Are You Lion Bait?

We're titled today, Are You Lion Bait? L-I-O-N. Lion is the king of the jungle, and he is a mighty hunter. And you are being hunted. Are you Lion Bait? How's the world different today from the world of Job or David? One might say, well, transportation. We have supersonic flight. We have people going into space. Transportation. Weapons of mass destruction, mass communications, cell phones, and all kinds of technological advancements in communication. These are surely factors that allow Satan and his agents to spread their godless culture around the globe. Technology allows Satan to spread his evil ways more quickly than in previous epochs of human history. But the world is not different because of crime. There's always been crime. It's not different because of aberrant sex. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of aberrant sex. It's not different because of war. There have been war and rumor of war throughout history. It's not different because of poverty, though that is one of the causes why God is going to intervene. The cries of the laborers of Sepuloth come up into the ears of God, and eventually he intervenes. The poor you have with you always. It's not different because of famine. We've had famine throughout the centuries. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the end of this age. One of the principal factors that is causing this generation to go the way of Sodom and Gomorrah is the wide acceptance of evil. Toleration. Politically correct. Being tolerant. You cannot condemn anything. If you do, you become lion bait. You become the target.

Let's look at Matthew 24. Matthew 24, the Olivet Prophecy, the backdrop here of 24, is the disciples come to Jesus and ask him, What shall be the sight of your coming in the end of the age? In this discourse of Matthew 24 and 25 called the Olivet Prophecy is given. We'll look at this verse 12. And because iniquity, lawlessness, because lawlessness shall abound. Now, lawlessness, not just defined by the legal system, the legal decrees the land, it is lawlessness as defined by God. Of course, many of the things that are being done are also violate the law of the land. Because lawlessness, iniquity, shall abound, the love of many shall wax coal. The love of many shall wax coal. This is even referring to people in the church because it's the love of many. Most people never have the love, the agape love of God, the agape love of God within them, the spiritual love to begin with. Because evil is being tolerated as never before, especially in the Western world. Now, you look at Isaiah chapter 5. The prophet Isaiah called it a critical time in the history of Israel. Much of what's in Isaiah is in time, a lot of in-time prophecy and all kinds of things in Isaiah. And really, we have never presented a complete thorough study of the book of Isaiah to the brethren. In the 66 chapters, it would take a long time to do. In Isaiah 5 and verse 18, It says, Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight, woe to them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink, which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him. If you stand up for that which is right, you become the target. You become the prey. Therefore, as the fire devires, the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossoms shall go up as dust, because they have cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts. See, it is that law that has been cast aside. Of course, the civil law has been cast aside to a large degree as well, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore, is the anger of the Lord kindle against his people. I suspect that God is, in a sense, having hands-off. You just wonder about this upcoming presidential election. Is God going to intervene? Is he going to direct, in a sense, the outcome? Hold your place there. Look at Isaiah, forward several pages. We're coming right back there to finish that verse. But you look at Hosea 8, an interesting verse here. Hosea 8, with regard to God selecting, not selecting leaders. I do believe that God intervenes at critical junctures in human history, with regard to who may be in an office, because his plan and purpose is going to be accomplished. In Hosea 8.3, Israel cast off the thing that is good, the enemy shall pursue him. They have set up kings, but not by me. They have made princes, and I knew it not. Of course, God knew they were there, but the sense is he did not recognize them. He did not put his stamp of approval on them. Of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. The calf of Samaria, of course, Rehoboam set up the calf at Samaria after the kingdom was divided. Of course, the golden calf is the rule of the day in the country today. It has been turned upside down. Jeroboam changed the feast today, the eighth month. He set up the vilest of men for the priesthood. The calf of Samaria hath cast you off. Mine anger is kindled against them. How long will it be, er, they attain to innocency?

