10 The Ultimate Mind Game

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Question 1: What does the Bible say about angels?

Who are angels? It's in the Bible, Hebrews 1:14, NIV. "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"

How many angels are there? It's in the Bible, Revelation 5:11, NIV. "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand."

Angels can appear in the form of ordinary people. It's in the Bible, Hebrews 13:2, NIV. "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

Do we become angels when we die? No, humans and angels are different from each other and were created separately.  It’s in the Bible, Psalm 8:4, 5, NKJV. “What is man that You are mindful of him? . . . You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.”

Who is the leader in charge of the angels? It's in the Bible, I Peter 3:22, TLB. "And now Christ is in heaven, sitting in the place of honor next to God the Father, with all the angels and powers of heaven bowing before Him and obeying Him."

Angels are special guardians. It's in the Bible, Matthew 18:10, TLB. "Beware that you don't look down upon a single one of these little children. For I tell you that in heaven their angels have constant access to My Father."

Angels provide protection. It's in the Bible, Psalm 91:10-11, NIV. "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

Angels rescue people from danger. It's in the Bible, Psalm 34:7, TLB. "For the angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence Him."

Angels carry out God's orders. It's in the Bible, Psalm 103:20-21, TLB. "Bless the Lord, you mighty angels of His who carry out His orders, listening for each of His commands. Yes, bless the Lord, you armies of His angels who serve Him constantly."

Angels carry God's messages. It's in the Bible, Luke 2:9-10, NIV. "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."

What part will the angels play when Jesus comes the second time? It's in the Bible, Matthew 16:27 and 24:31, NIV. "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with His angels."

"And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:31)

Where did evil angels come from? They were good angels who chose to rebel. It's in the Bible, Revelation 12:9, NIV. "The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."

What influence do evil angels have? They struggle against those who are good. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 6:12, NIV. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

What will be the final destiny of Satan and his evil angels? It's in the Bible, Matthew 25:41, NIV. "Then He will say to those on his left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"

Tonight’s subject: the Ultimate Mind Game. We’re going to take a preliminary look at the crowd that joins Jesus on Mount Zion in the opening verses of Revelation 14 and ask a simple question: what are some of the keys that allow you to live that way?

Then on Friday night, we’re really going to dig into one of the most important themes of Bible prophecy. In the book of Second Thessalonians, Paul predicted the coming of someone who would pretend to have all the authority of God, and in conjunction with that, he mentions the “mystery of lawlessness,” which proves to be one of the most important keys to understanding the big issues in the book of Revelation.

Then on Saturday, we’ll be looking at the “Revelation’s Sign of God.” There is a final call to planet Earth in the central chapters of Revelation that contains some very ancient language - and before you and I can really understand the biggest issues of Revelation 13 and 14, we’re going to have to get to the heart of it. This is a night when you’re going see the clear connection between the opening chapters and closing chapters of the Bible.

Then on Sunday night, we’re going to look for a passage that most people assume can be found in the Bible, and we’re going find out if they’re right. And in the process, you might just discover some things that will radically change your life. That’s on Sunday night.

Then, our subject on Tuesday night will be “A River Runs Through It.” There’s a thread that runs all the way from Genesis to Revelation that you really don’t want to miss. It starts in the Garden of Eden, and it winds its way all the way through to the closing chapters of the book of Revelation . . . and people who really understand this subject are some of the happiest people on the planet.

Then on Wednesday, I’ll talk about “Babylon Rising.” A lot of people, when they look at passages like Revelation 13, they become understandably concerned. It’s a passage that doesn’t sugarcoat the future, and it appears to be warning the human race about something very serious. But the problem that most people face is simply understanding the passage itself. So on Wednesday night, I’ll share some simple keys that will make reading that passage as simple as any other - and before we’re done, you’ll be able to tell ME what it’s talking about.

Then on Friday night: what actually happens one minute after you close your eyes for the last time, draw your final breath, and die? I think you’ll be astonished at the amount of detail the Bible provides - and this is absolutely a last-day subject, because when Jesus comes again, you’ve got the living and the dead getting together for a big reunion. So on Friday night, we’ll look at “Revelation’s Key’s of Death.”

But for tonight: “The Ultimate Mind Game.”

