James A. McMenis | Oblivion | Part 6

we read before the prayer in 2 thessalonians chapter 2. i want to go back up here and look at this we've been in a series called oblivion oblivion what does that mean well there's two parts this to this word that we were talking about two definitions the first definition is the state of not remembering the condition of not remembering it is forgetting the lord forgetting his word and then the second part of this definition is defined as quote a state marked by lack of awareness lack of awareness which means there's things that are happening around me that i'm not aware of why because i'm asleep and the bible throughout the new testament gives this this warning of how the church in the last days and the children of god will potentially be asleep and miss what's happening now i know you're in second thessalonians chapter two so if you would stay there but last week we read from first thessalonians chapter number 5 where verse 6 says therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that be drunk are drunken in the night and how that we need to be alert and awake watching under the coming of the lord ephesians 5. i know you're in the second thessalonians i'm giving you some references ephesians 5 verse 14 and 16 says wherefore he saith awake thou that sleep us and arise from the dead and christ shall give you light verse 16 says we must redeem the time because the days are evil romans 13 verses 11 through 14 verse 11 says knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believe verse 12 says the night is far spent the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light hallelujah we're living in one of the most prophetic seasons ever spoken about in 6 000 years of human history we're living in it right now and i'm concerned that we're like what jesus spoke of in matthew 16 verse 3 when he says in the morning you say it will be foul weather today because the sky is red and lowering oh ye hypocrites you can discern the face of the sky but you're not able to discern the signs of the times the book of revelation was written to help us see the signs of the times revelation 1 verse 3 says blessed is he that reads and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written therein why for the time is at hand god is so good that he's not going to let the last days creep up on us without making us aware that they're coming he tells us this in the book of amos chapter three verses six through eight when he says shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be afraid surely the lord god will do nothing but he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets the lion has roared who will not fear the lord god hath spoken who can but prophesy what he means by this is is that his word has already declared the end from the beginning where are the prophets his word has already told us what the end was going to be where are the prophets his word has already forewarned us of days we're living in right now where are the prophets he said in amos 3 verse number 8 the lord god has spoken who can but prophesy what's he saying he's saying if if i have already spoken yet where are the prophets who are those that are giving voice to my word and do you know that's really all we need to do is to give voice to his word over our life it's really the only assignment that i have as a pastor or a preacher is to give voice to his word you as a believer have been called to preach yes you have been called to preach every believer has been called to preach you may not be called to ministry or full-time ministry but you've been called to preach and when the word of god has been spoken all i got to do is add voice to it that's what god is looking for in this generation because his word will not return unto him void here in 1st thessalonians or 2 thessalonians 2 the lord is talking about his return and our gathering together unto him too few talking too little about the return of jesus and before i go any further let me say this for every one scripture in the bible for every one scripture in the bible that would tell us that jesus was coming to die for our sins or that he came to a cross and died for our sins for every one verse that speaks of jesus's virgin birth and life and death and resurrection for every one verse that spoke of the cross there are eight verses that tell us he's coming again to establish his kingdom on this earth so you cannot believe the bible and that jesus came was born of a virgin in the city of david bethlehem walked a sinless life for 33 and a half years died on a cross was buried in a borrowed tomb and raised from the dead and ascended back to the father and became rich to all that would call upon him in faith you can't believe that and not believe that the same jesus that ascended to heaven is also coming back when the disciples stood on that mount in acts chapter 1 and they watched our lord and savior sin back to the father there were two men in white apparel standing next to the disciples and they looked back at the early church and these early apostles and this is what they said they said uh you men why stand ye gazing up into heaven why are you standing here gazing up into heaven this same jesus that has ascended to heaven is coming again in the same manner that he left what he meant was is you must be about your father's business we've got to preach this word we've got to get this message out because jesus is coming again and whether or not you believe he's coming in your lifetime or not we can all have to agree that he that we're closer to his return than we have ever been before now my