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Written in heaven, living and sharper than a two-edged sword, and it is Spirit and Life!
Fred R. Coulter—August 8, 2020
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services!
- What's going on the world?
- What's happening?
There's a lot going on that's not even hitting the news. The excessive monsoon rains that are hitting China. I'll read you a little about the news concerning that. The biggest dam in the world—the Three Gorges Dam in China—they're wondering if it's going to collapse or not.
The Floods in China are a Global Disaster July 27, 2020
(https://www.glennbeck.com/blog/the-floods-in-china-are-a-global-disaster)
2020 has proven to be one of the worst Asian Monsoon seasons in history. Rain totals are more than 200% above the past 11 year average in China, but they are not alone, with additional massive flooding striking Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and both North and South Korea. But while there have been deaths and dislocations in many places, none are as impacted as the 3 Gorges Dam region of China.
The reservoir system that makes up the 3 Gorges Dam system passed flood stage some 6 weeks ago…
but they're getting another 10-12 inches this week
…and is now classified by China as a Level 2 (Level 1 being the worst
China has had to destroy more than 2 dozen smaller dams and levees to let floodwaters into the drainage basin…
Guess what is the first big city east of that dam? Wuhan!
…namely, into the farmland, so as to attempt to spare cities downstream from catastrophic flooding.
Official numbers out of China are difficult to come by, but estimates from the Taiwanese press indicate that as much as 50% of agriculturally developed lands along the Yangtze have endured some form of flooding in 2020. Millions of acres of agricultural land now sit under as much as 9 feet of floodwaters…
Little difficult to plant!
…and will produce zero yield in 2020 and perhaps beyond.
The 3 Gorges Dam itself is also in trouble. It had previously shown signs of 'Settling' and 'Buckling' that the Chinese Government had tried to dismiss as distortions in satellite images due to pixelation, but more recent photos also show further buckling in the key spillway section of the Dam…
Think about that! The world's largest dam, if that breaks that will set back China 20 years at least!
…which is under the greatest pressure now as flood channels are kept wide open to prevent the Dam from being overstepped by floodwaters. Structural Engineers from the King's College in London recently issued a dire warning to the UN that they believe the Dam is on the verge of a catastrophic collapse that could place millions of lives at risk downstream.
Structural Engineers from the King's College in London recently issued a dire warning to the UN that they believe the Dam is on the verge of a catastrophic collapse that could place millions of lives at risk downstream.
Not only that, they've had to destroy millions of cattle, millions of sheep. Previous to that they've had the Chicken Flu Virus. They had to kill millions and millions of chickens. Before that they had the Swine Flu Virus and they had to kill many hogs.
Now the land is flooded and they can't plant this year. Think of what that means. They have 1.4-billion mouths to feed every day. That's why the Chinese agricultural purchases of American farm produce is not because they're keeping the phase one agreement; it's because they have no food! Think what that's going to be
- Where are they going to get the next crop?
- What would happen if next year America was inundated with floods, and not able to have any crops here?
- How much could we sell to China?
That tells us that there may be quite a few years before Christ returns. Next week I'll talk a little more about that and why that is.
Three Gorges Dam Weathers the Flood Challenge by Frank Chen, July 30, 2020
{https://asiatimes.com/2020/07/three-gorges-dam-weathers-the-flood-challenge/}
"It's rare for Xinhua to admit the Three Gorges Dam had deformed a little bit when holding storm water to protect downstream cities like Wuhan, as in the past state media would just choose not to report this and deny any talks about the dam being in any sort of danger," said a professor with the Peking University's School of Governance, who asked not to be named.
Here's an article on how much they have purchased, which is twice the amount of agricultural products that they agreed to in the phase one treaty. That tells you that they're not getting any crops in China this year. Maybe some areas.
I've thought about this a lot: Have you see the hills of China where they have rice patties going around the hills. They have to do that because they don't have much flat land. What are you going to do when you have a lot of mountains? Well, that's what you have to do!
- What if there is so much rain that it washes hundreds of thousands of those little fields away?
- How are you going to build that back up again?
- Where are you going to get the dirt? Because that's all going to go downstream!
