F4F | Brian Houston: Its Beginning to Rain

Opening Welcome and the Program’s Purpose

Welcome to another installment of fighting for the faith. My name is Chris Roseboro. I am your servant in Jesus Christ. This is the channel that compares what people are saying in the name of God to the Word of God.

Sadly. No shortage of really crazy things being said out there. And we're trying to prevent you from being deceived or help you if you are being deceived to no longer Be deceived now if you've ever had a pastor or a preacher.

Scratch your itching ears and tell you what you want to hear rather than teaching what's in accord with sound doctrine. Yeah, go ahead and hit the subscribe button down below. Don't forget to like the video and to ring the bell so you can be notified.

Brian Houston’s “It’s Beginning to Rain” and the Prosperity Setup

When we update the channel, we're gonna be heading down to Hillsong Church. Hillsong Church down in Sydney, Australia. And we're gonna be listening to Brian Houston as he's gonna be Prophesying. I don't know what he's doing here.

Oh wait, actually, I do know what he's doing. He's scratching itching ears which is something that he's known to do and the name of the message is it's beginning to rain and It's just a great example of mangling up God's Word to create some weird kind of ambiguous sense of hope that God's gonna Do something in your life, you know, maybe like make you rich or something or give you a really good business deal.

All under the auspices of well, you know, the Bible talks about rain. Wish I was making that up and then we'll note along the way that Brian Houston has a history of scratching itching ears. We'll take a look at what the Bible says regarding this and we'll do a little fact-checking with what he does To the biblical text because it's just terrible.

It's it's absolutely awful and Unfortunately, I've been covering Brian Houston for a decade now. Little actually a little more than a decade now on fighting for the faith and this is standard for him.

This is the norm not the exception. So let's Whirl up the desktop here and head over to Hillsong Church. Here's Brian Houston and it's beginning to rain well.

It's beginning to rain. I'm believing for rain. I Could smell the rain.

It's winter down in Australia, so apparently it's the rainy season. I I guess that's what's going on here. I Can hear the rain?

Haha, I believe you're gonna feel the rain. I Spoke at a Kingdom Builders retreat just a couple of weekends ago. People came from around the country to the Hunter Valley. And there was such a great leaning at that retreat.

It was incredible and The Lord put a word on my heart.

For the business people for the Kingdom Builders. For so the Lord put a word on your heart he did, huh? I usually when I'm called to preach to any particular group I I Look for biblical texts and preach what God has revealed in his written word.

That's kind of par for my course, you know.

So many people who in that group of people sacrifice and really lead with their generosity I felt to prophesy rain into their lives into their I.

Felt to prophesy rain.

Okay. Businesses into their endeavors and I just really feel I want to prophesy rain into your life as well.

Yeah, so that's that's really what you feel now the dead giveaway that this is not a real prophecy. It's a false prophecy is going to be how he handles God's Word because if he's if he's really hearing directly from God.

You know, let's assume for a second that God's communicating to Brian Houston and saying I you know Hi, this is the Holy Spirit Brian and I'd really like it if you would tell people that you smell rain coming.

Yeah, I goes I'd really like you to prophesy rain. Let's assume he's really hearing from God. Well, what's gonna happen then is that when he mangles up God's Word the Holy Spirit should be saying hey Brian you like mangled up that text really horribly.

You need you need to fix that. He never hears the Holy Spirit rebuking him for teaching false doctrine or twisting God's Word. It's it's kind of fascinating to me, but we continue. So he was a You know a kingdom builders event and and felt that God told him to tell the business people there that your rain is coming.

Okay, since people go through dry seasons, yeah, I believe there's people in church today. Maybe things apart things are dry.

That was a vagary. Are you going through a dry season that could mean about anything? I mean it could be like literally you're living in a place where there's a drought to. You know, this is a metaphor for you know, things in my life are not going so well.

It's kind of dry. You know. Financially or something. Yeah, I think that's really what he's getting at here. I guess without half the house next weekend I'm thinking specifically fiscally financially.

