The King Has One More Move / Jentezen Franklin

                   

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bArZw5dejUw

(If you have your bibles I like you to open it with me. It is an honor to be here with Stovall Weems. If you’ve not heard him preach, tomorrow night it will be a life changer. And He’s one of the greatest preachers and pastors and leaders in this nation, hands down. And I honor him tonight. I love you Stovall. You’re great man of God. And this gets here more and more about you, what you’re doing of the Lord.) Well if you would go with me for few moments tonight I won’t preach long but I want to go to Exodus 14:2

(We were talking about the prayer of Jabez. Benny and my 13 year old daughter came home from youth group the other day and she said OH dad we had the greatest service it was the greatest service in youth tonight, and I said what happened? She said pastor Craig taught this and that and the Spirit moved and said that the end we all held hands and he was crying and he felt led to pray the prayer of Jezebel over our whole youth group. She was totally serious. So he released the prayer of Jezebel all over our youth and she meant to say prayer of Jabez. But hopefully I’ll release Jabez not Jezebel in Las Vegas. I’m telling all the family stories tonight.)

Exodus chapter 14:2, “Speak unto the children of Israel that they turn and encamp before…” go down to verse 3 for the those names are too big.

“For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land; the wilderness has shut them up.”

And then look what happens in verse 10,

“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

And one more real quick scripture in Exodus 15:9,

“I want you to listen to this. “The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, I will half and I will puff and I will blow. That’s basically what He is saying. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the Red sea covered them: they sank as lead as mighty waters.

One more verse of scripture Proverbs 21 and 30. It says,

“There is no wisdom nor understanding nor council against the Lord.”

I want to preach to you on few moments tonight on Checkmate. We don’t play much chess in the south. I am from the south we like checkers. It’s a lot simpler, it moves a lot faster, doesn’t take us much thought. We really enjoy checkers, we have it in cracker bearer but we don’t like chess. I never learned how to play chess, don’t know anybody who plays chess. To my knowledge it’s because it is just not a popular game in the south. Checkers, I like it personally because when you move and if you’ll get the king you’ll go three jumps sometimes and it BAM BAM BAM… and it’s done.

Checkers it has lots of moves but chess its lots of thoughts and then moves. In chess they have the war horses, they have the nights and the bishops, they have the queen and the king and the bottom line to chess is in the game of chess. When a person wins when a move is made wins the game the king is in the position that is unprotected. The king is in the position where he can no longer move he is completely surrounded by his enemies. The king can’t go forward, the king can’t go backward, he can’t go to the left, to the right, he is trap, he is blocked, he is stopped, he is arrested, he is circumvented, he is surrounded by his enemies, and there is no scape and the next word that comes out of the person’s mouth that has the king in a total position of defeat is "checkmate!"

I believe that hell’s favorite word is checkmate. You have an adversary that wants to scream into your ear when you get trap, when you get surrounded, when you feel overwhelmed, when you don’t know what to do, or where to turn. He loves to scream in our ears, “Checkmate!” Meaning there’s no way you going to get out of this. You can’t move this way, you can’t move that way, you’ve run out of chances, you’ve run out of help, you’ve run out of resources, but I’ve got good news for you tonight. I’ve never preach this message anywhere except when I preach this Sundays so I’m not going to give you an old message that I’ve preached. I feel like God gave me this for you tonight. When hell screams "checkmate" heaven screams "I don’t think so."

In life Satan wants to checkmate our lives. Meaning he wants to render us helpless. He wants to put us in a position where he can whisper it’s over, there is no way out, what is the use, there is nothing left. In John 10:10 the Bible said, “The thief comes to kill steal and destroy”, but notice that he has to steal first. The order of John 10:10 is steal, kill and destroy but before he can kill and destroy he has to steal. He has to steal your faith, he has to steal your joy, he has to steal your hope, he has to steal your dream. But if God is for me, if God is on my side, (see I want you to help me preach a little bit, so when I say 'checkmate' I want you to say 'I don’t think so.'

Checkmate!

I don’t think so…!

Ok this time I want you to say it with an attitude, this time I want you to tell me with swagger.

I preached this Sunday morning in Georgia and there’s a beautiful black lady that stood up when I said it the second time. And she stood up and she said “I don’t think so!” and I thought that’s the attitude you have to say it. So let’s try it again.

CHECKMATE!

I DON’T THINK SO.

That is what I want you to get in the spirit because the Bible said, “There is no wisdom, there is no power, there is no council that can stand against our God”. When our enemy wants to play that game with us we need to have that respond in our heart.

