Sermon
Seven Lies The Devil Wants You To Believe - Kevin Presley
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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In a heated conversation with the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus
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defended his credentials as the begotten Son of God and he
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pointedly accused them by saying that if Abraham were their
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father, as they claimed, then they would have allowed
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Abraham's, example, or they would have followed.
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I should say, Abraham's example, and believed the word of God,
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and if they were thus the children of God, they would have
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been braced, the Son of God who came and demonstration of God's
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power, but they refused to Except even the most obvious of
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evidences, they rejected the truth of their own scriptures.
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And Jesus points out that since their religion was based upon
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falsehood, and upon a lie that their father was not the god of
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truth. But rather the God and Father of
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every lie, and all liars, Satan himself.
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He's a rather scathing words. When Jesus says, you are of your
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father, the devil, he was a murderer from the beginning and
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Abode, not in the truth. Because there is no truth in him
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for. He is a liar, and he is the
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father of it, and it's also difficult to look someone in the
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eye and say, I believe you're wrong about that.
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Or I believe, maybe you're a little bit off base, or your
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misguided, Jesus looked at these Hypocrites and he said, you're
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of the devil and the devil is a liar and I know that you're the
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children of the devil because you're following and you're
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believing a lie, a tough pill to swallow, but the truth
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nonetheless us. And the fact of the matter is
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whether or not we really have the backbone of the confidence
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to stand and declare it. So the fact is, when you reject
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or anybody rejects the truth, there is nothing else to
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believe, but a lie, if I don't believe what is right.
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Then obviously, I believe what is wrong.
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Because everybody believes something.
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And there are only two choices where that is concerned when you
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for whatever reason reject the truth of God you have given the
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devil, an open invitation to deceive you through sin.
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Paul said that this is what happened in second Thessalonians
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2 and verse 10. When he spoke of some by saying
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they received not the love of the truth that they might be
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saved. And for this cause God shall
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send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie that
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they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had
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pleasure in unrighteousness because they did not desire to
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know and obey the truth. God allowed them to believe a
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lie and see the end and damning whence of their sin.
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You don't really boils down to one thing tonight.
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And that is that every person stands at a Crossroads and that
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we only have two choices in life.
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We can either open our heart and our mind to what God says about
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any and every matter, or we can choose to believe the lies of
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the wicked one. Now it's no surprise that most
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people have chosen to reject the truth tonight concerning any
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number of subjects, morality salvation, the church, the
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necessity of Christian Living and on and on we might go and as
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the result Geordie of people about us.
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Believe the many lies that Satan has pawned off on a world that
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seems eager to be deceived. Let me explain how this works.
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God says, through Moses in the beginning, I created the heavens
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and the Earth. That's a simple.
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Declarative statement that God in the beginning of time,
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created all that. Is he created the heavens and
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the Earth? And tonight I have a had the
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faith to accept that statement or I am an Infidel.
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I either believe what the Bible says there or I reject the truth
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of the ER well, the world finds that hard to accept and so some
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Infidel scientists can come along with a Preposterous
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theories such as that, man. Originated from A non-sex
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Primitive, Life Cell, that spontaneously evolved and over
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the course of millions and millions of years that sell
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finally developed. And it evolved to the point that
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it became a creature with legs, and with arms, and sprouted
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hair, and started climbing, trees and eating bananas.
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And that's your great, uncle Harry.
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And People believe that and teachers can stand up in a
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classroom and they can teach that and people will believe
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that they accept that simply because they have said, no, and
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their mind in the Bible truth that in the beginning, God
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created the heavens and the earth.
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Now, God had a simple principle when he created all living
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things and he made them of two genders.
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He made male and he made female and one need only.
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Look at the course of nature to understand that this is God's
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system and God's plan for the propagation of the human race.
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And for that kind of companion. A ship, but the world says it is
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not that way, they reject that. And so some sociologists can
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come along and tell us that marriage can be between two men
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or two women or that two men or two women can constitute a
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functional and loving home. Just as much as any traditional
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home with a traditional mother and father, and we've reached
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the point today that the world upholds homosexuality, and
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obviously, unnatural lifestyle as a glorified lifestyle,
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instead of being, what the Bible calls it, and that is an
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Abomination, against God. Jesus said I am the way, the
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truth and the life and no man cometh unto the father.
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But by Me, Jesus also said, if you continue in my word then are
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ye my disciples indeed. But the world says that that's
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too dogmatic, that's too narrow. They reject that kind of bigoted
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Theology. And so you end up with so many
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denominations and various religions and factions and sects
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in the world that people today don't even know whether there is
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such a thing as absolute truth or Truth Versus error.
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It's all just a feeling it's all just An experienced it all, it's
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all, just what you choose to believe, or what road, you
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choose to go down in life and there really is no standard that
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dictates the difference between right and wrong.
