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Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000184A
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00:20 Hello, friends,
00:21 welcome to our Wednesday night Bible study 00:23 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:25 Welcome to A Sharper Focus 00:26 where we continue walking through the Word of God. 00:29 And we would like to welcome you all 00:31 with a hearty amen. 00:32 Can we all say amen? 00:34 Tonight we're gonna open the Word of God 00:35 and walk through a very important topic 00:38 "The Gifts of the Spirit." 00:40 God has equipped His church to accomplish a work 00:43 that cannot be done outside of the Holy Spirit. 00:47 We're gonna talk about 00:49 what the gifts of the spirit are? 00:50 What they are not? How we can know? 00:52 And how we can be lead by God's Word? 00:54 But if you like to follow along with us, 00:56 in just a moment we'll tell you how to do that. 00:57 But before we do anything else, 00:59 we always begin with a word of prayer. 01:00 Let's bow our heads together. 01:03 Our loving Father in heaven, 01:04 we thank You for the privilege and opportunity, 01:07 You said, Your Word is a lamp unto our feet 01:09 and a light unto our paths. 01:11 Father, right now we ask You to turn on the light 01:14 that we may see what Your Word teaches 01:18 and hear what the spirit says to us. 01:21 Unify our hearts 01:22 and even those that are tuning in, 01:24 speak to them 01:25 and give them the strength to live in harmony 01:27 with what You reveal in Your Word. 01:29 In Jesus' name we pray, 01:31 amen. 01:33 Now, if you like to get a copy of the lesson, 01:35 go to this website asf.3abn.org. 01:39 That's asf.3abn.org, 01:43 download lesson number 41, 01:47 lesson number 41, 01:48 and we're gonna walk 01:50 through the Word of God together. 01:51 But before we do anything, we always sing our theme song. 01:55 And our theme song is called what? 01:57 Together, "Victory in Jesus." 01:59 Let's sing that song together tonight. 02:10 I heard an old, old story 02:14 How the Savior came from glory 02:18 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:21 To save a wretch like me 02:25 I heard about His groaning 02:29 Of His precious blood's atoning 02:33 Then I repented of my sin 02:36 And won the victory 02:39 Together. 02:41 O victory in Jesus 02:44 My Savior, forever 02:48 He sought me and bought me 02:52 With His redeeming blood 02:55 He loved me ere I knew Him 02:59 And all my love is due Him 03:03 He plunged me to victory 03:07 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:11 I heard about a mansion 03:14 He has built for me in glory 03:18 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:22 Beyond the crystal sea 03:26 About the angels singing 03:29 And the old redemption story 03:33 And some sweet day 03:35 I'll sing up there 03:37 The song of victory 03:39 Key change. 03:41 O victory in Jesus 03:44 My Savior, forever 03:48 He sought me and bought me 03:52 With His redeeming blood 03:56 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:00 And all my love is due Him 04:03 He plunged me to victory 04:07 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:11 He plunged me to victory 04:15 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:21 Amen? Amen. 04:23 Now this topic, "The Gifts of the Spirit" 04:25 is an extensive one, 04:27 a one that we have looked into before, 04:30 but tonight we gonna continue from question number nine, 04:33 but I like you to open your Bibles with me. 04:35 I wanna lay some foundation 04:37 because the Holy Spirit has been given to the church 04:40 not only to strengthen the church 04:43 but to keep the church informed. 04:46 And without the Spirit of God, 04:48 then the church is as one person said, 04:50 much of the activity in the church can continue, 04:54 sadly enough, 04:55 if the Holy Spirit were taken away. 04:58 So it's more than activity, 05:00 it's an empowerment 05:02 but another portion or another aspect 05:06 of the Spirit of God 05:07 is He keeps His church informed. 05:09 Go with me to Amos Chapter 3 05:11 and look at this very important passage. 05:14 Amos Chapter 3, because the Spirit of God 05:17 is not something that was just prevalent 05:19 from the day of Pentecost on, 05:21 but the Holy Spirit worked 05:22 in the lives of the prophets of old. 05:24 From Old Testament times to New Testament times, 05:28 the Holy Spirit was active. 05:30 Notice what the Bible says in Amos 3:7, 05:33 really important passage. 05:37 Amos 3:7. 05:41 And what is the very first word? 05:43 Surely. Say it again? 05:44 Surely, it says, 05:46 "Surely the Lord God does nothing, 05:50 unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." 05:55 So let me ask you the question tonight. 05:56 Does God have secrets? Yes. 05:58 Does God keep secrets? No. 06:01 Uh, yes, 06:03 He keeps secrets 06:05 to reveal only to His servants and prophets. 06:08 Anyone else is not gonna get that secret. 06:11 The Lord keeps secrets from all those 06:13 that are not His servants. 06:14 So the question 06:16 that would lean itself to being this. 06:19 Does everyone know what the Lord is going to do? 06:22 Talk to me. No. 06:24 No, but who does? 06:26 God. His servants. 06:28 Thank you, say it again. His servants. 06:29 His servants know. 06:31 He reveals His secrets to His servants, 06:33 so before anything occurs, God is saying, 06:36 "My servants are going to know first." 06:39 And that's very important 06:40 because if you're a servant of God, 06:42 you've got to be informed. 06:44 Can you imagine being in an army 06:46 and you have no idea what the general is doing, 06:48 you have no idea what the sergeant is doing, 06:51 you have no idea about the direction 06:54 that you need to take, and you're in the battlefield 06:56 and you have no idea, 06:58 there's no connection between you 07:00 and the head of the army. 07:03 But the Lord is saying 07:05 that there will be no such thing 07:06 when it comes to His servants. 07:09 Surely, the Lord God does nothing 07:12 until or unless He reveals His secrets 07:15 to His servants the prophets. 07:16 And, but today, we live in a world 07:19 where so many people claim to be prophets of God. 07:21 Have you notice that? 07:23 I mean, you could, 07:24 going back little ways 07:26 from the obvious fortunetelling days, 07:29 lot of people today claim to have that gift of prophecy, 07:31 they claim to be able to know what God is going to do. 07:34 And one of the reasons 07:36 why there's so much confusion in our world today 07:38 is because not everyone is God's servants. 07:40 So what we have is many people are guessing, 07:44 they're trying to come up with what they think 07:46 what God is going to do. 07:48 But they don't know because they are not... 07:51 They are not what? Holy. 07:54 No. 07:55 His servants. Say it again. 07:57 They're not His servants. 