Beyond Today -- Point of No Return

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[Steve Myers] If you've read your whole Bible, you  know of many times when God has said to a nation   you've gone too far and you know how it  turned out. But what about today? Could   it be that we've gone too far? What's  the spiritual point of no return for us? Our world has been infected with something  much more serious than the Corona virus.   It's sin. How much do you accept sin? Now you  might say, well me, of course not. But don't   be too quick to answer. Would you say none?  Well, maybe just a little. Well, how much?   Do you have a tendency to just go along with  the flow? Do you approve, do you approve of   our culture, the morality that surrounds us, the  values? I mean, is it fair to say that our country   and even our world has accepted  sin? You see the Bible is clear,   there is a coming judgment. Our nation and  the world will be judged and in fact, you too.   Judgment day is coming for  all, the Bible is clear. So it's important to answer: Do I condone sinful  ways? Do I have a tendency just to go along with   the flow? Now if you do, it puts you in danger.  God warns that your eternal life is in jeopardy.   Don't go down with the nation. You see our  society, our nation, has crossed the Rubicon   and that phrase says it all. It refers to a time  when the entire history of Western civilization   was hanging in the balance. It was by law that no  Roman general could lead armed troops into Rome,   but Julius Caesar and his 13th legion crossed the  Rubicon into Italy and did just that. This was an   act of treason. It was an insurrection and the  impact of Caesar's decision was irreversible. So   the result was years of civil war before Julius  finally became dictator of the Roman empire. Now, what does that have  to do with me and my life?   Well you see, since then crossing the Rubicon  means a decision from which there is no retreat.   There's no going back. It's a metaphor for an  irreversible act. And so it begs the question.   Have we crossed the spiritual Rubicon? Is it too  late to change? And what about you personally?   I mean think about it for just a  moment, what's God's perspective?   What does, what does He think? What's  His view about you and about our society?   I mean, is there any doubt we face a  monumental struggle for control over values   and this isn't just a political fight. This  is a culture war. This is a social conflict.   It's a relentless battle. It's a battle  for your mind, for your values, and today   we see corporations. We see our educational  system. We see our politicians being tools in this   cultural battle. And wouldn't you say there's been  a dramatic realignment and there is such a vast   difference between perspectives on what is right  and what is a proper value? And it's transformed,   not only politics, but it's transformed morality.  It's transformed our culture and our society,   yet has it brought us closer to  God? No, in fact you need to be sure   that you're not ignoring the warning signs. I  mean, is it possible? Is it possible to ignore   the danger signals of a wrong way of life  for so long that suddenly it's too late. We'll see if this Bible passage applies today. We  find it in the book of Lamentations chapter two   verse 14, and it expresses suffering. It expresses  despair. In fact Lamentations is a painful image   of a devastated city. Now what had happened,  ancient Judah had crossed the Rubicon.   The die was cast. The nation could no longer  repent. They were no longer able to avoid   being taken into captivity by Babylon.  Now do you know what led to that problem?   Lamentations 2:14 gives us a glimpse. It  says, "Your prophets have seen for you false   and deceptive visions. They have not uncovered  your iniquity to bring back your captives,   but have envisioned for you  false prophecies and delusions." That passage says at all. They were so far off  track. They were so far removed from God and His   standard, and we recognize it was trouble for  them. And it wasn't just something for ancient   Judah. I mean, this is a dual prophecy. This is a  warning for us today as well. I mean, think of it.   Have you heard false and deceptive visions?  People let's say, oh this is right. This seems   right. It looks right. This must be good. Or  have our leaders, our political leaders, our   religious leaders refused to uncover perversity,  depravity, iniquity, which all boils down to sin.   And have we heard false prophets? Or they  say, this is wonderful. This is what's best,   but in actuality, it's something that's dishonest.  It's sinful, and it's just plain wicked. But we   hear the wonderful rhetoric, but the ideas  and the practices are far from God's truth   and God says, we can't even see it. We're deluded.  And so we have to step back for a moment and just   ask ourselves, do we really have the solutions?  Does mankind have the answers? Well if you look   at the news, it tells us the answer. Look at the  issues we face of racism and discrimination and   inequality and the ethics in our world  today. And what happened to integrity?   You see, these are the warning signs of this way  of life and where it's leading. So don't fall   with this system. You see society has itself into  a predicament from which it just cannot get out. Now I want you to be aware of what's  happening in this world today.   