This is “The Power of Influence.” Influence is powerful, and you likely have more of it than you think. Your friends, family, co-workers, and people you go to church with are influenced by the way you live your life. Your family will be impacted by your influence for generations to come. A life well lived leaves a legacy of influence.
the following program is sponsored by
friends and partners of kingdom
connection
you can’t just do your own thing in
times like these and in days like these
your life better be guided by the word
of the lord you better not do it because
everybody else is doing it
you better not do it because everybody
else says it’s all right
you better get the word of the lord for
your life and
work out your own salvation with fear
with fear and trembling
[Music]
i’ll begin reading with verse 29 of
first
kings chapter 13.
and the prophet took up the corpse of
the man of god
and laid it on the donkey and brought it
back
and so the old prophet came to the city
to mourn
and to bury him and he laid the corpse
in his own tomb
and mourned over him saying alas my
brother
so it was after he had buried him
that he spoke to his son saying when i
am dead
then bury me in the tomb where this man
of god is buried
lay my bones beside
his bones and i’ll stop reading there
but this is uh this is a remarkable
story that
has caught my attention when i’m reading
i usually try to read
like a particular book of the bible as
i’m reading through the bible
and focus on that book and study that
book
and as i read through first kings
i love the old testament this story
really stands out to me
and i want to talk to you if i if i have
a title for this sermon it would be
summed up in one word
influence influence
because this is a story if you want to
sum up what it’s all about
it’s about influence
the bible said that a prophet came to
the city of bethel
where jeroboam was he was the king of
israel
and he was blaspheming god in bethel
which means the house of god
he was backslidden he was worshiping
false idol gods
and he was offering offerings
to these idols in god’s house
and a prophet was sent from the lord
from a foreign place and this
prophet walked in and he rebuked
openly in front of all the people this
powerful king
when he did the king was so angered that
the bible said
that he stretched forth his hand to grab
that man
and kill him with his own bare hands he
wasn’t even going to let his bodyguards
or his
soldiers do it this king was so
humiliated by that prophet
who was prophesying dune to his kingdom
that that king in anger reached for him
and when he did
miraculously the bible said that the
king’s hand
withered it withered up
and in that moment all of israel saw
that the power of god was so
heavy upon that prophet that when the
king
tried to harm him and hurt him no weapon
formed against him could prosper
and the most powerful hand in the nation
could not touch him and it withered in
the presence of the god who was
preserving him
and who had sent him
the king was so humbled by this
that he fell on his knees and he prayed
to the prophet and he said
please don’t leave me like this forgive
me
and the bible said that the prophet
prayed for his hand
and god restored his hand i i i just
want
one sunday like that before i die that’s
all i want
just one one of those occurrences just
one time before i die
especially somebody who doesn’t like me
to come at me in their hand to wither up
i guess that’s why god won’t let it
happen he can’t trust me with that kind
of power
but isn’t that a cool story you know
that’s a cool story
i love stuff like that and then
what really caught my attention as the
king then in an act of gratitude
says to this prophet of god
come to my palace come eat with me
i’m going to throw a massive banquet in
your honor tonight
come and his answer was remarkable
the prophet said to the man of god the
lord has commanded
or the prophet said to the king the lord
has commanded me
to not eat nor drink in this polluted
land
i’m not for sale my gifts are not for
sale i was sent here to tell you
something
and i and i backed it up by the power of
god on my life
and i’m not here to whine and dine with
you i’m here because god gave me a word
for you
and now i’m leaving and he said the lord
commanded me not to eat
a meal in this polluted land
and he said god even if you read the
story he said god even told me don’t go
back the same way you came
you go out a different way and don’t
ever go back unless i tell you to
and so this story should have ended
right there as a miraculous testimony
amazing legacy of a prophet
who obeyed god and influenced the nation
and the king
in a powerful powerful way
but the story doesn’t end there the
bible said in that same land
was an old backslidden prophet
who used to have the word of the lord
and who used to have the touch of god
and who used to have the prophecy and
the prophetic word for the
king and for the people but the king had
paid him off and made him a very wealthy
man
and he began to alter his message
because the king
prayed him to prophesy good things
and when he did that the anointing of
god lifted off of his life
and now he’s just an old prophet an old
shell of
of of a mighty man that he used to be in
the early years of his ministry
this prophet no doubt saw mighty
miracles and had the word confirmed with
signs and wonders when he would speak
but now he’s just he’s just a shadow
he’s just an empty shell
of the powerful powerful man that he
used to be but listen to what happened
the bible said that his sons were there
when this new young prophet came with
the word of the lord and they watched
the whole miracle
and they ran home to their father and
they said dad you’ll never believe what
happened
