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Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org
The Resurrected King
Oh, one person's paying attention. Good morning, everybody.
His mercies are new every morning. Great is his faithfulness. We're here to worship the Lord. We have a few announcements.
If you notice, there are some men who are missing. About three dozen guys are up at Mount Pocono Bible Camp.
So we had a tremendous men's retreat. God was really working and moving among us.
So praise God. Hopefully, these guys are going to come back on fire, just ready to worship the
Lord and serve Christ. And I think that's what's going to happen. It was great. Ladies, your opportunity to go on a women's retreat is just two weeks away, less than two weeks.
So mark your calendar if you can go. There's an app on your phone called
Church Center. And you can register there as well. Or talk to Antoinette.
She's kind of the one heading it up. So she'll get you information if you'd like to go on the women's retreat.
Tomorrow, we have a congregational meeting. It is our annual meeting where we celebrate all that God has been doing in the church, in the various ministries.
So everybody here is welcome. You don't have to be a member to come to the congregational meeting.
It's tomorrow at 7 PM. So it's going to be very exciting. Plus, we have some interesting news to discuss too.
So it should be a fun one. What else do we have? Phil, do we know anything else?
I think you've covered everything. That's everything that there is to cover. There is a prayer meeting tonight also, if anybody would like to come back and pray at 6 o 'clock.
And so let's turn to prayer now. Go before the Lord and offer this worship service to Him, asking for His presence.
So Father God, we are so thankful to come into this place this morning. We recognize it is by no merit of our own, but by the precious, pure blood of the spotless lamb,
Jesus Christ. Thank you for the forgiveness of sin, the gift of eternal life.
Lord, this morning, remind us of these things and help us to put our heart and our minds completely on You and the things of God.
Help us, Lord, to remove any distractions from the world around us. And Lord, we do pray for deliverance from the evil one, that His demons would have no place here.
They must go in Jesus' name. We offer this place and this time to You for worship,
Lord, and we pray that You would find us righteous and acceptable in Your sight.
Lord, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, let's all stand.
We sing to the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last. Lord God, You are worthy of our praise,
God, for everything that You've done. Lord, if You were to not do another thing for us aside from the salvation that You brought into our lives,
Lord God, we would be eternally grateful for all Your gifts, Lord, just for the manna that You provide every day,
Lord. And God, just give us hearts of worship. Lord, I pray that You would lighten the burdens.
Lord, so many of us have come in with worries and cares and things that are just bringing us down,
Lord God. I pray that we would have our eyes fixed on You this morning as we sing and rejoice in Your glorious, glorious grace.
♪ I believe
You gave sight to the blind ♪ ♪ I believe that the dead came to life ♪ ♪
I believe there were wonders and signs ♪ ♪ And You're still the same ♪ ♪
I believe every word that You said ♪ ♪
I believe there are scars in Your hands ♪ ♪ That Your goodness is good without end ♪ ♪
And You'll never change ♪ ♪ I will tell
Your wonders, sing of Your grace ♪ ♪ The God of creation knows me by name ♪ ♪
The Lord is faithful, yesterday, now, and always, always ♪ ♪
Your mercy is mighty, age after age, and all generations ♪ ♪
Bow down and praise, the Lord is faithful, yesterday, now, and always, always ♪ ♪
I believe You gave Satan the clouds ♪ ♪ I believe
You are here even now ♪ ♪ In Your presence
I know there is power, power to save ♪ ♪
I will tell Your wonders, sing of Your grace ♪ ♪
The God of creation knows me by name ♪ ♪ The Lord is faithful, yesterday, now, and always, always ♪ ♪
You were, and You are, and You always will be
God ♪ ♪ You were, and You are, and You always will be
God ♪ ♪ Yes, You always will be God ♪ ♪
Bow down and praise, the Lord is faithful, yesterday, now, and always ♪
Very quiet, it's a very quiet and awkward silence here, very quiet. Lord God, we,
God, we think of the battle that You have won, Lord God, on our behalf, amen.
Lord God, You have completed the victory in our lives, Lord God, and there is nothing that can come against us because we, through You, we are more than conquerors, and let's just sing this song about the victory that God has won.
