46 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:50,000 A couple of pieces of housekeeping real quick before we jump into this. 47 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:56,000 First of all, in case you hadn't figured it out, we are not probably going to finish the book of Deuteronomy before Christmas. 48 00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:09,000 So that being said, we will probably in December divert off of the book of Deuteronomy and focus on the coming story of Jesus' birth and so on. 49 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:18,000 And then come back in January, and if I'm on target, I think by the end of January, middle of February, we will actually finish the book of Deuteronomy, which is an incredible feat. 50 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,000 That will be just under two years. 51 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:27,000 Mind you, we took a break for Christmas, took a break for Easter and like that, but just under two years that we have been in the book of Deuteronomy. 52 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,000 And somebody's going, wow, that's a long time. And it is a long time. 53 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:38,000 And it has been amazing to me and very fruitful how it has all tied together and taught us many things about being a people of grace. 54 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,000 And I hope that you've gotten something out of I sure have and the Lord's blessed me. 55 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,000 And so I intend to continue with that. 56 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:50,000 Then also, two part sermon series today. 57 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,000 So this is the first part of two. 58 00:10:53,000 --> 00:11:01,000 So when I say checking harlotry, this time around, we're talking about checking it as to see whether or not it's there. 59 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,000 And next time around, we'll be talking about checking it to put an end to it. 60 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:14,000 However, it is a surprising end that God chooses to put to harlotry. 61 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:24,000 So it may not be too surprising to you if you were going astray and the Lord called you back, then you know exactly how he does that in your life anyway. 62 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,000 And so we're going to be in the end of chapter 31 and chapter 32 next week. 63 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,000 And we'll be checking harlotry both weeks. 64 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,000 So checking harlotry part one. 65 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:39,000 Grab your Bibles with me if you would and turn to Deuteronomy chapter 31. 66 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,000 Amen. Thank you very much. 67 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:51,000 As long as we are awaiting Jesus's return, our best opportunity to adjust our hearts is allowing ourselves to be convicted by the Holy Spirit as we read his word. 68 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,000 And here we go. 69 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,000 Deuteronomy chapter 31 beginning in verse 14 says this. 70 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:01,000 Then the Lord said to Moses, behold, the time for you to die is near. 71 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:05,000 Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting that I may commission him. 72 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,000 Now we kind of talked a little bit about how that went on last week. 73 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,000 And so this is it. 74 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Moses is about to make his exit, but he hasn't. 75 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,000 Not yet. He's got a couple of things he's got to take care of first. 76 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:24,000 So Moses and Joshua went, presented themselves to the tent of meeting, and the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. 77 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,000 And the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. 78 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:35,000 Now there was something that the Lord spoke to me as I was studying the first time through about how God makes his presence known in the present tabernacle. 79 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:38,000 And we talked a little bit about that last week. 80 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,000 But that is not the sermon for today. 81 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:45,000 16. And the Lord said to Moses, behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. 82 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:51,000 And this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land. 83 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:57,000 Into the midst of which they are going and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. 84 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:00,000 So let's get real simple about this for a second. 85 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,000 God is saying this is what will happen. 86 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,000 This people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land. 87 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,000 So that's the first thing. So they're going to begin to worship other gods. 88 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:17,000 They're going to begin to value other gods with or even above God the Father, God the Creator, God the Lord. 89 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,000 That's not good. 90 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:24,000 It says they will forsake me. That means they're going to turn their back on God. 91 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,000 They're going to turn away from God. 92 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,000 And then it says they will break my covenant. 93 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,000 So it's a three part abandonment of the faith that's going to go on. 94 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:35,000 We have a people that are going to worship false gods, turn their back on the Lord, 95 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:41,000 and break the covenant with which the Lord has covenanted them to be his people. 96 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,000 And that right there would be a three part sermon. 97 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,000 We could stop at 16, but that's not where the Lord led my heart in writing this. 98 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:55,000 17 says, then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, 99 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:59,000 and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, 100 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:04,000 and they shall be consumed, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them, 101 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:08,000 so that they will say in that day, and we'll stop at the comma here. 102 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,000 We're still kind of going on, right? 103 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,000 But basically he says they will play the harlot with strange gods, 104 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,000 forsake him, and break his covenant. 105 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:23,000 The Lord says because of that, he would forsake them as they turned his back on them, 106 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:29,000 hide his face from them, and they would be consumed. 107 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,000 Many evils and troubles would come upon them. 108 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,000 So he's been their protector, he's been their grace God, 109 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,000 taking care of them, providing them with mercy, getting them through. 110 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,000 And now he's saying because of what they are going to do, essentially to him, right? 111 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,000 And this is going on even to present day, I know, 112 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:48,000 this was talking about a people of grace called out of slavery, called out of darkness, 113 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:51,000 so it does apply to the church today. 114 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:55,000 He says his anger will be kindled against them in that day, 115 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:01,000 he would forsake them, hide his face, they'll be consumed, many evils and troubles. 116 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,000 Okay, so they're going to get pretty bad. 117 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,000 Then it says that they might in that day say, 118 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:12,000 is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us? 119 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,000 So all that he would do, all the forsaken God would do, 120 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:19,000 all that he would let fall on them would be so they might ask that question. 121 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:25,000 18. But I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, 122 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,000 for they will turn to other gods. 123 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:33,000 I had an experience this week with a young person. 124 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,000 We had a disagreement. He was upset. 125 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,000 I tried to talk with him, reason with him, communicate with him. 126 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:46,000 And this is what he did. The whole time I'm talking to him, you guys probably seen this before, he went like this. 127 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:50,000 He put his face down and he wouldn't listen. 128 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,000 He wouldn't listen to what I was saying, he wouldn't talk back. 129 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:55,000 You've probably seen that before. 