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And so, again, I say that if you reject the premise of God's
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word, if you reject the truth, all there is to believe is a
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lie. And if you refuse to listen to
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God, the only one left to listen to is the devil.
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And the Bible says, he is the father of Lies, I believe.
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Tonight, if there are at least seven lies that see, Attempts to
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whisper into any eager and listening ear.
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And he has certainly deceived our world with his moral and
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religious Fabrications. And I think we can take the
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deceptions of the devil and we can really boil them down,
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categorize them and 27, basic falsehoods that he has passed
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off on the world tonight and I want to discuss them with you
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for a few minutes. I want to begin by saying that
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Satan number one, wants you to believe that there are many ways
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to get to God. If there is a God, there are
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many ways Ways to approach him to, please him to serve him and
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to finally inherit eternity with him, despite the fact that Jesus
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in John 14 and 6, very dogmatically said, I am the way,
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the truth and the life. And no man cometh unto the
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father. But by Me, Jesus said, in words,
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that could not be any plainer in John, chapter 10 and verse 9, I
John 10 chapter mention
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am the door. And by me.
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If any man shall enter in, he shall be saved.
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Jesus claimed in Matthew 28 and verse 8, In all authority in
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heaven and on Earth has been given unto me and Paul in
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Colossians 3 and verse 17 said whatsoever ye do in word or
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indeed. It must all be done in the name
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of or by the authority of the Lord.
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Jesus. Now it's convenient when one
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finds God's way too restrictive or too narrow or unpleasing to
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think that some other way will do just as well.
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And as a result of that kind of rationale man is fooled around
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over the course of hundreds of years.
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And he has built for himself, a maze of denominations and
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religious factions and told the world.
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That one of them is just as good as another.
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Until today, we have reached the point that you can't hard to
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distinguish any of the religions in the world.
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In fact, this was really driven home in my mind here, just a few
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years ago. Immediately after the horrible
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tragedies of 911, you may remember that there were a
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number of reactions amongst our nation really around the world
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after that horrible day, and one of them for a very brief amount
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of time it seemed There was going to be a little bit of a
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religious Awakening at a religious revival.
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A Revival of spiritual thinking on the part of people, I know,
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one thing that It produced was a rallying cry for Unity for
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ecumenical Unity for religions to come together and to find
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Common Ground. Instead of focusing upon their
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differences and being alienated. And they explained that the
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reason that we were living in the climate that we are in the
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world is because people are religions really can't get
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along. Long.
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And so religion is the culprit of the problem?
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Well, it our local paper down home.
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One day, I was shocked when a newspaper article came out.
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That said, one of the largest and mainstream denominations in
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town was going to host a forum or a seminar that coming weekend
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and again this is not some far left organization.
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This is not some Fringe or radical group.
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This is a large mainstream respected denomination, not only
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in that Community but throughout the country.
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And this group was going to hold a forum inviting preachers of
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various religions to come together.
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And not only were they going to invite the quote-unquote, pastor
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of another denomination in town but they were as well going to
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invite one of the local Jewish rabbis and a Muslim.
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Clear it to this meeting and these men were all going to be
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given an opportunity to get up and explain their beliefs and
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talk about their beliefs and they would take questions and so
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forth. And this preacher with this
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denomination was quoted as saying that it is Is time that
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we begin focusing on the areas, in which we agree, instead of
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focusing upon the areas in which we disagree because he said, we
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really have more in common than we have that.
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What divides us. Now I'm going to tell you that's
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where we are today. We live in a pluralistic
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society. We live in a society today where
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no one can claim that they have the truth to the exclusion of
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other people and I'm going to dogmatically and unashamedly.
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Say tonight that I have nothing religiously In common, I have no
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basis. No grounds for any type of
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fellowship or Unity. Not even the beginning point of
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such with anybody who believes that.
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Jesus Christ is anything, but what he claims to be.
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And that is the only begotten, Son of God, God in the form of
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man who came down and vicariously died for the sins of
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man. And he is the only way to get to
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heaven. And I unashamedly say tonight
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that I don't believe they'll be a person man woman, boy, or girl
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at the age of accountability, that will walk through the Gates
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of Heaven, who has not placed They're obedient faith in Jesus
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Christ. There is no other way to get to
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heaven. Man's goodness, will not get you
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there who you are, will not get you there.
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The fact that you live in a certain country will not get you
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there. The fact that your parents are
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religious will not get you there.
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Jesus said I am the way I am the truth and I am the life and I
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know that that's too narrow and that's too dogmatic for people
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in this world today, but I believe that Jesus is the only
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way to heaven and will always be the only way to get to heaven.
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But you know, we shouldn't really be Prize at, that's the
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mentality of millions of people in this country and around the
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world, they calls after all preachers have hammered home for
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Generations. Now into people's minds here, it
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doesn't matter what you believe, it's all about a good feeling.
