Transcript: The Mark of the Beast: Understanding Revelation 14:9-10

Music I have titled this word today, Will You Give In to Taking the Mark of the Beast? God forbid any Christian who purports to have the name of Jesus Christ stamped upon their hearts, their minds, and souls would even give thought or toy with the idea that it would be better to take the mark of the beast just to prolong a few years of their life when times really get tough. But I am here to alert you and sound the trumpet and say that many will take this mark and this number will include thousands upon thousands and thousands of people who call themselves Christians. Let's look at the book of Revelation Beginning in Revelation 16.2 Revelation 16.2 So the first angel went and emptied his bowl on the earth And foul and painful ulcers came on the people Who were marked with the stamp of the beast And who did homage to his image Both of them were hurled alive into the lake of fire that burns and blazes with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword that issues from the mouth of him who is mounted on the horse. And all of the birds fed ravenously and glutted themselves with their flesh. Now, let us know that the double phrase here, which says, those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image, does not refer to two different categories of people. but this refers to the same people who had received the mark and worshipped the statue of the beast. They are one and the same. Scripture continues to say that these were all thrown alive into the fire by the King of Kings, whose name is Jesus Christ and known also as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Now the Lion of the tribe of Judah has been the voice of God to sinners throughout every generation of time. And God calls sinners to come to full repentance and run to his generous and abundant mercy and from the wrath that is to come, which is known as the Day of the Lord, when he comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. and on this day Jesus Christ will roar like a lion and will give a shout and thus he shall judge the living and the dead and the sword or the word of his mouth that goes forth from his mouth shall not and cannot be refuted by anyone try as one might but the judgment at this time has been set and is irrevocable in John's divine revelation found in the book of Revelation 5 verse 1, he said, I saw lying on the open hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll, a book written within, and on the back closed and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel announcing in a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll. and who is entitled and deserves and is morally fit to break its seals. And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth in the realm of the dead, Hades, was able to open the scroll or to take a single look at its contents. I wept audibly and bitterly because no one was found fit to open the scroll or inspect it. And then one of the elders of the heavenly Sanhedrin said to me, stop weeping see the lion of the tribe of Judah the root the source of David has won has overcome and conquered he can open the scroll and break its seven seals and there between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders of the heavenly Sanhedrin I saw a lamb as though it has been slain. Its seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, the seven fold Holy Spirit who have been sent on duty far and wide into all the earth. Jesus Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah, is jealous and stands guard over his church against her foes. He is attentive because the evil one is constantly lurking and stalking to steal Christ redeemed. And this is especially so in these last days because of the warning that Paul gives in 2 Thessalonians 2.3. Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way that the day will not come except that apostasy comes first unless the predicted great falling away or those who have professed to be Christians has come and the man of lawlessness of sin is revealed. Who is the son of doom or perdition? In this word, Paul is giving the instruction and telling his worried flock that the days of the Lord had not come and he urged them to not listen to anyone claiming otherwise. Therefore, on the day of the Lord can begin, there will first be a great rebellion and a falling away And this will be the prelude to the entrance of the man of lawlessness called the Antichrist. Now, this apostasy will result in what Paul was calling the great apostasy, the falling away. And this is saying that millions and millions who call themselves Christians will defect from the truth of God's word and will literally fall away from it, judge and govern the world. And if the world itself is to be judged and ruled by you, are you not unworthy and incompetent to try such petty matters on the smallest accounts of justice? Do you not know also that we Christians are to judge the very angels and pronounce opinions between right and wrong for them? How much more then as to matters pertaining to this world and this life only? we have established what the mark of the beast is in scripture language and that is it will be something that will be forced upon the inhabitants of this earth and we have also mentioned the reward for not giving in to the mark of the beast we shall reign with Jesus Christ and we shall judge and govern in a new kingdom set up in the millennial age but you may be saying to yourself oh yes I've read about the mark of the beast and I have heard about it but what is it? all we can say according to what is shaping up in the news and according to what looks like a possibility that the mark of the beast could be what is called a microchip this chip is said to be in existence today and is in fact and has been planted and tested in various forms and ways, beginning with the implanting in people's pets. If the pet should get lost, the animal is taken to the nearest veterinarian, and he is able to scan and read the information stored on the chip and return the pet to its rightful owner. Also, it is reported that the chip has already been planted into willing human recipients of this device for testing purposes in human beings. And many counties in the United States are requiring their firemen and policemen to have these chips implanted. The chip has been proven to cause cancer. And one particular ministry has made it a major focus to expose and halt the research and any other further progress of the device. But further investigation shows that on page 1004 of the Obamacare bill that was just passed on March 21, 2010, says that you must have an RFID chip implanted in your body. This is a mandate, a law, an order for all citizens of the United States of America. An RFID chip stands for Radio Frequency Identification Chip. And this information came from Ron Paul's website. Ron Paul was a Republican candidate who ran in the last presidential race. Congressman Ron Paul from Texas states on his website, quote, buried deep within the over 1,000 pages of the massive U.S. health care bill, is a non-discussed section titled, subtitled C-11, Section 2521, National Medical Device Registry, which states its purpose as, and he quotes, in real world speak, according to this report, This new law, when fully implemented, provides the framework for making the United States the first nation in the world to require each and every one of its citizens to have implanted in them a radio frequency identification microchip for the purposes of controlling who is or isn't allowed medical care in their country. on March 21, 2010 the Senate Health Care Bill HR 3200 was passed and signed into law the following Tuesday now we know if we have been following the news on the sites which are really reporting the news as it happens and we are not listening to the mainstream media who have been hiding all of the real truths as to what's been happening to bring this nation down. There are a whole host of terrible and just plain demonic and evil aspects to this bill. Many people have not heard about them and are not informed as to the plan of this present government. This new law requires an RFID chip implanted in all of us. This chip will not only contain your personal information with tracking capability, but it will also be linked to your bank account. And get this, page 1004 of the new law dictating the timing of this chip reads, and I quote, not later than 36 months after the date of the enactment. It is now the law of the land. This law can be viewed by going to the net and plugging in H.R. 3200, section 2521, page 1001, paragraph 1. And as I said, it was posted on Congressman Ron Paul's website. And this device was actually approved by the FDA in 2004 in President Bush's reign. Yes, indeed. We see the unfaithfulness of these people who have taken office and sworn to uphold our Constitution, but instead have been working behind the scenes to bring this country to a place and condition where she is today. the purpose of these traitors in our government is to make this nation along with other nations in the world a one world government or called also a new world order what traitors and what judgment awaits these oath takers who placed their hand upon the Bible and swore to uphold their office and commitment to the we the people of the United States of America and to keeping the laws of our Constitution as they are and not to change them or defile or to ignore them. It is in the current administration whereby the implementation and pushing through all of these things that were previously put into law plus a whole lot of other bills that this present administration's own evil schemes to dismantle America to the point of what now looks like the forcing on America's public, a microchip, which many Christians believe to be the mark of the beast, which will usher in the great tribulation as spoken of in the prophecy in Revelation 13, 16. And the word says also, he compels all alike, both small and great, both the rich and the poor, both free and slave, to be marked with an inscription stamped on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that no one will have the power to buy or sell unless he bears the stamp, the mark, the inscription, that is the name of the beast or the number of his name. Now this chip, we are told, will afford those who receive it to be able to walk into any store and literally wave their hand over a reading device, which has all of their information on it, including their bank account. what they purchase will automatically be deducted from their bank account. There will be no paper money, or money as we know it today. It will all be with the wave of your hand over the reading device, and this will be the case as well. When you go to the doctor, they will have all of your information in their readers. The world thinks these implantable chips may offer exciting possibilities in the field of medicine and science and research, and as well they will be used for your passport and information and social security numbers and driver's license. They think it's cool because it's all on a microchip, and that microchip is implanted in the person. They think how wonderful because we don't have to stand in long lines anymore. They like the idea of breezing through a place like they own it. What a privilege. You just watch the light flash and the doors open automatically and take what you are buying out the door with you. It's just that simple. Life has never been so easy. You don't have to remember all those numbers or pull out your checkbook or even carry your wallet out around with you anymore with all the cards in it. But there's only one catch to this luxury and convenience. You will need to have this little tiny chip implanted into your body and all of your medical records and information about your health will be on that chip. And they say that this cuts down on the paperwork and therefore they say this is a good plan when in fact it is part of the whole overall plan to depopulate those who are a poor candidate or health wise to receive the government's medical care. The mark of the beast is the number of a man and that is 666. It is a mark that permits people to buy and sell. And without it, you cannot do these things. No, yes, no, also please that Obama's Medicare package that is being offered will require you to pay for it, too. Every person will purchase this insurance at some cost or another. And today we are seeing the number 666 on T-shirts. And the saying on the shirt says 666, the one for you and for me. now many of these shirts say 666 volunteer and or route 66 and these are being worn by eager and ready young people as was stated before this is an evil plan by evil people who sit amongst the elite few who are plotting and planning who will live and who will die and those who do live will be forced to worship the antichrist he will be able to know and can track people their every move and every word. But we as true Christians are told we must not take this mark. You see, Jesus Christ and the Father hate duplicity. They hate double-mindedness. You see, many people who will take the mark of the beast know what and who they are serving. They have long ago bowed to Satan's system because of greed and power and money. And their eyes bulge with avarice. They think themselves safe in this system, but are amongst the multitudes of millions of professing Christians whose hearts lean towards the world and her pleasures. And we covered that earlier in this word. They love sinful pleasures. And they convince themselves that they are okay before God because they go to church every Sunday and possibly Bible study once a week. But living a double-minded life is abominable before God, and he makes it clear that he hates hypocrisy. How dare we bring these sinful lifestyles and double-minded ways of living along with us and stand before God and sing, I love you, Lord, or take Bible tracks and go stand on a street corner and tell others that they need to accept Jesus to be saved. The penalty pronounced on those who do this will be as great as it will be for those who are plotting to bring this nation and the world, for that matter, under the dominion of the Antichrist for the duration of time that God allows. So far in the word today, we have established what the mark of the beast is according to God's word. It is the number 666, which is the mark of man. And please know that this number is already embedded or encoded in the microchip as well today. The beast is the Antichrist who will rule and reign in the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. And now I want to say here that the church is so far from being ready and informed for the things that we have been talking about. and that are coming upon this world and quickly so. The church in America is far from being pleasing to God and what he has purposed her to be. And quite to the contrary, what we see all in the name of denomination or ministry, in the name of Jesus Christ, is quite abominable to say the least. There is a remnant church scattered in every nation around this world who live according to God's standard of righteousness and purity. They have taken God at his word and are living up to his holy standard. And for those who preach and teach in this way, they do so with impeccable integrity and honesty and keeping true to God's holy word. They are a people who are alive and vibrant and love the Lord with all of their hearts and are impacting multitudes of millions far and wide. But for the most part, what we see in most of the church today, they operate without the presence of God and yet will say, there is a holy presence of God here. Or to say, the Shekinah glory of God is here, and yet to go on cracking smart remarks and defile the word of God as they minister. If God's Shekinah glory was present, those people would be on their face weeping and asking God for forgiveness for being so presumptuous and blaspheming his holy name and his ways and his word. These people practice a form of religion and have no real power from God because they prefer the world and what it offers. They coddle their sinful practices and wink at abortion and homosexuality and or vote for someone whose platform is pushing these things. many pastors and leaders told their congregations and followers to get out and vote in the last election for the lesser of two evils could they not trust in God and his divine rulership and see the handwriting on the wall how abominable, how awful could this very act be an indication and pulse of what these ill-informed and half-hearted leaders might tell their congregations when times get tough and medical care and food get short. What we see happening in the emerging church, the apostate church today, makes for the great falling away to be very real in its entirety today in our time. And so many people sitting in the pews every week are so cold and weak and wimpy in their faith and their allegiance to God that the world around them scoffs and says, Why do we need your God? Prophet Daniel was given an insight as to these end days and what God church and these times would look like In Daniel 12 verse 9 Daniel 12 verse 9 And he, the angel said, go your way Daniel. Your words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be dried and smelted and refined. But the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand. but the teachers and those who are wise shall understand. And from the time that the continued burned offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed and to be envied is he who waits expectantly and earnestly, who endures without wavering beyond the period of tribulation and comes to the 1,335 days. But you, Daniel, who is now over 90 years of age, go your way till the end, for you shall rest and shall stand fast in your allotted place at the end of the days. These truths were locked up in Daniel's time, dear church, and only the last numbers of years are these truths now being revealed. And in the ways that we might know for sure that these end days are truly upon us. And of course, this is only known by what Jesus said in regards to how we would know and recognize these days, that is, we will know them by the signs of the time. And many of the signs of the times that Jesus predicted in Matthew 24 have come to pass and are yet coming to pass in greater magnitude and number as these months go by. Daniel's words said they were closed up for him, but they are not for us today, because they were sealed until the time of the end, and we are now presently living in those days. The angel said to Daniel that the wicked will continue to do wickedness, and also that none of the wicked shall understand, but only the wise shall understand. God's true redeemed are going to understand, and for many they are presently coming into understanding and for all of us we shall understand as God brings more revelation to these days into fulfillment as far as the signs of the times go. Daniel said that he saw these things. He couldn't understand them, but with all of the divine wisdom that surrounded him he said, I heard but I did not understand. But today, precious believer, Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit is revealing these things to the upright, to the sincere and discerning saints of God in fulfillment of what his word declares. And that is found in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 9. What eye has not seen and ear has not heard that has not entered into the hearts of men all that God has prepared and made and keeps ready for those who love him and who hold him in affectionate reverence and promptly obey him and gratefully recognize the benefits that he has bestowed. Only the true saints of God who are spiritual people can understand these things that come from the Spirit of God because they truly know him. because they are controlled by his spirit and walk in his spirit. Believers have this mind of Christ only if they live in him and are true to him in obeying what he commands in his word. In short summary of this word today, we have identified the mark of the beast according to scripture and what it is and also who is the beast. And we have talked about the mark of the beast and that it could possibly be what is called the radiofrequency identification chip. We have talked in short about the visible church, the lack of maturity in leadership in helping to inform and steer their congregations to making right and godly choices in standing in faith and living for God in these days rather than encouraging them to run out and vote for the lesser of two evils and teaching doctrines of demons and watering down the truth of the living God. So then, how do we prepare for these last days so that we do not fall prey to taking the mark of the beast? Is it possible for a Christian to be fooled into taking this mark? First, God will never fool or deceive his own elect. The mark of the beast will be very clear to true believers that this is what it is. As far as preparing for these days, Jesus himself warns us to be vigilant about our spiritual state. He has outlined the conditions and he summarized the events that will lead up to his second coming. And what we should be doing is as time draws near, which no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven know, nor the Son knows, but the Father alone. And this is found in verse 42 of Matthew's Gospel in chapter 24. And that is to keep a watchful eye on the world news and prophetic trends and conditions and stay alert. Jesus said, stay alert because you do not know at what hour the master of the house will come. He warns us to be diligent in keeping our personal spiritual houses in order. And he tells us not to be distracted with the cares of the world and be weighted down with the worries of life. Listen to this, please. Jesus says that the vast majority of people will not be spiritually alert, and most will be taken by surprise. So he tells us in these verses to stay alert and pray at all times in order that we have the strength to escape all these things that are coming upon us in due time. So in short then, what we can do to prepare for these last days is live in Christ. Be the godly people that he commands us to be and stay in his word and live in his word and be watchful and alert as to the signs of the times. Only by living in Christ and being deeply rooted in him will we be assured that we will not take the mark of the beast. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Today we are going to talk about living in God's Word by being a doer of it. And we take our main scripture from James chapter 1 verse 22. But first to just preface, this subject was paramount in James' teaching as he was dealing with a group of people who believed what they heard was true, but when it came time to practice what they heard, they had a different perspective on why they really didn't need to apply it, and this is why he told them not to betray themselves with their own belief systems. So when we read, please keep in mind James' concern and correction that he was giving in these verses in hopes that the people would see the true light and turn completely towards it. Please go with me to begin in James 1, verse 17, to begin and see an overview of this very important word for the edification, exhortation, and correction for every Christian believer's growth and maturity in Jesus Christ. Verse 17. Every good gift and perfect, free, large, full gift is from above. It comes down from the Father of all that gives light in the shining of whom there can be no variation, rising or setting, or shadow cast by his turning as an eclipse. Verse 18, and it was of his own free will that he gave us birth as sons by his word of truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures, a sample of what he created to be consecrated to himself. Understand this, my beloved brethren, let every man be quick to hear a ready listener, slow to speak, slow to take offense, and to get angry. Verse 20, for man's anger does not promote the righteousness God wishes and requires. So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness and in a humble, gentle, modest spirit receive and welcome the word which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to save your souls. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And verse 22. But here we go. Verse 22. This is our special emphasis and focus today. Be doers of the word. Obey the message and not merely listeners to it. Betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the truth. Verse 23. For anyone who only listens to the word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his own natural face in a mirror. For he thoughtfully observes himself and then goes off and promptly forgets what he looks like. Verse 25. But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the law of liberty, and is faithful to it, and preserves in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets, but an active listener who obeys, he shall be blessed in his doing and his life of obedience. Verse 26. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, piously observant of the external duties of his faith, and does not bridle his tongue, but deludes his own heart, this person's religious service is worthless, futile, barren. Verse 27, external religious worship, religion as it is expressed in outward acts, that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father, is this, to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their afflictions and need, and to keep oneself unspotted, uncontaminated from the world. wow did you see that James starts out in verse 17 saying every good gift and perfect free large full gift is from above it comes down from the father of all that gives light in shining up whom there can be no variation rising or setting or shadow cast by his turning as in an eclipse so James tells the brethren to just take time to consider God's goodness the goodness of God is a huge barrier against yielding to the temptation of sin, dear ones goodness in the Bible dictionary is described as a quality of being good as having a praiseworthy character and having moral excellence also the Bible speaks much about the goodness of God. God's goodness consists of righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace, mercy, and love. Goodness is also one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit that should characterize Christian believers according to Galatians 5.22. And lastly, Christians are called to the goodness according to what Jesus commanded in Matthew 5, verse 48, when he said, Be ye perfect, even as my Father in heaven is perfect and good. As you have heard before, the word perfect means to grow in maturity in the Greek. How many of you know that it is better to be hungry by living in the will of God than full outside of the will of God. Dear listener, once we start to doubt God's goodness, we will be attracted to Satan's offers and the natural desires within the soul will reach out for his bait. It's just like that. Moses warned Israel not to forget God's goodness when they began to enjoy the blessings of the promised land. And we as God's people need this warning today as we're faced with many hardships in this world which many are created by mere greedy men and women who are bent on destroying this country by turning it into a communist nation. But as true believers in Jesus Christ we must be diligent in making our whole being that is our body, soul and spirit growing in the knowledge of God's goodness and love for his true people to know that we know that God's word, his truth, and is the only saving grace and freedom for anyone. It is only God who gives good gifts. Everything good in this world comes from God. And if it does not come from God, it is not good. In some circumstances, situations, and trials. we have seen God's goodness only after the fact when this is made known to us let us never be negligent in expressing our thanks for God for his kindness and goodness when it is made known dear ones this is a part of living in God's word by being a doer of it if it comes from God it must be good even if we do not see the goodness in it immediately well for instance Paul's thorn in the flesh was given to him by God yet it seemed to be a strange happening at first but only later did he understand that it became a tremendous blessing to him he understood after Jesus told him that his grace was sufficient for him and we must remember that Paul had seen many wonderful things shown to him including heaven in which he was not even able to share those things with us in his epistles well moving on to verse 19 james admonishes the people to stop deceiving themselves he said understand this my brethren let every man be quick to hear a ready listener slow to speak slow to take offense and to get angry. Verse 20, For man's anger does not promote the righteousness God wishes and requires. I may make a point here to say you might keep a marker in your Bible just for the sake of we refer back to these scriptures that we have started with. Now, James' warning in this scripture is on the dangers of self-deception. he was warning the brethren about deceiving themselves here they were lashing out at one another in anger and no doubt accusing each other for offenses they had caused in verse 26 he makes this clear he says if anyone thinks of himself to be religious piously observant of the external duties of his faith and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart this person's religious service is worthless futile barren now the exhortation and warning was given because these people were deceiving their own hearts into thinking they were just fine thank you many people are deceiving themselves into thinking they are saved when they are not many will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name have cast out devils, and in your name done many wonderful works? You see, Jesus, the great judge, declares to them, and I will profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. that's found in Matthew chapter 7 verses 22 through 23. Now there are professing believers who are fooling themselves concerning their Christian walk. They think they're spiritual when they're not. Did you know that it is a mark of true maturity when a person faces himself honestly, knows himself, and admits his weakness? It is the immature person who pretends, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. This is found in the book of Revelation when the Lord was speaking to the churches. Spiritual reality results from proper relationship to God through his word. God's word is true. and if we are rightly related to God's truth and living in it and in his son we will not knowingly be dishonest or hypocritical. Verse 21 is continuing in identifying the warning which declares so get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness and in a humble, gentle, modest spirit receive and welcome the word which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to save your souls. Hallelujah. You see, the implanted or engrafted word in the heart is the divine work of the Holy Spirit living in cooperation with the believer who is hungry for the things of God. Jesus said in John chapter 17, verse 17, Father, sanctify them, purify, consecrate, separate them for yourselves. make them holy by the truth. Your word is truth. Dear listener, it is only the word of God that is truth that every proclaiming Christian should live in and obey. All that God has spoken and all that is contained within the pages of the Bible is truth. All the commands and promises of God shown in the Bible are truths. the Bible profoundly and thoroughly shows God's image and likeness of his own character and also that of man the Bible also shows God's account of the mission and death of his son of the grave and the resurrection of judgment and eternity therefore all of these scriptural truths are tailored and fitted to sanctify the soul's maturity in Jesus Christ we have here also the testimony of the Savior, that is revelation which God has given and is true. All that God has spoken is true, and the Christians should rejoice, and the sinners should tremble. And we find this truth spoken by our Savior that was inspired through his beloved David in Psalms chapter 19, beginning in verse 7. we'll go there beginning in verse 7 to see the truth spoken by our Savior which was prophesied spoken through the prophet David and later fulfilled when Jesus walked on this earth verse 7 the law of the Lord is perfect restoring the whole person the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple verse 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes. Verse 9. The reverent fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold. They are sweeter also than honey and the drippings from the honeycomb. Verse 11. Moreover by them is your servant warned, reminded, illuminated, and instructed. And in keeping them there is a great reward. Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden and unconscious faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless. I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression. Verse 14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my firm, impenetrable rock, my Redeemer. Hallelujah. So therefore, we see this implanted and engrafted word into our spirit and soul is designed to produce abundant, beautiful fruit. and God's law, which is truth, is perfect as we see in verse 7. It restores the whole person and makes the simple wise. You see, the engrafted word in our souls is able to save us and is strong encouragement to correct our wrong attitudes and make us more like Jesus Christ. The truth of God's word living in us makes us fully capable of being a doer of this word and the truth. We have read Jesus' parable of the sower in Matthew chapter 13, which compares God's word to seed and the human heart to the soil. In his parable, Jesus described four kinds of heart. The hard heart, which did not understand or receive the word, and therefore bore no fruit. The shallow heart, which was very emotional, but had no depth, and bore no fruit. There was the crowded heart, which lacked repentance and permitted sin to crowd out the word. And finally, the fruitful heart, which received the word and allowed it to take root and produced a harvest of fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Hallelujah. But please understand, the word of God cannot work in our hearts unless we receive it in the right way. Jesus not only said take heed what you hear in Mark chapter 4 verse 24 but he also said take heed how you hear in Luke chapter 8 verse 18 so there are too many people who are in a dreadful state and condition which hearing they hear not neither do they understand and that is God's word found in Matthew chapter 13 verse 13. You see, they attend Bible classes and church services but they never seem to grow. And Jesus declared in Matthew 13 through 15, he said, this is the reason that I speak to them in parables because having the power of seeing, they do not see. having the power of hearing they do not hear nor do they grasp and understand verse 14 in them indeed is the process and the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah which says you shall indeed hear and hear but never grasp and understand and you shall indeed look and look but never see and perceive Verse 15 For this nation heart has grown gross fat and dull and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the senses with their ears, and grasp the understanding with their heart, and turn, I should heal them. Now, should we blame for the fault of being the teacher or the pastor if people are dull of hearing? Do they receive the blame? Well, yes, it could be. If what is being taught is feel-good cotton candy meal, or better said, teaching the truth without substance and making people feel good, that they should go away from the service of the Bible study with warm, fuzzy feelings, rather than being taught like Paul talked about, which edifies and encourages and exhorts in the word of God and causes people to examine their own hearts and souls measured by the truth found in the word. Now, it may also be and lazy of hearing and doing. It is possible to be dull of hearing because of the decay in one's spiritual life. Apostle Paul dealt with this issue with his people because they'd begun to let their minds wander as they repeatedly heard some of the things each week. They heard them repeated over and over. Rather than listening carefully, hearing completely and comprehending clearly, they had become mentally and spiritually dull in their hearing. Understand, please, they were not ignorant or slow learners, but rather they had allowed themselves to grow lazy and complacent. A spiritual hardening of their hearts had crept in, and they became disinterested in that which could save their souls. One of the first symptoms of spiritual regression or backsliding is the dullness towards the Bible. Church becomes dull. Preaching becomes dull. And soon anything spiritual is dull. Now the problem is usually not with the pastor or the teacher, but rather it is with the believer themselves. Apostle Paul had much to say regarding the brethren growing dull of hearing. They definitely could not be a doer of God's word by growing spiritually lethargic. Look with me in Hebrews chapter 5, beginning in verse 11. Paul says, Concerning this, we have much to say which is hard to explain since you have become dull in your spiritual hearing and sluggish, even slothful in achieving spiritual insight. Verse 12, For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God's word. You have come to need milk, not solid food. Verse 13. For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness, of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action. For he is a mere infant, not able to talk yet. Verse 14, but solid food is for full-grown men, those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law. you see dear listener if the seed of God's word is to be planted in our hearts then we must obey the instructions in the Bible and makes it clear and gives us a road map into God's eternal kingdom now reiterating the message titled today is called are you living in God's word by being a doer of it we have been taking our main scriptures from James chapter 1. So let's move to our main focus, as I said at the beginning, which is verse 22, and it declares again, But be doers of the word, obey the message, not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the truth. This word tells us that doing the word of God in the scripture means preserving or diligently living in God's will when we experience temptation to depart from it. Hearing God's will is as good as far as it goes. And it is essential and imperative. But dear listener, obedience must follow what you and I hear. Some professing Christians deceive themselves by thinking that knowing God's will is enough. but it is only foundational to doing God's will. You see, the blessing of obedience does not come in the study of the word, but it comes in actually doing and living in the word. The exhortation and call to do what it says is at the center and foundation of all that James teaches. It really sums up the message of the whole book. true believers in Christ are called to put to practice what they profess to believe dear listener this is not a suggestion for us but this is an absolute command for us to put into action and believe and live again verse 21 the command is but be doers of the word obey the message and not merely listeners to it betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the truth. Now we have read in the previous scripture where James compared the word to see, but in verse 23 he compares the word to a mirror. This is the main purpose for owning a mirror, to be able to see yourself and make yourself look as clean and neat as possible. Some of us don't always like what we see in the mirror, because this deals with the physical, and we just do the best we can, right? But as we look into God's mirror, the word of God's truth, we should see ourselves as we really are. If we are earnest of growing in maturity, that God calls for, because this is dealing with the spiritual realm of our Christianity. And this is the work of the Holy Spirit as we cooperate with him. James does mention several mistakes people make as they look into God's mirror. They glance at themselves. They just merely glance in the mirror. And that's just saying the word. Amen. They do not carefully study themselves as they read the word. Many sincere believers read a chapter of the Bible each day, but it is only a religious exercise and they fail to really profit from it personally. The conscience would bother them if they did not have their daily reading, when actually their consciences should bother them because they read the word carelessly. A hurried or careless reading of the Bible will never reveal our deepest needs. There's an analogy here. A great difference between looking at a photograph of a person and an x-ray. The photograph shows the outside of the person. The x-ray shows the inside. If people were really looking deep into their own hearts, what they would see would be unforgettable. When Isaiah the prophets cried out, Woe is me, for I am undone. God had showed him the condition of his spiritual nature, his spiritual heart. And the same for Peter, when he cried, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. and Job, the most righteous man on earth in his day, and yet he confessed, I abhor or I hate myself and repent in dust and ashes. Job chapter 42 verse 6. You see, in failing to obey what the word commands for us to do, people think that hearing is the same as doing, and it is not. Many Christians enjoy substituting greeting for doing or even talking about their Christianity for doing. But if we are to use God's mirror fruitfully, then we must gaze into it carefully and with a serious intent of learning ourselves. Reiterating again, James chapter 1, verse 25, the scripture shows, but he who looks carefully into the faultless law the law of liberty and is faithful to it and preserves in looking into it being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer who obeys shall be blessed in his doing his life of obedience you see we cannot give a quick peek into the word it's not okay with God It is like giving him a little hand clap and throwing him a little kiss on the way out the door as you go to work every morning. The Holy Spirit wants to illumine the eyes of your spirit and soul to see the divine and supernatural life in the word and cause your hearts to desire and taste and see that he is good. he wants to show you your heart in the light of his word and cause you and me to examine our own hearts with deep honest spiritual evaluation this requires time and attention and sincere devotion five minutes with God each day will never accomplish a deep spiritual examination Dear ones, the laws and commands of God are perfect. First, because they perfectly express his nature and character. And secondly, because he wants them to perfectly match our nature and character too. It is called the law of liberty because by obeying it, we find true liberty in Jesus Christ and from sin and its consequences and penalty of eternal death. Remember, yours and my response is first to hear the words God speaks to us within the scripture. And secondly, we are to receive the word as truth from his mouth. And thirdly, we are to obey the word. You see, obedient compliance and submission to the word of God is the key to experiencing God's blessing in our lives now as we journey on our way to our eternal home. Be faithful. Be obedient to your Savior by living in His Word and commands. First of all, because you love Him. And secondly, because you know this is the right thing to do because He commands it and requires it for every professing believer. Thank you. There is a question that we must all seriously ask ourselves in this day and hour, where the times are growing more evil and the earth is groaning for the return of Jesus Christ. This question I present today is, am I unquestionably and without a doubt of any kind living in the light of God's truth? King David said in Psalms chapter 4 verse 6, he said, there are many who say, who will show us any good? Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us. Well, what David was speaking of here are the hindrances to God's people's ability to live in the light of his presence. And what David was speaking about was not a glowing or a cheerful state of feeling which are devoted to spiritual matters or subjects, but rather he was speaking about something that is more substantial and more real than mere feelings. You see, feelings are a part of our senses that are ever varying in their ability to maintain clarity and perception or stability. You see, our unrenewed feelings and emotions are likened to the ebb and the flow of the ever changing tide that rushes in and it rushes out. And what David was speaking about in this verse is the practical carrying out of the events and situations of everyday life, which lie nearer to the foundation of our profession of faith than any other thing. And that is the very condition of our eternal being in the consciousness that we should each individually be displaying in a closer walk with the great God, the living God at all times than to any other thing or person. And what David is showing when he says in this verse is the wish of the foolish worldly people. There are many who say, who will show us any good? Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us. You see, foolish worldly people sitting in the pews of church every week are saying, who will show us good? Who will make us be able to see good? Who will make me happy? David in verse 7 and 8 gives the bottom line as to what makes these foolish people happy. He says, Lord, you put more joy and rejoicing in my heart than they know when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you, Lord, alone make me to dwell in safety and confident trust. You see, it was the increase of these foolish people's corn and wine that made them happy. All they desired was plenty of the wealth and the abundance of the world in order to enjoy these things that would delight their senses and make them happy. Their question was, who will show us good? Who will make us to be able to see good? who will make me happy. Sadly, these do not have the desire to draw near to God. Only God can truly bring them joy and peace. Only God can give what we truly need in the time of crisis and want. These live outside of God's will and His provision. They have their eyes fixed on everything else but on God. They have no problem living without Him. In fact, they go to church weekly out of duty and have hopes that this outward exertion or effort will somehow appease God and make Him happy. Thus, it may invoke His favor and blessing when they call upon Him. The fact remains here. they're only looking for the blessing and good that comes from God they are not looking for God or look to be near or close to him but look only for what he can give them the people in our scripture whom David was speaking about were people who were supposed to belong to God but their eyes were blinded to the things of God because they had adopted the false gods of the people around them. In 2 Corinthians 4.18, Apostle Paul says, Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen, for the things that are visible and temporal, brief and fleeting, but the things that are invisible and deathless and everlasting, Our lesson is that we must look with eyes of faith further than we can see with the eyes of our senses, dear ones. when these people were looking for the good or for those who would make them happy or make them see good they were in effect only looking for the outward and present good intangible and touchy things like good food, good drink, good homes good jobs, good things and stuff that would make them happy in the moment but you see without having the only one true and good God in our lives at all times there will be no real living joy or peace in our hearts and no matter how many things or how much stuff we have these cannot and never will fill the place in the human heart that God intended and promised to give everlasting joy and peace to all who would seek after him with all of their hearts, with all of their souls, all of their mind and their whole being. God had set David aside for himself and by his distinguishing favor upon David, he marked him as a favorite. David in return sets himself apart by the distinguishing character he portrayed in his zeal and love for God. David throughout these few verses is saying that these people were looking for anything good, that is anything worldly good. but he personally was not willing to offer any part of his heart or soul to these empty things. So David and his friends were in agreement in their choice of literally choosing God's favor as their joy. And those who choose to be near to God are easily recognizable by their daily practices, their words, their deeds, and their choices, and also by their prayers. These prayers do not have to be long and lengthy, but the faith, the sincerity, the fervency in them move God to bring the answers because his favor rests upon them, because they live in the light of his countenance. In 1 John 1.7, the apostle declares, If we are really living and walking in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have true unbroken fellowship with one another. and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, removes us from all sin and guilt and keeps us cleansed from sin in all of its forms and manifestations. John's testimony in this chapter concerning God reality of the person and doctrine of Jesus Christ. And the purpose for which he gives this testimony is to make it unquestionably clear that God is light and no one can have fellowship with him who does not walk in the light. Those who do walk in the light are cleansed from all unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus Christ. In verse 7, he says, But if we're really living and walking in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have true unbroken fellowship with one another. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, removes, it cleanses us from all sin and guilt and keeps us cleansed from all sin in its forms and manifestations. John's statement says if we walk in the light you see the word if is a conditional word the word implies that this will be the only way that God's principle of holiness will be derived from him if we live in the light or the truth of God's word without wavering We are living in God's holiness and his righteousness. And this means that we are continually enjoying the revelation of God's truth. And we're enjoying life with him. We're enjoying fellowship with one another. We are enjoying personal communion with God and he with us. And those who are experiencing the wonderful, deep and divine things of God have conversation with them and God with them. And the heart of God and the heart of this kind of individual have intersected. They've come together in a continual holy correspondence. The latter part of verse 7 says, The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses it, removes us from all sin, and keeps us cleansed from sin in its forms and manifestations. You see, the wonderful and glorious all-sufficiency of Christ's blood and his passion that led him to die on the cross for each and every one of us has purged our consciences from dead works. This means that he's cleansed us and he continues to cleanse us to keep us clean, to keep clean what has been made clean. and being made clean from all sin is what every believer should look for. And this is truly a right that we have and we should expect. And this is what we must have in this life in order to be prepared to meet our God. And this is what it will take to attain eternal life. Jesus Christ is not partial and he wants above all else for us to be saved and cleansed from all sin. In Psalms 51 verse 7, David cried out to the Lord and said, Purify me with hyssop, Lord. I shall be clean ceremonially. Wash me and I will in reality be whiter than snow. Make me to hear the joy and gladness and be satisfied and let the bones which you have broken rejoice. In Mark 1.41, Jesus was moved with compassion and pity when the leper kneeling before him said, Lord, if you're willing, make me clean. And Jesus reached out his hand and he touched him and he said to him, I am willing, be made clean. Notice the light of truth that went before this man. He was found in a kneeling position before the very one who had called himself the light of the world. Jesus is the personification of divine illumination, dear ones. This man kneeled and inclined his face to the ground in a token of deep humiliation and earnest prayer. The only one who is called the light of the world and is the perfect fountain where all spiritual understanding can illumine one's eyes to see his greatness and supremacy is called Jesus Christ. Because of the leper's acknowledgement of Jesus' almighty power, he then received an answer to his prayer. his cry was make me clean and Jesus said I will be made clean here was the most manifest proof of Christ's divine power at work no one but God can work a miracle such as this the exertion of Christ's power is a supernatural display of his divinity and again because of the leper's acknowledgement of Jesus' almighty power he then received an answer to his prayer he had an illumination of the light of Christ and his faith soared to the highest heights he appealed to Christ's love with sincere words saying Lord if you will you see these words were filled with ability to heal him And the leper moved Jesus to compassion and pity and finally to action, which brought the healing. Jesus proves at once that he is the light of the world. His infinite love and unlimited power shows by his words an act of compassion and pity for the poor and needy in heart in their body, soul, and spirit. in the scripture that we had read earlier in 1 John 1.7 this time we're going to back up a few scriptures and catch verse 5 in 1 John 1.5 this is the message which we have heard from him and are now reporting to you God is light there is no darkness in him no darkness at all, no not in any way, so that if we say we are partakers together and enjoy fellowship with him when we live and move and are walking about in darkness, we are both speaking falsely and do not live and practice the truth which the gospel presents. Verse 7. If we are really living and walking in the light as he himself is in the light, We have true unbroken fellowship with one another. And the blood of Christ Jesus, His Son cleansed, removes us from all sin, keeps us cleansed from sin in all of its forms and manifestations. God is light. There is no darkness in Him at all. And if we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, then we are not telling the truth and do not live or practice what the light of truth teaches us. There is a true and real conclusion to be gleaned from this message that John was desirous to impart to his readers. And this conclusion is for those who are real and earnest in their profession and life in Jesus Christ and to the opposite spectrum to those who profess to be followers of Christ but are only vain seekers of the light of truth and have only entertained it. These are those who say that they have fellowship with him but they walk in the dark. You see to walk in the dark is to live and walk in ignorance and pretend to have religious experiences when in fact their lives are empty and full of self-deceit. They live impure lives with a thought life that is most profane. It has never been renewed by the one who is called the life and light of the world. Apostle John is not afraid in verse 6 that they who profess to enjoy fellowship with Christ but move and live in darkness are liars. They do not practice the truth which the gospel presents. They contradict God and distort the light of the truth because there's no real communication with God. And listen to this. There is a lack of honest and open conversation with their brothers and sisters in Christ. If we walk in the light, then we're going to have true fellowship with one another. We will be honest and upfront with one another because the light of the gospel of the truth cleanses us from all sin. We have nothing to hide. We have no reason for wearing a mask of pretension. We have no need to present ourselves as having arrived and doing everything just right. You see, the conviction and consistent satisfaction of finding that place of nearness to God now drives you to continually seek the light of His truth and walk in honest and open fellowship with one another. Only the blood of Jesus, as we've seen in our scriptures, cleanses us from all sin. It is sin that keeps us in the dark, blind, deaf, and dumb. A conformity to God's Spirit and practicing what you learn in light of the gospel of grace demonstrates your fellowship and communion with God. And only those who walk in the light of truth show that they know God and that they have embraced God's Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Truth's divine image is engraved upon their spirit and soul now. And when this happens, then you can truly have honest and open and genuine fellowship with your brethren. This fellowship won't be mixed with half-truths and lies. You see, half-truths are the most dangerous because they're the most seductive form of delusion. The half-truth which is presented usually excludes the suspicion of deception. A lie is a lie and all liars according to the gospel says these deserve eternal death. You see, walking in the light of the truth cleanses us of all sin. Walking in the light of God's truth results in three major things. 1. You will be without a doubt and unquestionably be leading a life of holiness and purity. Let me say that again. Walking in the light of God's truth results in three major areas or things. 1. You will be without a doubt and unquestionably be leading a life of holiness and purity. Ephesians 1.4 declares As even in His love He chose us He actually picked us out for Himself as His own in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy, consecrated, set apart for Him and blameless in His sight even above reproach before Him in love and this is saying that the great end and design of God's choice in choosing us is that we should be holy as He is holy. You see, when God originally picked us out, it's not because He foresaw that we would be holy, but rather it was because He was determined to make us holy through His Holy Spirit. And all who are called and chosen and privileged to this way of life must see and understand that their personal sanctification leads them to eternal life. It's by faith. In other words, this is the only way to salvation, dear church. Willingly setting yourself aside from all sin with the Spirit's help is a direct result of the divine love of God at work in your life. and only here can we stand before the Father without blame. Our holiness cannot and will not be acceptable to God if it is just merely an external and outward show and appearance. It's a lie. It's a facade. But rather it will be acceptable if it is real and is the direct result of the pure and honest internal change that results and stems from the love of God and is shown towards our fellow man. This kind of love is the key ingredient and principle for all true holiness. Let me say it again. This honest internal work that's taking place in your hearts is a direct result, or it is not, and stems from God, from the love of God, and is shown as well towards our fellow man. This kind of love is the key ingredient and principle in all true holiness. Called to be holy as God is holy. This is pure love on God's part because we had no claim or we did not have any hand in this at all and furthermore we really didn't deserve it. To be chosen and called to holiness is the highest moral excellence in the divine nature and character of the almighty creator. The light of this truth should never be defiled or profaned in any way. It should be realized and taken serious in our Christian walk. And we should stand before our Father without fear and give him thanks for the love that he has for us. And that was before the foundation of time. He chose you, dear one. It was according to his good pleasure. The good pleasure of his will that he saw you personally before the foundation of time. may I ask you a personal question at this time how are you honoring this truth in your own life thus far in your Christian walk are you allowing the spirit of holiness and truth the freedom in your life to make you holy are you leading a life of holiness and purity at this time are your actions and deeds towards your fellow man honorable Or do you fillet people with your rudeness and unkind words because you feel justified to do so? Are your words true and pure, or are they filled with lives and half-truths? What about your thought life? Are you taking captive of the impure, unclean, and vile thoughts? Many Christians live in the realm of their minds, therefore they're governed by chance, rather than the internal renewal of God's Holy Spirit. And being governed by chance leaves people struggling with conflicting forces. They're at work in their thought life. Many have a thought life ruled by a demonic spirit. They struggle with doing the right thing because they've never really given themselves over to Christ and the work of His Holy Spirit. They are just moved with hatred. and jealousy and unkindness. They are envious of others' joy and prosperity and the favor that God shows them. And they live in the dark, but pretend to live in the light. Now the second major thing that happens when you are found walking unquestionably in the light of truth, the unrenewed or unregenerate individual will never be able to discern truth from error or the holy from the profane. Only those whose minds are truly being renewed by the light of the truth will be able to discern all error and betrayal to the Holy Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 2.9, it is written, Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows these things of a man except the Spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Verse 12. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that we have been freely given to us by God. Verse 13. know them because they are spiritually discerned. You can never know the truth of God if it were not for the fact that the Spirit of God illumines the eyes of your spirit to see it. The spirit of a man, or better called the human spirit, knows only the things that are common to man. He's conscious of all the schemes and plans and purposes that pass through his own minds. But the Spirit of the Lord knows all the counsels and determinations of the great supreme God who knows everything. And as the Holy Spirit is given to every true Christian, he literally lives in the soul of that individual. The Spirit knows all things of God. He reveals the truth of God to sincere and genuine Christians who are endeavoring and allowing the Spirit's work in their inner being to uproot and cast out every vile sin and every thought and word and deed that oppose the truth. And as a result, there should be a purity of heart, of mind and soul that begins to radiate forth from that individual. There should be a kindness, a sweetness and honesty in that new nature. Just as the Apostle exampled the new nature of this way of life, so should we each