130 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,000 This is what God's saying God would do. 131 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:02,000 God's saying in light of the choices that they were making to forsake him, 132 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:06,000 to play the harlot with false gods, all that they would do, 133 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:10,000 he would then notice he would do it when they cry out and they say, 134 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:14,000 is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us? 135 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:22,000 And God says, I will hide my face in that day because of all the evil which they will do. 136 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,000 Now in the moment of our greatest trouble we want God. 137 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,000 You know like when it gets really bad, God help me right now. 138 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:34,000 Please, I'm begging you, foxhole conversions. 139 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,000 Fifteenth time falling into addictions. 140 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,000 Can't curb my appetites. 141 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,000 Whatever it is, when we get to the end of ourselves we cry out, Lord help us. 142 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:50,000 This is saying when they would get to the end of themselves and realize that all the evil that was happening to them was because God was not helping them, 143 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,000 was not protecting them like he had been doing before, 144 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:57,000 rather than God saying I'm right here, I got you, I'll take care of this. 145 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:04,000 God would turn and hide his face from them in that day because of all the evil which they would do. 146 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,000 Because they had turned to evil gods, to other gods. 147 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:15,000 Notice there it says to other gods, and it doesn't say to false gods or false idols. 148 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:20,000 So this terminology here is talking about, you've heard people say when people worship a false god, 149 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,000 a literal false god, they might be worshiping a demon. 150 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:32,000 And that's what we're talking about here, this term here is the same term that you might use for like a false god being represented in a demon. 151 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:36,000 So these false religions, we know that they burnt their children. 152 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:43,000 The Israelites took to worshiping Molech, who was the god who demanded you burn your first born child alive in the fire. 153 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:46,000 After they were supposed to completely wipe them out. 154 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:50,000 Some of them took to worshiping him and other false gods. 155 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:58,000 These are horrible, horrible beings, even in the imagination of people who were falsely worshiping them, they were horrible beings. 156 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:02,000 And the Israelites, who had been led out by God and by grace into the promised land, 157 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:10,000 given everything that they had, would take to worshiping them and God says I will turn my face from them. 158 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:18,000 If there was just one Israelite that burnt their first born child in the fire, you can imagine what that does in God's heart. 159 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,000 How God feels. 160 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:30,000 But an Israelite that is deceitful, an Israelite that's a thief, an Israelite that's a murderer or has anger against other Israelites, 161 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:35,000 or practices usury, charges other Israelites, doesn't forgive their debts like he's supposed to. 162 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:41,000 An Israelite that breaks the commands of God, it's the same pain to God, he's like what are you doing? 163 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:46,000 This is not good for you. It's not good for me, it's not good for you, it's not good for the kingdom. 164 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:50,000 What you are doing is hurting all of us, including yourself. 165 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,000 And God won't be a part of that, he says. 166 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:56,000 I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil which they do. 167 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:02,000 For they will turn, therefore, write this song for yourselves and teach it to the sons of Israel. 168 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:06,000 That phrase there will occur again in a moment about the sons of Israel. 169 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:13,000 I want you to understand that there is a particular Hebrew word there that is referencing young people. 170 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,000 The young, the younger generation, if you will. 171 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:21,000 Now for them that could have been up to 30 years old, because they thought of young and not being established, 172 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,000 it's still that way in the Middle East today. 173 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:28,000 A man's not 30 yet, he's still young, he's still in the mistake realm, right? 174 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:33,000 Still making errors and still finding his way and still growing up and still becoming established. 175 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:41,000 And so they don't take wives, for example, until they turn 30 most of the time, culturally and traditionally. 176 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:45,000 So it says teach it to the young of Israel or the sons of Israel. 177 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:51,000 It says put it on their lips in order that this song may be a witness for me against the sons of Israel. 178 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:57,000 So they will know, they will have the song and they will know what God told them would happen. 179 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,000 Now next week we'll look at the song, we're not going to get there today, 180 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:04,000 but the bottom line is God was saying so that when they are playing the harlot, 181 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:10,000 they will have the song, if you can think this far ahead, they will have the song to check their harlotry. 182 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,000 So you see how it's tied together. 183 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:18,000 It says in order that this song may be a witness for me against the sons of Israel. 184 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,000 20 says for when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, 185 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:28,000 which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous. 186 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,000 There's a whole other sermon there, right? 187 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:34,000 You love lists of three when you're sermon writing, I could have got three by now. 188 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:38,000 They will have eaten, it means God provided the sustenance for them. 189 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:43,000 They will be fulfilled, satisfied, become prosperous, go above and beyond their need. 190 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,000 Prosperous means you have more than you need. 191 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:53,000 It says then they will turn to other gods and serve them and spurn me and break my covenant. 192 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,000 It's crazy. 193 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,000 But God is saying it is what would happen. 194 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:04,000 21, then it shall come about when many evils and troubles have come upon them 195 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:08,000 that this song will testify before them as a witness. 196 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,000 So here's the picture. 197 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,000 Think of it this way. 198 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,000 They're doing the evil. 199 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:18,000 They cry out, is this evil not happening to us because our God is not amongst us? 200 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:21,000 So they're sort of beginning to look in God's direction. 201 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,000 They're thinking about God. 202 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,000 They're wondering why God's not there. 203 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,000 They're there at the moment where they could realize it's the evil that they're doing. 204 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,000 They could repent and whatever. 205 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:33,000 They kind of look in God's direction and God does this. 206 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:39,000 The music begins to play and the song comes on their lips. 207 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,000 That's the image that we have. 208 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,000 It shall come about when many evils and troubles have come upon them 209 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,000 that this song will testify before them as a witness. 210 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,000 For it shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. 211 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:54,000 For I know their intent, which they are developing today, 212 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,000 before I have brought them into the land which I swore. 213 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,000 Notice that God does not here say, I have seen the future. 214 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,000 This will happen, I know that because I have seen the future. 215 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,000 Rather, he says, I know this will happen because I know their intent 216 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:13,000 even now before they've gotten there and become prosperous and turned from me. 217 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:17,000 So God is saying based on I see the direction they are currently going, 218 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:21,000 I see what they are doing, their intent, what they feel. 219 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:22,000 I read their minds. 