Two Contrasting Prophecies

Let's title today two contrasting prophecies. Two contrasting prophecies.

These two prophecies were pronounced, first of all, on a spirit being and then later on a human being.

Let's note, first of all, the prophecy that God prophesied pronounced on Satan the devil, and then secondly, one of the apostles. So let's look at Genesis 3 and verse 15.

This is in context with Satan, Timton, Eve, eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, giving it to Adam. He also ate of the tree of good and evil, God confronting them, and then casting them out of the garden. And as he was casting them out, he gave this verse great messianic prophecy, but it was also a prophecy directed toward Satan the devil as well.

In Genesis 3 and verse 15, and I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed, it shall bruise your head. So as we shall see, that Jesus Christ, God and Jesus Christ, are the ones who put Satan away, and you shall bruise his heel. Or Satan inspired one plot after another, all through the Old Testament, trying to destroy Israel, and then after Jesus Christ was born, trying to destroy Jesus Christ from the time he was born, basically up to the time that he was crucified. And of course, Satan was one of the great conspirators in the betrayal of Jesus Christ, the mock trial, and him being put to death. We have entered a point in history, in human reasoning, from the so-called highest religious authority in the land to the man on the street, that there is no evil spirit in the world.

It's like Satan doesn't exist anymore. I had an elder's wife write me this week from another church area. Don't we need to, in addition to seven great questions of life, ask the same questions about Satan the devil? Who is Satan? What is Satan? And what is his purpose?

Well, Satan is a great spirit being, an archangel who rebelled against God and was cast down and has, from that point on, tried to thwart the plan of God. He's a spirit being, that's what he is. He is spirit with a lot of power, very bright and very cunning. And he's well organized. He has a group of demons with him who are working in concert with him, and then influencing every human being that he possibly can. As the book was written some time ago, Satan is alive and well on great planet earth or late planet earth.

So Satan the devil is very much alive, and he walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he made of our. That's his great purpose, is to thwart the plan of God and destroy you and me.

Recently, the Pope made a startling revelation by stating that hell did not exist in an interview with a leading liberal Italian newspaper in an interview by Eugenio Scafari that appeared in the Italian newspaper, La Repobelcala, titled, It is an Honor to be Called a Revolutionary. Scafari acknowledged the Pontius' previous remarks about how good souls who sought repentance from God would receive it, and then asked, well, what about the bad souls?

Seemingly going against centuries of core Christian belief or Catholic teaching, Pope Francis said the souls of sinners simply vanish after death and were not subject to an eternity of punishment. Of course, he had a little part of it, that human being sinners are not eternally punished. They are burned in the lake of fire, which is the second death. Then the Vatican, on the heels of this, redacted the version of what the Pope reportedly said. The Vatican issued a statement after the comments that were published in the newspaper, after those comments spread like wildfire over the internet, social media, saying the Pope never granted the interview and the story was the result of the reporter's reconstruction.

It's like he just dreamed this up and published it. It's not a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father. They brushed it off saying that Schalfari is an old man, an atheist, and he's known not to take a tape recorder with him and record things accurately.

But Satan, the devil, knows his fate. He is alive, but he knows his fate. The demons know their fate. Now, from the scriptures that we read here and discuss early on, Schalfari should prove to us, without a doubt, that according to the Bible, and that's why we're here according to the Bible, that Satan is a real life entity, a real life spirit being, and his goal is to thwart the plan of God and destroy humanity. Now, let's look at Matthew chapter 8 verse 29. Matthew 8 and verse 29. Jesus Christ, many times in his ministry here on earth, he encountered people who were demon-possessed, and so did the apostles.

I guess all the demons disappeared after that. That's sort of a joke, you know. They didn't. They're still very much at work on earth today, and as if people have ignored their very existence and their influence upon human beings. So, in Matthew chapter 8 and verse 29, and when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him too, possessed with devils coming out of the tombs, exceeding fear so that no man might pass by that way.

They guarded the road. I don't know if they were taking tribute or not, but they were demon-possessed. And behold, they cried out, saying, what have we to do with you, Jesus, you son of God? Even the devils recognized who Jesus Christ was. The Jewish leaders of the day, especially the Pharisees, actually all of them, Pharisees and Sadducees, did not really recognize, acknowledge who he was. Are you come here to torment us before the time? They knew that a time was coming in which they would be dealt with, and they would have to give an account.