Prayer

Tonight, I want to start with another important principle. When you and I read through a book, we kind of expect the author to put the big conclusion at the end. If the book is meant to be persuasive, the author will usually list out his or her supporting points and then finish with the big conclusion.

But that’s modern, western thinking, and it’s not the way the Bible writers thought. The structure in the book of Revelation is a little bit different.

The major points in the book of Revelation are actually found in the middle. The whole book is very important, but the central themes are found in chapters 12, 13 and 14.

Bible scholars call this “chiastic” structure, because the Greek letter “chi” looked like an “x” - and of course, with an “x”, the focus is in the middle. Sometimes, Bible writers would make points one, two and three - and then they’d make the same points in reverse order: three, two, one - and the big information is found in the middle.

It’s almost like they were trying to focus the reader. And in the book of Revelation, the big focus comes in the middle.

So last night, we looked at the story of Revelation 12: the story of a massive conflict that emerged in our universe when fallen angels rebelled against the government of God. That chapter gives us BOTH sides of the story: Satan and his angels warring against Michael and His angels, and then the dragon turning its wrath against the woman, or the church.

Chapter 13 really gives us the dragon’s side of the story. There are two beasts: one that comes up out of the sea, and another that comes up out of the earth. And together, the two beasts bring planet Earth to its ultimate crisis.

Then in Revelation 14, we see God’s side of the story - and that’s what we’re going to start looking at tonight - because in my humble opinion, you and I should always start with God!

Read through text, click and keep reading. Emphasize words highlighted in yellow; pause and have audience fill in those words to help drive them home.

Revelation 14:1-5

Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and fourty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.

They sand as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders, and no one could learn that song except the hundred

and fourty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins.

Now let me pause for a minute, because this is describing people who appear to be especially pure - but let me ask you: have they ever sinned?

Yes, they have. And the reason we know that is because they’re “redeemed from the earth.” These aren’t people who somehow managed to escape the plague that affects the entire human race; they’re sinners, just like you and me.

But now they’re considered PURE, because of the gift of Jesus. And what I want you to notice is the way that Revelation uses the language of sexual purity to describe them - because in Bible prophecy, a woman represents God’s people - the bride of Christ. And adultery is used to describe people who are unfaithful to God.

This passage is describing people who are redeemed by Christ, and they’re faithful to God.

Let’s keep reading now.

These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstruits to God and to the Lamb.

And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Now THIS is the defining characteristic of these special, faithful people: they follow the Lamb wherever He goes. And the Lamb is who? Jesus.

These people follow the Lamb and refuse to listen to the serpent’s lies. They do whatever God asks. They are the spiritual children of Abraham, and like Abraham, they go wherever God asks them to go. And the Bible says the Father’s NAME is written in their foreheads.

So what does that mean? Is it some kind of tattoo or literal mark emblazoned on their heads? Not exactly.

Back in John 17:6, while Jesus is praying to the Father, He says, “I have manifested Your name to these disciples.” In other words, He showed them God’s name.

In Exodus 33, Moses asks God if he can see God’s glory, and in response, God declares His name. So we know that God’s name is God’s glory - and then God starts to describe His character:

(Look up in your Bible if you want to read it - Ex. 34:5-7)

“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.”

So here’s what we know: Jesus showed God’s “name” to the disciples, and God’s “name” is His glory, and when God declares His “name,” He describes His character.

God’s name IS His character - and these people, with God’s name written on their foreheads, have made a decision about the character of God. They have chosen to TRUST God.

And the reason it’s written on their foreheads is because that’s the place you make your decisions. Listen to what Paul says in Romans chapter 7:25:

So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God...

You and I make decisions for God with our minds, and these special people standing on Mount Zion have made a decision. God’s name - God’s character - is written in their foreheads. They trust God, and they refuse to believe the devil’s lies. These people are being re-created in the image of Christ, and every day, they’re becoming more like Jesus.

They believe that God is everything He’s ever claimed to be, and God sets these people aside as His own.

So obviously, the big question is:

How do you get to be that way? How do you join that group? How do I actually become one of these people?

I know that it’s hard to feel qualified.

Now, before we dive into some Bible keys, I’d like to ask someone to put a question in the question box about the 144,000 — Is this a literal number and are they literal Jews, or is there some deeper meaning?

