https://youtu.be/MHcWFUt32V4

“There’s Wonder Working Power in the Blood”

Hebrews 9:1-28

Let’s recap: Heb 8-10 describes numerous aspects of the Old covenant, such as worship regulations and sacrificial ritual in the tabernacle, it discusses various rooms and furniture of the OT worship center. The author’s purpose is two-fold: 1) contrast the high priest’s service in the earthly sanctuary under the old covenant with Christ’s ministry as high priest in the heavenly sanctuary under the new. AND 2) to show how these various aspects in the old covenant foreshadow the ministry of Christ. If you want to know what God is going to do, look at what He has done.

Under the old covenant, salvation and a right relationship with God came through faith expressed by obedience to His laws and sacrificial system. These had three main purposes: 1) they taught God’s people the gravity of sin. Sin separated sinners from a holy God, and they could only be reconciled to God and find forgiveness only through the shedding of blood; 2) the covenant provided a way for Israel to come to God through faith, obedience and love; 3) this system foreshadowed Christ’s perfect sacrifice for sins.

Hebrews reveals that the first covenant was imperfect and incomplete, “for finding fault with them” (the people), it was a temporary provision until such a time that God’s perfect provision in His Son would be given. The new covenant was not an afterthought in God’s mind, rather it was always necessary and in God’s plan from the beginning until a perfect time and season in history.

The purpose of Jesus’ death is to put away sin, removing it entirely, not just covering over sin as did the blood of animal sacrifices. He entered once into the Holiest place in heaven to sprinkle His blood on the mercy seat v.21 “He (Moses) sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry” as I mentioned the OT sacrificial system foreshadowed Christ’s work in the heavens, v.23 “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” Chris blood being poured out on the altar in the heavenly tabernacle once and for all settled in heaven.

The blood of Jesus is central to the NT concept of redemption. On the cross He shed His innocent blood in order to remove our sins and reconcile us with God. Jesus’ position as mediator and high priest of the new covenant is based on His sacrificial death and shed blood. There can be no mention of the love of God apart from the shed blood of our Savior.

Scripture tells us, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge”, when we are ignorant of God’s ways, His Word, His precepts, His plans; we are destroyed. I want to give you knowledge of the power of His blood. His blood accomplished the following:

His blood forgives the sins of all who repent and believe.

Hebrews 9:22 New King James Version (NKJV)

22 And according to the law almost all things are [a]purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no [b]remission.

Matthew 26:28 New King James Version (NKJV)

28 For this is My blood of the [a]new covenant, which is shed for many for the [b]remission of sins.

This is not a universal thing- in which some teach that there is no need to repent, there is no need to do anything; it is a fact that He died and because He sacrificed Himself for humanity; we are all good. Scripture does not teach that. Jesus is not all-inclusive. The CALL is universal. It is true that ALL are invited, but it is the few that find the way and will tak...

https://youtu.be/rTO9QU4ZvgU

Super Bowl Sunday- Feb 7, 2021

In this year of football, I saw a lot of weird things. Players on the sidelines wearing masks, when there’s no one else around but their teammates, but not on the field with all the other players they have been around. OK weird.

Games on a Tuesday night played in a stadium with card board people and recorded noise pumped in. Even the “boos” were pumped in. TD dances in front of no one. The Cleveland Browns made it to the playoffs, when they were winless in 2017. They last made the playoffs in 2002. Same year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Superbowl, and are now returning. 

Players were allowed to Opt-Out-not every player has returned for the new NFL season. Several made the decision to sit out. After 77 years, the Redskins became the “Washington Football team”. Jim Kelly finally has a replacement, just 19 QB’s later. The Raiders are officially in Las Vegas, but their $2 million stadium cannot be used. The Jets shut down because they had two false positive test results. Cam Newton as the Patriots QB. Which leads me to the weirdest thing this year- Tom Brady in a Buccaneers uniform. I remember when Drew Bledsoe was the Pats QB, he got injured, Tom took over and never sat back down. He played 20 seasons with the Patriots- an NFL record for the longest playing QB for one franchise.

