Transcription
Good morning. Morning. Boy, it's good to see you in God's house today. That hour makes a difference, doesn't it? I'm still confused. But I'm glad to see you here today. We don't want to waste a moment.
Father in heaven, I thank you once again. You let us live another week. In [music] the process of that, you taught us your ways. You strengthened us. You protected us. I praise you for your presence. We've done our best to practice your presence this [music] week. And for those times that we may have aired, we thank you for your forgiveness, your cleansing. Thank you that you never stop working in us, on us, or for us.
Now, would you teach us something today, Lord, or could you just simply remind us of something today? Once again, Father, I've told the people, preaching is not so much telling people brand new things as it is reminding them of things they already know. Let me do that with skill and let us be obedient to the word. In Jesus' name we pray. And everybody said, "Amen." Amen.
Have you smiled this morning? Some of you I'm you may be seated. Smile at somebody on the way down. [cough] [snorts]
If you were to ask me, what is your greatest pastoral concern? What burdens you about the church that you pastor the most? I would quickly respond because I've thought it through many times. [clears throat] I'm burdened about and I am concerned about deception. Jesus talked about it often. He warned about it frequently. All the writers of God's word are busy warning people about false things. Jesus said, "Let no man deceive you." He didn't say the devil. He said, "It's men, men who creep in unaware, sneak in."
Um, you see, there's so much that this generation has to uh look at there. There's so much information available, so much Christian stuff, books by the millions. And Christians are in well, there are very few bookstores left. Christian bookstores that is, but people will scroll all the time looking for something new. TV, Christian TV. There are so many satellite networks and shows. Yes, shows. And people just go from one to the other. And what can you say about YouTube? You can find anything you want on YouTube. There's every kind of teacher, preacher, prophet, expositor, theologian. They're all there. You can spend an entire day going from one to the other. And a lot of times we will do it prayerlessly because it has to do with church or scripture or the Bible. We think it's okay. And we don't realize that religion is exactly how people get deceived.
There are what the Bible calls false teachers, false apostles, false prophets, and watch this one, false brethren. And we're warned about all of them. In fact, Jesus said, Paul said, when they say peace and safety, he always distinguishes between what he said, what the other apostles said, and what they say. When they say, then be very careful because it's not the truth. Unless it's the words of Christ or the apostles, unless it comes straight and directly and purely out of this book, there's falsehood in it.
So, so did you hear what I just said? False teachers. Did you ever ponder the fact that you may be listening to a false teacher? There are false apostles, false leaders. Did Did it ever cross your mind that one of your favorites could be a false leader, a false teacher? You can't just accept everything you read or hear or see. You can't let your excited flesh make you think that falsehood is truth. Everything has to be weighed by scripture, measured by scripture.
So when they say you need to pray earnestly, Lord, what is it they are saying? Because I know what you are saying. I have been born again. The spirit of God has been placed within me. I have a teacher that lives in me. And that teacher will guide me into all truth. But I have to have truth in me to know what falsehood really is.
So when I mention false prophets, I always have to go over to Jeremiah 23. You say, "Well, now that Old Testament again," Yeah, exactly. This Old Testament is full of illustrations that are affirmed in the New Testament. And there is a whole long chapter, 40 verses in Jeremiah 23. I would encourage you to read it when you get home. And the prophet through God is talking about his his brokenheartedness because of the prophets. Uh, let's just see. For both prophet and priest are profane. Yes, in my house I have found their wickedness, says the Lord. How about this one? I've seen folly in the prophets. I have seen a terrible thing from the prophets in Jerusalem. Are you with me? They commit adultery and walk in lies. Folks, it's scary how many preachers are coming out these days, having had affairs for years, uh, both heterero and homo sexual affairs. It's shocking. It's shocking to see how many spiritual leaders are have been married multiple times. Nobody ever looks into that, investigates that, or considers that when they listen to them preach. It says, "The prophets strengthen the hands of evildoers so that no one turns back from his wickedness." In other words, they don't preach holiness. They tell people they're all right, and they strengthen their hands to do what's wrong. They affirmed them in their rebellion and sin.
Here's what the Lord said. Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless. They speak a vision of their own heart. Not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise me, "You shall have peace. Everything is all right. You're good. And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, "No evil is going to come upon you." God loves you. God is not a God of anger and vengeance. He loves you. And so instead of saying, "However, God hates sin," they just let the people continue in their ways.
But here's an interesting verse. Verse 20. In the latter days, that's where we live right now. In the latter days, you will understand it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel and had caused my people to hear my words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings. You know what he's saying? real true praying spiritfilled prophets that I call and send will turn the people from their evil ways and keep them from the evil of their doings.