07:58 They may look apart. 08:00 Go with me to 2 Corinthians, 08:03 I want you to see this, they may look apart 08:05 and so, in this modern age of the ability to create. 08:11 I was in the store the other day, 08:14 I was looking at a pair of shoes, 08:16 and I didn't know if they were leather 08:19 or pleather. 08:20 They looked apart, 08:22 they look like they were real 08:23 but I, you know what I did? 08:26 I smell them. 08:29 I sniffed them. 08:30 Because leather has a scent 08:32 that pleather doesn't have. 08:35 But I thought that was a case, 08:37 until one day I ran into a manufacturer 08:41 that actually sprayed their pleather 08:44 to smell like leather. 08:46 So what I have to do, I have to read the label, 08:48 manmade material but he said it's so good. 08:51 And not too many months ago, 08:54 I saw a commercial 08:55 where they set up a store in a mall, 08:59 and they give it a high fashion name 09:02 and they sold the shoes for $100, 09:04 you saw that, 09:05 they sold the shoes for $300, $400, $600 09:08 and people came in with the deep pockets, 09:10 they were buying the shoes, it was a hoax, it was a prank. 09:15 And in the news they showed, 09:17 they walked up to the people 09:18 that have just paid $500 for a pair of sneakers 09:20 and they didn't let them leave the store. 09:23 But they said, 09:24 "Do you know who made these shoes?" 09:26 And they put a designers name on it. 09:29 They said, these shoes are from Payless 09:32 and they were willing to pay for it, why? 09:34 Because in the store, 09:36 the store looked 09:38 like what was inside of it was genuine. 09:40 And so today, 09:42 we see preachers that look genuine, 09:45 we see churches that look genuine, 09:47 we see houses of worship that look genuine, 09:51 but you have to examine 09:53 what an individual says in harmony with God's Word 09:55 to know whether or not that person is genuine. 09:58 Look at 2 Corinthians 11, 10:00 just one more before we go to question number nine, 10:02 it's really important. 10:04 2 Corinthians Chapter 11, 10:06 and I'm looking at verse 13. 10:08 And the Apostle Paul, 10:11 he was confronted on several occasions with those 10:15 that claim to have the ability and the gift. 10:18 Matter of fact, they were those 10:19 that saw the Spirit of God working 10:20 in the lives of the apostles. 10:22 And they wanted the power, but they ran face to face, 10:25 they ran face to face into the enemy, the devil, 10:27 and you know the rest of the story. 10:29 Or if you don't know the rest of the story, 10:31 a demon jumped on them 10:33 and stripped them off all their clothing. 10:35 And all they wanted was the power, 10:37 they didn't want the relationship. 10:39 So be careful when power is your focus 10:42 and rather than a relationship with Christ. 10:44 Notice 2 Corinthians 11:13, 10:47 the Bible says, "For such are," what? 10:51 "False apostles, deceitful workers, 10:56 transforming themselves into," what? 10:58 "Apostles of Christ." 11:00 So be careful when they looked apart. 11:03 And look what it says in verse 14, 11:05 "And no wonder" or "no marvel" as the King James Version says, 11:08 "For Satan himself transforms himself 11:11 into an angel of light." 11:15 "Therefore," verse 15, "it is no great thing," 11:18 it's not unusual, it's not a stretch, 11:21 "if his ministers," 11:23 notice, they even have the title, 11:24 but they're called ministers of Satan, 11:26 "also transform themselves 11:29 into ministers of righteousness, 11:32 whose end will be according to their," what? 11:35 "According to their works." 11:37 So they looked apart, 11:39 they sound apart, 11:41 but they have not been transformed by God. 11:44 Who were they transformed by? 11:47 Uh? What did the text say? 11:50 Look at verse 15, what did the text say? 11:58 Uh? 12:01 Who transforms them? 12:03 They transform themselves. 12:06 Who transform themselves? 12:08 In other words, we're in an age of camouflage, 12:11 we're in an age, well, what you see. 12:14 As I saw somebody posted the other day 12:17 and send me a link on Facebook. 12:19 I'm not a Facebook junky, 12:20 that's not the point I'm making. 12:23 But he said, 12:24 "Don't believe everything you see 12:27 because salt looks like sugar." 12:32 Ha-ha, am I right? 12:34 How can you tell the difference? 12:36 You got to taste it, you got to taste it, 12:39 that's the only way you can tell the difference. 12:40 That's why the apostle says, 12:42 "We could taste and see the Lord is good." 12:44 But we have to be careful because today in this age 12:47 where the devil has come down having great wrath 12:49 because he knows he has a, what? 12:50 Short time, he's doing everything 12:52 he can to bring about a camouflage of Christianity. 12:57 So we have to be careful. 12:59 So let's go to question number nine. 13:01 We gonna begin tonight with question number nine. 13:08 Question number nine. 13:15 And the question is, 13:17 how else are we instructed to determine 13:21 whether a prophet is genuine? 13:24 Isaiah 8:20. 13:26 How else are we instructed to determine 13:29 whether a prophet is genuine? 13:35 Okay, let's look at that together, 13:37 and I'm gonna read verse 20, 13:38 but then I'm gonna back to verse 16 in a moment. 13:41 Let's read this one together, it's on the screen, 13:43 it says, "To the law and to the testimony! 13:47 If they do not speak according to this word, 13:49 it is because there is," what? 13:52 "No light in them." 13:53 It didn't say a little bit of light. 13:55 No, it says, no light at all. 13:57 None whatsoever. 13:58 You know, during the day time 14:00 and some of you may have seen that, 14:01 this has happened to me on a few occasions. 14:03 I would walk pass the car, 14:05 but because of the sunlight reflecting in an odd angle, 14:08 I would think that the lights are on. 14:10 But there is no light, 14:11 it's just the reflection of the sun. 14:13 We think that there is light but there is no light. 14:15 And today in the world we live, 14:18 we cannot determine anything based on exterior components, 14:23 but we have to listen and be careful, 14:25 and examine everything that is being said 14:28 by what the Word of God makes it very, very clear, 14:32 which takes me to question number 10. 14:33 So how else are we instructed to determine 14:35 whether the prophet is genuine? 14:36 To the what? To the two things, what? 14:39 To the law and to the, what else? 14:41 To the law and to the testimony 14:42 because those are points that you can't really overlook, 14:45 you can't get away from those, 14:47 you can't break that, 14:49 and really it's important 14:50 to be able to know the difference. 14:52 I mean, how many of us want to know the difference? 14:56 Right. 14:58 I'm from New York, 15:00 I want to know the difference because in... 15:03 We were in Nairobi, Kenya, a few years ago 15:06 and one of the local elders, 15:08 he says much of the security things, 15:10 much of the security programs that you have in America 15:14 are because of what happens here in Kenya. 