Would you turn in your Bibles, please, to First Kings 12 in your Old Testament. First Kings, find that book, First Kings 12. A few years ago, I was doing a series on the 10 Commandments. And it was the second week where I was speaking on the Second Commandment. And you know that commandment, it says, you will not have any graven images. You will not fashion for yourself any graven images. And it was interesting, because that was my birthday week. And a friend of mine sent me a present. And I opened it up and it was essentially a graven image of myself. It's a bobble head Skip, look. On a motorcycle even. So I just found it strange that the very week I'm speaking about idolatry and graven images I get this in the mail. You don't have to worry, no one worships it. Trust me. When it comes to the Bible, you know that God takes idolatry very seriously. In fact, God predicted, if you turn from me, I am the Lord, your God. You will have no other gods besides me. If you turn from me to other gods, to idols, it will bring the nation down. He predicted that would happen. A few years ago, for the last 15 years up until this year, one of the most popular shows on television was called American Idol. And it's produced some heavy hitters like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. But I read an article about American Idol that was called, "It Doesn't Always Pay to Win." And the article, essentially, was saying, it's not always the first place, but it's often second, third, and fourth runners up that go on to have successful careers. In fact, some serious stars like Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott never even made it past the audition on American Idol, but went on to see some great fame. Well, it certainly doesn't pay to win the idol contest in Israel, because Israel's God always had a problem with it. From beginning to the end of the scripture, we find that in the Old Testament, the word idol, idols, idolatry appears 111 times. But the one who won the contest, the idol contest, was a King by the name of Jeroboam. And Jeroboam is the one we're going to read about today. Of Jeroboam, it is said 20 times that he made Israel sin. He brought the nation down. He caused the nation to sin. In fact, a couple of chapters after this, in First Kings 14, God says, you have done more evil than all those who were before you. How would you like that on your tombstone? You have done more evil than all those who were before you. That is said of Jeroboam. So let's begin in Chapter 12, for our purpose today, Verse 25. We read then, "Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim. And he dwelt there. Also, he went out from there and built Penuai. And Jeroboam said in his heart, 'Now the Kingdom may return to the House of David. If these people go to offer sacrifice in the House of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their Lord Rehoboam the King of Judah. And they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam King of Judah.' Therefore, the King asked advice. He made two calves of gold, and said to the people, 'It is too much for you to go to Jerusalem. Here are your Gods, O, Israel. What's brought you up from the land of Egypt?' And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. He made shrines on the high places. He made priests from every class of people who were not of the Sons of Levi. Jeroboam ordained to feast on the 15th day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah. And he offered sacrifices on the altar, so he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel, he installed the priests of the high places, which he had made. So he made offerings on the altar, which he had made at Bethel on the 15th day of the eighth month and the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense." Now who is this guy, Jeroboam? Jeroboam is the son of a man by the name of Nebat. That's why when you read of him, it's almost always Jeroboam, the Son of Nebat. He was from a little town in the central part of the land in the tribe of Manasseh. He worked for King Solomon. And King Solomon saw him as a young, capable, industrious man with a lot of energy. So Solomon gave him a raise, and placed him in charge of his labor force, or at least part of his labor force. Later on, Jeroboam gets involved in politics. And at first, it's that he wants social reform and economic reform. But the reform turns to a rebellion, as we have just read. Now it's going to be helpful for me to tell you how Israel has worked up till this point. There have been three kings so far there. Has been King Saul, followed by King David, followed by his son, King Solomon. Those first three kings, for 120 years, the established a united monarchy. There was no division. There was no civil war. It was the united monarchy for 120 years until Solomon died. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam, now I know this gets confusing because you got Jeroboam. You got Rehoboam. And you think, are they related? Are they the Boam brothers? You've got Jerry Boam and you've got Ray Boam. But no, they're different families all together. Rehoboam is the son of Solomon. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, a whole different family. So when Solomon dies, Rehoboam, his son, is in charge of the Kingdom. He's young. He's inexperienced. And the people come to him, and they say, look, as the new King, we request that you would ease up on the tax burden a little bit. Your dad has been very oppressive to us. We'll serve you if you do that. Well, at that point, he decides to consult his ambassador. So he goes to an older group of men, people who knew the ropes. They were wiser. And the older group of men said, we agree with the people. We think you should ease up on the tax burden, not be so oppressive. The people will be loyal to you. After that, he goes to his contemporaries, young men, young bucks, lot of energy, not so much wisdom. And they give him the opposite counsel. They say, no, in fact, put your foot down. Show them who's boss. And don't ease up the burden. So it's Inauguration Day. The first State of the Union Message that the new King, King Rehoboam, gives, part of it is mentioned in First Kings 12, Verse 14. This is what he says, "My father made your yoke heavy. I'll make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips. I will scourge you with scorpions." Well, the minute he said that, there's a turning point, a turning point in Israel's history, a civil war, a split in the Kingdom ensues. And 10 of the 12 tribes go north under Jeroboam, and two of the tribes, Judah and Benjamin, under Rehoboam. It is a civil war. And they really don't recover from it. The Northern Kingdom, under Jeroboam, as you have just read, gets involved in idolatry for the next, get this, 200 years, until they are taken captive in 722 BC by the Assyrians. That's Jeroboam. The question is, why? What causes Jeroboam, this Israelite, this one of the tribes of God's people, what causes him to get involved in idolatry, this great, heinous sin? It's because he made four mistakes. And I want you to see them. First mistake he made is he feared losing power. Look at Verse 26, "Jeroboam said in his heart, 'Now the Kingdom may return to the House of David. If these people go to offer sacrifices in the House of the Lord to Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their Lord Rehoboam, the King of Judah. And they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam, the King of Judah.'" This guy has a lust for power, and it's always seen as a weakness, never a strength, a lust for power. Walter Youngquist noted that of all the human attributes responsible for more misery, death, hopelessness, war, and starvation than anything else in the world, one is the lust for personal power. And Jeroboam is an insecure leader. He goes into panic mode. Oh, no, when they're down in Jerusalem worshipping at the temple, their hearts are going to be drawn back to Rehoboam in the Southern Kingdom and I'm going to lose my Kingdom. Whenever you're afraid of losing power, you have forgotten that it was God who gave it to you to begin with. And he has forgotten that. Power comes from the Lord. Your sphere of power, your sphere of impact and influence, is all given to you by God. Romans 13, Verse 1, "There is no authority except from God." Psalm 62:11, "Power belongs to God." Remember that dream that Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, had when Daniel came into interpretive form, that wild image that he saw? Daniel said, when he interpreted that dream, he said, "God changes the times and the seasons. He removes and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding." And because that's true, you know what that means? It means you never really had any power to begin with, none. The power you have is delegated power. The authority you have is assigned authority. And it's been delegated and assigned by God. But power intoxicates men and women. When somebody is drunk with alcohol, he can recover. When somebody is drunk on power, they seldom recover. It grips a person until death, fear of losing power. Now associated with that fear of losing power is the fear of losing control, the power to control situations. According to Psychology Today, the fear of losing control is one of the most prevalent fears that people have. This is the fear, that if you don't manage to control the outcome of future events, something terrible will happen. And this article said, the key to overcoming this is to let go of the demand for certainty. Easier said than done, the demand for certainty. Our culture even has a designation of controlling people. What do we call them? Control freaks. Says, she's a control freak. He's a control freak. Have you seen that commercial, National Car Rental commercial, where the guy's walking through the airport with this cup of coffee, very staid and very controlled. And he's walking through, and he says to the camera, I've been called a control freak. But I like to think of myself more of as a controlled enthusiast. Jeroboam was a control enthusiast. He liked to control situations. Here's the problem. There are so many things that are out of your control. You might like to control them, but you cannot. They're out of your control. There are some things you can't control. There are some things you can control. For example, you cannot control the length of your life. But you can control the depth of your life. You cannot control the weather, but you can control the moral and spiritual atmosphere that you allow yourself to have around you. You cannot control another person's fault. You can control your reaction in response to those faults. So here's the deal. Here's the best deal. You control the outlook and let God control the outcome. How's that for a deal? Isn't that a good one? You control your outlook. Lord, if this comes or doesn't come, if this happens or doesn't happen, I'm just going to control my outlook. You control the outcome. But this King, he feared losing power. That was his first mistake. Here's the second mistake. He failed trusting God. Go back to Verse 25, "Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim. And he lived there. Also, he went out from there and he built Penuai." Now most people read this verse, skip over it. It looks insignificant. I suggest it's very insightful, not insignificant. Jeroboam's first move as the new King of the North is to fortify the cities that control the caravan routes north and south. Why? According to CF Kyle, Old Testament scholar, he said, it's to defend his sovereignty over the North against hostile attacks. You say, what's wrong with that? That's what kings do. That's normal, kingly procedure, have strong defenses. I would agree with you, except what this really means for this King, for Jeroboam, is that he has failed to trust God. Why do I say that? Because God made this King a very specific promise, which we haven't read yet. Before the event of him becoming the King of the North, the 10 northern tribes, God personally gives a message to him with a promise in it. And I want you to see it. Go back one chapter, Chapter 11. Look at Verse 35. This is God speaking to Jeroboam by some means. God says to him, "But I will take the Kingdom out of his son's hands, that's Rehoboam, son of Solomon, and give it to you, 10 tribes." So God says, I'm going to give it to you as my gift to you. "And to his son, I will give one tribe." That's Judah, later on, becomes two tribes. "That my servant, David, may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there. And so I will take you. And you shall reign over all your heart desires. You shall be King over Israel. Then it shall be, now watch this, if you heed all that I command you, if you listen and you do what I say, if you walk in my ways, do what is right in my sight. Keep my statutes and my commandments, as my servant David did. Then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house as I built for David. And I will give Israel to you." How's that for a promise? How's that for a blank check? Hey, I'm God. And I'm giving you a kingdom free. Here's the check. Go cash it. You know, it's funny. If you were to come up to me and ask me to write you a check for a million dollars, I'd do it. Your problem would be when you go to the bank. I'd be happy to write you a check. If you want one afterwards, I'll write you a check. But you go to the bank, they're going to laugh at that, and go, pft, there's nothing to back it up. Insufficient funds, that's what it'll read on the computer. Now I know people who could write you a check for a million dollars, and they have the money and more in the bank. God gives to Jeroboam a promise of an enduring kingdom. What was his failure? He didn't take it to the bank. He didn't cash the check. He didn't trust the promise that God gave him. You can always tell how mature or immature a Christian is by how they treat the promises of God. Ask a person, what do you do with God's promise in the Bible? And if their best answer is, I underline it in yellow, you know you've got a problem. If their answer is, I take them to the bank, then you know you've got something. A fearful, nervous believer filled with anxiety speaks volumes. They don't believe the promises of God. A person who is calm, and confident, that person also speaks volumes. I'm taking God's promise to the bank. Psalm 20, David writes, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God." Jeremiah 17, Verse 5, "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes the flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord." Jeroboam's heart departed from the Lord. And it is shown by his failure to trust God's promise, which begs the question, if he failed to trust God's promise, what did he trust in? That takes us to his third mistake. He feared losing power. He failed trusting God. His third mistake, he followed his own heart. Look at Verse 26, "Then Jeroboam said, what? In his? You've got your Bible open, right? He said, "in his heart. Jeroboam said in his heart." Stop right there. Here's a guy mulling it over in his own heart, in his own mind, thinking about what he wants to do. It's all inward. So he said in his heart. Then go down to Verse 28, "Therefore the King asked advice." Before he made the two calves, he's asking people. So he takes it out of his head, out of the little heart. He's kind of thinking what to do. Now he takes it and he asks advice, not of the best people, because he makes two golden calves. So he takes it out to them. Go down to Verse 33, "So he made offerings on the altar, which he had made at Bethel. On the 15th day of the eighth month, in the month which he had, watch this, devised in his own heart." Listen, Jeroboam was doing whatever felt good to him instead of what God said was good for him. You see the difference? How many times have you heard people say, well, you got to follow your heart. You just got to do whatever is in your heart to do. Can I just say, that's bad advice. It's always bad advice. Why is it bad advice? Jeremiah 17:9 declares, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked who can know it." Doing what is in people's heart has caused all of the problems in this world. Everybody feels something different, does something different. There's clashes, and wars, and, I want this, and the other person wants that. It just means a person does what he wants to do. The human heart needs to be steered by the divine will. My heart needs His head, His headship, His direction. One of our favorite verses of scripture, you probably memorize it within the first month that you are a believer, Proverbs Chapter 3, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him. And He will direct your paths." Well, this is especially true in the area of worship. Because effectively, Jeroboam changed the whole system of worship for the nation of Israel. And one of the most insidious ideas in the world is that we can worship God as we see fit. Because the only worship God accepts is the worship that God directs. God has told us who he is. And God has told us how he is to be responded to. And God has told us how he is to be worshipped. That's why he said, "I am the Lord, your God. No other Gods before me. No images, et cetera." He spelled it all out. The worship that God accepts is the worship that God directs. So he made three mistakes so far. He feared losing power. He failed trusting God. He followed his own heart. And he did a fourth, which always must follow third. If you're already doing the third, you're going to do the fourth, and that is, he forsook God's word. That is, God laid out how to be responded to, and he forsook it. He goes from divine revelation to human imagination. He makes it all up. Notice, he changes the object of worship. Verse 28, "Therefore the King asked advice. Made two calves of gold, and said to the people, 'it's too much for you to go to Jerusalem.' Here are your Gods, O, Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt." Does that sound familiar? Have you heard that before? You know what that sounds like to me? Exodus 32, guy by the name of Aaron. When