1 00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:03,900 Well, it really is a joy and a 2 00:00:03,900 --> 00:00:07,020 privilege to be here, meet some people whom 3 00:00:07,020 --> 00:00:10,660 I met previously, sometime after the Second World 4 00:00:10,660 --> 00:00:11,080 War. 5 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:13,460 I didn't say how long after the Second 6 00:00:13,460 --> 00:00:16,260 World War, but it really is good to 7 00:00:16,260 --> 00:00:16,600 be here. 8 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:18,360 You know, years ago I was invited to 9 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,240 the Blue Ridge Conference and I accepted, but 10 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:23,740 before I ever got there it was canceled. 11 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,280 And this year I was invited to this 12 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:28,920 conference and I accepted. 13 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,479 It was reduced from two to one. 14 00:00:32,620 --> 00:00:34,080 I wonder if the Lord tried to say 15 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:35,580 something to Dick Andrews. 16 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,460 Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. 17 00:00:39,940 --> 00:00:42,080 Would you turn in your Bible please to 18 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:49,220 Colossians chapter 1 and just read one or 19 00:00:49,220 --> 00:00:50,240 two verses there. 20 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:57,290 Colossians chapter 1, verse 9. 21 00:00:59,830 --> 00:01:02,090 For this reason we also, since the day 22 00:01:02,090 --> 00:01:03,890 we heard it, do not cease to pray 23 00:01:03,890 --> 00:01:05,450 for you and to ask that you may 24 00:01:05,450 --> 00:01:07,250 be filled with the knowledge of this will 25 00:01:07,250 --> 00:01:11,790 in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you 26 00:01:11,790 --> 00:01:13,970 may have a walk worthy of the Lord, 27 00:01:14,850 --> 00:01:18,530 fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good 28 00:01:18,530 --> 00:01:20,930 work and increasing in the knowledge of God, 29 00:01:21,710 --> 00:01:24,270 strengthened with all might according to his glorious 30 00:01:24,270 --> 00:01:28,230 power, for all patience and long-suffering with 31 00:01:28,230 --> 00:01:31,190 joy, giving thanks to the Father who has 32 00:01:31,190 --> 00:01:34,030 qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance 33 00:01:34,030 --> 00:01:35,730 of the saints in the light. 34 00:01:36,770 --> 00:01:38,050 And here's the golden text. 35 00:01:38,090 --> 00:01:41,150 He has delivered us from the power of 36 00:01:41,150 --> 00:01:45,470 darkness and translated us into the kingdom of 37 00:01:45,470 --> 00:01:47,690 the Son of his love, to whom we 38 00:01:47,690 --> 00:01:51,050 have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of 39 00:01:51,050 --> 00:01:51,470 sins. 40 00:01:51,470 --> 00:01:53,730 In our studies together we want to be 41 00:01:53,730 --> 00:01:57,830 taking up the story of two kingdoms. 42 00:01:58,650 --> 00:02:00,350 The story of two kingdoms. 43 00:02:00,770 --> 00:02:02,550 And you have those two kingdoms in the 44 00:02:02,550 --> 00:02:03,650 verse that we read. 45 00:02:04,290 --> 00:02:08,789 The kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of 46 00:02:08,789 --> 00:02:11,130 the Son of God's love. 47 00:02:11,430 --> 00:02:15,050 We call it the world and the kingdom 48 00:02:15,050 --> 00:02:17,090 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 49 00:02:18,310 --> 00:02:20,650 We want to think about these two kingdoms 50 00:02:20,650 --> 00:02:27,230 together, and I'd like to contrast them. 51 00:02:28,550 --> 00:02:31,030 Not compare them, but contrast them, because the 52 00:02:31,030 --> 00:02:33,230 only way in which they can be compared 53 00:02:33,230 --> 00:02:34,430 is if they're both kingdoms. 54 00:02:34,530 --> 00:02:35,870 That's the only comparison. 55 00:02:36,290 --> 00:02:40,490 Otherwise, it's strictly a matter of contrast. 56 00:02:42,780 --> 00:02:44,600 When you think of the world in the 57 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,280 sense that it's used in the Bible, what 58 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:47,140 do you think of? 59 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:50,920 Well, certainly it's not the world of creation, 60 00:02:51,140 --> 00:02:51,540 is it? 61 00:02:52,780 --> 00:02:54,840 It's really a marvel of creation that God 62 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,100 has made, and the creation is not evil. 63 00:02:58,460 --> 00:03:00,780 The heavens declare the glory of God and 64 00:03:00,780 --> 00:03:02,880 the firmament show us his handiwork. 65 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:04,960 So when we think of the world, we're 66 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,660 not speaking of the world of God's handiwork 67 00:03:07,660 --> 00:03:08,220 at all. 68 00:03:09,540 --> 00:03:11,580 That causes us to worship him. 69 00:03:12,780 --> 00:03:16,680 And we're certainly not thinking of unsaved men, 70 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:22,220 because God loved the world and gave his 71 00:03:22,220 --> 00:03:24,820 only begotten Son to whom whoever believeth in 72 00:03:24,820 --> 00:03:27,660 him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 73 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,460 God loves mankind. 74 00:03:32,340 --> 00:03:34,740 When we speak of the world, we're speaking 75 00:03:34,740 --> 00:03:38,480 of the society that man has built up 76 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:42,900 to make himself happy without God. 77 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:54,260 It's human civilization with its base motive, its 78 00:03:54,260 --> 00:03:58,380 base desires, and its egotism. 79 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:02,280 When I think of the world, I think 80 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,640 of any sphere where the name of the 81 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,000 Lord Jesus Christ is not welcomed. 82 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:09,640 That's the world. 83 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,160 Any sphere where the name of the Lord 84 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:15,959 Jesus is not welcomed. 85 00:04:19,170 --> 00:04:20,870 I've often said that if you want to 86 00:04:20,870 --> 00:04:24,570 see the world in color, all you have 87 00:04:24,570 --> 00:04:25,910 to do is turn on the television. 88 00:04:25,990 --> 00:04:26,730 That's the world. 89 00:04:26,890 --> 00:04:29,770 What you see on television is the world. 90 00:04:29,770 --> 00:04:30,890 But what does the world have? 91 00:04:32,670 --> 00:04:42,110 Violence, sex, filth, corruption, profanity, 92 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,960 but nothing about the living, loving Savior. 93 00:04:49,380 --> 00:04:50,280 That's TV. 94 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,160 I used to say that, but you know, 95 00:04:53,260 --> 00:04:54,800 this last week has come to me. 96 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:57,320 If you really want to see the world 97 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,180 and what the world is like, go to 98 00:04:59,180 --> 00:04:59,800 Calvary. 99 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:05,500 Go, first of all, to the wretched trial 100 00:05:05,500 --> 00:05:07,240 that preceded Calvary. 101 00:05:08,020 --> 00:05:09,800 The justice of the world. 102 00:05:10,820 --> 00:05:11,480 Isn't that justice? 103 00:05:13,490 --> 00:05:20,360 The way the world treated God incarnate, and 104 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:21,960 I think we want to remember, if we 105 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:24,760 never remember anything else from tonight's theater, the 106 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,740 hands of the world are stained with the 107 00:05:28,740 --> 00:05:30,360 blood of Jesus Christ. 108 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,440 And to love the world is to hate 109 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:35,000 God. 110 00:05:35,780 --> 00:05:36,620 It really is. 111 00:05:38,810 --> 00:05:41,590 To love the world is to hate God. 112 00:05:43,070 --> 00:05:45,610 Because the hands of the world are stained 113 00:05:45,610 --> 00:05:48,890 with the blood of the Lord Jesus. 114 00:05:50,050 --> 00:05:55,050 Worldliness is essentially the love of passing things. 