Man had fallen. He was alienated, a rebel. The next great act of God was redemption. And to do this, God stooped lower still. The answer to pride is humility. Jesus took upon Himself the Adamic nature, the form of humanity, the fallen nature. By His death, He freed us all from the power of death and the bonds of slavery.

Satan procured the downfall of humankind using the same motivation that caused his own downfall—and tempted Adam and Eve into disobedience and rebellion. Satan told them that if they ate, they would be “like God, knowing good and evil.” This motivated them to pride–they would not need God anymore, so they were banned from the Garden.

Derek teaches us today that Lucifer was a glorious created being who succumbed to pride. So what did God do next? He stooped low as He formed a man out of the dust of the earth. The dust of the earth met the breath of God from heaven and Adam was created. God wanted a person-to-person relationship with him.

Today, Derek takes us back in time to the first sin created in the universe. It was not drunkenness, immorality or murder, but pride—pride that led to rebellion. Listen as Derek revels who it was that sinned and what was the outcome.

In his messages this week and next, Derek brings out the fact that, just like law of gravity operates in the physical realm, there are laws in the spiritual realm that operate in much the same way. If we go against them, they will break us. The one we’re looking at is found in Matthew’s gospel: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

We conclude our series, “Seven Pictures of God’s People” by presenting a capsule description of the essential feature of each picture and what is required of God’s redeemed people to fulfill these responsibilities. Today Derek will sum up these seven pictures and draw out the main practical lessons we can learn from them.

Today we will discover how God is training us as His Army. Whether we realize it or not, we are in an ongoing war with unseen forces. Derek teaches us how to take up the arsenal of weapons God has given to you. Then you can be ready to annihilate Satan’s strongholds in your life and the lives of others.

The Bible lays tremendous emphasis on marriage. Marriage plays a central part in the Bible, being patterned after Jesus and His Bride, the church. The Bible actually begins and ends with a marriage. And God is still in the matchmaking business!

God is in the midst of fashioning His temple out of His most precious material…people. You are part of that temple, being built into a structure that exactly adheres to God’s specifications. The materials, the dimensions and the type of structure were all determined beforehand.

You are an integral part of the family of God. Derek explains today how you can have a vital relationship with God the Father and your brothers and sisters in Christ. This truth could change the way you relate to others.