This sermon emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's commandments and the need to love and serve Him wholeheartedly. It warns against falling into idolatry, immorality, grumbling, or craving evil things, highlighting the consequences of serving the powers of darkness and the restlessness that comes from straying away from God. The message encourages believers to stay strong in the Word of God, walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, and trust in His provision to endure temptations.

I don't believe the Holy Ghost had a last minute decision, but sometimes we get that message like that. And so we weren't able to get our nursery lined down. You can't believe this place is like running a city anyway. And so we just weren't able to, unless something's happened between an hour or two ago. And so anyway, our workers have been working real long hours, and they didn't know about that in advance. So we apologize for that. If you have a little one that's restless, because they aren't recording. I didn't know we'd be recording, but we will be recording the video and cassette also back there today. So if there's a restless little one, believe me, they can out-preach us every time if you don't watch it. So just slip out, and, you know, I'm an ex-kid myself. I understand how that works, praise God. But the thing about it is that, you know, someone, and I've had this happen many a time, someone may just be ready to get the truth he's been working on for about the last hour, see, and then something can divert our attention. Boy, Satan's a master of divide and conquer, you know, he really is. And so I think everybody understands it. Boy, everybody's welcome. And I apologize for not having a nursery available today, but we've done the best we could. We've had a real good week and a real busy week. So if an infamous is restless, please just real quickly move on out. And when they're settled down, then you can slip back, maybe perhaps toward the back. Well, I'll tell you, we've enjoyed five nights, and now one afternoon in the Word with Milton Green. It's really been a blessing. I'll tell you, this brother has really poured his heart out to us, and we thank God for all the good stuff. So let's get out of the way. Brother Milton, we love you, brother. You are a blessing. You got your do list, and you got your big scissors, and you got all. Got your big book over there. Walter carries those everywhere we go. Walter carries that everywhere you go. Walter's missing. That's what was missing. He said we're getting yours. Oh, okay, okay. All right, let's give him a good clap of welcome. Thank you. You know, I heard so much about this brother when I first went to meet him. I didn't know whether to put on the whole armor to be protected from him. I didn't know whether to borrow David's slingshot just in case. You know, I kept watching him, and he acted kind of normal, kept breathing. Then we prayed for a while, and I heard him pray, and I can get a man located if I can hear him pray. Long and the short of it is we just really love and appreciate brother Milton. And, you know, I just pray. In fact, we prayed that God would make this to be a week of not only him blessing us. You know, sometimes we get too selfish. But I've just prayed, Lord, I want you to bless Milton just double whatever he blesses us. Just let it come right back on him. Praise God. And no matter, you know, you feel like Superman when the anointing's on you. But when it lifts you, remember you still have this treasure in earthen vessels. But we've asked God just to let this to be a week of refreshing for our brother and his wife. And I just believe God's doing that. Praise the Lord. So, brother, we just love you. I just thank you for everything you're pouring out from the word for these nights. A lot of people are being helped, and we thank God for that. Fourth of July is the day when a lot of people already are committed with previous plans. But I believe folks that are hungry for the word of God are here today. And you know what God said about people just like you? God wrote a word for people just like you. They that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall. Huh? Well, how many received that? All right. Bless you, brother. Give him a good hand clap as well. Amen, brother. Thank you, brother. Hug a couple of people and sit down while you do that. Thank you, brother, for coming down here. Hey, brother. You see what I'm saying? Folks, this is a pretty good test. We stayed up till midnight. Stayed up till midnight and asked you to come back at lunchtime on July the 4th. Isn't that right, Joy? That's a test. And I'll tell you what. Every one of you passed it. Now, let's just see when I get through. You just decide whether it's worth it to be in the Word and see what we do. Now, see, I'm in an all-day meeting Sunday in Houston. And I'm going to tell you something. You know, I told you before. You know, like a brother said to you, when you get through, you know, you do live in this. You know, you just feel like the anointing and everything is coming on you. It's like you're going in on the carpet or something. And you can tell. You really don't rest as well as you normally do, you know, when you go on long hours and everything. And see, it's a lot different than this and these sermonettes, you know, that we usually do. But see, we don't need to worry about these things when we're involved in the things of the Lord. There is a time, you know, that the Lord wants us to take care of our body, to get good exercise, to eat properly and things like that. But I'm going to tell you, folks, that flesh has broken us against the things of God quite a bit. I just want to tell you. Amen? We're living in a time right now. These are real jewels and real treasures that the Lord is showing us right now. I want to ask you something. Haven't you really enjoyed being here in this church? How many of you are not members of this fellowship? Hold up your hand right here. Okay. Okay. We'll have an invitation directly for you. But seriously, it sure makes a difference when you can go to a place. And I have, I want to say it again, I've missed out on anyone to make it easier for me. And it's been since I've been here. And I'm not seeing, I'm seeing people now that's more and more hungry. I mean, they're just dead serious about the things of the Lord. And this is the way I see you. And God is going to use each one of you mightily. Now, I'm just sharing one thing before we get started. I was just talking to a brother over there. As long as you're going forward, did you ever just get up there where you fell and you're walking about this high off the floor? Maybe many of you are right now, right? Now, if you want to maintain that, don't go backwards. Don't be involved with anything or anybody that's going to cause you to go backwards because when you start going backwards, that's when you break the law. And then when you break the law, you lose your peace. There's no head. And then if you're in a fellowship where you're not receiving encouragement to go ahead and overcome and everything, you'll just learn and you'll just settle in right there. And more and more strongholds will come on you. Are you seeing what I'm saying? Okay. Now, one of the things that I want to deal with is the thing about blessings and curses today. And I want to get right into the Word. And, you know, I don't think we have to do a tremendous amount of talking anymore because I think things have been pretty much explained. But we do have a land to possess. We have a land to possess. And we need to overcome sin or we're going to be destroyed. Now, let me just share something with you. One other thing I want to mention. Now, all the tapes through from Sunday last week up to this time are available out there in the lobby whenever you finish this meeting right here. They're available out there. And if you have part of the money or you have any, you know, problem or whatever, just talk to us there because we want you to get the Word, spread the Word. But also, if any of you can kind of help us, you know, and get in the Word and other people because I'm going to tell you something, folks. We're in the body of Christ and we help one another. And if the Lord leads you to kind of help us where we can just, you know, to put the Word in other people's hands because let me just tell you one more time. All we are doing is building up the body of Christ. We come to give our lives to you and we go on to the next place. Do you understand what I mean? How many of you have not registered yet? Hold up your hand if you haven't registered with us yet. All right, all of you registered. I'm glad you did. Now, we're not going to ask you for money, but we are going to send you the Bible studies and we're going to send you the schedule and there will be an opportunity for you to bring other people where we can get to teach them all. So now, a very important thing. Has the Word of God done something in your life this past week? Amen. Now, I want to tell you something, folks. If between now and August the 7th and 9th, that's a Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, August the 7th through the 9th, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. What does that say? All right, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. You can tell we're needing a little break here. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, August the 7th through the 9th. And we'll be at the Dallas Convention Center. And now we'll go all day. And you know, at night, right when we were just getting to a place, taking all this time to go home, see, but there we'll go all day long, right on through for three days. And I want to tell you something. If you want to see somebody's life change, get them out of town to where they're there and get them committed to that and get them to sit there. Not where they can run back and forth and something and talk to them and just get them there in those meetings, get them committed to that. And I'm telling you, the Word of God is going to change. How can they deny it? They're going to get interested. I don't care where anybody's coming from. They're going to get interested when they find out what's destroying their life, sitting in a building or in a church building or out there on the street or whatever. When they start hearing the truth, you know, the Spirit of God will start ministering to them. Amen? So instead of us just getting all the revelation first step and want to get more and more, let's be sensitive about getting the Word to our neighbor. Now, is that what it's all about? And that's right. It's to get our neighbor help because that's what's going to help us. Okay, well, you just remember about those takes. And if any of you haven't registered, so we can just kind of keep up with you there. Okay? All right. Now, I want you to turn with me to Deuteronomy 8. About a year ago, I learned how to say that word. Deuteronomy 8. Now, folks, now let me just explain something here before we get started. The people of Israel had a land to possess. Let's just put that flesh up there, if you will there, brother. Now, you don't have any problem understanding this as the Canaanite nations on the land today. We've all got to get them off the land. Is that right? Okay, now, we're going to get them off of the land. And the example for us was Israel. And you're going to see this very clearly and very plainly. Israel was led out of Egypt. Were we led out of Egypt, the world, right? So we're led through the wilderness, and we're going through trials and things here. Our heart's being tested. Is that right? And then we're going to cross Jordan. How many of you have any idea what Jordan is? I don't have time to turn with it in Joshua 3, but let me just tell you what Jordan is. Did they cross, did the people of God, did they have the Ark of the Covenant? And they had a lot of trouble with that Ark. You know what that Ark represents? Jesus, the presence of God, right? In this Ark right here, they wanted to take this Ark and put it on new carts, didn't they? Shake your head. New carts. And then they started hauling it on new carts and somebody touched it and God killed them. God didn't want the Ark carried on new carts. He wanted it carried on holy, sanctified shoulders. That's what he told them, put poles through it, right? The Ark today is being carried on carts. That's the gospel. Instead of on holy, sanctified shoulders. They had a lot of carts today just trying to carry the Ark. Now, he told them, he said, now the Ark is passing through. You're going away you have never been before. You follow after the Ark. Don't touch it. Don't hash it. Don't rehash it. Leave it alone. When you see it, follow after it. He didn't say follow after the man. He said follow what said Jesus, what he's saying right now. Amen? You're going to follow it. When you see it, you're going to follow after it. Because you're going away you have never been before. Can I tell you right now, folks, don't try to put these things down on pencil and paper because you're going away you have never been before. Now, get that settled in your mind. So what did the priests do? The priest is a type of the craftsman today, the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, pastor, teacher. But anyway, they were the ones who were going to carry the Ark. But the whole crowd, they consecrated themselves. They cleansed themselves, purified themselves to take the Ark and cross over. All right. Now, the priests took the Ark on their shoulders the next day and they went out until the River Jordan. And they stood, and when their feet touched the water, when they stood right there, they stood. You know what they were standing in? They were standing on the Word of God. God said, Go. Now, you know, if anybody goes through this river, and by the way, it was flooded during that season. It was a flooded river. It seemed like we've heard that before, hadn't it? A flood or something that way. And so as they started to cross and they stood on the Word of God, what do you think happened? They parted. What do you think river we pass today that's a flood? Absolutely. We have to pass through these words and temptations and things of the power of the Ark to go on in and possess the land. Is that right? Amen. Are you