Now, back in Isaiah once again, verse 25, The anger of the Lord is kindled against his people, And he has stretched forth his hand against them, And had smitten them, and the hills did tremble, And their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, And his hand has stretched out still. Of course, God is continually offering us an opportunity To humble ourselves, come before him to repent. The mass communication technology of the day Provides Satan with tools to continually overstimulate the people to the world, Keep them in a perpetual state of adolescence and apathy, To bombard them so that they are continually controlled, Mind controlled through the crisis of the week. We spoke on that several Sabbaths ago. So this week we have this shooting in Virginia. These two people are doing an interview live television in Roanoke, Virginia, And this gunman guns them down. Last night at a service station in Houston, This sheriff, who had been out on a traffic investigation, Stopped at a service station to fill up his car, Just very innocently putting gas in his car, This guy walks up, first of all shoots him at a distance, Walks toward him and shoots him several more times and flees. So far he had not been caught. Perhaps he will be now because they have surveillance video on it. And as those things take place, The media focus is not on the person behind the thing. In this case, the thing is a gun. The focus is on the gun itself. It's not on the person. It's on the gun. Take away the guns. Allison Parker's father is now going to dedicate his life to gun control. Oh, take away the guns. We won't have that. No, that's not going to solve the problem. As the media talks about things, you don't hear about the more noble goals of honesty, integrity, Sterling character. These things are almost never addressed by the media. They'll dig into all the things that this person, this person who gunned down Allison Parker and Adam Ward, Oh, this is what he did. Way back then, he did this and he did that. We discovered in his apartment. It was absolutely amazing. And on and on it goes. The shooter in this case in Virginia had a long litany of warning signals about his state of mind. Evil is not the result of things. Guns do not fire on their own. Guns are not loaded by themselves. The thing is not the problem. It is the result, the difficult, is a result of human thought and action. It is the result of the culture that we have produced, especially in the Western world. The dissolution of the family, coupled with permissive child-rearing practices, are leading us down a path of shame and disgrace. It is absolutely shameful. It is absolutely disgraceful. We try to put on a happy face and refuse to deal with the problems that beset us.

And so we deal with the theme, not the cause, not the person, not the culture that we have produced. Why are people so gullible and ignorant? Well, there are many factors. Let's say there are first of all, there are two overriding factors in several sub-factors.

One, we were created subject to vanity, wanting our thing now. That's the way we were created. Now, can we blame God? No. God created us in a neutral state. We could either choose to do good or we could choose to do evil. We were created subject to sin and death.

People don't like to accept the following scriptures, especially in today's world. Let's look at them. Look at Romans 8 and verse 20. I just stated that people were created subject to vanity, created subject to sin and death. Does the Bible verify that?

Now, vanity, in most cases when it's used in the Bible, is used in the sense of temporarily, wanting my thing now. I want my thing now. I can't wait. I've got to have it now. So in Romans 8 and verse 20, for the creation, the creature was made subject to vanity, was made subject to vanity. This is out of the Bible. Not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope.

Now, see, that's the way we were created. But at the same time, we cannot blame God because God, on the other hand, instructed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and said, Look to me for the knowledge of good and evil. Do not take that prerogative to yourself, for in the day that you do, you'll begin to die. Now, you look at Romans 8 and 7, back a few verses, because the carnal mind is enmity against God. Just the fleshly mind left to itself is enmity toward God. This is a Bible. And so people want to say, Oh, the milk of human kindness. And there are people who perform all kind of what we would call good Samaritan works. But when it comes down to the way that the culture is going to go, the way that people are going to go, we've got to understand that unless we turn to God, it's all over. And of course, every day, more and more, turning to God is being legislated against, both in the literal sense and also in the psychological sense. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. The carnal mind, we talked about lifting the veil and having this new mind, this new conscience, this new knowing within two weeks ago. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. In the flesh. You have to have a spiritual mind, have this new mind that is of God. Now look at James 4 and 5. We're talking about why is the world and the condition that it's in, why it is almost every week now, and it's escalating, that we have these mindless murders taking place. I think we'll answer some of that today of why. And of course, if you know why, then you should be able to take the steps that you do not fall prey to it yourself. In James 4, verse 5, do you think that the Scripture says in vain, the spirit that dwells in us, less to envy, to jealousy? And of course, the vanity, as we've already read, wanting our thing now. In addition to that, look at Jeremiah 17.9. We used to have this Scripture quoted quite often, even in our preaching in the Church of God today, we have straight away from some of the realities of the human condition. In the name, I guess, we don't want to offend anybody, you know. If the Word of God offends you, then you need to look deep within yourself, because the Word of God is sharper, quicker than a two-edged sword dividing us under the thoughts and intents of the heart of man. In Jeremiah 17, verse 9, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? But see, the good news is there can be a transformation. The flesh can be ruled over. You can have a new mind. You can be educated in the right way. You can embrace true values. I, the Lord, search the heart. I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.

