Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church

3/15/2020
Mark 13:6-23  The Best Time To Be Alive?

Intro:  I say that all the time that today is the greatest time in history to be alive.  But is it really?  I still think so for the believer in Christ but for some it’s not going to be so grand.  Jesus is speaking to the Jews. This is not for the church.  Tribulation is for the Jews.  Jesus gives a state of the world just before the tribulation and during the tribulation.  1:00

1. Trials—Just Before Tribulation and during the first half of the Tribulation end at 7:00

6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will fool many people.  Many will come in My name [misusing My name or claiming to be the Messiah], saying, ‘I am He!’ and will deceive and mislead many.  The Best Time To Be Alive? Really?  Really.

False Teaching going on today and just before the anti-Christ claims to be God at the midpoint of the tribulation.   Matthew 24:4 says And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

And don't be troubled when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come.   When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed (frightened, troubled); these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

Wars and rumors of war.  Intensifies as we near the end of the age.  The Best Time To Be Alive?

8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. 

Luke 21:11 says… And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.  Matthew 24:7 says For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Now we know that nations are and will continue to fight each other; kingdoms, ethnic groups will attack one another. There will be earthquakes everywhere, and there will be famines. These things are like the first pains of childbirth.   For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These things are the beginning of the [c]birth pangs [the intolerable anguish and suffering].

Summary……..

Nation vs nation

Kingdom vs kingdom

Earthquakes in various places

Famines

Troubles

Pestilences

Fearful sights

Signs from heaven

Best time to be Alive?  I still believe so. 

Sorrows in verse 8 means the sorrow of Birth pangs.  We are seeing the birth pangs of these things going on now.  They will be birthed full force during the tribulation period.  The Best Time To Be Alive? 7:00

2. Persecution—2^nd half of the Tribulation summary  end at 14:00

IN the 2^nd half of the tribulation the Beast, false Prophet and Satan focus their energies to destroying Jews so that Christ cannot establish His Kingdom. 

9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

You- Jews, yourselves must watch out. You will be arrested and taken to court. You will be beaten in the synagogues; you will stand before rulers and kings for my sake to tell them the Good News.    But be on your guard; they will turn you over to courts, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand [as accused] before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.  Luke 21:15 says For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

This is Persecution of Jews for most but not all Christians will be dead before the mid-point of the tribulation.  The 144,000 continue to preach throughout the tribulation period.  This has been the past, the present and the future of the Jews. 

10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

But before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all peoples.  The gospel [that is, the good news regarding the way of salvation] must first be preached to all the [Gentile] nations.

This will occur during the tribulation with the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists throughout all seven years. 

11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

When they take you and turn you over [to the court], do not worry beforehand about what to say, but say whatever is given to you [by God] in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit [who will speak through you].

Persecution of Jews and Christians during the first half of the tribulation and Jews only in the 2^nd half.

12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

Men will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children. Children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.      And when you are arrested and taken to court, do not worry ahead of time about what you are going to say; when the time comes, say whatever is then given to you. For the words you speak will not be yours; they will come from the Holy Spirit.   Brother will betray brother to [be put to] death, and a father [will hand over] his child; and children will rise up and take a stand against parents and have them put to death.

Family betrayal and desinigration of the family.  This is going on now but will be worse during the tribulation.

13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: ( Luke 21:18 says But there shall not an hair of your head perish.)  but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.    You will be hated by everyone because of [your association with] My name, but the one who [patiently perseveres empowered by the Holy Spirit and] endures to the end, he will be saved. 

Hatred Of Christians

Tribulation hatred of Christians by the anti-Christ.  He will kill every Christian that he can find in the first half.  These are the millions that cry for vengeance in Revelation.  Endures to the end of the tribulation are those Jews and believers in the 2^nd half who Christ will spare so that He can establish His kingdom for one thousand years.  1/3 of Jews will survive the tribulation.  Despite his best efforts the Beast cannot get to God’s people.  14:00

3. Awful Horror—The beginning of 2^nd Half of the Tribulation  end at 20:00

14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

Jesus said that this event actually marks the midpoint of the tribulation.  You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ standing in the place where he should not be.” (Note to the reader: understand what this means!) “Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills.      But when you see the [d]abomination of desolation standing [in the temple sanctuary] where it ought not to be (let the [e]reader understand) then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Abomination of Desolation Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11, Mark 13:19, Jeremiah 30:7

Midpoint of the Tribulation actually begins with this according to Daniel 9:27. 

15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:

Someone who is on the roof of a house must not lose time by going down into the house to get anything to take along.     Whoever is on the housetop must not go down [to enter the house], or go inside to take anything out of his house;

16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.

Someone who is in the field must not go back to the house for a cloak.      whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies!      And woe to those women who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

Jesus magnifies the terrible time it will by when He says to pray to God that these things will not happen in the winter!     Pray that it will not occur in winter,

19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

Jesus say that the trouble of those days will be far worse than any the world has ever known from the very beginning when God created the world until the present time. Nor will there ever be anything like it again.      for at that time there will be such tribulation as has not occurred, from the beginning of the creation which God made, until now—and never will [be again].  Luke 21:26 says Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

Jesus explains the mercy of God as the Lord will reduce the number of those days; if he had not, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, he has reduced those days.     And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose [for Himself], He shortened the days. 20:00

4. Preparing for This Terrible Time end at 27:00

A warning.  Jesus warns that false messiahs and miracle workers will appear just before the tribulation and during the first half of the tribulation for at the second half the beast declares that he is God and the false prophet will be the miracle workers and deceivers. 

21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

Jesus points out to them that if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’—do not believe it.      Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it;

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

Jesus tells them that false Messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will perform miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible.      for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will provide signs and wonders in order to deceive, if [such a thing were] possible, even the elect [those God has chosen for Himself].  First half of the tribulation.  For in the second half the Beast declares he is God.

23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

Jesus warns them to be on your guard! I have told you everything ahead of time.     But be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.  The Best Time to be alive is now.  27:00

Conclusion:

The best time to trust in Jesus Christ is now!!!

Acts 16:31 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth it shall die.  All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

The wages of sin is death.

Receive the salvation freely given in Jesus Christ. 

Trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Only He can give you assurance.  John 6:37 Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

It’s your choice.  Pilate asked “what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”  What will you do?

John 3:3 Except a man be born again He cannot see the kingdom of God.  You see Christ doesn’t want to change you …He wants to make you completely new!  

Listen…It makes sense to follow Christ.

  

What if you don’t follow Jesus? What then?  If God does not exist it won’t matter will it?  If the Bible is true…. AND IT IS!!!!…then you MUST be born again!  Jesus said I am the Only way, the only truth, and the only way to life….Trust in Jesus Christ today!  28:04

Judges 18:30-31 What Kind of God Do You Prefer?

Intro:"What can we learn from the account of Micah and the idol in Judges?"

Answer: Judges 17 and 18 record the story of a man named Micah who built a shrine and worshiped human-made idols. (This man should not to be confused with the prophet Micah.) Obviously, what Micah did was wrong. The author of the Book of Judges includes the story in order to teach us some lessons.

First, it is clear that worshiping idols stands in opposition to God’s commands. The first of the Ten Commandments reads, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

Second, external religious actions are not enough; faith in the true God is required. Micah was certainly zealous. He built a shrine, made an ephod to use in religious activities, and fashioned some household idols. He was excited to have hired his own, personal priest: “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest” (Judges 17:13). However, Micah’s actions were not based on the teachings of God’s Word. He sought to serve God the way he wanted, not the way God had commanded.

Third, false beliefs lead to wrong actions. When the people of Dan inquired concerning a place to settle, Micah’s priest told them what they wanted to hear: “Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD’s approval” (Judges 18:6). Yet the Danites’ journey was a violent one that resulted in the destruction of a peaceful town.

Fourth, sinful actions by one person can have a long-term impact. The closing verses of this account leave us with these words: Judges 18:30–31 “30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.”  Micah’s false gods led to false worship among an entire tribe of Israel for several generations. We may not think our sinful actions hurt others, yet they do. They can even leave a long-term negative impact on entire communities for years to come.  This is the focus of our message today.  What Kind of God Do You Prefer?  3:00

1.  Dan Preferred The Image of God  

30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: The Danites set up THE idol to be worshiped, The [tribe of] the sons of Dan set up THE image [of silver-plated wood] for themselves;

The graven image was not of a false god, but God had forbidden the making of graven images. Jonathan was the idolatrous priest of this group of vicious men. It seems, Jonathan and his sons were the priests here for a very long time.  Dan Preferred The Image of God because they were still steeped in pagan traditions and wanted to please everyone.   What Kind of God Do You Prefer?

