You Shall Not Go Very Far Away - Part Nine Mar 14, 2021 by: John Herbert | Series: You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T043_20210314.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” We will continue to look at the 3 days' journey from a Christian perspective. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday March 14th 2021 You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Part 9 1). Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… We have seen in our previous weeks of study that from a Christian viewpoint the 3 days’ journey symbolically pictures the separation that is to be made on a spiritual level from the world and the things in the world, under the rule of the god of this age, as well as the old man who is directly connected to the present world system through the first birth. a). We have seen this journey in the type of Abraham leaving the land of his birth and his father’s house to go to a land that God would show him. And again, through Rebekah and Ruth who both form a type of the faithful Christian, who also leave the land of their birth to go to another land to enter into a marriage relationship and receive a redeemed inheritance. b). And then to view exactly the same thing from a slightly different perspective, we have seen that this separation is to be accomplished through the process of transformation, the metamorphosis, whereby the faithful Christian is to be progressively transformed by the renewing of his mind in ‘epignosis’ knowledge into the image of Christ; a process that will be brought to completion at Christ’s Judgment Seat for the faithful – 1 Co 15:48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. And then, from yet another slightly different perspective, the separation is presented through the process leading to spiritual maturity. Moving from the milk to the meat, to the strong meat of the Word. Coming to a mature understanding of the coming rule of Christ in the 7th Day, as the great King/Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. c). And we had seen last time, from the Book of Hebrews, that there was a group of Christians in those days who had been taught about that coming Day of Christ’s rule, for a period of time that was sufficient for them to not only have been well grounded in this truth themselves but also long enough that they should have been able to teach others this same truth as well. And the writer of Hebrews had both reprimanded and encouraged them with respect to this - Heb 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. Going on to ‘perfection’ would be to progress in the process to spiritual maturity to the point where faith would be brought to its goal at Christ’s Judgement Seat. This process is described by leaving behind the elementary principles of Christ to go on to a mature ‘epignosis’ knowledge of the Word of the Kingdom, the gospel of the glory of Christ, leading to the salvation of the soul and adoption as a firstborn son for the purpose of rulership. d). And according to to Hebrews 6:3, Christians will go on to do this ‘if God permits’ – a statement that we must take at face value. e). However, we should not see this as an exercise of God’s omniscient power overriding the individual’s free will, but rather as God’s response to the choices each one will make. If we are determined to know all that God would teach us about the 7th Day, the Kingdom of Christ, the Melchizedek Priesthood, the so great salvation, having the same determination as Ruth had to go with Naomi to Bethlehem, then there is no reason why God would not permit any Christian to go on to the ‘epignosis’ knowledge surrounding these things – Jn 7:17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. If our attention is elsewhere though, focused on the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and the pleasures of this life; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, then that choice will have determined God’s response to us, He will not force us, He will not permit us to go on. Once Orpah had turned back there was no remonstrance to get her to change her mind. f). So, on the one hand then, we will have those Christians who through their own choice will remain apart from receiving the ‘epignosis’ knowledge, staying only within the elementary principles of Christ, but then on the other hand there are those whose choice is to go on to maturity, who will receive ‘epignosis’ knowledge, and yet despite receiving this they will still retain the potential to turn away, to turn their back on what they know, to turn their back on God. Hence the seriousness of the warning for those who would do so – Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. And what we see in these verses from Hebrews Chapter 6, is exactly the experience of the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt. They had been taught the purpose for their deliverance from Egypt. They had seen the power of God on their behalf in their deliverance from Egypt and again after they had passed through the Red Sea. They were given the good Word of God at Sinai and God dwelt in their midst, in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. Not only that, but their journey was literal, the land was tangible, and they had both seen and tasted the goodness God intended for them in the land by its fruits. They had heard the truth – Nu 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” And they had heard the lie - Nu 13:31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” And it was at this moment that the entire generation, except for Caleb and Joshua, turned their back on God and turned in their hearts and minds back to Egypt and to the god of this age. g). And exactly the same scenario is true for the generation alive at the Lord’s first advent. Jesus, the Word made flesh, had spent 3 ½ years preaching the good news of the Kingdom of the Heavens in the midst of the people - Lk 4:43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” They saw the fruit of the heavenly Kingdom offered to them through the signs and wonders performed in their midst - Jn 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” They had heard the Word of truth – Jn 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. And they had heard the lie - Mt 12:24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” And it was at this point that they turned their back on God, in the person of Son, and turned their hearts and minds towards the world and the god of this age instead - Jn 19:15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” And what we have seen with these 2 particular generations of Jews is the exact same experience for those Christians seen in the second half of Romans Chapter 1. 