Hello, I'm Lance
Wilbur. And I'm Dwayne Lemon.
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And we like to welcome
you to another episode of TKS,
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the True Knowledge of Self,
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where we get to know ourselves
from a biblical perspective.
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We're continuing a subject here
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and dealing with
Israel's transition
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from the Promised Land to
a exile in a foreign land,
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the foreign land of Babylon.
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How did they go from God's favor
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to absolute confusion?
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We went through several verses
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and several places in scriptures
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and show that God
doesn't just arbitrarily punish.
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When we talk about the curses
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if you will that come
upon God's people there
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because of our decisions.
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Sometimes God
allows or all the time
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God allows the natural
result of our decisions
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to bear fruit if you will,
so yield the natural outcome.
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And we saw a kind
of a step by step way
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in which God's people continued
to rebel against the Lord.
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They asked for a king,
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a man to rule over
them instead of God
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and this rebellion
became institutionalized.
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And we have to understand
that as sin translated
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from heaven to the
earth and now from the earth
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and through humanity,
now it's God's people Israel
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taken out of confusion in Egypt
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and sin and bondage delivered
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into a Promised Land
given all the benefits in--
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given almost a new
start on existence.
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They still chose Satan.
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They still choose the trappings
of the surrounding nations
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and desired to be like
the nations around them
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rather than the
way that God designed.
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God designed us for His
glory and for His purpose.
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God designed us to represent Him
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and God designed us
not only as individuals
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and families and communities
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but as entire
nations that represent Him.
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And His chosen nation
Israel had now gone astray.
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So we want to look further into
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and investigate further
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and see what the
Bible has to say about
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not only how ancient Israel
came into this predicament,
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but we saw that
ancient Israel's experience
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was for our benefit now
nearing the end of the world.
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So what are we looking at today
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in society in
the urban community,
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in the urban culture?
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What are the trappings that
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are pulling people
away from the ways of God
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and into the ways of Babylon?
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And, Dwayne, I want you
to kind of expound on that
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and show us from scripture,
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how God now makes
the modern application
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or the
application to those who live
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in those end times
and those last days.
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What are we to
look at as warning signs
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and a clear picture
of what was experienced
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in the past by ancient Israel
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and now what we're
dealing with today.
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Not a problem, you
know, when you look
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at the principle
taught in Ecclesiastes 1.
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You know it's a
powerful principle given
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by an individual who understood
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the experiences of life.
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Solomon was a man who
followed his own will,
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and he saw himself
consistently falling
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into the traps of the
enemy as a result of it.
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So now that he's beginning to--
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I will say sober up.
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You know, he now
wants to counsel those
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who have fallen
into similar traps like
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he is or may fall into
similar traps like he did.
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And you find in Ecclesiastes
1, specifically verse 9,
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the Bible says, "The
thing that hath been,
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it is that which shall be,
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and that which is done
is that which shall be done:
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and there is no new
thing under the sun."
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Now if you just
broke down that verse.
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It's very
powerful to understand.
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The thing that have
been that's the past
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is that which shall
be that's the future
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and that which is done.
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That's presently is
that which shall be done.
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That's future again.
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There's no new
thing under the sun.
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So history has a
tendency to repeat itself
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and that's why I mentioned
in our previous program.
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We talked about how--
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when we look at a
lot of these decisions
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that were made by Israel.
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We can see
ourselves in that story.
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We can see that this
is not just a past truth
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but this is present truth.
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This is something
that's affecting us today.
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When God brought Israel up,
God made Israel for his glory.
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When God brings any
human being up in this world
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and we are privileged
to be born in this world.
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God's purpose and design for us
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is that we might give him glory.
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Israel's mistake was that
they could not appreciate that.
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They were blind
sighted to that fact
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and as a result of that,
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they found themselves
going into the path of culture,
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their surroundings
what was around them.
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And they were
not content with God,
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so therefore they
wanted to go ahead
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and be like those around them.
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Today in the urban communities
you see the same things.
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Many of them have not been
privileged to learn about God
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or they might have been
given a foul picture of God
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or they have actually
heard the truths of God,
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but they don't want it,
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because they are looking at
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their
surroundings and you see this.
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This is one of the
reasons why you and I
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ended up in hip-hop culture.
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We didn't choose, it chose us.
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We were around it,
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it was soliciting
us on a regular basis.
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We didn't really
have much options to pull,
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so therefore we
said, you know what?
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Let's go ahead
and take this thing.
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And then even
when God and His truth
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would want to come in our lives.
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There's now a
natural gravitation
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towards those things
that were surrounding us
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and influencing us,
providing something to us
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that's very
consistent in the heart of men
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that God spoke about
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in the Book of Second Timothy 3.
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I want us to turn there
because you're gonna find
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a 2 Timothy the third
chapter that it gives a picture
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of what's going
on in the last days.
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And I believe it's
very much applicable
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to what we see happening
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in the hip-hop
and R&B culture today.
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Beyond the hip
hop and R&B culture
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because again there's new age,
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there's all these
different influences--
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But I want us to look at this
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because it's very,
very powerful to see
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how God reveled the
condition of mankind
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and even of religious
influence in the last days.
