YOUR NOT WELCOME!
We all face moments of temptation: I heard about a 4-year old girl was caught by her Mom standing on a stool in the kitchen eating cookies. Her Mom had told her that she was not to be eating those cookies until after dinner. When caught red-handed and confronted by her Mom, she said “Mom, it’s not my fault, honest! I climbed up on that stool because I just wanted to smell them, and my tooth got caught!”
A lady’s sick of her husband’s drinking, so she decides to teach him a lesson. She dresses up like Satan, and when her husband walks in from being out all night, she jumps out from behind the sofa and screams. He says, "You don’t scare me. I’m married to your sister."
INTRO:
We work hard to welcome every person that walks thru the doors of the sanctuary. We want guest to feel right at home. No one is to be treated as a stranger here.
However I have come today to say we are officially making notice that there is a person here that is not welcome. He has been a regular in attendance. Every time the doors are open He gets here early, occupies a seat and observes all that goes on.
The person that will have to leave today attends much more regular than some of our members. In the past I have told many of you about him. I have talked to you both publically and privatelyas to his presence.
It may seem cruel and unusual to you as to why we would not welcome him and ask him to leave. Someone may ask, “Why aren’t you a loving church? Shouldn’t you welcome everyone?
The truth is, nothing could be more loving then to ask him to leave. I have done some research and have found him to have caused many or our members countless distress
I am asking that once we excommunicate from him this morning, that you disassociate yourself from him.
I know it may seem embarrassing to ask a person to get up and leave this assembly in such a public manner in front of everyone. However, The bible says to withdraw yourselves from those that walk disorderly
In my time as minister of this church I have seen him come in here with a halo on his head. I have watched him attend our business meetings. I have seem him at our fellowships. I have even noticed that he is with us during our evangelistic outreach. To my amazement, he has participated in almost every area of church life.
He is not longer welcome. He has been working quietly behind the scenes. His work is not always that obvious but the results have been overwhelmingly manifest.
He has discouraged new Christians
He has shattered marriages
He has harbored disunity.
It is time this morning that Satan is told to leave
I have papers on him Satan" means --adversary
2 Cor. 11:14 Satan is a cunning adversary and "masquerades as an angel of light."
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:"
Ephesians 4:27 do not give the devil a foothold
Luke 11:15Satan the ruler of demons
2 Cor. 4:4 the god of this world
He is identified as a great dragon, a roaring lion, the vile one, the tempter, and the accuser. He is cunning, and powerful and he is not welcome in this Church!
We cannot fight Satan with the arm of human flesh. However we can arm ourselves with the armor of God,
We can rebuke him in the name of Christ and we can fight the good fight by allowing Christ to take him head on in heavens holy brawl.
1. Do not think you re wise enough, strong enough, big enough spiritual enough, intelligent
enough to take on the prince of this world.
2. Have you ever stopped to think that devil accomplishes much of his sinful damage through
human flesh down at the church house?
3. Have you ever asked yourself –has the devil been doing his dirty work thru me?
4. The devil is keenly interested in turning God’s house into a pit stop of moral decline.
He would like to see the family of God slaughtered on the alter of pettiness
5. Satan cunning crafty target is to get leaders and church members battling over our own selfish
desires while making Gods priorities for his church secondary.
The devil would like to make havoc over worship styles and turn what should be dynamic praise from the hearts of brothers and sisters –into something that is rubbish in hell.
I have seen him at work and he is not welcome around here! I have seen him operate and I have come to share several ways he has unfiltered himself into the Church. if I were the devil, there are several things that I would do.
I I WOULD WANT YOU TO BE GODLESS He wants you to be a fool
Prov 14:1 The fool as said in his heart there is not God.
a. Fools do not believe in Hell or Heaven.
b. Solomon said, "fools despise wisdom and instruction" Pro. 1:7
c I’d offer you counterfeit religion.
d. I’d tell you that one church is as good as another.
