Satan's Influence on Mankind

Well, thank you very much, Sherry. I think that's one of the more inspiring songs that we hear, so we really do appreciate all your effort and work on that.

On the first Holy Day, we discovered that Genesis is a book of beginnings. God began to reveal His plan of salvation, first of all to Adam and Eve. And then, if you study it carefully, you will find that God began to reveal it to us from the very beginning in those two chapters. Chapter 3 introduces another beginning, the beginning of the influence of Satan the devil over man and his influence on the world. I'd like to sort of give you a summary of Genesis chapter 3 because I think it illustrates how Satan has operated for the last 6,000 years. It gives us an understanding of his mind, his approach. The first thing you find you discover is there is opposition to God, and this opposition is by a very clever and cunning personality. He creates doubt in human mind to doubt God, doubt His standards, doubt His word, doubt His values, doubt His way of life. The serpent told Eve that God had not told them the truth, that they would not die if they protected the tree, so he told a lie. He perverted the truth, but they believed it. And so you find that man has believed in lies ever since. The serpent gave an alternate explanation about life and death. A man has swallowed hook, line, and sink of that explanation. Their eyes were opened to false values, false standards, false knowledge, and you find the great enemy of faith was interjected into the world, which is doubt. How can you know? Disbelief and fear. They began to decide for themselves their course of action instead of doing what God said. The result, they were cursed, and they brought penalties upon themselves. They were driven out of the garden. They were cut off from the tree of life, and now they sat under the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So now you find evil was injected into the world, as well as some good, but you have a society based upon good and evil. This is the pattern that man has basically followed, and Satan has used for 6,000 years, to influence society, culture, the major institutions that we see around this. Jesus Christ summarized the end result of this approach in the book of Luke. If you'll turn to Luke 18 in verse 8.

Luke chapter 18.8, where you find, he said, or he answered the question, nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, or he asks this question, when he comes, shall he find the faith? The definite article is there. He's going to find the faith on the earth. The question is posed because Satan has done everything in his power to undermine our faith, our conviction, our trust, our belief in God, our dependency upon God. How does he weaken, chip away, challenge, destabilize, undercut, damage, or emasculate our convictions and our beliefs? Because there are many ways that he goes about it. Well, one of the giant ways that I said is he accomplishes this is by creating uncertainty, creating doubt in our minds. He lobs giant missiles of doubt, disbelief, and fear at the human race. And some of that fall out from those missiles enter into our lives and affect us. He is called the power of the air. This is his world. This is his society. The kingdom of God is not here yet. He is the unseen influence at work to destroy the church and to trash us individually spiritually in any way that he possibly can. You might remember in Ephesians 6-12, Ephesians 6 and verse 12, that it states this, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Other human beings are not really our enemies, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Now, as we found out from the sermonette, Israel came out of Egypt, but it wasn't easy for them to come out of Egypt. You and I are coming out of the world today. They're coming out of Egypt as a type of our coming out of the world. Once we're converted, once God calls us, we're supposed to come out of this world, its systems, its values, its way of doing things, and cling to the values and the systems of God. We find that there are three enemies that we have to deal with, and we're trying to address all of those during this period of time. One is the world or the culture, the society around us. The other is Satan the devil and our human nature. He influences the popular culture around us. He bombards us with media messages. He undermines the religious values of modern education and modern religion, and he has declared war on moral values and standards. This is the warfare. This is the fight that's going on all around us, and we've all been influenced by these messages. Sometimes they're very subtle. Sometimes some things are very obvious, but others are very subtle, and they impact us without even realizing it. Those who believe in the Bible believe in absolute biblical values, and yet those who believe in absolute biblical values today are categorized as what? Well, they're biased. They're intolerant. They're ignorant.

They're bigoted. They're narrow-minded. They're fanatical. You can read all of those terms in the newspaper, and when it starts talking about the religious right, you find that all of these terms are thrown out to describe anyone who believes in God. You might remember it's regarded as a hate crime in Canada to speak out against homosexuality. How soon will it be before generation X and Y, if you don't know who those are? Those are the younger generations coming along.

Decide that the intolerant ones, that would be us or other religions, should not only be capriciously adjudicated against, but also demographically legislated as being dangerous and detrimental to, quote-unquote, the progressive society that people live in today. Let me cite another recent situation in Australia. You may have heard about it. It's the Victorian Racial and Religious Tolerance Act of 2001. Now, this was passed in the Victorian area of Canada.

Notice a quote from the Act. Quote, A person must not on the ground of the religious belief or activity of another person or class of persons, knowingly engage in conduct with the intention of inciting serious contempt for, or revulsion for, or severe ridicule of, that other person or classes of persons. Now, how would they apply this particular act in real life? Well, there were two cases brought up before the courts where Protestant church ministers were alleged to have made condemning remarks concerning the Islamic faith, which had allegedly placed them in violation of this act.

