This sermon delves into Romans 9, contrasting the pursuit of righteousness by works by Israel with the pursuit by faith by the Gentiles. It emphasizes the importance of genuine repentance and brokenness before God, highlighting the danger of self-righteousness and ignorance of God's true righteousness. The message warns against stubbornness and unrepentant hearts, urging listeners to turn to God, escape the snares of the enemy, and align with God's will.

Do you know in Romans 9 it was talking about a church who was pursuing righteousness as though by works. It's talking about the Gentiles. And this is part of your scripture. I'm not going to turn there now. But it says Israel is not like the Gentiles. The Gentiles were pursuing righteousness as though by faith. They're coming in to the Lord, and by faith they were pursuing righteousness. They're walking right in God's eyes by faith in his word. But Israel was pursuing righteousness by works. They were helping God out, a number of things. I want to tell you what Paul said about them. Paul said in Romans 10, he says, I pray for the church, Israel. He says, I pray for their salvation. Are you hearing me? I pray for their salvation. They have a zeal for God. This church, Paul says, has a zeal for God, but it's not according to the word, knowledge. And being ignorant of what the righteousness of God really is right here, they establish their own righteousness, which is self-righteousness, or some other kind of righteousness, and they do not submit to the righteousness that comes from God. Is that pretty strong? So I pray for their salvation, Paul says. Maybe we ought to look at it. We're close to it. Turn over to Romans. I've told you about it now. Let's just look at it in Romans. Look at Romans 9 first. We're going to see this pursuing. Let's start. I was going to be in 32, but I'm going to back up there to 30. 9, 30. What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith. But Israel, now there's the church of that day, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by what? Faith. You can't pursue it by faith. You don't have to trust God for anything, probably like some of the things we do today. You don't have to trust God for too much when you go to the world and get everything you need, do you? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but though it was what? Works. Boy, you saw how they're helping God out. You ever see that church over in Revelation 18, Babylon, making a name for themselves? They stumble over the stumbling stone. That's Jesus. Now, in Romans 10, verse 1, look here. Paul says, Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God is for who? For them is for their what? It's for their salvation. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it's not according to the Word. Is that what he says? It's not according to the Word. And not knowing about God's righteousness, they establish their own righteousness, which is self-righteous, some other righteousness, and do not subject themselves. They're not going to let them subject themselves to the righteousness of God. Folks, there's a whole lot of righteousness today. Do you know there are many kinds of righteousness? There's many kinds of Gospels. There's many kinds of Jesus. This Jesus can do this, this Jesus can do that, and this Jesus can't do anything. There's one righteousness. There's one Gospel. There's one Jesus. There's one church. And I want to tell you what. The Spirit of God is one that takes the lead. We don't lead the Spirit of God. It's not, God, come on down here and cooperate with us. You see what we're trying to do for you? The righteousness of God is led by the Spirit of God. And I want to just ask you something. Does the church today, as the most part, pursue righteousness by dying to the flesh and practicing righteousness, that means walking and talking and acting like God? Does the church today walk like the world? Do they walk after the flesh? Do they pursue righteousness as though by works? Do we want to build temples and things that we can see with our eyes for God instead of building up this inner man, this temple here? See, I want to tell you something. People who are in works don't have to trust God for anything. They're not being led by the Spirit of God. They work it all out themselves. Now, you know, I've already told you there's not a Baptist righteousness or a Methodist righteousness. I just want to mention this. There's only one righteousness. There's not a Pentecostal righteousness, there's a charismatic righteousness. There's not a Baptist gospel and a Methodist gospel and a Pentecostal gospel and a charismatic gospel. There's not a Baptist Jesus and a Methodist Jesus and a Pentecostal Jesus and a charismatic Jesus. There's only one Jesus. I suggest, and I don't know where you folks are coming from, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is Jesus crucified. No matter who you are or what you are or what you've done or anything else, the only thing that matters is Jesus Christ is your Lord. So what I just want to encourage you to look at your Word and see if everything that... We need to look and see if everything we call church today is church. See, if everything you call a Christian today is Christian, is there going to be a great falling away in the last days? What is falling away? It's falling away, that's apostasy. That's departing from the Word of God. You start calling things of God, it's not God. Amen? I'm going to tell you something. The church in this Word makes disciples. They teach them a Word. You know, in the days of Charles Finney, he started... He had a morning's bench and people would come to the morning's bench. He said, I need you to cry out the Lord. And later on, the Salvation Army, and as I understand, the Salvation Army is a lot different then than it is today. But it would have some strong messages about the Lord and they started giving invitations. Now, I want you to be aware of all these things as I share it with you. You've got an enemy that talks to you and he can tell all the people the same thing to get them, you know, off. See, we have to line up here. The Lord leads us in all truth. But they would have invitations for sinners and they would come to this morning's bench which the Salvation Army started and for days sometimes. So ours, people would stay there and just instruct them as they would get things right before God. Now, let me give you a little example of that. I've watched this over. You let me get around somebody that's just really broken. I don't mean self-pity. I mean it's really broken and sorry about their sins to the Lord. I can't wait to pray for them. You let somebody just really get broken. Folks, do you ever see anybody just get down and just cry out to the Lord? Just cry out to the Lord and so sorry and just loving the Lord so much that they're just so sorry and sad? Folks, do you ever know what kind of people there are when you get up? Do you ever notice that something's come off of them? That they're different? They're broken? Now, these people that would be in these meetings, as the enemy is always there to pervert things, then some would just see this and possibly being led by sensuality in the flesh, then coming down the aisle, replaces repentance and a godly sorrow. And then start building a foundation of numbers instead of righteousness. A foundation. If part of this is going to affect the numbers, let's don't mess with it. Let's don't lose a big tie there. Let's don't upset some folks' flesh. We don't want... So in these, see, we learn when we make a foundation of numbers and good reports, we start wanting to get decisions instead of disciples. And in some many times, too many times, and this is the kind of thing that Billy Graham and many of particular people that go through the churches see the losses of the people in the church today. They go through there and these people in too many cases, that's not to say that everybody that walks down the aisle is not saved. I'm not saying that. Listen, hear what I'm saying. Don't try to add something I'm not saying. There are too many people that come down the aisle and a man's led by his thoughts and things and we start, you know, exalting ministries. You know, my ministry has got to look good. I'm not going to deal with that part of the Lord. I can't deal with that part of the Lord. It's going to make my ministry look good and I've got to help you out. Now, that's what Satan tried to do to Jesus when he got him to jump off the temple in the courtyard there and he could lead all the people to God, see. We're not going to lead the people to God. God's Spirit does the leading. We just get in on it. So I just want to ask you, and I just want to ask you to just examine these things because when we're not taking