Why Has The World Gone Crazy?

The Lord put on my heart

So the Lord has really put on my heart. This was amazing when I was praying, coming here, and and I knew I was going to speak. I started praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying. And I kept asking, okay, Lord, what do you what do you want me to say? What do you want me to give and to deposit from your word? And I kept praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying. And I didn’t hear anything. And it I didn’t hear anything. And that just usually does not happen to me. And so a lot of times I know that God will wait until the last minute to put something. That’s the reason I’ve spent my whole life of this this is going on my 56-year walking with the Lord. Amen.

And so and and I want to say this too. I’m excited about Legacy Sunday because it’s on my birthday. So my birthday. So I want y’all to double up whatever you were thinking. In honor of my birthday. If you would. And I will turn a young 77. And yes. So I’m ex I’m excited about it. So when I I actually again, the Lord, man, some things were starting in my heart, but I just I just couldn’t get it. I said, Lord, what’s happening? Then we had the situations that have happened in our nation and things like that. And then all of a sudden, God did a download. I was actually sitting in Ardent Toyous house, and I was up early in the morning. I was praying and interceding, and the next thing I know, it was like there was a major download that the Lord was putting in my heart. I actually, it was, it was like there was such a presence of God that was there. I asked them if I could take that chair home with me. I said, there’s got to be something about this chair.

So anyway, I want to talk to you today. The Lord wants to talk to you today about why the world has gone so crazy. Why are we seeing the craziness that’s happening in the world today? And by the way, for those of you that were here Tuesday night, this is a continuation of what Cindy was doing. I was sitting right there. Cindy is jumping into my stuff. She started giving scriptures, and I’m sitting going, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out. Holy Spirit, you need to take her in another direction. This is what you gave me for Sunday morning, and all of a sudden what came in my heart was out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, let a thing be established. Let it be established. So we’re this is a continuation of Tuesday night.

The definition of the word crazy

So first I want to look at the definition of the word crazy. Now I know some of you I can tell by your smiles, and you’re going to say you don’t have to give the definition. I’ll just stand up and everybody can see me. So the definition of crazy is this. First of all, it ties right into what Pastor David was talking about. First definition is not mentally sound. Not mentally sound. The next definition is, and I love this because this again will tie into Pastor David’s series. It is marked by thought or action that lacks reason. Marked by thoughts. Everybody say thought. Say action. Because every action or behavior is always preceded by a thought or thoughts. Always. And so then it says marked by thought or action that lacks reason is impulsive, impractical, unpredictable, and extremely erratic. I think we can say that we’ve seen a lot of that.

And the Bible actually tells us, and this is where I want to bring this to you, that actually the Bible tells us that we’re going to see this, and it’s going to increase more in the last days before the return of Jesus Christ. Now, the thing that I really want to get in your heart is this. Even though there’s a lot of things that we see that can spark some concern, and it hopefully it drives us to intercession and prayer, and we’ll talk about that in a minute. But at the same time, we are not to get into fear like those that are outside of Jesus Christ. You know, I remember one time I was talking to my mom, and I will say, Mom, you’re in fear and anxiety. You’re worrying all the time. You got to stop that. You can’t do that. And she looked at me real puzzled, and she said, Well, if I can’t do that, what am I supposed to do? You know, this is this is this is a thing that we see all over the United States. We see it in young people. Young people are concerned about my future. You know, older people are concerned about the nation and the foundation of the nation and what uh what is going to happen. And this is not the America that I knew of things of that nature, but it’s happening all over the world.

So the Bible is very clear. And the Bible, and God tells us these things so that we will not be full of anxiety and worry. And we will not fear because we know these things are going to happen, and we know that God will take care of us. God is our refuge, God is our strong tower. God, the word of God is our foundation. And so the Bible gives us information, and I’m going to read a lot of scripture today. So I’m going to give you some information.

The behavior in the last days

Paul told Timothy, preach the word only, about the behavior in the last days before the return of Jesus Christ. In 2 Timothy the third chapter, verses 1 and 5, and I’m going to read this out of the amplified Bible. It says,

But understand this.