♪ There's peace at our last darkness ♪ ♪
And hope that's in the blood ♪ ♪ There's future grace that's mine today ♪ ♪
And that Jesus Christ has won ♪ ♪ So I can face tomorrow ♪ ♪
For tomorrow's in Your hands ♪ ♪ And all
I need You will provide ♪ ♪ Just like You always have ♪ ♪
And I'm fighting a battle ♪ ♪
You've already won ♪ ♪ No matter what comes my way ♪ ♪
I will overcome ♪ ♪ Don't know what
You'll do ♪ ♪ But I know what You've done ♪ ♪
And I'm fighting a battle ♪ ♪ You've already won ♪ ♪
There's mercy in the wheat ♪ ♪
And manna for today ♪ ♪ And when it's gone
I know You're not ♪ ♪ You are my hope and stay ♪ ♪
And when the sea is raging ♪ ♪ Your spirit is my help ♪ ♪
You'll fix my eyes on Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ I say that it is well ♪ ♪
Oh I know that it is well ♪ ♪
You'll do today ♪ ♪ But I know what You've done ♪ ♪
I know how this story ends, amen ♪ ♪
We will be with You again ♪ ♪
You're my savior, my defense ♪ ♪
No more fear in life or death ♪ ♪
I know how this story ends ♪ ♪
No more fear in life or death ♪ ♪ I know how this story ends ♪ ♪
No matter what comes my way ♪ ♪
I will overcome, don't know what to do ♪ ♪
But I know what You've done ♪ ♪
And I'm fighting a battle, You've already won ♪ ♪
And I'm fighting a battle, You've already won ♪
Amen. Not of our own works, nothing that we bring,
Lord God, but it's all from Your amazing grace and Your mercy towards us, Lord God, that allows us to be called the sons and the daughters of the
Most High God. ♪ Bless the
Lord, O my soul, O my soul ♪ ♪
Worship His holy name ♪ ♪
Sing like never before, O my soul ♪ ♪
I'll worship Your holy name ♪ ♪
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning ♪ ♪
It's time to sing Your song again ♪ ♪
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me ♪ ♪
Let me be singing till the evening comes ♪ ♪
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul ♪ ♪
Worship His holy name ♪ ♪ Sing like never before,
O my soul ♪ ♪ I'll worship Your holy name ♪ ♪
You're rich in love and You're slow to anger ♪ ♪
And Your heart is kind ♪ ♪ For all
Your goodness I will keep on singing ♪ ♪ 10 ,000 reasons for my heart to find ♪ ♪
And on that day when my strength is failing ♪ ♪
The end draws near and my time has come ♪ ♪
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending ♪ ♪ 10 ,000 years and then forevermore ♪ ♪
Lord, I'll worship Your holy name ♪ ♪
I'll worship Your holy name ♪ Amen, let's all be seated.
Let us pray. Father, Your word tells us, finally be strong in the
Lord and in the strength of His might. So we ask You, Lord, for Your strength,
Your power, Your might, to be at work in us. Keep us from the evil one.
Drive away every demonic spirit, every lying spirit, and give us strength to walk with integrity, to walk upright before You.
Your word says to put on the whole armor of God that You may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Lord, help us to put on Your armor this morning. Make us strong warriors with the full armor of God.
Lord, Your word says, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Lord, we pray for victory in this war. In Jesus' name, amen.
Do you believe in angels? Our culture certainly does not. I do.
My grandfather was a missionary to Guatemala and then a pastor in Indiana and a superintendent of churches.
Well, as he came near the end of his race that he had run for Christ, about a week before he passed away, he was in a hospital and a visitor came to see him.
The visitor began to reminisce with my grandfather, Bill Wagner, about all of the years on the mission field and the incredible things that happened there.
And then this visitor also began to reminisce with him about the years in Indiana.
They shared and they delighted in the things that God had done in planting a church.
In fact, we just found out a year ago that when my grandfather moved to Florida, he started a little church.
And we didn't know that anything ever became of it, but now it's like a 10 ,000 -member megachurch in Florida.
And they have this little plaque to Bill Wagner, how he founded it just in a little side room.
And we never knew anything came of that until just this year, just last year. So amazing discovery. But Bill Wagner was visited by some man.
And when my mom came in the room just after this man left, she found that Bill was weeping uncontrollably.
And she rushed in to his bedside and said, Dad, Dad, what's the matter? And he said, No, nothing's the matter.
These are tears of joy. This is the most peaceful I have ever felt in my life.
He had delighted in what God had done in his life of ministry and granted him peace.
God had given him peace. Well, my mom began to ask what happened. And he told about this man who was nicely dressed, came and reminded him of all the things he had done in the ministry.