115 00:05:56,750 --> 00:05:58,370 And to me, this is one of the 116 00:05:58,370 --> 00:05:59,750 tragedies of living. 117 00:06:00,110 --> 00:06:03,170 To see people, and they're spending their lives 118 00:06:03,170 --> 00:06:06,230 for things that are of no eternal consequence. 119 00:06:06,410 --> 00:06:10,290 That worldliness, the love of passing, that the 120 00:06:10,290 --> 00:06:14,950 world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but 121 00:06:14,950 --> 00:06:17,910 he that doeth the will of God abideth 122 00:06:17,910 --> 00:06:18,750 forever. 123 00:06:20,050 --> 00:06:21,830 And the will of God is that there 124 00:06:21,830 --> 00:06:25,110 should be a tremendous contrast between the world, 125 00:06:25,710 --> 00:06:28,430 and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, 126 00:06:28,550 --> 00:06:29,290 and the church. 127 00:06:30,810 --> 00:06:33,510 But you know, sad to say today, that 128 00:06:33,510 --> 00:06:34,830 difference is blurred. 129 00:06:38,610 --> 00:06:41,050 You look at a lot of Christian TV 130 00:06:41,050 --> 00:06:43,230 programs, I tell you it looks an awful 131 00:06:43,230 --> 00:06:44,350 lot like the world, doesn't it? 132 00:06:45,310 --> 00:06:48,510 I don't see much difference between some of 133 00:06:48,510 --> 00:06:50,450 the women that you might see on TV, 134 00:06:50,590 --> 00:06:52,670 and some of the Hollywood harlots who parade 135 00:06:52,670 --> 00:06:53,750 across the screen. 136 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,840 The distinction between the world and the church 137 00:06:58,840 --> 00:06:59,280 has been blurred. 138 00:06:59,580 --> 00:07:05,140 Somebody said, I looked for the church, and 139 00:07:05,140 --> 00:07:06,460 found it in the world. 140 00:07:07,220 --> 00:07:09,920 I looked for the world, and found it 141 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:10,540 in the church. 142 00:07:10,820 --> 00:07:12,140 What a condemnation, huh? 143 00:07:12,140 --> 00:07:17,310 I looked for the church, and found it 144 00:07:17,310 --> 00:07:17,750 in the world. 145 00:07:17,790 --> 00:07:19,950 I looked for the world, and found it 146 00:07:19,950 --> 00:07:21,350 in the church. 147 00:07:22,950 --> 00:07:24,910 But I'd like to say tonight, the world 148 00:07:24,910 --> 00:07:25,790 is empty. 149 00:07:26,470 --> 00:07:28,070 The world is false. 150 00:07:28,690 --> 00:07:31,390 The world is a facade, that's what it 151 00:07:31,390 --> 00:07:31,750 is. 152 00:07:31,970 --> 00:07:33,070 It's nothing to us. 153 00:07:33,910 --> 00:07:35,370 It makes me think of years ago, I 154 00:07:35,370 --> 00:07:37,330 was out at a Bible school in Southern 155 00:07:37,330 --> 00:07:40,170 California, and right across the street from the 156 00:07:40,170 --> 00:07:42,230 Bible school was a movie lot. 157 00:07:43,310 --> 00:07:44,490 MGM, I think it was. 158 00:07:45,750 --> 00:07:47,830 And I looked through the fence of this 159 00:07:47,830 --> 00:07:49,630 movie lot, and there was a western village 160 00:07:49,630 --> 00:07:50,050 there. 161 00:07:52,070 --> 00:07:53,850 There was the bar room, and there was 162 00:07:53,850 --> 00:07:56,750 the shop, and all these other things along 163 00:07:56,750 --> 00:07:57,290 the street. 164 00:07:58,170 --> 00:07:59,490 But you know, I walked down the street 165 00:07:59,490 --> 00:08:01,130 a little, and there was nothing but the 166 00:08:01,130 --> 00:08:02,090 front of the building there. 167 00:08:02,230 --> 00:08:02,990 There was no building. 168 00:08:03,730 --> 00:08:04,750 It was just the front. 169 00:08:05,890 --> 00:08:06,730 That's the world. 170 00:08:07,470 --> 00:08:08,930 It's all front. 171 00:08:10,390 --> 00:08:11,330 And you know that's true. 172 00:08:11,330 --> 00:08:13,170 The world is a fantasy. 173 00:08:14,030 --> 00:08:16,230 If you want reality, you've got to come 174 00:08:16,230 --> 00:08:18,150 to the Lord Jesus, and to the Word 175 00:08:18,150 --> 00:08:21,070 of God, and to the Kingdom of God's 176 00:08:21,070 --> 00:08:22,370 dear Son. 177 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:26,600 What is worldliness? 178 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:28,340 What is worldly today? 179 00:08:29,100 --> 00:08:30,900 When I was growing up, and I wanted 180 00:08:30,900 --> 00:08:32,080 to do things, my mother would tell me, 181 00:08:32,140 --> 00:08:33,059 look, that's worldly. 182 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:36,720 And I suppose it formed an impression in 183 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:37,460 my mind. 184 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:41,140 And some of the ideas that were then 185 00:08:41,140 --> 00:08:44,640 cited as worldly, well, they're kind of ridiculed 186 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:45,060 today. 187 00:08:46,100 --> 00:08:48,540 Like, people used to say, well, card playing 188 00:08:48,540 --> 00:08:48,980 is worldly. 189 00:08:49,140 --> 00:08:50,380 Dancing is worldly. 190 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:52,160 Smoking, drinking. 191 00:08:52,700 --> 00:08:53,900 Those things are worldly. 192 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:56,220 Today, they ridicule that. 193 00:08:57,580 --> 00:08:59,220 Because that's not what's worldly. 194 00:08:59,660 --> 00:09:02,100 It's the thoughts, and the intents, and the 195 00:09:02,100 --> 00:09:02,960 attitudes that we are. 196 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:03,820 That's what's worldly. 197 00:09:05,980 --> 00:09:07,380 They ridicule the other ones. 198 00:09:07,500 --> 00:09:10,540 They say, I don't drink, and I don't 199 00:09:10,540 --> 00:09:12,160 chew, and I don't go with girls and 200 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:12,940 dudes, and stuff like that. 201 00:09:14,220 --> 00:09:15,900 I want to tell you, they're all worldly. 202 00:09:16,980 --> 00:09:17,980 They're all worldly. 203 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:19,800 It isn't a matter of choosing some and 204 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:20,740 rejecting the other. 205 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:23,240 They're all worldly. 206 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:25,100 As worldly as can be. 207 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:26,740 But you know, this is hard for young 208 00:09:26,740 --> 00:09:26,920 people. 209 00:09:26,980 --> 00:09:31,400 I'm so sympathetic to young people, because the 210 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,000 world looks so attractive to them, doesn't it? 211 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:40,080 The world of Marlborough country, where everyone has 212 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:42,420 a convertible and leans against the front fender, 213 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:42,980 you know. 214 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:44,920 And everybody's good looking. 215 00:09:46,940 --> 00:09:48,580 It's a fact that the world is attractive, 216 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:51,480 and has tremendous appeal for young people. 217 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:54,280 It's so hard to tell them it isn't 218 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:55,960 the world of reality. 219 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:59,120 The world that you see on television doesn't 220 00:09:59,120 --> 00:09:59,460 exist. 221 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:03,000 It's not the way life is, at all. 222 00:10:04,060 --> 00:10:06,620 It's so easy for young people to think 223 00:10:06,620 --> 00:10:10,180 of some older Christians who are not with 224 00:10:10,180 --> 00:10:11,120 it, at all. 225 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:14,300 But I want to tell you, those older 226 00:10:14,300 --> 00:10:16,320 Christians can see more on their knees than 227 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,420 the world can see on its tiptoes. 228 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,420 So often, you read in the magazines or 229 00:10:27,420 --> 00:10:30,480 in the newspaper, somebody who has reached the 230 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:31,740 apex of the world. 231 00:10:33,220 --> 00:10:35,380 There's a young entertainer. 232 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:37,640 And I guess one of the top things 233 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:39,160 in the world is to be invited to 234 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,500 the White House to perform there. 