Satan's Devices Can Keep Us From the Kingdom

Happy Sabbath! And I guess in the world they might say, you know, today is, of course, Valentine's Day as well, or as I like to call it, Wolf Day. If you know what Valentine's Day was about, it had to do with protecting people from wolves. It's kind of interesting when you think about love and you think about some of these things that, you know, men are considered to be what? Wolves, right? Oftentimes, you know, a young lady walks by and in cartoons they depict him a man as a wolf, you know, whistling and all of that. So, anyway, of course, if we have to be instructed about that, we probably need to go back to the books and study about it. Hopefully we're not participating in the practice in the church in any way. I hope our brethren know better than that.

Satan, of course, has done a very good number on the world and has deceived in so many different ways and fashions. By the way, I wanted to thank, you know, the Hail Sisters for their decoration here of the stage. It's like this whole stage has come alive.

I feel like I'm a wilting flower up here, but no, they've done a wonderful job and we commend them for it. But as I mentioned, you know, Satan has done a number on the world. There was an article I saw on the internet yesterday, and the title of the article by a fellow named Timothy Tut, T-U-T-T, probably no relationship to Tuck, but Timothy Tut. And the title of the article on the internet was The Modern Church Doesn't Need a Make-Believe Devil.

And in the article, he goes on to say, the biggest problem with all this talk of Satan is that he doesn't exist. But it's time to be clear. The devil does not exist. And then he says, in the earliest traditions of the Hebrew Scriptures, both good and evil were God's domain. And he further said that more people believe, though, in Satan than in evolution. Incredible, isn't it? You wouldn't think that if you looked at the world and the way the world is going.

And it seems like the world gets worse day by day. You know, I saw, in fact, that there's a new movie that is out called The Fifty Shades of Grey. And you probably saw that advertised. They hit it pretty hard. I guess they released it on this weekend for obvious reasons.

But they ought to call it The Fifty Shades of Sin. And because I'm not sure, again, what it's about, I don't intend, again, to see it. But it is something that deals, no doubt, with the looseness of our society regarding sex and immorality. No question that it has to do with immorality. And I hope we, as God's people, will stay as far away from it as possible.

But it's just one of the areas in which Satan has perverted this society that we live in. And it's almost like pornography has gone mainstream. Now, some would even say it's been mainstream for quite a long time. But, you know, at least you didn't go down to the local theater and, you know, couples weren't going. In the groves, I understand, there are people who are planning to do that.

And, incredibly, women are the ones that are motivated to do it. More than anybody else, that seems strange, doesn't it? It used to not be that way in our society. But here, this individual who is apparently a minister, you know, in one of the so-called modern churches, says that the modern church doesn't need a make-believe devil. He thinks that the devil doesn't exist. Well, how could you not believe that looking at the world we live in? But many people do not believe in the devil. And one of the greatest advantages Satan has is that someone does not believe in him. You know, that, of course, is incredible in how he's been able to convince people that he doesn't exist.

If you could have somebody you're attacking that doesn't believe you exist, you know, that's a perfect crime, isn't it? And Satan, of course, himself doesn't mind blending in the woodwork for the evil that exists in the world in the society. The Bible, frankly, makes it abundantly clear that Satan does exist. And, you know, Satan is organized, and he has a strategy. He has a method and way of working. And his major thing that he's striving to do and has been striving to do since his rebellion took place is the Fort God's plan. In other words, he is an enemy, or as the word Satan means, adversary of God.

And so he's against God, and everything that God stands for. You know, you might say that it's like the ISIS or IS, Islamic State, is against the West. And it seems hard for those in the West to come to realize that we have an enemy out there that is seeking to destroy us. And we, until that, of course, come, until we come to the reality, that is a real and existing problem in the world and will continue to be a problem.

Then we're going to have problems that are going to crop up not only, you know, over in Iraq and in Syria, but they're going to start happening here in the streets of America, in the United States, and elsewhere in the Western world. But Satan, brethren, has a strategy, and he's an adversary of God.

You know, just like, again, where you have an enemy that is on the offensive and the defensive, is well-attacking their enemy. And Satan has tried to thwart God, who he considers his enemy. But what is God's transcendent goal for you and me? What does he want for us, brethren? Well, he wants man, the reason he created Adam and Eve, to begin with and put him in the garden and gave them the knowledge that he gave to them as he wants them to be a part of his family. That God is reproducing himself in them. He's producing children. Remember, Christ was the firstborn among many, brethren. He was a captain of our salvation, as the Bible talks about. He's the firstborn. And so, God is trying to bring multiple billions into his family. Well, what is Satan's main goal then? If that's God's goal, well, Satan's number one goal, brethren, is to use any device, any means, any way to keep you from attaining the kingdom of God and God's family. He wants to knock you out. You know, he wants to to waylay you from that opportunity. I was telling the elders beforehand that yesterday I looked at the Facebook and some of the friends I had a long time ago, some of them at Ambassador College many years ago. Those that were young, you know, 17, 18, 19, 20, in those years at Ambassador College. And I looked at some of my friends and they've departed from the faith. They've left God's way of life. And I thought, how sad. In fact, I thought about it, you know, and it weighed on me so much.

