Transcription
And now, Lord, we pray for the understanding, the hearing, as I've prayed earlier today with the council. Give me the ability to speak with clarity and simplicity. Give me courage and compassion. In Jesus' name, may your word be exalted. May the throne of heaven be pleased. May the saints be built up. And may those who are lost be discovered. May they come to their senses and realize that Satan has blinded them to the truth of the gospel. I pray it in the name of Jesus, and the whole church said, "Amen."
Thank you for being seated. So, as I was looking over the Last Supper scene in the scriptures, and in chapter 13 of John, they're not going there. I'm just going to put put this before you. It says, "Jesus predicts his betrayal." You've read that in a caption in your Bible. And it goes like this, "When Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.'" Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke. Now, there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. That was John. Simon Peter, therefore, motioned to him to ask who it was of whom he spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it." And having dipped the bread, gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now, after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly." There's more to that, but that's where I'll stop.
For a number of weeks, I have been under a a burden. The burden that the American Christian message has lured and deceived lots of people into thinking they are saved when they are not. And as I pondered this yesterday, it it just kind of struck me that Judas was chosen by Jesus. And Judas, for 3 years, as did the other disciples, walked with Jesus, sat in learning circles with Jesus, ate with Jesus, slept with Jesus, journeyed with Jesus. He saw every miracle Jesus performed. He heard the teachings of Jesus. In fact, he was he was not even a suspect. When Jesus said somebody's going to betray me, the disciples didn't say, "Is it Judas?" No, he fit in so well that they they did not know the condition of Judas Judas's heart. In fact, he was the treasurer of the group. He was a friend of all the apostles. Now, that's the outward appearance. But, the reality of it is this from scripture. Jesus said, "He's unclean." He's dirty. He's filthy in his sins. Jesus said, or John said in the description of it, "He's a thief." Jesus said he's a betrayer. Jesus called him an unbeliever. And then said, "Have I not chosen 12, and one of you is a devil?" A devil. That's the reality of someone who was in the presence of Jesus for 3 years, whose heart was never changed, whose head got full, and the fellowship with the others was as wonderful and deep as anything could be, but he was never changed. And Judas is burning in hell today.
I want to say, as my soul trembles inside of me, salvation is not just a mental decision. The American way says, "Make a decision for Christ." Make a decision. It's not that you make a decision for Christ. It's that the Holy Spirit resurrects you from spiritual death. And then when you come to faith, you realize that there is a life to be lived that is totally different from the life you were living. Salvation is a spiritual transformation. Salvation is being raised from the dead. Salvation is having a new mind, a new heart. You are a new creation. Salvation is when Jesus and the Father make you their dwelling. They come and reside in you. You become the temple of the Holy Spirit, the temple of the living God on this earth. Salvation is not just a gift received, it is a daily walk. It is a journey. It is a contest. It is a battle. It is a war. It is a daily dying. It is a marathon that is run in faith, a life lived by faith in Jesus Christ. You love him more than anybody. You want him more than anything. Everything else in this world seems foolish and trashy. You're here, but you're just getting by because, as I said earlier, this is not your home. You don't have two homes. You just have one. If it's Jesus, heaven is your home, and you're homesick. I cannot conceive of a believer this morning not being homesick for heaven. I can't. And when you get up every morning, you start all over again. As a child of God, you get up and you die, and you give your life to Jesus, and you commit your thoughts, and your words, and your ambitions, and all of the things you do, you do to the glory of God. You can never relax. Rest? Yes. But you can never relax. You rest in what he did on the cross. It's complete. It's total. It's eternal. He did that on the cross. And a believer rests in what Jesus has done for him, and in fact has given to him. He rests. We've entered into his rest. The battle for salvation, the battle for peace, the battle for understanding, over. Because Jesus has completed it all and given it to us. But we can never relax. We cannot relax because we are always admonished to be on guard because our adversary, the devil, goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Do you think that scripture was written to atheists? To worldlings? No. That scripture was written to the body of Christ. Your adversary, the devil, goes about as a roaring lion lion seeking whom he may devour. We are warned constantly of the dangers of mixing with this world. Stay out of it. Come out of her, my