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It says in 2 Timothy 3
and I'm looking at verses 1-5
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it says," This know also,
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that in the last days
perilous times shall come.
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For men shall be
lovers of their own selves,
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covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers,
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disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy,
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without natural
affection, trucebreakers,
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false accusers,
incontinent, fierce,
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despisers of
those that are good,
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traitors, heady, highminded,
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lovers of pleasures
more than lovers of God."
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I like to stop right here
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actually before
we go to verse 5.
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Paul is presenting a picture.
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He's showing us that an issue
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that was going to
exist in the last days.
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Now that we're living
in those times right now.
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And one of things
that Paul sees is that
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they're gonna be people
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who are
overwhelming discontented
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with the things of God.
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They don't want to
do the things of God.
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The last thing on
their mind is God.
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What's on their
mind is their selves
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and therefore we find that
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selfishness is really the issue.
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Selfishness about self
exaltations all about me
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and what I want,
when I want, how I want.
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Right, so if
you had to summarize
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all of those descriptions
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in a different heady highminded,
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boasters, all those things,
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you summarize it
with that one word.
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Selfishness and that's the issue
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is that individuals are
focused more on themselves
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and again, my heart goes out
because there are many people
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who never had a
true picture of God.
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They've never
seen God in His truth
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and His
loveliness and His character
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because I've learned
that God is so beautiful
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and so wonderful and He is truly
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as the Book of
Song of Solomon says,
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all together lovely that
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when you behold
Christ in His beauty
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and majesty He's magnetic.
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It's very difficult to pull away
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and say I don't want that.
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You can say I don't want that
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but it's difficult
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because the beauty
of God is magnetic.
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But some people
never beheld that beauty.
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Some people have never
seen that loveliness of Christ
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and His character And
His image and His grace.
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So therefore
it's easy to default
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to the things that are around us
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and therefore we
become lovers of pleasure
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more than lovers of God.
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Now in verse 5, it tells us
something that we should do.
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It says, "Having
a form of godliness,
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but denying the power
thereof: from such turn away."
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Now, we see this
unfolding in two different ways.
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We can turn away
meaning we who recognize good
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can see back and
turn away from it.
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That's an option for
you, that's an option for me,
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that's an
option for our viewers.
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Everyone one has an opportunity
to know right from wrong
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and then to make a decision
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a choice to say, you know what?
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I'm gonna choose to follow
these straight narrow path
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rather than this
wide and broad path.
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So therefore we
can choose to turn away
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but you'll find that
some people negatively,
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they're seeing
hypocrisy, they're seeing things
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that are going on
even in religious realms
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and as a result of
that they are turning away,
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meaning I don't want
any part of this hypocrisy.
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I don't want any part
of these contradictions.
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I want to go ahead
and do what I want to do,
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when I want to do.
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Because what's the point?
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So we see that
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this is a very
unfortunate reality
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and this is why
we're in the condition,
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in the world
today that we're in.
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It's affected and
infected our urban communities.
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We are at a point now
where, you know, the same people
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who profess to know God
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and to be a God are
the same individuals
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that will gladly
for the sake of money
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put their faces on a
billboard and they will go ahead
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and advertise an
alcoholic beverage like
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Hennessey or Guinness
Stout or something like that.
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These same
individuals who claim to love
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the young people
in the urban youth.
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These same individuals
who are in hip-hop culture
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and will
advertise a Clarence--books
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and everything else
about knowledge of self
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and
righteousness and we are God.
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Would God put his
face on a billboard
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and encourage
people to drink a poison
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that is debilitating the
mind, destroying brain cells
00:10:38.75\00:10:41.41
and it's one of the great
'causes of crime and murder
00:10:41.44\00:10:43.68
and all these
things in a community.
00:10:43.71\00:10:45.07
Would God do that?
That's an ugly picture of God.
00:10:45.10\00:10:47.96
So lot of these folks,
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if they're willing to
be honest with themselves,
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it's the same principle that
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1 Corinthian-- 1
Timothy 6 tells us.
00:10:52.76\00:10:55.39
The love of money is
the root of all evil.
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Individuals love money more than
00:10:57.69\00:10:58.87
they even love their fellow man.
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And as a result of
that, if the dollars is right,
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I'll even sell
out on my own people.
00:11:02.28\00:11:04.29
So that I can go
ahead and make my money
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while I can go ahead
and advertise something
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that I know is
destroying my people.
00:11:07.89\00:11:10.08
But yet I'm calling my self God.
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Right, it's like
it, like you said,
00:11:11.79\00:11:13.21
calling yourself God
and then selling drugs.
00:11:13.24\00:11:16.26
Or going to a group of young men
00:11:16.29\00:11:18.58
and saying, well, you
need true knowledge of self
00:11:18.61\00:11:20.49
but let me smoke weed with you
00:11:20.52\00:11:21.78
and roll dice
and gamble with you.
00:11:21.81\00:11:23.71
And you know maybe
beat this person up
00:11:23.74\00:11:25.82
and do this and do that,
00:11:25.85\00:11:27.16
but we're gonna go
into a higher level.
