No Other Place On the Earth Like It
Where the Great Plains Prairie & Grassland Meets the Rugged Badlands Wall
Kadoka, South Dakota
M Paulson - cracking into the music teachings in 1972
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Word-for-word transcription of the audio sermon - transcribed by Bob Harris |
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Part VII Deceptions Taught from
Today's Pastors!
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Good evening, Web family out there. Tonight is just kind of going to be more like last night of deceptions from the pulpit. I don’t dare get into these things really, because they are full studies in themselves. We don’t want to go through this again. We’re just going to look at some things here. These are some things that are acceptable and preached from the pulpit that everything is, you know, kosher here.
Let’s go to this one here, or we can turn to oh, where should we turn to here? Let’s go to 1 Timothy; we’ll do an easy one here. First Timothy and the statement here that’s false from the pulpit. I guess it’s not really a statement; it’s just what they allow. And that’s the fact that today’s modesty is still not modest. And there’s just one word I want people to remember here. And it’s a word that nobody probably even knows what it means; they don’t even care about it anymore. And it’s a word that’s going out of style something fierce — already is gone out of style. It’s just one word we’re looking at here. And it’s 1 Timothy chapter two.
And, you know, because everybody says they are modest. They don’t all say they are modest; they could care less. But those who say they are modest — and this is including guys, as much as anybody — this is in a different format, different fashion — everybody says they’re modest in churches, and it’s shocking the way people come to church. It’s shocking what Christians say is modest. It’s shocking what parents allow their children to do — Christian parents and Christian kids, if there is such a thing.
And it’s just one word, but they don’t talk about this word. So, when they say from the pulpit or allow from the pulpit what everybody’s wearing, and it’s just fine and dandy — what the pastor’s kids are wearing — well, then, why are they still in the home? And areas like a battle there. And that’s in 1 Timothy chapter two, verse nine. And it says here, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, —” so we’re talking clothes here, apparel, that’s obvious “— with shamefacedness” — and that’s the word I want people to remember, the word “shamefacedness”. And we talked about this before. This is just a couple of minutes on this thing. Shamefacedness is beyond the edge.
You know, I mean, nobody’s embarrassed, what they show anymore — I’m not going to get into the parts, and the details, and stuff. And it’s too bad; we ought to, I suppose. But not in a mixed crowd here. I mean, just because something is covered doesn’t mean it’s modest. Covered tightly. Covered with thin material. Guys included not just gals.
But the key word is “shamefacedness”, and shamefacedness, we learned a couple of years ago, means “beyond modesty”. It’s beyond the edge. It’s not almost there; it’s covered; it’s beyond covered. And, there is no leavening taking place.
So, you know, I am not going to spend any time on this thing, because it also goes back down to verse 10, “But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the women wear in silence.”
So the whole modesty issue covers not just how you look — and guys included — but it covers ladies being quieter than they are today. It’s involved their role, kind of a thing.
So, we’re not going to touch on that tonight. I just want people to remember the word “shamefaced.” And that is “beyond covered.” And I’m just not in the mood to get into details tonight, I guess. But you’ve got long-sleeved shirt, you’ve got a short-sleeved, you’ve got three-quarter length, you’ve got sleeveless. Sleeveless may be modest in terms of people, but it’s not.
Guys and their pants — ah, I’m just not in the mood for that, I’m tired of that kind of stuff.
I just want you to remember the word “shamefaced” — “beyond modesty.” That’s what we’re supposed to be; that’s what makes us different.
And that modesty that’s being allowed and preached by pastors and fathers and stuff is shameful — “shameful-facedness” is what their word — but this is “shamefacedness.” We are “ashamed”.
And, here’s a thought. I know sometimes accidents happen, OK? So an accident happens and somebody sees something, then that person ought to be downright embarrassed — “I’m ashamed.” Well, shamefacedness makes us so, if you have an accident, nothing to see.
We live on the edge. If a Christian wants to be a Christian, we so live on the edge anymore, and we just bite the leaven. We just go a little closer, a little shorter, a little lower, a little thinner. We can justify it. You know, we get older, we’re tired of it. And after awhile we get old enough, we don’t care. Because, if they want to see them get sick, that’s their problem.
No, shamefacedness means you’re covered. There’s no doubt you’re covered.
Now, of course we’re taught in public here, or amongst family. Simple, to be covered amongst family, according to God’s teachings. But, anyway. There’s your word “shamefacedness.”
OK, let’s drop that one. Here’s another one. I’ll cross that one
out here; we’re done with that one. “Shamefaced” — check that out sometimes.
Let’s go to Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 5. This is something that’s happening more and more, and of course it will happen more and more. That’s Isaiah chapter 5, where he says — and before we see what it says here, the statement here is, the roles of the man and the woman are being neutralized. Not only are they being neutralized, they’re being reversed. But nobody seems to care. And the point is, if it works, it’s OK. If it works, it’s OK.
And specifically meaning the roles of the woman and the roles of the wife.
But, anything out there that we do that used to be called a wrong thing to do here. Look at Isaiah chapter 5, and we see here where it is in verse 20: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” And we have that happening more and more. So, what do we do?
Well, here. Let’s just pop a couple verses. I’m just kind of winging my brain tonight here. Let’s go back to Genesis. We talked about it this morning. And Adam McDaniel there, and McPeter — this might be new before you, I don’t know.
