Amen all right good morning good to be in church and worshiping God instead of Tom Brady today
So good to be in church all right the part of the chapter
I want to focus on is there in verse number 8 the Bible says be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion
Walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Let's pray Lord
Thank you so much for this day
And thank you for the opportunity to preach this sermon
Pray that you fill me up with the Holy Spirit and help me to edify your people
And I pray that you'd get all the glory for it in Jesus name. We pray amen
Amen all right the title my sermon this morning is how not to get devoured by
Satan you see there in the Bible the Bible gives us a charge that the devil's walking about
Seeking whom he may devour the devil wants to destroy us he wants to destroy this church, and that's not a railing accusation
That's just what the Bible says so we need to know how not to get devoured by Satan
You know this is an invisible enemy that we never actually see but yet. We're at war with every single day
I'll read for you Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 the Bible reads for we wrestle not against flesh and blood
But against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world
against spiritual wickedness in high places and especially for a church that's trying to do so much for God and a
Movement that's trying to do so much for God and for individual families that are trying to do so much for God the devil's not
Gonna take all that stuff lying down
He's not gonna take us starting churches in Boise and in
Spokane and having a church over in the Philippines that gets 2,000 people saved in the first month of the year
I mean that would take us over two years to do here in Vancouver
You know yet
There's places in this world where the laborers are working hard and getting over 2,000 people saved in the first month of the year
That's amazing right well
That's great works for God being done
But you see the devil's not gonna let that slide without him fighting us the devil's not gonna
Just take that laying down
And you know because of that the devil wants us to quit the devil wants to destroy our health our bodies our spirits our minds
The devil wants to attack us from any possible angle he can
And you know maybe if the devil was attacking us and we fell out and we weren't really that important
Maybe it wouldn't be that big of a deal
But for us for this church the stakes are too high for us to fail every single person in this church is important
I'll read for you 2nd Corinthians 4 the Bible says therefore seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy
We faint not you know we can't faint. You know why because we have this ministry
That's why because we have the ministry of soul winning that if we're not doing it. No one's doing it
You know I still believe to this day that people in our movement and like-minded that to us are doing the vast majority of the
Soul winning in this world we have this ministry. It's too important. We cannot fail 2nd Corinthians 5 20 says
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us
We pray you in Christ said be ye reconciled to God you know
I don't believe like the dispensationalists like the ruck tards that us Gentiles are just plan B
You know I actually believe I'm an I'm an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I believe this church
We're all ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you're saved you're made kings and priests unto God and his father
So we're all important so when you fall when you fail when you get devoured by Satan that has big consequences
It's not just no big deal. We all have to take it very seriously
So number one how are we gonna do this look at 1st Peter chapter 5 number one?
We must be clothed with humility starting there in verse number 5 the Bible reads
Likewise ye younger
Submit yourselves unto the elder
Yea all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility for God resist at the proud and give its grace
To the humble you know Satan knows the most surefire
Quickest easiest way to destroy your Christian walk is to get you full of pride
Because the Bible says that if you're full of pride God himself will resist you turn to Proverbs chapter number 6
Proverbs chapter number 6
And I'll read for you Psalm 138 verse 6 the Bible reads though the Lord be high
Yet hath he respect unto the lowly, but the proud he knoweth afar off
You know God doesn't think like this world thinks you know God's up high
He doesn't just have respect to people that are high and exalted up in this world like the world believes
He has respect unto the lowly and he's gonna be close to the person. That's lowly
He says the proud he knoweth afar off. He's gonna get them far away from him
He's not gonna be walking close to him Proverbs 6 verse 16
The Bible reads these six things that the Lord hate
Yea seven are an abomination unto him a proud
Look a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood and heart that deviseth with wicked imaginations
Feet that be swift and running to mischief a false witness that speak it lies and he that soweth
Discord among brethren one of the things that God hates and is literally an abomination to him is a proud
Look when you think that you're so cool, and you're so powerful and you're so mighty and you're so important
And you know you don't need God you have that proud look God is gonna get you far away from him
And you will fail and you'll be devoured by Satan turn to Matthew chapter 4
I'll read for you a few more verses on this Proverbs 15 25 the Bible says the Lord will destroy
the house of the proud
But he will establish the border of the widow you think of a widow a widow is not someone that has that much to be
Proud about you know she's usually living off of the charity of other people
She can't even really eat unless someone else is helping her out and God says he's gonna establish the border of a person like that
But the proud he's not gonna have anything to do with them
James 4 6 says, but he giveth the more grace
Wherefore he saith God resisteth the proud, but he giveth grace unto the humble
So of course God Satan knows that God is gonna resist you if you become prideful
So one of the tactics he's gonna use against us is trying to get you filled up with pride
He's been using this tactic for a long time. You're there in Matthew look at chapter number four
Matthew chapter number four and we'll see Satan use this tactic on Lord Jesus Christ
Versate the Bible reads again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain and
Showeth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them
And he sayeth unto them all these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me