beginning to see something right here? And so when they stood on holy, sanctified shoulders with the gospel, the water parted, and there was a wall on each side. Can I tell you what that wall was? It's a hedge. And they walked on and crossed. All Israel, that's the Church of Jesus Christ. I've got chills, I don't know about you. All the Church of Jesus Christ, all the Church, they passed on through the Jordan and went in to possess the land. Glory be to God forevermore. They weren't back hashing it and rehashing it and trying to figure out. They just did what God said and stood on the Word. Now are you seeing this? All right, now we've got a land to possess. Now the test for you about possessing the land is this. Only the ones who love the Lord with all their heart can possess the land. And don't try to figure it any other way. Have you thought much about it since we said that? Do you have to love the Lord with all your heart? See, that's the issue, folks, loving the Lord with all your heart. See, He's got the power and strength for you to do it. It's not you have to figure out how to do it. You love the Lord with all your heart and you will possess the land if you'd ever let your heart depart and fall away. Amen? You fall away and you turn to something else, you can't possess the land. Right? So that's a test. You're going to possess the land and that's the ones that the Lord wants to call sons because they love Him with all their hearts. They're the ones that are going to be worthy. Are you hearing what I'm saying? They overcome and they prove it. Boy, they prove it. All creation anxiously awaits for who the revealing of who the sons of God are going to be. Glory be to God. Isn't that good? All right, now, as they went through to possess the land and get these Canaanite nations off the land, that is a time for you and me, and this is what I want you to see. The Old Testament is showing us plainly about possessing the land today, all the things that we're going to go through and do, and they were an example for us. Now, not only am I going to show you this in the Old Testament, but I'm going to take you over to the New Testament. I'm going to tie it all together and show you about the land we're possessed today. Hebrews 3 and 4 tells us that you will possess that land, and it says you better fear lest you come short of possessing that land. Amen? All right, Deuteronomy 8. All right, now, let's begin in verse 1. Now, here he's telling them to possess the land. Now, by the way, they had a law to obey. Can I tell you that we got the law today? And what it is, it's going to love the Lord with all her heart and her neighbors herself. That's the law they had. That's the law we have today. Jesus didn't come to abolish that law. Jesus came to fulfill this law that we love the Lord with all our heart and our neighbors herself. Amen? That's possessing the land. Praise God. You're not going to possess the land then if you didn't love the Lord with all your heart. You're not going to possess it now if you don't love the Lord with all your heart. Now, here we go in verse 1. All commandments that I command you today, you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply and go in, and there it is, you're going to possess the land, which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. Verse 2. And you shall remember all the way. Circle the way. You see about the way by an ax. The way is the way into heaven. The way to possess the land. You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has. And see, they are led in the wilderness. We are being led in the wilderness right now. Is that right? The wilderness is this world. Now, let's just continue. These 40 years that he might humble you. When you're going through the wilderness there, you get humbled from that old satanic flesh nature. And that is where he is testing you. He's testing them then. He's testing you now. And this is the way he's going to know what is in your heart. He gives you a choice of where it's going to be, God, the world, or selfishness, or whatever. He tests, know what was in your heart, whether you're going to keep his commandments or not. And what did the Lord say? Those that love me will keep my commandments. Is that right? Is this right? Verse 5. Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God is disciplining you. Is disciplining you. I hope you're marking these words when we come to it. I want you to serve it. He's disciplined you in the wilderness. Jesus learned obedience through suffering. So do you. Just as a man disciplines to his son. Did we see that in Hebrews 12? Amen? All right. They were disciplined and so are you. Verse 6. Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God to... What are you going to do? You're going to walk in his ways and you're going to fear him. And we know when you fear God, you're not going to fear anything else. So now let's just look at verse 15. He led you through the great... And it's a terrible wilderness. How many are aware now what a terrible wilderness this world is right now? It's a terrible... I mean the powers of darkness are making robots out of every person in this world while they're wise in their own eyes. As they're being destroyed, they're wise in their own eyes. They can be on the penthouse dancing on one foot. They're just going to be there for a little short season because you look for that wicked man, you're not going to see him anymore. That's the wisdom of this world. God makes it foolish. All right. Now verse 15. He led you through the great and terrible wilderness. Is that what he's doing with us now? With its fiery serpents and scorpions. Who are they? Powers of darkness that we go through today. Right. And a thirsty ground. I want you to know, has there been a famine of the word? Brother, I want you to know there's been a famine of the word and God is... Boy, he's pouring water out of the rock to us right now. Is that right? Glory be to God. Thank God for that. Glory and Jesus. Bless Jesus. Praise the name of the Lord. Now that didn't excite you about the word, did it? Did that help you, Bob? Yes, sir. Praise God. It does me. All right. Now he led them through this thirsty ground where there was no water. There's a lot of places there's no water. And he brought water for you out of the rock of the plant. Glory be to God. Isn't that good? Praise Jesus. Now if we feel led to throw a fit, we'll stop and do it and then we'll start back again. Verse 16. In the wilderness he fed you with manna which your fathers did not know that he might humble you, that he might test you. And what's he wanting to do with us? I mean he's going to let us go through the things so he can do good for us. And he's got a closet full of stuff he's going to pour out on us, but he's not going to do it while we've got our tongues stuck out. He's going to put that tongue back in our mouth. We're going to get right, and then I'm going to tell you what. He's going to open up the closet. Here it is. Amen. I still got chills. I don't know about you. I mean, I'm honest with you. I'm not trying to build up anything but Jesus. I'm so excited I can't hardly get my breath. I mean, just think about it. I tell you, when I get these little glimpses of the grace of God, it just almost consumes me, just does me in. I'm telling you. I'm going to read my Bible. I mean, that's excitement and awe of the Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of God. Okay. Now, I'm still glad we came back today, aren't you? Okay. Now, he's going to do good for you in the end. We got in verse 16. Now let's go in verse 19. And it shall come about, you ever forget the Lord your God and you go to serve other what? One of who they are. That's them. Behind every idol is the powers of darkness. And serve them, you're going to serve them, and you're going to bow down to them. Listen to me, folks. Today you bow down to these gods when your heart goes after greed, when your heart goes after your own fleshly satanic reputation, when your heart goes after all of these things, when you're jealous and seek the things in the world and selfishness, you're bowing to other gods because you're not. Everything is the opposite. Everything in selfishness and self-love is bowing down to other gods. Are you following what I'm saying? So he said, and it shall come about, if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and you serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall what? You shall surely perish like the nations that the Lord made to perish before you, so you shall perish because you will not listen to the word of God. Is that plain? You won't listen to the word of God, everybody in this world dies. A slow death. It's slow almost. It's not even perceptible. It's just like a moth eating away rottenness and then it's slow deterioration. But I ought to remember, you see all these movie stars, they're a star and boy, I mean, they're the prettiest thing in the world and you look at them about 15 years later in Inquirer magazine and you're hearing they don't favor nothing. Is that right? I mean, absolutely, their features have totally been destroyed. Sin and the powers of darkness have just sucked the life out of them. They're not a star anymore. Amen? Okay. Now, Deuteronomy 11. See, it helps over here. See, if you get tunnel vision by carnal traditions, you can't read all the Bible. This is supposed to be historical revelation over here. Deuteronomy 11, verse 8. You shall therefore keep how many commandments? Every commandment. Now, this is the commandments that we're going to keep them today. You keep every commandment which I'm commanding you today so that you may be what? Strong. Now, listen to me, folks. If you don't keep the commandments of God, you break the commandments. And if you break the commandments, the powers of darkness come in and start sapping you. It's true. Amen? But if you keep the commandments, it's having the Word of God in you and being strong in the Word and being strong in the Lord, that's how you do it. Amen? That's how you become strong, by walking in a manner worthy of the Lord to please Him and bearing fruit for Him. Amen? Praise God. All right, now. Let's see, verse 8. You shall therefore keep every commandment which I command you today so that you may be strong. And then, if you're strong, you'll go in and possess the land in which you're about to cross to possess it. Now, verse 13. And it shall come about if you listen obediently to my commandments which I command you today to love the Lord your God, to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul. Isn't that exactly what He's telling us today? You know what some people say? Boy, it sure is good to live in this day of grace when you don't have to obey the Lord anymore or be holy. Yeah, it sure is good to say that grace is perverted and love, when you pervert grace, you say, my flesh may sin, but my spirit don't sin. My spirit is kept until the day of judgment. So I can go walk and talk like the devil. I can go preach and then I can go crawl in bed with some girl. I can do anything. Are you seeing? Now, that's the falling away today. Right now. Right now. So you're going to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul. Verse 14. That He may give you the what? Now, folks, people are looking for revival. They're praying for revival. I want to show you how you get revival. Here it is right there in verse 14. And if you're going to love the Lord with all your heart and you're going to serve Him, that then He will give the rain for what? Your land. He's going to rain the Holy Spirit down on your land right there. He's going to pour it out in its season. There comes the early and late rain, which is mentioned in Joel, that you may gather in your grain, there's the fruit, and that your new wine, which is the Word of God, and your oil, which is the Spirit of God. The Lord be to God forevermore. Now, isn't that plain? My brother, there's a place to walk in holiness and righteousness when the Lord's going to bring all the rain and revival. Now, verse 16. Beware. You better beware. You better beware lest your hearts be deceived and you turn away and your heart starts being grown to serve other gods and you start worshiping them. Verse 17. Are the anger of the Lord that then is going to be kindled against you? That's a wrath of God. And He will shut up heavens. Your prayers don't come through and there's not going to be no rain. There's not going to be a spirit. There's not going to be a revelation. There's going to be a famine of the Word. And then the ground, we're not going to yield its fruit. Where's the ground at, folks? This ground that we possess right there is where it yields the fruit, and you will not yield any fruit, and you're going to what? When you're not, when you're withering, and then when you're withering, what's happening? You're being destroyed, and you're going to perish quickly from the what? You're going to perish quickly from the good Lord, which the Lord has given you. May I ask you, is that telling you something right now? Amen? Now you see why I want to come back here today? Okay, now. Now, let's begin there in verse, let's go to 22. For if you're careful to keep all these commandments, which I'm commanding you to do it, to do it, to do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, you do it. You don't analyze it. Mark, do it. You do it, and here's what you're going to do. You're going to love the Lord your God. You're going to walk in all, all, all, all, all, all, all His ways. You're going to hold fast to Him, verse 23. Then the Lord, when you do this, He's going to drive out, the Lord's going to drive out these nations. You can't drive them out. Is that plain? That's the only time you ever get God in a war with the powers of darkness is when you get in it. He don't have no problem with them. Now, you might as well get free of that right now and just understand that God doesn't have any problems with anything He's made. He don't have no problem with you either. He used one angel to kill 85,000 one time. You're not complicated. He knows the hair on your head, and He watches what you think, and He watches what your motive is. That's what God wants. You can fool everybody. I can stand up here, and I can be deceitful. I can fool you, and I can do it, but I'll tell you one thing I