And so we prepared a special Bible study aid is  called "Are We Living in the Time of the End?"   Call us at the number on your screen. You will  want to get a copy for yourself. Go to our website   beyondtoday.tv. Where are we when it comes to the  times that we live in, you really need to know.   You don't want to go down with the ship. So get  your free copy. You can read it right online at   beyondtoday.tv, or you can download it or order  your free copy. Call that number on your screen. It's very obvious. Even when you look  at statistics today, statistics show   we used to be unique in America. You might  even say we were devout. From 1937 all the   way to about the year 2000, that's over 60 years,  church affiliation was almost constant during that   whole time. 70% of Americans were affiliated and  claim affiliation with the church or a religion.   Today it is at an all time low, less than  half today claim any connection to religion.   And of course then we have the atheists, the  agnostics, those that claim, no connection   whatsoever. That number has exploded to over  one quarter of the population. In fact this is   something that doesn't only affect churches, but  that affects ethics. It affects principles and   morality and godly values. They too are as low as  ever. So would you say we've crossed the Rubicon?   Bible prophecy points to what will happen,  what's going to happen in this end time and   you cannot afford to get caught up in the values  of this world and what society calls truth. There's an interesting example of this  that we can read in the book of Amos.   In Amos chapter four, God speaks to a  people who had crossed the Rubicon. In fact,   in many ways they chose things that were  anti-God against God and yet in the contrary,   things were pretty good. Things were  going great. When you looked at morality,   it was a time of degeneracy. It was a time  of arrogance. It was a time of materialism.   Israel had reached the point where they no  longer heard the warnings from God. I mean,   the die was cast, the damage was done. So what  was left? Only to be held accountable by God.   So Amos 4:12, summarizes that very fact, this is  what God says. "Therefore, thus will I do to you,   O Israel, because I will do this to you.  Prepare to meet your God, O Israel." You see, they had tolerated sin for so long. They  didn't any longer know how to do what was right   and they were about to be  destroyed. What does history show?   It shows just that. They were overcome and  they were taken into captivity. And once again,   this is a passage that not only applies  to ancient Israel, but it applies today   as well in our nation nationally, and  to us personally, individually as well,   because many, if not most in our world have  not only forgotten how to do what's right.   They don't know what's right and the Bible  shows very clearly God can be provoked   once too often and sometimes He does. Sometimes  He says, this is it. This is the last straw. So don't let His patience run out on  you. God's word reminds us over and   over and over. In the story of the Bible,  it tells us that obedience brings blessings,   disobedience on the other hand brings judgment  and curses. So as our culture pushes us it pushes   us further and further and further away from  God, and as events begin to spiral downhill,   it's absolutely critical that you, that as  Christians, we just cannot follow that slippery   slope. That just goes straight downhill. And so we  got to ask ourselves, do I really know God's will?   Do I understand it? Do I know His purpose?  Do I live by His law in His way? Because God   doesn't say, well just try to be a little bit  better than the world around you. He doesn't   ask us or just make a nice request that we be  a little bit better. You know, what does He do?   God commands us. He says, "Come out of the world,  be separate, be different live by His standard."   In fact, it becomes obvious. God does not want us to crash with this world and  its values and in fact, that was an interesting   scenario that played out during world war  II. The Air Corps made a frightening phrase,   very popular. The phrase was the point of  no return. That was that spot. That was   the designated spot in space where the fuel  supply of an aircraft would be half gone.   That was the point that there was not enough fuel  to reverse direction and get back to base. And   if they hadn't turned, when they reached  that point, there was only two options.   You either crash on your way back,  or you crash in enemy territory.   And you see, I believe we've reached that  point. We've reached the point of no return.   We've run out of spiritual fuel because we accept  sin. We condone it and we participate in it   and God is very clear that we need to rise to His  standard. And He dedicates a whole chapter in the   New Testament to that very fact, to warn us,  to help us to see the truth. And when we look   at what it says in Romans chapter one becomes  very clear, verse 18. This is what God inspired. He says for the wrath of God is revealed from  heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness   of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.  