By John Stallings
The most amazing truth we can ponder as human beings is the boundless love of God.
I remember a song we used to hear a lot when I was a kid—“The love of God.” It was beautiful & it talked about the measureless, all- encompassing love that God has for each & every one of us. I don’t think there’s any question that His love for all mankind is the most magnetic & fathomless truth we can contemplate. I’m sure you also remember the little chorus we used to sing in Sunday school,…… “Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.”
We know Jesus loves us all the same, but that thought is a little more theological than I’m thinking right now. I’m not trivializing God’s love; quite the contrary. What a wonderful reality that God loves all six-billion people on this planet. One of the first verses we learned was John 3:16, For God so loved the world…. That’s a theological given. It’s not difficult for us to feel loved by God & we understand that nothing can separate us from His love.
If you’re a parent you know that you love every one of your children the same. In the rule book for parents, rule number one is, you don’t love one of your children more than the other. If you have adopted children you love them equally as much as your paternal offspring.
Having said that, wouldn’t it be fantastic to know that Jesus not only loved you but genuinely liked you too?
You know what I mean. I mean if we were physically, bodily hanging-out with Jesus would He actually like us; like our personality, enjoy our company? Interesting concept don’t you think? How would it feel to know that besides being loved by God, there’s something about you that makes Him smile when you walk in the room. After all, Jesus had His human side & there were things that He especially liked & disliked.
I guess the best way to find out if Jesus would really like us would be to find out whom He liked best out of His twelve disciples. I’m going to tell you who I think Jesus liked best & then I’ll tell you why I believe it.
First, let’s talk about the two greatest men in the New Testament. I believe that would be Paul & Peter. Let’s chase that idea a bit. Paul wrote much of the New Testament & I believe I can safely say he was the greatest Christian who ever lived. Paul spoke several languages & was highly educated. It’s not a stretch to say his was one of the most, if not the most dramatic conversions to Christ of any person in history. Paul sat at the feet of the great teachers of his day & though it’s believed he was small of stature, he was a mental & spiritual giant. Paul’s life was about great accomplishments. He was a great writer, teacher, church planter & missionary. Yes indeed, Paul was a towering figure in Christian history.
But really, Paul couldn’t be in the running for Jesus’ favorite person because he didn’t know Jesus in that personal way. He came along a little later. If Paul or someone like him were to be the person Jesus liked most, I’d be somewhat discouraged because he’s kind of “out of my league.” Lets be frank; most of us would be hard pressed to match Paul’s great testimony of salvation, plus his gifts, abilities & contributions to the cause of Christ. If Paul were in the running as the person Jesus liked best, if it would take being that type of monumental –multi-talented man to be liked by Jesus, (and trust me, I’m not trying to be humble here) I’m afraid I’d wouldn’t have even been considered.
But Peter? Well he’s a different story. I guess by now you’ve guessed that it’s Peter of whom I speak, as the disciple Jesus liked the best. Now, how can I back that up? We get a big clue when Jesus rose from the dead & the women came to His tomb to anoint His body. They met an angel who told them;--Go tell His disciples & Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee. Mark 16:7. Even after Peter had so failed Jesus in his denial of Him, Jesus still not only loved him, Peter was genuinely special to Him. Peter was the point man that you often had to talk to first before you talked to Jesus. And Jesus was always talking to Peter, explaining things & interacting with him.
One thing we know Peter didn’t have that would have endeared him to Jesus & that was a great intellect. If he was Jesus’ favorite it wasn’t because he was especially smart. Peter didn't write much. He only gave us a few chapters.The reason for that was, he wasn't a writer, he was a doer. Fishing....that's what Peter did best.
Peter holds the absolute record for doing & saying the most untutored things of all twelve disciples put together. He was impetuous, he was loud, he was crass, he was a hot-head & had a penchant for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Also, although Peter did finally shape-up, putting aside Judas, he holds the dubious distinction of having the worst melt-down on record when the pressure was put on him during the arrest of Jesus. He flatly denied he ever knew Jesus. So his loyalty & his intellect couldn’t have been why Jesus liked him best. As a matter of fact Peter didn’t possess any of the qualities that we’d generally look for if we were looking for the person Jesus liked best. You’d think a quieter more self-possessed & tranquil person would have held that distinction.
Peter was always messing up the beautiful moments Jesus was experiencing. Remember the incident on the Mount of Transfiguration? Jesus took Peter James & John with Him & Moses & Elijah came down & made an appearance. Peter got so beside himself that he started talking about building three tabernacles for Jesus, Moses & Elijah & just staying there to bask in the glory of the experience. Jesus had to put a “wet blanket” on Peter’s idea, because the need was down in the valley, down where the hurting people were.
When Jesus wanted to wash Peter’s feet, Peter threw a fit & refused to let Him do it, telling Him there was no way that was going to happen. When Jesus explained to him that if He didn’t wash Peter’s feet he would have no part with Him, then Peter readjusted & told Jesus He could go ahead & wash his hands & head also. I can almost hear Jesus saying, “Peter, now back off & let this be what it is, an occasion for washing feet.”Peter was the kind of guy who'd "charge into Hell with a squirt-gun" without thinking things through.
Another great moment Peter sullied was in the garden when Jesus had prepared Himself to be arrested by the authorities, thus beginning His Passion. This was the real reason He came, to die for all humanity. But what did Peter do? He fumed & fussed around & somehow produced a sword, (there’s no telling how he got that sword) & cut off Malcus’ ear. Now, beside dealing with the stress of the sell-out by Judas & being taken into custody, He’s got to clean up the mess Peter made & heal Malcus’ ear.
Earlier when Jesus was trying to explain that this time would surely come, Peter rebuked Him, saying he would never let it happen. Can you imagine a man actually taking God behind the bushes & scolding Him, telling Him in essence that what He was saying was preposterous & way off course? Jesus had to give Peter a “smack-down,” telling him “get thee behind me Satan.” This then was Peter. Over & over he exhibited his lack of understanding of Jesus’ mission. To put it bluntly, Peter wasn’t all that spiritually fine-tuned & often just got it wrong.
Neither was the special relationship Jesus & Peter had based on a long history together. The first record we have of them meeting was when Jesus saw Peter fishing one day & called him to be a disciple. They weren’t playmates from childhood. Have you ever had the experience of being with a friend you’d known for a number of years & felt maybe you were their best friend, or perhaps your friendship was the longest running friendship? Then another person came on the scene & as they talked you realized that this person’s connection with your friend predated your friendship with them? The more they talked the more it dawned on you that though you were very good friends, the other person had known your friend much longer than you had. Not that you were any less a good friend, it was just that you now realized that you didn’t know this person as well as you thought you did & your friendship didn’t have the deep texture or history the other friend had. There was no way you could turn back the clock & know you friend during all the years before you met.
Peter’s friendship with Jesus wasn’t based on past history; it was what it was on the basis of what was happening between them in the moment. Having presented all these negatives, there had to be something Jesus liked about Peter. The first thing that causes me to feel Peter was best liked by Jesus is;
PETER SHOWED UP
Peter was just always around. He was present. He’s in the big middle of almost all the stories told in the four gospels. Peter’s name is mentioned more times in the four gospels than all the other eleven disciples put together. The reason he was mentioned so much was that he was always there. He was always hanging around. And isn’t that one of the prerequisites for success in life, to show up. Someone has said that ninety per-cent of life is just showing up. That’s stage one to anything we do in life—show-up. If we are no-shows, nothing happens. We can go on to the other steps then, but job one is showing up. Peter always showed-up.
I remember someone commenting to my father one time about my call to the ministry & how proud he must have been when I made the decision to follow in his footsteps. Dad’s answer was something like; “well, you know I never encouraged Johnny to follow in my footsteps. He chose it for himself. Every time I looked around, he was there asking questions, picking my brain, & trying to get a little more knowledge. What you see in my son isn’t my doing; it was totally his decision & his choice.” And that was very true. There was a burning desire in my heart to work for the Lord which neither of my parents stoked or tried to cultivate, outside of encouraging me to be a Christian. Whatever else I wanted to do was strictly up to me & my initiative.
Pastors know that relationships will often grow with certain people within the congregation that they didn’t really initiate. There is often someone who has a special liking for their pastor & they gravitate toward him & his family. It’s not that the pastor has chosen them. That person has chosen to be closer than others in the church.
If you’re a parent & or a grandparent, you’ll know that often for no reason you can explain, one of the children will chose to be closer to you, to get to know you better than the others. As a parent you have absolutely no power over that. They child chooses you, not the other way around. It’s just that they’re always there. You turn around & there they are, wanting to make the trip to the store with you; asking questions about your childhood, wanting you to show them how to bait a hook. One day you wake up to realize you feel closer to one than the other (God forbid that we would love one more than the other.) What was happening was an individual was choosing to be close to you & you weren’t about to close them out.
The second thing Peter did that made Jesus like him was;
HE SPOKE UP
Peter didn’t hesitate to speak when he felt like it. He wasn’t intimidated by anyone. Even though he loved & revered Jesus deeply, Peter didn’t close down when he faced Jesus. Quite the contrary, he was often “in His face,” asking for explanations & clarifications. Did Jesus resent him? No! Jesus loved it. You can see it in their interactions.
Forgive me for pointing out the obvious but conversations are very much a two way street. Jesus loved conversations & He had many with His disciples, especially Peter. Have you ever played tennis? What if you were playing tennis & all at once the person you were playing with just reached out & grabbed the ball? You might reach & get another tennis ball & send it back but if the person on the other side of the net kept holding the ball & not hitting it back the game would be over. Tennis is a game where the players hit the ball back & forth, hopefully across the net.
It’s the same in conversation. People must stay with it, both contributing to the activity. God loves these conversations with us. The reason Jesus liked Peter was He enjoyed the authenticity of the man. Peter was a body in motion but he was correctable & malleable. Jesus could straighten him out because he was a work in progress. But he was in progress. No one could ever accuse Peter of being lethargic. God can steer us & correct us but He can’t do it unless we're animated in some way. The third reason Jesus liked Peter was that;
HE ACTED ON HIS FEELINGS
To put it succinctly, Peter showed-up, spoke-up & acted-out.
Many times the actions he took weren’t exactly right but again, Jesus would step in & correct him.
There’s a short snippet of a story in Matthew 14 where all three of these characteristics of Peter are in full play. The disciples were in a boat in the midst of a storm & Jesus came to them walking on the water. In His usual custom He told the disciples –“Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid.”
