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Transcription
A few announcements. We have the adult dinner night out, and also a cookie exchange women’s cookie exchange it Mickey Thomas is my daughter in law’s house. And there’s a signup sheet out in the foyer. If you just put your name down, that would be great if you’d like to attend that. And I think that’s all the announcements that I I have to make right? I usually looking fine. She tells me if I’m yes, no, but she’s homesick she’s she came down with something yesterday. And so far, we haven’t shared it, which I’m thankful for.
Okay, let’s pray. Father, we come before you in Jesus name and we thank you so much for who you are. For the love that you so showed on this world you bestowed love and the incarnation of your son Jesus Christ, that anyone who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. What a blessing. We thank You, Father for that promise and for that hope. And Lord, I asked you what anointing you Use me to minister your word, your truth to these your people, that they might be encouraged in all your ways, and help us father to go through your word in such a way that we allow it to speak to our most inner man. And I pray this in Jesus name, Amen. And Amen.
You know, we live in a sick world. Did you know that? We really do and it gets sicker with time. I was driving somewhere yesterday. And the reason I say somewhere is I don’t remember where it was, but I was going somewhere. And probably a lot of you know that there’s one channel this time of year that plays only Christmas music. And so I had that on, and I’m listening to it and and then this advertisement comes on. I’m just trying to show you how weird our world has gotten. This advertisement comes on. And this is a woman with a very smooth, you know, soothing voice, and she’s saying, you have the perfect marriage. You have kids You have a home. But through time you and your spouse have drifted apart. And the thought of spending another Christmas together is devastating. And so if you contact the law firm of blah, blah, blah, we can work out a quick, an amicable divorce. I thinking, What? Very Christmas? Wow, this is the kind of world we live in. And the next song was Joy to the world. But the point I’m getting it, where have we come to. And the only reason that our world in our society has decayed to the level that it has, is because we don’t take the Word of God seriously enough. This is the word of God, the logos, the Word of God to man. And God gave us his word for no other reason. Then he loves us. And he desires to show us the way that we should walk because understand In this as we have seen our world reject, you know, biblical theology. And the way a person should live according to scriptures, the world has rejected that it’s done nothing but decay, right? Send nothing but decay. And some of you probably know that there was a shooting at destiny. And I didn’t know the whole thing behind it, some guy got shot in the leg or something like that. And, and they had to, you know, evacuated with people from our church kids that were there, they had to be locked in the stores and that kind of thing.
And so anyway, the the chief of polices and I criticized him, but he’s, he’s making a statement. You know, we can’t let a couple crazies you know, ruin our Christmas. And the whole point was don’t stop coming to the mall. I mean, really, if you think about it, that’s what they’re saying. And the point I’m getting at is our world has become more more debase and Sometimes I think even in the church, we wonder why, why? It’s because they’ve rejected the Word of God. And so you and I, as believers, it’s not our responsibility to make everyone a Christian. It’s our responsibility to share the truth of Christianity. But it’s up to them to make their choices called free will choice. When someone presented the gospel to you, you had a chance to reject it or accept it. And some of us rejected it a few times, before we finally accepted it. But we have to remember that we have that responsibility to stand on the Word of God. And when you find the church, taking the Word of God in just just kind of a sloppy way, not willing to really stand on what it says, because as we study this portion of Scripture, we’re going to find that God has serious consequences for sin.
Now, of course, this is under the old covenant, and we’re under his grace and mercy and we’re so thankful for that. And the thing we have to understand is that anyone can confess and repent of sin. Okay? as a believer, if you have done something that’s wrong, something’s out of keeping with what God would have you do, you can confess, and you can repent. But the problem is, is when the church gets to a place where they started accepting many of the things of the world, to the point that we don’t even know when to confess and repent, we don’t know what’s right, we don’t know what’s wrong. And this is why we have to take the Word of God, exactly for what it is the word of God to man. Because, as we’re going to be looking at in this portion, blasphemy is probably the most serious thing that anyone can commit. And when we are reading it, I’ll explain what the word blasphemy actually means. But it’s probably one of the most serious sins that that anyone can commit, because it not only affects the person who blast themes as a matter of fact, the penalty for it, we’re going to read as Death. But the reality is it also affects everyone around us. It affects our culture, our family, in our culture, and everyone around us to think that God can be taken lightly, and that we don’t have to seriously, you know, adhere to his word. And this is why it’s so important for the church to keep guard against false teaching. You know, we have to understand, false teaching has always come into the church from the beginning. I mean, you can read the scripture where it talks about, you know, high meanness and now to bring a false teaching into the trick right from the beginning. And it hasn’t changed since. And the one thing we have to always keep in mind is the most dangerous of false teachings. Listen, are those that most resemble what is true and accurate? You know what I mean?