The Apostle John, go to 1 John now, let's go to 1 John 2. The Apostle John summarizes three broad areas that we're subject to. Three broad areas. Satan operates in these three areas. These are the three areas. Ironically, these are... Well, maybe it's not ironic. These are the three areas that Satan fell prey to. The three areas that tripped him up and why he went the way he went. Now, these same three things is what he uses to seduce and tithe and deceive human beings today.

I guess you could say it's a part of human nature. And I don't know what I said, but I want 1 John 2 and verse 15. 1 John 2 verse 15. Love not the world. Now, in James it says, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not any. Neither are the things that end the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not any. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh... That's number one, the lust of the flesh. I want my thing now. I want to fulfill the lust of the flesh.

And the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. I want to be somebody now is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away in the lust thereof. But he that does the will of the Father abides forever. Unless you have been loved, nourished, and taught the right way, you will invariably go. You will succumb to all three of the broadways listed by John in verse 16. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

So we have what is called human nature to deal with. And in addition to the weakness of the flesh, which includes the human mind apart from God, there is a powerful spirit being, Satan the devil. So here's number two, Satan the devil that walks about seeking whom he may devour. He walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Are you lion-baked? Yeah, you are lion-baked. Will you allow yourself to be trapped?

Will you allow yourself to be caught? Look at Ezekiel 28. These three things, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life, caught Satan himself. And now he uses these three to seduce and deceive humankind. In Ezekiel 28 verse 12. Sudden man take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyres. The king of Tyres is a type of Satan. So is the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon is also a name for the beast.

And say unto him, Thus says the Lord God, You seal up the sum full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. That's the way that Satan was created, Lucifer, the morning star, the light-bringer. You have been in Eden. Oh yes, you were in Eden. The garden of God, every precious stone, was your covering. Verse 14, You are the anointed carob that covers one time at the throne of God. I have set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God.

You walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Stones of fire, a lot of speculation there as to what that really is. Some say, well, the archangels had this ability, angels, to walk among the planets and the stars to explore the universe. Nothing held back from them.

You walk up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created. Till iniquity, till lawlessness was found in you, by the multitude of your merchandise, they have filled the midst of you with violence and you have sinned.

Once again, going playing back on the king of Tyre. Tyre was a great trading center in the ancient world. Therefore I will cast you off as profane out of the mountain of God. I will destroy you, covering carob, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. Satan is not flesh, but he wanted to satisfy his urges, especially lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

You have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness. I will cast you to the ground. I will lay you before kings, that they may behold you. So Satan himself, in essence, Satan was in love with himself. He's really the father of narcissism, not narcissus. It's Satan. Oh, look at me! I am so beautiful. I'm so wise. I'm so anything that you want to put in there that is flattering.

Let's look at some of the strategies that Satan has employed in the past in an attempt to destroy humankind. Some way, somehow, we've all got to come to realize that Satan is the adversary. He is the accuser of the brethren, as it says in Revelation 12.10. If we know Satan's strategies, then we can better deal with them. And be prepared and have on the whole armor of God. Satan deceived Eve by telling her that she had an immortal soul. Oh, you shall not surely die. Satan asked Eve about things, about the trees in the garden. Eve said, oh, we can eat of every tree but the knowledge of the tree of good and evil.

The day we eat of that, we're going to die. And Satan said, oh, no, you're not going to die. You're not going to die. Your eyes will be opened and you'll be as gods.

Eve was easy prey for the devil. She fell for all three immediately.

