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May 14, 2020 8:00 am
Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. What they were preaching for the church to the church that differently than the culture they were praying for the people that know it can be great to get more millions in America some prosperity for everybody is always going to happen. The people of God. And Americans love we thought do it and the numbers we just love this message doesn't talk about sin, repentance, knowing talk about because it's so wonderful. Just pure false teaching.
Joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor know your part. Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhart now is once again he shows us how God's word will this he said our call is an engaged alienation, a Christianity says it perseveres the distinctiveness of our gospel while not retreating from our calling as neighbors, friends and good citizens. So God's answer to our problem of living in a pagan culture says yet. I just want to live your life in a normal way. So I want settlement just live your life okay secondly notice what he says next. He says take wives and become fathers and sons and daughters and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands that they may bear sons and daughters and multiply their he says and do not decrease build strong families.
I want to settle God and I want to build strong families that doesn't seem right. I thought we were going to get even with these people. I thought we should get after them got does not want to build a strong family. I talked to Christians who said things to me like this. I don't think I'd ever want to have kids in this culture. I don't want to have any good because a culture so bad is no God says is what you say. You see, I don't want to have them. I just don't when I don't have to be reason this terrible time something guides telling us here match this strong families can survive paganism. Strong families can survive paganism. That's what he say you have a strong family use of by the pagans. See that's what his point. It also guarantees of future seed for God. Notice he said I don't want your numbers to diminish.
If anything I like and the increase see in our country the families the place to expose and overcome the values that are taught in schools. That's the family, Tony Evans, the African-American pastor in Dallas Texas has raised his kids now, and by the way, they're pretty impressive list of kids there involved in all kinds of Christian ministry national ministries. Other kids went to public schools is how can that be and Tony said that them Lois that's his wife. He said Lois and I would spend some time every single day deprogramming them, we would ask what they learned that day in school and then we would re-instruct them as to what the truth is well and it turned out okay. They turned out great for the Lord. Now I know what this requires of you time interaction. You see, but he said look, God's right, strong families, commitment, paganism is not like the other pagan out of the war.
All were children. No teacher out there can have influence over a child that you can if you're the parent that's the point.
That's what God is saying, go ahead and build a strong family. He said, look, it's not a quick fix, but will change this culture. One family in a time so settle down. He says build strong families but is going to get worse. Now look what he says verse seven, seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. What yeah seek the welfare of the culture try to make the culture better if I don't work. Welfare is a word you know you don't know a lot of Hebrew but you know this word shalom peace. It means well-rounded peace offers a good translation. He said seek the welfare of the culture. While I hate the culture. Yes, he gets welfare get involved. See if you get involved politically be involved. If you want to be a problem. Nonprofits get involved. You see in whatever way there's a need out there. See what you can do assault like meted seek the welfare of the culture is Jesus and be so be like in the culture people in the neighborhood said man I know I'm a Christian, but that couple gone. There while those are special people see seek it. Try to make it better not use the Babylonians. They have killed their relatives. You see, it wasn't like oh no they take away our right to pray in school. They took on the 10 Commandments in the town square. This is like that.
This is slavery. This is they conquered our nation to destroy our temple material is 800 miles away God's as yeah seek to make the culture better will see in the weeks ahead. That's exactly what they did.
They made a better while maybe they were loneliness they want a culture more pagan than Babylon was the paganism of Rome more depraved than Babylon was the depravity of Rome. Guess what the early church did and made it better. They live their lives and made it better in 300 years they won the Roman Empire not because a great preaching. And oh, the Crusades, they just live their life in a certain way and had a tremendous impact on the people in which they lived. While so get involved in the cultures welfare settle down. Go, strong families, and then he says this he says and pray to the Lord on its behalf is different in its welfare. You will have welfare for thing he said to do is we need to pray for who for them to pray for them. Should we pray for them. Now I know what you're thinking and I would do. I know were supposed to pray and pray for a leader so I always pray for the leaders of my party, really, how much per you doing for the others when I don't like them. You understand that that's the distinction of Christianity. No one talks like this is are my words are the words of Jesus. Nobody but Jesus would say, love your enemies, that's what he said love your enemies, he said, pray for them who would do that Jesus would please ask us to pray for them. See, it's hard not on my list for so long. I get so involved I never get to them so we need to pray for them hold the place and go with me to first Timothy chapter 2 first Timothy chapter 2 in the New Testament verse one Paul writing he says.
