Beware of Dogs — Bill McLeod

Beware of Dogs: The Call to Warn Others

Good day, this is Bill McLeod from Winnipeg Canada and bringing a message from the Word of God and My text would be Philippians chapter 3 verse 2, which says beware. Beware of dogs. I want to read a scripture from Isaiah 56 from verse 10.

His watchmen are blind. They're all ignorant. That is their own train. They're all dumb dogs. They cannot bark. Now these supposed to be watchdogs. You see they can't bark sleeping. Lying down loving to slumber.

Yes, they're greedy dogs, which can never have enough. And there are shepherds that can't understand. They all look to their own way everyone for his gain from his quarter. Beware of dogs and we might see they were of having a dog-like nature.

That's a problem, too. And So these dogs watchdogs are supposed to warn of impending approaching danger and In a sense every believer should be a watchdog this is made quite clear in in the Old Testament and so as well as of course in the new we every Christian then is supposed to be a watchdog for God and to warn of danger warn the unruly Comfort and discourage and So we're told.

Spiritual Blindness and Ignorance

Let's look into this very carefully then. He says they're blind. They can't see what good is a dog. They can't see a Watchdog, you can't see. Well, he that likes these things blind and cannot see afar from this forgotten.

He was perished from his old sins. 2nd Peter 5 9 blind can't see. Forgotten he was perished from his old sins and then ignorant. What does it say there? They're all ignorant. That is they're untrained.

They don't know how to do it even Hebrews 5 11 12 said when for the time you ought to be teaching you of need that one teach you a game. Which be the first principles of the oracles of God? They've become such as have need of milk and not a solid food for everyone uses milk.

He's unskillful in the word of righteousness for he's a babe. But solid food belongs to those who well who sit have had to those who have been trained those who have the experience and Those who know what to do.

You see the writer was really he was really unhappy because these people have been Christians for a long while. And when considering the time they've been saved. They had to be trained all over again.

They'd forgotten the things they once knew and so they were they were dogs, too they were untrained and just Ignorant they they couldn't. God couldn't use them. And then they speak to of dumb dogs dogs that cannot bark.

They're all dumb dogs. They're all dumb dogs. They can't bark. Barking is a dog's thing, isn't it? I would say it was certainly it's a dog's thing. I was in Alaska and staying in the house and right next to The house where I stayed holding meetings.

There was a fella he had four cages for dogs set up on. About four feet off the ground and each cage had a dog in it and there were big Big malamutes or whatever. I'm not sure of the breed, but there are white mostly and I never once heard them bark.

So I said to the host of the house where I was staying What's with those dogs, you know, I never hear them bark and he said listen at one time they bark day and night. But I appealed to the noise bylaw and he was told he had to stop this so he debarked them.

None of them can bark. It must have been hard on the dog to have it happen because like I said barking is the dog's thing. So they've been debarked, you know what's happened the devil has debarked a lot of Christians so they can't talk for God.

They don't bark. There's nothing to say. Doesn't matter what kind of company they're in. Something bad is said about the Bible or about Christians or about Christ. Not a word is said by Christians. They're all they're all dumb dogs.

They can't say a word and that's that's not the way we're supposed to be. Okay, we need to be trained to bark at the right time and it's the right things. We have a neighbor dog the barks at everything.

He's barking all the time. He's not barking. He's not a watchdog. He just barks. And we don't want to be that kind of some Christians like that too. They're always barking, but they don't really have anything to say that's worth listening to.

Speaking With Discernment

I know in traveling I've been in a lot of foreign countries and I've occasionally had people in the middle of the night trying my door. When that happens, you know what I do. I Bark like a big dog and I practice that I bark like a big dog and I'll tell you they're gone.

You hear these people running away. They don't want to tangle with big dogs, you know, so. So I've been barking that way like a dog. Someone 19128 says I esteem that as I count all your precepts. That's every one of your teachings to be right and I hate every false way if you're a watchdog a real watchdog as Ezekiel 3 and is equal 33 then you certainly will esteem all God's precepts.

Concerning all things to be right and you'll hate every false way and when you see false ways or see them coming you you bark out loud. That's just they sleeping. They love to sleep. Apparently sleeping lying down loving to slumber and Some people are like that and they talk in their sleep.

I've seen dogs are barking in their sleep and you'll see their bodies twitching and they're chasing something maybe in their sleep and For some Christian, the only time they talk is when they're sleeping.