Now, you find Christianity is bashed all of the time. The symbols, and I'm not commenting whether those symbols are correct or not, but the symbols of Christianity are ridiculed all the time. But don't you speak out against other religions, especially Islam. Relativeism is taught today and has influenced even many of us, especially the younger generation. And the younger generation, in many cases, don't realize it because what happens is that you tend to grow up in a society that's always, quote-unquote, been this way. But it hasn't always been this way.

It's just the world that you happen to grow up in and inherit. I'd like to quote to you from an article entitled, The New Absolutes, No Absolutes. That's what the New Absolutes are. They're no absolutes. Relativism denies the existence of moral and spiritual absolutes and declares that all values are relative. So it doesn't matter what values you believe in, they're all relative. They're all the same. Different according to circumstances, persons, cultures, conditions, and all other such variables. So denying the existence of absolutes, relativists reject God or any supreme authority or judgment. And the Holy Bible in its entire life is and the Holy Bible in its entirety. End of quote.

You might remember the German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. He rejected the accepted absolute moral values and the slave morality of Christianity. That if you were a Christian, then you were a slave to that morality. He argued that God is dead. He was the one who was one of the first ones to popularize the idea that there is no God, he is dead. And therefore, people were free to create their own values. So you don't have any absolute values, so you can go ahead and create your own values.

Former Chief Justice, Frederick Moore Vinson, who shortly after World War II made this statement, nothing is more certain in modern society than the principles that there are no absolutes. Now, if you want to find other quotes, just type absolutes or no absolutes in your computer and you'll get dozens, hundreds of quotes that will pop up. That's basically where I found most of these. Humanist John Dewey, co-author and signer of the Humanist Manifesto, declared, quote, there is no God, therefore there is no soul.

Hence, there are no needs for the props of traditional religion. With Dogman Creed excluded, then immutable truth is also dead and buried. There is no room for fixed or natural or moral absolutes. So therefore, you know, these are the people who have absolutely, I'll use that word, influence the modern education, the modern approach that we see. Those who believe in absolutes are rapidly being characterized by the influential humanist media as detrimental to the enlightened advancement of society.

Now, we've got a problem here. True Christians believe in absolutes.

We acknowledge God's law is supreme over all mankind. That God created and exclusively governs the universe and all that dwells in it. For the Christian absolutes are the biblical truths. That's what it's all based upon, the Bible.

Which, while they can be denied by non-believers, can ever be changed. These truths are infallible, immutable, eternal, inalienable, intrinsic, and unchanging. If I could find another adjective, I'd throw it in. Also, we're talking about principles or values that are timeless, unchanging, and that are not relative.

Rather, we must be aware of the forces that are aligned against our faith, our conviction, and our belief. You know, when God brought Israel out of Egypt, they had to trust God to bring them out. Now, the problem with Israel is they tended to look at the around. They walked by sight, not by faith. And so, when they came to the Red Sea, as we heard, man, what are we going to do? Two mountains on one side, on either side, Red Sea in front of us, and the armies behind us. And they couldn't see a way out, and God had to intervene on their behalf. Well, what we have to realize is that the forces of society which are influenced, impacted by Satan the devil, the spirit world, they are aligned against those who are true believers of God. You and I must have utter conviction, utter trust in God. We must have utter faith in the spiritual values that are taught in the Scriptures, because that is our anchor. That's what holds us. Let's take a look at this subject, but let's look at it first of all from God's perspective. If you'll turn to Psalm 14 in verse 1, Psalm chapter 14 in verse 1, we read that the fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt and have done abominable works, and there is none that does good. Theological word book of the Old Testament says that a fool is a person who is ignoble, disgraceful, and sensibility to God, as well as moral and sensibility, has a closed mind to reason.

Now, Christians are portrayed as ones who have a closed mind, but this definition says that it is the fool who has a closed mind. Now, I want you to notice in this verse what are their motives, what motivates them. Corrupt and abominable works. Man does not want God to tell them what to do. They want to decide right and wrong for themselves, not that God would tell you what is right or what is wrong. The attitude goes back to the Garden of Eden and the Two Trees, and it goes back to the direct influence of Satan on mankind. God told Adam and Eve to not partake of that tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and they made up their own mind, and they decided, under the influence of Satan the Devil, to go ahead and do it. And they did it. And so the misery, suffering, heartaches, wars, violence, everything you can think of has resulted by choosing the wrong way. Now, in Romans 1, beginning in verse 18, Romans 1, you find this, The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. So it's not a matter that many cases that some of these people don't know the truth, but they suppress the truth because they don't want to be subject to the truth. Verse 19, because what may be known of God is manifest or evident in or among them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power in Godhead, so that they are without excuse, God says. So you ought to be able to look up into the heavens or you ought to be able to look into the microscope and see the tremendous design, the tremendous power that is there, and come to the conclusion that there had to be a superior power to design this, who sustains it, and to bring it about. Now, why do they reject the evidence for God? Why does man try to come up with other theories, ideas, speculations? Well, verse 28 gives you a clue or gives you an insight. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things that are not fitting. So when you leave God out of your knowledge, you're going to end up following a debased path, debauchery, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whispers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents. Now verse 31, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who know the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice it. So those who have false standards, humanistic ideas, these are the people who are approved today in society. These are the ones who are touted, those who believe in absolute values and made fun of. So we see that this is the approach that is used.