When you read that story, you would think that Peter was the only one in the boat though we’re told all the disciples were on board. But Peter was the only one speaking or doing anything. However, Peters proclivity for saying the wrong thing is alive & well on this occasion. What does he do? He opens his mouth & says the most impudent thing a man could have possibly have said at such a time. Peter offers up to Jesus a test of His Godhood by saying—“Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto you on the water.”
Of course I wouldn’t have had the grace for Peter that Jesus had, but if I’d been Jesus I think I would have said—“Hey, knot- head, who else have you seen walking on the water lately? What part of “It is I” don’t you understand? Is there anyone else in that boat who wants to join me out here, not you Peter, sit down before you fall down.”
But what does Jesus say to Peter? COME! Isn’t that beautiful? COME! Do you think Jesus was in any way aggravated with Peter because of this? No!! He loved it! He loved it because He knew it was authentic. The proof of that is that Peter didn’t say-“O.K. I was just kidding, James get out of the boat & walk to Jesus.” Peter didn’t say “Let me think it over & I’ll get back to you Jesus.” No, Peter got out of that boat & started walking to Jesus. We know the story how Peter got distracted & started to sink but Jesus reached out & caught him by the hand. If I’m reading right, Peter walked back to the boat with Jesus.
In case you think I’m being a little tough on Peter, let me say that though Peter had his failings, he wasn’t a failure. After he was filled with the Spirit & grounded, under his leadership & preaching the Church spread in Jerusalem, Judea, & Samaria, & then to Antioch & Rome. Peter then died a martyr’s death for His Lord. Why then did the scriptures record all his failings? I believe it’s to show us that Peter’s ultimate achievements were not his alone but gifts from God.
I also believe it’s for our encouragement that we are shown this all too human man who cannot trust himself but learns how to trust God. By the grace of God a man who in so many ways seems a failure becomes a success & the stumbling block is turned into a foundation stone.
We like Peter have our failings. We fail to understand God’s purposes as we ought & maybe we fail in being the kind of witness we ought to be for Christ. We’ve all had our Peter moments; moments of faith quakes & faith quirks. Maybe we’ve even been paralyzed by fear & when it came time for us to step into the gap & be like Jesus we lost our grip on God; times when our humanity overshadows everything in our lives of any depth.
Of course Jesus wasn’t blind to the problems of Peter. But He saw his heart. Because of His love for Peter he pardoned his cowardice & the fact that he had a problem staying awake at the right times but wanted to fight at the wrong times. Peter had lots of zeal but little carry-through. Sound familiar? Because of Jesus’ affection for Peter He saw past His weaknesses & worked with his strengths. At the right moment Jesus even gave Peter an opportunity to erase the guilt of his earlier denial that he knew Him.
I think I see pattern in the life of Peter that you & I can follow & in so doing we can please the heart of God. We can be present & we can show up in whatever way that might apply. I strongly believe in the ministry of showing up. Just about everything good that’s ever happened to me happened because I showed up. Some people have all kinds of spiritual gifts but they’re never there when needed. They never show up.
Then we can speak up. We hear so much about not talking too much that sometimes we’re silent when we should be speaking. I know prayer isn’t just chattering to God, giving Him no time to speak, but conversely it isn’t just silence with no engagement on our part. Prayer is communication with our heavenly Father. I believe He wants us to talk to Him.
When was your last Peter moment? Jesus knows all about it. He understands our times of reluctance, our times of abject fear, our times of defeat, even our times of rejecting his love. He accepts our apologies, dismisses the charges, exonerates our actions, purges our cowardice, wipes our slate clean & forgives all our Peter moments & keeps challenging us by appealing to the potential He knows we have.
He beckons us to demonstrate our love for Him as he did His good friend Peter by saying,
Peter, feed my sheep.
Blessings,
John
Friday, July 29, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
Risky Business
By John Stallings
Recently I heard Pastor John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley California on television relating how he’d sat by the deathbed of a 78 year old man.
The dying man was relating some of his failings in life but rejoicing in the fact that he’d confessed everything and God had forgiven him. He wasn’t worried about death or his standing before God.
Then the man added something that took MacArthur aback. He said in a matter-of-fact tone, “I’m so sorry I was never able to get the victory over pornography.”
Macarthur said, “Well, for you young people here today, especially the young men, I guess this isn’t especially encouraging news.”
RISKY!
I realize that talking about sexual matters is fraught with possible problems. I could offend people. I might embarrass somebody.
The following story illustrates why I would write this post…
During a counseling session a minister asked a young man, "How often do you entertain thoughts about prophecy?"
The young man answered: "About twice a year—once around Christmas, and again some time around Easter.”
The minister then asked, “How many times in a given day do you have sexual thoughts?" You could have heard a marshmallow fall on a carpet. Silence. The young man couldn’t speak.
The obvious point is -the average person, right or wrong, rarely thinks about prophecy, but hears sermons on the subject quite often. However how many times do you hear biblically relevant preaching on human sexuality—something a large majority of people are thinking about and dealing with most all the time? Only occasionally.
Truthfully, for most healthy people, for at least a good portion of our lives, sexual thoughts aren’t that few and far between. Anything that occupies that much of our thought life and drives that much of our personality ought to be addressed, because some of those thoughts are misguided and in need of God's correction.
For a minister never to mention sex would be to desert his post at one of the most active battlefronts in our lives and culture.
Why rush in where angels tiptoe?
You just can't ignore the topic of sex. Marriages are struggling because of misleading information about this subject. Young people are making mistakes because they're getting behavioral cues from all the wrong sources. Singles are wrestling with sexual dilemmas. Sex is a subject begging for a clear Christian word. Here’s a good word for starters;
ABSTAIN
1 Thessalonians 4:3 says;
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” NKJV
There are not many things from which the Bible tells us to abstain. The word itself is used only 7 times in the New Testament—3 times in the book of Acts referring to temporary restrictions, once in 1 Timothy referring to false doctrine, and once in 1 Peter. The other two times are found in 1 Thessalonians.
It’s interesting to know that the Bible does not use the word “abstain” with reference to alcohol. While there certainly are many good reasons to be cautious about alcohol and good reasons to abstain, the Bible itself does not say, “You shall abstain from alcohol.”
Whenever we see the word “abstain” in the Bible we know two things for certain:
1. It is a command of God
2. It is an absolute prohibition
Therefore, whenever we find a command to abstain in the Bible, we ought to take it seriously. It’s so simple and clear that there need be no debate about it. God commands believers to abstain from sexual immorality. Period. End of story. The command is crystal-clear.
No Difference!
No message is more needed in the church today. Several years ago the Gallup organization released a survey in which they compared the beliefs and lifestyles of evangelical Christians with the public at large The results were quite revealing. In the first place, the survey showed that there’s an enormous interest in spiritual things among the unchurched. Contrary to popular opinion, many Americans think deeply about ultimate issues and genuinely want to find meaningful answers.
Second, the survey revealed a general rise in immoral behavior. In an age when more people are attending church, there is an alarming rise in crime and unethical behavior, even among those who are very religious. One quote stuck with me: “There is little difference in ethical behavior between those who go to church and those who don’t.”
I am reminded of the words of the late evangelist Vance Havner who said - “the church has become so worldly and the world so churchy that it’s hard to tell the difference.”
Facing the Facts
There is a reason for all this. Our society has changed. If you think things have gotten worse, you’re right.
Fact—Hardcore pornography has come out of the closet and on to main street.
Fact—Through the Internet the vilest forms of pornography are now available
to young children.
Fact—Homosexuality is now seen as an acceptable alternative lifestyle.
Fact—Many mainline denominations now have openly gay clergy.
Fact—We routinely see things on television that would have shocked us 25 years ago.
Fact—Nothing much surprises us anymore.
We’ve seen it all … and seen it so often we’ve lost our ability to be shocked. Adultery … premarital sex … group sex … lesbianism … wife swapping … pornography in our local convenience stores … x-rated movies on TV … multiple marriages … quick abortions … incest … child abuse … bestiality … teen pregnancy … gay churches … televangelists who visit prostitutes … herpes … AIDS … radical sex education. And on and on the list goes.
GONE WITH THE WIND
It hasn’t always been this way. There was a day when the entire nation could be shocked by just one word. When the move “Gone With the Wind” was released in 1939, it caused an uproar because Clark Gable uttered the following line: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a da.n.”
We’ve come a long way, baby. And not necessarily in the right direction either.
What has happened to America? When did we lose our collective sense of modesty? Why did we go morally blind? Somewhere in the last generation morality died, and public opinion eroded.
Two Words We Need to Understand 1-3
There are two words we need to understand very clearly. First, the word abstain means “to hold off from, to distance oneself from, to have nothing to do with.” You are abstaining from something when you separate yourself from it completely. Second, the phrase “sexual immorality” comes from the Greek word porneia, which is a very broad word encompassing every kind of sexual activity outside the circle of God’s will. It covers sins of the mind, body, eyes, ears and lips. It includes premarital sex, extra-marital sex, every form of homosexuality, adultery, and every form of pornography. In fact the English “pornography” comes from the Greek word porneia. Paul is telling us that Christians must abstain from a pornographic lifestyle in the broadest sense of that word.
This means there can be no “moderate immorality” and no “social adultery” and no “victimless pornography.” We are not to dabble in sexual sin in any of its various forms. To the contrary, we’re to have nothing to do with it.
In a world of impurity Christians are to be different. That’s what the word “sanctification” means. A sanctified person is a Christian whose life is “distinctively different” because it’s set apart for God.
PAUL’S DAY
Perhaps you’re wondering if things were different in Paul’s day. The answer is, they were worse, if that’s possible. In the first place Thessalonica was a seaport, which meant that people from all over the Mediterranean world stopped there in transit from one place to another. The sailors and visiting merchants brought with them the usual desires for sexual gratification. More importantly, the Greek religions of that day practiced “sacred prostitution.” That involved hiring a prostitute at a pagan temple as part of your acts of worship. This sounds sick because it is sick!
The famed orator Demosthenes described the moral climate of ancient Greece this way:
“We keep prostitutes for pleasure, we keep mistresses for day to day needs of the body, we keep wives for the begetting of children and for the faithful guarding of the home.”
Given the moral atmosphere of the day, there must have been enormous pressure on those young Christians to lower their standards to conform to the world around them. But Paul will have none of it. He orders them to abstain from every form of sexual immorality.