II. I’D TELL YOU IT DOENST MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE.
1. I will tell you there is no absolute truth John 12:48 You shall know the truth
2. I want you ignorant at the judgment Heb. 9:27 It is appointed unto man
3. I would tell you there are many ways to heaven-not just Jesus “I am the way”
4. I would tell you that there contradictions in the bible 2 timothy 3:16 all scripture
III I TELL THE MAN IN THE PULPIT TO BE MORE
POLITICALLY CORRECT RATHER THAN BIBLICALLY
ACCURATE.
Many a soul will spend eternity in Hell because of smooth-
talking religious racketeers that call themselves preacher who loves
power and money
1. I would make sure that any preacher that points out sin is a
bigot and is mean and ugly.
2. If a preacher made much of sin I would make him an enemy of
the church and label him as a hate mongers with phobias.
3. I would support those who permissively see no evil in sin as
our friends.
4. I would make fun of and put down everything Christian, moral
or decent.
5. I would teach the teens that being Christian isn’t "cool."
6. I’d label any command as Pharisaical.
7. I’d concentrate on all the things "wrong" with the church
8. I would use humor to get you to laugh at sin and make it appear
to be "fun" and "harmless."
9 I would develop television shows that make fun of the
righteous and make heroes out of sinners.
10 I would hide the broken lives and destroyed homes:
· I would show you the pleasures of sin.
· I’d make sinful behavior "fashionable" and "acceptable."
· I’d tell you how good you’d feel, how free you’d be, how good you’ll look in front of your friends.
I’d make you think that all this fun will last forever. Of course, I’d be lying.
· I’d remind you that "times have changed" and people don’t think what you’re doing is so bad
anymore.
I’d make every excuse possible to keep you doing what I know will cost you your soul.
· I’d offer entertainment in place of worship, glorifying the performer instead of God.
IV. I WOULD TELL YOU TO BE TOLORANT OF SIN.
Eph. 4:17-19 you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
A I will call adultery and fornication an "affair" or an "indiscretion."
B Homosexuals would become "gays."
C I’d call murder "mercy killing"
D Lies would become "white lies" or "half-truths."
E Stealing would become "borrowing."
F. I WOULD CALL SIN A SICKNESS
V WOULD SLOWLY DESTROY YOUR RELATIONSHIPS (Eph. 4:29
A . I’d tell you that you are #1 and the most important person.in the universe
B I’d promote jealousy and envy (pride); forget kindness and compassion.
C I’d encourage gossip and slander
D I’d plant it in your heart to "get even" and take revenge!
E I would tell you to be slow to forgive anyone.
F I tell you to be bitter and resentful anytime you are done wrong.
VI I WOULD TARE THE CHURCH UP OVER NON
ESSENTIAL THINGS THAT DO NOT MATTER.
. A. Satan seeks to distract us by getting us to focus our attention on the
material instead of the spiritual, on methods rather than the message,
on men rather than the Messiah.
B. If Satan can-- he will get us to major on the minors and to minimize
the majors. Colossians 3:2 "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth.
It was a 99-degree September day in San Antonio, when a woman accidentally locked her 10 month-old baby niece inside a parked car. Frantically the mother and aunt ran around the auto in near hysteria, while a neighbor attempted to unlock the car with a clothes hanger. Soon the infant was in a life-or-death situation when a wrecker driver, arrived on the scene. He grabbed a hammer and smashed the back window of the car to set her free. He was not he heralded a hero? The lady was mad at him because he broke the window He said, “I just thought, what’s more important--the baby or the window?"
I would get the church distracted over styles of music, fighting over what color to paint and programs and party politics I would get you to squabble over budgets and bulletins and buildings
VII IF I WERE THE DEVIL I WOULD DISCOURAGE YOU EVERY CHANGE I GET
A. I would tell you that no one cares about you. I would tell you that you are the only one that
really works hard in the church and no one else really cares as much as you do, so why
try?