It's not looking good for China. I think that's one of the very reasons why Trump is being so aggressive against them, because he knows all of these things himself.
EXCLUSIVE: China's Wuhan lab operating "covert operations" in Pakistan, creating "anthrax-like" pathogens by Anthony Klan
(https://www.theklaxon.com.au/home/xdx17f6auh0tew0g57ubqrzxkdeux9)
Under the spotlight after Coronavirus savaged the globe, China's Wuhan lab has now set up operations in Pakistan as part of a broader offensive against India and Western rivals, according to intelligence experts. The secret facility is allegedly making anthrax-like pathogens which could be used in biological warfare.
Why is all of this happening? Catastrophic things are happening! Just like it say in Matt. 24. Everyone on the globe is going to have to understand that human beings cannot run their lives properly without God, without His laws and commandments!
They just can't do it! They can muddle along and do pretty well if they follow along many of the things that are contained in the Law (Rom. 2:14). But that's why every empire falls! America is getting close to falling. The last 6-7-1/2 months we have virtually changed from a constitutional republic to a near communist organization, especially in the radical left.
Look at what they have done to the cities. So, America is sitting in a very precarious position itself. Think of the stupidity of what the democrats are doing—I'm not taking sides, I'm just analyzing—it of not being able to workout something to help the people but they want trillions of dollars to rescue their failed states that have been run by democrats for decades! I think that the best thing to do is let them fail! They will never learn otherwise, nor will it be changed.
Now let's talk a little bit about how Satan operates. He comes with a proposition against God that seems reasonable and rational. He doesn't tell you the real motive behind it. If you don't have the Word of God to rely on, and see where it's wrong, you will never discover it until you get way down the road with a lot of trouble.
When it reaches a certain point, like we have in America, we now have more witches than there are members of the Presbyterian churches. We have more atheists than at anytime in our history. We also have more direct satanists! What do they believe in?
You're going to see a vital weakness in the Constitution of the United States. When you read it, it all sounds really good, but just like the ones who wrote it said, 'This will only work with a people who are moral.' It will not work when people are not moral! Another way of putting it is that it will only work if people follow the principles of the Bible on which many of the things were founded in the Constitution and Bill of Rights!
That has nothing to do with salvation! That's just operating the civil government.
Freedom of religion: Most countries, even communists, say 'freedom of worship,' which means you do it in your own home! You can't get together in a group.
Have you ever heard of The Satanic Temple? Guess what they believe in as a sacrament, sacred to that religion? Abortion! A lot of people would say, 'Who would have ever thought of that? Satan doesn't come out and bring the most evil out first! He waits until he has enough people, enough lawlessness so he can bring it out in the open. If you resist it, you're anti-religion!
What they want to do is challenge this in the courts! Since it is a 'sacred right' for the church, which they acknowledge is a 'religion,' think about what's going to happen. You just have to put your thinking cap on:
- Who is the most wishy-washy Supreme Court justice that we have? John Roberts!
- What was his latest vote? To uphold abortion and not require the doctors doing it to be certified by a hospital nearby!
IF Trump loses the election—which the Democrats are doing everything in their power to do by mail-in votes—we will be a Communist Venezuela before the end of the term of Biden! We will also be the Western Colony of China! Why?
Always remember that God is longsuffering and not willing that any die. But the choice belongs to the people, because He's given free moral agency to every human being. What happens when you get rid of the Laws of God as the backbone of the laws of the nation?
Jeremiah 23:10: "For the land is full of adulterers…. [male and female] …Because of swearing the land mourns; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up…"—and burned every year because of the stupidity of people who think that you just let it grow wild!
What did God tell Adam for the Garden of Eden? Dress it and keep it! The Germans with their forests, clean up all the debris on a regular basis so they don't have the fires like we do. But there are people who use the guise of something good, 'Oh, let it grow wild' knowing that it will destroy us!
"…and their course is evil…" (v 10). Look at the Democrat platform, it is evil! Look at the churches, they are evil, though they profess to be 'Christian.'
"…and they wield power unjustly" (v 10). Isn't that true?