Pharaoh said that the Hebrew were stupid they got a leader that is a stutterer who can’t talk. His got sheep-dung between his toes. He doesn’t know how to lead anybody anywhere. And when he got out into the wilderness he have the red see in front of him, he have mountains on the right and left and he turns around and here comes the advancing Egyptian army. They were coming and the cloud of smoke is coming up behind them and their chariots are rumbling. They are not just going to kill Moses they are going to kill the women, they are going to kill the children, they are going to wipe the families out. Everything will be designated and right in the middle of it I could almost hear in this story the enemy whisper, checkmate!

I’ve got you! But you can always start over, you can be delivered, you can be healed. It is never over with God. He is never in a situation… Here is what I want you to understand. You and I can always do something that God can’t do. You’ve been told all your life that God can do anything but that is not true. And one of the things that you and I can do that God cannot do and God has never done is that you and I can do all that we can do. Sometimes the doctor says 'I’ve done all that I can do.' Sometimes the banker says 'I’ve done all that I can do.' Sometimes the counselor says 'I’ve done all that I can do', but God has never done all that He can do. (I need you to give him a big shout right there.)

In the back of chapter three the Bible says that God came from Teman and when He showed up He put His glory in display. And the bible says there was thundering and there was lighting and there is this hope is coming back. And the scripture said that in the back of three, He comes from Teman and when He comes all of this display of glory, the mountain is shaking. And then there is this verse that says “And there was the hiding of His power”. That doesn’t sound like the hiding of His power, it sounds like the revealing of his power. But what he is saying is that God has hidden more than he’s revealed. As great as what He has done He has held back more than He has released in your life. And just when the enemy thinks its checkmate heaven screams 'I don’t think so' because God has the hiding of His power. And He loves you, and He cares for you, and He is on your side. He has never done everything that He can do.

When Moses thought it was over God found Moses in his desert. God found Jeremiah in his pit, God found joseph in his prison, God found Job in his dilemma and God knows how to put a ladder in to your pit and even if you given up on you, God have not given up on you. And I believe tonight that our part is just to keep a good attitude. Our part is to do what Paul said in Acts 26, “I think myself happy”. In other words I choose the joy of the Lord is my dominant emotion. I refuse to allow myself to get depressed and in worry and in fear and in despair. You know how you get depressed? You think yourself depressed. You know how you get happy? You think yourself happy. (Someone give him a shout of praise.)

I believe the churches’ job is when hell says the people checkmate. It’s churches’ job to say I don’t think so. When somebody has an abortion and the enemy says, “God can’t love you” It’s the church that rises up when hell whispers checkmate! It’s over your finished! We’re to stand up and say I don’t think so. We’re to take the girls that enemy says, “You have been traffic and your no good” checkmate! Right under life our statistics but it’s the church that stands and says “I don’t think so”. It’s the church that stands when they on drugs and alcohol and it seems that they can’t get out and they take a gun and ready to end it all and just when hell whispers checkmate. The church has to step in and say I don’t think so. God still has a purpose.

I want to say to somebody tonight that your destiny is greater than your difficulty, your destiny is greater than your catastrophe, your destiny is greater than your disaster, your destiny is greater than any dilemma, and distress that you’re going through.

Every year in Europe they held a tournament that is world renowned in the chess community. They’ve been doing this for decades and generation even. One of the backdraft of the chess tournament world championship, where they come in from over the world to play chess, there is a mirror of painting that is very famous. (Actually I think I got a picture of it and I want to describe to you what this picture is.)

You see the guy with the hat and the feather, the red feather, the green grab, that is Satan. The artist calls it checkmate and that character there in the green is Satan. And you can see if you look up it close, he’s got a little grin on his face and I tell you why. The young men that is playing is in distress because he doesn’t have a move. The king is completely surrounded, his lost the game and down in the bottom of the painting is checkmate. And Satan is grinning and the guy is in distress and say it’s over. So one day one of the masters of chess was there and he was taking a break from playing in the tournament and he walk to over this painting and he stared looking at it and he started noticing the knights and the pawns. He started noticing them and he noticed something and he kept looking at it, kept looking at this picture and it starts to bother him. And right in the middle of the tournament he started screaming No! No! It’s wrong! It’s wrong! They said what’s wrong? He said, if you study it whoever painted this painting got it wrong and this is what he said. The king has one more move!

(Oh you didn’t hear me.) THE KING HAS ONE MORE MOVE!

When hell is screaming and laughing, Satan checkmates you over your life, I don’t think so! Because the king has one more move. (I need somebody to believe that tonight. OH, bless His name.) The doctor doesn’t give any hope but the king has one more move. You don’t know what you’re going to do, and you don’t know how you’re going o see things, turn around, but the king has one more move. They said you’re going to lose everything and you never going to get it back but I don’t think so. You may be in a season of weeping and it seems like everything going wrong but God is not through with you the king has one more move. (if you believe it give him a praise tonight.)