In other words, the Apostle Paul is saying, listen, you need to know this, and you need to be able to understand it.

That in the last days will come set in perilous times of great stress, trouble, hard to deal with, and hard to bear.

The word perilous in the Greek means this: it means troublesome, dangerous, harsh, fierce, and savage. In verse 2, it says,

For people will be lovers of self.

There is the root right there. Lovers of self. So it says, lovers of self, utterly self-centered. In other words, everything is about me. And everything that you do, it should be about me. Your concentration should be me. The whole time. Me, me, me, me, me, me, me. Okay?

And so, so he says, self-centered, lovers of money, aroused by an inordinate, greedy desire for wealth. And you know what the Bible tells us, and this is not on my notes. I didn’t give this to Pastor David. I didn’t give him all my notes. So I just want to read this to you in 1 Timothy the 6th chapter verse 9 and 10. It says,

But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and the snare into many foolish and useless and godless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing. For the love of money is the root of all evils.

Notice it did not say money is the root of all evil. Because without that, we couldn’t be a blessing to other people. You can be a blessing to the ministry here in the church and missions and other things. So it’s not money, it is the love of it. It says that for the love of money is the root of all evils. It is through this craving that some have been led astray and wandered from the faith, pierced themselves with many acute mental pains. But then he goes on to say, But you, old man of God, flee these things. So we have to have the right perspective whenever we look at wealth or money or anything else. We don’t do anything out of selfish ambition. Everything we do is our ambition is for the kingdom of God. And when our ambition is for the kingdom of God, God will bless us. We are the seed of Abraham, and when Abraham was abundantly wealthy. And God said this to Abraham. He said, Abraham, I am going to bless you. I’ll make a covenant with you, and I’m going to bless you so that you will be a blessing. Everything that God blesses us with is so that we can be a blessing. And the great thing about that is when you when you become a blessing and you be a blessing, God multiplies what you just blessed somebody with. Which is absolutely amazing.

So it said, people will be lovers of self, and then it goes on to say they will be proud, arrogant, narcissism will be off the chart. Proud, arrogant, contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive, blasphemous, scoffing, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, and profane. And a lot of this we actually see in the news media today. The scoffing, the mocking, the profane that we that we see. Now remember, these are all characteristics of society and culture before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. It says they will be without natural human affection, callous and inhuman. I don’t think I’ve ever lived in a time in my life that I’ve been on this earth and had understanding that I’ve never seen a time where human life is devalued. That’s right in such a way that’s just it’s it’s it’s absolutely amazing to me. He said they will be slanderers, false accusers, troublemakers, intemperate, and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled, fierce, haters of good. They will be, verse 4, they will be treacherous, betrayers, rash, inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than rather than lovers of God. For although they hold a form of piety in true religion, they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it. Which basically means two things the power of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. And he says, uh the it belies the genuineness of their profession, avoid all such people, turn away from them.

This does not mean that we don’t witness to people. It doesn’t mean that we’re not telling people and sharing the gospel as God opens the doors for us. Basically, what he’s saying is you can’t run with people like this. You can’t start hanging out with people like this. Now, let me just say this. You might not be hanging out with somebody or running with them concerning this, but my question is, what are you watching on TV? What are you listening to on social media? That that’s the that’s the key for us as Christians. It says, avoid all such people and turn away from them. Now, why would he tell us that? Because he gives us the answer in 1 Corinthians the 15th, chapter, verse 33, and it says this do not be deceived and misled.

Evil companionships, communion and associations with corrupt and depraved.

I’m sorry. Do not be deceived or misled.

Evil companionships, communion and associations, corrupt and depraved good manners, morals, and character.

Now you know what’s amazing about that scripture to me? It says, it says basically this. They’re influencing you. You’re not pulling them up to where you are, they’re pulling you down to where they are. And it’s in it’s important that we don’t compromise our Christianity. That we don’t compromise walking in holiness and righteousness and godliness.

