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They are ignorant, and shall be utterly destroyed in their own corruption!
Fred R. Coulter—November 14, 2020
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services!
What a week it's been in counting votes. Some have been counted 10-12 times it appears, maybe even more. The commissioner for the Federal Elections Commission says, 'There's a great deal of fraud,' which means there's no way that they can verify a lot of these votes. This means that the last resort is the House of Representatives, and each state gets only one vote. If that's the case, Trump doesn't have to move.
But they have hundreds of thousands of fake ballots, with just Joe Biden marked on them. You know that a voter in an election is not going to just vote for one person. So, that's why we're in a battle: truth and lies; deceit and truthfulness.
Jer. 10—speaking of all of the customs of the people and their false gods and everything, here we get the contrast all the way through. But we need to know that every word of God is true! And virtually every place where they have 'fiddled' with it is known!
As a matter of fact, the 34 places in the Old Testament where they changed YHVH to Adonai, the Hebrew scribes marked the change. So, that's how we, when there's something in dispute, go to the Word of God, and then we look up the record of the fake translators.
The latest New Revised Standard Version has changed the singular to plural in certain instances, which is a Catholic doctrine. If you're in the group, you're okay, but if you're not in the group you're not okay, but God deals with individuals, then the group after the individual. Here it starts with the group first, then the individuals, then the group.
Jeremiah 10:6: "Therefore, there is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and Your name is great in might." He's also the:
- God of truth
- God of love
- God of grace
Verse 7: "Who would not fear You, O King of nations? For fear belongs to You because among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You."
What all of these ups and downs, ins and outs, crime and riots, and everything is going to prove is that human beings cannot live correctly without God and His Word! It's impossible! Regardless of how good a person may think he or she is, you can't get along without God! That's the difference in the two parties right now as far as believing in God that He is God, not necessarily obeying the way that they should vs those who are God-haters, those who despise people going to church.
That's the real friction here between those who want the nation to succeed and those who want to destroy it and put it into a one-world government. The only may to slow that down is Donald Trump!
Some finicky women say, 'We don't like the way he 'Tweets'! Well, look at what he does! That's a Biblical principle: You will know them by their works! What does God say He's going to judge us all by? Our works!
So, though we're out there in the world, we still have to live in the world. Our part in the politics is very little, indeed! However, we do need the door open to preach the Gospel. If the crew that's on the Democrat Party gets in—and they are so corrupt…
One example: Guess who audited Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation and found nothing? The brother of James Comey the former director of the FBI!
The incestuous sins of the Democrats is so overwhelming that it is almost beyond belief! I recommend that you do this: Go to Fox Business News and watch Lou Dobbs. It's going to play all weekend at various times. Watch Sydney Powell; she reminds me of Deborah in the Bible. She has vowed to not let one of them get away with anything, and they have found so much it's incredible!
We don't know what's going to happen, but it might be a good idea if every one of us would take a day this week and fast so that we can ask God to intervene so that things will work out for the betterment of the Church. And if not, then to strengthen us with strength and His Spirit because the days are going to get really, really rough!
Verse 8: "But they are altogether foolish and animal-like; the tree is a doctrine of vanities…. [referring to the Christmas tree] …Silver beaten into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the goldsmith. Violet and purple are their clothing; they are all the work of skillful ones" (vs 8-9). 'Oh yes, let's make it beautiful!'
But it's still death, dumb, stupid and can do nothing but appeal to people's vanity and their deceitful minds! This is what we need to understand: when things get bad:
Verse 10: "But the LORD is the true God, He is the living God, and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to stand His fury."
That's a whole projection that we find in the book of Revelation.
Verse 11: "Thus you shall say to them, 'The gods who have not made the heavens and the earth, they shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens'"—and all who make and prosper lies!
Verse 12: "He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens by His judgment. When He utters His voice, there is a noise of a multitude of waters in the heavens. 'He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings with rain, and brings forth the wind out of His treasures.' Every man… [and woman, every person]] …is stupid for lack of knowledge…" (vs 12-14)—no matter how many degrees you have after your names!
Someone told me—we were watching television—that that person has 18 PhDs. I thought to myself: it doesn't matter how many PhDs you have, but if you know that PhD stands for piled higher and deeper, then he's got a problem.