I woke up very early this morning and just felt like I wanted to read the Bible. And so, I started reading the Scriptures. And I thought to the fact that what's going to take, you know, is some earth-shattering, you know, event that takes place in the future. It's going to cause people to change their entire way of thinking.

Now, we'll have to see what God does, but man is, it seems, being set up for that now. Because when people do not listen, then God's going to have to use what means He can to cause them to listen. But Satan is so, to see people that so many, again, have turned from God's way that once knew God's way.

And Satan wants to weigh lay people and keep them from being in the kingdom of God. But what devices, brethren, what strategies does Satan use to employ to keep you from the kingdom?

Well, his devices will, brethren, if we allow them to impact us, will keep us from the family of God. It will keep us from being in the kingdom of God. And those who do not believe it, by the way, are in the trash heap of history. And they're like everybody else that's walking this earth, you know, out there. They're a part of this world and society, and they're going to perish with this world and society if they do not repent. So what devices does Satan use, or what does he employ to keep us from the kingdom? And, brethren, please be aware that Satan is attacking the church. You know, the church today is the most important thing on the face of the earth. And Satan knows that. He knows that. He's aware that one day, brethren, we're going to replace him over this earth. Jesus Christ is going to come as the King of kings and Lord of lords. And those who are called now, who endure the end and keep the faith, are going to be kings in that future world. Kings and lords in the future. And so Satan is attacking the church, and he seems like he steps up that effort right before the Passover, especially. And I see it happening, brethren, in the church here. I see people having more trials. I see more sickness.

More disease. Brethren, it is important for us to fast and to pray more than we have ever done before. If we expect to survive, what is going to happen in the future? Because we haven't seen anything yet, because the tough times are really not here yet. And Satan, again, is attacking us. I think it's time for us to fast and pray that we are not somehow, you know, kept from the kingdom of God. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 5 over here in verse 8. You'll hear Peter, and this was, again, around 2,000 years ago, was admonishing the church at that time. And we're 2,000 years closer to the return of Christ, by the way.

But in verse 8, he said, Be sober! 1 Peter 5 verse 8. Be sober! Be vigilant! Because you're adversary! You're Emmy! The devil, Satan, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And he may be, again, like that crouching lion that's off to the side, and he's keeping an eye on you. He's seeking whom he may devour. And it says, Resist him! Steadfast in the faith! You know, the only way that you can resist the devil is steadfast in the faith. So Satan is out there, brethren, and he is our adversary. And he's not just God's adversary. He's your adversary. And not only just Satan, but Satan has many cohorts, many, millions of cohorts. And some of them are sadistic.

I mean, cruel. There are different kinds of demons, by the way. That's another topic. But some demons are self-righteous, actually. Some demons, you know, don't have that kind of streak, but there are some that do. They're all evil. They all have, you know, ulterior motives. They all are striving to thwart the plan of God, but there's some evil, evil demons, some of which have to be locked up, by the way, that will be released at the end of the age, according to the book of Revelation. So he's your enemy, brethren. He is your enemy for those who are called now. Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 2. You might say these would be the primmer scriptures, the preliminary elementary scriptures that every Christian in the church anybody called ought to know, ought to understand. Now, here, Paul was admonishing the Corinthian brethren to forgive a man who had to be put out of the church and, you know, to forgive him and to accept him back, you know, in the church. But in verse 11 it says, lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. Well, some people are. They really are in this world, aren't they? Some people don't even believe he exists. But, brethren, are we ignorant of his devices? You know, we need to remind ourselves from time to time, what are the devices that he uses?

You know, I think Satan takes a particular pride, you know, in bringing down some of the biggest contenders in the church. Look at the history of the United Church of God. Look at the history of the worldwide Church of God before. You know, how many evangelists are still around? And he began to realize that Satan, you know, he starts attacking from the top, and he gets a particular thrill out of bringing down, you might say, the big ones. And he's done a good job through history. But don't you think he doesn't want to bring you down as well?