people. This world is opposed to the world of salvation. The people of this world have no understanding. They are the enemies of the cross of Christ. This world is a temporary place. This world is PASSING AWAY. THE DEVIL is control is in control of this world, so stay out of it. Stay disconnected. Stay on your knees. Keep your eyes on the world to come. And we are cautioned relentlessly by the Lord to count our flesh as our enemy. This flesh is the greatest enemy I have. And you need to see it that way. And as Paul said, I buffet my body. I discipline my body. I don't let my body control my life. I don't let my appetites and tastes determine where I go, what I do. I remember that my enemy is me. And that if I don't keep me under control through prayer and the word of God, then I will eventually slip into things in life that displease God and are actually called sins against God. And this These warnings tell us that this is so dangerous that we ought to flee every appearance of evil. YOU DON'T PLAY with this stuff. You don't let yourself run the show. YOU DON'T LET things tempt you. Flee every appearance of evil. Don't go near it. Don't stand on the edge. Don't see how far you can go and still stay saved. Don't try to figure out how many things you can do without displeasing God. Don't figure out how much you can drink or what you if you can smoke or not, or if you can go to that kind of movie and watch all of this foolishness, or get tangled up with that crowd, or run with this bunch. How far can I go and still stay saved? That's not what a believer does. A believer says, "I don't want any part of it. I don't want to get NEAR IT. THAT'S NOT WHO I AM AND THAT DOES NOT PLEASE GOD MY FATHER. RUN FROM IT, BE DONE with it, give it up. DON'T TRY TO TALK ABOUT LIBERTY in Christ. I have freedom. I'm in Christ. I HAVE FREEDOM. YOU DON'T HAVE FREEDOM TO DO ANYTHING BUT SERVE THE LORD WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE and everything you are."
>> [applause] >> I know this gets a little tense at times. But we need to look at some scriptures here today. I'd like for them to put up 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 17. Therefore, dear friends, can everyone see this? Cuz I'm not just going to ricochet off. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned about what now? Well, if you go up in the previous verses, he is warning of the day when scoffers and false teachers and half-hearted people will say, "He's not coming back." Or they have taught things that defy the truth of God and Peter is warning them, "Stay away from THESE PEOPLE. STAY AWAY FROM THAT BUNCH." THEREFORE, dear brethren, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. Is that what it says? Is that what it says? I want to read it again. Because far too MANY PEOPLE THINK, "WOO, I confessed Christ. Now I'm safe. And I can just kind of live any way I want to." Really? Then you explain this scripture to me. Therefore, dear brothers or friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard. Be on your guard. So that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. Does that sound like you can go to church once a week? Does that sound like a little pitiful devotional two times a week? Does that sound like you can just kind of live half-hearted? Go to church on Christmas and Easter, weddings and funerals? Absolutely not. Does that mean YOU CAN FLIT ABOUT ALL OVER TOWN AND TRY TO FIND the church that meets your needs now? Does that mean if you don't like what's going on in the church, the preacher, the music, or anything else, you'll just go somewhere else? Does it sound like that? NO, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAVING YOUR NEEDS met and GETTING IN A CONGREGATION THAT YOU LIKE. IT SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED TO LIVE ON OUR KNEES SO WE WILL NOT BE DECEIVED AND FALL FROM OUR OWN secure position.
What about this one? This tore me up last night. 1 Thessalonians 3 and 5. For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you and our labor be in vain. What are you going to do with that scripture? Here is a man of God, Paul, who had invested his life, who was sent by Put it back up, please. But sent by the Holy Spirit to feed and disciple and build this church, but he had to be away for a while, and then he said, "I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to get some information about what's going on at the church." Lest by some means the tempter had tempted you and our labor might be in vain. Now, if that apostle had that concern, should I not have it for this church? Should not Should not we be aware that the tempter is relentless, and that the tempter can lure people into lifestyles and actions that displease God, and that the very labor of the ministry could be in vain? I've seen it 10,000 times in this church. I've seen people come in here and get delivered from alcohol for a while. I've seen them come in and get delivered from drugs. Stop beating their wife. Go home and actually be a father for a while. But for some reason, they felt that after they had had an emotional release, went to an altar and cried, that somehow they were safe now and didn't have to seek Christ every day. And then the tempter moves in and tempts them, and all of that is in vain.