And, I like in Genesis chapter 3, where they’re trying to reverse everything today, because that in Daniel the Antichrist is not going to honor the desire of women. People are getting away from that. And the desire of the woman goes way back to Genesis 3:16, where it says — this is where the woman is being introduced to her curse: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.” And, from what I’ve seen, that’s just a — he knows how to put a curse. I’m glad it was Eve that started this whole process, and not Adam. I’m glad it was her that was deceived, and not the man. The man was just stupid and listened to his wife, you know.
And then he says, “And thy desire —” the woman’s desire “— shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” OK, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s still the design. That’s still part of the cursed world.
So, we’re trying to readjust this role. Well, it’s not time yet. Millennium — it’ll be different, just like it was then. But it isn’t different today.
So they’re trying to reverse this thing, and they’re saying, “You know, that used to be the good way, but no longer.” And the pastors are all for it. Who’s supposed to be working? That’s the man’s curse. And the women — now we’re switching them, except there’s men who want to have babies. You know, if we had babies, we wouldn’t have population growth — we’d have to be bowels all over the place that we’d be buying; nobody would be wanting to do that sort of a thing.
So, let’s look at Ephesians chapter 5. So the design is still there; it still exists. And the justification that the women have — and I understand this thing. I know that we’re in a cursed world. Guys can’t work, the health issues, or whatever. Lazy bums — that’s a different story. But if it’s a health issue, and the wife has to work, that’s life. Husband dies — that’s life, that’s the curse of this world.
So, there’s no point in even going down that road.
But the road we can go down is the one that’s done by a choice. And, again, I’m not going to get into the details — “what do you do for your daughters,” you know, and all that kind of junk — it just, it makes total sense of why would you teach — we do this all the time in our schools, we teach the girls to be guys. We just do. That’s just a common thing. And the guys — they’re little wimps. We don’t dare put any pressure on these boys to be tough. We’re not allowed to. And I’m not allowed to let the girls go first, you know.
I was told that in other schoos. “No, you can’t let the girls go first out of the room.”
“You’re kidding!”
So, I do it now, but this is South Dakota. We still have got some of those old standards hanging around. But, you know, they dress like guys, they talk like guys.
And I did talk to the girls one time, and said, “What if we started wearing dresses? Why not?”
“Well, you can’t do that!”
“Well, why not?”
Anyway, all that kind of stuff.
So, Ephesians chapter 5, verse 22: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” Wait a minute! Christ is no longer the head of the church anymore. It’s the pastor; it’s the people. They do what they think is right. What used to be good is evil; what used to be evil is now good within our churches.
“Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ.” No, the church today is subject under the pastor’s belief. The church today actually is subject under the people, because if the people aren’t happy, they’re not coming.
“So let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” And the wives are doing the same thing. The whole family is built around, is the wife happy or not? An unhappy lady in the house is enough to spoil the house.
In fact — if I can find this thing, I’m going to have the kids sing a song, if I can find it — I just found it this weekend. Ah, here’s a song we’re having, I’m going to teach thing. Girls are going to sing, “I want to be a cowboy sweetheart” — which is wrong, really, in some respects. Thus, they’re going to be the real sweetheart.
But the guys are going to sing, “Seven years with the wrong woman is more than a man can stand. Seven years with the wrong woman will wreck most any good man.” Um, we’ll just find here, some of these places here: “When you marry the wrong woman, there is only one thing you can do: Dig yourself a hole, crawl in the hole, then pull the ground in after you.” “Seven years with the wrong woman — it’ll end you and turn your gray. They say love is blind, but search till you find a face you can stand every day. In the final day of judgment, when the good Gabriel starts to blow, if I can see your face in that heavenly place I’ll ask to be sent down below.”
Some of the guys ought to have fun singing that thing!
Everything’s being messed up. Everything’s being destroyed. And the pastors — my point is, the pastors are saying, “It’s OK.” They don’t dare preach 1 Timothy 3. The don’t dare preach Ephesians chapter 5 — unless they do it in a manner where, if you don’t do this, God’ll chastise you, God’ll burn you up, God’ll kill your wife, God’ll kill your kids, God’ll bring your house down, God’ll take your job. All this kind of threat.
You put that on them, and then the woman is in the subjection matter. And notice Paul says, “Wives, submit yourselves.” OK, now, let’s go to 1 Peter, and this is for everybody — this is where the Christian men go, and the pastors, of course. They go to 1 Peter chapter 3. And it says, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands.” Now, there’s a difference there — to submit or to be in subjection.
And I first wised up to this thing when we were helping a lady who was abused by her husband just something terrible. And I actually went to the abuse center with her — my wife and I went with her. And up on the wall was this Bible verse that, you know, mocks Christianity the way a husband can treat his wife. And when I was looking at that — this was the first time I started seeing the Paul thing — and I realized, you know what? They’re using that verse incorrectly. That does say exactly what it says.
And while it says here, “While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.” And this lady — she has to stay with this guy, and her walk, her being in subjection — even though he doesn’t want to believe and wants to hurt her — she should stay with him, and she’ll win him over by her submission — by her being in subjection to this mean, rotten, abusive guy. And, during the Tribulation, that’s the way it’ll be.
No, you don’t divorce in the Tribulation; you stay with this guy, and maybe you can help him by being the tough home, you know, the submissive woman.
Paul doesn’t teach that. Paul teaches, “You submit to this man, and he doesn’t have to be the whip, he doesn’t have to be the dictator and all that kind of stuff, the beater.” But also says in 1 Corinthians 7, I think it is, that if there’s no peace in the home, and one wants to be the Christian based on Paul’s teachings, and the other one doesn’t, then the one who wants to, he can leave, she can leave.