So don't be ignorant of his devices. Again, this is the time to fast and to pray, brethren, as we approach to the Passover, so that we can have more strength, so we can have more insight as God's people, as to how Satan the devil works. Let me talk about some of the strategies he uses, unless you get caught up in these strategies. And I've seen these things that he's done to people. And you have to be aware, brethren, that once there is this bug in somebody, it's hard to root out. It is difficult to root out. Once a bug is there, you know, it is hard for people seemingly to overcome. It's like almost like a virus that they get. And, you know, pretty soon, you know, there's no reaching them. The longer it is there, I think it really is like a virus. But one thing that that Satan will strive to do, and it's something he has had a problem with himself, is he will strive to get you to resent authority. Resent authority!

I've heard more than one person say, nobody could tell me what to do. Then they go join the army.

How many young men have done that? Nobody's going to tell me what to do. I'm going to do what I want to do. And then, of course, the drill sergeant doesn't see it that way, does he? Soldier, I'm going to put you in the brig if you don't do what I tell you to do, and you'll stay there. You see this all the time. There's bumper stickers and t-shirts that say, question authority.

Question authority. I think it was Benjamin Franklin who made the statement that it is the duty of every citizen to question authority. I understand what he meant by that, that we shouldn't just go along with anything the government were to do. I understand what he means by that. And, brethren, we should not be dumb sheep. We are sheep, though, nonetheless, aren't we? You know, the world is full, frankly, of dumb sheep. The world follows along just, you know, almost blindly groping against the wall, not knowing the difference between right or wrong. You know, so if so and so does it, if they're a movie star, I want to be like them. It's like a drug addiction for some people to be like all the stars. I was seeing a person that was apparently trying to look like one of the movie stars, and they had had so much plastic surgery, quite frankly, they looked like a freak. You know, they looked like they were Frankenstein. It's like they had these puffy lips, and their face looked like a balloon. But the world, again, the world is like a bunch of dumb sheep, but God's people are smart sheep. They're intelligent sheep. We're all sheep. I'm, you know, Christ, of course, the member who's a shepherd of sheep. He's the great shepherd of sheep.

But, brethren, we should not question God's authority.

It's God's people. That's what Satan did.

He began to think, well, why is God telling me what to do? I'm so beautiful. I'm so wonderful. Look at me. Could you not think that? Satan probably thought.

Look at my ability.

Look how people look at me. Let's go to Ezekiel chapter 28. I've never understood, by the way, considering Hollywood.

I don't want to get off on a tangent, but how is it, brethren, that because somebody's a movie star, they know all about child rearing? They know all about, you know, marriage. They know all about, how is that? I mean, so he's in a movie or she's in a movie. What? Does that qualify them to know about these things? And yet, you see how people are like dumb sheep?

Ezekiel 28. Ezekiel chapter 28, in verse 13, down here. Speaking again of one who was a... Here we see it's talking about a physical king, but it's in reference to Satan, the devil, because notice in verse 13, it says, you were an Eden. There were only three that were in Eden that I remember in the book. And there was the serpent, and there was Adam and Eve. And the serpent, we know, was the devil, as we see it identified in Revelation. But it says, you were an Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering. So he had all of the precious stones, Sardis, Tophas and Diamond, Beryl, Onyx and Jesper, Sephi, Perchois and Emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you in the day that you were created. So this being was very well equipped. You were the anointed carob who covers. He had all of this power and majesty God had given to him. His wings outstretched over the very throne of God. If you, of course, know about the Ark of the Covenant, the angel's wings, remember, meet over the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant? But that was symbolic of the anointed carobs whose wings covered. And I establish you, you were in the holy mountain of God. Of course, this is no physical king, was it, here? You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones, and you were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created until iniquity was found in you. And by the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned. And so Satan the devil sinned. And he began, apparently, during the context of that sinning, he rebelled against God. And it goes on to say, therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, covering carob from the midst of the fiery stones. And so here we have in Ezekiel 28 the origin of all resentment of authority that he is pumped into the world that is about us. In Isaiah 14, 13 says he wanted to take God's throne. He wanted to ascend above the stars of heaven, the angels of God, and be like the Most High, as it does say in Isaiah 14. But he failed miserably, and he was cast to the earth. And remember, Jesus Christ Himself said that He'd beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. And so when God cast him down, Jesus Christ, who was the Word, of course, spoke to them, the Logos was there to witness this event. And from the time that man was put upon the earth, Satan began to infect Adam and Eve with this same mentality in the garden to question authority. No, God has said, you know, don't eat of this tree of the knowledge of good evil, because He knows when you do, you know, He's not really telling you the truth. You're going to be like God deciding what is right and wrong. And if that part was true, that was true. They'd be like God deciding what was right and what was wrong, because God is the only one that can determine what is right and what is wrong. But what He did not tell them was that they would be mortal and that they would die. God is immortal. God lives forever. And God, of course, has the right because He created human beings to tell us the difference between right and wrong. And man was driven out of the Garden of Eden, as the Bible shows. But Satan continued to instill man with resentment of authority. Let's go to Ephesians 2, because we see this in the New Testament as well.