Two Commands We Must Obey
Verses 4-6 flesh out that command in more detail. He gives them two instructions—one positive and one negative. We must take each one to heart if we are going to be clean in a very dirty world.
# 1: Control your own body 4-5
Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God (vv. 4-5). Verse 4 literally commands each man to “possess his own vessel/body.” To possess is to control in the sense of mastering the impulse to sin.
A God-empowered man controls his own body. When God is not in control, the body controls the man.
Paul explains his meaning in verse 5 where he mentions the “passionate lust” of the heathen.
Notice carefully the reason he gives. The heathen “do not know God.” That’s the cause of all the pain, misery, sin and debauchery in the world today. Men do not know God and therefore indulge their worst fantasies.
When men turn away from God, anything is possible. No one knows how deep men can go when they do not know God. There is no limit, no end. Because there is no check on their desires, they commit unspeakable sin.
But we know God … and that makes all the difference!
Paul was no prude. Remember that Paul was a single man living in a strange land filled with temptation. He knew all about the depth of sin. He heard the siren song, “Come on, everyone’s doing it.” He felt the desire for closeness, he longed for the thrill of intimacy.
It would have been easy for him to give in, but he didn’t. The price was too high. He was a Christian first. He knew God … and that made all the difference.
# 2: Don’t cheat another person –v.6
“In this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.” The King James Version uses the word “defraud.” Other translations use words like “wrong” or “cheat.” The meaning may be made clear by a few examples:
*Don’t cheat your brother by sleeping with his wife.
*Don’t cheat your wife by dreaming of other women.
*Don’t cheat your boy friend or girl friend by leading them on.
*Don’t cheat your future husband or wife by giving away that which
you can never get back—your purity.
*Don’t cheat your friends by claiming to be one thing in public and something
else in private.
*Don’t cheat your family by sneaking away behind their backs.
*Don’t cheat your loved by doing anything you would be ashamed for them
to know about.
Immorality is like that. It always cheats someone else—usually someone you love very much. Just ask any wife whose husband left. Just ask any parent whose child had an affair. Just any church members who saw their pastor fall into sexual sin.
Perhaps the saddest thing about lust is that it’s never satisfied. Someone has said that lust is “the craving for salt by a man dying of thirst.” It promises everything and delivers nothing. No great release. No lasting satisfaction. Not even any swift punishment.
You always have to go back for more. It’s the law of diminishing returns. Lust forces you to keep coming back.
Three Facts God
Our text closes with three reasons why this command is so important. Each one applies directly to us today.
1. God will punish those who practice immorality. 6
“The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.”
Sometimes He punishes the body, sometimes the mind, sometimes our speech, our eyes, often our health, and almost always our memories. Lust produces that inward deadening that is both unexpected and inevitable.
The most likely judgment is that God will simply leave a person alone to suffer the natural consequences of their sin, but we must remember that in the future what has been done in secret will be shouted from the rooftops.
2. God has called us to purity. V.7
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” Christianity is supremely the champion of purity. Our faith is utterly alien to every form of uncleanness. When Jesus comes in, he cleans house.
3. Rejecting purity means rejecting God.v. 8
“Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” To reject means to treat with utter contempt. It is to render the commandment of God null and void.
This is what Nathan meant when he asked David, “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?” (2 Samuel 12:9)
By committing adultery and then ordering Uriah murdered to cover it up, he had treated God’s holy commands with utter contempt. He knew it was wrong and yet he did it anyway.
You and I can’t have it both ways. We must either be pure … or stop calling ourselves Christians!
All of us need to hear this message. I need it personally. No one is exempt—not the pastor nor the elders nor the staff members nor the people in the pew. This is God’s Word for all of us.
AVOIDING SEXUAL TRAPS-GUARDRAILS!
Sexuality 101 tells us that if we’re to avoid the many traps of Satan in sexual areas we’re going to have to have some guardrails.
A guardrail is a system designed to keep vehicles from straying into dangerous, or off-limit areas.
The guardrail is placed in an area that’s safe to drive to keep us from going into places that are unsafe to drive. A guardrail is always placed a few feet or yards away from the area of danger. Guardrails are designed to cause a little bit of damage in order to keep you from experiencing a lot of damage. We all know that on the other side of guardrails are places that are unsafe for us to go.
In order for you and me to avoid serious wreckage in our lives, we need to establish a system, a standard of personal behavior that becomes a matter of conscience.
We need moral guardrails that will help us with our friendships, our marriages, our academic, professional and just about any arena of life.
As an example, if you’re married, a good “guardrail” would be to establish that you’ll never have lunch with anyone of the opposite sex, nor will you allow yourself to be alone with them except under extremely extenuating circumstances. Think about it, if you established these kinds of guardrails, wouldn’t it be difficult for you to ever be exposed to sexual temptation?
You and I need a system that says- In this area of my life, this is as far as I’m going to go-period! I’m not going to tempt fate. You and I need to make that decision so personal that when we violate it or began to violate our own personal standard, our conscience lights up and says, “Warning, warning, warning! You’re moving towards something dangerous.” A personal standard of behavior that maybe nobody would subscribe to but you, a personal standard of behavior that’s your own, but you’re so committed to it that you actually feel guilty because your conscience lights up.
Shocking words about Sexual intimacy…
The Bible says with crystal clarity that when a guy and a girl, have sex, they are married. Paul, in one of his letters, took the Corinthians to the woodshed for visiting prostitutes. Paul’s explanation of why it’s wrong?
1 Corinthians 6:16-17:
“Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.”
Let’s think about this; Paul is saying that when a man and a woman have sex, they become a couple – they are married. In God’s eyes, they are married. They are one flesh, just like the very first couple. Sexual intimacy is unifying.
You and I must remember this: Sexual intimacy unites. It doesn’t even take sexual intercourse. Pardon my frankness, but, shedding clothes, stimulating one another, etc. are all forms of sexual intimacy that create permanent bonds. Such bonds can even be formed by fully clothed and simulated sex or explicit talk with another or sexual fantasies.
A lot of people are unconvinced that these last things automatically create the bond, but be careful. You do such things at your own peril because the bond could be formed before you know it. Why play with fire?
Sexual intimacy unites.
If you experiment with sex outside of marriage, you will build unity whether you intend it or want it or not. I’m not trying to guilt people here but one has to know the consequences of their action.
When two people sleep together, the body makes a promise even if the mind doesn’t?
Sexual intimacy yields unity. You have established a solemn unity. You’re married. Maybe you will deny that. Maybe you can find a way to block out God’s commands about adultery and sexual immorality and fornication. It may not even be difficult to block them out because the words you’re now reading sound so heavy handed, like they come from a different era and have no relevance now. But you will have a bond with that person until you die. You can end the affair or you can break up with the boyfriend or girlfriend, but you have established a bond that is not going away. I don’t say that to “slap you upside the head” with the wrath of God. I say it because you need to know what you are getting into. It’s risky!
Once the bond is formed, you have only two choices. First, you can try to ignore the unity that you have just built. That’s a very popular option and why not? Sex brings unity and excitement and wonderful, physical pleasure. Take away the unity and sex is still magnetic.
Sex outside of a marriage – whether it be pre-marital sex or an affair – is exciting. It is dramatic. But it’s risky. You might get a huge kick from the danger of the forbidden. All the excitement and pleasure can make you think that this thing you share with the other person must be right. We might think that sin should immediately made you feel miserable, but it doesn’t always work that way. It could be really thrilling – a drug that makes you want more and more.
But the substance to which you are addicted is excitement and it is excitement built on a gift from God that is missing an essential component. The foundation is flawed. It can’t last. It’s not real. Real sex starts with unity, not excitement, certainly not the excitement of indulging in something out of bounds.
Like macaroni and cheese, married love-isn’t particularly exotic, but very satisfying and profoundly unifying.
Base sexual intimacy on unity – on public vows, promises made to each other and to God and to all your friends and family, promises that the two of you will be one and always and only one, and now you have something to build on. And as for the thrills and excitement, well, don’t worry. That will come often enough. Maybe more than you could ak or think and over a course of many decades
You’ll remember that I said sexual intimacy in all its forms builds unity. If you have engaged in sexual intimacy, then you have built that unity with anther human being. From that point you have only two options. So far, I have only spoken about the first option. By this option, you simply try to ignore the unity and carry on. That might work for a time, but not completely.
But there’s a second option, and this is a great place to conclude.
GRACE ALWAYS RULES THE DAY!
This option is all about grace, about the loving and faithful willingness of God to forgive. Here’s some good news. You might wrestle with your past sexual behavior but it matters little where you have been or what you have done - you can always turn to the Father in heaven who forgives. He is in the business of making all things new. He can undo damage we have done to ourselves and even heal the wounds we may have inflicted on others
It’s all pictured so well in Jesus’ story about a son who disappeared with half his dad’s money. He wasted it all on drunkenness and wild living, forming more than a few permanent bonds with many different women. He came to his senses, and decided to go home. He hoped that his dad would have enough pity on him to hire him to clean the barns. Well it turns out the old man saw him coming and ran down the driveway to meet him. He hugged him and before the son could give words to his apology, the father welcomed the son, called over his shoulder to the guy at the punchbowl to start up the band.
The son was home! The son had a second chance, a fresh start and it was like the years of wandering had never happened.
Grace always rules the day for those who answer the call to come home.
Blessings,
John
Recently I heard Pastor John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley California on television relating how he’d sat by the deathbed of a 78 year old man.
The dying man was relating some of his failings in life but rejoicing in the fact that he’d confessed everything and God had forgiven him. He wasn’t worried about death or his standing before God.
Then the man added something that took MacArthur aback. He said in a matter-of-fact tone, “I’m so sorry I was never able to get the victory over pornography.”
Macarthur said, “Well, for you young people here today, especially the young men, I guess this isn’t especially encouraging news.”
RISKY!
I realize that talking about sexual matters is fraught with possible problems. I could offend people. I might embarrass somebody.
The following story illustrates why I would write this post…
During a counseling session a minister asked a young man, "How often do you entertain thoughts about prophecy?"
The young man answered: "About twice a year—once around Christmas, and again some time around Easter.”
The minister then asked, “How many times in a given day do you have sexual thoughts?" You could have heard a marshmallow fall on a carpet. Silence. The young man couldn’t speak.
