Dan 11:30-32 The People that do know Their God
I believe you know by now that if you are looking for someone to tickle your ears, and pet your flesh and make excuses for living a slippy sloppy flippy floppy life
This is not the place, and I'm not that person, and this is not the pulpit.
God did not call me from my mother's womb, separate me from sin and disgrace and fill me with his Holy Spirit just to pat people on the back and shake their hands on their way to destruction.
Sometimes the medicine is a little hard to swallow, but if you can keep it down it will deliver your soul
I don't mean to sound cross or harsh or uncaring or unsympathetic but my spirit is stirred up and agitated by all the gobbledygook and nonsense that is being propagated today as gospel
It is now becoming popular and accepted behavior in many churches to have what some are calling beer and hymn nights
And now we have the option if you don't like the clothes were wearing you can go to a nude church
"Yeah" what happened to the church?
*When did we lose our minds?
*When did it happen ?
*When did our brains fall out?
Can you believe it?
You don't have to hide in the dark anymore with your pornographic addictions you can just go to a nude church.
And I know it sounds crazy but now you have the church (I say that loosely- I mean many that profess to be the church) spending as much time at the casino as they do at church.
Gamble all night Saturday then drag in on Sunday morning and wonder why the service is dry, why they don't experience the presence of God.
You may say: Preacher why are you preaching stuff like this (this is between me and God it's personal) It's non of your business.
But the Bible says it's the responsibility of the priest, the preachers, the prophets, to put a difference between the clean and unclean the holy and the profane.
I know it doesn't look like it or feel like it (but I can tell you, there is a whole generation of people in the church and out of the church whose hearts are crying out for someone to draw the lines and establish the boundaries of truth, and not move them back and forth to accommodate the social climate.
Grace was never meant to destroy the law or deliver us from the law Grace came to fulfill the law to complete what the law came up short on (Which is righteousness)
The law came up short because it was not of faith: and righteousness can only come by faith. But the Law: According to the word of God (is our school master to lead us to Christ) That word "schoolmaster" doesn't mean a tyrant, or a dictator or a slave master (It means: a tutor, a guardian, a guide, an attendant.
Why would I hate my schoolmaster that led me to Christ.
Grace came to deliver us from sin and to empower us to conquer sin and live holy by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Many preachers today leave you believing that Grace and the law are in a fight
It's almost as though they put Moses and Jesus in the ring and say now may the best man win.
The Bible says: the law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ
Why is it that there is such a war against the law in the church today?
I'll tell you why
*Because the law deals with absolutes
*The law defines right and wrong
The Bible says: By the law is the knowledge of sin (Ro 3:20)
*The law establishes boundaries
We need that in America today:
We need those absolutes,
we need our boundaries defined
We are quickly becoming a lawless nation
The Bible says: the mystery of iniquity doth already work (2 Th 2:7)
That word iniquity means: lawlessness, transgressing the law, contempt, in violation of the law, wickedness.
Buckle your seat belts Hold onto your seats: I'm going to say something and you need to be buckled in (The contempt we see for the law today is rooted in the church that has rejected God's laws.
The world, the Street, the violence, the contempt, the rebellion we have toward the law today Is just a reflection of a lukewarm self ruled, self governing self centered laodicean church that said: we don't have any laws, we don't have any restrictions, there are no absolutes, and it's all about Grace, It's whatever we want to do.
There are no absolutes therefore there are no consequences for wrong actions because grace has destroyed the law so there is nothing to tell us what is wrong or hold us accountable.
But I thank God for his law:
David said: The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple (Ps 19:7)
Ps 94:12
Blessed is the man whom thou chasten us, 0 Lord, and teaches him out of by law. Ps 119:29 Remove from me the way of lying and grant me thy law graciously
Ps 119:36 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law
In our text we are talking about an adversary not only to the children of God, but also to God himself.
This adversary hates the people of God and hates God's sanctuary.
This adversary, this enemy is set to defile the sanctuary of God to desecrate the holy place of God
To bring in the abominable:
The unholy the unclean vile and the profane (The Bible even calls it: The Abomination of desolation, or the abomination that makes desolate).
Of course this is talking about any sin or perversion of truth, but it clearly includes homosexuality and lesbianism which is standing today in the pulpits of many churches.