Ezekiel 2. I'm sorry, Ephesians.

I think we just turned to Ezekiel, didn't we? But Ephesians 2, in verse 2, you know, in verse 1, we read this last week that we have been made alive. God brought us from the dead. He changed us from dumb sheep into smart sheep.

Now, who was it that sang a song? You know, you got to serve somebody. I can't think of the singer now, but it's a horrible singer, in my opinion. But maybe that's why I can't think of him. Bob Dylan, you know, you've got to serve somebody. And the world is serving the devil. And you and I are serving God. And we've been made alive. Again, God has made us into smart sheep. Notice going on, when we've been brought to life from this dead world, in which you once walked according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Interesting name for mankind, isn't it? The sons of disobedience. How'd you like to be called the son of disobedience?

You know, that God can say, well, I can count on him. He's going to always do the wrong thing.

So, like when Esau, you know, heard that Isaac didn't want him to take, you know, of the daughters of Canaan to marry. When he heard that, what did he do? He heard it, and he went out and did it. And that's what oftentimes people do. The sons of disobedience. On the other hand, Jacob, when he married, you know, of his mother's family, Rebecca and Leah. But it says, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh. You see, it's a physical type motivation of the mind, and we're by nature children of wrath, just as the others. We were just like everybody else that walks this earth. Exactly. So, Satan, again, is really instilled in mankind this resentment of authority, of rebelliousness, and it has been there for the last 6,000 years. And his goal, by the way, is so that we will resent God, and how many people today are angry with God. And we will resent the church. We will resent the ministry. And that's what happens to people. They get a deep resentment. I'm not going to go to 1 Samuel 15, verse 23, because it says over there, for rebellion is as sin of witchcraft.

It is as of the sin of witchcraft. Do we understand what that means, brethren? Rebellion is of the devil. Witchcraft is of Satan the devil. I think nobody questions that. But it's of Satan the devil. It's of witchery. Rebellion is, and stubbornness, people that get so stubborn, is as iniquity in idolatry. Now, how so? How can it be idolatry? Well, if somebody tends to, again, have this kind of mentality, and stubbornness basically stems from the fact that people worship their own ideas, their own opinions. And they're steadfast in that. And how many people through the years have I spoken to that hold on to their own opinions? I mean, despite what you can say to them. I mean, they just hang on to it. There's no convincing. There's no scripture that will change their mind. They simply want to believe, and they worship the self. They worship the empirical self. They've made themselves an empire unto themselves. But rebellion is of the devil. So think about that, brethren, and realize again what the Bible says. You know, one of the things about God's church that we strive to do is, you know, the minister doesn't get up and say, the text for the day, you know, is such and such, and then embark on, you know, 15 minutes of giving his personal opinion about things. But we like to show within the Bible, prove it from the scriptures what the Bible says. Now, I could spend a bit more time on this subject, but I hope that what I've said will suffice. But let's go over to Hebrews chapter 13 now, and notice what God admonishes us in the church to not let Satan get into us and cause us to resent authority, to resent God and resent the church. But here in Hebrews 13 and verse 17 on down through here, it says, Obey those who rule over you.

You might say that word rule means management, you know.

A shepherd, a pastor doesn't rule you. You know, I can't ask you to do anything more than you're willing to do. You know, as a pastor, I have no authority to make you do anything. But God says, Obey those that have the management over you and be submissive.

For they watch for your souls as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. You know, so God wants us to be a very cooperative people, to work with one another. You know, God's way is the spirit of cooperation. Of people working together. Satan's way, on the other hand, is a spirit of competition. I've got to be greater than you. I'm not going to listen to you. What you have to say, I'm going to decide for myself. It's like the song I used to, my friend used to sing in a master college. He was joking with it. What the world needs now is me, me, me. Because he was joking about it, but he's trying to show that people have a, you know, fixation on themselves. But no, rather than we should, you know, respect the church, certainly prove where the church is, I think we should do that as God's people.

And realize where the work of God is being done and respect the shepherds that God has placed over the church to protect the flock.

Because sometimes a wolf comes and you need the shepherds, you know. Maybe he's a good rock thrower. He can run the wolves off, you know. He's learned how to do that.

And I have, through the years, run a lot of wolves off, by the way. And I hope, given some measure of safety to some, that they not be waylaid from the kingdom of God.

Number two, number two thing that Satan will come at you, brethren, is pride and vanity, or Satan's specialty. He loves to del in that pride and vanity. Let's go back to Ezekiel 28, quickly, over here.

You ever wonder where this vanity thing came from?