And so Hey, they love to sleep. They love to lie down. That's what got David in problems when he should have been on the battlefield. With job and the rest and a time of year when Kings went forth to battle.

He was lying on the bed and he rose off of his bed and must have been in the day. He'd been lying down because he walks up from the roof. He can see this woman washing. This would never have happened.

Otherwise, but it did happen because he was sleeping down lying when he should have been on the battlefield for God and So that's a warning to us also. Then it says they're greedy dogs, which can never have enough they always want more.

Greed, Contentment, and Compassion

We went on holidays once and took you our dog with us and it was a big dog. And I would never make that mistake again but anyway, we drove a long ways from Winnipeg into Cam loops. British Columbia, Kelowna.

It should be not cam loops. Anyway. We got there and they had a dog and a strange thing happened, you know. We just said the one dog dish and so we put the food in the dish and then we tie my dog to a tree and their dog to a tree on the other side of the path and Put this dish down that let the two dogs go at the same time.

My dog being bigger and faster got there first, you know what he did he picked up the dish and walked away with the other dog didn't couldn't get anything and Somebody said you know what? He's been watching humans too long.

Yeah, I don't laugh about that. But Loving to slumber greedy dogs that can never have enough and some people are like that one fella said I'm not greedy. I just want all the land that joins mine. He was a farmer, you know, he wasn't greedy.

He just wanted all the land to join his. And some people and they're not satisfied no matter how much they have. Listen, the Bible says clearly having food and clothing. Let us be there with content having food and clothing.

Food and clothes that's all doesn't even talk about a house. But having food and clothing be thankful because there are millions of people in the world. They don't even have food and clothing, you know I've been in India and seen people in places.

They they live on the sidewalk. They say the invention of plastic was a godsend because in the rainy season. Most people can somehow get a piece of plastic and lie under the plastic they'll get wet on one side won't get wet all over and and You know, we were in the Philippines one time in a town of about 120 ,000.

I don't recall the name of the place now, but there was no such thing as garbage disposal and so the people got their heads together and they named one Street garbage Street and Everybody in the place came and dumped her garbage in that Street and we saw that I got some movies of that.

It was a for three blocks. It was Garbage probably five six feet high and so wide that there's no sidewalk or Street left. Houses on both sides rats running through pigs rooting around in them. Then I saw ladies Climbing into this garbage looking for some banana peels or orange peels.

They could take home for the kids to have something to eat. And then here in Canada and the States if the garbage truck is two hours late and we're screaming to high heaven. People we've got to straighten up.

We've got to understand a poor man in North America. So wealthy man in many parts of the world would be considered that. Because they have so so little. I talked to men in Madras Italy. They're working full-time for a for a I guess I don't know what you'd call them.

But anyway, they were making Clothes of different kind and. So I asked them what they were earning and they were earning. The equivalent $2 a week not $2 an hour $2 a week. This means for a lot of those people.

We discovered it was a bowl of rice. Once a day a bowl of rice once a day. And people here in North America. We're gonna have to pay for this because God has given us so much. And we give so little most Christian don't even tithe about 15 or 20 percent of Christian people tithe and The rest are robbing God robbing God and then they're wondering we're wondering why things.

We don't have the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit in our churches because of the way we live. We're a bunch of greedy dogs. That's what we are. It says they cannot understand. They don't know what's going on and the average Christian doesn't have a clue that's what's going on around him.

Seeking Wisdom Through Scripture

If you're lacking wisdom is asking faith. Nothing wavering. God will give you a chance for James 1 5 to 8. If in a man like wisdom of the master of God that gives to all men liberally. He doesn't upbraid us for asking too much, you know.

But let him ask in faith nothing wavering free that wavers like a wave of the sea. Driven with the wind and tossed let not that man think that he should receive anything of the Lord. Can it understand.

2nd Timothy 2 15 studies you show yourself a proven to God rightly handling the word of truth. Get into the Bible and get to know it. Oh how I love your loss someone 1997 it's my meditation all the day.

Someone 19162. I rejoice at your word as one that finds great spoil. If you can't understand this because you don't know your Bible well, the Bible knows the past the present in the future you need to get into that and Study it.

Finney and Moody. They used to rise at 4 in the morning and Study the Bible and pray till 8 o 'clock every morning. No wonder they were used to my way of God. They prepared They you couldn't they would never say they couldn't understand they knew what was going on.

They know what God's work was what his plan was and they moved in that direction and so we must do the same. Then it says they all look to their own way. And many of us are like that. The Bible says that we're not to look to our own way and First Corinthians 1024 let no man seek his own but every man another's welfare.