Let me just explain something to you. Falling into sin is my fault. If you fall into sin, it's your fault. It's not the devil's fault, because the devil has no power over you unless you give it to him. It's not God's fault. It's not your wife's fault. It's not your children's fault. It's your fault. When I disobey God, I disobeyed God. I chose. And I'm going to say it again. If you sin, you did the sinning. Nobody made you do it. I Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Let me just read some verses to you. Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers, that's Israel, in the wilderness. Pa- were All our fathers were under the cloud, you know the cloud that covered them by day. All passed through the sea, the Red Sea. All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Meant they identified with Moses, the glory of God, the laws of God. All ate the same spiritual food. All drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased. For their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples to the intent that we should not Look at me for just a moment, church. He's talking to us. We should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THEY WANTED SOMETHING besides God. Do you hear me? They wanted something besides God. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play, MEANING THEY WANTED TO PARTY. THEY WERE NO LONGER UNDER THE SCOURGE OF EGYPT. THEY WERE OUT. THEY WERE FREE. THEY WERE THEIR OWN PEOPLE. GOD HAD DELIVERED THEM. LET'S PARTY. I SEE THAT IN FAR TOO MANY Christians today. I I'm not going into that in detail, but I just want you to know this is a hot conviction in my soul. When you really are walking in the spirit and living on your knees, the last thing you want to do is go to a bunch of ball games with a bunch of beer drinking people who are cursing and swearing and glorifying everything but the Lord Jesus Christ. Pastor, are you saying? NO, I SAID WHAT I SAID. YOU FIGURE it out. IS THERE ANYTHING WRONG WITH I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU. YOU FIGURE IT OUT. YOU GOT A BIBLE, YOU GOT A COUPLE of knees, you got a prayer closet, you figure it out. YOU GO AFTER JESUS. YOU BECOME INSANELY HUNGRY FOR GOD AND SEE WHAT YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD. Nor let us commit sexual immorality as some of them did and in one day 23,000 fell. Nor let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed by serpents. Tempt Christ? Aggravate Christ? Nothing God did for them made them happy. All they could think about was their temporary thirst, their temporary hunger, their discomfort in the wilderness. They never gave God time to give them what they truly needed from heaven. Because they complained about everything God did. Nor Well, look at the next verse. Nor complain as some of them also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer. One translation says murmur. In the Old Testament it said they murmured and complained. I don't know how to say this. I need divine help. But if you're a child of God and you believe that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and you believe all things work together for good to them that love God, you have no place to complain. You have no right to murmur. You are God's child and he's taking you down a divinely designed path of your life. It doesn't look like his or hers, it's your life. And God is the one that put this path in front of you. And he's doing it because he loves you. And he's doing it because he's developing you. And for me to stand there AND SAY, "I DON'T LIKE THIS. THAT'S NOT WHAT I CHOSE. NOTHING EVER GOES RIGHT IN MY LIFE." IS TO SAY TO GOD, "I DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING." AND GOD DOESN'T GO, "OH, that hurts." No, it says they got destroyed by serpents and they got destroyed.
Now, look at these verses. Now, all these things happened to them as examples. And they were written for our admonition. Upon whom the ends of the ages have come. That's us. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. How in this world and why in this world would God put that there if he didn't mean what he says? If we If we can be tempted that the Lord's work could be in vain and we there's a potential of falling from our own secure position, then this means if you think you stand if proudly and of your own self-sufficient ways you think you stand, take heed lest you fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. Folks, what you're going through is no worse than anybody else's. Your desires and your proclivity, your addiction is no worse than anything else anybody else is going through. They have theirs, you have yours. It's common to man. But God is faithful. But God is faithful. The church ought to say it. Has he been faithful to you? Did he get you out when you thought you couldn't get out? Did he lift you up when you thought you were too low? Did he touch you when you thought you were dead and numb? DID HE BRING YOU OUT WITH A STRONG AND MIGHTY ARM? DID HE SAVE YOU WHEN YOU COULDN'T SAVE YOURSELF? HAS HE FED YOU? HALLELUJAH TO GOD. HAS HE BEEN THERE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY?