objective in the word today and hopefully every time we gather is to give you as a believer to give you as a believer an opportunity to view the world through the lens of scripture to see what's going on in the world and recognize how that relates to scripture and whether that is referring to your own individual life or whether it's referring to your family or whether this is relevant to your community or to our city or to the church or the world every believer needs to be able to see their life through the lens of scripture otherwise i can't live by faith i can't live by faith if i don't know what god has said about the future i can't live by faith until i know what god has said about the future that whether that be my future or the future of of in relationship to prophecy you can't live by faith until you know what god has said about eternity and what god has said about your destiny when god came to abraham in genesis 12 15 and 17 and he says abraham i'm going to give you a son i'm going to give you a miracle son and this son is going to give birth to kings and nations will come out of this son and abraham said but father i'm old and sarah my wife is old and stricken with age and he says i will give life to sarah's womb and you will have a son and through that son there will be nations and kings and all families of the earth will be blessed with his son and that son's name was isaac in genesis 22 god tells abraham to take that same boy and to offer him up as an offering to god but the bible says on that three-day journey as abraham was heading up to that mountain to offer up this miracle son isaac that that that that he lifted up his eyes the bible says that three times that he lifted up his eyes and i believe that was metaphorically saying he had to lift up his eyes above the circumstance and situation that was surrounding him and i don't know about you but there are times in my life i've got to lift up my eyes i've got to look up above what's going on around me there's so much chaos there's so much confusion there's so much deception there's so much death there's so much brokenness there's so much pain there's so much evil in this world that if i didn't have the ability to lift up my eyes all that is around me would swallow me up and i feel like the church needs to know this thing doesn't end in defeat this thing doesn't end in defeat our lord is coming again he did not abandon us and his church has not been left here alone no no no he's left us with his spirit called a spirit of truth he has left us with his word called the word of truth so that we would always be able to lift up our eyes to be able to view the world through the lens of faith now you understand what i'm saying i can't rush this you're at the 11 30 servant i cannot rush this i had to rush 8 8-9-45 i can't rush this i must be able to view the world through the lens of eternal hope i must be able to view the world my life through the lens of scripture and with that being said i got to be real i don't know how the lost make it in this world i don't know how those without jesus in their life make it from one day to the next because no matter what i'm facing if i've got a word on that situation i'm able to view that situation through the lens of scripture i'm able to hold on to his eternal hope i'm not denying the reality of what i'm facing i'm just accepting the power of my god in it oh y'all didn't hear what i said i'm not denying the reality of what i'm facing i'm just acknowledging the power of god in this hallelujah and there's so much chaos and confusion that's going on in our world to a global scale and the curtain is steady being pulled back and folk aren't even seeing what's behind the curtain and the curtain is just stretching open and i'm concerned that many believers don't even see what's being unveiled before us but what's being unveiled before us is 6 000 years of prophecy that are being fulfilled right before our eyes and pastor tyler i'm concerned the church don't even see it that everything happening in our world and in our nation in our life it is significant and god told us there would be such times but what good would it be for god to tell me in his word what to look for in the last days if i'm not going to be in his word in the last days in other words it won't help me a closed bible can't help you a closed bible can't help you an assembly that you want a symbol in won't help you a word spoken that you won't get up under can't help you we've got to position ourselves in the assembly position myself in his word seek out his word so that i can look at my situation through spiritual eyes instead of naturalize so that i can see from a different perspective because perspective is everything you treat people the way you do based on your perspective and people treat you the way they do based on their perspective and what we've got to realize is that a person's perspective is their reality but it's not necessarily reality let me say it one more time a person's perspective is their reality but that doesn't mean it is reality so how do i navigate life in this world i'm living in how how can i have a different perspective how can i view the world differently how can i view my life difference well that's what the word of god is all about we walk by faith and not by sight see that's what the word of god is there for it gives me the right perspective it gives me a perspective and truth it lets me see the world through the lens of scripture not written by a man that has expired or died whose words are still in print no but written by god who stands outside of time that is as in much