220 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,000 I read their hearts. 221 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,000 I know their intent which they are developing today 222 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,000 before I have brought them into the land which I swore. 223 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,000 This is what I read in Genesis 22. 224 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:40,000 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the sons of Israel. 225 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,000 I'm going to go a little further. 226 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:45,000 Then he commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, 227 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,000 Be strong and courageous for you shall bring the sons of Israel 228 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,000 into the land which I swore to them and I will be with you. 229 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,000 And it came about when Moses finished writing the words of the law 230 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,000 and a book until they were complete that Moses commanded the Levites 231 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,000 who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord saying, 232 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:02,000 Write the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God 233 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,000 that it may remain there a witness against you. 234 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,000 Two witnesses, the book and then ultimately when they are in evil the song. 235 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,000 Because I submit to you they won't be looking for the ark of the covenant 236 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:12,000 when they are in evil. 237 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,000 The song will be on their lips. 238 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,000 For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness. 239 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,000 I am still alive with you today. 240 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:24,000 You have been rebellious against the Lord how much more than after my death. 241 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:28,000 Moses says, I have been with you, you have been rebelling. 242 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,000 So how is Moses judging them? 243 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,000 He is judging them by their actions. 244 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,000 God is judging the intent of their heart but Moses is judging them by their actions. 245 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,000 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers 246 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,000 that I may speak these words in their hearing 247 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,000 and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 248 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,000 So Moses is in the song, he is going to call the heavens and the earth. 249 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,000 We will see that when we get there next week. 250 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:53,000 For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way 251 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,000 that commanded you and evil will befall you in the latter days 252 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,000 for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord 253 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,000 provoking him to anger with the work of your hands. 254 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:05,000 30. Then Moses spoke in the hearing of the assembly of Israel 255 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:09,000 the words of this song until they were complete. 256 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,000 Okay, so we will stop there. 257 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:16,000 Alright, so first of all the contrast between how men deal with potential sin 258 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:20,000 and how God deals with potential sin is very evident here. 259 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,000 God is not giving up on Israel. 260 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:27,000 We will see that very clearly in the fact that he is presenting a solution 261 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,000 to the harlotry that they are going to play. 262 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,000 He is already presenting and the song is real clear about what the ultimate solution to that is. 263 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,000 We will see that next week. 264 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,000 But here is the thing. 265 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:44,000 The Israelites were a people doomed, and I use that word specifically, 266 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,000 to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness. 267 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:51,000 Which the word says is playing the harlot. 268 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,000 You know what a harlot is, right? 269 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,000 Some of us probably do, some of us probably don't. 270 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:56,000 It is not a real common word. 271 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,000 You must almost die out, right? 272 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:03,000 It means like sleeping around, spending your affections on someone else. 273 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,000 Harlotry, right? 274 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:12,000 So it could be as simple as flirtations and looking and reading and watching 275 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,000 and maybe making phone calls. 276 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,000 Or it could be as overt as adultery. 277 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,000 Right? It is bad. 278 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:24,000 And so God was saying that his people whom he had chosen for himself, 279 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,000 that he had called out of the darkness, called out of ignorance, 280 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,000 and brought into the Graceland, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, 281 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:38,000 that he had done that with, that they were doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness. 282 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,000 So I want to look briefly at what it says in this passage of scripture that we just read, 283 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:46,000 why they are doomed to unfaithfulness or worse wickedness. 284 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:51,000 First of all, by their actions already. 285 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,000 They already have the intent and actions, 286 00:25:54,000 --> 00:26:01,000 they have already involved themselves in things that you and I would call stupid under the circumstances, right? 287 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:05,000 They stole from the band, they were punished, they refused to go up to the Promised Land, 288 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,000 the whole generation died off, right? 289 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,000 They whined for food in the wilderness. 290 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:14,000 It is a stiff-necked people that God has chosen for himself. 291 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:19,000 So the actions of this people, unless those actions stop, 292 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:23,000 they are doomed to go on and repeat the mistakes that they have made. 293 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,000 And we see that in the life of Israel later, like in the book of Judges, for example. 294 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,000 They get into sin, it gets pretty bad, then somebody calls them back to God, 295 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:31,000 they come back to God, they get into sin. 296 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:35,000 Well, when they go back into sin again, it is worse than the first time. 297 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,000 Every time the sin gets worse and worse and worse, 298 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,000 then they are called out to righteousness or holiness, and they come back, 299 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:44,000 and for a while then that leader dies off, and it is called a sin spiral. 300 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:49,000 Basically, our actions premeditate our actions in the future. 301 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,000 Liars lie and thieves steal. Surprise! 302 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,000 That is the way it works. 303 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:59,000 And so these people are doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness, 304 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:04,000 in part because of the actions that they have already perpetrated. 305 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:10,000 Secondly, they are doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness 306 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,000 because of the tendency of their heart. 307 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:17,000 Moses picked out the actions because he could see those. 308 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,000 God picks out the tendency of their heart. 309 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:27,000 In them was a tendency to go after what they wanted rather than what was good for them. 310 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:31,000 Was a tendency to go after that which would fulfill their human appetites 311 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:37,000 rather than that which would cause their spirit to blossom in a healthy way. 312 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,000 And that was evident to God even at that point in time. 313 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:45,000 So for generations to come, God knew that the tendency of their heart would continue to fester. 