You may not like him, you may have harsh opinions about him, you may believe he is a cheater, or maybe you do not care one way or another- but Tom Brady is the GOAT. Tom Brady has a record 6 Super Bowl rings, more than any other NFL player, and equal to any franchise as a whole. Brady has been to the Super Bowl 9 times in his career and won it 6 times. What a LOSER! Compared to other great QB’s: Montana has been to the Super Bowl 4 times and won 4 times, a perfect record. Peyton Manning has been to the Super Bowl 4 times, winning twice. John Elway went to the Super Bowl 5 times and won twice. Drew Brees has only made it to the Super Bowl once, winning once.  Dan Marino only went to the Super Bowl once, losing to Joe Montana after throwing only one touchdown and two interceptions.

During the regular season, Brady wins 77.3% of games; the closest QB was Montana at 71.3%. In playoffs, he wins 73.1%and still the closest behind him is Montana at 69.5%. He has won 49 more games than Manning (and counting)

He’s back in this year’s Superbowl at the ripe old age of 43. He is the oldest active player in the NFL currently- this role typically goes to a kicker, but not in this crazy year. I am not a “Tom fanboy”, but I have mass respect for his work ethics and discipline. I do not know him personally, so I have no comment on who he is as a person- just as an NFL QB. Just like MJ, people love him and people hate him; at least he is who he is and we can still learn from his football career.

Lessons we can learn from the GOAT

You can go from nothing to a something: Brady was the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. Drew Bledsoe said of him, “I really liked Tom. He was a great guy and fun to be around. But I never thought he would be a starter in the NFL. He would always be a back-up QB”. What if Tom believed these words??

At some point, you have to see yourself as a conqueror in Christ. We do not look at ourselves more highly than we ought, but we also do not think of ourselves more lowly than we ought.

Romans 12:3 English Standard Version (ESV)

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

https://youtu.be/F6SX27sMfSQ

Matt 5:33-37 Yes be Yes

Here’s what was going on- at the time- Jews were making oaths based on certain things- the temple, the earth, gold, God, Jerusalem, a body part etc. They would take oaths based on something that was less valuable, so they could go against their oathsIf you took an oath towards God, you had to keep it- if it was for Jerusalem, however so valuable- you didn’t have to keep it- or at least there was an expectation that you didn’t have to keep it or change itJesus says- just say yes or no. Don’t be a liar, and don’t allow lying- just say what you mean and mean what you say37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one..  FROM THE EVIL ONE. For clarification- some Christians use this as a defense to say that we shouldn’t take oaths for anything- but that’s not the point. This isn’t a scripture about not taking an oath to do something, its about being a man of your word and not making promises that you try to get out of because of how you made the promise- Its about being a person of truthCan you imagine living in a time when telling the truth had to be explained? A time where people would say one thing and do another? What a weird time to live in for sureAs I was preparing this sermon- I was drawn to Jeremiah chapter 9In chapter nine- Jeremiah is lamenting about the exile of Judah- they are no longer occupying their land they are no longer prospering- their  society is in ruins. Why? Many reasons- but one of the major ones is that they had become a bunch of liars. 

READ Jeremiah 9:3-6they have bent their tongues for lies, They are not valiant for the truth, every neighbor will walk with slanderers. Everyone will deceive his neighbor, And will not speak the truth; They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves to commit iniquity.Here’s what is true- is that our God does not change. We are not Israel- but we are a nation. how God dealt with any nation in the past can give us indication of how he deals with nations. America was founded on the principles of Christianity. We have prospered as a nation because we held to Christian ideals.. We are no longer a Christian nation or society- we just arentEven when I was in Egypt in 2001 talking to Muslims they perceived us a Christian nation- then they would see our movies and tv shows and call us infidels based on how they saw us live when they considered us ChristiansThat was 20 years ago- gallup1938-98 70% attendance. Now 50%. 20% decline in past 20 yearsSo what is God going to do? READ Jeremiah 9:7-9 Behold, I will refine them and try them; 9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord. “Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”Again- we’re not Israel- but God doesn’t bless any nation that doesn’t bless him. don’t see itNations and persons cannot live lives against the truth and expect that God will bless themLiving a life of lies- being a liar- not keeping your word- changing your words- not speaking truthHow did they becoming a bunch of liars under judgement? Jeremiah 9:13-14Forsaken my law- walked according to the [f]dictates of their own heartTurned away from God and followed whatever their heart wantedWe are, as Americans living under God’s judgment. We have leaders who tell lies- Presidents, Governors, mayors.  All of them.  Local officials, federal officials, lies after liesWe have forsaken his law and turned away. Evil is celebrated. Lies are accepted. Now some would say “Pastor matt- seems like you’ve been talking a lot more about politics than you have in the past” things have changed. Society at large, not just politicians are trying to fundamentally change how you think about life and I’m trying to empower you to stayAnd I’m not being conspiratorial. Something that’s simple that doesn’t need to be lie is lie...