in touch with my past as he is my future and completely aware of my presence the bible and the beauty of prophecy is that it validates the integrity of this god who's outside of time he could have said the last days would be marked by whatever he wanted to market by but he has given us specific signs that he said would mark the last days signs that would be so obvious signs you couldn't overlook signs you could not mistake and they're all around us but until you get in the word you don't see them but what's interesting is you'll find people even outside of the word saying man something's happening something or something inside the subject yes i'm saying so watch this in verse number three of of second thessalonians and thank you for allowing me that long introduction but notice in verse 3 he said let no man deceive you by any means for the day the return of jesus the return that day shall not come except there come a falling away first that means i can't expect jesus to return until i see an apostasy what is an apostasy people falling away from faith people falling away from the truth people falling away from god which will ultimately lead to the man of sin or the son of perdition coming on the scene that son of perdition the word perdition is the opposite of the word salvation simplest way to define the word is the exact opposite of salvation whatever salvation means to you perdition is the opposite all right now notice if if you will in verse 3 well the first thing he says about the coming of jesus is let no man deceive you and i've been saying this again and again and again that that will mark the last day's deception like we've never seen in our lifetime jesus was asked about the last days in in matthew 24 verse 3 and the first thing he said in verse 4 was take heed that no man deceive you as if to say that that what will truly mark the end is deception so if you would turn with me from ii thessalonians and go forward and i want to go over to first timothy timothy is right behind [Music] um ii thessalonians so so go with me to first timothy and i want to show you something here and when you get over there just say amen and we'll look at it in chapter 4. first timothy chapter 4 verse 1. now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils so he's saying in the latter times men will depart from the faith go over with me to um ii timothy turn forward to second timothy chapter number three second timothy chapter three notice verse one this know also in the last days perilous times shall come troubled times shall come men shall be lovers of their own selves anytime men are obsessed with self then there's a loss of love and anytime there's the love of self it's going to always generate offense this goes back to another sign that jesus listed in matthew 24 verses 10 through 11 when he said in the last days the love of many the love of people would wax cold the love of people would wax cold and because the love of people would wax cold jesus thought in matthew 24 10 11 that offense would abound what is offense offense is when my expectations from others have not been met when you have not met my expectation and that offense generates what jesus called iniquity and what is iniquity complete lawlessness because ultimately what should keep us as law-abiding people should be our love for our neighbor and when you look at the ten commandments i know we did the recent study on this when you look at the ten commandments the the the first four all deal with my relationship with god the first four commandments are all about my love for god and honoring god when you get to the fifth commandment where god is telling parents to raise up their children to honor them and then by the time i get to the sixth commandment thou shalt not kill which is after you make that transitional commandment where parents are told how to teach their children the final five commandments won't work when the first four or first five aren't in place and what what i'm saying is is that the the reason that there had to be a commandment not to not to kill would be because men would stop loving god and loving each other if everybody loved god and loved each other you wouldn't need a commandment that says don't kill you wouldn't need a commandment that said don't steal but you have to have those commandments in place because man would move away from his love for god and then secondly move away from his love for each other we are living in a world where folks heart toward each other is so cold that people will just without any sense it makes no sense just senseless killing and we're seeing it right we've got young people toting guns shooting each other like they're living out a video game that's happening in our city right now we're seeing this our schools we can't even drop off our kids to school without worrying about a riot taking place in class that day that's the world we woke up to this morning and it's not just our city it's plaguing the nation is plaguing the world violence is everywhere why because man doesn't have a love for fellow man he's only obsessed with self oh y'all hear what i'm saying to you jesus warned us that that would be a sign of the last days verse two men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truth breakers false accusers incontented fierce despisers of those that are good any culture is established by what is disciplined and what is celebrated we woke up to a culture in our nation where what is good is discipline and what is evil is rewarded that trend will continue jesus told us it would he said there would be this day would be marked by despisers of