Battle Between Good & Evil [Without & Within] | Pastor Allen Jackson

we're just a couple of weeks away from kicking off Camp season around here yeah I think that's a yay God it all really began with character Quest many years ago now a businessman who at the time I didn't I'd met but I did not know uh came asked for an appointment and came by and said he wanted to make an investment in children and he planted a seed that has emerged into character Quest and many things beyond that and so we started it for the fourth fifth and sixth graders as a character-based leadership training before they got to middle school and so the ropes elements and um a lot of those things really were put in place to help them and many many of us have benefited from them since then I've even done some of that crazy stuff tell you about the kind of quality people you go to church with we were here I think it was for Quest and one of the men said I'll do the zip line if you will so I said sure let's go so I climbed the tower and got the harness on was hooked in I was hooked into the wire and I looked down and the guy was still standing down there on the ground and I said what's up with that he said you're crazy I'm not doing that so yeah he goes to another church now but it's no he doesn't but June 3rd the the 7eventh is character Quest I I think there's still a few slots available for students in that if you have for some reason not been paying attention please don't wait till the last minute it will be full and there won't be room there's even room I think for a few volunteers if you want something to change your life make an investment in the kids this summer but we have several weeks we're going to follow that June 17th to the 20th with Camp truth that's for the younger students it's already full it filled up in about 45 minutes of when it went open we have junior high camp High School Camp kids choir camp and then we have Pastor going to hide at Camp so but it's a wonderful time and really you know school's wrapping up it's graduation season prom season everybody's getting ready for their summer breaks and their plans but it's an important time because it brings family back front and center and I don't believe that's principally about vacation I believe it's about centering our families on God again school years there's many voices speaking into our lives and into our children's lives into our families and in the summer time we've got an extended period of time to establish that again and sort that out please don't allow summer to come and go without making an intentional effort to bring your faith into the center of your family's lives it's just too important um it's more important than any trip you would take or any experience you might imagine um helping them understand your value parents it's it's the esteem that you hold the Lord in that has the greatest effect on your children and if they see that and feel that and hear that in you it becomes indelibly imprinted upon them and so that's our prayer this morning for our operatory prayer if you're visiting with us we don't pass the offering plate every week we do it from time to time Co broke some habits that are okay we've learned new ways to give I thank you for your generosity without your faithfulness in giving we can't do ministry there's no mysterious closet where the church lives folks we're it and as we learn to honor the Lord with our resources as he biblically directs us to I believe it's the best preparation for the economic turmoil that is in front of us and it is in front of us it will be too late to figure out what to do with Goliath when you hear him bellowing his challenge David said I God delivered me from The Lion and the bear and this big guy is no problem so the time to trust God and to learn to give generously is in a season when you you're not crying out to him for help and so I thank you for that and I I appreciate it but our corporate prayers during that offertory time have become such an important part of our life together and this morning I want to ask you to join me in praying for the children and the families and the students this summer we'll pray for our camps and pray for those that will help them with that hundreds of you will be a part I thank you for that it's amazing to watch the the energy levels on campus change when you show up and you invest in those young people and so I thank you for that if you haven't signed up and you're looking for something to do this Summer that has a spiritual outcome I I know very few things that would have a greater impact on your life um it truly is remarkable so stand with me if you will for that prayer if you're at home stand up too put your bagel down your cinnamon roll your breakfast burrito your kich greting kich you should kneel and pray I'm kidding please it's okay I'm not mad at the French I'll tell you I I loved um when Mack was leading Us in worship and I hear your voices you know the Bible describes scenes in the Book of Revelation around the Throne of God where there's a almost innumerable multitude gathered lifting their voices in praise and thanksgiving to the king I think if we understood the The Authority that is there when you Worship the Lord when you praise the Lord when you give thanks to the Lord that we would do it with a much greater enthusiasm and so as we pray this morning we just will you say thank you with me thank you for the children in this place for the students for the families for the people who serve on their behalf for the classrooms we have for them and the the outdoor spaces where we can host a camp we have much to be thankful for amen our children have schools and medicines available to them we're blessed we have so much food there's too much of us we have so much stuff we have to rent places to put it that's wrong we are blessed amen Amen Hallelujah Lord we just come this morning to say thank you thank you for your goodness and your grace and your mercy you have truly opened the windows of heaven and poured out blessings upon us Lord Sumer is beginning and I thank you for the opportunities it represents for children and students and families Lord even for those that we can participate in here I I pray that it will not just be busy work or activities or Recreation or but father there would your presence would be amongst us