Ok, let’s look at some Bible keys to getting to be the way these 144,000 are described in Revelation 14:

First, you’ve got to make a decision. You’ve got to exercise your God-given freedom of choice and use your mind to reject the darkness and embrace the light. You’ve got to make a personal decision for Jesus.

Secondly, remember that this group of people is “redeemed,” and that means you’ve got to make things right with God. You have to accept the gift of Christ and repent of your sins if you’re going to be in this group. And how do you make things right with God?

Let’s review. Remember what the Bible says:

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

THIS is how God makes us faultless before His throne. If we confess our sins, God will make things right - and that’s a promise you can take to the bank.

“Well, I understand what you’re saying - but you don’t understand. I’ve gone too far, and there’s no way God can forgive me now!”

Yes, He can. If you even WANT to come to God, that means that right now, it’s not too late. The Bible teaches (in the book of Romans) that repentance is a gift from God. (Romans 2:4) And that means you couldn’t even WANT forgiveness unless God was working in your heart. If you’re interested in God - if you WANT a relationship with Him - that means it’s not too late.

If it WAS too late, you wouldn’t feel a thing.

So frankly, if you’re worried, I’m NOT worried, because you wouldn’t BE worried if God wasn’t doing something in your life. If you come to the point where you don’t care, that’s when I get worried.

Repentance is a gift from God - and then He does something REALLY amazing: He makes us into a brand-new creature:

2 Cor 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Now: what is a creature? It’s something that’s created.

If you put your life in the hands of the Creator, you can know that He has the ability to put you back together. He can re-create you in His imagine. He can begin to transform your character and write His name in your forehead.

“But you don’t understand! I WANT that - but I still struggle with thoughts and habits! The old me always seems to be there, and I’m always fighting with temptation!”

I know. And the reason I know that’s true is because we ALL deal with temptation. And what you need to understand is that you’re not alone. You’re not the only one who’s struggling.

The devil wants you to think that you’re alone - because that way, you’ll become despondent and give up. You’ll start to think that somehow, God has left you behind. But believe me, you are not alone.

First Corinthians 10:13 says:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.” In other words, whatever you struggle with, someone else is struggling with the same thing.

Listen to me very carefully: coming to Christ - becoming a Christian - doesn’t mean that you’ve arrived. What it means is that you’re just getting started. As long as you and I live on this planet, temptation is going to be a part of life. The devil is going to do his utmost to make you think that God has abandoned you, or that somehow, the forgiveness that God offers isn’t real - it isn’t yours.

In fact, this is something that even the Apostle Paul struggled with. In Romans chapter 7, he writes: “the things that I want to do, I don’t do them. The things that I don’t want to do? Those are the things I do!”

Romans 7:24, 25

O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord...

Struggling is part of the Christian experience. But Paul found hope in Jesus - when he became despondent, he threw himself on the mercy of God, and you can do the same thing: you can throw yourself on God’s mercy. And if you do that, you’re going to discover that God can absolutely help you.

The key is not to panic. The key is not to worry or give up - they key is to trust that God knows what He’s doing . . . and then pay attention to the advice God gives you in His Word.

Always pay attention to what’s in this Book - because the Bible has some really solid principles that will help you become more victorious over temptation. If you’re willing to follow the Lamb wherever He takes you - things can get a whole lot easier.

There are so many directions that we can go with this subject, but the first and most significant aspect of following the lamb has to do with your mind. Because that’s the place where God writes His name, or His character. The mind is where God changes who you are, and it’s the place where you make your decisions.

The human brain is an incredible gift from God - a gift that you really need to guard with your life.

It’s a little like a computer. Have you noticed that when you get a brand-new computer, it runs beautifully. I’m a big fan of Apple products, and recently they released a new processor chip that is extremely powerful for how efficient it is. I purchased a pretty fast computer from Apple back in 2014, and then gave it to my wife when I upgraded a few years later. Now, that computer is so much slower than when I got it. Applications open slower, the compute crashes every once in a while, websites load slower.

And if you use a Windows PC, you might even get the blue screen of death sometimes.

Why? Why does a perfectly good computer start to slow down?

Well, lots of possible reasons. Maybe you’ve filled up the hard drive and it doesn’t have room to put things as it thinks. Maybe it’s just age — parts of your computer are wearing down. Maybe its that newer software demands more resources than your older computer has available.