Then sayeth Jesus unto him get thee hence Satan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only
Shout thou serve so Satan is trying to get Jesus to fall down and worship him and one of the ways he does that says
Hey, I'm gonna give you all the kingdoms of the world isn't that something that our flesh desires
Is to have dominion and power isn't that a natural sin that our flesh can fall into of wanting to be proud
You know Donald Trump. He owns his enterprise of businesses spanning across the world
That's the pride of life right and you know what I believe Satan can get I believe Satan does have some power
And I believe that I don't think he was lying to Lord Jesus Christ right here
I believe he could have given him all the kingdoms of this world temporarily
But of course Jesus knew he's gonna have dominion over this earth forever and ever but go to second
Thessalonians chapter 2 real quick, and I'll just show you that the state that Satan does have power in this earth
He's called the god of this world
Second Thessalonians chapter number 2 starting in
verse number 8 and then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with
the brightness of his coming even him whose coming is after the working of
Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness
It's true the Bible says Satan has power he can work miracles
He has all these lying wonders to deceive us today and one of the ways he's gonna do that is he can offer you power
You know there's all these mega rich people of this world, and I'm not talking about people who just live you know
Make a good living maybe they own a business, and then they're they're comfortable
But I'm talking about the mega rich of this earth the Bill Gates the Tesla's
The Donald Trump these people that just have all the kingdoms of the world basically
There's one thing all of them have in common, and that's pride because guess what Satan has given them their power
They got their power by selling their soul you ever hear people say oh, I sold my soul to the devil
It's a real thing the devil can give you power you have to bow down and worship him
He'll give you that power you know even for a Christian
You're not gonna be able to sell your soul to the devil as a Christian of course right you can't lose your salvation
But guess what Satan could give you that job that you want so bad that can make you a bunch more money at the expense
Of going to church on Sunday
Satan could give you that great job
And make a bunch more money
And you can have the boat and all the trucks and all the big houses and everything you want you can have that as a
Christian if you don't go soul winning if
You give up your Bible reading if you give up raising your family raising your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord
Satan could give you all those things and how's he gonna do it?
He's gonna want you to get prideful first and say you know what I deserve to have more money
I deserve to have this car. I deserve to have all these things you know what I'll take that job
You know what a lot of that's why you ought not think every time something happens in your life that it's God
That's giving it to you
You know it could be Satan himself trying to trip you up with something not every time you get a job offer
Should you necessarily take it just because it pays more money?
You know that's why it's so important that when we pray we got to be praying according to God's will
We can't just be praying according to our own hearts lust we got to look at the Bible
See what God's will is for us, and then if we don't know the answer God should I do this or should I do that?
Pray Lord let your will be done
That's how you're not gonna get devoured by Satan James 4 7 says submit yourselves therefore to God
Resist the devil and he will free flee from you that you got to run away from that pride turn to Genesis chapter number 3
Genesis chapter number 3
I
We're gonna see another time Satan used this tactic
Genesis chapter number 3 verse 1 the Bible says now the serpent was more subtle than any beasts of the field see the devil's not
Gonna come out with red horns on his head and a pitchfork and saying do this
This is what I want you to do. He's subtle
More subtle than any beasts of the field
Which the Lord God had made and he said unto the woman yea hath God said you shall not eat every tree of the garden
And the woman said unto the serpent we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden
But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden
God hath said you shall not eat of it
Neither shall you touch it lest he die and the serpent said unto the women unto the woman
Ye shall not surely die for God doth know that in the day you eat thereof
Then your eyes shall be opened and you shall be as God knowing good and evil there it is
He's playing on our pride again. He says hey, you're gonna be like God. You're gonna have the knowledge of good and evil
He plays on Eve's pride and by the way, women can be prideful, too
You know, obviously this is a sin that is mostly pertaining to men because men think they're so cool
But women can be just as prideful
It usually just comes out in a little bit different way
Usually it comes out and being really passive-aggressive
Because men are direct and they just want to like tell you I'm the best right to your face, right?
But women they're a lot more passive-aggressive. They'll give the little passive-aggressive comments, you know, they'll they'll just try to be really subtle about it
But obviously Satan can play on both men and women's pride
Genesis 3 6 says and when the woman saw
That the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise
She took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat
You know, it's too bad
Eve never learned James 4 7 resist the devil and he'll flee from you
Right because that's all she had to do when Satan gave her that stupid little gimmick that he pulled on her
He should have just resisted and she would have been fine
Go to first John chapter number two
You know when the tempter comes to us, we need to resist the devil and he'll flee from us first John chapter number two
Yeah, Hebrews James first and second Peter first John first John chapter number two
Bible says love not the world
neither the things that are in the world if any man loved the world the love of the Father is not in him for all
That is in the world the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life
Is not of the Father but is of the world
So if it's not of the Father who's it of if it's of the world who's it of it's of the God of this world
The pride of life is something that the devil is always gonna be trying to play you on
What are some examples of this go to Proverbs chapter number seven a great example of this is the flattering tongue?
