Transcription
Hi, my name is Bishop Reginald Givens and listen up. I have a video coming out on the Marketplace Network and it's going to teach people how to solve the problems in their lives. It's going to give them life lessons. You don't want to miss this video. Be on the lookout for it. It's going to bless your socks off.
>> [music] [music] >>
Praise the Lord everyone. My name is Bishop Reginald Givens. I'm the senior pastor of the Word of Truth Community Worship Center located at 17610 Bellflower Boulevard in the city of Bellflower, California. We are excited to be with you on today. We have a message I believe that is going to strengthen your heart and give you great faith in the Lord because the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Our Zell is on the bottom of the screen. It's 562-569-1464. For those of you that would like to contribute to the continuance of this broadcast, I'm going to open up in a word of prayer and we're going to get right into this message that I believe is going to be a blessing to your soul.
Heavenly Father, we thank you and we praise you for this opportunity to share your word. Your word, oh God, is a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet. It is designed to lead and guide us in the path of righteousness for your name's sake. And Father, I pray to God that as I deliver this message, Lord, that you will touch the hearts of your people. Father, that you will instill within them the wisdom and the knowledge, oh God, and the power to overcome every attack of the enemy. Lord, I thank you for this opportunity. I pray that your will will be done in Jesus' name. Amen.
I want to share a message with you today uh that I believe will be instructional but I also believe that it will be powerful because I'm going to be giving you some answers to one of the main problems that we have in the world today. The title of this message is how do you fight sin when the world encourages sinful behavior? Everywhere you look, sinful sinful behavior is promoted. It's promoted in our schools. It's promoted on our jobs. It's promoted even in the government. And so, we need to understand what we need to do to fight against it because it is truly a detriment to the whole world.
I want to start off by giving you some illustrations if if you don't mind. Because we live in a fallen world there are what I call viruses and diseases that have permeated this entire world and have affected all of mankind since the fall of man. And so, we're talking about diseases. Well, what is a disease? A disease is any harmful deviation from an organism's normal structural or functional state. Uh this deviation disrupts its homeostasis which is an internal balance. We all have a balance. Everything has to be balanced out. We have a pH balance uh and this diseases generally disrupt the homeostasis uh inside of our body resulting in specific signs uh which are what we call observable symptoms. You can literally see the effect that it is having on the patient such as pain uh such as fever or maybe even bleeding caused by factors like infections, genetics, environment, or lifestyle.
Now, diseases are recognized worldwide as belonging to four main categories. Let's talk about the four main main categories. Number one infectious diseases. Infectious diseases are capable of being transmitted from one person to another giving them the same infection that the transmitter has as well as passing that same infection on to somebody else. Number two deficiency diseases. For instance if you have a deficiency in vitamin D it is known to cause diseases that are related to the weakening and the softening of the bones. Because vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium as well as phosphorus. Category number three, we're talking about hereditary diseases. Hereditary diseases are genetic conditions that are passed from the parent to their children through their DNA. They're generally categorized by how they are inherited and the numbers of genes that are involved. Some of these diseases include sickle cell anemia. Some include cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, and hemophilia. Category number four psychological diseases. And this is a very very strong one here. Psychological diseases involve things like depression bipolarism, mood disorders, eating disorders personality disorders. Amen. Post-traumatic stress disorders commonly known as PTSD. Psychotic disorders including schizophrenia. All of these category of diseases have been compiled through much data and have horribly and have horrifically plagued mankind for centuries.
However and when you hear someone say however, it means wait. There's more. However there does happen to be a disease that is the number one most dreaded disease known to man. It supersedes all the other dreaded diseases in the entire world. Now, this disease is much more deadlier than all the other diseases combined known to man. This disease, by the way, has already affected or infected every human being past, present, and future that will come into this world. And in all actuality this disease is the cause of every other disease known to be in existent today. What is this disease? Well, I'm glad you asked. It's called sin. That's right. Everybody that is alive today is S I N positive. And when you die because all of us will die someday it will be the result of sin. Amen.
In the Bible in Romans chapter 5 verse number 12 it says these words. It says wherefore as by one man, which was Adam sin entered into the world. It's entered in through his willful disobedience to God. And death by sin and so, death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. Now, there is a mystery well, it's a mystery to me. There's a mystery that is revolving around the fact that there are many people who not only serve sin but they love sin as well. And the mystery is described in Romans chapter 6 verse 23. It says for the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, here's where I say it's a mystery. How can you love something to the point of serving it and dedicating your life to it when you full well know that at the end of the day, it's reward or the final outcome for you is death and destruction? It's a mystery.