Lust of the flesh, oh, yeah, it was pleasant to the eyes. Lust of the eyes, looked like it was good to eat. Looked good. Maybe she was hungry. The pride of life, oh, you'll be as gods. There are shortcuts. You don't have to listen to him. So she was easy prey. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life. And so she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She wanted to be her own arbiter of good and evil. And she gave it to Adam, and Adam wasn't to see, but he went along with it anyway. Satan tried to destroy Christ by appealing to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. If you be the Son of God, Christ had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, obviously, he would have been hungry. So if you be the Son of God, in a sense, this temptation of Christ, as recorded by Matthew, Matthew 4, maybe it's 5, was a challenge by Satan to what had happened when Christ was baptized after he came up out of the baptismal waters. A spirit descended on him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, even identified as the Son of God by a voice from heaven. And Satan said, If you be the Son of God, then turn these stones into bread. And of course, Jesus' response was, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Then, it was a challenge to jump off the pinnacle of the temple, saying, Well, it's written that your angels will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against the stone. And Christ said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. So, you have lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, try to turn the stones into bread, the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the pride of life. And the next one took him and showed him the kingdoms of the world, and said, All these kingdoms! Look out here over the world! You can have all these kingdoms if you bow down and worship me. And Christ said, It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, Him only shall you worship. So, we see that man was created subject to vanity. The carnal mind is imitated toward the law of God, not subject to it, neither indeed can be. We see that Satan is a powerful deceiver, appealing to these three things.

Now, the next factor that will lead you to your destruction, if you become easy preyed, lions baked, is the spirit of the times. The rejection of God and the toleration of evil have left people with no spiritual defense against the wiles of the devil. Let's say that again. The rejection of God and the toleration of evil have left people with no spiritual defense against the wiles of the devil. Now, look at 1 Peter chapter 1. We've referred to this three or four times already, but let's read it. 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 8.

Be sober, be vigilant. The word vigilant means watchful, wakeful. Sober does, too. Don't be drunken. Be in your right mind. Don't yield to psychedelic kind of influences. It twists the mind. Be sober, be watchful, be wakeful, because your adversary, the devil, has a roaring lion. Are you lions baked? As a roaring lion walks about, seeking whom he may devour, whom resists steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. So you could ask the question, well, have you seen any lions lately? Are lions walking up and down the streets of Las Vegas?

Are lions walking up and down the streets of San Francisco? They say that the stench and the use and the smell and also the results of the acidity of urine on the light poles in San Francisco is causing them to rust and decay. Is that disgusting? Yeah, that's pretty disgusting. Did Peter really mean what he said? The spirit of the times. Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Let's look at Proverbs 30.

Proverbs 30. Proverbs 30, verse 11. The spirit of the times. This is a summary of the spirit of the times because all of the things that are listed here have coalesced. We have all of these things present. It's what some call the perfect storm. In Proverbs 30, verse 11, there is a generation that curses their father and does not bless their mother. They don't understand where they came from, who gave them life. Now, you could extend this to the adults who don't understand where they came from, who gave them life, what life is all about.

They're like, if you've ever seen a pinball machine, the ball on a pinball machine just being bounced around from bumper to bumper and flip to flip. Aimlessly, no direction. A generation that curses their father does not bless their mother. There's a generation that are pure in their own eyes. Oh, we know so much more than you do. It is unbelievable. Well, look what I can do. I am four years old and I can text anybody in the world. You have difficulty turning it on, and you are 72.

A generation that is pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There's a generation of how lofty are their eyes and their eyelids are lifted up. They have the look of the seductress, the adulterous, that is described in 2 Peter 2, verses 13, 14, 15. There's a generation whose teeth are as swords in their jaws and their jaw teeth as knives. They will cut you to ribbons, both verbally and literally, to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men.

If you read Drudge Report, you'll see very often there where a gang of teens, a robbed old lady, old woman, beats to death, snatches the purse, all kinds of things, regularly, a lot of it happening in the large cities of the nation. The spirit of the times, because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. One of the phenomenons that I am so mystified by, as I sit in the parking lot of Walmart waiting for my wife, or just watching all these people go by and all the tattoos, or you go in, I mean, you sit in the restaurant, here comes Grandma Yoon.

She's got a tattoo on her neck, or she has it on her ankle, or someplace. It's unbelievable. Scripture says you shall not make any marking on your body. Now, some say, well, it only says that one time. So, let's... another factor here. If you were Satan, what is the most destructive attitude or frame of mind that you could think of that would harm people so greatly and rob them of their potential for eternal life? In other words, how would you try to do mankind in?