15:16 And I asked him, "What do you mean?" 15:17 He said, and this, 15:19 I'm not kinda labeling any particular country, 15:22 but he says 15:23 we're very technologically advanced in this country, 15:27 and some of us wake up every day 15:29 thinking of a new thing, or new way, a new idea 15:33 on how to gain access to electronics in America. 15:37 And I thought that was only adversarial countries. 15:42 And so, years ago, 15:44 you may have heard about a guy that, 15:47 because he was so good at counterfeiting things, 15:50 he was the reason why they have on dollar bills, 15:56 pictures that you can only detect by certain light 15:59 or certain chemicals in the bill 16:00 that can only be detected by certain types of ink. 16:03 He was a counterfeiter that was tremendously famous. 16:06 And he was able to camouflage in a very real way 16:10 by making the false look real. 16:14 And so today much of the security we have, 16:17 and for those of you that have credit cards, 16:19 what change, and I'm gonna pick your mind. 16:21 What change took place 16:23 maybe about three or four years ago 16:24 when it came to credit card? 16:26 What... Say it again. 16:27 The chip, that's right. 16:29 And so that became 16:30 another added level of security. 16:32 So in the world around us, 16:34 people want to know whether or not 16:36 something is real or something is camouflage. 16:39 The Bible has given us 16:42 a higher level of urgency, 16:44 because if a credit card is camouflaged and not real, 16:47 the worst you can lose is the money. 16:50 But if you follow a teaching that's not real, 16:52 what can you lose? 16:54 Your salvation. 16:55 So notice what the Lord says, Isaiah 8:16. 16:58 Isaiah 8:16, and the question is under number 10. 17:02 What will be honored among those 17:04 claiming to be His disciples, 17:08 or claiming to be disciples? 17:10 Isaiah 8:16, here it is. 17:12 Let's read this together, "Bind up the," what? 17:15 "Testimony," and do what else? 17:17 "Seal the law among my disciples." 17:21 Interestingly enough, 17:22 the word disciples is not just a New Testament word, 17:25 it's an Old Testament word, 17:27 because the prophets, 17:30 the people of Israel were called 17:32 to disciple the nations around them 17:35 in the way that Satan sought to prevent them 17:38 from leading other nations to acknowledge the true God, 17:42 is he established in and amongst them, 17:45 those who would distract 17:47 and camouflage the real prophets of God. 17:49 You find that in the Book of 1 Kings, 17:52 where a prophet of God ran into a prophet 17:54 that was not a true prophet 17:55 and he said, "I'm a prophet also." 17:58 So this is not something 17:59 that's just common in the last days, 18:01 but ever since the entrance of sin, 18:02 there's always been a camouflage. 18:04 So what's the answer? 18:06 What will be honored among those 18:07 claiming to be disciples of Christ? 18:08 What is it? 18:10 The law of God. 18:11 And I was talking to someone yesterday, 18:15 I want to be very vague about it. 18:17 And what's amazing to me is that 18:20 people even in other denominations 18:22 want to know the difference between 18:23 what is false and what is true. 18:26 They all want to know. 18:27 Okay, let's go to the next one. 18:29 Question number 11. Question number 11. 18:33 What practices 18:36 will be found among leaders 18:37 that are in opposition to God? 18:40 What practices will be found among leaders 18:42 that are in opposition to God? 18:45 Let's go to Ezekiel, 18:46 you find Daniel, go back one book to Ezekiel. 18:50 Right? 18:52 Ezekiel Chapter 22, 18:55 and we are going to look together 18:57 at verse 26. 18:59 Ezekiel 22:26. 19:03 My wife and I are now in the Book of 1 Chronicles. 19:07 We studied 1 Kings, 2 Kings, now in 1 Chronicles, 19:11 and I tell you really, 19:12 if you look at the Old Testament, 19:14 you begin to see, 19:16 the Old Testament would be to me, 19:18 if this was a court case, 19:21 the New Testament would be the summary, 19:23 the Old Testament would be the specifics. 19:26 It will show you exactly why the Lord said, 19:30 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 19:31 You go to the Old Testament, 19:32 you'll see all the examples 19:34 as to why 19:36 the New Testament apostles, and disciples, and prophets 19:40 have warned us 19:41 because the examples 19:43 that are contained in the Old Testament 19:45 is the case log or the case study, 19:47 showing us how important it is 19:48 for us to be sure 19:50 that what we are exposed to 19:51 is from someone who is truly a prophet of God. 19:55 Ezekiel 22:26. 19:56 What practice will be found among leaders 19:58 that are in opposition to God? 20:00 Look at what the Bible says. 20:03 Ezekiel the Prophet says, 20:04 "Her priests have," done what? 20:07 "Violated My law," and what else? 20:11 "Profaned My holy things," look at this, 20:15 "they have not distinguished 20:17 between the holy and the unholy, 20:21 nor have they made known 20:23 the difference between the," what? 20:25 "Unclean and the clean, and they have" done what? 20:30 "Hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, 20:33 so that I am profaned among them." 20:37 It's amazing, I was discussing with someone the issue of... 20:43 Well, maybe, I shouldn't talk about that one. 20:47 But I've had discussions with people that have wondered, 20:51 "Why do we have to keep the Sabbath? 20:52 Why is it important to keep the Sabbath? 20:53 Why can't we just keep any day that we want to? 20:58 Why is God telling us 20:59 that we have to honor this day?" 21:04 Okay, now let's go to Exodus. 21:06 Good answer, but let's go to Exodus Chapter 20. 21:12 Good answer because he said, "Remember." 21:15 But it's even larger than that. 21:18 So the answer to number 11, 21:22 what practice will be found among leaders 21:24 that are in opposition to God? 21:28 There's a lot... Say that again? 21:32 Yeah, they... 21:34 What would be found among those that are in opposition? 21:39 Look what is found. 21:40 They will violate God's law, 21:42 they will profane His holy things, 21:44 they will make... 21:46 Matter of fact, just the whole verse. 21:47 You can't really break it down, you can't really summarize it. 21:50 They violate, they profaned, 21:51 they make no difference 21:53 between the holy and the unholy. 21:54 My wife and I were talking about this the other day 21:56 and we were saying, 21:57 you know, strange when you drive down the street 21:59 and you see a sign and it says, 22:01 churches having 22:02 a beer and wine festival. 22:08 And I thought, "Beer and wine festival." 22:12 And I thought, "Is it holy or is it unholy?" 22:16 While I have not met any holy beer. 22:21 But look up what else it says, 22:23 they made no difference between the what? 22:24 Unclean and the clean. 