that the children and students would have a revelation of Jesus that would shape their Futures far beyond any activity that's planned that you would visit with your presence we praise you for it today Lord only your power only your mercy only your grace only your Authority can keep us we know that's true and we pause today to turn our faces to you and our hearts to you to lift our hands to you to thank you that we're not alone that we haven't been isolated that we haven't been abandoned that the creator of Heaven and Earth is watching over us we praise you for it today let the name of Jesus be lifted up Let The Name of Jesus be lifted up may his name be exalted may he be given Glory and Honor and praise and thanksgiving that he's due May he be revered and celebrated in the public squares and in our public schools and our hospitals and our courtrooms forgive us Lord Jesus for stepping away turning down the volume may we come back in humility to give glory and honor and praise to you for you are worthy Above All Else and above all others in Jesus name amen hallelujah before you're seated almost you almost got there it's like what now you know what now greet two or three people that are near you I hope you received an outline when you came in if you failed to do so maybe someone near you would actually share it's like a Biblical idea you're joining us digitally or online from someplace else you can down download those same outlines from the websites or the apps they will help most of the scriptures we use are included there previous session we began a study on the battle with good and evil it doesn't take much imagination to recognize that something like that is happening around us in fact it's happening on a global basis it's it's confusing the speed at which it's happening the deterioration of values that have held us together for decades are being shredded it seems like almost on a daily basis we talk about the theater of the absurd things are presented to us on a regular basis that are so bizarre so beyond the norm of many of our lifetimes that it's difficult to process almost seems like it's a parody but it's not in this session I want to talk about that battle that's taking place both within us and around us because it's it's taking place in both Arenas and it requires some Awareness on our part I've spent a good bit of time in the last few months um engaging with the church across our nation and Beyond and from my perspective I I believe the church is at a Crossroads and there are some very active decisions being made in some very different directions um major expressions of American evangelicalism rejecting Orthodoxy stepping away from Biblical practice and doing so without apology doing it with a great celebration and enthusiasm they're not doing it in a hesitating way or reluctance and those things have impacts on educational institutions how Christianity is understood we're at a Crossroads there's a separation taking place I want to read a verse it's not in your notes sorry but it is in that big book you can check me later it's Joshua chapter 24 it's Joshua nearing the end of his life he has led the children of Israel into their inheritance in the promised land he in many respects continued the the mission that Moses began in the brick pits of Egypt but he says that in chap 24:1 15 if serving the lord seems undesirable to you then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve whether the gods your forefather serve beyond the river or the gods of the amorites in whose lands you're living but as for me in my household we will serve the Lord am it's a familiar passage I share it with you to remind you of something that the separation that's taking place and the what we're watching happening is not new I I don't believe it's appropriate to link it to the end of the age and the imminent Return of the Lord those things could be but I don't believe that that's an adequate explanation for what we're seeing happen the the pattern of scripture and the history of the church suggests to us that each generation has to make decisions for themselves no matter how dramatic the interventions of God no matter how remarkable the Miracles no matter how much the blessings of God may have filled Our Lives you and I have a decision to make will we honor the Lord not go to church not get saved will we honor the Lord with our lives and at the moment the current trends suggest that's not very fashionable in fact it seems to me that even within the church for the most part we've imagined ourselves to have become a little too sophisticated for God we certainly don't want to bring any emotion to that or much enthusiasm we might tolerate Christianity when it's convenient and we don't necessarily want to separate ourselves into Clare ourselves of another Faith but we're happy to be labeled as kind of religiously ambivalent well yeah I mean I'm kind of sort of a Christian we're too enlightened too understanding of our world too experienced in human behavior too technologically sophisticated to submit ourselves to the authority of a book that was written in Antiquity we're too aware of our appetites and our desires there's too much permission being given to pursue them and gratify them and to indulge them God seems almost like a completely Antiquated idea so even if we don't reject him we just kind of want God light well there's two thinkers that have stood on the human stage whose ideas reflect very different outcomes very different choices but I think they inform the crossroads we're at and the decisions that are before us they have some Footprints through history that we can trace there are outcomes very Divergent outcomes to these two ways of thinking one we were reminded of by Alexander Susan some of you will remember him he was a Russian dissident a writer suffered a great deal because he had the boldness to identify with Jesus he received a Templeton award in 1983 at Harvard University and he made a very celebrated speech that year when he received the award and he said this over half a century ago while I was still a child I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia men have forgotten God that is why all this has happened that was the thesis of his presentation that men have forgotten God he introduced it from the perspective of he said an old Russian