Sermon Title:  “Monsters Inc.”                                         April 10, 2009

I had a couple things come to my attention this week and at first  they would seem completely unrelated.

However, as He so likes to do, the Lord put them together, and showed me something.

The first, was Brennen,  the Scott's grandson showing me his Monsters Inc. moony.

He loves that movie.

The second came from a friend.

This person had received a form from another large denomination.

Their former spouse, is trying to get their marriage of, something like, 30 years annulled.

I don't understand this, and there are a lot of other things involved, which I won't go into here, but one of the questions was, “Did you have pre-marital sex?”

Um, isn't it a bit late to be asking that now?

This church, this denomination won't recognize a divorce, but it is OK for an unmarried couple to live together.

Hmm, OK, I'll leave that alone as well.

Now, these 2 completely unrelated things came together, and God showed me something.

That is why this sermon is entitled, “Monsters Inc.”

Lately, we've been talking about the mighty move of God, and are beginning to see things happening in our meetings, and it is exciting, and wonderful.

However, like this form, the Devil likes to delve into our personal pasts, and dredge up old junk.

Then, he exposes it, brings it into the light, and tries to use it against us.

Kind of like the news, when there isn't anything new to show you, they bring up old stuff, and present it as new, and fresh.

That drives me crazy!

(play the clip of Jerry Clowers)

You see, it isn't new news, in fact, it isn't even news at all, but the Devil will bring it up, and prove to you, that there isn't any way God would ever use you.

How could He, when you did this, said that, and thought another thing?

He is trying to disqualify us from the Lord's work.

REVELATION 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

The Devil accuses us day and night.

What does he have to accuse us of?

Mostly, it is old news.

If we even give him a tiny foothold, a little chink in our armor, he will exploit it to the max, and blow it all out of proportion.

Doesn't that sound like our press as well?

Accuse, make up things, come up with nasty insinuations, and twist things to sound worse than they are.

Like that old joke, where they ask the man, did you stop beating your wife?

Our enemy is doing everything he can to shut our mouths.

He will use anything he can twist, to ruin our testimony before God, and man.

Don't you hate it, when somebody quotes you, and interjects filthy words into what you said?

I don't honestly know if they are doing that on purpose, to make you look bad, or if they just talk like that all the time, and just naturally put those words in there.

Either way, you can be sure that the Devil is behind it, laughing all the way.

He's a serious jerk!

Look at what Jesus had to say about him.

JOHN 8:44  "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

A murder, a liar, and the father of lies.

That isn't exactly what you would put on your resume~, is it?

So, as the Lord begins to move in our lives, in our prayers, and that is reflected in our meetings, and we start to take this to the streets, into our everyday lives, expect resistance.

When current meets resistance, it produces heat.

Yes, things are going to heat up for us, just expect it.

Don't be surprised by it, just recognize it, for what it is, and shrug it off.

Our old mistakes, and sins, are gone.

ISAIAH 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.

ROMANS 4:7  "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered.

"Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account."

Hey, I like that, don't you?

PSA 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

We can forget our old mistakes, God has removed them from us.

They are gone, they don't exist any longer.

But the Devil won't forget them, and he won't let them go.

He will dig them up, and worry them, like an old dead rotten carcass.

He wants to bring up the old monsters of our past, and revive them; bring them back to life, so he can attack us with them again.

The Bible tells us that we all have sinned, so he has plenty of ammunition to use, but only if we let him do it.

We have to tell him no, and mean it!

Don't dwell on them, don't even rebuke these memories.

Just ignore them.

If you have brought them before the Lord, and asked for forgiveness, then they are forgiven, and gone, dead, forgotten.

They are ancient history.

Maybe more ancient for some of us, than others.

Don't let the dead monsters of the past prevent you from fulfilling the work that God has for you to do.

He has a plan for all of us, and as the days grow shorter, and I do believe they are, focus on the Lord, and don't look left or right, and especially, don't look back.

You can't advance, or drive a car correctly, looking back.

Let's be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and move out, like the soldiers we are supposed to be!

Let's pray.