Or maybe it slows down because there are these kids out there who have nothing better to do all day than to sit in the basement writing malicious programs: malware, viruses, Trojan horses. Sometimes, someone is deliberately trying to sabotage your computer - and when their software makes it into your system, you’ve got a problem.

Now it might be a little simplistic, but your brain sort of operates the same way: it’s arguably the most amazing computer in the world.

Some people believe that the human brain is capable of performing 20 quadrillion calculations per second. (That’s a 2 with 16 zeroes, every single second!) Hewlett Packard’s super computer they call El Capitan is capable of performing 2 Quintilian calculations per second, that a 2 with 18 zeroes after it. But even the fastest computer can’t figure out what the human brain is able to.

Just consider this: you essentially come into this world with nothing but a dial tone in your head, but eventually that brain of yours is able to distinguish between billions of different faces in a fraction of a second. Facial recognition software has come a long way in the last few decades, but your brain can pick up on thousands of visual cues in a fraction of a second and immediately recognize the person who just walked through the door.

It’s the most astonishing computer in the world.

But what if somebody deliberately tried to sabotage your mind? What if there were actually viruses for the human brain?

The Bible says, in no uncertain terms, that there’s an all-out war for your mind:

2 Cor 10:3-5

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

The greatest battle in the universe is the battle for your mind. I know that a lot of modern preachers keep pointing to the Middle East as the biggest war of the last days, but the biggest war is not about real estate - the biggest war is the battle for your heart and mind.

Somebody wants to confuse you. He wants you to drink the wine of Babylonian confusion so that you can’t see the truth. And because there’s an all-out war being waged for our minds, you and I need to pay attention. We need to be using some antivirus software on our hearts.

And where do we find that antivirus software? In the Bible. Listen to Paul’s advice in his letter to the Philippian church:

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

How do you protect your mind? You protect it by being proactive: by filling it with positive information and filtering out the bad stuff. You crowd out the evil, and you refuse to give the devil any space.

Listen to me carefully: if you allow your mind to fill up with conflicting information, you’re going to create an unstable system. How do I know that? Listen to James:

James 1:8

A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

If you allow your mind to be pulled in two different directions, you’re going to run into trouble. You’ll become unstable, just like a computer with bad information. Notice how Jesus basically says the same thing:

Matt 6:24

No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other…

The Bible is clear: you can’t serve two masters. You can’t allow your mind to be pulled in two different directions.

It’s like trying to date two girls (guys) at the same time: eventually, you’re going to lose both of them. The human mind was created to make a decision. It was created for singular loyalty.

Jesus once said (Matthew 12:30), “He who is not with Me is against Me,” because ultimately, you can’t serve two masters. And if you try to serve Jesus and the world at the same time, you’re going to become unstable, and you’re going to default to the world.

You and I have to be single-minded. Either you are with the LAMB, or you are with the DRAGON. You can’t have both.

And of course, the question is: how do you become single-minded? Well, here are some important principles:

Number one: you become single-minded by exercising your faith. Let me show you what the Bible says:

1 John 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.

God says, “I want you to trust Me. I want you to exercise your faith. I want you to choose to believe that I know what I’m talking about, and then do what I say!”

God is asking for more people like Abraham: people who are willing to do what God says, who are willing to go where God leads, even on days when it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. You overcome the world by living out your faith - and your faith never grows unless you USE it.

It’s like strapping on a parachute. You might know - intellectually - that the laws of physics make that parachute safe. You might know, mathematically, that the drag of the air on the canvas is going to slow you down before you smash into the earth . . . but you don’t REALLY know, until you experience it. The only way you can grow your faith in parachutes is to strap one on and . . . jump!

And it’s the same way with the Christian faith. You can know what this Book says - intellectually. You can become familiar with all the stories, and you can even get a degree in theology - but the only way to KNOW FOR SURE that God’s Word is true is to strap on your parachute and jump.

Start living it. Do what God asks. Go where God leads. Trust Him.

That’s principle number one: exercise your faith.

Principle number two is remarkably simple: garbage in, garbage out. Your mind is always going to regurgitate the information you install. And if you feed your mind garbage, day in and day out, it’s going to produce garbage in your life.