Trying to get you to have the pride of life
The flattering tongue look at Proverbs chapter number seven
Psalms Proverbs Proverbs chapter number seven starting verse five. I'm gonna read a little bit here
That they may keep thee from the strange woman from the stranger with flatter with her words for at the window of my house
I looked through my casement and beheld among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a man void of understanding
Passing through the street near her corner and he went the way to her house in the twilight in the evening in the black and
Dark night and behold there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot and subtle of heart
She has that same subtlety that Satan has verse 11. She is loud and stubborn her feet abide not in her house
Now she is now is she without now in the streets and lieth and waited every corner
So she caught him and kissed him and with an impudent face said unto him
I have peace offerings with me this day have I paid my vows
Therefore came I forth to meet thee diligently to seek thy face and have found me see this harlot is trying to play on this
Man's pride saying I came here just looking for you buddy just for you stud muffin, right? I'm only looking for you
I came ready looking for you verse 16
I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry with carved works with fine linen of Egypt
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh aloes and cinnamon. Come let us take our fill of love until the morning
Let us solace ourselves with loves she's going up to this guy saying look at all this work that I've prepared
Just for you because you're so great
You're so great and I would only get pick a guy like you, you know men ought to be careful of the woman that flatters
Him and especially if a man's in a position of leadership
That's a really dangerous place for them to be and obviously we see that all the time, you know
Pastors, you know CEOs owners of company anyone with any perceived position of power
This is a huge danger for that person and you know, I've even seen this in the workplace, you know
I'm so thankful one of the most things that I'm most thankful in my life is that I work with all
Saved brethren in Christ. I work with not a single unsaved person. They're all men
You know, my bosses are unsaved, but they're not even in the shop all the time
It's amazing, but that is such a blessing because I've worked places before
Where I've been I've been the manager a couple different jobs and this one time this woman was having
Really bad marriage problems and she was bringing it to work and she's just filling people's ear
With all this crap about her marriage and I always shut it down. I was like don't talk to me about this
I don't want to hear about your marriage
Well, the thing is she was talking to the other guys too about it and this one guy's like oh, you know
You just need to you just need to separate and spend some time away with him and I noticed they started going to lunch together
I noticed they started disappearing on the clock
You know at times that work together and turns out that two of my employees were committing adultery
You know at the job site why because this woman doesn't feel loved at home and the flattering tongue
Proverbs 7 man in this case decides to say hey, you know what? You need to separate from your husband spend some time with me
Let me take you out to lunch. Let me show you who a gentleman is and then all of a sudden
Adultery happens
You know that the flattering tongue is an easy way for Satan gets you filled with pride and to devour you because I promise you
I promise you you commit adultery as a Christian. You're gonna be devoured. God is not mocked. You're gonna get disease
You're gonna possibly lose your marriage. God forbid that would happen, but God's not mocked
You will be devoured by Satan if you decide to commit adultery
Let's see where I am another way pride can pop up is in ministry turn to 1st Timothy
While I read for you 1st Timothy 1st and 2nd Thessalonians 1st Timothy
Philippians 1 15 says some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife and some also of goodwill
There's some people even in the ministry that are preaching Christ just of envy and strife just because they want to be proud 1st
Timothy 3
This is why God has this qualification in the Bible verse number 6
The Bible reads not a novice less being lifted up with pride. He fall into the condemnation of
The devil you want to be devoured by Satan?
Go ahead and become a pastor when you're not ready to become a pastor
Go ahead and and become a pastor when you're proud. You're lifted up with pride. You're a novice
You don't even know the Bible and you want to call yourself a pastor, you know, here's a good sign
That's your novice when you're preaching sermons the title, you know, not every Christians born again
Not every Christian shall escape the lake of fire. I just learned this last Tuesday guys. This is new doctrine
I'm so smart, you know, that's a novice right there
That's someone who's lifted up with pride and who's gonna be devoured by Satan obviously that guy's not even saved
Doka and his friend LeBlanc, but
That's a perfect example of a novice right there novice that does not know the Bible
Preaching Christ of envy and strife, you know a good way that you're doing that a good way to tell if a person is
Preaching off of goodwill or if they're preaching of envy and strife, are you self-ordained, you know?
Did you actually go through the process to become a pastor or just you want to be proud and call yourself a pastor?