So, remember the prophecy in Genesis 3.15, that the seed of the woman will bruise the head of Satan the devil. So, in view of that prophecy, let's note further the prophecy with regard to its fulfillment. So, let's go now to Romans chapter 16 and verse 20. Romans 16 and verse 20, remember it says, and her seed will bruise your head.

In Romans 16 and verse 20, and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Look at verse 19, for your obedience has come abroad unto all men. I am glad, therefore, on your behalf, but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good and simple concerning evil, and the God of peace shall bruise the head of Satan shortly under your feet.

And we know Revelation 20. Let's turn there. Revelation 20, where Satan is put away during the millennium. Revelation chapter 20.

In Revelation 20 and verse 3, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years be fulfilled. And after that, he must be loosed to little season. And now verse 7, and when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of its prison for a little season, and shall go out to deceive the nations, which are in the four corners of the earth, gog, may gog together, them together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up the breath of the earth, encompassed the camp of the saints, and the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city, that's Jerusalem. And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast in the lake of fire, and brimstone, where the beasts and the false prophet were cast, not are, because they burned up, and ashes, they are not spirit beings, where they were cast, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Some people even, I have heard people talk about, well, are Satan and the demons going to repent? And somehow they confuse that scripture in 1 Corinthians 6, no, you know that you shall judge angels as if the demons might have another chance. We read Matthew 8, 29, which says, have you come to torment us before the time? We read in Romans 6, 20, it says that he shall bruise his head, he and put him under your feet. We have read here that he will be tormented forever and ever. So it's interesting to note that the various sentence that is pronounced on Satan, the devil, is what he has deceived human beings into believing. That is, Satan and his agents have deceived humans into believing they have an immortal soul, and they will live forever either in heaven or hell.

Well, those who inherit eternal life will live forever, but it won't be in heaven, as we know from the Scripture, and they won't burn forever in hell. If lost souls go to hell, those tormented souls would live forever being tormented by everlasting fire if they were immortal, just like Satan. It says, and he was tormented forever and ever, and if you had an immortal soul, you would be in the same condition that Satan is going to be in when he's cast into the lake of fire where he is tormented forever and ever. But, of course, we have a merciful, loving God who created human beings in his own image and for the purpose of becoming his born, spirit-born sons and daughters in the family of God. So, if God were to cast unrepentant humans into the lake of fire and burn forever and ever, that would make him appear as if he were unmerciful and took pleasure in people being tormented, which is not the case at all. And on the other hand, Satan and his angels have perverted the true gospel, the true good news, into believing that all they have to do is to say they believe on Jesus and they will be saved and go to heaven when they die. The New Age law of toleration permeates the Western world. God loves all peoples regardless of their moral state. Yes, he does love the LGBT community, but he hates the sin. Yes, it is true. God loves the sinner but hates the sin.

Look at Psalm 7. You won't hear this read many times at Sunday school or other places. In Psalm 7, verse 1, I heard someone gave me a telephone call not long ago saying, well, this minister said, it was in a different organization, that God has no emotions. Well, we talked a little while, of course. God is loved. God is grieved. He was grieved with the pre-flood generation. Look at this verse, Psalm 7, verse 1. Oh Lord, my God, and you do I put my trust, save me from all that, persecute me, and deliver me.

God is angry with the wicked every day. This doesn't say that right there, and obviously I have the wrong verse, but God is angry with the wicked every day. Look further with regard to this in Acts chapter 17 and verse 23. In Acts 17 and verse 23, the backdrop of Acts 17 is the Apostle Paul had fled from various cities, and he wound up in Athens in Greece. Athens is the so-called cradle of Western democracy and the seed of many of the philosophers. He went out to Mars Hill, one of the districts in Athens, and there he encountered the philosophers of the day. Verse 17, therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the market daily with them that met with them. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoics encountered him, and some said, what will this vain babbler say? Others, some, he seemed to be a setter forth of strange gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. They took him and brought him unto Areopecus, saying, may we know what this new doctrine wherein you speak is? It seems that you are a setter forth of the strange gods. So we pick it up again in verse 23. Paul begins to respond to them. We break in on that. Verse 23, for as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this in Scripture to the unknown God, in case we left one out. If there's one out there we don't know about, to him whom therefore you ignorantly worship, he didn't mince words, him declare I unto you, God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is the Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in buildings made with hands, or temples made with hands. Neither is worship with men's hands as though he needed anything, seeing he gives all life and breath and all things, and had made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth.