00:11:27.19\00:11:28.92
You know, I'm gonna
take you to a higher level.
00:11:28.95\00:11:30.38
You got another true
signs and all these things.
00:11:30.41\00:11:32.48
It is the grosses
of contradictions,
00:11:32.51\00:11:35.55
when you have individuals
00:11:35.58\00:11:36.77
who claim to
give money to charity.
00:11:36.80\00:11:39.01
They give millions
of dollars to charity,
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they go and help
starving children here
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or they have food
drives and this and that
00:11:42.85\00:11:45.18
but then like you said,
they're selling alcohol,
00:11:45.21\00:11:46.64
they're selling vodka in there,
you know, it's corruption.
00:11:46.67\00:11:49.90
Exactly and-- it's what makes
00:11:49.93\00:11:52.50
it worse is his
glorify corruption.
00:11:52.53\00:11:54.20
It's something that individuals
00:11:54.23\00:11:55.88
are trying to make it
seem like it's all right,
00:11:55.91\00:11:58.38
when it's all wrong.
00:11:58.41\00:11:59.48
In fact that was
one of the major issues
00:11:59.51\00:12:01.46
with a church in the
Bible in Revelation Chapter 3
00:12:01.49\00:12:05.21
and starting at verse 14
and I want to read that to you
00:12:05.24\00:12:07.76
because the same
problem that you see
00:12:07.79\00:12:10.41
that was
happening with this church,
00:12:10.44\00:12:11.90
we see that is
happening in our world today.
00:12:11.93\00:12:13.84
It's happening in the
religious world as well.
00:12:13.87\00:12:16.12
It says in Revelation 3:14,
00:12:16.15\00:12:18.74
"And unto the
angel of the church
00:12:18.77\00:12:19.94
of the Laodiceans write,
These things saith the Amen,
00:12:19.97\00:12:23.38
the faithful and true witness,
00:12:23.41\00:12:25.30
the beginning of
the creation of God."
00:12:25.33\00:12:27.64
Verse 15, "I know thy works,
00:12:27.67\00:12:30.45
that thou art
neither cold nor hot:
00:12:30.48\00:12:32.53
I would thou wert cold or hot.
00:12:32.56\00:12:34.68
So then because
thou art lukewarm,
00:12:34.71\00:12:37.09
and neither cold nor hot,
00:12:37.12\00:12:39.07
I will spue thee
out of my mouth."
00:12:39.10\00:12:41.80
Verse 17, "Because thou sayest,
00:12:41.83\00:12:44.17
I am rich, and
increased with goods,
00:12:44.20\00:12:45.47
and have need of nothing,
00:12:45.50\00:12:46.82
and knowest not
that thou art wretched,
00:12:46.85\00:12:48.74
and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked:"
00:12:48.77\00:12:52.02
God is helping us to get
a true knowledge of self.
00:12:52.05\00:12:55.57
God is saying
while we are professing
00:12:55.60\00:12:57.86
to be all right,
we're really all wrong.
00:12:57.89\00:13:00.30
And neutrality is not
a safe place to remain.
00:13:00.33\00:13:02.58
Neutrality is a death position.
00:13:02.61\00:13:05.14
It's a position
literally of self destruction,
00:13:05.17\00:13:07.78
and therefore God wants us
00:13:07.81\00:13:08.99
to embrace the
reality to say look.
00:13:09.02\00:13:11.02
We are not gods,
00:13:11.05\00:13:12.09
we do not have
control as we think we do.
00:13:12.12\00:13:14.44
And our control is not mentioned
00:13:14.47\00:13:16.83
or known by the
pigmentation of our skin,
00:13:16.86\00:13:19.00
whether it'd be dark or light
or any other another shade,
00:13:19.03\00:13:21.10
God wants us to understand that
00:13:21.13\00:13:22.80
as a result of
having a sinful nature.
00:13:22.83\00:13:25.42
You've mentioned about
KRS-One and the gentlemen here
00:13:25.45\00:13:31.20
who works with him that
00:13:31.23\00:13:32.70
was talking about the bloodline.
00:13:32.73\00:13:34.36
Oh, Afrika Bambaataa.
00:13:34.39\00:13:35.48
Thank you Afrika bambaataa,
you know as we talk about
00:13:35.51\00:13:38.36
this could God be
within our bloodline?
00:13:38.39\00:13:41.06
Right, well, I
mean that's the idea,
00:13:41.09\00:13:42.92
that's the same
confusion that existed
00:13:42.95\00:13:44.79
in Israel in the time of Christ.
00:13:44.82\00:13:47.31
And, you know, after the gospel
00:13:47.34\00:13:48.54
is beginning to
decrease after the crucifixion
00:13:48.57\00:13:51.05
is they got to the point
where they thought membership
00:13:51.08\00:13:55.26
in their culture or
their heritage and lineage
00:13:55.29\00:13:59.77
is what made them holy or not.
00:13:59.80\00:14:02.10
And we know that's
completely highlighted
00:14:02.13\00:14:06.26
and kind of destroy that
concept in Galatians 3:29
00:14:06.29\00:14:13.02
it says, "If we be Christ's
then are we Abraham's seed
00:14:13.05\00:14:18.13
and heirs
according to the promise."