thoughts, we're not aware of all these things, deceitful, deceitful, very deceptive thoughts come in here to cause us to start drifting. And we start getting a foundation of good reports and looking good and making a name for ourselves. We get our mind and our heart on our works and what we're doing and just forget about the works of God, see. And then we get busy making a name for ourselves. Well, listen, if you're making a name for yourself and your ministry and your ministry, you're not making a name for our Lord Jesus Christ. If you've got some kind of image you've got to protect, then you haven't taken on the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only name you make a name for is Jesus. Now, that is what the Bible says. Babylon, the world in a church who acts like the world and walks and talks like that world, makes a name for herself. Now, see, these traditions and things that many of them have been handed down to folks, I'm going to tell you, and the Lord can easily show you as you get in the Word. I'm going to tell you what the Lord expects you to get the Word. He wants to lead you in all truth. And so you can raise up in things. They look good. They look good when we compare ourselves among ourselves and measure ourselves by ourselves. But does it measure up to this yardstick right here? See, that's where the Pharisees missed it. A few of them got saved, but they all went to hell too, you know. They didn't get saved. So it's a serious thing, but what I'm trying to point out to you that my part, part of my part, is exposing the powers of darkness as we go through the Word. Now, I want you to be conscious, and pastors, I want you to think about this as we go through, because if the powers of darkness, if they're there, like I've said at the very beginning of the testimony, we've got a very serious problem. If they're not there, then you have a nut here that you come three days to hear. Now, if they are there, what are they doing there? They've been perverting the things of the Lord. They've been deceiving us. And so in you and me, brother and sister, we all come back to the Word of God. We start all over again. We say something like this, Lord, you know what I know that's wrong. I'm teachable. I love you more than I do my tradition. You know, somebody loves their traditions more than they do the Word. It's not teachable. If someone is intimidated by men and fearful of men, they'll not come to the Word of God. See, that's what scares people off the Word because they want approval of men, folks. They're not teachable. God's not going to lead them in all truth because their heart's somewhere else. They've got idols in their heart. But if we truly love the Lord and we love his Word, we can come to the Lord something like this and say, Lord, I believe the Lord will take you up on it too. Lord, I've let my heart go toward things that I shouldn't have let it go to. And you just go ahead and name all the things you've let your heart be authority in your life besides the order of God. That's not to say there's not spiritual authority. There are spiritual authority. But everything that goes by a title, I don't subject myself to, you understand that? I subject myself to the Jesus in authority, not by somebody that just goes by titles and things like that because I don't think there's ever been a time of false teaching and false prophets as there are today. Never, ever. I don't think Satan has never been more successful than he is right now at this moment. Why not? That's exactly the way it's supposed to be. That's what Satan said he would be in the last days. But say, Lord, if I have... Now, I think this would be fair for each one of us here. If you want to be honest with the Lord. Your Word says that you will lead me in all truth. In the traditions and things that I've learned, Lord, you know what I've learned wrong. I'm teachable, Lord. Now, right now, I fix my heart on you. You are the teacher. Unless I hear you speak through anyone, I'm not going to receive anything. I'm not going to receive anything in Milk Green or a seminar or James Robinson or no one else until it's confirmed in my heart, until I know it from God. Is anything wrong with that? And now, Lord, my eyes are fixed on you. And you know that my heart is seeking truth. Now, I'm seeking you. I just turned my heart. I'm going to get in your Word, Lord, because I just found out I don't have to speak Hebrew to learn what's in there. That you'll teach me. And you said you're no respecter of any people, so it doesn't matter, Lord, if I just got past the first grade. You'd teach me to read, too. That sound like God? Well, that's the way He is. Can't you see God coming over here to me and say, Hey, Milk, boy, I sure do need you. You've got that big organization. You know so many people and you're so smart. I need somebody like you to come and teach a seminar. You see, folks, I say these things simply because. I don't have anything. I don't have to be anything. There's a lot of freedom not having to be nothing. Do you know that? I say this to encourage you because I have been discouraged a lot. We've all been in a war and things like that. I tell you, the Lord has special things for each one of you. I want to tell you something. I don't think no one has a harder time in traditions we've brought in than shepherds. They kind of get in it by their selves. That's the way tradition is. They've got to know everything. They have to be the whole loaf and impale south. And then get them out there serving flesh, waiting tables. Pitiful. Break your heart. Folks, let's just get a mind off ourself a little bit and kind of see what sin we've got in our heart and kind of see some other people that we can help and be a blessing to. Let's let our light shine and love one another, right? If there's anything wrong, let's. You don't have to compromise, do you? Let the Spirit of God say. I don't have advice for people. People come up and say, I've got this situation. I've got this situation. I've got this. And I said, I want to tell you something. My friend, I can be very presumptuous if I go past the Word of God. I can know a part and you can come and hear my part. And we're used to somebody having a part and knowing everything. Well, I don't know everything. And I'm not going to tell anybody any more than what, if consciously, than what the Word teaches me. But I want to tell you something. There's a mighty move of God today, folks. And I'm going to tell you what this move of God is going to be, folks. You're going to be persecuted, folks. Let me tell you something. So what? So what? Let me ask you something. If you know what you know, what you know. If you know that you've got a knowing, you're watching people's lives change. You know that you're learning and you know that you're pleasing the Lord. Now, who do you really want to please in your heart? Do you want to please God or do you want to please folks? Well, I'm going to tell you some things, talk to you and come and talk to you to get your heart to go to please other things besides God. I'm going to tell you, God is the number one person you want to please. Now, I'm just kind of mentioning some of these things as we're going along talking about the power of the Lord because I'm going to tell you, as I mention, the Lord's going to quicken some of these things. He's going to show you if you'll let Him. I mention so He can just talk to you about them. Now, you don't let your heart go to folks. You don't let your heart go to organization. You don't let your heart go to men. You don't let your heart go to denomination. Let me tell you where headquarters is. It's in heaven. I'm not saying that unkindly. I just know it's a curse. It's not Jesus plus a sign in the yard. It's not Jesus plus anything. It's all Jesus. It's all grace. It's all Him. And there was a man is zero. Except for Jesus working through him, everything else burns up. I will set you free. Did I get you a little freer? Get free from folks. Demons and folks have been around this long enough. Now, Mark 7. Mark 7. Now, what about a person who loves his traditions, do you realize there's plenty of traditions, folks? Folks, do you ever understand why there are always so many labels? Do you know if they can get conservative and this over here label and this over here and here a demon behind every bush? He's gone charismatic. He's all these things. Now, you see, if the enemy can get these labels going back and forth, then, see, you get programmed to reject truth before you examine it. What is it that calls you to reject people you've only heard of? You don't know anything about them. You've just heard about them. Where does that come from? You reject truth before you've even examined it. Where does that come from? See, you know how you're