See like I said, there we go. So are you experiencing fiscal financial dryness? Don't worry. Don't worry. Let's go back in time and Give you an example of Brian Houston scratching itching ears from days gone by see if you remember this.

From pastor Brian Houston. Money.

There's not one person in this building who doesn't need more money and if you say well I don't need more money, then I would say you have a very poor outlook on life. You'll by the way. He wrote an entire book.

About yeah, you need. Let me put it over here. You need more money. That's Brian Houston. There is his ugly mug on the back and I happen to own a copy of it. Yeah, and funny enough One time I pointed this out that Brian Houston not only did an entire series on this Wrote a book about why you need more money.

I think the subtitle is discovering God's amazing financial plan for your life and. And he got pummeled for preaching and teaching this and so somebody told me well, he doesn't preach that anymore to which I said show me where he Publicly Repented for teaching this doctrine.

So let's go back and listen a little bit more to the you need more money pitch from Brian Houston.

You learn why you need more money because money is a tool that can accomplish phenomenal things. What money can do in your head is blessed it can help it can build it can increase it can bring vision.

It could strengthen. You'll learn how to get more money and you'll learn how to have wealth without having a love for money.

You can have wealth without a love for money. This is what God wants for you.

Apparently poor does not have to be permanent. All the answer you say. Well, you know, how do you know that. Because why would the scripture say let the poor say I am rich. Oh. This is bad. If it wasn't I've forgotten how bad this is the will of God to break the power of poverty over people's life.

In this life-changing tape series pastor Brian Houston will challenge you to live according to the principles of God and See his blessing on your life as you become a money magnet.

As you become a money man, are you a money magnet in the name of Jesus? Yes, so what is this all fall under by the way, there's a category for this and You can find this in Scripture the Apostle Paul Prophesied about these days and prophesied about guys like Brian Houston.

Here's what it says in 2nd Timothy 4 Paul writing to young pastor Timothy who was a pastor of one of the congregations In the city of Ephesus. He says I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who's to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing in his kingdom.

Preach the word the actual Word of God, you know exegete biblical text. Give the proper sense of what it means rightly handle the word of truth preach the word in all of its message. Don't shave off any of the hard stuff, right?

So be ready in season and out of season. Yeah, that's right. There are times in Christian history when preaching the Word of God is definitely not in vogue. It's out of season. And so the Apostle Paul's admonition then to young pastor Timothy is an admonition to all preachers teachers pastors Within the body of Christ that they too are to preach the word even if it's out of vogue and then they are to reprove to rebuke exhort with complete patience and teaching Didache here.

You could translate that doctrine. Yeah, I know a lot of people think doctrines a four-letter word. But no, really, it's not just kind of work it out. D o C T R I and yeah, it's many that's a lot more than four letters there.

So anyway, so reprove rebuke and exhort with complete patience and doctrine for the time is coming and here's the here's what it is when people will not endure sound teaching and Here you could you could say didascalia you could translate that doctrine as well.

People will not endure sound doctrine sound teaching but having itching ears. They will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own Passions and these would be sinful passions. They will accumulate for themselves teachers who will suit their own passions sinful fashions like, you know greed yeah, and they will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off Into myths.

Yeah, so I I would I would argue, you know, and maybe it's just me I would argue that you know, Brian Houston's book You need more money that that would be an example of scratching itching ears. Telling people what they want to hear and wandering off into into myths.

Yeah, I think that's a good way to put it. So what we're seeing then in this sermon is well Brian Houston. He's scratching itching ears. He's telling people what they want to hear man. Oh, man. They the people at Hillsong would never endure sound doctrine.

No way and so Brian Houston here is oh, I Felt in my heart and I he must be from Southern Australia I felt down in my heart that the Holy Spirit was telling me to tell you I smell rain coming. Yeah Rain and by that, you know what?

I mean? Yeah, that's what's going on here this is this is just horrifying no way do we get to the biblical text cuz it's it's So bad, it's as bad as what we saw him do on the you need more money thing, but let's go back and watches Brian Houston here is gonna scratch itching ears.