No, we're not the product of some evolutionary part. The races are not part of some revolutionary thing due to the environment. He has made of one blood all nations, to dwell on the face of the earth, and had determined the times before appointing and the bounds of their habitations.

Of course, the table of nations is listed there in Genesis chapter 10, and we read about that, how that the families were divided after the flood, that they should seek the Lord if happily they might feel after him and find him, though he is not near from everyone of us. God's Spirit, of course, can pervade the whole universe. For in him we live and move and have our being, as certain also of your own points have said, for we also are his offspring in the physical sense. But of what we want, we want to be his offspring in the spiritual sense, as in John 1.13, and be born of God. For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that Godhead is like under gold or silver or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he is appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he has ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. So Paul gave this powerful testimony regarding the truth.

The cheap grace path makes it appear as if God and Christ will give the gift of eternal life apart from repentance and obedience to God's immutable spiritual law. Paul writes and says, regardless of the culture of the nation, your philosophical background, he has commanded all men everywhere to repent regardless of the culture or the background or anything like that. So whether the paths that Satan sets before, one, you have an immortal soul and you're either going to live in heaven or be tormented forever in hell, are both untrue, and either path you choose, whether you choose that to believe you have an immortal soul or, and if you choose the cheap grace route, in both cases, you will be doomed. That's two of Satan's greatest deceptions. One, he told Eve in Genesis 3 when she said, God has said we can eat of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of the good and evil. In the day that you eat thereof you shall die, and Satan says, you shall not surely die. Oh yes, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now we want to examine another prophecy that was pronounced by Christ on the Apostle Peter, and we contrast the action, the road that Satan has taken in which he is trying to destroy every human being that has ever lived. And this prophecy with regard to the Apostle Peter, let's look at John chapter 21. The last chapter of the Gospel of John, John 21. This first part about them there fishing and him eating on the shoreline, and then three times asking Peter, Peter, do you love me? And Peter, of course, responds each time, with you know I love you. Shall we pick it up in verse 17? He said unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, lovest you me? And he said unto him, Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. And Jesus said unto him, feed my sheep. Barely, barely, I say unto you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you wanted to, but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you and carry you where you don't want to go. This spoke, he signified by which death he would glorify God. So according to tradition and according to the scripture, Peter was crucified. Tradition crucified upside down, and thus signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said unto him, follow me. You're going to be crucified no matter what you do, no matter how you live your life, no matter how faithful you are.

Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following which also leaned on his breast at supper. That was where the New Testament covenant, the New Testament Passover was instituted, and said, Lord, which is that betrays you? And Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus said unto him, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you? Follow me. No matter what happens to John, he reaches a ripe old age. Of course, according to tradition, John was put in a pot of boiling oil and martyred. But here's the prophecy to the Apostle Peter. Now remember that after the Genesis 3.15 prophecy was pronounced on Satan the devil, he and his demons set their focus on trying to thwart the plan of God and to destroy humanity. So what was Peter's response after he was told by Christ that no matter how he lived his life, he would be crucified upside down. So look at 1 Peter chapter 5. We're going to back up some after we read this about what Peter was like before he was converted. But after he was converted, he writes this epistle. This is 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 1, "'The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ.' He was there and he saw Christ crucified. Of course, during the trial he denied him three times. And also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." That's referring to the vision there on the mount, which is called the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus was transfigured in their sight, picturing the kingdom of God. And then verse 2, "'Feed the flock of God.'" Remember back in John 3, three times? I mean John 21, three times.

Jesus said, "'Feed my flock, feed my sheep.' And so Peter says, "'Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not by filthy lucre for money, but of a ready mind.

Neither is being overlords over God's heritage and being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, he shall receive a crown of glory that fades not away." So Peter, of course, began his ministry. And Peter was one who was used mightily, and we'll talk about that. But here we see him in his latter years after that prophecy was pronounced how he would die. And Peter, oftentimes, I call Peter the apostle of hope. Let's look at four places in 1 Peter, where the word hope is used in the context in which it is used. Look at 1 Peter 1, verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again, begotten us again. What does that mean? Begotten us again? Well, we were begotten in the physical sense by a human father, but now begotten by our spiritual father, God the Father, has begotten us again unto a living hope, a living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You remember Jesus Christ says, if I go not away, the Holy Spirit will not be sent to you. It is expedient for you that I go away. If I go not away, the Holy Spirit will not come unto you, as John 16.7. Then in verse 13, verse 1, verse 13, wherefore, in view of what he has said, wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, the divine favor that is brought to us by Jesus Christ, that divine favor of being, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but through God's divine favor, he sent us a Savior. Look at verse 23, being born again, or in this case, we eventually will be born of the Spirit, being begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which lives and abides forever.