Listen to the words of Jesus:

Matt 12:35

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

What you put INTO your mind is exactly what’s going to come OUT. Feed it a daily diet of moral sewage, and that’s what you’ll be living out in your life.

Think of your brain as a big filing cabinet. All day long, your eyes and ears gather information, and your brain saves it all. It misses nothing. And then you face a moral crisis, and your brain suddenly panics and goes looking for information - and it does that on auto-pilot, without any conscious effort on your part.

And if all it can find is bad information, you’re going to do the wrong thing.

Let’s say you’re faced with sexual temptation. Somebody’s making a move on you, and you don’t know what to do - so your brain goes running to the filing cabinet, looking for an answer - and all it can find is 18,000 episodes of “Days of Our Lives” or “Grey’s Anatomy.” What do you think the odds are that you’re going to do the wrong thing?

Let’s say that you get involved in a heated argument, and things are getting tense. So your brain goes running to the filing cabinet, looking for information to help you sort things out - and all it can find is hundreds of hours of violent, conspiratorial, angry movies with characters like Jean-Claude Van Damme, or Steven Seagal or Matt Damon?

Over the long haul, you become the information you feed your brain - but that also means that you can change what’s in the filing cabinet. Listen to this advice from the Bible:

1 John 2:15-17

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.

Again, the Bible is saying: don’t be double-minded. If you want to be stable, if you want to live a successful, Godly life, then you’ve got to get rid of the wrong files and fill your mind with good things.

And now I really want you to pay attention, because this passage goes on to identify three general kinds of files that you don’t want in your cabinet. There are three general areas of temptation:

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the father but is of the world.

and the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Did you hear what it’s saying? God’s advice to you and me is to start living NOW like we’re already in the kingdom of heaven. This world’s going to pass away, so you want to start prepping your brain for the world you PLAN to live in!

And while you’re getting ready, there are three categories of information you want to avoid:

The Bible identifies them as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

These are the devil’s files. THIS is the stuff he’s trying to sneak in. And honestly? The only way he can get them into your mind is if you allow it. You have to grant him access, or he can’t come in. That’s the way God has designed your mind.

It’s like those malicious software hackers—they can only get access to your computer when you give them permission by visiting a bad site and clicking the link on that popup window, or by believing the email from North Korea is really from the IRS and clicking the link to give them your login info. You have to let them in, so they do everything they can to make you think you’re doing the right thing. They deceive you so that you will willingly hand over the keys to your computer. The Devil has the same tactics for your mind. He does anything he can to make us give him access.

First Kings 8:39 tells us that only God knows the hearts of men, which is another way of saying that only God has perfect access to your mind. The devil and his fallen angels cannot read your thoughts - they cannot force their way into your head. They might be able to make an educated guess based on your facial expressions, or words, or your actions - but the only way they can access your brain is if you GIVE them access.

Imagine that your mind is a fortress with high walls and indestructible, reinforced gates. Nothing is getting in unless you open a gate and let it through. The gates to your mind would be called sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.

For a brief moment, let’s take a stroll around and knock on a couple of those gates. I think I want to begin with the “ear-gate.” Listen to the Bible’s advice when it comes to keeping that gate shut:

Proverbs 23:12 NKJV

12 Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge.

Notice what the gift of hearing was originally for. God says it’s for gaining knowledge or gathering wisdom. And of course, you can’t forget that God had a whole group of levites that would play music for the sanctuary, so there’s an aesthetic value to sound as well.

And you find the same thing in another verse:

Proverbs 22:17 NKJV

17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge;

According to the Bible, the ears are an important gate to the heart - it’s a critical method for putting files into your brain. So tonight, I want to ask you an intelligent question:

How much of what goes through our ears in modern culture - day in and day out - could actually be considered wisdom?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you and I are living in a VERY noisy world, and our ears are picking up information all day long - and whether we’re paying attention or not, our brains are storing all that information in our long-term memory.

If you scan through the radio you’re bound to find all kinds of music playing for all kinds of different tastes. One time I was working with high school freshmen at a Christian school in Minnesota. The school had some rules about the kind of music the kids could have, so that day I happened into a young man’s dorm room and he was playing Eminem—a rapper that was really popular at the time.

I didn’t want to just rip the CD out of the player without hearing what he was saying first, so I sat down with the boy and listened to the next song. I started to piece the story together.