Tell people what they want to hear preach to basically cause those sinful passions to salivate and you know What he's not doing calling sinners to repent of their sins and to be forgiven by the shed blood of Christ.

That's the thing. He's not doing.

That for whatever reason. Maybe. Maybe you had an unexpected loss. Maybe you became redundant. Maybe a business person lost contracts. I just had a great story from our northern beaches campus this afternoon that when King to Buddha's retreat I called people forward who were dry and we were believing for rain though one business guy came.

I'm gonna. Just do this at the PCR conference in Swansea. Yeah, is anyone up here. If you're experiencing dryness? I know it's raining outside. But if you're if you're dry right now, come on up. We'll pray for you.

What on earth forward. And since then has landed two massive?

Supernatural contracts that let me let me back that up. So yeah, he's preaching to salivate sinful passions here.

Not preaching the truth I call people forward who were dry and we were believing for rain though one business guy came forward and since then has landed two Massive supernatural contracts that praise God it's raining in his life.

Their lives and I believe it's gonna rain in your life as well. That's right. Money's coming your way folks. You're gonna be a magnet for for rain. Just like you said, you'd be a money magnet. You're gonna be a rain magnet.

It's code talk here. So basically, this is the prosperity message veiled in code language. That's exactly what he's doing. He hasn't repented of nothing. He's just as crass as he used to be. He just doesn't like taking the heat for being overt in his prosperity preaching so he veils it in code talk, you know rain.

There's a whole lot of things a bill you didn't expect. Life taking a turn you didn't expect but I know all around the room and all around the country. There are people and that includes Bali. There are people who you desperately need.

Rain in your life. Rain representing harvest and fruitfulness.

Yeah rain, you know wink wink nudge nudge harvest fruitfulness, you know, wink wink nudge nudge money.

It's a funny thing. Isn't it rain. When there's a bride on a wedding day praying it won't rain. There's farmers here in Australia. So Desperate for rain. I want it to rain. I want it to rain. Even here in Sydney and in the big cities of Australia just not Sundays.

And now we switch back to talking about literal rain not Sunday mornings.

You know what Australians are like. They're wimpy. No you guys you're in church. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking so a little bit of rain. Imagine if they're like that in London. No it ever go to church.

Hey, but Summer holidays. I'm always hoping and praying it won't rain on summer holidays for many. Which biblical texts Are you preaching again from?

Brian, I'm just curious, you know, I don't detect that there's a Driving text that you're trying to exegete here. Yeah, just just noting that he is Bobby.

No in January have gone for a couple of weeks to noosa on the Sunshine Coast. The only thing they don't tell you about the Sunshine Coast is as often no sunshine. You know, it's true up there. It's subtropical and so.

And every invariably every couple of years you're gonna get more rain than you'd ever want. When I'm hoping on Sundays, it won't rain there's a shrub or a tree that's withering because it's desperate for rain.

When I'm Hoping that it won't rain on my selfish summer holiday. There's a dry riverbed somewhere. Desperate for water. Desperate for rain, you know. Rain in the Bible. It really only came when Adam and Eve were created.

Well, yeah. You know Adam and Eve were well, let's say Adam was created on the sixth day. Yeah for sure. And You know before the earth was created It didn't rain on the earth. Whoo. That is some deep stuff right there profound Biblical exegetical insight going on here.

There was no real need for rain before that.

There were no hobes in the field the Bible says there was no fruit and the truth is that Eden itself was it was fed by a river. So the water came from a river that reached the Garden of Eden branched off in four different directions.

But then God says this. He says in Genesis chapter 2 and in verse 5 it said before any plant of the field was in the earth and before Any herb of the field had grown for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth.

And there was no man to till the ground.

Now remember rain is code talk for money and a harvest and blessing and stuff you know, so. It's not helpful what he's doing. We should do a you know, look up in a concordance the word rain, you know.

Whoo, and then you know and then switch it into code talk about harvest and blessing.