Now God nails the problem back in Ezekiel 18. If you go to Ezekiel 18 verse 25, you'll find this is what God said about ancient Israel. You'll find much of the book of Ezekiel is written for us today because remember Ezekiel was in captivity. The house of Israel had already gone into captivity over 130 years prior to the writing of this book.

In verse 25, yet you say, here's what the people say, here's what the people say today in our society, the way of the Lord is not fair. It's not right, they say. Hear now, house of Israel. It is not my way which is fair in your ways which are not fair. Man's ways are not fair. God is. Then verse 29, same chapter, Ezekiel 18. Yet the house of Israel says, well, the way of the Lord is not fair. Oh, house of Israel, is it not my ways which are fair in your ways which are not fair? Therefore, I will judge you, oh, house of Israel, everyone, according to his ways, says the Lord God, repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Remember the scripture says there's a way that seems right into a man, but the end's there ever the ways of death. Well, that's exactly what man has done. I mean, that's the pattern that has been set. God told Adam and Eve, go this way. They came up with a different way, and they followed their own way. And so you find here, cast away, verse 31, from you all the transgressions which you have committed. And get yourself a new heart and a new spirit. Verse 32, for I have no pleasure in the death of the ones who die, says the Lord. Therefore, turn and live. Now, the word fair here in Hebrew means to make a just determination of the value or the quality of an object. And it's interesting that God's society says that God's way is not worth more or valued more than just human opinion. They're all on the same level. They're all relative.

The word means to be just, to be right, pertaining to meeting a standard, implying moral purity and holiness. Humanists believe that a person should be able to do as one pleases and as one feels it's right. Today you find people talk about their feelings so much and they feel that this is right. Not that it is right. Sometimes God tells us to do things that you might not feel that you can do, but you know God says with his help you will do it. The Sabbath would be an example. God says, remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy. That's not always easy. Might mean losing our job, losing some of our friends, changing our whole life. And yet God requires that of us. Let me read a couple other translations of verse 25 for you. The good news translations translate it this way. But you say, what the Lord does isn't right. Listen to me, you Israelites. Do you think my way of doing things isn't right? It is your way that isn't right. And then the Revised Standard Version says, yet you say the way of the Lord is not just. See, not just, not right, not fair.

The argument of relatism is simply this. If I could summarize it for you. There are no absolutes. Truth is relative. Who knows what truth is?

No one's opinion is superior to anyone other's. There is no hierarchy of truth or values. Anyone's viewpoint is just as valid as anyone else's viewpoint. We all have our own truth.

Relativists don't want you to impose your morals on them. So if you say what the Bible says is truth, this is what man should be doing. Well, you are imposing your morals on them, and so they don't accept that. So bottom line is there's no right or wrong.

They say you make your own reality.

Now, from an article titled, Morality, Theistic Morality, talking about atheism, atheists recognize that there is no moral absolutes in their own society. So they say there are no moral absolutes. There's no God. So how can you have moral absolutes? Moral values, they say, are transitional imperatives designed to give the greatest benefit to society. So we come up with values in society because they benefit the vast majority of people. Adultery, theft, murder are considered wrong because they harm society in which these things take place, and not because a superior power tells you not to do it or has decreed it. So what they're saying is, we humans decide that this is what's good for society, so therefore we do it, but we don't want a God telling us what to do. I mean, that's the basic bottom line. But what you find in the Bible is simply this, brother. We all know this, that physical things are temporary. Spiritual things are eternal. In 2 Corinthians 4, 18, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18, we find, While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary. I'm temporary. This building is temporary. This podium is temporary. You're temporary. But the things which are not seen, the spiritual realm, are eternal. Those are the lasting values, spiritual principles. Romans 7, 12, and 14. You might remember it talks about God's law in Romans 7, 12. Therefore, the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. In verse 14, we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnaled and sold to understand. So the Ten Commandments is a spiritual law. The whims of human beings, their ideas, their philosophies, their approach, has nothing to do with what's right or what's wrong. It's what God says. The Ten Commandments is spiritual law. God is a reflection of God's nature. It is a way of love. The Ten Commandments can be summarized by you to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your might, and you to love your neighbors yourself. And so, therefore, it's a way of love, of giving, of service. God is love, and we are told that this is a love of God, you might remember, that we keep His commandments, that we observe His commandments. The Ten Commandments show how God would live if He walked on the earth in human form. And guess what? God did walk on the earth in human form. Jesus was God in the flesh, and He did keep the Ten Commandments. You might remember Psalm 19 verse 7 says, The law of God is perfect, converting the soul. Psalm 19.7, The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