So you're just gonna be self-ordained. That's a good sign that you're a novice. That's a good sign that you're lifted up with pride
First Timothy 3 7 says moreover
He must have a good report of them which are without lest he fall into the reproach and the snare of the devil
You know in my opinion pride is an evil report, you know
And if you have the report of pride in your life, you will fall into the condemnation of the devil
That's what the Bible says and you know, it's so weird to me because not this isn't just about people who self-ordain
This is about you know
Normal church members
Normal church members get lifted up with pride all the time people that go on missions trip people that get people saved
Good Christians sometimes become lifted up with pride
So I want to read to you a verse that should just quench that in your in your soul first Corinthians 8 2 and
If any man think that he knoweth anything he knoweth nothing as he ought to know look
I don't care if you're Solomon the wisest man in this world. I don't care if you own 500 businesses
I don't care if you pastor 10 churches
I don't care how smart you think you are the Bible says you don't know anything as you ought to know
I don't care if you've read the Bible through 200 times. You've not read it anywhere close as you ought to have read it
I don't care if you've won thousands of people to the Lord in your life
You haven't done near as much as you ought to do and that ought to just quench your pride right then when you see when
You say okay, you know, I'm doing the best I can but I'm not doing as much as I could be doing
And you're actually looking to Jesus instead of looking and comparing yourselves to your brethren
You say I'm not doing near as much as the Lord Jesus Christ did that'll kill your pride real fast
You know nothing yet as you ought to know turn to Philippians chapter number two
Philippians chapter number two
Let's see the attitude that Christ had Philippians chapter number two
Starting in verse four look not every man on his own things
But every man also on the things of others let this mind be in you which was also in Christ
Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God
but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and
Being found in fashion as a man
He humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus
Every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. What a beautiful scripture
That's my that's got to be my favorite scripture about the Lord Jesus Christ there
But what was the mind of Christ that should be in us? He humbled himself. He became like a servant
He was God he was equal with God yet. He was lowly
He was meek and he was lowly and guess what he says there. He made himself of no reputation
Even though could he have made himself a reputation sure he could have and guess what ended up happening because he humid he was humble
Now he has a reputation all over this whole world every single person this world knows who Jesus Christ is and every single
Tongue in this world someday will confess Jesus Christ as Lord and every single knee someday will bow and to give glory to the Lord
Jesus Christ, but why was that because he made himself of no reputation. So look
Christian that thinks you're so cool and thinks you've read the Bible so many times and gotten so many people saved
Are you making yourself of a reputation?
You got a post on Facebook every time you do something for the glory of God
You got to be little other people and compare yourselves among yourselves because that person's not going so many as many times as I'm going
A week, you know, you're filled up with pride. You're on a dangerous road to be devoured by Satan
So number one we must be clothed with humility go back to first Peter chapter 5
Number two
We must constantly be sober first Peter 5 8
Says be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour
You know, how easy would it be if you think about you know, how we're in a spiritual battle
How easy would it be in combat to beat someone who's drunk?
You know
You could be the smallest guy and fighting a huge opponent a guy that looks like he could just tear you to shreds if he's drunk
If he's intoxicated you'll wipe the floor with that guy right because it skews the balance in warfare
So what's what's the definition of sober and I had an article here with me. I don't even know where it went
Maybe it fell over there something. I
Don't know where I went if anyone sees that let me know
I had it somewhere
Definition of sober
Definition 1a sparing in the use of food and drink 1b not addicted to intoxicating drink see not drunk
Marked by sedate or gravely or earnest thoughtful character or demeanor
unhurried calm marked by temperance
moderation or
Seriousness, so basically what it boils down to what that's saying is there's two definitions of sober basically not drinking and being a serious person
So first I want to talk about the first definition because that's probably what we all think of first
So I had this news article, which I don't have anymore
But it was by the Christian news.com or something like that and they pulled like
3,000 people of what they believed about alcohol is alcohol wrong all the time
Is it okay to indulge in a little bit or is it never? Okay and over 50%
Of the 3,000 something Christians that responded this poll said that it's okay to drink alcohol sometimes depending on the situation
So I mean wow right half of professing Christians say that it's okay to drink alcohol
Now that just shows me that Satan's been corrupting this doctrine right because that is not even close to what the Bible teaches
So if it's not coming from the Bible, it's coming from Satan
So let's see if the Bible teaches that it's okay to drink for relaxation or social gatherings
That was one of the reasons they listed here go to Proverbs chapter number 23
Proverbs chapter number 23
Proverbs chapter number 23 starting verse 29
The Bible asks these series of questions says who hath woe who hath sorrow who have
Contentions who hath babbling who hath wounds without cause who have redness of eyes now, I don't know about you
I don't want to be any of these people whoa
Extreme danger extreme sorrow. I don't want to have whoa in my life. I don't want to have sorrow
I don't want to have pain and misery and sorrow. I don't want to have needless contentions
I don't want to be going around babbling
I don't want to be going around with wounds without cause getting hurt for no reason having redness of eyes for no reason
Who are these people Bible gives the answer verse number 30?
