Are You Sitting or Standing?

Today this Scripture is Fulfilled in your Ears

As we gather today to pray over our city, let us not be as the proud man that Jesus spoke about in Luke's gospel chapter 18:  "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, robbers, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

It is interesting to notice these two men were standing as they prayed.  Position in prayer is not important to God, as many fell prostrate on their faces, at the feet of Jesus when they came with a request. 

Jesus mentioned standing to pray In Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any: that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Jesus often sat down to teach and preach but when He read God's Word he stood and after reading he would sit down: 

Luke 4: "He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him (a rolled up scroll) the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written (Isaiah 61:1-2) ... 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.'  

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down.  And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them ... "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." 

The interesting thing here is that when Jesus sat down, he did not return to his normal seat, but as he proclaimed, 'This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears,' he sat down in the vacant chair that was always reserved for the Messiah.  No wonder the crowd was shocked because it seemed Jesus was declaring that He was the Messiah.

After his resurrection, Jesus stood on the mountain and proclaimed to about 400 believers the great commission "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel, and these signs will follow you, as you heal the sick, cast out demons and bring deliverance to many.   And in the sight of them all, he began to ascend into heaven where he is now seated at the right hand of God.

Hebrews 10:12  But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.

Now I am going to change the story line a bit, and speak about sitting . . .

Rachel sitting on the hidden household gods.

The book of Genesis in the Old Testament, it is recorded that Jacob worked 20 years for his deceptive father-in law, Laban who tricked him into marrying the older daughter Leah and then after working another 7 years, gave Jacob, Rachel for a wife.  

Laban changed Jacob's wages 10 times as he worked in exchange for flocks and herds.  God revealed to Jacob how to increase his flock by requesting the spotted and speckled sheep and goats.  As Jacob increased in riches, he became concerned that Laban was jealous and would harm him.  While Laban was away, sheering his sheep, God told Jacob to leave now in secret taking everything that was his, and return to his home land.  Unknown to Jacob, his favorite wife Rachel had stolen her father's household idols.

When Laban returned home from sheering his sheep he was told that Jacob had left taking everything and his family with him.  Laban became very angry and with a band of men took off to catch up with Jacob, his daughters and family.  "Why have you left without telling me?  And especially, why have you stolen my gods?" Laban declared.  Jacob, answered, "We have done no such thing as steal your gods, and you have always been unfair to me, and rather than have an argument, God told me it would be best to leave unannounced."  Furthermore search for your gods and if you find them, the person who took them shall die. 

Laban diligently searched each tent and when he came to Rachael's tent, she excused herself by saying, "It is the time of the month for me, so please forgive me for not getting up."  She said this because she was sitting on the gods that were hidden in the camels saddle.  Neither Jacob or Laban trusted the other, but they made a promise to stay friends and care for each other and built an alter to remember their covenant.

 

Now we leave this story, with Rachel still sitting on the hidden gods, her father's idols.  These idols that had been in the family possession for many years as household gods.  Generation gods handed down from parents to their children.   gods of greed, lust, fear, anger, dependence, and lack of self worth.

I tell this story because today many in our city are sitting on family gods that have curses from previous generations of immorality, lust, addiction, anger, no self respect, and poverty.

These are covered over and hidden to the naked eye, because they are spiritual bondage that must be broken.  The invisible is just as real as that which is seen.  Powerful Words spoken in the name of Jesus can and will destroy these unseen forces.

Today, let us declare that curses of the past shall be exposed and no longer hidden, but declare that they are broken over families, over households, over the children, and these spiritual forces must leave in the name of Jesus. 

Then let us declare that a spirit of desire and hunger for truth and the Gospel shall fill the hearts of men and women to come to the cross and receive salvation from our Lord Christ Jesus.

Friend is it you, who are sitting on some stuff that has been hidden?  Secrets from the past?  Things you are not proud of?   It is time stop sitting, time to stand up and clean up what has been so private. Time to replace those things that are false with reality.  There is a certainty of heaven for those who come to Jesus, and declare, allegiance to follow him all the days of your life.   It is time to no longer sit, but to stand, to walk and to follow Jesus.

 

Man Sitting his "baggage"