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It's all about that. You just try to get along with
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other people, it's all about the warm fuzzy feeling.
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You have about other people because really people are
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sincere and they're willing tension and what we believe in
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what we practice, why that's just mechanics, and that's
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irrelevant and that's unimportant.
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Why not take the next step and say that?
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People that reject Jesus Christ. As the Son of God, they just
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have a different understanding than we do.
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They just come from a different background than we do and we
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need to tolerate and we need to co-exist and we need to extend
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the right hand of Fellowship to all of these religious people
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around the world. Don't believe it for a minute
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because tonight it is a lie of the devil that there are many
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ways to get to God. Get into heaven is not like
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looking at a road map of the United States and choosing the
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most scenic route to get. Our, but Jesus said straight and
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narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there.
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Be that find it, Matthew 7 and 14.
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The Bible declares there is one body and Paul said that Christ
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is the savior of that body Ephesians 5 and 23.
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And it boils down to this tonight, you're either in that
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body or you're not, you're either in the church that Jesus
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Built, or you're not and your salvation depends tonight upon
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whether or not you are in it. One is not as good as another
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one, believe it. Is not as valid, is another one
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church, is not as right as another Satan and they want you
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to believe that, but Jesus says, every plant that my heavenly
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father hath not planted shall be rooted up, Matthew 15 and verse
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13. Number two, though Satan wants
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you to believe that the word of God is not absolutely true.
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Now, it's alright to believe that the Bible has good points.
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It's alright to believe that the Bible has an overall.
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Hood moral message and in encouraging moral by which to
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guide your life, but it's going a little far to say that the
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word of God is just that that it is the word of God.
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Inspired of God and Authority in all matters of faith and
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practice. And you know that's been the
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tactic of Satan since the beginning.
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We know the story. When God created the original
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pair and place them in the Paradisio Garden.
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And it wasn't very long after God had given them one law to
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keep one prohibition. God said there's a tree in the
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midst of the garden that you are not to partake of you and eat of
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every tree of the garden. But God said the tree of the
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knowledge of Good and Evil. God said, Thou shalt not eat of
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it and God said, if you do eat of it, you will die.
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There was nothing convoluted. There was nothing hard to
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understand about that. If you could see through a
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ladder, you can see what God was saying.
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There is one tree. Do not eat it.
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Leave it alone or you will die. That is sin.
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It is transgression. You know, my law that was God's
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unction unto Adam and the some to Eve Satan's live it into the
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garden. And he approached Eve with a
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half insinuating, a remark. He said hath.
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God said, ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden.
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Satan was not seeking information.
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Satan knew just as well as he did.
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What God had said. He knew that that tree was
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off-limits and forbidden so far as they were concerned and so he
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wasn't sincerely trying to find out what God had said We Know
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Better. Than that.
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But rather Satan was trying to plant the seed of doubt in the
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mind of eat, he was trying to get Eve devaney.
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Well, what did God really say? What did God really mean by what
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he said? Anyway, maybe it's not just
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exactly. Like I thought it was maybe I've
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overlooked something here, maybe I read too much into what God
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was saying, you know, sometimes it's easier to allow a seed of
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Doubt get planted in our mind. And if it stays there, it grows
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and it grows into something big over time.
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Maybe you have started out for church, some Sunday morning got
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in the car with your wife and got just a few blocks down the
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street, she begins to mumble and think to herself, you know, I'm
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not sure. I turn the oven off and she had
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started lunch a little early. She said, I'm not sure, I turn
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that up and off and then she thinks well, maybe I did, she
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gets a few more blocks down the street.
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She says, no, you know, I think I left that oven on well, maybe
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not. And then you get a little
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closer. She says, I know, I didn't, I
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just can't ride. No, I didn't turn that oven on
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and by the time you pull it, by the time you pull into the
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parking, lot of the It's building.
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She is convinced that the house has burned to a heap of Ash and
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you've got to turn around and race back to the house, all to
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find out that she did turn the oven off, but she allowed that
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thought to cross her mind. And because that seed of Doubt
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was placed there that seed of Doubt grew until she had
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convinced herself that that was the case.
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Well that's really what happens to Eve here.
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I think Satan says hath. God said that you shall not eat
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of every tree in the garden. Did God really say that and she
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starts thinking? Well what did God say?
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And Then she overreacts a little bit.
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She says, yes God said. We should not eat of this tree.
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Neither should we touch it? Lest we die?
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Well there unless something wasn't recorded in the scripture
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that God said the Bible doesn't say anything about God.
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Saying not to touch it. God said not to eat of it.
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She's overreacting. She's questioning.
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The wheels are turning in her mind.
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What did God really say? She's not exactly sure of
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herself and Satan sees the opening.