https://youtu.be/3UoDpQUb8mw

Y’all Need Jesus (Hebrews 7:26-28) *All verses in NKJV*

- In Hebrews Chapter 7, the author is building the case for why Jesus is the ultimate high priest and spiritual leader, by comparing Him to the examples of priesthood that they understood already.

- They are all familiar with the Law of Moses and the Levitical Priesthood. They know about Father Abraham, of whom they are all his children. These are the most honored and revered men in history.

- There is a priest even greater than the priests and leaders they already know and give great honor.

- He tells them of Melchizedek, the “king of justice” and “king of peace”, and high priest of God Most High. There is no record of the beginning or end of his life, so his priesthood remains forever.

- Abraham paid a tithe to him, and received a blessing from him. The one who has the power to bless is greater than the one being blessed. 

- The Jews paid tithes to the Levites, but the Levites paid tithes to someone with even more spiritual authority, Melchizedek, by proxy through Father Abraham, who pre-dates the law.

- Now Jesus is described as being a high priest in the order of Melchizedek. The illustration meaning to show that Jesus too, is greater than all others that came before him. He is worthy of all honor.

- Jesus is the King of justice and peace, no beginning and no end, and because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood remains forever.

- Hebrews 6:19-20, This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

- Jesus is greater than the Levite Priesthood. Even though they were chosen by God, they couldn’t really fulfill the requirements of the sacrificial systems because they were only human.

- Humans are inherently sinful and flawed. The high priest needed to offer a sacrifice for himself as well as for the people. It was never enough to truly pay the price for sin.

Hebrews 7:26-28, For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless (innocent), undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests, men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

1. Jesus is our perfect high priest. 

Hebrews 7:26, For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless (innocent), undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens…

- The High Priest was the top spiritual authority to all of the people, even the rulers and kings.

- His job included being responsible for all of the subordinate priests, overseeing ceremonies and sacrificial offerings, and interceding, on behalf of the people, with God.

- The High Priest was the connection point between a holy God and sinful man.

- His most important responsibility was to conduct the service, once a year, on the Day of Atonement. Only he was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place behind the veil to stand before God. 

- Having made a sacrifice of an unblemished animal, for himself and for the people,

https://youtu.be/Bzmc7pFTjeI

Divorce31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except [l]sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.I preached a sermon called “God hates divorce” I encourage you to listen to it It goes through a much deeper explanation on the justification and allowance for divorce in the scripturesIt’s a very deep well thought out message that I would encourage you to listen toI am not the decider of divorces. That’s not my role. Its God’s role and his scriptures describe itStay married is the Biblical advice. There is such a thing as a biblical divorce. Go and listen to the message. If you haven’t heard it or listened to it, go and refresh your mind with it.Mal 2:16 “For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”I really didn’t get from the Lord that he wanted me to do another teaching on the hows and why’s of divorce. I really encourage you to go and listen to the other messageHere’s the gist of it- God hates divorce. Staying married is the standard. There are minute biblical exceptions that allow but do not require divorce. If you’ve unbiblically remarried- ask for forgiveness and stay married. Quit looking for loopholes on how and why you can get divorced. Stay married.I typically don’t like to focus on an area that doesn’t apply to everyone in the roomIf you’re single- God can bless you in your singleness. You can love and support marriage without being married. I support kids and mine are grown, same with adoption, fostering etc.1 cor 7: 8-9 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.You can support and defend marriage without being married and you should want to see marriages flourish. If you’re burning with passion- get married.Can we walk through this together as adults? The standard is the standard. Don’t listen to this with the ‘ya-buts’ and the ‘whuddabouts’. Obviously there are biblical exceptions, but lets focus on the rule, not the exception. Yes there are single people here- not singling them out.

