This sermon delves into the temptations faced by Jesus, focusing on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life that Satan used to try to lead Him astray. It emphasizes the danger of succumbing to the boastful pride of life, which can divert individuals from the path of the cross and into a life of deception. The message warns against allowing individuals who twist the grace of God into licentiousness to remain within the congregation, highlighting the importance of upholding biblical standards and rejecting works-based righteousness.

Now, I want you to listen carefully to what I'm going to say. You know that Satan went to the temptations of the... Now listen, this is going to set you free from some things. He first began with the lust of the flesh, and the lustful of the eyes, and then when he came to the boastful pride of life. Will you all quickly be seated there, please, and quietly. Now, when Jesus, the temptation came for the lust of flesh, then the lust of the eyes, and then Satan came for the last temptation, which was the boastful pride of life. You know, the boastful pride of life. Then he, you recall that he wanted Jesus to jump off the temple into the courtyard. So then, people could follow Jesus and his ministry. He'd lead them. Now, let me tell you something. I want to tell you something about this spirit. The devil will always bring the boastful pride of life to you, to lead you away from death at the cross. He'll lead you another way. And if you follow the boastful pride of life, then you don't have to go to the cross. That's exactly what Satan wanted to do with Jesus. He wanted him to go ahead and do it for God, instead of God doing it through him. He wouldn't have to go to the cross, would he? Satan keeps you. The flesh don't want to die, folks. It don't want to go to death. You remember that. The flesh will find a way to help God out, instead of dying. The flesh will find some way of coming for works, instead of dying. Are you hearing me? Okay. Now, how do temptations come to you and me from the devil? We're in the midst of all these things, and, well, where is the devil in all this? I told you, you can't hear the devil if you're in agreement with him. He's not bothering you too much when you're in agreement with him. Now, let me show you one verse. Well, I'm going to show you several here, but I want to show you where how temptations clearly come to you, how Satan comes to you. The demons, the powers of darkness come to you. Turn to James 1, please. James 1. James 1. James 1. We have trials and tribulations and testings, don't we? Now, I want you to look in verse 12. Blessed is a man. Now, when it says blessing, this is where the blessings of God come from. Blessed is a man who does what? Who perseveres under trial. For once he has been approved, he'll receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Now, what does the Lord say to those that love him? If you really love me, you will obey my word. Is that right? The next verse. Let no one say when he is tempted, I'm being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone. May I ask you, if God doesn't tempt anyone, who tempts? Who does the tempting? Satan and the powers of darkness come to tempt you. Now, we'll look in the next verse, and we'll see how they come to tempt you. This is very clear. But each one is what? What's that word? Tempted. Circle that. He's tempted when he is what? That's what 1 Timothy 4, 1 says, that deceitful spirits and doctrines and agreements carry you away. You fall away from the word. Amen? Each one is tempted, and he's carried away, and what is that next word? Enticed. So you are tempted and enticed by what? Your own lusts and desires of the flesh. That is clearly how Satan comes to bring temptations and entice you is the lust of the flesh, and that's what has been ignored. Ignore the devil, and he'll flee. Ignore the devil. The boastful pride of life. Go around the cross. You don't have to die. Let's skip this. Let me ask you something. Look at me. Adam and Eve received the word from God, didn't they? They first got the word. All right, they were in the image and likeness of God, and then along comes Satan, the powers of darkness, and begins talking. Hath God really said? And twisting the word of God, and so forth like that. That conversation should have ended, but Eve kept on listening, and then is this seed right here, folks? Is this seed? All right, the opposite from this is Satan's seed. Is that right? That was opposite from this seed is what Satan brought to Eve right there. So what happens when a female receives a seed? She conceives. Is that right? Shake head. All right, now. So in Eve, the seeds, the words from Satan, were conceived. Then it gave birth to sin, and she listened. She conceived, which means she received the seed, and it gave birth to sin. Sin was accomplished when she received the fruit of the knowledge of the tree of good and evil, and then it brought forth what? Death. Death came right after that. Now, may I ask you, is James 1 in the New Testament? And how did it just got through? Say, you're tempted, and you're enticed too. So the temptation doesn't come from God, it comes from who? Did you just read that? And you're enticed, and your temptations come just like it did to Adam and the second Adam, the lust of flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boast of pride in life. Is that right? Now, you are supposed to resist the devil. You resist these. Is that correct? Now, let's watch what happens when you don't. See, you're carried away when you're tempted and enticed beyond lust, but right after that, fleshly desires. Verse 5, Then when you receive this lust, you listen up here. Then when lust has what? I can't hear you. Conceived, that means you start listening to these temptations of the flesh. That's lust is conceived that you receive the temptation and enticing lust of flesh, right? Conceived means you listen to it. You don't shut it off and resist it with the shield of faith. When lust is conceived, then it gives birth to what? Sin. And when sin is accomplished, it brings forth what? That's the same thing as that temptation. I want you to know that when God is doing, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. I want you to know the flesh is the same yesterday, today, and forever. From the time of Adam, flesh is flesh. I want you to know that Satan is doing the same thing since he did in Genesis right there, today as he did right then. It's the same temptations there. Now, let me just take Brother Bob here again. Brother Bob has done something to offend or reject me and then here they come. They begin talking. Instead of resisting that unforgiveness and resentment, I receive it. I start listening. So that means it conceived. I have received the flaming missile of resentment or unforgiveness. I receive it. And then is give birth to sin as I listen and sin is accomplished when I agree in my heart with that talking to me, the unforgiveness. When I get sin and unforgiveness, that case gets built up enough and then the unforgiveness and resentment comes to my heart. I have sin is accomplished. Is that right? Shake your head. All right, now, when sin is accomplished, that powers the darkness of God's agreement. He has ground. He has put me under the law in that area of my life and he has ground. And he's working death in me. Is that clear? Now, that's exactly how it works. Now, let me ask you something. What did Eve say when God, you know, was talking to her about this? He said, well, the serpent deceived me. She was still cursed, wasn't she? Amen. She wasn't blessed, was she? You're not blessed by the powers of darkness, are you? Well, then after God has said all these things, who do the temptations come from? Then you watch what verse 16 says. Do not be what? Deceived, which means you could be what? Deceived. Do not be deceived, my beloved, who? He's talking to brethren again, isn't he? Brethren can be deceived. That's what we saw in 1 Peter 5, isn't it? You can be deceived. So you're warned not to deceive. Now, may I present something to you? All this comes before James 5, 14 and 15. Be anointed with oil. There's a whole lot of Scripture coming before James 5, 14 and 15, isn't there? Okay. Folks, do you understand that you and the flesh cannot stand against the powers of darkness? They'll make you believe that bitter is sweet. They'll make you think that darkness is light. You'll believe it, and you'll fight over it. And you believe in it, and they'll make a fool out of you. You absolutely cannot stand against the powers of darkness on your own, and the wiser you think and the smarter you think you are in your eyes, the more deception you come under. Now, the only way that you can stand against the powers of darkness, to go somewhere and make your covenant partner stronger than they are, there's only one. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ. And you'll never have the weapons, and you never can have the weapons, and you will be an absolute fool without you have the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you don't get the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ your way. You come God's way. And that's the only way, and you'll have all these weapons on, as Ephesians 6 told you, in order that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And I'll tell you again that this war is a lot more serious than anything that you can figure up in the flesh here of missiles and all this stuff, not these other kind of missiles. Now, I want you to know this is an eternal war. It's eternal death. And I want you to know why we've ignored the powers of darkness. They have perverted. They have perverted. While the war has been going on and the church has been in, I want you to know they perverted and perverted and perverted and perverted and twisted and everything till man has become the sinner and God is outside knocking on the door. Jesus. Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door, and I knock. Scripture doesn't say he's knocking at your heart. He's knocking on the church door. He said, I want to come in and set these people free. Let me come in here and set these people free. I want to come in and fellowship. I want to come in and heal these people. We're not quite ready for that. I'm bringing them on. Lord, this stills upset two or three lost deacons. I'm bringing them on. I'll help them there. We're not bringing no one anywhere. That's jumping off the temple in the courtyard. The devil's still trying to get everybody to jump off in the courtyard. The courtyard stays full. So you're going to lead them somewhere. I'm telling you, the Spirit of God does the leading. And what God doesn't do to you, I don't want to remind you again, is burn up. What the Spirit of God doesn't do to you and me is burn up. Now, you don't understand that the whole operations of the powers of darkness, who are stronger than you are, who are smarter than you, without you have wisdom that comes from God, with your own flesh wisdom, the world wisdom, the whole operation is to blind you and to hide the truth from you. And that's plain. To make you believe a lie. That's what deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons is. And people who become wise in their own eyes and boastful pride in life, skip this. They're smarter than God. Turn to 2 Corinthians 4. How many Gospels are there? There's one Gospel. I want you to know that one Gospel is hidden. That Gospel is hidden to many, many people because of the powers of darkness. Who've been being ignored. Look here. If you can have access to just put into somebody's computer, whatever you want to put in, what can you make them do? Do you have free access to just fill somebody's computer up with whatever you want to put in? What do you think you do with them? And all they can do is wash that computer or fix that computer or clean that computer out. It's coming to receive the whole counsel of God. And you're not coming one way. It's your heart turned toward. Now, in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3, and even if our Gospel is veiled, is veiled over, it is veiled to those who are what? I'm telling you, if you can't see the light of the Gospel right there, you are perishing. This Bible's been made to understand and receive. And if you're not understanding it and you're not receiving it, I'm telling you, your heart is not turned toward God. You're in a boastful pride of life. You're religious. I don't care what kind of position you have or how you appear to the world or what you think you're doing for God. Now, the next part, 4. In whose case the God of this world, do you know who He is? That's Satan. The powers of darkness have blinded the what? Blinded the minds. Do you know how He had blinded the mind? He hardened the mind. Sin, lust of the flesh, has blinded the minds of the what? The unbelieving picks and chooses through this word. Something to fit in the boastful pride of life and the flesh. If it comes against the flesh, die and everything, well, you know, it's got a big thick book we'll stick out there. Anything can keep from going to the cross. I want you to know, you know, the book's already been written. Right there it is. The heartless God of this world is blinded. The minds are unbelieving that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. There's your form of godliness, ever learning, never able to come to the knowledge of truth because they cannot see the light of the gospel. And you cannot see the light of the gospel because the heart is turned toward the lordship of the flesh. It's turned toward the boastful pride of life and the powers of darkness blind the mind when they get the heart turned. Turned there. Now, let's look in verse 8. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not despaired. I'm going to go ahead and use 9. Persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed. Now, that's the war that comes against you. Boy, I tell you, cartons don't like that. Cartons run another direction from that. Cartons don't like to be talked about. They like to be somebody. They like to jump off of pentacles. And in verse 11, here's what you're doing. I mean, verse 10 rather. We're always caring about in this body right here the dying of Jesus, hath dying to the flesh, the dying of Jesus. Now, here's the mystery of godliness that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. There's the mystery of godliness right there. You care about the dying, the persecution, the affliction, the people that don't understand you and the powers of darkness bring to back you off, back you off, that the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, the mystery of godliness, to be manifested through you as you die to the lust of the flesh. Now in verse 16, Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man, that's the old man, that's him, he is the king, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. There's not any blessed flesh in that. Verse 7, For the momentary light affliction is producing for us a what? What's that word? Circle that eternal. It's producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison while we praise God forevermore. Well, you get just a glimpse of grace and it almost consumes you, you know it. While we look not at the things which are seen, we don't look at things that are seen. What does that have to do with faith? But at the things which are not seen. We believe it because God said it. That's a shield of faith. For the things which are seen are what? Temporary. But the things which are not seen are what? Eternal. Now look at me, folks. We got a new fancy little speaker. See, it don't look like much. It costs thousands of dollars right there, that little old thing on that pole right there. All these TV cameras and these fancy things that you see around here. I'm telling you what, they are decaying and they're rotten and I'm going to tell you they're all going to pass away. Let me tell you something. Now look around at all these cartons sitting in here. Just look at them. I want you to look at them. All kind of shape cartons. Look around at them. I'm telling you they're all dying. They're passing away. Everything you can see in this world is passing away. The only thing that's going to remain is the things you're not seeing. Where are you living at? Where's your heart? Where's your heart? Turn to 2 Corinthians 11. I'm going to tell you what, if you ever get you another Jesus, you don't have to go to the cross. Just don't have this Jesus right here. I'll find you another one. Let's get you another Jesus. You don't have to deny yourself. Because if you get you another Jesus, you can water it down, side door, back door. You get you another Jesus and you can be somebody in your boastful pride of life. You can make a name for yourself. You can make a name for your ministry. You can make a name for your church. You can make a name for everything you walk around in your boastful pride of life. Just get you another Jesus. Satan's got a lot of Jesus for you. What kind of Jesus do you like? Well, I'll tell you what, if you're receiving the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, this Jesus right here, you go to the cross, you die. If you don't see another Jesus, you don't have to go there. And then you can battle people after the flesh with anger, hate, and murder, and all these things who come against your Jesus. Right here it is. Right here. Verse 3, For I'm afraid, lest as a serpent did what? Who did he deceive? See thee, are you in the New Testament right now? Are you looking at the New Covenant? Shake your head. All right, lest as a serpent deceived Eve by his what? His craftiness, your minds, your minds. Please circle your minds right there. He's about to tell us that Eve got, Eve would say, look up here, here's your mind. He's about to say something about your minds. He prayed, I'm praying, for the craftiness of a serpent to deceive Eve, something's going to happen to your minds. I fear lest your mind should what? Be what? Oh, led astray. Your minds could be led astray. Where? From the simplicity and the purity of devotion to Christ. He's not an intellectual Christ. Do you understand that? It's pure and simple to give Lord Jesus Christ all your heart. It's not complicated. It's not complicated unless you want some of these books and then you get real intellectual over it. It's simple. You know why it's simple? Because it's all Him. It's not you. You get in on it. But your mind, did Satan deceive Eve? Did she say the serpent deceived me? Shake your head, did he? Or did you turn right around and see right here, I'm afraid the serpent's going to deceive you too and your minds be led astray, right? Led astray from what? From Jesus. This Jesus right here. Where are you going to be led to the next verse? There it is. For if one comes and preaches what? Oh, another Jesus. You know, there's a Jesus where, look here. You can make a name for yourself. We can have our little old social gathering and we can just help. Come on down here and help us, God. Cooperate with us. If someone comes and preaches another Jesus, that's where your mind can be led astray by the craftiness of the serpents who are talking to everybody before you get out of bed in the morning, reporting for Satan. And you just skip over the scriptures where you take every thought captive to Jesus, that you resist the devil. No, we're smart and we're wise. No, no, we ignore the devil. Well, that's what Miss Eve did in 1 Adam. And you've got death and curses on you because they did it. And I want you to know when you're walking that way now, they're going to get you over. So if one hears where your mind's led astray, but I'm afraid less as a serpent deceived Eve. And here's how he does it. He comes and preaches another Jesus whom we've not preached. And I'm going to tell you, when you receive another Jesus, you get another spirit. And I want you to know what those other spirits are. Are religious demons of man, please, or of unbelief, and that sort of thing. That's what comes to you when you get another Jesus. You get filled full of unbelief and the religious spirits. And if you don't think there's plenty of them, you just get into livers around any of these churches a little bit, and I'm going to tell you what's the truth. They're all over the place. And that's a curse. For if anyone comes and preaches another Jesus, mark another Jesus, whom we've not preached, or you receive a what? There they are. That's them which you've not received. And then you've got a what? A different gospel. You receive a different gospel. You've got another Jesus. You receive a different spirit, which is the power of the darkness that's controlling. And they're bouncing off the walls, led by the flesh, the boastful pride of life, which you've not accepted. You bear this beautifully. Let me show you. Hey, let me ask you something. Do you believe anybody who is a false prophet and a false teacher, and they've never been anything like it, do you think he knows he's controlled by the power of the darkness? No, he thinks he's helping God out. He might quote Scripture and cry. That's what angelalites do. What you're supposed to know is not the appearance or credentials. Do you hear Jesus coming out of his mouth? Do you see the fruit of Jesus on him? There's one teacher. It's Jesus. You better know his voice instead of starting getting votes. Now in verse 14. And no wonder, there's about to be another Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel. Here they come. Here they are in 14. And no wonder for even Satan disguises himself as an angel like. Therefore, it's not surprising if his servants, he's got them snared, they're captured, don't even know it. He used them, don't even suspect it. Therefore, it's not surprising if his servants, as they go around in their flesh to help God out, also disguise themselves as servants of what? A servant of righteousness. What? It's led by the Spirit of God, not after the lust of the flesh. But anyway, they disguise themselves as servants of righteousness whose end is going to be according to their what? Look at me. Their end is according to their what? What's your fruit? What's your deeds? Now, there it is right there. Their deeds are right there. It's not righteousness. They're disguised as servants of righteousness. And they come with persuasive words of wisdom and superiority of speech. They're somebody. And boy, don't you never do something without you checked with one of these. Who's going to get you? Are you free? If you're not free, you sure can be free. If you don't want to be free, just hang in there. Keep a stiff upper lip. All right, there's another Jesus. Now, I'm not going to turn over to Galatians 1, but over there in Galatians 1, it'll be on your notes at 6 through 10. It talks about a different gospel. It talks about a distorted gospel. It talks about a gospel that's contrary. And you will find that these people in Galatians are under the law. They're under the law. They're under the law, and the people under the law, you know what they do? They want you to come over and get under the law with them so they can boast in your flesh, count you, or get a good report on you, or use you for their glory. You understand everything that's coming up today in organization and everything else to try to get to steal the glory from Jesus so it'll be the glory of something else besides the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? Turn to 2 Peter 2. Let's look at a false teacher. 