Like for instance, if I was going to make a forgery of $1 Bill, and I had a picture of Mickey Mouse on the front of it. People say, you know, these wouldn’t even make any difference. But if I had a forgery that looked spoiled, just like a real dollar bill, little few mistakes on it, but most people wouldn’t even notice it, though, Wow, I’ve got $1 bill when they really don’t. And so in the same way, we have to be careful of those teachings out there that very closely resemble the truth, but they’re not. Because it just takes a little bit to pull you away off. If you have railroad tracks, going side by side, and you have it off just one centimeter one of the tracks for a long time, they’re going to look like they’re completely parallel. But after a while, it’ll be traveling off further and further and further. And so we have to realize that we have to be on our guard against any kind of false teachings coming into the church and In Matthew 24, and in Luke 18, we’re told it in the last day, false teachings would come into the church. In fact, if you want to turn to second Timothy chapter four, Second Timothy chapter four, and go to verse three. Second Timothy chapter four, starting with verse three for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, their own desires, because they have itching ears, they want to hear something new, something fresh, something exciting. They will heap up for themselves, teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables that you be watchful and all things endure affliction and do the work and evangelist fulfill your ministry. So that’s what we’re called to do. Stand on the Word of God. It’s a filler ministry as being evangelist everywhere. Sharing the truth, not the half truth, not the most of the truth, but sharing the truth. And so we’re picking up Leviticus chapter 24 and verse 10. Excuse me lanius 24 verse 10, now the son of an Israelite woman whose father was an Egyptian, when out among the children of Israel, and this Israelite woman, son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp, and the Israelite woman’s son, blasphemy. And that is the word in the cop. And carbon the Hebrew means to profane violently, to curse violently. And so we have to realize, when we’re looking at this, it is it is like someone who would say, I hate God, I have just all kinds of awful things to say about God. That’s blasphemy. So there’s a difference between blasphemy and cursing. Yes, the reason I’m bringing this up and the names The Lord and curse. And that’s Kala. And that particular word in the Hebrew means to make light of or ridicule of whose god What can he do? You follow the point of making one is just violently cursing God and the other ones making light of Ramos mocking God. And those are two very serious sins that someone can commit commit. Is your noise going to take you here that? You do? I wasn’t sure if it was mirrored, or something else. I thought, maybe Remember that? There was some scary movie but anyway, first 11 and the Israelite woman sandblast. me I already did that. So we’re down. His mother’s name was shalom is the daughter of debary of the tribe of Dan, and they put him in custody, that the mind is the Lord might be be shown to them. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, take outside the camp him who is curse, then let all who heard him lay their hands in his head and let all the congregation him, then he should speak to the children, children of Israel saying, whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whoever blastings the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, this the stranger as well as him who was born in Israel, when he blast themes, the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death. Now, there are only two incidents of people in the in the book of Leviticus are only two instances of someone being put to death, for blasphemy. You have made to have an Abba who, who were Aaron sons, and remember, they offered profane fire. This was in chapter 10, of of Leviticus, Leviticus 11, VDD. Leviticus, remember, they offered profane fire, and the Lord’s struck out and consumed them with fire. They offered strange incense I’m sorry, and the Lord consumed them with fire. Now it’s interesting. I in fact, I encourage you when you go home, read chapter 10 and read all of it because After need to have an Abba who were consumed by fire from the Lord, because of offering profane incense to God. Then the Lord speaks to air he spoke to Moses, then the Lord speaks to Aaron. And what does he tell Aaron? He said, I don’t want your sons coming. I’m paraphrasing, I don’t want your sons come in here and serve and before me if they’ve been drinking, read it. So the conclusion that we