All The Counsel of God

Text: Prov 16:20

• Intro:
  • In this study, we’re going to talk about four results of trusting God.  
  • When you trust in the Lord:
• You’ll be happy –
  • Prov 16:20, whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. 
  • You’re happy first from getting saved. 
  • Psa 144:15 says, happy is that people whose God is the Lord. 
  • And then you’ll be happy from trusting God each day for direction (Prov 3:5-6), for correction (Job 5:17), for wisdom (Prov 3:13), and even for suffering (1 Pet 3:14). 
  • This is the first of the results of trusting God.
• You’ll be fat –
  • Prov 28:25, he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat. 
  • You’ll be fat and happy. 
  • Fat is an expression of sufficiency. 
  • Psa 37:3 says, Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 
  •  In Isa 58:11, after fasting properly, the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.  
• In the coming months and years, we may experience times of hunger and thirst like Paul did, 2 Cor 11:27. 
  • Nevertheless, spiritually we will be fat. 
  • Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled, Matt 5:6. 
  • When you believe on Jesus, the bread of life, you never hunger and thirst, John 6:35. 
  • When you believe on Jesus, you drink living water and you never thirst, John 4:14. 
  • Instead, “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water”, John  7:38. 
• You’ll be safe –
  • Prov 29:25, whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. 
  •  Psa 115:11 …trust in the Lord, he is their help and their shield. 
  • These times in which we live are getting worse. 
  • How vital it is for us to know that we can trust the Lord to keep us safe.
• For instance, our prayer for the servants of God who have remained in Ukraine is that the Lord will keep them safe despite the bombings and attacks.
  • May they be assured of safety like David in Psa 3:5-7 and Psa 4:8.
• You’ll be blessed –
  • Jer 17:7, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.  
  • Contrast the man in Jer 17:5. 
  • Cursed is the man that trutsteth in man. 
  • It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man, Psa 118:8, or than to put confidence in princes, Psa 118:9. 
  • Men will let you down, betray you, hurt you, disappoint you, frustrate you, and many times this happens just because they are trying to protect themselves.
• In Jer 17:8, on the other hand, for the man that trusts in the Lord, his leaf is green in heat, and he’s not careful in drought. 
  • We covered this under “fat”, above. 
  • The verse goes on to say, “neither shall cease from yielding fruit”. 
  • Men who trust the Lord are fruitful in difficult seasons. 
  • They continue to bear the fruit of Spirit, the fruit of the word, and the fruit of souls led to the Lord Jesus Christ through their testimony and witness.
• Conclusion:
  • These are four results of trusting God that we pray will encourage you to trust him or trust him more than you already do.