22:26 And today, 22:28 I had to tell someone last night. 22:31 My wife gives me so many... 22:34 She peruses these theological questions 22:36 on the internet 22:38 and she says, "You got to answer this." 22:42 And, all right, all right and so, 22:46 but something very good came out of it, 22:49 because I'm trying to be vague. 22:52 But it's good that sometimes 22:54 you see these controversial issues 22:55 and then you answer according to the Bible 22:57 because there's some people that are parts of churches 23:00 that they will say, "Well, my pastor said, 23:01 there's no difference, there's no difference." 23:05 And I said, "What you fail to sometimes realize..." 23:09 And because this is the excuse they usually say, 23:11 "Well, because it's not in the New Testament." 23:14 Now, if you have your Bible, 23:16 do me a favor, just start from Matthew, 23:18 just put your finger in Matthew and then in Revelation 23:21 and tell me which one is larger. 23:23 From Matthew to Revelation, 23:25 is it larger than Genesis to Malachi, 23:27 what's the answer? 23:29 So I said, "God did not intend to reiterate everything 23:33 in the Old Testament, in the New Testament. 23:36 And they say, "Because it's not in the New Testament, 23:38 then maybe we shouldn't honor it." 23:41 I said, "Do you realize that Apostle Paul 23:42 didn't have the New Testament either?" 23:45 Everything he said, everything the apostles taught 23:48 was from the Old Testament. 23:51 And I said, "Do you believe in creation?" 23:53 He said, "Of course, I believe in creation." 23:55 I said, "That's in the Old Testament." 23:57 So be careful when people decide 24:00 to dissect God's Word 24:01 and they make no difference 24:03 between what the Lord has said... 24:05 Oh I said, Exodus 20, didn't I say that? 24:07 Yes. 24:09 Now I asked the question about the Sabbath, right? 24:12 But it's a little bigger than that. 24:15 Okay, we know verse 8, 24:16 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 24:18 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work," verse 9. 24:22 But look at verse 10, 24:27 "But the seventh day 24:28 is the Sabbath of the Lord your," what? 24:31 God. "Your God." 24:32 So the question is not, 24:34 whether or not we should honor the Sabbath 24:36 or what day it is. 24:37 The question is who is your God? 24:40 Right? 24:41 If God is your God, 24:42 if the God of creation is your God, 24:44 then He is already picked the day. 24:46 Amen, someone? Amen. 24:48 He's already picked the day. 24:49 So it's not the matter of, can I pick it? 24:51 No, He says, "No, I've picked it, 24:53 I've only sanctified one." 24:57 And then, Yannick, he says, "Remember." 25:01 Let's go now to question number, 25:04 question number 12. 25:06 Question number 12. 25:12 What promise... 25:17 What has God promise to do 25:21 to those that disobey His law? 25:24 It's amazing how that one letter got away from me. 25:29 What has God promised to do 25:33 to those that disobey His law? 25:37 Okay, let's look at that and see. 25:39 We are going to what? 25:43 Ezekiel 7:26. 25:47 Ezekiel 7:26. 25:53 Wow! 25:55 This is really humbling when you read it. 25:58 He says, "Disaster will come upon disaster, 26:03 and rumor will be upon rumor. 26:07 Then they will seek a vision from a prophet, 26:11 but the law will perish from the priest, 26:14 and counsel from the elders." 26:18 So if you were answering that 26:19 what has God promised to those that disobey His law? 26:23 Give me your answer. Disaster. 26:26 Hmm? Disaster. 26:28 Okay, disaster. 26:29 If you were to summarize it in your own words, 26:31 what it would be? 26:33 Destruction. 26:35 Destruction, what it would be? 26:38 Desolation. Desolation. 26:40 Okay, what else? 26:42 If you were to summarize that, 26:44 it is saying everything they attempt to do 26:46 will fail. 26:48 Everything they attempt to do will fail 26:50 because God is not with them. 26:52 Everything they attempt, disaster will come, 26:54 there will be rumor, they will seek a vision. 26:56 The law will perish and from the priest the counsel 27:00 and counsel from the elders. 27:01 Everything they attempt to do will fail. 27:04 But now let's go to Psalm 1. 27:08 This is an extra one, if you are following along, 27:11 if you want to summarize that everything 27:13 that individual does will fail. 27:21 Okay, 27:25 Psalm 1, 27:27 it's amazing how 27:30 the Book of Psalms begins. 27:36 It says, "Blessed is the man 27:37 who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, 27:42 nor stands in the path of sinners, 27:45 nor sits in the seat of the scornful." 27:48 But look at verse 2. 27:50 There's a contrast between what we read so far in Ezekiel 27:53 and this next verse. 27:54 "But His delight is in the," what? 27:57 The law. "The law of" who? 28:00 "Of the Lord and in His law He meditates," what? 28:06 "Day and night." 28:07 In other word, He ponders it, 28:09 and when you read in the Hebrew there, 28:11 what's amazing, it says... 28:12 And this is what the Jews did, 28:14 you might sometimes... 28:15 We were in Jerusalem, 28:18 there we went to the Wailing Wall. 28:21 And sometimes you'll see, 28:23 like they're talking to themselves, 28:27 what that actually meant, 28:28 this is little deeper than we think. 28:30 What that actually meant was 28:31 they are reciting the law to themselves. 28:34 They are saying it over and over to themselves, 28:37 so that it could be imprinted. 28:38 You know, when you say something, 28:40 it imprints. 28:41 When you hear it and you repeat it, it imprints. 28:44 It creates a groove in your mind 28:47 and so what it says here, 28:50 they are pondering it, 28:52 they are speaking it to themselves 28:54 and sometimes based on the practices 28:58 that were prevalent 28:59 and still to this very day among some Hasidic Jews, 29:03 they would hold on to the Torah 29:06 and they would... 29:09 All they... 29:11 They're reading it all, they're pondering all day long 29:13 and they do at intervals of the day. 29:15 And you would think that it's all day long 29:17 because they don't miss the opportunities to ponder, 29:20 to think on God's law. 29:22 What in essence is being said, 29:23 is that's how the servants of the Lord should be. 29:26 It should be in our mind. 29:27 It should be in our hearts. 29:28 Amen? 29:30 Think about it, consider it. 29:31 In other words, 29:32 let it be the guide of your transactions, 29:34 let it be the guide of your life. 29:36 All day long when you think about it, should I? 29:39 Should I? Should I? 29:40 I shouldn't. Should I? 29:41 Let the law of God be our guide all day long. 29:44 And look at the blessing. 29:46 Look at the blessing, verse 3, "He shall be like a tree, 29:52 planted by the rivers of waters, 29:54 that brings forth its fruit in its season, 29:58 whose leaf also shall not," what? 30:01 "Wither," and look at this, 30:02 "and whatever he does," what? 30:05 "Shall prosper." 