Moses was up on Mount Sinai getting the 10 Commandments and he comes down, there's this golden calf. And Aaron said, "This is the God, O, Israel that delivered you out of the land of Egypt." Same thing, does the same thing. He moves from worshipping the invisible God, changes the object of worship to two golden calves, one in the middle of the country, and one in the north of the country. Now here is always the problem with making an image of any kind in worship of God. There is no image that could ever be made that truly reflects the personality and glory of God. Can't do it. Can't be done. As soon as you cast some image to remind you of some capability, or some attribute of God, it only shows you that one, not the others. So why a calf? Why this? Well, in Egypt they had worshiped Apis the bull, the calf God, which was a symbol of strength. So when they did that in Exodus, and they did it again, the idea of a calf is that when you look at it, it would remind you of splendor and strength. You say, well, what's wrong with that? If when I look at an image and I'm reminded of God's strength, what's wrong with that? Here's what's wrong with it. It tells you nothing of God's love, God's forgiveness, God's forbearance, God's acceptance. All the other moral attributes are hidden by an image. So an image of any, there's no artist alive that can capture God. So God just says, don't do it. Isaiah 40, "To whom will you liken God?" It's a good question. What are you going to like him to? "Or what likeness will you compare to him?" Answer, none. So he changes the object of worship. Notice also he changes the place of worship. Verse 29, "He sets one up in Bethel and one in Dan." So the middle of the country way up north. Instead of going to Jerusalem, the temple, there's two new worship places. Why does he do it? It's convenient, that's all. It's just easier. It's just easier. You don't have to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. You can stay home right here, which is interesting, you know. Instead of asking, is it right? He asked, is it easy? I'll do what's easy instead of what's right. Well, Bethel is one place I do understand, because Bethel had already a rich spiritual history to it. Bethel was the place you will remember when Jacob was running from his house, and he laid down at night, and he slept, and he saw this dream, this vision, of a ladder going up to heaven, the angels of God coming down, and going back up. And he was so overtaken by it, the next day, he names the place Bethel, which means that the House of God. It's a great experience. So Jeroboam thinks, instead of going to the house of God down in Jerusalem, we have the house of God here. This is the original Beth-el House of God. We have our own heritage. So it changes the object and the place of worship. Notice also he changes the means of worship. Verse 31, "He made shrines on the high places, and he made priests from every class of people who are not of the sons of Levi." Well, that's for saying God's word, right? Because God's word said, there's only one tribe where the priest come from, and that's the tribe of Levi. But he goes, why? Why can't anybody be a priest? Why do you have to belong to the tribe of Levi? Why can't anyone who feels led to be a priest be a priest? Now the day he said, anybody can be a priest, you got to know that he made a lot of people happy, who were going, yeah, why should the Levites have all the fun? Why did they get to hang out in the tabernacle in the temple? Whenever you lower the standard for those who lead worship, for those who do ministry, for those who serve the Lord in any capacity, when you lower the standard, you will have all the unqualified ones pouring in. He changes the means of worship. And finally, he changes the time of worship. Did you notice, Verse 32, "He ordained a feast, watch this, on the 15th day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah. And he offered sacrifices on the altar, so he did a Bethel sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel, he installed a priest of the high places which he had made. So he made offerings on the altar, which he had made at Bethel on the 15th day of the eighth month in the month which he devised in his own heart." Why did he do this? Well, he's competing with the feast down south. The Feast of Tabernacles took place exactly one month prior, the seventh month. So he goes, well, I'll do the eighth month. Why? I feel led. It's in my heart. It's in my heart to do it. Now on the surface, we go, what's wrong? One month is the same as another month. Which is true, unless God said, I want that month. So if God says, I want you to get together in October, and you go, no, I'll do it in November, you've just disobeyed God, right? So if God says, meet every week on the first day of the week to worship me, and you go, no, Christmas and Easter is good enough, you've just disobeyed God. He changed the times of worship. The only worship God accepts is the worship God directs. Do you recall that Jesus Christ said, God, the Father, is actually looking for a certain kind of worshipper? Remember? He says, the Father is seeking those who worship him in spirit and in truth. So he wants spirited worshippers who put truth and the intensity of their own spirit into it, that's what it means, but also in truth. And the way we know truth is by the revealed word of God. Jeroboam forsook the word of God and followed his own heart. And one always requires the other. There's a phrase in the Bible. If you read the Bible at all very much, you've seen this phrase about 80 times all together. It's the phrase, "It is written." It's one of Jesus' favorite phrases. When somebody comes to him, or the devil attacks him with a temptation, he'll say, "It is written. It is written, 80 times, it is written." Now I can only think that when God repeats something 80 times, it's pretty important to him. And why is that one so important to him? He must believe that what is written, what he has superintended and preserved in this Book, that we ought to take our cues from that for everything in life. And always loved  Billy Graham , as you know. I came to faith by watching  Billy Graham . One of  Billy Graham 's most famous phrases in all of his sermons is, the Bible says. He said that a lot. All of his great messages and the Bible says, boom. And the Bible says, and he'll quote it. And that's because there was a time in his life where he struggled with what the Bible says. And he was a young man wondering, should I believe it all? Is it all God's truth and God's word? And when he finally came through that wrestling match, and said, I'm going to declare your word as being truth, that's when he saw thousands of lives changed. Jeroboam made these four mistakes. And it led the nation to idolatry. Let me ask you a question. Do you think idolatry is just an Old Testament problem? Certainly not. As I mentioned, First John Chapter 5, last verse of that book, John, in the New Testament, says, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." So the First Commandment, "I am the Lord, your God. You will have no other Gods besides me or before me." And John, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Shows that it's a problem in every generation. Well, what is it exactly? What does idolatry mean? That you have Skip bobble head, is that idolatry? No, I don't think so. Idolatry means you place something in the place of God. That's what it means. That's the easiest way to think of it. Idolatry is letting anyone or anything occupy the supreme rightful place that only God should occupy as the one in charge of your life. By the way, that can be inward, doesn't have to be outward. You can want something. You may not have, but you want it. You want a person, you want an object. Listen to Paul in Colossians Chapter 3, Verse 5. He said, "Put to death your members which are on the Earth like fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, listen to this, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Covetousness, which is idolatry." If you want a person or a thing more than you want God, it could be a girlfriend. It could be a boyfriend. It could be the approval of people. It could be a hobby. It could be a number of things. That can be idolatry. Always starts inwardly, but it always grows outwardly. So I wanted to close with two things. I want to ask you a personal question. I want you to ask yourself this question. Then I'm going to ask you to make a personal choice, personal question, personal choice. Here's the personal question. What do you think about in quiet moments? Mull that around. What do you think about in quiet moments? What is your mind naturally, when left alone, gravitate to when you're all alone? Because your mind is a lot like a compass. You can take a compass, and jostle it around, and move it around, but when you set it down on a desk, and you leave it to settle, that needle always points true north, one direction. And your mind can be occupied by a number of things during the day, like mine is, but when left to settle, what direction does it point to? Because the Bible says, in Proverbs 23, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." That's who you are. What do you think about in quiet moments? That's the personal question. Now for a personal choice. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. He'll love one, and hate the other, hold to one, and repudiate the other." No man can serve two masters. Which one will it be, God, or something else? Joshua said to the people, "Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me in my house, we will serve the Lord." Some of you are thirsty. And I don't just mean physical thirst, like, hurry up, finish the sermon so I can get a drink of water. That may be true as well. But I'm talking about that inward, nagging, unfulfilled vacuum that nothing or no one, up to this point, has ever been able to satisfy and quench. Some of you are thirsty. There is nothing or no one who will satisfy you like the love of God, the sweet love of the living God. Are there any rivals in your heart? That's an idol. Is there a rival in your heart? That's why you're restless. Augustine said, "We are restless, Lord, until we find our rest in Thee." If there's a rival in your heart, that's what's causing the restlessness. We opened up speaking about American Idol. I suppose if there were ever on American idol, the quintessential American idol would be none other than Elvis Presley. I even had one person for a service say, Amen, to that. I was like, OK, we have an Elvis fan. Yeah, I'm Elvis. I'm the king. But do you know that Elvis was interviewed by a reporter six weeks before he died? And the reporter said, Elvis, when you began your career, you said there was three things that you wanted in life. Number one, you wanted to be rich. Then you said you wanted to be famous. Then you said you wanted to be happy, rich, famous, and happy. Elvis, are you happy? I know you're rich and famous, are you happy? Without any hesitation he said, no, I'm intensely lonely. The great Elvis Presley, the American idol, intensely lonely, not happy. In fact, those who knew him and were close to him would often say, that's the attribute that stuck out the most. He seemed so lonely. Are there rivals in your heart? Anyone competing for the love of God? Then choose this day whom you will serve. Because no one can serve two masters. Our Father, as we bring this short little series to a close, we have considered those who crashed and who have burned. They're living examples to us, people who have really lived on this Earth, of mistakes made, choices made. And we learn from those mistakes. We learn, by looking at those who have fallen, we learn how to fly. We have seen different reasons for the crash and burn, but here we've discovered a man who not only did so, but caused a nation to do so, brought down a nation because of it. And we think of those who have brought down corporations, or families, or marriages by making mistakes. And we think, when it really comes down to it, it's because there is a rival that occupies the throne of the heart that must be pushed off. And you must be allowed to be who you are. The incomparable living God, living in us, calling the shots, where we don't follow the dictates of our own heart, but we follow the dictates of Your word perfectly preserved, totally inerrant, absolutely authoritative for human life. Every word of God is pure. And we want to live by what the Bible says, by what You have said. I just pray for those who have gathered who are thirsty deep inside their soul, and they want that to end. That's the best news. It can end. And it can end in this life. It can end by a choice that we make to let You be You in our lives, the Lord, the Master, The King. We think of the promise you gave Jeroboam. Jeroboam, if you only heed me, if you only listen to me, I'll do this for you. And we think of the promise made to us, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink." I pray that some would. As our eyes are closed, and we're thinking about us, we're thinking about what we have heard. We're evaluating who we are, where we're going. My prayer is that you will consider the repeated offers made in scripture to you and I from the Divine to the human condition, the promise to change, the promise to have new light, new life, new hope, forgiveness of sin. And I pray that you would choose, this day, Christ as savior and Lord. Some of you, for the very first time, you have come to church. You've been religious. You have a spiritual side to you. But you've never said personally yes to Jesus Christ as Master, and Savior, and Lord of your life. Others of you maybe remember something that happened in your past, at an event, a concert, a crusade, a church service, where you felt something, and you maybe even did something. But today, right now, as it stands, you're not following Christ. So you need to come back to Him. So whether it's for the first time, or you need to come back home to him, if you're willing to receive him, and commit your life to Him, I'd love the opportunity to pray for you. But I need to know who I'm praying for. So as our heads are bowed, I'd like you to just raise your hand up in the air if you're willing to give your life to Christ, and end the fight with God, and the thirst that's in your soul. Raise it up, so I can see. God bless you and you. Right up here toward the front in the middle to my left. Just raise that hand up. Right there, in the middle. A couple of you right here on the right. Anyone else? Raise your hand up, please. Right there, awesome. Awesome. Anyone else? Right there, yes, thank you. Thank you. God bless you in the back. I see your hand. And over here to my left. If you're in the family room, I can see through the glass. Just raise your hand up. Say yes to Him. Awesome. Even in the balcony, just raise that hand up. Sat yes to Him. Father, we thank you for all these hands that have gone up. Thank you for these lives that You have touched by the revelation of your word and the power of the Holy Spirit. Only You can do that. Only You can do that. These hands going up it is a work of God, because it's a decision that is being made to say yes to the Lord of this universe and the King of hearts. I pray for each one. I pray, Lord, that you would just give them that settled, peaceful feeling that this is right, and this begins a whole new journey in their future. I pray you would change their lives. I pray you would fill them with hope. Our prayer for them, Lord, is they would grow in grace, grow in knowledge of you, that their view of God would be ever-expanding. They would become calm and confident believers, those who trust in Your promises. Strengthen their lives. Strengthen their families in Jesus' name. Amen. Would you please stand? We're going to sing our final song. And as we do, I'm going to ask those of you who raised your hands to find the nearest aisle and come walk up to the front and stand up here where I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Jesus called people publicly. And you're going to find a great show of support when you say, yes, and you come, and you stand up here. I want to lead you in that prayer to receive Christ. And I'm going to ask you to do it publicly like Jesus called people. And you're going to find, again, a lot of support, a round of applause, as you say yes to Him. We're going to cheer you on. I'm so glad that you're coming forward. And I would just hope that it wouldn't end with just a raised hand, and then you're out the door, but that you would come. You'd kind of step out of the shadows and into the light and, say, this is the day I gave my life to Jesus Christ. Some of you might be kind of waiting around thinking, well, how do I know this real? I've seen this stuff before. I'll tell you one thing, you'll never know if it's real by just doing nothing. Take Jesus at his word. See if he's not the Lord, and the King, of the world, and the King of the universe. And see if he can't change your heart, your life. Try him. Test and see. Give your life to Christ. I've seen so many people kind of wondering about it. And then they've had their lives dramatically changed by God. Be one of those people. So as we sing this through one more time, God is calling you. Respond to it. This is a holy moment. You respond to it. You say yes. You come out from where you're standing, and you join those who are up here. Those of you who have walked forward, I am so glad to see each and every one of you guys. This is better, right? No we're just way up here. So I'm going to lead you in a prayer. And I'm going to ask you to say this prayer out loud after me from your heart. And you say this to the Lord, OK. Let's pray. Say: Lord, I give you my life. I know that I'm a sinner. Please forgive me. I believe in Jesus. I trust him with my life. I believe Jesus died on a cross, that he shed his blood for my sin, and that he rose again from the dead. I believe he is alive today. I turn from my sin. I repent of it. I turn to Jesus as my Lord and my Master. It's in his name I pray. Amen. Comment Submit

