Perilous Times Now By Lin Brown

Transcription

1 Perilous Times Now By Lin Brown Bible Text: Ezekiel 3:17 Preached on: Sunday, February 13, 2011 Grace Particular Baptist Church 5725 Imperial Lakes Blvd Mulberry, FL Website: Online Sermons: This morning I am thankful for the prayer that my tongue be loosed, but I also ask, Lord, this morning that your ears be opened. I ask the Lord that sat there praying along with the prayer that was prayed that the Lord would make understanding to what I have to say this morning to every heart including my own. I have a most sober message for you this morning. It begins in Ezekiel chapter three. It begins at verse 17. Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel. 1 To every ordained preacher of God, this is his role. He is a watchman to the house of Israel. And so as the watchman to the house of Israel in this place I say unto you this morning that there are words of warning for you to heed. There are things for you to take notice of. Paul wrote that we are to be sober. And I fear that many people s minds are not sober, that they are intoxicated with the prosperity of the age, of the safety and security of life lived out in thinking that it will always be so. In verse 17 when God says to Ezekiel, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel, 2 that watchman is to hear the words that are at the mouth of God and give warning from the mouth of God. I don t now how to make it of such gravity that you would take it seriously, because we live in such an age that we are almost stupefied by the prosperity and the wealth and the strength that we see around us. This passage goes on and we are going to look at other passages that will have bearing on what I am about to say. 1 Ezekiel 3:17. 2 Ibid. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not Page 1 of 9

2 from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. 3 So all of the wicked that we warn are not going to hear us. Some may, but most won t. The righteous will save his soul and he will save... and we will save our souls by speaking to the righteousness, to the righteous about righteousness. And so as I know this message will go out on SermonAudio, it will reach the ears of many who are in either camp. And they will hear. And I know that as we speak this morning this message will reach into Europe, to Asia, to the United States and many different corners of it. And I say to the wicked, Be warned, your wicked ways will perish. And to the righteous, Live righteously and soberly in this present world system. What do I have to warn the people of God about? Turn over to 2 Timothy. In 2 Timothy we read these sobering words. Timothy, Paul writing to Timothy spoke of his time and historically this was true but eternally it is true also. And every nation that lives under the Son of God, under the providence of God there comes this time spoken of as the last days. This know also, that in the last days... 4 the last days of whatever society is being addressed by the watchman upon the walls of Israel, this is true. Perilous times shall come. 5 Brethren, we would dare not relegate this to past history and leave it there. We must resurrect it every time a country reaches its last days, a people, a society reaches its last days. In those last days it will be perilous times for all that live within that society, whatever it be. And those perilous times will be precipitated and will be aggravated by this. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural 3 Ezekiel 3: Timothy 3:1. 5 Ibid. Page 2 of 9

3 affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good... 6 And let me pause here for a minute. And let me say to you, once again, very soberly, when a society reaches its last days this is the characteristics of it. And I say to you: look around. Tune in your ears. Open your eyes and see what you see. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters. 7 I have never lived as a Christian without noticing how boastful this society is. From the calls of, I am the greatest, to, I can do anything. The one I heard just recently say that whatever we can think we can do. I have thought about that. And I have thought about the most feared people in this society today are those who think and then do. Those who think what they want to do they do because they are lovers of self. They are lovers of their own egos. They are covetous. They horde up things and collect things. They are proud people. They are blasphemers. You know, you don t have to say, God be cursed to be a blasphemer. A blasphemer is living separately from God, independently upon your own strength and upon your own resources and upon your own value and your own minds. Disobedient to parents. 8 And I thought about that in light of our society, of being disobedient to parents is an end time characteristic of a society. They cast off the purpose for which they were founded. They cast off the mothers and fathers of their wisdom. They cast off the roots of their heritage. They are disobedient to parents. It doesn t mean they just are disobedient children as such, but the society becomes a disobedient to its founding, to its existence. I am thankful. And most people are like what I have to be thankful for. I got it myself. I got it by my own effort. And so they are unthankful with the things they realize couldn t be theirs except it was given by a good God. And the little word unholy means they are at the height of depravity. They don t smack of any holiness from any purity of any cleanness. And so a society that is in its last days has these characteristics. They are, without natural affection Timothy 3: Timothy 3:2. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. Page 3 of 9