They that tarry long at the wine they that go to seek mixed wine
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red when it giveth his color in the cup when it move is itself
All right
So what's the answer who are the people that have all these horrible things as people that drink alcohol?
And you know a lot of people stop reading at verse 30 because it says they that Terry long at the wine say they say
Oh, you just can't drink a lot. You just can't become drunk
Okay verse 31 says look not thou upon the wine when it is red
So we can learn two things from that number one if we can't even look at it
Then obviously we can't even drink it. Okay, so yeah those people have those things that Terry long at the wine
But guess how they started tearing long at the wine. They started looking at it. They started lusting after it
They started tasting a little bit and they end up
Tarrying long at the wine and number two what can we learn from that is that wine is not always
Alcoholic in the Bible because is there a wine in the Bible talked about where you are allowed to look at sure
How about the Lord Jesus Christ when he had the Lord's Supper right the the fruit of the vine?
Non-alcoholic wine people every time that they see the word wine in the Bible. They try to act like it's alcoholic. It's a lie
Verse number 32 at the last it biteth like like a serpent and stingeth like an adder
Thine eyes shall behold strange women and thine heart shall utter perverse things
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea or as he that lieth upon the top of a mass
They have stricken me shall thou say and I was not sick. They have beaten me and I felt it not when shall I awake?
Yet I will seek it yet again you people say oh you ever hear people say yeah
I just want to go out have a good time get bit by a snake get stung by an adder
You know behold strange women have wounds without cause get diseases commit adultery. Just have a good time
Is that what you hear people say?
No, you hear the lie of Satan that people say and I just want to go out and social drink and have a good time
With my friends, but what does the Bible say is going to happen to you if you drink alcohol?
It says your eyes shall behold strange women
Well, I don't think if I'll drink that my eyes are gonna behold strange women, okay
What other parts of the Bible don't you believe then?
Because the Bible says that you will behold strange women with your eyes and you're gonna tell me that you won't
Forget that I'm gonna believe God not you, you know
You tell me that you're not gonna have wounds without cause you sure as heck are gonna have wounds without without cause because that's what
The Bible says so I'm not gonna listen to your opinion about it. That's what the Bible says who hath woe
Who hath sorrow who have contentions it makes sense now, doesn't it people that drink alcohol? That's who's gonna have those things
Go to Proverbs 20 or sorry Proverbs 23 verse 20
That's why the Bible says this be not among winebibbers
Among riotous eaters of flesh for the drunkard and the glutton shall not shall come to poverty and drowsiness
Shall clothe a man with rags
That's why the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 5 that we're supposed to cast people out from the church that are drunks
Because when you hang out with winebibbers and riotous eaters of flesh the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty
Just go to downtown Portland go outside are these doors here and you see the homeless person and what are they they're gluttons
They're drunkards. They're poor why because of alcohol. That's why that's what the Bible says Bibles constantly exhorting us to be sober
Turn to Titus chapter number 2
Titus chapter number 2 1st and 2nd Thessalonians 1st and 2nd Timothy Titus chapter number 2
I'll start reading in verse 1 the Bible says but speak thou the things which becomes sound
Doctrine that the aged men be sober look at there at verse 3 or verse
4 that they may teach the young women to be
Sober look at verse 6 young man likewise exhort to be sober
Minded verse 12 teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust we should live
Soberly look at verse 15 these things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority
Let no man despise thee so Paul when he's giving this letter to Titus
He's saying hey speak thou the things which become sound doctrine
What are some things that are sound doctrine that the age of men be sober that the younger women be sober that young men are?
Sober-minded that denying ungodliness in this present world. We should live soberly the Bible says they're righteously and godly
That's sound doctrine the Bible says to be sober
That's something that preachers and pastors should be teaching and preaching with all authority the Bible says all the time
It's something that is emphasized a lot in the Bible is something that's need to be emphasized in preaching all
The time because it's so it's such a dire consequence if you fall in to the sin of alcohol
And you know all of this applies to marijuana and drugs, too
You know you get these people that are like Christian libertarians, and they're like big thing is making marijuana legal right and I'm for making
Marijuana legal because there's a difference in the Bible between a sin and a crime okay
Homosexuality is a crime punishable by death in Leviticus 2013
Rape you know kidnapping all those things those are crimes there should be laws against those things and punishment against those things
But there should not be law against sin. Okay. You know lust you can't some throw someone in jail for lust
You can't throw someone in jail for drinking alcohol
These are things that need to be preached by preachers and pastors
But it should not be a law
But the thing is though these Christian libertarians
They get so zealous in their defense of marijuana that they almost don't even put it at the same level as alcohol
They almost like make excuses for smoking marijuana, and you know what it's not sober
It's just as wicked as drinking alcohol
And I know Pastor Thompson's opinion is the same so I know that
There's the person that drinks alcohol is gonna get kicked out
And I know the same thing for person that smokes marijuana without repentance. They'll get kicked out, too
so let's go to
Titus chapter number one back a page there
I'll just read for you a few more exhortations here about sobriety
Titus 1 7 says for a bishop must be blameless as the steward of God
Not self-willed not soon angry not given to wine no striker not given to filthy lucre
But a lover of hospitality a lover of good men sober just holy tempera turn to John chapter number two
And before before we get into the secondary definition of sobriety
Part of that article that I was going to read for you guys
Was these Christians were citing?