And vanity makes the world go down, go around. And it makes the world go down, too.

You know, vanity is wherever you go. Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Hollywood.

Or wherever you look, vanity is there. It's all around us.

And all you've got to do to find vanity is look at yourself in the mirror.

In Ezekiel 28, verse 17, continuing on what Ezekiel writes here, verse 17, about this being who was in the Garden of Eden, we know that deceived Adam and Eve, your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. Like you say, Satan looked at him. Look how beautiful I am. What's not to like? Maybe he's the one who invented that saying. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

And I cast you to the ground. I laid you before kings that they might gaze on you. And of course, this physical king, God did the same for the king of Tyre for him, but it was a mirror of what God was going to do with Satan. During the millennium, Satan is going to be visible to mankind, and people are going to look, you know, upon him, they're going to say, is this the man that weakened the nations? Is this the being that did this? You know, we're going to be amazed at how he was able to deceive so many.

And you know, think about, brethren, what Satan the devil has done in this world. The death, the maiming, the starvation, the, you know, you name all of it. You know, Dachau, Auschwitz, you know, Buchenwald, the starvation of children throughout Africa, India, you know, the rapes, the crimes, every kind of evil that is in our society, this being, ultimately, is responsible for. But he got filled with his own beauty, his own vanity. He got in, and he's instilled vanity in the world. It makes the world go around. Satan was so vain, he thought he was better than God.

It seemed like it was a song by Carly Simon. You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you. But, brethren, I hope that you're vain enough to know that this sermon is about you and me. Because we all have vanity we've got to overcome. But Satan has deceived the mankind and believed that he knows better than God from the very beginning. Well, I know about God, about this tree of the knowledge of good and evil thing. I have an opposing view, and I think I'm going to go with that. And that's what man has done for the last 6,000 years. And today, people reject the Word of God, man's only instruction book, like throwing out the manual to your Chevrolet car.

Not quite as important as these scriptures, by the way. A manual for the Chevrolet car, the Ford car, as to how to operate the vehicle. This tells us how to operate our lives.

But Satan has caused the world to reject it.

You know, and when people read it, their minds are already colored as well, so that they can't see it. And we need a guide, even, to understand it. And Jesus came to clarify things. But some things He did not. Remember, He spoke in parables because He said, it's given to you to know the mysteries, but it's not given for them to know. Remember, the Ethiopian eunuch was reading from the scroll of Isaiah, and Philip asked him, do you know what you're reading?

And the Ethiopian eunuch was inspired to say, how can I unless a man guides me? And so, Philip had to get up in the carriage and explain to him who this was talking about. And he spoke to him about many other things. Imagine, though, here, of this Ethiopian eunuch who was a treasurer. He was a high-up treasurer. If vanity got in his way. Oh, you know, I don't listen to some guy that's particularly, where do you come from, anyway? It's almost like Philip appeared out of nowhere, the toculine. But, you know, he wasn't filled with so much vanity, but he realized he needed somebody to help them out.

He humbled himself, in other words. And, brother, that's the key to us, to not let pride and vanity get in our way, but humble ourselves before God. Philippians 2, verse 1. Philippians 2 and verse 1, over here.

Philippians chapter 2 and verse 1. We know, through Christ, brother, we have a splendid example.

It was meditating on the fact that Jesus Christ, himself, volunteered willingly to come and die for mankind. He emptied himself, even as Paul says, of his godship, as it were, in the sense of divesting himself temporarily.

The great power he had prior to that, as the logos, as the word, and he came in the flesh and dwelled among us. And it says he came in the form of a man. It was a humble service. We know he was a manual, too. He was God with us. So he's both God and man. But he had to call upon God to intervene. And God always did, of course. He could have intervened at any time with legions of angels to help Christ. I don't think God always did, though, because Christ had the words and things. But imagine, brethren, a being like Jesus Christ and the logos who willingly gave himself for us. In God's mind, by the way, we're less than nothing, he even says in the Bible. And yet Christ came, and he died for us. It's interesting that it's almost must be like tongue-in-cheek that Paul says, therefore, if there's any consolation, Philippians 2, verse 1, in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy of being like-minded. You know, Paul is saying, be like Christ. That's our goal, to be like Jesus Christ. And it says, being of one accord, that we all get along one with another and of one mind, and let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. Don't let it be done by vanity, but in the boldness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself.

So, brethren, this is what the Word of God says. We need to combat this thing of vanity, of pride, by humbling ourselves before God and Christ and one another. One another, brethren. To be humble and don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to.

Then we all put our pants on, one leg at a time.

You know, we all have to get up in the morning and dress.