could possibly make is that when Adam who and as his son naida, and his brother named dad came in to serve the Lord, they were drunk. And so they thought, Hey, we got a good thing we can do, we can we can mix up the better incense and God commanded us. And they offered profane incense before the Lord. And of course, incense also means prayer. So we don’t know exactly whether it was just the instance itself or the kind of prayers they were offering, but God consumed them. And so it’s an important, you know, point for us to make and then the other incidence of someone being Put to death for blasphemy the name of the Lord is right here in this chapter in chapter 24. So we have to understand that blasphemy is a serious offense, as it not only demonstrates to godlessness of the person who blast themes, but it also if unchecked, it can affect everyone. He’s, who’s around him. Everyone is around him if it’s left unchecked. Now, I don’t think, personally, that even as believers were serious enough about blasphemy. We’re serious enough about things that might be coming right into our hands. I don’t think we are. And, you know, what am I talking about? Well, maybe some movies, we watched maybe music we listened to, you know, there are a lot of things that I think the church has come to a complacency in which they shouldn’t. Where they’re just saying, well, that’s just the way the world is this just music is just a TV show. It’s just a movie. It’s okay. Well, according to God’s word it’s not. I mean, that’s not something that we should be taking part of.
We have to understand the worst kind of blasphemy is, like I mentioned earlier is that which comes in stealth flee. And I think the church has come to a place where have you ever noticed that a pendulum goes both ways. And I think sometimes the pendulum has gotten to the to the direction of legalism, where everything a person does is blast me. Did you know that I saw so and so? Well, this is something that actually happened to us is when Franken and Nicki got married. thing was their wedding is either theirs right daughters, but anyway, one of our children’s weddings via and I want to dance with our children’s wedding, right when you want to dance your children’s wedding, and fine I don’t know how to dance. So we actually went we took dancing lessons which was respective which dancing lessons. And so at their wedding, we got out when all the parents and everybody was dancing with dance. And we actually had someone come up to us and say, you know, I was really disappointed, I can’t believe that you are out there dancing. That’s legalism, or you take something that is not in Scripture anywhere, and you somehow have made some kind of humanistic tradition about it as being wrong and being sinful. Okay. So that kind of legalism is wrong, you know, but on the same hand, I think sometimes the pendulum can swing so far to the other side, that we even as believers are saying, All this is okay. And that’s just the way it is this way life is. Well, if it’s contrary to God’s word, it’s still wrong and it’s still sin, no matter how life has has swung one way or another. Understand that when Christianity came into the world, the Roman Empire was in charge, and that was one of the most debase societies at that time that you could have had. I mean, every sin imaginable just like today was available. And yet here is where Christianity took its roots and spread and spread holiness and and spread obedience to God’s word. And so we have to understand, that’s what we need to do as well. Now, I think one of the things that we see in looking at this you had a woman who was married to a Israel, Israelite woman or a believing woman was married to an unbeliever, was married to a pagan, and so consequently, their son ended up blaspheming the Lord. And to me, one of the things that just points out, is why it’s so dangerous for a believer to be yoked together with an unbeliever. And that’s not only in relationship to marriage, you can be in relationship to business or whatever. It’s not good to be yoked together. Because when you yoked yourself with someone, it becomes so easy to start accepting things that maybe you shouldn’t be accepting. And in Second Corinthians chapter six, verses 14 through 15, it says do not be yoked together with unbelievers is talking about a binding relationship. It doesn’t mean that you as a believer should avoid any unbeliever. We’re supposed to be around unbelievers because unbelievers are the ones that need to hear the truth of God’s Word. So we don’t separate ourselves from unbelievers is talking about a binding relationship. That’s what we’re not supposed to allow ourselves to get into. So do not be yoked together with an unbeliever for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and DeLisle? And what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