314 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:51,000 Listen to me. Whatever the tendency of your heart is that you may be resisting, 315 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:56,000 you can guarantee that even it being there unspoken, never acted upon, 316 00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:00,000 is still affecting the people in your life. 317 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:04,000 Your wife, your children, your husband, your nieces and nephews, 318 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:08,000 the kids in the church, the kids in your classroom, the kids on your job, 319 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:14,000 the 30-something person that's searching out, the waitress that's at the restaurant, etc. etc. 320 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:22,000 The tendencies of your heart are impacting this world just as much as the actions that you perpetrate. 321 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,000 Because I go out to the restaurant and I'm in a mood. 322 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:30,000 I'm not feeling well or I'm tired because I burnt my candle at both ends 323 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:34,000 or because I dealt with people who were telling me about all the bad things in their life or whatever. 324 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,000 So then I don't witness to the waitress at all. 325 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:41,000 And she continues on her journey not walking with Jesus because I didn't share Christ with her 326 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:45,000 even though if I had just done that, she might have got saved right there in the restaurant. 327 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:50,000 Right there in that moment bowed her head in front of everybody, all the people around and prayed to accept Christ. 328 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,000 This I know because it has happened. I have seen it happen. I have seen others do it. 329 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:57,000 I have seen myself, but Jesus doing it through us. Right? 330 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,000 That's what's really happening there. But you have to be willing. 331 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:03,000 Well, why would you not? Why would you not share the gospel with anybody who comes here? 332 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,000 Listen, if anybody's in trouble, the help they need is Jesus. 333 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:09,000 If anybody's in sin, the healing they need is Jesus. 334 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,000 I get it. It's not going to pay the bills. I get it. It's not going to put food on the table. 335 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,000 Maybe that's our job to do if it's necessary. 336 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,000 Or maybe they're going to continue to spend and be an empty well and you can't help them 337 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:23,000 because they refuse to turn to Jesus. They refuse to be helped. 338 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:29,000 But the bottom line is if there is help for any problem, it is in Jesus. 339 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:36,000 Self-help, counseling, books, encouragement. It's all good stuff. It's all created by God. 340 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:41,000 I'm not saying turn your back on it. But what I am saying is none of it has an eternal significance 341 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:49,000 whereas Christ can solve this problem, which is not sin, it is death, and he can solve it permanently. 342 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:54,000 The tendency of our heart not to follow the Lord makes us a people doomed to unfaithfulness 343 00:29:54,000 --> 00:30:01,000 and worse wickedness playing the harlot if we do not turn our hearts over to the Lord for him to tend them. 344 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:05,000 They were in that spot. They were doomed. This doesn't even seem fair. 345 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,000 They're going into the promised land. The greatest thing that they could possibly get, 346 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:12,000 they're going to get houses they didn't build and crops already planted that they didn't plant, 347 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:17,000 fields tended and fertilized that they didn't tend and fertilized. They're going to get all of that. 348 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,000 They're going to become from wanders in the wilderness where God has to do a miracle 349 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:28,000 to keep their clothes and shoes from wearing out to property owners in some of the greatest terrain on the planet. 350 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:33,000 And yet they are doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness playing the harlot 351 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:38,000 because of the actions they've already perpetrated and the tendencies of their heart. 352 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:44,000 They are doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness because of their inability to follow the teachings of God. 353 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:50,000 Catch that, Kishon? They were unwilling and unable to follow the teachings of God. 354 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:54,000 You can come to church and hear the teachings of God. You can read your Bible. 355 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,000 The question is, can you do what you found there? 356 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:01,000 And in their case, whether it was because of their previous actions or the tendency of their heart 357 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:06,000 or all due reasons that whole new generations found not to do the things that are written there, 358 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:13,000 they were unable to follow the teachings of God. Moreover, they were unable to follow the teachings of a God-given leader. 359 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:18,000 They had Moses who raised the staff and God parted the sea, right? 360 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:24,000 Who built the bronze serpent and raised it so that the poisoned by the snakes would not die. 361 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:30,000 Who walked with, literally, physically walked up to God, came away with such a glow on his face 362 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:36,000 that it was painful to anyone that observed it. And they could not follow the Word of God. 363 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:40,000 They were unable to follow God even under a God-given leader. 364 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:44,000 And now, a God-given replacement leader. And I make that mention on purpose. 365 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:49,000 Because you know why Moses isn't going to be their leader going into the promised land, right? 366 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,000 Because of Moses' sin. 367 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:59,000 Listen, if the holiest God you know can screw up and sin and be punished by God, 368 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:03,000 then you're pretty well doomed to the same thing. 369 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:08,000 Repentance and turning to the Lord and letting God lead and guide and let God be the leader. 370 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:12,000 And eventually they will cry out for a king so they can have a human leader who will have descendants and be the leaders. 371 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,000 And blah, blah, blah, and the whole mess. 372 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:20,000 And the bottom line is, they were unable to follow the teachings of God or the teachings of a God-given leader 373 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,000 or the teachings of a God-given replacement leader. 374 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:27,000 So they were doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness. 375 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:30,000 And that's what we're going to talk about in the church today. 376 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:35,000 If you have a pastor and the pastor preaches the word and you can't follow what the word says, 377 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,000 getting another pastor ain't going to help you a bit. 378 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,000 You can kick me out, go ahead. 379 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,000 And when you kick me out, the next guy ain't going to do no better for you. 380 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:49,000 Either you follow this book, you follow the Holy Spirit's conviction of this book, 381 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:54,000 you follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of life, or no man can lead you. 382 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:57,000 You're not going to be leaders. 383 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,000 Outside the Kingdom of God, yes. 384 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:04,000 You can orchestrate an organization with all kinds of rules and processes. 385 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:08,000 You can make life better for a lot of people, making sure they have all these benefits 386 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:13,000 and they get time off all the things that they want and need to be prosperous. 387 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,000 You can do that and you still have drug addicts that work for you. 388 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:17,000 Fire them, right? 389 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:19,000 Because that's what makes it better for everybody else. 390 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:20,000 Everybody walks away from what's right. 391 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,000 You'll get rid of them. 392 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:26,000 You can't just operate the Kingdom of God like that because there wouldn't be one of us in it. 393 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:29,000 If God kicked out everybody that ever screwed up, we wouldn't be here 394 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,000 because we are doomed to unfaithfulness, worse wickedness, 395 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:37,000 because we have an inability to follow the Word even through a God-given leader 396 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,000 or a God-given replacement leader. 