235 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:45,260 And he's had all of that. 236 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:47,100 And then, one day, he's sitting with a 237 00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:48,720 friend there in his living room. 238 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:55,200 And he reaches down beyond the cushion on 239 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:55,660 the sofa. 240 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:57,340 And he picks up a gun. 241 00:10:57,740 --> 00:10:59,620 And he says, is that all there is? 242 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,020 He puts it to his head and ends 243 00:11:02,020 --> 00:11:02,280 it all. 244 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:03,100 That's the world. 245 00:11:03,940 --> 00:11:06,860 I mean, these are people who have reached 246 00:11:06,860 --> 00:11:09,260 the very top as far as the world 247 00:11:09,260 --> 00:11:09,980 is concerned. 248 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:12,740 And then they say, is this all there 249 00:11:12,740 --> 00:11:12,920 is? 250 00:11:13,820 --> 00:11:15,580 And they end it all. 251 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:17,080 Pathetic, isn't it? 252 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,800 But the world is empty, as I hope 253 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,480 to show as we go along. 254 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,240 It's wonderful, isn't it, that a whole book 255 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:26,800 in the Bible is written about this. 256 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,280 By the richest and wisest man who ever 257 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:31,240 lived, Solomon. 258 00:11:31,900 --> 00:11:33,280 The book of Ecclesiastes. 259 00:11:33,820 --> 00:11:36,260 And the purpose of the book of Ecclesiastes 260 00:11:36,260 --> 00:11:39,680 is to show that all the world is 261 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:42,760 not sufficient to fill the human heart. 262 00:11:43,260 --> 00:11:44,280 But it's true, isn't it? 263 00:11:45,100 --> 00:11:48,140 All the world is not sufficient to fill 264 00:11:48,140 --> 00:11:49,260 the human heart. 265 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:52,740 He tries education. 266 00:11:54,540 --> 00:11:55,900 He tries pleasure. 267 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:58,200 He tries sex. 268 00:11:58,980 --> 00:12:00,640 He tries materialism. 269 00:12:01,620 --> 00:12:03,480 What shall he do that cometh after the 270 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:03,800 king? 271 00:12:04,020 --> 00:12:05,780 You know, if Solomon, with all his money 272 00:12:05,780 --> 00:12:08,620 and all his riches, couldn't find satisfaction in 273 00:12:08,620 --> 00:12:09,960 the world, what chance do you and I 274 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:10,160 have? 275 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:14,580 And what did he say? 276 00:12:14,780 --> 00:12:18,700 He said, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. 277 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:20,760 He said, just like chasing wind. 278 00:12:22,220 --> 00:12:22,880 That's true. 279 00:12:22,940 --> 00:12:24,840 You know, life under the sun. 280 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,660 Remember, that expression, under the sun, is found 281 00:12:27,660 --> 00:12:30,080 29 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. 282 00:12:30,260 --> 00:12:31,080 It's the key to the book. 283 00:12:31,140 --> 00:12:32,360 If you miss that, you miss the whole 284 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:32,700 thing. 285 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:36,660 Under the sun, found 29 times in the 286 00:12:36,660 --> 00:12:37,720 book of Ecclesiastes. 287 00:12:38,820 --> 00:12:40,780 And what Solomon is saying, look, if you 288 00:12:40,780 --> 00:12:42,880 never can get above the sun, life isn't 289 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:43,500 worth living. 290 00:12:44,020 --> 00:12:44,640 That's true. 291 00:12:46,660 --> 00:12:48,420 But when you do get above the sun, 292 00:12:48,500 --> 00:12:51,140 to the Lord Jesus Christ, you find life 293 00:12:51,140 --> 00:12:52,660 that is life indeed. 294 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:55,660 I think it's interesting that the book of 295 00:12:55,660 --> 00:12:58,660 Ecclesiastes is followed by the Song of Solomon. 296 00:13:00,680 --> 00:13:02,620 Ecclesiastes says that the whole world isn't big 297 00:13:02,620 --> 00:13:04,180 enough to fill the human heart. 298 00:13:05,020 --> 00:13:07,860 The Song of Solomon says the human heart 299 00:13:07,860 --> 00:13:10,100 isn't big enough to contain the love of 300 00:13:10,100 --> 00:13:11,080 our eternal lover. 301 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:13,580 Jesus, I'm sick of love. 302 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:15,520 Don't give me any more! 303 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:16,020 I'll burst! 304 00:13:16,460 --> 00:13:17,800 It's really what he's saying. 305 00:13:18,180 --> 00:13:21,200 The love of the Lord Jesus Christ. 306 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:24,860 Pascal was right when he said that the 307 00:13:24,860 --> 00:13:27,080 God shapes vacuum in the human heart. 308 00:13:27,180 --> 00:13:29,680 God has constructed the human heart in such 309 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:32,540 a way that nothing and no one but 310 00:13:32,540 --> 00:13:36,880 the Lord Jesus Christ is ever able to 311 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:37,300 fill it. 312 00:13:38,540 --> 00:13:40,500 So we want to think about the world, 313 00:13:40,660 --> 00:13:41,980 and we want to think about the other 314 00:13:41,980 --> 00:13:43,360 kingdoms as well. 315 00:13:43,420 --> 00:13:46,240 The kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. 316 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:48,820 Not the same as the church, I know, 317 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,280 but for all practical purposes in this study, 318 00:13:51,580 --> 00:13:53,960 we're going to think of them this way. 319 00:13:54,420 --> 00:13:57,840 Okay, the ruler of the world, and the 320 00:13:57,840 --> 00:13:59,960 ruler of the other kingdoms. 321 00:14:00,460 --> 00:14:02,820 The ruler of the world, Satan. 322 00:14:03,740 --> 00:14:05,500 We want to think about him for a 323 00:14:05,500 --> 00:14:05,760 while. 324 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:08,060 And look up some of these verses, because 325 00:14:08,060 --> 00:14:10,140 he's called the ruler of the world. 326 00:14:10,260 --> 00:14:14,360 John chapter 12 and verse 31. 327 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,480 John 12, 31. 328 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,680 Now is the judgment of this world. 329 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:26,840 Now the ruler of this world will be 330 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:27,580 cast out. 331 00:14:28,740 --> 00:14:31,640 There's a very real sense in which Satan 332 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,900 is the ruler of the world at the 333 00:14:34,900 --> 00:14:35,820 present time. 334 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:38,980 His doom is sealed, and he knows that. 335 00:14:39,020 --> 00:14:41,380 And I think as we approach the end 336 00:14:41,380 --> 00:14:43,660 of the age, he's becoming more and more 337 00:14:43,660 --> 00:14:44,340 desperate. 338 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:47,940 But in the meantime, he is indeed the 339 00:14:47,940 --> 00:14:50,880 ruler of the world, soon to be cast 340 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:51,120 out. 341 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:53,680 John 14, 30. 342 00:14:57,930 --> 00:15:01,350 I will no longer talk much with you, 343 00:15:01,690 --> 00:15:04,630 for the ruler of this world is coming, 344 00:15:05,150 --> 00:15:07,630 and he has nothing in me. 345 00:15:07,650 --> 00:15:08,470 I think that's beautiful. 346 00:15:10,790 --> 00:15:13,530 Satan, coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, and 347 00:15:13,530 --> 00:15:15,990 he couldn't find anything in the Lord Jesus 348 00:15:15,990 --> 00:15:18,890 to respond to his evil solicitation. 349 00:15:19,890 --> 00:15:20,470 Isn't that wonderful? 350 00:15:22,090 --> 00:15:24,570 Don't tell me Jesus could have been. 351 00:15:25,750 --> 00:15:27,130 He could be tempted. 352 00:15:28,290 --> 00:15:30,470 He could be tempted from without. 353 00:15:30,570 --> 00:15:32,510 There's a difference between the Lord Jesus and 354 00:15:32,510 --> 00:15:34,010 you and me. 355 00:15:34,890 --> 00:15:37,110 The Lord Jesus could be tempted from without, 356 00:15:37,250 --> 00:15:38,690 but he couldn't be tempted from within. 