We all had our bottoms powdered when we were babies. Somebody had to slap us on the petucus. You know, when we were born, we didn't live of them by ourselves. We're all the same, brethren, in that sense.

So, we don't have a lot to be a lot of vanity and pride about, do we?

We all have the same potential, though, and we all have the same future potential.

Jesus Himself said, whoever exalts Himself will be humbled, and he who humbles Himself will be exalted. So, we must humble ourselves before God and be humble. And our goal, brethren, should be to be humble servants. And God, if He sees a humble servant, somebody who is striving not to promote the self, but to promote God and promote others, then we will gain God's favor, and God will bless us as a result of that. Number three. Number three thing that Satan will come at you about. Usually, this takes a little longer for people, by the way.

I think when we first come into the church, we're sort of on a honeymoon. We think everybody in the church is perfect. It doesn't take very long to be convinced that's not true.

But, you know, we tend to think that way, and we're sort of on a honeymoon with the church. And then we begin to see. Then something might happen to us, and then we begin to wonder. Maybe somebody said something to you that nobody ever said that to me.

And we begin to get a little root that begins to grow within us. The Bible calls the root of bitterness. It doesn't take much. All you got to do is have a little bulb, you know, that you plant in the ground and give it a little water and a little time, you know, grow, you know, as a result of that. And that's the way a root of bitterness is. It gets planted in there, and it's like that seed of rebellion and resentment, brethren. Same thing. It's hard to root out. Really difficult, you know, to root out. Let's go to Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12 and verse 14. Hebrews 12 and verse 14.

Brother, I'm talking about these things because I'd like to see you in the Kingdom.

Would you like to see me in the Kingdom? I hope you do. But I want to see you in the Kingdom. That's my greatest desire, the greatest desire that the Jonah and I have, is that you will be in the Kingdom.

You know, I pray for you every single day, that God will help you, that God will open doors for you, give you jobs, that God will bless you, help you grow, spiritually speaking, keep you from the devil, and keep you unified. Hebrews 12 and verse 14 on down here, it says, Pursue peace, it says, with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Looking carefully, lest anyone fall short, it says, of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up, cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.

Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. He just took one thing. And, brethren, for us, if we allow a root of bitterness to get in us over one thing, it can away lay us from the kingdom of God. So be diligent, brethren, in moving forward. But in verse 17, it says, For you know that after when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. You know, brethren, if God grants us repentance, and then we let, after we repent, let this bitterness get in there, like you said, it's hard to root out. And God will not grant you repentance again if he's given it to you once. You won't allow Christ to be crucified twice for you and me. So we need to be very careful, brethren. We don't let anything waylay us from the kingdom of root of bitterness that would cause us to begin to sin, to do something that is wrong.

That's the problem about sin, when people see sin in the church.

Somehow, someone thinks, well, if the church allows that person to be in the church, and they're doing this, then I ought to be able to do it.

But sometimes not even considering the fact the church may not know what somebody's doing. You know who is the last person that oftentimes is told?

If somebody is committing an egregious sin, or the last person that finds out about it, you're looking at them. I don't go looking for it, frankly. I try to think the best about people. You know, I think that's the best way to do it, anyway. But, brethren, don't assume if you see somebody doing something that's a wrong, an egregious error within the church, that the church knows about it. And don't assume the church hasn't done anything about it as well. Sometimes we have.

And maybe, brethren, we're waiting for the other shoe to drop before actions are taken. Because God gives us a lot of latitude, doesn't He? He wants us to repent, that all can have the opportunity for salvation. And, brethren, if you expect a sort of a Genghis Khan approach to things flash and burn when somebody does wrong, you know, how many people are going to be in the church, don't you? Just you.

And, you know, we need to be very careful about that attitude as well. That's a wrong attitude. That's a self-righteous attitude. So, brethren, avoid becoming bitter. And the way you do it is the way that Paul was trying to tell the brethren there in Corinth, when the man had committed sin and he had to be put out of the church, Paul had to write them and say, forgive. Forgive. And move on. Move on. Forgive somebody and move on.

You know, don't don't hang on to something because, again, that can become that little root of bitterness that can be there. Your spiritual survival, brethren, is more important than harboring hatred or bitterness. You know, we need to jettison it quick from our lives.

Number four. Here's another way in which Satan will keep you from the kingdom. Discouragement.

And depression. You see, he wants to get you down. He wants to get you discouraged. He wants to get you depressed, demoralized, defeated, and to cause you to quit.

In the Bible, in 1st Thessalonians 3, verse 4 through 5, Satan is the tempter.

He wants to tempt you to give up. He's a tempter, and he will throw whatever he can at you, and God allows him to do it. God allows him to take us through some horrendous trials. I think I've submitted Job as an example of that. But Job was better at the end, and God didn't allow Satan to do any more than Job could bear, and he does the same for us as well. But Satan is a tempter. He wants to make you give up, which causes you to disbelieve.