"…every refiner is put to shame by the graven image; for his molten image is a lie, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, the work of delusion…" (vs 14-15).
What's the worst kind of lie you can have? That you lie to yourself, and you believe your own lies!That's the worst kind! If you tell a lie to someone, you know what you told him, but if you're so filled with lies there's going to come a time that you won't remember it, and you're going to get caught! I wonder if that's just around the corner? Let's hope so!
Jer. 9—here is probably how we feel that it's all going on in the world:
Jeremiah 9:1: "Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!…. [because Jeremiah knew what was going to happen] …Oh, that I had in the wilderness a lodging place for traveling men, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men" (vs 1-2).
- Do you feel that way sometimes?
- So batted around that you want to get out and away from it?
Jack has good way to do it and he does it every week. He gets on his motorcycle and talks to God—so does Kip—and they have a good time driving and talking with God and looking at His creation. They're away from it all for that time!
Verse 3—God says: "'And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies. But they are not valiant for the Truth on the earth…'"
What is the Truth? You may get three or four versions before you get to it! Remember that everyone said with the Russian hoax that Trump was a Russian agent, he's a traitor.' Then you get Brennan and Clapper behind closed doors for testimony, and if you don't tell the truth it's perjury, they were asked, 'Did you find anything about Trump and the Russians?' No, we didn't find a thing! Then they got and say that Trump is a Russian agent.
"'…for they go from evil to evil, and they do not know Me,' says the LORD." (v 3).
That's how they're going to pile on all of these things again. "…evil to evil…"
Verse 4: "Everyone beware of his neighbor, and do not trust any brother! For every brother will supplant his neighbor, and will walk with slanderers. And everyone will deceive his neighbor…" (vs 4-5).
Sidebar: I had a deception upon me for 42 years! When we were building our house in 1978, there is a house right next to us and there was a man who took care of his mother. He asked me if I could give him a little easement here on your property—because the driveway was right on the property line—'so my mother can back out her little Volkswagon station-wagon.' He said that he would plant petunias in it.
I said okay, trying to be a good neighbor; I had a big backyard. I could afford a foot, no problem. So, what did he plant? Italian Cypress! And there are six of them!
One of them died, so I had my attorney write him a letter and say that he has to take down all of them. He said that he would take down the dead one, which they did yesterday.
That was a lie to ask for petunias and plant Italian Cypress!
"…and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and they weary themselves to commit iniquity. Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit…" (vs 5-6).
- anyone who doesn't believe in God, you're dwelling in the midst of deceit
- anyone who thinks that the holidays of this world are of God, you're dwelling in deceit
- anyone who thinks that they can get along without God, you're dwelling in deceit
You're going to come to a time in your life that you are not going to be able to solve your problems and you won't know what to do. Maybe at that point you'll call out to God! This reminds me of how the Democrats are, plus a lot of other people: Democrats, witches, the alphabet sexual people—I just give them the whole alphabet because they come up with a new gender all the time—rhinos, Sunday-keepers are dwelling in deceit! Think of that!
How do you suppose that the 'light-bringer, the morning star,' deceived a third of the angels into rebelling against God? Little by little by little by little! Pretty soon they believed their lies, and pretty soon they figured, 'follow me and we'll take over God Who is sitting in the Most High!'
Well, that didn't work out too well, did it?
"'…they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and they weary themselves to commit iniquity. Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit through deceit they refuse to know Me,' says the LORD. Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, I will refine them and try them; for what else can I do because of the daughter of My people? Their tongue is a slaughtering arrow; it speaks deceit; one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in ambush. Shall I not visit them for these things?' says the LORD…." (vs 5-9).
Remember Jer. 18, God is judging all nations all the time! What does God say about human hair? God knows everything about you that even not one hair is He not aware of, whether there's much or not so much! Whether it's long or short!
"…'Shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?'" (v 9). That's something!
Verse 12: "Who is the wise man who may understand this?…."
Are we going to be wise and understand the Truth? This is not just an attack against them because they're doing wrong, it is the Word of God defining what that wrong is, and the consequences of it. There are always consequences for it. Just like those who take drugs, the first time they take it it's fantastic. Once they're hooked….