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He sees the vulnerability and he seizes upon And he denies what
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God said. He said not only will you not
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die. Your eyes will be opened and
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you'll be able to see like gods and he painted the tree as being
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perfectly harmless. Now, you know, are is usually
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mixed with truth. It was true that the tree was
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not physically. Fatal, it was true that the
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fruit on that tree was just as edible as the tree next to it.
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It was not poisonous but it was and it was true.
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The eating its fruit would do what Satan said it Would do it
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would bring about the knowledge of Good and Evil.
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It was wrong, though, to even suggest that eating the fruit
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would not really do what God said it would do.
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And that is bring about their separation from God.
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And cause death claiming to believe the Bible is not in and
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of itself, believing the Bible and believing some things that
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are contained in. The Bible is not parallel to
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accepting the word of God by faith or letting the word of
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Christ dwell richly within you. Now, few people among those who
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profess Religion deny, the entirety of the Bible, most
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people accept some teaching or Psalm statement son, premise of
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the word of God, millions of people.
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And I do mean millions of people who go to church every Sunday
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who profess religion, they deny or they ignore some portion of
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the scripture and they justify that in a number of ways that we
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may talk about later on in this meeting, they deny the
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inspiration of the Bible. They say that the Bible was just
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generally revealed by God, but not inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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And so therefore, it's not word by word and line, by line,
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literally, the word of God. They deny the relevancy of the
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authority. The sufficiency the, the
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application in modern times of the word of God and Satan
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convinces people to believe that he'll the Bible just merely
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becomes somewhat of a good book, but a book that is wracked with
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error, a book that is insufficient a book that is
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unable to guide, man, and help man, to steer through the
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complicated course of life in our modern day.
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Satan is convince people that doctor A matter of personal
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preference or belief. But Jesus said, Thy word is
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truth. John 17 and 17.
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Satan says, there is no such thing as a moral absolute.
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That truth is relative. David said, however, the word of
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the Lord is Right, Psalm 33. And for Satan says, God really
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didn't mean what he said. You can't take God.
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Literally Paul says, let God be true.
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But every man, a liar Romans 3 and verse 4, David said in Psalm
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119 in 160 Thy word is true from the Canning.
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And every one of the righteous judgments endureth forever.
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Satan wants you to believe tonight.
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The word of God is not true. I asked you if the word of God
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is not true. What is number three?
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Satan wants you to believe. God will make an exception in my
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case and what a deception this really is.
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God will make an exception in my case.
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How many people subconsciously believe that?
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How many people have been lulled into a sense of complacency and
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false security thinking? Yes, there's a God and God is
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going to judge sin. One of these days but God looks
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at me a little differently than he does other people.
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I've got a little bit of a different kind of relationship
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with God. Then people out yonder.
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Who don't profess religion? Surely God takes into account
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who I am and the background. I come from, you know,
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contemporary Society has made a mockery of the rule of law and
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Justice. Our system today is really
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broken in many respects and I know that that's the case,
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because you can basically get out on a busy street corner at
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High Noon and commit first-degree murder.
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And if you've got enough money and you can hire an influential
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enough Attorney At a smart enough, Attorney.
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He can usually work that around. If you get, just the right jury
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that you can get off the hook. If you don't get completely
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acquitted, then you can at least get a reduced sentence.
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You can get off on some lesser charge, that's just the way our
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system works. There are loopholes in the law
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today and people know how to seize on those loopholes and
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they know how to get people in trouble out of trouble.
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Rather, regardless of the trouble, they really should be
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in. And because we live in a society
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that does have loopholes and safeguards and we really live in
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a society Doesn't accept responsibility for its actions
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anymore. We've really been lulled ourself
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into believing in religion, that that's that.
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It's that way with God. There are loopholes in the law
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of God. God looks at us differently.
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It's really not going to happen to me.
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I'm not going to have to stand before God and account for my
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life. God looks at me differently.
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Wrong God makes no exceptions for anyone in Romans 2 and verse
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2 Paul said but we are sure that the Judgment of God is according
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According to truth against them which commit such things.
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Now, the context is the Jews were relying on the Blood of
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Abraham. And they were reasoning amongst
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themselves. Well, you know, we're Abraham's
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children and since we are the Seed of Abraham, we have a
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special connection with God and we have a special relationship
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with God. And we're not like these filthy
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Gentiles out here who don't know God and don't have a covenant
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with God. When in truth, Paul is saying
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they were guilty of the same sins of the Gentiles were and
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they stood just as condemned in the eyes of God.
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But they denied that because of who they were, Paul says, wrong,
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the Judgment of God is according to truth against all of those
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who commit sin regardless of who they are his conclusion in,
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Romans chapter 3, and verse 23 is for all have said, he reasons
Romans 3 chapter mention
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in Romans, chapter 1 that the Gentiles were estranged from
Romans 1 chapter mention
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God. In Chapter 2, he talks about the
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Jews, his conclusion in chapter 3.