>> [applause] >> When the enemy CAME IN LIKE A FLOOD, DID HE STEP IN AND RAISE UP A STANDARD AGAINST HIM? WHEN THE DEVIL THOUGHT HE HAD YOU DOWN, DID JESUS LIFT YOU UP? YES, HE DID. [screaming] GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS CHILDREN.
>> [applause] >> YOU OUGHT TO SHOUT, "PRAISE GOD FOR THAT."
>> [applause] >> BUT God is faithful. Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. You see, if you yield to it, you decided to yield to it. If you yield to it, you didn't do what God told you to do to have victory over it. Hallelujah. But with the temptation or the test or the trial, will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. IF YOU WANT OUT, GOD IS ALREADY HE MADE A WAY OUT. IF YOU WANT TO OVERCOME IT, JESUS HAS ALREADY OVERCOME IT FOR YOU. BROTHER, QUIT FOOLING YOURSELF. SISTER, QUIT LYING TO YOURSELF THAT THIS THING IS BIGGER THAN YOU ARE AND YOU JUST CAN'T HANDLE IT AND IT'S BEEN THERE ALL YOUR LIFE AND IT IT IT IT IT DEFEATS YOU CONSTANTLY. DON'T YOU FOOL YOURSELF. THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN WHO HAS ALREADY OPENED THE DOOR OF ESCAPE AND ALL YOU'VE GOT TO DO IS GET ON YOUR KNEES AND CRAWL THROUGH THAT DOOR. GOD IS FAITHFUL.
>> [applause] >> THEREFORE, MY BELOVED, flee from idolatry. What is idolatry? Anything but Jesus. Going after, loving, pursuing anything [clears throat] more than Jesus. That is idolatry. Flee from it. Run from it. Run for your life. This is serious and eternal business. Let no man say when he's tempted, "I'm tempted by God." For God does not tempt men to sin. It's not his nature. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust conceives, in the womb of lust, a conception takes place and it's called sin. And sin, when it is born, is death. Who did it? I did it. See, every one of us has something, at least one something that could potentially take us down. If you think on it long enough, if you go after it, if you get discouraged and give yourself permission, you're you know, you when you get pitiful in your own eyes, you say, "Well, I'm going to do this. It's the only thing I got. It's the only way I can cope." That's lust in you conceiving sin. And sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. It would be something if I were preaching this to a room full of sinners. A- And the something is it would make no sense cuz sinners don't understand this. This is written to Christians. This is written to people who oftentimes give themselves permission to sin because they've had a hard day or they're going through a tough time. And you know, again, I'll I'll totally be misunderstood. We've learned how to blame everybody else for what we do. Every alcoholic blames somebody else for the condition they're in. It's never their fault. Every drug addict blames other people for what they've done. Addicts and people obsessed with stuff, um my It's never their fault. They never take responsibility. It's their daddy's fault, their mama's fault, their family's fault. It's It's the It's the neighborhood's fault. It's the country's fault. But it's never their fault. That's what you're dealing with there. See? The nature inside of man, when he begin When you begin to stroke and coddle your old nature, it whimpers and it cries and it needs sympathy, but it's just going to turn around and bite you like a cobra.