God’s holy wrath revealed from heaven

So it goes on to say in another scripture about the characteristics that we’re living in. And that’s Romans the first chapter, verse 18 and 32. In verse 18, it says this,

for God’s holy wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

Let me just please take a moment and interject something here. It does not say that God’s holy wrath and indemnation are revealed from heaven against all godliness and righteousness of men. Matter of fact, if you read the word of God, you will find many times in the Word of God, I think Romans the fifth chapter, verse 9, and it says, Because of the blood of Jesus, we are no longer subject to the wrath of God. So John put it, first John puts it like this in chapter 4. He said, When you operate in fear of punishment when it comes to God, it says that you have not matured in love. Because it says, mature love will cast out fear. Okay? You’ve got to realize, and you’ve heard that in this pulpit for years, you’ve got to realize that the grace of God and the love of God and the mercy of God is for us and for every single person that will give their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for his grace. Thank God for uh for his mercy and everything that he’s given us through our redemption.

So he says,

God’s holy wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative.

The key to what you see, people without the Lord Jesus Christ, they’re gonna do everything they can to suppress truth. So if you suppress truth, what are you gonna have? You’re gonna have a lot of lies. And what does the Bible say? What did Jesus say? That the devil is the father of all lies. There’s no truth in him whatsoever. So we have to be able, and and every time we have to understand that what we need in this day and time is discernment. We need to be able to discern that which is good and that which is evil. We need to be able to discern that which is fake.

So the Bible, so the Bible goes on and says, it says,

forever, forever since the creation of the world, his invisible nature and attributes, that is his eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made his handiworks.

To me, you have to, wow. To live in this world and to see the trees, the birds, the animals, to look at the complexity of our own bodies. Our minds, the way we think, thoughts and things of that nature. And we look at everything around us. And not to think that there is a creator. Not to think that there is a God. The Bible says only a fool says that there is no God. We actually have a national holiday for that. April Fool’s Day. So, but he says, for those who do not believe in God, they’re fools. And that’s the reason we as a church, we pray for the lost. We pray for those in our families. We pray for those that our friends or people that we work with. We’re praying for them to be saved.

And it goes on in verse 21 says,

Because when they knew and recognized him as God, they did not honor and glorify him as God or give him thanks, but instead they became futile.

That means empty and godless in their thinking, with vain imaginings, foolish reasonings, and stupid speculations, and their senseless minds were darkened. By the way, who darkens those minds? In Corinthians, it tells us that the God of this world, Satan, darkens the minds of those that are unbelievers. And again, that’s the reason we pray for people. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, professing to be smart. They made simpletons of themselves. And by them the glory and the majesty and the excellence of the immortal God were exchanged for and represented by images resembling mortal man, birds, beasts, and reptiles.

Therefore, God gave them up.

This is to me is one of the scary scriptures in the Bible.

Therefore, God gave them up in the lust of their own hearts to sexual impurity, to the dishonoring their bodies among themselves, abandoning them to the greating power of sin. Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen. Be it so.

For this reason,

verse 26,

for this reason, God gave them over and abandoned them to vile uh affections, degrading to passions, for their women exchanged their normal their natural function for the unnatural and abnormal one. And the men also turned from the natural relationships with women and were set abraze, burning out and consumed with lust for one another. Men committing shameful acts with men suffering in their own bodies and personalities the inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrongdoing and going astray, which was their fitting retribution. And so, since they did not see to fit to acknowledge God or approve him or consider him worth knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things that are not proper or decent but loathsome. Until they were filled and uh permeated and saturated with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping, and covetous greed and malice. They were full of envy and jealousy, murder, strife, uh deceit and treachery, ill will and cruel ways. They were secret backbiters and gossipers, slanders, hated, hateful to and hating God.

Remember what Jesus said to us in John the 7th chapter, verse 7? It said this,

the world cannot be expected, the world cannot be expected to hate you, but it does hate me, because I denounce it for its wicked works and reveal that its doings are evil.

And then he said this in John 15, 18.

If the world hates you, no, if the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you belong to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, no longer one with it, but you but I have chosen and selected you out of the world, the world hates and detests you. Remember that I told you a servant is not greater than his master, is not superior to him. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word and obey my teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. But they will do all of this to you, inflict all this suffering on you because you’re bearing my name and on my account. For they do not know and understand the one who sent me.