30:07 In other words, God is with him, 30:08 God is with that individual, 30:09 whatever that person is doing, 30:11 once they live in harmony with God's law, 30:12 prosperity is in their way. 30:14 But you notice the contrast between 30:16 what we read in Ezekiel Chapter 22 30:18 and also Ezekiel Chapter 7, 30:19 it says, they will not prosper, 30:20 disaster will come, their prophets will fail, 30:23 even counsel from the elders will not bring prosperity. 30:27 But the one who meditates on God's law will. 30:29 Look at the contrast. 30:31 Look at the very next verse of Psalm 1, 30:34 he says, "But the ungodly," verse 4, "Are not so, 30:38 but are like the chaff which the wind," does what? 30:41 "Drives away." 30:42 You know why that terminology is there, 30:44 same terminology because of the threshing floor, 30:47 whatever is not wheat... 30:48 And this is something we saw 30:50 when we were in Myanmar actually, 30:52 one of the schools there, 30:53 they were burning the chaff in an oven. 30:56 They gather together and they burn it in the oven. 30:58 Then I said, "What happened to the rest of it?" 31:00 They said, "Oh, well, that's already been separated." 31:02 But they have so much chaff 31:04 and then the rice was in the different place 31:06 all together, brown rice. 31:08 But the chaff 31:09 can easily be blown away by the oven 31:11 because there's no weight to it. 31:14 That's what this is all about. 31:15 It's separated from the wheat. 31:18 "But are like chaff which the wind drives away, 31:20 therefore the ungodly 31:22 shall not stand in the judgment, 31:24 nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." 31:28 Let's look at verse 6, 31:29 "For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, 31:31 but the way of ungodly shall," what? 31:34 "Shall perish." 31:35 There's no prosperity there. 31:37 And so today, and now... 31:38 I know where I'm going with this, today, 31:40 when you have those ministries 31:41 that talk about the prosperity gospel, 31:43 ask them one question, "Do you honor God's law?" 31:48 If they don't, then is their prosperity there? 31:51 Absolutely not. 31:52 Because the prosperity comes 31:54 within the confines or the framework 31:57 of what God has established to bring prosperity. 32:01 They will say yes, 32:02 but examine it based on God's Word, 32:05 because we have this multiple choice generation nowadays. 32:08 Yes, but, 32:10 that's what's often heard from those 32:11 who are not in harmony with God's law. 32:14 Now where are we going next? 32:16 Question number 13, Question number 13. 32:23 What does the Bible teach about prophets 32:26 that falsely used God's name? 32:30 Jeremiah 14:14, 32:33 Jeremiah 14:14. 32:37 Okay. 32:43 Okay. 32:48 Jeremiah and Isaiah are two amazing books. 32:52 But they are so deep sometimes because Jeremiah and Isaiah, 32:55 a lot of what's in Jeremiah and Isaiah 32:58 is also mirrored in the Book of Revelation. 33:01 So when you wanna understand Revelation, 33:02 Jeremiah and Isaiah plays a major role 33:05 in what is in Revelation. 33:07 Look at Jeremiah 14:14, 33:09 "And the Lord said to me, 'The prophets prophesy," what? 33:13 "Lies in My name. 33:16 I have not sent them, commanded them, 33:20 nor spoken to them, 33:23 they prophesy to you," what? 33:25 "A false vision," what else? 33:28 "Divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of," what? 33:33 "Of their heart.'" 33:39 And not only was that truth then, 33:41 but that's very, very true today 33:44 in the Christian world. 33:46 It's a sad thing. 33:49 I don't like using this analogy because it sounds horrible. 33:52 Okay, so I won't use it then. 33:54 'Cause sometimes I say, if I was a devil, 33:56 I don't like that. 33:57 It sounds terrible. 33:59 But what other method would the devil use 34:01 if he is looking for deception? 34:03 'Cause in Matthew 24:4, 34:04 one of the first things that Jesus said to His disciples, 34:07 and this is... 34:09 Go there with me. 34:10 Look at Matthew 24:4, 34:12 one of the first things He said to His disciples, 34:14 and by the way 34:16 this is after the Old Testament had been fulfilled. 34:19 Look at what He says to His disciples 34:21 the very first thing, 34:23 and I want you to notice the context of what they asked. 34:27 Matthew 24:3, 34:38 Look at the question that they asked Jesus. 34:41 "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, 34:43 the disciples came to Him," how? 34:45 Privately. 34:46 "Privately," 34:48 some of those private moments with the Lord 34:49 are the best moments, 34:52 "saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? 34:55 And what will be the sign of Your coming, 34:58 and of the end of the age or of the end of the world?" 35:02 Notice the very first thing Jesus said, 35:08 "And Jesus answered and said to them," 35:10 say it again hon, 35:12 "Take heed that no one deceives you." 35:16 If deception was not going 35:19 to be a massive factor in the last days, 35:21 He wouldn't say, be careful that no one deceives you. 35:25 And by the way many times, He repeats that, He says, 35:28 "For many will come in My name saying, I'm Christ, 35:31 then will deceive many." 35:32 He talks about Satan, 35:34 even camouflaging the coming of the Lord. 35:36 If they say, He is in the desert, don't go out. 35:38 If they say, He is in the secret chambers, 35:39 don't believe it. 35:40 So today, we have a teaching in the world today, 35:44 this is why this lesson is so vitally important, 35:46 and we're gonna get later on 35:48 into the very details of the gifts of the spirit. 35:51 But one of the reasons 35:52 why we are laying the foundation on 35:53 how to determine whether or not a person 35:55 is being led of the spirit. 35:57 Because if the person is not being led of the spirit, 35:59 what happens when the blind leads the blind? 36:07 Does the honest guy miss the hole? 36:10 Now what happens to both of them? 36:12 If the blind person says, 36:14 "Let me lead you across the street." 36:15 And the blind person is being led by a blind person, 36:18 which one is in danger? 36:19 Both. 36:21 You got to make sure that the person leading you, 36:24 their eyes are being led by the Lord. 36:28 Because the Lord said, 36:29 "Take heed that no one deceives you." 36:30 So how would you summarize question number 13? 36:34 Because it's quite a bit there. 36:37 If you went to Jeremiah 14:14, how would you summarize that, 36:40 the prophets prophesy lies in my name? 36:47 I heard the word. I heard the word. 36:50 Deception, 36:53 looking the part but not being genuine, 36:56 claiming to be led by God, but are not led by God. 36:59 And notice what they are called, 37:01 prophets. 37:03 So watch out when people call themselves prophets 37:05 'cause, you know, 37:07 there are prophets many and lords many, 37:08 and people claiming to be able to see things 37:11 and have a vision... 37:13 Lord gave me a vision. 