The obvious point is -the average person, right or wrong, rarely thinks about prophecy, but hears sermons on the subject quite often. However how many times do you hear biblically relevant preaching on human sexuality—something a large majority of people are thinking about and dealing with most all the time? Only occasionally.
Truthfully, for most healthy people, for at least a good portion of our lives, sexual thoughts aren’t that few and far between. Anything that occupies that much of our thought life and drives that much of our personality ought to be addressed, because some of those thoughts are misguided and in need of God's correction.
For a minister never to mention sex would be to desert his post at one of the most active battlefronts in our lives and culture.
Why rush in where angels tiptoe?
You just can't ignore the topic of sex. Marriages are struggling because of misleading information about this subject. Young people are making mistakes because they're getting behavioral cues from all the wrong sources. Singles are wrestling with sexual dilemmas. Sex is a subject begging for a clear Christian word. Here’s a good word for starters;
ABSTAIN
1 Thessalonians 4:3 says;
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” NKJV
There are not many things from which the Bible tells us to abstain. The word itself is used only 7 times in the New Testament—3 times in the book of Acts referring to temporary restrictions, once in 1 Timothy referring to false doctrine, and once in 1 Peter. The other two times are found in 1 Thessalonians.
It’s interesting to know that the Bible does not use the word “abstain” with reference to alcohol. While there certainly are many good reasons to be cautious about alcohol and good reasons to abstain, the Bible itself does not say, “You shall abstain from alcohol.”
Whenever we see the word “abstain” in the Bible we know two things for certain:
1. It is a command of God
2. It is an absolute prohibition
Therefore, whenever we find a command to abstain in the Bible, we ought to take it seriously. It’s so simple and clear that there need be no debate about it. God commands believers to abstain from sexual immorality. Period. End of story. The command is crystal-clear.
No Difference!
No message is more needed in the church today. Several years ago the Gallup organization released a survey in which they compared the beliefs and lifestyles of evangelical Christians with the public at large The results were quite revealing. In the first place, the survey showed that there’s an enormous interest in spiritual things among the unchurched. Contrary to popular opinion, many Americans think deeply about ultimate issues and genuinely want to find meaningful answers.
Second, the survey revealed a general rise in immoral behavior. In an age when more people are attending church, there is an alarming rise in crime and unethical behavior, even among those who are very religious. One quote stuck with me: “There is little difference in ethical behavior between those who go to church and those who don’t.”
I am reminded of the words of the late evangelist Vance Havner who said - “the church has become so worldly and the world so churchy that it’s hard to tell the difference.”
Facing the Facts
There is a reason for all this. Our society has changed. If you think things have gotten worse, you’re right.
Fact—Hardcore pornography has come out of the closet and on to main street.
Fact—Through the Internet the vilest forms of pornography are now available
to young children.
Fact—Homosexuality is now seen as an acceptable alternative lifestyle.
Fact—Many mainline denominations now have openly gay clergy.
Fact—We routinely see things on television that would have shocked us 25 years ago.
Fact—Nothing much surprises us anymore.
We’ve seen it all … and seen it so often we’ve lost our ability to be shocked. Adultery … premarital sex … group sex … lesbianism … wife swapping … pornography in our local convenience stores … x-rated movies on TV … multiple marriages … quick abortions … incest … child abuse … bestiality … teen pregnancy … gay churches … televangelists who visit prostitutes … herpes … AIDS … radical sex education. And on and on the list goes.
GONE WITH THE WIND
It hasn’t always been this way. There was a day when the entire nation could be shocked by just one word. When the move “Gone With the Wind” was released in 1939, it caused an uproar because Clark Gable uttered the following line: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a da.n.”
We’ve come a long way, baby. And not necessarily in the right direction either.
What has happened to America? When did we lose our collective sense of modesty? Why did we go morally blind? Somewhere in the last generation morality died, and public opinion eroded.
Two Words We Need to Understand 1-3
There are two words we need to understand very clearly. First, the word abstain means “to hold off from, to distance oneself from, to have nothing to do with.” You are abstaining from something when you separate yourself from it completely. Second, the phrase “sexual immorality” comes from the Greek word porneia, which is a very broad word encompassing every kind of sexual activity outside the circle of God’s will. It covers sins of the mind, body, eyes, ears and lips. It includes premarital sex, extra-marital sex, every form of homosexuality, adultery, and every form of pornography. In fact the English “pornography” comes from the Greek word porneia. Paul is telling us that Christians must abstain from a pornographic lifestyle in the broadest sense of that word.
This means there can be no “moderate immorality” and no “social adultery” and no “victimless pornography.” We are not to dabble in sexual sin in any of its various forms. To the contrary, we’re to have nothing to do with it.
In a world of impurity Christians are to be different. That’s what the word “sanctification” means. A sanctified person is a Christian whose life is “distinctively different” because it’s set apart for God.
PAUL’S DAY
Perhaps you’re wondering if things were different in Paul’s day. The answer is, they were worse, if that’s possible. In the first place Thessalonica was a seaport, which meant that people from all over the Mediterranean world stopped there in transit from one place to another. The sailors and visiting merchants brought with them the usual desires for sexual gratification. More importantly, the Greek religions of that day practiced “sacred prostitution.” That involved hiring a prostitute at a pagan temple as part of your acts of worship. This sounds sick because it is sick!
The famed orator Demosthenes described the moral climate of ancient Greece this way:
“We keep prostitutes for pleasure, we keep mistresses for day to day needs of the body, we keep wives for the begetting of children and for the faithful guarding of the home.”
Given the moral atmosphere of the day, there must have been enormous pressure on those young Christians to lower their standards to conform to the world around them. But Paul will have none of it. He orders them to abstain from every form of sexual immorality.
Two Commands We Must Obey
Verses 4-6 flesh out that command in more detail. He gives them two instructions—one positive and one negative. We must take each one to heart if we are going to be clean in a very dirty world.
# 1: Control your own body 4-5
Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God (vv. 4-5). Verse 4 literally commands each man to “possess his own vessel/body.” To possess is to control in the sense of mastering the impulse to sin.
A God-empowered man controls his own body. When God is not in control, the body controls the man.
Paul explains his meaning in verse 5 where he mentions the “passionate lust” of the heathen.
Notice carefully the reason he gives. The heathen “do not know God.” That’s the cause of all the pain, misery, sin and debauchery in the world today. Men do not know God and therefore indulge their worst fantasies.
When men turn away from God, anything is possible. No one knows how deep men can go when they do not know God. There is no limit, no end. Because there is no check on their desires, they commit unspeakable sin.
But we know God … and that makes all the difference!
Paul was no prude. Remember that Paul was a single man living in a strange land filled with temptation. He knew all about the depth of sin. He heard the siren song, “Come on, everyone’s doing it.” He felt the desire for closeness, he longed for the thrill of intimacy.
It would have been easy for him to give in, but he didn’t. The price was too high. He was a Christian first. He knew God … and that made all the difference.
# 2: Don’t cheat another person –v.6
“In this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.” The King James Version uses the word “defraud.” Other translations use words like “wrong” or “cheat.” The meaning may be made clear by a few examples:
*Don’t cheat your brother by sleeping with his wife.
*Don’t cheat your wife by dreaming of other women.
*Don’t cheat your boy friend or girl friend by leading them on.
*Don’t cheat your future husband or wife by giving away that which
you can never get back—your purity.
*Don’t cheat your friends by claiming to be one thing in public and something
else in private.
*Don’t cheat your family by sneaking away behind their backs.
*Don’t cheat your loved by doing anything you would be ashamed for them
to know about.
Immorality is like that. It always cheats someone else—usually someone you love very much. Just ask any wife whose husband left. Just ask any parent whose child had an affair. Just any church members who saw their pastor fall into sexual sin.
Perhaps the saddest thing about lust is that it’s never satisfied. Someone has said that lust is “the craving for salt by a man dying of thirst.” It promises everything and delivers nothing. No great release. No lasting satisfaction. Not even any swift punishment.
You always have to go back for more. It’s the law of diminishing returns. Lust forces you to keep coming back.
Three Facts God
Our text closes with three reasons why this command is so important. Each one applies directly to us today.
1. God will punish those who practice immorality. 6
“The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.”
Sometimes He punishes the body, sometimes the mind, sometimes our speech, our eyes, often our health, and almost always our memories. Lust produces that inward deadening that is both unexpected and inevitable.
The most likely judgment is that God will simply leave a person alone to suffer the natural consequences of their sin, but we must remember that in the future what has been done in secret will be shouted from the rooftops.
2. God has called us to purity. V.7
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” Christianity is supremely the champion of purity. Our faith is utterly alien to every form of uncleanness. When Jesus comes in, he cleans house.
3. Rejecting purity means rejecting God.v. 8
“Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” To reject means to treat with utter contempt. It is to render the commandment of God null and void.
This is what Nathan meant when he asked David, “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?” (2 Samuel 12:9)
By committing adultery and then ordering Uriah murdered to cover it up, he had treated God’s holy commands with utter contempt. He knew it was wrong and yet he did it anyway.
You and I can’t have it both ways. We must either be pure … or stop calling ourselves Christians!
All of us need to hear this message. I need it personally. No one is exempt—not the pastor nor the elders nor the staff members nor the people in the pew. This is God’s Word for all of us.
AVOIDING SEXUAL TRAPS-GUARDRAILS!
Sexuality 101 tells us that if we’re to avoid the many traps of Satan in sexual areas we’re going to have to have some guardrails.
A guardrail is a system designed to keep vehicles from straying into dangerous, or off-limit areas.
The guardrail is placed in an area that’s safe to drive to keep us from going into places that are unsafe to drive. A guardrail is always placed a few feet or yards away from the area of danger. Guardrails are designed to cause a little bit of damage in order to keep you from experiencing a lot of damage. We all know that on the other side of guardrails are places that are unsafe for us to go.
In order for you and me to avoid serious wreckage in our lives, we need to establish a system, a standard of personal behavior that becomes a matter of conscience.
We need moral guardrails that will help us with our friendships, our marriages, our academic, professional and just about any arena of life.
As an example, if you’re married, a good “guardrail” would be to establish that you’ll never have lunch with anyone of the opposite sex, nor will you allow yourself to be alone with them except under extremely extenuating circumstances. Think about it, if you established these kinds of guardrails, wouldn’t it be difficult for you to ever be exposed to sexual temptation?