So we look at verses like this. And I think so often it’s easy for us to just let it let it just pass by just kind of what’s the big deal? It’s the Word of God. We need to stand on the Word of God. And this is why if someone is married to an unbeliever, there’s hope. There’s hope. As a matter of fact, let me read to you from First Peter, chapter three verse, verse one, it tells us, it actually verses one through four, it tells us that an unbeliever can be won over by the believing spouse, not by their many words, it specifically says not by their many words, but but they’re chasing righteous behavior. So in other words, if you’re married to an unbeliever, and you’re going around Yeah, yeah, and you’re doing this wrong you’re doing it wrong guys where it says this and God where said that and you got your many words, you’re driving them further away. But if you’re married to an unbeliever, And you just exude the love of Christ doesn’t mean you never make mistakes and you don’t have your bad days. But you exude the love of Christ and you have a righteous, you know countenance and and you just bring nothing but the Word of God into your heart and into your personal life. It’s going to affect that person. This portion of Scripture is saying they’ll be won over by you’re chasing righteous behavior, not by your many words. And so we realized as we look at this, it’s important for us to make sure that we guard our own heart and how we believe and make sure that we don’t allow ourselves to accept blasphemy and wrong teaching false teaching into our lives. Now, every believing couple I’m talking about couples were both are believers. make the mistake. I think today of introducing your children into idolatry, And things that are contrary to the Word of God through what I call gradualism. In other words, it’s not something that they would just, you know, but just gradually, these kinds of false teachings and these attitudes start coming, you know, in into the church and into even a home even into a family. And I remember years ago, you’ve probably heard me say this probably three or thousand times. But anyway, I remember years ago, and my my grandfather, you have to understand he was born in the 1800s. And TV. This is like in the, you know, in the 50s. And he said, there’s nothing decent on TV anymore except Kate Smith. Now, Nick and Annette aren’t here. So they’re the only other couple here that would even know what I’m talking about. But Kate Smith is the one who used to sing the national anthem at all the World Series games and, and her Big song was when the moon comes over the mountain. No, you don’t even know what I’m talking about.
But anyway, the point I’m getting at, he was saying that’s the only decent show on TV, because he was talking about some of the viewing of that day in the 50s that were so offensive, contrary to God’s word. Now, can you imagine if he were alive today, and turned on some of the shows that we have Game of Thrones have never seen it, but I’ve heard about it. Game of Thrones and all these other ones. He would probably go into cardiac arrest. You know, seeing that kind of thing today. Well, how did we get there that even the church will watch that kind of viewing gradualism, gradualism. So we have to realize and I’m not trying to be legalistic here, brothers and sisters, please understand, I’m not trying to be legalistic and I’m not trying to put any One under abundance of works. What I’m talking about is that there is gradualism that has come into the church and into our hearts and into our lives that maybe we need to open our eyes to. And I’m not pointing fingers at anyone This is just as relative to me as it is to you. What have we allowed to come in? And in Psalm one on one, verse three, listen to this. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away. Many people say well, it’s no big deal, what we watch your what we listened to. It is it’s seared into the mind. It’s seared into the memory. And especially if our children have watched it, it’s seared in there. And it might be something that they would deal with the rest of their lives. And someone was six and verses 2829 it says, they join themselves. Now you have to understand this is time. Talking about believing Israel. These are people that are believers. But they joined themselves with idolatry. They were believers, but they joined themselves with idolatry. And in 106, verse 28, and 29, it says they joined themselves to be all of pure and eight sacrifices made to the dead. Thus, they provoke him to anger, being the Lord with their deeds, and plague broke out among them.