those that are good verse 4 traitors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of god find a way to enjoy the pleasure of life not have any fear of anything when it comes to pleasure if it came to self-pleasure you all in but when it comes to god you're m.i.a because we're living in a world where pleasures are more important than god we're called up we've let the world we've let the enemy and his lies and his deception take our attention off of god and put our attention on us and that what he did to eve the only reason god doesn't want you to this tree is because this tree is good for you this street tastes good this tree feels good this tree makes you wiser smarter this dream makes you god you determine what's good you determine what's evil this tree will eliminate god in your life and that is the same tree that the enemy is trying to sell us on today lovers of pleasure is more than lovers of god i remember a few years ago my family and i we were at the roman colosseum and we had this tour guide that was toured that were leading the groups and we were looking at the coliseum i was amazed at this 55 000 seat coliseum that was built before there were cranes and equipment that we have today to think that this thing was built you know the way it was by hand but it was 55 thousand thousand seats in this roman coliseum and they had this underground where the animals would come up and i don't want to bore you with details but it was very interesting but the tour guide said this as if he was a preacher he had an ipad showing us all these images and he had even though we were at the roman coliseum he had a picture of the roman coliseum on his ipad and he said yeah he said the roman listen he said listen he said the romans had this philosophy the roman kingdom had this philosophy that to oppress people to oppress people all they had to really do was keep them fed bred and keep them entertained and they wouldn't even be aware that they were being oppressed so the call he said the coliseum was designed if you didn't pay for a ticket to come in the coliseum was designed for the romans to come into that coliseum and forget how bad off it was and so i heard this a lot last year and if you're sports fans a sports fan you've heard this too a lot of sports fans got angry when when political messages started showing up in the games we're like wait leave politics off the court leave politics off the field we don't want that infecting our field you had people get mad about whether or not you should stand for the uh national or kneel for the anthem and then that debate came in and there were many that said i don't care about the debate just get it out of sports why because for many people sports is a way to enter into a realm that's separate from everything else we're dealing with in our life and many were saying don't bring that into sports because that's my escape i'm not knocking sports because i love sports i'm a sports fan i'll be watching that game thursday night yesterday man but my point is is the guy doing the tour he he moved the screen and he said look and it was a modern day football stadium and he said look nothing's changed i said you are right and he's not even a preacher i'm thinking that's so true if you just give me a monthly check you just give me bread give me some entertainment i won't even realize you're actually oppressing me and we're living in a world of oppression there is so much that is going on in this world right now that many aren't even aware of why they're too busy entertaining themselves look go anywhere today see us him as you see or we're just entertaining ourselves we're going into a world that don't exist not for us to escape our reality but we've got to deal with this reality because we're in this reality and god chose you for such a time as this i think about hezekiah when he's talking to esther and esther's like somebody's got to stand up for the kingdom somebody's got to tell the truth they're trying to exterminate the people of god and esther was like i got to do something i just can't sit back and be silent and be mute god has filled me with his spirit and giving me his truth and i want to speak it but mordecai's like esther you do know that the king has already made a decree that if any woman walk in his chamber it doesn't matter who she is if that woman walks into his chamber without being invited she's to be executed and she said you know what whether i die or live i'm going to see the king and she walked into the king's chamber and god's favor met her there and she saved the nation but before she ever went where she did not belong where she was told not to go mordecai said however esther before i talk you out of doing this let me just say these words how do we not know that you were not born for such a time as this so we got to get our head out the pillow we've got to wake up and realize that god has has saved you for such a time as this amen what what what what watch this in verse 13. verse 13. well let me let me show you verse 12. he said yea and all that will live godly in christ jesus shall suffer persecution you can't live for jesus and win a popularity contest the reason people won't speak the truth right now is because they want everybody to speak well of them we we we've been told by society don't say anything that everybody want to prove of or we'll mute you we'll silence you but jesus said in luke 6 26 woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you for so did their fathers to false prophets so he said your fathers said all good things about false prophets so whoa when everybody only has good stuff