re a citizens of heaven. So there should be a culture of heaven about you. Certain things that you do that signal to people that you’re a Christian.
Amen. So where to walk in the light because that’s who we are, we’re citizens of heaven.
Yeah, like the culture.
Walk in culture, we got the culture of heaven in us. Certain people from certain cultures or certain nations, they believe in a certain way or they act in a certain way. They think in a certain way. So because we’re from the culture of heaven, the kingdom of heaven, heaven’s nature should rule us.
Well, even culture affects economics. Like American culture is a very much a spending culture, a debt culture, but like Japanese culture, they’re very into saving. So if you look at the average Japanese citizen versus the average American citizen, they have much more in savings. We have a different economy about us as being of the culture of heaven.
Yes.
We can tap into heaven’s economy where it’s by his riches in glory. It’s not just what you can do.
My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. That’s Philippian chapter four verse 19. That is a promise to people who are givers. Paul tells that church, no group of people communicated with me in giving and receiving, but you alone. So if you communicate with a ministry in giving, you’re gonna receive. I am in relationship with Andrew Wommack, and I know a lot of people are, but I receive more from Andrew Wommack than almost anybody else. And I’m not talking about monetarily, I’m talking about spiritually speaking. And you know why, it’s because I honor that gift. Praise God, I honor it financially. Praise God, I honor it with respect, praise God. And-
Well, you honor with your substance.
[Pastor Lawson] Right,
That’s one important aspect about honor, is to honor with your substance. when you honor God, you honor him with your substance, you honor him with what is substantial to you, whether it be finances or your time, your talents, these sort of things. So that’s how you honor with substance.
So we were dark, that’s before we came to know Christ, but now we’re light. So we’re to walk as children of the light and we’re to do what’s good, right? And true, let’s turn to John three, John’s gospel, chapter three will be be reading verse 16 to verse 21. But Jesus is talking about being born again. And He talks immediately, after he talks about being born again, He talks about the light and the darkness. Let’s read what he says.
Well, when I was in college, someone I think they knew I was a pretty fiery type Christian, someone who really believed in Jesus. And they said, “Oh, are you one of those born again Christians?”
Amen, well, there’s no other kind.
There is no other kind. And I think they were of a certain denomination, but weren’t really that passionate about what they believed weren’t really walking it out. So they used that born again term as a derogatory term, but Jesus, man, we’ll read about what Jesus had to say about being born again.
Yeah, he said in verse seven, “You must be born again.” And he goes on to tell us that, you know what? He didn’t come to condemn the world, but he came to save the world. Let’s read John three, verse 16 to verse 21 here.
It says, “For God’s so love the world that he gave has only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God to not send his son into the world, to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe he is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. And this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world. And men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does, the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they may have been done in God.”
So God so loved us that he gave Jesus, right? And he gave Jesus that we don’t have to perish, but have everlasting life. He didn’t send Jesus to condemn us, but to save us. Then he goes on and says, “When we believe, whoever doesn’t believe is condemned because he hasn’t believed, and this is the condemnation.” Verse 19, this is where we really wanna focus. Verse 19 to 21, “That light came into the world.” Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus said in John chapter eight verse 12, “I am a light of the world, he that follows me, shall not walk in darkness but shall have the very light of life.” He says in Matthew chapter five, “You are the light of the world. You are the salt of theirs.” So you know when his light becomes your light, you know what? It changes the way you live. This is the condemnation, light came into the world. And men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Not everybody loved Jesus because they’re living the wrong way. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and neither comes the light lest his deeds should be exposed, right? Or rep proof, but he that does the truth. When you’re born of God, when you’re born of the word, when you’re walking out the word or the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be revealed that they are right in God.”
I like that it says, He didn’t come to condemn the world, but he came to save the world, Jesus did not come to condemn the world because the world was already condemned.
[Pastor Lawson] Amen.
He doesn’t need to condemn what is already condemned. You know God is not sending anyone to hell. People have chosen hell and they are already going that way. God does not send people to hell. He saves people from hell.
You know, people a lot of times don’t understand this, but hell was made for the devil and his angels. And the reason that people go to hell is because they reject Jesus. Now, you can reject Jesus by default in not believing on him. If you don’t believe in the sacrifice that God made of his son, then you, will lose by default because you did not.
And God is everything he can to save people. He reaches out to. I’ve heard testimonies of people in Islamic countries who’ve never heard about Jesus. They’ve seen visions of a man in white coming to them. Jesus coming to them, and they get saved, accept Jesus as their Lord. And they’ve never even heard.
Dr. Delon Shirley ministers in Africa, for a man, I think his name is Tunday Buckery. And this man was a photographer and he went to a Baptist church to take pictures of a Christian wedding, and there was a light. And because that light was there, he came back the next day, the wedding was on Saturday, he came back on Sunday, he received Christ as a savior and was born again and left Islam. There are thousands and thousands of people in the Middle East today that are leaving Islam and coming to Christ. We support a missionary mission world Compassion was Dr. Terry Law, but his son, Jason, Terry went home to be with Jesus, took the ministry over. And there are thousands of people coming to Christ in the Middle East.