Why should marriage be so important to the Christian? Why do we fight for the institution and defend it and hold it in high regard?

It was God’s design

God was the one who invented marriage- It was his idea. He was the one who came up with it. We live it and see it- but God could have made us all anamorphic beings who could live and procreate on our own- but he chose not to do things that way-Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”From the beginning, God looked at Adam and said that it wasn’t good for him to be alone- and that we were created for relationship with other people. Specifically a spouseSince God designed marriage- we should defend marriage. God knew what he was doing.Studies have shown what God knew all along- Marriages make people happy and make them live longer. Men have better health when they are married and have more health consequences if they are divorced. Married mothers have lower rates of depression. Married couples have more wealth. They earn more money. Children raised by their own mom and dad are less likely to be poor, more likely to stay in school. Have less behavioral issues and earn four year degrees. Less depression, suicide, boys raised by single moms are more likely to engage in criminal activity and go to prison.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjOGWiNRg4&feature=youtu.be

Metamorphosis Hebrew 7:11-25 (NLT)

What does this mean?

The writer of Hebrew starts with the Question on vs 11- If there was an orderly way of priesthood that was established by God- That priests should only come from the order of Levi and Aaron- why would God establish another order of priesthood?Jesus could not be priest according to the Mosaic law because He was from the tribe of JudahThe answer – Jesus came to be the High Priest not by the meeting the physical requirement but by a life that would last foreverHebrew 7:16 (NLT)- Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.If perfection would come through Levitical priesthood, there would be no need for another priest Because its inability to justify the sinner before GodThe law does a great job of setting God’s perfect standard, but it doesn’t give the power to keep that standard It didn’t allow man to walk with God – God was only reachable via a priest 

The old law shows us Gods standard, the new law draws us close to GodAlthough the law performed a valuable function, its essential weakness was that it could not give life and vitality even to those who kept it, let alone to those who did not. In fact, its function was not to provide strength, but to provide a standard by which man could measure his own moral status. Its uselessness must not be regarded in the sense of being totally worthless, but in the sense of being ineffective in providing a constant means of approach to God based on a totally adequate sacrifice.” (Guthrie)The law provides expert diagnosis of our sin problem which is absolutely necessary, But the law does not provide the cure for our sin problem- Only Jesus can save us from our sin problemWe can’t go back and build laws of old things because we now have a relationship with JesusLaw is not the dominating principle in our lifeNew covenant is based on What Jesus did and not what we do – Even though you have a part to playA way was established where we didn’t have to go through priests and we could go through Christ to Jesus In order for us to understand this we have to go back and look at our nature 

We don’t talk about death & hell enough

Revelation 21:8 (NLT) – All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”Everlasting separation from GodRevelation 20:13-15 - The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave[a] gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fireJudgement is coming 

Our ultimate goal here in Church and a Christian is to make sure that you finish the race wellBeing a good Christian does not keep you out of hellWe see in the old testament – many priests that started well but didn’t end up well Church has become a live you best life now – Lets love everyone – But the goal is to love them enough to say, bro--- this path is leading you to hellAll these political, social, changes and lack of therefore are not to make you miserable – They are geared to lead you to hell If the devil to find knock out opportunity – he will take it – Stop taking these sermons as self-improvement message Time is short and your life is at stake – Let paint the real picture – hell is re...

https://youtu.be/zq-b2vircEk

Pluck your eye out Matt 5:27-30Was supposed to do a wedding in Texas in March- I cancelled- didn’t want to get sick or stuckIve seen a lot of people take a lot of precautions with covid over this past year. Distancing. Covering. Washing. Planning. Changing their plans. Doing everything they can to make sure they they don’t get infected and they don’t die. Wearing masks in cars. Not shopping, travel work etcPublic service announcements, tv, web, radio, announcements in parking lots. EVERYWHEREAnything and everything at whatever cost necessary to live and not die. Road signs- maskup!I wonder if we took that drastic of measure to stay away from sin. Just as much protectionIn these verses Jesus uses the example of lust to expose a heart condition and then uses hyperbole to describe the drastic measures we should take to keep ourselves from sinThe stakes couldn’t be higher. Hell is the destination for those who don’t take it seriously. 

