Participants: John Dinzey
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000164A
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00:20 Hello and welcome to A Sharper Focus.
00:23 We welcome you to this Bible study 00:26 that we hope you will join us 00:28 with your Bible open or with your device 00:31 to follow along as we study God's Word together. 00:34 We are in the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:37 also known as the 3ABN Worship Center 00:40 located in Thompsonville, Illinois, 00:43 Route 149, West Frankfort, 00:44 just as you get near to Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:47 And you're welcome to join us every Wednesday at 7:00pm 00:51 here in the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:55 Normally, it's a Bible study, 00:57 and we encourage you to follow along. 01:00 And Pastor Lomacang was not able to be here. 01:03 And the study that he is on will continue 01:07 the next time he is available. 01:09 But we want to ask you to join us now for prayer 01:12 because we're gonna study a topic 01:14 that is worthy of our attention 01:16 due to the fact that we are living in times 01:18 when there's evil everywhere 01:20 and we want to see 01:21 what the Bible says concerning this. 01:23 So let's go to the Lord in prayer. 01:26 Our loving heavenly Father, we come to You in Jesus' name. 01:30 And we pray that You will bless us as we study together. 01:34 Those of us that are present and those that are joining 01:37 wherever they may be in the world, be it by radio, 01:40 television, internet, 01:42 or whatever means they have available to view, listen, 01:46 and watch this program. 01:48 We ask You, Father, to bless us as we study, 01:50 bless me with Your Holy Spirit. 01:51 I lay myself aside and ask that You will speak to Your children 01:55 that every word will come from Your throne of grace. 01:57 And we pray that in all things Your name will be glorified 02:00 and we will be drawn to Christ in Jesus' name. 02:03 Amen, amen. 02:05 Well, today's study takes us into the world of the unseen 02:10 if I may say it that way. 02:12 The Bible talks about angels 02:14 and it mentions good angels and bad angels, 02:17 and we're going to look into this 02:20 because there are people that do not believe in angels 02:23 and there are people that worship angels, 02:25 should angels be worshipped. 02:26 The Bible does not say that angels should be worshipped. 02:29 In fact, angels say you should worship God. 02:32 And so we want to study this because there are people 02:36 that do not believe there is a real devil 02:38 and that there are devils 02:39 going around causing trouble in this world. 02:42 And there are, there are devils. 02:45 But let's look into the Bible 02:46 to see what it says about angels. 02:48 We're not going to do a deep study 02:50 into as far as what kind of angels, 02:54 we're just going to talk about 02:55 the good angels and the bad angels 02:57 because our focus is to reveal 02:59 what the Bible says concerning the evil angels 03:01 and the work that they are doing. 03:03 We will begin our study with Psalms 103, Psalms 103. 03:09 And we are going to look at verses 20 and 21 to begin with. 03:14 Psalms 103:20, 21, 03:17 and this is what the Bible says. 03:21 "Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, 03:26 that do His commandments, 03:28 hearkening unto the voice of His word. 03:30 Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts, 03:33 ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure." 03:37 This is a wonderful passage in the Bible 03:39 because it lets us know that even the angels 03:42 obey God's commandments. 03:44 You see, God wants us to obey His commandments 03:47 because we love Him. 03:49 And this is why Jesus says in John 14:15, 03:52 "If you love me, keep my commandments." 03:55 And you see the angels themselves, 03:57 they live by the great principles 04:00 established by God in Matthew 22 04:03 that we are to love the Lord with all of our heart, 04:05 with all of our soul, with all of our mind, 04:07 and that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. 04:11 Let's look into another passage 04:12 that helps us understand a little bit about the angels 04:15 and when, whether or not they existed 04:19 before people were created. 04:22 For this we go to Job 38:4-7, 04:27 Job 38:4-7. 04:32 Here we go. 04:34 And here are some questions that God had for Job. 04:37 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? 04:42 Tell me, if you have understanding. 04:44 Who determined the measurements? 04:46 Surely you know! 04:48 Or who stretched the line upon it? 04:52 To what were its foundation fastened? 04:54 Or who laid its cornerstone, 04:57 when the morning stars sang together, 05:01 and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" 05:05 These morning stars that are mentioned here 05:08 are angels is what we understand. 05:11 And it says here that they shouted for joy 05:15 and sang praises to God 05:17 when the foundation of the earth was laid. 05:21 In other words, they existed before the earth was created. 05:26 The Bible doesn't tell us when the angels were created 05:30 but we know they existed 05:31 before the people on this earth. 05:35 But now we go into a scripture 05:39 that helps us understand a little bit 05:42 about the difference between human beings and angels. 05:47 For this we go to the book of Hebrews 2, 05:51 the book of Hebrews 2. 05:52 And this actually you can find almost identical words 05:57 in the book of Psalms 8, but we're going to Hebrews 2. 06:02 Hebrews 2, and we're going to read verses 6 and 7. 06:08 Here we go. 06:09 It says, "But one testified in a certain place, saying, 06:17 'What is man that You are mindful of him, 06:20 or the son of man that You take care of him? 06:24 You have made him a little lower than the angels, 06:28 you have crowned him with glory and honor, 06:30 and set him over the works of Your hands." 06:33 You may also find something similar in Psalms 8:4 and 5. 06:37 So here it says that God made us men and women 06:42 a little lower than the angels. 06:45 When it says a little lower than the angels, 06:47 it's talking about intellectual capacity, 06:50 strength, and ability. 06:52 For us, at this moment in time, 06:54 because of sin entering into the world, 06:57 our eyes cannot see the angels 06:59 unless God allows them to reveal themselves to us. 07:04 For now, you may be there 07:06 and angels will be guarding you, 07:09 and you will not see them. 07:11 And so these angels, 07:13 the Bible says that they excel in strength, 07:15 and Bible says that they are made higher than us. 07:18 And so for this reason, 07:20 we need to be respectful of the one 07:23 that the Bible says Lucifer who was wise, 07:27 very wise among the angels and is very deceptive. 