00:14:18.16\00:14:20.55
So it's not my genetic
make up. It's not my bloodline.
00:14:20.58\00:14:24.59
It's not my lineage
that makes me righteous
00:14:24.62\00:14:26.94
or not or gives me an
advantage or disadvantage.
00:14:26.97\00:14:30.13
It's my relation to God
and my acceptance of his offer
00:14:30.16\00:14:37.25
to restore me to
my original existence,
00:14:37.28\00:14:41.08
the place that
he wanted me to be
00:14:41.11\00:14:42.59
and that he
still wants me to be.
00:14:42.62\00:14:43.85
That's right. So therefore--
00:14:43.88\00:14:45.28
There's a position now
00:14:45.31\00:14:47.08
that we have to
see ourselves in.
00:14:47.11\00:14:49.21
God says, his counsel
is that we are wretched,
00:14:49.24\00:14:53.67
we are miserable, we are poor,
we are blind, we are naked,
00:14:53.70\00:14:56.68
the more that we
can understand that.
00:14:56.71\00:14:58.25
You see when a man is wretched
00:14:58.28\00:14:59.46
miserable, poor,
blind, and naked,
00:14:59.49\00:15:01.22
he's gonna seek
help because he knows,
00:15:01.25\00:15:03.00
he's in a destitute situation.
00:15:03.03\00:15:04.76
But when a man
doesn't think he needs help
00:15:04.79\00:15:06.23
and he's not gonna
go to one who can help.
00:15:06.26\00:15:07.89
So this is why
God is on this mission
00:15:07.92\00:15:10.19
to give us a true
knowledge of self.
00:15:10.22\00:15:11.94
To recognize listen,
we are not all right,
00:15:11.97\00:15:14.62
even though we think we are.
00:15:14.65\00:15:16.03
We're in fact all wrong.
00:15:16.06\00:15:18.08
The Bible
actually shows what happens
00:15:18.11\00:15:20.57
when we refuse to
receive this counsel.
00:15:20.60\00:15:23.36
It testifies to us
that here's what can happen,
00:15:23.39\00:15:27.41
if we don't recognize it.
00:15:27.44\00:15:28.69
And it's found in verse
21 of Revelation 3 it says,
00:15:28.72\00:15:31.79
"To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit
00:15:31.82\00:15:34.23
with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame,
00:15:34.26\00:15:36.85
and am set down with
my Father in his throne."
00:15:36.88\00:15:40.98
Now he makes a promise
that this is what can happen
00:15:41.01\00:15:43.19
but the condition
is overcoming, right?
00:15:43.22\00:15:45.12
But now verse 20,
look at what he says,
00:15:45.15\00:15:47.56
"Behold, I stand at
the door, and knock:
00:15:47.59\00:15:50.99
if any man hear my
voice, and open the door,
00:15:51.02\00:15:54.18
I will come in to him,
00:15:54.21\00:15:55.55
and will sup with
him, and he with me."
00:15:55.58\00:15:58.24
This verse presents
both a reality but also hope.
00:15:58.27\00:16:02.39
The hope is built on the
fact that God says, I want you.
00:16:02.42\00:16:08.51
And the reason why I
say it's a statement of hope
00:16:08.54\00:16:10.33
is because the
reality is, he's not with us.
00:16:10.36\00:16:13.22
If God is standing at
the door of our hearts
00:16:13.25\00:16:14.91
and knocking to get in,
that means that he's out.
00:16:14.94\00:16:18.15
And that means that more likely,
00:16:18.18\00:16:19.38
probably got kicked out.
00:16:19.41\00:16:20.78
So therefore when we
indulge in selfishness,
00:16:20.81\00:16:23.24
when we indulge in sin,
00:16:23.27\00:16:25.02
we can remove
the presence of God.
00:16:25.05\00:16:27.49
When selfishness become that
00:16:27.52\00:16:29.82
all in all thing
about me and my character,
00:16:29.85\00:16:32.34
it can literally
remove his presence
00:16:32.37\00:16:34.51
but thank the Lord
that even when we kick God
00:16:34.54\00:16:38.19
out of our hearts
and out of our lives.
00:16:38.22\00:16:39.87
He loves us so much
that He's willing to say,
00:16:39.90\00:16:41.44
you know what, I'm gonna
knock on the door of your heart.
00:16:41.47\00:16:43.76
And I'm gonna ask
you to let me back in.
00:16:43.79\00:16:46.22
And I praise
God for that. Right.
00:16:46.25\00:16:47.95
So the one reality is
that if we indulge in sin,
00:16:47.98\00:16:52.18
we can remove
God's presence from us.
00:16:52.21\00:16:54.55
God will leave us but it gets--
00:16:54.58\00:16:56.45
And just to interject. Yes.
00:16:56.48\00:16:57.86
It's not
necessarily God leaving us.
00:16:57.89\00:17:00.18
It's us leaving God.
00:17:00.21\00:17:01.53
Yes, yes, but here's
where it gets even deeper.