Jesus says sin Starts with Intent

Intent is shown in our first verse 27 “You have heard that it was said [i]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.To Jesus this sin of lust starts with intent “to lust for her” it’s a plan to sin. Not just lust all sinJames 1:15  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. DESIRE+ACTION = Sin = DeathThe desire to lust is a desire to sin and is equal with actually committing the sin of adulteryJesus is drawing attention to the fact that adultery is listed as the 7th commandment “thou shalt not commit adultery” which the jews were apparently using as an excuse to justify lustThe whole “I didn’t do it, just thought about it” defense, that in their minds they thought OKIt’s the moral equivalent of my brother not touching me in the back of the car as a kidWithout spending a ton of time going into every scenario lets make it simple- Sex is only for married people who are man and a woman and intimate thoughts are to be reserved for themPictures, moving or stationary. Random people etc. the sin of the eyes and the lust of the flesh

ANYTHING outside of that is sin according to Jesus. A longing look. An extended thought. Anything. Very very high bar. Many people probably have or do struggle with this. Not just guys. I was in the Army with females. They are just as bad. But I don’t want to spend our time together just limiting to the sin of lust- all sin is equally as grievous. The non-lusters are not off the hook this morning. You’re just as vile. Sin is sin. And it all starts with intent. And intent and desire are just as bad as action. Must be rooted outPeople have too long lived in a world where they think its ok to think something they don’t act on- Murderous thoughts, lust, greed, anger, envy, covetousness, sexual deviancy etcGod judges the intents of our hearts. He looks deep into our hearts and sees what we valuePsalm 44:21  Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.Man. This is scary. I need more time to work on my heart. Its far from perfect. Jeremiah 17:10 10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.Yikes- not just the heart- but the mind too- God looks at what I’m thinking about and what I desire and he wants it to be pure. Lord Jesus help us! Fill us with your Holy Spirit! Enable us to live for you! We need you father!We need the Holy spirit to help our hearts! We can’t meet this standard on our own strength!

How do we fix the intent of our hearts?

https://youtu.be/3srmoEwgGpI

Hebrews 7:1-10 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; v.6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.”

Derived from the Genesis account

Genesis 14:18-20 NKJV 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him [a]a tithe of all.

Only three books of the Bible mention Melchizedek: Genesis, Psalms, and Hebrews.

Melchizedek lived during Abraham’s time--After God called Abram from Ur of the Chaldeans, he finds himself in an interesting situation: his nephew Lot has been kidnapped. Chedorlaomer, the king who had been controlling the city-states of the region was off conquering the nearby world. While he’s away, five of the vassal kings back home rebel—including the king of Lot’s town. Chedorlaomer drives the five rebel kings into hiding, then takes the spoils from Lot’s city. Unfortunately for Lot, his family and herds are part of the king’s spoils of war. The king makes Lot his prisoner and moves on.

Abram takes 318 trained warriors, beats the king in battle, and takes Lot (and the spoils) back to Canaan with him. It’s at this time that Melchizedek meets Abram and blesses him. (before the name change)

Melchizedek has no recorded family. The Jews were all about genealogies— yet Melchizedek has none. The author of Hebrews contrasts the lineage-based priesthood of Aaron with Melchizedek, who has no recorded birth or death.

This is where the discussion on Melchizedek gets really interesting, and goes in many different directions. Was he just a righteous man? An apparition of Jesus before he was born in the flesh (called a “theophany”)? An angel sent to govern the city of Salem?

That’s not really the author’s point. The author of Hebrews is more interested in showing off Jesus’ superior priesthood to these Hebrew Christian converts who knew the history of Abraham, Aaron’s preisthood and Melchizedek (remember they were in a time of hard persecution and were warned in several passages to not go back to what God delivered them from)

This Melchizedek was a priest of God Most High-  Melchizedek is the king of Salem. “Salem” means “full, complete, safe, whole, peaceful.”1  The author of Hebrews calls attention to this when likening Melchizedek to Jesus—Melchizedek was the king of “Peace,” the ancient town of Salem later becomes known as Jerusalem.