And my mom thought, well, maybe he's beginning to hallucinate. You know, things are getting towards the end. So after talking for a while, she went out to the nurse's station and she said,
Was there a man who came in here about an hour ago? And the nurse said, Oh, yes.
We couldn't stop talking about him because of how good looking he was. The nurses were having this long conversation about how well dressed and put together he was.
And they were talking about him. And he didn't sign in. He just came in to visit Bill Wagner and then was gone.
Well, I don't know if that was some missionary friend from long ago or what the case might be.
But I want you to turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 13, verse 2.
Hebrews 13, verse 2. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.
And it was just like my grandfather to welcome this man into his room. Even in his painful end state.
Because my grandfather, I would have to say, was the most joyful person I have ever met.
Such a people person. Just so kind and just constantly laughing. He would laugh uproariously about the worst dad joke you could imagine.
He was just happy. Loved people. And so he welcomed this person in. But verse 2 says, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.
Do you believe that? Do you believe that maybe somebody that you talked to that you assumed was just flesh and blood human, was actually an angel of God?
It's possible that you have spoken with an angel. It's also possible that you have been tempted or oppressed by a demon.
Which is a fallen angel. There was a time when I was a missionary in inner city Philadelphia that we had a young adult group that met in a house.
And someone came in and asked for prayer. So the young adult group laid hands on him and we all began to pray.
For five minutes or so. And then we went back to the study and the class dismissed. But this young guy stayed around and said,
Jeff, I really need to talk to you. I came in with dark thoughts and that's why I asked for prayer.
But when you guys laid hands on me and began to pray, my thoughts went from bad to worse.
They became obscene. They became grotesque. And I'm afraid that I'm being tormented by a demon.
And I said, well we better keep praying. Because sometimes you need to persevere in prayer.
We're called to the perseverance of prayer. And so he and I were the only ones left in the house. And I can't really describe what happened in the next half hour or so.
Only to say it became very emotional. This young man who was tough. He was a basketball inner city kid.
He was crying. He was yelling. And he was calling out to Jesus. He felt this darkness over him.
And I was praying in the name of Jesus and calling on God. And then just like this, in an instant, it just stopped.
And he said, I felt a presence come out of me. It was like it hovered over me and then ran away.
And he said he felt at peace. It was his description of what was happening to him. And it's invisible so I don't know what happened.
Was this just the emotions of a teenage young man? Or was there a demonic spirit that was messing with him?
And Christ delivered him from that. Well, I will say this. After that young man left, he went home.
And I went to the church, which was in a different building. We met in a house and I went to the church where some of the teens were playing basketball, eating food.
And right when I got there, one of the young adults found me and he said, Jeff, I have to talk to you. When we prayed for that guy,
I felt as soon as I touched him, my fingers got cold as ice. And I felt coldness run up my arm and take over my body so I had to take my hand off.
What does that mean? And I began to ask him questions about his relationship with God and came to find out that he did not believe and had not been born again.
He was laying hands hastily on this young man. Turn with me to 1
Timothy chapter 5. The context of 1
Timothy chapter 5 verse 22 is about ordaining or commissioning an elder or a deacon into ministry.
It's specifically about that. But in the laying on of hands, something spiritual happens.
So the ones who are laying hands upon the person need to be walking with God.
And there are spiritual forces at work. In fact when Timothy was anointed, was prayed over with the laying on of hands, spiritual gifts were activated in his life.
And Paul will say in 2 Timothy I think it's chapter 1 verse 6 that you should fan into flame the gifts that are in you.
And Paul refers to the laying on of hands. So I think what happened in that instance with this young man 1
Timothy chapter 5 verse 22, do not be hasty in the laying on of hands.
Nor take part in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. And as I mentioned this is more about commissioning.
But the young man was hastily laying hands on someone when he didn't know the powers that he was dealing with.
Very often we don't really believe that there is a such thing as demons.
We assume that everything is just natural because we live in America in a post enlightenment world, a materialistic world that discards or disregards entirely the presence of spiritual forces.
That was not Paul's world view. If you even look in verse 14 and 15 of this chapter, he's giving some instruction that just seems like practical application, not particularly about spiritual beings.
It's just about how to work with a widow. You shouldn't just enroll every woman who loses their husband in the role of widows because the young ones should try to remarry and have children or else if they're just relying on the church they might become busy bodies and gossips,
Paul says. This is practical advice. Allow families to care for widows and the church should look after those who are widows indeed.