Text: Lev 24:10-16

• Intro:
  • While the laws of man have certainly changed over time, God’s attitude toward sins that are now legal has not changed. We are going to study deadly sins today just as a reminder of what God thinks about sins that are not only legal but now commonplace. 
  • We are studying these deadly sins so that when you consider committing one or more of them, you won’t make your decision solely based upon its societal acceptance or its legality.
• You need to take God’s view into consideration because ultimately you will face him at a judgment.
  • You will give account of your sin before him. 
  • Thus, you may decide, after hearing God’s side, not to commit the sin. 
  •  And though you often see that the Lord provides forgiveness in the New Testament, his forgiveness and forbearance are the result of what Jesus did at Calvary and not the result of his changed attitude.
  • See Rev 21:8; 1 Cor  6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21.
• Some of the deadly sins are these:
• Blasphemy – Lev 24:10-16 –
  • Blaspheming the name of the Lord was a capital crime with immediate execution in the Old Testament.  
  • Taking the name of the Lord in vain is commonplace in Hollywood, among soldiers, in sports, in business, in comedy, in literature and so forth.  
  • Though Paul caused Christians to blaspheme before he was saved and the Lord spared him, he never once committed this sin or caused others to do so after he was saved.  
  • So, quit cussing!
• Adultery – Lev 20:10 –
  • Adultery was a capital crime with immediate execution in the Old Testament.  
  • Though the Lord forgave the woman taken in adultery in Jn 8, he told her to go and sin no more.  
  • The young man fornicating with his father’s wife in 1 Cor 5 was removed from the congregation.  
  • He was not forgiven and received in again until he repented and quit this sin.  
  • So, do not even think about committing this sin.
  •  But if you already have, then thank God that you were spared and then cut it out!!
• Homosexuality – Lev 20:13; Rom 1:26-28, 32; and bestiality Lev 20:15-16 –
  • These were capital crimes in the Old Testament.  
  • Romans 1 is clear in the New Testament that those who commit such sins are worthy of death.  \
  • Again, forgiveness for this sin is available in the New Testament [1 Cor 6:9-11], but the Lord does not approve of or condone this sin.  
  • If you are involved in it, stop it; if you aren’t involved in it, then don’t get started!!
• Pre-marital sex – Deut 22:13-21 –
  • In this case, the man marries a woman whom he believes to be a virgin.
  • After they are married, he realizes that she was not a virgin.  
  • When the evidence is presented to the men of her city she is stoned.  
  • Of course, in the New Testament there is forgiveness for this sin.  
  • But that is because of Christ’s propitiation.  
  • The Lord neither condones nor approves of this sin.
  •  Many commit it today thinking that it is either okay with God or that since he is going to forgive them they’ll just commit it anyway.
  •  Don’t do this and if you already have, stop!!
• Drunkenness and Gluttony – Deut 21:18-21 –
  • This fellow’s trouble was mixed with stubbornness and rebellion.  
  • He didn’t live past his teen years.  
  • 1 Cor 6:9-11 shows us that many in Corinth were forgiven and cleansed from this sin.  
  • But they quit and that’s the key.  
  • If you are stubborn, yield.  
  • If you are rebellious, obey.  
  • If you are drinking, stop.  
  • If you are a glutton, learn to control your appetite!!
• Witchcraft – Ex 22:18; Lev 20:27 –
  • Witches in the Old Testament were to be stoned.  
  • The Lord and the disciples cast these devils out of people in the New Testament.  
  • Someone in the New Testament who recognized the involvement of evil spirits in another person’s life would be foolish to think that God was fine with them being demon possessed.
• Conclusion:
  • There are people and even professing Christians involved with these sins today and just because they haven’t fallen over dead doesn’t mean that God has changed his mind about their sin.  
  • If anything, his forbearance is a testimony to the power of the shed blood of Jesus and the Lord’s willingness to extend mercy to them. 
  • Repent of your sin.  
  • And if you haven’t gotten into one of these things, don’t!!

• Intro:
  • We’re going to study the topic of deception.  
  • There are five things that can deceive you and you must defend yourself from each of these.
• Riches will deceive you – Mk 4:19.  
  • Our country’s problem is not an economic problem.  
  • Rather, it’s a righteousness problem.  
  • Righteousness exalteth a nation.  
  • Your problem is not an economic problem.  
  • It’s a righteousness problem.
  • “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto thee”.  
  • In Laodicea, riches have deceived the church and the word is well nigh choked out.
  • Defense:
    • Labor not to be rich.  
    • The love of money is the root of all evil.  
    • Trust not in uncertain riches.  Live by godliness with contentment.
• Sin will deceive you – Heb 3:13, Rom 7:11.  “
  • Be not deceived God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap”.  
  • You cannot sin without paying the cost.  
  • You can’t just try it like one Lay’s potato chip.  
  • And you can’t even sit around and just think about it without a bad consequence.
  • Your defense.
    • Acknowledge what God calls sin and avoid it, refuse it, and run from it.  
    • Be quick to confess it and forsake it.
• The devil will deceive you – Rev 12:9, 2 Cor 11:13-14.  
  • He is the master deceiver.  
  • In Revelation he deceives the whole world and he deceives nations, Rev 20:3, 8.  
  • He is the author of religions, of evolution, of many scientific theories, of mythology, and even of modern translations.  
  • He’s involved in commerce, in governments [the authority has come from the Lord but the devil has usurped the kingdoms], in many churches, in most communication, and in the world.  
  • He is the god of this world.
  • He is a liar.  
  • Defense.
    • The best way to protect yourself from his deceit is to know the truth and believe it.
• Men will deceive you– Matt 24:4, Eph 5:6, 2 Thess 2:3.
  • If you want to find out the truth about any man, go to the Bible and check him out.
• I checked out my old religion and I found out two things.  
  • One, it was man-made deception.  
  • My old religion used the Bible to reinforce its doctrines but it was not Biblical.  
  • The truth had been twisted.  
  • Two, it had a supernatural “hold” on people, though it was being propagated by men.  
  • Religious men are deceiving and being deceived.  
  • That’s true of all the religions of the world.  
  • The devil is behind them and men are out front pushing them.
  • Your defense.
    • Read and believe what the Bible has to say about your religion and its doctrines.
• You will deceive yourself – 1 John 1:8, Jas 1:22, Gal 6:3.  
  • Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things.  
  • You can easily be deceived about your motives, your judgment, and your will versus God’s.
• To avoid deception,
  • You have to step back and see what you’re doing the way that God sees it.  
  • The thing you may be deceived about has to fit the Bible not just one or two verses in the Bible.  
  • You must be willing to receive reproof and rebuke, be willing to admit that you are wrong, and be willing to humble yourself.