357 00:15:39,590 --> 00:15:41,110 I can be tempted most. 358 00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:45,920 That's what sets him apart from me. 359 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:47,880 And that's what the Lord is saying here 360 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:48,400 in this verse. 361 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,660 The ruler of this world is coming, and 362 00:15:50,660 --> 00:15:51,540 he finds nothing in me. 363 00:15:51,620 --> 00:15:54,360 There was nothing in Jesus to respond to 364 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:58,080 the evil temptation of the devil. 365 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,960 John chapter 16, verse 11. 366 00:16:03,100 --> 00:16:04,920 I'll go back to verse 8. 367 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:09,400 When he, the Spirit of truth, the Holy 368 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:11,380 Spirit is come, he will convict the world 369 00:16:11,380 --> 00:16:14,540 of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. 370 00:16:14,580 --> 00:16:16,940 Of sin, because they do not believe in 371 00:16:16,940 --> 00:16:17,300 me. 372 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,800 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father 373 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:22,460 and you see me no more. 374 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,220 Of judgment, because the ruler of this world 375 00:16:26,220 --> 00:16:27,360 is judged. 376 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:29,960 That's an interesting passage of Scripture. 377 00:16:30,020 --> 00:16:31,700 Just let me pause over it for a 378 00:16:31,700 --> 00:16:31,980 moment. 379 00:16:32,740 --> 00:16:36,680 The presence of the Holy Spirit in the 380 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:40,780 world today convicts the world of sin. 381 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:43,520 When we use this verse, we think of 382 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,580 the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit in 383 00:16:45,580 --> 00:16:47,580 the life of an unbeliever, don't we? 384 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,540 We say he comes and convicts us of 385 00:16:50,540 --> 00:16:53,280 sin, and then we repent and we're saved. 386 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:53,960 Well, that's true. 387 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,060 But that's not exactly what the verse is 388 00:16:56,060 --> 00:16:56,540 saying. 389 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,320 The verse is saying that the very presence 390 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,860 of the Holy Spirit in the world today 391 00:17:02,860 --> 00:17:04,119 condemns the world. 392 00:17:05,819 --> 00:17:06,460 Why? 393 00:17:07,180 --> 00:17:08,740 Because he shouldn't be here. 394 00:17:09,740 --> 00:17:10,319 Why? 395 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:13,660 Because the Lord should be here on the 396 00:17:13,660 --> 00:17:14,000 throne. 397 00:17:14,980 --> 00:17:17,300 The presence of the Holy Spirit in the 398 00:17:17,300 --> 00:17:19,819 world today is a witness to a rejected 399 00:17:19,819 --> 00:17:20,440 Savior. 400 00:17:22,020 --> 00:17:24,240 It's after he went back to heaven that 401 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,520 it was glorified that the Holy Spirit was 402 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:26,760 given. 403 00:17:26,900 --> 00:17:28,740 And in that sense, he condemns the world 404 00:17:28,740 --> 00:17:30,000 because of sin. 405 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:32,820 Of righteousness, because I go to the Father 406 00:17:32,820 --> 00:17:34,580 and you see me no more. 407 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,060 It was a righteous act of God to 408 00:17:37,060 --> 00:17:39,040 raise the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead 409 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:41,660 and take him home to heaven. 410 00:17:42,700 --> 00:17:43,400 Do you know what it proves? 411 00:17:43,660 --> 00:17:46,760 It proves Christ was right and the world 412 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:47,400 was wrong. 413 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:48,380 That's what it proves. 414 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:50,120 Righteousness. 415 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:53,440 The Lord Jesus was right, and God showed 416 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,640 his righteousness in bringing him back to heaven. 417 00:17:56,940 --> 00:17:59,100 Of judgment, because the prince of this world, 418 00:17:59,260 --> 00:18:01,940 the very presence of the Holy Spirit in 419 00:18:01,940 --> 00:18:04,740 the world today pronounces the doom of the 420 00:18:04,740 --> 00:18:06,740 ruler of this world. 421 00:18:07,820 --> 00:18:11,120 The ruler of this world is judged, the 422 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:12,080 scripture says. 423 00:18:13,500 --> 00:18:17,340 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 4. 424 00:18:17,540 --> 00:18:21,060 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 4. 425 00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:25,000 I'll go back to verse 3. 426 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:30,640 But even if our gospel is veiled, it 427 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:34,460 veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds, 428 00:18:34,500 --> 00:18:36,740 get this, whose minds the God of this 429 00:18:36,740 --> 00:18:39,280 age, here he is, the God of this 430 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:44,960 age has blinded, who do not believe that 431 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:46,900 the light of the gospel of the glory 432 00:18:46,900 --> 00:18:49,140 of Christ, who is the image of God, 433 00:18:49,260 --> 00:18:51,760 should shine unto them. 434 00:18:51,780 --> 00:18:54,240 And then finally in 1 John chapter 5 435 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:56,280 and verse 19. 436 00:18:56,700 --> 00:19:00,400 1 John chapter 5 and verse 19. 437 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:04,520 We know that we are of God, and 438 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,900 the whole world lies under the sway of 439 00:19:07,900 --> 00:19:08,620 the wicked one. 440 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:09,620 There it is. 441 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:14,960 The whole world lies under the sway of 442 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:16,080 the wicked one. 443 00:19:16,820 --> 00:19:22,900 Now, in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 444 00:19:22,900 --> 00:19:26,620 11 we read that we are not ignorant 445 00:19:26,620 --> 00:19:28,820 of the devices of the devil. 446 00:19:28,820 --> 00:19:30,860 And I think it will be profitable for 447 00:19:30,860 --> 00:19:32,660 us just to think for a little tonight, 448 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,640 before we go any further, about the devices 449 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:37,600 of the devil. 450 00:19:38,780 --> 00:19:42,460 The many ways in which he acts in 451 00:19:42,460 --> 00:19:42,940 the world. 452 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:45,500 The Bible says we're not ignorant of his 453 00:19:45,500 --> 00:19:47,560 devices, but it's easy to be ignorant of 454 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:48,080 his devices. 455 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:52,280 First, one of his first devices is deceit. 456 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:53,920 Deceit. 457 00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:59,960 John chapter 8 verse 49. 458 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:01,580 Do you know what that says? 459 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:04,980 It says he's a father of lies. 460 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,340 He's been a liar from the beginning. 461 00:20:09,910 --> 00:20:11,650 And he is way back in the garden 462 00:20:11,650 --> 00:20:12,910 of Eden. 463 00:20:13,310 --> 00:20:15,990 He began his lying career on earth, and 464 00:20:15,990 --> 00:20:17,750 he's been at it ever since. 465 00:20:17,970 --> 00:20:20,090 One of his devices is deceit. 466 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:24,500 And he's still at it, even in the 467 00:20:24,500 --> 00:20:26,300 pulpit of our land. 468 00:20:27,580 --> 00:20:28,240 Slander. 