37:15 If it's not in harmony with the law of God, 37:17 if God's law is not in place in the life of that individual, 37:21 it's a divination, it's a worthless thing 37:25 and a deceit of their heart. 37:27 Wow! 37:29 I'll let you summarize that in the way 37:31 that's best for you to understand that. 37:33 But now, since we are in Matthew, 37:35 let's stay there because we gonna go to 37:38 a couple of the New Testament examples. 37:42 Here's number 14. 37:44 What did Jesus warn us about concerning the last days? 37:50 I kinda led you into it. 37:52 I kinda open up the can already. 37:55 So I might as well just go ahead 37:56 and go up to the scripture 37:58 and let's read it together, since it's on the screen. 38:00 What does the Bible say, "For," what? 38:03 "False christs and," what else? 38:05 "False prophets will rise and show," what? 38:08 "Great signs and wonders to deceive, 38:11 if possible, even the elect." 38:14 For the Lord, for the glory of the Lord, 38:16 let me say this tonight, for the sake of the Lord, 38:19 remember the phrase if possible. 38:22 I have even heard people in our church say, 38:24 "Even the elect will be deceived." 38:27 No, what's the phrase there? 38:29 Say it together, if possible, 38:31 is it possible for the elect to be deceived? 38:35 No, not at all. 38:37 If the elect were going to be deceived, 38:39 then nobody is safe. 38:41 But the elect will not be deceived if possible, 38:44 but notice what's gonna happen, show great signs and wonders. 38:48 Doing a study not too long ago, 38:51 about how people access your mind? 38:52 I want you to listen to this very carefully. 38:54 It's very amazing study that I looked at. 38:57 It was talked about, it's repetition, 39:00 how somebody gains access to your mind by repetition 39:03 and that it's pointed out that if you repeat something, 39:06 over and over six times in a row... 39:09 Let me give you an example. 39:13 Okay, I won't use a Christian term, 39:15 I want to be very non psychologist. 39:18 Hare Krishna, Krishna Hare, Hare Krishna, Krishna Hare, 39:21 Hare Krishna, Hare over and over, 39:23 Hail Mary, full of grace over and over, 39:26 whatever the mantra is, 39:28 in whatever form that mantra is, 39:30 what happens is 39:31 and I was talking to a neurologist on this. 39:34 He said what happens is that the frontal lobes 39:36 which is the doorway to the mind, 39:38 it relaxes and in a way it opens the door 39:42 and there is no longer a resistance 39:45 to what is coming in. 39:47 Because your mind has got locked into what he called... 39:50 There is a term he used, 39:51 I'll use layman's term, a repetitious cycle. 39:55 But he used a different term 39:56 and those medical terms that had like 73 letters in it, 39:59 I can't even pronounce them. 40:01 But he said the word, I was trying to write it down, 40:03 but I couldn't even get past the fifth letter 40:05 because I didn't know how to spell it. 40:07 But he said, it causes the frontal lobes to relax. 40:11 And he said, what happens? 40:12 A door opens and he says 40:13 anything from that point on can come in 40:16 and you can't stop it. 40:18 That's why if you look at the methods of deception today, 40:21 it's through repetition. 40:23 That's why the Lord said, 40:24 "Do not use vain repetition as the heathens do." 40:29 Do not use vain repetition as the heathens do. 40:32 He connected it to the heathens because their vain repetition 40:36 and that's what happened in the Mount of Carmel. 40:38 Vain repetition 40:40 and their God never responded, 40:42 but Elijah prayed once, he prayed with sincerity, 40:45 and God responded and God answered right away. 40:48 I've grown up with that. 40:49 I know they're dominant 40:51 and they risk with something tactfully. 40:53 Vain repetition, vain repetition, 40:56 Yannick has commentary, but that's important. 40:59 So, but, what is it saying here is, 41:01 they're going to show great signs and wonders, 41:03 and some of you may have seen the examples. 41:07 People send me all kinds of things, 41:08 and somebody sent me a link. 41:09 They talked about this great gigantic miracle service 41:12 and what preceded that was 41:15 people sang one song that seemed to last 14 minutes, 41:20 and for much of the 14 minutes 41:22 they were saying the same thing over and over, 41:25 and over and over until they're almost... 41:31 Almost in it, like they're drunk, a trance. 41:35 And then the preacher transition 41:37 while they're into that soupy trance, 41:40 he said, "You want some. You want some." 41:43 And he went like this. 41:44 And everybody in the balcony fell down 41:47 almost like they were run over by a truck, 41:51 and they were on the floor vibrating. 41:53 And he turned to left, "You want some." 41:54 And he went like this, you want something, 41:56 and then he says something else at the whole place is withering 42:00 and all in the back, he said, "You want some" 42:01 and he went like that. 42:03 Everybody in the balcony fell out. 42:05 And then it went even worse than that. 42:07 He said, "Go outside and eat grass, 42:12 and they ran outside 42:15 and dove into the grass, grabbing the grass, 42:18 and eating it in handfuls, 42:21 and they're calling that 42:22 the moving of the Spirit of God. 42:26 God is not the author of confusion. 42:28 Amen, somebody? 42:30 That's why when you have these things, 42:31 notice what they show great signs, 42:34 and that's why you have to be very careful 42:35 not to expose yourself to these "miracle services," 42:40 because the powers that 42:41 we are up against are very, very real. 42:43 But once you come into those places 42:45 and you get locked into that very mantra of worship, 42:51 and you're just almost sedated, 42:52 then anything can come in, anything can come in. 42:55 That's why he says, show great signs and wonders 42:58 to deceive, 42:59 that's the whole purpose of it, to deceive. 43:01 Things that you have not seen before that are unimaginable, 43:04 things that just grab your attention. 43:06 I've never seen that before, 43:07 haven't even seen that in my church. 43:09 And I've had people come back and say, 43:10 "Now, why don't we do that in our church?" 43:15 Because we want people to be able to think, 43:16 come on somebody. 43:18 Think, 43:19 not to fall into this trance, and it's so much of nowadays. 43:23 So much nowadays is based on feeling. 43:25 That's why this next one is so vitally important. 43:27 So question 14, 43:29 what did Jesus warn us about concerning the last days? 43:31 Let no one deceive you. 43:35 And people that deceive are really great in speech. 43:39 We were in a hotel, 43:41 I don't even know which one it was, 43:43 but in the drawer, 43:45 instead of a Gideon Bible, it was... 43:50 I was in St. Louis just before we went to the airport. 43:52 It was a very, very sick 43:54 Middle Eastern book on mantras 43:57 and about 1100 pages thick. 44:02 And I thought, "Well, what happened to the Gideon Bible?" 