>> [laughter] >> I've had a tough life. My daddy slapped me. Uh You don't understand what I've been through. Coddle you? Go ahead. And while you're doing this, this is what's going to happen. Can everybody see me? Yeah. And the poison of sin, the poison, the deadly poison of sin, destroys the work of Christ in your heart. So, what is the answer? My Lord gave me the answer when he went to the garden to pray. And he said to his the three disciples, closest ones, "Watch with me while I go and pray." And they sat down and Jesus went. And in agony of spirit and soul said, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup, the cup of your wrath, the cup of your indignation, the full indignation of you, Father, if it's possible for you not to make me drink from that. Ne- ne- nevertheless, not your will, but not my will, but yours be done." And he goes back and the disciples are sleeping. He said, "Wait, couldn't you couldn't you watch with me 1 hour while I pray?" And he goes back. And it happens a third time. And Jesus came back and said, "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Now, I'm so simple, I read it literally. If I watch and I pray, I will not enter into temptation. Now, that means enter in to it. It didn't say I wouldn't be tempted. It said I wouldn't enter into it, walk into it. And right now, you have no idea how I'm having to hold myself back when I tell believers who are fumbling around in life and playing with your soul AND FEELING SORRY for the greatest enemy, you, and making all kinds of excuses for sin AND DISOBEDIENCE EVERY DAY. AND YOU'RE IN AND OUT AND UP AND DOWN. You never can be established. I am telling you Jesus TOLD YOU HOW TO STAY OUT of it. AND JESUS TOLD YOU TO have victory how to have victory over it. AND YOU DON'T DO THAT BY GOING TO COUNSELING ALL THE TIME. OH, DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID? JESUS NEVER MENTIONED COUNSELING. THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG with it AS LONG AS WE DO IT IN PRAYER AND DO IT WITH SCRIPTURE. BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET VICTORY AND YOU WILL ENTER INTO TEMPTATION UNLESS YOU OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE DANGERS AROUND YOU AND UNLESS YOU GET ON YOUR KNEES AND LIVE THERE. YOU CAN'T JUST BREATHE A DEVOTION. YOU'VE GOT TO PRAY THE PRAYER OF FAITH. YOU'VE GOT TO WAR IN THE SPIRIT WORLD ON YOUR KNEES.
>> [applause] >> PRAY WITH ME, PLEASE. YOU know what? I got a note here. And I put parentheses around it because I didn't know if it was from the Lord or just me. And here it is. I guess I would let you decide. Fellas, don't you think for a moment that you'll ever get to the place that you can walk out and not see half-naked women cuz they're everywhere. Nudity, vulgarity, seductresses are everywhere. They don't care how they dress. In fact, they dress to be seen, to show it off. The The sad part of it is that you got to come to church and see it. And and and men are trying to look this way, but it's there. And that way, but it's there. Because women don't think and they don't pray about how to dress and present themselves in the house of God. Let me say this to you ladies. If you have to constantly fight to keep your skirt down and you are uncomfortable because it's so short and YOU HAVE TO ALWAYS DO THIS WHEN YOU bend over, you need TO CHANGE YOUR WARDROBE.
>> [applause] >> This is the house of God. THIS IS THE HOUSE OF GOD. THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO PICK UP A DATE. THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO FIND A NEW HUSBAND. THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO SHOW OFF ALL THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED. THIS IS THE HOUSE OF a holy God. And you ought not to cause anybody to have to struggle by the way you're dressed. There it is. I said it. But pastor, that's our culture. And I've told you 10,000 times, when you get saved, YOU CHANGE CULTURES. YOU GET IN A CHRISTIAN CULTURE. BUT BUT BUT BUT THAT'S THE WAY OUR GIRLS DO IT. THEN YOU OLDER WOMEN ought to pull them aside and say you need to put some clothes on. NOT ONLY FOR CHURCH, BUT IF YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN, YOU OUGHT TO LOOK LIKE A CHRISTIAN WHEN YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET. Thus saith the Lord.
How many of you will join me right now? And just have a prayer for a moment. Ask God the Holy Spirit to make us watchful and prayerful that we may not enter into temptation. Would you? I prayed it for myself. I'm praying it for my family. I'm praying it for this church. Heavenly Father, I come to you this morning. And I come to you with a zeal with a fervor that says to heaven, "Help us, God. We are not serious enough. We are not determined enough. We are not willing to fight the battle on our knees. We'd much rather get with A GROUP AND TALK ABOUT it than TO GET WITH YOU ALONE AND TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT. GOD, MAKE PRAYER warriors OUT OF US. GOD, SHOW US THAT WE CANNOT GIVE IN TO OUR FLESH. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO BE A PRAYERLESS, scriptureless people. WE'RE IN THE LAST DAYS. THE END OF ALL THINGS is upon us. THE ENEMY, THE LION, THE WORLD, THE FLESH. But greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world. I don't know what else to do, Lord, but call on your name and declare your word. And I say to you in front of all of them, I've declared it from a pure heart and from a pure motive because you have called me here to get a church ready for the rapture of the church. I ask you to make us ready, Lord. Convict us. Call us people who pray sometimes to become great fervent prayer warriors. Help us to realize we'll never know all of the power of prayer. You've just given us enough to know that when we pray, God moves. Things happen. Things change. We change.