2 Peter 2. If any of you are in the flesh in here now, you're going to throw a fit when I read this to you. It'll tear your heart out of you. All right. All right, now. 2 Peter 2, verse 1, but false prophets. Did you mark that? Also rose among the people just as there will also be false teachers among you. Remember when you used to read that right there about false teachers and false prophets and say, boy, they sure did have a lot of problems back then, didn't they? But it says false teachers is going to be, them false prophets are going to be among you who will secretly introduce, what are they going to introduce? Destructive heresy, even denying the Master. When you deny any part of the Word, you're denying the Lord who brought them bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Now, that's what a false teacher and false prophet is doing. And many, I want you to circle many, is going to follow their what? Sensuality, because look here. The false teacher or false prophet leads you by feelings. It feels good. It looks good. Do it. But these false teachers and false prophets are going to, and they're going to lead you, and many are going to follow their sensualities, and because of them, the way of the Word right here, the way of the truth, the way to the Lord Jesus Christ is going to be maligned and perverted. I'm going to, it keeps on, and all of this is in it. Jump over in verse 18. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity, vain, this is proud words, flesh, boastful pride of life, for speaking about proud words of vanity, here's what they do. They entice by what? I can't hear you. What did we read in James 1? That the temptations come from the powers of darkness to entice you and tempt you after fleshly desires. Is that what your Bible said? Have you cut it out or are you receiving it? What is this false teacher and false prophet doing? He's coming to entice you by fleshly desires. Amen? Now, with this proud words, they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, and they're in bondage. They're prisoners. By sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising their people freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption. Oh, no demons can come around you. You know no demons can come around us. They're over in Africa. They can't get through this stained glass. They wouldn't come around nice people like us. At best, they'd be across the tracks. They wouldn't be around smart folks like us. Promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption. For by what a man is overcome, here's Romans 6 again, by this, he is enslaved. May I ask you something? Are you a slave to the lust of the flesh or are you a slave of righteousness? Now, let me ask you something else. Where's your heart? Let me ask you, who really leads and controls your life? May I ask you, who is really your Lord? If you fell down, get up. In Jesus' name. Now, there is a false teacher. Is that plain? A false teacher leads you after the lust of the flesh, sensuality, and desires of the flesh. Hip, hip, hooray. Bless my carton, the boastful pride of life. Now, turn to Jude 4. We'll look at it a little more. If you didn't get that too clear, we'll get it clearer. Jude 4. Let's start in verse 4. For certain persons have crept in or they sneak into the body of Christ unnoticed. Let me ask you something. Look at me just a minute. The devil wouldn't have much trouble getting in an average church today, would he? All he has to do is just walk down that aisle, come back in the back door, come down and shake some preacher's hand, sign a card, sit down, and he can sit right there the rest of his life and be against him and the demons that work with him, against everything God wants to do in that congregation, and he'll remain a member in good standing until he dies. That's not what that Bible says. The Bible said, throw him out. Now, these certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long ago marked out for the condemnation or judgment, ungodly persons who turns the grace of God into licentiousness. The grace of God, they turn it into careless, be careless, acts that are exceeding the limits or lust the flesh, and they deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. Now, they come in and do that. They turn the grace of God into licentiousness. And then verse 11, Woe to them because they've gone the way of Cain. There it is, works, works. Do you see it? The way of Cain is works. And for pay, there's the rewards, their career, their ministry, their name, their image, their reputation, the boastful pride of life. For pay, they have rushed headlong into the air of Balaam. That's prophesying, preaching for money. You know what Amos says? Look at me right here. Amos says that you sell the righteous for a pair of shoes. That's what's seeking rewards to let your heart go out to work. You know, you peddle the word of God and you sell righteous folks for a pair of shoes. There they rush headlong into the air of Balaam. That's preaching for money and perished in a rebellion of Korah. Now, the wrong might, the wrong fire. In verse 12, These men or those are hidden reef. You know what a hidden reef is? Look at me. A hidden reef is right there underwater. Oh, they're dangerous. They are so dangerous, but they're just barely covered up, just barely covered. Might be a little whitewash on them. There are hidden reefs in your what? What is your love feast when you come to take the table with the Lord Jesus Christ? You know what that covenant is? You're renewing death every time you go to the Lord's supper, the love feast, and you know what you're doing? For many who discern the body wrongly, and to come and you take this covenant with your heart, I can take you and I can show you a man in there, Judas, that Satan had already put in the heart of Judas. Satan had put in his heart to betray the Lord Jesus Christ. He took the Lord's supper unworthily. When Jesus handed the sop to him, which is a symbol of the supper, him to receive in the bread, to receive in the body of Jesus, immediately the next word, Satan entered into him. And when you come to God, when you come to you take of the Lord's supper, and your heart, your heart, your heart, your heart is in agreement with Satan, and you receive this Lord's supper instead of receiving the death that you're coming to in the Lord Jesus Christ. For this many weak, many are sick, and a number of you sleep. These are the hidden reefs in your love feast when they feast with you without what? They don't have any fear of God. People who live for the lust of the flesh don't have the spirit of God, have not learned the fear of God. They feast without that fear. They're caring for who? They're caring for their cartons. That's where their heart is. Their cart, they married the old man. They don't have the spirit of God, folks. I don't care how many words they said or how many churches they joined. I don't care whether they're a preacher, superintendent, head deacon, or a doorkeeper. I'm telling you, they don't have the spirit of God. That's where their heart is. We always say, it's adultery. That's a pretender. They feast with the other without fear, caring for themselves. They're clouds without water. They're not ready to the word in their heart. They're carried along or carried away by winds. That's words. They're autumn trees. Here they are, these trees. Without fruit, they don't have the fruit of God. They're double dead. They're dead in the spirit and dead in the flesh. They're dead in God's eyes. Is that plain? Now, don't you pay attention. Verse 16. These are grumblers. You know, if they don't get their way, they come against with their mouth, don't they? Huh? Them what we saw in James 4. You lust, I keep pleasure. You don't have your way, you murder. These are grumblers. They're finding fault. They're falling out. Where are they falling? They're falling out to what? They're led by the lust of the flesh. If you're led by the lust of the flesh, who's controlling you? The powers of darkness are controlling you. They speak arrogantly. That's proud. They're flattering people. See, it becomes a thing of politics. For the sake of gaining an advantage, they're men pleasers. They have selfish ambition. They're just like the world to finagle like a wolf. Look at me. A wolf up here figures all the angles while you shake your hand, look you in the eye, and he'll say one thing. Jeremiah said, You speak peace to your neighbor while you're setting an ambush for him. He'll use you. He'll flirt with you. He'll court you if you have a gold ring or you're a big tither or you're somebody because he can use you, the boastful pride of life, to move into the position that his carton needs to be at, right? Huh. Let's go on. 18. That they will be saying to you in the last time... We keep running in these last days and last time market. There are going to be malkers. Now, let me show you what a malker is and a scorner is. A malker and sconer is following after their own wife. These are the fault finders. These are the grumblers. These are the ones that want to kill you. These are the ones that want to stone you. These are the ones that want to persecute you. These are the ones that want to throw you off the cliff. These are the ones that follow after their own ungodly lusts. And look at the next verse. These are the ones who cause a big... How... Look at me. How in the name of God can you divide something and split a church that's already got 75% devils in it? What kind of foundation are you talking about? Where'd that come from? Oh, don't come with the Word of God in here. Boy, don't say what God says right here. You'll split... Oh, you're a church splitter. And we want to keep our devils. We'll kill you. We'll stone you with words. We'll come and question you closely about many subjects in order that we can trap you in something we might say. We'll sit in a seminar where we can just take little bits out here and there and put them all together where we can destroy you. And let God be true and every man be a liar. May I ask you something? In all the words, in all the affliction, in all the devils, in all the demons, in all that Satan is, may I ask you something? Who's going to get you? Who will harm him who follows after that which is good? Who is going to get you, brother? You're called into liberty and freedom. Now, these right here who follow after their own ugly lusts, the balkers and scoffers, these are the ones that cause divisions. They cause division because they're worldly-minded. They're in the flesh and they're devoid of the Spirit of God. Is that plain? The boastful pride of life, grumblers and immurderers. You see them right there if you want to write out there. James 4, you find out their adulterous is right there. They want God to answer their prayers so they can make a name for themselves, casting on their pleasures. Their motives are wrong and they don't bear fruit for God. Is that clear? Well, turn back to Galatians 6, please. Galatians 6. Galatians 6. We have already seen up there in Galatians 6. I'll give you another minute here to turn. We've already seen up there in Galatians 6 about those that we already warned in 7 not to be deceived or that God's not mocked. If you sow the flesh, you're going to reap corruption. But the opposite of that is sowing us with the Spirit and reaping eternal life. Isn't that right? And it warns us not to grow weary in 9. And then we come on down to verse 12. And those, these are people in the flesh and under the law, those who desire to make a good showing, a good showing, a good showing of religious folks, you know, religious folks like to make a name for themselves. You know that, don't you? A religious folks has an image. But those who like to make a good showing, that's in the flesh. Are you seeing that? Are you seeing that in the flesh? That's people in the law. That's why they come and spy at your liberty. When you start acting like you're about half free or something like that, you know, it just tears that, tears it up a little bit, shakes it up. Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be what? They want you to be circumcised, simply that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. They don't want to go to the cross. Hey, folks in the flesh don't want to go there. They don't like to hear this. They'll kill you with words. Of course, you know, it's such a thing as being hidden, as Psalm says, from the strife of tongues. No, that's what they think they're going to kill you. Verse 13, for those who are circumcised, that's religious, do not even keep the word themselves. You know what we saw in Romans 1? There was a depraved mind. We saw it over in 2 Timothy 3. They don't keep the word themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, get you unbonded to works that they might boast in your flesh. Is that clear? Now, let me tell you what goes on in a congregation where you've got people in the flesh on the law. Back up right there, will you please, to Galatians 4. Galatians 4. Galatians 4. Start in verse 22. Now, let's see. Look at me. So, you've got a congregation in there. There's a church in the church. Are you hearing me? Shepherds, I hope you're hearing me. Boy, I tell you what, it's going to bless you, shepherd. I mean, you're precious. Boy, what a time. Boy, God's grace. God help these shepherds. Bless them, Lord. Boy, I tell you what, I don't believe there's anybody anywhere in this world that has authority like the shepherd has, the spiritual authority. And we're just now finding out how much authority in the spiritual realm that a shepherd has. Mr. Shepherd, may I just tell you something? The next time that gossip breaks out in your congregation, our fear, our tale, you walk right up to your, our little sickness in there, in the nursery. Why don't you just walk right up to this pulpit right there and stand before those people in the name of Jesus and say, I have authority over all the works of darkness in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, I remove all the works of darkness off this congregation right now as promoting this gospel, gossip in the name of Jesus. All these spirits come in on this congregation right now. God had given us a spirit up here, but power, love, and a sound man in Jesus' name right now, you're removed from this congregation in Jesus' name. We'll not receive this sickness in the nursery here, but the Lord sent his word to heal us in Jesus' name. We receive this word. This word is life to us and health to all our full flesh in the name, power, and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. All the works of infirmity, destruction, and these works of sickness are removed off the nursery, and I speak healing over them in the name of Jesus. And now in the name, power, and blood of Jesus, over this congregation, I speak peace in Jesus' name. And you know what happens back. It's all over. Pastor, some man don't have to come to town to do that. You do it. In Galatians 4, let me do one other thing. What do you think when you got a bunch of devils in a congregation? Where'd that come from? What part of the Bible is that that the devils grow up in the church of Jesus Christ in the covenant? They grow up in the field. You see in Matthew, look in the next chapter, you know the field's the world. It's not the body of Christ where it says the terrors will be obvious. Because why's the terrors are going to be obvious? Because the wheat bears grain, which is fruit. You know that. Look at this fruit. You can tell. And boy, I tell you what, when you run into somebody and you help together by truth and you see somebody and you see the fruit of God on you and you hear Jesus coming out of the mouth, you know, you don't have to go ask somebody if they've got Jesus. You know the spirit of God's in you. The anointing's in you. And I'm telling you what, you want them to be a success in everything they do because you know that they belong to the same one you know. You know that they're part of you, the fullness of Christ that filleth all of all. Amen. Now, anyone in the flesh and part of a congregation, you mix them together like that, what happens? The demons start promoting. They start promoting those wise and intelligent and wise in their own eyes that boast for pride of life with their selfish ambition and jealousy. And they move them into positions of authority and everything in the church. And then you, Brother Shepherd, you go to another thing. And that's why I told you that you were like you walking in their own house. They're so rotten. They live a life of that flesh right there. They're so controlled by the powers of darkness. And they're the ones that come against you. They control you. They're the ones that run you off, Shepherd, every church you go to and the powers of darkness. Persecuting your children and persecuting your wife. And you come home and hear these things and hear these things and all this pressure just build to build. They just keep you running and keeping you moving. And when you leave, you leave the flock. You left the church in the church. And the devils run you off. And the next place you go to, it's the same old rotten thing over and over. You get beat down and whipped down because you're caught up in something that you've been taught not to trust God for. You have to trust other things besides God for. It's been an impossible thing for you and you just have to serve flesh everywhere you go. And all this flesh and all this loss and all these things, every time God tries to suck that flesh, 75% or 99% of what it is just comes against it. Comes against it. They'll kill everything that even looks like God. Because that's how you shed the blood of the righteous. That's how you spill blood. Because when you make them just like you, get them under law, and then the powers of darkness attack them and they come to kill, steal, and destroy them. And their blood is on your hands. In Jesus' name, it's on your hands. May I ask you one more time, who will harm him who follows after that which is good? Now, let me show them to you right there in 22. Galatians 4, 22, I want to show you what happens to you. For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. Which woman are we? We're a free woman. The one that's in the flesh is under the bondwoman. Is that right? Now, let's see how you mix these two together and see what happens. Verse 23, But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the what? Look at me, folks. Brother Shepherd, look here. You got some of these folks up here that's born right up here. It's in their mind. They're born again by the flesh. Born again after the flesh, after the flesh. Hey! They're the ones right there you was reading about in Jude. They're following after their own godly lust. They's mocking, scoring everything you are. Brother Shepherd, look here. You got some of these folks up here that's born right up here. It's in their mind. They're born again by the flesh. Born again after the flesh, after the flesh. Hey! They're the ones right there you was reading about in Jude. They're following after their own godly lust. They's mocking, scoring everything you are. They back you right off that word and they don't even know it. They're controlled by the power of their darkness. They're controlled and led by their ungodly lust. There it is right there, the born again after the flesh. And the son of the what? Free woman, that is, through the promise. Now, here you got the one born according to the flesh and then you got the free woman. Now, we're the free woman and the opposite of that is the flesh. Let's go ahead and look. This is allegorically speaking for these women are two what? They're two different covenants. And today I want you to know the flesh is in covenant with Satan and I want you to know that we're, as a free woman, we're in covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ. You know it by the fruit. One proceeded from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves and she is Hagar. Now, this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, right? For she is in slavery with her children but the Jerusalem above is what? All right, in Hebrews 12, look at me. In Hebrews 12, what does it say in our church? We are in right now the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen? We are in the spiritual Jerusalem. We are the spiritual Israel of God. Romans 9 tells you very plainly that she's a different in the flesh Israel and the spiritual Israel. Now, we are the Jerusalem above. She is our what? Mother. You know what mother is? Church. Church is the bride. The church gives birth. That is why. Isn't that what a mother does? That is why it's called the mother. The mother is the church because she gives the birth. Now, you can give birth to harlots. Do you know that? That's that old whore Babylon church. We'll look at it later. That's a world and a church that walks after the flesh. It doesn't go through the cross. Now, verse 27, For it is written, Rejoice, barren woman, who does not bear. Break forth and shout, You are not in labor, for more are the children of the desolate than the one who has a husband. Now, 28, And the brethren like Isaac are the children of promise. Now, let me ask you something. Do you understand you're Abraham's offspring? You're children of the promise through the covenant by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Generations, right? Now, let me ask you something. Do you know that God's name? You know when, you know if I make covenant with brother Bob right here? I can't read your last name there, Bob. Let me use Scott Fisher. Because I'll get that mixed up in a minute. Scott Fisher and I make a covenant together, and then one of the things that we have a covenant meal are the wine and the bread. The bread, when he