don't fool. I don't fool God, and I'm not fooling the devil. They both see what I'm doing. And when I, when my motive's become wrong, I may deceive you, but I tell you what, I get a chain thrown on me. You understand what I mean? That's how you walk in the fear of God, when you understand it's a motive. So what I care if the devil sees what I'm thinking or what I'm doing. I don't have nothing to hide. I'm a lamb. Got it right out there. There ain't nothing but Jesus. Okay. Now. Then the Lord's going to drive out these nations before you, and you're going to dispossess. You're going to dispossess a nation. There they are. They're greater and mightier than you. Verse 26. See, I'm setting before you today a blessing and a curse. Let me see the blessing and curse set before you. You want to get cursed and destroyed? You decide not to love the Lord with all your heart. The blessing is going to come, circle blessing, if, if, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I'm commanding you today, and the curse if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord, but you're going to what? Turn aside. You know how you turn aside when your heart turns to something else? That's falling away. You fall away from what? The way. You fall away from the way. You've got a way to go, and when you don't go on it, you fall away. Now, remember what the Greek for falling away is. Falling away, right? Okay. Why did falling away get in the Bible? Because you can fall away. Right? Okay. Which I'm commanding you today. You can fall away by following other gods. Isn't that right? Folks, that's what the falling away is. You're going to follow God, and what causes you to fall away is your heart runs after other gods. That's what the falling away is. Okay. Now, verse 31. For you are about to cross the Jordan. Glory be to God. You're going to go in to possess the land which your Lord your God has given you, and you're going to possess it, and you're going to live in it, and you're going to be careful to do all the statutes and judgment that I'm setting for you today. Now, you're getting a different picture of God than what some of you have had, aren't you? Now, when you know what to do, and it's good to know what to do because you don't live in defeat. If you live in defeat right now, you don't have to run around like a pig in a corn patch or something like that, a blind pig in a corn patch, because you know what the truth is. When you fall away, brother, you don't have to run and get some man or anything else, brother. It's your own problem right there when you fall away. When you turn back, you let your heart go back, then it's your own fault there. Isn't that right? All right. Now, chapter 12. Verse 8. You shall not do all of what we're doing here today. You're not going to walk at the flesh anymore. Every man doing what's right in his own eyes. You'd better not establish your own righteousness. For you have not yet come to the what? You haven't come to the resting place yet. Oh, you'll have to possess the land to get there. You have not yet come to the resting place and the what? I hope you're marking it. The inheritance which the Lord God has given you, and when you cross the Jordan, you're going to live in the land which the Lord your God has given you to inherit, and he's going to give you rest there from all your enemies around you so that you're going to live in security. Isn't that good? Turn to Deuteronomy 28. I'm having to leave a lot of stuff behind, but I'm going to show you what's on everybody today. The Church has not been possessed in the land because the Church has fallen away. They're not crossing the Jordan. They don't have a hedge because they serve another God. All right? Now, Deuteronomy 28, verse 1. I'm going to go to the verse above, the last one of Deuteronomy 27. They all spoke curses on us. They're making covenant with God right here. Verse 26, and he said, Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law. This law of commandments is on us today by what? If you don't do the words of this law, you are cursed, and all the people shall say, Amen, that's a covenant for them and that's a covenant for you today. You're cursed if you don't fulfill and do the law, and the only way you can fulfill and do it is, of course, fulfill through Jesus, being led to be a doer of the law. Romans 2, 13 said, For not the hearers of the law is going to be justified, but the doers of the law are the ones that's going to be justified. See, this hasn't changed. Now, let's just see. We're going to look at the chapter that tells us about the blessings and curses. Now, if you're doing this law, if you're being led by the Spirit of God, I can show you a few things that happen. I'm not going to read all of it, but let's just read some of it. Now, starting in verse 1, Now it shall be if, if, if, if, if you will diligently obey the Lord. You're going to diligently seek Jesus. You're going to diligently obey the law. Lord your God, you're going to be careful to do all, all, all, all His commandments, which I command you today. The Lord your God is going to set you high above all the nations of the earth. There will be no one around like Him. And all these blessings, all these blessings, all these blessings are going to come upon you, and I'm going to tell you, the blessings of God is going to overtake you. I'm telling you, He runs you down. You get blessed in everything you do. If, if, if, if you obey the Lord your God and not let folks and traditions and anything lead you to get your heart or anything else. Now, verse 8. The Lord your God, well, I'll read verse 6. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. You're going to be blessed coming and going. Verse 7, the Lord's going to cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. Verse 8, the Lord will command a blessing upon you in your barns and all that you put your hands to. Verse 9, the Lord is going to establish you as a what? A holy people. He's going to establish you a holy people. That's exactly what we saw in 1 Peter over there, that after you suffered a while, resisting the devil, obeying the Lord with all your heart and doing His commandments, the Lord is going to strengthen you, He's going to confirm you, and then He's going to establish you. You're going to be established as a holy people because we saw in the very next chapter, 2 Peter 1, verse 4, because being obedient to God's Word, you have now been partaker of a divine nature, that's a holy nature. Your nature and God's nature and the nature of Jesus is all the same. Haven't escaped the corruption of Egypt or the world that's of the lost. Amen? Okay, now. So, now, verse 9, the Lord will establish you as a holy people. Now, circle that, establish, you can put above it 1 Peter 5, verse 10. As a holy people to Himself, and He swore to you, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, you will keep the commandments of the Lord your God and you're going to walk in the ways of the Lord. Amen? Verse 11, and the Lord will make you abound in prosperity in the offspring of your body, in the offspring of your beasts, in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. He didn't say that He's going to give you all this prosperity. It's going to come your way. See, prosperity is not always just the possessions of the world. You understand what I'm saying? And the possessions of the world is just to flow through you to be loving and giving to other people. You understand? Not to hoard up and be king and have people serve you. You understand what I mean? Okay. Now, verse 12, the Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens. He's going to open the heavens and He's going to give rain. Here's the Spirit of God going to give it to you in land in its season and He's going to bless all the work of your hand. Verse 14, do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today to the right or to the left. You better not go serve other gods. Just serve Him. Now, that's the end of blessings. I missed a lot of them, but it said, and now we get into the cursive. Now, I want you to know that these curses apply today. But there's a lot of symbolism and some of the things it's saying right here, they're meaning other things and we've learned this. We know from possessing the land there's a different kind of land that God is talking about today. All right, now here we go in verse 15. But it shall come about if, if, if you will not obey the Lord your God to observe to do all, all, all His commandments and His statutes which I charge you today. If you're not going to do them all, that all these curses, they're going to come upon you and what are they going to do? All right, now I want to remind you of a verse. By your standard of measure, it's going to be measured to you. Whatever you give out is what you're going to get. By your deeds, it's going to come upon you. That's, that's the judgment of God on the world. He's going to run you down. If you want to be like God, He's going to run you down to bless everything you do. He'll put His joy on you. He'll give you His nature and He'll have angels, the Spirit of God is just looking after you, guarding you. God, the angel of God counts around those who fear Him. Now, see, when you really, now, see, this, when these things are not explained away and when you know the reality and this is a law that God has made for everybody in this world and if you don't walk on these things, you're destroyed. God says this world's going to love walking justice and righteousness or be destroyed. Amen? All right, now, let's just continue in verse 19. Now, we know who carries out the powers of darkness. They're going to come upon you and they're going to overtake you and, of course, well, I don't think I've gotten that other verse anyway. Let me just skip that. Verse 19. Cursed shall you be when you come in and cursed shall you be when you go out. In other words, instead of being blessed coming and going, you're going to be cursed coming and going and you're not going to have no peace. The Lord will send upon you curses. What's that first word? Confusion. How many know there's the demons of confusion? The world out there and the worldly people confess confusion on their self. And he's going to send upon you curses, confusion, rebuke, and all you undertake to do until you're destroyed and until you perish. God intends for you to die quickly on account of the what? Evil of your deeds walk unto the sea. The evil deeds is always the flesh and nature of Satan because you have forsaken me. Now, verse 21. The Lord will make pessimists. That's disease. He's going to make it clean to you until he's consumed you from the land. In other words, look here. The disease comes on your body right here. It's going to be on you until you're destroyed by it. And it's going to eat away just like a moth, just like rottenness. And it comes off of these fortresses. Put another root beside. If you receive another root beside Jesus, then they start building off that and off that root that you're loving that idol you're loving more than Jesus. Destruction is coming upon you. Amen? All right. Now, verse 22. The Lord will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and the fire of heat and the sword and with the blight. The sword, by the way, is a curse. And the mill to you. And they, they, they shall pursue you. They shall pursue you. These powers of darkness that bring this, they're going to pursue you until you perish. You don't have any protection from God. Verse 23. And the heaven which is over you is going to be bronze. Now, I want you to remember, when you don't get your prayers answered, that's bronze. And the earth which is underneath you is going to be iron. When you're in bondage and torment here on the earth, that's the, that's how you're bound in fetters of iron and, and bronze. Are you hearing? You don't have any protection from God. You have a famine. You can't even hear from God. And you're cursed. Are you hearing what I'm saying? You remember seeing bronze and iron all through the Word? Okay. All right, now, let's just continue. Verse 24. The Lord will make the reign of your land. Excuse me just a minute. I'll tell you what's the truth. I don't have to hang in there no more. I, on the fifth, sixth day, or whatever it is, I can sit down like you do, can't I? Oh. Oh. Oh, my. Now, we're going to say three more extra hours today. All right, here we go in verse 24. The Lord will make the reign, that's the Spirit of God, on your land powder and dust. That's what you're going to get. It's not going to be the Spirit, the reign out of heaven. It's going to be powder and dust. From heaven it shall come down on you until you're destroyed. Now, if you want to ride out from that, that's the famine of the Word. You're not going to hear nothing from God. You're not going to have any understanding. That's a famine. That's when the last days, you know, we saw in Matthew 24, they're going to be famines. The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. That's exactly what's happening that you heard today. You shall go out one way against them, but you shall flee seven ways before them, and you shall be an example, a terror to all the kings of the earth and your carcasses. You know what your carcasses is? That's your bodies right here, okay? See, when you're walking in rebellion to God, you're dead even while you live. You understand what I mean? So, that's why your carcasses are going to be food for all the vultures. There they are. You seeing that? Huh? We saw the vultures in Luke 17, the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth, and God's not going to protect you. You have no hedge, and there's going to be no one to what? No one's going to frighten these powers of darkness away. The Lord is going to smite you with the boils of Egypt. That's what he put on Job. And how did he put it on Job? He removed the hedge and Satan and the powers of darkness came in and put the boils and everything on Job, right? Okay. The Lord will smite you with the boils of Egypt and with what? I can't hear you. Tumors. See, that's a curse. Tumors aren't blessings. And with scab and with itch and from which you cannot be healed. The Lord will smite you with madness, with blindness and bewilderment of heart, and you will grope at noon. Do you remember I told you grope at noon is the most light part of the day when you're supposed to be able to see where you're going? When you're groping at noon, you're groping in spiritual darkness. And you shall grope at noon as a blind man gropes in darkness and you shall not prosper in your ways, but the powers of darkness are going to be all over you. But you shall only be under oppression. You're going to be robbed. Continue. That thief is robbing and stealing and tearing down everything you do and there's going to be none to save you. Verse 32. Now, are you seeing that's what's on us, folks? How many are seeing that's what's on us? Are you seeing? Okay. Now, 32. Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people. Do you know that other people that are the powers of darkness? While your eyes... I want you to think it's the sons and daughters of people there and they live in the same house with them and they're not even sons and daughters. Your sons and daughters shall be given to another people while your eyes shall look on and yearn for them continually and there'll be nothing you can do. Look at verse 41. You shall have sons and daughters but they shall not be yours for they shall go in captivity. The powers of darkness then they're going to just be in rebellion and hate and not honoring their mother and father and all the other thing. That's a curse. Verse 33. A people whom you do not know shall eat up the produce of your ground and all your labors and you shall never be anything but oppressed and crushed continually. That's the stubbornness stiff neck which has happened today. 36. The Lord will bring you and you're what? I can't hear you. You're king, all right? So you're going to have some man and you're going to make him king over you. That's what the kings all over this land right here people have made to carry them back to lead them back into Egypt and the ways of the world to come and tickle their ears and tell them how great they are in their stiff neck rebellion to God on Sunday morning. All right, here it is. The Lord's going to bring you and your king whom you shall set over you to a nation going to put you right in the world which neither you nor your fathers have known and there you're going to serve other gods. You're going to serve wood and stone. Can I ask you today is that what people do and they build these buildings right here and they bow them down to the wood and stone. Is that correct? And it's leaving people in carnal doctrines and everything and lies are on us and they're really being destroyed right there. Now look at verse 38. You shall bring out much seed to field. You're going to bring out the word of God but you shall gather in little because who's going to consume it? The locusts shall consume it. Yeah, the locusts are the powers of darkness in the last days and they're the ones you're talking about in Joel 2 by the way. It's the one you're talking about in Nahum also. The locusts are the one. The same thing the parable of the word is. The powers of darkness come out and eat the seed. Do you understand what I mean? Your word only works when your motive and your heart is as unto the Lord. Amen? Now I'm going to warn you all about something right now. You can jump up and down and you can receive this word with joy but then when the test and everything comes if you don't really be steadfast and endure and you let your conversation get tied up with the form of godliness and things like that, you won't endure. The powers of darkness come and steal everything that you're hearing here right now. And then when you do, you're not going to have any joy. You've got to go forward. You don't go backwards. Amen? Verse 45. So all these curses shall come upon you. They're going to pursue you. They're going to overtake you until you're destroyed. Why? Because you would not obey the Lord your God and you wouldn't keep his commandments. That's law. And his statutes which he commanded you. And they shall become a sign upon you and your descendants forever. But when the curses come on you, it comes on your children. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart for the abundance of all things. Now this is the choice we make in John 10.10. The thief come to kill, steal, and destroy you. But Jesus came that you'd have life and have it abundantly. Now you make your choice. You walk out of the flesh in selfishness, you get the thief and you get destroyed. But if you walk to Jesus with all your heart, you get the abundance of all things. That's exactly what verse 47 is telling you right there. Now verse 48. Therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord your God shall send to you in hunger, in thirst, and in nakedness. Is that exactly where we saw the church of Laodicea over there that was rich and already increased in goods and she's lost? Amen? Huh? All right, now. And in the lack of all things, the lack of all things, you're not going to be blessed because the powers of darkness are tearing down every relationship and everything you do. And he's going to put an iron yoke on your neck until, until. Now don't you want to circle until right there because it's going to stay there until you die. And you think it's kind of judgment spoken about God if this is not taught. Why? Because men take the people of God and they want to build reputation and people don't want to hear that like that. See, when you're going to be king like that, you're, uh, the king Jesus come and tear your kingdom down. Amen? Amen. Verse 49. The Lord your God's going to bring a nation against you from afar. Now this is, uh, this afar, this is the powers of darkness. And you see the reference made to them as eagles, birds, or, uh, from the end of the earth as an eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, a nation of fierce countenance who shall not have no respect for the old nor show favor to the, to the young. And look at verse 41. Moreover, here's what the powers of darkness are going to do. They're going to eat the offspring of your herd and to produce your rear ground until you're destroyed. And they're going to leave you no grain. There's not going to be any fruit for God. There's not going to be any word of God in your wine. There's not going to be any spirit. Oh, and, and you're going to be, this is how they come and make desolation. Now you hear what I mean? The abomination makes desolation. Nor the increase of your heart or the young of your flock until they have caused you to perish. Right? Now verse, now they're going to stay there and when they take away the fruit, the word and all, and see that's what the foolish virgins are going to be looking for in the last days and they're going to be able to get it unless they, they move in and come to this lot right now. And it shall besiege you and all your towns and your high fortified whitewashed walls in which you trusted. And they're going to what? They're going to come down. Amen? Look at verse 58. If you're not careful to observe all the words of this law, now I'm going to slow down here and I want you to really mark. Now I want you to circle the law right there. If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book to fear, fear, fear, fear this honored and awesome name, the Lord your God. Now here's what happens. If you want to break the law, then the Lord your God is going to bring extraordinary plagues on you, your descendants. He's going to bring severe and lasting plagues. He's going to bring miserable and chronic sicknesses. When you're breaking a law, you're building fortresses and through the fortresses come sicknesses and diseases. Are you seeing what I'm saying? Now are you seeing how disease enters your body right now? Okay now, verse 60. And he's going to bring back, bring back. Now circle bring back. He can't, you see you can't bring something back unless it's already taken away from you. And this is what the Lord's taking the diseases off of them and everything like that. And he intends them to work, but he's going to bring them back if they don't continue to keep the law. Amen? So he's going to bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, the world, which you were afraid, and they're going to cling to you. And every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law, the Lord's going to bring on you until these diseases do what? They're going to destroy you. Now look in verse 63. Could anything be any plainer, folks? You go get possessed land, you get killed. Hey, how many options do you think you've got this week? You either walk in holiness or you die. Huh? Go speculate about that. Analyze that. See, I mean, that's the fear of God. You have to learn the fear of God. Say, God, please give me the fear of God. And you go on, you have to seek God in the whole heart to learn what the fear of God is. If you're seeking the Lord in the whole heart, 1,500 things the powers of darkness could have told you you could have been doing right now instead of being here hearing this word. Amen? I just want to encourage you. That's good. Just don't turn back. 63. And it shall come about that as the Lord delighted over you to once prosper you and multiply you, so now the Lord's going to delight over you, he's going to make you perish, and he's going to destroy you, and you're going to be torn from your body, this body, this tent, this land which you're entering into possess. Folks, is this plain? Moreover, the Lord your God is going to scatter you among the people. You know how he scatters you? He drives you away from him, and he puts you out there in a world where everybody else is being destroyed. He's going to scatter you among all the peoples from one end of the earth to the other end, and there you're going to serve the powers of darkness. The powers of darkness, everybody out there in that world is serving wood and stone. Isn't that right? All right? Which you, your Father, have not known. That's what their hearts go after. And among those nations you shall find no rest. All right? You're going to find no rest. There's going to be tiredness. You can just write it in. There's going to be tiredness right there. And then there's going to be no resting place for the sole of your foot. In other words, the powers of darkness, they just drive you, and they give you compulsion. And you write right there, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy. You're always two days behind, and see, it just wears you out. Busy. And there the Lord is going to give you a trembling heart. A trembling heart. That means fear. He's going to put fear in your heart. You're going to have failing of eyes, which is blindness. You're going to have despair of soul, which means you're not going to have any joy. There's just going to be worry and sadness and things like that in your life. Verse 66, So your life is going to hang in doubt, because you shall be in dread. See, that's people who don't know whether they're saved one day or the next day. And there's no confidence. See, the only way you have confidence is to obey the Lord. And you shall be in dread night and day and shall have no assurance of your life. Now, I want to tell you something. Listen to me, folks. Dread is a curse. Dread comes and talks to you and makes you dread going to work. You want to dread seeing certain people. You dread doing this, and you dread doing that. When the powers that are in you can talk you into dreading something, then when you agree with it in your heart, that stronghold comes on you, and then when you see that person, all hell drops on you. They can attack you. When you get to work, they'll do it. If you dread coming to church, when you get to church, you will. I mean, they can attack you there the whole time, make you miserable. And see, this is what people teach you. They teach you to dread the Word. They teach you to not hear too much of the Word. They teach you, you know, to be bored by the Word. In other words, you dread the things of God instead of rejoicing in them. Are you all seeing what I'm saying right here? Okay. You start dreading, and see, this is life. We're not even living. We're passing through this world. All right, now, verse 67. In the morning, you can say, Well, I wish it was evening. And in the evening, you say, Well, I wish it was morning. Because why? Because the dread in your heart which you dread, and the sight of your eyes which you shall see. Because the only thing that you see with your eyes is brokenness, sadness, defeat, and you're out playing demonic games with other people, and you sit there acting like you care about each other, and both of you are in deceit, and you've got an atmosphere there of condemning and not loving people, and the powers of darkness, they're just tearing down everything you're doing. There's just no joy about it. You don't have any protection from God growing. All your fellowships are just tearing down. All right, now, verse 68. And the Lord's going to bring you back to the world. In other words, you're going to go right back into the world in ships by the way of which I've spoken to you, and you see what the way is right there. You're going right back into the world. You shall never see it again, and there you're going to offer yourself for sale, and you're going to be to your enemies as male and female slaves of the powers of darkness. They're just going to use you. They laugh all the time. They're going to manipulate you. They play games with you, two against another, to have you bite and devour one another, and right there you become slaves and robots of the powers of darkness. Now, that's what you choose when you choose against the one who created you. If you don't want to be like him, you get to be like them. If you don't want to be like God, you get to be like the powers of darkness, and they just take over your mind. They just build these strongholds, and they start manifesting the life of Satan through you, and a bunch of people get through each other, and they start saying things like love when they're really hating and destroying, and your curses and words you speak on others, even on your own children, on your own self, self again destroying one another. These are stones, like stoning one another to death. Amen? Is the Lord opening our eyes up to a great falling away? Do you think he's going to call a remnant out? You know, when you start seeing these things, one of these hundred-dollar bills, and these buildings, and this thing of this world, and you know what it becomes? Just like Paul said, it's going to become dumb. Dumb. When we're knowing the glory and the presence of God and all he has over us, I mean this thing of this world is absolutely dumb. Amen? Okay. Now, let's go to 29, verse 16. Now, we're going to see how they come. By the way, let me look in verse 1, 29, verse 1. These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel. And so I want you to know this is part of the covenant, and I want you to know the law hadn't been done away with. I want you to know the blessings and curses hadn't been done away with. Of course, we know our covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ, that he leads us to fulfill the law, right? We do these things. We become a doer of the law. Now, Deuteronomy 29, verse 16. For you know how we lived in the world. Just mark it. We lived in the world, the land of Egypt, and now we came through the midst of the nation. We come out of this world. It went after wood and stone and silver and gold through which you passed. Now, that's what had their hearts. Moreover, you've seen their abomination and their idols are the people of the world. Their hearts are going after wood. Their hearts are going after stone. Their hearts go after silver. Their hearts go after gold. A hundred dollar bill is what you had with them. Lest there shall be among you a man or a woman or family or tribe. Now, circle that. Whose heart what? Whose heart turns away. In other words, your heart today from the Lord your God to serve the gods of those nations. In other words, your heart goes back to wood, stone, silver, and gold. Now, here's another thing. Lest there be among you a root. I want you to put up there. Show me a root right up there. Put approval of man. Look right here. See if you have a... Raise it up a little bit here, brother. A little bit more. Approval of man right there. There's a root right there. Approval of man. Now, you start seeking approval of man instead of God and then lower it on down here where I am. See that criticism and you get into bitterness. Bitterness has got left off that. But see, in a bitterness... What do we see now? You remember what we saw in Hebrews 12? That a root of bitterness is going to spring up and it's going to devour who? It'll spread all over the place. Then you're not loving the Lord with all your heart and you're not loving your neighbor yourself. He's warning you. You better not let any roots come up except the root of God and the people of God. You deal with it because his count is going to be holy. Amen? Is that right? Praise God. All right, now. Boy, this is gospel right here. And there shall be, lest there be among you a root bearing what kind of fruit? Look on that screen up there. Is that poisonous fruit? Huh? You're going to bear murder and you're going to bear unforgiveness and hate. That's going to bear poisonous fruit. Bitterness is going to spread. When you're bitter, you're going to spread it to other people. That's what's got your heart. What's in your heart comes out. Amen? When we're dealing in holiness and righteousness, we deal with the things of fruit. Now, I'm going to tell you something, folks. We're moving into something right now. And boy, are we going to be careful. As long as we're headed in that direction, and the Word's being taught, then there's going to be a separation. The Word has to separate. Amen? Let me say that again. The Word has to separate. Lawlessness, people who don't obey God's law and fulfill God's law of righteousness can't walk with Him. Is that a fact? So the Word's going to separate. Now, this is going to get you talked about. You're going to get into places where you're going to be persecuted. And John promised you you're going to get persecuted. The world's going to hate you. When you don't walk and talk like the world or the whore, harlot, worldly church, you're going to be hated and persecuted. So what's new under the sun? You don't want their approval anyway, do you? Well, I'll tell you what. God said that's when you're blessed, and I've experienced it. I've had a lot of things there, but I'm a household word in some circles and so forth like that. I really am. People, I don't even know, but I'm not going to get into that right now. That's up to God, all right? And see, Brother Bob right there, it had to be God, or I never would have been over here sharing with all the lies and everything he heard about me. Isn't that true? God did it, and so God's a vindicator. Let's go in verse 19. And so this poison of fruit's going to come. Now, here's a false piece. Are you ready? Now, I want you to look right there in verse 19. And it shall be when he hears the words of this curse that he will boast, saying, I have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart. In other words, I can walk having these gods of wood and stone and everything, and I can be bearing this poisonous fruit, and I have peace, although I have a stubborn heart, and I'm destroying the watered land and, in other words, he's withering with the dry land. There's the false piece. Do you see it? Okay, now, verse 20. The Lord shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy. See, he's jealous for his heart right there, but his heart went to other things. So the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will burn against this man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest upon him, and the Lord's going to blot his name out from under heaven. That curse is what you're seeing on the word today, the church today that says they have peace, although they walk in the stubbornness of their heart. They don't have a repentant heart. Are you following what I'm saying? All right, now, then the Lord will single him out for adversity. Instead of having blessings, he had adversity from all the tribes and nations. Here comes the powers of darkness. And according to all the curses of the covenant which were written in this book of the law, and then we go in verse 22, Now the generation to come, and your sons who rise up after you, and the warners who come from this land, when they see the plagues, you see the plagues and diseases. Boy, that's a people not blessed when they have plagues and diseases, with which the Lord has afflicted them, will say, all this land is brimstone. It's another word, brimstone. It is dried up. It's withered. It's not the watered land of God. It's an assault, a burning waste. It's unsewn. The Word of God's not getting in there. It's unproductive and not producing fruit. No grass grows on it. It's like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and a couple of hard words which the Lord overthrew in His anger and His wrath. And all the nations shall say, Why is the Lord done thus to the land? Why this great outburst of anger? Then the men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord. Is that plain? Verse 26, And they went out and served other gods and worshiped the powers of darkness. Verse 27, Therefore the anger... Verse 27, The anger, there's a wrath of God. Oh, the Lord has what? Burned against that land to bring on every curse which is written in the book. And He has uprooted them in His anger and great wrath has cast them in another land. They're back in the world now. They're not a people of God anymore. Do you see that? Now He warns, now chapter 30. I want you to see this. It shall be when all these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind and all the nations which the Lord your God has banished you. Now, is this what we're doing right now? We're beginning to understand the blessings and curse that's set before us and we're seeing now. Here's what the Lord tells us to do. And if you and you return to the Lord your God, you repent and then you obey Him with what? All, all, all your heart and soul, which the law says you do, according to all, all, all that I command you today, your lands and your sons, then, circle then, when you do this, then the Lord your God is going to restore you from captivity and He's going to have compassion on you and He's going to gather you again and that gathering is going on right now. He's gathering the wise virgins from all the people where the Lord your God has scattered you, in other words, in the world. Now, look in verse 6. More of the Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants. How does He do this? We saw it in Colossians 2, our verse, we saw in verse 6 and 8 that we circumcise by the removing of the sins of the flesh in order that you may what? Live and not be destroyed. Now, let's look in verse 7. The Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies, on all those who hate you, the ones that persecute you are going to be cursed, the power of darkness is coming all over them. And you shall again obey the Lord. You're going to observe all His commandments, which I command you today. Then the Lord your God is going to prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand. Verse 10. If you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments, His statutes, which are written in the Book of Law, if you turn the Lord your God with what? Folks, now, have you figured out? Religion always wants to tell you another way besides having to go to the cross and come with all your heart and die. Amen? You come with all your heart. Is that plain? You're going to love the Lord your God with all your heart. Now, that's where you start at, for this commandment, which I command you today. Now, I want you to remember this. It is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. You know what? I was sharing with a seminary professor. And this seminary professor, we were talking about some of these blessings and curses. And he said, Well, and then finally when we got hemmed up in some of these things, I was teaching about healing. And he said, You know, God doesn't heal. And then I went through the curses right here and everything. And he said, Well, he said they couldn't keep the law. And I said, Well, why do they have it in the Bible? And anyway, I said, Well, let me show you another verse. And I read, For this commandment, which I command you today, is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. And then, of course, it wasn't anything said, but anyway, it wasn't received anyway. Now, we're going on to verse 15. I want you to see this right now. See, I have set before you today what? Life or eternal life. Are you seeing that? I have set before you life or eternal life. And I have set before you life and prosperity. That's the blessings. Or you have death and what? Adversity. In that I command you today, the love of the Lord your God, to walk in his ways and keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgment, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you're entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away, now you're drawn away, and we're going to see this later on in Hebrews, don't you see it? And you will not obey, but you're not going to obey, but you're going to let your heart be what? Drawn away. And we know this is what happened to him. And you go and worship other gods and serve them. I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land. In other words, you're going to be destroyed. Where you're entering to cross and to join, to enter into possession, you're not going to live very long. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and what? Death, the blessing, and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live. You're in the sentence. Now, I want to show you this same thing. Hold your place right there. Turn with me over to Romans 8. I want to show you this same thing that's set before you today. We've been looking at it this way. Romans 8. Romans 8, verse 12. So then, brethren, verse 12, we're under obligation not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, for if you're living according to the flesh, you must what? There is death. Death does not, flesh does not keep God's law. If you look down in Romans 8, 7, the flesh is hostile toward God and does not subject itself to the law of God. Therefore, if you're living according to the flesh, you must die. But if you're led by the Spirit of God, you're going to put to death the deeds of the body, which break God's law, and you're not going to be able to practice in lawlessness, and then you're going to live. There's life and death. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God, and they're the ones that make their camp holy. Now, back up in verse 6. For the mind set on the flesh is what? Death. But the mind set on the Spirit is what? For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God and it won't subject itself to this law of God. We'll read them back over here. Now, what do you think about that? It's plain? Now, let's just go back over there. We're going to see it. I'll read it again, verse 19. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today the I'm set before you what? Life and death. Do we have life and death set before us today? Life and death and the blessings and the curse. So you choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord, your God, number one. Number two, you're going to obey his word, voice. Number three, you're going to hold fast to him, verse 3. And number four, this is going to be your life and this is going to be your length of days to keep you from being destroyed, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. Now, if we had time to go back to Galatians 3, I'd show you that it talks about the blessings and the curses right there, and it talks about that we received the inheritance of Abraham. Amen? And that's a land right here. See, although that was a land right there, and we live by faith is a promise, and Abraham lived by faith, and we're children of faith. Isn't that right? All right, now, boy, I'd like to go through Psalms, I'd like to go through some other places and show you what happened to him, but you know they wouldn't go in to possess the land, would they? And the Lord had them turn around and go right back out into the wilderness until he destroyed them with the curse. Amen? But now why don't you look at Nehemiah 9, we'll see a little of it there. Nehemiah 9. Turn over your right, just about halfway there between Psalms, I mean right before Psalms. Now, we'll just see a little about it, okay? Nehemiah 9. Boy, I mean, the Lord's showing us how to walk right now, isn't he? Let me tell you something else. You who have got those tapes and everything in this meeting, don't think that you've got it. I'm going to tell you when you go back through the tapes, you'll see one thing right after another. You miss, miss, miss, miss that you didn't get in tape. And then I want to tell you something else. When you go back through them again, you'll see the same thing all over again. And if you go back and go back over and over those things again, you're going to get clearer and clearer because it's the word, the word, the word, like we're going right now, see? And also, I'll tell you what, boy, just really get other people started in listening to the Word. It's only the Word that's going to get people here. You see what I mean? All right, now we're in Nehemiah 9. I want you to look with me, please, in verse 9. We see, we start over here and we see, Thou didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt. Thou didst hear their cry by the red sea, and he put up a hedge there too, didn't he? Thou didst perform signs and wonders against Pharaoh. Let's go to verse 11. And Thou didst divide the sea before them. There was a hedge and a wall. So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground. Well, how many knows that all over the word, the Lord pours out the sea? In other words, He pours out the flood. Now, that's what that's a type of today. It's like the river came. Now, I'll tell you what it goes. Babylon, Church of the Last Days about Babylon, you'll understand all about the sea and these things. Anyway, their pursuers, Thou didst hurl into the depths like a stone in a raging water. Now, if I had time right here, I'd just tell you and just something you'll see in the Babylon. The Babylon of the last day, it said, and an angel took a millstone and he threw it into the sea and said, Thus shall Babylon sink, and she'll not rise again. And see, you know how Babylon, the harlot whore church of the last days, who's a dwelling place of demons, she is overcome and she sinks in a sea of a flood of words of the powers of darkness. She's destroyed. Are you seeing what I'm saying? I could go back over to Jeremiah and Isaiah and tie all those together, but I just want to tell you about that. All right, so their pursuers, they're like a stone into raging waters. Amen? Then let's look in verse 13. And thou didst come down on Mount Sinai, and thou didst speak to them from heaven, and didst give to them ordinances and true laws. There they are. Good statutes and commandments. Paul said he's good. So thou didst make known to them thy holy Sabbath. Thou didst lay down, and didst lay down for them commandments, statutes, and law. Here he comes. Circle that law. It's a good law. Through thy servant Moses, and it still stands today, folks. Thou didst provide bread from heaven to them for their hunger. He does it today. Thou didst bring water forth from the rock for them for their thirst. We're talking about spiritual things. That's what's happening today, right now. Thou didst tell them to enter in order to possess the land. That's what he's saying right now, which thou didst swear to give them. Isn't that right? Verse 16, But our fathers, and we see what this bunch did, they acted arrogantly, they became stubborn, and wouldn't listen to the commandments. And so that, at hardened hearts, that say they have peace, all they want from the stubborn of their heart, is exactly what is happening today. And you're going to see them right here in this next verse. And they refused to listen, did not remember the wonders deep, which thou didst perform among them. And here they are today. This is the whole of Charlotte Church. They became stubborn, and they pointed them a king and a leader to return to the slavery of the world. They want to walk and talk like the world. Do you see that? Now look in verse 18. Even when they made for themselves a what? Cave of golden image. Then I tell you that religion is the image of the beast. When you bow down to the image and these doctrines that do not conform you in Godliness, you will come like the beast, which is the powers of darkness. Amen? All right? And they bowed down to a beast, the image of the beast, and in Revelation, and we got the mark of God and the mark of the beast out there in the little album out there, if you're interested in that. And I'm telling you, do you see that you don't have to be a Far Eastern expert to understand the last days now? Is that right? Even when they disguised themselves as seeking righteousness, they made for themselves a cave of molten image. That's the image of the beast. I tell you what, why don't you write up in that Revelation 14, verse 9 and 10. They made for them a cave of molten metal and said, This is your God who brought you up from Egypt. In other words, they bowed down to the image of the beast and said, This is God, instead of God being God. Isn't that right? Now, let's just look over in verse 33. It's tying some things together, isn't it? However, thou art just in all that is come upon us. I don't skip a bunch, but we have acted wickedly. For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept thy law. That's what we found out today. They have not paid attention to thy commandments then. They're not paying attention to the commandments of God today. And the admonition which thou admonish them, but they in their own kingdom, they have their own righteousness, their own kingdom with the great goodness which thou didst give them with a broad and rich land which thou didst set before them, did not serve thee, or turn from their evil deeds. Is that what we experience today? Behold, therefore, here we are. We're slaves today. And as to the land which thou didst give to our fathers, to eat of its fruit and its bounty, behold, we're slaves on that land today. Now, that's a sleeping church that's waking up. And its abundant produce is Father King's. The fruit is, you know, who gets the leading us out of these fleshly desires and build men's reputation and names and career, they get the fruit of our works. God doesn't. Are you hearing me? Men get the fruit of the works. They get to be personalities and all kind of things. And its abundant produce is for the kings which thou hast set over us because of our sins of breaking God's law. They also rule over our bodies, over cattle as they please. So we are in great distress. Are you seeing that? Now, I want you to turn to John 15. Now, we're going to see how you possess the land. John tells you to 15, and when we see the word abide, abide means continue. This is how you possess the land of divine nature. You have to love the Lord with all your heart, and then when you have a divine nature, you love your neighbors yourself. Now, verse 1. Jesus said, I'm the true vine. My Father is a vine dresser. Verse 2. Every branch in me that does not bear the fruit of love, He's going to take it away and every branch. Now, see, the one that bears fruit, He's possessing the land. He's going to take it away. But every branch that bears fruit, He's going to prune it that it may bear more fruit. In other words, the Lord's going to cause you to possess the land. Now, look in verse 4. Continue in me, and I in you. Don't turn back, as a branch is not going to bear fruit of itself unless it remains in a vine. So neither can you unless you continue in me. Now, I want to show you something about that. You have to continue in the Lord to possess the land. Hold your place and turn over to 1 John 3. 1 John 3. That's about five days here. Need a little liquid. Okay. Now, we're going to see. I want to read that verse again so you can see what we're saying. Verse 4. Back in John 15. Jesus says, continue in me. That's the word love. And I in you, as a branch cannot bear the fruit of love of itself unless it continues in a vine. So neither can you unless you continue in me. Now, you have to continue in him to bear the fruit of love. Now, right there in 1 John, I want you to look with me in verse 6. No one who continues in Jesus is going to what? No one who sins has seen him or even knows him, if that's the direction they're walking. Little children, let no one deceive you. It's the one that practiced righteousness is the one that's righteousness. Verse 8. The one who practiced sin is of the devil. Verse 9. No one who is born of God practiced sin. Folks, isn't it amazing that all these years of all our cleverness and doctrines and things, we can't see anything that's simple? You know why? You put your trust in men. The men you put your trust in are blind to righteousness. That's okay. Verse 10. By this the children of God and the children of the devil, obviously anyone that doesn't practice righteousness is not a God and the one that doesn't love his brother. If they don't practice right, if they practice sin, they're not a God. You look in verse 16. So then you're going to know them by the what? Fruit. We know love by this, the God kind of love. He laid down his life for us, and we're going to have to lay down our lives for the brethren in order that we can love them as the Lord has loved us. Is that right? Now, he sent before us life and death. Look in verse 14. We know that we have passed out of what? Death, for we're walking out of the flesh. Into what? Life, an eternal life, because now we love the brethren, and you have to lay down the flesh to do that. He who does not love, he's still continuing to walk in death. Amen? Now, we're back over there. We're back over in John 15, verse 5. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who continues in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. But apart from the root, Jesus, me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not continue in me, he is thrown away as a branch. Here comes the curses. Are you seeing this? If you don't continue until the Spirit of God and the Word of God to put to death the deeds of the flesh, then if you walk out of the flesh, you're going to die. If anyone does not continue in me, he is thrown away as a branch, and he's going to dry up there, he's going to wither. Is that what we saw back there? It's going to be a burning waste, salt. And then they, that's the ones who carry out the curses, shall gather them, they're going to cast them into the fire. They're going to be burned. And then they are, of course it says they are burned. Now, verse 7, if you continue in me, my words continue in you, you're going to be blessed. That's where you get your blessing. You can ask whatever you wish, and it's going to be done for you. Are you seeing this now? Now, verse 8, by this is my Father glorified that you're going to bear much fruit of love, and then if you do this, when you bear fruit, you're overcoming, you're possessing land, and then you prove to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is that correct? Okay, now continue. Just as Father loved me, I've loved you and continue my love. If you keep my commandments, you'll continue my love. Verse 11, these things I've spoken to you that the God kind of joy is going to be in you. Verse 12, this is my commandment, that you love one another with a divine nature in the same way that the Lord has loved you. Is that plain? Well, how does he say you do that? Greater love has no one than this. You're going to have to lay down your life for who? And then we see in the next verse, and you're my friends if you do what I command you. If you don't do what I command you, that means it shows you that the Lord doesn't have your heart, and therefore the curses are upon you. Is that right? So we know in verse 16 that he appointed us to bear much fruit, and that our fruit remain, and then once again, all your prayers are going to answer. Whatever you ask the Father, he's going to give to you. And in verse 17, he said, this is my commandment, that you love one another. Verse 19, if you were of the world, if you went around walking and talking like the world, the world would love its own. You don't walk and talk like the world, but because you're not of the world, you don't walk and talk like them, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world is going to hate you when you won't participate in gossip, slander, and all these other things, right? So we see also in 20, remember the word that I said, a slave is not greater than his master, therefore the world and the worldly church, if they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you also. Did Jesus have kind of a hard time with the chief priest? He really did, didn't he? Now take your Bible and stand up just a minute, please. Now would you turn to me to 1 Thessalonians 2. All you Ts are together. 1 Thessalonians 2. Now I'm going to skip several things right here, but I'm just going to try to get this to the... 1 Thessalonians 2. Now he's talking to the church at Thessalonians, Thessalonians, and he'd been telling them about the persecution and affliction and suffering they're going to go through. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 14, "...for you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of..." What? Your own countrymen. In other words, they're going to come and persecute you then and they're going to persecute you today. Is that correct? In chapter 3, verse 2. And Paul said, "...we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow workers, in the gospel of Christ to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith." Paul said, I'm concerned about you. "...so that no man be disturbed by these afflictions." I want you to expect these afflictions, Paul said. Don't be disturbed about them. They're going to come upon you because, listen, folks, people who love the nature of Satan are going to come against the people because the powers of darkness put all kinds of thoughts and things in their mind against you. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Okay. Now, they're going to come against you, so expect it. Don't be disturbed by them. Amen? All right, let's read again. Verse 3, "...so that no man be disturbed by these afflictions, for you yourself know that we have been..." What? "...we have been destined for this. For indeed, when we were..." In other words, you don't fall away and turn back. When the pressure comes on, you're going to stand in it and die of the flesh. Is that what it's all about? Praise God. That's how he put it today. "...for indeed, when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction, and so it came to pass. For this reason, when I couldn't endure it no longer..." Now, watch this. Paul said, "...I sent to find out about your faith, to see if you fell away and turned back, for fear that the powers of darkness and tempters might have come and tempted you, and you'd fall away, and our labor should be..." What? How much security do you find in that verse right there, if you turn back? You're scared of being Jesus, and if you love Him, you're going to obey Him, right? But if you've got a security that tells you that you can't lose something you hadn't got, are you seeing what I'm telling you, folks? Then you're not going to go possess the Lamb, and then you're going to be destroyed. I don't need to say anything more about it. I think the Word says it. Well, that's the falling away today, folks. Now, what we need to do... All right, let's just continue around verse 10. Here's what he... "...And we, night and day, we keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and that we may do..." What? "...We want to complete what's lacking in your faith." In other words, we want to see you perfected in the divine nature of the love of God. Is that right? Amen? What did Jesus tell the rich young ruler? If you want to be complete, go sell all your possessions because greed's still got your heart. And you'd still love greed more than you do God. That's one thing you lack. If you want to be complete, go and then come follow me. And the rich young ruler turned and sadly walked away because he loved greed more than he did Jesus. Like I say right there, he could have run into Baldwin down the street, next corner right there, and he could have been superintendent of the Sunday school or something. Now, verse 12. "...And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love." He wants to complete it. "...For one another and for all men, just as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts as unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the..." What? "...We had looked at that coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints last night." Is that correct? All right. Now, let's just see. So we are tempted to cause us to fall away. You want to sit back down there just a moment there? And we'll just... In a second, we might just do it again. But now we... Now, we're trying... Hebrews 10. I mean, no, Hebrews 4, I meant to say. Turn to Hebrews 4, and we want to see something quickly. Hebrews 4. Hebrews 4, verse 15. Now, they're tempted to fall away. Is that right? And keep from being complete. All right, verse 15. "...But we have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses of the flesh, but one who has been tempted in all things, as we are yet without sin." And he's the one that leads us. "...Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we might receive mercy and may find grace." I want you to circle mercy and grace. "...to help in time of need." Now, listen to me, folks. I want you to see something right here. Look at me. Mercy and grace has been perverted that you can go and practice sin. Mercy and grace is where God empowers you to resist the powers of darkness and the temptations of the flesh so you'll be a doer of the Word. Now, you remember where this verse is when somebody starts talking to you about mercy and grace. The mercy and grace is God that calls you to be led by the Spirit of God to fulfill God's law, which is going to destroy you if you don't. That's why Jesus came, because no one can keep the law. And we know that the requirements of the law are fulfilled in those who no longer walk out of the flesh. You can't keep them walking out of the flesh unless you have the mercy and grace from God to empower you. Amen? It's impossible. Now, we're back up in Hebrews 2. Verse 18. For since Jesus, he himself, was tempted in that which he suffered, he's able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. Is that right? Now, you're going to be tempted just exactly like Jesus was tempted. Is that what we've been seeing in your Bible? And he comes to your aid, and you have mercy and grace to overcome. Now, everybody look at me here just a minute. How many are aware that the next two chapters there tell you about going in and possessing the land, Hebrews 3 and 4? That's what it's all about. So, in the midst of these, what he's telling you, you're going to be tempted. Don't fall away. Don't let your heart be drawn away. Is that exactly what we saw back over there in the other part of the Bible? Is that right? But Israel, back then, they didn't go in and possess the land because their hearts were drawn away. Is that correct? There's the image of beasts then. There's the image of beasts today. They'll draw people's hearts away and worship wood and stone instead of going in and possessing the land. Is that correct? Or be like the world. And we're warned about all these. Now, I want to tell you something, folks. We're dealing with this wisdom of man to get you killed. I mean, we're dealing with the wisdom of God here right now. Amen? All right, now, they didn't go in and possess the land, did they? And they were destroyed. All right, now, I want you to watch something right here so that you'll know that you can fall away. Now, if you want to sit in here alive that you can't fall away, you get yourself a false security, don't possess the land, and be destroyed. I'm going to tell you your Bible says you can fall away, and I want you to watch very closely what your Bible says. Now, verse 1. Therefore, holy brethren... Does that sound like a children of God? For takers of the heaven and the earth, does that sound like a people of God? It really does, doesn't it? All right, now, I want you to look at me in verse 7. All right, now, let's look at verse 6. But Christ was faithful as a son over his house, whose house we are if, if, if we hold fast our confidence and boast of our hope firm unto the end. Verse 7. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says... Now, it says this three times in Hebrews 3 and 2. Today, if you hear the Word of God... Are you hearing the Word of God today? If you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Don't let your heart hold on to anything contrary to the Word of God. Do not harden your heart as when they... The ones we read back in the Old Testament. When they provoked me as in the days of trial in the wilderness. Because you're in a trial today, and you better not provoke me by jealousy to let your heart go to something else, because I want all your heart. Is that what God is saying? Okay. There your fathers, they tried me and tested me and saw my works for 40 years. Therefore, I was angry with this generation and say... Here it comes. They always go astray in their hearts. Did we see a warning about going astray in their hearts? Amen? All right, they went astray and we're warned too. And they did not know my ways and I swore in my wrath. Now, when you break God's law, here comes God's wrath. They shall not enter the rest from their enemies and the enemies are going to destroy them. Right? Now, where is the land that we possess? It's peace and rest from our enemies. Amen? Okay. Now, watch very closely in verse 12. Take care, brethren. We're talking to brethren. The ones who are protectors of the heavenly calling, lest there should be any one of you, an evil, unbelieving heart, idolatry in some way. In what? Falling away from the living God. A holy brethren couldn't fall away. That's the reason that got in the Bible. The Greek for falling away now is what? Falling away. Don't anybody ever... Okay, that's enough of that. 13. But encourage one another day after day as long as it is still called a day, lest any one of you are going to harden your heart. In other words, your heart's going to turn to some idol. By the deceitfulness of sin, you're going to love some thing, some person, a world of things in the world. You're going to love it more than God. That's what hardens your heart. For we have become partakers of Christ, if, if, if, if, if you don't fall away, you don't let your heart go to some idol, if you hold fast the beginning of your surement, Jesus has all your heart at the beginning. He's going to have your heart at the end. Now, what do you think the power of the darkness come to try to do? They come to tempt you to get your heart to go something else so you won't continue on to possess the land. They try to get an idol, and if they can get your heart loving something, they can pour out the world, the things in this world. They can pour out stuff out there to get your heart going after it, and if your heart goes after it and you love it more than the Lord, you can't go possess the land. And they give you everything to get you to turn back. They, they, uh, attack you, whatever. Now, I want to give you, show you an example of how they come to draw your heart away. I want you to look at the heart, so let's turn back to Matthew 13. All right? Matthew 13. Is this kind of nailing down what we shared all week? Now, this is encouraging. You know why? You want me to be honest with you why I want to come? I wanted you, I don't want you to be like a lot of people I've been watching. They get this thing and then they turn around, and you tell what I, you might think I'm pretty harsh and hard, but I tell you this word doesn't give any options, and I'm not giving any either. You hear what I'm saying? I want you to be a success in the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay. All right, now, chapter 13. We're just looking at the parable of the Word. Now, let me explain one thing about the parable of the Word. The parable of the Word is about all the different, the hearts and how the powers of the darkness call people to fall away instead of going in and possessing the land and bearing the fruitful land of peace and rest. That's what the parable of the Word is about. And if you don't understand this parable, how are you going to understand all the other parables? This is the most important parable in the Word. Amen? Okay, now, in Matthew 13, let's just begin there in verse 3. And he spoke many things to them in parable, saying unto Jesus speaking, Behold, the sower went out to sow the Word. And so, is that what I'm doing now? And he sowed some seeds. The seed is the Word of God. It's a treasure. It's supposed to go down in our hearts so we can be perfected in love. Amen? Now, this is a good treasure. This is a good treasure we want. Okay, so he sowed some seed beside the road. Now, where is the road? The road that we walk on is supposed to be the road to holiness. Everywhere we go, it's a road to holiness. We cast seed. We speak in the Word. We are a tree of life. Everywhere we go, we're speaking the Word. We're casting the Word out. And now, different kind of people, and there's a war for people to come to the Lord and honor God with all their whole hearts so they can get on this road of holiness also. Amen? All right, now, let's see what happens to some of them trying to get on this road. And then, verse 4, And he sowed some seed beside the road, and the who came and ate them up? The powers of darkness come and ate them up. Now, let's look over in verse 18, and you'll see how the powers of darkness come and ate them up. Hear then the parable of the sower. Verse 19, When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and he does not understand it, I want you to mark that, he doesn't understand the Word of God, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. Now, is that, is that, will that call him to fall away? If he doesn't have understanding, but anyway, the seed sown in his heart, now, this person, look to me, look at me. Let me tell you why he doesn't have understanding. He's got idols in his heart. He's not coming to the Lord with his whole heart. This is reading at the beginning of the meeting, particularly the last two or three nights, I've seen people pop up, and just a few of them, three maybe, two, three, or four, and they'll run out of the meeting. And see, they got some idols. They wouldn't stay to see what the Word of God says right there, because I already struck a nerve, I touched their idol. You see what I mean? They didn't have understanding with what being said, because something else already had their heart. Are you getting what I'm saying? Now, now let's go back there to verse 5. So they didn't understand, so the powers of darkness takes the word out of their heart. Is that plain? Now let's go back to verse 5. And the others fell upon the hardened hearts. We read about it just over in Hebrews 3 and 4. For they did not have much soul, and there wasn't much of a heart there, you know, for the Lord to work with. Immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soul. And when the, what had risen? The sun had risen. Can I tell you now, I want you to mark it, that sun is the powers of darkness. When the sun had risen, they were what? Scorched. They see they're burned. And because they had no root or no firm root in Jesus, what happened? They're withering away, because they're trying to bear fruit on their own. They're not, in other words, they didn't come to the Lord with a whole heart. They've still got eyes, and they're trying to walk double-minded. Is that correct? Now I want you to look with me over in verse 20, and we see exactly what this is saying right here. We see what the sun is right there, and how you get scorched. Did I tell you about the pressures going to come upon you, and die of the flesh and the pressures? Amen? Okay, now in verse 20, And the one whom the seed was sown on the hardened heart, this is a hardened heart, rocky place, this is a man who hears the word, immediately he received it with joy, joy, joy. Oh, joy, joy, joy. I've seen them by the hundreds. Yet he has no firm root in the Lord Jesus Christ. And now comes the sun to scorched places, but he's only temporary, because when the what comes, affliction or persecution, have you got those two marked, arises because of the word, immediately he what? I can't hear you. He falls away. What's a Greek for falling away? He fell away from the faith. He didn't stand. Look at me, folks. Somebody not looking. See, when the pressures come, the affliction and persecution, it's going to come on you because of the word. The persecution is going to come. Can I tell you the persecution will come? Don't be disturbed by the afflictions and persecutions. Is that what Paul said? He said, I hope no tempter hadn't talked to you and caused you to fall away from the faith right there and in our labors being in vain. Amen? You've got to go possess the land, right? So when affliction and the persecution come, and then you've got to look good. And then when you've got to look good because your reputation, you know, and you want to get the approval of man instead of just die to that flesh and all that thing right there, then you're going to hit back and so forth and approval of man and so forth. Then the powers of darkness gets to come all over you when you won't stand. But when you stand, they lose their strength. And then after you've suffered a while, then that's when you're established and strengthened and confirmed and covenanted. Amen? Is that right? But what happened to this man right here who had a hardened heart? He fell away because his heart loved some other things, selfish ambition and some other things more than he did God. But he did not love the Lord with all his heart. He failed the test. Only those that love the Lord with all their heart are going to pass the test. Amen? Is that right? Okay. Now, well, let's just continue right there. We don't have to go back anymore. And the one whom the seed was sown among the thorns, now, you see, none of them made it so far, have they? They've all fallen away. Is that right so far? All right, now. And the one whom the seed was sown among the thorns, this is a man who hears the Word of God. Now, did we read about the foolish virgins or those that don't act on the Word of God? Is that right? They hear the Word of God and they don't act on it. All right? Here they are right here. You listen to them. They hear the Word of God and the worries of the world, the seekfulness of riches, and the parables say desires for other things. They enter in or they come in and it becomes unfruitful, circle unfruitful. You don't bear fruit for God. Now, let me just do it better by taking a parable. Hold your place right there and turn to Mark 4. I want you to see the Mark 4, and that will explain that last part, how the worries of the world. All right, I'm going to read to start with 17. And they have no, this hardened heart, they have no firm room except they're only temporary when the affliction of persecution, when the trials, when God tests a heart to see if he's got a heart. He wants to see what's in the heart so he lets the scorpions turn loose. And affliction of persecution comes because of the Word. Immediately they what? Now, who do you think, you know who brings this affliction? The powers of darkness bring this affliction and persecution against you. And they can use people, any people that they love the flesh nature, they work them like robots. They can bring a flesh, they can always bring flesh against you. The flesh and the powers of darkness is the same nature. They're in agreement. Amen? All right, now. And others are the one whose seed was sown among the thorns. These are the ones, they hear the Word of God and they're not going to act on it either. Why? Because the powers of darkness fill their mind full of the worries of the world. They fill their mind full of deceitfulness of riches, possessions and building treasures on this earth. They fill their mind full of desires for other things. And what's that two words right there? They enter in. Look at me, folks. Look here. The powers of darkness have the worries of the world, deceitfulness of riches, desires for other things. They put it in your mind and it enters into your heart. You don't resist it up here. It enters into your heart and that takes the word out. That's how you forget the word. That's how the word gets stole from you. That's how you fall away. Because when these things enter into your heart, the Lord hadn't got your heart, the whole heart, and it choked the word and you become what? You don't go possessing land either. You don't produce land because, see, the world and deceitfulness of riches, desires for other things, you're still fulfilling selfish ambition. You're not trying to love your neighbor. But if you've got a worldly church, that's the thing to do, the worldly church. That's okay. Now, let's look at the five things that the powers of darkness bring against you to get you to not go possess the land. They bring against you affliction. They attack your body. They bring against you persecution and you're going to suffer. They bring all kind of pressures on you. Now, like we cast out many of the powers of darkness, I forgot to tell you about this last night, and a lot of them has come off of y'all this week, off of you this week. But here's what's going to happen. All of a sudden, you're going to, sometime during the day, all of a sudden you're going to find yourself just all kind of pressure and everything on you, on your mind, what in the world is going on with me? They're trying to get back in. And this is why when you're in these meetings sometimes you just go through things for a while, maybe a few weeks. They're trying to get back in. They're trying, and you have to resist them. You have to stand in these trials right there. And they'll try to deceive you in every way to tell you, they'll try to get you on television. You go watch television, you watch what, hate, anger, unforgiveness, resentment, violence, and that's the quickest way that the powers of darkness get back in people. Just go get, just tune in to hell right there. Okay? And they, you know, they get ground to come back in you. But when there's pressure or something, now you've got peace now, there's a bunch of stuff going on, don't be surprised when affliction and persecution, and they bring the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, desires for other things. I could tell you some things about some of my friends and things that have come and been put right in their lap and things like that, and they took off just like that. Whatever it takes to buy you, that's what the powers of darkness will have for you. Keep you from possessing the land, because when you possess the land, you know what you're going to do? You're going to tear them all to pieces. Amen? When you walk in, I'm telling you, because all your prayers get answered, then you've got God with you then. Amen? Okay, now. So it's going to enter in, we're in Mark 4 right there, and the worries of the world, deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things, they're going to enter into your heart, and it chokes the Word of God. The Word of God, you know, you can't, when you ask for these things, that's the very opposite of the Word, and so it becomes unfruitful. Right? All right, now let's go back to Matthew 13. Now, here's the man that possesses the land right here. He comes to the Lord with all his heart. Verse 23. Now, he has a good soul. This is a man who hears the Word of God, and he what? I can't hear you. He understands the Word. Well, now, isn't that an interesting thing? Up there in verse 19, there's a man up there. He hears the Word of God, and he doesn't understand it, right? Now, let me tell you the difference in him and the man down there in verse 23. The man in 23, he has good soul. The man up in 19 doesn't have good soul. In other words, he had a repentant heart, and he's coming with a whole heart right there. You hear me? But the man in verse 19, he doesn't understand the Word because the Lord doesn't have all his heart. He's not coming to the Lord with all his heart, so he don't have understanding. See, this Bible is a parable, mystery, and the only way you can know it is come to the Lord with all your heart. Amen? All right, then. And then this man who hears the Word of God, he understands it, and indeed he what? He bears fruit. He possesses land. Now, what's that next word? And, circle that and, and, and about three times. And, he bears fruit, and he becomes a fruit of righteousness. He's a tree of life, and then he brings forth some 100, some folks 60, some 30. They bring others in because they're a tree of life. They're out bearing the fruit of righteousness. Amen? Now, you know, Babylon wants to say, you bear fruit, but go get some more folks to come in. But you will bear fruit as a tree of life, but fruit, they leave out the fruit of love. See what I mean? That'll mess up your theology. Now, I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians 10. 1 Corinthians 10. And, I want you to turn to Hebrews 3. We just might as well get it over with, hadn't we? Boy, I tell you what, folks, there ain't no way to tell you how much I've enjoyed being with you this week. It's going to be exciting to see what God does with you. I tell you what, this is church. Amen? All right, now, in Hebrews 3 first. Now, we saw right there that they wouldn't, verse 7, that they hardened their hearts. They provoked the Lord in a day of trial. They wouldn't possess the land. Verse 10, he's talking about they go astray in their hearts. Verse 10, he said, my wrath is on them. They're not going to enter my rest. They broke God's law. Then we're warned, verse 12, you better take care, brethren, lest any of you have an unbelieving heart and you also want. You're going to fall away from a living God, but you encourage one another as long as it's still called a day, lest anyone be hardened by the seepings of sin. Don't you let something come in that you love more than you do the Lord, for we've all become partakers of crafts. If you hold firm the beginning of your assurance firm unto the end, in other words, you're going to have to love the Lord more than anything else all the way through. So he warns you once more, verse 15, while he said, today, if you're hearing the word of God, don't harden your heart. Let your heart go to something else and fall away. As when they provoked me, their heart went something well away, and then they're going to go in and possess the land. Now, verse 17, And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not those whose bodies sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? Did he kill them? Did he let them be destroyed? First, amen. Now, hold your place right there and come back to 1 Corinthians 10. Is 1 Corinthians 10 in the New Testament? All right. Now, I want you to show exactly what he's talking about, their bodies fell, and I want you to know that your bodies can fall, too. And this is what you're going to see. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 1, For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all in the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food as we do today, all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ. Are we drinking from Christ? Nevertheless, with most of them, God was not well pleased, and they were what? Circle laid low. They were laid low in the wilderness, right? Now, these things happened as what? Examples for who? I can't hear you. One more time. They were happening as what? All right. Now, when I went over to show you about them not possessing the land in the wilderness and their bodies fell in, is that exactly what I'm showing you? Is that an example for us today? They didn't possess the land, and it's an example for us today who do not possess the land, a cervical example for us today. Real good. That we should not, as an example for us, that we should not what? We better not let our hearts be drawn away to crave evil things. Is that correct? Once again, our hearts do not crave evil things. Amen? Now, our hearts don't crave evil things. Now, their hearts craved evil things, and they were laid low. Is that right? When you crave evil things, your heart turns away and you fall away and you don't possess the land. Is that correct? All right. Now, let's continue. And do not be what? Circle idolaters, as some of them were. Now, what does being an idolater mean? That means your heart goes away to idolatry, and then you cannot go possess the land. Is that right? Is that an example for us? They got into idolatry. Now, verse 8. Nor let us do what? Act immorally. I want you to circle act immorally, as some of them did. And 23,000 fell in one day, and that's an example for who? 23,000 fell in one day, and they will fall the same way. Is that because our hearts turn aside to act immorally? When you act immorally, you do not go in and possess the land. Amen? All right. Now, verse 9. Nor let us do what? Try the Lord. Now, circle try the Lord, as some of them did. If we try the Lord, as they did, and we'll not go in and possess the land, and they were destroyed by the serpents, and we'll be destroyed by the serpents, because this is an example for who? Us. We'll be destroyed by the enemy and laid low in the wilderness and world as they were. Is this plain, folks? Right. Now, nor grumble, circle grumble, as some of them did, and they were destroyed by who? Destroyer. Who's the destroyer? The powers of darkness. And that's an example for who? You and I. Because when you're grumbling, you're not going in to possess the land. Is that right? And this is an example for who? Us. Now, let's continue. Now, these things happened to them as an example. Example. Example. And they were written for whose instruction? Our instruction. On whom the what is coming? The end of ages is coming. Is that when Jesus come at the end of the age? Therefore, take heed. Let him who thinks he's standing today, he better take heed lest he what? Be destroyed. Now, watch very closely. We've got to possess the land. I want you to circle this next word. No temptation has overtaken you, but such is common to man. And God is faithful. He's not only going to allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able, but with the temptation, he's going to provide a way of escape so that you may be able to endure it to possess the land. Don't fall away. Don't get into idolatry, immorality, trying the Lord, or grumbling, or craving evil things. Don't you worry about these temptations. Jesus is in the fire right there with you. Amen? He'll throw it on grace, and his mercy and grace will come down to help you in time of need during these temptations.