So you can't put an end to the spiritual and dispose of it. You might reject it, but you can't do away with it. It's still there. If you break spiritual principles, there are curses that come along with you. You want to put it that way. There are principles that are being broken, and they have repercussion. What you sow is what you reap. In Hebrews 12 and verses 25 through 27, Hebrews 12 verses 25 through 27, when we read this, See that you do not refuse him who speaks. For they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth. Much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven, if we turn away from what God has given to us and told us, whose voice in the Old Testament, when God gave the law in Mount Sinai, shook the earth. But now He has promised, saying, Yet once more, and I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.

Now, this yet once more indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made. So this physical earth can be shaken.

Earthquake takes place. Volcanic eruption takes place. Tornado comes through. You know, all kinds of things. The tsunami. This earth can be shaken, but the things that cannot be shaken may remain. The spiritual cannot be shaken. The physical is temporary. It's not permanent. It is the spirit that is permanent. The word shaken, English means to be moved, tottered, overthrown, or cast down. The Greek word means the same things. To cause to to totter, to cause to be overthrown. So the physical can be overthrown. The spiritual cannot. And we read in verse 28, Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

So God's kingdom cannot be shaken. It will remain. Now, you and I have been called to be a part of God's kingdom. We're told to pray every day, thy kingdom come. So the kingdom of God is what will endure forever. In Daniel 2 44, just quickly to refer to a couple of scriptures, it talks about God setting up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. And in Daniel 7 verses 13 through 14, that God is going to set up a kingdom, and his kingdom shall never or shall not be destroyed. So both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 clearly shows that the kingdom of God will go on forever, and the physical realm will not. Now, you and I, brethren, are not to be ignorant of Satan's devices. Adam and Eve were novices in one sense. They were created with a neutral mind, just like a baby is born with a neutral mind. They could be influenced for good or for evil. Now, God came along and told them the right way to go, the right way to live. The devil came along and he said, well, God is lying to you, and you know, you can decide for yourself what you want to do. And so they they went that way. Well, in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 11, they didn't have much knowledge to base their decision on. They had what God said, but they didn't trust God. They didn't rely upon God. So you find that Satan came along. You would think that they would have thought, this is funny, there's a snake talking to us. But maybe they hadn't been around long enough to know whether the animals talked or not, or the snakes talked or whatever. 2 Corinthians 2, 11 says, lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. You and I are not to be ignorant. The word ignorant means not to know, not to understand.

Unknown. So you and I are not to be someone who doesn't understand or know what Satan's devices are. The word devices means a mental perception, a mind thought, or purpose. We are to know what Satan's purposes are. How was Satan able to influence one-third of the angels and lead them astray?

He had to convince them that God was not right, that he was not fair, that he was not tolerant enough, that he did not judge properly. And he believed he knew as much or more than God. And at some point he came up with a different philosophy, different ideas. Instead of bringing these to God and God saying, no, that's not right, and believing God and rejecting them, he then began to conquer and to divide. That's exactly the way Satan the devil has done it from the very beginning.

Lucifer probably got one of his chief henchmen aside and said, well, have you ever considered this? Do you think that God's always right? I mean, why do we know? How can we know that he's always right? And they began to reason together. And then they got a couple of more, and then pretty soon there was a small group, and then they began to go out. And they were able to influence one-third of the angels. You can see those same attitudes reflected in society today.

So rather than let's take a look today at some of the devices or approaches in society that Satan the devil uses, there's much background that we could cover. I mean, this is an inexhaustible topic that we could be speaking on here today. But let's go back to some of the basics, and let's start with one of the basics that mankind looks at, and that is the subject of evolution.

Evolution is man's attempt to explain the creation, explain life without a God. Now, once you accept that there is no God, or at least a God who is not actively involved in the affairs of mankind, then obviously everyone is free to decide for himself what is right or what is wrong. One of the devices that Satan uses today is to redefine terms with different meanings. Words and phrases take on different meanings today. You can have one word, but they mean different things to different people. We can use the same word, but they mean different things. This is one reason today in society why you have conflicts between sometimes parents and children, and between the religions, religious and non-religious. Just one illustration, bad today in the vocabulary, many young people, doesn't mean bad. It means good. If you're bad, you're good. I don't know what good means then. It means you're bad. But what about the term that you hear thrown around in the political arena all the time? Family values.

You know, the different ones say, well, sure we believe in family values.

Well, for many, what that means is that they value their families.