That’s awesome, and God loves. He loves the world.
If he’ll take a step, man, God will be there. He will be there for you. You just have to have a heart for his truth and for the word. Now, when we were there in John, he says in John chapter three, he says, “He that does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be revealed that they’re rot in God.” So when you do the truth of the Word of God, you’re gonna come to Jesus, amen. And your deeds will be revealed, and you’ve got good things in store. We’re gonna be back in just a few seconds. So we’ve got good things in store, stay tuned. Friends, I’m Pastor Lawson Purdue, and I’ve been teaching “Destined to Win” from the Book of Ephesians. This is one of the greatest teachings that I’ve ever done. I’ve had more requests for this teaching than almost any teaching we’ve done. I’ve got in eight parts as I’ve taught it in church, in CD form, also in a USB. And then I also have the teaching in 16 parts as we’ve taught it on television with my son, Dr. Aaron Purdue. And in this 16 part teaching, I am just thrilled with all the different things that was brought in. So you can get the eight part CDs or the USB that has all the video and audio, or you can get the 16 part as taught on television. Call us and let us know what you would like to have. We have a special offer today, and we’re so blessed to have you. Check out our website, CharisChristianCenter.com. We have this and many other materials, and we have all of these things online for free, blessings. Praise the Lord, friends, we’re glad you’re still here. We are talking about walking in the light, and in Ephesians five verse eight, Paul says, “You were darkness, but now you are light.” When you understand who God made you, it changes how you live your life. He says, “Walk as children of the light.” He says, “For the fruit of the Spirit is in everyone good and goodness and righteousness and truth proving what is acceptable the Lord.” We gotta walk out what’s acceptable, the Lord. There are some things that are just not acceptable. And I love what Paul says, this same thing in Romans chapter 12, verse one and two. He says, “I beseech you now therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord.” He says, prove out what’s acceptable to the Lord. Present your body a living sacrifice, which is holy and acceptable to the Lord. And do not be conformed. Don’t be poured into the mold or follow the pattern of the world, but be transformed, be transfigured, be changed by the renewing of your mind. We’ve got to renew our mind in the Word of God, and begin to see ourselves the way God sees it. When you do that, it will change the way you live your life. Now, if we go back to this, in Ephesians chapter five, he says this in verse 11 through verse 14, Aaron, why don’t you read Ephesians five verse 11 through 14.
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them, for it shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret, but all things that are exposed remain manifest by the light for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore, he says, awake, you who sleep arise from the dead and Christ will give you light.”
And so when we look at this, he says, “We’re to have no fellowship. We’re to have no communion. What agreement, 2nd Corinthians six says, “Has the temple of God with idols?” What common union, what communion has light with darkness? It doesn’t have any. He says, “Where for come out from among them and be separate?” So he says, “Don’t have fellowship, don’t have relationship, don’t have communion with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” See when you walk in the light and it casts light on darkness. He sit his shame even to speak of those things that are done at them in secret. But all things that are exposed are revealed by the light for whatever reveals his light. And he says, “Awake you to sleep and Christ shall give you light,” amen. So we need to wake up to who we are and what we have in Christ, amen? Christ will give us light. Now, let’s turn to Romans chapter 13. And Paul is talking in Romans 13 again about, oh no man, anything but love one another for he that loves his brother has fulfilled the law. But let’s go on and look at how he talks in Romans 13, verse 11 through verse 14. He says, “Knowing the time,” you see, we need to know the time. It is high time to wake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believe, we’re closer to Christ coming than we’ve ever been. And he says, “The night is far spent the day at his hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness. Throw off the works. Like man, when Potiphar’s wife tried to get ahold of him, when Potiphar was gone on a long journey, Joseph ran. She ripped off his coat, but he ran and he didn’t look back, “Throw off the works of darkness, put on the armor of light.” Light protects you. Now you know what? I got born again when I say, but I got baptized in the Holy Spirit and began to know who I was in Christ when I was 14. And I just missed out on a whole lot of hell. I missed out on a lot of trouble and problems because I got baptized with the Holy Spirit at a young, and I just didn’t need to get involved in all the sexual immorality and drunkenness and all the different things that people, I haven’t done everything right. But praise God, I stayed outta so though.
I like what he’s saying about knowing the time. There’s two Greek words for time. There’s kronos and there’s chiros. No one knows the chronos when I’m coming again, no one knows the specific date and time. And if people do predict the exact date or time that Jesus is coming again, they’re wrong. Because Jesus said, only the Father knows that.
He said, no man knows the day or the hour.
But he’s saying here, knowing the time he’s talking about chiros. This is talking about like a season. A season that we’re in. So it’s important to be aware of the season that we’re in. And how this season, I like with the Psalm that teach me to number my days.