Well, the Bible exposes that mystery concerning sin. Sin is the transgression of God's law. Characterized as a direct revolt against divine authority. First of all, understand this. And it's true. Sin feels good. Amen. In Hebrews chapter 11 verse 25, it says these words. It says, "Moses choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, which was his people, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for season." There's pleasure in sin. Sin bring It brings pleasure because it is rooted in self-sufficiency, self-will, and self-seeking. >> There you go. It's all about self when it comes to sin. And what it does is it replaces faith. It replaces submission to God. It replaces it with personal desire, causing us to miss the mark, which is a failure to live up to God's standard of obedience for our lives. And so, this is why you and I have this propensity to love sin and to serve sin, obeying it over the will of God.
But listen, whenever sin is involved with anything, there is always always going to be a problem with it. Because you see, sin will take you places that you do not want to go. Yes. Sin will keep you there longer than you really want to stay. Sin will make you spend money that you really don't have. That's so true. Sin will hold you down longer than you really want to be held down. And it will take from you things that you really cannot afford to be without. That's what sin does. And all the while these things are happening to you, sin is telling you He's not It's not a secret. He's not holding anything back. He's telling you with all the emphaticness and exuberance that it can muster up. It is telling you to your face, "When I'm through with you, I am going to kill you." That's what sin is saying. Because that's what the devil does to all those that choose to willfully serve him. It tells us that in John chapter 10 verse 10, "The thief cometh not." In other words, he don't even punch in. He don't even show up on the job unless he can do one of three things, if not all three. "The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy."
And there is only one antidote for this disease, this plague, this virus that we call sin. And the cure is Jesus Christ himself. He is the cure. He is the answer. Because Jesus states in the B clause of John 10 verse 10, it says, "I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly." The life that he is referring to is the God kind of life, the Zoe kind of life that he has that he wants you to have expressed in eternal life. Jesus also said this. In John chapter 16 verse 33, he said, "These things have I spoken unto you that in me you might have peace." He said, "In the world you shall" and this is not a maybe so and this is not a perhaps. This is actually going to be a reality and the sooner you accept it, the better off you're going to be. He said, "In this world, in this fallen world that you and I live in today, you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. Don't fret. Don't fall out. Don't faint. I have overcome the world." And listen, if we have Jesus in our hearts, that means we have the overcomer and that makes us overcomers in all things that we go through.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse number 10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he has done, whether it be good or whether it be bad." Whatever we've done through the course of our lifetime, good or bad, we are going to have to answer to that. Good or bad results in the influence of one's behavior. And so, how do you fight sin when the world encourages sinful behavior? The Bible warns us in no uncertain terms. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 33, it says, "Be not deceived. Evil communications corrupt good manners." If you hang around bad people long enough, bad influence will rub off on you. It's like going into a room that's full of cigarette smoke. If you stay in there long enough, when you come out, guess what? You're going to smell like cigarette smoke. The sentiment on this passage is that to choose the continual intercourse of evil-minded men or to have close friendship and conversation with those who hold erroneous opinions or who are impure in how they live their lives, it tends to corrupt the morals, the heart, and the sentiments of others who seek to do good. Theologically, the particular thing to which Paul here applies this to is the subject of the resurrection. Since intercourse with sin to corrupt the simplicity of one's Christian faith and pervert its views of the truth of the gospel and thus corrupts its very life. It is always true that such intercourse has a pernicious effect on the mind and the heart. Therefore, we should avoid it at all costs.
2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 17 and 18 says this. "Wherefore, come out from among them." This is instruction from the Lord. "Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord. And touch not the unclean thing." And God says, "And I will receive you. And will be a father unto you and you shall be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Now, there may be someone listening today that God is telling you that you should not continue to associate with certain other people. Because they may be witches. They They may be warlocks sent to entice you into doing that which is evil. Or there may be some practices Individual, I'm speaking to you as an individual now. There may be some practices that God is telling you to stop stop participating in. Amen. Because it can open up a portal for the enemy to come into your home. There may be some articles even in your home or in your house that that that that God is telling you to get rid of because they represent associations with the devil such as Ouija boards and books on astrology and and casting spells. Because each one of these things can introduce demonic spirits into your life as well as into your home. And then you wonder why strange things are going on. You wonder why things strange things are happening with your children's behavior. You wonder why strange things are happening going on in your marriage or with your finances or with the imaginations that are popping up in your in your own mind. You wonder what's going on with my health. What's what's happening to me? I'm just falling apart. Well, because the Lord is saying directly to you. And he's speaking this to your heart. He wants you to hear what he's saying. And he wants you to abide and obey him what he says. The Lord is saying, "Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord." God wants to separate you from those things in the world unto him and his righteousness. And touch not the unclean thing. And then he says, "And I will receive you."