I mean, he's being very successful with what he's doing. How would you try to take a person's crown from him and hence eternal life? How would you destroy a nation without firing a shot? If we didn't have the economic situation that we have, but we didn't have any war in the Middle East, if we didn't have the terrorists stalking the streets of the world, if we didn't have, and you could name other things, the crime, the drugs, pollution, if we just had the moral state of this nation, even aside from the other things, would destroy this country.

The Apostle John writes in Revelation 12.9, probably everybody can hear it, can quote it, that Satan, that old serpent, Satan the devil, is deceiving the whole world. Well, we read it and it's like, okay, but is he really? His principal methodology is deceit, and we have seen that by nature the carnal mind is enmity against the law of God. We have read that Satan walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We have seen that Satan appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life.

We have seen that he even viewed himself that way and became so in love with himself that he tried to take over the throne of God. He immediately created doubt in Eve's mind when he began to challenge her with, well, has God said such and such? Well, you really don't have to listen to him. Let me tell you how it really is. Satan wants you to doubt God and to become hopeless, apathetic. Have a give-up state of mind.

In this state of mind, the state of mind that Satan hopes to create within humans, people usually turn to one of three ways of coping. One way is anger and revenge, hence the horrible acts of violence that we are witnessing.

So many of these people, you look in their background, look at their family life, look at the way that they've gone, look at what they've been able to get away with through their lives, no discipline, no real teaching, no one to really call them to task, and so they lash out.

So now, almost every week, one or two or more of these senseless killings, sometimes killing serval, sometimes one or two. So that's one way that people cope. They finally get so fed up over a period of time. Because they have been left to their own devices, Proverbs says that a child left to himself will bring his mother to shame. So they've recently had this trial in Colorado about this fellow Holmes, who shot all those people in the theater in Colorado, and she's there pleading for his life.

And talks about, in a way, I don't know how she could say some of the things that she said. Of course, they didn't sentence him to death. Another way is seeking to satiate the senses with sensual pleasure to a large degree in the sexual realm.

And so, practically everything now is saturated with sex. The commercials, the sitcoms, the movies, the magazines. It's all about being young, beautiful, sexy, eat, drink, be merry, live it up, work your 40 hours, blow it out on the weekend, repeat it again the next weekend.

Another way is to become apathetic, become a dead fish carried away by the winds of the times, the spirit of the times, sort of trying to survive with a frame of mind of a victim, the SMA attitude that we talked about several weeks ago. Survival mode attitude, and short, apathetic.

You know, if I were Satan, I would want people to be apathetic. Apathetic means a lack of emotion, lack of interest, indifference. I don't care what's the use attitude. Apathy is far more deadly than you might think. Because apathy leads to the toleration of evil, and that's what we have. We have the toleration of evil. Are people going to put up with the things that are going on? Well, there is a tremendous demonstration today, probably a half million people, some have set up to, in Beirut, Lebanon. Why? Because the garbage is piled up to the housetops, all over the city. And so this young woman is leading a demonstration. They interviewed her on television with regard to this. And she talked about how unless people are willing to stand up and to confront that which is evil, that which is wrong, it's not going to change. It is not going to change. Change almost never comes from those who are benefiting from the corruption that is before them. A recent Smithsonian publication states, We're apathetic toward crime, pornography, illicit sex, garbage, welfare, accident victims, global warming, etc. We accept things if they are of no concern to us, or if we have a dread for life, we just don't care, or bury our heads in the sand. In 1946, Albert Einstein said the following, quote, It becomes apparent everywhere that this generation lacks the strength and force which enable previous generations to win in painful struggle and at great sacrifice the political and individual freedom of man. What would he think today? What would he think today? Sixty-nine years later. We're really on dangerous ground. If we develop the attitude, we don't care. Satan knows his fate. And see, he has chosen the first strategy, anger, revenge, to lash out. Of course, he is a pervert in many ways, and tries to get humans to go the route of perversion, but he is lashing out. He knows his fate. He is vengeful. He is filled with revenge. He is filled with spite.