Text: 2 Peter 2:18-21

• Intro:
  • How Christians fall.  How is it that a good Christian can go along, seemingly doing fine, and then one day you find him backslidden and almost unrecoverable for any beneficial fellowship with or work for the Lord?  
  • Well, for some the answer is a follows:
• They get tripped up by a false teacher – 2 Pet 2:1, 2 Pet 1:18-21 –
  • They had “clean escaped from them who live in error” and they had “escaped the pollutions of the world.” 
  • Then some teacher comes along in a college classroom or in a pulpit or in a Christian book and with “great swelling words of vanity” promises him “liberty,” by alluring “through the lust of the flesh.” 
  • The poor fellow doesn’t realize that the professor is the servant “of corruption” and before he knows it he is “overcome” and “brought in bondage.” 
  • At that point he is worse off than before knowing the way of righteousness.
• They get tripped up by the devil – 2 Tim 2:22-26 –
  • They don’t flee youthful lusts and, as a result, they unknowingly “oppose themselves.” 
  • They quit acknowledging the truth and soon they are in “the snare of the devil” and they “are taken captive by him at his will.” 
  • That snare may lay there for months or even years before the devil pulls it. 
  • But when he does, they will not be able to “recover themselves” unless the Lord gives “them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.”
• They get tripped up by the Lord – Rom 1:21-32 –
  • They quit glorifying God and they become ungrateful. 
  • Like evolutionists they begin to worship and serve “the creature more than the Creator.” 
  • Through this process, God gives them “up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts,” then God gives them “up unto vile affections,” and then God gives “them over to a reprobate mind.” 
  • You see, in this case, it’s not the false teacher or the devil that trips them up over their lusts, it is the Lord. 
  • They don’t like to “retain God in their knowledge” and so God gives them up.
• Conclusion:
  • This is how Christians fall. 
  • The thing to do is to walk in the Spirit so you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh [Gal 5:16-17]. 
  • There is a war going on between the flesh and the Spirit and if you don’t let the Spirit have the upper hand by walking in Him, then you are set up for either a false teacher, the devil or the Lord to trip you up.