So, I didn’t mean to get into that aspect tonight, but my whole point here is these pastors are allowing these role changes to take place — and if they have to do anything on a divorce issue, they go to 1 Peter chapter 3, and they say, “Lady, no, you need to stay with him.”
“But he’s such a jerk.”
“No, you need to stay with him.”
No, you don’t need to stay with this guy, not on an abusive basis. That’s not Paul’s ways. That’s not the ways of the risen Saviour that Paul teaches.
So, yeah, submit to your husband, but if he’s an abusive man, no, you don’t. And vice verse — if she’s an abusive woman.
And the ladies come up with these excuses like, “Oh, he’s a lousy Christian.” Well, he probably is. We’ve had our strength taken away a long time ago. We’re no longer the strong man of the house. We just give in; we can’t live without ‘em, and, you know, can’t live with ‘em in lots of cases.
And, so it just goes on. It’s not an issue anymore. Unless, again, like I say, you’re out on the East Coast, and you’re a Baptist, then divorce is the one sin that God doesn’t forgive you for. If you want to be a pastor, you can’t be if you’re divorced.
And there’s so much more to that stuff; we’re just going to skip it. But, you know, that’s the standard here. The role change is OK today. Well, it’s OK because of God’s grace. And the other aspect to look at here, see, if the woman goes to work, what do they have? They have gain. And if God blesses it, then we’ll have that much more money, and we can pay for our bills.
Yeah, a lot of us are in so much debt now that we can’t out of it; that’s where it’s at. But, that’s not the design.
For her to go to work to get that gain — gain is godliness.
Well, pastor, no, it’s not. You’re supposed to preach what the Bible says. If you’re chicken to say anything about it, just read the verses and go past it. Let God work on their little hearts.
I remember in one of my Bible study meetings — I think you were there, Bob; who we got on here here? OK, Bob, Bob, Bob — ah, you, Bob, remember. Remember that one meeting where one of the guys said, “Hey, can you preach that from the pulpit? Because I don’t have the guts to tell my wife.” I remember that one; I think you were there for that one.
Yeah. This is the big stuff. This is the stuff that Paul drives people away with. Paul’s teachings about imputation and — you know, all the stuff that Paul teaches, doctrine is fantastic. But you get to sound doctrine in our walk — oh, let’s drop this guy!
I’ve heard it said it’s not practical, it’s not possible, and it’s no fun, and the persecution I have to go under is I can’t take it any longer, you lose your fight.
But, come on. Let’s just remember, our Judgment Seat is worth talking about here. Our Judgment Seat is based on following Paul’s teachings. Romans 2:16; that’s just where it’s at. Take it or leave it. If you want to do the other stuff, have at it. God’s not going to chastise or beat you for it. It’s just going to burn up in the Judgment Seat — what a waste.
And, yet, we do stuff because we’re not really thinking of the Judgment Seat; we’re thinking how to make things certifiable today. We’re past the joy of toys; we’re in to survival. We need to both work because we need the money. We need to pay for the kids’ $300 tennis shoes. We need to pay for the sports costs; we need to buy these musical instruments for $500. We need to buy all these styles and clothes; we need to buy these Kendalls and Bendalls and electronic this and electronic that. We need a phone that keeps track of our whole life. We need to have all these computers; we need all this expensive stuff. And we just do. It gives us gain; that gives us godliness. So, we’re back and the pastors are happy. So that extra money comes into the plate.
This is all what it’s about. And if you want to take that stand, the modesty stand, if you want to take the money stand or the role — want to be the right role — you better make sure you’ve got the right husband.
And if you want to be the right husband, you better make sure you’ve got the right kind of wife who is willing to be the right kind of wife. Where do you find these things nowadays? Well, you sure won’t find them at Sears or Walmart anymore. They don’t hardly exist.
So, what do you do? ... silence ... What do you do? Toss it all out the window, so at least you’ve got something going on in your life?
We have to be this close to the Tribulation for things to be this bad, because if we join in and, let’s go to a crummy church, let’s just go to where we have to wear crummy stuff because of the jobs. Now, look at the job market. Look at what the girls and ladies have to wear, or they don’t have a job there. Halloween comes around; pajama day. I mean, the thing goes on and on.
Men, what kind of jobs can we find? Well, the whole business is run by the women’s mentality, the women’s philosophy. If a man gets in there and tries to be a man, he’s going to get fired. I’m the one man in both of my schools — outlying schools — I’m the one man, other than the one janitor we have. I’m the only one man there.
Now, we have a man substitute in this one school building for a couple weeks, and he has changed the atmosphere of the school — because now we have two men and one woman. Whoa! We are now the majority. Isn’t that exciting? And the kids are in shock.
But, he’s kind of wishy-washy anyway, but anyway.
So, how we doing now? First Timothy 3, Ephesians 5, verse 22, John 3 — OK, wrong or right. Everything is being changed; wrong is right and right is wrong.
I’m just kind of winging it here. Let’s go on to another one here. That’s another one that nobody likes to hear anymore; they’re tired of me talking about it. I’m tired of talking about it; I’m tired of having to be ignored and rejected. It’s just, you know, for people you care about, and they have to do this because their father makes them, or their boss makes them, or their mother makes them, or their flesh makes them. You know, we’re forgetting the Judgment Seat of Christ. We’re forgetting Paul’s teachings, and we’re letting the pastor decide whether you can.