The song was about the time when his wife walked in on him in the shower with his neighbor’s wife. By the time the song is done one of the women is dead and stuffed in his trunk.

That was a few years ago, and music is a lot better these days, right?

Taylor Swift is the “good girl” of pop music today, but when you listen to her songs she’s talking about how many lovers she’s had and how love is a game that she loves to play.

Worldy music tends to normalize things that are truly abusive, unkind, and ungodly. One recent song is about a man who is affirming his girlfriend for making money as a stripper. He doesn’t see her as a “ho” he says, just go get your money, money, money.

Greed, violence, profanity, infidelity, immoral sexuality— these are the prominent themes of popular music that you can listen to on the radio or on your streaming device.

Is this godly wisdom, or moral sewage?

Let’s be real about this: can you honestly file this song under the category of wisdom? No.

Day in and day out, our brains are collecting this stuff, filing it away for long-term use. And no - a couple of raunchy songs on the radio are not going to change who you are - but after hundreds of hours, the files that get dumped into your brain do begin to change you.

Never forget that somebody’s trying to invade your thoughts. And you need to ask yourself: what am I putting in the filing cabinet?

Why is it that I struggle with dark thoughts? And bad ideas? And overwhelming temptation? Is it possible that I don’t have the right tools to deal with it? Is it possible that I’m causing these things by what I put into my mind?

And I know that some people think that it doesn’t affect them - but you know that’s not true. Music has the powerful ability to harness our emotions without our reason being engaged. You can become upbeat and have a little more energy if the right music comes on over the store speakers—in fact, they study shopping behaviors and they tune their music to encourage you to spend more.

And because the music can unlock your emotions, it has the ability to plant a thought in your mind without giving you the time to rationally assess that thought.

Ask yourself: why do all the advertisers put music in their commercials? It’s because the world knows what Christians sometimes won’t admit: music helps anchor information in your mind.

Listen: there’s a reason that memorable music played such a large role in some of the biggest propaganda campaigns of the 20th century. People like Stalin and Hitler understood that bad ideas were easier to accept if you set them to music.

And no, I’m not saying that we need to crawl into a cave and stop listening to music. I just want you to be aware of what you’re listening to, and how quickly a bad idea can find deep roots.

The filter is choice. Every time we engage our reason and make a choice about what we listen to, we have the ability to block out the devil’s inroad into our minds. But we have to take the initiative and choose.

People struggle with dark thoughts every day - and we’ve got to admit that some of those thoughts are there because we LET THEM IN. The human brain stores every bit of information it comes across, and it accesses that information even when we’re not thinking about it.

Now: let me REALLY start to meddle and take a look at your Netflix account. Let’s move on to the eye-gate.

And I really want you to be honest about this one. I’m not some kind of a Luddite who thinks you should throw out your TV or computer and go back to the Stone Age. But let’s be honest: does the average Hollywood production appeal to your higher or your lower nature?

And if you’re watching a movie trailer, on average, what do they use to sell the movie? Do they ever use sex or violence? And honestly, what are most people hoping to see when they watch that movie? They’re hoping to see the sex and violence!

Let me ask you: morally speaking, do you think the entertainment industry has grown more morally upright or declined in morality over the years?

And it’s not like we’re doing the best job filtering that stuff out. Today, if we’re honest, there’s very little difference between a Christian and anyone else. Christians appear to be watching the very same things as everybody else, and nobody thinks anything of it. And again, I’m not telling you that you need to throw out your television: that’s not the point.

But if we’re really honest about it, we’d have to admit that Christians have become far more careless in recent years about guarding the eye-gate.

What are YOU putting in front of your eyes?

In 2014, a Barna survey revealed that 77% of Christian men between the ages of 18 and 49 are now watching porn at least on a monthly basis - which makes me think: it’s no wonder Christian marriages are now failing at almost the same rate as the general public. When you put that kind of sexual information into the filing cabinet, it’s eventually going to come back out!

The same survey revealed that more than one third of Christian men have now had an extramarital affair. And no, we can’t just blame the entertainment industry for all our woes, but the fact remains: we’re watching the same content as everybody else, and now we’ve got the same problems.