Text: Matt 10:39

• Intro:
  • When Jesus sent his twelve disciples out to preach and to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils, Matt 10:7-8, he also gave them warnings and instructions for their ministry. 
  • In Matt 10:39, after telling them that they must love him more than their own family, take up their cross and follow him, Matt 10:37-38, he told them that “he that loseth his life, for my sake shall find it.” 
  • This is a doctrine in the Bible that we must learn and follow.
• You lose your life to find it – Matt 10:39 –
  • In Jer 38:17-23, Jeremiah told Zedekiah, the king, that the only way he could spare his life and keep Jerusalem from being burned with fire was to go willingly into captivity in Babylon.  He had to lose his life to save it. 
  • Zedekiah refused. 
  • Therefore, all his sons were slain before him, his eyes were put out, he was carried to Babylon, and then the city was burned, Jer 39:5-8. 
  • He tried to save his life and lost it.  
• In Luke 17:24-33, right before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, Jews will have to flee their houses and fields without turning back to get anything they own, or else they will lose their lives. 
  • They will find their lives by losing them.  In 1910, a boy was born in Germany, into a prosperous Jewish family. 
  • He was one of four siblings.  In 1930, his sister immigrated to Palestine. 
  • Germany was very developed and Palestine was very undeveloped. 
  • However, in 1933, he also immigrated to Palestine, due to his concerns about Hitler’s anti-semitic views. 
  • By 1939, it was becoming evident to the world that Jews were being exterminated. 
  • That same year, he received a letter from one of his German friends who was now in the Gestapo. Included with the letter was a two-week pass to come to Berlin and rescue his family from their planned extermination. 
  • He pled with his family to leave with him and save their lives. 
  • They didn’t want to leave their homes and possessions, so they didn’t go with him. 
  • They were all murdered. 
  • If they had lost their lives, they would have preserved them.
• In Gal 2:20, we are to be crucified with Christ to live. 
  • Jesus had to die to bring forth much fruit, John 12:24. 
  • And we must die to live.  Paul said, “I die daily,” 1 Cor 15:31. 
  • The reason Christians don’t live the abundant life that Jesus promised in John 10:10 is that they aren’t willing to part with the life they have now. 
  • If you want to find this abundant life, you have to lose your life. 
  • In Mk 10:28-30, Jesus told Peter that men receive a hundredfold of whatever they lose for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s.  
• You lose your wealth to find it – Heb 11:26 –
  • Moses esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.” 
  • He knew there was a reward for leaving everything he had in Pharaoh’s palace. 
  • In Mk 10:21, Jesus told the rich young ruler that if he would sell all he had and give it to the poor, he would have treasure in heaven. 
  • Jesus guaranteed him that if he would lose his wealth he would find it. 
  • Prov 19:17 says, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” 
  • Prov 13:7 says, “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” 
  • The greatest investment you can make is to give to the Lord. 
  • There is absolutely no safe haven for money on earth. 
  • One way or the other, you’ll lose it all unless you give it to the Lord.
• You lose your pleasure to find it – Heb 11:25 –
  • Moses left the seasonal pleasures of sin to find real pleasure in the presence of the Lord. 
  • Psa 16:11 says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” 
  • Moses was in the presence of the Lord. 
  • They conversed “face to face, as a man speaketh unto  his friend,” Ex 33:11.  
  • In Ex 33:18-23, God’s glory passed by Moses and he saw it. 
  • In Zech 4:14, Moses is one of the two anointed ones, “that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
  • And in Mk 10:35-40, Moses will be sitting beside Jesus Christ in his glory, enjoying “pleasures for evermore,” Ps 16:11. 
  • In Lk 6:20-26, we see the contrast between those who get their pleasure from the world now and those who wait to receive their reward later. 
  • One will rejoice and the other will mourn. 
  • Notice that the ones who lose their pleasure now are also the ones who begin to “leap for joy,” now. 
  • The pleasure begins now and the reward comes later.
• Conclusion:
  • These three examples are so contrary to how the world seeks life, wealth and pleasure, that worldly Christians will never believe what the Bible says about how to have life, wealth and pleasure. 
  • You’re as unbelieving as the Jewish family in Berlin. 
  • And you are just as wrong as they were. 

In this life, the losers are the winners.