You and I need a system that says- In this area of my life, this is as far as I’m going to go-period! I’m not going to tempt fate. You and I need to make that decision so personal that when we violate it or began to violate our own personal standard, our conscience lights up and says, “Warning, warning, warning! You’re moving towards something dangerous.” A personal standard of behavior that maybe nobody would subscribe to but you, a personal standard of behavior that’s your own, but you’re so committed to it that you actually feel guilty because your conscience lights up.
Shocking words about Sexual intimacy…
The Bible says with crystal clarity that when a guy and a girl, have sex, they are married. Paul, in one of his letters, took the Corinthians to the woodshed for visiting prostitutes. Paul’s explanation of why it’s wrong?
1 Corinthians 6:16-17:
“Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.”
Let’s think about this; Paul is saying that when a man and a woman have sex, they become a couple – they are married. In God’s eyes, they are married. They are one flesh, just like the very first couple. Sexual intimacy is unifying.
You and I must remember this: Sexual intimacy unites. It doesn’t even take sexual intercourse. Pardon my frankness, but, shedding clothes, stimulating one another, etc. are all forms of sexual intimacy that create permanent bonds. Such bonds can even be formed by fully clothed and simulated sex or explicit talk with another or sexual fantasies.
A lot of people are unconvinced that these last things automatically create the bond, but be careful. You do such things at your own peril because the bond could be formed before you know it. Why play with fire?
Sexual intimacy unites.
If you experiment with sex outside of marriage, you will build unity whether you intend it or want it or not. I’m not trying to guilt people here but one has to know the consequences of their action.
When two people sleep together, the body makes a promise even if the mind doesn’t?
Sexual intimacy yields unity. You have established a solemn unity. You’re married. Maybe you will deny that. Maybe you can find a way to block out God’s commands about adultery and sexual immorality and fornication. It may not even be difficult to block them out because the words you’re now reading sound so heavy handed, like they come from a different era and have no relevance now. But you will have a bond with that person until you die. You can end the affair or you can break up with the boyfriend or girlfriend, but you have established a bond that is not going away. I don’t say that to “slap you upside the head” with the wrath of God. I say it because you need to know what you are getting into. It’s risky!
Once the bond is formed, you have only two choices. First, you can try to ignore the unity that you have just built. That’s a very popular option and why not? Sex brings unity and excitement and wonderful, physical pleasure. Take away the unity and sex is still magnetic.
Sex outside of a marriage – whether it be pre-marital sex or an affair – is exciting. It is dramatic. But it’s risky. You might get a huge kick from the danger of the forbidden. All the excitement and pleasure can make you think that this thing you share with the other person must be right. We might think that sin should immediately made you feel miserable, but it doesn’t always work that way. It could be really thrilling – a drug that makes you want more and more.
But the substance to which you are addicted is excitement and it is excitement built on a gift from God that is missing an essential component. The foundation is flawed. It can’t last. It’s not real. Real sex starts with unity, not excitement, certainly not the excitement of indulging in something out of bounds.
Like macaroni and cheese, married love-isn’t particularly exotic, but very satisfying and profoundly unifying.
Base sexual intimacy on unity – on public vows, promises made to each other and to God and to all your friends and family, promises that the two of you will be one and always and only one, and now you have something to build on. And as for the thrills and excitement, well, don’t worry. That will come often enough. Maybe more than you could ak or think and over a course of many decades
You’ll remember that I said sexual intimacy in all its forms builds unity. If you have engaged in sexual intimacy, then you have built that unity with anther human being. From that point you have only two options. So far, I have only spoken about the first option. By this option, you simply try to ignore the unity and carry on. That might work for a time, but not completely.
But there’s a second option, and this is a great place to conclude.
GRACE ALWAYS RULES THE DAY!
This option is all about grace, about the loving and faithful willingness of God to forgive. Here’s some good news. You might wrestle with your past sexual behavior but it matters little where you have been or what you have done - you can always turn to the Father in heaven who forgives. He is in the business of making all things new. He can undo damage we have done to ourselves and even heal the wounds we may have inflicted on others
It’s all pictured so well in Jesus’ story about a son who disappeared with half his dad’s money. He wasted it all on drunkenness and wild living, forming more than a few permanent bonds with many different women. He came to his senses, and decided to go home. He hoped that his dad would have enough pity on him to hire him to clean the barns. Well it turns out the old man saw him coming and ran down the driveway to meet him. He hugged him and before the son could give words to his apology, the father welcomed the son, called over his shoulder to the guy at the punchbowl to start up the band.
The son was home! The son had a second chance, a fresh start and it was like the years of wandering had never happened.
Grace always rules the day for those who answer the call to come home.
Blessings,
John
Monday, July 18, 2016
Seven Marks Of A False Prophet
By John Stallings
Listen to Paul.in Philippians ...
Beware of dogs; beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision. Phi.3:2
Preach the Word; be instant in season out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap unto themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. --2 Timothy 4:2-4
We’re in a time when many of God’s people won’t endure sound doctrine. We are here now;
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.—1 Timothy 4:1-2
For among my people are found wicked men; they lay wait as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? ---Jer.5:26/30-31.
When Paul calls someone a dog, he’s speaking of false teachers. Since dogs in our time are called man’s best friend, and loved by most everyone it’s too bad that in the Bible dogs are almost always seen in a negative light. This would be because in that day dogs ran wild, had no masters, and were considered filthy & dangerous.
You and I should be careful that we never brand people as false prophets just because they don’t agree with us on every detail of our theology. When we go there, we get into the harmful judging we’re warned against.
Watch the example Paul sets. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul speaks about meat that was sacrificed to idols. He clearly calls people confused about eating or not eating it. He says they are brothers who just don’t have sufficient knowledge. Paul makes it clear that God loves the people on both sides of the debate. He isn’t calling them false prophets or “dogs.” Paul states what he believes to be the true but says, “an idol is nothing, but not everyone knows this.” Paul isn’t going to get his knickers in a knot about the issue.
If we move to Romans 14 &15 Paul goes further into it. He starts off by telling us to “receive those who are weak in the faith &don’t get embroiled in doubtful disputes.” Too much labeling & line-drawing is done today &God is displeased with it. Certainly we aren’t to compromise the truth or our convictions, but neither are we to be “Holy Ghost juniors” setting ourselves up as judges.
Dogs or false teachers will always be with us. Listen to the words of Jesus;
And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold……For there shall arise false Christ’s, and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matt. 24:11-12/24.
Many people love the smooth sayings of false teachers. Listen to Peter;
But there were false prophets among the people even as there will be false prophets among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you; whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 2 Peter 2:1-3
Listen to John;
--Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of the anti-Christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.---1 John 4:1-3
Paul told Timothy;
Holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. 1 Timothy 1:19-20
“Who let these dogs out?” I think it’s rather obvious that Satan is the father of all these “dogs” who spew forth lies in the name of God. If we read Revelation we’ll see many other dogs will be released in the end-time.
Seven marks of a false prophet or DOG...
1. A FALSE PROPHET IS A MAN PLEASER
A false prophet will never tell us-inconvenient truths.Micah 23:16-17 says,--Thus saith the Lord, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
We wouldn’t go to a doctor who would rub Vaseline on a cancer & we need to be careful listening to a ministry that never rocks the boat or tells us “thus saith the Lord.” Salvation is more than a fire- escape but Jesus had so much to say about sin, it’s consequence & eternal hell, you’d think a man/woman would mention these things at least once or twice every ten years or so. In my view a preacher who doesn’t declare the whole council of God has zero credibility, isn’t scripturally balanced & is probably a people pleaser. Acts 20:26-27.
2. A FALSE PROPHET SCORNS & OPPOSES TRUE MINISTERS OF GOD.
In Numbers 16 a man named Korah gathered others around him & went to Moses challenging his leadership. The narrative tells us that Moses fell on his face. Moses just collapsed right there. We might interpret it that Moses fell in humility & in a prayerful way but it seems to me Moses was so stunned at his core he fell out from the shock.
Moses may have fallen because he was aghast at these men rebelling against his leadership when they were there all through the wilderness journey. These men saw how God used Moses & the great miracles God wrought to keep these people alive, but they rose up against God’s man anyway. God dealt with this in a harsh way [He opened the earth and it swallowed them] as He will always do at some point when his anointed leaders are assailed.
It’s the mark of a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing to have the unmitigated gall to rise up against & oppose the work a true man/woman of God is doing.
3. A FALSE PROPHET GIVES UNTRUE PROPHESIES & VISIONS.
Then the Lord said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision, and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of their heart.—Jer.14:14
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord. Jer. 23:16
This is sort of funny but I once was a pulpit guest in a church where the pastor (a very fine man) felt he was highly favored & mightily used of God to foresee events. One night after our service he “felt led” to drive across town & pray for a man who was having some difficulties.
It was a cold rainy night & the pastor’s wife was against him going & told him he could pray for the man & go see him the next day. But nothing would make him happy until the brother had me in the car & we headed out into the bleak night to “take care of business.” I was a little embarrassed for my preacher friend when we arrived at the house & the man wasn’t home. Now I didn’t think any less of my friend because of this because in truth, though I loved & respected him, I never had that much confidence in his radar anyway. Even at best, “We prophesy in part.” We need to be careful when we use the words “God told me.”
4. A FALSE PROPHET MAJORS ON MINORS.
From which some have swerved and have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm.-1 Timothy 1:5-6
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to Godliness. He is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words where cometh envy, strife, railing , evil surmisings, perverse disputing of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is Godliness; from such withdraw thyself. 1 Tim.6:3-5.
Did you notice the words “vain-jangling?” That sounds like a good song-title doesn’t it? That’s the best way to describe what you get from a lot of media ministry nowadays, vain-jangling! When someone offers me a miracle wallet telling me if I send them an offering the wallet will never be empty, I wonder why they don’t just keep all those wallets & use the money that’s obviously already in them.
Please don’t misunderstand, I believe strongly in the miraculous power of God who can move in wondrous & supernatural ways. I also believe in giving & remain open to God in the area of giving, even to ministries I don’t personally know. But some things don’t pass the smell test to me.
5. A FALSE PROPHET WILL DISGUISE DANGEROUS TEACHING WITH ELOQUENCE.
Now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them. For they serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. Romans 16:17-18.
Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain; and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in their gainsaying of Korah. -- Jude 11
These are murmurers, complainers walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. ---Jude 16
6. A FALSE PROPHET WANTS TO MAKE A CONVERT NOT CHANGE A LIFE.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte and when he is made ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Matthew 23:15
7. A FALSE PROPHET IS COVETOUS.
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophets even unto the priest everyone dealeth falsely. Jer.6:13
In my reading of the New Testament, no one has a periscope quite like Peter’s. It’s well worth the time to reread the second chapter of his second little letter where he deals with the destructiveness, the doom & depravity of false teachers.Though this passage was previously used, listen to it again;
Peter says “Through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not and their damnation slumbereth not.-2:4
These false prophets want “your goods,” but not “your good.”
It pains me to turn on my TV or go to a church service & have someone tell the people in essence that EVERYTHING God will do for them is determined on how much money they give. As far as I’m concerned when they do this they cross the line, they go too far. These people to me are the same as spiritual “wife-beaters.” Any time an individual arbitrarily picks out an amount of money he/she wants folk to send them, then turns around and makes it an “obedience” issue, if they don’t respond; IMHO they’ve wandered off the reservation big time. This hard core sell to me is no less than “spiritual rape.”
How are they different than the Catholic Church before the Reformation when they were selling indulgences? Answer; they aren’t different!
How can a God-called individual tell people (as a TV evangelist did) “If you have $79.00 in your bank account that’s not going to help you, I dare you to close that account & send me that money?” The person who bites on that, unless they’ve really heard from God will in all probability be asking their church to pay their household bills in a few days.
How about this one, “I want you to post-mark that offering within three days. If you don’t send it in three days I don’t want it we won’t accept it. God said three days!” How about this one, “You & I working together are going to be millionaires.” There are TV ministries I believe are sincere & I’ll go so far as to say that the majority are open & honest, but religious charlatans abound today. These people who are on giant ego trips & they’re in it for the money. I can best describe them using my grandmother’s favorite word, “superficiality.”
It’s easy to just turn our ears away and refuse to listen to these evil teachers. We already have seen that we should avoid false teachers. But we also need to stand against some of the excesses that abound today, know about the errors that are being taught and we need to be prepared to defend the truth when it becomes necessary.
Banks train tellers to spot counterfeit money by letting them spend time handling & acquainting themselves with real money. When we come upon these false teachers, we need to be fortified with truth and the best way to do that is to stay in the Word of God.
In Acts 8:18-20, a man named Simon wanted to buy the Holy Spirit’s power from the apostles. He knew if he had that power he could make a fortune with it. But Peter told him his money would perish with him because he thought the gift of God could be purchased with money.
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:13-15.
I know thy works, and thy labor and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not, and hast found them liars….. Revelation 2:2
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, And idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Rev.2:2
Be careful, be very careful…
The DOGS are out.
Blessings,
John
Listen to Paul.in Philippians ...
Beware of dogs; beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision. Phi.3:2
Preach the Word; be instant in season out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap unto themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. --2 Timothy 4:2-4
We’re in a time when many of God’s people won’t endure sound doctrine. We are here now;
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.—1 Timothy 4:1-2
For among my people are found wicked men; they lay wait as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? ---Jer.5:26/30-31.
When Paul calls someone a dog, he’s speaking of false teachers. Since dogs in our time are called man’s best friend, and loved by most everyone it’s too bad that in the Bible dogs are almost always seen in a negative light. This would be because in that day dogs ran wild, had no masters, and were considered filthy & dangerous.
You and I should be careful that we never brand people as false prophets just because they don’t agree with us on every detail of our theology. When we go there, we get into the harmful judging we’re warned against.
Watch the example Paul sets. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul speaks about meat that was sacrificed to idols. He clearly calls people confused about eating or not eating it. He says they are brothers who just don’t have sufficient knowledge. Paul makes it clear that God loves the people on both sides of the debate. He isn’t calling them false prophets or “dogs.” Paul states what he believes to be the true but says, “an idol is nothing, but not everyone knows this.” Paul isn’t going to get his knickers in a knot about the issue.
If we move to Romans 14 &15 Paul goes further into it. He starts off by telling us to “receive those who are weak in the faith &don’t get embroiled in doubtful disputes.” Too much labeling & line-drawing is done today &God is displeased with it. Certainly we aren’t to compromise the truth or our convictions, but neither are we to be “Holy Ghost juniors” setting ourselves up as judges.
Dogs or false teachers will always be with us. Listen to the words of Jesus;
And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold……For there shall arise false Christ’s, and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matt. 24:11-12/24.
Many people love the smooth sayings of false teachers. Listen to Peter;
But there were false prophets among the people even as there will be false prophets among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you; whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 2 Peter 2:1-3
Listen to John;
--Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of the anti-Christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.---1 John 4:1-3
Paul told Timothy;
Holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. 1 Timothy 1:19-20
“Who let these dogs out?” I think it’s rather obvious that Satan is the father of all these “dogs” who spew forth lies in the name of God. If we read Revelation we’ll see many other dogs will be released in the end-time.
Seven marks of a false prophet or DOG...
1. A FALSE PROPHET IS A MAN PLEASER
A false prophet will never tell us-inconvenient truths.Micah 23:16-17 says,--Thus saith the Lord, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
We wouldn’t go to a doctor who would rub Vaseline on a cancer & we need to be careful listening to a ministry that never rocks the boat or tells us “thus saith the Lord.” Salvation is more than a fire- escape but Jesus had so much to say about sin, it’s consequence & eternal hell, you’d think a man/woman would mention these things at least once or twice every ten years or so. In my view a preacher who doesn’t declare the whole council of God has zero credibility, isn’t scripturally balanced & is probably a people pleaser. Acts 20:26-27.
2. A FALSE PROPHET SCORNS & OPPOSES TRUE MINISTERS OF GOD.
In Numbers 16 a man named Korah gathered others around him & went to Moses challenging his leadership. The narrative tells us that Moses fell on his face. Moses just collapsed right there. We might interpret it that Moses fell in humility & in a prayerful way but it seems to me Moses was so stunned at his core he fell out from the shock.
Moses may have fallen because he was aghast at these men rebelling against his leadership when they were there all through the wilderness journey. These men saw how God used Moses & the great miracles God wrought to keep these people alive, but they rose up against God’s man anyway. God dealt with this in a harsh way [He opened the earth and it swallowed them] as He will always do at some point when his anointed leaders are assailed.
It’s the mark of a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing to have the unmitigated gall to rise up against & oppose the work a true man/woman of God is doing.
3. A FALSE PROPHET GIVES UNTRUE PROPHESIES & VISIONS.
Then the Lord said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision, and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of their heart.—Jer.14:14
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord. Jer. 23:16
This is sort of funny but I once was a pulpit guest in a church where the pastor (a very fine man) felt he was highly favored & mightily used of God to foresee events. One night after our service he “felt led” to drive across town & pray for a man who was having some difficulties.
It was a cold rainy night & the pastor’s wife was against him going & told him he could pray for the man & go see him the next day. But nothing would make him happy until the brother had me in the car & we headed out into the bleak night to “take care of business.” I was a little embarrassed for my preacher friend when we arrived at the house & the man wasn’t home. Now I didn’t think any less of my friend because of this because in truth, though I loved & respected him, I never had that much confidence in his radar anyway. Even at best, “We prophesy in part.” We need to be careful when we use the words “God told me.”
4. A FALSE PROPHET MAJORS ON MINORS.
From which some have swerved and have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm.-1 Timothy 1:5-6
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to Godliness. He is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words where cometh envy, strife, railing , evil surmisings, perverse disputing of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is Godliness; from such withdraw thyself. 1 Tim.6:3-5.
Did you notice the words “vain-jangling?” That sounds like a good song-title doesn’t it? That’s the best way to describe what you get from a lot of media ministry nowadays, vain-jangling! When someone offers me a miracle wallet telling me if I send them an offering the wallet will never be empty, I wonder why they don’t just keep all those wallets & use the money that’s obviously already in them.
Please don’t misunderstand, I believe strongly in the miraculous power of God who can move in wondrous & supernatural ways. I also believe in giving & remain open to God in the area of giving, even to ministries I don’t personally know. But some things don’t pass the smell test to me.
5. A FALSE PROPHET WILL DISGUISE DANGEROUS TEACHING WITH ELOQUENCE.
Now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them. For they serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. Romans 16:17-18.
Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain; and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in their gainsaying of Korah. -- Jude 11
These are murmurers, complainers walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. ---Jude 16
6. A FALSE PROPHET WANTS TO MAKE A CONVERT NOT CHANGE A LIFE.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte and when he is made ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Matthew 23:15
7. A FALSE PROPHET IS COVETOUS.
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophets even unto the priest everyone dealeth falsely. Jer.6:13
In my reading of the New Testament, no one has a periscope quite like Peter’s. It’s well worth the time to reread the second chapter of his second little letter where he deals with the destructiveness, the doom & depravity of false teachers.Though this passage was previously used, listen to it again;
Peter says “Through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not and their damnation slumbereth not.-2:4
These false prophets want “your goods,” but not “your good.”
It pains me to turn on my TV or go to a church service & have someone tell the people in essence that EVERYTHING God will do for them is determined on how much money they give. As far as I’m concerned when they do this they cross the line, they go too far. These people to me are the same as spiritual “wife-beaters.” Any time an individual arbitrarily picks out an amount of money he/she wants folk to send them, then turns around and makes it an “obedience” issue, if they don’t respond; IMHO they’ve wandered off the reservation big time. This hard core sell to me is no less than “spiritual rape.”
How are they different than the Catholic Church before the Reformation when they were selling indulgences? Answer; they aren’t different!
How can a God-called individual tell people (as a TV evangelist did) “If you have $79.00 in your bank account that’s not going to help you, I dare you to close that account & send me that money?” The person who bites on that, unless they’ve really heard from God will in all probability be asking their church to pay their household bills in a few days.
How about this one, “I want you to post-mark that offering within three days. If you don’t send it in three days I don’t want it we won’t accept it. God said three days!” How about this one, “You & I working together are going to be millionaires.” There are TV ministries I believe are sincere & I’ll go so far as to say that the majority are open & honest, but religious charlatans abound today. These people who are on giant ego trips & they’re in it for the money. I can best describe them using my grandmother’s favorite word, “superficiality.”
It’s easy to just turn our ears away and refuse to listen to these evil teachers. We already have seen that we should avoid false teachers. But we also need to stand against some of the excesses that abound today, know about the errors that are being taught and we need to be prepared to defend the truth when it becomes necessary.