397 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,000 It doesn't matter how it comes. 398 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:44,000 We have an inability. 399 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:47,000 The next one's tough. 400 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,000 This is why, this will hurt you. 401 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:53,000 This is why they were doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness 402 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,000 because they would be blessed. 403 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,000 Ouch! 404 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:00,000 They would be blessed. 405 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:04,000 That's one of the reasons why it says that when they get in the land 406 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,000 and God gives them all that He promised to give them 407 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:11,000 and they become prosperous, they will seek after other gods. 408 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:18,000 Listen, amongst your prosperity in the house or place that you live, 409 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:24,000 the job that you work, your friends, having enough money to pay your bills, 410 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:30,000 amongst that is every false god you need to fill your life until you burn in hell. 411 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:32,000 Yes, sir. 412 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:37,000 It's every hobby, it's every recreation, it's everything that you can fill your time with. 413 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,000 It's all there. 414 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:45,000 And it all comes for them anyway, and I believe for us as well, out of that blessing of God. 415 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,000 God wants to pour out on you a blessing. 416 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:50,000 And I'm not preaching you a prosperity gospel. 417 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,000 God just loves you and wants to pour out. 418 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,000 Why do you think the storehouses of heaven are full? 419 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,000 Okay, is God saving it up for a rainy day? 420 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:59,000 No, He wants to pour out, test me in this, the Lord says. 421 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:03,000 That's not my gospel, that's Jesus' gospel. 422 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:08,000 God wants to bless you, then He blesses you, and then what people do 423 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:11,000 is they use the blessing to strengthen their flesh, 424 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:16,000 and then in their flesh go after whatever it is that they want. 425 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:21,000 Rather than using the strength of their flesh to pursue the Lord proficiently. 426 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,000 God is building you up. 427 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:26,000 You're capable, you're capable in whatever area. 428 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:32,000 Whatever area you're capable in, there is only one reason to be capable there. 429 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,000 To glorify God. 430 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:39,000 And if you cannot, even in the least, glorify God in that area that you are capable in, 431 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,000 then you are doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness, 432 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:49,000 much as they were, as God blesses you, as He has promised and just keeps His word, 433 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:56,000 and gives you of Himself and of His presence and of His strength and of His spiritual gifting. 434 00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:00,000 You will play the harlot, because you will be blessed. 435 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:04,000 And you go, now what can I do? What more? 436 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:08,000 Boy, that tasted really good. Is there something else that tastes better? 437 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:13,000 Boy, I enjoyed that. Is there something else that I'll enjoy better, you think? 438 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:18,000 Boy, I really like her. How can I get her to do what I want her to do? 439 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:24,000 I really like those results. How can I get those results more often? 440 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:31,000 You don't need those results or her to do what you want, any more than God makes it so. 441 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:35,000 What you need to be is a man of integrity, a woman of integrity, 442 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:42,000 with Jesus at the center and everything inside you, starting with you and all your courts aligned with His purposes. 443 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,000 That's what the blessings are all about. 444 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:50,000 And the overflow that falls outside your control, guess what? That falls under His control. 445 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:56,000 But we dismiss some part of what God wants from us, 446 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:01,000 and I will submit to you what God wants for us, in our blessings, 447 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:06,000 and therefore are doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness. 448 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:12,000 Their blessings would lead them to worship idols and the things of the world. 449 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:19,000 This is the chief reason in which they are doomed to unfaithfulness, and God is warning them. 450 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:25,000 About a month and a half ago or so, we had a sermon entitled, The Two-Sided Sign, 451 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:31,000 and Moses was being very clear with them that this is the outcome of God going to bless them, that they would turn from Him, 452 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,000 that they would be unfaithful and that God would punish them. 453 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:39,000 But notice that God is gracious to deliver the sign, and I submit to you in the song, 454 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:45,000 to deliver the answer to checking the harlotry when it happens. 455 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:51,000 The worst thing about all of this, and we're still under, they were a people doomed to unfaithfulness and worse wickedness, 456 00:37:51,000 --> 00:38:01,000 playing the harlot, is that they would do all of this with eyes open, and an understanding of the ramifications. 457 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:06,000 Kid yourself not, when you go after the things of this world, 458 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:11,000 when you enjoy them and think, well I think I'd enjoy them a little more, I think I'll go a little more, 459 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:16,000 I'll spend a little more, I'll do a little more, I'll mark out some time, 460 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:22,000 I'll skip studying my Bible, I'll skip worshiping, I'll skip fellowship of the leaders, I'll skip service, just this one time, 461 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:30,000 serving somebody in their desperate hour of need, this one time, so I can go after what I want. 462 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:37,000 They would do this with eyes open and an understanding of the ramifications that evil would befall them. 463 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:42,000 They do it with eyes open and an understanding of the ramifications because they had the teachings, 464 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:48,000 and now because they have the song as it's coming, notice he's already taught it to the young of Israel here, 465 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:55,000 and at the very end of the chapter reads it before the entire assembled people. 466 00:38:55,000 --> 00:39:01,000 They had the teachings, they had the song, the law, and the creation to witness to them, 467 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:08,000 and yet they would do it with eyes open and an understanding of the ramifications, 468 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:14,000 and they would arrive at the question, is this that befalls us? 469 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:20,000 Not because God is not with us, not among us? 470 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:25,000 The first thing I wanted you to see in this text very clearly today is that they were a people doomed to unfaithfulness 471 00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:35,000 and worse wickedness playing the harlot, and I wonder just exactly how much of that applies to us as well. 472 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:39,000 I have seen people come to the Lord so faithfully and serve so faithfully, 473 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,000 and many years down the road after God has been so faithful to them and miracles have been done, 474 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:47,000 seeing them walk away from their calling, seeing them walk away from their walk with the Lord, 475 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:53,000 seeing them walk away from the word, it's a good thing that God had a plan to check harlotry, 476 00:39:53,000 --> 00:40:00,000 which we'll talk about next week because the ramifications of what we're looking at right here don't look very good. 477 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:05,000 The next thing to see in here then is that calamity, catastrophe, and distress, 478 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:11,000 the word here used is evil, would come upon them because they played the harlot, 479 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:16,000 adopted other gods, forsake God, and break the covenant. 480 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:26,000 This is the reality, this word shows up, listen now, in this day, there were no TVs, there were no cell phones, 481 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:37,000 there were no cars or motorcycles, no motorboats, no professional sports, 482 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:45,000 truth is there were very few to next to no personal hobbies, right? 