The tribe of Dan was the group of people who descended from the fifth son of Jacob, Dan. Dan’s mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant. Dan’s younger brother was Naphtali.   Jacob went on to have twelve sons who became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel. The history of the tribe of Dan is especially instructive to us in that it contains multiple examples of the tendency of people to follow man-made religion over biblical faith in God.  Dan Preferred The Image of God because they didn’t want to offend anyone.

As the Israelites came into the land of Canaan, by lot certain areas of territory were assigned to each tribe. The tribe of Dan was given a tract of land that was smaller than the other land grants but was fertile and also had a boundary along the Mediterranean Sea where there was fishing and commerce available to them.  Dan Preferred The Image of God so they could appear as religious and followers of God.  What Kind of God Do You Prefer?

However, the tribe of Dan never fully conquered this area as a result of a lack of faith in God. This was true of the other tribes as well, as the early chapters of the book of Judges clearly teach, and led to a time during the period of Judges where it was said, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 18:1–31 tells the story of the people of Dan falling into idolatry. They also did not like the territory that was theirs, so they sent out spies to find a better area. In the north, some representatives of Dan learned of an area where a peaceful group of people lived. The tribe of Dan took things into their own hands and wiped out the people of that land so they could then move the entire tribe up to a region close to the sources of the Jordan River, just south of present-day Lebanon. There they established their main city and called it Dan.  Dan Preferred The Image of God so that they could feel good about themselves.  What Kind of God Do You Prefer?

Later in the history of the Hebrews, the kingdom was divided after the reign of Solomon. The kingdom split into Israel’s ten tribes in the north and Judah’s two in the south. The people of Dan were in the northern kingdom of Israel. We learn in 1 Kings 12:25–33 that King built two additional altars for the people of his nation to worship. He established worship in the south at Bethel and in the north at Dan. He built a golden calf at each location and instituted special days and feasts when people would meet. Sadly, this man-made worship at Dan has been one of its lasting legacies.   Dan Preferred The Image of God so that they could have good luck.  What Kind of God Do You Prefer?

Today, many people follow various man-made religions and are convinced that all ways lead to God. Unfortunately, these groups follow the ways of the tribe of Dan. Proverbs 16:25 tells us that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Jesus taught that the way to God was specific when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me” (John 14:6). John 3:36 teaches that “he who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” To learn from the mistakes of Dan would be to worship the God of the Bible alone and live for Him by faith.  Dan Preferred The Image of God instead of the true God because they thought that would get them closer to God.  10:00

1.  Dan Preferred The Image of God     2.  Where Were The Men Of God At This Time?

and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. and Jonathan, the son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, served as a priest for the Danites, and his descendants served as their priests until the people were taken away into exile.  And Jonathan the son of Gershom, the grandson of [c]Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity and exile from the land.    

Where Were The Men Of God At This Time? Serving this idol of the image of God.  It was a form of godliness but denied the power thereof.   There is an unnamed priest of chapter 17 is now identified as “Jonathan”, a descendant of “Gershom”, Moses’ “son”.

 “The son of Manasseh”: Some manuscripts say “son of Manasseh”, others “son of Moses”, which may be more probable as Gershom was a son of Moses (Exodus 2:22; 18:3). This idolatrous priestly service continued until the captivity. This is most likely:  Where Were The Men Of God At This Time?  They approved of the image of God and lead these people for a long time.   You might say and it appears that there was NO man of God for the tribe of Dan.   What Kind of God Do You Prefer? A God that you invent?

(1) The captivity of Israel by Assyria in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 15:29; 17:1-6); or possible

(2) The Philistine captivity of the ark from Shiloh (in Samuel 4:11; see Judges 18:31).

Where Were The Men Of God At This Time? they were leading their people into disaster.  Because there was NO true man of God.   What Kind of God Do You Prefer? A God who is your God or the God of the Bible?  19:00

1.  Dan Preferred The Image of God     2.  Where Were The Men Of God At This Time?

3. Who Took the Image Down?

Judges 18:31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.”  Micah's idol remained there as long as the Tent where God was worshiped remained at Shiloh.  So they set up for themselves Micah’s [silver-plated wooden] image which he had made, and kept it throughout the time that the house (tabernacle) of God was at Shiloh.  Who Took the Image Down? Answer…No ONE!!  What Kind of God Do You Prefer? They preferred their fake God.

 “Shiloh” Israel’s early religious center, Shiloh”, a town in the territory of Ephraim, served as Israel’s religious center during the days before the establishment of the United Kingdom. It was located about 10 miles northeast of Beth-el to the east of the Jerusalem-Nablus road. Shiloh was the administrative and religious center for the Israelite tribes during the early settlement period. There the tabernacle was set up and it was there that the distribution of the land by lots took place, the Levites were assigned their cities, and the 10 tribes gathered to consider the plight of the tribes on the east side of the Jordan. Hannah prayed for a son at Shiloh. The tabernacle, with the ark of the covenant, was still located in Shiloh during Samuel’s early years as priest and prophet. However, during the battle with the Philistines, the ark was captured because God had forsaken Shiloh. When the ark was returned, it was not returned to Shiloh. Shiloh was in ruins in the days of Jeremiah. Who Took the Image Down? NO ONE!  What Kind of God Do You Prefer?  They preferred a compromised God. 

This graven image or idol was supposed to be a visible sign of the One True God. God is Spirit. The tabernacle of God was in Shiloh from the time of Joshua until the time of Levi. Micah's graven image was not of himself. They tried to worship God, but their worship was mixed in with idolatry. God does not approve of this type of worship.  God does not approve of images of Himself or Jesus for worship.  We have the Holy Spirit in our hearts so we don’t need to worship images or pictures or statues of Jesus.  Who Took the Image Down? NO ONE!  What Kind of God Do You Prefer? Hopefully the real God of the Bible. 27:00

Conclusion: 

1.  Dan Preferred The Image of God     2.  Where Were The Men Of God At This Time?

3. Who Took the Image Down?   What Kind of God Do You Prefer?

The Micah of Judges 17—18 offers an example of how not to worship God, and his story illustrates the consequences of practicing religion according what we think is best rather than according to God’s teachings. God’s Word is given to guide and protect us, as well as to bring Him glory. As 2 Timothy 3:16–17 teaches, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”1 What Kind of God Do You Prefer?  There are really two Gods.  The God you invent or the God of the Bible.  The god you invent is like you.  Your god will do what he will do for your glory!  Your god will do what he does your own pleasure! Then there is the true God of the Bible who does what HE does for His glory and for our joy!  28:04

3/1/2020

Mark Spence 

Revelation 21

2/23/2020

How To Be Strong In The Lord.  1. We must have Strong Praying  2.  We Must have Strong Faith  3. We Must Have Strong Courage  4. We Have A Strong Savior And a Sure Salvation.  Where do you get your strength from when things are bad?  Where do you get the strength to get up and go another day when everything says don’t?  For some people it’s a tough question every day.  For believers it’s Christ.  1 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:  Christ abolished death, gave us eternal life and lights our every day and night through the glorious gospel.  That is reason to get up today and tomorrow and every day after that.   Have you trusted in this glorious gospel?