So the Bible tells us again that there are going to be people that hate us. And the reason being is because they’re operating inside of a sinful nature like you and I did before we got born again. That’s the reason we can never become self-righteous. We can never look down on people. We don’t like their actions, we don’t like their deeds. But we are to love our enemies. We are to pray for those who persecute us. That’s what we’re supposed to do. That is literally the characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ. That that is, can you imagine hanging on a cross? What if people took you out in the street right now and just literally beat you to death, and right before you died, you looked up and you said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Forgive them because they don’t know what they’re doing. That was that’s a key statement that Jesus said that we need to understand it, and that is this. They don’t know what they’re doing. Because when we look at it and say, how could somebody act that inhumane? How can somebody do all of these things? Listen to me, folks. They don’t know what they’re doing. They’re deceived. They’re living in a darkened state that just like you and I were living in at one point before we got saved, before Jesus came into our into our lives.

It says they were slanderous, hateful to hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, and boasting, inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents. They will be without understanding, consciousness, faithless, heartless, loveless, merciless, though they are fully aware of God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die. They not only do them, this is what we’re seeing today. They not only do them, but they approve and applaud others who practice them. That’s what we’re seeing everywhere. And remember, again, I want you to understand this. They don’t know what they’re doing. That’s the reason that you and I, as the church are so important. That’s the reason you and I that have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that we are to be a light in the midst of all of this. We are not to run and hide. We’re to be bold. We are to speak up, but we are to speak the truth in love, not condemning. We’re not, listen, there was two factions in Jesus’ time. There were the zealots who wanted to take everything by force and rebelled against the government. And were again violent, use the sword, they would kill, do whatever. But they were doing it in the name of religion. And then came Jesus. The disciples and the church, totally completely different than the zealots. They didn’t do it, they didn’t, they didn’t respond with violence. They didn’t respond with hatred. Man, I remember when when the disciples were beaten and they were thrown in prison, and and and the and and the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They basically said to them, stop preaching in the name of Jesus. Stop filling our streets with this name. And so when they had done everything they could to them and they sent them back, they did not say, I don’t know about you. I’m gonna protest this. And there’s nothing wrong about speaking out against that which is immoral or injustice. The Bible actually tells us that in Ephesians the fourth chapter, it says, Expose the works of darkness. That means that I can speak according to the word of God about something that is wrong or sinful or immoral. I can speak to that. But again, I must speak it in love.

When they got back and they began to pray, they didn’t pray. God get them. Bring fire down from heaven like James and John, the Sons of Summer’s Thunder did one time. Come on, let’s have a Texas barbecue. Just fry. You know, let fire come from heaven. Scorch them. Burn them up. They didn’t do that. They went back after all the hell they went through. After all the mocking, the scourging, the scolding, the things that they went through. They went back and said, Father, you hear their threatenings. You hear their threatenings. You see what they’re doing. So we’re coming to you. Because the Bible says, vengeance is mine. Vengeance, you don’t repay evil. You don’t repay evil with evil. And he says, Vengeance is mine. He said, I will take care of it. And here’s the crazy thing. You don’t know when he’s going to take care of that. It might be when somebody stands in judgment before him. I don’t know when that’s going to take place. But what did they play? What did they pray? They said, Father, give us boldness to continue to preach your word. Give us boldness. Give us courage. We’re not going to be wimps. We’re not going to be scaredy cats. We’re not going to back down. We want boldness to preach your gospel. We want boldness to live this life the way you’ve called us to live. What you’ve told us to do by stretching forth your hand and doing signs, wonders, and miracles. One thing that we cannot get away from in the church of America, in the church today, even though we have all technology, we cannot get away from the supernatural power of Almighty God. God still is a God of miracles. And you want to get people’s attention, you pray for them. Young folks, you want to get people’s attention? We we just, I was watching our service before we came over here, and they they had three young people that got up that had unbelievable miracles that have happened to them, diseases disappearing. Why? Because the young people were praying for each other, praying for miracles. And I’m telling you right now, when it comes to young people, us folks that have been around for a long time, sometimes, you know, we kind of got it, we’ve we’ve gone to sleep a little bit on our faith at times. And when somebody prays for us, it’s like, oh, I hope so. But when young people pray for one another, they’re like, give me some of this. Let me have it. Put it on me. And when you start praying for people like that and start praying for young people that are going through things, I’m telling you, God will move in such an incredible way where you have revival in your schools. It’s amazing what he’ll, especially in this day and time. Because when the enemy comes in like a flood, he raises up a standard against him. And that standard is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is us. We have been given the keys of the kingdom. Take your keys off of the key rack and start using the keys of the kingdom. So he said, I promise I was not going to preach in almost them too. Okay.