07:31 So let's look into now what happened eventually. 07:36 We're not going to dwell too much 07:38 as far as the how Lucifer became Satan. 07:42 But let's go to Revelation 12:7 and 9 07:45 that reveals that Lucifer 07:47 eventually rebelled against God. 07:50 In Revelation 12, 07:52 we're going to begin reading in verse 7. 07:55 Revelation 12:7, if you found this say, amen. 07:58 Amen. Amen. 07:59 "And there was war in heaven," actually I'm reading, yes, 08:04 verse 7. 08:06 "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought 08:08 against the dragon, 08:10 and the dragon fought and his angels." 08:12 And the Bible says, "And prevailed not 08:15 neither was there place found any more in heaven." 08:19 So what happened here is that these angels 08:24 that rebelled against God, it says here, 08:27 they did not prevail, they were not victorious. 08:30 Because of this, they were cast out. 08:34 And not only were they cast out, 08:35 but they could not go back to their place. 08:37 Their place was not found anymore in heaven. 08:40 Now look at verse 9, "And the dragon was cast out, 08:43 that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, 08:48 which deceiveth the whole world, 08:50 he was cast out into the earth, 08:52 and his angels were cast out with him." 08:55 And so eventually after Adam and Eve sinned, 08:57 this was their home. 09:00 We don't have time to explain that 09:02 but eventually after Adam and Eve sinned, 09:05 this place became their home. 09:06 So we understand from the scriptures 09:09 that Satan and his angels are here 09:12 and they have been here since Adam and Eve sinned. 09:15 So what are we to do? 09:17 What do they look like? 09:18 The Bible doesn't describe their physical appearance, 09:23 but some people have taken to task 09:25 to paint pictures of the devil. 09:27 And I'm sure you've seen these pictures of the devil 09:30 that he's red with horns 09:31 and some paint them with a little gold teeth, 09:34 and different place, 09:36 and that he has a tail with a little arrow 09:38 looking point at the end. 09:41 Does the devil look like that? 09:43 Remember that he was a fallen angel, 09:46 he's a fallen angel, 09:48 therefore he does not look like the animal 09:50 they paint him to be. 09:53 And I would say to you that the Bible reveals, 09:56 and we'll see that in a moment, 09:57 that he's able to transform himself into an angel of light. 10:01 In other words, he's able to take the appearance 10:05 somewhat like he was before. 10:08 He has lost some of that light, 10:09 you see, he's not near God anymore, 10:12 so the glory that he once had is no longer with him. 10:17 But let's look to see 10:19 what happened here in Revelation 12, 10:23 we continue with verse 10. 10:24 The Bible says, "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 10:27 Now is come salvation, and strength, 10:29 and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ, 10:33 for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, 10:37 which accused them before our God day and night. 10:41 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb 10:43 and by the word of their testimony, 10:45 and they loved not their lives unto the death. 10:48 Therefore rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them. 10:51 Woe to the inhabiters of the earth 10:54 and of the sea for the devil is come down 10:58 unto you having great wrath 11:00 because he knows that he has but a short time." 11:04 So we have here in this passage of scripture 11:08 rejoicing in heaven 11:09 because that devil was cast out and cast down to the earth. 11:13 However, there is a warning for us, 11:16 it says, woe to the inhabiters or in other words, 11:19 the inhabitants of the earth. 11:21 Why? 11:22 Because the devil is extremely happy 11:24 and he wants to make you happy. 11:25 No, it says that he has, what kind of wrath? 11:28 Great wrath. He's extremely angry. 11:31 Why is he angry? 11:33 Because he knows he has a short time. 11:34 A short time for what? 11:37 A short time to reveal who he is, 11:40 to reveal what kind of kingdom he would have upon this world 11:45 and to do the work that he believes 11:49 he should do as the devil. 11:50 What kind of work does he do as the devil? 11:53 Well, it says he's very angry 11:54 so that means he's not gonna treat you well. 11:56 Do you know anyone 11:58 that has been angry and treated you well? 12:00 You probably don't. 12:01 They either yell at you or hurt you in some way. 12:05 And so the devil has great wrath 12:08 and he's out to kill, to steal, and to destroy. 12:14 I would like to talk a little bit about the angels 12:17 and then the amount of angels, 12:20 the Bible doesn't reveal 12:22 the amount of angels that exist, 12:24 but there's a scripture that helps us understand 12:27 that there are millions upon millions of them. 12:30 A couple of scriptures, there's one in Daniel, 12:32 we're gonna look at one in Revelation, 12:34 Revelation 5 now, Revelation 5:11. 12:38 I usually like to, when I'm preaching in the church, 12:40 I like to have the people read, 12:41 but since you don't have microphones 12:43 we'll have to, I will have to read myself. 12:45 Revelation 5:11. 12:50 Revelation 5:11, the Bible says, 12:53 "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels 12:57 around about the throne 12:58 and the beasts and the elders, 13:00 and the number of them was 13:02 ten thousand times ten thousand, 13:05 and thousands of thousands." 13:07 Question, 13:08 how many is ten thousand times ten thousand? 13:11 Is anybody a good mathematician here? 13:13 A hundred million. A hundred million. 13:16 And then it states that there are thousands of thousands. 13:22 So if there's just a hundred million 13:24 in the expression ten thousand times ten thousand 13:27 and then thousands of thousands, 13:29 it's a number that we do not know of. 13:32 Many angels. 13:35 So we ask ourselves how many evil angels are there. 13:41 Well, we go to Revelation 12, 13:44 we go back there to find out a little bit about this. 13:47 Revelation 12:4 reveals to us 13:51 that of the angels that were in heaven 13:53 "One third of them, 13:55 one third of them rebelled against God." 13:58 So when you go to Revelation 5:11, it says... 14:03 No, I'm sorry, Revelation 12:4, it says, concerning the devil, 14:07 "And his tail drew 14:09 the third part of the stars of heaven, 14:11 and did cast them to the earth. 14:13 And the dragon stood before the woman 14:15 which was ready to be delivered 14:18 to devour her child as soon as it was born." 14:22 You see very quickly there in Revelation 12 14:24 as you begin reading verse 1 14:26 that the narrative as it continues it shows you 14:29 that the devil he is out to destroy. 