And WE might not want to admit it, but the world around us WILL - and they’re calling Christians out. We’re preaching something, but we’re living something else. And at least PART of the problem is the stuff we’ve been feeding our minds - and it’s a tragedy, because it doesn’t have to be that way:

Listen to the clear decision that David made in Psalm 101:

Ps 101:2, 3

I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

I want you to notice what the Bible says: we might think that what we look at doesn’t affect us, but David says it CLINGS to us - it gets stuck to your mind, and it gets stuck to your character. It changes who you are.

So let me ask you: what would happen if we applied THIS filter to our minds: the filter that says “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes”???

Here’s what would happen: you’d get back control of your mind. You’d have a much cleaner brain, and a much cleaner heart.

By the age of 18, Nielsen tells us that you and I have witnessed 16,000 murders on TV.

A few years ago, the University of Kansas did a survey, and they discovered that the most popular show with kids 9-12 was “Desperate Housewives.”

More than half of North American kids have a private TV in their bedrooms, where parents can’t even see what they’re watching . . . and now we know that kids who watch sex on TV are twice as likely to try it out themselves.

People can argue all they want that what you watch doesn’t affect you - and I’ll be the first to admit that you can’t blame everything on the entertainment industry - but there’s just no question that it’s changing us.

I heard a report from the University of Michigan some years ago where a study demonstrated that one horror movie - one suspense film - can disturb your sleep patterns up to twenty years later. Twenty years! That’s because once it’s in your long-term memory, it’s really there forever.

But almost as bad as the negative information we’re planting in our brains is the fact that we now live in a world that’s amusing itself to death. Some of us are spending more time in a world that doesn’t even exist than the real world around us.

And while historians may never agree on what caused the collapse of the Roman Empire, historian Philip Meyer points out that at least part of the problem was a civilization that had lost touch with reality.

Almost from the beginning, the roman stage was gross, and immorality was one of the main agencies

to which must be attributed the undermining of the originally sound moral life of Roman society. So absorbed did the

people become in the indecent representations of the stage that they lost all thought and care of the affairs of real life.”

Let’s be honest. Most of us don’t live a real life anymore. We live vicariously, through the lives of people we don’t really know. We watch other peoples’ adventures. We let other people play our sports. Most of our friendships now happen online, and the people we sometimes feel closest to are fictitious characters on TV.

And honestly, it’s destroying us. Many people spend more than 20 hours a week in a virtual world of make-believe entertainment.

And it makes me wonder how much better - how much more meaningful - our lives would be if we just controlled the eye-gate and the ear-gate - if we filled our minds with better things. And that’s the key — filtering out bad stuff isn’t good enough — we need to pour in good things. Rich experiences, moral stories, beautiful, uplifting music, and of course, the Bible.

Okay - there’s one more category of temptation we need to look at very quickly:

… and that’s something the Bible calls “the Pride of Life.”

Of all the temptations the Bible mentions, this is the big one. Pride is the art of putting yourself first, and it was the original sin that led to every other problem. Just listen to the Bible’s account of the sin that destroyed Lucifer:

Isaiah 14:13, 14

For you have said in your heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the

farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.

Lucifer’s problem was that he fell in love with himself. His focus was “I”, instead of God. The prophet Ezekiel says he was corrupted because of his beauty:

Ezekiel 28:17

Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

After years and years of following the dragon’s lead, it’s no wonder that we now live in a world that places all its emphasis on the outside - on physical beauty. We live in a narcissistic world where people take more selfies than photos of the world around them. We’re obsessed with how we look - every social media post is doctored to whiten the teeth, slim the thighs and remove blemishes. Little girls are piling on the makeup, trying to look older, cuter, sexier. Just flip through tiktok and you’ll find aver 3rd or 4th video has a girl doing her makeup or a boy showing off his looks. They’re catering to a crowd that gives them approval for nothing but their looks.

Maybe you’re not into TikTok or dieting to fit into a size 2 dress. But the rest of us still struggle with pride. It’s about having the best clothes, the right car, the perfect accessory. We rack up massive credit card debt trying to look like something that simply isn’t true. And it’s tragic, because at the end of the day, God judges the heart, and not the outward appearance. He’s more concerned about what you’re made of than how you look.

Just listen to God’s advice:

2 Peter 3:3, 4

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—

but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

Do you see where the focus is? It’s not about what your neighbor our classmate or work associate thinks about it. What matters is how God sees you.