B. I would have you complain murmur and gripe every chance you get.
Numbers 21:4-5 "… But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God
and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the
desert? There is no bread! There is no water!
1.The people of God began to get discouraged and started murmuring
Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without murmurings and disputings
2. The following story depicts what devils tool of discouragement can do.
FROM: Joe Smith, Bricklayer RE: My Accident Claim
I am writing in response to your request concerning Block #11 on the insurance form which asks for "the cause of injuries" wherein I put "trying to do the job alone." You said you needed more information, so I trust the following will be sufficient.
I am a brick layer by trade and on the date of the injuries, I was working alone, laying brick around the top of a four-story building when I realized that I had about 500 pounds of brick left.
Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to put them into a barrel and lower them by a pulley which was fastened to the top of the building.
I loaded the bricks into the barrel and flung it out over the side of the building with the bricks in it. I then went down and untied the rope holding it securely to insure the slow descent of the barrel.As you will note on Block #6 of the insurance form, I weigh 175 pounds.
Due to my shock at being jerked off the ground so swiftly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Between the second and third floors, I met the barrel coming down. This accounts for the bruises and lacerations on my upper body. Regaining my presence of mind, again I held tightly to the rope and proceeded rapidly up the side of the building, not stopping until my right hand was jammed into the pulley. This accounts for my broken thumb.
Despite the pain, I retained my presence of mind and held tightly to the rope. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed about fifty pounds. I again refer you to Block #6 and my weight of 175 lbs.
As you would guess, I began a rapid descent. In the vicinity of the second floor, I met the barrel coming up. This explains the injuries to my legs and lower body. Slowed only slightly, I continued my descent, landing on the pile of bricks. Fortunately, my back was only sprained but I had internal injuries.
I am sorry to report, however, that at this point I again lost my presence of mind and let go of the rope. As you can imagine, the empty barrel crashed down on me. I promise I will never work alone!
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up
VIII I WOULD SOW DIVISION.
1 Corinthians 1:10-11 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
A. I would talk behind the preachers back and show a lack of respect.
B. I would tell you to leave the service on Sunday and go down to
the local restaurant where all other disgruntled church members
attend and have fried preacher and burnt elder and just sit there
and relish in your slanderous gossip and show all the displeasure
you can
C If there is any discipline of a brother or sister, then make sure you
get with them and tell them the church has done them wrong. You make sure
you sympathize with their ungodliness.
D I would tell you to quit tithing because after all you don’t agree with how they are spending
church money after all, that is all they talk about is money.
D. I would blame the leadership as to the reason a member of your family quit
coming to church.
E I would criticize the church in front of your kids. I would live a poor example
in front of your children, then blame the youth minister for the lack of
spirituality in the church.
IV. I WOULD BE APART OF THE CHURCH BUT I WOULD NOT
GET TO SERIOUS ABOUT IT. Matthew 6:33 Seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you
I would convince you that you are too busy to be more committed.
1. I would call those that are committed --fanatics
2. I would tell you that your time is more important than everyone
3 I would encourage you to have an appetite for the things of the world. I would tempt
you with sexual temptation and tell you that we are all just human so enjoy yourself.
4. I would tell you that not to take the devil to seriously I would tell you that he is a fairy
tell. That he wears a red suit, as a long tail and it is silly to really believe in a real devil
One Sunday morning, Satan happened to be standing outside of a large Church. Inside, the people were singing, praying, and listening to a sermon. Someone passed by on the sidewalk and noticed Satan standing on the steps of the church. The passerby asked Satan if it bothered him to hear the people worshipping the Lord. With a demonic laugh, he said, “no it doesn’t bother me in the least. They get that way on Sunday, but they’ll be all right come Monday morning. It’s just a little habit they have acquired.
Conclusion : I would tell you that you should be a Christian but not today. I would tell you should re-commit your life but not today.