in the presence of the king today and
they told him the whole story of the
hand withering and then being healed
and the old prophet felt something in
him moving
something that he used to have that he
used to feel
that he used to experience that that
anointing that
that just a little flicker of of of the
power that he used to know in god
and when he heard it he said i’ve got to
get that prophet
to come to my house i want to meet him i
want to greet him i want to talk to him
and he got on his donkey
and he went and he found the man as he
was leaving the country
and he encountered him and he said to
him come with me
come with me come home i’m a prophet of
god
and he told him some of the miracles
that he had done and how
that they believed the same doctrine and
he believed in one god and
all of that and and and the prophet said
but god has commanded me
not to eat or drink in this polluted
land now watch this this is where
the story gets strange the old prophet
wanted him
so much to come to his house that he
made up a story the bible said he lied
and he said you don’t unders this is the
old prophet talking to the young
prophet he said an angel came to my
house that’s how i
knew you were here an angel came to my
house and told me
to invite you to my house and told me to
tell you that god said for you to come
eat
at my house it was the scripture goes on
to say and it was a lie
it reminds me of the new testament verse
that said if any man comes preaching
any other gospel even if it’s like
he’s like an angel and he looks so holy
and has
miracles and signs and wonders if he’s
preaching any other gospel but
that which i have preached unto you paul
said then you better know that he’s
accursed
and you will be too if you follow him
and tragically tragically this old
prophet
used his influence on a new young
anointed
vessel and the man said well if an
angel told you then it must be god
and he went home to the old prophet’s
house
and he ate the meal and they sat around
the table and they shared stories of the
faithfulness and the miraculous power of
god
i’m sure they exchanged stories of
places they had preached and
meetings they had had and healings that
god had done and miracles
and i’m sure it was a wonderful time i’m
sure the old prophet
he felt better about his own condition
after hanging out with someone so
spiritual and so
freshly anointed and on fire for god
the scripture said that he said just
stay and spend the night but the man
said no
i must make haste god told me to get out
of this polluted land and
i did what you said the angel said but
i’ve got to go
he got on his donkey and he left
the bible said that
while he was going down the road that
there was a lion
there was a lion that saw that prophet
that had disobeyed the word of the lord
and attacked that young man
and killed him
and
when you read this story the thing that
stood out to me
is when he heard it the old prophet
heard it someone came by and said
something has happened down the road he
said what is it
he said that prophet that encountered
the king today
a lion killed him suddenly the old
prophet’s heart sunk and he
runs outside and he goes on a horse to
get to where he is and when he gets
there the lion is standing there
over the dead body of the prophet the
donkey
has not been attacked by the lion the
lion obviously was sent by the lord on
an assignment
you better be careful because we’re
living in lion country
you can’t just do your own thing in
times like these and in days like these
your life better be guided by the word
of the lord you better not do it because
everybody else is
doing it you better get the word of the
lord for your life
and work out your own salvation with
fear
with fear and trembling
and suddenly it hit that old prophet
he got the corpse of the dead prophet
brought him home
buried him in his own tomb that he had
bought
for himself and then one of the
strangest commandments in all the bible
is given when he turns to his sons
as the dead prophet is laying in his
tomb
and he says when i die i don’t want you
to buy another tomb
and put me in it i don’t want you to
bury me beside him
i want you to put my bones where this
prophet’s bones are
and where i am buried he will be buried
when i’m dead you’ll bury me in the same
grave
under the same tombstone in the same
grave site because if it wasn’t for me
he would still be preaching if it wasn’t
for me
he would still be saying thus saith the
lord
he wanted to he wanted to do right
but i used my influence now this isn’t
in your bible i’m i’m
reading this in now but it’s the truth
the only reason that good godly prophet
is in the grave is because an old
shell of a prophet who didn’t have the
fire and the touch of god
used his influence in an evil way
and he said the same tomb that my bones
are in
now his bones are there and it’s my
fault because my
influence destroyed his ministry
i want to preach about the power of your
personal influence
that you can have on someone else
adam was in the garden alone and god
said it’s not good for him
to be alone and in that moment influence
started he made a woman
and suddenly there was the potential to
influence
one another for good or for evil but
influence is very powerful the apostle
paul said no man lives unto himself
and no man will die unto himself it
means
how you live and how you die others will
follow the pattern that you set they
will walk in the footprints that you
leave
they will go by example into the same
tomb
their bones will be buried spiritually
with you because
your influence either for good or for
bad no man lives unto himself
no man dies unto himself
one of the most powerful forms of
influence
is that which is influencing our
children
and our young people we need to strive