Watch NatGeo Drugs, Inc. and see some of those pitiful people who are addicts, and the evil people that sell them those drugs. If Trump does not get to be President, you're going to see an avalanche of drugs and addiction and crime that you will never believe, which means that we better be strong in the Lord!
"…And who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD has spoken, that he may declare it?…." That's us!
To every minister/elder in the Church of God, through the Word of God He's spoken to you to tell it!
"…Why does the land perish and burn up like a wilderness… [look at what they've done in California] …so that none passes through? And the LORD says, 'Because they have forsaken My Law…'" (vs 12-13). There it is!
Doesn't your body operate according to certain laws automatically? You breathe, and you can't breathe too fast or too slow! You can't have your lungs filled with all kinds of things. Your heart beats at a certain rate. Your temperature is a certain amount.
Everything about you is governed by the law of God's creation for every single individual part and molecule in our body, and likewise in the whole universe. You can't defy it! You may get away with it for a while, but sooner or later… It's not going to be the police that are going to catch you, it's going to be God!
"…which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, and have not walked in it, but they have walked after the imagination of their own heart…" (vs 13-14).
That's what we're seeing, a grab for power by any means:
- lie
- cheat
- steal
- misrepresent
- flood the ballot areas with thousands of fake ballots only marked out for Joe Biden
That's incredible!
"…and after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them" (v 14).
Protestants talk about a renewal. Listen! Any Protestant out there, a renewal better begin with a return to God and His laws, commandments and stop deceiving and lying to yourself that the Law has been done away! It hasn't been done away!
Psa. 111—here's how you get it straightened out; here's what you do. That's why there needs to be a coming to God on your knees—and on our knees—to ask God to forgive us our sins and to spare the nation! It won't take anymore than about three years and we'll be like Venezuela. Here's the answer, right here:
Psalm 111:1: "Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart…"
God doesn't want to be flattered any longer, like the Protestant do! They flatter God!
"…in the council of the upright and in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, sought out by all those who have pleasure in them" (vs 1-2).
That's why we need Bible study every day. Think about this:
- What is God giving to us?
- What is He offering?
- He's offering eternal life!
Think on that! To live forever!
- What does He really require of us that is a hard thing to do? Nothing!
Everything He requires of us is easy to do! We shouldn't make excuses and lie to try and get around it. He loves us and wants us to love Him! That's what God wants. So, whatever sin or hang-up that anybody has about anything, go repent of it and get rid of it, quit hanging onto it and come to God the way you ought to.
Verse 3: "His work is glory and majesty, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made a memorial for His wonderful works…" (vs 3-4)—the Sabbath Day!
Have you heard me say on Church At Home {churchathome.org} about the Sabbath test: keep the Sabbath every week for a month and study about the Sabbath every day and keep the Sabbath at home and you should be able to know why you want to keep the Sabbath.
It's a memorial of everything that God has made! Think about all the people He has made!
"…the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will always be mindful of His covenant. He has declared to His people the power of His works…" (vs 4-6).
If you don't believe that, go out and start looking at the sun; you can't look at for more than a few seconds, and that's 93-millon miles away.
"…in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of His hands are Truth and justice; all His precepts are sure" (vs 6-7).
Just like the law of gravity, it's always sure! It's always there!
Verse 8: "They stand fast forever and ever; they are done in truth and uprightness."
Once again, Protestant friends and ministers out there, tell me what's wrong with the commandments of God? You can't, because they are Truth and Righteousness!
Let's see what the nation is like today. A lot of us get disturbed when all of these things come along and you get depressed. I imagine there are a lot of depressed people with the way that the election has gone, even in the Church.
As we go through Isa. 59, think how many times this has happened in human history, in human life. We're one little spot in a long line of history, and sooner or later someone else is going to replace us and go on a little further.
Isaiah 59:1: "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor is His ear heavy that it cannot hear."
That's why you have to pray to God; He will hear! But here is the problem; here is when He won't!
Verse 2: "But your iniquities have come between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear… [Why is that?]: …for your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perverseness. None calls for justice…" (vs 2-4).