469 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:29,980 Slander. 470 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,920 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10. 471 00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:37,660 It says he's the accuser of the brethren. 472 00:20:40,110 --> 00:20:40,970 It says more than that. 473 00:20:41,050 --> 00:20:44,190 It says he stands before God day and 474 00:20:44,190 --> 00:20:47,270 night, accusing the brethren. 475 00:20:48,710 --> 00:20:50,270 That's a wonderful thing, isn't it? 476 00:20:50,270 --> 00:20:52,390 To think that I have an advocate in 477 00:20:52,390 --> 00:20:54,710 heaven who's there for me day and night, 478 00:20:55,410 --> 00:20:57,270 while Satan is there accusing me. 479 00:20:58,710 --> 00:21:02,730 He never slumbers or sleeps, but he shows 480 00:21:02,730 --> 00:21:06,590 the nail prints in his hand as a 481 00:21:06,590 --> 00:21:11,630 satisfaction for those sins of which Satan is 482 00:21:11,630 --> 00:21:12,710 accusing me. 483 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:17,760 Another device of the devil is imitation. 484 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,600 And you see this in the world about 485 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:21,260 us today. 486 00:21:21,260 --> 00:21:22,460 Imitation. 487 00:21:22,620 --> 00:21:27,340 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 8. 488 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:31,820 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 8. 489 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:32,680 Imitation. 490 00:21:35,010 --> 00:21:39,890 Satan has a counterfeit for everything that serves 491 00:21:39,890 --> 00:21:40,350 God. 492 00:21:42,990 --> 00:21:44,470 He has a counterfeit trinity. 493 00:21:45,990 --> 00:21:48,750 He has a counterfeit gospel. 494 00:21:49,770 --> 00:21:52,370 He's very, very successful. 495 00:21:53,370 --> 00:21:57,710 Did you know that Satan is never more 496 00:21:57,710 --> 00:21:59,850 satanic than when he has a Bible in 497 00:21:59,850 --> 00:22:00,250 his hand? 498 00:22:00,730 --> 00:22:01,290 That's true. 499 00:22:04,810 --> 00:22:06,690 He's never more satanic than when he has 500 00:22:06,690 --> 00:22:07,630 a Bible in his hand, when he comes 501 00:22:07,630 --> 00:22:08,510 knocking at your door. 502 00:22:11,030 --> 00:22:13,110 Purveying some false cult. 503 00:22:16,870 --> 00:22:19,390 Casting doubts on the word of God and 504 00:22:19,390 --> 00:22:21,110 imitating what is of God. 505 00:22:21,110 --> 00:22:23,230 You had it back in the time of 506 00:22:23,230 --> 00:22:24,250 Moses, didn't you? 507 00:22:24,310 --> 00:22:29,110 When Jannes and Jambres imitated the miracles of 508 00:22:29,110 --> 00:22:29,610 Moses. 509 00:22:31,490 --> 00:22:33,330 And you know, I believe that as we 510 00:22:33,330 --> 00:22:35,150 approach to the end of the age, that 511 00:22:35,150 --> 00:22:36,850 we've got to be awfully careful about it. 512 00:22:37,050 --> 00:22:39,430 Tremendous emphasis on miracles today, isn't it? 513 00:22:39,630 --> 00:22:40,730 Signs and wonders. 514 00:22:42,940 --> 00:22:45,000 A lot of people, even in the assemblies, 515 00:22:45,100 --> 00:22:48,160 are being infatuated with this whole signs and 516 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:48,920 wonders movement. 517 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:52,440 Makes me wonder. 518 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:56,700 An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a 519 00:22:56,700 --> 00:22:57,720 sign, Jesus says. 520 00:22:58,280 --> 00:22:59,660 For there shall no sign be given it 521 00:22:59,660 --> 00:23:01,140 but the sign of the prophets, and what 522 00:23:01,140 --> 00:23:02,760 bets the resurrection of Christ? 523 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:05,920 If they won't believe that, they won't believe 524 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:06,120 it. 525 00:23:06,780 --> 00:23:09,000 Jesus himself said that. 526 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:11,880 But, Satan is a great imitator. 527 00:23:12,740 --> 00:23:14,600 Don't be deceived by him. 528 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:16,060 Discouragement! 529 00:23:17,180 --> 00:23:17,740 Discouragement! 530 00:23:17,740 --> 00:23:22,460 2 Corinthians chapter 2, verses 7-11. 531 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:27,920 2 Corinthians chapter 2, verses 7-11. 532 00:23:29,260 --> 00:23:31,640 This had to do with the restoration of 533 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:33,920 a man who had been put out of 534 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:35,960 fellowship in the assembly in Corinth. 535 00:23:36,180 --> 00:23:38,400 And Paul is saying, look, receive him back. 536 00:23:38,940 --> 00:23:41,640 Let Satan get an advantage over him, and 537 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:42,760 he becomes discouraged. 538 00:23:45,650 --> 00:23:47,430 I wonder if some have come to the 539 00:23:47,430 --> 00:23:49,390 conference, and that's where you are. 540 00:23:49,510 --> 00:23:50,310 You're discouraged. 541 00:23:50,990 --> 00:23:51,430 Easy. 542 00:23:52,310 --> 00:23:53,330 Easy to be discouraged. 543 00:23:53,710 --> 00:23:55,510 Plenty of things to make you discouraged nowadays. 544 00:23:57,870 --> 00:23:59,250 Something that has helped me. 545 00:23:59,310 --> 00:24:00,230 I have to fight it. 546 00:24:00,950 --> 00:24:02,850 Something that's helped me is something that Dwight 547 00:24:02,850 --> 00:24:03,110 L. 548 00:24:03,210 --> 00:24:03,730 Moody said. 549 00:24:03,890 --> 00:24:05,950 He said, I've never known God to use 550 00:24:05,950 --> 00:24:07,070 a discouraged person. 551 00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:08,470 Wow! 552 00:24:08,630 --> 00:24:09,390 That wakes me up. 553 00:24:10,050 --> 00:24:12,190 I do want the Lord to use me. 554 00:24:13,350 --> 00:24:17,510 And so I fight discouragement as one of 555 00:24:17,510 --> 00:24:20,070 the devices of the devil. 556 00:24:20,610 --> 00:24:23,210 Another device of the devil is division. 557 00:24:24,110 --> 00:24:25,970 Sowing division among the people of God. 558 00:24:26,190 --> 00:24:27,090 Now, here's the strange thing. 559 00:24:27,210 --> 00:24:28,730 I have no verse of Scripture for this. 560 00:24:32,060 --> 00:24:34,300 I have no verse of Scripture that says, 561 00:24:34,420 --> 00:24:36,660 that links Satan with division. 562 00:24:36,780 --> 00:24:38,060 Now, some person is going to come up 563 00:24:38,060 --> 00:24:39,900 to me after the meeting, no doubt, with 564 00:24:39,900 --> 00:24:40,460 that verse. 565 00:24:41,140 --> 00:24:42,480 But I've been to a lot of other 566 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:42,720 meetings. 567 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:44,920 I mean, people come to me with verses 568 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:45,640 about division. 569 00:24:46,260 --> 00:24:47,800 And they come to me with verses about 570 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:48,240 Satan. 571 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:50,080 Nobody has come to me yet with a 572 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:52,260 verse that says that Satan causes division. 573 00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:53,440 And I believe he does, don't you? 574 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:56,520 He certainly doesn't produce unity. 575 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:00,440 That would be tearing down his own kingdom, 576 00:25:00,620 --> 00:25:00,920 wouldn't it? 577 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:02,600 And then persecution. 578 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,060 This is one of the devices of the 579 00:25:05,060 --> 00:25:05,280 devil. 580 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:06,060 Persecution. 581 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:10,580 1 Peter 5.8. Your adversary was a 582 00:25:10,580 --> 00:25:11,580 roaring lion. 583 00:25:12,260 --> 00:25:14,580 Goeth about seeking whom he may devour. 584 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:16,660 That was in the context of persecution. 585 00:25:20,750 --> 00:25:23,970 I've heard it said that there probably have 586 00:25:23,970 --> 00:25:25,950 been more martyrs of the Christian faith in 587 00:25:25,950 --> 00:25:27,830 our time than in any of the previous 588 00:25:27,830 --> 00:25:29,370 times in the history of the Christian church. 589 00:25:30,950 --> 00:25:31,750 He's not sleeping. 