A gang came into this gated community in St. Louis, and they were ANTIFA Marxists. A couple came out there and the husband had a semi-automatic rifle and the wife had a 45 caliber pistol and told them to 'get off our property.' They let all the ANTIFAs go and indicted the couple.
That's just the start! What have they done recently in Portland, OR? They burned Bibles! The day is coming that anybody who really believes in the Bible is going to be beheaded! They will think that they're doing God's service.
If you haven't read about the French Revolution recently, read about it. That's a mirror image of what the Democrats are doing to take down the nation. One commentator made a very interesting comment:
When you have an opposition party, most of them still love their country, but in America it's the opposite, they hate America! They hate God!
Just like Trump said the other day, 'Biden doesn't believe in God. Even the Catholic Church, to which he belongs, refuse to give him Communion because of his stance on abortion.
Verse 11: "'For both prophet and priest are ungodly; yea, in My house… [the Temple of God] …I have found their evil,' says the LORD. 'So their way shall be to them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be driven on, and fall in their way; for I will bring evil on them, even the year of their judgment,' says the LORD. 'And I have seen repulsive things in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal…'" (vs 11-13)—sun-worship, Sunday, what all of the so-called Christians of this world go by, and God's judgment is coming upon them.
They laid the groundwork for all of this by doing away with the Law, by saying that—as the Catholics do—that's the old Law.' NO! The law that the Catholics have is the oldest law: Baalism!
Verse 11: "'For both prophet and priest are ungodly; yea, in My house I have found their evil,' says the LORD. 'So their way shall be to them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be driven on, and fall in their way; for I will bring evil on them, even the year of their judgment,' says the LORD. 'And I have seen repulsive things in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal and caused My people Israel to go astray. I have also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing; they commit adultery and walk in lies. They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none returns from his evil; they are all of them like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah.' I have also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing; they commit adultery and walk in lies. They also strengthen the hands of evildoers…'" (vs 11-14)—Judaism!
Read anything that the Jews write about their suffering and what happened at anytime in history, you can go clear back to the destruction of the temple in 536B.C. and there's even a song: By the Rivers of Babylon! Why have they suffered? Temple gone twice, second time 70 A.D., because they reject Christ!
Not only reject Him, but hate Him! They have there own Judaism religion! That's worse than the Catholics and Protestants.
How many times have you heard a Jew say, 'All these evils have come upon us because of our sins'? Never! Never! Not even in the song, By the Rivers of Babylon. They say, 'Jerusalem, we will remember you.' Well, what about remembering God! His way!
Did you see on the news about Kanye West who went into Trumps office and hugged him and all of that? Well, he's running for President. They showed a clip that he is the most outspoken against abortion of anyone in America publicly today. He had a meeting and he was talking and pacing back and forth and kept it really direct. He said, 'My mama saved me! My daddy wanted me aborted. But my mama saved me! There had been 22-million black babies murdered!'
Of course, everyone knows that that's why Margaret Sanger setup the abortion clinics. While many of the Protestants and Catholics are against abortion, they are not out there, and neither are a lot of the Churches of God out there warning this nation that's why we are coming down!
IF Biden wins this election, all the freedoms that we have will evaporate one after the other, after the other, after the other!
Jeremiah 19:1: "Thus says the LORD, 'Go and get a potter's earthen jar, and assemble some of the elders of the people and of the elders of the priests.'" The important ones who rule and have the power!
This is what should be done with the Supreme Court and Congress, both houses, and the President—everybody together—and have this same kind of ceremony and tell them that they are destroying this nation because of abortion!
Verse 2: "And go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom by the entry of Potsherd Gate. And there declare the words that I shall tell you"—the words of God!
Verse 3: "And say, 'Hear the Word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and people of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Behold, I will bring evil upon this place…"'"
Have we been having evil in the cities? Looting, fires, drugs, murder, sickness, the Wuhan plague! Stop and think: How much more can we take?
"…which shall cause the ears of him who hears it to tingle. Because they have forsaken Me…" (vs 3-4).
Remember what they did to Mike Lindell when he was at the press briefing with the President? He said, 'Now's the time for us to get back to God and read our Bibles.' It didn't take much longer than that for the press to go absolutely berserk!