Then they say, well, yeah, we believe in family values, but they don't define what a family is. A family can be two men, it can be two women, it can be anything that they wanted to find as a family, instead of what God defines as a family. Let me list some words that we hear all the time being used, but they have dual meanings, dual approach in our society. And you'll find that we end up speaking different languages. And when you hear it, your mind might go in one direction. But for them, it's a totally different subject. And I'm talking about the humanistic approach, which is Satan's approach. You decide for yourself. What about the word tolerance? Now, shouldn't all of us be tolerant?

How's the word tolerance used today? Traditional definition of tolerance, Webster's. Webster defines tolerance as to recognize and respect others' beliefs and practices without sharing them. You don't have to share them, but you say, okay, I can respect that. And to bear or put up with sometimes someone or something, especially that you don't like. Now, you're tough. You can tolerate them. And so sometimes we use tolerance in that way.

Well, let me show you that there are other definitions.

An article titled, What is a parent supposed to tell his children about gay issues? This is from the Cincinnati Inquirer back in the year 2005. Cartoon characters adored by kids seized the spotlight in the latest flare-up of American culture war, but the debate itself poses serious questions for adults involved in depicting of gays and lesbians in material for teaching children about diversity. Now, there's another word, diversity and tolerance. The liberal camp argues that even young children should learn that intolerance based upon sexual identity is wrong and the gays are a legitimate part of the national mosaic as anyone else. So what do we have starting in kindergarten in the first grade? They are beginning to teach this, and it comes in under the guise of being tolerant. And if you don't believe this, then you're intolerant. So that's how the term is being used. The conservative camp has responded vehemently by all means teaching children to respect others' individuals, but do not cross the line and teach them that homosexuality is acceptable. Tolerance in self can be a very dangerous word today. Tolerance gives the public schools an avenue to literally brainwash our kids that every lifestyle is okay. Educational Secretary Margaret Spelling criticized an episode of Public Broadcasting Service for the children's series, Postcards from Buster.

Now, a lot of the younger children would know what that is, in which the animated bunny visits the children of two lesbian couples in Vermont. And the idea is that this is a normal family, and everything is okay. Some conservative leaders attacked a pro-diversity initiative of We Are Family Foundation. James Dobson focused on the family. He says, what it is doing is desensitizing very young children to homosexuality and bisexual behavior, because they're being taught that this is okay. Some conservatives said last month the No Name Calling Week, this was what was being taught in school. All teachers had to teach their children that shouldn't go around calling names. In middle school, it was too focused on the harassment of gays. Basically, it was a week devoted to, you shouldn't be bashing gays. And students are being indoctrinated to admire homosexual marriages.

And then tolerance and diversity are almost always a bud's word for homosexual advocacy. You can almost always count on that. Diversity awareness and classroom initiatives promoting tolerance and combating bullying. So what we find is this is where tolerance is going today. Now, if you think that this is just a random idea, anybody ever heard of the United Nations? Unesco has put out a declaration on the principle of tolerance. This is their declaration that all member nations were asked to sign on or sign up for.

Now, it says, remember the paradigm shift and you paradigm changes all the rules. Talking about globalists, meaning for tolerance, permits no tolerance for Christianity, but tolerance for just about everything else. An international declaration of tolerance prepared by Unesco and signed by member nations defines the new global definition of tolerance. Now, America didn't sign it, but our schools are leading the way. Our universities are leading the way. Let me just hit some of the high points of some of the points in this document. Tolerance is respect, acceptance, and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's culture. It is not only a moral duty, it is also a political and a legal requirement. So, if you're intolerant, it's a legal requirement that you become tolerant. Tolerance involves a rejection of dogmatism and absolutes. So, if you believe in any dogmatism or absolutes, you are intolerant. Tolerance means that one's views are not to be imposed on another. So, does that mean we no longer are going to be allowed to preach the gospel? You get on radio, TV, write articles, and you preach what the truth is. You're trying to impose your ideas on somebody else.

Tolerance, intolerance, is a global threat. Tolerance, promotion, and the shaping of attitudes of openness, mutual listening, and solidarity should take place in schools and universities through non-formal education, at home and in the workplace. Now, does that mean they're going to begin to monitor the homes, what you can teach in your homes, and what can be taught within the workplace?

Then one other, promote rational tolerance teaching methods that will address the cultural, social, economic, political, religious sources of intolerance, major roots of violence and exclusion in our society. So this is the approach. In order to be truly tolerant, you must agree that another person's position is just as valid as your position. You must give your approval, your endorsement, your sincere support of their belief and behavior. How many times have you heard on talk programs? Well, I don't necessarily agree with you. But I accept your right to believe as you do, and so on. What happens in the notion that there is an objective right and wrong that applies to all people, all times, all places?

When tolerance is applied to different cultural values, it is usually identified by the term multiculturalism. That is, a belief that all culture, values, beliefs, lifestyles, truth, claims are all equal. There is no standard by which one can judge one cultural value as better or worse. Non-agreement with this approach to tolerance is called a phobia. I'm looking at a bunch of people out there with a lot of phobias.