Now look at verse 21, who by him to believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. And finally, in 1 Peter 3, 15, we note where hope is used, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope. Do we have that hope? We'll talk more about that hope as we go along. The reason of the hope that is in you, which in meekness and fear. So that's how the Apostle Peter responded in his life with regard to hope.

Satan hates hope. Satan hates hope. Hope is a vital part of the armor of God. It is the helmet of salvation.

It should be that which permeates our very being, our mind, and our heart. Let's look at Ephesians chapter 6. The armor of God is described. We want to note, especially verse 17, about hope.

Peter, the Apostle of hope, said, the only way you're going to get out of this life, you're going to die a martyr, you're going to be crucified.

But we have the testimony there written before us of how he lived his life. In Ephesians 6 and verse 17, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Take the helmet of salvation. So what is the helmet of salvation?

The helmet of salvation is hope. Verse 5, verse 8. We'll see it very clearly. It is defined. That is, hope is defined. The helmet of salvation is defined.

In 1 Thessalonians 5.8, But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. A helmet the hope of salvation. A helmet covers the head. It protects the head.

Hope and salvation has to do with the big picture, keeping in mind that which lies ahead of us. The joy, the happiness that you and all your brothers and sisters in Christ will experience in the kingdom of God. That hope permeates the very being, and take for in helmet the hope of salvation. Satan hates hope.

One place in Romans Paul writes, we're saved by hope. It is a powerful instrument in our spiritual armor.

Satan wants you to view life and yourself as hopeless. He wants you in a state of perpetual hopelessness. It's no wonder that Satan tried to destroy the apostle Peter, the apostle of hope. He tried to destroy him before he was converted. Let's look at a few couple of places here with regard to that. Look back in the Gospel of Mark chapter 8.

We're going to see how powerfully God used Peter. It's almost like he used Peter in spite of himself, but God and Jesus Christ saw something in Peter, and evidently Satan the devil must have sensed something as well because he tried to get to Peter in a lot of different ways.

Peter was wont to put his foot in his mouth, as they say, in Mark 8 and verse 31. In Mark 8 and verse 31, he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests, scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke that saying openly, and Peter took him and began to rebuke him. It's like Peter says, took Jesus aside and said, what are you talking about? That's not going to happen to you.

I would never let that happen to you. In verse 33, but when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get you behind me, Satan, for you savor not the things that be of God, but the things that be of man. See, Peter, look at verse 32 again, and he spoke that saying openly, and Peter took him and began to rebuke him. Can you imagine one of the apostles rebuking Jesus because he said, I'm going to die for the sins of the world? And Peter says, well, I would never let that happen to you. And God says, or Christ says, get behind me, Satan, because you savor the things of the world, not the things of God. Now, look a little more at this in Luke 22.

This is quite revealing here as well about Peter. Well, we've already established Peter being the apostle of hope, and there are many things that we're going to bring out here with regard to this, that we too should be children of hope, children of hope, and we should behave, as you heard in the sermon, as if we are the children of hope. In Luke 22 and verse 27. Luke 22 verse 27.

And whether it's greater, he that sits at meat, or he that serves. Now, this is in context with, the backdrop to this is Christ has just instituted the symbols of the new covenant, the bread, the wine, and there arose a dispute among the disciples of who was the greatest among them.

And this is where Jesus begins to respond to them.

He is not he that serves, sits at meat, but I am among you as he that serves. You are they which have continued with me in my trials or temptations, and I appointed you a kingdom as my father has appointed unto me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom.

There are a few places where it's called the kingdom of Christ, my kingdom, and of course it is the kingdom of God as well, and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, Peter, Peter, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. And when you really begin to serve God and Satan begins to understand, this is one that might be a powerful enemy in my path.

He will try to get rid of him in one way or the other.

Peter, Peter, Satan has desired to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith failed not.

And when you are converted, strengthen your brethren. And so we read from 1 Peter 5 and also several places in 1 Peter how Peter was the apostle of hope. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with you, both unto prison and to death.

And he said, I tell you, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day before you have denied me three times, saying that you don't really know me.

