What in the world is going on?- Part 3
Notes
Transcript
What in the world is going on? (Part 3)
Text: Psalm 2:1–12 (KJV 1900)
1 Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, And cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. 10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, And ye perish from the way, When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Introduction:
* What is going on with the world today?
* We live in very uncertain and frightening times.
* Most of us have lived out our lives in a time when the “Fear of God” has prevailed in our society.
* We grew up in a time when society, as a whole, had a reverence for the Bible and the things of God.
* When I grew up, we didn’t lock the doors when we left home for a few hours, We didn’t lock our doors for fear of someone harming us in the night.
* These things did not come by accident to us. The safety and freedom we have all enjoyed in our lifetime was the result of churches full of men and women who taught their families to fear God.
* Children were taught the fear of the lord. Children were taught that the Bible is the Word of God, and that it was a Holy book!
* Most people think that the world holy means, good or sinless, but the world holy means “Not like anything else,” “set apart.”
* Children grew up with the knowledge that God and the Bible was “high and set apart,” holy and was to be feared and revered.
* Over the last couple of generations this understand of God and the Bible has gradually been changing.
* One of the biggest contributors to this has been the systematic breakdown of the basic building block of society, the family.
* The God ordained institution of marriage and family has been under attack by the Devil and ungodly men and women for several generations.
* This breakdown of the family started with the change in attitude about divorce. Now more than half of all marriages in this county end in divorce.
* We have become like the people just before God judged the world the first time with the flood.
* In the first message of this series I dealt with what Jesus said about great tragedies and wars in the last days just before he comes back.
* In the second message in this three part series, I concentrated on the “Great falling away” predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-
2 Thessalonians 2:2–12 (KJV 1900)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,
* As a result of these things, the false preachers and churches will try to remain friends with the world and deny the real Jesus.
* By this will men and women be drawn away from the real Jesus to a Jesus of the world own making that loves unconditionally and will never judge anyone’s sin.
* This is that “great falling away” of the days just before Jesus comes back and judges the Earth.
* We are now living in the days just before the return of Jesus. Jesus called this “the beginning of sorrows”
see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
* This Moring is our last look at our text in Psalms chapter 2:
1 Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, And cast away their cords from us.
* In this message I would I would like to answer the question that is posed to us in our text: “Why do the heathen rage?”
* In order to do this, I must take you to a companion scripture to Psalms 2, Romans chapter 1 starting with verse 18:
Why do the heathen rage?
Romans 1:18–32 (KJV 1900)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
* The ungodly, the heathen, are mad that God has the audacity to judge them.
* The first thing that comes up in a conversation with someone who hates God is “The Bible says you are not supposed to Judge?” They try to use the Bible, which they hate, to set you straight! Now that makes a lot of sense doesn’t it?
* That’s exactly what the Devil did when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. He misquoted and misused the Bible against Jesus!
* The heathen in our text verse say “Who is God, and who are these Christians, that they should Judge us? Why should we be limited, or tied down, by these Bible thumpers! We ought to be free to live any way we want to!
* And so the heathen, the ungodly men of our day are trying to shut us up by falsely accusing us of hatred and bigotry.
* The heathen, or the ungodly men and women of this generation cannot meet the resistance of the preaching of the Word of God with reason and wisdom, so all they can do to move the masses of people against God and those who follow Him, is to out yell us and talk over us.
* Have you ever watched a television interview between a Christian and an ungodly liberal? They intimidate, talk over, interrupt, and ignore. They don’t reason with a Godly person with well thought answers, but the use these thugs like tactics to silence the Christian.
* This reminds me of the book of Acts where when Steven reasoned with the Jewish people and told them that they were guilty of murdering the Son of God, the Bible says that they could not resist the reasoning and wisdom of Steven, so they were reduced to gnashing upon him with their teeth and stoning him to death.
* The world we live in is saying Silence the Christians! Silence the voice of God! And my friend this is not going to stop with words. Even now the violence against true Christians has begun!
* This is exactly why we are seeing our religious freedoms that we have enjoyed for over 200 years being slowly stripped away from us. The heathen want to silence the Voice of the Word of God, and the only way to do that is by taking away our religious freedoms.
* Now, they do this in such a way that it is ok, or “politically correct,” for them to speak against Christians and the Bible, but is not ok for the Christians to speak out about anything.
* If you have ever watched video footage of confrontations between the Gay rights folks, and the power grabbing liberal union thugs, when the Christian exercises his freedom of speech, the ungodly chant and yell over the Christians.
* When I used to preach at Brushy Mountain Prison, the Muslim inmates would come to the services and chant in order to silence the preaching of the Word of God.
* When the heathen of our day don’t like what the Christian has to say, they attack his character; they hurl curse words at him!
* If the reason and wisdom of the Christian is seen to overpower their argument, then they resort to violence and threats and a mob mentality. We have all seen video footage of this in the news in recent months!
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
* The first attack on God was to remove God as the creator. This was a deception by the heathen, in the name of science, fueled by the Devil, and carried out using government mandated public schools.
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
I want you to notice the similarity of words used here in Romans chapter 1, and in our text back in Psalms chapter 2- Psalms chapter 2 says:
1 Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing?
Romans 1:21 says: “but they became vain in their imaginations.”
* Now you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that one of two things have happened here- either the apostle Paul is directly quoting Psalms 2 here in Romans 1, or the Holy Spirit lead Paul to write words down, and then the Holy Spirit moved men who translated what Paul wrote in Greek to exactly match what David had written down in Hebrew.