Who is the influence behind all of this crazy behavior?

It says, It says, they approve and applaud others. So here’s one of the major things that I want you to see. Who is the influence behind all of this crazy behavior? And I’m going to give you again, I’m going to give you 100% scripture. Because I want you to see this. Why do people say what they say? Why did they do things that they’re doing? All of the craziness. The things that you’re seeing, who is behind it? It is not the Democrats or the Republicans. It’s not the left or the right. It is spiritual, 100%. Paul said in Ephesians the 6th chapter, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Even though flesh and blood is there, and the enemy works in flesh and blood, but we have to address what’s behind the principles, what’s behind the ideologies, what’s behind these things. That’s what we address. We address it in prayer. We address it in intercession. We address it like Jesus speaking to the storm. You know, I tell people all the time when Jesus spoke to the storm, he did not call a prayer meeting. He did not get on his Instagram or his Facebook or social media, and he did not text the intercessors. Folks, there’s a time to pray, and then there’s a time when your life is in jeopardy, you need to speak. There’s a time to pray, and then there’s a time to speak. He spoke to the storm. He didn’t get up and say, guys, let’s let’s pray about this. Because they were about to lose their life. He said, I’ve got to take the authority that was given to me, and I’ve got to speak. Every single one of you in this place, if you’re born again, you have the authority of the name of Jesus. You have the authority of the word of Almighty God. And God backs your authority.

So who’s behind this behavior? Let’s look at Ephesians, the second chapter. Ephesians 2nd chapter, verse 1.

And you, he made alive when you were spiritually dead and separated from him because of your transgressions and sins.

Praise God that God brings us out of our transgressions. He forgives all of our sin and brings it and makes us alive because our spirit man without Jesus is dead. It’s living in darkness. And so he said,

He said, Because of your transgression, sinned, we made alive in which you once walked, you were following the ways of this world, influenced by this present age.

Or you could say this present darkness.

In accordance,

and watch this.

You walked in ways of this world in accordance with the prince of the power of the air, Satan, the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient, the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God.

So let me show you how he does this. This is going to kick off his series. Let me show you how he does it. How many of you remember Judas? Betrayed Jesus. Okay. How did that take place? Listen to this. In John the 13th chapter, verse 2,

so it was during supper, Satan having already put the thought of betraying Jesus in the heart of Judas Iscara, Simon’s son.

How did he start? He put a thought. Remember, all action and behavior is preceded by a thought. If you don’t do something with that thought, 2 Corinthians the 10th chapter, verses 3 and 5 said the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down every vain imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Taking every thought captive. How many thoughts? Every thought captive. The thoughts that you don’t take captive that are contrary to the word of God will take you captive. And then it will become a stronghold. So when thoughts come in that are contrary to the word of God, which means you must know the word of God. Because if you don’t know the opposite of what that thought is concerning the word of God, you’ll meditate on it. You’ll think about it. You’ll mold it over. And by that time, that old saying is that you give the devil an inch, he’ll become a ruler. That’s exactly what he will do. So you you have to take those thoughts that are contrary to God’s word. You’re not going to make it, you’re no good. You’re not you, you know, you don’t listen, you’ve been validated by God. You don’t need somebody to validate you on social media. Quit living for somebody else’s validation, knowing that you are validated by God. He loves you, he cares for you. He’s on your side, he’s not against you in any way, shape, or form.

