Scamers be Scaming

Intro:

(ME) I remember when I finally got to the point where I could afford nicer shoes, when mandie and I got married. It took a few years. I was so excited to get my first pair of hype shoes. I was actually at youth crusade, probably about 9 years ago. I was standing in line at Andy’s waiting to get my Snowmonster. (DELICIOUS!) It was whenever the Yeezy 350 V1s just came out. It was the Pirate Blacks. I had seen them online but not in person. I looked down at my Phone and Just past my phone was someone’s feet, and guess what was on their feet? That’s right the YEEZY 350 V1 PIRATE BLACKS!! I literally was so excited I almost screamed! The knit of the upper was incredible, the fit was amazing, They were so fire! I ended up searching and searching for them probably a few months for a used pair. (Because I was a Children’s Pastor on a budget) I finally found a pair from someone local. I went to purchase them and I ended up having to have them shipped. I could not wait. Literally everyday for a week and a half I checked the mail waited for a fedex, ups, usps truck w/ anticipation. I was thinking the day these come in, I’m taking my shoe game to the next level! Finally they came in. I was sooo excited! The box came folded up in the package which I thought was weird, but I was going to wear the shoes not the box. So I pulled the Yeezy’s out and was highly disappointed. The Uppers were all one piece of cheaply made material, the boost in the lower was non-existent, the shoe laces were fraying before I got the second shoe out. I was heart broken. Mandie’s words came back to my mind, when she said just save up to get a brand new pair, I don’t want you to get scammed! People are shady! My heart sunk a little more. Mandie knew I was getting the shoes and was just as excited for me. I was angry, filled w/ rage & embarrassment. Mandie got home and asked where my shoes were and I gave her some excuse as to why she couldn’t see them yet. I waited a week until the embarrassment dyed down. And finally told her. What was even worse was that I tried to get ahold of the guy who sold them to me and he had removed his profile, (This was before marketplace was official) And I was going to track him down by his address, but it was a PO Box so it wasn’t a physical address. I just had to take the $125 L. Unfortunately I did not learn my lesson and I took a couple more Ls before I got the dub. Mainly because the resell market went crazy and I couldn’t get them for retail anymore brand new. I had my eyes set on something that I thought was going to bring me value in the way that I felt and because of that I didn’t ask any questions I just pulled the trigger and got scammed hard! I just had to eat until I learned from experience and earned more money to buy at a higher price what I wanted.

We’ve all been Scammed:

(We) The times of me getting scammed not just for shoes, but being fooled by counterfeit things including, money, relationships, & faith has gotten smaller and smaller in the last 9 years. I’m sure I’m not the only one in the room who has been fooled by something that’s appeared real. Maybe for you, you trusted for weeks that the bf/gf you were w/ would support you through anything, maybe you bought a product online that never came, maybe you trusted your parents to protect you the way parents are supposed to and they didn’t, or maybe you trusted culture to show you what walking w/ YHWH is supposed to look like and you’re starting to realize there’s alot more to it than you thought.

One of the First Scams:

(God) There’s multiple examples of people getting scammed in scripture, But we’ll start in Genesis 3:1-14

Genesis 3:1–14 CSB

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.” So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.

What was satan trying to scam Adam & Eve into?

(He was trying to get them to believe that God wasn’t completely trustworthy in what he says.)

You might ask, why would satan do that? Here these people are enjoying the fruits of their labor & God’s goodness on every level. Enjoying each other’s company, and this rando serpent comes over & starts planting doubt about what they had already experienced to be true by the provision God had already provided. Why? You ask?

Cause Scammers be Scamming:

Satan wants to deceive you in anyway that he can. Because he’s a scammer. That’s what he does. Only he doesn’t just want to scam you out a pair of shoes, happiness, relatable friends, Healthy romantic relationships success etc. He wants to scam you out of your soul. He wants to scam you out of relationship w/ Jesus. He wants to scam you out of what God has done in your life this summer! He wants to scam you STRAIGHT TO HELL. DONT LET HIM! Protect what God has done in your life. The seeds that were planted. He’ll do whatever it takes to see you split hell wide open. In the gospel of John 10:1-10 It says this-

John 10:1–10 CSB

“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

We know that during that time they used examples of animals in order to drive home points.

If we were to put the first time Jesus was breaking down his point into an example that would fit now days. It would go something like this.

“ Frfr, anybody who ‘s apart of 360 Life Youth is protected from being a Broke Boy or Girl, Because Pastor Tj & Mandie have endless funds. There are some who say they have endless money but it’s been proven that they dont.

Pastor Tj and Mandie are a Business and that business protects anyone in 360 Life Youth from any harm or danger. If you become apart of 360 Life Youth you can have everything that’s promise.”

In other words Jesus is the only way!

(YOU) The big difference b/w my example & This passage is that the scripture is true! You can avoid being scammed out of Jesus’ promises to you by the only way to Eternity through him is JESUS! Pursuing him w/ all your heart. Denying yourself of your opinions, submitting desires that are bad, good or indifferent to The Lordship of Jesus, Letting him truly rule your life. Those promises include salvation, If you believe & follow him; The Holy Spirit to Guide us toward Holiness if we just submit; Peace like nothing on earth can give; & a Heavenly Home. (Acts 15:1-9; Romans 9:8; Ephesians 2:1-14)

John 14:1–8 (CSB)

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.”

“Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

“Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.”

Any attempt to find another way to God (Morality, another religion, self-worship; etc.) will leave you wanting and spending eternity away from God. There’s nothing that will put you in order w/ God’s will and in eternity w/ him besides Jesus’ sacrifice & relationship w/ him!

One of the first scams that Satan accomplished is not to trust satan, but to trust their own judgement of who was worthy to obey. Them or YhWh. Who could give us the best quality of life? Who’s the best leader of truth? Who’s the best judge of Good? Even in their potentially innocent curiosity, they created an unnecessary distance b/w us & YHWH for the sake of having that one thing they didn’t have access too.

Have you ever knowing that your parents, older sibling or some other authority were right about something you chose the opposite because you just felt like it. Cause you thought it was best at the time?

You can’t afford to do that w/ your walk w/ Jesus. We’re either in or out! Everything Jesus commands of us is for our good, according to his holiness! Once you’ve made your mind up to OBEY God and not get scammed by the devil, it’s your job to help others to do the same. We are to submit every minute to the the work of the Holy Spirit!

We’re not to do the work of the Holy Spirit, but to be open to the holy spirit to work through us to work in the gifts of the spirit to encourage others who are in the faith. Be ready to pray, give words of knowledge, teach, Use kindness, self-control, etc.

For those that are struggling w/ submitting to what God is requiring of you I’d like for you to do something a little than we normally would do. I want you to come up front. If you believe you’re consistently submiting your life to God. I want you find someone who’s struggling and ask how you can pray for them. It’s time for us to do life together. If you don’t know what to pray, pray that the holy spirit would protect them from the scamming of the devil. Pray that God would help them submit to accountability. Pray that God would work the fruits of the spirit in their life as they submit.

You’re getting rev’d up w/ your sports schedules, bf/gf, schools starting, Some of you are Seniors this year. There are some big and small changes that can get in the way of who God called you to be. So wise up.