feeds me the bread, that's me taking him into me, and then when I feed him the bread, that's him taking me. We're becoming one, identifying as one. See, that's kind of a hangover. You see that in wedding cake when they make, you know, come together and feed the cake. That's where it's taken from in covenant. And then when we're drinking the wine, we drink the wine. See, we're becoming one blood. We're becoming blood brothers there. All right, now, Scott and I would exchange names. And then because we become one, I'd take part of his name. I'd then be known as Milton Fisher Green, and he'd be known as Scott Green Fisher. Now, when Abram, you know, when he's making covenant with God in Genesis right there, then he and God exchanged names. You know, God's name was Yahweh. So you take the A-H, and you add it to Abram, and then he has a new name. God took part of his name and gave it to him, and he became Abraham. And then God took Abraham's name, and he became known the God of Abraham. So that is a children of promise, and we're Abraham's descendants. Okay, now, verse 29. But at that time, he who is born of the flesh... Now, what's those two words? I can't hear you. ...persecuted him who was born according to the what? Oh, those after flesh is born after the flesh persecutes those who's born after the Spirit of God. So it is what? Now also... Now, how's that for mixing up with a bunch of devils who won't repent? Making tares comfortable. Making devils comfortable, adding enough water to the Word right there, you don't upset flesh. Now, what do you think God's doing? Nothing. That's the reason we count. Now, Brother Shepherd, put this on your refrigerator. Verse 30. But what does the Scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and her son. I tell you, all you have to do to cast them out, just say what God says. You don't add any of this right to it, you can't move one of them with a stick of dynamite but they're gone. Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we're not children of the bondwoman of flesh, but we're the free woman. Amen? You know right over in verse 13, 5.13, it said, You were called to freedom, brethren. Oh, no, do not turn your freedom into opportunity for the flesh. Well, I think that's plumb good. Let's turn over to Philippians 3, please. Philippians 3. If it gets any better, I can't take it. Boy, I praise God. Philippians 3. Now, the circumcised, what do they want to do? Look at me. They want to get you into flesh, get you out of the law. You get out of the law, you're not in grace and freedom. There's an enemy there, you're in the flesh, and then the enemy can war, get your soul, your mind, will, and the nose. Isn't that what we've seen? The hedges down, the breach down. You're not back here in Christ in peace, are you? Amen? Okay. Now, let's look in chapter 3, verse 2. But where are the dogs? Well, who's the dog? He just said he doesn't believe in the Word. The dog's unbelieving. But where are the dogs? But where? And here's another but where? The second but where? But where of who? Evil workers. What does evil workers do? They walk out of the flesh. But where of the what? At false circumcision. Now, where are we circumcised at right here? Right here in the heart. Now, he's going to tell you who these are right here, starting the next verse. Verse 3. We're going to see who the true circumcision is. There's the false things. But where are the false circumcision? Are you wanting to be aware of the false circumcision? I can't hear you. All right. Now, verse 3. For we are the true circumcision. The true circumcision. He said, but where are the false circumcision? Here's the true circumcision. Who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Amen. Ain't no big shots in that bunch. Is that plain? There's no confidence in the flesh. All the glory goes to the Lord Jesus Christ. They worship in the Spirit. That is the true circumcision. But where of evil workers? False circumcision and dogs. Let me tell you what they do there in verse 18. Here's what they do. Here's the way they walk. For many, verse 18, walk. Well, you circle walk right there. Walks, they're fruit and deeds. The many walk of whom I've often tell you and now tell you even weeping that they're enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction, whose God is their appetite, flesh, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things. And you know what happens? These kind of folks don't have to trust God for anything. They go to the world and get everything they need. Woe to you if you go to Egypt for help. Don't have to trust God for anything. Well, turn to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. I want to run a little test by you, see if you know Christ. Hope you pass the test. If you don't, get up. 1 John 2, verse 3. And by this we know. Either you know or you don't know. We know that we have come to what? Know Jesus. If, if, if, there's a condition, you know Him. If we what? If you keep His Word, you know Him. Is that what your Bible says right there? Now, if any of these you don't like, remember, just take your knife, get some little scissors, just cut it out. The one who says, I have come to know Him and does not keep His commandments, a liar. Is that plain? And the truth or the Word is not in him. Now, verse, now the, here's the, a good in Christ scripture right there. You can just block it in and put in Christ, say to it, because I want you to see, this would be an in Christ. For whoever keeps His Word, that's doing the will of God. In him the love of God has truly been perfected. That does what? That keeps His Word. That's a doer of the Word. By this we know that we're what? You're in Christ if you keep His Word. Amen. Is that plain? Now, six, the one who says he remains in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as the Lord Jesus Christ walked. Amen. Now, if you get another Jesus, just add you some water to it, some words, get you some religious spirits, be religious, have a form of godliness and help God out in the flesh. Now, while we're there, look at verse 20, verse 22, look at verse 29. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who what? Practices righteousness is born of Him. You're practicing righteousness is born of Him. Isn't that plain? Let's look at the next chapter right there in verse, now, remember what the Lord says, do not be deceived, do not be deceived, do not be deceived, do not be deceived like Eve. Eve was deceived, you could be deceived. Little children, do not be deceived. When God says that, do you think I'll listen? Adam and Eve didn't listen. Jesus listened. You better listen. Now, in verse 7, little children, let no one deceive you. There it is, which means you could be deceived about something. The one who practices righteousness is what? Now, he practices righteousness, that's walking right in God's eyes. That's not walking right according to another Jesus. Are you hearing me? That's walking right. Now, remember what Paul said about that church in Israel in Romans 10. He says, I pray for this church for their salvation. They have a zeal for God, all right, but it's not according to the Word. They're being ignorant of what the righteousness of God is. They establish their own righteousness, which is self-righteousness, another kind of righteousness, and they do not submit to the righteousness that comes from God. And that righteousness that comes from God is walking right in God's eyes, putting to death the flesh. We've already looked at it, doing the will of God, amen? Now, the one that may see me, the one that's practicing righteousness, the one that's righteous. Now, in verse 8, the one who practices sin is of the devil. Well, may I ask you something? Is not dying to the flesh, is that practicing sin? Well, this practicing those, what do you say in Galatians 5? The lust of the flesh, the works of the flesh are evident? What does it say happens to those that practice these things? They say they're going to see the kingdom of God right away? Well, does it say that if you have the spirit of God in you, you will not practice sin? Well, amen, because His seed abides in you, isn't that right? Well, let's go on in verse, continue in verse 8. The one who practices sin of the devil for the devil is sin from the beginning, and the Son of God appeared for this purpose. He's destroyed the works of the devil that you won't sin, verse 9. No one is born of God, practices sin because His seed remains in him. He cannot sin because he's born of God. Now sin is walking after the lust of the flesh. By this, here it comes, 10. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are what? They're obvious. Anyone who does not practice righteousness, that's walking right in God's eyes, is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. May I ask you something? Where do you reckon all this faction and division that's today where you speak against one another, where do you think all that comes from? Could any of this come from here? Well, who do you think stirs that all up, to divide where we don't love? What do you notice that God in His Word, I hope you're not receiving death, I hope it's life, because if it's life right here, what it does, you draw it together, and it doesn't matter what kind of labels or anybody said it, you've ever had on you anything, you're drawn together in one thing, you become a bond, you're held together with the truth and you love one another. All of a sudden, you're not, as James said, you're not sizing one another up. All of a sudden the only thing that matters is Jesus crucified. Is that right? That's exactly right. Well, the one that practices righteousness is righteous. Now, please turn with me to Revelation 12. You remember that Paul in 2 Corinthians 2 said, I'm not like many people that peddle the Word of God, but it's from sincerity. In other words, Paul said, I don't have the wrong motives. I just say what God says. I do everything inside of God. God's looking right in my heart. I say it in God's sight. I don't peddle the Word of God. I don't peddle it and try to get glory, rewards or, you know, and this sort of thing. That's what Paul is saying. Now, in Revelation 12, if you'll look with me in verse 9, I want you to look at something. And the great dragon has thrown down the serpent of old who is called devil and Satan. And what does he do? Who what? Let me ask you something. I want you to circle out there. He deceives the whole world and I want you to look at me here just in a minute. Now, how do you think that Satan deceives the whole world? I want to tell you how Satan is deceiving the whole world right now is exactly what I've been telling you here for this last several hours. I've been telling you and I've been showing you in the Word of God, do not be deceived. Do not let your mind be led astray. Abstain from the lust of flesh. I've been telling you that you... This is how he deceives. This is how the whole world is puppets. I showed you in Ephesians 2 that they're led by the world system, the lust of flesh, and the God of this world who is Satan and the spirit that works in people who walk after the lust of the flesh. That's where they walk and that's where they live. They're puppets. They're controlled. They're in darkness. Deceived. Now, you know I told you there was a mystery of godliness? There is a mystery