Daniel prophesied: They will bring in sin and set it up in the place where God is supposed to be honored and loved and worshiped and from the place which truth is suppose to emanate.
And this adversary, this demonic spirit will carry away many weak, carnal fleshly material minded Christians.
This Spirit will capture them not with great overwhelming irresistible strength and power but with flattery.
The devil will appeal to their flesh and their fleshly appetites and desires
And those who at one time were lovers of truth and strong preachers of holiness, and sanctification, and separation from sin, are going to do wickedly against the very law, the very truth, and the covenant that they once defended.
And they shall join forces to pollute and defile and profane the house of God. Bringing all kinds of wickedness and uncleanness and perversion into the sanctuary.
And they shall take away the daily sacrifice:
In other words they shall despise the crucified life
The life that Jesus lived and commands his disciples to live.
Lu 9:23 Jesus said any man that will come after me: let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Somebody said pastor you paint a pretty bleak picture (you make it sound like we're in the dark ages or something.
Let me tell you something: We are in the dark ages these are dark times and it's going to get worse before it’s over.
John 9:4 Jesus said: work while it is day because the night cometh when no man can work.
Isa 60:2
Isaiah said: For behold the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people
That's happening right now
Just as it did in Egypt: the darkness was so thick, so heavy you couldn't see your hand in front of your face and no one moved from their places for three days.
I know it sounds bad but it's just that compared to all this, Candy fluffy white clouds stuff that you hear today (the truth is not near as sweet and not near as comfortable).
But the Bible tells it full strength
It will be dark, and gross darkness will come upon the people
But I love the word of God:
"God is awesome"
It's like God stands to the side and says Take your best-shot devil
Then the announcer gives you blow-by-blow coverage of all the damage that the devil does. Then Jesus leans back and turns it loose) one-shot and knocks the devil out cold.
And shows you that he is still the champ
He is large and in charge
He is still the boss
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof
Now if the Holy Ghost will help me for a few minutes: I want to bring you to the heart of this message.
This is really what the Holy Spirit burned in my heart for us today (everything else was just to bring us to this point)
“But”
(That one little word) changes the whole picture
(That word means) now that you've heard everything else, understand that what is coming next will eclipse the rest.
It is a word that tells me, what is coming next is greater, more powerful, and more significant than everything that preceded it.
So here after all the bad report is that one little game changer (the word but)
But: (It means) regardless of the darkness, regardless of the evil the wickedness, the violence, the lawlessness, the corruption. God still has a people
The Bible says by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people
Or Many exploits
The devil is trying to manipulate us and intimidate and back the church into a comer
He's trying to emasculate the church and strip us of our spiritual power and our spiritual virility) he's trying to make spiritual wimps out of us and make us spiritually impotent and powerless
“But”
But there is a people
There is a people who do know their God
*There is a people that aren't selling out
*There is a people who aren’t compromising
*There is a people who aren’t playing footsies with the spirit of worldliness *
*There is a people who are not sleeping with this harlot spirit, and they are not laying their head in the lap of Delilah.
There is a people that do know their God and the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.
I Believe I'm talking to some of those people right now: I believe I’m talking to some people who know God.
We know how to get a hold of God:
We have a relationship with him He knows our voice
He knows us by name
If you don't know him that way today: I wouldn't leave without asking him to come into your heart.
I wouldn't leave without knowing that you're on talking terms with the master.
This world is a dark place and getting worse all the time: The only safe place there is (is in Jesus)
He is our cleft in the rock He is our hiding place
He is our strong tower He is our defender
He is our deliverer
He is our captain
Do you know him? I mean know him, do you walk together, talk together, fellowship, commune with each other.
My advice to you today is: Get to know him (Because if you know him, you won't be deceived, If you know him you won't get carried away with flatteries, and fleshly desires.
And if you know him:
Instead of backing up and hiding out and quieting down
You'll be standing up and shouting out, and you'll be walking in the power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost and you will be strong and do exploits.
I'm calling everyone to the front who wants to know your God:
Because this is what it’s going to take to make it in these last and evil days
You’ve got to have the power of God in your life
You’ve got to live close to God
You’ve got to spend time in his presence.
If You want to be strong and You want to do exploits get down here and together lets let God know there is still a people who want his presence and want his power.