to be good
influences in our young people’s lives
parents and fathers can have
evil influence on their children
the bible said of ahaz that
he did evil in the sight of the lord and
walked
in the ways of his father ahab
and his mother jezebel
we influence our children you cannot say
that let them choose because you have
a shadow of influence the power of
influence
is that it lives on after we die
no man lives unto himself no one dies
unto himself but their influence
lives on i’m saying to you today that
abraham is dead but he still speaks his
influence
still speaks to me of faith moses still
speaks to me of meekness
david still speaks to me of worship
joshua still speaks to me of courage
paul still speaks to me of determination
so many who are dead and yet they still
speak
my dad’s influence still speaks
i still see it preaching
with tears i still see him
praying in the sanctuary on saturday and
sometimes i would sneak up there
when he didn’t know that i was in there
and i would get up under the pews
and because he had told us to don’t come
in the church but it was a mysterious
thing to watch him pray
and watch him walk those aisles of that
little country church in
henderson north carolina and pray and
pray
that influence was sinking into my soul
and into my spirit and i’d watch him and
he didn’t know i was watching him but
that
influence was getting on me i’d watch
him on saturdays and on fridays
as his mood would shift and he would
begin to pull
himself away from our family he was a
joyful
happy kind of funny guy loved eating
loved people he was a people person but
but friday would come around and he
would feel
something come on him and you could tell
daddy that he’s going in his study and
we won’t see him until sunday night
pretty much after church
that influence now guess what i’m the
same weirdo
charisse knows she knows she knows
we may be out of the dinner or somewhere
or something wedding or something
another
on a friday but there comes something on
me at some point
to where um sunday sunday and i don’t
wait till then i’m always through four
weeks i got about five
messages in this bible all the time but
you understand there’s more to it than
an outline
there’s more to it and i don’t want to
just preach a bunch of sermons
i want to influence young men and young
women my god
what a responsibility if all we do is
just
have a little a little time here and we
leave i
want somebody to feel god’s presence in
their life so strong
that the influence will never leave
their life
for his glory for his glory
[Applause]
we need to guard our influence
proverbs 22 in verse 1 said a good name
is rather to be had
than riches of silver
and gold
be sincere guard your influence
guard your influence with your family
and with your children
i want it to be said it was easier to
live right to live
godly to live holy when jensen was alive
and when we have the right influence
that will be our testimony
that our children will say it was easier
to live right when they were alive
if you weren’t mad you’re going to get
man now
those bright shiny eyes are watching you
those sons those daughters
that you’re casting an influence
that’s going to live on and when you’re
buried it’s very
possible very even likely
that they’ll be buried in the same
direction
that you are therefore the sobering
question
i propose to you today would your kids
have a better chance
of being saved if you were not their
parent
or you were not their grandparent
if you won’t serve god for yourself do
it
for your children do it for your
children’s children
in the same grave where your bones lie
lies the bones of the ones you lead
astray
or you lead down the path
to heaven
somebody is following you
the story is told in the northeast of a
famous attorney
who had an alcohol problem
and every day he would leave his house
and he would go on his way to his
office buy a bar and he would get a
drink and then he would go to his very
successful practice in chicago
a little bit lit
and one day he left his home on his way
to the bar
and it was lightly snowing just enough
to leave
uh a grazing on the sidewalk
that would leave the imprint of a man’s
footprints
and as he walked all the way to his work
he lived in downtown chicago and he
walked on the sidewalk
he was about to turn into that bar that
he frequented
every day and when he did he noticed
in his peripheral vision his
ten-year-old son
and he was stepping into the footprints
of his daddy he snatched that boy
up he ran home took him down to the
basement
fell on his knees and cried out jesus
saved me
lest my footprints lead this child
to hell just like i’m headed to war
somebody is following you
[Applause]
the terrible epitaph of bethel was
here lies the bones
of a backslidden prophet of god
but the tragedy is in the same ground
under the same tombstone
here lies the bones of a man of god
who was anointed but he was led astray
by
evil influence don’t let the epitaph
over your grave be here lies the bones
of a husband
who would not serve the lord here lies
the bones of a wife here lies
the bones of a teenager who would not
serve the lord
but the tragedy is under that same grave
and then that same tombstone
here lies the bones of others who would
have served
god who wanted to go to church who
wanted to do right
but your influence was so strong
that you pulled them in the wrong
direction
i never want to close this broadcast
without giving you the
opportunity to know jesus christ as your
lord and savior
that’s why we’re on television god
wanted you to hear this message
inside of you as a hunger for god as you
sit there and watch this
we’ve been praying and fasting for you
we’re believing god for healing
and miracles in your life in 2020.