2 Timothy 1:2-10  How To Be Strong In Christ

Intro:  We all want to be stronger in our faith.  We all want to have confidence in our God.  You have every reason to have strength for we serve the God who created the universe and but who stooped down to write in the sand.  How big is God?  As big as you want Him to be.  How strong is God?  As strong as you allow Him to be.  1:00

1. We must have Strong Praying

2 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Paul begins with a greeting to Timothy, my dear son: May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.  to Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  1 Timothy 1:2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 

2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Paul continues I give thanks to God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did. I thank him as I remember you always in my prayers night and day.   I thank God, whom I worship and serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.   We must have Strong Praying.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.   7:00

1. We must have Strong Praying  2.  We Must have Strong Faith

2 Timothy 1:4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

Paul remembered his tears, and I want to see you very much, so that I may be filled with joy.  and as I recall your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.  1 Timothy 4:9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: 

2 Timothy 1:5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

Paul says I remember the sincere faith you have, the kind of faith that your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice also had. I am sure that you have it also.   I remember your sincere and unqualified faith [the surrendering of your entire self to God in Christ with confident trust in His power, wisdom and goodness, a faith] which first lived in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am confident that it is in you as well.   Romans 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.   We Must have Strong Faith

Mention of the names of Lois and Eunice suggests that Paul knew them personally, perhaps because he (with Barnabas), led them to faith in Christ during his first missionary journey.

Paul rejoices when he recalls Timothy’s faithful grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, whose name means “Good Victory.” The prayers, witness, and faith of his godly mother and grandmother were central factors in the spiritual development of Timothy.  We Must have Strong Faith and we must pass it on to our children and grandchildren.

Paul is reminding Timothy that his faith has never faltered. He knew the faith of Timothy's mother and grandmother had been strong, and that same faith had been instilled in Timothy. "Unfeigned" means sincere. Lois and Eunice were both Jews and Christians; Jews by birth and Christians by faith.  1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. We Must have Strong Faith.  14:00

1. We must have Strong Praying  2.  We Must have Strong Faith  3. We Must Have Strong Courage

2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. Paul is concerned and says For this reason I remind you to keep alive the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you.  That is why I remind you to [a]fan into flame the gracious gift of God, [that inner fire—the special endowment] which is in you through the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].  1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Paul affirms to Timothy For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.   For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]. Dueteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.   We Must Have Strong Courage.

2 Timothy 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

Paul encourages Timothy to not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.   So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or about me His prisoner, but with me take your share of suffering for the gospel [continue to preach regardless of the circumstances], in accordance with the power of God [for His power is invincible], Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. We Must Have Strong Courage that does not include any doubt or shame or fear.  21:00

1. We must have Strong Praying  2.  We Must have Strong Faith  3. We Must Have Strong Courage

4. We Have A Strong Savior And a Sure Salvation

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Paul states God’s purpose for us that He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace by means of Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.  for He delivered us and saved us and called us with a holy calling [a calling that leads to a consecrated life—a life set apart—a life of purpose], not because of our works [or because of any personal merit—we could do nothing to earn this], but because of His own purpose and grace [His amazing, undeserved favor] which was granted to us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago],   2 Samuel 22:47 The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.   We Have A Strong Savior and a sure salvation.

God’s saving and calling of believers is not according to … works. It is impossible for people to earn their way into heaven. Salvation is according to God’s own purpose or sovereign plan. Grace is God’s unearned favor. The Lord called us and saved us in Christ Jesus before time began.  We Have A Strong Savior and a sure salvation.

2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:  Paul puts the emphasis on Jesus alone by saying that it has been revealed to us through the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus. He has ended the power of death and through the gospel has revealed immortal life.   But now [that extraordinary purpose and grace] has been fully disclosed and realized by us through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus who [through His incarnation and earthly ministry] abolished death [making it null and void] and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  Psalm 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  We Have A Strong Savior and a sure salvation  27:00.

Conclusion:

Why Are We To Watch? Matthew 24:42

Intro:  We watch all the time. Watching for danger.  Warning signs are all around us.  We are watching out for our family.  We are watching out when we go outside or on a trip.  We have to constantly watch out for danger in this fallen, physical world.  So why do people not watch out for danger in the spiritual world?  Also we watch out for good things.  We watch for sales, we watch for opportunities.  We watch for events we want to attend.  We watch for signs about our health.  We watch for our family to come and visit.  So why wouldn’t we watch for Jesus?  1:00

1.  We Should Watch for His Return

Matthew 24:42-44.  42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Jesus told the disciples that would follow to watch out, for one simple reason because you do not know what day your Lord will come.  So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming. 

Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Jesus is saying that If the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay awake and not let the thief break into his house.  In other words understand this simple fact: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. We Should Watch for His Return

Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Jesus concludes the parable with this strong warning.  So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.  In other words…therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him. 

Luke 21:34-36,

Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Jesus warned us to be careful But be on guard, not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking and with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you instead we Should Watch for His Return.  In other words so that your hearts are not weighed down and depressed with the giddiness of debauchery and the nausea of self-indulgence and the worldly worries of life, and then that day [when the Messiah returns] will not come on you suddenly like a trap. 

Luke 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Concern for worldly things and living for pleasure is like a trap. For it will come upon all people everywhere on earth.  It will come upon all those who live on the face of all the earth. 

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.  So Jesus again warns us to be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”  But keep alert at all times [be attentive and ready], praying that you may have the strength and ability [to be found worthy and] to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man [at His coming].” Why are we to watch?  We watch for the return of Jesus.  10:00

1.  We Should Watch for His Return 

2.  We should Watch our Spiritual Lives

Matthew 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  Jesus warns them to keep watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” You might say it this way…Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is certainly able and willing, but the body is so very weak.”

Mark 13:33-37,

Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. Jesus said to be on watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come. 

Mark 13:34 For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.  Jesus compared it to a man who goes away from home on a trip and leaves his servants in charge, after giving to each one his own work to do and after telling the doorkeeper to keep watch.  We should Watch our Spiritual Lives.

Mark 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: So Jesus emphasizes the word Watch. Because we do not know when the master of the house is coming—it might be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or at sunrise. 

Mark 13:36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.   And if he comes suddenly, he must not find you asleep. 

Mark 13:37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.  Jesus can’t make it more plain.  What I say to you, then, I say to all: Watch!” We should Watch our Spiritual Lives and we do that best when we are watching for Jesus.  

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Paul also tells us to watch.  Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong.   It’s like this….Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong.   We should Watch our Spiritual Lives by watching for Him. 

1 Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Paul is again tells us to watch.  So then, we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober.   So then let us not sleep [in spiritual indifference] as the rest [of the world does], but let us keep wide awake [alert and cautious] and let us be sober [self-controlled, calm, and wise].   We should Watch our Spiritual Lives.

Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Now the Apostle John uses the word.  Listen! I am coming like a thief! Happy is he who stays awake and guards his clothes, so that he will not walk around naked and be ashamed in public!” “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake and who keeps his clothes that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord’s return, so that he will not be naked—spiritually unprepared—and men will not see his shame.” Why are we to watch?  We should Watch our Spiritual Lives.  19:00

1.  We Should Watch for His Return 

2.  We should Watch our Spiritual Lives

3. We Should Watch Out For Others

Ezekiel 33:7-9,  So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. Ezekiel is saying mortal man, I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You must pass on to them the warnings I give you.  Now as for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you shall hear a message from My mouth and give them a warning from Me. 

Ezekiel 33:8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.  If I announce that an evil person is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, then he will die, still a sinner, and I will hold you responsible for his death.  When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will certainly die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man will die because of his sin; but I will require his blood from your hand.   We Should Watch Out For Others and sound the alarm. 

Ezekiel 33:9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.   If you do warn an evil person and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared.”  But if you on your part warn the wicked man to turn from his [evil] way and he does not turn from his [evil] way, he will die in his sin; but you have saved your life.  While we should not talk politics and political uprisings from the pulpit we should warn about the sin in the world and the sinful trends.  We can mention the sin of leaders such as John the Baptist did about Herod.  But we should not endorse or be about petty politics.  We already serve the king of kings so why should we worry about earthly kingdoms that will fall. 

Isaiah 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, On your walls, Jerusalem, I have placed sentries;  They must never be silent day or night.  They must remind the Lord of his promises.   On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed and stationed watchmen (prophets), Who will never keep silent day or night; You who profess the Lord, take no rest for yourselves.  Why are we to  watch?  We Should Watch Out For Others by sounding the alarm.  27:50

1.  We Should Watch for His Return 

2.  We should Watch our Spiritual Lives

3. We Should Watch Out For Others

This is why we are to watch!   28:04



2/2/2020 

Daniel 11:32-35

People Won’t Understand What’s Really Going On Today Because they Can’t understand

Intro: There is a great divide in our nation and it will never go away. Why? Because it is a battle of darkness against light, truth against lies and Wickedness against Godliness.  Jesus said that He didn’t come to bring everyone together but to divide and set one against another.  Why?  Because there is no compromise with the truth ever!  We who follow Jesus Christ will understand what is going on.  We are the only ones who will.  1:00

1.  Why The Ungodly Won’t Understand The Truth

Daniel 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries…(Media, Celebrities, rich, the famous, the powerful) 1 Corinthians 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Why The Ungodly Won’t Understand The Truth

Romans 1:28-32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Jeremiah 4:22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.  They are wise in wickedness but they don’t really know how to be righteous. 