Sidebar: When Biden says 'let's unify' that means you believe him. It doesn't mean that he's going to sit down and compromise with you. You believe him, and that's the way it is with the fascists socialist Democrats today.
"…nor does anyone plead for Truth; they trust in vanity and speak lies. They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity" (v 4).
More and more of it! Have you seen all the drugs that they have been confiscating lately? If you watch ABC, CBN, NBC, MSNBC, and if you believe the New York Times and the Washington Post, and even your local news, you miss it!
Have any of you seen all the pictures of all the drugs, tons and tons of drugs. Watch Fox Business News. That will tell you. They found tons of cocaine and enough fentanyl in one bust to kill every American! So, you think about what's going to happen if that fence—the southern border wall—is not complete!
Verse 8: "They have not known the way of peace, and there is no justice in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves; whoever goes therein shall not know peace. Therefore, justice is far from us; nor does righteousness overtake us…." (vs 8-9).
Righteousness and goodness by people doesn't come automatic; they have to choose to do it. Like Paul said, even with the Gentiles that were given the Law, if they do the things contained in the Law they're a law unto themselves. Why? Because God made the laws and commandments for human beings!
"…We wait for light, but behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. We grope along the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes. We stumble at noonday as in the night; among those who are strong, we are like dead men. We all roar like bears, and mourn grievously like doves; we look for justice, but there is none, we look for salvation, yet, it is far from us" (vs 9-11). Why?
Look at all that is happening? Have you heard what's happened in Minneapolis? They de-funded the police and want to get rid of the police department. Now the crime has doubled on the way to tripling, so what are they doing? They cut the budget so they could have nicey-nice little social things. But now the crime is so out of hand, what do they have to do? They have to call the police from neighboring towns to come and police the city! All lies! All hateful! Every bit of it! That's what it says right here:
Verse 12: "For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in rebellion and denial of the LORD, and turning away from our God, talking perversity and revolt, conceiving and speaking from the heart words of falsehood" (vs 12-13). That's what they do!
Verse 14: "And justice is driven backward, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. Yea, truth fails…" (vs 14-15). Never at any time has this been so true!
"…and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey…. [Why are you doing that?] …And the LORD saw, and it was evil in His eyes that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no intercessor. Therefore, His own arm brought salvation to Him; and His righteousness sustained Him" (vs 15-16).
In other words, you have to reach a point, go so far and the only thing you can do is that God has to intervene. That's the return of Christ and end it! But first, because of the wicked, Satan and the demons, He's got to nearly destroy everything! That's how bad it is.
Now, every teenager, every person needs to go continuously through the book of Proverbs. It's the only way you're going to know right from wrong, good from evil and it puts it in very easy, simple to understand terms. Here's the contrast:
Proverbs 12:5: "The thoughts of the righteous are right; the counsels of the wicked are deceit."
Today, how many people even know what Truth is? In the world, think about it. We know what it is!
Verse 6: "The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them."
Proverbs 20:19: "A talebearer goes about revealing secrets; therefore do not mix with him who flatters with his lips." That's all a part of the deceit that they have!
Proverbs 26:22: "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a broken piece of pottery with silver dross. He who hates and disguises it with his lips stores up deceit within himself. When he makes his voice gracious, do not believe him… [that is sure true of politicians] …for seven hateful things are in his heart. He whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be revealed before the congregation" (vs 22-26). May that be true in the next couple of weeks!
2-Peter 2:12—talking about those who are against God, dedicated to evil: "But these—as irrational brute beasts, born to be caught and destroyed—blaspheme those things of which they are ignorant, and shall be utterly destroyed in their own corruption." May that also happen this week!
Verse 13: "They are bringing upon themselves the reward of unrighteousness, while finding pleasure in satisfying their lustful desires day-by-day. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their own deceptions, while feasting together with you."
I imagine that that describes the success they feel in stealing this election. May it all be revealed so that the Churches of God can have a little more peace.
(break)
John 8 is really quite a tremendous chapter. I want you to know that in the Gospel of John and the Epistles of John there is more about truth and love than any of the other books; that is being stated 'truth and love.'