ROMANS SERIES FIVE TOUGH LOVE: THE KINDNESS THAT LEADS TO REPENTANCE Dr. Roger Barrier Romans 1:18-23; Psalm 19:1-4 As we move now deeper into the Book of Romans, we begin to get a view of man from God’s perspective. This is not a pretty picture. Paul shows us that Mankind without Jesus Christ is misguided, wounded, hurting, marred by sin—and Lost. The good news is that God has opened His heart in Christ to redeem man and restore an intimate relationship with them. He takes a dirty slate and makes it clean. DRAMA: A Clean Slate: Key is the ending, not the beginning. The real God is in the business of restoring broken and hurting lives. Romans 1:18-23: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them Romans 1:20: For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen ,being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. In the opening chapters of Romans Paul placed the whole world on trial. We have all sinned and forsaken God to one degree or another: The “Atheists and Agnostics” are without excuse (Romans 1). Good People are without excuse for their bad behaviors (Romans 2) Religious people are without excuse for their behaviors (Romans 3-4) The restoration occurs in Romans 5-8 with the saving glories of Jesus Christ. Romans 1:18-23 we see that action of God in unveiling Himself for the entire world to see. Then tragically, we see the horror of sinful man in forsaking God. Let’s begin with the beauty of GOD’S REVELATION. God uses two things to reveal Himself to everyone in the world—an external and an internal witness: Conscience – Romans 1:19 Nature – Romans 1:20 Romans 1:19-20: since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. General revelation is sufficient to know that God exists. Specific Revelation personally introduces us to God: His words, actions and Son. CONSCIENCE—the God spot within every man and woman 1. Tells us that there is a right and a wrong – not the specifics – only generally. “Don’t let your conscience be your guide – use the Word of God.” 2. Capacity for God-consciousness – innate knowledge that God exists. Have to be educated to be an atheist. All simple people just know that God exists. Inbuilt vacuum longing to be filled with God. Rita Carter: Mapping the mind: left temporal lobe NATURE—the Intelligent Designer Double rainbow here Wednesday night. It is a reminder that God flooded for man’s wickedness and saved man with an ark. Psalm 19:1-2: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:3-4: There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Do they really sing? Yes! Strings singing and Multiverse Plates The more we study the universe in all its complexities, the more we see the Intelligent Design. Unmistakable evidence of God. Universe is the handiwork of God. Temperature of sun – 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Earth is 93 million miles away. +/- 50 degrees, and all life on Earth would cease. Why is the sun 12,000 degrees? Who not 24,000 or 2,000 or any number you pick? Why Earth 93 million miles away? Why not twice as far? Why is the axis of the earth at 23-1/2 degrees? Produces seasons. Air we breathe is 21% oxygen. If the Earth’s crust were ten feet thicker all the oxygen would be trapped in the crust as in most other planets. Why 21%? Why not 10% or 1% or 50%? Then if light a match the entire Earth would be ablaze! See stars – where there is a design, there must be a designer. Come across pocket watch on ground. What a marvelous product of chance! All the pieces came together and it runs properly! Ridiculous! There was a watchmaker. See a new building going up. All steel means and girders fell into place by chance. No – someone designed and built it. See this marvelous human body – beating heart, soul, fingers, toes, etc. By chance? No – human designer put it all together! God gives evidence – Conscience and nature – to show that He exists and that He is supreme being. Man who rejects or ignores God is without excuse. Man takes light he has and suppresses it! MANKIND’S SUPPRESSION Romans1:18: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, Romans 1:21: For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Picture is that man takes the truth about God, puts it in a box with a lid, slams down the lid and then sits on the lid! Conspiracy of silence against God. Why we can’t sing carols in public places at Christmastime. Great resistance against Bible reading on public occasions. No one wants to give God glory or thanks or even admit that He exists. Man Has Rejected The Internal Witness Of His Conscience. One of the greatest contributions of Jews was to introduce to the world the concept that we are responsible for our actions. This is called our conscience. One of the most influential Jews in history is Sigmund Freud—the father of modern psychology. Freud was well aware that the Jews brought responsibility into the world with the Mosaic Law. Here’s what Freud said, “The Jews carry the burden for the historical super-ego.” Super-ego is Freud’s word for what we call conscience. Then he makes very profound statement (and this certainly explains the rest of Freud’s life). “Therefore the Jew alone can remove it.” Sigmund Freud considered himself to be messianically called to undo the work of his Jewish forefathers. Freud hated Moses – that’s why he wrote the book “Moses and Monotheism”. Moses is the one who made man aware of his conscience and his moral responsibility. Therefore Freud dedicated himself to undo and to reverse Moses. Moses and Freud are mutually exclusive. Moses, the Jew, brings responsibility into history. Freud says that the “super-ego” – the conscience – must be smashed and crushed – and if you have mental illness… hang-ups… it’s because of your conscience. The way to solve mental problems and hang ups is to crush your conscience. In other words, “It’s not my fault!” Psychoanalysis teaches us that the reason we act like we do is because of things which happen in the past which are not our fault – Therefore we are not responsible – We can reject our conscience. Folksong from Anna Russells: I went to my psychoanalyst to be psychoanalyzed To find out why I killed the cat and blacked my husband’s eyes He laid me on a downy couch to see what he could find And here is what he dredged up from my subconscious mind. When I was one my mommy hid my dolly in a trunk So naturally it follows that I am always drunk. When I was two I saw my father kiss the maid one day, And that is why I now suffer from kleptomania. At three I had a feeling of ambivalence towards my brothers, And so it follows naturally that I poison all my lovers. But I am happy. Now I have learned this lesson that is taught, That everything I do that’s wrong is someone else’s fault. We are doing everything in our culture to kill our collective conscience. Exodus 32: Don't blame me. Man Has Rejected The Witness Of Our Conscience and Of God's Revelation In Nature. Modern man says -- All by chance. God says, "No way it's an accident. I designed it all." The issue has never been God versus evolution. The issue is Intelligent Designer versus Chance. Evolution is a theory that fails to prove or even describe how we got here. Evolution works on the macro level. Evolution does not work on the molecular level. Charles Darwin could only observe animals and insects. He had no electron microscope to study the micro level. Things don’t evolve on the molecular level. Little motor that drives cell movement spins at 10,000 rpm. Made up of rotor and engine. 5 amino acids no one can explain by survival of the fittest or natural selection. Someone had to design this—and then make it happen. Many men have rejected the witness of nature. MAN’S IDOLATRY Romans 1:23: and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Four signs of idolatry: Man, birds, animals, reptiles: Note the downward progression. Study idolatry and discover that all four seem to take place in that order. Most base form of idolatry is honoring the snake. I do not believe that it is by any accident that we name our cars as we do. We once names them after men: Lincoln, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Studebaker, Edsel, Hudson. Next generation names after into birds: Studebaker Hawk, Ford Falcon & Eagle. Now we name them after animals: Cougar, Impala, Mustang, Pinto, Jaguar, Rabbit -- even a Greyhound bus. Then Ford came out with the cobra. Now we have the Dodge Viper. We even buy our insurance from a gecko! No one in the car industry read Romans 1. It just works out that way. It’s a sign of depravity. Starbucks logo is the Queen of Heaven. Simmerranus—who else but the queen of heaven could charge $5 for a cup of coffee? Oscars tonight. Give them an idol and deify them. The American entertainment industry looks a lot like the Roman pantheon in Paul's day: the gods and goddesses were capricious, immoral sexual perverts. Three of the top five movies are about homosexual cowboys (Brokeback Mountain), a transsexual (TransAmerica) and an arrogant gay author (Truman Capote). Gracing the tv and movie screens of our society are the gods and goddesses of our day. We accept their moral teachings: we listen to their politics: watch their fashion; imitate their addictions; and obsess over their marriage and divorces -- most of which never succeed. We say we have no idols; but, we have American Idol. We give them our time (sometimes all night) and our money (this is a multi-billion dollar industry). GOD'S TOUGH LOVE Romans 1:18-19: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven Two Greek words for wrath. Thumos – uncontrolled, explosive rage; Orge – settled, consistent, rising indignation which finally bursts. Along with the tough love of God comes the patience of God. God is holding back much of His wrath— like water behind a dam. Water is released a little at a time. Sometimes the dam breaks. Waited 120 years before sending the flood. God doesn’t operate on man’s time-table. Some of His wrath is being revealed while much of it is being built up. At Calvary the tough love of God was fully revealed against sin. Note – is being revealed. This is present tense in Paul’s day. Look at the degenerating Roman culture. This whole passage is a most interesting social commentary. Wrath of God is functioning in our society right now. The wrath of God is visible in any society where men are suppressing their God- consciousness. So often Americans wring their hands and say, “If our country doesn’t reform and repent, we are going to experience the judgment of God.” In light of what Paul wrote here, what do you suppose Paul would say if you dropped that remark as you were drinking coffee in the living room? “If things don’t get better, Paul, America is going to experience the judgment of God.” Paul would probably calmly put down his coffee cup and say, “Friend, if you’ll look out the window, there is the wrath of God already.” See sky-rocketing divorce rates and crime rate and warped children – this is the wrath of God! – legalized gay “marriage” in several states, over three decades of legalized abortion, atheists and courts successfully declaring “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance to be “unconstitutional” and trying to get “In God We Trust” removed from our money, TV shows like “The Book of Daniel”, currently airing on NBC Friday nights which portrays a drug-addicted priest, his adulterous wife and children, his drug-selling daughter, his homosexual son, and his regular conversations with Jesus who actually appears to him and just sort of remains enigmatic about all of it. 50% of all 1st marriages end in divorce. 78% of all 2nd marriages. 2/3 of all children today will spend some time in a single parent home. If you were born after 1970 (35 years or younger) you will find statistically that you’ll have more spouses than you’ll have children! After the breakdown in the family, children and 4 times more likely to drop out of school, 11 times more likely to commit suicide, 30 times more likely to be sexually abused. Wrath is for discipline and punishment for sin. But it is also for a divine purpose. Read Revelation 16:9 and 11: They refused to repent. OUR "TAKE AWAYS" Parents, help your children find God in nature and in their inner consciences—then guide them into the special revelation of Jesus Christ. Remember that good parents often allow their children to suffer the consequences of their actions. If we don’t discipline our kids, the world will. We can protect them for awhile, but one day they will run a red light and discover that the law is not optional. Suppressing the truth invites the tough love of God; embracing the truth invites the full love and righteousness of God. The tough love of God is only understood when we have a deep relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Average dad spends 14 minutes per day with his children. Christian dads spend 17 minutes per day. We are three minutes better than the world. Tragedy is 10 of those minutes were spent in discipline. We are raising a nation of children whose concept of a father is someone who doesn’t know me and I don’t know him who enters into my life to discipline me. “Provoke not children to wrath.” Quickest way to wrath is to discipline child you don’t know. STORY: mom punishing me for using a curse word when relatives were at our house. OK because we had a good relationship. Every problem in our world— Every crisis, has one purpose. Every broken marriage Every etc, God did not cause them. Man chose them. Satan sent them. But God can use them. He is getting his world back. He is bringing us to repentance. He is preparing us for Heaven.

Condemnation engineering” usually goes hand in hand with another we often use to manage the lives of others. That is the practice of pushing or nuggets of wisdom and advice upon them whether they want them or not. Sunday Morning, March 2, 2008 Condemnation engineering Matthew 7:1-12 S-1747 The Sermon on the Mount lays out the life we all long to live—but think is just impossible. It is not. We can not live it on our own very well. But, we can live it rather well indwelt by the very life of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 7 we come to one of those Christ-like expressions of love that pictures for us what the empowered love-like of Christ is really like. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:1: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ☻SLIDE #: At a recent Comdex computer expo Bill Gates compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated: “If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 miles per gallon. In response to Bill’s comments, General Motors issued a press release. If General Motors built cars like computers: ☻SLIDE #: For no reason whatsoever your car would crash twice a day. ☻SLIDE #: Occasionally, your car would die on the freeway. You have to pull over, close all the windows, shut off the car, restart it and open the windows again before you could continue. ☻SLIDE #: Every time they repaint the lines in the road, you have to buy a new car. ☻SLIDE #: Mackintosh would make a reliable sun-powered car that was five times as fast and twice as easy to drive—but only runs on 5% of the roads. ☻SLIDE #: The alternator, oil pressure and water temperature gauges are replaced by a single warning light: “This car had performed an illegal operation.” Your car immediately shuts down. ☻SLIDE #: Occasionally, your car locks you out until you lift the door handle, turn on the ignition key and grab the back tire—all at the same time. ☻SLIDE #: You have to push the start button to turn it off. Jesus says, “If you decide to judge, you won’t like it so much when you are judged in return. In Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus deals with the deadly way in which we try to manage or control those closest to us by condemning them and by forcing upon them our “wonderful solutions. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:1-2: 1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:3-5: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:6: "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. In Matthew 7:7-12, Jesus shows us a truly effective way of helping the people we love—a way of drawing people into the kingdom rather than into the web of our devices and plans for them. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:7-8: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:12: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. ☻SLIDE #: Jesus ENCOURAGES US TO REFRAIN FROM CONDEMNATION ENGINEERING. Story: So, Pastors has men going to retreat stand up and then scolds all the ones still sitting down. He condemned thirty guys into serving. We have great confidence in the power of condemnation, guilt, scolding or intimidation to “straighten others out.” But, it seldom works. How many of you have ever experienced someone trying to change your behavior by condemnation engineering? ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:1: "Do not judge…” ☻SLIDE #: When we judge others we are often saying: “You are wrong. you should stop Doing That!” Most families would be healthier and happier if their members treated one another with the respect they would give to a perfect stranger. ☻SLIDE #: Ephesians 4:29-30: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. If you cannot talk like that, keep your mouth shut. ☻SLIDE #: When we condemn others we communicate at least three things: —“I am better than you are.” —“you wrong and probably bad.” —You and your behavior ought to be rejected.” ☻SLIDE #: Condemnation engineering can wound deeply. Soon we are moving them into the realm of shame. First half of dog and mace story.” Explain heart flutter, Julie gone, decide to walk dogs, long walking leashes, goody charges, Feet and legs wrapped? Surely laying down in street. “You are the kind of person who ruins it for all the others of us. Isolated. Not just my actions were condemned—my personhood was attacked and declared wanting.” I was rejected—all over my ability to handle my dogs. “If I catch you out here with that little dog acting like that I am going to spray him with mace….then I will spray you with mace.” In essence he not only rejected my behavior, he rejected me—and shamed me. “Shame on you!” How many have been told that? How many of you felt better after they said it? How many of you got angry at the one who “shamed you”? ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:1-2: 1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Condemnation brings anger. In return anger will attack back. If an counterattack is unacceptable, as often it is in a family setting, anger may be shoved beneath the surface and then come out in a variety of improper behaviors: perfectionism, procrastination, rejection of authority, or passive/aggressive tendencies among others. If you try condemnation engineering you will get it back and you will get bitten. “Boycott Disneyland on gay day. Disneyland did not have a “Gay day.” A coalition of gays decided to make one. ☻SLIDE #: SBC decided to show displeasure by arranging an nation-wide boycott. Reverend Ken Whitten preaching annual sermon encouraging the boycott. “Is Peter Pan a boy or a girl? Or perhaps a cross-dresser? “Snow White running around with 7 dwarfs. Think about it. Is that strange, or what?” “Have you ever considered that Disneyland’s Main Street has no church! There is a church in every town in America. Was it effective? Took money out of their wallets by boycotting! That showed them God of the universe in his love and majesty!  No! They hate us. 78% of Americans identify the American evangelical church is the “most judgmental segment of American society.” This does not mean that we are never to look into the lives of others and offer guidance. Who Can “Correct” Others (Galatians 6:1-2)? ☻SLIDE #: Galatians 6:1-2: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” ☻SLIDE #: First, we don’t undertake to correct unless we are absolutely sure of the sin. Here in the language of 1 Corinthians 13 comes into play: love “believes all things, hopes all things.” If there is any lack of clarity about whether the sin occurred, assume it did not. At least, don’t start correcting. ☻SLIDE #: Second, not just anyone is to correct them. Correction is reserved for those who live and work in the agape-love lifestyle of Christ. ☻SLIDE #: Third, Correction is not a matter of “straightening them out.”It is a matter of restoration into the Kingdom—to bring them back on the path of Jesus by a proper attitude of love. ☻SLIDE #: Fourth, those restoring others must minister with the knowledge that they could well do the exact same thing they are attempting to restore in others. Bill Weber Mentor and multiple other young men on staff, even John Wyatt Taught me, cross border into Arizona no longer a Texan Who is pastor? Benefit of slop. Married Julie and me: marriage counseling ☻SLIDE #: Bill Weber: Addicted to committing adultery with blonds. If you are going to assume the role of judging and evaluating others then you had better pay attention to what is going on beneath your surface. ☻SLIDE #: (young Gary) Gary Shrader behind the scenes. Probably the most respected person behind the scenes on our staff. Integrity and loyalty and spiritually and wisdom. ☻SLIDE #: (current Gary) When Gary speaks people listen. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:3-5: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. How does Jesus know there is a board in our eye? Is it just the let-him-who-is-without-sin-cast-the-first-stone routine? The mere fact that we are condemning someone shows our heart does not have the kingdom rightness he has been talking about. ☻SLIDE #: Condemnation is the board in our eye. We cannot “see clearly” how to assist our brother, because we cannot see our brother. ☻SLIDE #34: Let me describe this with a principle Julie and I try to follow in our marriage. My job is to minister to Julie’s needs. I can do that. It is the job or the Holy Spirit—not Julie—to convict me of my sins. Julie’s job is to minister to my needs. She can do that. It is the job or the Holy Spirit—not Roger—to convict her of her sins. Julie losing keys angered me greatly. Fallenness. Stop it. Now, she is helping me: Wearing sunglasses in the house. “I know if I take them off I will lose them.” ☻SLIDE #: I know how to fix it. Do it my way!” (Matthew 7:6). Condemnation engineering” usually goes hand in hand with another we often use to manage the lives of others. That is the practice of pushing or nuggets of wisdom and advice upon them whether they want them or not. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:6: "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. The problem with pearls for pigs is not that pigs are unworthy. The problem is that pigs cannot digest pearls; and, dogs cannot eat Bible verses. The reason these animals finally “trample and tear us to pieces” is that they are so sick of hearing how we think it ought to be done that one day—since they can’t eat our pearls, they turn on us and eat us up. The real problems in their lives are seldom on the surface. We need to touch the heart. ☻SLIDE #: How do you fix up a pig? Bath, powder his little leg pits. Curl his tail. Trim the hair in his ears. Put moisturizer on his snout. Channel #5 perfume. Put him down—and what does he do? He makes a frantic run back to the slop. The issue is not the outside. We respect and never forget that the latch of the heart is within. Little pearls of wisdom seldom get to the heart. Jesus shows us a better way, to help the ones we care about. ☻SLIDE #: Jesus ENCOURAGES US TO draw people into the kingdom rather than into the web of our devices and plans for them (Matthew 7:7-12) ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:7-8: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Our approach to influencing others is simply to ask them to change, and to help them in any way they ask of us. Never again counsel with the words “should” or “ought.” “You might consider this…” Once I back away, maintaining a sensitive and non-manipulative presence, I am no longer their problem. As I listen, they do not have to protect themselves from me, and they begin to open up. We may quickly begin to appear to them as a possible ally and resource. STORY: Adult resources for children: Dr Poage and daughter in Chicago. And as long as we respect them before God, and are thoughtful and gracious, we can keep asking, in appropriate ways, keep seeking and keep knocking on the door of their lives. In humility we move into a position of trusted advisor—not another minister of condemnation. Asking, seeking and knocking are the natural extension of this dynamic when we turn to ask God to work in their lives and hearts to bring about changes. ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:9: "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! STORY: Ontario, CA dad giving gift of love, acceptance and mercy to his daughter “Daddy, is that you.” ☻SLIDE #: Matthew 7:12: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. The “Golden Rule” perfectly captures the meaning of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 7:1-12 (and, in fact, for the entire Sermon). Instead of harassing others with our judgments and treasures, we stand before them with our helpless requests, while simultaneously standing before God Almighty King with our requests for them. ☻SLIDE #: In the previous eleven verses agape love is concretely illustrated in three ways: Not condemning or blaming those around us (vv. 1-5) Not forcing our “wonderful things” upon them (v.6) Simply asking for what we want for them—and from God (vv. 7-11) In kingdom life we extend the respect to others that we would naturally hope others would extend to us. That is how love behaves. ☻SLIDE #: Now let’s return to Roger tied up, shamed and humiliated on the sidewalk. Review story. ☻SLIDE #: Wanted his help—not his condemnation—here is what I wish he would have done: I needed help. The issue of right or wrong was in no way the issue. I had made mistakes…. People are tied up all around us. They most often need a helping hand—not words of shame and condemnation. The Christ Follower living in the kingdom refuses to add more hurt and pain. Instead they respond in love. And help them onto a better path.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE A FALSE PROPHET Matthew 7:15-20 S-1057 After giving the invitation to “enter by the narrow gate”, to come to God by the only way He has provided, Jesus warns that not everyone who claims to belong to God and to speak for Him actually does so. When we stand at the crossroads of decision, we should remember that the true way to God is narrow and that the false way is broad; the true is difficult and demanding, and the false way is easy and permissive. esus now says, in effect, “As you strive to enter that narrow gate and walk that narrow way that leads to life, beware of those who would mislead you.” “Just as there is a misleading gate and a misleading way, there are also misleading preachers and teachers who point to that gate and promote that way.” The false gate has false prophets standing in front of it who seek to lead people into the false way and hinder them from entering the true. READ Matthew 7:15-20 Jim Spackman Boston Story In Boston… lost… six streets come together, no street sign. Stopped twice, still lost. Prayed. Went to convenience store. “Are you lost?” “Yes, how did you know?” “Retired taxi driver. Follow me?” Drove for several miles, neighborhood worse and worse. Sally, “Do you think that he is leading us out into the boondocks to rob us?” Finally stopped. “Go across bridge there and make a hard left, or you’ll miss it.” Paige looked back. “There’s a cross hanging around his mirror!” Again and again He implores us to enter the straight gate. He again reminds us of these things by putting before us two special warnings. 1.Verses 15-20 – False prophets 2.Verses 21-33 – False Security Today we examine the first warning. Next week the second. THE BIBLE IS FILLED WITH WARNINGS OF FALSE PROPHETS As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives before the last Passover week, His disciples asked, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” He replied, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many… For false Christs and false prophets will arrive and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:3-5, 24). Paul’s last words to the Ephesian elders, when he met with them for a farewell on the beach near Miletus, included a somber warning about inevitable false teachers. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arrive, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert.” (Acts 20:29-31). There has always been a large market for false prophets, because most people do not want to hear the truth. They prefer to hear what is pleasant and flattering, even if it is false and dangerous, over what is unpleasant and unflattering, even if it is true and helpful. READ Jermiah 5:30-31 According to Jesus the danger is not so much in the fact that there are going to be wolves in the world, although that is perfectly true; but that there are going to be wolves who have disguised themselves as sheep. In other words, the danger lies in the fact that there are going to be agents of the devil in the Church. Someone will say, “Do you mean to tell me that God will allow men who are influenced by Satan to become church members?” The answer is, “Yes, indeed.” And not only that, He will also allow them to become ministers and speak from the pulpit. READ 2 Corinthians 11:13-15  “For Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.” It is possible for real Christians to be taken in by false prophets. When believers are careless about study of and obedience to the Word, lazy about prayer, and uncritical about the things of God, it is easy for them to be deceived by someone who pretends to be orthodox – especially if he is pleasant, positive, and permissive. FALSE PROPHETS ARE IDENTIFIED BY THEIR FRUIT READ Matthew 7:16-20 – False prophets are identified by their fruit. Judging the fruit of false prophets, of course, is not nearly so easy as judging fruit in an orchard. But from Scripture we discover several primary tests we can apply in order to know. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FALSE TEACHERS WHO ARE INSIDE THE CHURCH (WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING) AND THOSE WHO ARE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH (WOLVES IN WOLVES’ CLOTHING). WOLVES IN WOLVES’ CLOTHING If a man were to come into the pulpit and doubted the existence of God and denied the deity of Christ and the miracles, most of us could spot him as a heretic. But he’s not a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s a wolf in wolves’ clothing. What concerns me greatly is the seeming number of church people who succumb, not to the wolves in sheep’s clothing but to the wolves in wolves’ clothing. When the Mormons come along and teach that Jesus Christ was the son of Adam and Mary and that you and I can one day be just as much God as Jesus Christ is, I have no trouble seeing the damning heresy there. But some folks can’t see the wolf in wolves’ clothing. I have heard that one half of all converts to Mormonism came from a Baptist background. Here are some of the marks of wolves in wolves’ clothing. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN IDENTIFY CULTS AND FALSE RELIGIONS 1.THEIR FOUNDATION IS EXTRA-BIBLICAL REVELATION Every cult and false prophet gives token reverence to the Bible. Then they announce some subsequent revelation which effectively cancels the teaching of the Bible in favor of some new spiritual revelation. Example: When anyone says, “Your Bible is fine, but it’s not sufficient. You need the Book of Mormon or ‘Pearl of Great Price’ or ‘Science and Health: The Key to Scripture’, that’s not a wolf in sheep’s clothing, that’s a full-fledged wolf who’s chomping at the bit for your soul! Paul warns of this in Galatians 1:8-9 READ Revelation 22:18-19 2. THEY EMPHASIZE SALVATION BY WORKS Salvation by works teaches that eternal life depends upon some other basis than our faith in the work Christ on the cross. Eternal life is therefore dependent not upon the grace of God but upon human responsibility. The message of the gospel is that we’re saved by grace alone! Ephesians 2:8-9 When someone says that there are twelve to fourteen steps which must be done to reach the third heaven, then you know he teaches a works system and is not from God. Armstrong: “Salvation is like natural citizenship; it is a free gift, but it goes only to those who are willing to be law-abiding members of the Kingdom of God. Water baptism is the required part of the way of salvation. If we are to be saved by God’s grace, then we must keep the commandments.” Yes, he says, it’s a free gift if you earn it by obeying God’s commandments – all 613 of them. This is exactly what Galatians had done. Paul vehemently denounces them. READ Galatians 4:9-11 – Paul’s not proud of them depending on laws. He’s afraid of them. A good question to ask when one tries to win you to his group is “Is there any other way besides Jesus that you can get to God?” If they say, “Yes,” you know that they are deceived. 3.THERE IS DEFECTIVE CHRISTOLOGY The general truth of Christianity is related to the question, “What think ye of Christ?” A false teacher or a cult is readily identified by their statements and beliefs about Jesus Christ. Examples: Christian Science: “Jesus was a mere man who demonstrated the divine idea. It doesn’t matter whether Christ ever existed, and his blood doesn’t cleanse from sin.” Jehovah’s Witness: “Jesus Christ is not the son of God. He is Michael the Archangel.” Rev. Sun Myung Moon – test his Christology: “Salvation can only come through a Messiah who achieves perfection, marries and has perfect offspring. Christ was to do this but he failed because he died before he could marry. This redemption of man will be accomplished through a second Messiah who is to be born in Korea.” That Messiah is – guess who! None other than Moon himself. New Age: “We are all Christ.” 4.OFTEN THERE IS A PRESUMPTUOUS MESSIANIC LEADER This is the notion that a contemporary human being has been appointed by God to be some kind of saint or guru, or messiah, who represents divine authority that must not be violated. We find folks everywhere who are constantly quoting and following Father Divine, Prophet Jones, Mary Baker Patterson Glover Johnson Eddy, Herbert Armstrong, David (Moses David) Berg, Guru Maharaj Ji, Swami Rama, Witness Lee, Sun Moon, Maharishi Mehesh Yogi. Christians are warned about those pompous false Messiahs by Christ who said, “Take heed that you be not deceived; for many shall come in my name saying, ‘I am Christ’; and the time draweth near; go ye not therefore after them.” 5.THEIR TRUTH HINGES ON UNVERIFYABLE CLAIMS OF SPECIAL DISCOVERIES AND REVELATIONS. Beware of any man or cult which claims to have some secret discovery or revelation which has come to a single individual and which is otherwise unavailable except through that person. Mary Baker Eddy – “God has given to me the only keys to understanding the Bible.” Why the Mormons have invented out of thin air an entire American civilization for which there is no evidence whatsoever! All from special revelation to Joseph Smith! The fundamental of Christianity is that it is historical. It all centers around life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. READ Acts 26:25-26 – “This thing was not done in a corner.” Acts 1:3 – Christ showed himself to be alive by many infallible proofs. Hundreds and thousands of witnesses to the open and public facts of the Gospel. The Bible commits itself to literally hundreds of dates, places, peoples, cities, lakes, streams, mountains, and historical events. The truth of Christianity doesn’t depend on private knowledge and secret, unconformable relationship on the part of suspect individuals. Why do we reject such stories? Because they don’t conform to Biblical rules of evidence! Stories may be hallucination, outright lies, and even the result of indigestion or sleepless nights. We must have evidence! The rules of evidence are clearly stated in Scripture. READ 2 CORINTHIANS 13:1 – “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” In the Bible four writers used to confirm work and record of Jesus Christ. The doings of the apostles were not private séances but were seen and witnessed by thousands. The Coming of Christ and His message wasn’t a private affair. He was announced by a sky full of angels, a star visible to all; a sinless life lived in the presence of thousands, a public death and a public resurrection attested to by over five hundred living witnesses, all recorded in a composite of Holy Scripture that cannot be broken. WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING Now the greatest danger to believers is not the wolf in wolves’ clothing. The greatest danger to Christians is the wolf in sheep’s clothing. We have no trouble standing face to face with a wolf. We get out our gun, so to speak, and protect ourselves. But an innocent-looking lamb comes along and we pet it and feed it and support it because we don’t recognize that it is a wolf who is disguised as a sheep. So these false prophets do not wave a red flag when they make their statements. They appear to be all right. HOW CAN WE RECOGNIZE THE WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING?  