Why The Ungodly Won’t Understand The Truth

Daniel 9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth

Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Why The Ungodly Won’t Understand The Truth

Matthew 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them

2 Peter 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption

Why The Ungodly Won’t Understand The Truth

Job 32:8-9 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand  10;00

1.  Why The Ungodly Won’t Understand The Truth

2. Why Those Who know God and Know The Bible Will Understand What’s Going On

Daniel 11:32……but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many:

Why Those Who know God and Know The Bible Will Understand What’s Going On

Luke 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 

Hosea 14:9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

2 Timothy 2:24-25  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,  25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Why Those Who know God and Know The Bible Will Understand What’s Going On

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Jeremiah 9:24  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord

Why Those Who know God and Know The Bible Will Understand What’s Going On

2 Timothy 2:7  Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things

Colossians 1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Psalm 119:100  I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts

Why Those Who know God and Know The Bible Will Understand What’s Going On.

Psalm 119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way

Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding  19:00

1.  Why The Ungodly Won’t Understand The Truth

2. Why Those Who know God and Know The Bible Will Understand What’s Going On

3.  Why Is The Goal of The ungodly Is To Destroy The Godly

Daniel 11:33….yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Many devoted Jews were killed in the Maccabean revolt.  Today many believers are marginalized, ostracized, and killed for their faith and devotion to Christ.  We are called the haters by those who would love to kill us.   Why do they want to kill us? John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.  (This is the Jews but Christians also fall under this same mindset of their enemies)  they think they are doing the right thing.   Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man,(What man thinks is right without consulting God or His word) but the end thereof are the ways of death.  Job 32:9 9 Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.  Why Is The Goal of The ungodly Is To Destroy The Godly?

Daniel 11:34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. As some Jews were killed in the Maccabean revolt, others provided very little token help. Many joined by intrigue against the Jews—that is, insincerely.  Even today there are wolves in sheep’s clothing in our churches and those who claim to be God’s people or who claim to love Jesus yet have no fruit and are doing it to further compromise the power of God and His church.  Why Is The Goal of The ungodly Is To Destroy The Godly?

Daniel 11:35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. Some of them of understanding….. refers to those who understood God’s Word and were allowed to go through troubled times so that they could be refined and purified.  God will use this to make us shine and stand out for our courage and steadfastness. God will turn their hate against us into a blessing for us.   It will be a blessing to us to be able to suffer for the Lord’s sake as the early apostles did in the book of Acts.  The rejoiced that they were county worthy to suffer for Jesus!  Why Is The Goal of The ungodly Is To Destroy The Godly

2 Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,3 Without natural affection,  Even animals have families.  Ducks, Cows, Lions, Elephants, Deer, Bears, Dogs, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  Why Is The Goal of The ungodly Is To Destroy The Godly

Hebrews 11: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;  38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.  27:00

1.  Why The Ungodly Won’t Understand The Truth

2. Why Those Who know God and Know The Bible Will Understand What’s Going On

3.  Why Is The Goal of The ungodly Is To Destroy The Godly

Bottom line:  People Won’t Understand What’s Really Going On Today Because they Can’t understand without the truth, the word of God, without the teacher, the Spirit of God, without following the King, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said without me ye can do nothing.  Christ is our life, our joy, our wisdom, our purpose is to be with Him and reign with Him.  How can we know the future without the one who holds the future in His hand?  Know Him know peace, know joy, know the future!





Luke 4:1-13  The Temptation Of Jesus

Intro:  Everyone gets tempted.  Satan started this in the garden of Eden.  I can in fact resist anything but temptation!  God cannot temp us and will not tempt us with evil.  But Satan never gets weary of tempting and deceiving and lying.  James 1:14 says that man sins due to the lust of his own heart.  So don’t sin because you are tempted, you sin because you are a sinner.  Temptation is just the vehicle or the pathway to sin.  Jesus could not sin because He was NOT a sinner by nature.  He was NOT the son of Adam but the Son of God!  He was born a man and lived as a man on the earth but He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. But Satan tried to get Jesus to do anything to avoid the cross.  Satan knew that Jesus would have to die.  Way back in Genesis God said about Satan thou shalt bruise His heal, he will bruise thy head.   Satan would bring a devastating blow to Jesus but he would not kill Him for He would rise again.  Satan’s power would be eventually destroyed by Jesus.    1:00

1.  The Spirit Of God Led Jesus

Luke 4:1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert,  Now Jesus, full of [and in perfect communication with] the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness .

The order of the temptations differs between Matthew and Luke. Luke has the temptation about Jerusalem last, probably because Jerusalem is the place Jesus is headed for His decisive confrontation with Satan (13:32–35). In His temptation, Jesus demonstrated not only His ability to resist the devil, but also His allegiance to God. What Adam could not do, Jesus did. Where Israel had failed in the wilderness, Jesus succeeded.

Luke 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. where he was tempted by the Devil for forty days. In all that time he ate nothing, so that he was hungry when it was over. for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they ended, He was hungry.  7:00

1.  The Spirit Of God Led Jesus   2.  Stone To Bread

Luke 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

The Devil said to him, “If you are God's Son, order this stone to turn into bread.” Then the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to turn into bread.”  If You are the Son of God: This is a conditional statement. In other words, Satan was saying: “Let’s assume for the sake of argument that You are the Son of God.” In fact, Satan was challenging Jesus’ identity and authority.

Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone.’” Jesus replied to him, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone[a].’” It is written: Jesus responded to Satan’s temptation by quoting Deut. 8:3. Jesus refused to operate independently of God. The Spirit had led Him into the wilderness to prepare Him for His ministry, so eating at Satan’s instruction would have shown a lack of dependence on the Father. 14:00

1.  The Spirit Of God Led Jesus   2.  Stone To Bread  3. Kingdoms Of The World

Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. Then the Devil took him up and showed him in a second all the kingdoms of the world.  Then he led Jesus up [to a high mountain] and displayed before Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth [and their magnificence] in the twinkling of an eye.  all the kingdoms of the world: This temptation was an attempt to offer Jesus power by the wrong means. Satan’s method involved a detour around the Cross, an inducement to “take the easy way” to power.

Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. “I will give you all this power and all this wealth,” the Devil told him. “It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose.  And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this realm and its glory [its power, its renown]; because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  this has been delivered to me: Satan’s claim here is exaggerated. He has great authority over the earth (see John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2), but not the authority to deliver kingdoms.

Luke 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. All this will be yours, then, if you worship me.” Therefore if You worship before me, it will all be Yours.” 

Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’” Jesus replied to him, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’” Get behind Me, Satan: Later, Jesus makes the same statement to Peter when he becomes a channel for Satan’s message (see Matt. 16:23). In response to Satan’s second temptation, Jesus cited Deut. 6:13. Jesus knew that only God is worthy of worship, that only God is to be served. 21:00

1.  The Spirit Of God Led Jesus   2.  Stone To Bread  3. Kingdoms Of The World

4.  Pinnacle Of The Temple

Luke 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here.  Then he led Jesus to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple, and said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;  The pinnacle of the temple may refer either to the high temple gate or to the southeast corner of the temple that loomed over a cliff some 450 feet high.

Luke 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: For the scripture says, ‘God will order his angels to take good care of you.’  for it is written and forever remains written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard and protect You,’

Luke 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

It also says, ‘They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’” and, ‘they will lift You up on their hands, So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’” He shall give His angels charge over you: Satan cited Ps. 91:11, 12, reminding Jesus of God’s promise of protection. However, the mere use of biblical words does not always reveal God’s will, particularly if they are placed in the wrong context.