Banks train tellers to spot counterfeit money by letting them spend time handling & acquainting themselves with real money. When we come upon these false teachers, we need to be fortified with truth and the best way to do that is to stay in the Word of God.
In Acts 8:18-20, a man named Simon wanted to buy the Holy Spirit’s power from the apostles. He knew if he had that power he could make a fortune with it. But Peter told him his money would perish with him because he thought the gift of God could be purchased with money.
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:13-15.
I know thy works, and thy labor and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not, and hast found them liars….. Revelation 2:2
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, And idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Rev.2:2
Be careful, be very careful…
The DOGS are out.
Blessings,
John
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Hedge Prayers
by John Stallings
…..I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, & stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it: but I found none.---Ezekiel 22:30
Over the years I’ve preached in all kinds of churches in all the states but two, & in dozens of foreign countries.
We’ve ministered in small humble churches at the end of dusty country roads, some with as few as twenty or thirty in attendance. The people were friendly but after you’d been there a few nights you knew who to expect because no new ones ever came in. We’d stay for a while, sing & preach our hearts out & leave with sadness because there was no weeping for the lost & unless someone got a prayer burden & started standing in the gap for the unsaved, nothing was going to happen there.
We’ve been to large churches occupying beautifully landscaped property with big impressive driveways & were amazed at the vastness & physical beauty of the facilities.
The auditorium was massive, the stage well appointed & the sound system & acoustics as good as any major recording studio. Sadly there weren’t enough people to fill a third of the seats & they sat scattered all over the sanctuary. They made us feel welcome, were generous in their giving, & we were treated like royalty but we’d leave with a heavy heart knowing that until they started praying for souls they’d pretty much reached a stalemate.
We’ve been to churches that were filled to overflowing who knew all about promotion & every meeting was well attended. But there was no move of God in the place. The worship was stiff & formal & the people seemed to be there mostly for social reasons. No one would ever linger at the alter. The folk enjoyed fellowship with each other but their eyes were dry. We would leave knowing the church wouldn’t make much progress until someone started praying for a revival.
But by God’s grace over the years we’ve often been able to make a contribution in spiritually dry places & see things turned around. Indeed this was the purpose of our being there.
Many other places we went were brimming over with enthusiasm & Holy Ghost fire & we just worshipped with them, enjoying the spirit that already prevailed in the church. Prayer warriors had already paid the price to see God move in all His marvelous power. These churches we’d leave refreshed & reinvigorated.
We’ve concluded It makes little difference if a church is large or small, has a great location or a poor one, its people are educated or uneducated, belongs to a denomination or is as independent as a yard dog; if there are no broken hearts, if no one is “standing in the gap & making up the hedge,” & praying to see souls born into the kingdom, they won’t see revival.
Most people agree we are living in desperate times but regrettably the church isn’t desperate before God in prayer.
If you came from my generation or anywhere near it you’ll remember “hedge praying” because it used to be done frequently. We prayed a wall of protection around people who were traveling, (they used to call it traveling mercies) going under a surgeons knife, & protection when hurricanes were coming. We prayed for folk with flat feet & fallen arches. If you got around those old timers with a problem, you’d better keep it to yourself or they’d oil you up, lay hands on you, & get you set free.
Somewhere along the line the concept of hedge praying fell by the wayside & as a result our nation is now in a mess. Divorces are up, millions of innocent babies killed & prayer has been taken out of our schools. As of this week, in one state, we have eleven year old school girls being put on birth control pills without parental consent. Need I go on?
I have written in other blogs about how I rebelled as a teenager & my mother “hedged me in from all sides” with prayer that her son wouldn’t go into sin & lose his soul. I know from first hand experience what it means to be prayed into the kingdom of God.
Here’s an encouraging fact; there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can’t be accomplished by prayer.
The 21st century church is supposed to be a model of the first century church but it’s painful to admit there isn’t that much resemblance. The first century church i.e. the church in the book of Acts was founded in prayer & was totally dependent on God. They prayed with unity, they prayed with authority, they prayed in one accord, they prayed with thanksgiving, they prayed with expectation, they prayed in faith & they prayed continually. They saw jails burst open, the sick & afflicted healed, they prayed down Pentecostal power in Acts chapter two & that power catapulted Christianity around the world. Even as the first martyr Stephen was being stoned, he was praying.
History reveals when Christians aren’t praying they’re straying. Leonard Ravenhill said, “The fires of our alters are burning very low. The prayer meeting is dead or dying. By our lack of prayer are we telling God that what was begun in the Spirit we can finish in the flesh?”
When Satan confronted God concerning Job, his complaint was that he was unable to touch Job because God had placed a hedge about him.
Hast not thou made an hedge about him & about his house & about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands & his substance is increased in the land.”---Job 2:6
God agreed to lift the hedge but only to a degree, so Satan was permitted to take away his possessions, his sons, and his health, but not his life.
I’ve had folk ask me-- "if God has a hedge around me, why do they have so many problems?" My answer is, were it not for God’s protection, Satan would kill us all at the moment of our conversion to Christ.
In Ezekiel 22:30 God said, And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge & stand in the gap before me for the land that I should destroy it but I found none.
Over the years I’ve observed that there are countless people who will “point out the gap,” but few who will step into the gap. We have an excess of “gap-pointers” these days. They know all the weaknesses of the church but they won’t do much to fix them.
When I was a kid, my father taught me not to criticize until I could “show how.” He’d say, “Try doing what you’re criticizing. If you know so much about something & you’re constantly criticizing, why don’t you get in there & give a demonstration. The world is waiting.”
I remember once when I was a kid chopping wood. My dad came up & told me what I was doing wrong. He said I was “just wearing myself out swinging the ax wrong.” I stopped & handed the ax to him & asked him to by all means teach me to chop better.
With a grin on his face he took the ax & began to drop the blade on the log, with almost effortless swings. But when the ax hit wood, huge chunks flew off. With one lesson he showed me that there was an effectual way to use an ax. He didn’t just criticize, he showed me how. I learned to use a hammer & other tools the same way.
When I was in Junior High school I played baseball on a Kiwanis team. Even with young guys pitching, the ball crossed the plate so fast it looked like an aspirin tablet. I learned early that it’s not easy to hit a fastball & if you’ve tried it you know I’m right. Yet you can go to games & hear people cursing at the hitters, chiding them for not hitting. Having stood there as a batter myself you won’t hear me screaming at batters. My advice to these critical yee-haws is; — “try doing what you’re criticizing.”
I had an acquaintance that once sat on a piano bench & critiqued all my songs. He knew a little music & he'd yammer on & on. The one question I was too polite to ask him was, “where are your hit songs?As a matter of fact, where are any songs you've written?"
Moses stood in the gap for his people after they built the golden calf. God was threatening to kill them all & start over again.
Psalms 106:23 says, --Therefore He said that He would destroy them had not Moses His chosen stood before them in the breach, to turn away His wrath lest He should destroy them.
Abraham stood in the gap for Sodom & but ten righteous men couldn’t be found so God destroyed that wicked city.
If you have a loved one or friend on the wrong path & being influenced by ungodly friends, I believe praying a hedge around them will change their life. They have a God-given free- will but God knows how to influence people to cause a change of heart & mind.
Some people say that God will never force people to do anything they don’t want to do. They haven’t read the Bible. In general a person must exercise their free will & obey God from a willing heart, but it doesn’t always happen that way, especially when they’re targeted by hedge prayers.
Do you remember the New Testament Saul? God knew he wasn’t going down easy so He knocked him down & blinded him on the Damascus Turnpike. Then God said, (and this is the SIV—Stallings International Version) “Saul, you can either do what I tell you & get ready to preach my gospel or here’s a seeing-eye dog & a tin-cup & main street is two blocks south.”
The wonderful thing about a hedge prayer or any kind of intercessory prayer for that matter is that people are helpless to stop it. They might close & lock their doors & refuse to let you in, but prayer will go right through that locked door & gain entry into the inner-sanctuary of their hearts.
Keep in mind that Satan can petition God for access to us, just as he did Job. Sometimes when tragedy strikes us, it’s not God punishing us it’s because Satan has asked for temporary permission to test us. When this happens we should do as Job did & endure it with patience.
Jesus, foretelling the destruction of Judea, used the hedge example. He knew that the Jews knew what He meant when He said,
A certain man planted a vineyard & set an hedge about it & digged a place for the wine vat, & built a tower & let it out to the husbandmen & went into a far country.
And at the season he sent to the husbandman a servant that he might receive from the husbandman of the fruit of the vineyard.
And they caught him & beat him & sent him away empty.
And again he sent unto another servant and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
And again he sent another and him they killed and many others beating some & killing some.
Having yet therefore one son His well beloved son He sent Him also last unto them saying, they will reverence my son.
But these husbandmen said among themselves, this is the heir come let us kill him & the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him & killed him & cast him out of the vineyard.
What shall therefore the Lord of the vineyard do? He will come & destroy the husbandman & will give the vineyard unto others.
And have ye not read this scripture this is the Lords doing & it is marvelous in our eyes? And they sought to lay hold on him but feared the people…..Mark 12:1-12
This story tells how God set up Jerusalem & Judea as a vineyard with people to tend the land asking only for their praise & worship in return but they rebelled so He sent the prophets & they either stoned them or mistreated them.
God finally sent His Son Jesus whom they killed. History shows as a result God in His fury removed the hedge, (the nightly news reveals this) destroyed the husbandman, (gardeners) & gave the land to others.
Jesus stood in the gap for Israel as well as the world & died as a result.
America is at the crossroads. What happens in the next few months will see us go to another level & experience the rich blessings of God, or take a step downward. God stands with outstretched arms & says,
If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves & pray & seek my face & turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven & will forgive their sin & will heal their land.—2 Chronicles 7:14
Jesus said, -Lift up your eyes & behold the harvest is plenty but the laborers are few. Pray ye the Lord of the harvest to send workers into His field.
God wants to see us loving & praying for the lost. It pleases Him to see His children seeking to add to His kingdom, & not seeking for self.
In the Bible from Genesis to Revelation you find that prayer was the practice of Patriarchs, Prophets & Apostles. Men would pray & lion’s mouths would be locked; oceans & rivers would split down the middle. Joshua prayed & the Sun stood still.
Jesus was perfect but He frequently prayed. His disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They saw His many miracles but never asked Him to teach them to do miracles, or to preach or to teach. They looked behind all of those things & knew prayer was His secret; so they cried, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
God’s Word says, -- As soon as Zion prevailed she brought forth her children.