2). Ro 1:15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. Paul was ready to preach the gospel to those who were in Rome so that he might have some fruit among them. And this gospel, the gospel of Christ, is something that Paul and the Christians in the first half of Chapter 1 were not ashamed of, as in it is the power of God to salvation, the salvation of the soul, for everyone, for every Christian who believes, who has faith. It is faith, the faith, that is the central issue here. a). The just, those who have been justified, those who have been eternally saved, are to live by [the] faith. The Christian then, in the present, is to live according to the faith, believing all that God has said about His Son and the coming of His Kingdom, and if that Christian does this, then he will have life because of it in the age to come. He will receive his soul/life at Christ’s Judgment Seat. b). But also, at Christ’s Judgment Seat there is another side to the story, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. What we see then with respect to these 2 types of Christian pictured in Romans Chapter 1, provides further commentary on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, the parables of the minas and the talents and the wedding guest. And is an example of the fulfillment of – Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. But let’s please note that through the use of the word ‘epignosis’ as a noun and a verb in relation to these Christians who ‘suppress the truth in unrighteousness’, we know that we are not dealing with the ignorant but with those who had gone on to a mature understanding of the gospel of Christ and the power of God it possessed to salvation. These Christians would be described through the word ‘enlightened’ in Hebrews Chapter 6, for whom a renewal again to repentance, a change of mind on God’s part, once they had fallen away, was impossible. c). So then, just to make sure we are clear here, these Christians in the second half of Romans Chapter 1 were once enlightened, they had tasted the heavenly gift and had become companions of the Holy Spirit; they had tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come and yet despite this, had fallen away. They turned their back on what they knew and in doing so, turned their back on God. And God in response, turned His back on them. They had reached the point where it was impossible to renew them again to repentance. God would not change His mind – Ps 81:12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels. Just as God did with Israel, so He did with the Christians in the second half of Romans Chapter 1 – Ro 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; The gross nature of the sexual sin that these individuals were given over to, God having removed His hands from them 3 times, allowing them to pursue without conscience their vile passions, is given to us as a marker as to where we are in time. e). Homosexuality has been present among humans from the beginning having been satanically introduced and is clearly witnessed here within the first century Church, but it has only been in these last few years that it has become the world’s obsession and is celebrated both outside and within the Church, to an ever-increasing degree – Ro 1:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Lk 17:28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. If we remember the account of Lot in Genesis Chapter 19, we will recall that immediately preceding Lot’s removal from Sodom, homosexuality was seen to have been rampant – Ge 19:4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” The way in which the men of Sodom were consumed with a ‘vile passion’ is a chilling reflection of where the world finds itself today. And what came next in Genesis Chapter 19? And what is about to happen now? Jas 5:8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 3). What we are seeing exemplified through the Christians in the second half of Romans Chapter 1, goes far beyond just the acceptance and promotion of homosexuality in all its forms, it has a far darker purpose – 1 Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. These words which Paul wrote to Timothy by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would encompass not only those Christians we have seen in Romans, but also reveal the satanic purpose behind their actions. a). These are familiar verses, and because of this let’s be careful to look at them closely – It is the Holy Spirit who has expressly said that in the latter times some will depart from the faith. And departing from the faith is exactly what we have seen the Christians in Romans do. b). It is not possible to depart from the faith if you have not held the faith to begin with. So, again we are dealing with those who would have ‘epignosis’ knowledge as this would be part and parcel of having ‘the faith’. c). And the reason they departed from the faith is ‘giving heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons.’ And it is not the presence of deception and demonic doctrines that is the issue of itself but giving heed to them. d). We will remember from the parable of the mustard seed that the ‘Church’ had grown in a way it was never supposed to grow, providing a home for ‘the birds of the air’, the emissaries of Satan from the first part of the parable of the sower. e). And let’s not think that the doctrine of demons would be a call to Satanism, remember – 2 Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. If we relate this to the Christians we have seen in Romans, then we will realize that those espousing the doctrines of demons would be eternally saved Christians who present themselves as ministers of righteousness. And because of this, that which they taught would have the appearance of righteousness also. f). Those espousing the doctrines of demons and those receiving their false teaching are described as speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, And the conscience seared with a hot iron is further commentary on God giving them over to their vile passions, taking His hand from them – 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; Now because 1 Timothy 4:1 is dealing with doctrine, the doctrine of demons, what follows in v3 must be seen in the light of the same – 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods…….. This then is not about the institution of marriage per se but about teaching, doctrine, concerning THE Marriage. The marriage relationship that must exist between God the Father and Israel and God the Son and His Bride if the Kingdom rule of the 7th Day is to be realized. g). The promotion of single sex marriage, the raising of children in such an environment and the continual blurring of gender identity is all an attack on the Man and the Woman, the Bride, and the clearly defined role and purpose to which this speaks. h). And in conjunction with this we see - commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. The literal meaning of the word translated ‘foods’ here is ‘meat’. And still with the connection to doctrine in mind, we are dealing with the meat and the strong meat of the Word, the Word of the Kingdom, the gospel of the glory of Christ. And in this command to abstain from meat is the attempt to prevent any Christian who might have a mind to do so to go to perfection. To prevent that Christian from seeing and believing, and therefore working, towards the salvation of his soul. i). And we can see that the ‘meat’ of the Word was given to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe, those who have the faith, those who know the truth. Those who will not give heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons, but those who will have faith to the saving of the soul. j). If we consider where we are in this dispensation and we consider the Word of truth we have received and how embracing and proclaiming this Word will put us at odds with the world and the world marinated church, we can more readily understand that which Jesus prayed for His disciples recorded in – Jn 17:14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. We will continue next time – If the Lord is willing. You Shall Not Go Very Far Away - Part Nine Mar 14, 2021 Speaker: John Herbert Series: You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T043_20210314.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” We will continue to look at the 3 days' journey from a Christian perspective. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday March 14th 2021 You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Part 9 1). Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… We have seen in our previous weeks of study that from a Christian viewpoint the 3 days’ journey symbolically pictures the separation that is to be made on a spiritual level from the world and the things in the world, under the rule of the god of this age, as well as the old man who is directly connected to the present world system through the first birth. a). We have seen this journey in the type of Abraham leaving the land of his birth and his father’s house to go to a land that God would show him. And again, through Rebekah and Ruth who both form a type of the faithful Christian, who also leave the land of their birth to go to another land to enter into a marriage relationship and receive a redeemed inheritance. b). And then to view exactly the same thing from a slightly different perspective, we have seen that this separation is to be accomplished through the process of transformation, the metamorphosis, whereby the faithful Christian is to be progressively transformed by the renewing of his mind in ‘epignosis’ knowledge into the image of Christ; a process that will be brought to completion at Christ’s Judgment Seat for the faithful – 1 Co 15:48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. And then, from yet another slightly different perspective, the separation is presented through the process leading to spiritual maturity. Moving from the milk to the meat, to the strong meat of the Word. Coming to a mature understanding of the coming rule of Christ in the 7th Day, as the great King/Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. c). And we had seen last time, from the Book of Hebrews, that there was a group of Christians in those days who had been taught about that coming Day of Christ’s rule, for a period of time that was sufficient for them to not only have been well grounded in this truth themselves but also long enough that they should have been able to teach others this same truth as well. And the writer of Hebrews had both reprimanded and encouraged them with respect to this - Heb 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. Going on to ‘perfection’ would be to progress in the process to spiritual maturity to the point where faith would be brought to its goal at Christ’s Judgement Seat. This process is described by leaving behind the elementary principles of Christ to go on to a mature ‘epignosis’ knowledge of the Word of the Kingdom, the gospel of the glory of Christ, leading to the salvation of the soul and adoption as a firstborn son for