4 They don t care of one another any longer even to the point that an animal cares for its own. Natural affection means that they have forsaken the base affection that a creature has for its own. Truce breakers, the greatest truce that is broken within our society is the marriage truce, the marriage covenant. Divorce runs rampant in our society because it is the last days of such a time. False accusers. In other words just absolute blatant liars to the detriment of somebody else. They will falsely accuse them of being something they aren t. Have you been a victim of that? Have you been a victim of being falsely accused of something you didn t do or you didn t think? You won t like it. It is not a pleasant thing to live in a society of false accusers, blame throwers. Something happens, who do we blame? Incontinent means that they are without restraint. Don t have any strictures upon them whatsoever. This is at the core of the breakdown of society. These things are just basic characteristics. Fierce. I watched a little more news that I normally watch this past week. But some of the things that I have seen have been fierce looking people making statements. Fierce is the symbol of a in our environment being in the face of an alligator with his mouth wide open intending to clamp down; in other societies, a bear; in other societies, an angry bear; in other societies, an angry lion. Fierceness is part of fallen nature. But it is the epitome of fallen nature. Despisers of those that are good. 10 Oh, my. How true that is. In their self love for each other and themselves, in their forsaking of their heritage, in their blaspheming of the God of heaven, in their breaking of covenants, they hate those that do all those things who love God, who respect their heritage, who honor their marriages. They are despisers of those that are good. Do you, as the children of God, see how he can start off with, In the last days are perilous times? Living in society in that way, yes, they did in the first century. Roman society had all these characteristics. But we don t time lock the Scripture and then think that it is ever to apply to us. And I say unto you once again, these are the characteristics of a society in its last days, in its perishing moments. Traitors. Oh, boy, we understand that term today don t we, in our society what a traitor is. A traitor is one who betrays a people. Now the call in the political ring is, He doesn t 10 Ibid. Page 4 of 9

5 love America. He doesn t stand up for America. That is the epitome of a traitor, one who turns his face against the society that he grew up in. High minded. Oh, I can do anything and I don t need God. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. 11 Does that sound familiar? Have you seen any of that? Have you witnessed any of that? That people love pleasure more than they love God? Having a form of godliness The last perilous days, at that time and of any time in a society is a people will pretend to practice godliness, having a form of it, having a ritual of it, having an institution of it, but denying the power thereof. 13 And we talk about sovereign grace and the sovereign power of God. They draw back and say, God is not like that. God is how I want him to be. God is a sweet old man up in heaven who wouldn t harm a flea and he sure wouldn t harm you and me. And yet we say to them, Our God is sovereign. Our God rules. He dispenses as he sees fit. The power thereof is the great sovereign hand of God whose providential care for everything that moves upon the face of the earth. We are told to turn away from such who do all these things. We are told to turn away from them. Now look over at chapter four. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word. 14 Why? Because we are watching them from the walls and we are warning Israel. We are warning Israel to be sober in this present evil world. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season. 15 Preach the Word when it is convenient and when it is not convenient. And it is not preach our ideas. And that is what I would warn against. That is what I would say to you today. Don t go away thinking that these are some quaint ideas, that this is some imaginary thing that might happen and might not happen. The Lord Jesus says that the 11 2 Timothy 3:4. 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid Timothy 4: Timothy 4:2. Page 5 of 9

6 generation in which you will see the fig tree cast its figs is the one in which I will appear. And he did. And he will. And he will. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 16 It is the time that the house of Israel be instructed. And the house of Israel have ears to hear and hearts to receive and minds to think. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 17 And how many times today do you talk with people who claim to be Christians who want nothing to do with doctrine. Oh, I am a child of God. You know, I received Jesus and I don t know anything about that doctrine and I don t want to know any doctrine. I just want to feel good. I think that we have to be willfully blind and I say that very clearly willfully blind, not just blind, but willfully blind. We have to blind ourselves when we look out on society today and say, This is not under the judgment of God. When we have to excuse it away and say, Judgment may come. If they continue in this way, dear ones, they don t have to continue one step further. Religion doesn t have to go one step further. We just saw astoundingly this past week two countries in Europe have turned against multi culturalism. I ask you today. When is the United States of America going to turn against multi culturalism? Because it is an affront and an effacement to God, to the glory of God, to the righteousness of God, to the holiness of God to say, God has made all these many things. And if we don t cease to do it, if we don t cease to turn away from that idea that God is whatever we want him to make him do, he will turn this country into a living hell. The wicked shall be turned into hell in every country that is against God. I think all of you in this room today enjoy your life. You love to be able to live in a private home. You love to own land. You love to have a piece about yourself, living in that domain. But that can end tomorrow. It can end today. It can end at any time. And then what do you live for? Jesus said, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. 18 And I say unto you, Love not him who can kill the body, but love him that can kill the soul also. 16 Ibid Timothy 4:3. 18 Matthew 10:28. Page 6 of 9