Those who have no one to care for them. The church should step in. Practical advice. What does that have to do with what
Paul says in verses 14 and 15? So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households and give the adversary no occasion for slander.
For some have already strayed after Satan. You see, in Paul's world view unlike the western materialistic post -enlightenment culture in which we live, angels and demons are very active and very involved and when you stray from the counsel of God's word, you are opening a door or giving a foothold to the devil.
And some people have strayed from the plan of God, giving an opportunity for Satan to take a foothold in their lives.
That's how Paul sees the world. Look a few verses down in verse 21. Paul gives a charge and he references something that I'm not sure many
Christians know exists. We know there are angels but did you know that there are elect angels?
Chapter 5 verse 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels.
That word in the Greek is eclekton, sounds like elect but it's used also of when
Christians are elected unto salvation. How could an angel be elect?
Well listen, very differently from how a Christian is elect. A Christian is called by God to be saved.
Paul says to the Thessalonians, you are elected unto salvation. An angel will never be saved.
Hebrews chapter 2 tells us that Jesus did not become an angel to save angels.
Rather, an elect angel is one who has always been kept from God kept by God from ever falling in the first place.
So there are only two classes of angels. None are ever redeemed because the elect angels are kept from falling in the first place.
Elect angels are good angels and they will never fall because by the keeping power of God, the same power that keeps us after salvation
Jude 24 and 25 that same power that keeps us, the grace of God keeps angels from falling in the first place.
Now, if there are elect angels, what does that imply? There's another category of angels that are not elect.
These are the fallen angels. Seems that the stars pictured in Revelation from which one third of them fell represent the one third of angels that followed
Satan in his rebellion. Isaiah 14 I think it's Ezekiel 28 that refers to this as well.
The fall of Satan, there were angels that rebelled and fell from grace as well.
So two classes of angels. Elect angels who never fell and fallen angels who cannot be redeemed.
No savior given. This is why, by the way, that the angels long to look into our salvation.
They marvel at the fact that God would become not an angel, but human. That he would humble himself and take on the flesh of a man 100 % human and die the death that we deserve as our representative, our substitute.
We're told in the New Testament that angels long to look into these things. They marvel that God would redeem at the cost of the blood of his own son.
Now that blood needed to be purely human blood. Turn with me to Genesis chapter 6.
This might be the oddest main idea statement I have ever written. But I think it's what's happening.
And I can't really just preach the relevance and the application to your life until we get right what it is the author,
Moses, has written for us here. Because if you can't understand the substance, the content, how can you apply anything?
So we're gonna spend a bit more time just trying to track with the main idea today and then at the end get a little bit more practical and relevant.
Here's the odd sentence that I wrote. The pollution of the human bloodline with the blood of demon -human hybrids exasperated what was already a death -deserving sin problem.
So God destroyed all the demon -human hybrids along with all wicked humans.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Well, this implies that there is such a thing as a demon -human hybrid.
Isn't that an odd idea? The world scoffs at the idea of demons in the first place let alone that there could be such a thing as a demon -human hybrid.
We'll read about it in Genesis chapter 6 the first four verses. Recall that we've said again and again that we're studying
Genesis because it lays the foundation of reality as it is. God's created world and we live in a culture that is utterly rejecting the biblical worldview point -by -point.
Genesis 1 in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The world is saying there is no God. Everything is evolved space dust.
You are not a creature of God you're just an evolved being that came out of the primordial ooze that existed billions of years ago.
There is no God. Chapter 2, Genesis says God created them male and female and the two shall come together and become one flesh.
The world says there is no male and female. They've rejected
God's design of male and female. Genesis 3, sin comes into the world.
The world says there is no sin. There's only making mistakes and failing to be your best possibility of your own potential.
And so they also reject the seed promise that there would be a seed of the woman who would crush the evil of this world who we know to be
Jesus Christ. They have no promise of a coming seed. Genesis 4 says life in the image of God is valuable precious.
Life is in the blood and Cain murders Abel. The blood of Abel cries out from the ground and then
Lamech murders a little boy and boasts about it. No value for life as our culture rejects the value of life itself.
Rejecting Genesis 4. Genesis 5 Enoch walked with God. There is a such thing as walking with God and there is a such thing as departing from God.
And those who walk with God are waiting for what? The rapture. As Enoch was caught up into the air to be with the
Lord. So the church will one day be raptured caught up to meet the Lord in the air and so we will be with him forever.
The world laughs at this idea. The world scoffs at the idea that there are angels and demons.