Make this simple: Jude and 2 Peter are the New Testament books on false prophets. READ Jude 1:3-4, 8, 10-12, 16. 1.FALSE PROPHETS TEACH WITHOUT ANY “STRAIGHT GATE” OR “NARROW WAY” The false prophet is a man who has no “straight gate” or “narrow way” in his gospel. He has nothing to which is offensive to the natural man; he pleases all. READ Jeremiah 6:13-15: “They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly (or lightly) saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” The false prophet is always a very comforting preacher. As you listen to hm, he always gives you the impression that there is not very much wrong. He admits, of course, that there is a little; he is not fool enough to say that there is nothing wrong. But he says that all is well and will be well. 2.THEY MINIMIZE THE UTTER SINFULNESS OF SIN READ Jude 4b READ 2 Peter 2:2, 10, 14, 18-19 READ Galatians 5:19-21 Steve Garvey. Julie and I in Phoenix in February. Arizona Republic carried the story of Garvey’s three girlfriends. About to be married when one girlfriend claimed that she was pregnant with Garvey’s child. “Well, I don’t know if it is my child or not, but if it is, I will be my parental duties. After all I’m a Christian and I want to do what is right.” We don’t need that kind of publicity. Loose attitude in Christian circles regarding sex. 3.THEY DO NOT EMPHASIZE REPENTANCE IN ANY REAL SENSE It has a very wide gate leading to salvation and a very broad way leading to Heaven. You need not feel much of your own sinfulness; you need not be aware of the blackness of your own heart. You just decide for Christ and you rush in with the crowd, and your name is put down, and is one of the large number of decisions. Repentance means that you realize that you are a guilty, vile sinner in the presence of God, that you deserve the wrath and punishment of God, that you are Hell-bound. It means that you begin to realize that this thing called sin is in you, that you long to get rid of it, and that you turn your back on it in every shape and form. There does not seem to be much room for that today. The false prophet does not put it like that. He heals the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, simply saying that it is all right, and that you have but to come to Christ, follow Jesus, or become a Christian, They offer an easy salvation – an easy type of life. CAREFUL OF BIBLE TRACTS FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS 4.THE WAY OF CAIN – Jude 12: THEY IMPLY THAT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO GOD THE FATHER THAN THE SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Genesis 4:3-8 The false prophet talks about Jesus. He even delights to talk about the cross and the death of Jesus. But the vital question is – What is his view of that death? What is his view of that cross? Does he realize that Jesus Christ died on the cross to cover our sin with his blood? Does he really believe that Christ was there crucified as a substitute for men? Does he believe that it was only by the death of Christ that any man could be made fit for heaven and ready to approach God? He has never seen it as a tremendous, holy transaction between the Father and the Son in which the Father has made the Son to be sin for us, and has laid our iniquity upon Him. There is none of that in his preaching and teaching, and that is why it is false. 5.THEY DIMINISH FINAL JUDGMENT AND THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF THE LOST Paul preaches to Felix and Drusilla of “righteousness and temperance and judgment to come.” But you’ll never hear that from a false prophet. You’ll hear reincarnation from the New Age people who are creeping into the church. St. Francis’ church is into New Age. 6.THE WAY OF BALAAM – Jude 12: USING CHRIST FOR PERSONAL GAIN In The Didache, one of the earliest Christian writings after New Testament times, we find a section devoted to dealing with false prophets. The term used to describe them is Christemporos, which means “Christ merchants”. The Didache gives several means for distinguishing true prophets from false. One was that a true prophet would not remain as a house guest for more than two days, because he would need to be up and about his work. A false prophet, however, would willingly stay indefinitely, since he had no real mission to accomplish except serving his own interests. The second test was in regard to asking for money. The true prophet, said The Didache, would ask for bread and water, but nothing more – that is, only for necessities to keep himself going. A false prophet, on the other hand, is not the least averse to asking for or even demanding money. A third test was in the area of lifestyle. A person who does not lead a life that corresponds to the standard he teaches is clearly not a man of God. Still another test was in regard to willingness to work. If a person wanted to live off others and would not work for his own keep, he was a Christ-trafficker. A false prophet is always in church work for himself, to pad his own pockets, to satisfy his own greed, ego, and prestige and to gain power, influence, and recognition for himself. Our day has more than its share of Christ merchants. Through books, radio, television, recordings, in churches, conferences, seminars, crusades and by various other means they package and sell the gospel in much the same way that Madison Avenue sells cars and soap. They are insincere peddlers of the Word of God who corrupt it for their own ends (2 Corinthians 2:17). The golden cow Prosperity gospel 7.KORAH’S REBELLION – Jude 12 Numbers 16:1-3, 31-35 2 Peter 2:10 Jude 1:8 THEIR CHARACTER IS MORE SELF-CENTERED THAN GOD-CENTERED A person’s basic character – his inner motives, standards, loyalties, attitudes, and ambitions – will eventually show through in what he does and how he acts. John the Baptist told the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees who came to be baptized to first “bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8). Their manner of living belied their claim that they lived and served God. When the multitude then asked John what good fruit was, he replied “Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise” (verse 11). To the tax-gatherers who asked what they should do, John said, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to” (verse 13). John was saying that the person who is genuinely repentant and who truly trusts and loves God will also love and help his fellow man (cf James  2:15-17; 1 John 3:17; 4:20). Peter tells us that the true and mature believer will be growing in faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. “If these qualities are yours and are increasing,” he says, “they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). Unless those who claim to be God’s spokesmen give evidence that their deepest motives and life patterns are to honor, glorify, and magnify God, and to grow in humility, holiness, and obedience, we can be sure that God has not called or sent them. If they are oriented to money, prestige, recognition, popularity, power, sexual looseness, and selfishness, they do not belong to Jesus Christ. READ Jude 20-23

I try to have a regular prayer life, but I feel like my prayers hit the ceiling. I promise God I will change, and I end up doing the same things. How can I pray wisely and know that God will answer? Sincerely, Jaden Dear Jaden, Did you know that we can actually pray “foolish” prayers? Prayers that God will not take seriously? Prayers that are disrespectful to God? Prayers that He says He will not answer? I’m sure you’ve heard some of these “halfway” type prayers: “God, if you get me out of this situation, I’ll serve you forever!” “If you get Hayden to like me, I’ll go to church every week.” “God, if you give me an A on this test, I will never steal the answers from the smart kid’s paper again.” “I won’t have an affair, if you make my wife less irritating.” I didn’t expect that it was possible to pray a “foolish” prayer when I was a baby Christian. I knew—and still do—that God hears our every prayer. When He hears, He promises to RESPOND. But the response may be yes, maybe, not yet, or simply, no. Sometimes He may tell us the “why” behind His answers. And sometimes He already has … let’s take a look at Scripture to learn more. King Solomon explains that since God is speaking to us continually, we would do well to stop and listen to what He has to say before we pray. Solomon explains what a foolish prayer looks like in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7: Watch your step when you enter God’s house. Enter to learn. That’s far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice Doing more harm than good. Don’t shoot off your mouth or speak before you think. Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better. When you tell God you’ll do something, do it—now. God takes no pleasure in foolish drivel. Vow it, then do it. Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up. Don’t let your mouth make a total sinner of you. When called to account, you won’t get by with                  “Sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Why risk provoking God to angry retaliation? But against all illusion and fantasy and empty talk There’s always this rock foundation: Fear God! (MSG) FIRST, WE DON’T WANT OUR PRAYERS TO OFFER THE “SACRIFICE OF FOOLS” TO GOD. The “sacrifice of fools” is living life or doing things that don’t please or impress God. The Bible mentions several types of the “sacrifice of fools.” Giving God our leftovers. (Malachi 1:10-15) Giving God lip service without a changed life. (Ezekiel 33:31-32) Making decisions without carefully involving God. (Judges 11:29-49; Matthew 14:1-12) Our prayers, no matter what we’re asking or why, become “foolish” when we’re living in any one of these ways. Can you imagine that God wouldn’t take us seriously if we’re praying with pious words and living sinful lives? Or that He won’t grant us our heart’s desires if those desires are of the world? Or if we march forward in our own will even as we’re asking Him to do His? NEXT, OUR PRAYERS MUST SHOW TOTAL COMMITMENT AND SACRIFICE. Everything we do in our bodies is a sacrifice offered to God. 1 Peter 2:5 teaches, “You also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” The author of Hebrews applies this principle to prayer; “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.  And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (13:15-16). Again, when we come before God in prayer, He looks at how we’re living before He answers. When we live as He calls us to live, He hears our prayers and responds. He delights in the sacrifice of His people … and He is “provoked” by the sacrifice of fools. SO, HOW CAN I BEGIN TO PRAY WISE PRAYERS? First, get your heart right before God. Read His Word. Chase after Jesus. Seek to grow spiritually. Fight against sin instead of conforming to it. Follow His calling for your life the best you can. Next, listen and receive what God has to say. God speaks in a variety of ways. His Word tells us that He speaks through the Bible, circumstances, signs and wonders, other people, preachers and prophets, the peace of God, the creation, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Recognizing when God speaks takes practice. We have to be quiet in order to hear Him. That’s not easy to do in our busy, noisy lives. It also takes an awareness of spiritual things, which means staying in a spiritual mindset (Philippians 4:8). Third, process what you hear from God carefully, in accordance with your understanding of who God is and His priorities for your life. When you hear God speak to you in prayer, listen carefully. Be prepared to obey when you hear Him speak. That specific commitment has everything to do with whether or not God will hear and respond to your prayers. After all, what good is it to interact with someone if you know they’ll just ignore you? Finally, apply God’s words to your life. Hannah made a serious vow to God and kept it: “O Lord of heaven, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you, and he’ll be yours for his entire lifetime.” (1 Samuel 1:11 NLT) God knew she was serious. She fasted and prayed for months, never leaving the temple steps. Her actions showed her serious intentions. Her heart was open to hear Him speak … and she made a commitment to obey, no matter the cost. God answered her prayer, not only giving her a son, but a son who would be the spiritual leader of Israel. Well Jaden, I hope this is really helpful for you—not only to help you avoid foolish prayers but to pursue prayers that God will answer. Love, Brie

I Kings 18:41-46 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he bent down to the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, but he said, “There is nothing.” Yet Elijah said, “Go back” seven times. And when he returned the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a person’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot horses and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” Meanwhile, the sky became dark with clouds, and wind came up, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he belted his cloak around his waist and outran Ahab to Jezreel. WHEN YOU PRAY, WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DO YOU PRAY FOR? DO YOU EVER PRAY FOR WHAT YOU KNOW YOU WILL ALREADY GET? THAT’S WHAT ELIJAH PRAYED FOR. WATCH WHAT ELIJAH PRAYED FOR. BACKGROUND This short passage at the end of I Kings 18 focuses on Elijah’s faith and prayer. Elijah had instructions from the Lord about going to meet Ahab, challenging the false prophets of Baal, and bringing rain. Everything Elijah does in the next six verses Elijah does by faith in what God has revealed to him—including his prayer. Let’s recap where we’ve come from so far in our study. In I Kings 17 Elijah arrives on the scene with no introduction, announcing to Ahab that there would be no rain except at his word. Then he flees to hide at the brook Cherith. He probably hid there for up to a year where God had ravens supply him with bread and meat and he drank from the brook until it dried up. Then the Lord had Elijah go the Zarepheth in Sidon, Jezebel’s home country, to hide with a widow and her son. Elijah tells her that God would supply her with flour and oil miraculously to sustain them. The widow’s faith was challenged when her son died unexpectedly. She was embittered against Elijah because of this. But things turned around miraculously when Elijah raised her son from the dead after he prayed for him. If God can raise the dead from a simple prayer, imagine what he could do with a drought. Elijah probably stayed with the widow and her son for at least two years. Making it over three years since Elijah first confronted Ahab. Then, the Lord spoke to Elijah and told him to return to Israel and challenge Ahab again, but this time he would restore the rain. In all of this drama, Elijah is demonstrating that the false God of Baal is no God at all. It was believed that Baal controlled the rains, being a storm God. But God was demonstrating that only he was the true God and he controlled all of nature, not Baal. This came to a head when Elijah met Ahab’s governor, Obadiah, a godly man who saved 100 prophets from Jezebel’s murderous hand. After Obadiah announced Elijah’s return, Elijah challenged Ahab to assemble Israel and the false prophets of Baal to a contest to see who was the true God of Israel, Yahweh or Baal. Once again, through prayer, God demonstrates who he is and consumes an offering with fire from heaven. The people assembled proclaim, “The Lord, he is God!” And under orders from Elijah the false prophets of Baal are slaughtered according to the Mosaic law in Deuteronomy 18:20. This brings us to where we are now, with Elijah telling Ahab that the Lord is about to restore the rain. And he would do it through Elijah’s faith and prayer. In fact, noticed how each major change in Elijah’s life and ministry was orchestrated through prayer. God spoke to Elijah about confronting Ahab. God speaking is a part of prayer. Elijah moved from the brook to Sidon at God’s word. When the widow’s son died, God restored his life through Elijah’s prayer. Elijah called down fire from heaven with a 15-second prayer. Then Elijah prayed and the rains were restored. Elijah’s faith in God’s word and his prayers according to that word, were the foundation of his ministry. The Apostle John related this principle to us in I John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” This part of the story of Elijah’s life is thus about faith and prayer. Four hundred and fifty false prophets of a false God prayed to that false God for hours on end and saw no result. But Elijah prayed for 15 seconds and their whole world changed. Not only did prayer make a difference, but obedience brought about the answer to their prayers. We’ll touch on obedience later. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT GOD WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS? WHAT EVIDENCE IS THERE FOR YOUR FAITH? EXAMINATION (V.41) Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” Why would Elijah tell Ahab to eat and drink before the rain came? One commentator believes this was a reference to a covenant renewal meal where Ahab would have celebrated God’s favor in sending rain and repented before him. But I think this is unlikely. We have no indication that Ahab was repentant at any time. Rather, Elijah says this in faith of what God is about to do. Rejoice, the rain is about to return. Elijah tells Ahab about the coming rain because God already told him he was going to restore rain to the land. He said this in verse one, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will provide rain on the face of the earth.” Elijah wasn’t doing or saying anything under his own power as if he had some special ability or magical power. He was simply obeying what God had already indicated to Him. Remember James 5:17-18, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayedearnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.” By saying he was a man with a nature like ours James is saying that there was nothing unusual about him, or special, other than he was a righteous man. If God can use Elijah’s prayers so dramatically, imagine what God will do through us who have his Holy Spirit living in us and the redemption of Christ. (V.42) So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he bent down to the earth and put his face between his knees. Notice the difference between the two men. One goes to eat, the other goes to pray. If Ahab had gone to pray with Elijah then maybe we could say he was repentant. Instead, following Elijah’s instruction, he goes to eat. Meanwhile, Elijah fulfills his ministry, praying to the Lord to bring rain. Elijah puts his face between his knees. This is the posture of humility. Again, there is nothing special about Elijah. He doesn’t wave his hand over the sky or make a big show. He doesn’t gather an audience. He does nothing more than pray in humility. Remember also that Elijah is praying for what God has already revealed to him to be his will. He promised in verse 41 that he would send rain. So Elijah prayed for rain. Who else prayed like this? Daniel in Daniel 9:2,16-19. Daniel read the book of Jeremiah, which said God would revisit his people after 70 years of punishment. And since 70 years had passed, Daniel began to pray for that forgiveness. He was praying about what God previously promised. Abraham also prayed for what was already promised. In Genesis 15 he prayed for the son God promised him in Genesis 12. IF GOD IS ALL POWERFUL AND ALWAYS HEARS OUR PRAYERS, THEN WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO SOMETIMES REPEAT THE SAME PRAYERS TO HIM OVER AND OVER? (V.43) And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, but he said, “There is nothing.” Yet Elijah said, “Go back” seven times. What is Elijah doing here by asking his servant to go look at the sky overlooking the beach? He is checking for the answer to his prayers. Having his servant look toward the Mediterranean was normal. That’s where storms normally form that cover Israel. This was not a long distance. Mount Carmel was about a mile from the Mediterranean. The servant would not have to walk long to see what he was looking for. He may have only walked a short distance to see over a hill. Why seven times? In the Bible, seven is a number of completion and rest. After three years of trouble with the drought, Elijah’s servant looks to the sky seven times to see a cloud forming. God was completing the work he began with the drought to draw Israel back to him. (V.44) And when he returned the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a person’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot horses and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” WHY DO YOU THINK ELIJAH SENT HIS SERVANT TO AHAB INSTEAD OF TELLING HIM HIMSELF? Sometimes great things come from the smallest beginnings. The cloud began the size of a hand and grew to cover the whole land. Ahab must have still been nearby for Elijah to send his servant to him. Once Elijah sees the beginning of the answer to his prayer, then, in faith, he tells Ahab the shower is coming. In fact, he tells Ahab twice. Once before he prayed and once after. Elijah is demonstrating great faith in what the Lord previously told him. Elijah may have sent his servant to Ahab because he did not trust him to go himself. Ahab was a wicked king and Elijah knew this. Yet, he held out hope for Ahab. We can surmise this because in the whole episode with the fire and sacrifice and now the rain, Elijah did not rebuke Ahab for anything. Perhaps Ahab was responding positively to what took place? (V.45) Meanwhile the sky became dark with clouds, and wind came up, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. A normal rain would not stop Ahab’s horses any more than it would stop our cars from traveling. But we’ve all experienced a rain so heavy and thick that we slow down or even pull our cars off to the side of the road because the rain is so thick. This is the kind of rain Elijah is talking about. Probably one where you can barely see two feet in front of you. This is a remarkable answer to prayer. God is not just restoring rain to the land, he is supplying it in abundance. Here’s what makes this rain interesting. What happened before the rain? God sent a fire of judgment, burning up Elijah’s sacrifice. What was sacrificed? An ox. An ox was sometimes used as a sin offering. For God to rain fire on the ox was to vent his judgment for sin. Then the prophets of Baal were all killed in judgment. God’s justice was satisfied. He forgave the people through sacrifice, judged the false prophets, and then came the rain. Rain is about blessing and grace. To rain on the land is to say that God’s anger is past. Notice also, the tie-in to the widow when her son died. After death comes resurrection. God is gracious, restoring life, and he does so with the rain. (V.46) Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he belted his cloak around his waist and outran Ahab to Jezreel. JEZEBEL WAS LOCATED IN JEZREEL. SHE WAS ELIJAH’S ENEMY. SHE WAS KNOWN FOR KILLING PROPHETS. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ELIJAH RUN BACK TO JEZREEL, WHERE HIS ENEMY WAS LOCATED? Some interpreters note that it was an honor for a person or a servant to run before a king’s chariot. This would show an attitude of humility on Elijah’s part. Running before the king would portray him as a servant of the king. And prophets did serve kings. Nathan served David in his court. Elisha had a servant who testified for him in the king’s court. But there is more going on. For Elijah arrived in Jezreel ahead of Ahab. He carried the news of what God did to the people. But Ahab carried the news to Jezebel. Jezreel was Ahab’s winter capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. It was about 15-20 miles from Mount Carmel. For Elijah to outrun Ahab’s horses to the capital demonstrates the miraculous nature of what God was doing. But it was also dangerous. Jezreel was where Jezebel lived and Elijah had just killed her 450 false prophets of Baal. As we’ll see in the next lesson, Jezebel knew Elijah was nearby and wanted to make an attempt on his life. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? Prayer must be according to God’s will for a positive answer. Prayer must conform to God’s word. Prayer must be earnest and honest for God to respond. Prayer must sometimes be hard work, like Elijah praying seven times for rain. INTERPRETATION What is the author’s big idea? God speaking to us, and us speaking to him, and obedience, are foundational to our life and ministry. We can break up Elijah’s life at this point into three principles or actions. God speaks Elijah prays People obey Let’s focus for a moment on obedience. Thirteen times in this passage the text says to go up, went up, or go back. When something is repeated in scripture we should pay attention. Especially if it’s repeated 13 times in six verses! In each time there is action taken based on God’s word through Elijah. In each case of going in this passage, someone is obeying instruction by Elijah. Ahab obeys. Elijah’s servant obeys. Elijah obeys. Even nature obeys. While God speaking and man praying are foundational to the spiritual life, in the end it all comes down to obedience. Without obedience, God speaks to no avail. Without obedience our prayers amount to nothing. Obedience is therefore critical to the Christian life. We obey God by repenting of our sin. We obey God by surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ. We obey God by keeping and obeying his word. God speaking, prayer, and obedience are all tied together. God has revealed himself through his word in the scriptures. To experience a full Christian life we obey that word. Also, in response, we pray to God for a variety of things and people. Prayer itself is also an act of obedience. God moves and changes and matures us through obedient prayer. Then, however God moves us in prayer, we obey his prompting. The Christian life is like a three-legged stool. The legs are scripture, prayer, and obedience. Remove just one leg and the stool falls over. APPLICATION Do a spiritual inventory of your life. Has God spoken to you through his word? The Bible is God’s written account of his self-revelation. Without the scripture we cannot know God’s character, what he is like, or his will for the world and for us. If we claim to know God, but do not obey scripture, then we do not know God at all. Here’s my favorite verse from Deuteronomy 32:47. “This is not an idle word for you, indeed, it is your life.” What place does scripture have in your life? Are you a person of prayer or becoming a person of prayer? Prayer is two-way communication with God. Prayer does not have to be lofty, but it must be honest. We bring to God not only our intercession for others, but also our hopes, desires, dreams, struggles, dissatisfaction, and our sin. God wants to hear all of it. And he wants to respond. But God never reveals the deep things of the Spirit to the person who just drops by for a little chat. Prayer should be a daily priority if we want to experience an abundant Christian life. Is your life marked by obedience to Christ? Without obedience our prayers fall short. Obedience today equips us for tomorrow. We must obey God’s word in the Bible. We must obey the Holy Spirit’s prompting through prayer. And we must obey those in authority over us, whether natural or spiritual. Obedience is the mark of true prayer and understanding of God.

John 14:1-3 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Why the Rapture? When will it occur? ________________ The Old Testament had miracles and mighty acts of judgment. The Gospels had miraculous signs. The book of Acts has miraculous signs But by the end of Acts, they begin to cease. But these signs were meant to be temporary (Hebrews 2: 3-4). But for 20centuries there has been a silence from God. No Red Seas or plagues or earthquakes to free prisoners or Herod's worms or Nebuchadnezzar's madness, or 185,000 dead Assyrian soldiers or sodomites consumed. Rather there has been suffering, persecution, violent oppressors, and empires leaving martyrs in their wake. It's why 2 Peter 3:2-4 ________________ It is because the ultimate consummating miracle has occurred. (Acts 17: 30-31; Romans 1: 4 ) Previous miracles were signs pointing to the last day. The work of Christ has now been followed according to Jesus by a “greater work.” (John 14: 11-12) The gospel and the age of Grace. Salvation is a miracle or work that is spiritual, eternal, and worldwide as opposed to a miracle physical, temporal, and local. Christ's salvation is the heavenly work to which all other miracles pointed. ________________ Why the silence and suffering for 20 centuries? An amnesty and pardon has been granted by God to all since the death of Christ. “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” 2 Corinthians 5:17ff “Come unto me all who are weary... and I will give you rest.” ________________ How has the world responded to this offer of pardon? 2 Thessalonians, 2:1ff. And this apostasy is why God will send Anti-Christ and “The Day of The Lord” or “The Tribulation.” Because His final mercy has been rejected. ________________ But first., “The Restrainer must be taken away.” (As Lot, Noah, Rehab, Enoch, Methuselah, and Elijah) Who is “The Restrainer”?? It is us. The bride, who must be “gathered together to him” (2 Thess. 2:1) ________________ And that is why there is a "rapture" (1 Thessalonians 1:10) ________________ But we are those who have not rejected him. Rather, we have stood for him and suffered for him. Our testing and purifying is occurring now. (1 Peter 4: 14-19) Thus, we are kept from “the hour of testing that is coming upon the whole Earth.” (Revelation 3: 10)

What is Christ doing now? Paul said it clearly. “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25). The “fullness of the Gentiles” are the “sheep of another fold” (John 10:16), the elect of God that God will save in this age. The church age is a time of mercy in which God “commands all men to repent having fixed a day in which He will judge the world through a man” (Acts 17:30-31). God has sent a message, a finished book – the Bible – and the visible display of the church which is a preview of His coming kingdom into all the world. Has the world received this warning? No. The world has renounced it, changed it and denied it. Has the nation of Israel repented having seen True Judaism or Christianity as it has gone out to the world? Again the answer is no. So what is the next thing on the Christological agenda? It is the judgment and punishment of the world and the chastening and purification of Israel. This is a prophesied time called The Day of The Lord. The Day of The Lord is a period that runs from The Tribulation, through the Second Coming, the millennial kingdom and then the final judgment. But all of this will begin with the Rapture or the “plucking up” or “catching away” of the church. It is the event that suddenly removes the church from a coming period of Tribulation and the wrath of God. Paul said “God has not destined us for wrath . . . (1 Thess. 5:9) and that Christ “delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10) and that is the purpose of the Rapture. To remove the church from what is only experienced by those who reject Christ – the wrath of God. This is why in Revelation 6-18 the word “church” is not mentioned. Those who believe are simply the saints of the Tribulation. The Bride of Christ is not mentioned until Revelation 19:7-8 when she returns with Christ to rule with Him. This is what Jesus meant when He said “I go away to prepare a place for you. And if I go away I will come again to receive you unto myself that where I am (i.e. in glory) there you may be also” (John 14:3). This is not the return of Christ with His church (Rev 19) but His returning for His church to remove them from the wrath to come. This truth is also described to the Thessalonians. “The Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (“harpazo”: to “pluck up” or “rapture”) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). To the Corinthians Paul spoke the same, “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed . . .” (1 Cor 15:51-52) And so we gather in the elect. We live in fear and reverence of His appearing. We wait during the breakdown of society. We stand firm in our faith . . . We look to the skies . . . to “escape the wrath to come” . . . and wait for our incomparable Christ.

