11.03.2024 - Don't Be Ashamed

[0:00] Thank you.

[0:30] Thank you.

[1:00] Thank you. Thank you.

[1:32] What caught me as I read this was not be ashamed before him at his coming. How many believe that the Lord is coming soon? Amen? And I tell you what, the where world is going, the sooner the better.

[1:46] Amen. Amen. I can't wait to hear that trumpet sound. And unfortunately, those that do not know Christ, have not trusted him as their savior, have not been born again, they're going to be left behind.

[2:00] And that's a scary situation. If you read revelation of what's going to happen during the tribulation, it is not going to be a fun time. We think we have times bad now.

[2:11] Now, you do not want to go through that. So if you've never trusted Christ, never had your sins forgiven, you need to seriously consider doing that.

[2:22] Because that trumpet could sound at any time. But when it does sound, do you want to be ashamed before him at his coming? What's that got to do with?

[2:34] That means you're not living a Christ-like life when that trumpet sounds. I know you're all kidding. Instead of picking out one particular sin, I like to use Snickers bars.

[2:48] Let's say Snickers bars, eating them is a sin. You can read it in 1 Candicus 3.16. And it says, thou shalt not eat Snickers bars, neither shall a Snickers bar pass over your lips.

[3:06] You know that's not there. But you get the idea. It could be any sin. But what if I just can't handle it anymore? I've got to have a Snickers bar.

[3:17] I keep walking by them and suddenly I pick it up and I take a bite. And that nougat is drizzling over my chin. And I'm holding it ready for the next bite.

[3:28] And the trumpet sounds. Oh, no. I've done sinned against the Lord. And I got called to heaven in that sin.

[3:41] That's being ashamed before him at his coming. And we don't want to do that. And he tells us how we can keep from doing that back in verses 15 through 17.

[3:52] Verses 18 through 27, which we're not going to look at today, basically talk about Antichrist. People are going to come trying to convince you that God doesn't exist. That Christ doesn't exist. But verse 15.

[4:05] Notice what it says. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

[4:17] Wow. What a statement. But what's he mean by world? Usually in scripture, when the word world is used, it's used in a couple different aspects. One, it could mean the sinful inhabitants of the world.

[4:31] The world is full of sinners. Heathens. Right? And it could mean that. The mass of humanity that live in the world. It could also mean the cultures of the world.

[4:44] The societies. The way that people live. Now, it says here, love not the world. But Jesus said in John 3.16, for God so loved the world.

[4:59] I'm confused. How can God love the world and I'm not supposed to? Well, that world that God loves is the world of lost sinners.

[5:13] People. Okay? He always tells us we are to love people. The other thing for world is the things they do.

[5:24] We're to love people like God does, but not love the things they do. The sinful things. But unfortunately, what happens? If you're like any human being, honestly, the best time to get saved is a little kid before you really have experienced a lot of sins.

[5:43] But some of us got saved a little later. We've experienced things that God says thou shalt not. Including eating Snickers bars.

[5:56] Or any number of things. But then, suddenly we come to the realization that God said, I can go to heaven, but not the way I am.

[6:07] I can go to heaven, but I need to change. So what do I got to do to change? Just go to church, right? No, that's a good thing, but that's not it. I know, give all of your wealth to the church.

[6:19] No. That could be helpful, but that's not it either. I know, help people. No, that's a good thing, but that's not it.

[6:30] I know, follow every one of the Ten Commandments. You know what people say? Well, at least I've never murdered anybody. Well, that's good. There's nine others that you could have violated. Nope, that's a good thing, but that's not it either.

[6:44] God says, there's nothing you can do to get to heaven. Well, that's discouraging, isn't it? What do you mean there's nothing I can do? I'm a human being. I always have to, I don't know about you, I'm the kind of person, I always have to find a solution to do something.

[7:00] And if God says, I can't go doing what I'm doing, I want to find a way to do it. Well, the way to do it is, God said, you can't do it, but I can. You can't do it, but what I'll do is I'll send my son and he will die for the sins of the world.

[7:17] And all you have to do is realize you need to believe that he died for your sins. That he died on that cross, was buried and rose again the third day.

[7:27] And when you do that and do it from the heart and do it honestly, what's he say? Your sins are forgiven. Your sins are forgiven.