of iniquity. The mystery of godliness is how the spirit of God works and is manifest through the flesh. The spirit of iniquity is a process in how the spirit of the devil is manifested Satan through the flesh. So you're either one tree or the other. And it all depends on what seed you receive and eat and take to heart in your field right here. Now, God has a Word and Satan has words. They're opposite. One says forgive. The other says unforgiveness and that sort of thing. One says love. The other one says hate. One is iniquity. One is godliness. One is after the lust of the flesh and one dies to the flesh and lives after the spirit. Right? Now, God, does he have a liver? Well, let me just give you an example. I've been born again into a living hope for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, my inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for me and I'm kept with the power of God through faith and through salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. What is coming through me? Rivers of living water is coming to me in the most bitter. Where does it come from? It comes from God. It's a living Word that's coming through. It's alive. It's a living Word. Now, the opposite of that, see, that comes from God's mouth, that's what I'm saying. Is that right? Shake your head. You're the awfulest bunch to try to get to agree with someone. All right, now, the opposite of that is the words that come from who? Satan. Now, there is a river of words coming from Satan, amen? And they're opposite, contrary to this Word. And in the midst of all this, your heart is what? Tested, amen? Now, let's look at it. You'll see it right there in verse 15. And the serpent poured what? Who's the serpent? Satan, thank you. He poured what? He poured water. What is that water? Words like a what? River out of his what? Mouth, words, a river of words is coming out of Satan's mouth after the who? Woman. Who is this woman? The church. So that he might cause her to be swept away with the what? There it is, the torrent, the flood of words. Isn't that clear? Isn't that plain? Well, now, I want you to turn back to Luke 6. Now, let me show you where that river of words comes from. It comes into your thoughts. And you have to have the Spirit of God to have your senses sharpened and to know the Word of God, to have the Spirit of God, to have your senses sharpened that you can discern, discern, to know the difference in good and evil. Amen? And the devil will make a fool out of you and out of me without the Spirit of God. And you don't get the Spirit of God to cooperate with your flesh or pleasures. Is that right? The Spirit of God is cooperating with those who bear fruit, who walk in covenant and said, anything you ask, I'll do it. Is that right? Now, don't try to go some other way. Don't build you no towers like they did in the Bible because you will go to the cross because he who wishes to come after me will deny himself his flesh. He'll take up his cross and follow me. I'm telling you that's where the glory is because this momentary affliction you go through right here is not to be compared with the glory of what I have not seen, neither did it in the heart of man that God has prepared for those who love him. If you love him, you will obey his Word, he said. Unless you've got something else worked out like a tower. Now, in Luke 6, look with me in verse, and this is a pretty good question. If you're doing what this river of words from Satan is doing, you're obeying Satan. It's after lust of the flesh. If you're doing what the Lord said, you're dying to the flesh and Jesus is Lord. That's what makes him Lord, right? All right, now, here's a good question there in verse 46. He says, Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say? Now, how's that one on your doorpost? All right, now, we're going to look at two houses right here. Look here. You're looking. I live in this house right here. You see this carton right here? I live in this house. This is my house. Now, this house could be standing on two different foundations. Now, as he said, you're going to look at two houses right up here, two people, and their foundations are different. They both look alike, but they've got different foundations. Now, you're going to see what comes against them there in verse 47. Everyone, Jesus said, number one, put a little one right there where it says, comes to me. That means come to Jesus, okay? Number two, he hears my words. Number two, he hears the word of God. Number one, he comes to Jesus. Number two, he hears my words. And number three, he speculates and analyzes them. No, number three, he acts upon the word. He's walking in covenant. Is that right? Now, here is the first house. He acts upon the word of God. He is a doer of the word. He does the will of God. I'll show you whom he's like, verse 48. He's like a man building a house who dug deep. He dug deep in the word, and he laid a foundation, what? Look at me. He's laying his foundation right here. He's not persuaded, persuasive arguments, and doctrines of demons, and traditions and everything. Right there. Let God be true, and every man be a liar. If it don't line up here, it's nothing worth. And I have confidence in God. He said he'd lead me in all truth, and I know I don't have to look toward intellect. It's not an intellectual thing. This is a spiritual thing. The natural mind understand not the thing of God. He's leading me in all truth. God's responsibility to show me the truth. I'm seeking it in my heart. And this man here, the first man, he has his foundation in the word of God. His heart isn't somewhere else. I don't believe there's any middle man right there. He's standing right in the word of God. Amen. All right, now, let's see what happens to him. And, uh, well, I lost my place. That's a bad place to lose your place. Now in verse, and then when the what arose? Oh, that's them. Here they come. Here comes this flood of words, this man standing on the rock. Here they come. Here the fiery trowel and the river of the torrent burst against that house and he could not shake it because he put up the shield of faith and it was well built. That's where he's standing and living in the word of God. Amen. Now let's see what this other fellow looked like who had this other house right there. But verse 49, but the one who has heard, number one, he hears the word of God, but number two, he doesn't act upon it. He's a specialist at analyzing it and speculating and he judges God and everything right there and he just knows all about it and it's right up here in his head. He hears the word of God. He doesn't act on it accordingly. It's like a man who built his house and he doesn't have any foundation. He doesn't have anything to stand on. He can't make it. He can't make it when they come against him. Absolutely, if he doesn't have a covenant partner strong with him, he can't make it. And here they come and the river bursts. There they are against it and immediately at what? There comes the river of words and it collapsed and the roof of that house was what? And it fell because his heart was not right here standing in this word. He had a form of godliness. He hears the word of God, but he just picks and chews and doesn't act on it. Now, you know, we're pretty close to it. Back up there to 43 just a minute. I just skipped a couple of things right there. Well, I'll tell you what, while we're backing up, back up to verse 22. How about Genesis 1? All right, 22. Blessed are you. Here's the blessings. You know what God's blessings? Blessings are you when men what? Whoo! Boy, is that strong? You'd rather be blessed by men or blessed by God? I'm going to start living right here and you can be hated. Blessed are you when men hate you and ostracize you and they cast insults at you and spurn your name, say you're evil, you're against churches, you're against pastors, you're against everything for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy. For behold, your word is great in heaven for the same way your fathers used to teach, that is, the true prophets got treated this way. Now, the false prophets around here in verse 26. Woe to you when all the men speak well of you for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets because false prophets are making a name for themselves and they want the approval of folks more than they do the approval of God because they're building up the wrong image. Now, in verse 43, we're just close by. 43, For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit. You're going to know them by their fruit. No, on the other hand, is a bad tree which produces good fruit. For the tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather to pick some thorns, nor do they pick grapes from the briar bush. Amen. You don't see briars growing on an apple tree, do you? You're going to know them by their fruit. You're going to know which kind of river is getting in there when you see the fruit. Amen. All right, now, let's turn back to Isaiah 14, please. Now, in Isaiah 14, let me just tell you who we're talking about. We're talking about Satan. I want to just give you just a few scriptures where you'll see right there in verse 12. How you've fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, sun of the dawn. That's Jesus. You've been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations. That's what he's doing now, weakening the nations. But verse 13, you said where? You said in your heart. Now, look at this, I, me, my. Watch this curse. Watch this thing just like flesh is. I will ascend to heaven. I will make my, raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of Assymony and recess the north. I will ascend above the heights of the cloud. I will make myself like the most high. He said, you said that in your heart, Satan. Now, he's an expert at coming around and telling you how to do the same thing. I, I, I, I, I, me, my. Nevertheless, you're going to be thrust down a shield to the recesses of the pit. Who are we talking about here? The king of Babylon is Satan. Let's back up there in, in verse 4. Back up verse 4. That you will take up this tone against the king of Babylon, that's Satan. How the oppressor is seized. How the fury has ceased. The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers. Now, this is to happen later on, but what this is, what is going on right now. Which used to strike the people in fear with unceasing strokes. Exactly what he's doing right now. Which subdued the nation in anger with unrestrained persecution. Unrestrained persecution. That's exactly what he's doing right now. The whole earth is at rest and quiet. They break forth in shouts of joy. This is to come together later on. 8. Even the cypress trees rejoice over you in the cedars of leaven. Saying, see, since you, Satan, were laid low, know what? A tree cutter comes up against us. And see, he will be laid low. And he, and the tree cutter is going to be done away with. Now, I told you that the demons, the powers of darkness and Satan are synonymous. When you're talking about one, you're talking about the other. Now, I want to show you how they're turned loose to cut trees down. Turn me back to Isaiah 5, please. Isaiah 5. Isaiah 5. Now, we're going to look at the Lord's vineyard. Are we the vineyard? Is the church a vineyard? Okay. Let's look in verse 1. Let me sing for my