* Either way, this is no coincidence that the words are the same in both passages of the Bible.
* (By the way, this is another evidence that the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and preserved by the Holy Spirit.)
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
* The world has been cramming down the throats of our children for decades the lie that they were not created in the image of God, but they are like the animals.
* Our modern generations has no problem with people who behave like animals and glory in unclean and acts of lusts and dishonor their bodies, because they have been systematically brainwashed and desensitized to perversion.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
* You see, this generation, more than any other, has changed the truth of “Who God is,” our creator, into a lie. The lie of evolution!
* Now that man has been liberated from his creator in his mind, just like the Devil did, mankind has begun to worship himself. Man has become his own God! Man serves himself more than the Creator!
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters
* My friend there is no one who hates God more that a person who has given him or herself over to sexual perversion.
* Recently I ran across a video of a sermon preached by John Macarthur that dealt with the subject of Homosexuality.
* To illustrate the connection of hatred for God by those who are given to sexual perversion I have written down some of the comments that we made about this sermon on Youtube:
So you think a fairy tale book written 2000 years ago is knowledge? A book stitched together from other long dead fairy tales? That is knowledge to you? Your education is truly lacking. Show me proof that the miracles happened. Show me proof that Jesus even existed, and show me proof that he actually said what he said. Don't rely on the bible (circular reasoning at its best) but show me contemporaneous proof from other sources.
God never existed and never will. Jesus is NEVER coming! Shoot the delusional Bastard!
look to science and reason for your answers. Do not trust anyone who TELLS you what to think, only trust those who give you information that you can see for yourself is true, then find your own answers. The hatred and self regard that this lecturer displays is obvious to me. Who is he to decide what is 'perverted'? What qualifies him to tell us what to think? Please look into the facts about homosexuality and make your own mind up. This preachers point of view belongs in the stone age
Oh. I see. If we don't know something, we must credit god for it. Do you know how absurd that sounds? Your god is now relegated to the gaps...the things we don't know. How small he is getting, and as time goes on, he will get even smaller. Seek knowledge.
(Begins with calling MacArthur another word for rectum)
Even if there was a god (which there isn't), telling people what this mythical god thinks is the height of arrogance. (Blank) you and your god,
* A person who is given over to sexual perversion doesn’t stop with hating God, but they hate Christians who believe the Bible as well.
* As a matter of fact, it is now getting to the place that being a Bible believing Christian is un-American.
* Consider the recent attack of the Homosexual activists on Dan Cathy, the owner of Chick-Filet.
* The following is from an article by Star Parker entitled “Is it un-American to be a Christian?”
Can it really be that in America today a businessman can be labeled a bigot, boycotted and cut off by suppliers because of the crime of being a Christian?
When Chick-fil-A CEO Dan cathy made his now famous admission that "we are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit," he was not campaigning against homosexuals, He was responding to a question in an interview done in a paper I expect is not read by many homosexuals -- the Baptist Press.
Never mind. It was sufficient provocation that Cathy publicly admitted that the Bible defines his understanding of marriage -- the unique bond of man and woman -- which also happens to be the standard definition in dictionaries on the shelves of every American home and library.
"Chick-fil-A's values are not Chicago's values," said Chicago Mayor, and former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel defended Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno's threat to deny Chick-fil-A permitting in Chicago because its owner supports traditional marriage and family.
But UCLA law professor and constitutional scholar Eugene Volokh points out in his blog that "denying a private business permits because of such speech by its owner is a blatant First Amendment violation."
The Constitution? The First Amendment? Religious liberty? Do these apply to Christians?
* There is no one who hates God more that a person who has given him or herself over to sexual perversion. Why is this? Why does Christianity appear now all of a sudden to be Anti-American?
* Well the reason is simple- those who are given over to a lifestyle of sexual perversion know that God has said He will judge them for their sin! They love their sin!
* They deceive themselves and tell themselves what I am doing is ok because there is no God! I am not created by anyone, so I will have to answer to no one!
* Those who are given to sexual perversion are not the only ones that desire to cast off the knowledge of God. Paul also includes a few more:
, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 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.
This is why the heathen rage.
Conclusion:
* In our text in Romans chapter 1, Paul introduces us to the righteousness which comes from God (1:17).
* Paul goes on to develop at length the overwhelming evidence of man’s sinfulness, underscoring how desperately he needs this righteousness that only God can provide.
* He presents God’s case against the irreligious, then the immoral person.
* He then goes on to make a case against the religious, outwardly moral person.
* Paul concludes by showing that all men alike deserve God’s judgment.
* Now I ask each of you this morning- Are you prepared to face this judgment? The Bible says
Hebrews 9:27–28 (KJV 1900)
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
* Each and every one of us has an appointment with God to be judged by him. This is why the heathen rage against God.
* The whole reason Paul wrote the book of Romans is to tell us that only the righteousness that comes from God will be able to save us from the wrath that God will administer to those who stand before Him at their judgment.
* The only way to have the righteousness that comes from God is to place your faith God’s son, Jesus:
John 3:16 (KJV 1900)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
* Yes Paul makes the case that each and every one of us are sinners and enemies of God, but Paul writes the remainder of the book of Romans to teach us that those who have placed their faith in Jesus, will be saved from the judgment and wrath of God.
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
* Jesus is coming back- Will you have righteousness that comes down from God, or will you face the judgment of a Holy God with your own righteousness?