590 00:25:32,770 --> 00:25:35,110 He's at it all the time. 591 00:25:35,110 --> 00:25:36,890 And then destruction. 592 00:25:37,150 --> 00:25:40,970 Another device of the devil. 593 00:25:41,730 --> 00:25:42,290 Destruction. 594 00:25:42,850 --> 00:25:43,850 John 10. 595 00:25:43,910 --> 00:25:44,570 Verse 10. 596 00:25:44,610 --> 00:25:46,570 Remember the Lord Jesus said, The thief cometh 597 00:25:46,570 --> 00:25:49,850 not but to steal and to kill and 598 00:25:49,850 --> 00:25:50,610 to destroy. 599 00:25:50,930 --> 00:25:54,230 I am come that they might have life 600 00:25:54,230 --> 00:25:55,530 and have it more abundantly. 601 00:26:01,220 --> 00:26:03,600 I believe that in our day today, especially 602 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:05,780 because of the drug culture and all the 603 00:26:05,780 --> 00:26:07,900 rest, that we are seeing an increase in 604 00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:09,460 demonism in the world. 605 00:26:10,140 --> 00:26:12,620 I think it accounts for a lot of 606 00:26:12,620 --> 00:26:16,340 the mindless crimes that you read about in 607 00:26:16,340 --> 00:26:17,720 the papers and the magazines. 608 00:26:19,020 --> 00:26:20,900 People being killed with no motive for the 609 00:26:20,900 --> 00:26:21,080 killing. 610 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:23,040 It's just a mindless killing. 611 00:26:23,700 --> 00:26:24,140 What is it? 612 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:26,600 The activity of demons. 613 00:26:27,620 --> 00:26:28,140 Destruction. 614 00:26:29,420 --> 00:26:32,300 There is no exception to this rule. 615 00:26:32,300 --> 00:26:35,220 The purpose of the demons is always to 616 00:26:35,220 --> 00:26:35,740 destroy. 617 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:37,760 Always to destroy. 618 00:26:37,860 --> 00:26:40,480 Either to destroy the person or to destroy 619 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:41,200 some other person. 620 00:26:41,300 --> 00:26:44,000 The thief cometh not but to steal and 621 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:45,980 to kill and to destroy. 622 00:26:46,300 --> 00:26:48,480 I am come that they might have it. 623 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,380 Life that they might have it more abundantly. 624 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,100 Another device of the devil is incomplete commitment. 625 00:26:55,660 --> 00:26:58,040 We see it in Peter in Matthew 8. 626 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,580 Verses 31 through 33. 627 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:04,800 And I think we also see it in 628 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:06,720 Ananias and Sapphira, don't we? 629 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:10,360 Where they profess to give everything but held 630 00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:11,500 that apart. 631 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:17,160 If Satan can't prevent us from making total 632 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,000 commitment to the Lord, he'll try to get 633 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,560 us to make an incomplete commitment. 634 00:27:23,140 --> 00:27:25,000 But in one of the versions of the 635 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,660 Bible, it says in the psalm, God hates 636 00:27:27,660 --> 00:27:29,180 the man who is half and half. 637 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,580 He's not talking a dairy product either. 638 00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:34,320 God hates the man who is half and 639 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:34,580 half. 640 00:27:35,580 --> 00:27:37,440 God wants people who are all of him. 641 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:39,860 If he's not worth everything, he's not worth 642 00:27:39,860 --> 00:27:40,460 anything. 643 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:41,360 Isn't that true? 644 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,860 So E.T. said, he said, If Jesus 645 00:27:46,860 --> 00:27:50,600 Christ is God and died for me, then 646 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:53,400 no sacrifice can be too great for me 647 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:54,260 to make for him. 648 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:58,580 Do you know that sentence changed the whole 649 00:27:58,580 --> 00:27:59,560 direction of my life? 650 00:28:00,860 --> 00:28:02,700 I read that when I was out in 651 00:28:02,700 --> 00:28:04,780 the Navy in the Second World War. 652 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:08,480 And I got down on my knees that 653 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:09,880 night and I did something I had never 654 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:10,420 done before. 655 00:28:10,420 --> 00:28:11,960 I turned my life over to the Lord 656 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:12,520 for service. 657 00:28:13,460 --> 00:28:15,200 Just in the face of that single sentence, 658 00:28:15,300 --> 00:28:18,180 If Jesus Christ be God and died for 659 00:28:18,180 --> 00:28:21,280 me, then no sacrifice can be too great 660 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:22,760 for me to make for him. 661 00:28:22,900 --> 00:28:23,780 It blew me. 662 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:26,420 I couldn't answer the logic of it. 663 00:28:26,740 --> 00:28:27,680 I would like to have. 664 00:28:28,060 --> 00:28:29,880 I would like to have found an escape 665 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:30,580 route, but I couldn't. 666 00:28:31,740 --> 00:28:33,100 It was so true. 667 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,420 And I bowed to the truth. 668 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,580 And then another device of the devil is 669 00:28:39,580 --> 00:28:40,820 procrastination. 670 00:28:41,220 --> 00:28:43,400 You see that in Felix in Acts chapter 671 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:45,460 24 and verse 25. 672 00:28:45,820 --> 00:28:49,340 You know, go your way, some more conveniences 673 00:28:49,340 --> 00:28:50,920 and I'll call on you. 674 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:53,360 And you know, you think of how that's 675 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:56,100 been repeated in gospel meetings down through the 676 00:28:56,100 --> 00:28:56,440 years. 677 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,080 Not only in gospel meetings, but in personal 678 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:02,920 encounters with people over their souls. 679 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,620 Yes, I plan to do it someday, but 680 00:29:05,620 --> 00:29:06,280 not now. 681 00:29:06,580 --> 00:29:09,740 Who's sitting on a person's shoulder when he 682 00:29:09,740 --> 00:29:10,100 says that? 683 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:10,580 The devil? 684 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:12,060 Sure. 685 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:17,240 Almost persuaded now to believe. 686 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,160 Almost persuaded Christ to receive. 687 00:29:23,900 --> 00:29:26,320 Seems now some soul to say, Go spirit, 688 00:29:26,420 --> 00:29:26,980 go thy way. 689 00:29:27,100 --> 00:29:28,560 Some more convenience day. 690 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:31,160 Indeed, I'll call. 691 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,500 Pride is one of the devices of the 692 00:29:34,500 --> 00:29:35,360 devil, isn't it? 693 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:36,020 Pride. 694 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,160 We read that in 1 Timothy chapter 3, 695 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:46,900 where it speaks about the qualifications of elders. 696 00:29:47,500 --> 00:29:48,640 And it said, he must not be a 697 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:53,060 novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he 698 00:29:53,060 --> 00:29:54,900 fall into the condemnation of the devil. 699 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:58,400 Pride is a pair of sin, isn't it? 700 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:01,480 First sin took place in heaven, not on 701 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:01,740 earth. 702 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:04,380 The place of Satan. 703 00:30:05,740 --> 00:30:07,160 Aspiring to be God. 704 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:10,940 Take the place of God, to get God 705 00:30:10,940 --> 00:30:11,760 off the throne. 