rejected? Because you are made fearful. The spirit of fear comes from the devil. He gives you all kinds of fearful things. And this is what the shepherds... The shepherds are going, Boy, I'm telling you what. Boy, I'm telling you it's a new day. As the Lord is opening up this thing and showing shepherds that shepherds have just had their ears beat off of them who just love the Lord with all their heart. And God in his grace is showing them how the enemy and the demons are attacking them. I'm going to share a few things here before this is over with. I'm going to show them, Sharon, how you attack shepherds. Shepherds are leaving churches today. See, pastors are leaving churches like never before. You shepherds don't usually stay in a church over three years. You get run off. You usually get run off by lost folks, church bosses that demons have raised up. You know what you do, Pastor, when you leave? You run off and leave a sheep. It's a little system of powers of darkness that work down. Let me just go ahead and talk about it a little bit since I mentioned it. Might as well talk about it a little bit. You determine, shepherd, the next church I go to is not going to be like this one. Because in many cases, because the traditions and things kind of beat you down where you really have a shepherd's heart where you can't really do the things that you know in your heart you want to do. And it's a very defeating, frustrating thing for a pressured shepherd, a precious shepherd and his traditions today. So the powers of darkness who have been ignored, what do you think they've been doing? They've been setting up a system. And then you go into this church situation and you are determined. You've learned some things. Things are going to be different. We're going to do some things in this next... And you go in there and you get up. And you know this verse right here is just going to smack against little traditions. You know when you get to a place. And right there as you do it, let me show you what happens to you. The demons know the one they've got set up that can intimidate you and make you the most fearful. Now let me tell you what happens to you, pastor, and you're just going to shake your head because you're going to remember it over and over. You can stand there and you can be looking in that direction right over there. And as you come to this place and you say that word right there, as you start to do it, as you're fixing to read that verse right there, there are thoughts coming to your mind. You're not even looking right over there at this loudmouth boss deacon, but you know right there in your mind as you're looking right over here and you do this, you're being brought to mind thoughts and you're just getting a picture of him just looking and it's like a water hose coming at you. Pastor, you hear me, aren't you, shepherds? It's like a water hose of intimidation coming at you. And these thoughts right there just add a little water to it here, you know. You know, you don't have to be too hard on it. But then you go ahead and you proclaim the word. And while you're doing it, you're being attacked by fear right in the pulpit. You're being attacked by fear and intimidation. You're being attacked by demons. And it gets pretty quiet in there while you're preaching, but you know you've decided that that congregation is going to be the Lord's glory and you want to please the Lord. And here he comes. He comes up, either that loudmouth woman or that loudmouth man that that demon's manifested in right there, controlling him. They come right up to you and get right in your face. Pastor! I know these people. I know them. It's just like you moved in his bedroom or something. You know, he owns a place. See, he's big time. He's given so much money for God. He's helped God out so much. It's just like you moved in his house, Shepherd. He's got a lot of confidence. He's a church boss. The demons have told him what a wonderful job he does helping God out in that social work. Pastor! These people are not going to stand still for that. I know them. Pastor! What you better do is you better back off a little on that. We'll have to get a new leader. We're going back to Egypt. Now, Shepherd, this is going to set you free. When he comes up to you, you see him coming and immediately when you make eye contact to him, the powers of darkness know when you make contact with any word in this Bible right here. That's the same thing. They attack you with lust thoughts. It's the same thing. You make eye contact. When you make eye contact with that man right there, that's where they began. See, I've already put the intimidating thoughts. They've already set the stage for you. So here comes the manifestations of demons to a man. And as he's talking to you, he really thinks in his heart he's helping God out. He's deceived. As he is attacking you there, you're being attacked by every demon of fear in the house. They're all over you right in here. They're all outside just attacking you. You know, that's the same, the ones that attack you when you don't want to give up and give the testimony or start getting a little free, something like that. If they keep you under munch, you know you start getting free, you get dangerous. And they attack you with fear. Freedom spreads. So while you're there, Pastor, and you're talking about to this man right here, this church boss, all these demons of fear are attacking you, and here's the kind of thoughts they're putting in your mind. One thought, just bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. There goes the parsonage. Seriously. There it goes. I can't get a job anywhere. They'll be mad at me at headquarters. I'll have to take the children out of college. And they're just bombarding your mind, just bang, bang, bang, bang, and you just beat the... And you're moving out of grace, and you're getting out of the law because you're receiving it. And then all that pressure coming on there, you're looking in his face, but you're not really hearing everything because all your mind is just filled with... They've all of a sudden, and they just loosed a barrage on you, what they're doing. You know what they're doing? This is attack of the powers of darkness that wants to back you off of this right here. And this is the way they do it. And this is the way they've been doing it to you. And then in the midst of all that pressure and all that fear and all that intimidation, all these things coming at you, there'd be a sweet little old thought come up there. Well, I can see now is not the time to bring them on. I'll bring them on another way. Isn't that precious? And then just back off of it. He didn't pass the test and the demons get to flock. That's what you're going to see this week. Pastor, I can't even go in your church and have authority over demons unless your heart is agreeable with me. That's how much authority you have. I can't even bind the demons if your heart is not in agreement with me. You have a spiritual authority and God has given you spiritual authority. And I'll tell you something else. Well, I might all wait for day two to get on that. Pastor, I want to tell you something. You get run off. Because when they start attacking you, you know, just every fear, when you start getting close to that, they start attacking your wife, you go home and you start hearing things, here's pressure. She doesn't understand either. See, we've left that out. You don't understand all this stuff happening to your wife and it's just always an uproar. How can the Word work in a book? But work in people when their hearts are full of the things of the devil. And affliction, persecution, that's all they're going to think about and talk about. See, there's no rest in that. See, if you receive all this stuff and talk about it, the Word of God can't work any into you. And so there is a system that we haven't learned about and God is showing us today, Pastor. And it's a precious new day for you because I want to tell you something. It's a body ministry. But when you leave and you get run off, in that church that you just left, it's just like Billy Graham said, you know, there's a church in the church. And all probability, people that are not taken false captive, the enemy is able to work and intimidate and with fear and these kind of things to put people in position of authority. As Jude says, they're led by their ungodly lust, they're worldly minded and they cause divisions. Let me tell you another way. The church is already split, folks. There's two ways to look at that. If you're looking from the basis of numbers and good reports, it's not split. But if you're looking from the basis of the Word of God, salvation and righteousness and lost folks, there are lost folks in there. That's a split church. When you get lost folks