Slippery Slopes, Dried Up Hands...

SLIPPERY SLOPES, A DRIED UP HAND AND STILL REFUSES TO LEARN...

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

2 Tim. 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

[4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

I. DO YOU REMEMBER THE RIVER FLOWING FROM THE ALTAR OF GOD...

IN EZEKIEL 47... THE WATERS GET DEEPER AND DEEPER...

WE CAN NOT ACCEPT THE SHALLOW, GOD HAS MORE...

Ezekiel 47:3 The waters flowed from the waters were ANKLE DEEP...

Ezekiel 47:4 The waters were KNEE DEEP...

Ezekiel 47:4 LOIN DEEP

Ezekiel 47:5 The waters were flowing so deep that ONE HAD TO SWIM...

A. SOME LESSONS CAN BE RECEIVED BY THE FLESH, BUT SOME DEEP LESSONS

CAN ONLY BE REVEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT...

THIS LESSON IS SO VERY DEEP, THAT THE DEPTH OF THIS LESSON HAS TO BE GOD SEALED... A DIVINE REVELATION...

PLEASE JESUS TEACH US THE LESSON OF DAN AND JEROBOAM...

B. Linda my wife and I stood near the head of the JORDAN RIVER in January, 2010. Our guide was a powerful Christian man from Russia. He and his mother came from Russia to Israel many years ago.

C. We unloaded from the bus, 33 pastors from around the USA, at the NORTHERN MOST PART OF ISRAEL...

Today Jordan and Syria border the LAND OF THE TRIBE OF DAN...

D. DAN WAS THE 5TH SON OF JACOB...

HIS MOTHER WAS LEAH'S HANDMAIDEN... BILHAH (Gen. 30:6)

E. JACOB'S BLESSING TO HIS SON: DAN WAS...

Genesis 49:16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

F. THIS BLESSINGS IS REVEALED IN MANY WAYS--

FOR EXAMPLE: SAMSON WAS A JUDGE OF ISRAEL...

SAMSON WAS OF THE TRIBE OF DAN...

G. DAN HAD ALWAYS CAMPED TO THE NORTH OF THE TABERNACLE WHEN

MOSES AND THE PEOPLE WERE TRAVELING FROM EGYPT TO THE PROMISE

LAND...

H. ARE YOU FAMILIAR THAT THE NORTHERN MOST PART OF ISRAEL WAS THE

LAST AREA CONQUERED BY ISRAEL... ?

I. THE TRIBE OF DAN'S TERRITORY WAS SMALL BUT IT WAS VERY BLESSED...

IT WAS FERTILE AND VERY FRUITFUL. The Jordan River starts here.

J. ON A VERY SAD NOTE THE TRIBE OF DAN NEVER FULLY OBEYED THE

COMMAND OF MOSES AND OF GOD TO TOTALLY DRIVE OUT THE

INHABITANTS OF THEIR GOD GIVEN AREA...

THIS LACK OF OBEDIENCE WILL COST THE WHOLE TRIBE OF DAN DEARLY...

II. BEFORE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND FULLY THE LESSON OF JEROBOAM,

WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE WEIGHT OF APATHY AND INDIFFERENCE

TOWARD GOD, PREACHERS AND GOD'S WORD EXISTING IN THIS SAD

TIME IN HISTORY... THIS LESSON IS AS REAL IN AMERICA TODAY AS IN

ISRAEL'S YESTERDAY...

A. THERE IS GREAT DANGER IN APATHY AMONG THE CHURCH TODAY...

THERE IS A SPIRIT OF COMPROMISING AND ACCEPTANCE OF ANY THING

COMING DOWN THE PIKE...

B. We are moving the ANCIENT LANDMARKS...

The world is becoming CHURCHIE...

And the Church is becoming WORLDLY...

C. We see COMPASSION FATIQUE as preachers and Sunday School teachers

are laying down their Bibles and allowing the INSIGNIFICANT BURDENSOME

SPIRIT CREEP INTO THE HEARTS OF SPIRITUAL LEADERS...

D. We are seeing LEADERSHIP BECOMING MORE AND MORE UNFAITHFUL

TO THEIR POST OF DUTY. Do we forget there are others walking this path and your faithfulness or your lack of faithfulness is AN EXAMPLE to them?

III. THERE CAN GROW A LOVE OF MATERIALISM AND THE THINGS OF THE

WORLD THAT SMOTHERS TO DEATH THE LOVE OF GOD...

JERUSALEM HAS JUST EXPERIENCED ONE OF THE GREATEST SEASONS OF

PROSPERITY THAT THE NATION OF ISRAEL HAS EVER KNOWN.

A. SHOW ME WHERE YOU SPEND YOUR TIME AND I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT

IS IMPORTANT TO YOU... ???

B. What was the VALUE SYSTEM IN THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL... ???

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

C. God's word CLEARLY WARNED THE PEOPLE, SOME AREAS OF LIFE

ARE SLIPPERY SLOPES...

Horses, FINE HORSES, and chariots are as common as walking by feet...

the MULTIPLYING OF HORSES... will be a slippery slope.

Deut. 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

B. Sexual desires, EATING, DRINKING AND GIVEN IN MARRIAGE...

DEVALUE THE FAMILY,

UNDERCUT AUTHORITY... will become slippery slopes...

Deut. 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.