The prophet who has a dream. Oh well, you know, I I love these verses. I've heard what the prophets have said, who prophesies lies in my name, saying, I've dreamed a dream. I have a word for you. How long will this be in the heart of the prophets to prophesy lies? Indeed, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make my people forget my name by their dreams, which everyone tells his neighbor. The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream. Go ahead, prophesy. Speak foolishness and emptiness. But he who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff of the wheat, says the Lord. Is not my word like a fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.
Thus, you have a small summary of what's going on today. That's why I'm burdened about it. I pray for you. I carry you around on my shoulders all the time because I know that real h real people of God are hungry for more of God. They want the word of God. Real men and women of God cannot be satisfied with Sunday morning messages. They hunger. They thirst for righteousness and truth and they find themselves scrolling many times to find something out. And it's very important that I stand here today. You know, every message is different from this pulpit. Sometimes you are uh you get encouraged and excited, but sometimes it's it's a warning that's needed. It's a loving warning from God himself that says, "Be careful. Watch out for false prophets, false teachers, false brethren. Watch out for falsehood."
And Jesus talked very much about wolves in sheep's clothing, did he not? These, he said, these false prophets are like wolves, but they know how to dress like sheep. And because people don't listen to what they say, they only look at their appearance, they get deceived and fooled into stuff.
But this morning, I don't know how to tell you this came about, but I'm going to preach to you for a moment on out of first kings chapter 13. I often say that some passages, stories, etc. in the Bible confuse me. This is one that confuses me. I have chewed on it, pondered it, studied it, prayed about it. It still confuses me. Want to know what it is? I'm counting 15 times in one chapter the term man of God. MAN OF GOD. 15 times about one man. So here's the word of the Lord.
Jeroboam was deceiving Israel and dragging them into deeper and deeper sin by causing them to wor worship pagan gods. God said to a man of God, "Go and tell Jeroboam destruction is coming." He did just that. But God said, "I'm going to show myself strong." So when the man of God said that to Jeroboam, Jeroboam said, "Arest that man." But his arm withered up and he couldn't use it. And he begged [snorts] the man of God, "Ask God to restore my arm." And he did and God restored it. That's the first thing that confuses me.
Then Jeroboam said, "Hey, what a miracle. Thank you. come to my house. I'm the king. Let me give you bread and water. And the man of God said, "No, I've gotten my instructions. God told me not to eat a bite with you, drink one drop with you. In fact, when I leave here, he told me not to even go the way I came. So, I'm gone." And he left.
Now, apparently there was another prophet in town that wasn't at that event, but he had two sons and the two sons saw that and went and told their daddy. You won't believe what we just saw. A MAN OF GOD healed the king, but he left. And the man said, "Which way did he go?" And they said, "He went that way." And he said, "Saddle the donkey." and he jumped on the donkey and he went after the man of God and he found the man of God sitting under a tree and he said, "Are you the man of God that did thus and so?" He said, "I am." He said, "Come home with me and eat bread and drink water." But the man of God said, "I cannot return with you nor go in with you, neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I, listen, I have been told by the word of the Lord, you shall not eat bread, nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came. God told me. God gave me specific instructions. I know what I'm supposed to do. But the other man said to him, I too am a prophet. I'm a prophet just like you. And an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, "Bring him back with you to your house that he may eat bread and drink water." He was lying to him.
The man of God went home with him, sat down to eat and drink, and that lying prophets, I don't know how. I'M TELLING YOU, I DON'T understand it. The spirit of God spoke through him and said, "Didn't I tell you not to eat bread and drink water or come back the way you came? You're going to die now." And so the man left the lying prophet's house, went down the road, before you know it, a lion attacked him and killed him.
Now, what's the point of all of that? In fact, somebody very sincere called me yesterday about this. Can you explain this to me? Here's my answer. I can't explain all the details. I don't know what God was doing with those two prophets. This I know. That's God's way in the Old Testament of saying, "Obey me."
If you read it, believe it. If you know what it is, do it. Don't let a lying prophet, a false teacher, a false preacher, a false anything come alongside you and cuddle you and trick you. Don't let some TV preacher or somebody on the internet who seems to have a theological depth that your pastor doesn't have. Don't let them deceive you into doing what God has told you not to do or into believing something that the Bible condemns.