Luke 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Jesus replied to him, “It is said [in Scripture], ‘you shall not tempt the Lord your God [to prove Himself to you].’” You shall not tempt the Lord: In response to Satan’s third temptation, Jesus cited Deut. 6:16. God is to be trusted, not tested. The Deuteronomy passage refers to Israel’s attempt to test God at Meribah (see Ex. 17:1–7). Jesus would not repeat the nation’s error of unfaithfulness to God.

Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

When the Devil finished tempting Jesus in every way, he left him for a while. When the devil had finished every temptation, he [temporarily] left Him until a more opportune time.

Temptation: The Two Adams Contrasted Both Adam and Christ faced three aspects of temptation. Adam yielded, bringing upon humankind sin and death. Christ resisted, resulting in justification and life.

First Adam

“the tree was good for food” Genesis 3:6  

“it was pleasant to the eyes”   Genesis 3:6

a tree desirable to make one wise” Genesis 3:6 

Eve listened to the Serpent and was deceived.  Eve told him what she did and he followed her.  Adam listened to Eve and was stupid.  Adam listened to the words of the serpent and his wife instead of the word of God.  Adam put his self, his flesh and his desires behind him and did his own will. 

Second Adam—Christ

“command this stone to become bread” LUST OF THE FLESH “the devil … showed Him all the kingdoms” “PRIDE AND POWER”  “throw Yourself down from here” Pinnacle of the Temple.  TAKE THE EASY PATH and avoid the cross.  Jesus listened to the words of God, quoted the word of God not the words of any man.    He put self and His fleshly wants and desires behind Him and did the Fathers will. 

Conclusion: 

The Temptation of Jesus

1.  The Spirit Of God Led Jesus   2.  Stone To Bread  3. Kingdoms Of The World

4.  Pinnacle Of The Temple

What will you do when he comes to tempt you?  Do what Jesus did.  Use the word of God.  In order to do that you have to KNOW the word of God.  Read the Bible everyday and be prayed up and you’ll be shored up when you are tempted.   Trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior.  Does the devil tempt unbelievers.  You better believe it.  He wants them to get so entangled in sin that they can never get out.  He wants to pile so much guilt on you that you will never come to Christ.  The number one reason older people don’t come to Christ is that they think they have done to much wickedness.  You are never more than a prayer away from being saved.  Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED!





Ephesians 2:12-14  Hopeless Turned To Hopeful

Intro:  The letter is addressed to the church in the city of Ephesus, capital of the Roman province of Asia (Asia Minor, modern Turkey). Because the name Ephesus is not mentioned in every early manuscript, some scholars believe the letter was an encyclical, intended to be circulated and read among all the churches in Asia Minor and was simply sent first to believers in Ephesus. On one of Paul's visits to Ephesus, he stayed 2 years and 3 months. Aquila and Priscilla helped Paul here at Ephesus. In Revelation 1:11, we see that Ephesus was one of the 7 churches mentioned. Ephesus was visited several times by Paul. He was very interested in Ephesus.

It is likely that the gospel was first brought to Ephesus by Priscilla and Aquila, an exceptionally gifted couple.  Acts 18:26), who were left there by Paul on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:18-19). Located at the mouth of the Cayster River, on the east side of the Aegean Sea, the city of Ephesus was perhaps best known for its magnificent temple of Artemis, or Diana, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. It was also an important political, educational, and commercial center, ranking with Alexandria in Egypt, and Antioch of Pisidia, in southern Asia Minor.

Ever seen a hopeless situation.  Ever been in one?  Your team is down by twenty points with twenty seconds left is hopeless.  Being stuck in the Sahara desert with a cup of water is hopeless.  Being in a situation where there is a bear or a lion charging at you and your leg is broken is hopeless.  Both engines out and the plane is nosediving is hopeless.  But in none of these situations is it truly hopeless….there is no hopeless situation in Christ is there?  1:00

1.  The Plight Of The Gentiles

Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ….. At that time you were apart from Christ. remember that at that time you were separated from Christ.  They did not turn to God who is clearly represented in nature.  Romans 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.   Ephesians 2:21 even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Pursuing foolishness and things without the love of God or the knowledge of God that they imagined they were god.  In total spiritual darkness. 

But there is no excuse.  Romans 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man….

Romans 2:9-15 LETS TURN THERE.  9Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God.  12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

The law is written in the hearts of each man.  We don’t teach children to lie we have to teach them to tell the truth!  

The fact is that God has always been the God of the Gentiles and they are accountable to Him.  Before Abraham the whole world was full of Gentiles.  Adam and Eve were Gentiles.  Seth was a Gentile.  Methusela was a Gentile.  Noah was a Gentile.  Enoch was a Gentile.  Technically Lot was a Gentile.  Romans 3:29  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

But we read in Genesis 10:24-25 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. Eber is the name that gives rise to the term Hebrew, which is first used of Abraham in Genesis 14:13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew…. Such a name is patronymic (a father name). Eber is mentioned at the head of the list because of his importance to the Hebrew people. He is directly the son of Salah (Genesis 10:24). His placement at the head of the list is from the vantage of the Hebrew people. Abraham is the father of the Hebrew nation specifically (12:1–3); but Abraham descends from Eber, and Eber from Shem. The other names associated with Shem include Elam, Asshur, and Aram, major people groups in the Old Testament. These and other peoples, including Israel, have become known as Semitic, a word derived from the name Shem.

Ephesians 2:12 ….being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, [excluded from any relationship with Him],alienated from the commonwealth of Israel.   God did not establish a covenant relationship with Gentiles but that did not exclude them.  They could have called upon Him.  They knew Him by the witness of the Jews and in nature. 

Ephesians 2:12 ….and strangers from the covenants of promise, You were foreigners and did not belong to God's chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God's promises to his people, and strangers to the covenants of promise [with no share in the sacred Messianic promise and without knowledge of God’s agreements.  They did not have any prophets.  God did not give His laws to them.  God did not promise to give them a land.  Well…..they did have the whole world except for Israel! 

Ephesians 2:12….having no hope, and you lived in this world without hope, having no hope [in His promise.  No word of God.  Without the word of God people will perish.  Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, (no word from God) the people perish.   Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  No rewards, no hope, no peace, no joy, no future without hope in Christ. 

Ephesians 2:12 …..and without God in the world: without God.  and [living] in the world without God. 

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

The Gentiles are in a sad plight.  But it’s their own fault.  God has revealed Himself but they rejected Him.  Hebrews 1:2-3 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;  3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Their dark plight of the Gentiles is depressing.   But the hopelessness can be made hope.  The darkness can be made right by the light of the world Jesus Christ!  10:00

1.  The Plight Of The Gentiles   2.  The Pursuit Of The Gentiles

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off….. But now, in union with Christ Jesus you, who used to be far away, But now [at this very moment] in Christ Jesus you who once were [so very] far away [from God] 

Ephesias 2:13……are made nigh by the blood of Christ. have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  have been brought near [b]by the blood of Christ.  The shed blood of Christ could bring the Gentiles back to their Creator. Now, if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29).   God brought us near to Him by the blood, the gift of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Who died for the whole world.  John 3:16  For God so loved the world…that He gave….

Colossians 1:14 "In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:"

1 Peter 1:18-19 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers;" "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"

God has pursued the gentiles through His love for us demonstrated in Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:6 While we were yet without strength (helpless, didn’t know what to do )in due time Christ died for us. 

God is drawing us to Christ.  John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men unto me.

God seeks us out.  John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  All are invited all are welcome but you have to come God’s way the way of hope for the hopeless…….through Jesus Christ.  19:00

1.  The Plight Of The Gentiles   2.  The Pursuit Of The Gentiles   3. The Place Of The Gentiles

Ephesian 2:14 For he is our peace, For Christ himself has brought us peace. For He Himself is our peace.

Isaiah 9:6 …..…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Ephesians 2:14……who hath made both one, by making Jews and Gentiles one people, and our bond of unity.   He who made both groups—[Jews and Gentiles]—into one body.   Romans 3:29  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

**Gentiles have a place in God’s kingdom just as rich and full as any Jew… if he believes in Christ.  Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one …..members one of another.   There is no difference. Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Ephesians 2:14…..and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies, and broke down the barrier, the dividing wall [of spiritual antagonism between us],  The middle wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles was vividly portrayed by an actual partition in the temple area, with a sign warning that any Gentile going beyond the Court of the Gentiles would receive swift and sudden death.