First of all, then I urge you that entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgivings be made behalf on all men, but how many men are we supposed we pray for their and how does that encompass everybody and he says something else. It's a little bit tough. He said entreaties that's emotional prayer. Prayer petitions that's request and then he says, and Thanksgiving. Give thanks for them yes for everybody in the culture God's point of view. This makes good sense to admit there are only two kinds of people in the world. That's all it is not nationalities in God's point of view is not races. There's these two kinds of people there say people are lost people say people should be praying for lost people as we should be doing is he says you need to pray for them. Notice he says, be specific, reciprocating's, who are in authority. By the way, just in case you want to know who's king when Paul writes this narrow he's no friend of the church used to have garden parties people wax over Christians in like them and like the party with people that were being burned alive.
Pray for him. He said wow he said looking. Be specific. Pray that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Nothing wrong with praying of saying hey let that Lord I pray that the cultural leave us alone and be nice if it does, by the way, let me just say this, I think you know it as bad as our culture seems there are not many places on earth that are better to be a Christian and then this one. There just are not and never have been. This is about as good a place as Christians could ever operate especially in the sense of the government staying out of our lives almost everywhere. It's not been that way as a stop the church but I just want to know that and then he says this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.
Why, who desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. Your best chance to lead them to Christ he said is the pray for the next since a very important aspect of us pray for our neighbors. Now back to Jeremiah.
Then he picks up in verse eight and in verse eight in verse nine he says, for thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Do not let your Prophets who were in your midst and your diviners deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams in which they dream for they prophesy falsely to you in my name, I have not sent them, declares the Lord, for thing he says is don't be deceived by false teachers. Anytime there's real adversity.
False teachers run amok in our country is no different. There are false teachers everywhere and noticed they said I have dreams of God.
I have visions of God. God's look. I think of the many that stuck to just make it up to show the kind of things they did go with me to Jeremiah 5 back to chapter 5 in verse 12 here speaking to them.
He says this.
They have lied about. He said they have lied about the Lord and they said not he misfortune will not come us and we will not see the sort of family things will be great to be wonderful God would do any like this were special people. When the people of God with a chosen race, it would never allow something bad to happen to us. And guess what the people thought people plug. That's right, it doesn't matter how we live. I think this is wonderful.
This is the beginning of prosperity.
Dr. Missy is a good one noticed on the verse 30 and 31 chapter 5 an appalling and horrible thing is happening in the land.
The prophets prophesy falsely in the priest will on their own authority, my people love it so he says, but what will you do at the end of it. That's what they were telling him almost nothing to be that bad. Notice over chapter 6, verse 14 he says they have healed the brokenness of my people.
Superficially, PCPs piece, but there is no peace within a shame because the abomination they had done.
They were not ashamed at all.
They don't even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fill among those who fall fill at a time. I will punish them. They will be cast down, says the Lord.
They were preaching peace, prosperity, good to great people of the work preaching repentance. They were preaching for the church to repent. The church that differently than the culture they were praying for the people to do that. This know it's it's gonna be great. You can get more and more and more in America. Not only can you do that and ranking. Get your own TV show ingoing TV and speak the millions of Americans it's peace and prosperity for everybody that's all it's going to happen near the people of God are taught of God and have everything you ever wanted. And Americans love it. We flock to it in enormous numbers.
We just love this message to you and he doesn't ever talk about sin, repentance, knowing talk about that because it's so wonderful. Just pure false teaching hasn't changed any overall these years, and he said look you have to be. Do not be deceived. He says by false teachers there plentiful then and there plenty for now, they will fill you with a false hope back to 29 in the 61 the sixth 20 says here's how you live your life. You have to remember the promises of God. Mission surprises if I'm living in the middle of a pagan culture or for been taken out of my country and put in Babylon. What what do I need to hold onto what's going to give me hope in God's is okay with going to give you my promises.
I give you my promises that will give you hope it is the circumstances or changes in my promises. Notice what he says or reason for thus says the Lord.
