Lies on SermonAudio

The Happy and the Haunted hurry away from the empty tomb. The happy are marked by "joyful fear" while the haunted are filled with fear and trembling and become like dead men. In this sermon, Pastor Josh contrasts the two groups and calls us to find our fulfillment in the empty tomb.

What Jeremiah was experiencing in his day with lies and falsity, we are experiencing in modern America.

From Colossians 3, the message teaches that believers must put off the old man with its deeds—anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying—because Christ has already put it to death and given new life in Him. The old sinful patterns no longer have power; believers are called to reckon this truth, yield to the Spirit, and put on the new man renewed in the image of Christ. National, ethnic, and religious distinctions are erased in the body of Christ, where He is all and in all. Evidence segments: 394, 418, 424, 452, 568, 766, 885, 1393.

"A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin." (Proverbs 26:28, NKJV)

The sermon explores the contrast between Solomon's early wisdom and his later spiritual ruin, using 1 Kings 3 as a foundation for understanding the necessity of discerning good and evil according to God's nature. It argues that true wisdom involves rejecting self-will and selfish interest, which corrupt judgment and lead to the exchange of divine goodness for evil. By referencing the Queen of Sheba and the moral law, the message emphasizes that God's infinite goodness is the source of all true satisfaction and that believers must live in humble, holy service to reflect His character. The preacher calls the congregation to pray for a wise heart that discerns truth, avoids the grand lie of self-serving autonomy, and builds up the church through righteous obedience. Ultimately, the sermon urges believers to rely on the Holy Spirit to put sin to death and live upon Christ's righteousness, ensuring that their lives contribute to the glory of God rather than their own advantage.

This message, based on Isaiah 36-37, focuses on the spiritual battle believers face against Satan's lies and intimidation, using the Assyrian king Sennacherib and his spokesman Rabshakeh as a picture of how the devil attacks God's people. The preacher describes Satan's tactics as a form of "information warfare," seeking to undermine faith by exalting human wisdom, questioning God's Word, attacking trust in God, promoting compromise, accusing the righteous, and blaspheming the Lord. In contrast, Hezekiah's response provides a model for believers: refusing to engage the enemy on his terms, humbling himself before God, seeking the Lord in prayer, listening to God's Word, courageously trusting God's promises, and bringing every burden directly before God. The sermon emphasizes that victory over the devil does not come through human arguments or strength but through complete dependence on God. Just as God miraculously defeated the Assyrian army and fulfilled His promises to Hezekiah, believers today can overcome spiritual attacks by trusting God's Word, praying fervently, walking in humility, and allowing God to fight their battles. The central lesson is that the best way to "talk back to the devil" is not with our own words, but through faith-filled dependence on the Lord, who is infinitely greater than any attack of the enemy.

This midweek devotional follows a current events update of Pastor Adams, which emphasized the coming judgment of God upon America, like that judgment of God upon Israel mentioned in Eze. 12. In this devotional, we examine God's stern warning against the false prophets and prophetesses of Israel in Ezekiel 13. Rather than faithfully proclaiming the Word of God and warning the people of coming judgment, these false teachers preached lies, promised peace where there was none, and encouraged the wicked to continue in their sins. Drawing parallels to the false teachings prevalent in churches today, this lesson emphasizes the responsibility of Christians to expose false doctrine, uphold the authority of Scripture, preach repentance, and faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.