Now, let's look down at verse 60.

Of course, the time did come, the trial of Jesus was going on, and they were, first of all, a maiden pointed at Peter and said, you were one of them, you were with them. Verse 60, Peter said, Man, I know not what you say.

And immediately, while he yet spoke, the cock crew and the Lord turned and looked upon Peter.

Can you imagine that if you're there? I mean, you've been with him three and a half years. You have said, I'll go to you to the death, and the heat gets on, and they identify you as one of the group, and you say, Man, I never knew him. Of course, he'd already denied him three times. This is the third time here. I don't know him.

Verse 61 again, And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto them, Before the cock crow, you shall deny me three times.

And Peter went out and wept bitterly. And I would imagine we would too, if we were there.

Peter did repent, and on the day of Pentecost, he gave perhaps the most powerful sermon ever given by anyone other than Jesus. God and Christ worked mightily through Peter during the early days of the early church. Peter was the apostle who did the speaking when the Holy Spirit fell on the Jews and the proselytes who were gathered there in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It was Peter who went to the house of Cornelius. And as he was preaching, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles, as recorded in Acts chapter 10. Ananias and Sapphira fell dead at his feet after they challenged his authority. And multitudes of people were healed with just the shadow of Peter passing over them. So let's look at Acts 5 and look at that. This is so important with regard to us. And as I look at the first few chapters of Acts, I remember back several years ago in Rustin, we took one Sabbath after the month and we covered the book of Acts. When you read those first, especially first few chapters of Acts and what the apostles did and what they went through, and you wonder about us and what we're doing today. Are we just going through the motions? Are we just playing church in comparison to what they did? In Acts chapter 5 and verse 9, the backdrop of various ones were selling possessions and giving it to the apostles to administer for the church. The excitement was so great. They believed, apparently, that Christ was going to return very soon, and they were giving a lot of their possessions to keep everybody going. And Ananias, sold a plot of land, held some of the money back, and he lied to Peter and fell dead. Then, Safari's wife came, she lied and fell dead. And we pick it up in verse 9. This is Acts 5-9.

Then Peter said unto her, How is it you have agreed together, that is, you and your husband, Ananias, to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of them which have buried your husband are at the door, and shall carry you out. Then she fell down straightway at his feet and died, yielded up the Spirit. Is God unfair? What about that? What if that were to happen? And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon the church and upon as many as heard these things. It seems that what was really happening here was that Ananias and Safari were testing Peter whether or not he was of God to see if they could deceive him, to show that he was not who he claimed to be, I guess.

It seems rather strange what they did. We should all ask himself or ask myself, yourself, herself, himself, am I playing church? We continue here. Verse 12, and by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. And if the rest dared not, see, here's the key verse with regard to the meaning of this. Because what Ananias and Safari was doing in effect based on this verse was trying to join themselves and make themselves equal in authority to the apostles. It says, And the rest dared no man join himself to them, but the people magnified them, and believers were the more added to the eternal multitudes both of men and women, insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the church, into the streets, and laid upon beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed every one. But oh, what about the religious leaders? Did they rejoice in this?

Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, which is the Sadducees, not the Pharisees in this case, and were filled with indignation, and they laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors and brought them forth, and said, Go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. Go preach Christ and him crucified in what life is all about. And so they did, and they found them in the temple. Verse 26, Then went the captain with the officers, brought them without violence, for they feared the people lest they should have been stoned, that is, the officials who went and arrested the apostles. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. Council means the Sanhedrin. And the high priest asked them, saying, Did not we straightly command you that you should not teach in the name, his name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom he slew, and hanged him on a tree.

Him hath God exalted at his right hand to be a prince and a savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Of course, it was not only to Israel. In chapter 10, of course, it became apparent that it was to the nations as well. And we are his witnesses, these things, we are the witnesses of these things, and so also the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him. And they were determined that they were going to put him to death, and Gomelio stood up and spoke on their behalf. And then, verse 40, and to him they agreed, that is, the officials agreed with Gomelio to let him go. And when they had called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were kind and worthy to suffer shame for his name, and daily in the temple, and in every house. They seized not to teach and to preach Jesus Christ. So we should ask ourselves, am I playing church? Do I understand what this is all about? We should ask ourselves, am I an easy prey for Satan the devil? We're warned. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 20. 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 20, we are warned here by the Apostle Paul about not becoming easy prey, not opposing ourselves. There are no telling how many young people, how many young people that I have seen. And for that matter, older people as well. But especially, I taught in the public schools and universities before I came to ambassador and then ABC, I've altogether been teaching in a formal setting for 60 years. How many have I seen come and go? I have seen quite a number. And so many oppose themselves. And we're going to read here just a moment about opposing yourself, thinking that somehow in a person's mind gets convoluted and messed up with regard to how they think, that if they take certain actions, that it will somehow either highlight them or put somebody else down. It's difficult to know what gets into their mind.