grandmother that had seen so much suffering and so much pain and so Much Death come to her people and when asked she said it's simple we have forgot gotten God I think we could say that about the culture around us we have flourished and prospered like no people in history no civilization that is really to compare because I believe from the blessing of God Amen but we've been busily trying to forget him and I don't mean in recent weeks or months or current political administrations that's incredibly naive we've been doing our best to forget God for quite some time on the other other side of the spectrum was a Jewish man a German philosopher of sorts KL Marx and Mark said that religion was the opiate of the people not something necessary but something that impacts Behavior well you don't have to be a very careful student of History to know that Marxism hollowed out Russia under the cruel leadership of lenen and Stalin and their followers it devastated the island of Cuba took place that was beautiful and spectacular and people who were vibrant and energetic and left it devastated through Fidel Castro it brought great suffering to the people of China which continues today with President X we try to celebrate them as something remarkable but it's a very cruel system that the Chinese people are surviving under it's impolite for us to say that because we benefit from much of the abuse that they suffer but it's true in the last century more than 100 million people died because of marxist ideology Nations you probably can't find on a map the PE population suffered greatly places like Bulgaria and Czech Slovakia if you can spell that you go to the Head of the Class Hungary Poland Romania they all know the suffering of Marxism it it's it's almost unbelievable to survey our current landscape today and find ourselves to a stunning degree to have ignored suenen and have heeded marks culturally we rejecting God abundant evidence on that and we can hold ourselves out say well we're still gathered in churches on Sunday but you understand very well if not consciously intuitively because you're hesitant you're fearful most of us terrified to take Jesus into the Public Square There's real consequences not for just saying his name but if you stand up for biblical values so we give in to corruption and immorality and all the things they bring to the market Place we've allowed marxan ideas to fill our universities we have tolerated administrators and faculty members who reject God and embrace Marxist ideology they wrap their Concepts in all sorts of manipulative language I know I sat in those classrooms it's not new folks this has been happening for a long time critical studies critical race Theory Dei diversity equity and inclusion a lot of fancy language a lot of manipulation of ideas promising a better future without the interference of faith in God we send our SCH children off to these universities these institutions of Higher Learning and now and tragically it's not limited just to those places then we're surprised when our children reject their faith we are currently witnessing protest on our college campuses our celebrated centers of learning our young men and women with a number of provocators among amongst them demanding that Hamas be celebrated if you just haven't been paying any attention whatsoever Hamas is a terrorist organization globally understood to be such their Charter says that they are committed to to the destruction of the Jewish State and the genocide of the Jewish people they don't apologize for that they will tell you in the plainest of language and we're demonstrating on their behalf half and our administrators and leaders are reluctant to say anything about it just for the record Hamas is violent murderous hate-filled perpetrators of evil they do not deserve support marxan ideas have informed our thoughts about money resources and even one another the result of it is bold expressions of entitlement expectations that we should benefit from the efforts of others we want benefits we didn't sacrifice for the repudiation of personal responsibility the almost complete rejection of biblical attitudes regarding work family and Faith you can cele about any celebrate about anything in the Public Square today but if you bring forth a biblically informed perspective on family the outcome is a very divided and intolerant Public Square leaders who Garner Power by convin vincing subsets of the population that they have been mistreated prayed upon and are deserving of benefits we've abandoned biblical perspectives on equality forgiveness overcoming and sin these ideas we are told repeatedly are out of date they're patriarchal racist misogynistic xenophobic and the list goes on and on expressions of Oppression you know it to be true you understand it intuitively cuz in many respects we don't want to say anything CU we don't want those labels being AFF fixed to us the bizarre scene this theater of the Absurd they presented a new chapter recently a professional football player a kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs was speaking was invited to speak at a graduation service at a Catholic University so the setting is a Christian School their graduation they invited a professional football player to speak and big surprised he spoke affirming biblical values particularly regarding sexuality in family he had the Brazen audacity to use the term Homemaker as an affirmation of his wife celebrating the good things it had brought to his life into his children and their world he has been vilified many tens of thousands of people have called for his termination as a professional athlete that he should be denied the opportunity to participate that's quite a contrast to Colin Kaepernick if you don't know another professional football player who refused to stand for the national antheum Anthem preferring to repudiate our flag and what it represents he was hailed as a hero he was celebrated broadly by his peer group in the National media his behavior was emulated by many other professional athletes look we need just a bit of clarity for the record God does not oppress people evil does am evil does so the question is do we have the courage to listen once again to the Council of scripture and in humility return to God our generation is facing one of these Joshua moments