00:17:01.56\00:17:05.30
If we refuse to let God in
00:17:05.33\00:17:08.12
and therefore or if
God wasn't but we remove--
00:17:08.15\00:17:10.81
if we no, I don't
want this anymore.
00:17:10.84\00:17:13.49
Not only do we
remove ourselves from God
00:17:13.52\00:17:16.06
and God has separated from us.
00:17:16.09\00:17:17.67
But the Bible shows
something else that happens
00:17:17.70\00:17:20.18
and this is very important
for people to understand.
00:17:20.21\00:17:22.74
It says in 1 Samuel 16, I
want you to watch this now
00:17:22.77\00:17:26.64
because in 1
Samuel the 16th chapter,
00:17:26.67\00:17:29.48
it's not enough
that when we reject God,
00:17:29.51\00:17:33.65
when we reject
the mercy and grace
00:17:33.68\00:17:35.33
that He offers to us
that it separates us from God
00:17:35.36\00:17:39.00
but it does something else
00:17:39.03\00:17:40.29
and this is gonna
be through the example
00:17:40.32\00:17:41.97
of none other than King Saul.
00:17:42.00\00:17:43.76
In our last program,
00:17:43.79\00:17:44.82
you were talking
about King Saul and Israel.
00:17:44.85\00:17:46.93
Well, look at what it says here,
00:17:46.96\00:17:48.01
this is in 1 Samuel 16
00:17:48.04\00:17:50.14
and we're gonna consider
verse 13 and 14, it says,
00:17:50.17\00:17:55.66
"Then Samuel
took the horn of oil,
00:17:55.69\00:17:58.06
and anointed him in the
midst of his brethren..."
00:17:58.09\00:18:00.28
This is talking about David.
00:18:00.31\00:18:01.78
"And the Spirit of
the Lord came upon David
00:18:01.81\00:18:03.93
from that day forward.
00:18:03.96\00:18:05.39
So Samuel rose up,
and went to Ramah."
00:18:05.42\00:18:08.12
Verse 14, "But the Spirit
of the Lord departed from Saul,
00:18:08.15\00:18:13.97
and an evil spirit
from the Lord troubled him."
00:18:14.00\00:18:19.37
When God is
seeking to commune with us
00:18:19.40\00:18:22.96
to reach our hearts and
to say, will you accept me?
00:18:22.99\00:18:25.71
And when we
choose to indulge in sin
00:18:25.74\00:18:28.34
and say I don't want this.
00:18:28.37\00:18:30.64
What happens is not only that
we become separated from God,
00:18:30.67\00:18:34.10
but we also become
united with evil forces
00:18:34.13\00:18:37.54
and we see this through
the example of King Saul.
00:18:37.57\00:18:40.37
As the spirit of
the Lord left him,
00:18:40.40\00:18:42.65
an evil spirit came upon him.
00:18:42.68\00:18:45.91
And this is very important
because in hip-hop culture
00:18:45.94\00:18:49.43
we're taught or it has
been taught, do your will.
00:18:49.46\00:18:53.13
Do what you want.
00:18:53.16\00:18:54.20
In rock and roll. Do
what thou wilt and so on.
00:18:54.23\00:18:57.36
And this is prevalent throughout
00:18:57.39\00:18:58.82
all sorts of
different movements.
00:18:58.85\00:18:59.99
Right, there's even like
terms, you know, those slang,
00:19:00.02\00:19:02.05
do you or you know,
do what you got to do.
00:19:02.08\00:19:04.16
Exactly. Yeah,
I'm the boss of me.
00:19:04.19\00:19:06.95
You know, these
type of statements
00:19:06.98\00:19:08.47
but the problem is, is
that what we don't realize
00:19:08.50\00:19:11.20
is there's no such thing
00:19:11.23\00:19:12.34
as God's will,
Satan's will, my will.
00:19:12.37\00:19:16.94
The Bible shows that whenever
God presents His will to us,
00:19:16.97\00:19:20.71
if we don't follow His will,
00:19:20.74\00:19:22.92
by default we
fulfill Satan's will.
00:19:22.95\00:19:26.51
And therefore this becomes
00:19:26.54\00:19:27.59
a very solemn
thought to us to realize
00:19:27.62\00:19:29.66
that this is the
condition that we can fall in.
00:19:29.69\00:19:32.00
And this is exactly what
happened to Israel of old.
00:19:32.03\00:19:35.76
By beholding
what was around them,
00:19:35.79\00:19:37.98
by beholding the things that
were against God and His truth.
00:19:38.01\00:19:42.00
Israel found
themselves in a place now
00:19:42.03\00:19:43.99
where they are so
entrenched like you said,
00:19:44.02\00:19:46.41
institutionalized in
rebellion that God saw that
00:19:46.44\00:19:49.85
there is a
certain kind of discipline
00:19:49.88\00:19:52.03
that I need to
let happen to Israel
00:19:52.06\00:19:53.94
and that discipline was
none other than allowing them
00:19:53.97\00:19:56.61
to go into the
natural connection
00:19:56.64\00:19:58.21
of the practice of sin bondage.