[7:41] And then, because your sins are forgiven, here in verse 25 it says the promise that he's promised us, even eternal life. Yay!

[7:51] Wouldn't it be great? I've always thought this. Wouldn't it be great the moment you accept Jesus Christ, straight to heaven?

[8:04] You don't have to worry about this world anymore. But that wasn't his plan. He left us here for a reason. What was that reason? To tell other people about Jesus.

[8:18] So he can go. But that also means we're left in this world. All of those things we did while we were sinners, they're still there. And Satan will try to tempt you to do those things.

[8:34] Ephesians 2.2 it says, Where in a time past we walked according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that I'm working in, the children of disobedience. Before salvation, this is hard to take, before salvation we followed the devil.

[8:52] You say, well I wasn't a devil worshiper. Yeah, but he was controlling the way you lived. He was doing things. And the course of the world is just the culture of the world. And as I'm looking at just our country, and the things that have happened over the recent years, I'm just stunned how far we've gotten away from God.

[9:12] That's the course of the world. And then, those that are doing that try to convince us that are believers, that it's okay. I was born that way.

[9:25] You're right. I've told people this before. They say, well, don't judge my sin.

[9:36] I was born that way. I'll say, you're right. Because scripture says, for all have sinned and come show the glory of God. We're all born sinners. It's just that sometimes our sins are different than others.

[9:48] We all need Jesus. But then we're left in the world. And it says that when you're left here, don't love the world. That means the things that the world says are okay to do.

[10:01] Don't love that. Love God instead. Because he says, if you do love the world, if you decide, I'm going to do what the world wants me to do, I'm going to follow their direction.

[10:12] I'm going to follow, I know it's against God, but I'm going to follow it anyway, because that's what I want to do. Don't say you love God. You see, it's a choice.

[10:23] You either love the world, or you love God. You can't do both. You say, well, why do you say that? Well, that's what this says. That's what God's word says. And then it describes not only the world, but the things that are in the world.

[10:43] And by the way, just because something is legal doesn't mean it's godly. So what are we supposed to do?

[10:56] Romans 2.2. Be not conformed to this world. Don't let the world pattern your lifestyle. Instead, it says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

[11:14] Why do you need to renew your mind? Because once you are born again, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you. Once the Holy Spirit dwells within you, you cannot be controlled internally by Satan.

[11:30] But he can mess with your mind. But if you change your thinking, I had a pastor friend of mine used to call it, got to get rid of the stinking thinking and start doing the godly thinking.

[11:45] Because the world and Satan is going to try to convince you it's okay. But God says, no, it's not. So he says, leave the things that are in the world.

[11:56] And verse 16 starts talking about three general areas of things that are in the world. What's it say? Verse 16, and all that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world.

[12:15] Now, three areas. Now, we used, we read this morning about Jesus and being tempted.

[12:26] He was tempted those same three areas. When, excuse me, when he was hungry, he hadn't eaten for 40 days, and Satan says, well, your God just turned these rocks into bread.

[12:41] He was tempting Jesus with the lust of the flesh. Feed yourself. You can do it. Do it with a miracle. You're God. But how did Jesus counter every single temptation with the word of God?

[13:01] When Satan tried to get him to fail through the lust of the flesh, Jesus said, thou shalt not live by bread alone but by every word of God.

[13:14] Then later, he showed him all of these things, all of this power, all of these kingdoms could be his. Lust of the eyes.

[13:29] What I see, I want. Whether it's power or fame or glory or money, I want that. Lust of the eyes.

[13:42] But, Jesus said, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve. So he took him up on that pinnacle and he said, okay, jump down off this thing and you're not going to die because, and now, here's where Satan does the same thing to Jesus he does to us.

[14:04] Satan used the word of God to try to convince Jesus to sin against the Father. He said, the word of God says you jump, angels are going to protect you.

[14:17] Pride of life. Pride of life is involved with either one or two things. Either one, doing what you need to to live. Or two, doing what you need to or want to to make your life better than anybody else's.

[14:34] I want a great life. I want people to look up to me and say, what an important person they are. Pride of life. All three of these things are of the world.