and saved folks together, you've got a split. So really what we're saying today, if we say 75% of the church is lost, we go quote Billy Graham and the others, you know. Then we're saying, I feel very comfortable here having my heart joined in covenant and be one with over half of it devils. What do you do to the Word? What happened to church discipline? What happened to dealing with this sin? Where'd that new Bible come from? That's not what this Bible's talking about. So pastor, you got run off. And when you left, you left some sheep. You left some sheep that really belonged to the Lord. And boy, how they do need a shepherd. Now all these things I'll show you in the Word of God this week. Mark 7, verse 6, And he said to them, Rightly did Isaiah prophesy you hypocrites. Jesus trying to please them again. As it is written, This people honor me with their lips. They honor me with their mouth. But their heart is far from me. I want you to know with the heart man believes in the rights. It's not his head. The head gives lip service. The heart walks in it. Verse 7, here's what he says, These people that draw near with their lips and mouth and don't draw near with their hearts. Here's what these kind of people do in 7. In vain do they worship me. If they worship me on a Sunday morning, I'll just stay home and read the paper. In vain they worship me if they draw near with their mouth and not their hearts. They're wasting their time. Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. Let me tell you another way. Teaching opinions of men is the Word of God. In vain they worship me. Do you understand that's what traditions are? Teaching opinions of men is the Word of God. Verse 8, In each tradition you neglect the commandment of God. You hold to the traditions of men. You hold on to it. That's where your heart is. You hold on to it because you're made fearful and intimidated by it. Anything you're afraid of has got you. Won't you fear God? He said the dread of me is not in you. You have to learn the fear of God. Don't fear those that can kill the body. Fear him and put your body and soul in hell. He was saying to them about these traditions that's handed down and down. Isn't it interesting how many different ways everybody is going to heaven and they all talk a different language? Sounds like confusion, doesn't it? Verse 9, He was also saying to them, You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. In other words, the Word of God, you're picking shoes to it and you've already got your petition and box built. That's what the Pharisees had, see? He said, God, if you'll come on down here and be a nice Pharisee, we'll fellowship with you. I just wonder today, do we say, God, we'll fellowship with you if you'll be a good Baptist. We'll fellowship with you if you'll act like a good Pentecostal. Verse 13. See, in verse 9 it said, You set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. Verse 13, Thus you invalidate the Word of God. You make the Word of God of no effect by your what? The Word of God has no effect because of your tradition which you've what? It's handed down to generation and generation. It's handed down and you do many things such as that. Now, who do you think it... Let me ask you this way. Aren't you real glad those Pharisee demons are all dead today? Aren't you glad none of them are still around? They were kind of experts back then, weren't they? All right. God has warned us not to be taken captive through traditions and worldly ways. I want to show it to you. Turn to Colossians 2. Colossians 2. You know what happens to a heart when it's not totally turned to the Word or something like that? When you read Scripture like that, you know what happens in a person's mind? It's deceived by the powers of darkness. Look at me. You know what happens to them when they're deceived by the powers of darkness? Their heart's not really seeking the Word. They'll get on the defensive when you start talking about traditions and then they'll want to watch you closely and what you might say and so they might trap you in some things, you know, that you say. Now, that's how the powers of darkness work through people. Folks, let me tell you something. It's too bad that the people that persecuted Jesus and spoke against him and spoke against his disciples has always been everybody that ever followed God in that Bible didn't have an easy time of it. Do you understand that? I want to make you aware of something. It's not for me and you to have to figure out how God's going to do this thing. Can I just go ahead and just illustrate my place here as standing before you in this seminar? I didn't put myself up here. No man put me up here. And I'm telling you what, that God can use you at 9 o'clock in the morning and noon. He can set you down the rest of your life. I have been sat down. In my ignorance and thing, God had. I watched, you know, like I was telling you over in India. I got sat down after I got home. I got smart. I was going to try to push and, you know, I had some things worked out. Instead of letting my light shine, I was going to stick it down some people's throats. I saw a few things. You know what happened? God don't cooperate with that. So I found myself in a lonely... I was on the sidelines. Now, I fear God. And I know that he's looking. Now, see, I've come to a place, I know he's looking at all the motives and everything in my heart. He is yours. And when he sees the motives in your heart, it's really trying to please him and do what is right. And he'll say, I'm telling you folks, you can make some stupid mistakes like I have. He'll turn them around. Now, I want you to know the door opening is up left up to God. We don't have to go out and get things for God. I want you to know that when he does this work of grace, he'll do it through you. In Colossians 2, I like this verse in verse 4. I say that in order that no one may what? Delude you with what kind of argument. You can run in persuasive argument. Now, see, when I was dying, I found James 5, 14 and 15 to be annoying at all, and I will be restored. Not maybe or perhaps or when it gets 70 degrees. It says I'd be restored. I like that. I was realizing that verse. And when I ask about this particular verse, we went everywhere all over the Bible except that. Well, I didn't know much about the Bible. I always believed anybody made something could fix it. So I just keep holding it to it. Now, verse 8. See to it that no one takes you captive, if you can mark captive, through what? All right, now you can be taken captive through philosophy. You can be taken captive. What's the next thing? Empty deception. You can be taken captive through the what? Traditions of men. You can be taken captive according to the elementary principles of the world. Are you seeing all these things can take you captive? Are you warned right there not to be taken captive for these things? Now, what I'd do if I'd... I might just circle captive there and run you a line to philosophy, run you a line to empty deception, run you a line to traditions, run you a line to elementary principles of the world rather than according to Christ, which is His Word. You can be taken captive through these things. Amen. Right? Well, it's next chapter. Let's turn over to Colossians 3 quickly. If. Now, if's a condition, isn't it? Verse 1, Then you've been raised up at Christ, keep seeking the things on earth. Now, let your hearts seek the things above. For Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Now, there in verse 2 it says, set your mind on what? Things above, not on things that are on the earth. Isn't that right? Are we told not to love these things on the earth? It says to set your mind on things that are above. Isn't that right? For you have what? All right, you know what that died means? That's covenant. You have to die to make covenant. Well, I'll show you that later on in Hebrews. You die. When you change an image, you have to die to what you are. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. You and Christ became one, so you're going to have to act like and talk like him. Verse 4, When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed in him in glory. Therefore, get ready with your big pencil. We got another refrigerator verse here. Verse 5, Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as what? As dead to what? Immorality. You're dead to immorality. You're dead to impurity. You're dead to passion. You're dead to evil desire. You're dead to greed. All of these things amount to what? Idolatry. For it is on account of these things right here, I just read, it's on account of immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, and idolatry, that the wrath of God is coming. You think that God's about half serious about us turning away from these things? And in them, verse 7, you also what? You once walked, which means you're not walking there anymore. Amen. You once walked there. And don't you let something else tell you that it's all right for you to walk there now. You once walked there. While you, what's that? When you, what's it? Were. Will you mark that? You were, circle were. You were living in, which means you're not living in greed. You're not living in impurity. You're not living in immorality. You're not living in passion or evil desire or idolatry. But now, verse 8, you also put them all aside. Now, the wrath of God comes because of these things. Put aside anger. Put aside wrath. Put aside malice. Put aside slander, abusive speech from your mouth. Now, folks, when you see it, let me just tell you something. Do you remember when I was reading over to you in Matthew 18 the slave that wouldn't forgive? And his master turned him over to the torturers, the tormentors? He was first angry. In the Word, as we go through here these next three days, you're going to see when the Lord is angry and when his wrath comes, he removes the head and he sicks the powers of darkness, sick them. They say the Lord won't do that? You just wait. Who put those demons on Saul? Who put the powers of darkness on Job? When Lord moves his hedge, you're not blessed. And I want you to know that, by the way, those demons that got on Saul was more of an ego trip, okay? And you don't have to know some foreign language to know that the word's evil spirit means demons. That's them. Now, verse 9, "'Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the' what?' Now, the old self means the old man is dead. You've laid it aside so you don't lie. Isn't that right? "'With its' what?' Evil practice. Now, you laid aside the old man with his evil practices. I want you to circle the old self. Evil practice. I want you to draw a line to him, which means you've laid aside the lust of the flesh. That's what it's saying right there, the old man. Is that right? But now, verse 10, "'You've having put on' what? The new self. You've put on the Lord Jesus Christ. You've put on Ephesians 6. You have all the weapons which are mighty in God. You've put on the new self as being' what? Renewed to the true knowledge. According to what kind of image are you now? You're being renewed to the image with the one who created him. It's as if you're being renewed back to the image of God. You've denied to the flesh and his evil desires.'" Does it say it over and over and over and over? Well, he didn't say try to examine it and fit it in a box. He said do it. Walk in grace. Agree with God in your heart and he furnishes the power, amen? But you do not get around persecution and suffering. If you've got to make a name for your flesh, you're not going to make it. If you've got some kind of image you want to build up, you're not going to build up the image of Jesus. Now, what about some of these people that, hey, we were talking before about the walk, wasn't we? What kind of fruit you bear? About the kind of walk? Were they bearing fruit for the devil? Were they bearing fruit for the Lord? I want you to turn to John 8. I want you to see what Jesus said to some folks. John 8, John 8. Who didn't bear fruit for the Lord? You know what? Before I do that, I forgot something there. I skipped Matthew 15. Just kind of slipped something in there. Let's turn back to Matthew 15. I really need to look at that with you. Now, do you ever wonder what the Lord Jesus would do if He wants to walk in to some of our traditions and things that some churches have and so forth? Do you ever wonder what He'd do? Do you ever wonder how He'd handle it? Well, you're fixing to see. You're fixing to see right here in Matthew 15. Now, first, Jesus always come in and He upsets traditions because He does not agree with traditions. Jesus is the Word. As they say, He just acts like Hisself. Now, verse 1, the Indians and Pharisees, do you believe any of those around today? Do you believe any chief priests around today? Okay. Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and here's what they asked Him. Boy, this is about half funny. They said, Why do your disciples... I can just see Him, a little fast talker. Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of elders? They'd already broke one of their traditions. For they do not wash your hands when they eat bread. Isn't that something? In other words, you're not fitting in their structure. That's what they're telling Jesus. And He answered and said to them, Boy, I'd like this. And said to them, Why do you transgress the word of commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? Is that plain, Mr. Pharisee? Verse 19, What's worse than your hands is having to do with things in your heart. Verse 19, For out of the heart comes evil thoughts. Now, see, from the buns to heart to mouth speaking. And here's what He's concerned. For out of your heart, He's saying, comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, theft, false witness, slanders. Verse 20, These are the things which devour the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not devour the man. He's telling them the difference in that, wasn't He? Now, we're looking back in verse 7. He's trying to please them again. He says, You hypocrites. He sure wasn't trying to get them to join, was He? Join up to 75% devils. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy you, saying, This people honor me with their lips, but their heart. You see, the heart is far away from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching these doctrines to the precepts of men. Now, in verse 14, Let them what? Let them alone. They are blind guides of the who? The blind lead in a bind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, if that's where his heart is, both are going to go where? They're all going to pit, aren't they? Now, let's go to John 8. It'll get good. In John 8, please. 31, Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed him, If you remain in my word, then you're of the ones that's truly disciples of mine. Right? In John 8, 32, You should know the truth. And what does the truth do? If you know the truth about what the powers of darkness can do in your life, what does the truth and the word do? Set you free. He sent his word to you. Now, verse 33, And answered him and said, We're Abraham's offspring. I've never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, You shall become free? They wasn't enslaved to anyone. See, right then there's slaves of the Roman government. And as James says, Demons were hanging on them like bats. So he said, Free from what? Free from what? Can you imagine somebody coming out of that church and gracing up there and going somewhere and saying, You got free from what? And so Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of what? Doesn't sound like if they're a slave of sin, you're not a slave of righteousness, are you? Well, seemed like he kind of read in their mail, didn't he? I think he saw something on them that didn't resemble what an image and likeness of God. Let's go on and see what he tells them right there, starting in verse 38. I speak of things which I have seen with my father, and you also what? You do the things which you heard from your father. In other words, your father and my father are different. I speak of things I hear from my father. Now, look at me. Look at me here. And I can tell by your walk. You do the things that you hear from your father. So your father and my father are different. That's how Jesus dealt with things. Like, hey, he looked at the walk. He looked at fruit. And he'd tell who their father was. Well, let's go ahead. And they answered, verse 39, and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, if you're Abraham's children, do the what? Do the deeds of Abraham. May I ask you something? If Jesus Christ is your Lord, are you Abraham's children? Sure you are. The last three verses in Galatians 3 shows you that you're descendants of Abraham. We're Abraham's children. But he said, if you're Abraham's children, he said, do the deeds of Abraham. I don't see it in your walk. In other words, if you got it, why don't I see it in your walk? Is that what he's saying? Shake your head. Is that what he's saying? Do the deeds of Abraham. If you're Abraham's son, well, what is Abraham? Abraham's a man of faith and righteousness, wasn't he? Huh? He believed God. Well, let's go on. There in 41, said, you're doing the deeds of who? Your father. He said over there in 43, he says, why is it you can't understand what I'm saying? And then he turns around and answers his own question. He said, it's because you cannot hear my word. Look at me. I'm going to show you why folks can't hear the hard word. Now, I'm going to give you whatever notes