We love the Jews because they wrote the Bible, They gave us Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, David, the great prophets, the disciples, the apostles and of course Jesus Christ.  God gave them the land.  The gentiles had the whole rest of the world.  The Jews were given but a small portion of land.  God gave them a city called Jerusalem.  But it was God’s city where He would build the temple of His presence on the earth.  It is His city and His land.  The land upon which Jesus Died and shed His blood for our sins and rose again and is returning to rule and reign there!

 Gentiles have a place in God’s purpose and in His will for mankind.  2 Timothy 4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear:  Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

God’s purpose is the save the Gentiles just like the Jews and make the church one. Acts 10:44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.  46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

This is how God wants us all to live and to have a place…..

Paul said; “and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).

Our and everyone’s place is to live for Christ and have faith in Him for our place is in Him!!  This is the place for hope for the hopeless in the world!!  27:00

Conclusion:  Hope for The Hopeless.

1.  The Plight Of The Gentiles   2.  The Pursuit Of The Gentiles   3. The Place Of The Gentiles

I have preached about hope a lot through the years.  I can sum it all up by sayng that “Nothing is hopeless in Christ!”   We may die in the body but we shall live again!  We might have some great disappointments in this world but Christ will never disappoint us.  We might have some hopeless situations in life but if we have Christ we have all hope.  Christ is light and overcomes the darkness in our hearts and lives if we will have faith in Him!  Trust in Him today as your Savior, Believe in Him without delay for our greatest hope is that He is coming today!   28:04

1/5/2020

Galatians 4:16 Enemies of The Truth

Intro:  Galatians 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?  So have I become your enemy by telling you

the truth? Have you heard of the Enegram? It is a personality typing a sytem has been quietly infiltrating

Christian communities for the last quarter century.  But some believers may be excused for their

skepticism.  The Enegram is an ancient system of unknown origin with a strange name.  It is replete with

sacred language, but is not explicitly Christian in orientation. It centers on nine personality types that are

arranged into a chart resembling a pentagram.  Yet it is spreading like wildfire among a diverse range of

Jesus-followers. 

In 1990, Francisca Friar Richard Rohr effectively Christianized the system for Amercians when he published “The Eneagram: A Christian Perspective.”  This sparked a growing interest that slowly crept into church pulpits and small groups.  In 2016 Christianity Today published “An evangelical’s Guide to the Eneagram.”  After Intervarsity Press became the first evangelical publisher to release a book on the topic.  

The Enneagram illustrates the nine archetypal human character structures, the nine beautifully flawed

ways of being us.   The Enneagram shows us our ego’s set of coping addictions that we’ve wrapped up

around a childhood wound so that we don’t have to be untruthful about the pain it’s caused us.  Until

we are honest about this, we lie to ourselves and others about who we really are. 

Enneagrams showed up six thousand years ago in ancient Egypt and more than four thousand years ago

in Korea.  Buddhism has a version of the Enneagram.  Many Catholics claim it was developed by the

early church fathers. 

The nine types or mirrors of self-reflection are:

1.  the need to be perfect. One strive for principled excellence as a moral duty

2. The need to be needed.  Strives for lavish love through self-sacrifice.

3. The need to succeed.  Strives for  appreciative recognition from curated successes

4. The need to be special.  Strives for the discovery of identity for faithful authenticity

5. The need to perceive or understand.  Strives for decisive clarity through  conclusions.

6. The need to be sure or certain.  Strives for steady constancy from confident loyalty

7. The need to avoid pain.  Strives for impassioned intensity for unfrettered autonomy.

8.  The need to be Against.  Strives for impassioned intensity for unfrettered autonomy

9.  the need to avoid.  Strives for harmonious peaceful as congruent repose.

Russ Hudson a teacher of the Enneagram says this isn’t a personality test or typing but a path to God

because it’s a map of our soul.  It’s about nine paths to our true selves and nine paths to divine love.  If

we can’t self observe then we can’t self correct. 

Contemplative prayer is a part of this.  Contemplative prayer is silence, solitude and stillness.  Opening

your mind for God to speak to you……We should not open our minds for as nature abhors a vaccum, and

so does our spirit hate a void.  Something will fill it.  We are to meditate on the word of God and let the

Holy Spirt correct us.  We are never told to look inside for self-correction but pray and seek the Lord.   

Those who are supporters of this…….

*Andy Stanley has published guide to the Enneagram called “Enneagram for Leaders.”

*Sarajane Case runs an Instagram account with a following of roughly half a million devotees to the

enneagram.

*Hunter Mobley a pastor at Christ Church in Nashville with over a thousand in attendance each Sunday

has gone into teaching the enneagram full-time.

*There are 28 Enneagram workshops in Dallas alone!

*Matt Brown a mega church SBC pastor in southern California preaches and teaches the Enneagram.

*Russell Moore the head of the Ethics and Religious liberty Commision of the SBC says it is neither good

nor bad and can be useful for some people and help us understand people and has been a good tool to help him have compassion for people and recognize weaknesses and tendencies in people.

*Suzzane Stable founder of Life in the Trinity Minsitry in Dallas Texas, is an Enneagram expert who has

conducted over 500 workshops for over 20 years. 

*Christopher Mack with Baylor University (An SBC University) has seen many benefits to students with

the Enneagram.  “The enneagram is a tool that he uses to help my journey with Christ.” He said.

*Because Generation Zer’s those born after 2000 are tired of the megachurches feeling that their services are “cheesy” and “not-genuine” are seeking enlightenment and contemplative experiences (inner thinking and silence) and are flocking to the Enneagram. 

*LGBTQ Christians (so called) are flocking to the amoral enneagram rather than the literal interpretation

of the Bible. 

*More than 100 members of the First Baptist Church of Austin use the Enneagram. “To have a rich and

deep spiritual life…you have to know yourself” says Roger Paynter, senior pastor. 

*Not only the Enneagram but Yoga continues to rise among churches.  Called “Christian Yoga.”  Yoga    means “yoked” yoked or joined to the cundalini spirit…the serpent that controls your mind and emotions that follows your spine and central nervous system. 

*I am concerned about the SBC falling off the rails on the issues of homosexuality, Marxism, Social gospel, and the enneagram.  Whatever new fad is in the church you can be sure that it will be in SBC churches first or soon after. 

What is wrong with all of this?

1.  Jesus is our identity.  It’s not about us.   The Bible is about Him.  We follow Jesus.  He knows us. John 10  “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.”  We don’t follow contrived unbibical teaching that draws us from Jesus.

2.  Our true self has already been revealed in the scriptures.  We are filthy, rotten sinners in need of a Savior.   We already know what we are.  Our life in useless to God.  Our live comes when we live for Jesus and follow Him and take up our cross. We become NEW creatures in Christ.  OLD things are passed away and ALL Things become NEW!  For Christ who is our life…… Again it’s not about us.  He is our life!

3.  The path to God is a person Jesus Christ.  Not an enneagram and it’s nine steps.  This is all  contemplative stuff.  Where you find God by discovering yourself.  That’s not how you find God!  You find Jesus when you realize you are a filty rotten low-down sinner headed for hell and you repent of trying to save yourself and you trust in Jesus Christ and Him alone.  And you walk with Him by taking up your cross each day!

4.  We don’t need to know ourselves better…. we need to know Christ better!  The Bible contains all we need to grow in faith and in the knowledge of Him.  If you only read the Bible you would grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Of course reading other materials that are of interest and may help you grow and discover new things.  But you won’t discover anything new about God that is no already in the Bible.   I know all I want to know about me.  I am selfish, depraved, lost, blind, godless, and wicked.  I died to self when I came to Christ. 

Conclusion  We don’t need the Enneagram.  We don’t need personality tests as interesting as they are and as accurate as they are.  We need to know Jesus more and walk with Him each day and take up our cross for His service and glory each day!

We don’t need yoga.  We don’t need leaders that are lifted up above Jesus.  We don’t need anything or anyone but Jesus and His word and we serve Him through the church that He established. 

Two of the Four signs that we are in the last days which I will expand upon next Sunday evening…….