Now, my just standing here and telling you this today may may get you a little disturbed, but nothing's going to keep you from deception except prayer and the word of God. And every one of us in here is capable of this. How do I know that? I just read it to you. 15 times he was called a man of God. 15 times he knew better than to do what he did. 15 times it says he had a relationship with God. He had a knowledge of God. He had the touch of God. BUT JUST ONE SLICK PREACHER, one lying prophet costs the man of God his life.
Oh, I am here to warn you because I love you. Those of you that just can't get enough, be careful that you don't gobble down stuff that's going to poison your life. Make sure it's pure and purely from God. There's also here's another one. It's God's way of saying to you, everybody that preaches is not called and everybody that says I'm a teacher is not. This world is full of selfappointed speakers, teachers, prophets, and preachers. The thing to do is because you like to speak in public. Somebody listen to me. Because you like to speak in public, you think you're called to preach. So, you go start a church somewhere. You get the word out. You put out flyers. You go get you a motel room or a motel meeting facility and you start a church and people come and because you like to speak they will listen to you for a while but you don't realize that preaching is something God calls you to do not just something you want to do.
Preaching is a gift from God. And if you don't acknowledge this is a gift from God, you'll start thinking it's a natural gift that I have. You better ponder that. I don't know who I'm talking to somewhere in the world. But when men and women can speak under the anointing of God, it is not natural ability. It is a gift from heaven, from the Holy Spirit. And if you have that call on your life, you're not blown around with every wind of doctrine. You're not consumed with how many people come to church. YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO be exposed so you can GET POPULAR. YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO make more money and be more recognizable. No. When you're truly called OF GOD, ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. AND WE SAY IT OFTEN AND IT MUST BE SAID UNTIL SOMEBODY GETS IT. SOMEBODY NEEDS TO GET THIS. Jesus said, "Do you love me?" Peter three times he said, "If you love me, FEED MY SHEEP." HE DIDN'T SAY, "IF YOU LOVE ME, BUILD ANOTHER BUILDING." DO YOU LOVE ME, PETER? THEN FEED MY SHEEP. HE DIDN'T SAY GET ON TV AND TRY TO BE THE MOST POPULAR SPEAKER in the country. FEED MY SHE DO YOU LOVE ME PETER? Then feed my lambs. They matter to me. I DIED FOR THEM. I WANT YOU TO HAVE COMPASSION FOR THEM. I DIDN'T SAVE THEM TO COME TO YOU SO YOU COULD IGNORE THEM AND TURN THEM OVER TO SOMEBODY ELSE WHILE YOU PURSUE YOUR CAREER. I SAVED THEM SO YOU COULD FEED THEM AND BRING THEM UP IN THE NURTURE AND ADMONITION OF THE LORD AND GET THEM READY FOR THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH. [applause]
Obey God. All of God's words. You just scroll enough and watch enough and read enough and you'll find out that nine out of 10 are not even willing to deal with the hard sayings of Jesus. That just the attractive ones. Jesus said, "You got to love me and my words." Oh, lots of people talk about Jesus. It's amazing how many people believe in Jesus and the Bible says it and you've heard me say it. No big deal. I believe in Jesus. Big deal. So does the devil. And he trembles when the name of Jesus is mentioned. Demons tremble. So that's that's not a feather in your cap to say I believe in Jesus. Rubber hits the road when you say and everything he said. I believe everything he said.
Before I've reminded you Jesus didn't just talk about the love of God and he loved the world enough to die for it. Jesus said there's a hell, a real place, and it's eternal. The words of Jesus. Jesus talked about an antichrist. Yeah. And Israel. Jesus wasn't through with Israel. Jesus didn't look at last day events the way lots of preachers look at last day events. They think it's already happened or it's not going to happen. But Jesus believed in a man of sin that was coming to receive glory and honor for himself in the very temple of Jerusalem. Jesus believed in a rapture. Jesus taught about a rapture. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. in my father's house are many rooms, mansions, places, whatever, and I go to prepare a place for you. You ever think about the Lord working on yours? Oh, the time must have changed this weekend. I can't seem to get any going here. I just ask you, do you ever think about the fact that the Lord is preparing is still preparing because if it were ready, he would come get you. But he's got a place for you. I'M HAPPY about it. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
Jesus taught that you ought to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength, body. But he didn't just say love God. He said serve God. Somebody that loves God will serve the Lord. He didn't just talk about serving the Lord. People do that in church, too. He said, "You got to love the Lord that you serve. You got to be madly, wildly in love with this Jesus that died on a cross to save you from your sins and rose from the dead so that one day you could be resurrected to be like him in glory.