"…and have profaned this place and have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents" (v 4).
Let me tell you something: For every conception of human life, God is involved!, whether in marriage or outside of marriage!God set this way: when the sperm from the father penetrates the egg of the mother there's a sudden instantaneous charge of 450,000 volts, real quick! What does that mean? The spirit of man for that individual God gave at that instant!
All of this is against God for the pleasure of those who want to go against the Laws of God, and think that they can find their way better than God's way. They haven't read Gen. 3. Men's ways can never replace God's ways and work! They may for a while, but sooner or later….
Jeremiah 1:4: "And it came to pass, the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the belly I knew you…'"
God knew Jeremiah at the instant of conception, because immediately after that it starts forming. So, before you were formed in the womb, 'I knew you.' This shows that every human being conceived in the womb is a sacred gift from God made in His image!
What they did back in Jerusalem was very interesting. Instead of abortion, they had a 'religious' ceremony to bundle up the little child in nice sacrificial clothes and everyone would come. What a wonderful thing to give this little child to Molech. They would place the child on the bronze arms of Molech and the priests of Molech would pull a lever and the baby would be dropped into the inferno! That's how they did it then!
Jeremiah 19:4: "Because they have forsaken Me, and have profaned this place and have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents. They have also built the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I never commanded nor spoke, nor did it come into My mind" (vs 4-5).
Jeremiah 17:1: "The sin of Judah… [we can put in there America] …is engraved with a pen of iron, with the point of a diamond; it is carved upon the tablet of their heart and upon the horns of your altars."
- What is a nice person?
- Who judges what is nice?
- How does God judge what is nice?
- people judge by actions
- God judges by thoughts
How many nice people—supposedly—are running around with evil thoughts in their mind? That's the whole point of conversion, to have your mind changed from that to the mind of Christ!
Verse 9: "The heart is deceitful above all things…"
'I'm a good person.' Really? Do you love God? 'I don't know about that.' Do you have a Bible? Did you ever read it? 'No!' Well, if you don't read it, what are you doing?
- What is the Bible? The Word of God to everyone who has a Bible!
- If you don't read it, what are you doing?
- Whether by neglect or fear, for whatever reason you have for not reading it? You're rejecting knowledge!
This is the knowledge that you need to live the way that God wants you to live, and to understand about what God did for you through Christ's coming and being the sacrifice for sin. You're not going to find it anyplace else, and God sent it!
- What are you really doing if you don't read the Bible?
- What are you really doing if you don't believe the Bible? You're rejecting God!
- How successful do you think you may be?
"…and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (v 9).
Now the next verse tells us what God does, and can do at anytime to any person anywhere regardless of who you are, from the North Pole to the South Pole, from the east to the west!
Verse 10: "I the LORD search the heart…"
- How is your heart?
- What will He find?
"…I try the reins…" (v 10).
- to see how you are thinking
- to see what it is that motivates your way of living
"…even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings" (v 10).
What do you think is going to happen because of all that we have done with abortion? 66-million! That makes Hitler look like kindergarten! Think of it! In the nation that says that God is the One we trust!
Think about what God is going to do! I think what we're seeing is just a foretaste!
Jeremiah 19:6: "Therefore, behold, the days come,' says the LORD, 'that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but, The Valley of Slaughter."
That's what God thinks about Planned Parenthood. Do you know what their emblem is? It's a broken womb, because they break it and kill the life!
(break)
Jer. 18—here we find that God told Jeremiah go down to the potter's house and watch him work at his wheel and make whatever vessel he wants. If it doesn't work out the way he wants it, he smashes it down and redoes it.
Here's the message, based on that, to the house Israel, and we're going to see to every other nation in the world. God is not way out there in the universe somewhere so far that you can't find Him. He is watching over the whole world. If you don't believe that judgment is coming upon America because of that, and because of other sins indeed, then you better listen up!
When you read the Bible, we're going to see that it is the Word of God. It's as if God were standing right in front of you telling you Himself! This is the voice of God recorded so that we would know!
Jeremiah 18:5: "Then the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'O house of Israel… [or whatever nation] …can I not do with you even as this potter?' says the LORD. 'Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hands, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel'" (vs 5-6).