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All have sinned and come short of the glory of God and his
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premises Romans 1 and verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the
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gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and To Salvation
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unto all them that believeth to the Jew first and also under the
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Greek, that doesn't mean that the Jews were preferred by God.
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In this particular case, it simply means that God took the
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gospel to them first and then he offered it unto the Gentiles but
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it was offered unto all because it was the answer for every man
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said, man, could not rely on the blood coursing through his
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veins. He could not rely upon who his
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forefather or his forefathers. Were he could not rely upon what
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religion. He had embraced up into that
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point, Man, stood on equal, footing in the eyes of God and
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would and will be judged by the life that they lived.
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God judges sin tonight, regardless of who commits it,
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you may have sat on a Pew of a church building.
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All of your life, every Sunday. God will judge your sin.
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Just like he judges, the man who's never darken the door.
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God judges in God, judge, Sodom and Gomorrah because of its
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embracing perverted Lifestyles and he buried them with
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Brimstone. There's not a doubt in my mind
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that this nation is rotting and Decay.
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Modern man is ripe for Destruction, and God is letting
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that happen because of our outright rejection of decency
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and morality. And because we have embraced as
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a society. As a modern age, those very same
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things in Noah's day, God opened the windows of heaven and The
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Fountains of the deep. And he drowned, the Human race
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because the thought of man's heart was only evil continually
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Genesis chapter 6 and verse 5. Don't think for one minute that
Genesis 6 chapter mention
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God is not aware of the filth and the vulgarity and the
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profanity that have absolutely saturated.
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Our society today and turned it into a moral Cesspool when God
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looks upon a society that sanctions, the slaughter of a
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helpless and innocent child. Every 21 seconds in an abortion
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clinic, don't think for one minute that he does not very
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well. And vividly, remember, the
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atrocities that the people of Israel committed While
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worshiping Baal Baal of the valley of hinnom by burning
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their babies as a sacrifice, to the Pagan.
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God, Molech and sent them into the harsh captivity of Babylon.
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Heater says, in First Peter, wanted 17 the father who without
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respect of persons judgeth according to Every Man's work,
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God may not deal with Nations on the same level that he did with
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Israel and with nations in that old age.
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But I can tell you God, judges sin today, just like he always
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had and there is coming a judgement day.
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Day. When every man and every woman
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is going to stand before God and they're going to have their
-
lives open before God like a book and they're going to answer
-
for their deeds and you will be there and I will be there.
-
And God will not judge based upon who you are.
-
He will judge upon what you were and the life you lived you will
-
not escape the Judgment of your sins because your father, your
-
mother, your grandfather, your grandmother, your husband, your
-
wife or your children, lived a righteous life, you will right
-
into the heaven into heaven on the coattails of no one.
-
You will only Only be saved. If you have obtained, the
-
Forgiveness of your sins on God's terms and there are no
-
exceptions to that rule. Not one.
-
Number 4. Satan wants you to believe.
-
I cannot be happy if I live a Christian Life.
-
And the world really has a strange definition of Happiness
-
to me. I really don't get it.
-
I have to admit to you maybe someone could explain it but I
-
have yet to see anyone that's given me a satisfactory
-
explanation of how the things that the world thinks makes them
-
happy will make them happy. The world says that to be happy,
-
you have to get drunk every Friday night.
-
Be married at least three three times and that to be happy.
-
You have to play golf or go fishing on Sunday to be happy.
-
You have to have a college degree and make it a hundred
-
thousand dollars a year that to be happy.
-
You have to have everything you ever wanted.
-
To be happy, you have to live on the right side of town to be
-
happy, you have to drive the right kind of car.
-
And you have to achieve just the right socioeconomic status,
-
right after all, God and the church and family and so on and
-
so little peace of mind. What's that all about?
-
You only go around one time. Time, grab the horrible, the
-
tail make the most of it, it's all about you and you deserve to
-
be happy. And then he says, look at those,
-
pitiful people over there. Look at those people who have to
-
go to church, look at those people over there, that live
-
their life bound up by an outdated set of Victorian
-
morals, and rules and regulations of that Bible.
-
Look at those people over there, that can't go out and do all the
-
things that we do and kick up our heels in the sand and have a
-
fun time and drink and curse and Gamble and do everything else.
-
Look at that, you know some people.
-
How do you have happiness? As I said, he's strange to me.
-
Getting high on drugs until you have fried your brain, like an
-
egg. Does not sound like happiness to
-
me. But millions of people have been
-
duped into believing that it is because they'll do anything to
-
get their hands on the stuff. Getting into a drunken stupor
-
and making a fool out of yourself and waking up the next
-
morning, feeling like someone has your head but no Vice.