So what it's saying is because there was no man. There was no need for rain. And Why did God bring rain so that he could work so he could till the ground? So that they could literally bring fruitfulness and they could see a harvest.

I believe that rain God created it not just for the ground not just for you know the The climate and so on. He brought rain for you and I believe today's.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that it rain is a vital component of all of the produce that I eat. What is this? Well, this is this is a veiled coded Prosperity message. He's scratching itching ears here doesn't want to get nailed for being too overt for his prosperity message.

So We're doing some kind of useless study.

I'm the word rain is still that God wants to bring rain in your life the real first mention of rain in the Bible.

So God wants to bring rain in your life. I'm pretty sure he does that quite regularly. Also snow here in the winter in North American Siberia, you know with also known as North Dakota where I live.

Yeah is in Noah's time when because of the simpleness of humanity. It rained to devastation 40 days and 49.

Yeah, devastating. That's right. There was some devastating rain there rain.

And so it seems at first it was like judgment at the time of Pharaoh and his stubbornness and his rebellion and The fact that he he he just kept on rebelling against God's Word that Moses was to let the people of God go from Egypt and take them toward a promised land.

And so one of the plagues that came was it rained hail and so it rained on Noah's time destruction. It rained hail in Pharaoh's time and Sodom and Gomorrah two evil cities. What happened?

How are you doing tracking with his teaching? I mean, it just seems weird stream of consciousness, you know.

It rained. The Bible says fire and brimstone. Yeah, so rain.

It wasn't that's right. It rained fire and brimstone on Sodom Gomorrah. So I now I'm nervous because he said that he was prophesying and that he said that he smells rain coming. Uh-oh, the world's in trouble folks.

Exactly a promise in those days, but but in Deuteronomy chapter 11.

So so apparently the big turn is coming here. Rain became a covenant blessing rain became this is just Mind-bendingly bad. I mean, yeah, you know like I'll ever have it happen to you when you eat ice cream and you get one of those cold headaches.

I feel like I'm getting a cold headache as you know, I my ears are ingesting this nonsense. It's like Yeah, this hurts. Anyway, let's. Before he gets to Deuteronomy 11, let's take a crack at it and we'll apply the three rules for some biblical exegesis and they are context.

Context and context. Deuteronomy by the way. It's a great book. It's a fantastic book. It's like Moses's final monologue to you know the people of Israel and a little bit of a note here important to note this the covenant of note in Deuteronomy is the Mosaic Covenant and it's a covenant of works.

It's a land lease agreement. So the the Lord is going to bring the children of Israel into the Promised Land in order for them to stay in the Promised Land. There are Rules, it's a land lease agreement you break the rules.

Do you get the land will vomit you out? That's how this works and so it's not it's not the New Covenant that we're under and the Mosaic Covenant was not a Covenant regarding salvation. It is a covenant that God made with the people of Israel as a land lease agreement for them to stay in the land.

Just keep that in mind. So Deuteronomy 11 1 I know where he's going. So I'm gonna be sure to get a lot of the context here. You shall therefore love Yahweh your God and keep his charge his statutes his rules his commandments.

Always. And who's the y 'all there? That would be the children of Israel who are getting ready to go into the Promised Land. I consider today since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it consider the discipline of Yahweh.

Your God is greatness. His mighty hand is outstretched arm his signs his deeds. That he did in Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt into all his land and what he did to the army of Egypt. Into their horses and to their chariots how he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued after you how Yahweh has destroyed them to this day and what he did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place and what he did to Dothan and Abiram the sons of Eliab the son of Reuben and how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households their tents and every living thing That followed them in the midst of all of Israel for your eyes have seen all the great work of Yahweh that he did.

You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today that you may be strong and go in and Take possession of the land that you are going over to possess so note here Mosaic Covenant Covenant of Works.