[14:49] You're saying, well, that was just with Jesus. No, Satan's been doing it since Eve. If we went back to Genesis chapter 3 verses 1 through 6, you don't have to turn there, I'll just summarize it.

[15:01] Satan came to Eve and said, see that tree over there? And Eve said, no, God said, can't eat of that one. We need everything else but not that one.

[15:14] Because if we eat that, Eve said, God said, we're going to die. And what happened? Satan says, oh, come on. You're not going to die.

[15:27] It almost implied, God just created you. Why would he get rid of you so quick? You're not going to die. And then it says this, Eve looked at the tree and saw that it was good for food.

[15:43] Lust of the flesh. And she saw it was pleasant to the eyes. Lust of the eyes. And that she wouldn't die because Satan told her.

[15:57] And that she would know good and evil. She'd be better than anybody else. pride of life. So Satan's been using the same areas to tear down people since the very beginning.

[16:12] When Eve did it, she caused Adam to do it. Sin entered the world and we still have to deal with it. lust of the flesh. And it's a shame.

[16:24] You're saying, lust of the flesh, what are some of the other lusts of the flesh? Peter looked at part of this just before it talks about the fruit of the spirit in Galatians chapter 5.

[16:38] It talks about the works of the flesh. And in Galatians chapter 5 verse 19 through 21, it says, these are the works of the flesh. Now, when he lists these, he finishes up by saying, if you do these continually, if you do these on purpose, that's what sinners do and that's what's sending them to hell.

[17:02] What are the works of the flesh? Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, that means immorality. Lascivishness, I can never say that word.

[17:14] This means wanting things. Idolatry, witchcraft, and by the way, witchcraft, the word used there is where we get the word apothecary, so it's not only doing witch spells, but using drugs to change your actions.

[17:34] Hatred, you know what that is. Variance, that just, variance just means starting fights. Emulations, that's jealousy.

[17:51] Wrath, strife, that's causing problems too. Seditions, that's trying to divide people.

[18:03] We see that in our country all the time. Heresies, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelings.

[18:14] Revelings is just letting loose. Partying like there's no tomorrow. It says all these things are the works of the flesh. And that's what I was saying where you're saying, well, I don't do that one, but do you do one of the others?

[18:35] We all have our favorite sin that we fight. But through Jesus Christ we can be victorious. Through looking at his word we find out that these are things that are of the world.

[18:47] and the moment you start doing things of the world is the moment you say, I stop loving God. The moment you start doing things of the world is the moment you're saying, I'm listening to Satan, I'm not listening to Jesus.

[19:03] You see, you do have a choice. You love the world or you love God. You can't be in the middle of the road. And I know that sounds kind of tough.

[19:16] but this is an almighty God give us this word to tell us this is what he expects from us his followers, his children. James 4.4 says, ye adulterers and adulteresses, and this is talking not about physical that, but spiritual, going away from God.

[19:37] Know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever, therefore, is a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

[19:49] Oh, wait, what? I don't want to be God's enemy. Well, stop being a friend of the world. Stop doing the things of the world. Stop doing what God says, thou shalt not.

[20:05] So, here's some good news. It's not always going to be this way. Verse 17. But the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, and he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

[20:25] You have to realize, because sometimes we live, oh, by the way, thank you all for the birthday card for yesterday, and the gifts. I appreciate that.

[20:36] But sometimes we act as if we're going to live forever. especially when we're younger. Then when we get older, we realize that maybe that's not going to be the case.

[20:49] But the thing is, we act like that. But the truth is, the world is going to be destroyed someday. At the end of the tribulation period, there'll be a thousand year rain at that, no more world.

[21:08] And here's the good news. When the world goes away, the lust goes away. Because when the world goes away, all sin is done away with. Here's even better news.

[21:19] There is no lust in heaven. There's no sin in heaven. There's not even going to be a temptation to do it in heaven.

[21:34] But here's another truth. There's no lust in hell either. just a burning condemnation for eternity. So why do we even worry about doing it now?

[21:49] Because we're human beings. Instead, we should say, okay, this is what God wants me to know. Everything's going to pass away.

[22:00] that means that all of these things that we do, we think are satisfying ourselves, are temporary. We need to keep our eye on what's permanent, what's eternal, and that's following God and following his word and doing what he wants to.