Then you’ve got these pastors to say, well, you can’t come to church if you’re not dressed, da da da da — well then you’re getting, you know, then you’re getting into that “obey me” thing in Hebrews 13, and that’s not what that’s all about either. That’s Tribulation stuff again.
I think one of the biggest things that people need to realize, men and women need to realize is, 1 Peter chapter 3 is not written to us. And, if you’ve got a jerk for a husband or a jerk for a wife physically, and all that kind of stuff, then it says if there’s no peace, then hit the road. Make the peace happen. And that seems like a real copout, but it’s not.
How many people out there have been divorced and they’ve been feeling guilty for years and years and years, and all of a sudden they’re reading that, and they find out that God is actually OK with them doing that. That’s what grace is about.
Like I say, mostly on the East Coast, mostly on the East Coast, you get a divorce, God is done with you. Then, like these guys say, “OK, now that you’ve figured this out,” they’re against divorce. “You need to divorce your wife to go back to your first wife.” Wait a minute! If you’re against divorce, how can I divorce my second wife, to go back to my first wife? It’s dumb — just dumb thinking.
And to think they put Scriptures behind it? The only way they
can do that is to stay away from Paul. Paul only — that’s the only way
to fix that thing, according to the Scriptures.
And that’s where they go with this stuff. And nowhere does Paul tell us that Jesus wants us to stop sinning. Christ took care of sin — period. There is no law; all things are lawful. However — they’re not expedient. They have to be expedient; they have to edify; they can’t cause someone to stumble; they can’t be a power over your flesh, and they can’t be a power over you — an occasion for your flesh and a power over you.
There are some strings attached. Anything we do that’s wrong will burn in the Judgment Seat of Christ. No doubt — that’s what Paul teaches. But to get us to stop sinning, and if we don’t stop sinning, we have to confess it, that’s baloney. Because of 1 John 1:9, you know.
Here’s the question I ask people, and they never will be able to answer it yet. Of course they can’t; this isn’t written to us. It’s written to people during the Tribulation, where, yes, they better get forgiven, or they’re done for.
If it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” OK, my question is, is a Catholic saved? Because he confesses his sins. If he confesses his sins and asks for forgiveness, then a Catholic is a Christian. Or a Lutheran. Or anybody.
When you are lying in a car upside down in a ditch, you’re about to drown, can you — quick — confess your sins, and go to Heaven? No. Well, why not?
Then I start to come up with these answers. No, no, no, no. Either 1 John 1:9 says what it says and means what it says, or it’s not written to us.
So the preachers get up there, and they tell people to stop sinning, or God will get you. And you better come up in this invitation, and you better come up here and pray and cry a little bit and put on the big show, and make everything right again. By the time you walk back to your seat, you’ve probably seen some lady’s low-cut blouse, and you probably already sinned in your heart. In fact, if you go back to Matthew, you find out that if you just think about it, you’ve already committed adultery, so — boom! — you’re in trouble again. Go back to the altar again.
By the time you get home and pop on your TV, you better start confessing your sin again. It’s just crazy!
Yeah, in the Tribulation, they will have to. But today — what? Paul doesn’t tell us that. The risen Saviour doesn’t tell us that. What he tells us in Romans chapter 6. What he tells us is in Romans chapter 6, and that’s the chapter to get ahold of.
Romans chapter 6 — we’re not going to go through it tonight, because, like I said, I’m almost getting tired of talking about this stuff. It’s there, it’s obvious as all can be, but apparently it’s not. If you look at Romans chapter 6, it’s divided into two sections — and they’re both started off with this question, verse 1. Romans chapter 6, verse 1.
We’re talking about two lies that come from the pulpit here, folks. We’re talking about the one that says we need to stop sinning. Well, we should stop doing that now. No doubt! But our salvation is not dependent upon it, our fellowship with God is not dependent upon it. Whether we’re forgiven or not is not dependent upon it. We have no sins that are imputed to us in Romans chapter 4, Corinthians — we have no sin imputed because there is no law, Romans chapter 10. So we have nothing to confess.
And I know people, they can’t understand that thing. Because their pastors are teaching, “You do something wrong, you better ‘fess up,” I guess. “First John chapter 3 says that if you sin, you’re not born of God.” No, get ahold of the Book of Romans. That’s the book.
Romans chapter 6, verse 1: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” And the other question is in verse 15: “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace?” Both answers are, “God forbid.” Both questions are answered with, “Well, of course you should stop doing that. Well, God forbid that you’re going to continue in sin.” And then he goes and explains, “We are not able to continue in sin, because Christ took care of sin. We’re dead. “For he that is dead is freed from sin,” verse 7.
OK, so, Christ took care of sin. How do you take care of sin? He paid for it, and he took care of the law. He fulfilled the law. You put your trust in him, and he will impute his righteousness onto us, and our sins will no longer be imputed, because there are no sins being done.
There’s bad works being done. He says in verse 15 of chapter 4: “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.”
Hey, are you still sinning? Well, word game, I’m not still sinning, I’m still doing things wrong. OK, that stuff will burn in the Judgment Seat. But there is no law to say that it’s wrong. But there is a standard set that it’s going to burn in the Judgment Seat.
Look at — come on, put your brain together here, we read 13, Romans 6:22: “But now being made free from sin.” See, we’re free from sin. Verse 8: “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” Verse 11: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin.” Ah, here it is. Chapter 5, verse 13: “Sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Romans chapter 10, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.” Righteousness is still there to show lost people they’re lost people. But, once they’ve put their faith in Christ, they’re no longer under that law. So, if there’s no law, there’s no sin. The things we do wrong are going to burn in the Judgment Seat. It’s that simple.