Of course, you have that prophecy there in 2 Timothy 3 about lovers of pleasure, lovers of themselves. But here we're going to pick it up in verse 20. 2 Timothy 2, verse 20.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor.

So God has called you to honor, to be a vessel of honor.

You as a vessel carry the Holy Spirit, the very essence of God. If a man therefore purges from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and fitting for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

But foolish and unlearned questions, avoid knowing that they do gender stripes, and the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patience, and meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. And so I have few words to those who oppose themselves. And as I said, how many people have I seen who think that they are doing something? I can't figure out what they think they're doing, but in reality, opposing themselves. See, all sin is against God and Christ because they had to die, God had to give his Son, and the Son had to give his life to pay for her sins. And it's against yourself because all of sin comes short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death. Therefore, all sin is against self, not only against God and Christ, but against self.

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

And it seems that some people do not have the discernment to understand what is of the devil and what is not.

So what do people think? Do they think that they are harming you, or they think they are playing games with God? You can't play games with God. No one can play games with God. People through the ages have given their lives for you and I to be here today.

And of course, Jesus Christ gave his life.

Ananias and Sapphira tested Peter's authority. They thought they could play games with God.

When you and I entered the covenant of sacrifice with God in Christ, it was not just a commitment to an organization or a man. Some people get confused with regard to is my commitment to an organization? Well, to some degree it is, and organizations are necessary. God is not the author of this organization, and God is not the author of confusion. But the author of order and peace.

Our commitment is to God in Christ. In fact, before we baptize a person, we say, I am going to baptize you not into any denomination or organization of man, but into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is one spirit essence, the same spirit that is in God, is in Christ, is in us. And by one spirit, as it says in 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12 and 13, for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be free or slave, male, female. It doesn't matter. See, we have entered into a covenant with God in Christ, and that is to God.

I know as I was...turn, if you would, from Psalm 50, as I was, quote, coming into the church. We use that term, coming into the church, coming into the truth, and trying to share it as so many do with my parents and relatives. They thought that somehow I had been hoodwinked by a man, all this man.

And then you try to dig up, and you get books, and you read, well, this man, look at all the things that he's done. Why would you ever want to be there? Well, I want to be here because of the truth of God, and what the Word of God says and the commitment to God. In Psalm 50, it says, the mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun, unto the going down thereof, out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined, our God shall come, and shall I keep silence, a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me, you that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And so we have made that covenant by sacrifice, and we are to be a living sacrifice, as Paul writes Romans 12. I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body as a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable service. Then the contrast begins in verse 16. Now those who take the name of God, but somehow oppose themselves and come to believe, that they can make God over in their own image. So you look at verse 16.

But under the wicked God says, what have you to do to declare my statues, or that you should take my covenant in your mouth? Seeing you hate instruction and cast my words behind you, when you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers.

You gave your mouth to evil and your tongue frame deceit. You sat and spoke against your brother.

You slandered your own mother's son. These things have you done, and I kept silent. You thought that I was altogether such a one as you. And when we think that, it's all over.

So much higher his ways than our ways, so much higher his thoughts than our thoughts, so much higher as he in every sense of the word than we are.

But I will reprove you and set them in order before your eyes. Now consider this.

You that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there is none to deliver. Whosoever offers praise glorifies me, and to him that orders his conduct a right, will I show the salvation of God. So our commitment is not to man, in one sense it is, but first and foremost it is to God. A person can try to test human beings, and in fact you can deceive your best friend, but you cannot deceive God.

I've seen this play out many times in my tenure in the ministry of the living God. I have experienced people who pretended to be my best friends to have me in the back.

But God is our defense, and through his divine grace and his favor, each one of us is here today because of God's divine favor, because of his grace. Let's look at that at 1 Corinthians 15 verse 10. The apostle Paul says that of himself.