He hates humankind. You know, love is the most powerful motivating force in the universe. God is love. But running a close second, and this is what Satan is filled with, and that is hate. What will people do that hate another person? Well, we saw what he saw would do. He would go to no limits to try to kill Jacob. We saw what Cain did. He killed his brother Abel. There are many examples in Scripture. There are many examples in life. In view of the momentous events that are unfolding on the world scene, it seems that people would be fired up, filled with the desire to seek God and understand what is going on in the world. But actually, they are going in the opposite direction. But sadly, the church's attendance is dropping, and most of the mainline denominations struggle to barely stay even in the United Church of God since it was formed.

And people come and go. The Scripture that we have, the Scripture of the day, not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, and so much more as you see the day approaching. Yet Americans profess, still about 80% profess to believe in God. If one believes in God and develops no relationship with God, does that person really believe in God?

Relationships can only be built through communication and interaction. The principal ways for communicating with God are as old as humankind, and building a relationship with Him is available to every person, basically, on the face of the earth.

And it's so simple it is to study the Bible and pray. You can develop a relationship with God. Pray, study, and obey. Then if one really believes in God, it seems that there would be some fruit, some evidence in their lives.

Otherwise, their so-called faith has no substance.

Let's notice James 2, where we are in 1 Peter 5. Look at James 2. In James 2, verse 19, You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe and tremble. Several times during Christ's ministry when He confronted demons, they knew who He was and that He was the Son of God.

But will you know, vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seeing you how faith wrought with his works. And I wish James had used obedience, but it's the same, because he uses the example of Abraham. When Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise, he obediently set out to do it. Isaac obediently went along. He did ask, well, Father, where's the sacrifice? And Abraham said, God will provide. And Abraham had already received Him in a figure as resurrected from the dead, and as the knife came down, the voice stopped him.

And so Abraham believed God, did what he said. Was not Abraham our father justified by works or obedience when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seeing you how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect. And the Scripture was fulfilled, which said, Abraham believed God. He believed God, did what he said. That's faith in action. And it was imputed unto him for righteousness, for he was called the friend of God. So we see how that by works or obedience man is justified and not by faith only. You can't just say, I believe that God exists. There has to be some evidence to only believe, and not any evidence, put you on the level of Satan who believe and tremble. The devils believe and tremble. So how does Satan get a church, a nation, and a world? You and I in a perpetual state of apathy. Well, we have mentioned time and time again in the sermon today that it's through deceit. It's through seduction. It is through the influence of human beings to go the wrong way. We see in the Western world today that our education system, mass media, and all of that is directed towards satiation of the census.

And we have been deceived into accepting a form of apathy, or go out, lash out against it, or bury the head in the sand, or let's go satiate the census, eat, drink, and be merry. So we have all of these things that are going on that are legislating against us doing what we need to do. So we really have a challenge before us in the world today.

I wonder if we can come to the point that I've been trying to emphasize so much in recent times in sermons, is to understand who we are, what we are, and why we are, and all of the things that go with that.

I worry about our youth at times for many reasons, and then maybe young adults, and maybe some of us who are older.

Are we being swept along by the culture of the church?

In our class this week, Pizzles of Paul, we have 20-something church pastors in it, and one of the pastors from a large church in the Midwest said, You know, in counseling young people, I find that they are fine with any named, you know, going to the feast. Oh yeah, people like to go to the feast oftentimes for the wrong reason. They like the activities of the church, the interaction, and this and that and the other.

But have they really been convicted by the Word and Spirit of God so that they understand that what they are committing to is between them and God and Christ, and each member of the body of Christ, that you come to understand that your commitment is to God and the Word of God.

See, we were covering 1 Thessalonians this week. You would turn there to 1 Thessalonians 2, where Paul reminded the Thessalonians about their commitment and what they have committed to and what it's all about.

See, somehow, some way, that has to be impressed upon our minds. You've heard me say so often, the two convicting agents are the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

Now, all of the cultural milieu that goes along with the church, the friends, the activities, the this, the that, or the other, it's all I've ever known and whatever.

But when it comes down to it, there has to be a relationship and an understanding between you and God and a commitment to God and an understanding that you're making a commitment that is for your life to God.