Remember that the temple was where everything that God had was supposed to be on the earth, and the Jews claimed that. They claimed Abraham. This is very instructive:
John 8:29—Jesus said: "And He Who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone because I always do the things that please Him." There's a whole message in itself!
Do we do the things that please God? If God is with us, that's what we should do!
Verse 30: "As He spoke these things, many believed in Him."
There are a lot of Protestants, millions that say, 'We believe in Jesus.' Let's see what you need to do:
Verse 31: Therefore, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, 'If… [conditional; you must choose] …you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples.'"
Reverse that: if you don't continue in His Word, you are not His disciple regardless of what you profess. Profession is not enough!
Action with Truth is what God desires. So, none of the Protestants can have a good understanding of the Word of God, because they keep Sunday and the holidays of this world. Many of them say that the Law has been done away.
Jesus was the One Who was the Lord God of the Old Testament and He gave the Ten Commandments. So, if you continue in His Word, do you know how much that includes; that includes everything!
Verse 31: Therefore, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, 'If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples. And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free'" (vs 31-32)—free from sin: tradition, teachings of men, and most importantly Satan the devil!
Verse 38: "I speak the things that I have seen from My Father, and you do the things that you have seen from your father."
This really gets pretty tough right here. But this is where it is! This is the battle!
Verse 39: They answered and said to Him, 'Our father is Abraham.'…."
What did John the Baptist tell the Pharisees when they said that they had Abraham for their father? God is able to raise up children from these stones!
"…Jesus said to them, 'If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham'" (v 39). Abraham was righteous! We could say by our standard, super-righteous!
Verse 40: "But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has spoken the Truth to you… [that day is going to come with us, too, again] …which I have heard from God; Abraham did not do this."
Whose works are you really doing? Just because it's done in the name of Christ, if it's not according to Truth, it's not what Christ wants. You must have both sides of the equation. What He has said, and you choose to do it in Truth! You need both!
Verse 41: "You are doing the works of your father.' Then they said to Him, 'We have not been born of fornication. We have one Father, and that is God.'" So, they understood how Jesus came about from their point of view!
Verse 42: "Therefore, Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I proceeded forth and came from God. For I have not come of Myself, but He sent Me.'"
Notice what He says next because this is very important. Anyone out there who thinks he/she is a Christian, listen to this verse. What did Jesus say, 'If you're My disciples you will keep My Word, and the Truth—which is His Word—will set you free.' This is what we need today in our lives personally faced with so many lies and deceptions, and so many controversies going on.
Verse 43: "Why don't you understand My speech? Because you cannot bear to hear My words."
Isn't that what the Protestants do when they say that the Law is done away? Harsh! Mean! You can't bear to hear it! We need all ask ourselves:
- How much intrusion into our lives has Satan been able to make in these times of trouble, yet, in pleasure and plenty?
- Who are you really serving?
Remember:
- they were all keeping the Sabbath
- they were at the Temple of God
- they were the descendants of Abraham
Yes, they were, but their hearts were far from God!
- Where were they?
- Where does Satan like to come? Right smack in the middle of it!
Verse 44: You are of your father the devil…"
- the high priest
- the Levites
- those who run the temple
"…and the lusts of your father you desire to practice. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the Truth because there is no Truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he is speaking from his own self; for he is a liar, and the father of it" (v 44).
Think about this: With all the lies that have been going on:
- Where do they come from?
- Who inspires those?
- Who propagates those?
Look at the election. If it was planned with George Soros' group and others like that going down the line, all the key players down the line knew Biden was going to win. That's why he didn't campaign. Guess who the next president will be shortly after him? Kamala Harris! Think on that! Is that their plan?
If that happens you better put on the full armor of God, because it's coming!
Verse 45: "And because I speak the Truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you can convict Me of sin? But if I speak the Truth, why don't you believe Me?" (vs 45-46).
Since the Word of God is true, which we know, why don't you believe it? Try this one Scripture on for size: when Jesus was being tempted by Satan the devil, and the he said, 'Cause this stone to become bread.' What did Jesus say? Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God!
- Do we do this?
- Do the people in the Churches of God do that?
- To anybody who is not in the Church of God, do you believe that is true?
- Why won't you do it?