706 00:30:12,980 --> 00:30:15,540 And he's been doing that through his underlings 707 00:30:15,540 --> 00:30:16,700 ever since. 708 00:30:18,020 --> 00:30:19,140 Moral failure. 709 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:22,800 How sad that we have to talk about 710 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:23,040 this. 711 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:26,720 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verse 5. 712 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:32,840 Where we read that Satan tempts because of 713 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:34,640 man's lack of self-control. 714 00:30:36,100 --> 00:30:38,800 1 Corinthians 7, 5. 715 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,580 What a year this has been for the 716 00:30:42,580 --> 00:30:43,600 evangelical church. 717 00:30:46,570 --> 00:30:50,650 What shame has been brought on the lovely 718 00:30:50,650 --> 00:30:51,530 name of Jesus. 719 00:30:55,070 --> 00:30:56,970 So that now when you even speak to 720 00:30:56,970 --> 00:30:59,570 somebody, some stranger about the Lord, wouldn't they 721 00:30:59,570 --> 00:31:02,490 say, what about Jimmy Swaggerton? 722 00:31:03,670 --> 00:31:04,850 What about Jimmy Baker? 723 00:31:04,910 --> 00:31:06,830 And this is what they throw in your 724 00:31:06,830 --> 00:31:07,150 face. 725 00:31:07,550 --> 00:31:08,130 What is it? 726 00:31:09,150 --> 00:31:09,870 The devil. 727 00:31:10,350 --> 00:31:11,810 It's the devil getting in. 728 00:31:15,370 --> 00:31:16,770 And I don't know how you feel about 729 00:31:16,770 --> 00:31:18,070 it, but I believe that a lot of 730 00:31:18,070 --> 00:31:22,090 it goes back to the subject of Christ 731 00:31:22,090 --> 00:31:24,130 and to the lust for publicity. 732 00:31:25,830 --> 00:31:31,190 I believe that publicity is generally bad in 733 00:31:31,190 --> 00:31:31,990 the face of God. 734 00:31:33,390 --> 00:31:35,530 I love it to read in the Gospels 735 00:31:35,530 --> 00:31:39,530 about my Savior and how he never craved 736 00:31:39,530 --> 00:31:40,070 publicity. 737 00:31:40,230 --> 00:31:41,670 In fact, he would perform a miracle and 738 00:31:41,670 --> 00:31:42,170 what would he say? 739 00:31:42,390 --> 00:31:43,050 Tell no man. 740 00:31:44,130 --> 00:31:44,870 Tell no man. 741 00:31:45,270 --> 00:31:45,450 Tell. 742 00:31:47,330 --> 00:31:48,390 Why did he say that? 743 00:31:48,390 --> 00:31:51,150 He knew the people and he knew that 744 00:31:51,150 --> 00:31:53,750 they wanted a Messiah to deliver them from 745 00:31:53,750 --> 00:31:55,070 the oppression of Rome. 746 00:31:55,510 --> 00:31:59,270 And he knew how fickle they were. 747 00:31:59,770 --> 00:32:02,830 One day they would lionize him and the 748 00:32:02,830 --> 00:32:04,530 next day they would donkey-ize him. 749 00:32:05,470 --> 00:32:06,230 That's the world. 750 00:32:07,090 --> 00:32:09,770 One day they would cry Hosanna and the 751 00:32:09,770 --> 00:32:11,650 next day they would cry crucify him. 752 00:32:11,830 --> 00:32:12,390 He knew the people. 753 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:19,560 You know, one of the first rules of 754 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:21,600 evangelicalism today is try to get on a 755 00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:23,760 talk show on television, isn't it? 756 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,620 Men get on a talk show with some 757 00:32:28,620 --> 00:32:30,760 man who's an enemy of the Gospel and 758 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:32,380 he makes a monkey out of them and 759 00:32:32,380 --> 00:32:34,100 a sham out of the Gospel. 760 00:32:34,780 --> 00:32:36,660 They crave that type of publicity. 761 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:39,000 God won't tolerate it. 762 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:41,500 God is against it. 763 00:32:41,500 --> 00:32:43,800 God is not going to share his glory 764 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:44,620 with somebody else. 765 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:46,520 He's not going to do it. 766 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:49,820 And I believe that this lust for publicity 767 00:32:49,820 --> 00:32:53,040 is one of the causes for so much 768 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:54,860 of the damage that has been done. 769 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,660 You know, the best work for God is 770 00:32:56,660 --> 00:32:58,200 the work that goes on behind the scenes. 771 00:32:59,260 --> 00:33:00,680 I think I could prove that to you 772 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:02,200 over and over again. 773 00:33:02,260 --> 00:33:04,220 The best work that goes on isn't the 774 00:33:04,220 --> 00:33:06,520 work that's publicized, isn't the work that you're 775 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:07,860 hearing about all the time. 776 00:33:07,860 --> 00:33:10,260 It's the work that's done quietly in the 777 00:33:10,260 --> 00:33:12,940 name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 778 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:14,960 Well, you could say a lot about moral 779 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:15,460 failure. 780 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:18,280 We don't say it in any pride either 781 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:19,280 because we know ourselves. 782 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:22,840 We know how prone we are to fall. 783 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:26,020 And I really believe this, that in the 784 00:33:26,020 --> 00:33:27,220 day in which we live we should be 785 00:33:27,220 --> 00:33:28,680 praying for one another more. 786 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:30,300 I really do. 787 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:32,560 We should really be praying for one another. 788 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:36,820 I remember years ago when a dear young 789 00:33:36,820 --> 00:33:38,600 missionary had to come back from the mission 790 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:39,060 field. 791 00:33:41,550 --> 00:33:43,990 And one of my colleagues said to me, 792 00:33:44,810 --> 00:33:48,370 shamefacedly, he said, you know, I never prayed 793 00:33:48,370 --> 00:33:48,730 for him. 794 00:33:48,770 --> 00:33:50,090 I never felt he needed it. 795 00:33:50,910 --> 00:33:52,790 He seemed so strong. 796 00:33:53,070 --> 00:33:55,010 It would never happen to him. 797 00:33:55,370 --> 00:33:57,230 Listen, we're all made of the same stuff, 798 00:33:57,770 --> 00:33:58,250 aren't we? 799 00:33:59,010 --> 00:34:01,370 And we all need prayer. 800 00:34:01,370 --> 00:34:04,530 We need the prayers of God's people. 801 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:14,719 Somebody said, I measure my effectiveness by the 802 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:16,880 number of people I pray for and the 803 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:18,540 number of people who pray for me. 804 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:20,100 That's good, isn't it? 805 00:34:20,739 --> 00:34:23,500 I measure my effectiveness by the number of 806 00:34:23,500 --> 00:34:25,600 people I pray for and the number of 807 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:27,380 people who pray for me. 808 00:34:27,460 --> 00:34:28,159 False doctrine. 809 00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:31,100 Listen, if the devil can't trip you up 810 00:34:34,020 --> 00:34:36,560 in the moral area, he'll try to do 811 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:37,480 it in the doctrinal area. 812 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:39,280 I believe those are the two areas where 813 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:40,380 he's been most successful. 814 00:34:41,460 --> 00:34:43,800 Sex and doctrine really do. 815 00:34:47,179 --> 00:34:52,739 And it's absolutely incredible, absolutely incredible how men 816 00:34:52,739 --> 00:34:55,100 have gone on faithfully for the Lord down 817 00:34:55,100 --> 00:34:57,480 through the years and then they drift off 818 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:02,340 into some weird doctrine, some weird, sad, or 819 00:35:02,340 --> 00:35:02,880 fancy. 820 00:35:03,420 --> 00:35:06,080 I could give you many illustrations of it. 821 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:07,600 False doctrine. 822 00:35:08,140 --> 00:35:11,680 Genesis chapter 3, verse 5. 