SERMON - DO NOT BE A SPIRITUAL CASUALTY

Do Not Be

A

Spiritual Casualty

 

 

With all of the signs around that lead us, as Christians, to think of the last days, we must be ever on guard. We cannot be weak in our faith in Jesus Christ and be lead astray by any that would teach us false gospels and words that do not come from God.

 

1 Timothy 4:1-2 1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

 

It is without a doubt that every one of us has been exposed to false teachings and claims that were so outlandish that we were surprised to see people, who called themselves Christian, not only listening to such teachings and claims, but espousing them as God’s truths!  

 

Most recently we have seen a man, supposedly a Christian Reverend, sermonizing on the evils committed by one race upon another. In God’s name this man stated, in a continuous rant, that his people, simply because they were black, had been subjected to chemical induction of viruses, educationally stifled, and other Christians, due to their not being Caucasian, were the responsible perpetrators!  So bad was his ranting that he repeatedly called on God to, “damn,” a nation.

 

As I watched film clips of this sermon, and others of the same vein, sadly I could hear “Amen…amen and amen” repeatedly being voiced by the congregation present!

 

Can you, as a Christian, believe for one second, let’s say a par second, that God wanted those words voiced as Christian teachings?

 

In past times I have heard so-called Pastors making false statements as they attributed those words they spoke to be “Right out of the Bible.” In accordance with God’s Word I, in the company of other Christians, sought to have those particular Pastors read the Bible and point out where the words they had spoken could be found. None could as the words they spoke, as they attributed them to God, were not God’s Word!

 

My time in being exposed to such false teachings was in the 1990s. Now I see groups, calling themselves Christian, committing acts for their financial gain or to demonize bereaved people for their own aggrandizement.

 

People, let me say this, “It is getting worse by the day.”

 

2 Timothy 3:1-13   1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

 6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

Paul's Charge to Timothy

 10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.   

 

It is so bad today as even the politicians that have no teachings of God’s Word are attributing instructional words to God’s Word. When the error of their ways is pointed out to them they seek to lay the blame of such false teachings at the feet of actual, and genuine, Christian Priests and Pastors.

 

I want to tell each of you, each Christian brother and sister, that I pray to God that you will never allow yourself to be led astray by any such teachings.  With our human weaknesses we all have the potential, even the inclination to sin and fall away from God’s true Word.

 

I ask that each of you read, study, discuss with other Christians the Scripture set forth in 2 Timothy 3:1-13 and pray that God will have the Holy Spirit enter into your hearts and grant you the wisdom to understand His Word.

 

We must ever be on guard as the assaults on our Christianity are often disguised as people claiming to be Christian but in truth, are not Christian at all.

 

In closing I set forth a Passage of God’s Word that is very applicable. Pray on this and resolve to be strong and forever in God’s grace.

 

Romans 13: 11-12  11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 

 

(Closing prayer)

 

Almighty God, Father and Creator, we praise You and stand before You in worship of all that You are and all that You have blessed us with over the course of our lifetimes. You alone are our God and there is no other. Thank You Father for all You have done.

 

Lord, there are wolves amongst us that would lead us astray as the voice false words and attribute them to You. We pray that You will strengthen our discernment and our resolve to be with You and no other. When we hear those that tell us lies to turn us from You and Your ways, grant us the strength to speak in Your behalf with the Words You have etched in our hearts and in our minds. Lord, let us stand strong for You, O Lord, for You are our God.

Abba, Father, we ask that you protects us from the illness caused by virus and most of all protect our health care workers who are working to bring comfort to those suffering from infection caused by COVID-19.

 

Father, forgive us our sins and transgressions and be with us as we face the rigors of the lies and untruths of those that would lead us from You and to strange teachings. We pray that You will keep us in Your protection and grant us Your mercy.

 

Lord, we ask that You protect our military, our elected officials, our judges, our security personnel, our police officers, and each of us. Be with our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world and do not allow any to succumb to the false words of those that are not of You truths.

 

Lord, enter the hearts of those that would persecute us and open their minds to Your Divine Word.

 

In Jesus’ name we pray who is One with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever,

 

Amen, amen and amen.

 

As a footnote I would like to add: One of our Christian sisters sent me God’s Word in the New International Version. As I was providing Scripture from the New Living Translation some wordings may be different but I assure you that all, and I mean all, are God’s Word!      

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Pastor Lee S Gliddon Jr
God's Word Christian Ministry
Conservative Patriot http://conpats.blogspot.com