But, you’ve got to realize that Romans chapter 6, 1 through 14, talks about Christ got rid of sin — not sins — sin. He took care of it.
Now, from 15 to the end, yeah, we shouldn’t yield ourselves to the sin that is in our flesh. But we do. Paul never calls it sins, though. “There is no law.” But there are still things that we do that will burn — because it still is not what pleases God.
Then we go to the next stage of this whole thing. We’re not going through this thing completely, you know that. Then we go to Romans chapter 8. We see in verse 8 that, “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” So, the other aspect, the other half of this question here, is, or this deception from the pulpit, is, lost people doing the right thing. A lost person can go through Paul’s books. A lost person can go through Titus chapter 2, for example, and do everything right. But it doesn’t please God. Why is that? It can’t please God. He’s still in the flesh; he’s still uncircumcised spiritually. His soul is still part of his flesh. Flesh is part of his soul.
So, it doesn’t matter if you’re doing something good or not. You cannot please God if you’re in the flesh.
So, you get these guys up there. Sunday school is especially guilty of this — teaching the kids Sunday school lessons to be moral, to obey and to do all this kind of stuff. You watch these stupid cartoons and these vegetables and bugs and bees and birds and all that stuff. You know, there’s always one bad bug in the bunch. And that one bug does all sorts of funny, fun bad things that kids love to watch. And then this little bug gets saved in the end, and he starts doing right. And these other guys are always doing right.
There’s a lot of works in these cartoons for kids. A lot of false teachings in there from the youth directors.
So this bad bug, that has taught all the other kids how to be bad, and it’s funny, and it’s cute. So this bad bug finally stops sinning, stops doing wrong — he becomes a good bug.
That’s works.
And people have to realize that it doesn’t matter how good of works you’re doing, that if you’re not his, and had the spiritual circumcision, operation made without hands, if you haven’t truly trusted in Christ and the real Jesus, then it doesn’t matter how good you’re doing stuff.
That’s why. That’s another one. We talked about that. God says, you know, “God loves you.” If somebody tells a lost person, “You know, God loves you,” then that person to me is obviously going to think, well, then, if God loves me, he’s not going to send me to hell. So they start doing these good things because God loves them. And yet they’re still in the flesh, and they’re not pleasing God. So they stop sinning; so what? They’re still in the flesh; they’re not dead to sin. It’s still attached to them.
So the lies from the pulpits about righteousness is exactly what it says in Romans chapter 10 verse 3: “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” And God imputes his righteousness to us. It’s not because we do it.
And then, when he does that, then we are now able to please God.
Here we go; here’s the kicker verse, and then we can be done.
I remember reading that for the first time. That was the very first verse that starting me thinking years ago something, you know, we — because the concept from the Ruckmanite Christian or a Baptist Christian, or whatever, if, you know, we really can’t please God because of our flesh. We just have to trust God to show us what to do.
No, we can actually please God! We are capable, in our daily walk, to do something that pleases God. And we’re capable of doing something that doesn’t please God. It’s just possible. Something that doesn’t please God will burn in the Judgment Seat of Christ, and that’s based on Paul’s teachings, Romans 2:16 and 1 Thessalonians 4:1.
“Ye have received of us —” that’s Paul and his gang “— how ye ought to walk and to please God.” And we can.
But you can’t if you’re not his, and he’s yours. By doing the right stuff, you can’t. You’ve got to be out of that flesh — not in your flesh. We’re not in our flesh anymore.
Now, with that mind, I left out of a bunch of stuff — Romans 10, Romans 6, Romans 8, 2 Corinthians, Philippians 3:9, you know — I mean, there’s just verse after verse after verse that talks about righteousness, and we get the handle on that thing.
But, for the sake of we’re there, been there, let’s go to one more. Let’s take on a tough one here. The question is, according to Paul, it says that we can please God. Here’s the question. From the pulpit — again, this is another teaching from the pulpit that the music that’s going on in the churches is pleasing God. Or, the music that you listen to is pleasing God.
Well, what’s your basis for that? Gain. If your teenagers are starting to respond again with God, it’s because of their music, then that music must be right. That music must please God. OK? Ask yourself this question. The music that you listen to, do you know if it pleases God or not?
Now, you can’t help it. You cannot go anywhere today without music being somewhere. You can’t go get groceries — right, Peter? — their music is being played. You can’t go to restaurants, you can’t go up and down in an elevator, you can’t walk down the hallway, you can’t walk into a store. You can’t even walk outside. Somebody’s boombox goes booming by. You cannot get away from the music.
Now, I’m old enough that there was a time where we didn’t have music like that. I’m from the generation where they actually invented Muzak, during my time. Before Muzak was invented, you could go places all over where there was no music. And just a little bit before my time — probably Jeannette’s time — I’ll wait for this tomato to come flying through the air! — that there was a time where, if you wanted music, you had to play it yourself. You had to go someplace where there was a band. You had to go someplace where there was an orchestra, where there was opera being sung, or you’re singing it yourself.
And, now, you can’t away from it.
Now, already my mind opens up to a thousand different directions to go here about music. Again, by not even getting into is, the prooftext verses, but the Antichrist is going to come with music, and he’s going to trick people with music. He’s going to give them the foul hymn with music, the pied piper stuff.
Look at Daniel. Look at something in Daniel here. I probably should have saved this for a sermon by itself. But, again, this is another one of those things that, I don’t want to sit and prepare it again, because I’ve got it all over the Internet, and I’ve talked about it for years.