we've experienced the blessings of God and the Deliverance of God and the freedom that has come from God but what will we choose again it's not the first time godly people have chosen Idol idolatrous detours many times throughout the story of scripture and the history of the church I want to implore you invite you to prayerfully consider choosing to return to our God our children and grandchildren and the generations who follow will benefit from our determination if we choose to seek God and live there is a battle raging around us between good and evil but let's not imagine it's someone else that's engaged or involved folks we are participating we are participating within ourselves and we are participating in the world around us if you're a conscientious objector you have Conceited the field to be silent to be affirming of ungodliness of wickedness to say you're being understanding of ideas that are presented with the intent of destroying and disruptive faith means you have joined them we need more clarity we have pref pretended to be addled and Confused because it afforded us an opportunity to be silent the laziness on our part that leaves us disengaged will not be easily defended when we stand before the King of Kings and the Lord of lords who offered himself as a sacrifice the battle between good and evil without and within I want to start on your notes with Mark chapter 1 there is hope Jesus beginning his M Ministry Mark chap 1 Mark the scholars believe was the first of the gospels that we have to be written so Mark chapter 1 would be very near the beginning of the story and I don't believe it's accidental it says they went to capernium and when the Sabbath came Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach and the people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them as one who had Authority not as the teachers of the law the synagogue was a learning Institution it was very much a part of the fabric of social life religious life of the of the behavior patterns of the first century Jewish Community there were synagogues in all the communities if you had 12 Jewish men you could have a synagogue so it's it's a learning place the scriptures are read the Torah is read on a weekly basis but Mark offers the commentary that Jesus in the synagogue was different he's not just reciting scripture he's not just reviewing history he's not just telling their family story he's actually speaking as if there is an authority in scripture if you'll allow me I would submit that we have to stop doing polite Bible studies and begin to imagine that the word of God has Authority in the world in which we live it's a vastly different place I'm an advocate for study and learning and I don't want to diminish your study but I would like to give you permission to begin to act as if the Bible were true just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out what do you want with us Jesus of Nazareth have you come to destroy us I know who you are the Holy One Of God that's pretty insightful there's a demonized man in the synagogue not in the local bar he's not a bookie he's not doing something illegal or unored he's gathered on Sabbath in the synagogue a demonized man and the demon in the man has something to say because the demon recogn izes Jesus this is Mark chap 1 Jesus has not revealed himself yet to his disciples to any of his contemporaries the demon has insight and understanding that nobody else in the synagogue has we're talking about a contest between good and evil a struggle between good and evil please understand that evil is better prepared for the what's unfolding around us probably better informed on the word of God more aware of what God is capable of in the New Testament it says you believe there is a God it's in the book of James it's not in your notes you can check me it says you believe there's a God good for you James says the demons believe that and they shudder this demon says have you come here to torment us why are you here there's an anxiety present we can't even decide if we want to Worship the Lord well I mean I don't know if I want to be emotional pastor you know I'm just a bit more reserved what do you want me to do raise my hands no I think you could probably stretch out on the carpet and say Lord I'm sorry for my arrogance but but please don't do it at church until you've done it in private your worship of the Lord in public should be nothing Beyond a reflection of how you Worship the Lord when you're not I'm a lot more demonstrative when I talk to the Lord and engage with him and say thank you to him when I'm by myself than I would ever be in a place where you're watching I'm willing to do it in a public place because perhaps it would help somebody else and encourage or model or give permission something but but the real expression of your gratitude for the Lord is who you are when you're not here the demons shudder at the thought of God again there's a separation taking place folks we've been taught that we should attend church and be kind and polite and perhaps a bit timid and you want to be sort of kind of religious and you want to give deferential reference to some of that stuff but you don't really give your heart to it and your strength to it and your effort to it oh yes you do do you think almighty God the creator of Heaven and Earth is going to be fooled because you give him a polite nod for a few minutes on convenient weekends the invitation of scriptures to serve the Lord with your holy heart mind soul and body all in every part of us every part of us this demon is terrified and he can't remain silent he could have stayed silent and been undetected unresponded to but the fear was so great he can't help it what do you want with me Jesus and Jesus said sternly come out of him and the evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek the people were so amazed that they asked each other what is this a new teaching and with authority he even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him and news about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee I have an announcement if somehow you've missed it and you've been around church and Christians and all the the thing for a long time folks there is an authority the kingdom of God Amen an authority that transcends any Earthly government any economic system