Do people do that? Do people hold back the truth?   Do they detain it and hinder it and keep it  back and restrain it? I think if we're honest,   we've seen that evidence, haven't we? You  know what's happened. We've thrown out prayer,   we can't be praying. And what do we do? We approve  of killing innocent lives. Abortion is legal.   What else have we done? Well, we've redefined what  marriage is all about. And you see, we fulfill   what God says here. People directly resist the  truth. They won't believe it, because if they did,   you'd have to change. You'd have to give up sin.  And so pride, vanity take precedence. God holds us   responsible. He says, there's no excuse. And in  fact, after all we look around our world, we've   got what it takes to do what's right. We have  the world's best selling book. The most widely   distributed book in the world, 5 billion copies.  That's the Bible, the Bible. It is within reach,   but we don't extend our arms. We tend not to seek  the truth. Sadly, most people have never read it. So verse 26, God says, "For this reason,  He gave them up to vile passions."   And then He lists sins that follow some of the  most offensive, vile, and degrading things you   could imagine and it's shocking. But we begin to  notice, these are the things that our world calls   freedom. Our world calls this diversity.  Our world calls this, this is love.   In fact, our world has taken these things out of  the arena of morality. And so society today says,   oh, this isn't about morality. This is an issue  of law, because these things are good. These   things are better. They're better than just  acceptable. They're good and they're legal. And so come back to where we began. Do you accept  sin? Do you support it? Do you condone it and   excuse it. God's word says, don't go down that  path. Don't go down that path. I certainly pray   that you don't. To help be sure to get our Bible  study aid, "Are We Living in the Time of the End?"   This Bible study aid will certainly help you in  finding truth. Go to our website beyondtoday.tv,   call us at the number on your screen. We'll send  this booklet to you absolutely free. Or you can go   online, download it yourself, or read it right  there at your convenience, because it is so   critical that we recognize what's happening in our  world today. How often has that come to your mind   when you've seen the news, you've heard what's  going on. Have you thought what is going on?   You need to sort it out. So be sure and get your  copy of, "Are We Living in the Time of the End?" Now, if you need proof, there's evidence. Just  look at the opinions about same-sex marriage.   1988, only 11% of Americans supported same-sex  marriage. Fast forward about 20 years, 2009,   that number had changed to 49% approval.  Then just a few years later in 2020   the Public Religion Research Institute found that  70% of Americans now support same-sex marriage.   What's your opinion? Well, if we look at Romans  chapter one, we can certainly see God's opinion.   Verse 28 is such an amazing reminder. It says,  "Even as they did not like to retain God in   their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased  mind." That's a disgraceful mind, a shameful mind.   It says, "To do those things which are not  fitting." And here it's detailed. It's not   just a sexual thing. It says, "Being filled  with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,   wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of  envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness,   and the list goes on and on until it comes to a  significant, a convicting point. Here we see in   verse 32, it says, "Knowing the righteous judgment  of God, that those who practice such things   are deserving of death. Not only do the same,  but also approve of those who practice them." Do you approve? That's going along with it?  That's condoning it. That's excusing it.   And you see God's put America on notice.  God's put the world on notice. He says,   you've reached the point of no return. Go ahead,  go ahead, have it your way. Do what you want.   Turn your back on me and my warnings and like  ancient Israel, He says, your preoccupation   with material things, your religious  hypocrisy, your moral perverseness   has destroyed the nation. And God says, our nation  cannot, will not survive. It is a dire situation   and it just may be too late to  change the direction of the nation.   But it doesn't mean it's too late for you.  If you put up with sin, it's time to change. God gives us a call to repentance, a beautiful  call. Back in the book of Amos, He reminds us   what it should be like, what it can be like  for you. In Amos chapter 5:24, he says this,   "Let justice run down like water and let  righteousness like a mighty stream." That's   the rule. That should be the rule in our life. And  that should be the evidence that we stand against   this world's ways, because it reminds me of a  powerful waters. You think of powerful water.   You ever been to Niagara falls? There's some  powerful waters, just raging. And it seems   impossible that any force could possibly be strong  enough to stop that gigantic force of water. Yeah,   it had happened. March 30th, 1848 for 30 long  silent hours the river stopped. The falls dried   up. And there was a strange, eerie silence  that filled the air. Many people paniced,   some ran to churches to pray. Later that  evening, there was a roar that was said to have   shaken the foundations of the earth when the  solid wall of water crested to an amazing height,   curled down that channel and crashed once  again, over the falls. What had happened?   