There was a woman that the Pharisees found that was taken in the act of adultery. That always bothers me because the Bible said that they caught her. How does it hurt to commit adultery by herself? They caught her and they took her with the Bible in one hand and a rock in the other hand and they wounded her. A guilty woman to get condemnation and to get death and the law saith stoned her and they throw her at the feet of Jesus. Let me give you advice. If you ever want to punish a guilty person, don’t throw him at the feet of Jesus. Throw him at the feet of the denomination, throw him at the feet of mean Christians, throw him at the feet but don’t throw him at the feet of Jesus, if you want him to get judged and condemned and beat up. They throw her at the feet of Jesus and they said the laws says 'stone her', CHECKMATE! They told Jesus, "the words says..." (However) He was the words that is why He started writing again. He started writing on the sand. He said 'I am the word' what are you talking about? And when they said CHECKMATE! He said, “I don’t think so, the king has one more move, neither do I condemn you”.

I don’t know who I am preaching to but you might have really messed up, you might have really brought shame and disgrace, and hell might have say your ministry is over, your family is over, your joy is over but I don’t think so! The king has one more move! The king has one more move!

(Somebody who believes in grace, give the Lord praise.)

You need to understand that grace is always above judgment and the law. The ark of the covenant had the Ten Commandments or the law in the box but above it was the mercy. Because mercy is always above the law and the king always has one more move. You say you don’t understand what I’ve been through well have you been through some worse than Job? He lost ten children in one day, all of his finances wiped out, his health gone everything gone. And the enemy whispered checkmate but in Job 42:16 there is this marvelous scripture.

Job 42: 16 says, “AFTER THIS” I’m here to tell somebody God can give you an 'after this'. God can put in your life an after this, after you’ve lost your home, after you’ve lost in bankruptcy, after you’ve got on drugs, after you went through hell, after nothing went right, after your love one passed away, there is an 'after this' that God has for you. And just when the enemy says checkmate! God says, I don’t think so. The king has one more move. 'And Job lived a 140 years after his trials.' If Job can live a 140 years after his trial, you can live after your crisis you can live after your moral failure, you can live after accidents, you can live after you loss. There is an 'after this' in your life.

Gen 9:29 the bible said, “And Noah lived 'after' the flood.” (I’ve come to preach tonight there is life after the flood.) When the enemy comes in like a flood, everything gets wiped out and you’re wondering am I going to make it? The Lord sent me to tell somebody that the King has one more move and there is a life after the flood. (Turn to somebody and say there is a life after the flood. I know you’ve been through tears I know you’ve been to pain I know you’ve questioned God, where are you?)

You know what I’ve found out? Noah lived more after the flood than he did before. There’s more life after the flood. Can you believe that God could actually bless you with the rest of your life after the flood?

You know when Noah stepped into the boat he was a minority. Everybody was laughing at him; everybody was making fun of him. Everybody was telling him what an idiot, what a fool. When he stepped in he was a minority but when he stepped out his the majority. (And I want to preach just a minute.) Right now they might laugh at us and make fun of us and say those bunches of stupid Christians but when Jesus returns again, we’re going to live as a minority but when He comes back will come back with Him and will rule and reign as the majority. Don’t you forget this, Jesus is coming again. The Lord himself shall be seen from heaven with the shout and we’re going up.

Jonah did not want to preach in Nineveh because he knew if he preaches the word God will forgive those people. He knew what kind of God he serves that He wants to forgive and bless and not to destory and judge. So God build the first one man submarine and in a fish belly. Hell whispered checkmate, but the King have one more move. And the King made what had swallowed him up spit him out. And when it spit him out, what is holding him hostage spit him out. I just want to tell somebody that it seems like your life has been swallowed up but God is not through with you. He knows where you are, He knows who you are, and He knows what you are going through. And your job is just to keep a good attitude. That is why I love this man, he’s been going through hell but he keeps it up in his spirit. What can hell can do with that? You just keep up a good attitude. Don’t go around like the cover girl, the book of lamentation. All sad and pitiful, and beat up and tore up from the floor up and all that. Don’t do it! The King has one more move. His not finished.