00:19:58.24\00:20:00.40
Bondage, so essentially like
we highlighted in Roman 6:16
00:20:00.43\00:20:04.52
and you know Jesus
highlights in John 8
00:20:04.55\00:20:07.60
that sin is equated to slavery.
00:20:07.63\00:20:09.48
Yes.
00:20:09.51\00:20:10.55
So you know,
00:20:10.58\00:20:11.61
while in the
knowledge side of hip-hop
00:20:11.64\00:20:13.06
I was talking about
mental slavery and talking about
00:20:13.09\00:20:15.85
going into all of
these false religions.
00:20:15.88\00:20:17.78
The real mental
slavery is self indulgence,
00:20:17.81\00:20:21.27
selfishness, self exaltation,
that is the real bondage
00:20:21.30\00:20:25.38
and it's the bondage that
God desires to free us from.
00:20:25.41\00:20:28.26
That's right and therefore
00:20:28.29\00:20:29.33
when an individual really
gets a chance to scale back,
00:20:29.36\00:20:32.37
listen to the music
you're listening to.
00:20:32.40\00:20:34.15
Think about it.
00:20:34.18\00:20:35.21
What are you
hearing? Are you hearing?
00:20:35.24\00:20:36.88
Submit your will to God.
00:20:36.91\00:20:38.67
Are you hearing?
00:20:38.70\00:20:40.42
Recognize that
you are not your own.
00:20:40.45\00:20:42.43
You've been bought with a price.
00:20:42.46\00:20:43.94
Is that what they're hearing?
00:20:43.97\00:20:45.33
No, they're hearing you are God.
00:20:45.36\00:20:47.27
You are the boss.
You make the decisions.
00:20:47.30\00:20:49.53
You go out and
get the "bling bling."
00:20:49.56\00:20:51.88
You go ahead and live
whatever lifestyle you want
00:20:51.91\00:20:54.08
and live it to the fullest
because at the end of the day,
00:20:54.11\00:20:56.55
you are God, you are the
one that calls the shots.
00:20:56.58\00:20:58.97
It's a most
incredible deception,
00:20:59.00\00:21:01.59
gave reflection
of the very character
00:21:01.62\00:21:05.01
not of Lucifer
but of Satan himself.
00:21:05.04\00:21:07.15
Now just to take a side bar,
00:21:07.18\00:21:09.75
when we're
talking about this idea
00:21:09.78\00:21:12.28
that the message
coming through the hip-hop
00:21:12.31\00:21:14.94
or coming
through even just a music
00:21:14.97\00:21:16.63
or what's the
visual stimulation.
00:21:16.66\00:21:18.80
What hip-hop is
presenting itself
00:21:18.83\00:21:20.57
as is-- it's
pretty much all negative.
00:21:20.60\00:21:24.43
You know, we can agree on that.
00:21:24.46\00:21:25.99
To some degree or another,
everybody is highlighting
00:21:26.02\00:21:28.77
something that is destructive
00:21:28.80\00:21:31.07
either to yourself
or to somebody else
00:21:31.10\00:21:32.67
or to society in general.
00:21:32.70\00:21:34.55
And when we talk
about Babylon and confusion
00:21:34.58\00:21:37.56
and we talk about desiring
00:21:37.59\00:21:38.86
the things of the
nations around you.
00:21:38.89\00:21:40.69
There's gonna be
people that argue oh, well,
00:21:40.72\00:21:43.51
what about hip-hop that speaks,
you know, Christian hip-hop.
00:21:43.54\00:21:48.05
They sometimes they
call it holy hip-hop
00:21:48.08\00:21:50.18
and we're gonna spend, you know,
00:21:50.21\00:21:51.74
some time dealing
with the fact that well,
00:21:51.77\00:21:56.05
if it's of the world and
that we'll just put this out
00:21:56.08\00:21:59.35
as a postulation, as
just the thought to consider.
00:21:59.38\00:22:02.66
If it's of the world
by nature, can I adopt it
00:22:02.69\00:22:08.50
and just drop a certain
element of righteousness on it
00:22:08.53\00:22:11.77
and it all becomes righteous.
00:22:11.80\00:22:13.46
Can I anoint something
that is profane to God?
00:22:13.49\00:22:16.86
Can I make something holy?
00:22:16.89\00:22:18.50
Do I have the power to sanctify
00:22:18.53\00:22:20.03
or is God the
one that sanctifies
00:22:20.06\00:22:21.92
because if God is the
one that makes things holy,
00:22:21.95\00:22:24.25
then I can only do
things that God authorizes.
00:22:24.28\00:22:26.90
And anything I
authorize in and of myself
00:22:26.93\00:22:29.18
and think that
I'm doing a good work
00:22:29.21\00:22:31.02
because I'm going to
make certain compromises
00:22:31.05\00:22:33.00
just to reach a
certain slice of humanity.
00:22:33.03\00:22:37.46
Well, did God authorize it?
00:22:37.49\00:22:39.03
And if He didn't,
then I have a problem.
00:22:39.06\00:22:41.18
And God doesn't have to change,
00:22:41.21\00:22:42.56
I'm the one that's
gonna have to change.