You need to obey God if you want to continue to maintain Possessing the land that he is sending them into and you'll note. This is not talking to us. This is talking to them so so that you may live long in the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers to give to them into their offspring a land flowing with milk and honey for the land that you are entering to take possession of is not like the land of Egypt where you sowed your seed and Irrigated it like a garden of vegetables but the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys which drinks water by the rain from heaven a Land that Yahweh your God cares for the eyes of Yahweh.

Your God are always upon it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today. Who's the you there? That's the children of Israel whom God had made this Mosaic Covenant with so if you will indeed obey my commandments To love Yahweh your God and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul He will give the rain for your land in its season the early rain and the latter rain that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil and He will give grass in your fields for your livestock and you shall eat and be full.

So take care lest your heart be deceived and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. Then the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you and he will shut up the heavens. So that there will be no rain and the land will yield no fruit and you will perish quickly off the good land that Yahweh Is giving you?

So you see what's going on in? Deuteronomy chapter 11 it has nothing to do with you or I or anybody in Sydney, Australia or any at the Hillsong multi-campus camp. I Risked that God's gonna bless them with rain.

What Brian Houston is doing here is criminal he's scratching itching ears like you wouldn't believe and the one thing he's not doing is rightly handling God's Word and Calling people to repent. Funny enough.

The tech that one of the texts coming up that he's gonna touch is a text that calls people to repentance. Watch what he does with it, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to Brian Houston. Here we go.

Okay, a sign of fruitfulness that became a sign of harvest. It became a sign of blessing and I believe that same covenant blessing for you tonight. Wherever you are and whatever your situation and so listen to.

Yeah.

I'm sorry, but God promising the the latter the you know, the the early in the latter reigns to the children of Israel Deuteronomy 11 Was How should we say God's part of the covenant. If they obeyed him then he would do that.

And you'll note how many times it is real really obey the Lord. Yeah, like, you know, they they kept breaking that Mosaic covenant from the word go but the the the promises of the early and the latter reigns are not a promise to me and you.

That's Not the point of this text.

A Deuteronomy chapter 11 verse 11 To 14. But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys Which drink water from the rain of heaven a land for which the Lord your God cares.

The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it from the beginning of the year. Remember this.

Yeah, what land is it's. His eyes are on the land that he promised to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob.

God's eyes are on his promise from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. So no matter what the season no matter whether it's dry or whether it's wet God's eyes are on his promise. No, the text says that.

God's eyes are on the land it when it comes to reading comprehension and you have an open book here, you know an open screen a Land for which the Lord your God cares. The eyes of the Lord. Your God are always on it.

The land not some promise of rain and in your life whatever's going on right now.

God's eyes are on his promise for you and for your life and for your resource and your finance.

This is terrible.

This guy is Just a sleazeball as well. So let's take a hold of this covenant promise. Verse 13.

It says and it shall be if you earnestly obey my commandments, which I notice the conditional statement there if you earnestly obey my commandments. Yeah, the Mosaic Covenant is not a covenant of salvation by grace through faith.

It is the covenant of works. It's a land lease agreement. Yeah, you want to stay in the land? You got to do some things, you know, like earnestly obey God's commands. No idolatry. No adultery. No lying.

No stealing, you know, no coveting, you know all that kind of stuff, right?

I command you today to love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart. And I believe I'm speaking to many people who love the Lord their God and who are committed to serving him with.

He just shaved off all of the hard edges of the law here. Wow, yeah, so there's a whole lot of people there at Hillsong that totally love God with all their heart. With all your heart and with all your soul.

And by the way, this is Mosaic Covenant anyway.

Then I will give you what the rain for your land in a season. The early rain and the latter rain that you may gather in your grain. Your new wine and your new oil. In other words new grain you wine you oil.

Blessing is on its way. Yeah, so, you know cuz he just totally ripped Deuteronomy 11 11 through 14 out of context just ignored what it's really about. Hey, man. Yeah. Oh man blessings on the way for you, man.

I can smell the rain.

Uh-huh. Wow. Praise God for it. Well, listen, there was early rain and There was latter rain. The early rain and the Middle East it it comes at the end of October. And the early rain is a seed time it's at sowing time and the early rain it germinates the seeds and Then the latter rain it comes late March five or six months later.