823 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:14,020 You shall be as God. 824 00:35:14,500 --> 00:35:15,720 That's what the devil says. 825 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:17,560 You shall be as God. 826 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:19,480 And you know, I don't know if any 827 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:20,800 of you have read the books of David 828 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:21,180 Hunt. 829 00:35:22,700 --> 00:35:30,460 The Seduction of Christianity, Beyond Seduction, America the 830 00:35:30,460 --> 00:35:31,860 Sorcerer's Apprentice. 831 00:35:32,240 --> 00:35:34,640 And in these books he shows you how 832 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:38,120 that very thing is becoming popularized even in 833 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:39,900 some evangelical circles today. 834 00:35:40,860 --> 00:35:42,680 The God principle in you that he's to 835 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:43,060 be awakened. 836 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:44,280 You shall be as God. 837 00:35:45,900 --> 00:35:48,380 Incredible going on today. 838 00:35:48,380 --> 00:35:51,660 The whole drift today is humanism, isn't it? 839 00:35:52,780 --> 00:35:57,460 The sufficiency of man in himself rather than 840 00:35:57,460 --> 00:36:01,300 his insufficiency and the sufficiency of God. 841 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:03,960 Physical affliction. 842 00:36:04,660 --> 00:36:05,980 Physical affliction. 843 00:36:07,240 --> 00:36:09,120 I don't know if you'll agree with me, 844 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:15,480 but I believe that no sickness, suffering, tragedy 845 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:16,260 comes from God. 846 00:36:17,700 --> 00:36:20,080 God allows them, but they don't come from 847 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:20,280 him. 848 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:23,720 He could not originate anything like that. 849 00:36:26,610 --> 00:36:28,990 2 Corinthians 12, 7 E. 850 00:36:29,350 --> 00:36:31,850 Paul speaks of the thorn in the flesh. 851 00:36:31,950 --> 00:36:32,530 It was physical. 852 00:36:32,810 --> 00:36:33,390 What did he call it? 853 00:36:33,450 --> 00:36:35,310 The messenger of Satan to Buffet. 854 00:36:35,730 --> 00:36:36,190 What's this? 855 00:36:37,170 --> 00:36:39,090 The messenger of Satan to Buffet. 856 00:36:39,790 --> 00:36:42,290 God allowed it, and that's what I see. 857 00:36:42,290 --> 00:36:44,450 These are the principles I see in the 858 00:36:44,450 --> 00:36:47,290 world today how God allows Satan to have 859 00:36:47,290 --> 00:36:50,690 a certain amount of leash to do certain 860 00:36:50,690 --> 00:36:50,950 things. 861 00:36:51,070 --> 00:36:52,450 Then God says, okay, I'm going to have 862 00:36:52,450 --> 00:36:53,050 the last word. 863 00:36:53,310 --> 00:36:56,090 I will overrule this for the person's good, 864 00:36:56,190 --> 00:36:58,790 for my glory, and for the blessing of 865 00:36:58,790 --> 00:36:59,110 others. 866 00:36:59,270 --> 00:37:01,350 This is what's going on in the world 867 00:37:01,350 --> 00:37:01,830 today. 868 00:37:03,110 --> 00:37:06,070 Don't tell me that sickness and sorrow and 869 00:37:06,070 --> 00:37:07,590 tragedy and death come from God. 870 00:37:07,630 --> 00:37:07,930 They don't. 871 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:12,380 Now, I should just add quickly there that 872 00:37:12,380 --> 00:37:15,600 sometimes in the Bible, God is said to 873 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:18,520 do what he only permits to be done. 874 00:37:20,380 --> 00:37:24,640 Job said, the Lord has given, as the 875 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:27,100 Lord has taken away, let it be the 876 00:37:27,100 --> 00:37:27,800 name of the Lord. 877 00:37:27,900 --> 00:37:28,700 Did the Lord take away? 878 00:37:28,920 --> 00:37:29,980 No, the Lord didn't take away. 879 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:31,640 Satan took away, didn't he? 880 00:37:32,460 --> 00:37:34,680 But God permitted it, and in the Bible, 881 00:37:34,780 --> 00:37:36,820 God is often said to do what he 882 00:37:36,820 --> 00:37:38,040 only permits to be done. 883 00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:41,020 We do that all the time, agency, the 884 00:37:41,020 --> 00:37:42,220 principle of agency. 885 00:37:44,060 --> 00:37:46,080 But many, many cases in the Bible you'll 886 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:48,580 find that physical affliction are caused by Satan, 887 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:51,160 but God has the last word, and God 888 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:54,700 brings good out of it, blessing, glory to 889 00:37:54,700 --> 00:37:55,060 himself. 890 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:57,520 I'll never forget a dear mother in Illinois 891 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:00,620 years ago, and she had a child who 892 00:38:00,620 --> 00:38:02,940 was born impaired, seriously impaired. 893 00:38:02,940 --> 00:38:05,000 And when the child was ten years of 894 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,720 age, she said to me, Phil, if I 895 00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:11,380 could live these ten years over, I'd love 896 00:38:11,380 --> 00:38:13,100 them just the way the Lord has planned 897 00:38:13,100 --> 00:38:13,340 them. 898 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:15,040 That's it. 899 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:19,780 She was glorifying God in it, and she 900 00:38:19,780 --> 00:38:23,120 didn't blame God for it. 901 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:29,360 Matthew 13, 19, the wicked one comes and 902 00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:32,100 snatches away the seed. 903 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:36,340 And isn't he an expert at that? 904 00:38:37,100 --> 00:38:40,340 The wicked one comes and snatches away the 905 00:38:40,340 --> 00:38:40,600 seed. 906 00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:43,420 And then finally, and with this we'll close, 907 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:44,820 trial, 15. 908 00:38:45,420 --> 00:38:48,480 Jesus said to Peter, Satan has desired to 909 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:50,120 have thee that he may sift thee as 910 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:50,340 wheat. 911 00:38:50,340 --> 00:38:55,740 Luke 22, 31, Luke 22, 31, Satan has 912 00:38:55,740 --> 00:38:57,860 desired to have thee that he may sift 913 00:38:57,860 --> 00:38:58,440 thee as wheat. 914 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:00,560 But I have prayed for thee, and when 915 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:04,060 thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 916 00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:06,520 So it's good for us to know the 917 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:08,500 ruler of this world, to know about him, 918 00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:11,560 to know what his devices are, and then 919 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:14,820 we'll move on to a happier theme, the 920 00:39:14,820 --> 00:39:17,540 Lord Jesus Christ, and what he offers to 921 00:39:17,540 --> 00:39:21,100 those who enter into his kingdom. 922 00:39:21,660 --> 00:39:23,320 Shall we look to the Lord in prayer? 923 00:39:30,900 --> 00:39:32,700 Father, we can really say with the poet, 924 00:39:32,820 --> 00:39:34,260 the world is too much with us. 925 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:37,820 Giving and spending, we lay waste our powers. 926 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:40,560 We think of the tremendous grip that the 927 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:43,240 world system has upon men and women today. 928 00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:45,940 We think of the majority of mankind living 929 00:39:45,940 --> 00:39:48,920 for the passing things of time, caring more 930 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:51,460 for the body than for the soul, living 931 00:39:51,460 --> 00:39:53,900 for time instead of eternity. 932 00:39:54,820 --> 00:39:56,760 Father, as we go through these studies, we 933 00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:59,800 pray that the false system of the world 934 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:03,060 might be thoroughly exposed, that we might thoroughly 935 00:40:03,060 --> 00:40:05,440 hate it because of the way it has 936 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:07,040 treated our Savior. 937 00:40:07,620 --> 00:40:09,800 We ask in his word, he names Jesus.