And I may apply my heart to wisdom.
Yeah, you need to live with wisdom, not live foolishly.
So when we know this season, see, I don’t know the day or the hour that Christ’s gonna come. And I’m never gonna predict that. Jesus himself said he didn’t know it. It was in the father’s power. So if Jesus doesn’t know it, you probably don’t either. Amen, but I know it’s a season. I know the signs of the time are all around us, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, pestilence, famines, false prophets, all of these things, they’re all on the earth today. And they’re on the earth more than they’ve ever been. He says, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand, Jesus is coming again, and it’s not far away. Let us cast off, throw off the works of darkness, run from darkness, run from evil, run from sin.” Amen, and he says, “And put on the armor of light. I remember Jesse DeBlanc, he talked about some prostitute got on an elevator with him in a nice motel somewhere he was preaching and tried to get some reaction out of him. And he chased her out of there and said, “Horror Babylon, I’m telling you, if you have to do that to stay outta sin, you do whatever you gotta do to stay out of it.” Praise God, get out of it, amen. Hallelujah, so he says, “Throw off the works of darkness and put on the arm of light. Let us walk, honestly, be honest, tell the truth, as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness,” man, we just don’t need to get drunk. Now, a good way not to get drunk is don’t drink. You don’t drink alcohol, you’re not gonna get drunk. Hallelujah, not in chambering. You know what chambering is and wanting this. That’s talking about going to the bed chamber with somebody you’re not married to and letting your flesh have anything at once. And so he says, “Don’t get involved in drunkenness. Don’t get involved in sexual sin chambering and letting your flesh have anything at once. Not in strive and envy.” He puts strife and envy. I know some people that just always stirred up there, always got some kind of drama going, stay outta strife, stay outta enemies, stay outta commotions like that. He says, “Put on Jesus, put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” I love it, the Lord Jesus Christ, put on him and do not make provision. This word for provision in the Greek is the Greek word prone, pronia, and it means a pre meditated plan and forethought. You don’t go from red hot on fire with Jesus just to living in sin. It’s a thought process. And if you don’t deal with those thoughts, and so he says, just don’t even go there in your mind. You deal with your mind. Don’t watch a bunch of filthy television, praise God. Don’t look at a bunch of filthy pornography. Don’t just keep that stuff outta your line. Just the world really tries to… he talks about things that are shameful, what was considered shameful, the world really tries to promote and even celebrate. So we just need to stay away from sin and from the celebration of sin. Just stay away from it.
The world is messed up, they celebrate it like I say.
Celebrate things that destroy you, things that hurt you. Things that-
Some of my good minister friends said, “Hey, Jesse, well, I had Jesse Duplantis here, and we were eating after the meeting. Hey, Jesse, how can we stay in the ministry a long time? He says, “Stay outta sin.” It’s not that hard. It’s not that difficult to understand. So praise God. Thank you so much for tuning in, for being part of the broadcast. We love you. We want you to prosper, we want you to do well. And we know as you let the word of God rule your life and rule your thoughts and let Jesus live his life big in you, you’re gonna be a living shining, beautiful example and testimony for the Lord in the time in which we live. The Bible says, “Arise and shine for your light has come,” and He says, “The darkness will cover the earth and gross darkness to people, but not on you, for my glory is on you.” And praise God, the glory of God is honest, and we’re gonna walk in his glory. We’re gonna let his light shine big. Aaron, take just a few seconds of pray really quick.
Well, I just thank God for everyone watching this program right now. Lord, I just think that you are infusing their hearts with purpose, Lord, I just think that they have a purpose. They have a high calling, Lord, and they’re gonna walk worthy of it because Lord, you are empowering them to walk worthy of their calling through your amazing grace.
Thanks for being with us. We love you, we appreciate you. If you need personal prayer, you give us a call. God bless you. Friends, I certainly hope that you’ve enjoyed the program today and it’s ministering to you to move into that which God has for you. And I wanna say a great big thank you to all of our partners for helping us share this gospel across the United States and across the world. It’s because of our partners that we can take this message of grace and faith around the world. If you would like to join our partners and receive that blessing, give us a call today. Blessings.
[Announcer] Do you know your true position in Christ Jesus? You have been saved, raised up and seated in heavenly place with Him, you can stand against any attack of the enemy from a position of victory. You are destined to win. You can get the eight part live teaching on CD for $48 or on USB for $35. Or get the 16 part as seen on TV USB for $59 when you call 719-418-4000, or visit CharisChristianCenter.com. Thanks for watching “Grace For Today.” This broadcast has been made possible by our faithful partners. If you would like to become a partner, need prayer or have a question, please call us at 719-418-4000, or to partner online, go to CharisChristianCenter.com/Give. You can write us at P.O. Box 63733, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80962. See you next time on “Grace For Today.”