-
I don't get where that's happiness, I don't get, well,
-
that's a good time. I understand how people fall
-
into the Trap of Temptation and I understand how people get
-
addicted to the stuff. I understand that good and well,
-
but I have never understood how people think that's fun.
-
But people do because tomorrow night by the millions, young and
-
old will go out and they'll hit the bars, and they'll have their
-
keg parties and they'll have their drug parties, and that's
-
fun to them. That's what it's all about.
-
To them. They spend their life, they live
-
up there week to get the Friday, so they can do all of that.
-
Catching some disease or raising a child on welfare because of my
-
irresponsibility and my lust in my selfish, desire for pleasure.
-
That doesn't sound like happiness to me.
-
And doesn't sound like a well-rounded life and doesn't
-
sound like a successful life because it's not Let me tell you
-
what happened. This is happiness, is going to
-
church on the Lord's Day. David said, in Psalm 122 and one
-
I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of
-
the Lord. And if you feel like going to
-
church is a labor, if you feel like going to the church, going
-
to church is a drudgery you need to get converted.
-
Because the fact of the matter is the person that loves the
-
Lord Has No Greater Joy in his life than to come together with
-
the people of God, and seem to God and read his word, and study
-
his word and pray together with those of like Precious faith.
-
That is a joy in the Life of any Christian.
-
Happiness is keeping the Commandments of God, Proverbs 29
-
and verse 18. He that keepeth the law.
-
Happy is he, happiness is trusting in God, their life's
-
uneven and uncertain circumstances.
-
As David said, in Psalm 146 and five happy.
-
Is he that hath. The god of Jacob for his help,
-
whose hope is in the Lord, his God, which made Heaven and Earth
-
the sea and all that they're in is and keepeth Truth forever.
-
In other words, happiness, it's facing whatever life throws your
-
way knowing that you've got a god like that on your side.
-
Happiness is living a life for others, Proverbs 14, and 21.
-
He that hath Mercy on the poor happy, is he, the world is all
-
about me. The world is All About Me Myself
-
and I what makes me happy what I can get what I can achieve.
-
But the life of the Christian is self abasing in devoted to
-
others. You say, where's the happiness
-
in that? Do you know psychologists have
-
proven that people who live at altruistic life?
-
People who live a life, a selfless Life, Giving of
-
themselves getting of their time getting of their money under
-
those who are in need are happier and more contented and
-
at peace with himself people. It's true.
-
And that's what the Christian life is all about.
-
Happiness for the believer. Here's the ultimate definition,
-
happiness for the believer. Is drawing our last breath on
-
this Earth. And one minute later having God
-
opened the curtain of immortality into paradise and
-
ultimately eventually spending an eternity in a city that is
-
filled with holy happy, singing, laughing people.
-
In Robes of pure white happiness, is going to a land
-
where tears never fall because God wipes them away.
-
Happiness is going to a place where there is no pain, no?
-
See, Sickness no disease, no dying, no disappointments.
-
Our heartaches where you have neighbors, like Abraham and
-
Isaac, and Jacob, and Peter, and James and John doar.
-
You can stumble around in life and throw your life away and
-
live for yourself and live for sin.
-
And have your supposed good time for a little while.
-
And then you could be cast into a lake of fire and an abyss of
-
darkness, where the souls of the unrighteous weep unceasingly,
-
and grind their teeth together in pain and endless frustration.
-
You can go to a lake of Eternal fire where you will never be
-
consumed. Just endlessly suffer.
-
You can go to a place where you'll have neighbors, like,
-
Hitler and Haman, and Charles Manson, you can go to a place
-
where you, perhaps, we'll never see your children, or your
-
mother or your father. Again, that's called hell, and I
-
don't call that happy. But Satan would have you to
-
believe. You can't be happy if you live a
-
Christian Life number 5. Satan would have you to believe.
-
My son is my business and I'm not hurting anyone but me.
-
My son is my responsibility and what is it to you?
-
If I live a life of sin? Well, and Deuteronomy 5 and
-
verse 9. Moses said, Thou shalt not bow
-
down thyself on the graven images nor serve them for I, the
-
Lord thy God, am a jealous God. Visiting the iniquity of the
-
father's upon the children, unto the third, and fourth generation
-
of them. That hate me.
-
Now, I think if there's a modern application to that passage, if
-
there's a moral principle there within that, passage that
-
extends, right on down to you and me, it is that sin has
-
consequences that Outlast. Us sin has consequences that far
-
across the generational divide, and some people do them their
-
families to failure and destruction and despair and
-
unhappiness, and a life of drudgery and slavery to sin,
-
because of the choices they make. that's how influential you
-
are, and you may not realize that But you hold the destiny of
-
lives in your hand. Here in the last few years, I've
-
experienced the joy that most of you sitting out here tonight.
-
Have experienced some of you many years ago.
-
And that's to bring a brand new life into this world.