44:05 Didn't have a Gideon Bible, and I opened 44:06 and began to read it. 44:09 And... 44:13 It kind of goes like this. 44:17 And this is an example. 44:20 "If you think about your life 44:21 which came from the analogy of the past, 44:23 and the conclusion of the former. 44:26 The things that happened, didn't really happened 44:28 but you imagined that they did and they didn't really occur, 44:31 but because you are experiencing 44:32 now there is no pain, no past, 44:34 no present, no future," and it keeps going. 44:36 I'm thinking what is he saying? 44:38 And then they go on to explain what they didn't say, 44:40 and then they go on to explain what they never did say. 44:43 And it's just so confusing. 44:44 And you could spend all day long. 44:46 And you sit in the circle of philosophers, and they, 44:49 they look the part and it's nothing but confusion. 44:53 And they call themselves prophets. 44:55 And they have these fancy names. 44:57 And that's why today in the world 45:00 such as the world where a mega wealthy are, 45:06 most of them are not Christians. 45:08 They're into Scientology, 45:10 or some kind of Eastern meditation, 45:12 some kind of Shakti, some kind of yoga, 45:15 because it's not about submitting themselves 45:17 to a power outside of themselves. 45:21 They write, and they, 45:23 and even Oprah, it's called a secret. 45:26 Just open yourself up 45:27 and imagine the law of attraction, 45:29 you'll get whatever you meditate on. 45:32 Well, that's not the case. 45:34 So this very next one is a very important passage 45:37 in our study tonight. 45:39 Question number 15. 45:42 Why are signs and miracles... 45:45 Look at question 15. 45:46 Why are signs and miracles unreliable in following God? 45:52 Bring that up on the screen. 45:54 Why are signs and miracles unreliable in following God? 46:00 Very careful. 46:01 This is an amazing analogy. 46:04 We're going to break this down in two questions. 46:06 Deuteronomy Chapter 13. 46:08 Now the amazing thing about Deuteronomy, 46:10 Deuteronomy was built for the latter generation 46:13 of the children that came out of Egypt. 46:17 Exodus was written for the adults, 46:20 you know, for example, Xenia or Luis say, 46:23 they just had a child when they came out of Egypt, 46:25 and the child is young. 46:27 Well, as they got older and they passed of the scene, 46:30 you're still here. 46:32 The child is now an adult. 46:34 So Deuteronomy is now written 46:36 to remind the adult child now 46:38 of the things that the parents passed through. 46:41 That's why Deuteronomy is there. 46:43 It's the book that speaks to the latter generation. 46:45 That's why the law of God is reiterated there, 46:47 because the younger generation 46:48 when the law of God was given at Sinai, 46:51 they weren't, they didn't even understand what was going on. 46:53 So Joshua later on, 46:55 when they're just about to cross over the Jordan, 46:58 he says, "Choose you this day, whom you will serve, 47:01 whether the gods that your father served 47:05 on the other side of the Jordan, 47:07 or the God's in whose land we dwell, 47:10 but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." 47:13 He was reminding them of the entire journey. 47:15 Now this is a part of the journey 47:17 that they were reminded of later on in the years 47:20 those who came out. 47:21 Look at Deuteronomy 13:1-2, 47:24 this is powerful 47:25 because sometimes a prophet would say something 47:28 and it will happen. 47:29 A false prophet sometimes will say something 47:32 and it will happen, but here's the caution. 47:35 "If there arises among you a prophet" or a what? 47:40 "Dreamer of dreams, 47:42 and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 47:46 and the sign or the wonder," what? 47:49 "Comes to pass 47:51 of which he spoke saying to you..." 47:54 After it came to pass, notice what he's saying, 47:57 "Let us go after other gods 47:59 which you have not known and let us serve them." 48:06 So I'm going to go to verse 3 and 4 next. 48:08 So notice what he says. 48:10 So let me ask you the question. 48:11 Can a false prophet tell you something and it happens? 48:14 Yes, because you know why? 48:17 He's also working with a different power. 48:21 The devil can make someone sick, 48:23 and remove it for the benefit of his prophet 48:26 and make you think that that person just got healed. 48:29 We have a case study of that 48:31 where 48:34 pastor years ago 48:37 went to a healing service. 48:39 He had a limp. 48:41 He got healed. 48:43 Came back to church. 48:45 I'm trying to be vague about the specifics. 48:48 And the elders gathered around him. 48:50 And they said, "What happened? 48:51 You're not limping any long." 48:53 He said, "I got healed." 48:55 And they said, "Where did you get healed? 48:56 How did you get healed?" 48:58 And he said, "He went to a miracle service." 49:00 They said, 49:01 "You went to a miracle service, and got healed." 49:03 I got healed and he walked. 49:06 They said, "Can we pray with you, 49:08 that if this was not from the Lord, 49:12 He will remove it." 49:15 And they gathered around him and prayed 49:17 and when the prayer was done, he started limping again. 49:22 Now let me tell you why that's important. 49:24 You're going to see the rest of it, 49:25 so let's answer question number 15 first. 49:29 Can a prophet 49:31 that is not of God tell you about a dream, 49:34 give you a sign and a wonder and it could happen? 49:38 Yes. 49:40 Why are signs and miracles unreliable in following God? 49:43 Here's the answer, 49:45 because another power can be behind that prophet. 49:49 Evil is just as real as good. 49:52 So don't say that, 49:53 "Well, the devil doesn't exist." 49:56 I was reading an article just earlier today 49:59 and somebody said, well, the devil. 50:02 Oh, yeah, Jay Z, Jay Z, 50:05 if you don't know who that is, 50:07 I'm not gonna waste time to tell you. 50:08 It might be good that you don't know. 50:10 Jay Z said, "Jesus is not the real thing, 50:16 Jesus is fake news." 50:18 He said, 50:19 "The devil is the real news, 50:21 the devil has been good to me. 50:24 Lucifer, my brother has been very good to me." 50:27 Jesus, he said, "is boring. 50:29 Lucifer is the real deal." 50:31 He said, "Jesus is made up for those who are weak, 50:37 but Lucifer has been good to me." 50:40 Miley Cyrus said the same thing 50:42 in an article we read a couple of days ago. 50:46 Talking about how Jesus is boring, 50:49 if you don't want to be bored, 50:51 let Lucifer be your brother and be your guide. 50:54 But they don't know there's a day of accountability coming, 50:57 so the devil will give you. 50:59 He promised Jesus the same thing. 51:00 He said, "I'll give you all of these things in the world 51:02 if you fall down and worship me." 51:04 And so we have a whole group of people 51:06 nowadays that are worshiping the devil, 51:08 and they're performing... 