The enlightenment has taught this society that everything is material. In fact they make horror movies about the idea of there being demons because they take it as a joke.
They want to feel the hairs on the back of their neck raise up so that after they are done watching the movie they can go about pretending that this world has no such thing.
Let's read Genesis 6. 1 to 4. When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive and they took as their wives any they chose.
Then the Lord said my spirit shall not abide in man forever for he is flesh his days shall be 120 years the
Nephilim were on the earth and Nephilim means giants were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God came into the daughters of man and they bore children to them these were the mighty men who were of old the men of renown.
Now when I was in seminary my professor down at the Tampa extension of Dallas he said this is not referring to demon human hybrids.
He said all this is is the sons of Seth are the sons of God and what happened was once even the godly ones fell into sexual sin with the daughters of Cain the godless women in that generation there was no more righteous people left on earth and so God could do nothing but destroy the world and I held that view for many years because my teacher taught me that so I thought that's got to be right kind of makes sense because I don't like the idea of demon human hybrids in the first place so I'm going to go with his view but you know the more
I've studied scripture the more I've come to believe that this is in fact demon human hybrids the book of Enoch is a it's probably a 3rd century
BC invention that came from the Essenes and the caves of Qumran it was discovered in cave 4 of Qumran back in 1948 and it holds that these were in fact giants that were demon human hybrids and I only bring it up because the book of Jude does quote from the book of Enoch so there is one inspired verse in the book of Enoch God uses that to convey this truth quoting from Enoch God's able to do that in fact the
New Testament sometimes will quote from extra biblical sources and when the Bible says it it's true so we don't regard the book of Enoch as being scripture however it has some historical value because it shows us what 3rd century
BC Jewish people thought that this meant and what people always thought it meant and that was that the sons of God are angels who fell from grace and then impregnated earthly women and what was born were these demon human hybrids
I think this is the biblical view I'm gonna show you just 3 passages quickly and again it's a little different we have to make sure we're understanding it right which view is correct is the question it's not a postmodern world where both views are right we've got to dig in the scripture rightly divide the truth to come to a knowledge of what
God is saying here Job 1 6 turn there this term sons of God is not used often but the same construction is used in Job 1 6 now there was a day when the sons of God same term came to present themselves before the
Lord and Satan also came among them here these sons of God are angels and the chief among these fallen angels is
Satan so there's a reason to think that sons of God is more than descendants who are godly but are in fact fallen angels now turn with me to the book of Jude verses it's only one chapter so you don't say
Jude 1 such and such you just say Jude 5 to 7 second to last book of the
Bible Jude 5 to 7 and church
I would love every Sunday to just preach our common salvation to just delight in what
God has done in Christ for us I do not want to have to talk about demons I hate them
I want nothing to do with them that was Jude's sentiment Jude wanted to delight in their common salvation but verse 3 he said but I think it's necessary that I write to you that you contend for the faith that was once and for all handed down to us it was necessary because there are enemies that we need to be aware of and we need to contend we need to fight church we're in a spiritual war a war for each of your families a war for this culture we must contend and fight as if the enemy is real not a figment of our imagination so we do need to talk about it and so Jude contends with false prophets human beings and he warns that these false prophets are going to suffer the same fate as the fallen angels let's look at 5 -7 now
I want to remind you although you once fully knew it that Jesus who saved a people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed those who did not believe and the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority but left their proper dwelling he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day sound like it's angels could this be the event of Genesis 6 when they left their proper position and God flooded the earth and he imprisoned these demons in a dark gloomy place in chains well here's another reason to think that is in fact what he's saying verse 7 compares the fall of the angels to the unnatural sexual desires of Sodom and Gomorrah just as notice the corollary there that the one is like the other the fall of the angels was just like Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire what could be more unnatural than the men of Sodom and Gomorrah lusting after other men rather than after women according to God's design there is something even more unnatural and that is that those men that they were lusting after were actually angels in Genesis 19 the two angels were sent to judge
Sodom and Gomorrah and the men of the town tried to rape them these unnatural desires here in the culture in which we live there are unnatural desires against the nature as God made it male and female and we see that stirred up in the people around us the same demons would like to provoke such things in each of us the demons in this world are contrary to God's natural order notice it says in verse 7 they serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire and that's where these demon beings will be thrown on the great day into a lake of eternal fire the last passage
I'd like to direct you to is 2 Peter chapter 2 verses 4 to 10 2
Peter chapter 2 verses 4 to 10 again false prophets are being warned about and the rationale here that Peter gives like Jude's has to do with these angels that left their proper place 2
Peter 2 verse 4 for if God did not spare angels when they sinned but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness you recognize that language?