TEXT: Job 23:1-10

• Intro:
  • Job was suffering greatly and he was looking for an audience with God so he could get some answers as to why he was suffering so.
  • For quite some time, God was silent.
  • We learn from his experience that there are times when you want God to answer you and he seems not to hear your plea.
  • So, today we are going to study waiting out the silence of God. 
  • What are we supposed to do when God is silent?
  • Waiting out the silence of God takes:
• Perseverance – Job –
  • Job was going through a test –
  • He was a pawn in a spiritual war between God and the devil –
  • The battle wasn’t totally without benefit for Job because he was self-righteous
  • The Lord allowed Job to be tested until he repented of his righteousness and humbled himself –
  • Then the Lord blessed him abundantly and gave him twice as much as he started with when the trial began –
  • Job had to persevere through his trial –
  •  Likewise, there are times when the spiritual struggles in your life are for your benefit –
  • The Lord isn’t going to answer you in times like these because he is molding you into something better than what you were [Rom 9:20-21] –
  • You need to persevere through the trial until God establishes you in what he wants you to be [1 Pet 5:10] –
  • It’s like trying to make a battle toughened soldier out of a 20 year old boy –
  • There’s no explaining to do; he just has to go through it.
• Perception – Joseph –
  • Joseph suffered a great deal during his 13 years in prison –
  • He was wrongly imprisoned based on a false accusation –
  • He was sold into slavery because of envy – and yet he had to endure all of that until such time as he was released and promoted to be the second ruler in the country –
  • Joseph didn’t need God to reassure him during his trial –
  • God had already “spoken” on the matter –
  • Joseph had seen the visions of God regarding his brothers bowing down to him and knew that they would come to pass –
  • In our case, God often isn’t going to give you any perspective on your trouble other than what he has already written in his words –
  • Rather than cry out in anguish to God for an answer you need to study the scriptures and see what he has already said –
  • Then believe what he has said and live by those words –
  • Joseph did [Gen 50:20].
• Patience – Daniel –
  • In Daniel chapter 10, Daniel receives an answer from the Lord after three weeks of limited fasting –
  • The whole time he is waiting for the Lord to answer his prayer, he is clueless as to the delay –
  • When the angel comes to reveal to him his vision, he then understands that the delay involved a spiritual battle between the angel and the “prince of Persia’ [one of the heavenly hosts opposed to the Lord] –
  • There was nothing Daniel could do during this delay but wait –
  • Patience is required when you know you need an answer but there is an unexplained delay –
  • Perhaps the Lord is waiting for just the right time and anything before that would simply be too soon for you to know –
  • After all, he is God and we are just humans and he really doesn’t owe us an explanation –
  • Learn to trust him even in his silence.
• Penitence – Saul –
  • In 1 Samuel 28, Saul decided to enquire of a woman who had a familiar spirit because the Lord would not answer him [v.6] –
  • The Lord refused to answer him because he had sinned against the Lord –
  • What he needed to do was repent –
  • Instead, he tried to circumvent the Lord and get the answer another way –
  • Saul was rebellious, stubborn, disobedient and possessed with an evil spirit –
  • When you get into that kind of shape you are not going to get much from the Lord in prayer, in Bible reading or in church –
  • You are going to have to repent of the sin or sins that are separating you from the Lord.
• Conclusion:
  • Concerning waiting out the silence of God there may be other things to consider but these four are certainly some of the most common things you will face –
  • At times you need to persevere like Job and endure the suffering –
  • At other times you need to perceive like Joseph and find the answers the Lord has already written in his words –
  • Still there are times when you need patience like Daniel to wait till god replies for whatever reason –
  • And then you may need penitence like Saul before the Lord will break the silence –
  • Hopefully, you will find the Lord’s answers in his words –
  • They are certainly the most reliable counsel you will receive.

Text: Psa 2:1-3

• Intro:
  • Psalm 2 begins with the question, Why do the heathen rage? 
  • The answer is found in the first three verses of the chapter and then the next two verses show you God’s response to their rage. 
  • We are going to study the first three verses.
• This passage deals with the international opposition to God and the Lord Jesus Christ but spiritual application can be made to individuals, as well. 
• So, we will deal with the truths in this passage that pertain to both nations and individuals, alike.
• Why do the heathen rage?  The heathen rage because of their:

• Lack of the knowledge of God – Psa 2:1 – “heathen” –
  • No fear, no knowledge Prov 1:7; Rom 3:18 –
  • Paul blasphemed God in ignorance 1 Tim 1:13 –
  • The men who crucified Jesus didn’t know him 1 Cor 2:7-8 –
  • They may even profess that they know him when they don’t Titus 1:16 –
  • The only way they are going to know him is through believing the Bible.
• Vain imagination – Ps 2:1 – “imagine a vain thing” –
  • Vain imaginations darken the heart Rom 1:21 –
  • Their imaginations are vain because they are alienated from the life of God Eph 4:17-18 –
  • Their thoughts are contrary to the sound wisdom of God’s words.
• Ungodly associations – Ps 2:2 – “the kings of the earth set themselves” –
• They take counsel together but all the counselors are against God –
• This is a very simple truth –
• The nations who are against the God of the Bible will try to overthrow God and God’s people Dan 7:25; Dan 8:23-25.
• Foolish counsel – Ps 2:2 – “the rulers take counsel together” –
  • A companion of fools shall be destroyed Prov 13:20 –
  • There are those who walk in the counsel of the ungodly Ps 1:1 –
  • Because this counsel is contrary to the counsel of God it will not stand Prov 21:30 –
  • God’s counsel is found in a true belief of God’s words.
• Misunderstanding of liberty – Ps 2:3 – “bands… cords” –
  • Read and digest these verses Jas 1:25; John 8:32; Gal 5:1; 2 Cor 3:12 –
  • You don’t have liberty apart from God and apart from his laws which have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ Rom 10:4.
• Rebellion against God’s laws – Ps 2:3 – “break… cast away” –
  • They try to break the bands and cast away the cords –
  • They see the liberty of God as constraining; we know it to be liberating –
  • Thus they ensnare themselves in their own deception and rebellion against God 2 Pet 2:18-19 –
  • They aggressively oppose God and God’s people to the point of attempting to annihilate them.
• Conclusion:
  • The heathen rage because they are clueless about God, God’s word and God’s liberty –

All of this clears up in Jesus Christ and in the Bible if they will humble themselves and believe what God said.