00:22:42.59\00:22:44.38
So I just wanted to,
you know, make that point,
00:22:44.41\00:22:45.79
we'll get into all of that
00:22:45.82\00:22:47.61
but it's
interesting that you said that
00:22:47.64\00:22:48.98
'cause people are gonna
come from the other side.
00:22:49.01\00:22:50.88
Because I know even when I came
00:22:50.91\00:22:52.98
and I think you
also in your story.
00:22:53.01\00:22:54.84
When I came into the church,
00:22:54.87\00:22:58.66
I still I met
people in the church
00:22:58.69\00:23:01.68
that were around and emceeing.
00:23:01.71\00:23:03.93
So I thought oh,
well, all you have to do
00:23:03.96\00:23:06.56
is change the words, no problem.
00:23:06.59\00:23:08.41
Oh, yeah, definitely.
00:23:08.44\00:23:09.58
If I just change the words
00:23:09.61\00:23:11.42
then I can do God's
will and still be an emcee.
00:23:11.45\00:23:17.79
I had to learn the hard way.
00:23:17.82\00:23:19.15
I went literally a
few years of flip flopping
00:23:19.18\00:23:21.90
back and forth.
00:23:21.93\00:23:22.98
I mean, doing shows
still as a Christian,
00:23:23.01\00:23:26.50
doing shows and emceeing.
00:23:26.53\00:23:29.90
And I wasn't thought my
lyrics were in my mind truth
00:23:29.93\00:23:32.75
and I'm preaching the truth
00:23:32.78\00:23:33.97
and I'm helping
to save individuals.
00:23:34.00\00:23:35.81
I was out doing a show once,
00:23:35.84\00:23:37.92
you know the final
straw for me if you will.
00:23:37.95\00:23:40.11
I'm doing a show and
you know I excuse myself
00:23:40.14\00:23:44.72
to those that there
was time to go on and set
00:23:44.75\00:23:46.04
because I didn't want to go
and just hang out in the club.
00:23:46.07\00:23:48.77
So I waited we prayed
before we go went in--
00:23:48.80\00:23:52.08
we went in, we
got our wrist band
00:23:52.11\00:23:53.36
but we only
wanted water at the bar.
00:23:53.39\00:23:55.59
We go up and do our
set, like a 15 minutes set
00:23:55.62\00:23:58.58
and eventually as in
the midst of the set.
00:23:58.61\00:24:02.20
I'm going through,
I'm going and I'm--
00:24:02.23\00:24:05.26
you know scanning the area,
00:24:05.29\00:24:06.43
you have people
talking, people drinking,
00:24:06.46\00:24:08.95
people dancing and
then you have the--
00:24:08.98\00:24:10.46
you know, the crew
in the front and center
00:24:10.49\00:24:12.92
listening and
involving with the show.
00:24:12.95\00:24:15.70
And as I look off
in the distance past
00:24:15.73\00:24:18.72
the crowd in the front.
00:24:18.75\00:24:20.76
I see a girl dancing, you know
dancing just like the world,
00:24:20.79\00:24:24.50
just as if a
worldly song was playing
00:24:24.53\00:24:27.02
and as I'm rounding, God
spoke to my head and said,
00:24:27.05\00:24:30.87
what you're
saying makes absolutely
00:24:30.90\00:24:32.78
no difference right now.
00:24:32.81\00:24:34.27
That's right.
This is not my will.
00:24:34.30\00:24:36.02
You can't mix truth and error,
00:24:36.05\00:24:38.45
righteousness
and unrighteousness.
00:24:38.48\00:24:40.16
So I was trying
to mingle the world
00:24:40.19\00:24:42.11
and deliver the
truth to the world's medium
00:24:42.14\00:24:44.66
and God showed me
and told me in my mind,
00:24:44.69\00:24:47.16
you can't do it and I had
to walk away at that point.
00:24:47.19\00:24:49.51
But it took me
a while. Oh, yeah.
00:24:49.54\00:24:50.85
So there's people
out there that are living
00:24:50.88\00:24:52.70
their lifestyle and
living in that confusion.
00:24:52.73\00:24:55.78
That's right.
00:24:55.81\00:24:57.16
And this is-- I mean,
00:24:57.19\00:24:58.66
you get tempted in, brother.
00:24:58.69\00:24:59.94
Because I mean, I would love
to jump into this right now.
00:24:59.97\00:25:02.24
Right. You know, we're
gonna dedicate sometime to it.
00:25:02.27\00:25:05.40
But by the grace of God,
00:25:05.43\00:25:06.84
we're gonna address
this thing very forcefully.
00:25:06.87\00:25:08.48
We're gonna talk
about what is the world.
00:25:08.51\00:25:10.39
'Cause when you
hear the word world
00:25:10.42\00:25:11.82
and I'm sure lot
of people, you know,
00:25:11.85\00:25:13.35
in the world have
heard the word world.
00:25:13.38\00:25:15.68
What do you mean by world?
00:25:15.71\00:25:16.74
So we-- we gonna
have to break that down.