Look, not every man in his own things, but every man also on the things of others. You've got some problems. Maybe you should look for some of those some problems and try and help them out of theirs and then find deliverance from your own problems but Paul said all seek their own not the things which are Jesus Christ and He was talking about Christians as the context clearly shows.

Here's what he said. I have no man like mine who will naturally care for your state for all seek your own not the things which are Jesus Christ. And so every man looking to his own things Philippians 2 for don't do that.

Look not every man his own thing. They're mad also in the things of others. It says the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends in Job 42 10. You know, we're so so engrossed on our own problems and so on.

We have no time to think of others and sometimes Christian live a whole lifetime Just looking on their own things. Someone said the prevailing philosophy today is what's in it for me? What's in it for me?

Helping Others Instead of Seeking Personal Gain

One time I slid off a road was a very poor road had been raining and I slid into the ditch and there I sat and Cars went rolling by nobody stopped and then I saw coming with a big sign on the front. Something about Jesus as mine at all.

He's a Christian. I flagged him. He never even never even slowed down. And then a man in the big truck came along and he stopped said hey chum, can I help you? I said, I don't know. It's it's kind of a messy thing down here but when I said we'll try so we got a chain out and hooked on and He got mud on his hands and on his clothes and I saw man.

You shouldn't have started here just like, you know, I can survive here and no. No, he said I'll get you out of there and he got me out. And so I Offered him a $10 bill. No, he said I don't have any money.

He said Someday I'll be in the ditch and you'll pull me out. And so he had the right attitude, but the Christian was a different story, you know, and oftentimes people non-christians are better than we are.

Jonah was sleeping in the bottom of the ship and the captain ship came and woke him up and said wake up. We'll sleep. What do you mean by sleep? What are you doing down here? Rise call upon your God you want to be praying everybody the ship was praying and they weren't even believers and the believer was doing That he was sleeping.

And like it says lying down loving just loving to slumber. Sleeping. Okay. They all look to their own way. I had a friend who at one time was property rich and money poor and he He knew some wealthy people.

He went to them Christians even trying to get some financial help. And just to get out of the current problem down the road things would have been better, but he was property rich and money poor. You know what?

He told me he said I couldn't get a nickel out of one of them. The in every case that the answer the question was what's in it for me, what am I going to get out of this and Finally, he found a man. I don't think the guy was even a Christian and this fella offered to bail him out and did so and So as Christians, you know Everyone looks to their own way everyone for his gain.

From his quarter listen, our text is beware of dogs and I say beware of having a dog dog like nature. Isaiah 123 says everyone loves gifts and follows after or seeks rewards everyone and Michael 311 he speaks about the heads of the nation who were doing their work for Reward and the priests were doing their intercessions for hire and the prophets who were divining for money.

And so all three were in it for South. And Malachi 110 speaks about people. God was upset because he couldn't find anybody that would kindle a fire on the altar or Open the doors of the temple unless they were paid.

Covetousness and the Love of Pleasure

And that was then back then well Luke 12 15 were to take heed a man's life doesn't consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses. Jesus taught us that very clearly. Your life doesn't you know, we have so many labor-saving devices their feet stick out our windows now.

Yeah, we don't seem to have any more time for God. We're trying to use our spare time to get involved in pleasure. When Paul warned us that in the last days perilous times would come. Perilous means hard difficult dangerous times.

Then he says men will be lovers of their own selves. Maybe this a long list of names of sins people be involved in and then he says Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. And so that's a problem.

That's the way our Civilization is in our country and in many countries today. Take heed and beware of covetousness. Remember I read an article in a in a Christian paper. It was a charismatic paper and This lady said I am a child of the king and the king owns the universe.

He's very wealthy and he wants me his child to be wealthy too. And then she said I Absolutely refuse to be poor. If I'm poor that's because of my unbelief. I'll never ever Seek to be poor or allow myself to be poor made a big point, you know.

So I wrote her a letter got her address and I wrote her a letter and I said have you never read? That verse in James chapter 2 verse 5. It says Harkin my beloved brethren has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the king which is promised.

I'm not love him. And I mailed the letter in about two weeks later got a letter back and she thanked me for the word. She said I will never ever make the statement again. She said I didn't know that was in the Bible.

You know in the book in the Old Testament Proverbs and other places were told that He that reproaches the poor reproaches his maker. So the poor are poor because God has made them poor. That's really what it's saying.