14:31 He is out, it shows him trying to destroy the man-child 14:36 that was caught up to the throne of God 14:37 which is Jesus Christ 14:39 because he was not successful, 14:40 then he goes after the woman it states in Revelation 12 14:44 which is a symbol of the church. 14:46 And so if you are a Christian, the devil is out to get you. 14:50 And so it says woe to the inhabitants of the earth, 14:52 he's out to get anyone he can 14:54 but specifically he wants to destroy the Christians. 14:57 Why is that? 14:58 Because the Christians want to follow God, 15:01 they love God and want to serve Him, 15:02 and he's trying to stop them from serving Him 15:05 and he will try whatever he can to do this. 15:08 He will try to lead them astray through temptations, 15:11 to enjoy the wicked things of this world, 15:14 or he's gonna try to deceive them 15:16 into believing that God is not good. 15:18 And so the devil will use whatever he can. 15:20 It is a terrible thing 15:22 when the enemy that tries to destroy you 15:25 tries to destroy you with things that you like. 15:28 Isn't that terrible 15:30 that the devil would do such a thing? 15:32 You know, usually when if one nation is fighting 15:35 against another nation, they're shooting bullets, 15:37 they're throwing bombs, they're throwing grenades, 15:43 fire, chemical weapons, 15:45 and, you know, they're out to hurt you. 15:48 But isn't it terrible 15:50 when somebody comes with flowers, 15:52 with candy, or something else that either looks good, 15:57 tastes good, or feels good 15:59 because the ultimate thing 16:01 behind the deception is to destroy you? 16:05 And that is a terrible thing. 16:06 So we cannot trust in the devil 16:08 because he is a liar and he is a deceiver. 16:11 We read in Revelation 12 that he deceiveth the whole world. 16:15 Question, do we have evidence of the devil deceiving people? 16:20 Yes, the Bible reveals that he deceived Adam and Eve, 16:24 and therefore Adam and Eve, I would say to you, 16:28 were a lot smarter than we are 16:31 because they were created perfect. 16:34 We are the descendants of Adam and Eve 16:36 after they sinned and therefore our capacity 16:40 to evaluate things is diminished 16:42 because of sin. 16:44 So we are really no match for the devil. 16:46 We need the Lord to help us 16:48 to be able to understand 16:50 that the devil is trying to deceive us. 16:52 Now I have some good news for you. 16:55 So when you look at one third of the angels 16:57 that were deceived 16:58 and if you take the figure 100 million, 17:02 what's one third of 100 million? 17:03 So you begin to get an idea that there are many evil angels 17:08 because this says, 17:09 ten thousand times ten thousands 17:11 and thousands of thousands, 17:13 so we don't know how many evil angels there are 17:15 but there certainly seems to be a whole lot of them 17:19 because they seem to be causing trouble everywhere. 17:22 Have you seen that happening? 17:24 Yesterday, we heard of some terrible, terrible things. 17:27 We heard of some people that burned 19 young ladies. 17:33 They burned these 19 young ladies, 17:36 and I'm sorry to bring this to you 17:37 because I don't like to hear these type of things, 17:39 but they burned them 17:41 because they refuse to be their sex slaves. 17:44 Now you ask yourself is this the kind of behavior 17:49 that is of God or of the devil? 17:52 This is behavior that is of the devil 17:54 because the devil is out to kill, 17:55 to steal, and to destroy. 17:57 And those that identify with him 17:59 are doing the things that cause harm to others. 18:02 So we need to be very, very careful. 18:04 So we see here and you hear, 18:06 you've heard of wars and people destroying 18:10 and hurting people in different ways, 18:12 so we are living in very, very dangerous times. 18:15 So now I told you we have good news. 18:17 So let's talk about the good news. 18:19 In Psalms 34:7, we have some good news for you. 18:22 Psalms 34:7 and I believe that some will know 18:27 or at least know part of this verse 18:29 as we began to read it. 18:30 I can pretty much quote it 18:33 because one of the verses is on my list of favorites 18:37 if you want to say it that way. 18:39 The Bible says in Psalms 34:7, 18:41 "The angel of the Lord encampeth 18:44 round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." 18:48 You know, I like that because it says, 18:51 it doesn't say he's just standing around you, 18:53 it says, he encampeth round about you 18:55 as if he had a permanent place with you. 19:00 Isn't that wonderful? 19:01 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 19:04 that fear him and delivereth them. 19:05 His job is to deliver you 19:07 from the evil things that devil wants to do to you. 19:10 Praise the Lord. 19:11 Would you say Praise the Lord to that? 19:12 Praise the Lord. And God is good. 19:14 You see, God will not allow the devil 19:18 to do to you everything that he wants to do to you. 19:21 If the Lord allows the devil to do everything 19:23 he wants to do to you, 19:25 you would be dead already because he wants to kill, 19:28 to steal, and to destroy. 19:31 And I can probably, I'm sure I can ask this question. 19:35 How many of you have been near death? 19:38 At one point or another, 19:39 maybe an accident or some disease, 19:41 how many of you thought you could possibly have died 19:43 in the past? 19:45 Probably, most of you here. 19:46 And so we see that it is good for the Lord to protect us. 19:51 And so you have no idea, 19:53 we have no idea 19:54 how many times the devil has asked for permission 19:57 to kill you off, 19:59 but thank God, we're all here. 20:01 Praise the Lord. Amen. Praise the Lord. 20:03 So the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 20:07 that fear him and delivereth them. 20:08 So people call these guardian angels. 20:12 Let's go to Matthew 18, 20:14 this is one of the closest verses that helps us understand 20:17 that we have guardian angels. 20:20 It is Psalm 18:10. 20:23 I'm sorry, Matthew 18:10. 20:28 And the Bible says the following, 20:31 "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones," 20:36 he's talking about the children, 20:38 "for I say unto you that in heaven 20:40 their angels do always behold the face of my Father 20:46 which is in heaven." 20:47 Praise the Lord. 20:49 So we see here that the angels 20:53 that watch over these children 20:54 also behold the face of the Father, 20:57 God the Father. 20:59 So we understand that we have guardian angels 21:01 and we praise the Lord for that 21:02 because the devil would have killed us off 21:04 a long time ago. 21:05 And I say to you that you will live 21:09 as long as the Lord intends you to live as long as you follow 21:15 and obey him because it is a reality. 