The fact that the Lord Jesus Christ turned water into wine as an excuse to why we can drink a little bit of alcohol
So let's just read this together in
John chapter 2
starting verse 1 and the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there and both Jesus was
Called and his disciples to the marriage and when they wanted wine the mother of Jesus saith unto him
They have no wine Jesus saith unto her woman
What have I to do with thee mine hours not yet come his mother saith unto the servants whatsoever
He saith unto you do it and there were there six water pots of stone after the manner of the purifying of the Jews
Containing two or three firkins apiece. So think about his six giant pots there
Jesus saith unto them fill the water pots with water and
They filled them up to the brim and he saith unto them draw out now and bear unto the governor of the feast and they
Bear it when the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and knew not whence it was
But the servants which drew the water knew the governor of the feast called the bridegroom and saith unto him
Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine and when men have well drunk then that which is worse
But thou has kept the good wine until now
So these people that teach that Jesus made alcoholic wine
Wants you to believe that Jesus showed up to this party where all these people just drink six giant pots of alcoholic wine
And they're it's gone. Jesus fills them all up and then the guys saying hey, man
You've kept the good stuff till now when people have well drunk the Bible said they were already well drunk now not intoxicated
But they had well drunk the wine that's already there
They had already well drunk and they're gonna tell you that Jesus Christ filled all those up again with Budweiser and said drink up guys
That is blasphemous right there. That is complete blasphemy right there
If Jesus Christ turned water and alcoholic wine, then he's not sinless
Then he's not the Son of God
Then this whole Bible is worthless and vain if Jesus Christ did that if you're gonna call yourself a Christian and you're gonna tell
Me that the Lord Jesus Christ sinned, you know
Then why are you even a Christian because your faith is in vain
Because Jesus Christ is not a good enough sacrifice for you because guess what?
You know
I'm not putting my eternal faith my soul's faith on a man who showed up to a party and gave a bunch of people
Booze and got them more drunk than they already were. It's stupid. That's something else
You could tell someone's a novice if the pastor is preaching that right there. So the other definition of the word sober
Means serious and you know many of these verses we've been going over can apply just as equally to that definition of the word
Too but go to first Peter chapter number one
first Peter chapter number one Hebrews James first Peter
First Peter chapter 1
Verse 13 the Bible reads wherefore gird up the loins of your mind
Be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as
Obedient children not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts and your ignorance, but as he which hath called you as holy
So be holy in all manner of conversation because it is written be holy for I am holy
You saw there it's talking about gird up the loins of your mind this this type of sobriety is a mental sobriety
What's it talking about being serious not just living your whole life aimlessly not having any plan for your day
Any plan for your month just not being sober not taking anything you do seriously, you know a lot of people
Wake up at age 30 and they're still working at McDonald's and that's because they haven't been living a sober life even mentally
Because they're not thinking. Okay. What's my plan? What am I doing with my life? We as Christians?
We should not just be aimless dummies, you know that aren't thinking
Seriously about what we're doing. We need to be sober 2nd Corinthians 10 3 says for though we walk in the flesh
We do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
But mighty through God of the pulling down of strongholds
Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and bring it into captivity
Everything every thought to the obedience of Christ one of the ways that devil the devil wants to destroy us is the fight in our
Mind we need to cast down those imaginations because God wants the devil not only wants us to be not sober physically
But also mentally he wants us to just be goofing off and wasting our days watching television
Not doing anything important with our lives not reading the Bible not memorizing scripture
Not winning people to Christ not spending time with our family
He just wants us to be goofing off and wasting time our whole life
You know you waste a little bit time today
You waste a little bit of time tomorrow
Over years and years and years you've wasted years and years and years of your life that you you can't redeem that time again
It's gone. You have to redeem the time now you have to be working hard now
You have to gird up the loins of your mind now
And you have to cast down those imaginations those things that are gonna distract you from serving
God and you have to bring them into the obedience of Christ
Number one we must be clothed with humility number two. We must constantly be sober number three
We must commit ourselves to being vigilant go back to 1st Peter chapter 5 1st Peter chapter 5
1st
Peter 5 8 be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion
Walketh about seeking whom he may devour. I say we have to commit ourselves to being vigilant because it's not something that happens by accident
It's something that takes a lot of work. What's the definition of vigilant alertly?