So, you think you can do anything you want to and that's just fine. Really? I've mentioned this many times before, do away with the law of gravity and see how you do. Likewise, you can't do away with the Laws of God!
Verse 7: If… [conditional; it's up to the nation and the individual] …at any time I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck it up and to pull it down, and to destroy it." The history of the world is full of the rise and fall of nations and empires!
- Who does it?
- Does it just happen by accident?
- No! God does it!
If a nation is evil, God will raise up another nation to come and tear it down! Did we not do that in WWII? Yes, we did! Now we are worse than the Third Reich!
Verse 8: "If that nation, against whom I have spoken…" A lot have been speaking about how bad it is, even the Protestants, Churches of God should be also, doing that.
"…will turn from their evil…" (v 8). God will always grant repentance IF you come to Him repenting, which means to stop, turn around and go the way of God. We're being judged because of:
- abortion
- drugs
- adultery
- stealing
- murder
- corruption in the government
- corruption in the schools
- What is going to happen?
- How many will turn?
Maybe John Roberts ought to call the Supreme Court together and all get on their knees and repent of their stupidity and outlaw abortion!
If they "…will turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them" (v 8).
- God is righteous
- God is just
But no mealy-mouthed doublespeak of lies, because God speaks only the truth!
Verse 9: "And if at any time I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom…"—anywhere on the earth wherever it is!
As I said, the whole history is full of rises and falls. Who does it? God!
"…to build it and to plant it" (v 9). China—because of what the prophecies in Rev. 9 tell us; the armies from the east—is being raised up. But look what they did with the Wuhan virus.
- Is all of this monsoon rain 200% more than normal?
- Who controls the weather? God does!
Verse 10: "If it does evil in My sight, that it not obey My voice, then I will repent of the good with which I said I would do them good."
That applies to every nation. Look at the different nations in the world. Today, because they have all forsaken God so much, there's all the trouble and difficulties, and that's why they need to go to the Bible, the Word of God. Ant the Churches of God all need to really preach the Truth and the Word of God.
Let's see why. Let's see something about the Word of God; God does not lie! God also puts it in such a way that the only way difficult things can be understood in the Bible is IF you keep His commandments!
- you can't understand it
- you can't read it like a novel
Isaiah 40:7: "The grass withers, the flower fades because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God shall stand forever" (vs 7-8).
Every word in the Bible is the Word of God! In some translations there may be some very profound mis-translations and mis-interpretations. That's why you need to put it together properly!
Let's see another profound, important thing concerning the Word of God. This is important and lays it out easy to understand. There's no way this can be misunderstood.
Proverbs 30:5: "Every Word… [every single word] …of God is pure…" If there's any corruption in it, it's because men have corrupted it! All the corruptions have always been known!
"…He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him" (v 5).
Any ministers out there listening, you better listen up and check your own self:
Verse 6: "Do not add to His words, lest He correct you and you be found a liar." Sunday-keepers out there:
- you believe a lie
- you keep a lie
- you reject God
- you are responsible for all the evil that's going on because:
- you changed the Word of God
- you are liars
Here's something very few people really realize or understand. The Word of God is not just printed on paper or digitized into computers. Before it comes to the earth it's written in heaven!
Dan. 10—this is the angel Gabriel coming to Daniel and revealing certain prophecies to him about the rise and fall of nations that we just read about.
Daniel 10:19: "And said, 'O man greatly beloved, do not fear. Peace be unto you; be strong; yea, be strong.' And when he had spoken to me, I was made stronger, and I said, 'Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.' Then he said, 'Do you know why I come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia….'" (vs 19-20).
This is showing the angelic beings, demon beings and Satan are all involved in the wars going on between nations.
"…And when I go forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come…. [prophecy of Alexander the Great] …But I will show you that which is written in the Scripture of Truth…." (vs 20-21)—the Scroll of Truth written in heaven above!
Let's see how effective the Word of God is. We've looked at on a national basis, we've touch on it on an individual basis, but let's see what is true. This is why if someone reads some of the Word of God to you and you think:
I don't like that guy; I don't like the way he reads it. I don't know if that is true or not.