21:17 The Bible says that ask the question, 21:20 "Why will you die before the time?" 21:23 It's a very interesting question the Bible asks, 21:25 "Why will you die before the time?" 21:27 So how is it that people can die before their time? 21:30 Well, they can eat bad things. 21:33 They can put themselves in unnecessary danger. 21:36 Is that true? 21:38 Has anybody ever, anybody here ever placed themselves 21:40 in unnecessary danger 21:41 and had to ask the Lord please help me. 21:43 I see some people nodding their heads. 21:46 So you see you can die before the time. 21:48 The Bible talks about that 21:50 because of sin that most people live fourscore and ten years, 21:55 what is it, not fourscore and ten, yeah, fourscore, 21:58 about 80 something years old, 21:59 the average individual should live. 22:02 Threescore. 22:04 Thank you very much. 22:05 So anyway, as we have here, 22:07 the Bible tells us that the Lord protects us 22:10 and I say amen to that. 22:12 The time is advancing quickly, so let's move on. 22:15 Let's talk a little bit about the contrast between Jesus, 22:19 God, and the devil, and what he wants to do. 22:24 What does the Bible tell us, 22:25 the Bible tells us that God is love. 22:27 In John 3:16, 22:29 the Bible tells us that God loves us. 22:31 It says that "God so loved the world 22:34 that He gave His only begotten Son 22:36 that whosoever," what, 22:38 "believeth in Him should not perish," 22:41 which means die, "but have everlasting life." 22:44 So this is what God is like. 22:46 And notice the following verse, Jesus says in verse 17, 22:50 "For God sent not his Son 22:52 into the world to condemn the world 22:54 but that the world through him might be saved." 22:59 So I say that's good news. 23:01 I rather be on God's side 23:03 because He wants to give me eternal life, 23:05 He wants to give you eternal life. 23:07 Notice in Luke 19:10, Luke 19:10. 23:12 I may have to resort to just reading them off my notes 23:15 because we may not have time to look all the verses up. 23:17 Luke 19:10, 23:19 "For the Son of man is come 23:21 to seek and to save that which was lost." 23:26 So does the Lord have good news for us? 23:28 Yes, the Lord has good news for us. 23:31 Now let's think about the devil just for a moment. 23:33 Don't dwell on it. 23:34 We already read in Revelation 12 23:36 that the devil has great wrath. 23:39 And he knows he has a short time 23:41 and he goes to make war against God's children 23:44 if you keep reading in Revelation 12. 23:46 He goes to make war with the remnant of her seed, 23:48 those that keep the commandments of God 23:50 and have the faith of Jesus. 23:52 So you see he believes he has no time to lose. 23:56 The devil is... 23:57 He doesn't take vacations. 24:00 He continues day in and day out trying to destroy people. 24:04 And one of the things he does is try to destroy those people 24:07 that have influence for good upon others. 24:11 Who are these people? These are the Christians. 24:13 They are an influence for good in the world. 24:15 So he's going to try to lead them astray, 24:17 to lead them into sin, to lead them to forget God, 24:21 to lead them away from reading the Bible, 24:23 to really lead them away from praying 24:26 because he knows that when he can keep you, 24:29 he cannot force you, 24:31 but when he can distract you from reading the Bible, 24:34 from praying, 24:36 you are disconnecting yourself from the source of strength, 24:41 our source of strength, which is God. 24:43 And see we need to have a vital connection with God 24:46 just as Jesus said that we are to be... 24:48 He is the vine and we are the branches 24:50 attached to Jesus with a connection 24:53 that is not to be severed by anyone or anything. 24:57 So let's look at some scriptures 24:59 that help us understand 25:00 some of the things the devil wants to do. 25:02 In Luke 19, I'm in Luke 19, I'm gonna read verse 10. 25:06 The Bible says, "For the Son of man is come 25:09 to seek and to save that which was lost." 25:11 Now I'm going to John 10:10, we already read Luke 19:10. 25:16 John 10:10. 25:17 In John 10:10, Jesus reveals something to us. 25:22 The Bible says, "The thief," that is the devil in this case, 25:25 "cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. 25:30 I am come that they might have life 25:33 and that they might have it more abundantly." 25:36 A contrast is drawn here 25:37 between the devil and Jesus Christ. 25:40 Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly 25:42 while the devil comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy. 25:48 And so we need to keep away from him. 25:51 We are in John 10. 25:53 Let's go to John 8:44, John 8:44. 25:59 "Ye are of your father the devil," 26:01 Jesus is speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, 26:04 "and the lusts of your father ye will do." 26:07 Does the devil have lusts? 26:08 Oh, yes. 26:10 "The lusts of your father ye will do. 26:12 He was a murderer from the beginning 26:15 and abode not in the truth 26:18 because there is no truth in him. 26:20 When he speaketh a lie, 26:22 he speaketh of his own for he is a liar 26:24 and the father of it." 26:27 So we see here in this scripture 26:28 Jesus says that devil is a murderer. 26:32 So if he is a murderer, should we associate with him? 26:35 Should we look for the devil? 26:37 Should we try to make friends with him? 26:40 Should we try to enjoy ourselves 26:42 with the things he has to offer? 26:43 No, because he is a murderer and a liar, 26:46 and he is trying to entice you into his territory 26:50 so that he can destroy you. 26:53 And so Jesus came to give us life 26:55 and life more abundantly. 26:58 Furthermore in 1 Peter 5, in 1 Peter 5, 27:02 the Bible reveals to us 27:04 something that we are familiar with 27:07 and gives us an understanding that the devil is like that, 27:12 the devil is like that. 27:14 You know, when you go to the zoo, 27:15 you see certain animals kept in cages, 27:21 pretty strong cages, 27:22 and there's a distance between them and us 27:25 or there's glass between them and us. 27:27 One of those creatures is the lion. 27:30 Now it's interesting some people have tamed lions 27:33 and I've seen them even put 27:34 their videos or pictures of them 27:37 putting their heads inside lions. 27:39 But there's one lion that you are not able to tame 27:41 and that is the devil. 27:43 The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:6 and 7, 27:48 chapter 5 beginning verse 6. 27:50 "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, 27:53 that He may exalt you in due time. 27:56 Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." 27:59 Is that good news? 28:00 God cares for us. But notice verse 8. 28:05 "Be sober, be vigilant 28:07 because your adversary the devil, 28:09 as a roaring lion, walketh about, 28:12 seeking whom he may tickle." 28:15 It doesn't say tickle, does it? 28:17 "Seeking whom he may devour." 