When a father complained that his elementary son was too young to understand teachings about homosexuality, that he thought he ought to teach his son about it, his father was called a homophobic. He was called other names also. You know, as a result of this. The tactic is to label any opposing view with words like, well, these people are hostile, they're full of hatred, cruelty, you know, they're cruel, they won't accept others who are outside of their group, and they are bigots. Now, I've mentioned this to you before, but you remember the example of the Boy Scouts? Quoting from the book, The Death of the West, by Patrick Buchanan, pages 202-203, he has this to say, dismissing the Scouts' claim that they are a private organization and thus were exempt from state anti-discrimination laws. New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the Scouts to admit homosexuality in the name of the higher gold of eradicating the cancer of discrimination.

Now, notice, the Scouts who believe in a higher power, their belief is called a cancer of discrimination because they will not allow homosexuality in their organization. Thus, the court equated the Scouts' creed and Christian doctrine that homosexuality is not morally straight with a cancer on the American society.

And if I'd before decision, the U.S. Supreme Court spared the Scouts from having you decide whether to be true to their God-centered belief or to be broken by the state power.

But the Scouts' courage cost them $1 million in funding. In New York, California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota school, boards have cut ties and denied Scouts access to public schools. And their facilities, local governments on Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, have denounced them. 32 United Way chapters have severed connections with the Scouts.

Lise, Strauss, Wells Fargo, and Textron have ended their support. The Union of American Hebrew Congregations sent a memo to all of its affiliates urging a cutting of ties. Film director Steven Spielberg resigned from the Boy Scouts Association advisory board with the statement reading, quote, The last few years in scouting have deeply saddened me to see the Boy Scouts of America actively and publicly participate in discrimination. So now they're discriminating. It's a real shame. When Eagle Scouts participated in the opening of the ceremonies at the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles, the delegates booed them.

In April 2001, the Cultural Revolution rolled out its big cannons against the Boy Scouts. They were blasted on 60 minutes for their bigotry. So again, they were referred to as bigots.

Anybody who has real convictions, especially moral convictions that are based upon the scriptures, are called fanatics. If there is no truth, then your values are no better than anybody else's. So they say there should be no name calling, and I don't think we should go around calling people names. That's not the point. But the very fact that you say certain actions are wrong, they consider that calling names. So everything then comes under diversity, and diversity awareness, differences, and reference to culture, religion, custom, and so on, are to, you know, don't carry any values. Another word that is used today that has dual meanings is the word respect.

Everybody wants to be respected. I mean, we use that term all the time. But the way it's used here is that we need, you must, and if you don't, you are a bigot or intolerant, respect different value systems. So if my value system is different from your value system, my beliefs, my sexual orientation, or whatever it might be, and you don't accept that, then you are a bigot. You're intolerant, and you are fanatical. I mean, that's the way it is today. If you don't respect other's value systems, it means you're intolerant. Thomas A. Helmbach, executive president of the national Lambda Chi Alpha, fraternity explained, the definition of the new tolerance is that everybody's beliefs, values, lifestyles, and perceptions of truth are equal. There's no hierarchy of truth. Your belief made, am I believe or equal? Truth is relative. Yet what says the Word of God? John 1717 says, sanctify them by your truth. Your Word is truth. Brother, what is truth? God's Word, His law, His spiritual principles, these are what you can base your life on. But according to the modern philosophy, humanism, we're not to judge one another's morals or values. People should have the right to live and believe whatever they please. Christians should be loving and accepting. Love others as you would have them love you. So if you want to be loved, then you need to love anybody, no matter what his values are. That's how they apply the golden rule. Christians are considered self-righteous and judgmental. Hate to sin, but love the sinner is labeled as a cop-out by these people. Live and let live. Let people live the way they want to. We decide our own personal right and wrong, and we leave everybody else alone. Not hurting you, so why should you be concerned? I mean, this is the philosophy. Or they say, I allow my children to make up their own mind if they want to choose a religion. I try not to influence them. The exact opposite of what the Bible says, train up a child in the way that he should go. When he is old, he won't depart from it.

What's wrong with one person necessarily believing something different from somebody else? 57% of the children who grow up in quote-unquote Christian schools believe that. Multicultural diversity is being pushed in the universities. It's being pushed all the way down through the whole school system. And even though it may not be as popular among many of the adults, what you need to realize is that there are those who realize it only takes two or three generations.