Listen! God cannot and will not and does not lie! I want you to think on this: if you're upset about it, that's because the Word of God is getting to you, and you need to repent.
Hebrews 4:12: "For the Word of God is living and powerful…" How powerful? Jesus said that the words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life!
They can burn Bibles and destroy computers all they want, but the Word of God remains and will not be done away! If people don't repent and come to God HIS way, it's coming! It's coming! It's coming! All you have to do is look at what's happening in the cities in America that's taking place. And in a little more than six months it's all occurred! But it builds up to a point and then BAM! there it comes.
Same way with the Word of God! The judgment of this nation and the evil that going to come upon it is coming, and it's not going to stop unless there is repentance! Never before heard of or thought of!
Verse 12: "For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of both soul and spirit, and of both the joints and the marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart."
What did we read? God tries the heart and intent of the heart of men! The very fact that you have life and the spirit of man in you, God can know your thought at any time!
If you have the Spirit of God because you have repented, been baptized and received the Spirit of God, much more even so!
- no one is going to mock God
- no one is going to get away with it
- no one is going to succeed in it
Verse 13: "And there is not a created thing…"—any created thing: man, animal, reptile, fish, water, air, rocks, wood, forests—anything—because He created it all!
"…that is not manifest in His sight… [He knows] …but all things are naked and laid bare… [like being sliced down the middle and opened up] …before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account" (v 13).]
Are you ready to give an account to God? No one is going to escape! You either repent now or you're going to face Christ and give an account for your self under different circumstance, because:
- you didn't repent
- you didn't get baptized
- you didn't believe His word
That's the very thing that's going to judge you! You can deny it all you want, but it is more powerful than the law of gravity, and more sure than the rising and setting of the sun!
However, God also gives us encouragement as something you need to do.
Verse 14: "Having, therefore, a great High Priest, Who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, we should hold fast the confession of our faith."
This was written as a warning to those who were already in the Church of God, "…the confession of our faith." If it's that strong and powerful—which it is and more so—think of what it is for those not converted.
Verse 15: "For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot empathize with our weaknesses, but One Who was tempted in all things according to the likeness of our own temptations; yet, He was without sin. Therefore, we should come with boldness to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (vs 15-16).
IF you haven't come to God, you better! If you don't want to, you know what you can expect.
- What did Jesus say about how we are to live?
- How have you been living your life?
- Do you love God with all your heart, mind, soul and being?
- Do you keep His commandments, which are required?
The liars of Protestantism and Catholicism say that 'it's done away.'
- Is heaven and earth still here? Jesus said that nothing is going to be done away because heaven and earth is still here!
- What are you going to do? Here is what God says in the face of Satan the devil!
Jesus—Who was God before He was born of the virgin Mary—was a man, like any other man or woman today: flesh! He had human nature! And He had to be tempted by Satan the devil, because Satan is the one who rules this world today. Jesus had to meet him in the weakest possible condition:
- He could not trust His own strength, because He would have any
- He had to rely totally on God's Spirit
You need to think about it in your life, do you do this?
(parallel account in Luke 4) Matthew 4:1 "Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit in order to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was famished" (vs 1-2).
I don't know if any of you have gone on even a three-day fast; that's a rare one, but think about how weak you were if you did. Think about how weak you are on a one-day fast. Think about 40 days!
Verse 3: "And when the tempter came to Him, he said, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'" Jesus did have the power to do it!
But notice Jesus' answer; this is the answer that must be for everything that we do, think and say:
Verse 4: "But He answered and said, 'It is written…[the Word of God; He's quoting Deut. 8:3]: …"Man…"'"
He's not saying everybody else; He's referring to Himself. This is how He fought Satan off. Not with His thoughts, not with His schemes, but with the Word of God!
"…shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (v 4)—and you've got it right here in your Bible or on your smart phone or computer!
- Do you use it?
- Do you think about it?
- Do you live by it?
- What are your thoughts during the day?
- What are your thoughts before you go to sleep?
- If you have dreams, what do you dream about?
That's your life, whatever it is! "…every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." So, every time that this came about, Jesus quoted Scripture!
