Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
031720
Hey everyone: The greatest Generation was called to war, we are asked to stay home! With GOD we will beat Covid 19.
- They are 2PE 3:18 Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
- We are to do this, especially in times of disaster, because in 2CO 5:20 “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
- Therefore, we are all reminded not only of “who we are” but also “what we are” which is what our Lord said in Mat 5:13-14.
MAT 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
MAT 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Now, last time we noted that when you are faced with “bad news” or things that are “threatening to your life” and-or the lives of your loved ones, such as family and friends, do you respond or do you react?
A reaction is based in the moment and doesn’t take into consideration long term effects of what you do or what you say.
For some individuals, a reaction is survival-oriented and a defense mechanism.
By survival-oriented, I mean that they turn a lot of things into blessing under pressure and a defense mechanism, .
By that, I mean, when a person becomes afraid of bad news like they may lose something or someone, but instead of responding with doctrine, they have a tendency to enter into the dog-eat-dog type of attitude where all they care about is themselves.
This is the result of the person’s arrogance who thinks they have the right to take whatever they desire no matter what.
You can’t always get what you want;
But if you try sometime – you will find; that
You get what you need.
However, remember the simple principle once again, emotions cannot think or emotions cannot discern or make godly decisions.
It might turn out okay but often a reaction is something you regret later. A response on the other hand usually comes more slowly and with more thought.
And that all depends upon your response to passages in COL 1:13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
COL 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
COL 1:15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
COL 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created by Him and for Him.
COL 1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
COL 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.
Notice whether it is something or everything, our Lord is still in control of all things.
though there are times when nothing is more obvious than a bitter woman who actually believes that nothing was her fault.
And in many ways, she’s right “nothing was her fault” because that’s what she contributed and brought into the marriage was — NOTHING!
Now, most of the time I catch myself and remind you of men who are just as bad, but I normally refer to the opposite number because I see things like a man sees things, and the older I get, the less I understand the ways and the things of female thoughts.
Now, when it comes to the male and female relationship, the Bible teaches to “know your enemy,”
In the book of Sun Wu Tzu, the great military expert of ancient China, he writes “Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.’
The corrected translation of EPH 6:12 sounds like this, Because our struggle is not against blood [people’s souls] and flesh [their old sin nature], but against the rulers [these are the archons like Abaddon and Beelzebub],
against the powers [demon officers who have phenomenal authority], against the world forces of this darkness [kosmokratoras meaning demons who specialize in possessing or influencing the cosmos or world rulers]
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places or against the spiritual forces of evil in the atmosphere around the earth, the stellar universe and in the presence of God.
We are also warned in REV 12:9, that the god of this world (Satan in 2Co 4:4), controls the atmosphere (Eph 2:2) and deceives the whole world (REV 12:9).
REV 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
As Elijah said in 1KI 18:21 “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. (Figures)
Now there are two more passages I want to show you before we get ready to teach those of you who desire to glorify the Lord and how to do so by the way you handle fear.
The first one is actually a tremendous illustration of how believers respond to “bad news,” literally, in Jer 49:23-25.
It was Damascus, the capital of Syria, that I said would have a unique calling upon it that would wake up the city and destroy those other cities that are following the NVTD found in Damascus.
The problem was that they were all prospering but they forgot the source of their prosperity, Jehovah Elohim, known to us as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
He was also known to them as Jehovah Jireh who is “the Lord who provides,” and who also had prospered Damascus, Hamath, and Arpad, who forgot how thankful they should all be to the Lord.
Remember that in REV 3:17, they thought and bragged about the fact that they had become rich and wealthy, and have need of nothing,” but they do not know that they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
It is also interesting to note the different responses that took place in the different cities even though they had the same environment.
How it spreads.
When it spreads.
Why it spreads.
Where it spreads.
Psychosomatics is a physical illness or condition that is caused or aggravated by the mental attitude of the individual who is so stressed out by the way they “think” that their thoughts affects their physical condition.
In the past, I gave you some examples from the Word of God where individuals were brought up in the same environment but turned out quite differently, including differences in their eternal home, which is either Heaven or the Eternal lake of Fire.
For example, there was:
Cain and Abel — same environment but different results.
Jacob and Esau — same environment but different results.
Joseph and his brothers. same environment but different results.
Solomon and Absalom— same environment but different results.
One of the most prominent illustrations found under this principle is Moses and Pharaoh.
Knowing anything about ancient Egypt, we would have to put Moses and the Pharaoh of Egypt in the same category, they were successful, wealthy, powerful, wise and great military soldiers.
Both were rich men who were also brought up in the same environment but turned out differently.
The whole point is that there is no place for complaining about your environment, your parents, your siblings, your gender, your nationality, the day of your birth and the day of your death.
ECC 3:1-2, There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven A time to give birth, and a time to die;
Go forward to ECC 7:1 A good name is better than a good ointment, And the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
ECC 8:8 No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death;
All of these principles were taught in “Damascus, Hamath and Arpad,” cities who were put to shame and became disheartened when they heard the bad news.
Note that there is a war and a battle but it’s not with people and it’s not in the natural realm.
The Greek word for speculations here is very interesting, it is the accusative masculine plural from the noun logismos which means thoughts and reasons.
- “All warfare is based on deception.
- Therefore, when capable, fake incapacity.
- When possible make it appear that you are far away, when far away, that you are near.
- Offer the enemy bait to lure him; fake weakness and disorder then strike him.
- When he concentrates, prepare against him; when he is strong, avoid him.
- Anger his general and confuse him.
- Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance (90% to 10%).
- Keep him under pressures and fears and wear him down.
- When he is united divide him.
- Attack where he is unprepared, and he does not expect you.
1JO 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
In REV 12:9 Satan deceives the whole world;
And this is why our Lord says, MAT 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore, be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves.”
The dest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.