And I suggest there is a plague that has broken out among our society, a very serious plague, and even in the church. And I think that we’re coming to a place and we’re experiencing things that are just so ungodly, so unholy, so unnatural, that are taking place. I was talking with someone, you know, downstairs during prayer time, and they were telling me that there’s something like 16 seconds identifications that you can make now. Now remember, it used to be male, female. And then you can be binary, you can be fluid. And I don’t even know what half these things are. But, you know, I can wake up one day and say, you know, what, identify as a woman, and I put on a dress and a wig and I you know, go around next day I wake up and I say, you know what, I identify as a man so I put on all kinds of men’s clothing and this net that’s that’s I’m fluid, gender, you know, gender fluid. I can just go from one to another, or on binary. I’m really not any particular sex and gender stand how absolutely insane that is. I can take a DNA sample of any one of you and you’re either male or female. I don’t take a DNA sample. Wow, look at their binary. You know, there’s nothing there. And how does that happen? Because the mind of man is hazard propensity towards wickedness and worldliness and then godliness. And so the things of the of the Lord are taken honestly as hatred today, it’s hate speech. If you stand on the Word of God, it’s absolutely amazing. Let me give you an example of how even in a good church, there can be a problem. And, and you can turn here if you want, but leave your finger hand with it against. And this is in Revelation, chapter two, and verses two through five. And Jesus is, you know, having john write a letter to the seven churches and john is writing to this church. Jesus is the one who’s quoting, telling john what to write, and he’s talking about how great this church is. But let’s read.
I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they’re apostles and are not and have found them. liars and you have persevered and have patience and have labored for my name’s sake and have not become weary. Wow, great, right? I mean, really, it is great. What a compliment to have to your church. Look at first for Nevertheless, I had this against you that you’ve left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent and do the first works or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from his place unless you repent. Wow.
Is that the it’s a sobering portion of Scripture because it’s telling us this is the church is doing everything right. But they’ve left your first love. Not the first love is Jesus. It’s not about this. It’s not about that. It’s not about going here. It’s not about going here. It’s not about behaving this way. It’s not about having this program and that program. It’s about Jesus. That’s what it’s all about. Jesus Christ. serving Him and and obeying His word, being a true disciple. And a disciple, the word disciple is taken from the Greek that means student or to learn someone who’s read disciples of his word. This is the word of God isn’t it to man. And so we have to make sure that we don’t allow these kinds of things to happen. Because either we stand on the Word of God family, or we don’t stand on the Word of God, there’s no in between. and they were commanded in this portion to take the blasphemer outside of the camp. And all who heard him blaspheme, were to lay their hands on his head, and the whole assembly was to stone him. Today, if you stand on the Word of God, you’ll be stoned. And if you blaspheme the Word of God, you’re going to be touted as a hero. Really, that’s the way it is today. Oh, look at all these wonderful people. You know, they blast from the Word of God and they blast famous name in this net and You know, what a wonderful thing. Remember the Academy Awards? Well, actually, probably 99% of you don’t, but years ago at the Academy Awards ceremony, and I can’t remember who it was, but it was some, it was the very beginning of the feminist movement. And this one actress came up to receive her, again, Academy Award. And she said, I just want to thank God, whoever she is. Well, what’s the big deal? Well, God’s Our Father, Son, or mother, God’s our Father in heaven, right, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be the name. And that was just kind of like the beginning of things just falling apart further and further and further. And now if we have someone some star, especially or some, you know, recording artist who says, Jesus were like, Oh, he’s a believer. Oh, wow. This is great. Some of you might remember When Bob Dylan, you know, had a profession of faith, he even came out with a Christian album. You guys know who Bob Dylan is. He didn’t come out with a Christian album, and then just kind of slid off back into the world. And so the point that I’m trying to get at is we have to be careful that we truly stand in the Word of God. And not just in our desire. We want to accept everything. We want to accept everything. Now, we should accept everybody, but not necessarily accept everything I’ve always shared. And you’ve heard me many times say, anyone’s welcome in our fellowship. You can walk into our fellowship and you’re a homosexual, you’re a lesbian, your fluid gender, you’re a clown, whatever you want to. You’re welcome here. But we’re not going to approve of anything that you are involved in that is contrary to God’s word. We will love you, we will encourage you, and will teach the Word of God and will let the Holy Spirit do the work in you. We’re not going to go around punching you in the face. We’re going to allow the Holy Spirit to do that in you.