We're going to see something else that's very important: the devil quotes Scripture!
Verse 5: "Then the devil took Him to the Holy city and set Him upon the edge of the temple… [about 750 feet above the Kidron Valley floor] …and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down; for it is written, "He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and they shall bear You up in their hands, lest You strike Your foot against a stone."' Jesus said to him, 'Again, it is written, "You…"'"'" (vs 5-7)—referring to Himself, not even thinking about what would happen if He did that!
Satan would say, 'Here's your Savior,' and he wouldn't be your Savior.'
"…'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' After that, the devil took Him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory" (v 8)—in a moment of time (Luke 4)!
Think about any other person in this situation, where the devil will come and say, 'Look, I have power over all these nations. How would you like to be ruler.' They would jump at it! Look at what Jesus did:
Verse 9: "And [the devil] said to Him, 'All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.'"
Who are those who worship Satan the devil? There are those who do it today!
- some directly
- some indirectly
- some not even knowing what they're doing
Verse 10: "Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan!….'" That's what to do with temptation:
- cast it away
- don't tinker with it
- get rid of it
"'…For it is written, "You… [referring to Himself] …shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve"'" (v 10). Think about that!
That's what Jesus said; let's see some other thing concerning the words of Jesus. Think about this, especially if you are a Jew. You look at the Christianity in the world and you know that it's wrong because they don't keep the commandments, the Sabbath and the Holy Days. True! But Judaism rejects Jesus Christ, and they keep the Sabbath and Holy Days according to Judaism and not according to God!
Guess what? You're both wrong!
John 12:37: "Although He had done so many miracles in their presence, they did not believe in Him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled who said, 'Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' For this very reason they could not believe because again Isaiah said, 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I would heal them'" (vs 37-40).
Why? Because they wanted to come to God on their terms! No one comes to God on their terms! You come to God like Job was coming to God on his terms saying, 'I'm so good I'm almost like God; I'm better than God!' So, God took him down a few pegs and finally spoke to him and said, 'Where were you when I formed the earth…' and all of that, everything that God did. When God got done with Job, he repented in sackcloth and ashes and said, 'I abhor my self!'
That's the kind of repentance that need to come! But they didn't do it! Let's see why:
Verse 41: "Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him. But even so, many among the rulers believed in Him…" (vs 41-42).
Notice that you cannot have political qualified belief! IF you want the unqualified Truth of God, and the unqualified removal of your sins, you come to God with no politics or no strings attached!
"…but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so that they wouldnot be put out of the synagogue… [they were worried about their status!] …for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God" (vs 42-43).
Verse 44: "Then Jesus called out and said, 'The one who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him Who sent Me. And the one who sees Me sees Him Who sent Me'" (vs 44-45).
The exact spit image of what God the Father would look like came in the flesh as Jesus Christ—Who was the Lord God of the Old Testament before He came in the flesh.
Verse 46: "I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness."
IF you are in this world, and you are there the way that the world and everything that is about the world—and Satan is controlling the world—you are in darkness!
Verse 47: "But if anyone hears My words…" Listen up! What do you do?
"…and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world" (v 47).
Now, hold on! Judgment is coming! That means at that time He didn't judge him person to person. After His resurrection, it became a different thing.
Verse 48: "The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has one who judges him; the Word, which I have spoken…"—that you can read! Jesus does not have to do it in person, it's written down! It's true what it says about:
- human nature
- sin
- Satan the devil
- the world
is true!We are commanded to come out of the world, which is called Babylon the Great! Come out of her My people that you do not be partaker of her sins!
"…the Word, which I have spoken, that shall judge him in the last day" (v 48). You can't accuse and say that Jesus discriminated! It's written down! It is true!
Verse 48: "The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has one who judges him; the Word, which I have spoken, that shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken from Myself; but the Father, Who sent Me, gave Me commandment Himself, what I should say and what I should speak" (vs 48-49).
That's hard for people in this world to understand, because personal opinion is a 'sacred, moral obligation' that everybody has to believe. Nonsense!That's foolishness!
Verse 50: "And I know that His commandment is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I speak, I speak exactly as the Father has told Me."