Let’s go to Daniel chapter 5. No, Daniel chapter 3 — sorry about that. Daniel chapter 3. Take your pick — either verse 15 or verse 5 or verse 7. This is Nebuchadnezzar type of Antichrist, OK? And it says here in verse 5, for example; Nebuchadnezzar says, “But you guys are going to bow down and worship this image.” And he says here, “That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, —” which is a trombone “— psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, —” underline “all kinds of music.” It probably already is underlined if you’ve heard this before. When the hear that, “Ye fall down and worship the golden image.” And, if not, you’re going to be tossed into the fire.
OK? That’s what’s being taught during this time. And the key there is “all kinds of music.” It isn’t just “bad” music. You can take clean music, Mozart, and you can get so engrossed into your music that music becomes your god. Music becomes the power.
When you come home from a bad day, do you open up your Bible, or do you turn on your music?
Churches — what’s going on in the music? “Come to our church — our band is great.” “Come worship with us.” That’s music. Teenagers — you gotta hear — I can’t even think of the names of the bands in there, you know — “Blood Sacrifice,” there’s a band. “Let’s go hear Blood Sacrifice — they’re so hot, and so cool, and it makes me think of Jesus all the time.” Yeah, that is Antichrist stuff right there, going on in the churches.
You are bowing down to the image of the Antichrist already, and it’s not even here yet. But you’re ready; the power of music runs your life.
Turn off your music, and see how long you can go. Tomorrow, during recess, I’m going to tell the kids, “Nobody can bring their MP3s or iPods, oPods, Kindles — none of that stuff can come outside. If you’re going to go outside, you’re going to run around like banshees, and you’re going to have recess. You’re going to leave your stuff in your room.”
Well, that’s going to go over like a bomb — I can just guarantee that.
They need to have that stuff.
So, anyway, that’s all kinds of music — not just the bad stuff, not just the rhythm, not just the beat — just music in general.
So, does your music please God? Well, let’s go to Colossians. Ah, there are so many things I could talk about with this music thing. Talk about an unwelcome message: “Come to our church; we’ll preach about music.” OK. Three or four days later: “Ah, don’t come back.”
I had one pastor give me a thousand dollars — oh, that would be so nice! — gave me a thousand dollars, and he said — I was there for a week, and I preached every day, worked with his choir, worked with his orchestra, preached I think one, two, three, four sermons about music. And, when I was done, the crowd was excited. They saw it. The orchestra and the choir — they saw it.
And this guy gave me a thousand dollars and said, “You’re right. But you’re not going to build a church on that kind of a message.”
“OK, well thanks for the thousand dollars. I’m not here to build a church; I’m here to preach the truth.”
And the funny thing about it — this guy had me come. I can say it — this was Modlish, Dr. Modlish. He had me come, and he said, “There’s something not right with my music program.”
Well, by the time I was maybe half a day into this thing, the problem he had with his choir and his orchestra and his songleading, was not the choir. It was not the orchestra. It was not the songleader. It was the piano player. The piano player could not follow — or would not follow — the songleader.
OK, so I said to the pianist, “You know what? Let me play the piano.” And I just followed the songleader. And he said, “All of a sudden I felt like I was actually directing the singing.” The orchestra, the choir — they were all excited, blah blah blah.
The problem here, his piano player was his wife. Oh, why me, Lord? I said, why do I have to tell this guy that his wife is the problem. Ha! You know, this has been the story of my ministry. Anywhere I go, something in this Bible is just going to destroy it if we’re trying to build a church without the truth.
And this guy’s a King James guy, da da ta da. How’d I get into that? Oh, the fact here that nobody wants to hear this music, so slow down with your mouth, I know, slow down. I could talk about music for hours and hours. In fact, if Marilyn Cambridge was online.
I was at her house one night, and some charismatic, New NIV Christian came and asked me, “What do you think God thinks about our music?”
Four hours later, I finally realized I better shut up. I’d given this guy, you know, a 20-barrel shotgun. And that’s just the way it is with this music thing.
So, anyway, we got into this tonight by saying, does your music please God? OK, let’s go to Colossians. Oh, let’s see here. No, it’s not the Colossians verse; it’s the Ephesians verse. Let’s go to Ephesians. They’re almost identical. Ephesians and Colossians. Ephesians 5, verse 19 has the key word in it that Colossians doesn’t have.
Are you all still there? Am I bothering you with the music stuff? Because, you know, remember, Bob, when I tried to teach music, the language of music — were you there for that series in there? I said, if I could teach Jerry and Bill to appreciate the notes and the actual language of music, I would be able to explain to people how the actual power of music works in our lives. Were you there for that? I kind of don’t think you were. You were there? All right? And, see, it helped you greatly! Ha!
Oh, I tried to get so much into that series, you know. It’s online; it’s under the music section. I think it’s twelve sermons about the language of music and how the power of music from within itself.
Anyway, it’s a marvelous subject.
But, Ephesians 5:19: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, —” there are sermons behind that thing “— singing and making melody —” Right there is the key to what pleases God. What pleases God is the melody.
Well, obviously, Colossians chapter 3, verse 16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Obviously, it’s the word of Christ. If you’re teaching a false doctrine, or if you’re using words that are not God’s words in your music — for example, if you sing, which song is it that has “he emptied himself” — is it, “And Can It Be”? I think it’s “And Can It Be.” And one little phrase in there — it’s an NIV verse that you sing. Well, that doesn’t please God.
