Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Recognizing the spirit of Jezebel (Fourth in the series, Demolishing Strongholds) Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA May 6, 2007 Main Scripture text: Revelation 2:18-29. Demolishing Strongholds April 1, 2007 • True Christian Humility April 15, 2007 • Understanding Strongholds April 29, 2007 • Tolerating Jezebel May 6, 2007 • Recognizing the Spirit of Jezebel May 27, 2007 • Demolishing the Spirit of Jezebel Last week I talked about the three major characteristics of what some commentators call the "spirit of Jezebel": 1) Independent and controlling; 2) Usurps the legitimate authority of others; 3) Ruthless murderer. This spirit is seen in the life of Old Testament woman known as Jezebel -- the rebellious, manipulative wife of Ahab, King of Israel. She corrupted nearly the entire nation, leading the people it to forsake their covenant with Yahweh and bow to a false god named Baal. She moved to tear down the sacred altars and kill the prophets of God. Only seven thousand souls in all of Israel remained faithful God. As I said last week, we must not tolerate "Jezebel." We must not allow her to operate within our sphere of influence, especially within the church, without opposition. Indeed, Jesus calls us to expose her and oppose her. But first, we must learn to recognize her. I think we see this spirit in at least two specific areas: 1) Radical feminism. For thousands of years, men have consistently sought to dominate and oppress women. This is sin. It is not what God intended. Please understand that I believe in the social, political, religious, and economic equality of the sexes. Radical feminism goes way beyond that. Jezebel's goal is to target women who have been hurt, misused, and abused by men and turn them into domineering, manipulative oppressors of the men in their lives. The oppressed becomes the oppressor. This, too, is sin. 2) Obsessive sensuality. Remember Jezebel is after control. What better way to gain control of men than by appealing to their sensual appetites -- their lust? Our culture provides abundant opportunity for Jezebel. We are bombarded constantly with sexual images in movies, TV programs, even in advertisements. We are not immune from the enticements of the spirit of Jezebel. Francis Frangipane puts it this way: Therefore, we must discern exactly where the satanic inroads into our own lives are and cut them off. We cannot worship God on Sunday morning and then tolerate Jezebel through immoral entertainment in a movie Sunday night. Indeed, it is with this in mind that, in regard to warring against Jezebel, the eternal Word specifically described himself as "He who searches the minds and hearts" (Rev. 2:23), for it is in the inner sanctuary of our private soul-life where tolerance to Jezebel begins. It is here within us, where tolerance must end. Supporting texts: Galatians 3:26-28 | Romans 1:18-32 | 2 Chronicles 7:14 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (43 min.). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio CD of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a CD by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify number 070506a: Recognizing the Spirit of Jezebel. © 2007 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us