Watchful especially to avoid danger. You know an alert person isn't alert by accident
You're not just accidentally keeping watch. You know you think about a guard. You know there's a guard over here at that building
Just across the road. What's that?
I remember the name of the building, but if you ever park on the other side of this building
You'll see this guard walking around and the whole time every time I've ever seen him
He's walking like this on his phone walking a perimeter of the building on his phone. That's not being vigilant
You know I feel bad for the company that's paying that guy
To watch their stuff when he's on his phone the whole time not watching not vigilant
It takes effort to be vigilant. I'll read for you 1st Corinthians 10 12 wherefore let him that thinketh
He stand take heed lest he fall. You know we need to realize hey
I've got sinful flesh my body is capable of committing sins right I have to realize hey
There's a danger there of me committing that sin, and I have to be vigilant and say okay
I need to be watchful. I need to be vigilant
I need to be careful because there's a danger right there. You know when you know I grew up hunting and
One time we got surrounded by wolves and guess what I was pretty vigilant of the wolves location
I was like okay is wolves there there there. I know where they are I've got my gun
I'm like all right. I'm watching you know if one of these things pop out of nowhere
I'm gonna drop one of these guys right, but that's what it is you got to realize hey
My flesh is capable of all sorts of wicked sin
Just because you're saved doesn't mean that you still don't have the lust of the flesh all
Sins that are natural to mankind you can do when you're saved and you have to say there's a danger there
I need to be watching out. I need to be careful go to Matthew chapter 15
Matthew chapter 15
Let's see some of the things that we're capable of doing
Matthew chapter 15
Verse 19 the Bible says for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts
murders adulteries
fornications thefts false witnesses
Blasphemies these are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands to file with not a man
You know you're capable of evil thoughts. You're capable of murder. You're capable of adultery you're capable of fornication
You're capable of blasphemy you're capable of all these things
You know I'm sure a lot of us in this room unfortunately have done things on this list, right
You know think about abortion one in four women in this country have committed murder, right?
There's
People who commit these sins all the time, so we have to say okay. I'm capable of doing these sins
I need to set up some safeguards and be vigilant
You know Satan would love you to commit adultery
Satan would love to devour your flesh by causing you to commit adultery and get disease
Satan would love you to kill your children in the womb and commit murder Satan would love you to fornicate and
Destroy your future marriage and to get all manner of disease
You know Satan would love you to blaspheme the name of the Lord Satan would love unsafe people to blaspheme the Holy Ghost
Right all of these things Satan would love you to do that that kind of stuff
one of the things today that people really really need to be vigilant about is
Pornography and this is a subject that's not fun to talk about or even think about but unfortunately this is something that's going on
Rampant in the United States of America even Christians. It's it's almost impossible that there's not someone here today
That's struggling with this or has struggled with this so because of that we need to realize hey
There's a danger there
There's something that I can commit I need to set up some safeguards and be vigilant against this sin
You know and by the way pornography will not only ruin your your marriage pornography will also ruin your walk with God
You know because and I'll prove it to you proverbs 28 9 says he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law
Even his prayer shall be abomination
You hear this preached all the time
Your pastors rip on this all the time and the Bible says when you turn away your ear from hearing it your prayer will be
An abomination, you know, I don't know about you, but I want God to hear and answer and cherish my prayers
You know, I need God to answer my prayers. I don't want my prayer to become an abomination to him
So I'm not gonna turn away my ear from the law that says thou shalt not covet. You know, what's covetousness design something
That's not yours
Why are you coveting women that aren't yours someone else's wife or most likely not even someone else's wife someone else's whore
You know or someone else's god forbid even sex slave that's going on in this country, you know
And you're getting you're just giving into that and you're just taking pleasure in that
You think God's gonna bless you for doing that you think he might just turn away his ear from your prayers because you're despising
God's law because you're sinning willfully against God
Turn to Matthew chapter 5 you learn Matthew 15 go to Matthew chapter number 5
Matthew chapter number 5
Jesus
Even has a stricter standpoint in the New Testament on
Adultery and on lust he said in verse 27 you have heard that it was said by them of old time thou shalt not commit
Adultery, but I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her have committed adultery with her already in his heart
You know, that's a pretty sad thought
That's a pretty that makes me sick to think that if I do that I'm committing adultery in my heart
You know, that's a really sad thing
I never want to be guilty of that us in this room never want to be guilty of that
But if you're looking at women with lust in your heart, that's exactly what you're doing. So, you know you say, okay
I don't want Satan to devour me in this area. I need to set up some safeguards
Psalm 39 one says I said I will take heed to my ways. I
That I sin not with my tongue
I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is set is before me
We need to take heed to our ways and set up some safeguards. What are some good safeguards for that?