Text: Gal 5:16-25

• Intro:
  • How many would like to not fulfill the lust of the flesh?  
  • To not fulfill the lust of the flesh, we need to examine and follow what Paul wrote in Gal 5:16-26 about the flesh and Spirit.
• The lust of the flesh.
  • It’s there; it’s always there; it takes nothing to cultivate it.
• The antagonism of the flesh. (Antagonism is opposition of a conflicting force).  
  • Concerning the flesh and Spirit, the flesh is opposed to the Spirit.  
  • Always contrary.  
  • It doesn’t make any difference how justified you feel in your actions or how spiritual you may want to be in everything else you do.  
  • If it’s flesh, it’s flesh.  
  • And it’s contrary to the Spirit.
• The works of the flesh. 
  • We will look at and defined what they are later in our study
• The result of fulfilling the lust of the flesh.
  • You can’t do the things that you would, v.17.
  • And you will lose your inheritance in the Kingdom of God, v.21
• Our instructions to keep from fulfilling the lust of the flesh:
  • Live in the Spirit, v.25.  
    • That is, you must be saved.  
    • To pretend to be saved when you aren’t saved is ridiculous. 
    •  You live as a miserable hypocrite and then die and go to hell because you’re lost.
  • Walk in the Spirit, v.16, 25.  
    • Concerning the flesh and Spirit, the Spirit is contrary to the flesh; they are mutually exclusive.
    • Walk in the Spirit every single step of the way.  
    • You start out like a kid learning to walk.  
    • The scripture teaches you and the Spirit guides you.  
    • Be patient; it takes time.
  • The result of walking in the Spirit, v.22-23.  
    • You start seeing the fruit of the Spirit in your life.  
    • Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance.
• This is fruit.  
  • It takes time for fruit to grow and mature.
  • You have loved and experienced joy, and put up with other peoples’ stuff, and so forth.  
  • But until the Holy Spirit has produced this in you, you really don’t know what it is because the flesh can’t produce it or imitate it.  
  • Concerning the flesh and Spirit, their love is completely different, their joy is absolutely different, their peace is totally different, etc.
• If you try to fake it, then your fruit is like artificial fruit on the coffee table.  
  • It looks good on the outside, but as soon as you pick it up you know there’s something wrong with it.  
  • Likewise, the same is true with the flesh faking spirituality.  
  • Don’t mistake that for spirituality.
• Conclusion:
  • The remedy is to walk in the Spirit.  
  • Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  
  • The Spirit produces things in you that far exceed every lust of the flesh.
  • Whether it’s the flesh’s covetousness, envy, lasciviousness, vengeance, rebellion, pride, or sinful desire, the fruit of the Spirit is far better.  
  • And it is incomparable.  
  • Concerning the flesh and Spirit, nothing in the flesh gives you even a sample of what you will see in the fruit of the Spirit.
• You can’t put down the flesh.  
  • But the Spirit can crucify the flesh, v.24.  
  • You may want to destroy the flesh for it’s works.  
  • It makes you think you’re going to die if you don’t give in to it’s lusts and demands.  
  • Crucify it.  
  • The Spirit puts you in Christ who died. 
  •  And you die with him in Christ.  
  • Go ahead and die.
  • It won’t KILL you.  
  • Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live…. Christ liveth in me”.  
  • That’s the Spirit.
• Conclusion:
  • Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
• The works of the flesh (defined).
  • The first four are sexual and sensual.  
    • Adultery – committed with the eyes, heart, Matt 5:28, as well as with the body.
  • Fornication – the act.  Premarital sex is fornication.  See 1 Cor 6:13-20.
  • Uncleanness, 2 Cor 7:1 says “let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit”: filthy mind, filthy mouth, filthy habits.  
    • Your spirit is defiled by what you see.
  • Lasciviousness – preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires; lewd = loose; voluptuous emotions = Full of pleasure, sensual gratification, exciting sensual desires.
    • Mega churches mistake lasciviousness for the liberty of the Spirit.
• Result of Violating 1st command. Idolatry.
  • We can easily see it in idolatrous religions.  
  • But can we see it in ourselves?  
  • Covetousness is idolatry, Col 3:5.
• Witchcraft.  See Acts 13:6, 8, 10.  
  • Today you see on TikTok and Instagram an increased visibility of witchcraft.  
  • You see it in Movies, TV.  Wicca.
• Result of Violating 2nd command.
  • Hatred.  Prov 26:24-25 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him.  
  • When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.
• Variance – at variance, in disagreement.  Produces discord.
• Emulations – contentions, rivalries, acts of attempting to excel in qualities.
  • One ups.  Not of the Spirit.
• Wrath – indignation, violent anger.
• Murders.  Not only killing but hating, 1 John 3:15.
• Result of Earthly wisdom (Jas 3:14-16) Strife – opposition, contrariety.  No matter which side you take, they take the other.
• Seditions – incitements of resistance to lawful authority.
  •  I don’t care how right you think you are, these are not from the Spirit.
• Heresies – opinions, doctrines, or practices contrary to the truth.  
  • The doctrine as taught by the Holy Spirit is always the same.  
  • The temptation to be the new kid on the block with the new deep revelation of doctrine is of the flesh.
• Envyings – painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.  
  • You’ll tear them down if you can’t beat them.  
  • Not of the Spirit.
• Contrast Jas 3:13, 17.
• Result of sowing to the flesh. Drunkenness – Eph 5:18.
• Revellings – wild parties. Eph 5:11 the unfruitful works of darkness.
• And such like.
  • Drugs, porn, etc.  In other words, this list is not exhaustive.  
  • It just gives you the kinds of things that are manifested as works of the flesh.
• Concerning the flesh and Spirit, none of these are from the Spirit of God.