chains of gloomy darkness same phrase that Jude uses to be kept until the judgment now notice the time period that this makes reference to and I think this is a slam dunk if we know there's already the sexual issue which
Genesis 6 is about the sexual um flagrant sin of the angels that they went to the daughters of man here notice it's also referring to the time of Noah verse 5 if he did not spare the ancient world but preserve
Noah a herald of righteousness with seven others when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly again the comparison to the sexual unnatural sin of Sodom and Gomorrah verse 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly and if he rescued righteous lot greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked for as that righteous man lived among them day after day he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard then the
Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority bold and willful they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones whereas angels though greater in might and power do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the
Lord the elect angels respect the authority of God fallen angels have rebelled and left their proper place for sexual sin final passage first Peter chapter 3 verses 18 to 22 there's that beautiful sound of pages turning means you're actually following along not surfing on your phone
I wouldn't have expected anything different so first Peter 3 18 to 22 for Christ also suffered once for sins the righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit you guys know the apostles creed where it says he descended into hell many people wrongly teach that Jesus went to hell and suffered for our sins in hell no such thing is taught in the scripture the suffering of Jesus for our sins was on the cross there he bled and died on our behalf and when he breathed his last he said it is finished so why did he in the spirit descend into hell well it has to do with the days of Noah and the destruction of the ungodly because when
Noah was building the ark he was also a preacher for 120 years the spirit of Christ in him was pleading with the people to be reconciled to God but they rejected
God and all of his authority and so they were judged and are being kept in a holding place so what
Christ does after dying in the body his spirit remains alive in the spirit he goes and proclaims victory he vindicates
Noah for all of that preaching that they rejected and he proclaims his triumph verse 19 he went and proclaimed like a herald the word is a preacher who's declaring his victory to the spirits in prison here are those demons that we're talking about and the humans that were spawned from them half human half demon and the people who rejected because verse 20 they formerly so now we're going way back in time way back to Genesis 6 did not obey when
God's patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which a few that is 8 persons were brought safely through water now this will be very practical because maybe you're sitting here and you've never put your heart faith in Jesus and you've never indicated that by going under water the people of Noah's day had one chance to escape the flood of judgment it was to get in the ark of rescue in the same way we have baptism as a figure of our salvation look what it says verse 21 baptism and guys we're going to have a baptism right on the lawn on June 9th and next week if you want to be out there come next week
Pastor John is going to teach during second service a baptism prep class so anybody that might need to get baptized or you know someone who does bring them to the classroom during second service because baptism which corresponds to this the preacher rejected in Noah's flood now saves you now take which corresponds to this as a parenthetical out of the picture doesn't that say baptism saves you but be careful because it goes on to say not as a removal of dirt from the body it's not the outward washing that saves you no but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ the one who has faith in the resurrection of Jesus confessing with his mouth
Jesus is Lord believing in his heart that God raised him from the dead by faith looking to Christ baptism that is the outward symbol the washing of what's going on on the inside do you see that not by the washing of dirt but through but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God notice with angels authorities and powers having been subjected to him
Psalm 110 verse 1 it's under his feet he's the king of kings every rebellious angel is now conquered so we go back and we finish in Genesis 6 do you believe me now these are demon human hybrids that are being kept in chains we can't just say the devil made me do it how many people have used that excuse notice that the wickedness is in the hearts of men apart from the grace of God which 2nd
Thessalonians 2 teaches us restrains the evil of the wicked so that we can live in a peaceful world the common grace of God how wicked is the human heart are we kind of depraved without Christ or are we totally depraved verse 5 and following Genesis 6 5 the
Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually apart from grace how wicked is the human heart in Adam's sin only evil continually every thought and intention of the heart there's your total depravity in one verse
Romans 3 is another chapter that proves that verse 6 and the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him to his heart now his regret here is a bit anthropomorphic if I regret something it's
I'm thinking I wish I hadn't done it if I had known what I know now I wouldn't have done that I regret it but with God who knows all things being omniscient he's using the language of regret to communicate just how bad things are turning out but did