https://youtu.be/r14CehiROGc

Deuteronomy 20:2-4We are in a culture war in America that has been going on for decades but has been heating up over the past few years. We’re moving from One nation under God to one nation under Govt.   We used to allow to each his own, but now there is a convert or be destroyed ethosIt’s a moving target with no defined structure, leadership or clear goal but its clearly anti-God. Its propagated through the media, facebook, twitter, google, amazon, apple, governmental powers, institutions of education, books, blogs, videos and validated by multinational corporations of influence that now are an economic enforcement arm of complianceIts hypocritical, nonsensical, unscientific, coearcive, demanding and demonic. Its forceful.  It’s a war that wants to control what you can say, where you can go, tells you who you are and what you can be, wants to change the way you think, and what you’re allowed to think. How to act, live, and worship. What you can and cant eat and drink. Demonizes what you hold sacred. It wants to destroy the nuclear family. It normalizes and accepts  criminal behavior and enables addiction and vagrancy. It blames. It distorts. It withholds truth. It wants to control what you watch and see. It wants to fundamentally change the way you view the world and encourage you to abandon the things of God as antiquated. It redefines words. It demonizes some groups and elevates others. It identifies you by your external qualities. It restricts freedom. It’s a form of totalitarianism that seeks to control every aspect of your life. Its illogical and forces you call something that is clearly what it is, clearly what it is not. Its veiled in promises of personal pleasure and utopian ideals and progress. It changes God to a theistic pleasure giver instead of creator who must be submitted to. It has infiltrated churches to teach that God wants you to have pleasure more than truth, action as salvation with no requirement for conversion It changes scriptures, destroys orthodoxy, and wants you to reject the truth of your eyes and ears. It wants you to accept without protest falsehoods and propaganda and to just acquiesce to its demands of submission. It has been happening in plain sight for decades and as the proverbial frog in the boiling water can attest- many haven’t been paying attention to what has been going on. Its cultural Marxism, secular humanism, worship of the State and destruction of the Holy. It is churches that refuse to preach the Gospel of repentance and succumbs to the ideals of the world and offers a hedonistic licentious self serving Gospel that turns Jesus into a long haired genderconfused weed smoking hippie who walks around and approves of sin   And it is coming for and in the Church. Call me tin foil black helicopter guy but the Bible promises it.

You are going to engage in battle

You have to wake up to the reality that we are engaged in a battle- we’re not in the same worldWe are in an idealogical fight that can simply be defined as reverential and deconstructivistOne side reveres God, his structures, institutions and freedoms and the other seeks to destroy them at any cost and elevate the desires of the individual at the cost of any institution. Reverentialism admits that God is great and I am not while the deconstructivist declares I am great and God is not. I am my own God. I answer to no one. I can do what I want to whom. This is the battle and you are either Going to be engaged or you are not. You must as they did in acts- Acts 5:41 count it worthy to suffer shame for His name.Mat 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.Matthew 10:16( Persecutions Are Coming ] “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

https://youtu.be/LbtAgjJkwPs

Preparing for battle

Text:  Deut 20:2-4, Joshua 1:1-3; 5-9

Introduction: God want us to have great courage in 2021!

Meaning of courage: "to show oneself strong."

The promised land 

- the life of victory, a life of living in the fruit of the spirit- the gifts of the spirit

-a life of the promises of God and going into the new things that God has for us— 

God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. Joshua 3:1-4 Moses also had commanded Joshua. Deut 31:5-8Whatever God has for us this year will demands courage! 

We need to obey and walk in His word. Joshua 1:9We are to obey His word.We are to confess His word. We are to meditate His word. 

How we are to be walking in courage.Consecrate yourself                     Joshua 3:5

Consecrate:  The act of setting apart; To sanctify; Dedicating for God’s use.

1 Peter 2:9 Deut 14:2 Be holy as He is Holy – 1 Peter 1:15, Titus 2:11-12Romans 12:1-2

Consecration means, "I will set aside the typical and put my spirit on ready to see where God is working around me so that I can join Him.

Listen to the words of the Lord (instructions). Joshua 3:9 

John 8:47Prov 2:1-5

Walk in obedience to all HE asks of us. Joshua 3:13,15

Faith moves you forward in God's way, in God's timing. And there will come a moment when you must act on what God has said. If you don't, you'll never cross the Jordan.Not in fear or doubt. Vs. 17 Remember and testify of what God has done. Joshua 4:5-7 Psalm 77:11, Rev 12:11

Conclusion: 

Tomorrow you will see GREAT and MIGHTY things!!

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