28:20 That's what he wants to do, seeking whom he may destroy. 28:24 So shall we make friends with the devil? 28:27 No. Shall we associate with him? 28:28 No. 28:30 Because his mission is to devour us, destroy us. 28:34 And so we need to keep away from him. 28:38 In so much as the Bible describes him 28:40 as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, 28:44 he may not always come as a roaring lion. 28:50 Let's look at 2 Corinthians 11:14, 28:55 2 Corinthians 11:14. 28:58 Now this is a scripture 29:01 that for those that have not read it should open their eyes. 29:05 2 Corinthians 11:14, 29:08 "And no marvel, for Satan himself 29:11 is transformed into an angel of light." 29:17 Wow! 29:19 Think about that for a moment. 29:21 He is so deceptive 29:23 that he may transform himself into an angel of light 29:27 for the purpose of deceiving you to listen to him, 29:32 to follow his suggestions 29:35 just so that he can destroy you in some way. 29:38 So if he is coming to us as an angel of light, 29:43 how can we defend ourselves? 29:45 When we see him, we're going to say, "Wow! 29:47 It's an angel." 29:49 And we think here's a message from heaven for us. 29:53 So what are we to do 29:55 when the devil presents himself as an angel of light? 30:01 Well, this is why it's important for us 30:04 to read the scriptures and understand, 30:08 ask the Lord to help us understand the scriptures 30:10 because when he comes as an angel of light, 30:15 he's going to try to deceive you 30:16 from separating yourself from a thus saith the Lord. 30:21 And as you know, you can see, this is in Matthew 4, 30:26 when the devil came to tempt Jesus, 30:29 he quoted what? 30:31 Scripture. 30:33 So you see, he may quote scripture 30:35 but leave some part out and change the second part. 30:39 So we need to be careful, we need to understand, 30:42 read and understand the scripture, 30:44 ask the Lord to help us understand. 30:45 So how do we protect ourselves? 30:48 The Bible says in Isaiah 8:20, 30:50 "To the law and to the testimony, 30:54 if they speak not according to this, 30:57 it is because there is no light in them." 31:01 So through the law, 31:02 and he's making reference 31:03 to the first five books of the Bible, 31:06 and to the testimony, the testimony of scripture, 31:08 the rest of the scriptures, 31:09 if they do not speak according to this, 31:12 it's because there is no light in them. 31:14 And this goes for the devil himself 31:16 and those that would be used by him 31:19 and in this those that would be used by him 31:21 are just above anybody else 31:25 because the devil can use people 31:31 and the devil can use people to try to deceive us as well. 31:35 Unfortunately, the devil is so deceptive 31:38 that he may use friends and family 31:42 and they may think they're trying to do you good 31:45 but they do not know 31:46 that the devil has somehow confused their mind 31:48 and they may tell you something 31:51 that they think, this is for your own good. 31:53 But if they do not speak according to the Word of God, 31:57 it is an error to follow what that person is saying 32:00 or what the devil is saying. 32:02 So our only safety is to compare the things 32:06 with the scriptures. 32:08 Time is flying, and so we must move on. 32:10 Let's look a little bit into Genesis 3:13. 32:14 I will read this for you, 32:16 "And the Lord God said unto the woman, 32:18 what is this that you have done?" 32:19 This is God talking to Eve after she sinned. 32:21 "The woman said the serpent beguiled me and I ate." 32:27 In the New King James it says, 32:28 "The serpent deceived me and I ate." 32:32 Afterward she realized that she was deceived. 32:36 During the time that the devil was talking to her 32:38 as a serpent, 32:40 she did not know she was being deceived. 32:42 She actually evaluated what the devil said 32:44 and thought it was a good thing. 32:47 She said, she looked at the fruit, 32:49 "Oh, this is a fruit to make me wise." 32:51 And she took of it and ate. 32:54 So you see the devil can deceive. 32:57 The word for beguiled is the word deceive 33:00 in Hebrews pretty plain. 33:02 So the devil can deceive if he deceived Eve, 33:04 and I'll tell you, 33:05 Eve is a lot smarter than anybody in this room. 33:09 She was deceived by the devil. 33:11 As a matter of fact, the devil is so deceptive 33:14 that he deceived a third of the angels. 33:16 So we really are no match for him. 33:18 We really need the Lord to discern 33:20 what is truth and what is error. 33:24 So the last scripture we were talking about was what, 33:27 Genesis what? 33:29 Chapter 3. 33:32 I like to read to you from a book Selected Messages 33:36 Volume 2, page 352. 33:40 "Satan often finds a powerful agency for evil 33:45 in the power which one human mind 33:48 is capable of exerting on another human mind. 33:52 This influence is so seductive 33:55 that the person who is being molded by it 33:58 is often unconscious of its power. 34:01 God has bidden me to speak concerning against this evil." 34:05 So after Eve sinned, 34:10 she became an agent of the devil. 34:12 What is it that she does? 34:14 Does she go out looking for Adam to warn him? 34:18 I ate of the fruit, don't eat of this fruit, 34:20 it's horrible, I am worse off than I was. 34:23 No, she took up the fruit and offered it to Adam. 34:28 And so she became an agent of the devil 34:31 and gave some fruit to Adam. 34:33 Adam evaluated the situation. 34:35 He knew it was the forbidden fruit, 34:38 but he ate of it anyway. 34:42 We don't have time to dwell on that, 34:43 but his sin is perhaps greater than Eve's sin 34:48 because he knew that she had done the wrong thing. 34:51 But again, I say to you the power of mind upon mind, 34:56 when the devil uses someone else, 34:58 it may be a stronger influence for us to do wrong 35:02 than if we were evaluating things on our own. 35:07 Question, there are things 35:10 as well that the devil uses called peer pressure. 35:14 Have you ever heard of peer pressure? 35:16 Anybody ever have peer pressure? 35:19 When others around you are saying, yes, let's do this, 35:21 let's do this. 35:22 I remember as young person 35:23 I was taken in by peer pressure at one time 35:28 and I realized that I was going down the wrong thing. 35:31 I said, "I need to back out, back away from this." 35:34 And I praised the Lord for His goodness. 35:37 So peer pressure, 35:38 people being swayed by what others are doing. 35:42 Let's go to 1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles 21, 35:47 1 Chronicles 21:1, 35:51 "And Satan stood up against Israel 35:53 and provoked David to number Israel." 35:58 This is Satan working directly upon King David. 36:02 What did David do? 36:04 He numbered the people. 