1.  Decline in Christianity and people being deceived. 

1 Timothy 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Some will turn from the true faith and turn to teaching of demons.  People turning to extra-Biblical teachings and some just outright anti-Biblical teaching.  Doctrines of devils or demons.  Demons give their own twisted teaching.  God’s angels are God’s messengers with God’s message.  Enneagram is a teaching that might be helpful in the secular world to lost people, but will not bring the church closer to God and is not helpful.  It can give you an excuse for bad behavior.  “well I’m not good with people, I’m moody, I’m selfish, I can’t focus, because of my personality type.”  Excuses are not acceptable for any sin!

2.  People would rather hear watered down preaching.

2 Timothy 4:3  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. The end of sound doctrine.  Rejection of the truth of the Bible. Buildings, bucks and bodies.  People would rather hear fake science than Bible Truth. 

Galatians 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?  Yes, our enemies want to deceive, lie and lift up man and his puny little helpless life as though in man is anything worthy.  God loves us and that makes us worth something to Him. God saved us and that makes us worthy and able to know Him. 





12/29/2019

Micah 7:2-7  The State Of The World

Intro:   On February 4th the President will give the state of the Union address where he reports on how we are doing as a nation.  These speeches usually are truthful and honest with some politics thrown in.  What if God gave the state of the Union address? What if God gave the State of the World address?  Well The prophet Micah gave a state of the world address from God in Micah chapter 7.

1. The State Of The world is that There Is None Good

Micah 7:2The good man is perished out of the earth:

There is not an honest person left in the land. The godly person [who is faithful and loyal to God] has perished from the earth.  God says that there is no one who is good.  The good man": who loves and is kind to men in need.  Is godly in his heart and course of life towards God, and beneficent to men for God’s sake. Is perished": Is dead and gone, and left no heir of his godlike virtues.

Micah 7:2….and there is none upright among men: no one loyal to God. And there is no upright person [one with good character and moral integrity] among men. None upright”: An honest, plain-hearted man, who speaks the truth, that is, without crooked and selfish ambitions.

Micah 7:2….they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

Everyone is waiting for a chance to commit murder. Everyone hunts down their own people.

They all lie in wait to shed blood; Each hunts the other with a net.  For Micah, the norms of society had broken down; everyone was out to destroy someone else.  The net, “They lay wait for one another, as hunters for wild beasts.”This is speaking of a society that has no morals at all. They are so godless to where it would be difficult to find even one person living for God.

Micah 7:3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, They are all experts at doing evil. with both hands: The people were pursuing evil with gusto.  It literally earnestly means, “they do it well”:

Micah 7:3 …..the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; Officials and judges ask for bribes. The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe. This is speaking of cheating and stealing to the utmost.

Micah 7:3 …..and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

The influential people tell them what they want, and so they scheme together. They twist justice between them. “So they wrap it up”: All three, prince, judge, and great man, promote violence and bloody cruelty.

Micah 7:4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge:

Even the best and most honest of them are as worthless as weeds, like a briar.  The gentlest of them is a hard strong thorn, "fleecing the flock, and wounding the sheep." "The most upright" are those who, in comparison of others seem better than others. We are never to compare ourselves to others but to God’s standards. 

Micah 7:4…..the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.

The day has come when God will punish the people, as he warned them through their watchmen, the prophets. Now they are in confusion.

The day of your watchmen. [that is, the time predicted by the prophets] The leaders of the state were leading the way in evil.  The day of thy watchmen”: The day foretold by thy (true), prophets, as the time of "thy visitation" in wrath. Or "the day of thy false prophets being punished"; they are specially threatened as being not only blind themselves, but leading others like they are blindfolded. Nothing now hinders the "judgment", which "thy watchmen" or prophets had so long foreseen and forewarned of.

"Now shall be their perplexity”: "Now" without delay; for the day of destruction comes suddenly upon the sinner.  Death comes suddenly sometimes without warning.  Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

Micah 7:4….Now shall be their perplexity or their confusion. (Micah 3:11The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.). The day of your watchman refers to a time when people needed to be alert for the approach of an enemy army. In this context, judgment was imminent and their punishment will come.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 When they say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them". "whose destruction cometh suddenly at an instant". They themselves were tangled together, intertwined in mischief, as in a thorn-hedge. They should be caught in their own snare; The wicked will be caught in their own wickedness.

Micah is saying, this should be the day of the watchmen when Godly men are warning us of this day of the Lord.  We should have thousands of watchmen today in our churches, on TV, on Radio, on the Internet warning us of the day we are in.   But we don’t see that do we?   10:00

1. The State Of The world is that There Is None Good

2. The State of The world is that You Cannot Trust In Man

Micah 7:5 Trust ye not in a friend, Don't believe your neighbor or trust your friend. Do not have confidence in a friend. “Trust ye not “: Much distrust and suspicion. The households are divided each against itself, and the relationships which should mean mutual confidence and support have become the occasion of the bitterness and mistrust and hatred.

Micah 7:5….put ye not confidence in a guide: Do not trust in a neighbor [because of the moral corruption in the land];  A guide" (or as the word also means, one  who is familiar to you.

Micah 7:5…. keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. Be careful what you say even to your husband or wife.  Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom.  The guide has been an extremely close friend whom you had taken advice from, but you must not take that advice anymore. This is saying that you should even be careful what you say to your wife, or girlfriend.

Micah 7:6 For the son dishonoureth the father, In these times sons treat their fathers like fools, For the son dishonors the father and treats him contemptuously, Speaks contemptibly of him;

behaves rudely towards him; shows him no respect and reverence; exposes his failings, and makes him the object of his ridicule. Fathers who ought to have honored, reverenced, and obeyed are instead shown complete ingratitude!

Micah 7:6 ….the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; daughters oppose their mothers and young women quarrel with their mothers-in-law; The daughter rises up [in hostility] against her mother, The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—“The ..daughter riseth up against her mother”: losing her natural affection, and forgetting both her relation and sex, replies to her mother giving ill language. Opposes and disobeys her, chides, wrangles, and scolds, strives and litigates with her.

“The daughter in law against her mother in law”: This is not so much to be wondered at as the former instances, which serve to encourage and embolden those that are in such a relation to speak pertly and saucily. To reproach and make light of mothers in law.

Micah 7:6…..a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

your enemies are the members of your own family.  A man’s enemies are the men (members) of his own household.    You can’t even trust those who say they love you.  Those in your own family circle.  Matthew 10:21 "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against [their] parents, and cause them to be put to death."

2 Timothy 3:2-3 "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy," "Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,"

A man's enemies are from his own house. His sons and his servants who should honor his person, defend his property, and promote his interest. But, instead of that, do everything to do him harm. These words are referred to by Christ, and used by him to describe the times in which he lived (Matt. 10:35).

We see in this, a time when you cannot even trust those who should have natural affection for you.

Matthew 10:21 "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against [their] parents, and cause them to be put to death."

2 Timothy 3:2-3 "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy," "Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,"  19:00

1. The State Of The world is that There Is None Good

2. The State of The world is that You Cannot Trust In Man

3.  The State Of The World is such that God Alone Is Whom We Should Trust.

Micah 7:7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; But I will watch for the Lord But as for me, I will look expectantly for the Lord.   In spite of all the wicked against him, Micah, as a watchman (verse 4), would intently look for evidence of God’s working. Trusting God to act in His own time and way (Habbakuk. 3:16-19 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. 17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

Therefore I will look: These words are a pun on the words of v. 4. While there would need to be a watchman for the coming of an enemy army, Micah was going to be a watchman for the coming of the Lord.

Micah 7:7…..I will wait for the God of my salvation: I will wait confidently for God, who will save me and with confidence in Him I will keep watch; I will wait [with confident expectation] for the God of my salvation.   It is God who will save those who trust in him.  Not the government, not the military, not the church, not your family, not your job, not you intelligence, not your health and strength, not your guns and not your rich and powerful friends.  God alone WILL save us and only God alone CAN save us. 