MESSAGE SUMMARY "War in Heaven Brings Wrath on Earth!" That could be the headline of Revelation 12. The ongoing battle of the ages that began in heaven and has played out on earth will reach fever pitch in the coming years. If you're asking What's Next?, the answer in part lies here. The cosmic battle becomes a global battle that will be filled with both woe and worship, both fury and freedom. Let's get more insight into the motivations and actions of the archenemy of God's people. STUDY GUIDE Connect Group Recap: March 13, 2016 Speaker: Skip Heitzig Teaching: "Satan's Global Conflict" Text: Revelation 12:7-17 Path So many jokes, movies, and books illustrate misconceptions about the Devil—but the Bible reveals the startling truth about Satan: he is real, he has access to heaven, and he is not in charge of hell, nor will he ever be. Pastor Skip unpacked two major themes in Revelation 12: war in heaven and wrath on earth. In considering them, we learn a few character traits about the Devil: I. Satan Is Persistent (vv. 7-12) II. Satan Is Perverse (vv. 9-10) III. Satan Is Pernicious (vv. 12-17) IV. Satan Is Preventable (v. 11) Points Satan Is Persistent (vv. 7-12) We picture heaven as a place of worship, but in the future, it will be a war zone. Satan fell from heaven and failed to destroy God's Messiah (see Revelation 12:4), but he will try once again during the tribulation to conquer heaven and thwart God's plans. Satan doesn't give up easily, despite his past failures. He knows he's going down, but he wants to create as much chaos and destroy as many lives as he can—like a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). When God said, "Have you considered My servant Job?" (Job 1:8), He acknowledged that Satan had been watching Job, looking for weaknesses—an unnerving thought. Satan studies us and fashions his attacks around our character and weaknesses. One of the biggest lies that Satan tries to spread is that he is the evil opposite of righteous God. God does not fight battles; He wins them. Satan will fight a losing battle against God's angels—particularly Michael, an archangel associated with Israel's protection (see v. 7). Satan Is Perverse (vv. 9-10) These verses contain six names describing Satan's wicked nature:  Dragon (only seen in Revelation—an indicator of his true character as a fierce tyrant) Serpent of old (his subtle treachery, going back to Eden) Devil (slanderer, gossip) Satan (adversary, enemy) Deceiver (he is the world's pastor, promoting false religion, security, and hope) Accuser (spews accusations against us in heaven) Satan Is Pernicious (vv. 12-17) Heaven will rejoice at Satan's banishment from heaven, but the earth will recoil: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea" (v. 12). The tribulation will be a double-whammy: it will be God's judgment against the earth, but it will also be Satan's great wrath as he and his minions are confined to earth for three and a half years. Satan will vent all his violent outrage on the earth, specifically against Israel. Through his servant, the Antichrist, two-thirds of all the Jews will be killed (see Zechariah 13:8), and the abomination of desolation will occur (see Matthew 24). Though the details are unknown, God will protect His people from the flood of Satan's wrath; Israel's darkest hour will lead to its brightest dawn. Satan Is Preventable (v. 11) Believers in the tribulation "overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb" (v. 11). Satan has built a case against us, but our defense attorney, Jesus, makes a stronger case by His blood (see 1 John 2:1). Like the martyrs, we overcome Satan by the word of our testimony (see v. 11)—our personal statement of faith that tells others who God is and what He has done for us. "They did not love their lives to the death" (v. 11). Our spiritual loyalty is more important than our physical life. Satan can't touch—in any way that counts in eternity— the person who puts Jesus first and everything else last. Once we know how to die, we know how to live (see John 12:25). When we are pressed to choose either the Lord or our own life, we can take missionary James Calvert's stance when he was discouraged from following the Lord: "We died before we came here." Practice Connect Up:  Satan studies how to harm us, but he operates within strict parameters—by God's permission and for God's purposes. God keeps His eye on His children and His finger on the thermostat. What battles in your life do you need to give over to God, trusting that His ultimate victory is sure? Connect In: The solidarity of Christian brothers and sisters is so important in resisting Satan's influence. What are some ways that you can support each other in the challenges you face? Connect Out: What is your testimony? Prepare a brief account of what God has done for you and how He has changed your life. Practice it and have it ready at all times. Ask God to provide you with a chance to share it this week. DETAILED NOTES I. Introduction A. People have many misconceptions about the Devil: 1. He is not real at all 2. He is waiting in hell to torment people who go there B. Satan has never been to hell and will not go there until after the tribulation 1. Satan is not in charge of hell -- God is 2. When Satan finally goes there, he won't be the chief tormentor -- he will be the chief target (see Revelation 20:10) C. He currently has a certain amount of access to heaven as well as earth (see Job 1:6-7) D. This passage focuses on two themes 1. War in heaven 2. Wrath on earth E. We must learn about Satan so we can add to our knowledge about him (see 2 Corinthians 2:11) II. Satan Is Persistent (vv. 7-12) A. War in heaven 1. We usually think of heaven as a worship zone, not a war zone 2. This passage refers to a future war B. Satan finds it hard to give up, though he is fighting a losing battle 1. He wants to create as much chaos as possible 2. He wants to bring as many people down with him as possible C. Satan personally came to Jesus to tempt Him (see Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13) 1. Satan did not leave Him alone 2. He departed until an opportune time (see Luke 4:13) 3. He is constantly looking for ways to lead us astray (see I Peter 5:*0 D. Satan constantly studies us 1. He studied Job (see Job 1:8) 2. Jesus told Petere that Satan had been asking for him (see Luke 22:31) 3. He fashions his attacks based on information he knows about us E. Satan's final attempt to take over heaven 1. This is not a battle between God and Satan a. One of Satan's greatest lies is that he is the evil opposite of righteous God b. God does not fight battles -- He wins them 2. This will be a battle between Michael and his angels and Satan and his demons a. They have fought in times past (see Jude 1:9) b. Michael is the great defender of Isarael (see Daniel 12:1) 3. This war could be triggered by the rapture of the church a. People who will be raptured will pass through the air (the demons' realm) b. The demons may try to hinder their passage 4. Michael is an archangel (see Jude 1:9) a. There is only one other reference to an archangel in the Bible b. I Thessalonians 4:16: the shout mentioned here could be from Michael as this battle takes place III. Satan Is Perverse (vv. 9-10) A. Names of the Devil 1. The Dragon a. Revelation is the only book that refers to Satan as a dragon b. Mentioned thirteen times c. A picture of his character as revealed in the end times d. A Fierce tyrant 2. Serpent of old a. Genesis 3 b. Cunning 3. The Devil a. Slanderer, gossiper, one who defames another b. Diabolos = slanderous, accusing falsely 4. Satan a. Enemy b. Adversary B. If you have any relationship with the Devil, make sure he is your enemy and not your friend 1. He is a fierce tyrant who is very subtle and crafty, who slanders and defames us and is our enemy 2. "There is something...very comforting in the thought that [the Devil] is an adversary --- I would sooner have him for an adversary than for a friend!" -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon C. He deceives the whole world 1. He is the world's pastor 2. He shepherds the flock and uses any type of deception he can get people to not think about spiritual things D. Accuser of the brethren 1. He has access to both heaven and earth 2. He accuses us before the throne of God (see Zechariah 3:1) 3. Some of that spills over into our thought lives a. We have feelings of inadequacy b. We doubt our salvation c. We think there is no way God could want us IV. Satan Is Pernicious (vv. 12-17) A. There will come a time when Satan will no longer have access to heaven B. There will be a great tribulation for two reasons: 1. God's wrath a. Wrath of the Lamb b. God's judgments on the earth 2. Satan's wrath a. Reaction to banishment from heaven b. Satan and his minions will enter earth en masse C. Second half of the tribulation = the great tribulation 1. Three and a half years a. 1,260 days (see Revelation 12:6) b. Forty-two months (see Revelation 13:5) 2. During this time, Satan will be filled with wrath a. He will have no more access to heaven or the air b. "Satan is now like a caged lion, enraged beyond words by the limitations now placed upon his freedom. He picks himself up from the dust of the earth, shakes his fist at the sky, and glares around, choking with fury for ways to vent his hatred and his spite upon humankind: -- John Phillips c. He will use the Antichrist, who will have made a seven-year peace pact with Israel (see Daniel 9:27) I. Will be broken at the three and a half year mark II. Abomination of desolation (see Daniel 12:11) III. Israel will flee to the wilderness (see Matthew 24:15-25) d. There will be a wave of anti-Semitism like the world has never seen I. Two-thirds of the Jews will be slain (see Zechariah 13:8) II. One-third will be saved (see Romans 11:26) D. Revelation is a book of symbols that speaks about a reality that will happen in the future 1. Eagles' wings (see Exodus 19:4) a. God provided protection b. He will protect Israel again 2. Flood a. Possibly speaking about a flood of attackers sent to destroy the remaining remnant of Jewish people b. The earth will help them c. Possibly an earthquake I. Five specific earthquakes are mentioned in Revelation (see Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:18) II. Jesus predicted earthquakes in different places (see Matthew 24:7) E. Israel's darkest hour will be followed by Israel's brightest dawn V. Satan Is Preventable (vv. 11) A. He can be overcome by the blood of the Lamb 1. In the Old Testament, God told the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts as judgment passed over them (see Exodus 12:21-23) 2. Apply the blood of Christ to your life when Satan hurls accusations at you and tries to get you to doubt 3. God will bless you by your understanding that you are unworthy 4. Because of the work of His Son on your behalf, you are forgiven B. Satan is the prosecuting attorney who accuses us before God 1. Jesus us our Advocate, our defense attorney (see 1 John 2:2) 2. God is the judge 3. All of Satan's accusations are accurate 4. But Jesus shed His blood to cover our sins so we can overcome all of the accusations C. Your testimony is your statement of faith 1. Confidence 2. Witness D. Spiritual loyalty is greater than physical death VI. Closing A. Satan hates you and has a miserable plan for your life 1. As Satan studies us, he plans attacks 2. He operates within strict parameters 3. Satan will be sent to hell B. God loves you and has an amazing plan for your life 1. He allows Satan to attack you to strengthen you 2. He anticipated everything Satan has done and will ever do 3. He always keeps His eye on His children and His hand on the thermostat 4. He created heaven for people Figures referenced: John Phillips, Charles Haddon Spurgeon Greek words : diabolos Cross references: Genesis 3; Exodus 12:21-23; 19:4; Job 1:6-8; Daniel 9:27; 12:1, 11; Zechariah 3:1; 13:8; Matthew 4:1-11; 24:7, 15-25; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13; 22:31; Romans 11:26; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 2:2; Jude 1:9; Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 12:6; 13:5; 16:18; 20:10 Topic : Satan Keywords: Devil, Satan, torment, hell, tribulation, heaven, earth, war, spiritual warfare, chaos, temptation, attack, battle, angels, archangel, demons, Israel, evil, rapture, dragon, serpent, enemy, tyrant, cunning, adversary, deceive, pastor, shepherd, accusation, salvation, tribulation, wrath, judgment, banishment, Antichrist, anti-Semitism, eagle, earthquake, flood, blood of the Lamb, Advocate, sins, testimony

I want to talk with you about the return of Christ. As most of us know there are two comings of Christ. There was his first coming, which is shared in the Gospels. But there is a second coming of Christ, revealed in scripture. In fact, the Bible, in its very last chapter, says, “Come Lord Jesus.” Many people, throughout history, have wished for the coming of Christ. I remember a fad in the 1980s when many Christians believed that the return of Christ was imminent that decade. But it passed. Even some of my ancestors wished for Jesus to come, but with a twist. Story: Tarred, feathered, and sent out of town. I hope that when I finish today’s message, you won’t do the same to me. How do we know when the coming of Christ is near? Jesus said we would not know the day or hour. But at the same time, he also gave us signs in scripture so that we would know what to expect. So, let’s talk about those signs and why, I think, the second coming of Christ is NOT imminent. First, how do we define something that is imminent? Many Christians use this word to say that the return of Christ can happen at any time. We want him to come, it is a central hope in scripture. But the reality is that the apostles never used this word to describe Christ’s coming. Consider that when Paul and the other Apostles were alive nearly 2,000 years ago, they talked about the second coming of Christ. But we have been talking about that coming for those many centuries. Christ’s coming is soon, but not imminent. And how much more soon is it since 2,000 years have passed since the second coming of Christ was discussed by the apostles? The scripture reveals that there are a few things still to happen before Christ comes again. Matthew 24:1-14, 42-44 ———————— EXAMINATION ———————— (V.3) Sign of your coming? Jesus describes a few things leading up to his coming: (v.5) False Christs (v.6) Wars and rumors of wars (v.7) Kingdom against kingdom (v.8) But these are the beginning of birth pains These are general signs, but not THE SIGN of Christ’s imminent return. These signs have persisted for 2,000 years. But let’s look at each of these and see what they reveal to us about the second of coming of Christ to the earth. Verse 5 reveals the coming of false Christs. What is a False Christ? —A person who denies the divinity, humanity, or lordship of Jesus Christ. It also usurps his divinity, exalts our humanity, and usurps his lordship. Examples: Jehovah’s Witnesses (Secret coming of Christ, deny Jesus’ divinity). Islam (Denies Jesus’ divinity, death, and lordship) Mormonism (Denies Jesus uniqueness, exalts man to godhood). The movement of false prophets and apostles throughout Africa (Barrel of water, keys to the kingdom). (V.6) Wars and rumors of wars and verse 7 , kingdom against kingdom —There have been 14,500 wars that have taken place between 3500 BC and the late 20th century, costing 3.5 billion lives, leaving only 300 years of peace. While Jesus warned us of wars, wars have been taking place on earth since recorded history. Is verse 14 ( Proclaiming the Gospel ) the sign of his coming? Yes. Look what Jesus says in verse 14: “This Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” The Gospel is accelerating in the 21st century. 2.8 million churches planted in the last two years. From 1960 to 2000, the global growth of the number of Evangelicals grew at three times the world's population rate, and twice that of Islam. Currently, 15,000 Christians die every day and go to Heaven. But the church is growing at an exponential rate. Globally, 50,000 people a day come to faith in Christ. (That’s 333% greater than those dying.) At this rate, everyone on earth will have heard the Gospel by 2029. There are 17,446 people groups in the world today. Of that amount, there are 300 unengaged and unreached groups that have yet to be engaged with the Gospel. This lack of fulfillment is a sign that Jesus is not ready to come back yet. Notice the scriptural support for this idea: Matthew 24:14 states, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Many of us are looking for the coming of Christ. And many of us would love for him to come now, even right now. But consider this: Why would we want Jesus to come back when there are still millions of people who have not heard yet about Jesus and have a no chance at eternal life? Is verse 15 the sign? What is the abomination of desolation ? We find a prophecy about this in the Old Testament in Daniel 11:31. “Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.” “Scholars generally agree that the first reference of these prophecies is the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Antiochus treated Israel with such violence and contempt that they rebelled against him. When he came to suppress the rebellion, his forces entered the temple, stopped the regular sacrifices, set up an idol of or altar for Zeus, and apparently offered swine there as a sacrifice. This is an abomination because it is idolatry, and it brings desolation because it defiles the holy place at the heart of Israel” (Gospel Coalition). Some prophecies in the Bible have what are known as double fulfillment. The first fulfillment is a type or precursor to a later fulfillment. We see this in scripture when God promises Abraham his offspring will inherit the land, then Paul applies the term, “offspring” and this promise to Jesus in Galatians 3:16. A double fulfillment. We see it in God’s promise to David to give David a son who will rule, then the NT applies that to Jesus. A double fulfillment. Many biblical scholars believe this passage in Daniel is one such scripture, that it will reach its final fulfillment in the anti-Christ. But to be fulfilled in the last days, as some scholars say, this requires a temple. There is no temple in Israel right now. If we are to take this literally, then a new temple would have to be built. Here’s the bottom line: Christ’s return cannot be imminent because these requirements are not yet fulfilled. Jesus himself said that his return, foreshadowed by these things, would not be imminent. Look at Matthew 24:6 and Luke 21:9. “When you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once” (some translations say, “imminent”). (V.3) End of the age . The sign and the end are asked as a single event. So, Jesus defines the end of the age in verses 15-22. Verse 21 calls it the “Great Tribulation.” Verse 22: “No life would have been saved.” In other words, if things continue to go badly, humanity will become extinct. So, we must be alert to his coming. What does it mean to be alert about Christ’s coming? Verses 42 and 44 talk about being on the alert for Christ’s coming. Jesus describes those on the alert in verse 45 as “faithful” and “sensible.” “Wise” in some translations. We are looking for his coming, but we also balance that with the need to reach lost people groups with the Gospel. So, what have we learned so far in our examination of the text? 1. Jesus says he will return at a time of great turmoil on the earth. 2. Jesus will return after the earth has heard the Gospel. 3. Jesus will return while there are many deceivers on the earth. 4. Jesus returns to judge the world. 5. Jesus wants us to watch for his coming. —————————— INTERPRETATION —————————— So what is Jesus trying to communicate to us regarding his return? We find the answer in verse Matthew 24:42, "Keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come." ——————————— FALLEN CONDITION ——————————— Without the return of Christ, all humanity is in danger of extinction. Jesus said, “If those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved” (Matthew 24:22). ————————————— REDEMPTIVE SOLUTION ————————————— The bodily return of Christ saves humanity from extinction. Jesus wants us to know that he will make a visible and physical return to earth and establish a new world order based upon faith in him. Jesus wants us to watch carefully for the signs of his return, but not be tricked by deceivers.