any military power I'm not denying the reality of those things they are very real and they have great strength and they can impact Our Lives the authority of the kingdom of God canot only affect you physically it can result in defining your eternity it's worth understanding if you've diminished it Jesus said to us don't be afraid of people who can kill your body well I don't know about you that's kind of high on my list I mean if we get really honest about it if you meet somebody and they present a viable physical threat to you that can create a little anxiety y'all look so innocent yes yes but Jesus said really that's not so bad he said I will show you who you should be afraid of he said you should be afraid of someone that after they've killed your body they could throw you into hell there is an authority in the Kingdom that we have chosen to raise our hand and say we want to be a part of Amen that defines something far beyond physical strength or physical threats and it's time for us to begin to wake up to that a little bit as you read through the gospels we're invited into these training sessions Jesus Is providing his disciples and you and me indirectly with opportunities to understand the authority of the Kingdom in Matthew 14 Jesus is ministering this time there's a larger crowd it's not just a synagogue with a few dozen people there are hundreds thousands actually gathered it says as evening approached the disciples came and said this is a remote place it's getting late send the crowds away to get the emotion of that you need to talk to the staff at the end of a weekend what they're really saying is we're tired of these people make them go home go visit with the people in the nursery after service this morning they love your children but they are glad to to see you when I say hello right they're ready for a break and the disciples said listen we're in a remote place there's a lot of people it's the end of the day can you help a brother out send the crowds away so they can go to The Villages and buy themselves some food and Jesus replied they don't need to go away that's like me about 45 minutes into the sermon when I say I have just one more point you think oh God please they don't need to go away you give them something to eat and they said we've only got five loaves of bread and two we don't have enough for ourselves now Jesus knows what he's going to do this miracle is recorded in all four gospels That's Unique most of the miracle narratives Around Jesus aren't recorded in across all the gospels this one's picked up by everyone telling the Jesus story he's helping his disciples to learn some lessons they're going to learn to trust him in new ways they're going to learn about limits that aren't limits they're going to learn about God's provision in ways they've never understood or imagined there's an awareness of what God can do there's an intent to cooperate with him without the intent it's highly improbable you'll get to the outcome you see we've lacked the intent we've said well it'd be okay with me if God intervene if God broke into my life and he did something that would be okay but we didn't have enough intentionality about ourselves to actually invite him in we're reluctant to pray we're reluctant to ask we're reluctant to seek we've lacked intent we said well God could be God well with that attitude most of us would go to hell I'm not trying to be koi the Bible says that in order to be saved we have to confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord if we were to say inwardly well if God wants me to go to heaven I guess he'll get me there you'll miss it you have to have the intent and I believe Jesus is inviting the disciples and through them you and me to begin to cultivate an intent to see God move in our lives in some new ways beyond the intent it takes obedience he said to the disciples have them sit down in groups of 50 here begin to serve them there's not enough food to serve them they don't have enough food to serve more than the first group and there's not enough for all of them if they get a normal portion they had to be will to live out obedience when they didn't exactly understand the outcome see I think we're far more comfortable being obedient when we can see the end oh I'll take Jesus to work for me if I know they're going to have a parade then I'll get an award employee of the month but if it's less clear what it means if I take Jesus with me into the Public Square if I stand up against ungodliness well then maybe he doesn't want me to be obedient I don't understand obedience to be something that's optional based on outcomes and it seems to me very clearly that Jesus is inviting his disciples towards a bias that's towards action do something you feed them you feed them you feed them well we don't have enough you feed them you know in the church world we would have studied the problem more completely we would have done a complete evaluation on the consumption habits of 5,000 men how many pounds of food would be required how much protein how many carbohydrates how much fluid do we imagine they would ingest how long would it take to serve them what's the preparation time Jesus if you'll give us three weeks we will do a complete evaluation of this scenario you feed them well we're not exactly certain that our theology has room for the multiplication of food I mean we know you made Mana we read those stories but that was an Old Testament evaluation and now we're clearly into the New Testament era cuz the Messiah is [Music] here I mean I'm amazed at our ability and our adeptness at dancing away from actually having to live out in obedience and intentionally the invitations of scripture you know the church pattern is ready aim let's form a committee we need more information let's study the possibilities more completely what about the economic Trends what is our peer grp group say that's not the way we do it here I Think Jesus gives us permission for a little different model it goes something like this or at least this is my interpretation of it ready aim fire fire fire fire whoops adjust fire training sessions and then Jesus gives us some very clear discussions on Good and Evil instructions on how to cooperate in Matthew 6 and: 31 he saido not worry saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what will we wear