But then one has to laugh: Here you King James are, you’re singing this great song that you whoop and holler about, and there on verse 3 you’re singing an NIV phrase.
Or, there’s tons of false doctrine in our hymns. There’s always a verse or half a verse — well, “wait a minute, that’s not right.” You know that kind of stuff?
So, we have to remember that just because we’re singing out of a Baptist hymnal does not mean that pleases God. God wants to hear melody, and he wants to hear sound doctrine.
OK, from a musical standpoint, what do we go back to for the standard that we think musically would please God? Then you get into a music history study. And you find out that there was a time that music was written in its pure fashion, it was written in what they call absolute music, it didn’t have anybody’s personality in it, it didn’t have any pictures in your mind, it didn’t have any dissonance — which is a bad sound — it didn’t have any modern, bad instrument connotations. It had a good testimony.
In fact, you could go to Phillippians — that’s the verse —Philippians chapter 4, it’s Philippians chapter 4. We see in Philippians chapter 4, verse 8, that we’re to think on things that are honest, just, pure, lovely, and “of good report.” And in the history of music, when that took place, and it came about through the middle of the Baroque era — if anybody knows what that is — and peaked during the classical, and then went downhill when Beethoven got involved, because Beethoven wrote his miserable personality into his music.
So there is actually a time of music written by man and all this kind of stuff that we can look to that is considered pure, healthy, honest, just, and of good report.
So, there’s our standard. And, by the way, I’m teaching this in my seventh- and eighth- grade music class. And they just sit there; they just have never heard such a thing. I’m teaching it in as simplfied fashion as I possibly can. It’s just, if I can leave that little seed with them, that there is a standard — well, how do you know this is wrong? Based on what?
It’s just like in the schools. They want these kids to be good little students. I want to say to these administrators, “Can you show me your standard? Show me a student that fits this standard? How do we know that this is wrong?” Da da ta da. Where’s our standard?
Where is your standard of dress? Where is your standard of shamefacedness? Where’s your standard of talk? You know, where’s this at? Well, it’s in your Bible. And in music, it was during the late Baroque, early classical. Who were the composers? Handel, Bach, Mozart. Everything they write doesn’t mean it was proper music. However, that’ when it was.
After the classical comes romantic, and they tell the kids, “It’s not the kissy, huggy stuff. It’s the stuff they put their emotions into it.” Goes downhill.
So, yeah. And when God talks about melody, that’s what he wants to hear. Balanced music took place. You had melody, you got harmony, and you’ve got rhythm. It all balances out during the early classical, late Baroque.
Let’s go to this one. Amos chapter 6. Oh, I’m just yakking — go away if you don’t want to hear it, I guess. Just do dishes or something. This is the stuff that I’ve been dinging with for years and years and years, and there’s probably nothing more frustrating other than the King James Bible issue itself, and that’s to try to get people to look at their music.
Because, see, if the devil can take away God’s praises, wouldn’t that be a great victory for him?
Now, see in the Old Testament — we’re looking for Amos here — in the Old Testament God was in the Temple. God was there. They would sing to him, and if they did the right stuff, the right music and the right singing in the right manner, then God would show up as a cloud, or show up in the Temple, that kind of a thing.
But, today, Acts chapter 2 — no, you can’t do that with him today. Come on, he’s in you.
We go to Amos chapter 5, for example, he says in verse 22, “I hate, I despise your feast days.” He says in verse 23: “Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.” These guys were doing something wrong with their melody. And God didn’t want to hear it.
So, yeah, there is a music that doesn’t please God. And he talks about melody; it’s the music that he doesn’t like, not just the words.
Now, look at another Amos chapter right here. Amos chapter 6, where he talks about David. He says in verse 1: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.” Now, you don’t want to preach that thing; we’re just a bunch of lazy Christians today, you know? We’re “at easy in Zion.”
Look at verse 4 now; there’s your couch potato Christian. “That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches.” You know, and then verse 5: “That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David.” So, here’s what’s wrong. This music was written for themselves.
We go to Psalm 68:4, and we find out the purpose of music really is to please God. But here’s a verse — and I’ll show you why this is an important verse — and it says again; this is what’s wrong with these people; they chant to the sound of the viol; “chant” is repetition over and over and over, which is what rock music is; this is what the offbeat is. So that’s what their music is; it’s the same thing over and over and over again.
Classical music isn’t that way at all — Baroque and etc. And it says here, the key here is, “invent to themselves instruments of music, like David.”
Let’s keep that in mind. Let’s go to 1 Chronicles 23, 1 Chronicles 23; I’m glad you’re still there; you’ve probably heard this a thousand times. First Chronicles 23, verse 5. And here’s where we find out why David made the instruments he made: “Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.” David made his instruments to praise God. That’s what he did.
So here these guys are in Amos. They’re chanting to the sound of the viol. They’re lazy Christians, lying on the couch —not that they’re 'Christians,' but you know what I mean. And invent to themselves instruments that David made that were supposed to be for God to be praised, but they’re doing it to themselves. OK? This is what’s wrong.
Now, a new Bible — NIV, different versions, different editions of different versions — basically say, they take out the comma after “musick.” By the way, your word “music” should be spelled with a “k” — “m-u-s-i-c-k” — you might notice that. That’s the 1611 to the max there. And they take out the comma after “music” and add the word “did.” “And invent to themselves instruments like David did.” Whoa! The way their bible puts it, they can do today in the churches what David did — and that’s take this music and play it for themselves. Makes them feel good, makes them think they’re worshipping God, makes them enjoy the music like, “Well, David did it.” No, David did not do it. David made his instruments to praise God, not for himself.