But in our desire to want to accept everybody to accept everything, you know, I think sometimes we’re blind. I don’t know how many of you were reading on the news. In fact, it’s been taken to to higher courts. But this eighth grade girl was in school, and she was their assignment was to write a paper promoting and the goodness of this one and of course, they were Christians. Her family was and she brought it home and, and her father was all upset and, and he was a lawyer. He was an attorney himself and tried to take and he was shot down, shot down, and the Supreme Court so far has been unwilling to hear him. Now, if I was a teacher You came into my class and I said, I’m going to teach you all of the good benefits of the Bible. And I’m going to assign you an assignment to write why Christianity is the best faith in the world. I’d be fired, I’d be taken right out of the classroom. Good is taken for evil evils taken for good. That’s what we’re dealing with. For instance, I am not. At this point, I’m not bashing the Roman Catholic Church. I just want to share something with you to make my point. All right. It’s the whole idea that sometimes in our desire to want to just seem loving and, and, and open, we’re allowing things to come in that are contrary to the Word of God. But just listen carefully to this. This is the console of Trent from the Catholic Church. Seven sessions, and this is canon for Listen carefully. This is canon four of the console crunch session seven. If anyone says the sacraments of the new law and mass baptism, confirmation so far, for are not necessary for salvation. Listen to this, but without them, man can obtain from God through faith alone, the grace of justification, let him be anathema. That means cursed and damned forever. That’s what an anathema it means.
Here’s the Word of God. In the phases chapter two verses 894. By grace, you’ve been saved through faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of worse, least anyone should boast. You see, they’re completely contradictory to one another. The concept of credit is saying, if you believe that you’re saved by faith through grace, you’re cursing damn forever. The Word of God says you are saved by grace through faith alone, not of works with Sandy mentioned both Wow. So my point theme is wonderful, wonderful for us to be accepting and reach out to people and wanting to love them to Christ. But it’s another thing to also embrace all of the teachings that they might have that are contrary to the Word of God. You follow the point that I’m trying to make here.
Now, in Isaiah, chapter five, verse 20, says well to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. So the Lord’s attitudes, attitude towards blasphemy has not changed. Don’t call light dark, don’t call dark light. Call it what it is, according to God’s word. Now in verses 17 through 23, whoever kills a man shall surely be put to death. Whoever kills an animal should make a good animal for animal as a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall be done to him. We never read this part we just say I for it for fracture for fracture, did you know that in their eye for eye, tooth for tooth, as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall be done to him. And whoever kills an animal, she’ll restore it. But whoever kills the man, she’ll be put to death. You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from our own country from your own country, for I am the Lord your God. Then Moses spoke to the children of Israel and they took outside the camp him who curse and they stoned him with stones. So the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.
This portion of Scripture makes it very clear, we’re responsible for our actions. Now, we have to realize that we live under the gospel of grace and justification which were so thankful for, aren’t we? Because if we sin and we go before the Lord say, God, forgive me a sinner, Lord, I, what I did was wrong. I repent Forgive me. He does. Though man falls seven times in a day he rises again. And so we have to understand the sign of being a believer isn’t that we never fall but we’re quick to repent and ask God’s forgiveness for what we’ve done. But we have here and understanding that there are times things come into the church that people don’t ever repent up. Because somehow they don’t see it as being wrong. They just embrace it. And so we have to understand we have a choice to make. Either we accept the teachings of the world, or we stand on the Word of God. And as I mentioned, at the very beginning, the most dangerous false teachings or that was which resemble the truth. You know, they’re terrible. There have been so many things that have come into the church over time. I couldn’t even tell you all of them. I mean, some of them you’d be hysterical over like, You ever hear hear of the holy laughter movement. Any of you ever hear that? Holy laughter movement went through the church, oh boy like a wildfire. If you are really a spirit filled churchy, and then I’d be up here preaching all of a sudden somebody start laughing. And then pretty soon the whole congregation is laughing. People are on the floor, laughing and rolling around. And sometimes they would bark like dogs or like lions. I’m not joking. And this was considered a real spiritual thing in the church. But there are things even today that have come in, you know, the word face movement, the Send movement. You know, they say a lot of right things, a lot of right things. But that pinchy varshney is