-
And both times. I don't think I've ever since
-
two more overwhelming, feeling of responsibility than to hold a
-
child newborn in my arms and looked down and say they are my
-
responsibility and the life. I live the words, I say the
-
choices. I make the priorities that I
-
have is in large part and perhaps solely going to
-
determine whether they spend eternity because they will live
-
forever. Just like I will whether they
-
spend eternity in heaven or hell.
-
My friend is my business, it's nobody's business, but mine the
-
center says, the devil would have them to believe how foolish
-
that is in. We remember the sin of Aiken of
-
taking The Spoils of Jericho and how in so doing, he harmed his
-
nation and his family. According to Joshua, the seventh
-
chapter Israel lost in their battle against AI because of his
-
Aikens soon. His family died in retribution
-
for Aikens sin. I repeat your sin will destroy
-
the people, you claim. Claim to love.
-
When a man breaks the long goes to prison, his family goes to
-
prison with him in a manner of speaking, when the young person
-
throws his life away and alcohol and drugs and promiscuity, and
-
sinful living, he takes his parents into a period of Torment
-
with in their life. And they don't realize the pain
-
that their mother or their father experiences.
-
During those long and sleepless nights wondering where they're
-
at, who they're with, what they're doing.
-
I've seen young men and young ladies who follow their
-
unbelieving, father or mother straight down the road to hell,
-
because they look up to them and they want to be what they are
-
King, David's sins destroyed his son Absalom, when he was a boy,
-
Absalom, watched his father, seduce, another man's wife, he
-
watched his father lie, he washed his father manipulate and
-
conspire, he finally saw his father become a murderer as he
-
killed Uriah. And so, absolutely, no surprise
-
grew up to be just as disloyal as his father, taught him to be,
-
he killed. David's other.
-
On his brother amnon. He later tried to steal the
-
kingdom. He did what his daddy did he
-
cheated? He lied.
-
He manipulated and finally tried to kill his own father because
-
David taught him how to do it. And David, the chickens came
-
home to roost for David. The sword never departed from
-
his house. He said my sin is ever before me
-
and never in his life was that any more true than after that
-
tragic battle in the woods Absalom was killed and they bore
-
the news back to David and he locked himself in his chamber
-
and he cried and he well do Absalom Absalom.
-
What I have died for thee, o Absalom, his sons destroyed his
-
family, several years ago. Was a father who came home.
-
To his three children. And had to tell them that he had
-
gotten a note that day or found a note that day from their
-
mother saying that she was leaving and never coming back.
-
She disappeared. The two older children were able
-
over the course of time to somewhat adjust.
-
But the little ten-year-old boy simply could not.
-
One night, his father came home from work and the little boy
-
asked him said, father can we please go out tonight and look
-
for Mom? And let's go get her and let's
-
bring her home the father tenderly explain son we've been
-
through this before. And believe me, if I knew where
-
your mother was, we would go find her but I don't know where
-
she's at. The boy began to cry and he
-
said, Daddy, please, let's just go find Mother and bring her
-
home. I want things to be like they
-
used to be the father growing impatient and frustrated said,
-
son. I'm telling you, I don't know
-
where she is now, let's just drop it.
-
I don't hear no about it. The sun began to sob and he
-
said, Daddy, please. Let's just go find Mom and bring
-
her home and I want her to cook supper.
-
Like she always did And the father shouted, I don't know
-
where your mother is. I just hush about it.
-
Let's go to McDonald's and get something to eat.
-
And the boy said, I don't want to go to McDonald's.
-
I want my mother. But they went to McDonald's.
-
And they ate. And that little ten-year-old boy
-
sunk into a deep depression in his life that never broke. and
-
some years later, 12 years, in fact, still living under the
-
auspices of that. Sorry mother, he went into a
-
McDonald's down the road here in Los Angeles and he shot 22
-
people because of the rage that was inside of him.
-
Don't tell me, it's my life. It's not your life.
-
It's the life of your wife. It's the life of your husband.
-
It's the life of your children. It's the life of your mother.
-
It's the life of your father, and their life counts just as
-
much as yours does. Number six, Satan wants you to
-
believe. There is no judgement day, and
-
it doesn't matter whether you believe there is or not.
-
There is it, did it matters? Not if you choose to believe
-
that, there is no Harold. You can still go there.
-
The Earth is round whether you choose to believe it or not, and
-
sin is real, and hell is real and sin will Send you there,
-
whether you believe it or not, Peter said, in second, Peter 3,
-
verses 3 through 11, the last days there would be scoffers
-
walking after their own lusts, and they would say, where is the
-
promise of his coming? Because since the father's fell
-
asleep, all things continue as they always were from the
-
beginning of the creation. In other words, if there really
-
was going to be a second coming, if the Lord really was going to
-
return he'd have been here by now, will you mean all this
-
business about a judgement day? And Peter says, you know, this
-
that life continues upon this Earth the wild continues As it
-
is second by second and minute by minute an hour by hour
-
because of one thing, and that is the patience of God.