51:09 They're getting their wealth, they look powerful and famous, 51:12 and they are, in many cases, 51:14 but they have no idea there's another power behind it. 51:17 So now let's go to question 16, 51:19 and we'll finish verse 13 and 14, okay? 51:22 Question 16 says, 51:25 "What are the issues behind God allowing miracles?" 51:29 This is huge. 51:31 'Cause you might say, "Why would God let that?" 51:33 Look at this, Deuteronomy 13:3, 4. 51:39 Look at this. 51:42 "You shall not," what's the next word? 51:44 "Listen to the words of that prophet 51:47 or that dreamer of dreams, 51:49 for the Lord your God is," what? 51:52 "Testing you to know 51:55 whether you love the Lord your God with," what? 51:59 "All your heart and with," what? 52:01 "All your soul. 52:03 You shall walk after the Lord," what? 52:06 "Your God and," do what? 52:08 "Fear Him, and" do what else? 52:09 "Keep His commandments, and obey His voice, 52:13 you shall serve Him and hold fast to," what? 52:16 "Him." 52:17 So somebody might stand before you and say, 52:23 if you just disobey God, all that is yours. 52:25 Come on, do you want it? 52:28 And you might say, "Well, right about now, 52:30 I'm really broke, I can't pay my rent. 52:32 Haven't had a check like this in a long time." 52:35 He says, "Give me a figure, I'll write the check. 52:36 It's all yours, just ask for it." 52:38 The devil said that to Jesus, just ask for it, 52:40 I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world. 52:44 And at that time, 52:45 he was still the prince of this world 52:47 until Jesus died on the cross and took it back from him. 52:53 So be careful when something looks too good to be true, 52:56 and the cost of it 52:59 is to compromise your walk with God, 53:01 be careful. 53:03 Because he'll say, 53:04 "What has keeping the commandments done for you? 53:06 Look what I'm offering you." 53:07 And that's what the devil is doing nowadays. 53:09 What is keeping the commandments of God 53:10 done for us? 53:12 Remember this word right here. 53:13 Remember this word right here? Okay, I'll go back to it. 53:17 The Lord your God is, what? Testing you. 53:19 Every one of us is going to face a test 53:21 whether or not we love the Lord with all of our heart 53:23 and with all of our, what? 53:25 All of our soul. 53:26 The test is going to come to everyone because I think... 53:29 You think of the conditions of our world today. 53:31 I mean, people that are in financial straits, 53:33 people that are not making money, 53:35 people that are without a job. 53:37 If someone came along and said, 53:38 "Hey, ask whatever you want, and I'll give it to you. 53:42 But you have to become a follower of my movement. 53:46 And if you're old enough or have heard about it before, 53:49 you may remember that Jonestown, 53:51 Jim Jones, he offered them all kinds of prosperity. 53:55 What happened to them all? 53:57 Died, and people will come along. 54:00 And somewhere along the way, it's going to flip. 54:02 So let's answer the question. 54:04 What are the issues behind God allowing miracles? 54:07 What is the issue? 54:08 Come on, say it. 54:10 Test. 54:12 This is just a test of the emergency spiritual 54:18 broadcasting network. 54:21 I'm just kind of... 54:22 Is that what emergency broadcasting, 54:24 the emergency spiritual connection. 54:26 This is the test of your spiritual connection. 54:28 Be careful, don't fail the test. 54:31 Pray when those times come because temptations are great, 54:35 but if you think deception is at its height yet, 54:37 you really haven't seen Satan unmask. 54:40 The worst is coming. I'll try this. 54:43 It's about to go to another face. 54:45 That's right, honey. 54:46 So where are we now, number 17? 54:49 Number 17. 54:51 What council does God give concerning false prophets? 54:56 And we're going to read the last verse 54:58 to this whole outline. 55:01 What council does God give concerning false prophets? 55:05 Now by the way, we're continuing, 55:07 we did verse 1 and 2, and then 3 and 4. 55:09 Look at verse 5. 55:11 What council does God give concerning false prophets? 55:16 "But that prophet 55:18 or that dreamer of dreams shall be," what? 55:21 "Shall be put to death, because he has spoken," 55:24 look at this, 55:26 "in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, 55:31 who brought you out of the land of Egypt 55:34 and redeemed you from the," what? 55:36 "House of bondage. 55:38 He also wants to," do what? 55:40 "Entice you from the way 55:43 in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. 55:47 So you shall put away the evil from your midst." 55:51 And when they said that, so one of the challenges, 55:53 and I want to go ahead and add this. 55:55 So what council does God give concerning false prophets? 55:57 What did He say? 55:59 Come on, let's just say it. 56:02 Say it again. 56:04 They should be put to death. 56:06 That's why when you look at Revelation, 56:08 in the lake of fire, you know what's going to be in there? 56:11 The beast and the false prophets. 56:14 Read Revelation Chapter 20, 56:16 "In the lake of fire, the dragon, the beast, 56:18 and the false prophets," 56:21 they're going to be in the lake of fire. 56:23 So here's where the challenge came to the Israelites. 56:27 Let me answer the second part of question 17 56:30 before we go any further. 56:31 Revelation 19:20. 56:33 I think I may have given you the answer already. 56:35 Okay, here it is, how I did. 56:38 Revelation 19:20, here's what the Bible says. 56:41 "Then the beast was captured, and with him the," what? 56:44 "False prophet who worked signs in his presence, 56:46 by which he deceived those 56:48 who receive the mark of the beast 56:50 and those who worshiped his image. 56:52 These two were cast," how? 56:54 "Alive into the lake of fire burning with," what? 56:59 "With brimstone." 57:01 So we see that there's a day coming. 57:03 But right now, are there false prophets? 57:06 Yes, they are by the multitude, 57:09 and they're seeking to take us away from the allegiance. 57:13 That's why you cannot let... 57:15 And I'll wind up this hour by saying, 57:16 "You cannot let feeling." 57:18 You cannot let, what? Feeling. 57:20 Because you know what? 57:21 You could go to some places, 57:23 some worship services, some concerts, 57:25 and you could feel so good, 57:28 you cannot let feeling lead you in the wrong direction. 57:31 You cannot let desire for gain 57:33 lead you in the wrong direction. 57:35 You cannot let materialism 57:38 lead you in the wrong direction. 57:40 And you cannot let sensationalism, 57:42 something that entices you 57:44 and brings to you a feeling or desire you've never had, 57:48 don't let any of those things entice you 57:50 because false prophets and false christs 57:53 will arise and deceive many. 57:55 Keep studying because one day 57:57 it will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:00 God bless you. Let's pray. |
Revised 2019-04-25