Paul was concerned, brethren, with Satan and the woodwork of the world if they became discouraged because of Satan's influence. Now, by the way, God does not tempt anyone. Satan is the tempter.

And Satan is really very willing to tempt him. He likes doing that, and he broadcasts in temptations. He broadcasts in moods and attitudes.

You know, just make sure. Try when you get up in the morning, get up on the right side of the bed, find out which side is the right side, and get up on that side. Don't let Satan influence your moods and your attitudes. You start getting into that. There's where he can begin to depress you. That's how he can plant that sprig of bitterness in you. He knows you better than you know yourself. He's been working on human beings for the last 6,000 years.

So he knows all of our quirks. He knows all of those things. So be on your guard. But be aware of the fact that Satan strives to tempt even Jesus Christ. You know, Matthew 4 is an example of that. And Christ had to say, get behind me, Satan.

And he admonished us, he said, man, you know, shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

So we... and the Bible says because he was a faithful high priest, tempted as we have, he's been tried on every point that we've been tried on, we have this able high priest in the heavens that we can go boldly to the throne of God and ask God's help in the time of need. But then how many times, though, when you're really being pushed, you're being stressed, how many times do you go and pray that you would withstand the attack Satan is putting on you? Or do you just cave into it and repent later?

You know, we need to learn again how to battle Satan. He's one if we keep doing that.

But if you can use the power of God through prayer, brethren, to stop, to interrupt what Satan is trying to instill in your mind through whatever means, then you begin to build the character you need to have. That's the character we need to have. That's the kind of character that Christ had when he said, Get behind me, Satan. Number five, if you're writing these down, is Satan will tempt, will begin to work on us, and we, frankly, can do this to ourselves.

We can become lethargic and lazy.

Spiritual lethargy, brethren, is a character killer.

And the closer that we get to the end of the age, be aware of the fact, brethren, that more and more people in this world are like Henry Milktoast. You know what milktoast is, don't you? You take a piece of toast and you dip it in milk, what happens to it?

It's like a man with no backbone. You know, people with no backbone, no endurance. Imagine what it'll be like at the tribulation when everybody's like milktoast.

Oh, I don't know. I don't know how I'm going to make it. You know, Britney Spears is gone. I don't know what to think.

And, of course, whatever people think. Please be aware, brethren, we are living in the time of the Laodiceans. Right now, the Laodicean time. And over in Revelation 3, we see, in fact, that in the time leading up to the return of Jesus Christ, it would be an epic period of time in society where people are so spiritually lazy. I mean, you see it all around, really. Go to the churches of the world, brethren. It's an entertainment hub. I mean, how much? They got rock and roll on the stage.

Now, I appreciate these flowers, by the way, that we have. They're very beautiful here.

But in some of the areas, the stage, you know, some of these mega churches, I mean, they've got, you know, giant video screens, and the guy that's speaking, you know, is about the size of Andre the Giant on the screen. And, you know, they've got, again, rock music going. And, you know, people are just swaying back and forth, and you've got the colored lights and everything. It's like going to the movies. People are... And then they get up to give a ten of the sermon. That's the lesson for today. My lesson is to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and trust in yourself. And that's the way it is with some of the people today. But over here in Revelation 3, Revelation 3, you have to rush along here a little bit. But in Revelation 3 over here, talks about the time of Laodicea. God lambests them here in Revelation 3. He corrects them about their attitude. He, you know, God is saying about the Laodiceans that they are lukewarm. They're neither cold or hot. We know, of course, this has relationship to the location of the city of Laodicea. But God says, I would that you were cold or hot. Of course, they were very much lukewarm, though. And like I said, the world is like Henry Milqueto's. No spiritual backbone.

But in verse 17, it says, Because you say, I am rich, see, even though they have no spiritual backbone and they're lukewarm, and they consider themselves spiritually rich here, have become wealthy and have need of nothing. They don't need anything spiritually speaking. And do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, and blind, and naked. And I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. And, of course, that means, brethren, that some will have to go through the tribulation to get the character of gold that is refined through major trials. In fact, they may have to give their life. And maybe have to be beheaded for that gold to be there. They're going to have to make a choice, like I said earlier. It's like some game-changing event must come before some people are going to repent, finally repent, and see the truth. And white garments, the white garments of righteousness, even may be clothed in the showing of your nakedness may not be revealed. And note your eyes. It says what eyes have that you might see. They're blind, spiritually speaking. But notice what he says here in verse 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten because we're not, again, children without father. We have a father. And then he says, therefore be zealous, zealous, diligent, on fire and repent. And rather than that, the admonishment for you and me as well to be spiritually on fire as God's people and not be unfruitful, like the tares. You know, the terror, by the way, just looks like a stalk of wheat. It doesn't produce any fruit. It doesn't do anything. It just encumbers the ground. Like the fig tree that didn't produce any fruit that Christ cursed and then withered up. Number six, and this is something that's very important, rather, that we see this as people wanting to be like all the rest of the world. Worldliness. Wanting to be like the world. It's like Israel had that problem, didn't they? They wanted a king. Like every other nation around, about during the days of Samuel. And they rejected their king, who was God. And so they had a physical king, and God warned them what was going to happen.

