I heard an awesome, challenging, sermon today by Pastor Danny Castle titled,
“IN TIMES LIKE THESE!” Preaching
helps us to think right! Amen! I typed this article while listening to the
sermon, to help others. We all need lots of Bible-preaching. I encourage my
website readers to listen to much fundamental Bible preaching. It will bless
your life for Jesus Christ!
The Word of God foretold that “PERILOUS TIMES” (i.e., times that are hard to endure, difficult) would come! We are living in these perilous times today... IN TIMES LIKE THESE!!! 2nd Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” The Holy Bible has much to say about the “last days” in which we are living today. 2nd Peter 3:3-4a, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?” We are now living in these times.
In
TIMES LIKE THESE...
We Must Be Sure We're in the Faith
The two GREATEST THINGS in life are:
- To be saved and KNOW IT.
- To be in the will of God and KNOW IT.
You'd better be sure! Are you really in the
faith? Life is too short, death is too sure, Hell is too hot, eternity's too
long—to not know where you're going when you leave this world!!!
Beware of Many Things
We read from the Scriptures in Philippians 3:2, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.”
- DOGS - An unsaved Gentile, by implication, a person who lives a filthy life (as a dog). Obviously, this includes unsaved Jews. The Old Testament “Jew” was a symbol of a child of God. When the Jews rejected Christ (i.e., the Messiah) and chose to indulge in sin and spiritual whoredom, they betrayed their divine calling by God. The “Gentile” symbolized the unsaved person. This doesn't mean that Jews are good and Gentiles are bad. Not at all. It is all symbolic. Some of the most ungodly, filthy, homosexual perverts, in the world today are Jews (e.g., Hollywood). And some of the most godly Christians are Gentiles. The same is true both ways. So “dogs” here refers to the unsaved heathen who lives in sexual immorality, wickedness and the filth of the flesh.
- EVIL WORKERS - People who invent and do evil things—illegal drug trafficking, big pharma drug hoax, fraudulent Federal Reserve System, pornography, Hollywood, “Sin City” Las Vegas, crooked IRS taxes fraud, et cetera. America and the world abound with evildoers! The love of money is the root of all evil (1st Timothy 6:10).
- CONCISION - Requiring fleshly circumcision for salvation. This was often a cult in New Testament times. We see this in the heretical group that came to Jerusalem in Acts 15:1, 24). We also see this cult trying to corrupt the church in Galatians 6:7. Galatians 6:12-13, “As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.” In other words, this circumcision cult wanted the church to approve of them, so they wouldn't be exposed as false prophets instead.
There are so many conspiracies today, so many
that even conspiracies now have conspiracies. Beware of evil workers,
unsaved people who live filthy lives, and religious cults that corrupt the
plan of salvation.
Be Stedfast
In your Bible, in your stand... BE YE STEDFAST!!! 1st Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Like a rock half in and half out of the ground, believers today need to BE STEDFAST. Like a tree with deep roots, Christians today must be STEDFAST. The heathen world is against the church today. We're like fish swimming up against the river.
When you're a Christian, the whole world is
waiting for you to fall. Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:19, “If
ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but
because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you.” Ladies and gentleman, if you
are a born-again believer, we're living in a time when the whole generation
is against us. The spirit of this wicked generation is the exact OPPOSITE of
the New Testament Church. We're paddling upstream against the flow of the
river!!! I'm telling you, you'd better get your feet planted on the ground
and BE STEDFAST for God!!! Stand firm upon the King James Bible!!! BE
STEDFAST!!!!!!! Like a rock, be stedfast. If you have strong views, you'll
have strong enemies!!! If you want to have enemies—be something, say
something, do something!!!
Be Not Deceived
We find the cautionary phrase “BE NOT DECEIVED” mentioned 5 times in the Scriptures:
- Deuteronomy 11:16-17a, “Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you...”
- Luke 21:8, “And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.”
- 1st Corinthians 6:9, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.”
- 1st Corinthians 15:33, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
- Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
IN TIMES LIKE THESE.. We don't need to be
deceived!!!
Be Ready To Leave At Any Moment
Be ready to go, whether be clods (clumps of dirt - Isaiah 28:24) or by clouds!!! Whether we return to the dust of the earth, or are raptured away into the clouds, BE READY TO GO!!! Death often comes without announcement.
Find out what the spirit of your age is and fight against it! The evil spirit of our age is “POSITIVE.” Liberals wickedly say, “Don't say anything negative.” They tell Bible-preachers, “Don't preach hate!” They tell separated Christians, “Don't be intolerant!” The Devil is a beautiful liar! The only thing that ever wakes us up is tragedy hitting our lives. Psalms 119:67 and 71, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. ... It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” May we all get right with God, get close to God, and get busy for God!!!
My friend, Jesus could come back at any time! This is what the Word of God teaches! Mark 13:35-37, “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Amen and amen! Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