High winds. High winds had caused millions of tons  of ice on Lake Erie to become lodged at the source   of the river. It blocked the channel completely  until it finally shifted and water broke through. Now, there's an amazing lesson there for  us. God's justice. God's righteousness   may be held back for a little time, but  eventually just like the mighty Niagara,   forces will shift. That pent up weight of justice  will run down like water and righteousness,   like a mighty stream. And God calls  for that purity in you and in me   and just like that rushing water, we need to  live our life. So be sure and get our study aid,   "Are We Living in the Time of the End?" so  that you can be prepared. Call us at the number   on your screen or go to beyondtoday.tv. Because  it seems we have reached that point of no return.   We recognize that as a nation, we've come  to that point and the Bible predicts a time   when America will be no more. That's a  time that's going to affect all of us   and it's a reminder that every one of us will  stand before the judgment seat of Christ. One day, everyone, including our entire nation,  but every individual will answer to God, but you   can be ready. You don't have to live condoning  the ways of the world around us. You don't have   to go along with sin. You can be ready for that  ultimate judgment. If we're to avoid the point   of no return, remember the solution. In fact, it's  the only solution and it's a spiritual solution.   Do you know God's will? I mean, really know  it. Do you understand His word, the Bible?   Do you live by that word? Do you have a  relationship with God the father and Jesus Christ?   Do you really live His way understand His law, His  expectations, His commandments, do you live by His   direction and by His guidance? If we do that,  living God's way will automatically place us   in opposition to the philosophy of this world. It  will automatically place us on a different path   from the ways of this world and so it leads us to  stop focusing on trying to be politically correct. What do we need? We need to be biblically correct.  We need to have godly values. And so we need to do   what's right. We need to reach out and  pick up this book and begin to study it   and ask questions. What does God want for my  life? And so read your Bible, reach out. I'm   sure you have it in your home already. You can  also order our study aids. Be sure, go to our   website. You will find plenty of materials that  will help you to learn the right way to live.   So don't wait. Don't get caught up in the ways of  this world. Don't just go with the flow. Recognize   the fact that ultimate judgment is coming. So  stop thinking, I've got time. I've got time, it's   not that big. No, we've seen how fast things can  change in our world today. And so we recognize,   and God gives us this warning. Don't turn your  back on that warning. Don't be like our world.   Don't be like our nation. Look to God because if  we're to avoid the point of no return, that means   we cannot afford to take sin lightly. And so when  you see the world, when you see the selfishness,   when you see the pride and the envy and the  complacency, and you see our world condoning sin,   realize might be in me too. You see that's  the time to realize, I am at the Rubicon.   I've been flying in the wrong direction. And  so I've got to reverse. I've got to repent.   I've got to turn and choose to change because  it's not too late. It is not too late. So make   that conscious decision to never fall in line  with the values this world around us. Determine   to get close to God and He promises to give  you the power to avoid the point of no return. [Announcer] Please call for the booklet  offered on today's program, "Are We Living   in a Time of the End?" Just what are the  signs of the coming of the end of this age?   Are we close to that time now? This free study  aid will point you to the key biblical signs   leading up to Jesus Christ's  return. Order now 1-888-886-8632,   or write to the address shown on your  screen. When you order this free study aid,   we'll also send you a complimentary one year  subscription to "Beyond Today" magazine. "Beyond   Today" magazine brings you understanding  of today's world and hope for the future.   Call today to receive your free booklet, "Are  We Living in a Time of the End?" and your free   one-year subscription to "Beyond Today" magazine,  1-888-886-8632, or go online to beyondtoday.tv. Hi, I'm Gary Petty, a pastor with United  Church of God. If you're looking for a   church that encourages living with the word of  God really teaches, you found the right place.   Visit ucg.org to find a church near you.  We're looking forward to meeting you soon.
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Channel: BeyondTodayTV
Views: 1,183
Rating: 4.9238095 out of 5
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Length: 28min 23sec (1703 seconds)
Published: Mon Sep 13 2021
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