You get most of the children when they're young, and when they go off to college. Why is it so many young people who believe in God go off to college and within a year or two don't believe in God anymore? Have their whole value systems turned upside down? Are challenged on every point? Well, you find that this is what is being pushed onto them. As I said, multicultural diversity is being pushed. An example, the New York State Regents for Education adopted a policy. Each student will develop the ability to understand, respect, and accept people of different races, different sex, different cultural herrages, different national origin, religion, political, economic, social background, and their values, beliefs, and attitudes. So what we find in school today is that it's not just enough to teach American history. You've got to teach history of almost every culture nation on the face of the earth in order to be balanced. And that, you know, our background isn't any better than theirs. The agenda of the new tolerance is not simply the acceptance of the person who are different or who believe or behave differently, but the approval of them. If you don't approve of them, then you're intolerant. And then also the participation in their attitude and their approach. So, rather, we need to understand the times that we live in, the cultural atmosphere we live in. Who's behind this? This is Satan's world. He's the God of this world. In 1 Chronicles 12 verse 32, I think there is a scripture that has application for us today. 1 Chronicles 12, 32, we read of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. Their chiefs were number 200.

Rather, you and I are to have understanding of the times. We're not to be ignorant of Satan's devices. We need to understand what he's trying to do to keep us from coming out of the world. And as we come out of the world, he wants us to get bogged down in Quagmire, quicksand, and to be overwhelmed by some of these attitudes, approaches, and influence. If we're not aware of him, in many cases, absolutely, we can. One educator asks students to complete a survey question. One of the questions was, can a person's beliefs or values be criticized without being critical of the person, without attacking the person's integrity and character?

Invariably, the vast majority of the students answered no. And the space opened for the optional comment, many students elaborated on their no answer. What I believe can't be separated from whom I am. To criticize what's important to someone is to criticize that person. So if you criticize what somebody believes, or their sexual orientation, or anything about them, their philosophy, then you are criticizing them. Therefore, it's like a formula. You are A plus B, you are intolerant, and it works that way. The idea is that to be a virtual citizen is to be one who tolerates everything except what? Intolerance. Can't be intolerant, so you've got to be tolerant. Can we see why Christianity is so criticized today so much? It's dogmatic, certain actions are sins, people feel condemned when you do that, so therefore you are intolerant. Also, we have today the tyranny of the individual.

And what do I mean by the tyranny of the individual? One person can obstruct the rights of the majority in our society. We have no prayer in school today because originally one person objected to it, made a case out of it, they didn't like it, went against quote-unquote what they believed, and so therefore they shouldn't have to listen to prayer. Now, you know, that has been applied to almost every facet you can think of. So you can't even have a Bible in schools today. You can't have 10 commandments publicly displayed. Let me quote to you from the book, The New Tolerance, by Josh McDowell and Bob Hustler.

This is page six where this leads you. Consider Beverly Schnell's case. Schnell wanted to find a tenant to help her remodel her 100-year-old home and return for lower rent. As a Christian, she hoped to offer the job to a dependable, mature fellow believer. So she placed a classified ad asking for a mature Christian handyman.

Big mistake. Her ad prompted government officials to leap into action. Her simple ad was a clear case of sexual or religious discrimination.

They decreed, rather than the six or eight dollars that classified ad might cost, Beverly Schnell's ad carried an eight thousand dollar price tag for fines and fees imposed upon her by the state bureaucracy. Shannon Berry, a first grader at Bay Shore Elementary School in Bradenton, Florida, began talking to her classmate at recess about their mutual faith in Jesus Christ. A teacher overhearing the conversation drew both of them aside and remanded them, telling them that they were not allowed to talk about Jesus in school. A similar incident occurred in Selkirk, New York, when a third-grade teacher stopped the child from reading the Bible on her free time. The crying child was threatened and told never to bring the forbidden book to school again. Fourth grader Raymond Raines made the mistake of bowing his head and whispering a silent prayer over his lunch. This act, however, resulted in a trip to the principal's office and a warning that if he tried to pray again, even silently, he would be disciplined. What kind of a society are we talking about where these type of things occur? But this is the new civil right. The new civil right is the right to not be offended. One individual, if they feel offended, then they can get the court to pass it, and therefore, even though hundreds, thousands, millions believe in it, the one person's right is upheld, and your rights are trampled on. In 1 Peter 4 and verse 4, notice 1 Peter 4.4. I think this pretty well aptly describes what we see taking place in society around us today. In regard to these things, they think it's strange that you do not run with them to the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. So those who are religious are evil spoken of. Notice the Darby translation. When they think it's strange that you run not with them to the same sink of corruption, they speak injuriously of you. Good news, translation. Now, the heatheners surprise when you do not join them in the same wild, reckless living, and they insult you. New Testament Jewish says they heap insults on you. NIV says they heap abuse on you. So we find that those who try to live the right way or have definite values are looked on in this way. Notice the implication of tolerance.

Could speaking the name of Jesus get you thrown in jail?

Now, you think surely that wouldn't happen. Several years ago, Judge Samuel B. Kent of U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ruled that any student mentioning the name of Jesus in a graduation prayer would be sentenced to a six-month jail term. The following are the judge's own words taken directly from the court papers dated May 5, 1995.