How do you fight sin when the world encourages sinful behavior? Well, I'm going to give you the answer. Amen. That is encapsulated into one verse. If you go with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 4, verses 14 and 15. And we're going to unpack this verse. Proverbs chapter 4, beginning at verse 14, it says, "Enter not Tell someone sitting next to you, "Don't do it." Don't go there. Enter not into the path of the wicked. And go not in the way of evil men. Watch this. Avoid it. Pass not by it. Turn from it. And pass away. Amen. That is the formula.
Number one, avoid it. When it tells you to avoid it, it's speaking in terms of Proverbs 4 verse 14 that says, "Enter not into the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil men." Avoid that action. Avoid taking those steps. Then it says in 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 16, "But shun or turn away, avoid profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness." And then in 2 Timothy chapter 2 verses 22 through 26, let me read it to you. It says, "Flee also youthful lusts. But follow righteousness. Follow faith. Charity, which is love. Peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." But watch this. Foolish and unlearned questions, avoid those things. Knowing that they do nothing but gender strife. They cause problems. They cause contentions. And the servant of the Lord must not strive. But be gentle unto all men. Apt to teach. You got to have a propensity to teach people because people will only do better when they know better. Apt to teach and you got to be patient. Verse 25. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. Sometimes people they they don't they don't know that what they're doing is harmful. They don't know that what they're doing not only hurts them, but it hurts others as well. And you need to be able to come along being equipped by God through the power of the Holy Spirit to come alongside them and instruct them in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. And that they may recover themselves. Amen. Out of the snare of the devil. Who are taken captive by him at his will. God is not going to take anything from you that's harmful to you. You have to take it and you have to lay it aside. We have to lay aside every weight as well as the sin that does so easily beset us. And then we have to run with patience the race that is set before us.
When it says pass not by it, never for the sake of worldly gain or through complacence to others, never approach the way or the path that you would not you would not wish to be found in when God calls you into the eternal world. You don't want to be doing something you ain't got no business doing when God says, "Okay, life is over." Amen. Because if you're involved in sin when you die, guess what? You have died in that sin. When it says turn from it, if through unwatchfulness or unfaithfulness you at any time get near or even in the way of sin, turn from it with the utmost speed and humble yourself before your maker. And when it says and pass away, speed from it. Run as fast as you can. Run for your life. And get to the farthest farthest distance you can possibly get. And may you eternally continue to distance yourself as far as the east is from the west so as never to come near it again while you still have your being. And that's how you fight sin when the world encourages sinful behavior. In other words, you got to hate sin just like God hates it. Hate the sin, but love the sinner. I just thought I'd throw that in there. There's a distinction.
So as I wrap this message up, what I've just done for you in this message, in all actuality, it's priceless. Amen. I just gave you a biblical blueprint for how to fight sin when the world encourages sinful behavior. We are encouraged to sin. Every commercial that comes on is an encouragement to sin. Every time we go to the store and then we look at the magazine rack, it's an encouragement to sin. How do you fight sin? Well, I just shared it with you. Amen. It is priceless because your eternity and the rewards that you were supposed to get when you get to heaven can literally depend on how well you take this message to heart. Amen. I don't think I need to say any more except that Jesus said this to his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26 verse 41. "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." That's a warning. It's an admonition. And if we take it to heart, we will be victorious over sin in a world that encourages sinful behavior.
Well, God bless you. I pray that you got something out of this message. I know I did when I when God downloaded it in my spirit. It helped me to overcome the things that the enemy was throwing at me because when you give out to others, the devil wants to stop you. He wants He wants you to to to stumble and fall so that you can no longer be an instrument in the hands of God. But I thank God that he has given us victory and his victory comes through his word. David said, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you."
Well, once again, we thank God for another exciting episode of Doers of the Word Ministries broadcast on the Marketplace Network. My name is Bishop Reginald Givens Sr. Once again, I am the senior pastor of the Word of Truth Community Worship Center located at 17610 Bellflower Boulevard in the city of Bellflower, California 90706. We would ask that you would be a blessing to this ministry. You can Zelle us at 562-569-1464. Let God lay it upon your heart what he would have you to give to be a blessing. You can be an extension of this ministry's outreach. You can help me reach those who otherwise would not be able to be reached. Pray about it. Ask God to direct your heart and please give so that we can receive it and we can continue to do this ministry on the Marketplace Network. Once again, we hope to see you again on our next venture. And until then, may God richly bless you is my prayer. God bless.
>> [music] [music]