36:05 And when it says provoked, 36:07 this is the word soothe in Hebrew 36:10 and it means to persuade to move upon him 36:15 and to seduce him. 36:17 So David began to analyze 36:19 the idea of numbering the people 36:21 and he thought it was a good thing 36:23 and he numbered the people, and it was a sin 36:25 because the Lord had told them not to number the people. 36:30 So there's a danger of being deceived by the devil. 36:34 We're all in danger of being deceived by the devil. 36:36 Our only safety is to hear the knock of Jesus. 36:42 "Behold, I stand at the door," Revelation 3:20, 36:46 "and knock, if any man hears my voice 36:48 and opens the door, 36:50 I will come into him and sup with him, 36:52 and he with me." 36:53 Our only safety is allowing Jesus to come into our heart 36:57 so that the Lord Jesus 36:59 can guide us and help us understand 37:02 when we are in danger. 37:04 You know, it's very interesting 37:07 that some people have felt a cold chill 37:11 when they feel evil is around them. 37:14 The devil, you can feel evil influences. 37:18 Have you ever come into a room and felt peace? 37:22 Anybody here? I see some heads nodding. 37:24 Yes, I have come into a room and felt, 37:26 hey, there's peace in this room. 37:28 But you can also go some places 37:30 and you feel something is not right here. 37:34 And so we need to give heed to those things. 37:38 Let's go quickly to some scriptures 37:40 that will help us understand how the devil works. 37:42 In John 13:2, John 13:2. 37:46 The Bible says, "And supper being ended, 37:48 the devil having now 37:50 put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, 37:52 Simon's son, to betray him." 37:56 That's all we're going to read. 37:58 That's John 13:2. 38:01 The reason I'm quoting this scripture 38:03 is to help you understand 38:04 that the devil can put thoughts into your mind. 38:08 The devil can put thoughts into your mind. 38:10 Question, is it a sin to be tempted? 38:12 No. No, it's not a sin to be tempted. 38:14 Jesus Christ was tempted, 38:16 but it's a sin to fall into temptation. 38:20 So even though the devil can put thoughts into your mind, 38:23 it is your choice what to do with those thoughts, isn't it? 38:27 You still have a choice and you can dismiss the thought 38:31 and choose to think on good things. 38:33 Now Judas, the devil was working on him, 38:38 working on him, working on him. 38:40 It wasn't an overnight thing that Judas turned to evil. 38:45 And I can guarantee to you 38:47 that Jesus tried to help Judas understand 38:52 that he was in danger of being deceived. 38:55 You know, as you analyze the scriptures 38:57 and you start looking through them, 38:59 if you did not know from beforehand 39:01 that it would be Judas betraying Jesus, 39:04 you might think that Peter 39:06 would be the one betraying Jesus. 39:08 Because there's a point in time, 39:09 I think we may read that if we have time. 39:11 There's a point in time 39:13 that Jesus began to say to the disciples, 39:16 I will soon go to Jerusalem and I will be betrayed, 39:21 and I will be crucified. 39:23 And Peter grabs him 39:24 and he says, Lord, this is not going to happen to him, 39:27 rebuking Jesus. 39:28 And what does Jesus say to Peter? 39:30 "Get thee behind me, Satan." 39:34 So you can say, well, maybe Peter is the guy 39:36 that's going to deceive Jesus or betray Jesus. 39:39 But Judas is pretty silent in the scriptures up 39:43 until the moment of the end of his life, 39:46 of the life of Jesus, and then he takes action. 39:49 You see God works on people, and I'll say this to you. 39:53 If you've ever seen somebody fall into some great sin, 39:58 the person does not fall suddenly into great sin. 40:01 He has taken little baby steps, 40:03 little baby steps to get to that great sin 40:06 because the devil does that. 40:09 Takes little baby steps, little baby steps, 40:11 and finally when the person falls into that sin, 40:14 it's because he has consented to the little things, 40:17 into the little things 40:18 and a great fall comes upon the person 40:20 because they gave in. 40:22 And this is what happened to Judas. 40:25 You see, Satan is very deceptive. 40:27 I'm going to read to you 40:29 from the book Great Controversy 528. 40:33 It says, "Satan can present a counterfeit 40:36 so closely resembling the truth that it deceives those 40:41 who are willing to be deceived, 40:44 who desire to shun the self-denial 40:46 and sacrifice demanded by the truth. 40:49 But it is impossible for him 40:52 to hold under his power one soul 40:56 who honestly desires, at whatever cost, 40:59 to know the truth." 41:00 Isn't that wonderful? 41:02 Satan is able to deceive 41:03 those who are willing to be deceived, 41:05 but those who want to do God's will, 41:08 it is impossible for Satan to deceive them. 41:12 It says, "Christ is the truth and the light, 41:15 which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." 41:18 He lights, Jesus, every person that comes into the world. 41:21 That's John 1:9. 41:23 "The Spirit of truth has been sent 41:26 to guide men into all truth. 41:28 And upon the authority of the Son of God, 41:30 it is declared, 'Seek, and you shall find.' 41:33 'If any man will do His will, he shall know the doctrine.'" 41:38 That's in Great Controversy 528. 41:40 If you do not have that book, I encourage you to get it. 41:42 And not only get it but read it 41:45 because then it will do you well. 41:49 I want to tell you this story 41:53 so that you understand how deceptive the devil is. 41:56 Working at 3ABN, I received a call one day 41:58 during a time that there was a Bible reading program. 42:03 And the person that was reading the Bible 42:07 caught the attention of the caller. 42:09 He was a young man 42:11 and he wanted to know who the person was. 42:15 And eventually as we talked, 42:17 he said that he was a Satan worshipper. 42:22 And I said, "You are a Satan worshipper?" 42:24 And I will say, well, in my mind I said, 42:26 "Well, at least he's watching 3ABN." 42:30 And as we continued talking 42:33 he said, he had a priestess, a high priestess. 42:36 And he said, "You seem to know a lot about the Bible. 42:40 I would like to introduce you to her 42:41 because maybe you can study together." 42:47 Well, as we continued talking, 42:50 he told me that he had been taught 42:55 that in the end time there is no hell for them. 43:01 It is just endless enjoying themselves, 43:04 party after party, just enjoying the rest of time. 43:10 And I said to him, "This is a great deception. 43:13 I'm sorry, but you have been deceived." 43:16 And I took him through a Bible study, 43:17 read some scriptures to him to help him understand 43:20 that there is a lake of fire and the devil and his angels 43:24 will be thrown into the lake of fire. 43:26 And those that follow the devil and his angels 43:28 will also go into the lake of fire and there, 43:31 as the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death, 43:34 eventually they will die." 43:35 There is no party I told him, there is no party. 