It comes late March. Maybe early April and it's all about watering the ground again and ready for harvest. And what does the scripture say? It says the latter rain shall be greater than the former. Maybe you started a business.

Maybe you.

Maybe you started a business. I Assure you that the the early and the latter rains mentioned in Deuteronomy 11 have nothing I mean absolutely nothing to do with anybody today. Who's started a business.

Let me back this up. This is this is just I Didn't. Oh, I again I'm getting a cold headache, you know, just from listening this like Oh.

Make it stop shall be greater than the former. Maybe you started a business. Maybe you started an endeavor. Maybe it looks so promise. You saw some early rain.

This is absurd. You saw some early rain.

But suddenly the rain dried up and it feels so dry and it seems like there is no answer and.

There was early rain in my business net everything just got all dry. Oh Lord, please send me that latter rain. What on earth is this. Can't find your way to what God has for you.

But the latter rain is even greater than the former rain and I'm believing for you I'm believing for latter rain. I'm believing it's like the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is described in the book of Joel and in Acts chapter 2 the The Holy Spirit is the latter rain.

The latter rain is the greater rain and that one's all about the first one's about germinating a seed. You're starting Something new. You got a new Entrepreneurial idea and on the early rain the seed is germinated, but believe me no matter what's going on right now I have an expectation when you love God and you're committed to his word and you're committed to living.

Allah here no gospel because mosaic covenant is there's no.

Gospel covenant is why I'm believing in Jesus name. The rain is on its way.

The rain is on its way.

I can smell the rain. I Can hear the rain? So let's believe that for our own lives.

Yeah, let's go ahead. Why? Because you just twisted up God's word. Why would I believe this for my own life and let's believe that for Australia as well.

Joseph, the Lost Sheep, and the Prodigal Son as Repentance

What do you do when times are dry? And you don't seem to be getting that that rain that harvest time. Well, you know, I think there's natural wisdom. One of the lessons we can learn from Joseph is the importance of thinking ahead.

So you're doing so when times are plentiful. Times are plenty. He had the great wisdom and the Word of the Lord in his heart to prepare for more difficult times.

All right, so so plan ahead.

So maybe that's not how it is right now, but it's a great way to live your life in the future. But then on top of that I think.

In Luke chapter 15. There's no I get it back. So Okay, I pointed out that he is not preaching Law and gospel correctly. He's not preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins. He's not calling people to repent of their wickedness nor is he calling them to be forgiven by the shed blood of Christ and.

So he's now invoking a parable in Luke chapter 15. Let's listen to which one.

Then we will take a look at it. There's three lost things. First Jesus spoke about a lost sheep. Yeah, then he speaks about a lost son the prodigal son and then what talks about a lost coin. There's a woman who had ten valuable coins.

Ten. All right, let's take a look at that.

Luke chapter 15 by the way is One parable it's one with kind of like three chapters one parable three chapters. And I mean, how does one invoke Luke 15 and not preach repentance? It's it's unbelievable what we're talking about here.

Why. Well because well as Paul prophesied regarding Men like Brian Houston, the time is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine or teaching but having itching ears. They will accumulate for themselves.

Teachers to soothe their own passions will turn away from listening to the truth and they'll wander off into myths. That's why we're hearing Brian Houston doing the things that he's doing because if he were to actually Preach God's Word correctly exegete biblical texts properly distinguish law and gospel proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

Call people to repent of their wickedness and be forgiven by the shed blood of Christ. Oh, he would empty Hillsong out. Faster than you can say oceans. So yeah, that's just what I'm saying here. So Luke chapter 15.

Let's take a look at this single parable with three chapters. The tax collectors and the sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. This is Luke 15 one. So the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled saying this man receives sinners and he eats with him.

By the way, that's the only kind of human being there is on the planet. So if Jesus chose not to eat with sinners, he would have eaten by himself isn't every day of his life. Anyway, just want to point that out that would include the Pharisees.