So it was during supper that Satan already put the thought. Now watch this. After the thought came, now you’re going to see the behavior. You’re going to see the betrayal. You’re going to see why people murder people. You’re going to see why people abuse people and all kinds of things. Because once a person embraces the lies of Satan. You open the door. Not a Christian. But a person that is non-Christian that we just read about, you open the door to be demon-possessed. And then in that demon possession, the demons will get you to carry out what they desire. And what is their platform? Kill, guys, steal, kill, and destroy. John 10 10. So listen to this in Luke 22, verse 3 and 4. Now, this is after Judas has made a decision that he’s going to betray. He got the thought, he’s now going to betray. But it says,

but then Satan entered into Judas, called Iscaria, who was one of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and the captains how he might betray him and deliver him up to them.

Where did it start? With a what? A thought. Started with a thought. You must discern your thoughts. And you must ask yourself, who is putting thoughts in my mind? Where are thoughts coming from that are in my mind? Who am I listening to that is causing me to act in a certain manner in a certain way?

So it says,

Among these unbelievers, we all once lived with the passions of our flesh, our behavior governed by our sinful self, indulging in the desires of human nature without the Holy Spirit, the impulses of the sinful mind.

Have you noticed it says the sinful self and the sinful mind and the impulses?

We were by nature children under God’s sentence of God’s wrath, just as the rest of mankind, but God being so rich,

everybody say, but God

being so rich in mercy because of his great love, his great and wonderful love, which he loved us, even when we were spiritually dead and separated from him because of our sins, he made us spiritually alive with Christ, for by his grace, his undeserved mercy and favor, we have been saved from God’s judgment.

Folks, stop fearing if Jesus comes back, if you’re going to go or not. Jesus comes back, you were going. Amen.

Work out your own salvation

And so, who are we as Christians supposed to be, and how do we live and keep ourselves walking in holiness and godliness? Philippians, the second chapter verse 12 and 16.

Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed my suggestions, so not now only with enthusiasm, you would show in my that you would show in my presence, but much more because I am absent. Work out, cultivate, carry to the goal and fully complete your own salvation.

You don’t get saved by works. You’re saved by grace through faith. But you and I are to work out what’s now in us. We are to work it out. We’re to work out our living the way God’s called us to live. Doing what He’s called us to do. But you you have to work it out. It takes effort, it takes discipline. It just doesn’t happen. You know, it’s like the old saying with um uh that the guy said one time, he said, when I feel like working out, I lay down on the couch and I wait until the feeling pass. We can’t get on the couch when it comes to who we’re supposed to be in this world and the things that we’re supposed to be doing. Can you say amen?

So it says,

carry out to the goal and fully complete your own salvation with reverence and awe, trembling and self distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, what watchfulness against temptation, timidly,

I love this,

timidly shrinking from whatever may offend God or discredit the name of Jesus. Not not in your own strength, for it is God who

can I do this, can I live this life? Absolutely. I am so tired of and in I I saw it beginning like sometimes um decades ago that that the standard of God was brought down. Like you can’t live holy, you can’t live godly, you can’t live righteous. That is a lie out of the pit of the hell. Because the Bible says right here,

it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you, energizing, creating in you the power and desire to both will and to work for his good pleasure, satisfaction, and delight.

Notice it says the power and the desire, which means the thoughts. The Holy Spirit, the thoughts of what we’re supposed to do. Do all things. We hate this scripture, so I’m gonna skip over it. But no, I’m not.

Do all things without grumbling and fault finding and complaining against God and questioning and doubting among ourselves that you may show yourselves to be blameless, guileless, innocent, uncontaminated children of God, without blemish, faultless, unrebukable, in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation, spiritually perverted and perverse, among whom you are seen as bright lights, stars or beacons shining out clearly in the dark world.