I think maybe last week I was I was on fire. I got a little spark going today. I had some jet engines blasting last week. And I listened to it and I got to that point where I said, "I may have failures failures in my life, but I'm failing as a Christian. And I may have some rebellion in my life, but I'm rebelling as a Christian. And I I'm shortcomings." And I WENT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. AND I SAID, "I may have some sin in my life, but I'm still a child of God." I do not wish to infer that you're a child of God living in sin. If anybody took that the wrong way, I'm I am correcting it right now. Oh, I do fall short of the glory of God. Do we not? But I don't live in that. I do stumble, but I get up. I say the way the to the devil the way the prophet said it, "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy. For when I fall, I WILL RISE AGAIN." HALLELUJAH. [applause] THE RIGHTEOUS MAY FALL SEVEN TIMES, BUT HE GETTH BACK UP AGAIN.
No, I don't wish to infer that you can be saved and keep on living the way you were living. No, sir. No, ma'am. When you are regenerated, you have a new life working inside of you. When you've been converted, you've been changed. When you were born again, YOU WERE BORN AGAIN, NOT OF SEED OF FLESH, but of the spirit of the LIVING GOD AND THE WORD OF the living God. NO SIR, NO CHILD OF GOD LIKES sin or wants to sin. WE MAY DO IT. WE DON'T. WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO WE ARE SOMETIMES. Romans chapter 7. BUT WE DESPISE IT AND WE SAY, "HOW CAN I GET OUT OF THIS? AND HOW CAN I BE MORE OBEDIENT?" And then we REMEMBER JESUS CHRIST HAS THE POWER. THE BLOOD WILL NEVER LOSE ITS POWER. EVEN AFTER I GET SAVED, THE BLOOD IS STILL GIVING ME THE POWER TO LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF MY CALLING. HALLELUJAH.
John said, "He who practices sin is," maybe I'll try this ear. That's my co ear. He who practices sin is of the devil. For the devil sinned from the beginning. He who lives a lifestyle of sin is not saved. He who is living in violation of holy scripture is lost. You can confess Christ, but unless you possess Christ, you are damned, condemned. You may be sitting in here today and you are living a lifestyle unlike scripture, but you feel good and you feel like the Lord loves you anyway and you enjoy everything. But if you're living that lifestyle, YOU'RE AS LOST AS A PIMP.
You know, all over I started to say the country, but maybe even the world today, there are gay churches and they're doing just that. Friendliest church, nicest people, love each other. And then the priest or the pastor or the recctor or whatever uh comes out and speaks on the love of God and the preciousness of humanity and the brotherhood to which we all belong. And they don't understand us yet, but they will. And when they realize that we're loving people and we love them anyway, they will receive us and accept us. And then they'll sing some songs and they'll sway. And then they'll get around an altar somewhere and grab each other's shoulders and sing. I want to tell you something. God's not within a thousand miles of that. That's flesh. In fact, listen to me. Anytime people get together, even in a church, and somebody is talked about more than Jesus or recognized more than Jesus or lauded more or praised more than Jesus, anytime a person is lifted higher than Jesus, JESUS ISN'T THERE. the father turns his face away from it. I don't care how many scriptures are quoted. It just it's almost comical to watch lost sinners use scripture to make a point. It's as hollow as it can be. And that is exactly what the scriptures teach us will happen when false teachers and false apostles and wolves and sheep's clothing take leadership.
I want to tell you, in fact, I'm just going to read it from Galatians chapter one. Where is it? Um, whoever's on the Yeah, right there. I'm going to take my time and I want you to read this. Read it with me. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel. Stop. To a different gospel. If I were to stand here and speak names of people on TV and the internet that I have followed and investigated, some of you would get up and walk out because they are your favorites. I'm not going to do it today because that would just disrupt the service and I want to finish it. And more than likely somebody will come up and say, "You don't mean you're talking about probably. Probably it's another gospel." And if you don't have the discernment to tell the difference between the gospel and another gospel, then this scripture is for you. Verse seven, which is not another, but there is it up there. But there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be a cursed. LET'S CALL A SPADE a spade. If they're preaching ANYTHING BUT JESUS CHRIST and him crucified, they're preaching with a curse on them. AND IF YOU FOLLOW THEM OR LISTEN TO THEM, YOU ARE FOLLOWING AND LISTENING TO A cursed person. That scares me. And yet we are so enamored with the entertainment that some of them can put together. the backdrops of their stages, the way things are presented, Fifth Avenue ridiculousness, selling one thing after another. If you don't give, they'll take me off the air. And so you say, "Well, I don't want you to go off the air. I wonder how what can I afford? My my my I like this guy cuz he says some things that help me. And what you don't realize is you're financing a cursed person. That's what Paul said. See another gospel here. Here's what a false prophet. Y'all don't seem to be in this as much as I am today. You know, you you notice that he said, "Which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ or distort the gospel of Christ or change the gospel of Christ." A lot of times you'll find out that false prophets deny the word of Christ, but false teachers will distort the word of Christ. Another gospel.