that's pretty straightforward you probably need a theology degree to mess that up Jesus said don't worry about stuff I won't ask for a show of hands none of you would do that but you probably have lived with someone who might he said just don't worry about stuff the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well therefore don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself each day has enough trouble of its own Jesus in those simple verses and again they're easily accessible to all of us establishes a contrast between pagans and The Godly he said your status in one of those two camps is established determined by what what you're running after whatever it is you're seeking he didn't say your your status is determined by where you sit on the weekend he said I can tell you the group you belong to by what you're chasing after that's an expression of your time and your resources he's telling us that God's provision for his people is complete lacking nothing he said the pagans they run after all of that stuff non-stop they're never content it's never sufficient because they're not driven by a kingdom awareness they're driven by their own carnal desires and no matter how much you have you want more that's true statistically supportable apart from the spirit of God helping us to temper our own selfish impulses we will never be content that's why addictions are such a problem but it's not just addictions to the the things you're most familiar with we can be addicted to power we can be addicted to just about any form of physical gratification you could imagine Jesus said that's the way the pagans behave he said I'm encouraging you to run after something else he said seek first the kingdom of God again it's really plain language my question is do we have the intent and if so how are you giving expression to it what's your obedience in that cont text look like we're watching a struggle between good and evil and evil is flourishing in the most remarkable ways if a professional athlete identifies himself in some unusual sexual orientation he's celebrated his heroic courageous but if they identify themselves in a traditional biblical way they're vilified what are you seeking God's provision for his people is complete it lacks nothing that's the story of scripture when he brought the slaves out of Egypt a people with no central government of no history of independence of no provision they had nothing and the Bible says that there were no sick people amongst them that their clothing didn't wear out God fed them every day with Mana he brought water forth in the most one of the most brutal deserts in the world he protected them with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire do you think God's lost his juice do you think he's lost his interest in 2 Peter 1:3 it's not in your notes but you can check me later it really is in the book he said Peter said God has given us everything we need for life and for godliness instructions on Good and Evil now we're also warned that our character can be corrupted by our choices and that the fact that we've chosen to honor Jesus as Lord Of Our Lives does not remove us from the arena where temptation present and we can still become people of corrupt character that's why we have to encourage one another challenge one another spur one another on the Bible says because every one of us are vulnerable to corruption these leading universities where they're protesting for this bizarre nonsensical Wicked evil things these days many of them started as training places for Christian ministers Harvard Princeton our oldest and most celebrated universities began as CH institutions of Christian Learning for the purpose of training people to rightly divide and discern the word of God they've been corrupted it doesn't take hundreds of years we can manage that in moments in our lives 2 Timothy 3 gives us a description Paul's writing to a young man he's mentoring and he says there will be terrible times in the last days and then he list 18 aspects of human character that will deteriorate it sounds like a description of the world we're in they hinge on three things he said people will become lovers of they'll become lovers of themselves lovers of money and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God perhaps the most unsettling statement in there is the last verse I I made it bold if you're looking at my notes he said have a form they'll have a form of godliness they will have a form of godliness they will have a form of godliness they'll use religious language they'll go to religious Services they'll put Christian in their label they'll have a form of godliness but they will deny its power Paul wrote this in Paul's thought the power of God is inseparable from the cross when he wrote to the church in Corinth he said I decided when I was with you to know nothing except Christ and him crucified that the that a savior who was crucified was foolishness said it was nonsense to the Jews and foolishness to the non-jews but to those who are being saved it's the power of God you see the cross says I can't save myself my ideas have to be submitted to the authority of God I have to choose God's way and not my way so when Paul writes to Timothy he said things will deteriorate human character will DET deteriorate people will have a form of godliness but they'll deny their need to repent they'll be self-determined they'll begin to redefine they'll establish new norms and new patterns they'll have a form of godliness they won't change the labeling but they're going to deny the power of God it's the next phrase you need he said have nothing to do with them they'll corrupt you they will corrupt you please don't imagine that because you've recited the sinner's prayer and presented yourself at worship that you are free from the possibility of character deterioration we have to choose the Lord we have to guard our hearts in fact the counsel of scriptures Above All Else guard your hearts my time is slipping away I want to take a moment with good and evil in Isaiah chapter 5 it describes a time and it it happens repeatedly throughout history where we confuse good and evil not confused in the sense that we're incapable of discerning we intentionally want to muddy the line do you watch baseball games professional baseball games especially watch