to say about you you got to stop getting mad when somebody lies on you on the job you got to stop getting mad when somebody speaks out against you and your faith and your jesus don't worry about it you got to stop worrying about what folk are saying about you on facebook you got to be bold as a lion that's what righteous had been the righteous have been called to be i'm not telling you to go out there and try to make people not like you i'm just saying i can't compromise the truth just to satisfy what you want to hear if the truth be truth let the truth be spoken and ephesians 4 15 says speak the truth but speak it in love what verse amen so he said anybody that's going to live godly in christ is going to suffer persecution you wonder why people hate you you wonder why you go through spiritual warfare because the enemy recognizes the potential that the spirit of god has placed in you the enemy recognizes the power of god's word in you that's why jesus taught us that when we had heard the word satan comes immediately there is a war that goes on over the word of god in your life i noticed it yesterday yesterday there was a heaviness i couldn't explain yesterday i was facing this thing i couldn't see but i knew what it was it was an attack on me because of what was going to happen today and even this morning at 8 00 at 9 45 i'm not aware of anything at 11 30. yet i'll find out about it later but there's all this stuff that goes on why because a spiritual war is taking place over the souls of men and that war is a reality i don't believe in that kind of stuff i don't believe in that kind of stuff okay then don't believe that kind of staff you go home today and i'm going to give you a challenge you go home today and say i'm going to give 15 minutes to prayer and see if inside that 15 minutes you don't get distracted see if inside that 15 minutes all of a sudden things pull on you from every direction and every possible thought invades your mind why because you can watch tv without distraction you can get on your phone without distraction you can scroll instagram without distraction but you cannot get in the word of god without the enemy bringing distraction why because he knows the power of the word of god in my life set through a three-hour football game and hope it goes to overtime and can't set through an hour and a half church service because the enemy does not want me getting what matters and that's the word of god all right where am i at where am i you'll help me now verse 13 but evil men and seduce you shall wax worse and worse see it doesn't get any better deception is not going to get any better but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived and i thought i had seen it all and it hurt it all until a few weeks ago i'm watching some kind of a report or something and they put on the screen that the they had released new emojis and they released a pregnant man emoji when i saw that i said okay that's it now i have officially seen it all this don't have nothing to do with the bible he don't have nothing to do with jesus or spirituality if your natural mind can't figure out that a man can't have a baby there is something bad wrong a man cannot have a baby now see some people find what i just said offensive so much so do you realize they are changing the terminology that you can no longer say they don't want you saying pregnant woman they want us to say birthing people i saw that on the news the other day that the new line that the culture wants us to use when referring to a pregnant woman is not pregnant woman but birthing people as if anybody could be a birthing person let me help you the only people that can be birthing people are women a man cannot be a birthing person i didn't even need the bible for that and i mean that is hate if you believe that i'm trying to help you because you believe in something that's a lie you cannot be a man and say you know what i've decided i'm going to be a birthing person no god hardly determined before you were born you would not be a birthing person but who could imagine pastor tyler 50 years ago a preacher had to get in the pulpit to explain to people that men can't have babies but that's where we are right now why didn't i hear a sermon done by charles spurgeon on that why is it there's some why didn't billy graham deal with this because it wasn't even an issue in their time that's how far we've gone as a society that we think a man can have a baby when you can't name one it's not biologically possible a man don't have a womb i can't believe i'm spending so much time on this but that's the power of deception so he goes on to say in verse 14 but continue thou in the things which thou has learned and it's been assured of knowing of whom thou has learned them that from a child you've known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in christ jesus all scripture is given by inspiration of god that means the word of god is god breathed and it's profitable it's good for doctrine which means teaching reproof correction for instruction and righteousness that the man of god may be perfect and thoroughly furnished unto all good works hallelujah he's not done that big chapter 4 right there sometimes messes us up but the letter continued because in the next statement he said i charge thee i charge thee i i i i i exhort you i give you an assignment therefore before god and the lord jesus christ who shall judge the quick the life and the dead and his appearing and his kingdom preach the word preach the word be instant or ready to preach in season and out of season what does that mean preach the word when it's