Micah 7:7….my God will hear me.  My God will hear me.   My God will hear me. God Is the Source of Salvation and Light.  He is listening to those who trust in Him.  Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  27:00

Conclusion: 

1. The State Of The world is that There Is None Good

2. The State of The world is that You Cannot Trust In Man

3.  The State Of The World is such that God Alone Is Whom We Should Trust.

We are somewhat isolated from many of the evils in the world.  We still have Godly influence in our communities.  But the fact is that despite our seeming good lives there is evil coming and it’s coming for you and your children and grandchildren.  How can you protect them?  Are you in your Bible each day?  Are you on your knees each day?  If not, then you are not ready!  When they come for you, they will get you and your family because you will be deceived by their rhetoric and their fear mongering.   How can you be ready?  By trusting in Jesus Christ as your Savior and by taking up your cross and following Him each day!    Read your Bible everyday, pray every day on your knees or on your face before a holy God!  Then, the wiles of the devil and his crowd will not touch your heart or your mind. 28:04





Three symptom of Abandonment Judgments Romans 1:21-32

Intro: Have you ever felt abandoned?  Many people were abandoned by their mother and father.  Abortion is an abandonment I believe.   Have you ever been abandoned because of what you believe?  Have your friends left you because of your faith in Christ?  Has your family abandoned you because of your belief in the Bible?  Many of us have experienced abandonment in the spiritual sense.  Well our culture is being abandoned by God because we have handed our culture over to godlessness. When someone is sick they have the symptoms.  By then if may have progressed to where it is too late to save them.   I believe we are already abandoned because of three symptoms already present in the world.  It may already be too late for many in the world.  1:00

1.  Handing over the Culture.

Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Knew God”: Man is conscious of God’s existence, power and divine nature through general revelation. 

They glorified him not”: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and Scripture constantly demands it. To glorify Him is to honor Him, to acknowledge His attributes, and to praise Him for His perfections. It is to recognize His glory and extol Him for it. Failing to give Him glory is man’s greatest affront to his Creator. 

“Neither were thankful”: They refused to acknowledge that every good thing they enjoyed came from God.

“Vain in their imaginations”: meaning futile in their thoughts. Man’s search for meaning and purpose will produce only vain, meaningless conclusions.

“Heart was darkened”: When man rejects the truth, the darkness of spiritual falsehood replaces it.

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Man rationalizes his sin and proves his utter foolishness by devising and believing his own philosophies about God, the universe and himself.

Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

“God gave them up” is a judicial term in Greek used for handling over a prisoner to his sentence. When men consistently abandon God, He will abandon them. He accomplishes this:

1.     Indirectly and immediately, by removing His restraint and allowing their sin to run its inevitable course,

2.     Directly and eventually, by specific acts of divine judgment and punishment. 

We call these abandonment judgments. Where God just turns us over to our sins and its eventual judgments. 

Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. A denial of God’s existence and His right to be obeyed and glorified.   Which is greater, the thing created or the Intelligence who created it? You know the answer, the “Creator”. In our society things like cars and homes are worshipped too. We must first realize who God is and then worship Him alone. Just the fact that He is eternal sets Him aside from all His creation. Amen means (so be it).

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  Reprobate or debased or diseased mind, in the sense it is used here, means (worthless, castaway, or rejected). Debased translates a Greek word that means “not passing the test.” It was often used to describe useless, worthless metals, discarded because they contained too much impurity. God has tested some mans’ minds and found them worthless and useless.

God has turned away from this type person, because they have rejected God and all His teachings. I believe it is possible for a homosexual or lesbian to be saved, but only if they walk away from their old life. I do not believe a person practicing homosexuality or lesbianism is in a relationship with God.  They may be saved but they are terribly backslidden. Things which are not convenient: means against nature.

Is Verse 28 saying that the Holy Spirit stops pursuing them for salvation? I don’t know but I know one thing if God has turned you over that is not a very good place to be, in fact it is like He has abandoned you to your fate. 

We have handed our culture over to sin and to our own depraved lusts.  We have handed our culture over from the worship of God to the worship of man.  10:00

1.  Handing over the Culture.  2.  Sexual Revolution

Romans 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. Homosexuality, shacking up, premarital sex, transgenderism are all symptoms of a people that God has abandoned.  Facebook has 58 gender identities.   Experts say there over one hundred!  We act like people that God has abandoned.  We enjoy  a real sexual revolution where anything goes.   But there are only TWO sexes.  Male and female made He them!  We are in a sexual revolution that started in the early sixties.  That coinsides when we kicked God out of the schools. 

Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers…In verse 29 we see where the abandonment by God leads to………………….It leads to all unrighteousness. Fornication has to do with sex sin (adultery is one example), and also spiritual adultery (idolatry). Covetousness includes greediness, wanting what others have, and fraud or extortion. Maliciousness means all sorts of evil and meanness. Sexual sins leads to all kinds of evil and mean things. Murder and jealousy.  Malignity means bad character.  We know that the worst characters are those who engage in child pornography and child sexual abuse.  We know that covenant breakers are those who do not honor agreements they have made like marriage and engagements and the relationship between men and women and paretns and children and adults and children.  Implacable means a truce breaker.  We have broken truce with God when we enter into forbidden sexual relationships.    These are all results of the sexual revolution that is really a sexual devolution.  We have devolved into creatures who live for pleasure of the flesh instead of the joy of Christ!

1.  Handing over the Culture.  2.  Sexual Revolution  3. Haters of God. 

Romans 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

…haters of God….This is not just ignorance but blatant rebellion. We know that God is displeased. Just look around you. The normal life we used to have is now out of control. It seems we cannot depend on anything.   

Yet many say life has never been better.  How is it better?  Yes we have technology that is unsurpassed of any time ever!  But that technology will turn on us.  It already has with people and children becoming zombies to their phones.  We trust in technology more than God. 

We have made great medical advances but we have more diseased than ever. 

We can live longer but are we truly living? 

Uncivility reigns. 

The Bible is maligned. 

Bible believers are condemned. 

90,000 Christians are martyred every year

Who thought they would ever see the day that abortion would be a choice, marriage would be between people of the opposite sex, gender is fluid,

Borders would be open, doors would have to be locked,

inner cities are filled with homeless and mentally ill and gangs,

Islam is revered while Christians are killed,

a president is hated, condemned and vilified everyday by the media,

Captain Marvel is a woman and Captain America is homosexual, and villians are heroes,

and paid reparations for slaves and Indians,

open socialism is the policy of most of the democratic candidates and they are cheered at college campuses and in Hollywood,

Conservatives would be booed and run off of college campuses.

Hollywood and the news media tells us how to live and what to believe,

if you don’t believe in liberalism and hate Donald Trump you are ostrasized and an outcast, if you protest the national anthem you are a hero and if you die for your country you are a villan,

global climate change is an emergency and a teenager is compared to Jesus Christ for threatening us about it.

Fear is at an all time high with most Americans on anti-psychotic drugs. 

This madness are all symptoms of abandonment by God.   Luke 21:26 "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."

31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

We don’t understand truth.  We have broken our promises to our children and to our God.  We don’t have affection and love anymore. We are so busy we don’t have time to love and enjoy our families.  Satan has gotten us so distracted that all we do is run, run, run.  We don’t show mercy to those who disagree with us.  We want to destroy people who we don’t like. 

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

We all act so religious.  We believe that we are on God’s side.  We wish the judgment of hell upon those who for instance deny climate change.  The pope hates fundamental Bible believers calling us as scourge upon the earth.  Destined for hell.  Yes they believe hell is reserved for those who voted for Donald trump and those who oppose climate change and homosexual marriage and gender fluidity and Islam and abortion.  They are so proud of their stand with the wicked against the God of the creation and His word that they boast of their deeds and their lies before the almighty God!

They are the wicked who have pleasure in their wickedness as they try to justify themselves by their hatred of those who oppose them.  They have pleasure with the wickedness that they indulge in.  Haters of God……..27:00

1.  Handing over the Culture.  2.  Sexual Revolution  3. Haters of God. 

Three Symptoms of Abandonment Judgments

Has God abandoned you?  He is not willing that any would perish but that all would come to repentance.  This means that some will perish in the lake of fire.  But God doesn’t want you there.  He can forgive anyone.  There is no one who is beyond the love of God.  Some of us are so hardened that it’s going to be difficult to reach if they can be reached.  But those of you within the sound of my voice have listened to this program because God has led you here.  It is not too late for you!  Turn from your sin and trust in Jesus Christ today!  Don’t perish……for God has given you the free gift of salvation that you can have by simple faith and trust in Jesus Christ today……28:04





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