the Batters when they step into the Batters box it always looks like they're fidgeting you know they're adjusting gloves and helmets and pants everything else and all the while they're they're taking their foot and they're r out the lines in the Batters box won't happen in the first inning but by the time you get to the latter part of the game you really can't decide where that batters box is maybe they get a three-inch Advantage just the slightest Edge well it seems to me that we are world class at confusing good and evil we'll do just about anything we can to muddy it well my marriage is not determined by a piece of paper I agree with you completely it's determined by almighty God amen and if you're fortunate enough to live someplace where the state would recognize it in a Biblical way that's a double blessing confusing good and evil Isaiah 5 woe to those who call evil good and good evil that's woe woe I grew up around horses we have another word sounds similar not exactly a homonym but it sounds similar with a horse it's wo w a what's that mean stop there's still enough country folk yeah if you want to talk to a horse and you speak horse you say whoo as opposed to screaming screaming means hurry but if the horse has been trained and you say well there's a reasonable chance he might stop this is not the word that's used there that's w e that means warning if you want the expanded definition it means I'm about to come upside your head judgment is impending it's not stop woe to those who call evil good and good evil don't be one of those who put Darkness for light and light for Darkness who put bitter for sweet and Sweet for bitter I think it's safe to say we're living in a season or it's quite fashionable to call evil good and good evil do not lend your support whatever the cost find your voice and say I don't agree with that I'm not up for that I won't do that not at my table not in my world everybody won't love you but those that are seeking to honor the Lord will Proverbs 17:15 says acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent the Lord detests them both now I'm a pretty simple guy I grew up in Barnes across Middle Tennessee I've been asked several times lately to explain that City people my father was a veterinarian he treated horses my brothers and I were the assistants so we spent a disproportionate time in our childhood in Barnes it's no more complicated than that my par did not lock me in the barn and feed me through a slot that might explain much but that's not what happened the Lord detests them both in spite of that that training in my life I I do not intend to be included in any group of people that the Lord said he detests I want to get as far away from that group as I know how don't confuse good and evil don't be a part party to that don't encourage others to do that distinguish good from Evil that's the assignment it's not always easy forget the intentional obfuscation it's just not always easy in Hebrews 5 and ver14 it says solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from Evil you have to by continual expression of intent train yourself to distinguish between the two it's really easy if you spend time with permissive people if you spend time with people who blur the lines who don't have a recognition of Good and Evil it will be far more difficult for you to make the distinction and you'll start calling evil people good you'll start calling people that do evil things good people because they have some exceptional characteristics there are evil people that are gifted athletes there are evil people who are gifted ministers I don't want to pick on any one profession the fact that you have skill sets or abilities or unique gifts doesn't make you good in the biblical sense goodness comes from that desire to honor God with your life amen amen and it takes intent and training purposeful discipline in order to be able to identify to distinguish good from Evil and then we're advised in scripture to turn from Evil and do good turn away from Evil 1 Peter 3 whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech Peter's writing to Believers Christians God's people he must turn from Evil and do good he must seek peace and pursue it for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil again very plain language Peter writes very very plainly Paul writes some crazy stuff one sentence is a whole page long not Peter he put seven things in that little passage he said you have to keep your tongue from evil you have to do that James as the most unruly part of our body is our tongue oh I can give him an Amen on that you know at this season in my life I don't bounce as well as I used to it takes longer to heal I'm much less interested in physical confrontation there was a time in my life let's go but not So Much Anymore but my mouth oh it's why you sometimes I write this stuff down because if I don't I'll get up here and I'll just get in trouble you have to keep your tongue from evil keep your Li lips from deceitful speech do not give yourself to deceit deceit hides the truth reveals portions of the truth manipulates the truth tries to hide intent we have a whole new vocabulary set for deceit don't do that then Peter says turn from Evil turn away from it it's a physical expression but then he gives us something he said don't just turn from Evil do good don't just know what good is go do the good you and me every one of us and then he says we have to seek peace it's interesting he says seek peace and then pursue it you have to seek it to find it to identify it and once what you you identify what will bring peace then pursue it run it down secure it and then he gives us the why it's in that last phrase because the Lord is attentive to the prayers of those who act righteously he's not talking about the gift of righteousness that we receive by faith he said that the Lord is attentive to the prayers of those who act righteously but of equal importance and even more sobering the Lord is against those who do evil don't do evil don't be deceitful don't hide the truth act righteously turn from Evil and do good now we're going to close our service with communion I'll finish the outline there's more sessions if you're on campus this morning when you came into the sanctuaries the ushers were there with the elements of communion and if you miss