-
But one day like the Sands, in an hourglass, they're going to
-
run completely out. His patients is going to be over
-
and Peter says That like a thief in the night.
-
Suddenly. Christ is going to return.
-
This Earth is going to be destroyed and the world is going
-
to be summoned together before the Throne of Jesus Christ in
-
judgment. As certain as the fact, you're
-
sitting where you are the day of judgment, is an appointed day
-
acts 17 and 30. Every one of us will be there
-
and we will give an account of ourselves to God.
-
Romans, 14 and 12, every knee shall bow in that day and every
-
tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, Romans 14 and verse 11,
-
one day, I'm going to stand Before the Throne of Christ, and
-
I'm going to be made to account for every thought I had and
-
every word I said, Ed and everything I've done in life, it
-
is not been washed away by the blood of Christ. and you two
-
will answer for The Gap that lies between where you are and
-
where you should have been You're not going to die and then
-
a demise and be no more. You're going to live forever
-
forever forever and forever and forever somewhere either in the
-
presence of God or in the abyss of hell and that choice is yours
-
but don't believe for one second.
-
There is no judgement day. And lastly tonight Satan wants
-
you to believe. I have plenty of time and
-
perhaps this is Satan's, most deceptive tactic.
-
I have plenty of time that allows you to have all of the
-
Good Intentions in the world. You don't have to antagonize the
-
church. You don't.
-
After deny, the truth of God's word, you don't have to go
-
around and argue against the Bible and tell people there is
-
no God and the Bible isn't true. You don't have to do any of
-
that. In fact, really, being lost is
-
the easiest proposition in the world because it takes no effort
-
being lost requires one thing. And that is waiting one
-
heartbeat too long to meet God on his terms.
-
Now, life is fragile. If you could blow your life
-
right down to hours. We think of life in terms of
-
years, you can just boil your life right down the hours and
-
minutes and seconds. And at some point out there in
-
the future, That clock is going to move the last time where
-
you're concerned. and you may know that minute is approaching,
-
and you may not But that day is coming.
-
And Solomon tells us in Proverbs 27 of one boast not thyself of
-
tomorrow. For thou knowest, not what a day
-
may bring forth. You may not be alive at the next
-
rising of the sun. You do not know that tonight and
-
I don't say that to frighten you tonight.
-
I don't say that just simply to repeat preacher rhetoric
-
tonight. I say that tonight because it is
-
true. You do not know about tomorrow,
-
you don't know about an hour from now.
-
Your line of work may have brought you into contact with
-
Carnage and death. Mine has from time to time as a
-
preacher of the Gospel. I have stood at the bedside of
-
dying Saints, some of them there after a long-term illness, some
-
of them there after a sudden heart attack.
-
For four years, I worked in broadcast journalism, until here
-
just recently. And in a fairly smaller Market.
-
Where it's kind of all hands on deck.
-
And one of my jobs in the evening after most of the
-
reporters and photographers had gone, home was when we would
-
hear those codes, come over the scanner.
-
That there had been a horrible accident or shooting or
-
stabbing. I had to get a camera and go out
-
there and cover. And I suppose over for years, I
-
did a lot of that. And in the course of that time,
-
I saw a lot of carnage. I wasn't really kept back from
-
it. I was able to be right up there
-
where all of it was and I suppose in one respect, you get
-
a little bit jaded to it. You get a little bit callous to
-
it once you seen it enough, but I can tell you that of all of
-
the Fatal wrecks scenes that I have been to and all of the
-
corpses I've seen laying on the pavement. all of the bodies that
-
I've seen brought out of a house on a stretcher, I have never one
-
single time seen that, that I did not stop and think about how
-
fragile life is and was not reminded that that person One
-
hour ago was just as alive as I am and one hour ago had no idea,
-
they would be dead. And there may be a funeral home
-
in this town with an empty Gurney tonight and your body
-
could be the next to lie upon it.
-
And you just don't know at this moment, but Satan deceives
-
people into believing you have time.
-
It's fine to obey the gospel. You need to be worried about
-
that, but not now you have typed enjoy life.
-
Do what you want to do, you can get around to that when you're
-
older. And thus he whispers into the
-
ear of many willing hearts and causes them to stumble right
-
into the pits of Eternal destruction.
-
The poet said, the clock of life is wound but wants and no man.
-
Hath the power to tell just when those hands will stop it.
-
Late or early our live and love and toil with will be place.
-
No faith in tomorrow for the earned, the hands may be still
-
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
-
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
-
would like any additional information or you would like to
-
receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.
-
Please email us at info at True Church of Christ
-
Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays
-
at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
-
Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
-
honored guest.