that a few of you may be doing, because I want you to hear what I'm fixing to say. I want you to look at it. Do you notice that some people you go to witness to, they can hear? And then some of them, they can't hear nothing you're saying. Are you aware of that? Now, let me tell you the difference. The ones who really not turn their heart toward the Lord while you're talking to them there, they resist conviction and everything, the demons are talking to them while you're talking to them. They can't hear, because their heart is not turned toward the Lord. Let me give you an example of that. You know in the parable of the Word, Jesus had the largest crowds he ever had, one of the largest crowds he ever had in front of him. And you'd think I had a wonderful time to talk him into something, but he spoke to them in a total mystery and no one understood anything he said but a few of the disciples that was there. All the multitudes went away and they didn't hear. He had to explain to the disciples what he said. Are you hearing me? I want you to look at it. Now, do you notice that some people you go to witness to, they can hear? And then some of them, they can't hear nothing you're saying. Are you aware of that? Now, let me tell you the difference. The ones who really not turn their heart toward the Lord while you're talking to them there, they resist conviction and everything, the demons are talking to them while you're talking to them. They can't hear because their heart is not turned toward the Lord. Let me give you an example of that. You know in the parable of the Word, Jesus had the largest crowds he ever had, one of the largest crowds he ever had in front of him. And you'd think I had a wonderful time to talk him into something, but he spoke to them in a total mystery and no one understood anything he said but a few of the disciples that was there. All the multitudes went away and they didn't hear. He had to explain to the disciples what he said. Are you hearing me? Now, if you run into religious folks, there are religious folks around today. A religious folks, a religious folks, they speak Jesus up here, but their hearts go somewhere else. When their heart is not, that's these men right here. Their heart was somewhere, their heart was in their system. That's where their heart was. So he told them, you can't hear the Word of God. Do you know why they couldn't hear the Word of God? Because they were captive of the powers of darkness. They couldn't get past that speculation and everything because their hearts, they were drawn near with their mouths and they wandered near their hearts. Are you hearing? Now, when a person draws near with his mouth instead of his heart, God lets deluding influence come over. He'll let you believe a lie and go right straight to hell because God intends for you and me to come with our heart because that's where he loves us, a heart. Now, so he's trying to get on the good side of them in verse 44 and said, you of your father the devil. You want to do the what? Desires of who? Your father. Now, look at me, folks. I want to show you what you read right there. He says, he's already said, hey, I can tell by your walk that you do the things of your father. Is that right, the devil? Your father, my father, did he already say that? He turns right around there and said, you do the desires of your father. Well, what do you think the desires of the father is? The lust of flesh. That's where the heart was. Now, when your heart goes after a system or after the lust of flesh or anything except the Lord Jesus Christ, I don't mean Jesus plus some man or Jesus plus some teaching or Jesus plus some organization or Jesus plus some theology or Jesus plus some intellect or Jesus plus some church. I'm telling you what, your heart's turning toward Jesus, the one that's Lord. Now, he said, he's already said, you of your father the devil because you want to do the desires of your father. Now, the desires of the father, the desires of the flesh. Now, let's go on. Now, you see how... Do you believe Jesus kind of do this today? I mean, if he were walking here in the flesh as he did then and everything, this is what he'd point these things at. He wouldn't mealy mouth or come in the back door or side door about it. I mean, people that represent God say what God said. Did he represent God Almighty? God told him what to say and he said it, right? Okay. Everything he did, he pleased God. Now, verse 44. You of your father the devil, you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning. He does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him and whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks it from his own what? Well, I want to tell you that curse on your flesh, that nature of your flesh and the nature of the devil is the same. Do you understand that? He said he speaks from his own nature for he is a liar and the father of lies. Now, here's a good verse to kind of box in there and just kind of remember it. Now, I want you to remember this. Whenever you start to share something and you want to make tares comfortable in it or you want to make everyone... It's not up to you to make everyone hear the Word of God. Do you understand that? Only the Spirit of God makes people hear. It's not your responsibility. It's not our responsibility to build anything. It's our responsibility to build up the body of Christ and the Lord's the one that puts it together. Oh, that's not to say we don't build buildings, you know, to worship in and things like that, but the Spirit of God is what leads us. But I want you to remember whenever you proclaim something and it looks like some people are just not too happy with what you're proclaiming, you don't come in and... You know how you water something down? Let me show you something. Just add a little water to it. That's how you water it down. That's how you water something down, just add water to it. All right, now what is water? Water is the Word. So when you see the Word of God and it's going to come in something, you think it's going to upset some tire, well, you just come in and add some words in it so it'll suit his carton. That's the reason we sit around and count each other because God doesn't do nothing in that kind of mess. That's a fact. Now, I'll tell you what, the Word of God is for those that can hear it. And no one's ever going to hear the Word of God unless their heart's going to be turned toward God. That is the foundation of the Word of God. And that's a different foundation of numbers and good reports. It's a foundation of righteousness. Now, you remember this verse. Get your big pencil and get you a big old box, put it around it. He who is of God hears the Word of God. For this reason, you do not hear them because you're not of God. Now, I've explained to you why people who are not of God, their hearts are somewhere else or cannot hear the Word of God. Now, I'm going to add something here that's not on your notes there probably. But I want to first tell you about it, what he said to them right after this, and then I'm going to tell you where the Scripture is. Just look at me just a second. Jesus looked at these people, church folks. Church folks. He said, It's a Father who glorifies me, of whom you say He's your God, but you've not come to know Him. But I know Him. And if I say I don't know Him, I'll be a liar like you. The reason I know Him is because I keep His Word. Now, I want you all to look at me. This is life and death up here. He's just going over where that camera is. He said, You call Him your God. It's the Father that glorifies me, and you say He's your God, but you don't know Him. I know Him because I keep His Word. Now, I want you to look at this. Just add this to it right over here in Sarton 54. Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, I glorify nothing, but my Father who glorifies, of whom you say He is our God. And you've not come to know Him, but I know Him. And if I say I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like you. But I do know Him and keep His Word. Well, amen. I want you to turn with Romans 1 with me, please. Romans 1. Romans 1, verse 18. For the wrath of God. Well, there it is. Well, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who are doing what? Who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. 