that they're in the highways they'll share now if you're at home you got a minute go grab a glass of water and a Saltine cracker you can use a chocolate chip cookie in a glass of milk I don't want to be disrespectful F but you don't have to have one of our little handy dandy communion kids communion seemed appropriate today because the purpose of the Cross was to Deliver Us from Evil you see we needed help that we could not accomplish on our own God is a just God not Justice in the way it's used in the current setting but God by his very character and the nature is just so he wasn't just going to wipe away our guilt he wasn't going to by executive order or Divine Fiat erase our guilt a third of the Angels rebelled lost their place in heaven Satan was an archangel he lost his place and there is nothing in Scripture that suggests God has any plan or intent of redeeming the Fallen Angels they await his ultimate judgment but when Humanity rebelled God in the very opening chapters of the Bible made an amazing statement promising our Redemption and then he sent his son who led a perfect sinless obedient life and we crucified him through the intervention of the evil one the Bible says if Satan and the kingdom of darkness had understood God's plan they would have never crucified Jesus because on the cross Jesus exhausted the curse the punishment that was due all of our godlessness he took the weight of it that in return you and I might have all of the blessings that were due his perfect obedience so Jesus met the standards of God's complete Justice he paid the price that we might have the blessing some people mistakenly and quite honestly in a mocking way say a loving God would not have done that to his son it was the expression of the love of God for you and for me that took Jesus to the cross Jesus went willingly he offered himself and then the scripture says that because he was willing to do that God has given him the name that's above every name that the name of Jesus it's in Philippians 2 every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord of all now Jesus himself put communion in place not a pastor or a church or a denomination he had the Passover meal with his disciples and our communion is a derivative of that practice of Passover at the end of the Passover meal he took bread the bread that was set at the messiah's place and he broke it and said this bread is my body broken for you then he took the cup messiah's cup and said this cup is a New Covenant sealed with my blood the night he did that with the disciples he hadn't yet begun his passion he hasn't been betrayed or arrested or beaten so it's a it's a little obtuse to them it's not exactly clear clear but after the events unfold and they watch him suffer and see him resurrected the events of that evening become uppermost and it becomes a part of the practice of our faith a tangible reminder of God's love for you and me and we incorporate it into our worship Services because we have need of the power of God we need to be forgiven and we need to forgive we come today to say say we will turn away from ungodliness and we will do good not that we earn our way to heaven but we will give our strength to doing good amen we will live generously with our time and our treasure and our talent we will stand up for what we know to be right we come to the communion table to say Lord we intend to align ourselves with you you offered yourself as a sacrifice and now we come as living sacrifices to offer ourselves to act righteously and in the bargain God's power is released in our lives to bring Health to us and peace to us and hope to us we don't have to run after all the same things the pagans run after God said he will watch over us so we come as disciples today if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you don't have to be a regular part of this congregation we welcome you to the Lord's table to follow the instructions Jesus gave us when he took that bread and broke it and said this bread is my body broken for you as often as you eat this do this in remembrance of me let's receive together then he took a cup and said this cup is a New Covenant sealed with my own blood as often as you drink it you Proclaim my death until you see me again let's receive together now rather than me simply say a prayer for you I brought you a proclamation and I'd like you to ask it ask you to say it with me as a declaration over your life and our lives and the people of God in this season you willing to do that don't you stand with me for that it's at the bottom of your outlines it's a little longer than our normal prayer but not much together God has uniquely blessed us The Best Is Yet To Come the Earth is the Lord's and everything in it he is The Sovereign creator of all things nothing is too difficult for him his love sustains us Jesus his only son is our savior Lord and King we live in a season of shaking God is shaking the Earth he is restoring the Jewish people and purifying his church if we look at the things which can be shaken we'll be filled with Terr if we look at the Eternal Kingdom of Our Lord we will be filled with anticipation our determination As We Gather today is to declare before one another and almighty God we will not stop we are not satisfied we are not distracted we are not weary in doing good we are not discouraged we have our eyes on the cross and our hearts set on the prize we believe the one who is Promised is faithful we believe the holy spirit is our help we believe that what we ask in Jesus name our father provides we believe that the King of Kings is returning to the Earth in all of his glory and we intend to be about his business until that moment in time we will not stop amen God bless you

Channel: World Outreach Church

Views: 20,681

Keywords: World Outreach Church, World Outreach Church Murfreesboro, Pastor Allen Jackson, Pastor Allen Jackson Sermons, live church service, christian sermons, Murfreesboro TN, Jesus Christ, Interdenominational Church, Battle Between Good & Evil — Within and Without, character, Character Quest, communion, demonic influence, evil, good and evil, evil is real, guard your heart, Hamas, loaves and fishes, Marxism, obedience, Russia, Hamas protests, Battle Between Good & Evil

Id: zwQLnado-1o

Length: 60min 50sec (3650 seconds)

Published: Sun May 19 2024