Those are pretty powerful words! Let's see why you need to have the commandments and laws of God, and have them written in your heart and mind! The Word of God is living, powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword, and it is Spirit and Life!
You need to get the Ten Commandments, memorize them and ask yourself: What must I do to keep them? If you're a Sunday-keeper, the first thing you need to do is stop Sunday-keeping, because all of that is in vain.
Psalm 19:7: "The Law of the LORD is perfect…"
If someone gave you the finest hand-crafted car ever built, perfect as a car, would you throw it away? No! You'd take it! Well, the Law of God is perfect!
- Why would you throw away the Sabbath for Sunday?
- Why would you throw away the Holy Days for the holidays of this world?
The holidays of this world are the death-dealing days of lying Satan the devil! You cannot put the name of Christ on them and make them Holy!
What does the Law of God do? "…restoring the soul… [your very being] …the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (v 7).
If you don't know the Word of God, you're simple; that's just the way it is! That doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you have no knowledge. The Law of God is the way to get the knowledge.
Verse 8: "The precepts of the LORD are right…" It says in Psa. 119 'Your precepts are altogether right from the beginning!
"…rejoicing the heart; the commandments of the LORD are pure, enlightening the eyes" (v 8).
In other words, IF you have the laws and commandments of God written in your heart and mind, you will be able to make proper and right decisions and judgments! You will have the proper understanding to do so!
Verse 9: "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever… [you better fear to transgress] …the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether."
All of this together, how much is it worth? It's just words written on paper. Remember the Spiritual Power behind it!
Verse 10: "More to be desired than gold, yea, much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover…" (vs 10-11).
Here are what the Laws of God do for you when you understand them and they're written in your heart and mind. By the way, Heb. 10:16 tells us that's the basis of the New Covenant. So, how can any minister say that the Law is done away?
"…by them Your servant is warned… [so that you don't sin, because sin is the transgression or breaking of the laws and commandments of God] …in keeping them there is great reward" (v 11).
- What is the greatest reward coupled with the Spirit of God? Eternal life!
- How is that for a great reward?
Verse 12: "Who can understand his errors?…." That's why you need the laws and commandments, precepts and testimonies of God!
"…Oh, cleanse me from my secret faults" (v 12).
- Have you ever prayed about that?
- Have you got on your knees and confessed to God and asked Him to cleanse your mind from the secret faults and thoughts that are lodged in there, recorded on your brain?
Only God can do that!
Verse 13: "And keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; do not let them rule over me… [tie in Rom. 6; New Testament doctrine right here] …then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart…" (vs 13-14). Got to have both, because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks!
"…be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (v 14).
We've seen the sins that we're confronted with here in America, and we have seen God's solution through His Word.
The question remains for each and every one of us, every single day: What will I do?
Scriptural References:
- Jeremiah 23:10-13, 11-14
- Jeremiah 19:1-4
- Jeremiah 1:4
- Jeremiah 19:4-5
- Jeremiah 17:1, 9-10
- Jeremiah 19:6
- Jeremiah 18:5-10
- Isaiah 40:7-8
- Proverbs 30:5-6
- Daniel 10:19-21
- Hebrews 4:12-16
- Matthew 4:1-10
- John 12:37-50
- Psalm 19:7-14
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Matthew 24
- Romans 2:14
- Genesis 3
- Revelation 9
- Luke 4
- Deuteronomy 8:3
- Psalm 119
- Hebrews 10:16
- Romans 6
Also referenced: Articles:
- The Floods in China are a Global Disaster July 27, 2020
(https://www.glennbeck.com/blog/the-floods-in-china-are-a-global-disaster)
- Three Gorges Dam Weathers the Flood Challenge by Frank Chen, July 30, 2020
{https://asiatimes.com/2020/07/three-gorges-dam-weathers-the-flood-challenge/}
- EXCLUSIVE: China's Wuhan lab operating "covert operations" in Pakistan, creating "anthrax-like" pathogens
(https://www.theklaxon.com.au/home/xdx17f6auh0tew0g57ubqrzxkdeux9)
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 8/12/20
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