the purpose of rulership. d). And according to to Hebrews 6:3, Christians will go on to do this ‘if God permits’ – a statement that we must take at face value. e). However, we should not see this as an exercise of God’s omniscient power overriding the individual’s free will, but rather as God’s response to the choices each one will make. If we are determined to know all that God would teach us about the 7th Day, the Kingdom of Christ, the Melchizedek Priesthood, the so great salvation, having the same determination as Ruth had to go with Naomi to Bethlehem, then there is no reason why God would not permit any Christian to go on to the ‘epignosis’ knowledge surrounding these things – Jn 7:17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. If our attention is elsewhere though, focused on the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and the pleasures of this life; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, then that choice will have determined God’s response to us, He will not force us, He will not permit us to go on. Once Orpah had turned back there was no remonstrance to get her to change her mind. f). So, on the one hand then, we will have those Christians who through their own choice will remain apart from receiving the ‘epignosis’ knowledge, staying only within the elementary principles of Christ, but then on the other hand there are those whose choice is to go on to maturity, who will receive ‘epignosis’ knowledge, and yet despite receiving this they will still retain the potential to turn away, to turn their back on what they know, to turn their back on God. Hence the seriousness of the warning for those who would do so – Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. And what we see in these verses from Hebrews Chapter 6, is exactly the experience of the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt. They had been taught the purpose for their deliverance from Egypt. They had seen the power of God on their behalf in their deliverance from Egypt and again after they had passed through the Red Sea. They were given the good Word of God at Sinai and God dwelt in their midst, in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. Not only that, but their journey was literal, the land was tangible, and they had both seen and tasted the goodness God intended for them in the land by its fruits. They had heard the truth – Nu 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” And they had heard the lie - Nu 13:31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” And it was at this moment that the entire generation, except for Caleb and Joshua, turned their back on God and turned in their hearts and minds back to Egypt and to the god of this age. g). And exactly the same scenario is true for the generation alive at the Lord’s first advent. Jesus, the Word made flesh, had spent 3 ½ years preaching the good news of the Kingdom of the Heavens in the midst of the people - Lk 4:43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” They saw the fruit of the heavenly Kingdom offered to them through the signs and wonders performed in their midst - Jn 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” They had heard the Word of truth – Jn 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. And they had heard the lie - Mt 12:24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” And it was at this point that they turned their back on God, in the person of Son, and turned their hearts and minds towards the world and the god of this age instead - Jn 19:15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” And what we have seen with these 2 particular generations of Jews is the exact same experience for those Christians seen in the second half of Romans Chapter 1. 2). Ro 1:15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. Paul was ready to preach the gospel to those who were in Rome so that he might have some fruit among them. And this gospel, the gospel of Christ, is something that Paul and the Christians in the first half of Chapter 1 were not ashamed of, as in it is the power of God to salvation, the salvation of the soul, for everyone, for every Christian who believes, who has faith. It is faith, the faith, that is the central issue here. a). The just, those who have been justified, those who have been eternally saved, are to live by [the] faith. The Christian then, in the present, is to live according to the faith, believing all that God has said about His Son and the coming of His Kingdom, and if that Christian does this, then he will have life because of it in the age to come. He will receive his soul/life at Christ’s Judgment Seat. b). But also, at Christ’s Judgment Seat there is another side to the story, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. What we see then with respect to these 2 types of Christian pictured in Romans Chapter 1, provides further commentary on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, the parables of the minas and the talents and the wedding guest. And is an example of the fulfillment of – Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. But let’s please note that through the use of the word ‘epignosis’ as a noun and a verb in relation to these Christians who ‘suppress the truth in unrighteousness’, we know that we are not dealing with the ignorant but with those who had gone on to a mature understanding of the gospel of Christ and the power of God it possessed to salvation. These Christians would be described through the word ‘enlightened’ in Hebrews Chapter 6, for whom a renewal again to repentance, a change of mind on God’s part, once they had fallen away, was impossible. c). So then, just to make sure we are clear here, these Christians in the second half of Romans Chapter 1 were once enlightened, they had tasted the heavenly gift and had become companions of the Holy Spirit; they had tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come and yet despite this, had fallen