Let me give you an example because it's gaining momentum now. Leviticus chapter 20 says that if a man lies with a man as with a woman, they both shall be stoned. That's what it says. Now, once you get past all these arguments, well, that's the Old Testament and we're not Israel and that was the law and on and on and on. get back to the fact that God said it. Okay, let's look at it again. If a man lies with a man as with a woman, does it take a rocket scientist to understand what he's saying there? Then let them both be stoned. So, here's what's happened. They have, and I saw it this morning. these they're progressives uh Christian progressives who are trying to lighten the burden the load that scripture puts on the people and they say what that actually means is this that in Hebrew a man with a man the man the first word man is different in Hebrew than the second word man so He's really not saying if a man lies with a man, period. He's saying if a gay man lies with a straight man, that is forbidden by God. He's moved out of his lane, he shouldn't do that. See, that's distorting the Bible. Do you understand what I'm saying? Uh, there's another interpretation because they're growing. The movement wants affirmation. They've infiltrated the church. And so the other one says, if a man lies with a man, it says, well, that other word man means boy. So he's really condemning pedophilia. Oh, now it's okay for two men to lie together. You forget that God condemned that throughout holy scripture. There's another teaching that the word homosexual didn't even appear in scripture until the 1700s. I haven't figured that one out yet. I'm just trying to make a point to you as my church for whom I am responsible. You better be careful. You better not scroll and look and and just suck down everything that they spew out in your favor. or to favor you. I should say it's there's a a very serious thing going on in this country today.
What time is it? I'll try to hurry. There's a serious thing going on. This whole transgender thing where people are trying to change genders for for for whatever reason, but the people that are helping them do it and convincing them to do it. Did you know one of the reasons that there are angels shackled in the lowest part of hell is because they I'm going to use the term they got out of their lane. They were supposed to be angels and they mixed with human women and that was not God's design. So they are now chained in the lowest pits of darkness until the day of judgment. And what you don't understand is when God made a man, that's the life the man was supposed to live. Once if you're a man, you're a man. Nothing can change that. If you're a female, nothing can change that. But if you're trying to change LANES AND GET OUT OF YOUR MAKING, THAT'S an abomination in the sight OF GOD. AND WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A MINUTE. And those who are ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO DO IT ARE WORSE THAN THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING IT BECAUSE ROMANS 1 SAYS THEY NOT ONLY GLORY IN THEIR SIN BUT THEY TRY TO GET OTHER PEOPLE TO JOIN IN WITH THEM.
So ladies and gentlemen, don't you doubt for a moment we are in the last days. The Bible is specific. Romans 1 says that God abandoned them because men lusted one after another. God abandoned them because the women lusted after another. They burned in evil lust. They moved away from what is natural. IT'S NOT POPULAR AND it even affects people in THIS CHURCH. BUT GOD HAS NOT CHANGED. YOU CANNOT DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO BE IF GOD HAS ALREADY MADE YOU WHAT HE WANTS YOU to be. Hallelujah. [applause]
Stand with me. I'm finished. I'm really not, but I'm going to quit. This is one of those sermons >> when I go after a while go home and get in the car. I'll go home. [groaning] And you'll just go your merry way. You'll just go out and have the lunch with somebody and shake hands and and I'll go to that office in there and die. But I'm going to tell you why I preach the way I do. Not to keep you coming back to church, but to keep you from leaving the church. Did that make sense to anybody? leaving the faith, being seduced and tricked by that which is ungodly.
Let's pray. Father in heaven, I thank you for the truth that sets men free. I know, Lord, without a doubt, nobody can enter the kingdom of God except through the word of God, by the spirit of God. I ask you now, oh God, put a hedge [music] of protection around our church. Let people have a discerning spirit. Gift them with a spirit that questions everything to see if it be of God. I ask you to let us walk out of here hungry for the truth, but very careful where we go to get the truth. And I ask it in the name of Jesus [music] Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Now, may the grace of our Lord be with you. May the keeping power of the spirit hold on to you. I want you to walk out of here encouraged, edified, but careful. Be careful. And remember, he could come today. Anybody want him to come today? [music] Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen. [music] Love you, church. See you Wednesday night.