When 70 years have been completed for babbling. I will visit you and fulfill my good word you and bring you back to this place going to get to come back in 70 years. Now here's the part of the verse. We all remember to show you what were like, for I know that I have plans for you declares the Lord, plans then you're well for another calamity to give you a future and a hope. And then you will call upon me, and you will pray to me and I will listen to you and then you will seek me and find me when you search me with all your heart. We love that verse. That's a refrigerator magnet verse. We love that verse, but that hasn't context.
This is the Israel and this is given right in the beginning of a 70 year captivity gotchas. You have to remember my promises.
I'm just going to look at the average age I hear this just say that it you're going to be in captivity for the next 70 years. Okay, so how many of us are going to realize there were going to get out of where I'm standing up many 70 years. So if you made the trek of 800 miles from Jerusalem all the way babbling in your 40 years old and he says I got good news for you. It's all going to be better in 70 years.
You can wait a minute and 40. That's is not a chance that's going. What God said, yeah, that's what you three strong families that may seem odd to us.
That's exactly the way God operates. He does it for you and me the exactly the same way, is a limitation of the by the way all things work together for your good is my promise. When you mean all things work together for your good. Now I do need a word it's not there but but eventually all things work together for your good.
Eventually I want eventually I will things work good now. Now it's at its eventual what policy he said if the saloons you need to look forward to the blessed hope of his coming. We look forward to the blessed hope of his company that's in the future to the Thessalonians. It was a least 2000 years in the future.
Why do you think I say this all the time you look I read the end of the book and we won why because it's important. I read the end of the book of only one you see in the end of all God is always forward thinking he shall give you my promise and is my promise to be great for you.
That's my promise.
No matter how bad it is.
Now it's can be great for you will never leave you nor forsake you. That's great for me to see the maps of the body and present with the Lord. That's great for me is a don't let your heart be troubled by father's house are many dwelling places were not so I would've told you. I go and prepare a place for you. That's great news that where I am, there you may be also keeps given us these promises of what's down the road because God always thinks about it from a long-range plan.
He always has the endgame in mind.
He says it for you to have hope.
You need to have the endgame in mind. There's no need to be despairing. You see secular humanism in America will not win the day Jesus Christ would Islam will not win the day. Christ you see. And that's what God says look you have to have a perspective of this thing you have to remember my promises. He said to you so here it gives us these six steps settle down. Build strong families get involved for the cultural the cultures welfare. Pray don't be deceived by false teachers and remember my promises. You said you do that you will be fine about or America to refine. We may have lost the culture war, but understand God's not intimidated by God is sovereign. You think God had any idea what was going to happen in America course he did is not intimidated by secular humanism is not intimidated by Islam seek he's not intimidated by any form of idolatry. He seen at all because the gum sovereign over all this you have to worry about this.
I love the line by Martin Luther. Martin Luther once said this, he said even the devil is God's devil going to think about that even the devil was God step is sovereign over everything. Can I close with just three quotes all them saying something similar but different. Leonard Ravenhill said this, the church is waiting for the world to begin to regenerate. While the world is waiting for the church to become repentant is an interesting thought. St. Augustine when he found out the Roman falling to the Vandals.
He cried. He loved the city of Rome, and then he said this whenever men build men will destroy Lisa. Let's go by building the kingdom of God always right, and maybe the best words ever said on this came from our Lord.
He said on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Not at the time of Christ. Not since the time of Christ, and certainly not in America today, spring father, it's alarming to us to live in the context of a pagan culture and so often we keep talking about the good old days. The good old days. Father, I suspect they weren't that good for all of us just for some of us.
Father I pray that as we go through the cultural norms of the secular culture in which we live. We use it for your glory uses an opportunity to share the good news of Christ the King seeing the sort of debauchery of the courtroom which we live and we condemn it, and we should father not marked whatever a man sows show so we reap and what our culture reaps what it is sown. There's tremendous pain and suffering for them. That's what we should come alongside loving them in caring for them and offering them the good news of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of their sins. This is a unique opportunity for us. Father I pray that we find ourselves faithful to you in this process, rather than simply antagonistic to the culture screaming and condemning it without ever thinking these are people who need father I pray that we are effective, so for the good of the world for Christ and pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of the sum of the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs is no Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help with radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just the 100 support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that SBC 10 oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series are looking for.
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Once you find the messenger looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt fundraising Gebhardt thank you for listening to fellowship in order