There are so many battles that I don't even know about, and so it is with you, that God has fought for you. So many times that God maybe and his angels have intervened on your behalf. We've had two serious automobile accidents in recent times. Here, members of this congregation, and you just look at the vehicles and you think, how did they come out as well as they did?

Well, I think I know the answer.

So Paul writes in verse 9 of 1 Corinthians 15, For I am the least of the apostles. I am not fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. As you might think, well, I have a heavy load to bear regarding my past.

I was this, I was that. I've done this, I've done that.

Paul was out persecuting Christians, locking them up, killing them, and he was called a repentance, and he did repent and became one of the most powerful tools in the history of the church. Verse 10, But by the grace of God, Charis is a Greek word for grace. It means divine favor. God has favored us with a plan of salvation. He has favored us with the sacrifice of His Son. He has favored us with a way that our sins can be paid for. He has favored us with His very essence, and we could go on and on with how He has favored us.

Because by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace, the divine favor of God, which was with me.

At one time, Paul was thrown over the wall after a big beating for death.

No, no one, no one, including you, including myself, can deceive God. You cannot play games with God. God knows your mind and heart, down to the nanosecond. Even before the nanosecond, they talk about nano things today, nanoseconds and all that. Even before you act or speak, God knows because He knows your heart.

And no wonder that David prayed, clean me up. And do we think that the inspired words by the prophet Jeremiah are not true? The human heart is deceitful above all things, desperately wicked. Who can know it? Well, God knows it, and you can know yourself through the Word of God, and we all can repent.

Satan's deception and spirit of disobedience is increasing every day as you witness it on your television screens. Political religious leaders are ringing their hands as to what we can do to protect our precious children, and for that matter, all people. And, well, they should, but they don't give the answers. Satan targets the most vulnerable of any nation or society. Children, women, older people, and for that matter, everyone. But the principal enemy is Satan the devil and those who fall prey to his spirit of disobedience. And do we recognize that? Or do we oppose ourselves and think that we can make God over in our own image?

Look at Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians. At one time, there was a man who very often talked about this spirit of the power of the air, Satan the devil.

In Ephesians 2.1, and you hath he quickened, you see, hath he quickened is in italics, literally means made alive, and you who were dead in trespasses and sins were in time pass, you walked according to the course of this world.

More and more, we have people who think they can be in the world and not of the world.

And we are of, Paul tells us, we can't go out of the world, so we have to be in the world, but we don't have to be of the world.

According to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. There is a powerful spirit at work, and many of the anomalies of our society, of course, is bound up with this. Hold your place there. Look at Ephesians 6.10.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness, and swirl against spiritual wickedness in high places, wherefore taking of you the whole armor of God. Without it, you don't have a prayer. You don't have a prayer. Now back to Ephesians 2.3. Among whom also we all had our conduct in times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God has called us into his marvelous light. And what a privilege it is to be called into that marvelous light. So, brethren, I hope that we can begin to understand more fully, more deeply who we are, what we are, and what we're supposed to be doing. When I look at, I would encourage you to read the first several chapters of the Book of Acts, well, the whole book for that matter, but especially those first 10 or 12 chapters of how the apostles conducted themselves and what they went through during those early days of the church. We know that the scripture says, evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, and so much more as we see the day approaching. We need to be together, and we need to understand who we are. That when we appear before God, it is for a holy convocation. Leviticus 23 verse, I think it's 3, says that on the Sabbath day, you're to hold a holy convocation. For a convocation to be holy, that means that God's presence is here. Opening prayer today, just like almost all opening prayers, send your spirit, inspire the hearing, inspire the teaching, the preaching.

That we all may be edified that we might grow up to the fullness of measure, the statue of Jesus Christ. So, brethren, I hope we will consider these things, and that we will pattern our lives. Of course, the main example is Jesus Christ, who lived perfectly and yet in the flesh. You know, while one of the things when I was preparing this yesterday, last night, one of the things I found interesting in Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane was that, you know, he was sweating as it were, great drops of blood and pouring his heart out before God. And yet, like he was just totally exhausted, and an angel came and ministered unto him. See, God and Christ and the angels can come minister unto you. I won't bore you with all the details, but yesterday, if I morning when I got up, I said, I don't know if I can stand before up and give a sermon today, but I feel stronger today than I felt in many moons. So God can strengthen.

Just think about what he did for Peter, who was told, hey, you're going to be crucified. Follow me.

And so we have these great challenges before us, and so brethren, I hope that we continue to fight the good fight of faith.