In 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13, we'll read in this.

For this cause, also think we God without ceasing, because when you receive the Word of God, which you heard of us, you received it not as a word of men.

It is the Word of God, the supreme being in the universe. There's no greater power.

But as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually works also in you, that believe.

So we have to keep that in mind.

An education that is based on the foundation of the spiritual knowledge of the Word of God. It is the Word of God and the Spirit of God that convicts. You've heard me oftentimes make the quote, The state hath decreed that only free men shall be educated, but God hath decreed that only educated men are free.

If you have a true education from God, then you're freed from fear, ignorant superstition, and the dogmas of man.

You can put on the whole armor of God. You can stand in the spiritual wars that we're involved in.

You'll know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

So what can we do? Look at Ephesians. We're all so familiar with this verse. The verse is here.

But if we're going to stand in the days that we are living in, we read from Proverbs 30 about there is a generation.

We have covered several different things that Satan the Devil is trying to do.

We have shown so many different ways in which Satan is operating and why things are the way they are.

It is spiritual warfare. You talk about asymmetrical warfare. Satan is a master.

He tries to get you from every angle that you can mention.

In Ephesians 6 verse 10, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

He indeed is a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

So in view of this, wherefore, meaning in view of that, take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.

The days are indeed evil.

And having done all to stand, stand! Period.

That's how it should be punctuated.

Therefore, having your loinsgirt about with truth, your word is truth.

You have to study the word of God. Hide it in your heart.

Having on the breastplate of righteousness. What is righteousness?

All your commandments are righteousness.

It doesn't mean that you just memorize the Ten Commandments.

It means that you have to understand them and obey them.

Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, that you're willing to go forth with the gospel. Set an example and preach the gospel to the world, being a light to the world.

And above all, take in the shield of faith, whereby you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of Satan.

How so? Because you know, you have the shield before you. It is faith that God is going to deliver you.

And take the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation is defined in 1 Thessalonians 5.8 as hope.

Hope permeates the very being, the whole head. The whole mind. The helmets go on the head.

The helmet of salvation, 1 Thessalonians 5.8, is hope.

And the sword of the Spirit, which once again is the Word of God, and praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance. You never give up. No, never give up. Never give up.

Because if you have the shield of faith, you know that you're going to triumph.

Perseverance and supplication for all saints. So what can we do?

We can do nothing without God's help, but with God's help, I'm, as Paul says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Desire to see others succeed. Get involved in life. Get involved. Don't draw back.

If any soul draws back, this is the last few verses and words of Hebrews 10.

If any soul draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Do more than that which is required.

We have people here in this congregation who labor day and night doing more than what is required.

As the old saying goes, or the old song, I got bony fingers working my fingers to the bone.

Paul says I'm willing to spend and be spent for all of you, and many of you are doing that.

So do more than that which is required. Don't let opportunities for service pass you by.

Paul writes in Galatians, don't be weary with well-doing. How many times have you done it?

How many times have you received the call? How many times have you done X, Y, or Z?

It'll never stop. When you start a job, finish it. If you don't do it, you become content with mediocrity, and you become one who puts things off. So, brethren, God expects us to grow. Peter closes 2 Peter with, growing grace and knowledge for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

He expects us to be enthusiastic. To be enthusiastic. Do you remember the old Tennessee Ernie Ford song of 16 tons? I heard that this week.

I load 16 tons, and what did I get? Another day older and deeper and dead.

I owe my soul to the company store. Picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine, loaded 16 tons, and number 9, cold.

In other words, life is drudgery. That is not the way God wants us to approach life.

One of the things we talked about in the class today, or Monday, there are several verses that talk about, filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

One of the great things that defeats depression and defeats apathy is enthusiasm and joy.

Do we have the joy? Can we recapture the joy?

So, let's go to Romans 13, and we will close with this passage here today.

In Romans 13, beginning verse 11. In Romans 13 verse 11, and you knowing the time, we've talked about the time, the spirit of the times, the day in which we're living, what things are like.

And that knowing the time, that now is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, let us put on the armor of light. We talked about that armor from Ephesians 6.

Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and in being, and put you on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof.

Are you lion-baked?