well-beloved. Wonder who he is. A song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. And he dug it all around and removed his stones. Don't you think that's what the Lord comes to work in his vineyard? Huh? I can't hear you again. All right, now. Let's see how he comes around and works in his vineyard. Now, I want you to hold your hand right there. Please turn over to Luke 13 and let's look at something together, please. In Luke 13. Luke 13. We'll look at a few verses and we'll go back to Isaiah 5. We're going to look at the Lord working in his vineyard. Verse 6. Luke 13, verse 6. And he began telling this parable. A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard and he came looking for what? Came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard keeper, Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this tree. Didn't find any fruit for the Lord without finding any. What does it say there? Cut it down. Why does it even take up the ground? And he answered and said to him, Let it alone, sir, for this year too until I dig it around. Kind of move some stones. And put it in the fertilizer. And if it bears fruit next year, bears fruit for the Lord, fine. But if it's not, it's kind of an unrepentant and stubborn heart. Sick him. Cut it down. Because he wants to bear fruit out of the lust of the flesh. He doesn't want to put the flesh to death. I'll turn back to Isaiah 5, please. We're looking at the vineyard of the Lord. Verse 2, And he dug it all around, removed his stone, and planted it with the choice, his vine. And he built a tower in the middle. I wonder who that power is. It'd be Watchman, wouldn't it? Pastor? He built a tower right in the middle of it and hewed out a wine vat in it and he expected it to produce good fruit. He expected it to produce good fruit, but it only produced fruit of the devil. Worthless fruit. You see that? Worthless grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard, or you can judge between Jesus and traditions. That's another way to put it. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good fruit, fruit for God, did it produce worthless fruit, fruit for the devil? Why is it happening to there? So, I've done all I can do in it. What else can I do? So, it goes ahead and produces fruit for the devil. So, he said, verse 5, So, let me tell you what I'm going to do to my vineyard. I'm going to what? I'm going to what? I'm going to remove the hedge. There goes the Lord's protection. I'll move the hedge and it'll be consumed and it's going to break down its whitewashed wall and it's going to become what? Look at me. This ground is going to get trampled, folks. The hedge is removed. That's how I said, the Lord says, sick them. He comes looking for fruit and he wants fruit and you don't have the protection and a person's not going on and walking in the Word. He's living after the lust of the flesh. Instead of dying to the lust of the flesh, putting the flesh to death, he's not bearing fruit for God. He'll say, cut it down. The Lord removes the hedge, sick them. Now, verse 6. He said, I'm going to lay it waste. That's that trampled ground, that field. It'll not be pruned or hoed. In other words, he's going to let the heart harden, are you here? He's going to let it become a hardened heart and briars and thorns are going to come up. There's not going to be any fruit for the Lord. He's just going to let the fruit of the devil. That's a depraved mind. Do you see that? Your thorns and briars are a depraved mind. That's the wrong kind of fruit. I will also charge the clouds, the clouds of the Holy Spirit to rain, no rain. See, the rain doesn't come down to cause the growth of the seed and the Word. See, the Holy Spirit. You know, He said, it's three months to harvest time and there's no rain. Do you know what that time? What is three months to harvest time? That's the summertime when the fruit-bearing time has come and there's no rain of the Holy Spirit. The person cannot bear fruit. This is why He lets the spirit of sleep and a deluding influence come over people who draw near with their mouth and do not draw near to God with their heart. He lets them believe a lie. And we'll see it later. Now, verse 7. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the what? May I ask you something? Who is the house of Israel today? The house of Israel today are the ones that Jesus Christ is Lord. Is that clear? We are the Israel of God. We are the spiritual Israel of God. Now, for the vineyard of the house of the Lord is the house of Israel and a man of Judah is a delightful plant. He became looking for justice. Now, justice is something right, being just in God's eyes and disciplined. Behold, what did he find? Bloodshed. Now, did I tell you how you take traditions right there and just beat someone to death at the spiritual things and come against them to where? You shed the blood because you move them in under the law. You move them in under, into the flesh and that's how you shed blood. You see that? Now, next part, for righteous, he looked for righteousness but that's walking right in God's eyes but what do you hear there? Don't you know what that cry of distress is? Look at me. This is what prisoners do. Prisoners are in the war of the mind, the will, and emotions, their bodies being attacked. This is the cry of distress. He looked for the fruit of righteousness in there but here's what he found was a cry of distress and that's the powers of darkness right there that moved in. All right, now, turn with me to Luke 13, please. I mean Luke 3, I'm sorry. Luke 3. Luke 3. Luke 3. All right, now, verse 7. Now, here's John the Baptist. Heaven and Lord Jesus talk a lot alike. He had the same teacher. Verse 7, He, John the Baptist, there broke again saying to them all, Jesus was going out to be baptized with him, you brood of snakes. Who warned you to flee from the what? Wrath to come. Now, when does the wrath come? You saw that the wrath that you like over in Ephesians 5 comes and every place it comes on those who practice the lust of the flesh. Isn't that right? That's who the wrath comes on. Now, He told them, He said, Who told you to flee from a wrath that's coming on you? You know, you looked over in John 8 there and saw all their trees. He said, I speak the things. My father, you do the deeds of your father right there. You're walking your deeds of the devil. Your father's the devil. You do the desires of your father. You know what He told them? And He said, Here's some of them coming down to be baptized. Who warned you all to flee from the wrath to come on you? How did you get to know about this? And then He goes on. There it is. Coming to the Lord, verse 8. Therefore, He said, You snakes, you family of the devil. That's what a snake is. You know, the serpent. You family of the devil. Therefore, you better bring forth what? Fruits in keeping with what? Repentance. Now, look at it. Here's what He said. This is very important. I want you to hear what I'm saying. He said, You family of the devil. Who warned you to flee? How did you know the wrath of God is coming on you? Who told you to flee from it? He said, I've got one thing I'd like to say to you. If you really are serious about this, you better be serious about this thing. You better, in your repentance, you better really be making a change and there better be some fruit in your life that shows that you have really repented, snakes. You better be repenting. And He said, Snakes, I want to tell you why you've been repenting here at this. You better be repenting in just a second since you got down here. Therefore, bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourself, We have Abraham for our father or I belong to some denomination or I'm this or I'm that. For I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children of Abraham and here it is. Are you ready, folks? Here's why you better bring forth and keep in repentance because here's what's on you, you family of the devil and also the ax is already laid at the foot of the trees. You're already being cut down, you vipers. You better mean business. You better because you're already being chopped down right now. Death is working in you. You're being chopped down and you're drifting further and further and further all the time. This is what happens to people the hard way. They go further and further away from the Lord. You're already being laid at the ax is already laid to the root of the trees and every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit, you better be repentant. You better bear fruits in keeping with repentance because if you don't bear good fruit, you're cut down and thrown into the fire. Sick them. Is that plain? That's going to get plainer. That's going to get a lot plainer. See, we're still starting down here. It's all over the Bible. Now, let me give an example about something about the flood. Please turn back to Ezekiel 13, please. I want to show you how this flood works while we're there. Close to that subject, this flood of words, the powers of darkness, what happened when the hedge is removed, what happens when people want to be the boastful pride of life, making a name for something except the Lord Jesus Christ. In Ezekiel 13, verse 1. Ezekiel 13, verse 1. It's right after Jeremiah. Okay. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the what? Prophets of Israel. Are there prophets in Israel today, folks? God's had a Israel since Exodus, hasn't He? That's the Israel of God. All right. The prophets of Israel who preach and say to those who prophesy or preach from their what? Oh, they've got their own inspiration they're preaching from. Listen to the word of the Lord. Here's what He said. I want you to preach to these preachers. I want you to prophesy a prophet. I want you to go say something to these people that's preaching from their own inspiration. And here's what I want you to tell them, prophet, in verse 3. Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the what? Now, I want you to remember a foolish prophet. Let me tell you, a foolish prophet is not standing on the word of God. A foolish heart is not standing on the word of God. He's deceived. I want you to remember the word foolish and mark it as foolish prophet. Woe to the foolish prophet who are following their own spirit and they've seen what? Nothing. He probably counts a lot. He's seen nothing. Why? God's not doing nothing there. That's why He's not seeing nothing. That's why He has to promote everything. When God don't do anything you have to jack up the flesh and start promoting. Got to be excited about something. As foolish prophets you preach from your own inspiration. You've seen nothing. Ain't no power. Verse 4, O Israel, your prophets have become like foxes among the ruins. You've not gone into the breeches. See there? What's a breeches? Enemy comes in like a flood. Nobody lifts up a standard. Nobody lifts up the word of God. Nobody has faith in the word. He said, you've not gone up to the breeches nor did you build a wall. That's the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord. You didn't do that. You don't do that. You don't stand in the word. They see falsehood and lying divination, these false prophets, who are saying the Lord declares when the Lord has not sent them. Yet here's what they're hoping for. They hope for the fulfillment of their word so they'll look gooder and smarter and the boastful pride of the lie. All right, now, verse 7. Did you not see a false vision or speak a lying divination when you say the Lord declares but is not spoken? This is what happens when you preach traditions. You're preaching a lying divination. This is what you preach when you preach another Jesus. You're preaching a lying divination. When you preach another gospel, you're preaching a lying divination. When you preach another righteousness, you're preaching a lying divination. Now, the Lord declares but is not I who have spoken. Verse 8. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, because you've spoken a falsehood, you've seen a lie. Therefore, behold, I'm against you, declares the Lord God. Verse 9. So my hand's gonna be against the prophets who see these false visions, utter these lying divinations. They'll have no place in the counsel of my people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel. They're not a God. Nor will they enter the land of Israel that they may know that I'm the Lord God. Verse 10. It's definitely because these people have what? They mislead my people. They've misled my people by saying, peace, peace, safety. When there is no peace, there's a war and all the works, the powers, the darkness that come to kill, steal, and destroy. The wolves are all over the place and moved right inside to destroy the congregation. And when anyone builds a wall, it looks like a Lord. You know, and they build a wall up there and make it kind of look good from the eyes of the flesh. When anyone builds a wall, see, it's not a wall of the glory of Jesus. When anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash and it looks so good with nickels, noses, and numbers or whatever. Some person's reputation or build a bunch of monuments that we can see with our eyes right there, build up the house of the Lord on the bricks and stone instead of building up this temple to bear the fruit for God which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness, meekness, temperance of faith which is dying to the flesh, going to the cross, denying yourself, giving all the glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. They plaster it over with whitewash, verse 11. So you tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, it's going to fall. There will be, and my anger, I told you every time the wrath of God was there and the anger of God right behind it comes the powers of darkness. Look there, it is. And in my wrath and in my anger, mark wrath and anger, there will be a what? A flooding rains and hell storms to consume it in my wrath. So I'm going to tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash. And I'm going to bring it down to the ground so that it's what? Where did we look at in Luke 6 there that the blood comes against? It comes against the foundation. Is that correct? Amen? I'm going to consume so that this foundation is laid bare and when it falls, you're going to be consumed in its midst and you'll know that I'm the Lord. Now let me ask you something. What kind of a foundation is it? Look at me. What kind of a foundation do you think it is that when you want, when your heart goes to build up numbers more than it does to build up the temple of Christ? What kind of a foundation is it that devils and terrors and lost people that won't come to the Lord right there that ought to be joined with the heart is over here where you do discipline, die to the flesh and purge sin. One of these is the wrong foundation. There's many wrong foundations. There is many another Jesus. Now let's go on there in verse 15. Thus I shall spend my what? My wrath on the walls and those who plastered it over with whitewash shall say to you the wall is gone and all the plasters that gone that put that wall up are gone too because he's letting them be destroyed. The plasters go with the wall. The ones that put these walls up are going to be destroyed and consumed with them. Sixteen, you go along with the prophets of Israel who preached to Jerusalem, the church, who see all these visions of peace, peace, safety, be a good denomination, be a good this, be a good church, be a this. They see visions of peace and never deal with the flesh or never deal with the devil. Put up the faith again to ignore the devil. For her when there is no peace declares the Lord God. You remember what Paul called those Pharisees in Acts? He called them a whitewashed wall. You remember that? He said, you whitewashed wall. He said, you just have a fit. You're pretenders. You adulteresses. Turn over to Isaiah 29. Please. Isaiah 29. Praise Jesus. Praise Jesus. Now let me tell you something, folks. When a person comes to the Lord with his head right here, his head and his flesh, he's going to get born again out of the flesh. He's going to draw near to God with his mouth. He's going to do good things and religious, but his heart's far from the Lord. The one who draws near to God in his heart right here is going to obey the Word of God. Those that love him will obey the commandments, and he'll put to death, and he'll die because he'll love God more than he loves his flesh, himself. He'll deny himself. He'll take up his cross and he'll follow the Lord. All right, now. You know in a word when it talks about stumbling? I want you to get this right here. Now, a person, when he's stumbling, you don't want the curse there over in Blessings and the curse in Deuteronomy 8 said you will stumble at noonday. How do you stumble? You stumble at noonday. Noonday's the most light part of the day, and at noon, the time that you have more light than anyone else. So it's not talking that you're going to stumble because you can't see where you're going physically. You're going to stumble. Look here. You're going to stumble in spiritual darkness, and sometimes this stumbling is called staggering. Now, let me tell you something that can make you stagger, to make you stumble. Receive another gospel. Receive another Jesus. Receive the wrong wine. Receive another teaching, and then you will stagger in spiritual darkness, which staggering means you can't find a way. You're a drunkard, and that's what the Word calls a drunkard. And Isaiah 29, I want you to look at this. Verse 9. Be delayed and wait. Just blind yourselves and just be blind. Stay blind. You want to be blind? You just be blind. If you want to be ignorant, just be ignorant. And they become drunk. There it is. But it's not with wine. They stagger. Now, I want you to mark this drunk and stagger, but it's not with strong drink. You see? That's what I'm fixing to tell you. Because why? The hedge is removed from them, and the Lord has poured over them a what? A spirit of deep sleep. Now, I want you to know that's not staking spirits. That's not slang. What it is right there, he has removed the hedge, and he has said, Sikkim. So they move in to craftily deceive the minds. They're deceived, and you're going to see what their problem in a minute. They want to draw near with the Lord with their mouth, and their heart is far from God. And God removes the hedge. He says, Sikkim. And so he lets a deluding influence run. The same thing you see in Thessalonians, that people's heart, it wants to follow after signs and wonders instead of the love of the truth. And he says, they'll let him perish, and he lets a deluding influence come over him. That's the same thing right here, it is saying right here. Your heart goes to anything, gifts, healing, deliverance. Who is a healer? Jesus. Who is a deliverer? Jesus. What is the gift that's part of Jesus? What are the experiences of Jesus? Rejoice not that the demons are subject to you, but rejoice that your name is prayer. Don't take your eyes off of heaven. You better not take your eyes off of Jesus or anything. All right, now. For the Lord is poured over you, verse 10, a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, the prophet. He has covered your head, the seers, and the entire vision. This book right here is going to be like words of a what? Seal book. That's why folks getting a word right here and they're ever learning, never able to come to the knowledge of the truth because it's sealed. They're drawing near with their mouth instead of their heart because when you draw near the heart, He said, those that love me are going to obey me. And the entire vision should be like words of a seal book which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, please read this, educated, he'll say, I cannot for it is sealed. Then the book will be given to the illiterate saying, please read this. And he'll say, I cannot read. Now I want you to know why the reason they're drunk. I want you to know why they stagger. I want you to know why God has put a spirit of deep sleep over them. You see it right here in verse 13. Then the Lord said, because, because right here, circle because, you're going to see because why God always does this. Because this people draw near with their words. They honor me with their lip service. They remove their hearts from far from me, their hearts from me. They draw near their mouth, their religion and their reference for me consists of tradition. Tradition, tradition, tradition learned by rote and you might put their mechanical repetition just doing the same thing over and over. That's tradition. That's tradition. Now verse 14, here's what God does with these folks. Therefore behold, I once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous and the wisdom of their wise men going to perish. The wisdom of God is going to leave them. What kind of wisdom comes in? The world. And the flesh and the demons. You see that? You get another wisdom and then the next part is and the what? What's that word? All of a sudden there's no need for any discernment and the discernment of their discerning men shall be what? Concealed. They won't have any discernment. People that draw near their mouth and don't near their heart, all of a sudden the discernment is gone. Now if you build a building from here to Dallas, Texas and I'm going to tell you what, see it looks good because it looks like a business when you look at mine and you think big's good when you look at it in the flesh, right? But what if it does not have any discernment in it? Who do you think is running it? If it doesn't have the anointing and the power of God in it, it's God in it. So then you build a monument from here to Dallas you can see with your eyes. What's that got to do with God? Put a copper top on it. Or whatever. Dear me. Verse 20. For the ruthless who are going to come to an end and this scorner, this fleshly will be finished. He's going to be finished, this scorner and scoffer. Indeed, all who intent on this evil doer will be cut off. They're cut off. Who causes a person to be indicted by the words they just pour the words on him and ensnare him and adjudicate, seducate, that preaches the word and defraud the one in the right and they just want to bring these meaningless, meaningless arguments. Chapter 30, verse 1. Woe to rebellious children declares the Lord who execute a program but it's not mine. Is that plain? You got some plans worked out and they're not God's. You make an alliance not in my spirit. This alliance could be with the world or unevenly yoked devil in order to add sin to sin. That's all I can do is just keep going that next one.