21. For even though they knew God, they do not honor Him as God and give thanks, but they become what? Feudal in their what? Speculations and analyzing. And their foolish what? I want you to remember a foolish heart because I want to show you something about a man with the wrong foundation has a foolish heart. He's standing in the wrong place. He's not standing in the Word. And their foolish heart is what? Becomes darkened. Hence, they become, they're wise in their own eyes, see? The speculation, verse 22. Profession to be what? Wise. Wise in their own eyes. They become what? God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, hasn't He? God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. If we're coming to God any other kind of way besides just humble, I mean, we're going to be deceived. All right, now, let's look in 24. These people that suppress the truth in unrighteousness and are feudal in their speculation, wise in their own eyes, 24. Therefore, God has given them over. God gave them over. Will you please mark God gave them over? Now, let's see what God has given them over to. He's given them over to the lust of their hearts. Have you ever wondered what impurity is? There's a good verse right there that just shows you the impurity is the lust of the hearts, amen? That their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they have exchanged the truth of God for what? Now, when you exchange the truth, when you go after your traditions and everything, you exchange the truth of God. And they worship and serve the creature and man could be it very easily, one of them. You can worship and serve the creature rather than the what? Creator who's blessed forever, amen. See, in other words, just man-centered all activities, man-centered in the church. All right, let's look in 28. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God is what? Gave them over to what kind of mind? A depraved mind. Now, I want you to see what a depraved mind is, to do those things which are not proper. Now, immediately some little thought comes up there, just homosexual. I want you to watch and see what all's in there. This depraved mind, you're going to see what it is. Verse 29, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, and what's that next word? Greed. That's a depraved mind is greed. God gives them over to greed. That's the lust of the heart, greed. I want you to mark. I want you to circle depraved mind. You want to draw you a little line there to greed. That's a depraved mind. Evil and full of what? Envy. Envy is a depraved mind. Murder and there is strife. Strife is a depraved mind. Deceitful, malice, they are what? Gossips is a depraved mind. Slanders, haters of God, insolent, arrogant. What's that next word? Boastful people are given over depraved mind. Inventors of evil, disobedient to pastor, parents, without understanding. Will you please circle that without understanding? You ever hear that scripture of that church that had a form of godliness and denied the power? They are without understanding. That's what that means. Without understanding is a people has been given over to a depraved mind. Do you see that? Shake your head. Now let's go on. Untrustworthy, they're unloving. Do you see that? That is a depraved mind. That's not loving. Unmerciful and although they know the word of God, the ordinance of God, that those who practice these things are worthy of death, they not only do the same thing but give hearty approval to those who practice them. If they're a big tither or important. Do you have any New Testament? Romans 2. Well, I'm going to add a verse there in verse 2. It's probably not on your notes. I'm going to put it in verse 2. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who what? People who practice these things, the judgment of God is on them. That's exactly right. Now let's go to verse 4. Or do you think lightly? Do you think? Please circle think lightly. You say, yes. Do you think lightly of the riches of this kindness and forbearance and patience not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to what? You know what? The kindness of God, you know, I'm just overwhelmed at times when I think of the patience that God has had with me, the longsuffering that God has had with me. Now, I can't see why anybody wouldn't have that kind of a testimony here to know just a little about God and see the patience and why God would ever consider me, how he could ever put up with me. I know just little enough about the Word of God just wondering how he has put up with me and had the longsuffering and grace that he's had. So do you think lightly of this? God, the Word says. Do you think lightly of this? But because of your what? Verse 5. Your what? Your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart. Do you see that? It's not a repentant heart. It's just stiff-necked and stubborn, unrepentant. You are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who's going to render to every man according to his walk, his deeds. Do you see that? Let's go on to the next verse. To those who for perseverance... Now we're going to see a couple of things here. We're going to see one gets wrath and one gets eternal life. Let's look at it. To those who by perseverance, and perseverance in doing what? What is good? That's good in God's eyes, righteousness, right? Seek for glory and honor and immortality and what do they receive there? There it is, eternal life. But now we run into but and we see the opposite of this right here again. But to those who are what? Selfishly ambitious, they're living for their flesh and do not what? They don't obey the Word of God. I hope you're marking this. When you go back over this, you're going to wonder where some of these things are if you don't underline them. They're selfish, they live for their flesh, they do not obey the Word of God, but they obey unrighteousness. What is unrighteousness? Lust of the flesh. Here's what they get, wrath and indignation. Do you see that right there? There will be tribulation. Now here we run into it again, verse 9. There will be tribulation and it's come on you and everyone in this world. Tribulation and distress for ever what? So the man who does what? Now there is a promise for you. I want you to look at me, what you just read. I want to tell you what you just saw right there. There are going to be tribulation and distress to your soul when you do evil. What is evil? The lust of the flesh is evil because it lowers, I mean, it takes away God's protection for you when you deliberately do these things and practice these things with a stubborn and unrepentant heart. And so it's a war against your mind and your will and emotions for those who do evil. It's a war against your soul. Are you seeing this? It's over and over and over and over through the Word. That's what it's talking about. When you sow to the flesh, you reap corruption and the judgment of God, we've already said it right up there, the judgment of God rightly falls on those who what? Practice those things. Do you see that right up there in verse 2? 2 goes with tribulation and distress, goes to those who do evil. Now, but verse 10, but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, that's the Word, to the Jew first and also the Greek. Verse 13, now get ready for this verse. Verse 13, for not the hearers of the Word are just before God, not the ones who are hearing, but the what? Doers are the ones that be what? All right, do you see that? The doers of the Word's the ones going to be justified. Turn with me over to 2 Timothy 3, please. 2 Timothy 3. 2 Timothy 3, let's start in verse 1, please. But realize this, in the last days difficult times will come. Now, see if you recognize any depraved mind. Now, let me tell you what this, who we're reading about right here. We're reading about a church. You know why I know their church? They have a form of godliness. Why put these things you were about to read about about the world? We know the world's these things, but this is a people that profess to know God, who honor God, and they have a form of godliness. They don't honor God. I mean, they have a form of godliness. But these are going to be in the last days. Now, I want you to circle the last days and I want you to watch what we read. See if you notice a depraved mind. For these men and this congregation are going to be lovers of what? They're lovers of the self. They're lovers of money. This congregation's going to be what? Not boastful. This congregation's going to be arrogant or proud. This congregation's going to be revelers, disobedient to parents. They're going to be ungrateful, unholy. Unholy people, a depraved mind. They walk out of the flesh. Look here, they're unloving. That's the way it's going to be in the last days. Irreconcilable, malicious gossips. They're without self-control. No image of self-control. They can't resist the flesh. They're brutal, haters of good. Let's stone him, throw him off a cliff. Treacherous, reckless. They're conceited. They're lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Probably a volleyball tournament could interfere with the prayer meeting. Don't touch my calf. Five, they're holding to what? A form of godliness. A form of godliness is not godliness. Although they deny