popular peace preach the word when it's not popular there was a time when bell-bottoms were popular i'm sure it's on its way back things come in season things go out of season there was a season for the butterfly collar i'm sure the season will come back and they already is but he's saying the word of god is not about a fashion it's always in season preach it always when folk call it popular when folk don't think it's popular preach the word reprove rebuke exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine why verse 3 for the time will come for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine in other words there will be a time when folk don't want to hear it just basic simple base uh uh sound good teaching doctrine the word doctrine just means teaching is there there will come a time when when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lust they shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears what does that mean i mean they're hopping all around trying to find somebody saying what they want to hear and you don't have to travel far because you can get on youtube and find anybody saying whatever you want to hear you can put you can use out there i promise you if you have a belief system if you want to support it you look it up on youtube you'll find somebody saying exactly what you want to hear and i don't want to be somebody as mad's voice because that's how politicians get elected they just they just speak for a group and then that group says oh finally somebody speaks for me and then they get behind it i don't i'm not a politician i'm a preacher and i don't want to preach based on what's popular i want to preach the word and i'm not saying that because i'm somebody i'm nobody i am by the grace of god i'm just saying i don't want nobody say it now i do get excited when i hear somebody say something they need to be saying like say that i don't have to know their name i can just see him on a clip on social media or i can see him on tv like yeah say that somebody need to say that yeah i get excited when somebody gets voice of what i think needs to be said but at the end of the day what if i'm off i need somebody we need somebody always in our life that's going to voice the word of god even when we don't want to hear it yeah amen because this world's so messed up we as the body of christ can easily get in our little church building and point our long self-righteous fingers at everybody else about how messed up the world is and like preach that preacher oh yes please say that pastor oh yes please deal with that preacher yes what's my neighbor here wish my core girl i wish my cousin would say no no no there's a word sometimes for you that you need that i need that's going to convict me right here right where i'm at i know the world is messed up but you know what i got my own messed up days and my own messed up thoughts i need some realignment in his word amen otherwise we become the publican that jesus spoke against that goes to the house of god and his only words are lord i thank you that i'm not like him and that's hypocrisy amen go with me to matthew 13 we'll find a closing spot matthew 13. so we're living in a day of deception it marks the last days and to give you an example of some of this revelation 12 9 says the devil who is satan was cast out but before he was cast out he deceived the whole world i think sometimes we forget that according to galatians 4 4 satan i'm sorry second corinthians 4 4. ii corinthians 4 4 that satan is the liturgy god of this world and he blinds the minds of all those that believe not i was telling somebody the other day i said you know if i were an unbeliever say i wasn't we're not a christian i didn't name the name of jesus i would think if i watched what was going on in the world i might say man there's something to this jesus guy they're like six i think i'm right on this there may be more but i think there's like six million gods in india but christ is illegal see that'd be enough tell me right there six million god's okay to worship a cow but don't worship jesus see that that if i'm an emily and i look at him like okay anyway where'd i tell you to go so satan is a deceiver when jesus cast him in the bottomless pit in revelation 20 verse 3 says that he set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more he's a deceiver he's a deceiver romans 16 18 says that anyone that speaks contrary to the doctrine of god's word should be avoided verse 18 of romans 16 says for they that are such serve not our lord jesus but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple ephesians warns us in chapter 5 verses 6 and 7 let no man deceive you with vain words and if we have someone telling us that all things are acceptable then we fall into the deception of first john 1 8 that says if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us now watch this with me in matthew chapter 13 and we'll start in verse 24 and i'm almost done another parable he put forth unto them saying the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sow good seed in his field good seed but wild men slept his enemy let me read it another way but while men slept his enemy came before i read about what the enemy did notice the language but while men slept his enemy came let's read that out loud but while men slept his enemy came when does the enemy come when i'm sleeping and i'm concerned that the church has been rocked to spiritual sleep we don't even know how bad off we are you ever have a you ever have somebody a friend or maybe a child and you knock on the door and they can't they won't wake up jesus to the laodicean church in revelation 3 is knocking but but but the church is not responding and what is said of the laodicean church in revelation 3 and i'm going to tell you what's said of them i'm almost done but what is said of the laodicean church which is the last day of church matter of fact that's the church before the rapture i believe we are living in the laodicean age i believe that we are today corporately the laodicean church and here's the problem with the laos seeing church jesus came to them and they didn't let him in why because this is what they said they said we are rich we are increased with goods we have need of nothing and jesus looked back and said you don't even know you can't see you're blind you're naked you're poor you're destitute you're broken i'm standing at the door i'm walking in but you don't think you need me that's true and i'm telling you right now even from a pastor's position that that's the mindset of many believers today is that i don't need the lord p people listen people today are experimenting they're just touching their toe they're they're coming to look to see you know like even at church they're just stepping in to see as a spectator curious minds want to know but there's no real hunger there's no real passion there's no that i'm talking about corporally speaking like lord i without you in my life i don't know what i'm going to do we're lacking in this day and age in this culture this this this beggar mindset that jesus i can't make it without you i need you i am desperate for you but today's church sits back arms folded like okay preacher say something i don't know oh i've heard that before oh i've heard that before oh uh who is this guy why is that uh see the problem is we're not desperate enough for god not man not preaching man man being desperate to god that lord without you i don't know how i'm gonna face tomorrow without you my marriage may not make it without you i don't know what i will do about raising my kids without you i don't know if i can go back to work tomorrow because that that that person i need your spirit god to feel me so i can be ready to do what i know i need to do come monday that's desperation but when you have a church that thinks they don't need nothing that's where i see it as a pastor i see a week in and week out i don't need god i don't need his word my life i got my life together and people are dipping and dabbing with jesus they tiptoe in and tiptoeing back i only know that the first beatitude the first the beatitude are the blessings that jesus gave from the sermon on the mountain i'm almost done but the first beatitude is blessed are they i'm sorry blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom blessed are the poor in spirit for this is the kingdom jesus gave all these blessings in the sermon on the mount matthew 5 starts with them blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom that word poor literally means beggar blessed are the beggars in spirit the first blessing is to the beggar which means i have to approach god i have to approach the lord if i want his blessing i approach him as a beggar that i am empty without him i am hungry without him i am thirsty without him i am naked without him i am weak without him i am homeless without him i am deceived without him i am desperate lord i need you in my life jesus said blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness they shall be filled but is today's church so full of themselves and so full of the world and so full of their phones and their televisions and what's available that we've lost our affection for the things of god and we no longer have an appetite for his word [Applause] we're asleep and so while men slept verse 25 his enemy came and sowed tears among the wheat and went his way so the service came and said lord what did you you sure you you buy that seed reliable sauce because man we planted a good seed but we planted the seed you gave us but some tares he said no no no no no no no look in verse 28. he said i'm an enemy have done this an enemy planted this terror among the wheat the servant said what do you want us to go yank up all him tears he said no you'll mess the wheat up if you try to do that he said just let the both grow together we'll separate them at the harvest we'll separate them at the harvest i'll gather the tares and burn them and i'll put the wheat in my barn verse 30. so he gives another parable in verse 31 and then in verse 33 he gives another parable and so then later that day when everyone had left the disciples came to him in verse 36. and his disciples came with him saying declare unto us the parable of the terrors they said wait a minute not so fast jesus you gave a parable there we need a little bit of a better understanding of he said okay okay he that sows the good seed is the son of man the field is the world the good seed are the children of the kingdom the tares are the children of the wicked one the enemy that sowed them is the devil and the harvest is the end of the world and the reapers are the angels as therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it be in the end of this world the son of man shall send his angels and shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth then shall the right shall shine forth as the sun and the kingdom of their father who hath ears to hear let him hear now we'll close with this statement according to this parable the closer we get to the last days the more congested the wheat and terrors will be in other words the terrors are going to start showing up in places that used to be safe and nothing but weak it'll be like a parent you know with his child and says hey uh no you're not watching that show because you've seen that show y'all with me i know i don't want that planet in you there'll come a time when there isn't anything on television didn't have terriers in a week there were those times when you you were safe to go over so and souls house but then you live in a time where they ain't safe to go nowhere there was a time when it was safe to go to certain parts of the city but then now it ain't safe to go nowhere in the city there was a time when this was safe the point i'm trying to make is the closer we get to the end the more congested the tares and the wheat are growing together and it gets to the point where there is no separating the only separating can be done by the return of the lord and i believe that's where we are right now that the only thing that can resolve the mess we're in is the return of jesus christ that he's the only one that can resolve just how congested evil has gotten among good to the point that now good is evil and evil is good there's been a redefining of weed and terror and when you get to that point you have experienced oblivion that's where we are think about it like this and set us up for next week if you go to garrison's nursery and buy you a nice flower or a plant and you take it home and you know made you a little nice flower bed put your little engine on there and then you plant that plant you come back two or three weeks later a month and all of a sudden weeds have infested all around that plant you're like man what happened what happened i didn't plant these weeds those weeds were already there because they were native in that soil what you brought in from the nursery and planted did not come natively there it was put there it was planted there you you planted it there if you want it to thrive there then you're gonna have to pull up those weeds put down some mulch water that plant you're gonna have to cultivate and really work that garden because what's natively in that soil is going to keep coming up if you don't cultivate we are living in a world where evil is native we live in a world where neat lies and deception are native it's in our culture it's in our world and here we are trying to raise our plants our children here jesus is trying to raise his plant his church his children in a world where native where evil has become native which means if i'm not intentional about truth if i'm not intentional about raising my children if i'm not intentional about my own mind before i know it i will fall back into my uh a default mindset where lust and deception and lies begin to abound i have to be intentional about not just letting any thought in my mind not allowing my mind to think about things that go against the word of god we're living in a day where it's never been more important for the church to be intentional about what we allow the planet in our lives or in the lives of our children because we are living in a culture where evil has become native and good has become foreign when used to good would have been native and evil would have been foreign the tide has shifted the oblivion has come and we got to get ready because the only answer is jesus amen let me pray for you this morning father we thank you for your word and we thank you for your spirit and i pray right now father by your spirit that you would do what no man can do what i could never do and that is to [Music] give us a conviction of what's true and if there'd be one person in this assembly if there be one person watching this simulcast that does not know your salvation that doesn't know your name and your power to save may this be the day of their salvation just for a moment because we're closing this is it search your heart if jesus returned tonight would you go with him if death came to you today would you have eternal life that's the most important question you've ever asked yourself [Music] if you were saved if you know the lord as your savior have you forgotten his his word have you forgotten his truth have you forgotten his salvation are you asleep are you aware of what's going on or are you distracted it's time for the church to rise up and be a voice and be light for those in darkness [Music] i'm going to pray a prayer and i invite you to pray this prayer with me if you've never called upon the lord i encourage you pray this prayer in faith because god is rich to all that call upon him in faith and for whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved there is salvation when you call on him i invite you to pray with me heavenly father [Music] i've seen in your word the signs that you said would come in the last days and i acknowledge i'm seeing these things in this world [Music] so i asked that by your spirit you would give me an ear to hear from your spirit that you would give me a conviction of your word and what is truth i believe jesus died for me so i asked forgiveness of my sins that you would cleanse me of all unrighteousness and then you would fill me with your spirit then i could walk in your word that i could live by faith that in the midst of this world i would be able to lift up my eyes above my circumstances and see how you're working see your truth and to live by faith i ask that you would use my life as light in the darkness truth in the midst of deception that you would use me to advance your kingdom and to bring you glory in jesus name amen [Music]

Channel: WOGM

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Id: ZuY-9rMMrzY

Length: 55min 33sec (3333 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 08 2021