These people think they’re worshipping God with the music that’s going on in their church. They’re blaspheming God; the doctrines are wrong, the testimony is wrong, the language of music itself is wrong; it’s a deception that’s taken people to follow the Antichrist, because when the Antichrist comes, they’re going to bow to him because of the music that he’s playing.
Put that in your cigarette and roll it up and smoke it!
That’s fantastic stuff. But yet look what people are doing to their music. They’re being suckered into that music.
Have you ever heard of the story “Pied Piper of Hamlin”? These little children, just this guy comes along and just plays his little flute, dancing around like some little queer fairy pan, and plays his little pan pipe, and all the little children of Hamlin follow this guy.
And that’s what’s happening.
It’s not just the bible versions, and not just the liars in the pulpit. It’s the fact that these guys, and these bible versions are being put into this music, and these pastors support it, they encourage it. And these guys know nothing about music. And, when they allow that music into their church, they are setting their people up for the coming of the Antichrist. And the whole church is going to jump right in. That’s a Pentecostal thing. Pentecostals, the power they had years ago when they first came around was their music. Now, that same music is in our Baptist churches, in our King James Bible-preaching churches. Now, we just call it hillbilly, so they jump around and run around in the church. Banjoes doesn’t melody; banjoes play rhythm. They take a melody, and they pollute it with rhythm.
Oh, on and on. People just don’t know what’s happening in their lives because of the music they listen to. And they’ll never know the difference because they cannot turn it off.
And if you hang around long enough — I moved out here to South Dakota, and this is country and western — not modern country, not country rock — this is country and western — Merle Haggard — who’s the lady at the Opry House? Minnie Pearl. That’s where we’re at out here. And you hang around it long enough, you start to like it. But you got to remind yourself, “Wait a minute. This doesn’t please God.”
And I’m trying as hard as I possibly can to keep that music within the schools as clean as I can. In the meantime, teaching this stuff, and don’t pull out that little stuff. And, so far, so good. I think.
But it’s tough. You know these little kids in this generation — you know that these are Tribulation kids; there’s just no doubt about it. And God is just not in the lives of these children anywhere.
One of my kids said, “Who’s this Noah. You say three sons of Noah. What are you talking about? Who’s Noah?” They know nothing. And they all go to church. So, what does that say?
Anyway. Well, let’s finish it up there. Can music please God? It can. The music you listen to is capable of pleasing God — or not pleasing God. If it doesn’t please God, will you lose your fellowship over it. Like he said, “I’m going to stop hearing.” No, it’s just going to burn in the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is part of our flesh. Well, if it’s just part of our flesh, let’s just rock out and have a great time. Well, all things are lawful. Go for it. You’re not going to lose your fellowship with God over it; you’re not going to lose your salvation.
Oh, wait a minute! It could cause somebody else to stumble because of what they watch you listen to. Well, it’s certainly not expedient. And it doesn’t edify. Why listen to that stuff? It doesn’t edify.
“Well, it makes my flesh feel good.” OK, not for an occasion for the flesh — otherwise, it’ll burn in the Judgment Seat.
It has a power over you? Oh, you betcha, your music has a power over you. Yeah, somebody watches you check out a rock song, and you get a kick out of it, you laugh about around the house and your kids hear it — your kids are done. They’ll follow it eventually.
Well, how can they help it? Look at their cartoons. Look at their school videos. Look at what the bands are playing, the few bands that are left in schools — look at what they’re playing. “Hawaii Five-O” — all this junk. Look at what they watch on TV. Look at the movies. Look at the music — going on behind these movies. Oh, man! Powerful bass vibrating through the theater, and as spaceships come down and the music is right there. You know? What makes a classic movie classic? Is it the actors? Is it the subject?
I’ll tell you what makes the classic movie classic. They use the right kind of music. You take any of these classics, and you look at the music they’re playing. They’re playing Baroque or classical behind that stuff.
You look at a commercial. Tonight, on a Super Bowl commercial, was it the — yes, I watched it for a couple of minutes. Again, it was as boring as I thought it would be. And the commercials were as dumb and dirty as I thought they would be. One of them — I think it was the one about the Volkswagen — and they played a Beethoven.
Why do people like Beethoven? People who hate classical will still listen to Beethoven, because Beethoven writes his moods. His emotions are into that thing. So, people are full of moods and emotions, and they like Beethoven.
Why don’t they like Mozart? Mozart’s too clean. Why don’t they like Handel? Too much Bible in there. Why don’t they like Bach? Too many notes, and it’s too clean.
Beethoven? Nit-nit-nit-nooooo. Everybody’s got the feel — and it’s going down the hill. Down the hill. Downhill.
Anyway, time to stop. It’s late; I’m sorry; didn’t mean to get that long. I just get rambling on about the music thing. So, yeah, music can please God, or it cannot please God. Praise the Lord that we’re separated, and if it doesn’t please God, it’ll burn. But, as sure as God, we’re not going to lose our salvation, or he’s not going to break fellowship with us, just because of our music. Because if he would break fellowship with us because of our music, we’re all done. We hear enough stuff that God won’t stay there. The Holy Spirit would have left by now if nothing else, for your music.
You walk into a store, God’s going to say, “Whoa, I can’t hear this, I’m outta here.”
However, that’s the way it’s going to be in the Tribulation. God
will be out of there if they don’t stay away from that music.