00:25:16.77\00:25:17.95
Yes.
00:25:17.98\00:25:19.01
And of course we gonna
have to deal with the mixtures.
00:25:19.04\00:25:21.62
Because if ever we're living
in the time in earth's history,
00:25:21.65\00:25:24.28
where there is a
mixture of things that normally
00:25:24.31\00:25:26.08
would be at variance
with each other, it's now.
00:25:26.11\00:25:28.19
So no question about it.
We gonna have to address that.
00:25:28.22\00:25:30.87
Yeah.
00:25:30.90\00:25:31.94
But you know, we're making
these points to connect it back
00:25:31.97\00:25:35.02
to the fact that these
were the mistakes of Israel.
00:25:35.05\00:25:38.96
They were tired of what God had.
00:25:38.99\00:25:40.43
They were tired
of what God offered
00:25:40.46\00:25:42.10
and thereforethey
wanted to do their own thing.
00:25:42.13\00:25:44.71
As result of this following
their own selfish ways,
00:25:44.74\00:25:48.07
loving pleasures
more than loving God,
00:25:48.10\00:25:50.14
they found
themselves now in bondage
00:25:50.17\00:25:52.01
and here they are in Babylon.
00:25:52.04\00:25:53.55
And there were
some things that Babylon
00:25:53.58\00:25:55.54
wanted to introduce to the minds
00:25:55.57\00:25:57.78
of Israel to unfit them.
00:25:57.81\00:26:00.03
That I believe
Babylon is trying to do today,
00:26:00.06\00:26:03.03
spiritually speaking.
00:26:03.06\00:26:04.53
And therefore I'm
gonna ask you to highlight
00:26:04.56\00:26:05.98
one of these three things that
Babylon was trying to introduce
00:26:06.01\00:26:10.32
to Israel to make these changes
00:26:10.35\00:26:12.18
and then we'll gonna pick up
from there in our next program,
00:26:12.21\00:26:14.26
where we can kind
of build off of these
00:26:14.29\00:26:15.79
and how God gave
protection back then
00:26:15.82\00:26:17.77
and how He gives it to us now.
00:26:17.80\00:26:19.60
Well, it's very clear
and we'll be going into it.
00:26:19.63\00:26:22.05
And when you go
into Daniel in Chapter 1
00:26:22.08\00:26:23.72
that kind of
introduce-- it doesn't introduce
00:26:23.75\00:26:25.91
but it gives us an
experience of God's people
00:26:25.94\00:26:29.23
going in to Babylon
and almost immediately
00:26:29.26\00:26:33.49
when they get
there, there's some changes
00:26:33.52\00:26:36.29
that are demanded of
them, that are required of them.
00:26:36.32\00:26:38.11
That's right.
00:26:38.14\00:26:39.19
They changed their names
00:26:39.22\00:26:41.08
to reflect the gods of Babylon
versus the God of Israel.
00:26:41.11\00:26:45.63
They changed their diet.
00:26:45.66\00:26:47.80
They offered
them the king's food,
00:26:47.83\00:26:50.26
the king's food and drink.
00:26:50.29\00:26:52.73
They changed their
dress and their appearance.
00:26:52.76\00:26:56.33
They make them eunuchs.
00:26:56.36\00:26:58.20
They changed
their entire physiology.
00:26:58.23\00:27:02.03
They changed their
being and we also understand
00:27:02.06\00:27:06.04
that their language
now has to be changed.
00:27:06.07\00:27:08.40
They put in the
school of Babylon
00:27:08.43\00:27:10.25
to become an advisor
for the king of Babylon
00:27:10.28\00:27:13.75
and remove from
their royalty in Israel.
00:27:13.78\00:27:16.71
Yeah, so we see that
Satan has put together
00:27:16.74\00:27:20.16
an amazing trap in
this bondage situation
00:27:20.19\00:27:23.91
and we're gonna
see the parallels
00:27:23.94\00:27:25.39
in our next
program when we talk about
00:27:25.42\00:27:26.96
how the same way Satan
was trying to trip Israel up
00:27:26.99\00:27:29.91
in times past, he's
doing the same things today.
00:27:29.94\00:27:34.79
We want to thank you
all for joining with us.
00:27:34.82\00:27:36.67
We believe that
by the grace of God,
00:27:36.70\00:27:39.00
we are learning
not only about the past
00:27:39.03\00:27:41.37
but we're also
learning about today.
00:27:41.40\00:27:43.86
We're understand how Satan even
through the cultures of life,
00:27:43.89\00:27:47.71
even through
hip-hop and R&B culture
00:27:47.74\00:27:49.59
how these
things are trying to be
00:27:49.62\00:27:51.29
deceptive
forces to take us down.
00:27:51.32\00:27:53.04
Until next time;
00:27:53.07\00:27:54.13
we just want to remind
you of Proverbs 2:6 that
00:27:54.16\00:27:56.98
"Let's just know the
Lord gives us wisdom,
00:27:57.01\00:27:58.62
and out of His mouth comes
knowledge and understanding.
00:27:58.65\00:28:01.12
God bless you.
00:28:01.15\00:28:02.18