what? They deny the power of God and avoid such men as these. In these kind of congregations, you see what happens in six from among them are those who enter into households, captivate weak women, and wade down with sins led from various impulses. Verse 7, this congregation is always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Always knew good things, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. And just as Janus... These are magicians that opposed Moses. Moses had the Word of God, didn't he? All right, let's watch there. And just as Janus and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also what? What did they oppose? They opposed the Word. Kill him, stone him. They'll do it just like the Pharisees did him. They'll do it to you. But you know, the truth, when Jesus came in the truth to those Pharisees, what'd it do? What'd it do? It upset them? Huh? Believe it did. John the Baptist didn't please a lot of folks either, did he? You snakes. They opposed the truth. They're men of what kind of mind? Now, if you want to know what kind of congregation it is, is that a depraved mind? We just looked and saw what was in that congregation right there, didn't we? Is that a depraved mind? Did you just read over in Romans 1 what a depraved mind and why people, they honor God, they honor a creature instead of God. They suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Is that right? And here's the last part. They oppose the truth. They're men of depraved minds, circle depraved mind about four times. They're rejected as regards to faith. Sound like I might lose more than some rewards, doesn't it? Verse 9, But they will not make further progress. In other words, they're going as far as they're going to go. For their folly is going to be obvious to all who have eyes to see and ears to hear, as also that of those who came to be. Verse 12, here's a promise for you. Folks, do something with this verse right here and remember it. And actually, if you've got someplace you want to put some verses or something like this you want to memorize or keep, right here's some good ones. I say if he's going to pick out anything in this seminar right here, he's going to put aside these next three verses. I'd like to see you do. Indeed, all, all, all, all, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, here's a promise for you. You will be persecuted when you obey this Word. When you walk in this Word and you want to please God more than you do men, I'm going to tell you what the powers of darkness is going to bring folks against you. They've got to stop you and if they can intimidate you as a shepherd, listen to me. Just as I shared with you how they bring people against the shepherd, back him off, bring pressure, words, curses, stone him, tear down his reputation, tear down everything he is, family, everything he does to make him back off right there. Add some water to it. We'll like you a little. We'll take the heat off if you'll add some water to it. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus. Now, a form of godliness is not godliness, but you desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, you will be persecuted. Listen, folks. Let me just give you a little secret. I'm going to share something with you in the parable of the Word later on that one of the biggest attacks that the powers of darkness has on you is when you start lining your life up with the Word of God, the persecution comes to you, and then you let your mind get on the persecution instead of on the Word of God. And they steal the Word out of your heart that way. The powers of darkness take the Word out of your heart because you get your heart on the persecution instead of keeping it on God. Take your eyes off of Jesus. That's why persecution comes to you. Now, let me ask you something. What does it matter what folks is saying or what God is saying? Now, does everybody today who goes by the name of Christian want to do what God says? Now, people who get into systems and have reputations after the flesh, reputations after the flesh, I'm telling you what, this comes hard against people who have reputations after the flesh. Do you understand that? Because it tears down their system. Now, verse 13, Medieval men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. What do we see? The blind leads the blind? Deceived? You know, if your heart goes to somebody that's already deceived, instead of you letting Jesus lead you in all truth, you're letting some man either because he's got sheep's clothing or he's got credentials. What does your heart go to? Credentials or Jesus? Well, if it doesn't go to Jesus, you can't hear the Word of God because you've got your eyes on the intellect, you've got your eyes on credentials. Jesus didn't... Not many wives after the flesh are called. Is that right? Is that what he said over in 1 Corinthians? I'm telling you, there's a place for the whole body of Christ. Isn't there? I'm going to tell you, I can encourage you because you've got a place in the body of Christ because Jesus didn't spend too much time trying to find trained men, did he? They did all right, didn't they? The Spirit of God working through them. Read your Bible. Deceived and being deceived, the blind leading the blind, 14. You however... Now, here it is. Here we go. You however continue in the things you have what? Learn from the Lord and become convinced of knowing from whom you've learned them, learned everything you know. Become convinced of knowing from whom you've learned everything you know. That's another way to say it. Amen? Are you willing to do that for the Lord? Are you willing the Lord to show you anything that you've learned wrong? Are you teachable? Do you love folks more than you love God? Do you love traditions more than you love God? Do you think that it's possible that any of us could have learned anything wrong? Chapter 4, verse 3. For the time will come when they're not going to... Folks, they're not going to endure sound doctrine, but they're wanting to have their ears tickled. Why are they wanting their ears tickled? It goes on. Because they're going to look for and accumulate them teachers in accordance to their own what? Desires. Well, you must mark out their flesh desires. Now, you know, if somebody wants to be religious, you know what he'll do? He's already got him a lifestyle. Look at me just a second. You already have a lifestyle worked out in this world in the flesh. Well, you go, he'll go shop around, he'll just find him a teacher that'll tick his ears to make him comfortable in that lifestyle and he might help God out. You know, God's broke. In verse 4, they're not going to endure sound doctrine, isn't it? Because they want to live according to their own desires and verse 4, they'll turn their ears away from the what? The Word. And they'll turn aside to what? Myths. Well, how about that? Well, let me just tell you something about this analyzing and speculating about the Word of God. Who do you think causes all that? Who do you think's behind all this thing? See, if everyone's busy analyzing and speculating about the Word of God and everything instead of walking about it, being experts about the Word of God instead of being experts walking in, who do you think is behind all that? Do you think the powers of darkness might have something to do with that? Sure, back up to chapter 2 there in verse 23, but refuse foolish and ignorant speculation. In other words, speculation is foolish and ignorant. Knowing that they produce quarrels, that's what it does. Lately, I've been trying to be drawn in on words and opinions. The Word right there says refuse it. 24, the Lord's bond servant must not be quarrelsome, but he's going to be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged. With gentleness, what are you doing? Correcting those who are in what? Opposition. Now, let me ask you something. Look at me just a second. Do you think the ones who speculate and just analyze the Word of God and instead of walking in it, do you think they're in opposition to the Word of God? They surely are. They're in opposition. So here's what God said. With kindness. It didn't say stick your light down his throat, did it? See, kind to, able to teach, patient with them. Isn't that right? With gentleness, correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them what? Now, first, they need to repent and turn from this and then they're going to be, after they repent, they're led to the knowledge of the what? They're led to the truth. Now, I want you to watch this next verse. And they may come to their senses then, after they've led to the truth, and escape from the snare of the devil or the demons, having been held captive by him, to do the will of the devil. Do you see that? Is that plain? Huh? I believe it is.