483 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:51,000 Yet, just in being basically successful in having God bless them, 484 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:55,000 they would add every way that they needed to be unfaithful. 485 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:59,000 How much more is it true for us today? 486 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:03,000 You don't have to invent new ways to be unfaithful, you don't have to go looking, 487 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:08,000 you would be wise not to, you would be wise to look at the things of your life and go and say, 488 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:14,000 well this is a way I could be unfaithful, I'm going to get rid of it. 489 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:19,000 This is a way that could distract me from serving God, I'm going to get rid of it. 490 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:24,000 You say, oh man, well you wouldn't have to cut out of my life, think about it, my life would be just plain and boring, 491 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:27,000 I wouldn't have all those things you just named, I'd cut them all out, 492 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,000 because there's all ways that I could be unfaithful. 493 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:33,000 Yeah, you'd have the Word of God, you'd have prayer, you'd have fellowship, you'd be in the church working, 494 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:37,000 you'd be serving God, you'd be spreading the Gospel, 495 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:40,000 you think there aren't people who have decided to do that this year? 496 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:42,000 There sure are. 497 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:47,000 There are people who get out of bed and every day, their whole day is about serving Jesus, spreading Jesus, 498 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:51,000 right now I'm not saying you need to be like that guy who wears a white robe and walks 100 miles every year, 499 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:56,000 or whatever, I'm not saying you need to be like that guy, but you've got to be whoever Jesus makes you to be. 500 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:58,000 Yes, sir. 501 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:01,000 And I submit to you that Jesus has probably given you your job, 502 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:06,000 so the real question you have to ask yourself is not how do I cut my job out, but how do I make my job about serving Jesus. 503 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:12,000 Jesus has probably given you your church, so the real question is how do I make my church about serving Jesus. 504 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:15,000 Jesus has given you your money, so if you ain't going to get rid of it, 505 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:19,000 then you've got to say how do I make my money about serving Jesus, and so on. 506 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:22,000 You don't have to invent new ways to be unfaithful. 507 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:31,000 From the very beginning, the very first one, it was, I think I know what I want. 508 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:35,000 I think I'm going to take this, even though God said no. 509 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:42,000 Anything that you see, that you think you like, that you think might be beneficial, 510 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:50,000 if you take it outside the Lord's will, you are back to the very first example of unfaithfulness. 511 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:57,000 I had a man say to me once that the whole plan with Adam and Eve was unfair. 512 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:05,000 That God told them don't eat of those two trees at the garden at the center there, but God knew they were going to. 513 00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:08,000 Well, you know, it's true, ain't it? 514 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:13,000 He sees the future, he's already there, so he knew they were going to. 515 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:19,000 And all the calamity, and all the distress, and all the catastrophe, which we call evil, 516 00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:23,000 and God calls it evil in this text, all that came upon mankind after that, 517 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:28,000 because Adam and Eve played the harlot, because they forsook their covenant with God, 518 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:31,000 which was simple as tend all the trees in the garden, including these two, 519 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:34,000 but just don't eat of these two trees, and I'll take care of it. 520 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:36,000 And I'm there with you every day, in case you have any questions, 521 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:39,000 I'll be walking with you in the garden every day in your innocence. 522 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:48,000 I'll always be right there in your presence, not just there for you to ask in prayer, but there with you. 523 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:55,000 He gave them everything they needed, but there was an enemy, and the enemy said, 524 00:43:55,000 --> 00:44:03,000 look at that there, you don't need to invent new ways to be unfaithful, there are plenty. 525 00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:10,000 In fact, I would restate that this way, there is enough of value in this world for you to be blessed. 526 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:15,000 There are people who will die having been blessed their entire life, and will not know Jesus. 527 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:19,000 Don't let it be you, I don't want it to be me. 528 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:26,000 You only need to allow yourself to emphasize that which is not God, those false gods, 529 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:35,000 those false things that we can worship and declare are kind of cool or maybe awesome, and you've done it. 530 00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:41,000 You've done the very thing, and then by your action, you will ensure your harlotry. 531 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:45,000 The fact that you think about it, you're leaning towards it, but you're resisting it, 532 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:50,000 your intentions, you declare your future harlotry. 533 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:57,000 We have every reason not to do it, we shouldn't choose catastrophe over the mercies of creation, 534 00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:04,000 we shouldn't choose calamity over the blessings of God, we shouldn't choose distress over peace. 535 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:09,000 By the way, those words there, catastrophe, calamity, and distress are all additional definitions of the word, 536 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:16,000 the Hebrew word for evil in that passage of scripture, and that's what God would send on them because they turned away from Him. 537 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:35,000 God would send, since the fall in the Garden of Eden, creations like that, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, violence, harsh rains and hot suns. 538 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:43,000 Creation is groaning for the redemption of Christ, and if God doesn't protect you from it, creation would kill you. 539 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:47,000 And so we all have that grace and mercy that God is protecting us from, and the question is, 540 00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:52,000 are we doomed to unfaithfulness, to wickedness, and to playing the harlot? 541 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:57,000 That brings us to our conclusion, and it's kind of a doozy, so we'll be here a second. 542 00:45:57,000 --> 00:46:03,000 If your faithfulness is only as good as your circumstances, then you are ready to play the harlot today. 543 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:11,000 You're primed. If tomorrow you get a diagnosis of cancer, and you would turn into a madman. 544 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:18,000 If tomorrow your husband or your wife or your friend or your colleague said something vicious to you, something that really hurts you, 545 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:28,000 and you would turn into an unchrist-like person, then you are primed right now to play the harlot. 546 00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:32,000 I think most of us are in this room because we want to follow God. 547 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:37,000 Because we realize that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and whether or not we've accepted Him personally, 548 00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:42,000 we're really truly following Him or not, we kind of recognize that that is true. 549 00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:48,000 And we're learning and growing, hoping that we will faithfully follow Him. 550 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:57,000 But if your heart is such as you have a tendency to do something wrong, 551 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:02,000 then you need to know that you're primed to play the harlot right now. 552 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:08,000 If your actions have already been sinful or unfaithful, sometimes, and you go like, 553 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:16,000 well yeah, I do that sometimes, but I'm trying not to, then you're primed to play the harlot right now. 554 00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:22,000 If your heart is inclined toward enjoyment or consumption of blessings, whatever they are, 555 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:28,000 rather than focusing on being found faithful, then you are ready right now to play the harlot. 556 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:34,000 And you may do it later today or tomorrow. Something will come, and you will take it for yourself. 557 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:37,000 Like a fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 558 00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:42,000 Like a blessing where, oh, well now I don't have to go out to war because the army's doing pretty good, 559 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:46,000 so I'll just stay home for more. Ooh, she's pretty. 