It doesn't matter what your excuse is, why won't you do it? Because it didn't matter that they were the offspring of Abraham, that makes no difference if they're living in sin!
- think about what you're doing
- think about the times that we are living in
- think about how it could get so much more horribly worse
Then where will you be if you're not on God's side!
Verse 47: "The one who is of God hears the words of God…. [Do you hear and obey?] …For this reason you do not hear, because you are not of God."
So, check out the whole book of John and see all the Truth there.
Let's put this in practice; here are New Testament teachings in the book of Psalms. Remember that when the apostles started, there was no New Testament, they had yet to write it. What did they have, they had only what we call the Old Testament. Many of the things that they taught were straight right out of the Psalms.
Remember that just of Jesus alone there are 356 prophetic statements in the Old Testament. Probably more than that if we would take it out to its ultimate thing.
Psa. 25 talks about our relationship with God. We need to always ask ourselves:
- What kind of relationship do I have with God?
- Do I pray?
- Do I study?
- Do I trust God?
- Do I think on His Word?
- Do I live by His Word?
- Do I believe His Word?
- Do you correct yourself when you find yourself sinning?
- Do you repent when you sin?
All of those are part of living as a true Christian! God has given that to us!
Psalm 25:1: "To You, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; do not let me be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none… [everyone of us who are of God] …who wait on You be ashamed; let them be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause" (vs 1-3).
- here's how we grow
- here's how we study
- here's how we pray
Verse 4: Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths."
This is what we need to concentrate on with the treacherous days that are coming ahead. They're going to be bad! If you are not close to God, and if you don't have the Holy Spirit of God to give you the strength to not be overwhelmed emotionally and totally despondent because of the things that happen, here's what you need to do:
Verse 5: "Lead me in Your Truth and teach me…" That's why we have the Bible!
What was one the main things that Jesus was called? Teacher!
"…for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all the day long. Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindness, for they have been of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your loving kindness remember me for Your goodness sake, O LORD" (vs 5-7).
What did God say about forgiving sin? When you repent He'll remove it! Some people store up anger. You can't store up anger and think that you're going to be doing the will of God! Isn't going to work! Forget it!
The first time I heard this, I questioned it: Where it say to forgive those who sin against you. This person told me or asked: what if you sinned against someone or someone sinned against you and you haven't forgiven them—either way—and they're dead? What is your responsibility before God? You are to forgive them because you carry it in your mind and it shouldn't be there, even though they're dead. So, you have to forgive them. I know people who have done that and it's lifted a big weight off their shoulders, or conscience.
Verse 8: "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore, He will teach sinners in the way."
Notice how many times teach in the way, and we'll see in Truth as well.
Verse 9: "The meek He will guide in judgment…" Do you want God to lead you and help you:
- in what you do?
- in what you think?
- in what you set your mind to do?
That's what you do!
"…and the meek He will teach His way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and Truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies" (vs 9-10). That one verse, v 10, says it all! We are in the New Covenant through Jesus Christ!
Verse 11: For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great." Look at that, repenting of his sins! Yet, he was striving to be righteous! Striving to keep the Word of God!
Verse 12: "What man is he who fears the LORD?…. [if you do, notice what God will do]: ...He shall teach him in the way that He shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease, and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the LORD…." (vs 12-14)
- His plan
- His Spirit
- His Truth
"…is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant" (v 14).
When we're looking at all these difficult things, don't get mad at your television and take your hammer and throw at it just because there's something on it that you don't like. It will never reach the person on the other side.
David was a man of great extremes: great love, great ability, yet, great humility. He was fighting almost every day of his life. After he got the enemies all at peace with him, then sin in his own household and his own sins caused the problems. He had more fights with his own family and all of his administration after the sin of Bathsheba, his life was miserable. But notice that he still stuck with God!
Psalm 26:1: "Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in the LORD without wavering. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart" (vs 1-2). This is what God does all the time!
Let's see something very interesting. Let's see how all human beings are before God. God gives us choices:
- Do we choose Truth?
- Do we choose righteousness?
or
- Do we choose sin?
Remember, God knows everything about anyone at anytime. All He has to do is try the reins and heart and He knows precisely.