We need to ask God to break our hearts for a dying world & become intercessors for friends, loved ones & lost people all around us.
We need only to ask the Holy Ghost to guide us in the endeavor.--HE WILL!
Blessings,
John
…..I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, & stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it: but I found none.---Ezekiel 22:30
Over the years I’ve preached in all kinds of churches in all the states but two, & in dozens of foreign countries.
We’ve ministered in small humble churches at the end of dusty country roads, some with as few as twenty or thirty in attendance. The people were friendly but after you’d been there a few nights you knew who to expect because no new ones ever came in. We’d stay for a while, sing & preach our hearts out & leave with sadness because there was no weeping for the lost & unless someone got a prayer burden & started standing in the gap for the unsaved, nothing was going to happen there.
We’ve been to large churches occupying beautifully landscaped property with big impressive driveways & were amazed at the vastness & physical beauty of the facilities.
The auditorium was massive, the stage well appointed & the sound system & acoustics as good as any major recording studio. Sadly there weren’t enough people to fill a third of the seats & they sat scattered all over the sanctuary. They made us feel welcome, were generous in their giving, & we were treated like royalty but we’d leave with a heavy heart knowing that until they started praying for souls they’d pretty much reached a stalemate.
We’ve been to churches that were filled to overflowing who knew all about promotion & every meeting was well attended. But there was no move of God in the place. The worship was stiff & formal & the people seemed to be there mostly for social reasons. No one would ever linger at the alter. The folk enjoyed fellowship with each other but their eyes were dry. We would leave knowing the church wouldn’t make much progress until someone started praying for a revival.
But by God’s grace over the years we’ve often been able to make a contribution in spiritually dry places & see things turned around. Indeed this was the purpose of our being there.
Many other places we went were brimming over with enthusiasm & Holy Ghost fire & we just worshipped with them, enjoying the spirit that already prevailed in the church. Prayer warriors had already paid the price to see God move in all His marvelous power. These churches we’d leave refreshed & reinvigorated.
We’ve concluded It makes little difference if a church is large or small, has a great location or a poor one, its people are educated or uneducated, belongs to a denomination or is as independent as a yard dog; if there are no broken hearts, if no one is “standing in the gap & making up the hedge,” & praying to see souls born into the kingdom, they won’t see revival.
Most people agree we are living in desperate times but regrettably the church isn’t desperate before God in prayer.
If you came from my generation or anywhere near it you’ll remember “hedge praying” because it used to be done frequently. We prayed a wall of protection around people who were traveling, (they used to call it traveling mercies) going under a surgeons knife, & protection when hurricanes were coming. We prayed for folk with flat feet & fallen arches. If you got around those old timers with a problem, you’d better keep it to yourself or they’d oil you up, lay hands on you, & get you set free.
Somewhere along the line the concept of hedge praying fell by the wayside & as a result our nation is now in a mess. Divorces are up, millions of innocent babies killed & prayer has been taken out of our schools. As of this week, in one state, we have eleven year old school girls being put on birth control pills without parental consent. Need I go on?
I have written in other blogs about how I rebelled as a teenager & my mother “hedged me in from all sides” with prayer that her son wouldn’t go into sin & lose his soul. I know from first hand experience what it means to be prayed into the kingdom of God.
Here’s an encouraging fact; there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can’t be accomplished by prayer.
The 21st century church is supposed to be a model of the first century church but it’s painful to admit there isn’t that much resemblance. The first century church i.e. the church in the book of Acts was founded in prayer & was totally dependent on God. They prayed with unity, they prayed with authority, they prayed in one accord, they prayed with thanksgiving, they prayed with expectation, they prayed in faith & they prayed continually. They saw jails burst open, the sick & afflicted healed, they prayed down Pentecostal power in Acts chapter two & that power catapulted Christianity around the world. Even as the first martyr Stephen was being stoned, he was praying.
History reveals when Christians aren’t praying they’re straying. Leonard Ravenhill said, “The fires of our alters are burning very low. The prayer meeting is dead or dying. By our lack of prayer are we telling God that what was begun in the Spirit we can finish in the flesh?”
When Satan confronted God concerning Job, his complaint was that he was unable to touch Job because God had placed a hedge about him.
Hast not thou made an hedge about him & about his house & about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands & his substance is increased in the land.”---Job 2:6
God agreed to lift the hedge but only to a degree, so Satan was permitted to take away his possessions, his sons, and his health, but not his life.
I’ve had folk ask me-- "if God has a hedge around me, why do they have so many problems?" My answer is, were it not for God’s protection, Satan would kill us all at the moment of our conversion to Christ.
In Ezekiel 22:30 God said, And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge & stand in the gap before me for the land that I should destroy it but I found none.
Over the years I’ve observed that there are countless people who will “point out the gap,” but few who will step into the gap. We have an excess of “gap-pointers” these days. They know all the weaknesses of the church but they won’t do much to fix them.
When I was a kid, my father taught me not to criticize until I could “show how.” He’d say, “Try doing what you’re criticizing. If you know so much about something & you’re constantly criticizing, why don’t you get in there & give a demonstration. The world is waiting.”
I remember once when I was a kid chopping wood. My dad came up & told me what I was doing wrong. He said I was “just wearing myself out swinging the ax wrong.” I stopped & handed the ax to him & asked him to by all means teach me to chop better.
With a grin on his face he took the ax & began to drop the blade on the log, with almost effortless swings. But when the ax hit wood, huge chunks flew off. With one lesson he showed me that there was an effectual way to use an ax. He didn’t just criticize, he showed me how. I learned to use a hammer & other tools the same way.
When I was in Junior High school I played baseball on a Kiwanis team. Even with young guys pitching, the ball crossed the plate so fast it looked like an aspirin tablet. I learned early that it’s not easy to hit a fastball & if you’ve tried it you know I’m right. Yet you can go to games & hear people cursing at the hitters, chiding them for not hitting. Having stood there as a batter myself you won’t hear me screaming at batters. My advice to these critical yee-haws is; — “try doing what you’re criticizing.”
I had an acquaintance that once sat on a piano bench & critiqued all my songs. He knew a little music & he'd yammer on & on. The one question I was too polite to ask him was, “where are your hit songs?As a matter of fact, where are any songs you've written?"
Moses stood in the gap for his people after they built the golden calf. God was threatening to kill them all & start over again.
Psalms 106:23 says, --Therefore He said that He would destroy them had not Moses His chosen stood before them in the breach, to turn away His wrath lest He should destroy them.
Abraham stood in the gap for Sodom & but ten righteous men couldn’t be found so God destroyed that wicked city.
If you have a loved one or friend on the wrong path & being influenced by ungodly friends, I believe praying a hedge around them will change their life. They have a God-given free- will but God knows how to influence people to cause a change of heart & mind.
Some people say that God will never force people to do anything they don’t want to do. They haven’t read the Bible. In general a person must exercise their free will & obey God from a willing heart, but it doesn’t always happen that way, especially when they’re targeted by hedge prayers.
Do you remember the New Testament Saul? God knew he wasn’t going down easy so He knocked him down & blinded him on the Damascus Turnpike. Then God said, (and this is the SIV—Stallings International Version) “Saul, you can either do what I tell you & get ready to preach my gospel or here’s a seeing-eye dog & a tin-cup & main street is two blocks south.”
The wonderful thing about a hedge prayer or any kind of intercessory prayer for that matter is that people are helpless to stop it. They might close & lock their doors & refuse to let you in, but prayer will go right through that locked door & gain entry into the inner-sanctuary of their hearts.
Keep in mind that Satan can petition God for access to us, just as he did Job. Sometimes when tragedy strikes us, it’s not God punishing us it’s because Satan has asked for temporary permission to test us. When this happens we should do as Job did & endure it with patience.
Jesus, foretelling the destruction of Judea, used the hedge example. He knew that the Jews knew what He meant when He said,
A certain man planted a vineyard & set an hedge about it & digged a place for the wine vat, & built a tower & let it out to the husbandmen & went into a far country.
And at the season he sent to the husbandman a servant that he might receive from the husbandman of the fruit of the vineyard.
And they caught him & beat him & sent him away empty.
And again he sent unto another servant and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
And again he sent another and him they killed and many others beating some & killing some.
Having yet therefore one son His well beloved son He sent Him also last unto them saying, they will reverence my son.
But these husbandmen said among themselves, this is the heir come let us kill him & the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him & killed him & cast him out of the vineyard.
What shall therefore the Lord of the vineyard do? He will come & destroy the husbandman & will give the vineyard unto others.
And have ye not read this scripture this is the Lords doing & it is marvelous in our eyes? And they sought to lay hold on him but feared the people…..Mark 12:1-12
This story tells how God set up Jerusalem & Judea as a vineyard with people to tend the land asking only for their praise & worship in return but they rebelled so He sent the prophets & they either stoned them or mistreated them.
God finally sent His Son Jesus whom they killed. History shows as a result God in His fury removed the hedge, (the nightly news reveals this) destroyed the husbandman, (gardeners) & gave the land to others.
Jesus stood in the gap for Israel as well as the world & died as a result.
America is at the crossroads. What happens in the next few months will see us go to another level & experience the rich blessings of God, or take a step downward. God stands with outstretched arms & says,
If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves & pray & seek my face & turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven & will forgive their sin & will heal their land.—2 Chronicles 7:14
Jesus said, -Lift up your eyes & behold the harvest is plenty but the laborers are few. Pray ye the Lord of the harvest to send workers into His field.
God wants to see us loving & praying for the lost. It pleases Him to see His children seeking to add to His kingdom, & not seeking for self.
In the Bible from Genesis to Revelation you find that prayer was the practice of Patriarchs, Prophets & Apostles. Men would pray & lion’s mouths would be locked; oceans & rivers would split down the middle. Joshua prayed & the Sun stood still.
Jesus was perfect but He frequently prayed. His disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They saw His many miracles but never asked Him to teach them to do miracles, or to preach or to teach. They looked behind all of those things & knew prayer was His secret; so they cried, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
God’s Word says, -- As soon as Zion prevailed she brought forth her children.
We need to ask God to break our hearts for a dying world & become intercessors for friends, loved ones & lost people all around us.
We need only to ask the Holy Ghost to guide us in the endeavor.--HE WILL!
Blessings,
John
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