How about you know, not putting passwords on your phone that your wife and spouse don't know about or even your children
Don't know about keeping everything in the open
keeping the bedroom doors open, you know not using the
Electronics super late at night when you're when your willpower is down and you're tired and you're not in the spirit
You know don't have that stuff on at night. Don't tempt yourself needlessly like that
You know, some people maybe they just need to get rid of the smartphone, you know
Where in the Bible does it say you have to have a smartphone?
You know if you struggle with it that bad and you can't handle it get rid of your smartphone
Jesus said if your eye causes you to offend pucked your eye out
Right if your hand causes you to offend cut your hand off
Jesus says if you can't handle the smart technology get rid of it have us to have a flip phone
That you can call and text your wife on you know, it's it's not that hard to deal with
Matthew chapter 4
Matthew chapter 4 I'll read for you in verse 3
Another good thing that we can have is some go-to
Verses to protect our minds to gird up our minds to cast down those imaginations when we're being tempted by the devil
Look at Matthew 4 3 when Jesus was being tempted and when the tempter came to him
He said if thou be the Son of God command that these stones be made bread
But he answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone
But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, you know when the tempter comes your way
You need to be able to say hey tempter it is written and give a verse that helps you with whatever sin you're struggling with
Sorry, I'm stumbling here. It is written go to Psalm 103 or I'll read it for you Psalm 101 3 say it is written
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that turn aside
It shall not cleave to me
You know when you're feeling temptation to commit wicked sin if you do struggle with pornography and you ever have that temptation say hey it
Is written Psalm 101 3 read it say it out loud yourself have in your pocket
Hey say it is written James 1 15 then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished
Bringeth forth death. You want to bring death to your marriage?
You want to bring death to your family? You want to bring death to your Christian walk with God?
Just start giving yourself over that kind of stuff when you when the tempter comes you say it is
written and answer with the Word of God
The
Only way we can avoid getting devoured is by staying vigilant Psalm
11911 says thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee
That's a biblical concept of you know memorizing scripture to help you avoid sin
We need to fill up on the Word of God. It cannot be
Understated how important reading the Bible is in every aspect of your life. It cannot be
Understated how important
Memorizing scripture is to help you with your Christian walk to help you abstain from sin and not only that
You know memorizing scripture is gonna help you in every aspect. It's gonna help you understand scripture better
It's gonna help you be closer to God
It cannot be understated how important these things are
Hosea 4 6 a says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge
You got to get the knowledge of the Word of God inside of you if you don't want to get destroyed by Satan
When you're being tempted
You know, there's so many false doctrines out there
You know and unwise things that Satan wants you to be devoured with with the pre-trib rapture and Zionism
And you know homos can be saved and not every Christian saved and not every Christian will escape the lake of fire
And all these, you know Christians can drink alcohol. I just go on all day
You know being that we're in the great falling away pretty much
There's so many false doctrines out there and the Bible says that if you don't have knowledge you'll be destroyed
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. You cannot
Stop reading the Bible has to be every single day
Proverbs 2 6 I'll read a few more verses and we'll be done here for the Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth
cometh knowledge and understanding
Revelation 1 3 blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written
There in for the time is at hand you want to be blessed by God
You know in this time when so much work for God is being done. Do you want to be a part of it?
Do you want to be wise or do you want to be the one that's that's plucked up by the wayside
That's the seed fallen by the wayside that Satan devours
Do you want to be the person that Satan devours in 1st Timothy or in 1st Peter 5?
Do you want to be devoured by pride you want to be devoured by drunkenness?
You want to be devoured by all these things we talked about then just don't read the Bible
Don't take heed to any of the scriptures read this morning because I'm telling you let him that thinketh
He stand take heed lest he fall you think that you're the exception that's not gonna get devoured by Satan
You think that you're the exception that's gonna stay in church for 50 60 70 years with no effort
You don't have to take any of these things into account you're wrong, and you will be destroyed
But obviously God does not want that for us
He gave us his word so that we can know how to deal with this so number one
We must be clothed with humility number two. We must constantly be sober and number three we must commit to being vigilant
Oh look I found my article too late now. Let's pray Lord
Thank you for this day, and thank you so much for the scriptures
Pray that you'd help us to take heed all these things and Lord
We know that you're way more powerful than the devil. He has no power over us
We're not afraid of him God. We just trust in you and in your word Jesus. Let me pray amen