“And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

• Intro:
  • According to the Bible, we are to live by the word of God, every word of God.  
  • In Deut 8:3, Moses wrote, “man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live”.  
  • Jesus quoted this verse in his reply to the devil’s temptation in Lk 4:4.  
  • “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”.
• Why would the instruction “live by the word of God” be so important?
  • The reasons are simple when you look at the significance and power of the word of God.
• In Jn 1:1-3, all things were created by Jesus Christ, the Word.  
  • In Heb 11:3 the worlds were framed by the word of God.  
  • In Ps 33:6 by the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.  
  • In Gen 1 “God said”.
• Now, in Heb 1:3 upholding all things by the word of his power.  
• And in Col 1:16-17 by him were all things created… and by him all things consist.  
• None of what you see and none of what you can’t see in the entire universe would not even be here if God had not spoken these things into existence with his words.
• Evolutionary science and the science of natural processes are absolutely contrary to the words of God.  
  • They are mutually exclusive from creation.  
  • These, like Biblical scholarship, are the words of men pitted against the words of God to keep you from believing what God said.
• Nevertheless, we are to live by the word of God.
• We are born again by the word. 1 Pet 1:23-25 “born again by the word of God… the word of the Lord endureth forever”.
  • Eternal life comes from the eternal word and the eternal Word.
• We live by the word of God.  
  • Lk 4:4 “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”.  
  • In the same way that we must have water to live, breath to live, and bread to live, we must have the words of God to live.  
  • You cannot live spiritually apart from these words.  
  • Consider that the entire universe is upheld by these words and you’re trying to live your life apart from these words.  
  • No wonder you’re falling apart.
• We are throughly furnished by the word of God.
  • 2 Tim 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works”.
• In the same way that God spoke this universe into existence, he speaks to you in his words.  
  • He gives them to you by inspiration so that you can understand them,
  • Job 32:8.  
  • And that’s what makes them profitable for doctrine (so you know what he said), reproof (so you know where you’re out of line), for correction (so you can get into line), and instruction in righteousness (so you can stay in line).  You will never be throughly furnished unto all good works apart from these words.
• We are judged by the word of God.  
  • Jn 12:47-50 “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day”.  
  • You are going to stand before God to be judged one of these days.  
  • You don’t have to wait to see how that judgment is going to turn out.  
  • Everything is already written in this book.  
  • When you live by the word, you know how the judgment will go.
• Conclusion:
  • Live by the word of God.  
  • If you are not saved, trust Jesus Christ to save you according to the scriptures (1 Cor 15:1-4; Rom 10:9-10, 13).  
  • If you are already saved, get into the word of God and get the word of God into you.  
  • It’s the only way to have life more abundantly as Jesus promised.

• Intro:
  • We are going to examine some Christmas traditions which are perversions of Biblical truth. 
  • Here are some of the major Christmas traditions:
• Santa coming to town –
  • Instead of waiting around for Santa to arrive (which he won’t), look for Titus 2:13, the glorious appearing of Christ. 
  • And don’t look for him to arrive with “rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums.”  
  • He is coming with the sound of a trumpet and in flaming fire to take vengeance [Matt 24:31; 2 Thess 1:7-10]. 
  • Santa is supposed to know who’s naughty and nice. 
  • You’d better not wait for that, but rather prepare for the judgment seat of Christ [2 Cor 5:10]. 
  • Don’t worry about him seeing you when you’re sleeping and when you’re awake. 
  • He can’t see anything but the Lord can [Prov 15:3]. 
  • He’s the one with whom you must concern yourself.
• Santa Claus dressed in red –
  • Instead of thinking of an imaginary figure bearing gifts, think of Is 63:1-4, the color of the Lord’s garments after executing his vengeance on his enemies at his second coming [Rev 14:18-20; Rev 19:13-18].
• Santa Claus with long white hair –
  • Instead of thinking of the kindly face of an old fairy tale, think of Rev 1:13-15, the Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest gift giver ever known to man. 
  • And think of him as the supreme ruler after he sets up his kingdom on earth [Dan 7:9].
• Santa’s gifts to men –
  • Instead of thinking about imaginary gifts from the north pole, think about the gifts given to us by Jesus Christ in Eph 4:8-12 following his ascension. 
  • They are the gifts by which we grow in Christ.
• The Christmas tree –
  • Instead of thinking about a decorated tree with many gifts underneath it, think of 1 Cor 1:18, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ where the price of our redemption was paid for all eternity. 
  • The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord [Rom 6:23].
• Conclusion:
  • As much fun as it is to enjoy time with family and gift exchanges and all that, don’t let the Christmas traditions overshadow the wonderful truths of the words of God. 
  • Keep your mind and heart on the Lord and trust him as your Saviour, if you haven’t already.