FAST FORWARD PART TWO “LET THE READER UNDERSTAND” OR, THE END TIMES FRAMEWORK JESUS’ OLIVET DISCOURSE #2 DANIEL 2, 9 AND MATTHEW 24:15-29 ROGER BARRIER, SENIOR PASTOR 1-13-08 S-1744 Today we continue our four-Sunday emphasis on Jesus’ teaching concerning future events. His Olivet Discourse is found in Matthew 24. We call this series, “Fast Forward.” We will take a moment to review for those who missed last week. Stunned by Jesus’ pronouncement regarding the destruction of the Temple, the disciples asked three questions. 1. When will this (the destruction of the Temple) happen? 2. What will be the sign of your coming? 3. What will be the sign of the end of the age? The Mountain Peak Principle: Events that seem close together may in fact be separated by varying lengths of time. The Multiple-Fulfillment Principle: Prophecies may be fulfilled multiple times. For example, the Abomination of Desolation predicted by Daniel (Daniel 9:27) is at least a triple fulfillment (Matthew 24:15). "LET THE READER UNDERSTAND" Under God’s inspired influence Daniel prophetically laid out the framework for world history from his day to the second coming of Christ and then on to the end of the age. His prophecies provide the framework for understanding all other end-time prophecies. The Multi-Metallic Man (Daniel 2:31-45) Golden Head (Babylon) Silver Chest and Arms (Media-Persia) Brass Belly and Thighs (Greece) Iron Legs (Rome) Feet and Toes of Iron Mixed with Clay (Kingdom of the Anti-Christ) The Rock (Jesus, Matthew 21:42-44) The Mountain (The Kingdom of Christ) Some Lessons: 1. All human governments stand on delicate foundations. 2.  All human governments eventually deteriorate and decay. Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian Republic 2000 years earlier when the thirteen colonies were still a part of Great Britain: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policies and is always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed in the following sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith... to great courage... to liberty... to abundance... to selfishness… to complacency... to apathy... to dependency... and back to bondage.” 3. The power of human governments is increasing. The Seventy “Sevens” Prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) God had a plan for Israel (bondage in Babylon) that lasted 70 years. God has another plan for Israel. This one extends for 490 years (70 X 7years) from Daniel’s day until the second coming of Christ and until and Christ establishes His Messianic Kingdom. "Heptad” refers to seven of anything—just as “dozen” refers to twelve of anything. From the command to rebuild Jerusalem (March 4, 444 b.c.) until the “Anointed One” (Jesus Christ) came was predicted to be sixty-nine “heptads” (69 X 7 years = 483 years). 483 Jewish years later or 173,880 days (360 days per Jewish year X 483 years = 173,880 days) after March 4, 444 B.C. was April 6, 32 a.d..—Palm Sunday. When Christ entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, 32 a.d., God's prophetic time clock stopped and has remained stopped for almost two thousand years. There is a time gap after the end of the sixty-ninth “heptad” and before the seventieth. The clock hands today stand poised at “sixty-nine.” There is still one "seven" to go. Three events occur after the sixty-ninth "seven" and before the seventieth "seven" begins. 1. The "Anointed One" will be crucified. 2. The people (the Romans) of the ruler who will come (the Anti-christ) will destroy Jerusalem (The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 a.d.) 3. There will be no peace on earth. Wars will continue unabated until Christ returns. Several events will occur during the final seven years. 1. The prophetic clock will restart when the Anti-Christ makes a seven year peace treaty with the nation of Israel. 2.  After three and one-half years the Anti-christ will desecrate the Temple by placing an image of himself in the Holy of Holies (This is the “abomination of desolation” Daniel, Jesus and Paul warned us to watch out for.) The Anti-christ will then break the peace treaty and the greatest persecution of the Jewish race in all history will commence. 3. The seals, trumpets and bowls of destruction described in the Book of Revelation commence once the peace treaty is broken. 4.  The Battle of Armageddon occurs at the end of the seven-year period with the destruction of Anti-christ and his forces. Some More Lessons: 1.  Discerning Christians have no reason to be baffled nor confused regarding the events of the end of the age. 2.  Investing in global outreach provides personal involvement in bringing in the Kingdom of God on earth. 3. Living holy lives is the best preparation we can make for the return of Christ.

WHAT TIME IS IT? Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 (Ecclesiastes #3) S-1403 ·SLIDE #1: How many of you are wearing a watch?  Or you have a pocket watch or clock of some kind with you this morning? How many did not bring a watch this morning?  What’s wrong with you?  You are in the minority. Any body here bring two watches? Why?  Because time is so important to us. Let’s play “Let’s Pretend.” Let’s pretend that your banker phoned you and said that an anonymous donor has decided to deposit 86,400 pennies into your account every day for the rest of your life. ·SLIDE #:2 You grab a pencil and start figuring. That’s $864 a day. $864 times seven equals over $6000 a week, times fifty-two. That’s almost $315,000 a year. He adds, “But there’s one stipulation... you must spend all the money that same day. No balance will be carried over to the next day. Now let’s play “Get Serious.” Every morning God deposits into your bank of time ·SLIDE #3: 86,400 seconds represent 1,440 minutes every day, which equals 525,600 minutes per year. Now, the same stipulation applies. You have to spend it all. No minutes are ever carried over on credit to the next day. This is what is so tough about time.  It keeps moving and you can’t save it up.  So, if you are not careful, it real easy to waste. ·SLIDE #2: Let’s go back to let’s pretend.  Every day you have to spend $864.  Easy to spend it on stuff.  Buy CDs and VCRs and toys because you have to get rid of it. ·SLIDE #3: Every day we have to spend 1,440 minutes and if we’re not careful, we will squander and waste it on little things that have no last lasting value—or we can make an impact over 50 years. Solomon learned much during his fling. He has given us advice on where to look to find real value in life. Get the tapes. Now, in chapter 3, he takes up the issue of time. LET’S EXAMINE THE PASSAGE AND SEE WHAT HE SAYS. ·SLIDE #4: 1. Life is filled with all sorts of events as time marches on. READ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. All are opposites.  Some build and then destroy, while others tear down and then build up. Time marches on.  Realistic, Fatalistic, good experiences and bad experiences. ·SLIDE #5: 2. Life is beautiful when God makes the right things happen at the right times. READ Ecclesiastes 3:9-11. Death at the right time is beautiful.  Death at the wrong time is not. Contrast Carl Mendenhall: “Grace, today is a good day to die, isn’t it?” with Desperado suicide. ·SLIDE #6: 3. God puts eternity in our hearts. READ Ecclesiastes 3:11, 14. If it is not eternal then it will never satisfy in my heart. ·SLIDE #7: 4. We need to enjoy life while we are here. READ Ecclesiastes 3:12-13. Ecclesiastes is a book about enjoying life.  Four or five times Solomon reminds us to enjoy life.  It will be a shame to go through lifetime and murmur and complain all the time. ·SLIDE #8: 5. God will one day ask us to account for our actions. READ Ecclesiastes 3:15. Judgment is coming.  That should affect how we live. LET’S DRAW SOME PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS TO HELP US LIVE BETTER LIVES. ·SLIDE #9: 1. FIGURE OUT WHAT TIME IT IS AND REACT ACCORDINGLY. Read some “times” in verses 2-8. When your child is injured in an accident, it is time to adjust all priorities and give the care he needs.  It won’t go on forever, but now is the time to take care of your child. When you are on vacation, stop thinking about work.  It is time to relax. When you are in college you stay out all night because you want to party and have fun and never complain.  Then a few years later you still stay up all night caring for a crying baby who won’t go to sleep and you complain about it all the time.  Don’t resent it.  This is the time of life for that. If it is time to work, then work.  If it is time to relax, then relax. ·SLIDE #17: It is fun to watch Glenn deal with his new baby.  Angie’s tired.  He is tired. I sympathized and told him that the best way not to stretch this exhaustion out is to go ahead and have another baby right now so they will minimize the years they spend in sleepless nights. I was really enjoying this. Glenn looked up: “Another baby. Now? Are you kidding? I wouldn’t want a dog right now.” Roger:  “Well, enjoy it, it really won’t last long.  Before you know it they will be gone.” Glenn:  “The last thing we are worrying about now is the empty nest syndrome.” What time is it in your life?  Don’t get upset.  React accordingly. ·SLIDE #10: Moose Johnson and Herschel Walker for all you Dallas Cowboy football fans and for you anti-Cowboy fans. Moose has bulging joint.  Career is over.  Herschel is 34 and getting a new lease on life.  Moose needs to be planning for retirement. Famous all over the country.  Go on speaking circuit and raise money for charities if he figures out what time it is. Figure out what season of life you are in. At least six seasons.  The eras overlap so that a new one is getting underway while the previous one is not yet terminated. ·SLIDE #11: Childhood: 0 to 13. Personality 85% set by age 12.  Openness, no walls, great opportunity to lead friends to Christ. ·SLIDE #12: Adolescence: 10-22: Personality is 96% set.  Crucial years.  Bridge into adult years. Energy and idealism. Willing to take risks and make a difference. ·SLIDE #13: Early Adulthood: 17-45:  Peak years of biological and intellectual functioning. Still dealing with overcoming childhood issues while making momentous life changing decisions like marriage, occupation, life style.  Child rearing.  Time to set course to serve Christ. ·SLIDE #14: Middle Adulthood: 40-65: Greatest earning power. Body slows. Great artists tend to produce their greatest and most profound works during this period. Launch children.  Empty nest. Time to shape the world around you.  Energy coupled with savvy. Mentoring. ·SLIDE #15: Senior Adulthood: 60-80: No longer occupies center stage of the world.  Must deal with increasing death and sickness of friends and loved ones. Increasingly out of phase with younger generations.  Yet, more time to impact for Christ and do all the things you’ve always wanted to. ·SLIDE #16: Senior Adulthood: 75-100: Sickness, few significant relationships, increasing bodily discomfort, facing death.  Ministry to people with life and death issues. All sorts of issues to deal with in every stage.  But the toughest time is the transition years between stages.  Moving from childhood to adolescence is tough, from adolescence to early adulthood. Are you in transition?  Child rearing and my mom and empty nest calling me to dinner. What time is it? ·SLIDE #19: Life cycle graph of man and woman’s satisfaction.       “She’s heading out for identity.  He is coming home for intimacy.” God has made everything appropriate in his time. How much we fail to see when we miss God’s timing! ·SLIDE #20: 2. SINCE CHANGE IS ONE OF THE FEW THINGS YOU CAN ALWAYS DEPEND ON, HANDLE IT WELL WHEN IT COMES. ·SLIDE #21: Mohammed Ali has Parkinson’s Disease.  How many thought he would be invincible? ·SLIDE #22: Jerry Rice on the sidelines in shorts.  Little legs, never saw him out of uniform. ·SLIDE #23: Bob Dole making VISA commercials. It is a difficult time for these guys. Leaving home for first time and you are on your own. Extended honeymoon and now you have children in the house and no time for each other. ·SLIDE #24: Chart of proper transition through change by Cynthia Scott and Dennis Jaffe. Illustrate with lost fiancé. Denial: focus on past and deny reality of present.  Many get stuck here.  Deal in past, public complaining. Resistance: focus still on past; internal feelings of anxiety, loss, depression, anger Exploration: focus moves to future as explore possibilities for survival.  Awkward phase, confusion, asking questions and looking for answers. Commitment: clarified focus on future, affirmation of right direction. ·SLIDE #25: 3. LIVE AND CHOOSE IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY BECAUSE NO INSTANT REPLAY IS ALLOWED. Fourth and goal and the ball is on the one yard line. Down by 6 points.  Hike, quarter back drops back, lines collide as ball carrier hurtles for the goal line. Whistle sounds and yellow flags litter the field as men in Foot Locker sales uniforms scurry about. The call: “Off-sides.  Defense. Half the distance to the goal.  Repeat fourth down. Main intersection at Ina and Oracle.  You start your left turn on a green arrow when another car runs the red light in front of you and collides head on with your car.  Whistle blows, flags litter the intersection and officers scurry about. The call: “Illegal turn.  Repeat the turn.  The opposing car must start 15 yards back from the intersection. No, you are cut and bleeding.  You get no second chance. Someone has to choose what to do when. Life is continually made up of options.  Every hour is an hour of decision. Shoplifting at Sears last Wednesday night.  “His life will never be the same.” Somebody blow the flag and penalize me 15 yards and give me another chance.  No. Lunch with a coworker leads to an affair. Back seat of an auto and you are pregnant. You are making decisions every day, so choose wisely. “God has put eternity in our hearts.” What in the world does that mean? When we get eternity securely in place, it’s remarkable what it will do to time. Professor in Seminary – got one of those little adjustable calendars.  Figured out how many days that he might reasonably have left if God gave him his 3 score and 10 years.  Then every day he stamps in his calendar how many days he has left. You say – “How morbid” – No not at all – how motivational. ·SLIDE #27: 4. DON’T BE A DOPE.  ENJOY LIFE WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE. Verses 12-13, 15. Talking with Glenn about the complaining Sr. Adults at the Five and Diner . “Do you think this means that God will hold us accountable if we are grumpy and miserable. Is God going to be pleased with our attitude?  “I gave you food, vacations, car, friendships, relationships, money, televisions and all you ever did is grumble and complain.  I will hold you accountable for whether or not you enjoyed life. God will say, “You dope!” Don’t be a dope. Enjoy yourself while you are here. ·SLIDE #28: SLOW DANCE : anonymous poem from Werner Goering Have you ever watched kids on a merry go-round? Or listened to rain slapping the ground? Ever followed a Butterfly’s erratic flight? Or gazed at the Sun into a fading night? You better slow down.  Don’t dance so fast! Time is short, the music won’t last! Do you run through each day – on the fly? When you ask, “How are you?” …do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed With the next day’s hundred chores running through your head? You better slow down.  Don’t dance so fast! Time is short, the music won’t last! Ever told your child, “We’ll do it tomorrow.” And, in your haste – not seen his sorrow? Ever lost touch.  Let a good friendship die? Because you never had time to call and say, “Hi”…? You better slow down.  Don’t dance so fast! Time is short, the music won’t last! When you run so fast – to get somewhere, You miss half the fun – of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift thrown away. Life is not a race, so take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over. ·SLIDE #29: 5. BE SURE TO DO THE ONE THING THE BIBLE SAYS WE HAVE TO DO TODAY. Read Hebrews 3-4:  “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. . .  But encourage one another as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness. . . . Let us therefore make every effort to enter into God’s rest.” “But as many as received Him , to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name.” (John 1:12) Becky at UMC and Dr. Feinberg: “You just don’t know do you?” Andy Miller suicide at Mt. View.  Be sensitive.  Took everyone by surprise. You need to receive Christ today. You may leave here and be run over by a bus crossing the street to the mall.  “Aw, that won’t happen to me.  I have plenty of time.” “Yeah, but, you don’t know do you?”  No.  So give your heart to Christ at the awning today. ·SLIDE #30: Close with a poem by a contemporary Danish poet I hear on Garrison Keillor several months ago. It is entitled of TIME .  Time passes by before we know it. We have twelve clocks in our house; still there’s never enough time. You go into the kitchen and get chocolate milk for your spindly son, and when you return, he has grown too old for chocolate milk, demands beer, girls, revolution. Your daughter comes home from school, goes out to play hopscotch, comes in a little later, and asks if you would mind the baby while she and her husband go to the theatre. While they are at the theatre, the child, with some difficulty, is promoted to the tenth grade. You photograph your full-blooded young wife, with fashion coordinated outfit, an opulent fountain in the background, But the picture is hardly developed before she announces that it is time to collect her old-age pension. Softly, the widow inside her awakes. You want to make the most of your time, but it gets lost all the time. Where has it gone?  Was it ever there at all? Have you spent too much time throwing time out? So you roam around for awhile, without time and place. And when it’s time, you call home, and you hear, “Hello, this is the operator, you’ve called 959-4939.  I’m sorry.  That number is no longer in service.       (Click) Make the most of your time while you have it. That is what Solomon says. ·SLIDE #9: 1. FIGURE OUT WHAT TIME IT IS. ·SLIDE #20: 2. HANDLE THE TRANSITIONAL CHANGES WELL. ·SLIDE #25: 3. LIVE IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY BECAUSE THERE IS NO INSTANT REPLAY. ·SLIDE #27: 4. DON’T BE A DOPE.  ENJOY LIFE WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE. ·SLIDE #29: 5. DO THE ONE THING THE BIBLE SAYS WE HAVE TO DO TODAY. Come to Christ Today.