560 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:50,000 It doesn't matter who you are or who you think you are. 561 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:59,000 If your tendencies and your actions are sinful by nature and you are more into enjoyment or consumption of blessings, 562 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:04,000 rather than focusing on being found faithful, then you are ready to play the harlot right now. 563 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:12,000 The solution is to repent, to turn to God again and say, okay God, I realize again, I am dependent upon the covenant. 564 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:17,000 I am dependent upon the blood of Jesus. I am dependent upon you. I am not made an independent creation. 565 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:22,000 I do not want to go where independent creations go when I die. I want to be with you. 566 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:27,000 I want to let Jesus live through me. I want to serve Jesus on a daily basis. 567 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:36,000 You must put the emphasis where it belongs, even if and especially if you suddenly think you have more opportunity. 568 00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:39,000 Ever go to the mailbox and a check came? 569 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:43,000 Ever think you have a big bill that's going to come due and you don't know how you're going to pay it, 570 00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:46,000 and somebody takes care of it for you, something happens, it doesn't turn out to be as expensive as you thought? 571 00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:56,000 What did you do with the money? When opportunity, when the blessing comes, hang on because I am not throwing you under the bus, 572 00:48:56,000 --> 00:49:04,000 but when you suddenly have a full truckload of scrap and your choice between two different scrap yards 573 00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:13,000 and one of them is near the drug house and the other one is not, that's the moment to take that scrap to the one that's as far away from the drugs as possible. 574 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:21,000 These blessings, when you have a family, a son, a daughter, a wife, a husband, a job that pays the bills, 575 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:26,000 when you have those blessings, when you have abundance, when you have success, that is the moment in time to say, 576 00:49:26,000 --> 00:49:30,000 okay, now I have opportunity. What am I going to do with the opportunity? 577 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:33,000 That's the moment to ask what are you going to do with the opportunity? 578 00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:37,000 So if you can say right now, I don't have the opportunity, right? 579 00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:44,000 The big blessing has not yet come, the ship has not docked, the money is not flowing into my checking account, 580 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:49,000 then now is the time to decide what you will do when that time comes. 581 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:53,000 Instead of waiting on that time and going, oh, I think, oh, yeah, maybe I'll be faithful. 582 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:59,000 God gives me, if I'm blowing a lot of tickets, blowing one, I pick it up and it gives me a million dollars, I'll surely tithe on that. 583 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:06,000 Instead of having these pie in the sky dreams about emphasizing Jesus, you emphasize Jesus today. 584 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:13,000 The people who are really getting saved, whether they're harlots or seemingly honest men, 585 00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:19,000 are people who are genuinely saying in my blessing, instead of increasing my margin of error, 586 00:50:19,000 --> 00:50:30,000 instead of storing up for myself a safety buffer, they're saying I'm going to use everything that I have to honor the Lord. 587 00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:33,000 When opportunity increases, it is all the more important. 588 00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:38,000 Or if you have more wealth or more blessings or things start to go right, here's what I want you to see. 589 00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:41,000 If things go wrong, we naturally go, did I do something wrong? 590 00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:46,000 I didn't do anything. God, please help me. Did I do anything? Is this because, you know, God, please help me, right? 591 00:50:46,000 --> 00:50:49,000 That's what we do when things go wrong. What do you do when things go right? 592 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:59,000 Okay, now what can I do? Let's see. Let me plan this out. Let me think about how I can, oh, yeah, now we've got the $100 to buy the new Xbox or whatever. 593 00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:06,000 Now we can buy, now we can have more streaming services. We can have like seven now. We can afford them now. 594 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:12,000 Right? And this is what we do. And don't think that the leeches of this world, the things that are, they know that's what you do. 595 00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:23,000 And they're playing off of us. They're playing to our tendency to fall to unfaithfulness and wickedness. 596 00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:32,000 And if things start to go right, if you think by trying harder they might go more right, you say, well, if I just put in five more hours this week, I'll be able to make this happen. 597 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:40,000 Don't. Don't do it. You can't make it happen. You can put in a hundred more hours this week and you can't make it happen. 598 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:46,000 You can cut worship. You can cut Bible study. You can cut giving. You can cut being loving. You can cut being kind. 599 00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:51,000 You can cut talking to the waitress and the cashier about Jesus. You can cut and cut and cut and cut. 600 00:51:51,000 --> 00:51:58,000 And you'll cut until you're empty. It's not going to fill your bank account. 601 00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:06,000 I was at the library one day and there was a man on a park bench sitting out front of the library that had been donated in someone's honor. 602 00:52:06,000 --> 00:52:12,000 And I came walking out and the Lord said, go talk to that man. I'm like, I really only had time to drop the book off, Lord. 603 00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:16,000 I really don't have time to be talking to people. And the Lord said, had said it. 604 00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:23,000 So even though I was kind of sassy maybe, I went over and talked to the man. I talked to him. He said that he was a professing Catholic. 605 00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:26,000 And I'm not throwing Catholics under the bus. He could have been a Christian or not. 606 00:52:26,000 --> 00:52:31,000 Some Catholics aren't. Some Catholics aren't. Whatever. It's a messy place to be as a Christian. But it is what it is. 607 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:35,000 And he was a professing Catholic. And I shared the gospel with him. And he said he believed in Jesus Christ as his Lord. 608 00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:39,000 That means he was in charge and is a savior. And that means he paid the price for his sin. 609 00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:43,000 So he was professing to be a Christian, but he was saying he was a Catholic Christian. 610 00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:51,000 Anyway, I was talking with him. And after I shared all of that with him, I asked him if there was anything you would have me to pray about. 611 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:57,000 And he said, well, here's what I want you to do. He said, I've been contemplating suicide as a Catholic Christian, as you can imagine. 612 00:52:57,000 --> 00:53:00,000 Contemplating suicide. That's crazy. It would be a Christian contemplating suicide. 613 00:53:00,000 --> 00:53:07,000 But it could happen if you get yourself in that spot where evil has come upon your life, calamity, catastrophe, distress. 614 00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:15,000 And I said, what on earth? I said, listen, I think he was about 60, I think he was 63. And I said, what on earth? 615 00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:19,000 I said, why would you possibly consider that? I said, you're 63. He said, yeah. I said, you're healthy. He said, I am now. 616 00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:27,000 I said, well, you probably got, you could have 40 years of serving Jesus and sharing Christ with people and serving in the church, whatever. 617 00:53:27,000 --> 00:53:32,000 And he says, I'm not worried about the 40 years I might have left. He said, I'm worried about the 40 years I wasted. 618 00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:39,000 I said, what are you talking about? He said, I wasted 40 years. I got saved at like, whatever he said, 22, 23 years old. 619 00:53:39,000 --> 00:53:46,000 So I got saved. And he said, and I worked. And I worked hard. I worked a lot of hours. My wife and I were successful businessmen. 620 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:52,000 I worked about 60 hours a week. And he said, I barely go to church, worship, study. I barely did any of that. 621 00:53:52,000 --> 00:54:00,000 And he said, and when I retired at 60, I retired, I was totally ready to retire at 60. I had all the money in the bank. 622 00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:07,000 Everything's taken care of. I retired at 60 years old. And he said, and I thought, I'm going to live out my glory days and I'm going to serve and go to church and everything else. 623 00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:17,000 And he said, the week that I retired from my job, I was diagnosed with cancer. And then he said, and it became expensive. 624 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:27,000 And he said, the $400,000 in cash that I had in the bank, they took it all. They took every penny. 625 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:33,000 He said, I sit here today on this park bench. You know how much I got in the bank? And I said, no. And he said, nothing. Not a penny. 626 00:54:33,000 --> 00:54:44,000 He said, I worked 60 hours a week for 40 years and I got nothing. I said, did they cure your cancer, at least? And he said, yeah, I'm cancer free. 627 00:54:44,000 --> 00:54:49,000 Now, you're cancer free. You go what? You go, woo, cancer free. No more cancer. 