But rather, we need to not be a part of this world and the things that are in the world.

This is not to love the world over in 1 John 2 verse 15. Know the things in the world, because all these things are going to perish. Luke 21, Luke 21 over here in verse 36.

Jesus says this to us again, and He warns us about this. In Luke 21, Luke 21 verse 36, it says, Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of God. Son of man. But verse 34, But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighted down and carousing and drunkenness. And notice here, lest you think, well, that's not me. I'm not a carouser. I'm not a drunk. But He says, And cares of this life, that the day come on you unexpectedly. And He said, Watch and pray always that you be counted worthy to escape. So don't get caught up in the world, keeping up with the Joneses.

Well, you say, well, I'm not trying to keep up with the Joneses. I'm trying to keep up with the Smiths who live next door. No worldliness, brethren. Remember, no drunkard is going to enter into the kingdom of God. No fornicator, no adulterer. Now, all of us, of course, have sinned.

But, brethren, if we have not been transformed into those that are repentant, we're not going to have the opportunity to be in the kingdom. Don't live, as others do in this world. Don't compare yourselves to the world. The world's going to perish. In the world, pre-mental sex is okay. Adultery is okay. Homosexuality is okay.

Monography is okay. Pretty much anything's okay.

Now, again, 50 shades of gray ought to be called 50 shades of sin that exist in the world. God calls things what they are. Man, of course, tries to make it sound, you know, nice, even though it still slops. He's still a manure.

So, Satan has always taken what God intended for good and perverted it. God intended sex in marriage to be a beautiful thing that two people love each other, you know, get closer to one another. But the world has turned sex into just that, sex. Nothing to do with love, nothing to do with marriage. And again, it grows worse and worse. Again, it grows worse and worse. We've been called out of the darkness of this world. God says that we as God's people need to walk in the light, the light of God's Spirit, of God's way of life.

Don't allow Satan to get his Spirit in us because we do. We become a part of the children of disobedience again, all over again. And he's broadcasting. Another thing, brethren, is Satan can get at us as money. Money.

The love of money is the root of all evil. Now, the money's not bad.

You know, if you think the money is bad, you can just, you know, give it to your friend. I'm sure they appreciate it. It's the love of money. That's what's bad. And Jesus himself said, no man can serve two masters. You know, either you're serving the man of the world or you're serving God. You can't be torn from the two. You're going to do one or the other.

And what unfortunately happens is people, you know, get so caught up again in money that it chokes off their spiritual life. I've seen it happen many, many times.

And we become unfruitful to the church because of the pursuit of money. Money, money, money. And we become like a broken tooth. In other words, we're not dependable to the church. Never around when needed. Always pursuing money. Pursuing something else.

Well, I won't go to Matthew 6, verse 24, but that's what it says, brother. We can't serve God and mammon. Can't serve God and material, physical things. Well, then have faith in God concerning money matters. Trust Him, and God will bless you. He'll bless your dollar so that your dollar goes a dollar. Would you rather have a blessed dollar, brethren, or a un-blessed dollar?

Now, how many of you take the un-blessed dollar? Nobody going to raise their hand for that, I guess. Because that's the kind of dollar, by the way, you put in your pocket, and it's like it goes through a hole in your pocket. Well, that's the kind of dollar you put in your wallet, and you open it up, and it's almost like it's like evaporates, you know, into the air. But, brethren, we can't serve God and money. So, brethren, these are ways that Satan works. And there are a number of other ways that Satan works, and we haven't got to be on our guard spiritually. And, like I say, as we approach to the Passover, we need to fast and pray and pray for your brethren here in the Oakland area in Santa Rosa and San Jose and Stockton and Hawaii, where God's people are, brethren, that God will withhold Satan's hand from us, that God will intervene to heal those who are sick, to raise them up, and have faith that God will do that. And, brethren, let's stay on our toes that Satan does not make inroads into our lives to knock us off the course to the King of God. So, be aware, brethren, of the ways that Satan the Devil works. And remember, he's your enemy. He is your enemy. But God is with you, and if God is for us, who can be against us?