See faith is often held hostage about pictures and images that we get in our mind that’s why 7 times God asked people in the bible, what do you see? What do you see? What do you see? What do you see? What do you see? What do you see? What do you see? Because it’s the image that we see, if you can’t see it you can’t achieve it, if you can’t be it, if you can’t see where you’re going. So He had to constantly ask people. What do you see? That is why he said to Abraham let me give you a day image of victory. Look at the sand and so as the sands of the seashore so shall your seed be. And so if circumstances tell you different in the day you keep looking up this image in the day. And in the night when it is really dark let me give you a night image. Look up at the stars and as all the stars of heaven are so shall you seed be. So I don’t care if the enemy comes at the day or it comes in the three o’clock in the morning waking up worried and stressed out you look up at the image of victory that I have for you because I’m not through blessing you. The King has one more move.

You’ll say 'Well Jentezen(preacher) I have failed the Lord.' Every time God confronts and corrects us it’s for restoration not for destruction. He wants us to win. I feel some goatherd in me when I say that. You’ve got to really believe that. He wants us to win. Some of us think God really does not want us to win. Would you just confess that turn to somebody and say God wants us to win? Grab that husband, grab that wise and say, “Honey God wants us to win”. Checkmate? I don’t think so. Hell can’t get any of my children. Hell can’t get any of my kids. No way! The King has one more move.

(I’m almost through)

I do have one more. They took Jesus and they hung Him on a cross, they nailed Him with three nails. And beat His back and put a crown of thorns in His head and hung him there. Hell laugh and demons circled around the cross and they said the King is out of move it’s over. Miracles are over, power in the Holy Ghost is over, no more water walking, and no more dead man rising, it’s over. CHECKMATE He’s dead. Look at him He’s just died. But on the third day hell screams. That I don’t think so! The king has one more move! And He rose from the dead. Did you hear what I’ve said, He rose from the dead and so can you.

So I’m through that’s it that’s all I’ve got. So now I’m almost through its not how long you’ve preached it’s how quick you believed. I meant to bring my cellphone in because I’ve to improvise. I’m going to show you a video I want you to watch it. Because just when hell thinks he’s won, and I really felt led by the Lord to do what I’m about to do. Because some of you, Satan is already throwing a party. But I’m not just preaching this sermon I believe I’m speaking prophetically tonight over this ministry and I’m not smart enough to come up with message to cater. The Holy Ghost has to help me or I’ll embarrass myself, my wife, everybody that’s how it goes.

But one of my guys, stuff, brought me this video and it is a clip, very famous college football game between the, back then, they were called the California Bears and Stanford Cardinals. And what just happened was Stanford has just scored and there were four seconds on the clock. Which means all that Stanford had to do was kick the ball, let the guy catch the ball, tackling, with four seconds it’s over. But this is what happened I want you to watch this and I want you to make sure you’ve got the volume on because I believe the announcer was a Pentecostal. I can’t prove it but I want you to listen to this guy, I love this guy. Then I’ve got a comment that I want you to notice towards the end. Who you see on the field, it’s very important. Now check this out.

(The bears are trying to score… All advantages are on the bear! The bands are right on the field, there were flags all over the fields. Let’s see it. We don’t know who won yet. Let’s see. Everybody the winners are the bears! The bears have won! OH My God! The most amazing, sensational, traumatic, heart pounding, exciting throwing furnished in the history of football!)

Alright here’s what got me when I’m watching, here is what got me. What was the band doing on the field? And I’m not super spiritual but I felt like the Lord spoke to me. Satan already has a victory parade out on the field saying it’s over we got that family. We got that situation, its over! Checkmate! We get the band! And what I saw was devil, get your band off my field. I like that guy because he just hit it. Did you hear what I’m saying? Somebody say Satan get your feet out my field. The king has one more move! it’s never too late with our God.

Get up on your feet and give him great praise tonight faith praise tonight. Come on you have another day, you have another chance. God is not through. Checkmate! Nothing’s going to get in your spirit I don’t know what you’re going to face, I don’t know what you’re going through, but I know what I’ve been through. I’ve have 52 year old brother who is fighting colon cancer and they’ve taken his whole colon out. He’s been given 6 months to live but we’ve seen God’s faithfulness through him. I don’t understand it all I don’t know why he has to go through it. All I know is God is not through it yet.

So I’m not just here to get you excited because life happens. But there’s got to be something in you that when it hit you like that and the enemy whispers checkmate, something in your spirit says I just don’t think so. The king has one more move and I may not see it all now but when it’s all said and done, all things work together for the good to them that are called. And what the enemy means, try evil, don’t know how, and don’t understand it.

Sometimes all you have is a question mark for brain. Why? Where? Why don’t you so something God. But what I’ve learned is He is faithful. What I’ve learned is even when they put us in a casket and put us in the ground and hell whispers checkmate, The King has one more move. The trumpet is going to Zion. "All grave where is your victory oh death where is your strength?"