God know that Adam would fall into sin and the world would descend into deeper and deeper darkness did he know that the lamb was slain before the foundation of the world in the mind and heart of God he knew
Jesus to be the lamb which means he knew that there would be a fall he put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden in fact he suspended a canopy of water over the expanse of the sky for just this day so he's not learning anything as he goes along he doesn't say and it was good on that second day of Genesis 1 because that water was prepared for judgment the judgment of mankind he knew the fall of man so he does regret in the sense in our language there's nothing good left what have
I made but nothing good nothing but wicked hearts so the
Lord said I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens for I am sorry that I have made them here's the beautiful gospel of Genesis chapter 6 but Noah found favor in the eyes of the
Lord the word grace is communicated in favor comes from God's favor to Noah who would you have been when
Noah was preaching apart from grace you and I would have been the scoffers and the mockers who were making fun of Noah while he built a boat when no one had seen rain some scholars think certainly never seen a worldwide flood we would have spurned
God's authority but for the grace of God go I Noah found favor in the eyes of the
Lord this is God's grace to Noah his saving grace of him and his family God chose to save by no merit in them but because he's good and he chose to grant faith and then
Noah walked in a way that was pleasing now we've talked today if there's any kids in the room
I'm sorry you might be scared of demons because now we know they're real but I want to tell you this what
Isaiah said in chapter eight have no fear of them fear the Lord greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world walking with Jesus Christ is like walking side by side with Samson through Philistia yeah the
Philistines are around they want to kill you but you have Samson and the one greater than Samson is here the greater
Samson the stronger champion your victor the one who will crush the head of the serpent and did so on the cross is with you you have nothing to fear there are demons but here is the key and it is not finding a pastor who can cast that thing out of you although that's good we should pray one for another lay hands on those who are struggling with demonic thoughts
James says there are thoughts that are demonic this envious rivalry and jealousy is demonic he says so you may be struggling with that but here's the key to walking in freedom from all demons that want to take over your life and take a foothold you want to know what it is same thing we talked about last week walk with God Enoch walked with God when you are walking in his will not straying from the straight and narrow to go after your own desires where you are being tempted to go if you will simply walk with God you are safe look at verses 9 and 10 these are the generations of Noah Noah was a righteous man blameless in his generation
Noah walked with God that was repeated twice for Enoch so now you have another
Noah walked with God and Noah had three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth hey guys has our culture become corrupt you think is everything upside down is there temptations on every billboard and every
TV show and every song do you feel like you can't walk with God in this world
Noah was facing not only the wickedness of man and a pre -flood world that was nothing but wickedness and evil all the time he was also facing demon human hybrids that have become giants and were renowned for their strength they would just kill people that they didn't like and they were on steroids like Noah can't just fight this guy there's demonic supernatural power in these beings and for 120 years
Noah stood face to face with them and every person and preached repentance and faith in the living
God and for 120 years they couldn't touch him you want to know why because Noah walked with God and with God in him those demons however powerful they were could not lay a pinky finger on Noah if you would just walk with God you are safe and you are kept the problem is when you open a door of opportunity when you spurn the authority of God and take it lightly and you give the devil a foothold now we got to do some work praying and persevering in prayer but it's so much easier to do like Noah and just walk with God now notice the last thing
I left a lot of verses at the end but I just wanted to show them in one reading we're just going to read them because here now
Noah has to show his faith in works if you're walking with God you simply obey the will of God and God's will notice as we read it is very specific he tells
Noah to do a very specific thing with specific dimensions build an arc and then the key verse is the last one
Noah did this let's read it we'll finish up now the earth was corrupt in God's sight the earth was filled with violence and God saw the earth and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth and God said to Noah I have determined to make an end of all flesh for the earth is filled with violence through them behold
I will destroy them with the earth make yourself an arc of gopher wood to this day we don't know what gopher wood is but it was surely
God had made it to be the perfect material for an arc make rooms in the arc and cover it inside and out with pitch this is how you are to make it notice the will of God is specific you are to pray and learn what you are to do
God might say throw a shower for the youth pastor's bride amen amen to that says the youth pastor and that obedience of doing it specifically will be rewarded you're walking in obedience look how specific it was for Noah the length of the arc 300 cubits it's breadth 50 cubits and it's height 30 cubits make a roof for the arc and finish it to a cubit above and set the door of the arc in it's side what do you think that means?