I want you to notice what God values most: He values a heart that looks like His. He values a man or a woman who has taken the time to write the Father’s name in his or her forehead. That’s what matters to God.

You and I live in a world full of broken people who are trying to disguise humanity’s biggest problems - it’s like we’re trying to rebuild paradise - we’re trying to make life so glamorous, so comfortable, that we can’t see the real problems anymore.

So God says, “Listen - as Christians, I just want you to put all that stuff aside. Quit trying to decorate the outside, and focus on the real issue. Let me write My name in your forehead. Let me give you a different kind of adorning: a gentle and quiet spirit.”

And when you meet THOSE people, you know something is different. You sense that they have something far more beautiful than Madison Avenue can provide.

You know, some Christian groups, like some Mennonite groups, have taken this to heart - they simply don’t wear gold or silver - and I have to be honest: they kind of have a point.

You and I need to let JESUS become the most attractive thing about us. It’s a personal choice, obviously, but I’d like to encourage you: try simplicity. Do an experiment: remove the outward adorning for a while and ask God to let something better shine through your life.

And above all else, keep checking the gates. Put a filter on your mind. And keep your eyes on the perfect character of God. Here’s what the Bible says about God’s last-day people it says that we should be . . .

Titus 2:12-14

…denying ungodliness and wordly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us,

that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

God is asking us to be different. He’s asking us to reject the lies of this world and instead, begin writing His character in our hearts. His deepest desire is to reveal Himself to the world through a special group of people who become “zealous for good works.”

Christians SHOULD be different. The world SHOULD be able to see that we’ve found something better.

The only alternative is to try and run life your own way - and let me ask you: how has that worked out?

There was a man practicing on the pipe organ in a big church, and it was one of those days when it wasn’t going well. He made more mistakes than usual, and he was getting frustrated, and the more frustrated he got, the worse it went.

And then the door of the church opened, and a stranger walked in and sat down. “GREAT,” he thought to himself. “Of all the days for a spectator to come in.”

The stranger listened for a while, and at one point, when the organ fell silent, he said, “Do you mind if I ask - what are you playing?”

“It’s Mendelssohn,” the organist snapped, “and it’s VERY complicated.”

“Maybe I could help!” the stranger said.

The organist’s hackles went up.

“That’s nice, but I don’t think you understand,” he said. “This is a VERY hard piece, and if you don’t mind, I could really use some quiet.”

The stranger obliged him and quit talking - and the organist started to play... even worse than before. And then he felt badly for being so rude. He stopped playing.

“I’m really sorry,” he said. “It’s just that I’m having a bad day. My name is John. And you are?”

“My name is Felix Mendelssohn,” the stranger said, “and I WROTE that piece.”

Imagine: all these years, you’ve been trying to run your own life. You’ve been trying to organize your own existence, your own way - and look where it’s gotten you. If you’re really honest, the best we can do just gets us in a mess.

But all this time, the Author of Life, the ultimate composer, has been sitting in the audience, waiting for a chance to help you live a more abundant life. And tonight, if you’ll let Him, He’ll simply take over and turn your life into a gorgeous symphony that shows the whole world that’s He’s still alive, and He can really make a difference.

Tonight, God is calling you and me to stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb, with His name, His character, written in our hearts and minds. All that is required is to let Him pour good things into your heart and mind, and choose to put up filters that shut out the bad stuff. He’s asking you to prove to the world with your life that fallen angels are liars and murderers, and that a life lived in the hands of God is a life full of joy and meaning.

Prayer

“Father in heaven, all of us have this deep sense that there’s got to be more to this life than simply punching the clock and waiting to die. We are born into this world with a sense that our lives are supposed to MEAN something, and tonight we can see, in the pages of Your Word, that a life lived knowing You - a life lived with the Lamb of God - is the the only way we’ll ever know what it means to be truly human. And we admit: we’ve tried a thousand times to run things our own way, and we’re living with the consequences. Tonight, we’re thankful that there’s an alternative.

Tonight, wherever we’re sitting, we’re raising our hands because we believe you can take our lives and shape them into something that really matters. We want heaven to see that we stand with the Lamb. Our prayer is that You live in us and through us, for we pray it in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Remember: on Friday night, we’re going to look at the “Coming of the Lawless One.” Thanks for coming, good night, and God bless.