Make no mistake that the court is going to have a United States marshal in attendance at graduation. If any student offends this court, that student will be summarily arrested, will face up to six months incarceration in the Galveston County Jail for contempt of court. Anyone who thinks I'm kidding about this order or expresses any weakness or lack of resolve in the spirit of compromise would better think again. Anyone who violates these rules and no kidding is going to wish that he or she had died as a child when the court gets through with it. So, you can't use the name of Jesus. Now, where do you think that came from? Well, somebody complained about religion in the school, and therefore you can't have religion at the graduation. We see why a politician might be condemned who holds dogmatic views, who believes in the Bible, who prays, who they're made fun of. This helps to explain why America is also looked down on in the world. Why would we hold a politician accountable for sex actions in the White House when many political figures in Europe have mistresses on the side? It's accepted over there. One of the times my wife and I traveled to Germany, we found that out. It's just something that's done there, and they couldn't understand why we as a nation would bring our president into account for this. Europe cannot understand how religion and politics gets linked together. They've gone so far down the secular path, they're setting the pace, and we're just a few years behind them, but it's coming to that. These political leaders do not expound strong religious beliefs. Those who don't are more accepted. So any system or individual that believes dogmatically and absolute truth is, again, defined as being guilty of intolerance. What about the exaltation of nature and mother nation, nature or mother earth? The environmentalist extremists have also spawned the animal rights movement. In a world without absolutes, there's no basis for saying that human beings are better than any other species. According to Ingrid Newkirk, president of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a rat is a pig, is a dog, is a boy. Her point is that a human child is not innately any better than a rat, a pig, or a dog. Why should they be? They're all, in their minds, animals. The Finnish Green Party activist, Pinti Pintkola, goes as far as to say that he has more sympathy for threatened insect species than for children dying of hunger in Africa. Now, obviously, brethren, we should protect our environment. I'm not talking about that. We should not pollute our environment, but I'm talking about those who are extremists who think that anything you do, step on above, who think that things of this nature are more important than human beings. So what should you and I be doing? Well, we must believe in absolute values. The core, again, has to be here in our minds and our hearts. We need to teach our children why God's ways are absolute and lasting, not be ashamed of it. We need to evaluate the substance of our life as well as the form of our lives to see where we've been influenced, to compromise with God's way. God's not left us in confusion. He clearly explains the problems that we would be faced with at the end time. In 2 Timothy 3, verses 5 through 7, we'll read verse 5. It says here, having a form of godliness, talking about those who have a form, in other words, the outward form is there, but the substance isn't, but denying its power. From such people, turn away. Christian in form, Albert appearance and name, but not in power, or at the core, not the substance, not the essence, not the central part of a person, not the heart of a person, which is where our conversion takes place.

They talk the talk, they don't walk the walk. Brethren, our challenge today is to believe God, submit to God, live by the eternal principles that God reveals to us. Otherwise, we're no different from the world with the unconverted. We just have a little more understanding than they do. But God wants us to translate understanding into action, into godly character, into obedience, into His way of life. The thing is, we're not, in many cases, even aware of the subtle influences that we see going on around us. Now, God has given us the power to fight against this. In 2 Timothy 1.7, we find that God has not given us a spirit of fear. We don't have to be afraid, but a power, and of love, and of a sound mind. The word sound mind means self-control. If you don't have control, rule over your mind. You don't have a sound mind. So, we have the power of God residing within us. We don't have to be afraid to stand up for what is right. There are promises, there are foundational principles that are absolute, underlined, unending, perpetual, permanent, and eternal that we can base our lives on, and to know that they are true. Romans 12, verses 1 and 2 says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, Romans 12.1, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. So, what is supposed to be transformed? Well, by the renewing of your mind. See, it's in our minds and our hearts that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The word conformed refers to the act of an individual assuming an outward expression that does not come from within him, that is not representative of his inner heart and life. Transform comes from the word from which we get metamorphosis, and it's talking about change in an outward expression that comes from an inward belief. So, you and I are to be educated. When God calls us, what does he start working with? With our minds, with our heart, with our attitude, with our approach. We change here and we change inside. Then it's reflected in how we live, our actions, what we do, how we treat one another, who we are. And you and I are to be renewed. Thayer defines this word as a renewal or renovation, a complete change for the better. You and I are to change. And so, brethren, we're here during the days of Unleavened Bread, and we are to change. We are to be aware of Satan, what he's up to, of what he's doing to society and culture around us. We have to live in the world, but we don't have to be a part of this world. Make no mistake about it, we are in a war with unseen forces who manipulate what is going on in the world. We have to identify the devices of Satan. We have to constantly be aware of how he's trying to undermine our children, our families, our institutions, our beliefs. And as Israel had to come out of Egypt, so must we come out of this world. So, brethren, make sure that we truly change from within, inside out. This is the only way that we'll be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and inherit the unshakable kingdom of God. We have to realize that we must have substance and not just form.