628 00:54:49,000 --> 00:54:58,000 Your cancer free costs you $400,000 of your hard earned money, 40 years of your life spent collecting. It's a little harder to hoot and holler. 629 00:54:58,000 --> 00:55:06,000 And he wasn't hooting and hollering. He's contemplating suicide. And I said, don't do it. I said, listen, you blew it. 630 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:15,000 That wasn't right. You screwed that up. That's not the way to do it. And God has corrected you and allowed calamity to fall on you. It's fine. 631 00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:23,000 Be teachable. Learn from this mistake. You're not dead. It doesn't matter if they tell you, you might die. You're not dead. You're here. 632 00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:31,000 And your cancer's gone. People would give $400,000 to have 40 more years of life and their cancer's gone. He goes, yeah, I guess. 633 00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:36,000 But I wouldn't have done it. He said, I'm wishing I had put it in a trust. I made all these mistakes with all my money and everything. 634 00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:42,000 He said, what am I going to do? I can't do any ministry. I don't have any money. I said, you don't need money to do ministry. 635 00:55:42,000 --> 00:55:47,000 You can't buy somebody showing up to your house talking about Jesus encouraging you, being there for you, whatever. 636 00:55:47,000 --> 00:55:54,000 You can't buy that for any amount of money. And you can do that. He said, I lost my house. I've lost everything. 637 00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:58,000 I said, well, you're going to get Social Security. You're going to get Medicare. You're going to have health insurance. 638 00:55:58,000 --> 00:56:02,000 Your bills are going to be paid. You're going to have 40, 50, 60 hours a week. You're going to work for the Lord. 639 00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:09,000 And he started to do, you could see like a little gleam in his eye. He's thinking, uh-huh. By the time we were done talking, he said he was going to think about it. 640 00:56:09,000 --> 00:56:16,000 And I prayed with him out loud there. And I, and I could see that he was thinking about busting out Satan's teeth. 641 00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:24,000 That's what he was thinking about. He was thinking about being done with that period of his life where he had put his blessings, his opportunity, his prosperity and everything 642 00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:31,000 before God being finally done with that and putting God first above all things. And that busts out Satan's teeth. 643 00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:35,000 You thought you were going to let take me down. You thought calamity was going to pin me to the ground. 644 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:41,000 You thought distress was going to wear me down. But here I am. I'm still here. And cancer free. 645 00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:51,000 Now I don't know what he did. He didn't have a cell phone. He didn't have a house phone. He didn't have an address. For sure. 646 00:56:51,000 --> 00:57:01,000 So no way for me to follow up. Maybe you're here today and you'd say, you know what? I realize, um, I'm primed. 647 00:57:01,000 --> 00:57:10,000 Or maybe you're already participating in harlotry. Maybe you're already doing that. 648 00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:14,000 I want you to hear these verses. Luke 9, 23 to 26 it says this. 649 00:57:14,000 --> 00:57:21,000 And he said to all, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 650 00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:26,000 For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 651 00:57:26,000 --> 00:57:31,000 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 652 00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:42,000 For whoever is ashamed of me and my word of him will the son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 653 00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:48,000 I like to read John Wesley. John Wesley is a long gone theologian preacher. 654 00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:52,000 He's got some really neat stuff that he said and sermon stuff that he said. 655 00:57:52,000 --> 00:57:59,000 I've listened to a couple of his sermons actually which are recreations and like that. 656 00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:07,000 And there's a story about John Wesley. He was riding and I'm going to, I can't remember Oxhound I think in England, but he was riding through England. 657 00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:13,000 And on horseback to go from one engagement to another as a young preacher in his late 20s, early 30s, whatever. 658 00:58:13,000 --> 00:58:20,000 And a highwayman stopped him. Strong man stepped out, grabbed the bridle of his horse and said, your money or your life? 659 00:58:20,000 --> 00:58:26,000 So John Wesley said, you can have it. Gave him all his money. He searched through his saddlebags. 660 00:58:26,000 --> 00:58:33,000 All that was there was books. And then the highwayman was about to go away mad basically because he only got a little bit of pocket change or whatever. 661 00:58:33,000 --> 00:58:36,000 And John Wesley said back, and wait a minute, wait a minute, I have one more thing for you. 662 00:58:36,000 --> 00:58:42,000 And that was a strange thing to say to a highwayman. Like, oh God, I have this coin in my boot, you know, one extra coin that you can steal. 663 00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:53,000 And the guy came back and said, what? And John Wesley said, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. 664 00:58:53,000 --> 00:59:00,000 And the guy was like, what are you telling me that for? You know, that means nothing to me. And he left. 665 00:59:00,000 --> 00:59:08,000 Now fast forward about 50 years in John Wesley's life, he comes out of one of the huge speaking engagements that he was at in London with thousands of people there. 666 00:59:08,000 --> 00:59:15,000 And he preached a very simple sermon. He was a simple preacher. If you ever look at any of his stuff, he basically just taught what the Bible says, which is what I try to do. 667 00:59:15,000 --> 00:59:21,000 And so that's kind of probably why I resonate with him. He wasn't a big doctrine man getting into a whole bunch of debates with people and stuff. 668 00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:26,000 I'm sure there was some of that. But he just taught what it says. And he's preaching and people would come. 669 00:59:26,000 --> 00:59:33,000 And the guy wants to get up to him. He's an older guy by now. John Wesley is older by now. And they weren't letting anybody near him. 670 00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:38,000 And the guy is begging him, please, I just didn't talk to him for a second. I didn't talk to him for a second. I'm sure a lot of people were. 671 00:59:38,000 --> 00:59:45,000 But for some reason they let him through. And he got up there and he comes talking to John Wesley. And he said, I have to tell you something. 672 00:59:45,000 --> 00:59:53,000 And John Wesley said, OK, go ahead. What? He said, I'm that guy. That might have been 40 years. He barely remembered the incident. 673 00:59:53,000 --> 01:00:03,000 You know what I mean? But he told him, I'm the guy that robbed you on the highway and you stopped me. And at the end, you said, the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. 674 01:00:03,000 --> 01:00:10,000 That's the second half of 1st John 1, 7, by the way. And he said, I want you to know that I've become a Christian. He'd become a Christian. 675 01:00:10,000 --> 01:00:19,000 He was a successful businessman in London. And he'd become a Christian. He was serving the Lord. And he said to John Wesley, I owe you everything. 676 01:00:19,000 --> 01:00:32,000 I owe you everything. I owe it all to you. And John Wesley said, oh no. He said, not to me, but to him. Because the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. 677 01:00:32,000 --> 01:00:42,000 There's your bookend. If you're primed for harlotry now, I would say don't. That would be my suggestion. You see the signs and don't. 678 01:00:42,000 --> 01:00:52,000 If your heart tends that way, don't give into it. If your actions have already been like that, don't. Repent. Turn to God and say, Lord, please don't let me. 679 01:00:52,000 --> 01:01:03,000 Lord, please be with me. Lord, live through me. If you're already doing it, repent. Turn to God. The blood of Jesus cleanses all sin. 680 01:01:03,000 --> 01:01:13,000 You can be free. You can say, no, I will not allow my blessings to take first place in my life. No, I will not allow my pursuits to take first place in my life. 681 01:01:13,000 --> 01:01:18,000 No, I will not allow my successes or my failures to become that important that I am worried about them. 682 01:01:18,000 --> 01:01:26,000 I will stop talking about all of that stuff before I talk about Jesus and start talking about Jesus before I talk about all of that stuff. 683 01:01:26,000 --> 01:01:35,000 You can do it. In Christ, you can do it. And I would encourage you to do that now. 684 01:01:35,000 --> 01:01:43,000 Whether you're just in tendency, whether you see actions that have already been like that and you think it locks you in, 685 01:01:43,000 --> 01:01:51,000 whether you've found yourself unable to follow the Word or not, avoid the catastrophe, the calamity, and the distress that is coming, 686 01:01:51,000 --> 01:01:58,000 and turn faithfully to God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and the blood of Jesus cleanses all sin. 687 01:01:58,000 --> 01:02:04,000 As a praise team, come forward and lead us at this time. We're going to have our closing hymn. This will be the last song of our service. 688 01:02:04,000 --> 01:02:12,000 But if you have found in you that tendency to play the harlot, then repent today and then make it publicly known. 689 01:02:12,000 --> 01:02:17,000 Remember it said, for whoever is ashamed of me and my word of him, the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory. 690 01:02:17,000 --> 01:02:24,000 Make it publicly known that you are turning from that today and turning to God. And let God be first in your life. 691 01:02:24,000 --> 01:02:33,000 If you're in tendency or in actuality playing the harlot, repent and turn to the Lord. 692 01:02:33,000 --> 01:02:38,000 Stand with me as we sing this song. And if the Lord is speaking to you, you respond. 693 01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:58,000 All to Jesus I surrender, for he to him I freely can. 694 01:02:58,000 --> 01:03:11,000 I will ever love and trust him in his presence, taking him in. 695 01:03:11,000 --> 01:03:37,000 I surrender all, I surrender all. All to be my blessed Savior I surrender all. 696 01:03:37,000 --> 01:03:49,000 All to Jesus I surrender, may he save your holy love. 697 01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:54,000 That's a miracle he can do, he will do. Cry out unto the Lord and be saved. 698 01:03:54,000 --> 01:04:07,000 I will ever love and trust him in his presence, but he will do.