Hebrews 4:12: "For the Word of God is living…" That's what Jesus said, 'The words that I speak to you, they are Truth and they are Life!
"…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… [has the power] …to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart" (v 12). That's quite a thing!
This is why we need the Word of God always! How many times have you heard me say that we need the Truth, the Truth, the Truth! That's what will set us free.
Now, for any of you who think you can get away with something, read:
Verse 13: "And there is not a created thing… [from the smallest to the greatest] …that is not manifest in His sight; but all things are naked and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account."
Everyone is going to give an account, and what is God going to judge? He says that He's going to judge the secrets of the heart! That's why there is repentance every day. Conversion of the mind is a process, and it takes a whole life long to do so. That's why God has given grace for forgiveness so we can come to Him.
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. For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot empathize with our weaknesses…" (vs 14-150.
- weaknesses of the flesh
- the pull of the law of sin and death
- the lust of the eyes
- the lust of the heart
- the covetousness
And things like that that are there in our own nature, but we can overcome all of that with God's Spirit as we yield to Him. .
"…but One Who was tempted in all things according to the likeness of our own temptations…" (v 15).
There are people who say that Jesus could not have sinned. It was possible that He could have, and He had to have the law of sin and death in Him, which He got from Mary, his mother. So, He had all the pulls of the flesh. How can He be a sacrifice for the sins of every human being in the world if that weren't so?
"…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).
I wonder what it's going to be like in the resurrection, when some of these lying politicians are resurrected? And these lying priests, evangelists, and so forth are resurrected? They'll say, 'Lord, I'm here. Oh, I'm still flesh, what happened?' Well, you didn't qualify for the first resurrection, but I had mercy on you to raise you and give you and opportunity! 'What's that?' Stick around, you'll find out! Again, we're dealing with:
- truth vs lies
- honesty vs deceit
Psalm 26:3: "For Your loving kindness is before my eyes; and I have walked in Your Truth. I have not sat with deceitful men, neither will I go in with hypocrites. I have hated the congregation of evildoers and will not sit with the wicked" (vs 3-5). You hate what they do! God will take care of them!
Verse 6: "I will wash my hands in innocence; so I will go about Your altar, O LORD, that I may cry out with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all Your wonderful works" (vs 6-7).
That's what we do, be thankful every day; we have Thanksgiving coming up! But certain governors think you shouldn't have any more than ten, and you have to eat with a mask on; lift it carefully when you put the potatoes and gravy in.
Verse 8: "LORD, I have loved the dwelling place of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells." Look at how many things are in the Psalms!
Psalm 101:1: "I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O LORD, I will sing praise. I will behave myself wisely in a blameless way…." (vs 1-2).
- What does this show us? This is called self-control!
- What is self-control? One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit!
Read Gal. 5:22—self control. The King James says temperance, but that's not correct. In other words, you use God's Spirit, your mind and God's Word and you have self-control to do what is right.
Another way to look at it is that when you're doing this, you're wanting to become single-minded, or single purposed. Remember what James wrote about those who are double-minded: Woe to those who are double-minded, you're unstable as water driven by the wind!
We can't have, as some people do, one foot in the world and one foot in the Church, so that if the world likes them they can be together with them, and if they have friends in the Church they can be with them. You can't do it, you must be single-minded; single purposed!
"…I have hated the work of those who turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know no evil thing" (vs 3-4)—because he's going to repent of it and get rid of it, not indulge in it—whatever!
Now, think about this: a temptation will come along that sounds really, really good to you. So, you roll it over in your mind and you think that this is not against the Law of God. You don't ask yourself if it's the 'right thing to do' or 'should I do it?' Because there are some things that just shouldn't be.
Paul wrote: all lawful things are lawful to do, but not all lawful things are expedient! Think about that!
Verse 5: "Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, in secret I will cut him off…" God is the One Who does that!
That's why Heb. 4 is so important. Everything that we are before God, we are naked and laid bare! Laid bare can also mean that you are cut down the middle from head down through the rest of your body, and your two parts are split apart. Every piece of your guts and gore are all there. Everything in your mind, God knows! So, we don't do those things!