that there is one way one door that will be opened people will be invited to come in in the same way there is one way for any of us to be saved the cross of Jesus Christ Jesus who says
I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me there was no other way for the people of Noah's generation to escape that flood however good of a swimmer they might have been they needed to get in that door the one way make it with lower second and third decks for behold
I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven everything that is on the earth shall die but I will establish my covenant with you and you shall come into the arc you your sons your wife and your sons wives with you and every living thing of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the arc to keep them alive with you they shall be male and female
God has a design in these things of the birds according to their kinds and of the animals according to their kinds of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive also take with you every sort of food that is eaten stored up it shall serve as food for you and for them and I hope you give thanks before you eat each meal just thank the
Lord for the food he provides to us everyday don't take it for granted last verse
Noah did this there's an easy bible memory verse for you that will go a long way
Noah did this he did all that God commanded him demons believe that there's a
God and they shudder those demons that left their proper authority and came to the daughters of man they're held in under chains in gloomy darkness they know there's a
God but they don't have faith faith involves putting your trust in Christ and walking in actual life practice what you believe
Noah was building specifically according to instructions his faith was not a theoretical faith or just an intellectual ascent he knew
God and he obeyed God let that be the description of your walk as well faith working out in love in obedience to the command the blood of Christ had to be purely human if those demon hybrids were allowed to continue to run around the earth and overpower all the women the bloodline of humanity would be half human half demon part of each and the seed of the woman
Genesis 3, 5 who would crush the seed of the serpent could never come but the blood of Jesus had to be 100 % human and so Mary descends from Noah and his family
God destroyed the demon human hybrids in order that the pure spotless blood of the lamb could be put on the cross for humans like us
Jesus became fully human to be our representative to live the perfect life that we could not the new
Adam who does obey the commands of God without fault and to be our substitute that as a human he dies for us the angels never had a redeemer like this we ought to thank
God for the blood of Jesus Christ kept pure by God through the flood and sustained until Jesus offered it freely on the tree thank you
Jesus for your blood Mark 12, 43 -45 talks about how when a demon is cast out it goes through waterless places and if it comes back to that person from whom it was cast out and finds that there's no master of that house the
Lord has not become the Lord he goes gets seven demons worse than himself and comes back and the state of that person is worse than it was in the original sadly
I just found out that the young man that I mentioned at the beginning of this story who said he felt cold run through his body died just two years ago his bad went to worse he wasn't walking with God and the real demon oppression that was on him that day completely took over I think maybe there were
I don't know what the factors were but through drug addiction people who play with fire can get burned but our fear is not of the demons as real as they are we fear the one who keeps them at bay the only one that can save us from our sin and from the world this horrible world that's pressing us into its mold all the time and from these powers of darkness these demons that are there fear
God alone he can keep you walk with God and he will keep you
Father God we thank you for Genesis 6 it's a difficult passage
Lord to read about it is a passage of destruction Lord I don't picture
Noah building an ark and the happy faces of smiling animals on the flannel graph of Sunday school
Lord this is judgment this is condemnation of the entire world this is demonic activity overtaking humanity and Lord you conquered even this thank you for preserving the seed of the woman that Jesus would come and give his perfect spotless blameless life shedding his blood for us sinners thank you for your grace and now
Lord I pray in Jesus name that every Christian in this room would be kept safe from the evil one that they would not play with fire
Lord deliver us from evil we ask that you would set your people free and Lord grant to us a willing and obedient heart that we would walk in purity and in righteousness and Lord keep us we pray in Jesus name amen lets go out with a song what gift of grace is
Jesus my redeemer there is no more for heaven now to give he is my joy my righteousness and freedom my steadfast love my deep and boundless peace to this
I hold my hope is only Jesus for my life is wholly bound to his oh how strange and divine
I can sing all is mine yet not I but through Christ in me the night is dark but I am not forsaken for by my side my savior he will stay
I labor on in weakness and rejoicing for in my need his power is displayed to this
I hold my shepherd will defend me through the deepest valley he will lead oh the night has been won and I shall overcome yet not
I but through Christ in me no fate
I dread I know I am forgiven the future's sure the price it has been paid for Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon then he was raised to overthrow the grave to this
I hold my sin has been defeated Jesus now and ever is my lead oh the chains are released
I can sing I am free yet not I but through Christ in me with every breath
I long to follow Jesus for he has said that he will bring me home and day by day
I know he will renew me until I stand with joy before the throne to this
I hold my hope is only Jesus all the glory evermore to him when the race is complete still my lips shall repeat yet not
I but through Christ in me when the race is complete still my lips shall repeat yet not
I but through Christ in me yet not
I but through Christ in me please you are all welcome to come to prayer meeting tonight at 6 o 'clock if you need prayer now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy to the only