43:38 "Oh, I didn't know that," he said. 43:41 And so you see the Bible is a lamp unto our feet. 43:44 And this is why the devil wants to keep people 43:47 away from the Bible 43:48 because he reveals who he is 43:50 and it reveals the truth concerning him. 43:54 Now when we look to Luke 22, Luke 22:3 and 4, 43:58 we enter into a different phase of the work of the devil. 44:04 Luke 22:3 and 4, the Bible says, 44:07 "Then entered Satan into Judas surname Iscariot, 44:11 being of the number of the twelve. 44:13 And he went his way 44:15 and communed with the chief priests and captains 44:17 how he might betray Him unto them." 44:22 Question. 44:25 Is there any scripture 44:26 that says that Jesus was unkind to Judas? 44:29 Any scripture that says 44:31 that Jesus did him some harm at any time, 44:35 that Jesus mistreated him in anyway? 44:38 There is no scripture. 44:39 Jesus only did Judas good. 44:44 But because Judas refused 44:46 to follow the teachings of Jesus, 44:49 even though he sat at his feet 44:51 and even had close conversations, 44:54 just Jesus and the disciples, 44:57 Judas had as much of an opportunity 45:01 to do right as the others. 45:02 But he rebelled and rebelled and rebelled 45:06 and accepted and accepted and accepted 45:09 that insinuations that the deceptions of the devil, 45:14 the lies of the devil, 45:16 that eventually he opened the door 45:19 for this to happen 45:20 because it says the devil entered into Judas, 45:24 that means he was possessed by a devil. 45:28 And this is a condition that one can get into 45:32 when one continues to do evil, evil, evil, evil. 45:39 And so perhaps today we look around 45:41 and you might say, well, 45:42 I've never run into anyone possessed by a devil. 45:44 You might think you haven't, but perhaps you have. 45:48 It seems that you read 45:50 the whole Old Testament scriptures 45:52 and you don't see the type of demon possession 45:56 described in the New Testament. 45:59 But you see there was increased activity 46:02 as Jesus came on the scene. 46:04 Why? 46:06 Because the Lord, God sent Jesus 46:10 to deliver the captives. 46:14 And those that were bound imprisoned by the devil. 46:17 And so there's gonna be increased demonic activity 46:21 in the last days. 46:23 And because it seems that God's people are powerless, 46:28 weak, asleep, 46:31 God does not allow them to encounter these things 46:33 because they will be overwhelmed 46:36 and could not handle it. 46:38 I would say to you that there is a danger. 46:43 So how is it that people can be possessed? 46:48 Let's look into this. 46:50 Let's continue reading in Matthew 16:20 and onward, 46:53 Matthew 16:20 and onward. 46:55 "Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man 46:59 that he was Jesus the Christ. 47:01 From that time forth began 47:02 Jesus to show unto his disciples 47:05 how that he must go unto Jerusalem, 47:07 and suffer many things of the elders 47:08 and chief priests and scribes 47:10 and be killed and be raised again the third day. 47:14 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, 47:17 saying, 'Be it far from thee, Lord, 47:19 this shall not be unto thee.' 47:24 But he turned," that is Jesus, "and said unto Peter, 47:27 'Get thee behind me, Satan, 47:30 for thou art an offence unto me, 47:33 for thou savourest not the things 47:35 that be of God but those that be of men.' 47:38 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, 47:39 'If any man will come after me, 47:42 let him deny himself 47:43 and take up his cross and follow me.'" 47:46 What happened here? 47:49 A mistaken sympathy for Jesus, 47:53 Peter spoke this way because of his love for Jesus 47:56 but the devil deceived him and the devil used him. 48:01 And when Jesus says, "Get thee behind me, Satan. 48:03 Who is he talking to? 48:05 It is a warning for Peter to let him know 48:08 that the devil is using you, 48:09 but Jesus is talking to the devil. 48:13 So there is no evidence 48:17 that Peter was possessed by a devil. 48:20 And I bring you this scripture to help you understand 48:22 that people can be used by the devil, 48:26 but they don't necessarily have to be possessed by the devil. 48:30 If that's clear, say amen. 48:31 Amen. Amen. 48:33 Okay, so I say to you demon possession, 48:36 or devil possession occurs 48:39 when a person continues to do evil 48:41 despite the fact that God has tried over and over again, 48:45 over and over again to lead the person to repentance 48:48 and the person continues to say no, to say no. 48:52 Let's look at some scriptures quickly 48:53 to help us understand this 48:55 and we may have to do a part two on this. 48:58 In James 4:7 and 8, James 4:7 and 8. 49:02 The Bible says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. 49:06 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." 49:11 Praise the Lord. 49:12 "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. 49:15 Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, 49:18 ye double minded." 49:22 Praise the Lord. So what do we have here? 49:24 This scripture reveals to us 49:27 that when we submit ourselves to God, 49:32 God working in us, we are able to resist the devil. 49:37 And what will the devil do? 49:39 Flee from us because he gains no ground. 49:44 And that's why we need to do what verse 8 says, 49:46 "Draw near to God and God will draw near to us." 49:50 And it says, "Cleanse your hands, 49:52 ye sinners, and purify your hearts, 49:54 ye double minded." 49:55 That means that we have a work to do in putting away sin 49:59 and the things that will lead us to sin. 50:02 That's a part that we have to do. 50:04 God does not do that part for us. 50:07 We must do that part for ourselves. 50:09 When God reveals to us that we're doing wrong, 50:12 it is our duty to cooperate with God to put away the evil, 50:16 to put away the wrong. 50:18 Because if we continue pursuing the evil desires 50:21 and evil things that we do, we are in danger of the devil 50:25 taking us deeper and deeper and deeper 50:27 and can lead us into being possessed by the devil. 50:31 Let's look into 1 Samuel 16:13. 50:35 1 Samuel 16:13, we're gonna read 13 through 15. 50:39 1 Samuel 16:13-15. 50:42 The Bible says, "Then Samuel took the horn of oil 50:45 and anointed him in the midst of his brethren," 50:47 that is David, 50:49 "and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David 50:51 from that day forward. 50:52 So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah." 50:55 Now verse 14 reveals, 50:57 "But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, 51:00 and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. 