in there. That’s wrong. Both of them have a tendency to lean towards Dominion theology. But that means Christianity is going to take over the world did you know that Christianity is going to grow and grow, and pretty soon Christians are going to be the leaders of all the countries, they’re going to run the Congress and Christianity going to take over the world. And so the problem you have is you’re sending people out with a false understanding of their mission, you’re sending them out thinking that their mission or their thinking that their mission is to convert the world to Christ. That’s not what the Bible teaches. It says no last days, the hearts of men will become more and more wicked. Our responsibility is to go out there and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. But see if I’m going out as a believer, and I’m thinking that my sharing the gospel is going to win everybody to Christ. And because I’m a believer, I’m not going to get sick, I’m going to be wealthy. I’m going to have all kinds of things. I am going to be greatly deceived and deceiving knows I’m speaking to the reality is all i Want to share is that you can be saved. It doesn’t necessarily mean things are going to get better for you. There are many people who get saved and things get worse. If you’re a Christian in China, chances are you’re going to die. If you’re a Christian in Islamic country, chances are you’re going to be beheaded. Oh, well, that’s their No, no, no, that’s Christianity. But the fact is, how often do we read about how Christianity is flourishing in Islamic countries? You ever read that ever see that on the news? Or you’re not going to see those people are being put to death, and it’s politically incorrect. Islam is a good religion. We don’t want to put it down by saying Christianity is growing here. We live in a in a weird, sick world. And so we have to understand that a time is coming and now has come Okay. Where the true believer has to stand on the Word of God and not make excuses for his or her life. I think we do that I know I do it. And, but what we need is our own personal Feast of Pentecost. Remember the Feast of Pentecost. We started about it last year last week in Leviticus. But then there was a Pentecost it came when the Holy Spirit came. We read about it in the book of Acts. And so we have to realize we need to experience our own personal Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit comes and dwells within our cardiac harder internet fully. Or my desire is just for God. Because here’s the thing, if you have the Lord, you will have real peace. And if you don’t have the Lord, you’ll have no peace at all. You might feel good for a while you might be happy for a while you might have a good time for a while. It’s kind of like a week time, the 10 It’s a downer. But if you’re standing in the Word of God, it’s so different. Galatians five one. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, Stanford, them Do not let yourselves be burdened again, by yoke of slavery. I’m free and Jesus. What if I get thrown in jail? I’m free in Jesus. But if I’m kneeling before a guillotine, I’m free and Jesus, what happens if my head gets cut off? I’m with Jesus. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Someone 45 verse eight, the Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich and love. And that’s the last encouragement I’m going to share with you because you might be thinking, well, I’ve done all those things. I have all these problems. I i’ve been dabbling in this kind of. He’s slow to anger, he’s compassionate, it’s full of grace. All he wants us to do is say, Jesus, forgive me, I was wrong. But unless we stand on the Word of God, how do we know we’re wrong? How do we know what’s right how do we know what’s wrong? by the word of God is kind of like I was joking it at to Beginning? How do you know what sex you are of the 16 definitions they have now, it’s a very simple thing. You have a test. And if you are xx chromosome, you’re female for X, Y chromosome you’re male. It’s as simple as that. You know, there aren’t qR p Sir, you know, chromosomes. They’re just x x female x, y male. And the same thing is true. What does the word of God say? Either the Word of God is true, or it’s not. Either the Word of God is just as relevant today is it was the day it was written, or it’s not. That’s the decision we have to make. That as believers we are commanded to the whole of God’s Word. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in all the modernism and all the expressions of acceptance that lead to rejecting the Bible. Stand on the Word of God, and on his word alone, because that’s the only way that we know that we have the truth abiding in us. Father, we come before you in Jesus name and how we thank you for this portion of Scripture in this sobering attitude did it causes us to come into, to realize that there are ways that we can blaspheme and to curse God without even realizing it.
And so Father, I thank you for your grace and mercy that no matter what we’ve done, we can just run to our daddy run to our Father in heaven, and we can find forgiveness. We can find justification we can find cleansing, we can find reinstatement in our walk with you. And so Father, I pray that the words that have been spoken this morning would be seasoned with your grace, and that they would be received by your love and by your Holy Spirit. I pray in Jesus name, Amen. And amen. God bless you, my friend.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai