Judgement: He Starts in His House
/Ezekiel 3:17-21
17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
He said if you warn the sinner and the righteous and they ignore you, you’re hands are clean preacher. If I tell you to warn them and you don’t warn them, their blood is on your hands! I have a lot of scripture to cover this morning, but before we get started, I just want to say a couple things: 1). A warning to a sinner is different than a warning to a believer a) a sinner doesn’t know and must be warned so they can be introduced to truth, so they can make a decision whether they will accept or reject truth, b) a righteous person must be warned, because we all are still being tempted to rebel against God, and when we do, there is a danger of a seared conscience and a thinking that we’re alright, when in reality we are living a life of disobedience against God and His word.
It should be understood that there is a big difference between a believer who is living in sin and miserable over their failure towards God vs a person that believes it’s going to be okay because Jesus washes sin away.
I did not say that Jesus doesn’t wash sin away, because we all know that He does 🎼
I did not say that it’s not going to be okay. As a matter of fact, it’s going to be better than okay, it’s going to be fantastic if there is true repentance and a true washing, it’s going to be fantastic!
And that is what God is speaking to my spirit. Warn them son. You have not, and they are not taking this seriously enough!
This world has so radically changed since I was saved in 86’. Everyone thinks for themselves now. While that sounds good on the surface, a couple scriptures will help to clarify:
1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Romans 1:21
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations [reasonings], and their foolish heart was darkened.
Darkened hearts and an ever darkening world. The world says that the Bible was written by men and believer’s say, “You’re quoting out of the Old Testament. We’re in a New Covenant. God doesn’t work that way anymore. God is love.” God was always love. How doesn’t He work anymore? He doesn’t open the ground and swallow people? But why did He do that one solitary, seemingly OT swerve in the NT when He struck down Ananias and Sapphira? Have we forgotten the scripture that says, He is the same yesterday, today and forever? Do we presume that the God that hated sin in the Old Testament has suddenly changed His mind towards His feelings of sin in the New Testament?
Romans 2:4-8
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
Romans 9:6-7
6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Spirit vs flesh… Romans 8:3-5, Romans 8:14
Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
1 Peter 1:13-20
Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
The world has a spirit and it wants your heart
1 John 2:15-17
Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Without the word, we cannot know God’s will or how He thinks. Will we think like Him?
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Warning—departure from the faith
*Where do demons get a mouth?
1 Timothy 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
Everything seems to be moving towards, “No, you’re fine. If you’ve professed Jesus you’re good. A youth pastor told a girl that I used to know that before. She went to him for counsel because she felt convicted about something in her life. His response to her was, “O’ you’re fine and now she’s married to a woman.”
It’s the word of God that shows us the heart of our Father. We must allow His word to speak to us. We must allow His word to have the last say so in our lives.
2 Timothy 4:2
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
Hygiaino
Hygiene- good health. Sound doctrine is good and wholesome truth that promotes spiritual health.
You could look at sound doctrine like floss for your heart.
Matthew 24:24
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
We are about to approach some areas that we are battling in our society, and let us understand that the society of the Roman Empire where Christianity was birthed was contrary to the Christian faith. Sexual promiscuity was the norm of the land. The worship of multiple deities of choice was allowed as long as you sacrificed to the emperor. This is what caused true Christians to be martyred. They refused to sacrifice to the emperor. They were thrown to the lions, Peter was crucified upside down, Thomas run through with a sword, Paul was beheaded by Nero and let’s talk about Nero for a second, he was famous for rolling Christians in pitch, a tarry, petroleum product and setting them on fire in order to illuminate the streets and other nighttime activities. And all it required for some was a little compromise. For instance, rich Christians would pay their servants to offer a sacrifice to the emperor. Let me ask a question, “Do we think that works with God?”
So before we get too deep into what we are facing in society and with our government, let’s consider the condition of what we call the church. Every last one of us in this room have in some way, shape or form failed the Lord and fallen short of His glory. We all have had times where we have had to repent for offending Him and treating His word as though it were just another book instead of what it is— The Word of God! So while I’m not preaching sinless perfection, I am preaching sinful correction!
The issue is not when people sin:
1 John 2:1-2
Christ Our Advocate
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
The problem arises when the people of God become so complacent with sin and with Jesus’ blood smeared all over the place that their hearts are no longer broken over the fact that God’s word is being ignored. Jehu
So before we get into the LGBTQ in the world, let me focus on a few things in the church… it’s like we stepped into a time warp where we forgot that sin is sin whether a person is a Christian or a non Christian, as though Christians are exempt from sin because they’re forgiven. Thieves and liars don’t go to heaven; yet, Christians cheat on their taxes and lie about it every year and act like it’s okay because, in their opinion, the government was corrupt. Jesus said this, not Caesar, Jesus said, “Pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar and pay God what belongs to God!”
And then sexual immorality is rampant in the church. People commit fornication and adultery and act like it’s not a big deal. The scripture says fornicators don’t go to heaven.
Since when did God say it was okay to get a divorce?
Matthew 19:7-8
7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
Please don’t put words in my mouth. I understand that there is forgiveness for fornication, adultery, lying, stealing and divorce, but God help us when preachers and people that call themselves Christians act like it’s no big deal and our hearts are no longer broken when we transgress His word (Hebrews 10:26). Churches are ordaining homosexuals and performing same sex marriages. Parents that raised their kids in the faith are going to their kids same sex weddings and condoning their kids shacking up and we’re all acting like it’s okay.
Romans 1:32
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
And then those of us that won’t go that far act like the other stuff I just mentioned is okay, and then we want to fuss about their stuff and they’re over there winking and saying come on we all know it’s okay to just live a little. No! Judgment must begin in the house of God! That’s Old Testament! No! That’s New Testament!
1 Peter 4:17-19
17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
The school bus in the dream: Hell is enlarging itself
Isaiah 5:11-16
11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! 12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands. 13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. 14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. 15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: 16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
Second dream, famine, snow, LGBTQ
Drag storytime was a popular event when the Huntington Woods Public Library in Michigan first held it in 2018 and 2019; local news reported the library was the first to hold such events in the state. But they attracted noisy protesters, and the library has yet to hold one post-pandemic. Huffington Post
In July the Vatican released comments made by the pope during an interaction with an Italian in their early 20s who said they were torn between the Catholic faith and transgender identity. Francis replied: “The Lord always walks with us … Even if we are sinners, he draws near to help us. The Lord loves us as we are, this is God’s crazy love.” The Guardian Thu 9 Nov 2023 09.35 EST
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
The Man of Lawlessness
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.