51:03 And Saul's servants said to him, behold now, 51:06 an evil spirit from God troubleth thee, 51:09 or troubleth him." 51:11 Now people read this scripture 51:12 and think that God sends evil spirits to people. 51:17 I hope to be able to clarify this 51:19 because God does not send evil spirits. 51:22 What this scripture is saying that God allowed 51:25 the evil spirit to come to Saul 51:28 because Saul continued to pursue an evil course, 51:32 a life of evil and continued to reject God's counsel, 51:36 continued to say no 51:39 to the Lord leading him in the right path, 51:42 leading him to repentance. 51:43 And he continued doing his own thing, his own desire, 51:46 his own evil ways, 51:47 and that he opened the door 51:50 for the devil to take control of Saul, King Saul. 51:53 We're talking about King Saul. 51:55 So you see I read to you from Volume 1 Mind, Character, 52:01 And Personality page 26. 52:06 It's very simple, it says, "Satan cannot touch the mind 52:10 or intellect unless we yield it to him." 52:15 You see to anyone that is following Jesus 52:20 because Jesus says, "If any man will follow me, 52:22 if you choose to follow me, 52:23 let him take up his cross daily and follow me." 52:26 If any man is following Jesus and that is his desire, 52:30 that is his desire, 52:32 that person cannot be possessed by the devil. 52:35 Why? 52:36 Because the angel of the Lord encampeth round about him 52:39 and delivers him. 52:41 You see, danger comes when we resist the Lord, 52:47 reject the Lord, and continue to do evil, 52:50 we place ourselves in danger. 52:52 And when the Holy Spirit, after we sin, 52:55 tries to lead us to repentance, 52:57 we don't repent and we do it again 52:59 and we do it again. 53:01 And the Lord through His great love for us 53:03 tries to lead us to repentance and we don't repent, 53:08 our heart becomes harder and harder, 53:10 and the impressions of God become, 53:14 in our minds, weaker and weaker 53:17 because we're listening more and more to the devil 53:19 than to the Lord. 53:20 We are increasing, increasing in danger 53:24 of becoming possessed by the devil. 53:27 Let's go look at some scriptures 53:28 that help us understand that. 53:30 You see what happened to Paul is that he did not repent 53:32 and continued to follow the Lord. 53:34 In Galatians 6:7, I'm going to have to read this to you. 53:37 Galatians 6:7, 53:38 "Be not deceived, God is not mocked, 53:41 for whatsoever a man soweth, that he also shall reap." 53:45 King Saul reaped the results of an evil course of action, 53:51 daily doing evil instead of daily following the Lord. 53:55 You see when sin becomes the dominating desire 53:58 and occupies the majority of your thoughts and actions, 54:01 you are in danger of being possessed by a devil. 54:05 Let's look at Jeremiah 6, Jeremiah 6:16-19, 54:10 Jeremiah 6:16-19, this is what the Bible says. 54:14 "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, 54:18 and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, 54:23 and walk therein, 54:24 and ye shall find rest for your souls. 54:26 But they said, We will not walk therein." 54:29 You see God is appealing to them to walk in his ways 54:33 but they say we will not walk therein, 54:34 we're not going to do that. 54:36 "Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, 54:38 Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. 54:41 But they said, We will not hearken." 54:43 In other words, God continues to appeal, 54:45 and they said we are not gonna do that. 54:47 Verse 18, "Therefore hear, ye nations, 54:50 and know, O congregation, what is among them. 54:53 Hear, O earth, behold, 54:54 I will bring evil upon this people, 54:57 even the fruit of their thoughts 55:00 because they have not hearkened unto my words, 55:03 nor to my law, but rejected it." 55:06 You see the people of Israel 55:07 at this point in time were rejecting the Lord. 55:09 So the Lord had no other choice 55:11 but to allow them to reap what they sowed. 55:15 If you understand this, say amen. 55:17 Amen. 55:18 Let's move quickly to Ezekiel, 55:20 perhaps we can get these two verses in 55:22 before our time is over. 55:23 Ezekiel 39:23, Ezekiel 39:23 and 24. 55:28 The Bible says, "And the heathen shall know 55:30 that the house of Israel went into captivity 55:34 for their iniquity 55:36 because they trespassed against me, 55:39 therefore I hid my face from them 55:42 and gave them into the hand of their enemies, 55:44 so fell they all by the sword. 55:47 According to their uncleanness 55:50 and according to their transgressions 55:52 have I done unto them and hid my face from them." 55:57 So you see this 55:58 because a continued pursuing of an evil course of action 56:03 that God has to say, you have chosen, 56:06 this is what you have chosen, 56:08 you can then continue in that direction 56:12 and the person opens the door to the devil 56:14 because that's what they have chosen to do, 56:16 and the devil can come in and control the mind. 56:20 We have some good news to share with you 56:22 but maybe in the next program 56:23 we'll elaborate more into this area. 56:26 But know this, Romans 6:16, 56:29 we can get this one in before our time is over. 56:31 Roman 6:16. 56:32 "Know ye not 56:34 that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, 56:37 his servants you are to whom you obey, 56:39 whether of sin unto death 56:41 or of obedience unto righteousness." 56:44 So you see we all have choices to make. 56:45 We can all choose to obey God and follow Him 56:49 and receive the blessings of obedience, 56:52 the blessings that God has to give us. 56:54 Or if we choose the devil's way, 56:57 we become his slave, do his will 57:01 and we are not only in danger 57:04 of reaping the results of our evil ways 57:08 when the wages of sin will be death, 57:10 when that time comes, but here on this earth, 57:13 we may become puppets of the devil 57:15 to do whatever the devil desires. 57:18 But even for the people that are possessed by devils, 57:21 there is hope. 57:23 And that's what we want to explain to you, 57:25 there is hope in Jesus 57:26 because the Bible says many times 57:28 that Jesus drove demons out. 57:31 And perhaps in the next time we're together, 57:33 when I'm present, 57:34 we will deal with this aspect of this study 57:36 how the Lord can deliver people from demon possession, 57:40 how the Lord delivers people from evil spirits. 57:42 And the clue to protect yourself 57:46 against these things 57:48 is to open the door to Jesus every day. 57:50 Jesus says, "If any man will come after Me, 57:52 let him take up his cross," 57:54 how often, "daily and follow Me." 57:56 When we do this, Jesus says, 57:59 "My peace will I give unto you." 58:00 And so I encourage you to accept the peace of Jesus. |
Revised 2017-08-03