away. They turned their back on what they knew and in doing so, turned their back on God. And God in response, turned His back on them. They had reached the point where it was impossible to renew them again to repentance. God would not change His mind – Ps 81:12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels. Just as God did with Israel, so He did with the Christians in the second half of Romans Chapter 1 – Ro 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; The gross nature of the sexual sin that these individuals were given over to, God having removed His hands from them 3 times, allowing them to pursue without conscience their vile passions, is given to us as a marker as to where we are in time. e). Homosexuality has been present among humans from the beginning having been satanically introduced and is clearly witnessed here within the first century Church, but it has only been in these last few years that it has become the world’s obsession and is celebrated both outside and within the Church, to an ever-increasing degree – Ro 1:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Lk 17:28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. If we remember the account of Lot in Genesis Chapter 19, we will recall that immediately preceding Lot’s removal from Sodom, homosexuality was seen to have been rampant – Ge 19:4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” The way in which the men of Sodom were consumed with a ‘vile passion’ is a chilling reflection of where the world finds itself today. And what came next in Genesis Chapter 19? And what is about to happen now? Jas 5:8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 3). What we are seeing exemplified through the Christians in the second half of Romans Chapter 1, goes far beyond just the acceptance and promotion of homosexuality in all its forms, it has a far darker purpose – 1 Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. These words which Paul wrote to Timothy by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would encompass not only those Christians we have seen in Romans, but also reveal the satanic purpose behind their actions. a). These are familiar verses, and because of this let’s be careful to look at them closely – It is the Holy Spirit who has expressly said that in the latter times some will depart from the faith. And departing from the faith is exactly what we have seen the Christians in Romans do. b). It is not possible to depart from the faith if you have not held the faith to begin with. So, again we are dealing with those who would have ‘epignosis’ knowledge as this would be part and parcel of having ‘the faith’. c). And the reason they departed from the faith is ‘giving heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons.’ And it is not the presence of deception and demonic doctrines that is the issue of itself but giving heed to them. d). We will remember from the parable of the mustard seed that the ‘Church’ had grown in a way it was never supposed to grow, providing a home for ‘the birds of the air’, the emissaries of Satan from the first part of the parable of the sower. e). And let’s not think that the doctrine of demons would be a call to Satanism, remember – 2 Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. If we relate this to the Christians we have seen in Romans, then we will realize that those espousing the doctrines of demons would be eternally saved Christians who present themselves as ministers of righteousness. And because of this, that which they taught would have the appearance of righteousness also. f). Those espousing the doctrines of demons and those receiving their false teaching are described as speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, And the conscience seared with a hot iron is further commentary on God giving them over to their vile passions, taking His hand from them – 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; Now because 1 Timothy 4:1 is dealing with doctrine, the doctrine of demons, what follows in v3 must be seen in the light of the same – 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods…….. This then is not about the institution of marriage per se but about teaching, doctrine, concerning THE Marriage. The marriage relationship that must exist between God the Father and Israel and God the Son and His Bride if the Kingdom rule of the 7th Day is to be realized. g). The promotion of single sex marriage, the raising of children in such an environment and the continual blurring of gender identity is all an attack on the Man and the Woman, the Bride, and the clearly defined role and purpose to which this speaks. h). And in conjunction with this we see - commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. The literal meaning of the word translated ‘foods’ here is ‘meat’. And still with the connection to doctrine in mind, we are dealing with the meat and the strong meat of the Word, the Word of the Kingdom, the gospel of the glory of Christ. And in this command to abstain from meat is the attempt to prevent any Christian who might have a mind to do so to go to perfection. To prevent that Christian from seeing and believing, and therefore working, towards the salvation of his soul. i). And we can see that the ‘meat’ of the Word was given to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe, those who have the faith, those who know the truth. Those who will not give heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons, but those who will have faith to the saving of the soul. j). If we consider where we are in this dispensation and we consider the Word of truth we have received and how embracing and proclaiming this Word will put us at odds with the world and the world marinated church, we can more readily understand that which Jesus prayed for His disciples recorded in – Jn 17:14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. We will continue next time – If the Lord is willing.