[22:18] Allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, realizing that we abide in him. We had a good teaching on abiding from Peter this morning at Sunday school. Generally, that means that when we abide in Christ, we allow him to feed us.

[22:34] When we abide in Christ, we have fellowship with him. That's why it's so important to keep abiding in him.

[22:45] Amen? Amen? To keep close to him. you say, well, what if I fall into doing some of these things in the world?

[22:56] Do I lose my salvation? No! Thankfully, Christ only died once for your sins. Once he forgives them, they're forgiven.

[23:09] What we lose, we don't lose that relationship anymore if we do fall into sin. What we lose is this fellowship. Have you ever done something that you know God didn't want and all of a sudden you're thinking, man, I haven't felt God work in my life.

[23:28] I haven't felt the Holy Spirit trying to guide me lately. Why is that? Because the fellowship was broken. That's why we need to, as it said in 1 John 1 9, confess your sins and he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[23:47] The moment we realize we've given in to one of the lust of the flesh or the lust of the eyes or the pride of life, we go to our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ and we say, you said it's wrong, I did anyway, forgive me.

[24:01] And he will. How many times will he forgive you? Every single time you go to him. Every single time.

[24:11] Every single God. And we can help, but what helps us stay away from love of the world, what helps us stay close to abiding in Christ is remembering one day he's coming back.

[24:35] One day he is going to return for you, his child, and when he does, you don't want to be ashamed of his coming.

[24:47] I know I don't. Hopefully you don't either. So every time you feel like doing something that you know is of the world, just remember, what if I'm in the middle of that when Christ comes back?

[25:07] I don't want to face him. Remember Peter? Not personally. I know some of you are old enough, maybe you did, but not personally.

[25:20] When the Lord told him, you're going to deny me three times, and he did. And then when the Lord saw him, it broke Peter's heart.

[25:35] And if you read any of what Peter wrote throughout, you can tell that seeing the Lord look on him and his sin affected him for the rest of his life.

[25:49] So you can imagine coming, having the Lord come when you're in the middle of sin, that shame, it may only be for a moment, but I tell you what, it'll be a long moment.

[26:04] We don't want to be ashamed. instead, let me read you a couple verses.

[26:16] Let me read you a couple verses. Just remember that he is coming back. 2 Corinthians 5 10 says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in the body according to he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

[26:41] We're going to be judged for what we do on the earth. I'd rather be judged for doing good, and hear well done, thou faithful servant, than for being bad, and God, Lord, look at me and go, what were you thinking?

[27:01] We should be like Joshua. Let's bow our heads and shut our eyes. And think about what Joshua told the people thousands of years ago, Joshua 24, verse 15.

[27:17] He said, if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your father served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

[27:39] And right now, you need to choose. Are you going to choose to follow the culture of the day, the lust of the world, the things of the world, or are you going to choose to serve the Lord?

[27:57] Are you going to be the kind of person that says, okay, if I choose the world, it's only for temporary.

[28:07] If I choose the Lord, it's, oh, it's for eternity. I don't know how the Lord touched your heart as we were reading this, but hopefully you are righteous, you are following the right things.

[28:25] As I said in verse 29, if you know he's righteous, everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him. We need to be like the Father, we need to be righteous, we need to be holy, we need to be loving those around us and staying as far away from sin as we possibly can.

[28:45] And when Satan comes knocking on the mind, say, get thee behind me, Satan. I serve the Lord God. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

[28:57] Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for your word, and Lord, sometimes it's kind of tough to take, but Lord, it's your word.

[29:10] You desire, your whole desire is not to keep us from having fun, not to keep us from enjoying ourselves. Your desire is to protect us, to protect us from the world and the things of the world, to protect our spirit, to make us available to serve you, Lord, and be good servants, be good children of yours.

[29:30] So, Lord, as we come to you in prayer, we ask that each one of us. First of all, ask ourselves, do I know Jesus Christ as my Savior? Have I had my sins forgiven?

[29:42] And if not, Lord, they need to do that and do it now. And Lord, for those of us who have trusted Christ and had our sins forgiven, help us, Lord, to understand the importance of following you so that we show our love for the Father and not love in the world.

[30:00] Thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.