It’s not so much about the words that you can speak, it’s about the life that you’re living. When stars are out at night, and you get to see them more than we do in North Carolina, how beautiful they are here. But the stars, you see them, they stand out in the darkness. They don’t have to try to hide behind clouds. They stand out. They shine because that’s where God created them to do. And again, listen to Proverbs 25 26. It says,

like a muddy fountain and a polluted spring is a righteous man who yields, falls down, and compromises his integrity before the wicked.

You’re not trying to please people out there. You are living, and your aim is to please God. To make a decision, no matter how what position it puts you in, to make a decision that I am going to be pleasing to God. I’m going to obey God no matter what it costs me. I’m going to obey Jesus Christ. And then it says to be lights, and what are we supposed to do? Verse 16,

holding out and offering to all men the word of life so that in the day of Christ I may have something which exuberantly to rejoice and glory that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor and no purpose.

Mercy, grace, and consecration

And I’ve got two spiritual geniuses that I want up here to help me real quickly to say a couple of things. And I would like Pastor Marshall and Pastor David to come up real quick. You have minus three minutes. Pastor Marshall, I’m going to ask you this. 2 Corinthians, because what we’re talking about is lifestyle, right? Living for Jesus. So Master, so Pastor Marshall, 2 Corinthians the 6th, chapter, verse 1. It says,

laboring together as God’s fellow workers with him, then we beg of you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

In vain.

That merciful kindness by which God exerts his holy influence on souls, turns them to Christ, keeping and strengthening them. Do not receive it to no purpose.

Yeah. Every revelation that God gives us about Himself has the potential to bear fruit. It has the ability of God at work. Every seed has ability within itself to produce change. It’s livable is another way to say it. We often we often miss the connect between those revelations and actually how they play out in life. We don’t see the practicality of these revelations that God gives us. For example, the Romans had to be corrected by the Apostle Paul by letter when they thought the goodness of God that was being shown to them was an act of his approval on the way they were living their lives. But Paul came back and wrote, he said, No, you think it’s approving the way you’re living your life right now. I want you to know that it’s the goodness of God that leads you to repentance. So goodness leads us to repentance. We’ve learned in church here that mercy does what, church? It creates a new opportunity. It’s like getting a mulligan from your good friends when you’re playing golf and you shoot a have a really bad tee shot, you know, you get another another chance without all the condemnation and guilt and stupid stuff that follows. But when we get mercy from God, it’s just it’s a new sunset, it’s a new open door. Uh He’s creating a helping us get past now what we’ve done and the consequence of that to do now the right thing and to do it well, pleasing to Him. When it comes to grace, it’s the same thing. Far too many of us believers think of grace as a pardon only. It’s not just a pardon for our sins, it’s God’s power at work in us to get us to living above our sin and to keep sin under our feet. Just imagine this because it’s happened in Christ. That’s that someone comes along, you’re in a terrible place financially, and you cannot pay the debt. All you seem capable of doing is increasing that debt and digging a deeper and deeper hole for yourself. But someone comes along and they make provision for your debt. They don’t ask you to earn it, they don’t ask you to merit it. It’s everything you don’t deserve, but they do it anyway. They pay off that debt. Praise God for that. But it doesn’t stop there. They go ahead and they give you additional provision. They give you more in celebration of what just happened, and to encourage you to take the more and go out and live the better life that you haven’t been living. You take it, you go out and you gamble it away, and you go back into deep debt all over again. That’s using that gift that you were given, that provision in vain. And that’s often what we do, Pastor, when it comes to grace. We’re graced by God. We’ve received mercy, which creates a new opportunity, and grace, we say it fills mercy with success. That new opportunity with success. So James chapter 4 and verse 6 says this. It says that concerning James was calling people to live above the temptation and seducing spirits and forces in the world. And James writes this, it’s in the amplified only. It reads this way that God gives a grace, more and more grace, the power of the Holy Spirit to meet those temptations in every single one that comes against us. So anything that would pull us away from this beautiful life we now have in Christ. Grace empowers us. It’s not an excuse for our sin or to live a sinful life, it’s power to live above sin. Sin had dominion over us at one time in Christ, and now we have dominion over it. Amen. Should be kept under our feet. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. And that’s where the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace says. The spirit of grace. And so empowered.