Now there's other factors involved night. We haven't time to go into that. But that's what it says. He the reproach of the poor reproaches his maker. The rich and the poor meet together. It says the Lord is the maker of them all.

So God makes the rich and God makes the poor. That's what it's saying. All right. The rich and poor meet together. The Lord is a maker of them all. He depressed the poor reproaches maker. Whoso marks the poor reproaches his maker.

Speaking Up for God

Proverbs 14 31 and 17 5. Oh People listen, we've got to get it straight beware of dogs. Beware of having a dog like nature. Beware of being a debarked dog that never has anything to say. Not a word. You know when people.

Let me give an example. I was walking past a drunkster one time. There's Oh maybe 15 young people standing in a circle and one of these young guys are shooting off his mouth and Blaspheming God and it was horrible and I walked through the group.

Pushed my way through and walked up to him and said You are talking about my best friend Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior and I don't like the way you talk about him, sir. And he stared at me like I just hopped in from Mars or some place.

Never said a word and I broke turned around and walked away pushed my way through the group again. And they stared at me like I didn't exist. They never heard this before, you know, but listen people what somebody courses God.

Stand up for God, you know. Stand up for God. God will bless you as you do. We're so silent. It's it's criminal. I remember one man. He was one of the most faithful witnesses for God. I ever knew but he told me for years.

He'd been searching for God. He had unsaved relatives that live near and near where he had a brother was a Christian and none of nobody none of these Christians Ever talked to him about Christ. He was in his 50s.

If he heard people talking about religion or the Bible or anything he'd get as close as he could. Hoping to pick up something would tell him how to be saved. And this went on and on and on. Then one day happened to meet a young man who was a druggist was going to Africa as a missionary and this young man said to Him Jesus Christ means everything to me.

What does he mean to you? And he got angry so that young whippersnapper talking away to me twice his age, you know. He said he had no right to and he walked away from him, but he couldn't get away from it.

And in 24 hours, he sought the face of God and got saved, you know. Wonderful, but why have you waited so long a Lot of dumb dogs in these relatives. They had nothing to say nothing to say. It's criminal dear people.

Personal Witness on the Airplane

I Was flying in a plane one time and I did a lot of flying at one point and I suppose I've flown four or five hundred times and Anyway, I got a seat on this plane and as I came down the aisle, I noticed there's about five couples sitting there With the big red suits on and they had a hood.

The only thing sticking out was their hands in their face. It even covered their feet this red suit. Wasn't no what's going on here. I happen to get a seat next to one of these guys. She's a big tall guy about six foot three or something very sad.

That's that beside him and We got talking and I found out where he was going. So I realized I'd be off the plane in about an hour and he was still going on. I Said to him sir, would you mind if I told you how I became a Christian now, that's not my usual approach but that was my approach that day and He didn't look at me.

He just looked straight ahead and he said well, I guess so. So I told him I found Christ and Then the plane landed and I gave him a gospel track which he took and put in his briefcase till he wouldn't look at me and I get up to go.

And I was standing in the aisle. I had the aisle seat and he had the center seat and his wife was next to him by the window and I put up my hand to shake his hand. He took hold of my hand and he wouldn't let go.

Then I noticed he looked at me. The tears were streaming down his face. And here's what he said. You will never know. You'll never know what you did for me today. You'll never know what you did for me today.

And I had to get my hand loose because I was holding up people in the aisle who tried to get by were Getting off the plane the same as I was and so finally I got loose. I went about to five or six seats down the aisle.

I stopped and turned to wave to him and he leaped to his feet and he hollered you will never know what you did for me today. But I could have sat there like a dumb dog as people often do said nothing.

Gave no track said nothing. People listen wake up. Wake up a Satan's shut your mouth. You've got to do something about this and some of us as we finish now will be through here just in a moment or two listen.

Repentance and Watchfulness

You need to get on your face before God perhaps and ask God to forgive you that you're just a dumb dog a self-seeking dog a sleeping dog. Let us not sleep as others do. The Bible says let us watch and be sober.

For they asleep sleep in the night neither be drunken or drunk in the night. But the last word of the day be sold putting on the best plate of faith and love and for a helmet a hopeless salvation. So we're not to be sleeping.

We're not to be sleeping. Oh people ask God to forgive you. And to fill your heart. That you get rid of the self-seeking. All people listen what a need we have please. Get before God ask God to search your heart show you your sin and do something about it in Christ's name.

Thank you. God bless you all.