Verse 6: "My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, so that they may dwell with Me; he who walks in a blameless way, he shall serve Me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within My house… [God is going to take care of them all] …he who tells lies shall not remain in My sight. Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, so that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD" (vs 6-8). The truth is they won't be there!
If all of this that we've covered today helps you draw closer to God, and to do what you know you need to do, that's why we do it. This is why we have the Sabbath. We turn to God and let God take care of the problems for us. We have to do our part, but God has to intervene to do His part.
Psalm 43:1: "Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man, for You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off?…." (vs 1-2).
There are times you may think that God has cast you off, but He hasn't! He's let you feel cast off so that you will draw close to Him, because you have some things to work out.
"…Why do I go mourning under the oppression of the enemy? Oh, send out Your light and Your Truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your Holy mountain and to Your tabernacles" (vs 2-3).
Col. 3—this is talking about instructions to those who are servants or slaves. But let's look at from the point of view that we are servants or slaves of God.
Colossians 3:22: "Servants, obey your fleshly masters… [we're servants of God and we have to obey God] …in all things—not with eye service as pleasing men; but with singleness of heart… [or mind] …fearing God."
Let's see the prayer of Jesus in John 17. When you go through it word for word very carefully it is an outline of the whole plan of God. Let's see what Jesus is doing. He's praying for us.
- He's our Savior
- He's our High Priest
- He's at the right hand of God the Father
John 17:9: "I am praying for them… [the disciples, and it applies to us, because we're also disciples] …I am not praying for the world… [that time will come] …but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours." That applies to us, as well!
- Who is the One Who draws us? The Father!
- Who is the One Who brings us to the Father? Christ!
So, They work together. We belong to the Father!
- Are we going to be the children of the Father? Yes!
Verse 10: "All Mine are Yours, and all Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name… [that's us today; all true Christians down through time] …those whom You have given Me, so that they may be one, even as We are one" (vs 10-11).
That's the whole goal, to be one with God! That's what we need to desire and want. That's the whole substance of why we're here.
Verse 12: "When I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. I protected those whom You have given Me, and not one of them has perished except the son of perdition, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."
Notice what Christ wants for us and with us, all of us! When you're confronted with all of these conflicts in the world, all of these lies flying around everywhere, all of the fake this, that and the other thing, think about this as the goal:
Verse 13: "But now I am coming to You; and these things I am speaking while yet in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in them. I have given them Your words…" (vs 13-14).
Do we have the words of God? Yes, written down! If you have a smart phone, you can carry it with you wherever you go.
"…and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You would take them out of the world… [sometimes we wish so, but God isn't going to do that] …but that You would keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (vs 14-16). We live in the world, but we're not of the world!
Verse 17: "Sanctify them in Your Truth; Your Word is the Truth."
Verse 20: I do not pray for these only, but also for those who shall believe in Me through their word."
How did you come to the knowledge of God? By someone who was preaching the Word of God, and you yielded to God and the Father drew you! Here's the goal:
Verse 21: "That they all may be one, even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, in order that the world may believe that You did send Me."
Think about this: Here's how He looks at you receiving the Holy Spirit:
Verse 22: "And I have given them the glory that You gave to Me, in order that they may be one, in the same way that We are one…"
That's how God looks at it; and He looks at it in what is called prophetic perfect, speaking in the present tense as if it's almost already done.
Verse 23: "I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected… [the process] …into one; and that the world may know that You did send Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
That's how we keep and understand the difference between lies and truth, honesty and deceit. Let's use these words to fortify us spiritually for the coming week because it's going to be dynamite!
Scriptural References:
- Jeremiah 10:6-15
- Jeremiah 9:1-9, 12-14
- Psalm 111:1-8
- Isaiah 59:1-4, 8-16
- Proverbs 12:5
- Proverbs 20:19
- Proverbs 26:22-26
- 2 Peter 2:12-13
- John 8:29-32, 38-47
- Psalm 25:1-14
- Psalm 26:1-2
- Hebrews 4:12-16
- Psalm 26:3-8
- Psalm 101:1-8
- Psalm 43:1-3
- Colossians 3:22
- John 17:9-17, 20-23
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Epistles of John
- Galatians 5:22
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 11/18/20
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