And so, Pastor David, um, when I was talking about the way that we live, there’s a word in the Bible called consecration. Commitment and consecration. And a lot of people don’t even know what that word means. But it says, therefore, and Paul is talking, he says in in 2 Corinthians the seventh chapter, verse 1,

therefore, since these great promises of ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring our consecration to completeness in the reverential fear of God.

What does that mean for us? I don’t have to talk as long as Pastor Marshall did, do I? Huh? I don’t have to talk as long as Pastor. Oh, good, okay. Naget negative nine. Let’s see. I uh, yeah, so con the word consecrate means to set apart. And so the way that I was thinking about it, and I think about it sometimes is like in your house, you know, some of y’all probably have like special dishes and special silverware that you don’t use for ordinary time. You just bring it out during Thanksgiving, during Christmas, and so that that silverware and those plates are there like consecrated, they have they have a special purpose, and so that’s what it means to live a consecrated life is it’s a life that’s set apart from the ordinary use and it has a specific purpose, and so the way that that lives that works out for us practically, of course, is that we don’t um we’re not careless with the things that we let into our life, knowing that our life is for something special. And so what we listen to, what we watch, what we post, the people we surround ourselves with, we’re deliberate with that because our life isn’t an ordinary life, it’s a life that’s set apart for something in particular. And in this case, it’s to give glory to God. Amen. Amen. Amen. And I love thank you so much. Pastor Marshall, you need to stay up here. You don’t go down. I don’t want you to have to go twice. I like the way you do those steps. This is right like we’re going to be able to do that. I mean, it’s waiting for you to pick up your preaching a little bit.

My house shall be called a house of prayer

Where are we as far as we as a church in the nation today? I think that 1 Timothy, the second chapter, verse 1 through 6 tells us. I think it’s very important that we understand this.

First of all, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, and intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men. For kings,

which basically leaders

for kings and all who are in positions of authority and or high responsibility, that outwardly we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life, and inwardly a peaceful one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way. For such praying is good and right, and it is pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior, who wishes all men to be saved and increasingly to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely correctly the divine truth. For there is one God and only one mediator between God and men, and that is the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people, a fact that was attested at the right and proper time.

I want you to notice that it says that Paul is saying to Timothy and them, he’s saying, I want you to pray. He said, I want you to intercede. God said, My house shall be called a house of prayer. Right now, God hears our prayers if we pray. The only thing that is not answered is unaffered prayers. Not offered prayers, but unaffered prayers. And we need to be interceding. In Psalms the second chapter, when Jesus is his coronation day, God says, and this is what he says to him, ask of me, and I will give you the loss for your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. Are we praying for the loss? And when we start praying for the loss, guess what the Holy Spirit does? The Holy Spirit begins like God spoke in the beginning and everything was created. He said, Light be and there was light. He said the Holy Spirit was waiting. The Holy Spirit literally is waiting for us to pray and intercede. And when we say, Father, give us the loss in Albuquerque and the surrounding areas, give us the loss. Holy Spirit, draw them. When you say, Father, give me the loss where I work, where I live. Give me the loss. You don’t have to run out and start preaching, just say, give me the loss. The Holy Spirit will orchestrate people coming across your path. It happened to me all the time when I was a young man praying and interceding for my co-workers and praying for my neighborhood. It happened to me all the time that people would come up. And as you pray, the Holy Spirit then goes and convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. And he will move and he will move powerfully. And why will he move? Because God wishes that none would perish. We can sit around and look at what’s happening today and wring our hands and murmur and complain at every political party and everything else, or we can pray. And we can intercede. Is still viable for us today. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways and pray, I will heal their land. I’m telling you, God can still heal America. God can still heal our land. God can still heal Albuquerque regardless of what’s going on. Let’s don’t get to the place that we magnify the darkness greater than the light and the power of Satan more than the power of God. Let’s get our focus and get our focus and do it. And if you’re not saved, I’m telling you right now, this is a day and a time you need to give your life. You need to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. God bless you. Thank you so much. Thank you.