father in the mighty name of jesus i
pray today for every person watching
this program
heal the sick release your power deliver
those who are addicted
and bound and hopeless and discouraged
depressed
and feel like giving up may the mercy
and grace and love of god
reach them and raise them and bless them
in a new year and those of you who want
to be saved pray this prayer
say jesus receive me today
i want you to be lord and savior
of my life i ask you
to forgive me and cleanse me in your
beautiful wonderful name i ask
in the name of jesus amen
there’s power in that name there’s
victory in that name
and i believe as you become a part and
give yourself
to what god is doing in the nation in
the world
and in our hearts it’s going to change
your life and your family even the
atmosphere of your life will change
just last november i went to israel to
the groundbreaking ceremony
in escola israel for the trauma center
that we’re building there that also has
a play school
kingdom where we are raising
up a bomb shelter that will also be a
feeding center
for the whole community there and when i
looked into the eyes
of the children and i saw them i knew
that there were acres of diamonds thanks
to your generous support
we have already reached the halfway
point we just sent
another check that totals our commitment
to 500 thousand dollars that we’ve
already paid we’ve just got another half
a million dollars to go
and this amazing project will be
finished and completely paid for
will you help me today will you pray
about helping us finish
this project in israel where could you
sow greater seed than in the nation and
the children
of israel literally you are raising up
acres of diamonds in the holy land in an
area where terrorists
are constantly digging tunnels and
coming to kill steal and destroy and
sending rockets
right into the village where we are
building this
amazing center that will minister to the
whole community
be a part of this miracle one day i know
you’ll hear the lord say
well done here’s my announcer to tell
you more
as tensions in the middle east reach a
boiling point the people of israel brace
for increased violence
and rocket fire and in eschkal children
and elderly alike
have just 15 seconds to take cover in
bomb shelters
the trauma of terror stealing the
innocence of children and crippling the
dreams for all generations
because of the generosity of friends and
kingdom connection partners just like
you
we’ve been able to send five hundred
thousand dollars to build the eshkol
region trauma center
here children who live in this combat
zone will have a safe place to
strengthen their sense of community
and receive much needed counseling
services they
are a generation of strong resilient
jewish children
there are acres of diamonds in them as a
thank you for your generous gift of 1
000
or more to this critical project you may
request
the diamonds gift collection including
jensen franklin’s just released book
acres of diamonds with accompanying
resources a limited edition art piece
as well as your name inscribed on the
comfort my people wall of recognition in
eshkol
with your gift of 300 or more you’ll
receive
the diamonds gift set or for your gift
of 50
or more we will send you the diamonds
package
with your gift of any amount we want to
thank you by sending you a custom magnet
displaying the priestly blessing found
in number six
join us in restoring hope for thousands
of jewish children and families
by building the eschkul region trauma
center
visit us online today
well cherise and i are so excited about
the 2020 trip to israel the holy land
tour
this is going to be the most special
trip that we’ve ever had when you go on
trips like this
it’s a form of blessing israel it’s a
form of saying i’m blessing
you god and i’m blessing your land and
i’m blessing the people
and when you do that there’s a blessing
that comes back spiritually
and in every other way can’t wait to see
you get on the bus
let’s go
this program has been sponsored by
friends and partners of kingdom
connection