7 Love him who saves your soul. And will bring you perfect before his thrown in that day. And so we must be busy about reproving, rebuking and exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine because there is a time when they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. 19 How is the latest speaker? Who is the latest spokesman for Christianity? Who is the popular preacher on the block? We will hear him because our ears are tickling to hear something smooth and something palatable. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 20 I don t know how clearer it could be said. Most people worship under a fable. A fable is a made up story. It has no reality, none whatsoever. Don t turn your way, your ears away from the truth to listen to fables. I wouldn t want people to put me in the same camp with Hal Lindsey or any of these other modern prophecy buffs, because I am not there. And I am warning you. I am telling you that in the last days perilous times shall be for the people of God. And if God gives you to understand that we in this society in the last days then I say to you, Live soberly, righteously in this present evil world. Know and understand that he is greater than all the presidential elections whether they go or come, than of all the threats of Islam whether it comes to our shores in bodily form in a great way or not. He rules over all. And don t turn your ears to fables, the lies of Satan to being deceived, but watch thou in all things. Be watchful, guarding all things, guarding your Christian life, guarding your Christian experience, guarding your Christian understanding of things. Endure afflictions whatever they be. And I think we have many afflictions that which we don t really term afflictions. They are afflictions of the mind. They are fiery darts of Satan that come shooting across our mind and torment us and stir us up and cause fear. We are to endure them and overcome them in Christ. Do the work of an evangelist. 21 In other words, never give up or surrender the need to understand salvation is only in the Lord Jesus Christ and those that are not in him need to be saved by believing in him. The work of an evangelist. Make full proof of thy ministry. 22 Paul said, For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand Timothy 4: Timothy 4: Timothy 4:5. 22 Ibid Timothy 4:6. Page 7 of 9

8 This is what you are to do when I am left behind. This is what is for you after I am gone. Turn over to 1 Thessalonians chapter five. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 24 Every one of us watch and be sober. Be sober about things. Don t be presumptuous about things. Don t be careless about things, but be sober about them. Don t be even sensational about them. Don t get on the bandwagon of everything that happens means Jesus Christ is coming at any moment. But be sober and watchful and find out what God is doing here. I think it is most important that we do so in the Word of God and get our understanding of our life in the Word of God and our peace being in the Word of God. Verse seven. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober. 25 Let us not be careless. Let us be watchful....putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 26 You have a ministry one to another in these times. In these perilous times comfort one another, for you are a child of God. You are safe in the security of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. It is this protection that is around you. I am also instructed by the Word of God that the arm of man shall fail you. You know, I used to think election came around every four to eight years, but now it is just all the time. It is all the time about who can replace this one or who can continue this reign or who can be this or who can be that. We are to comfort one another with the fact that we 24 1 Thessalonians 5: Thessalonians 5: Thessalonians 5:8-11. Page 8 of 9

9 know we are not of the darkness. And that day is not going to come upon us as a thief in the night as we see within the shadow, within the light of God s Word and know and understand what takes place. As we come together this morning I have only to encourage you in the Lord Jesus. As a watchman upon the towers and the walls of Israel I can tell you to trust in nothing else. Don t trust in the upcoming elections. Don t trust in this or that idea of man. Don t look at the media and despair of life. Don t look at the events in the world and the false prophets who are proclaiming this to happen and this to happen and lo and behold they do happen. They are still false prophets because they speak not according to this Word and that is that God rules in the armies of man and in the armies of heaven under the earth, on the earth and above the earth. All things are in his power and all things fall out according to his purpose. Gracious Lord and heavenly Father, we ask that you make this message understandable to thy people in Jesus name. Amen. Page 9 of 9