F4F | Jentezen Franklin: The Cave of Discouragement

The Bible Is About Christ, Not Human Feelings

Welcome to another installment of fighting for the faith. My name is Chris Rose, bro. 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.

Now if you haven't already watched our series on a pirate Christians guide to the Old Testament It's gonna be vital that you take a look at installment number five prior to watching this Episode of fighting for the faith because we're gonna demonstrate to you What happens when you don't recognize that the Bible is about?

Jesus it's not about you. It's about what Jesus has done for you and When you miss that fact and what ends up happening is is that you really can't make sense of the scripture case in point. We're gonna be heading over to Free Chapel as we listen to Jensen Franklin Preach a message titled that time this time and every time and it's supposedly about the account from numbers 21 of the Bronze Serpent.

But the problem is is that Jensen is one of these guys He doesn't really truly believe that the Bible is about Christ. Although later in this segment. You'll hear him Recognize it that that Bronze Serpent it points to Jesus.

He doesn't really know what to do with it as a result of it. He zeroes in on one particular word which shows he doesn't really know Hebrew and it hasn't at least studied it out from a good commentary and just runs with that and Misses the whole point entirely of what that is about.

So oh, but there we go over. No, no this way. Yeah, there we go over there. Yeah. Here we're gonna put a link to a pirate Christians guide to the Old Testament part 5 part 5 so that you can So that you can watch that and note that pull in pull together numbers 21 and John chapter 3 versus 14 and 15.

Well, we'll cover that a little bit here but I do more in-depth teaching on the pirate Christians guide, but all that being said, let's head over to free Chapel and Jensen Franklin's gonna read out from numbers 21 the account of the Bronze Serpent and Zoom in on one thing and really mess it up and then just run with the wrong thing that he zoomed in on.

Yeah, I wish I was making that up. But here's Jensen Franklin.

Numbers 21 and the Bronze Serpent

Your Bibles I'd love for you to open them with me to the Old Testament book of numbers. I'm going to numbers the 20 the 22nd 21st chapter numbers chapter 21 and I'm going to begin reading with verse 4 of numbers chapter 21.

Now they journeyed from Mount Hoar by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. Listen to this now. And the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. One translation said because of the way.

Now a little bit of a note here. He's reading from the New King James version and I want to kind of plug this in here because you're gonna see that he makes some really just Awful mistakes, which shows that he doesn't know how to research and look for how to rightly understand a text.

And I'll explain that in a second here, but let's do it this way. Shall we? So the so the text this is from the English Standard Version Hebrew here over here on this side. From Mount Hoar they set out by the way to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom and the people became Impatient on the way and The Hebrew word here cuts are cuts are it means to be impatient.

That's that's literally what it means. So we'll take a look at logos here. Just do a quick word study on cuts are and you come up with to be short to too short short and short and to Be brief and so you can look at the different ways in which it's translated short.

Became patient impatient vexed shortened impatient you kind of get the idea. But here's the important bit and that is if I were to pull up the New King James version and that's the the text. That's in front of me right now that they they journey from Mount Hoar by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom and the soul of The people became very discouraged.

You'll note that even in the in the King James New King James it has a footnote that says Impatient so there so what what he's doing is he's found that in the New King James they translate cuts are as as Discouraged.

But they the the translators recognize that really what we're getting at here and by by way of discouragement is an impatience Discouragement there. That's what we're talking about here. And so they put the note there so that you can find this out now if you just look at other Translations, let's take a look at the net Bible real quick the net Bible translates cuts are as Impatient.

I'll highlight it over here. They became impatient. So you'll note that as part of sermon preparation. If you're if you're you're if you're gonna make a point, it's good to check commentaries. It's good to translate a text if you don't have the tools to translate look at the footnotes and look at the way other Translations are working together and note the differences and pay attention when there's serious differences like that.

You gotta you have to have confidence at the point that you're gonna make is the actual point of the text and unfortunately Jensen Franklin isn't gonna be making the point of this text at all because the purpose of it is To point us to Christ, but we'll talk about that as we get there.

So instead he's gonna drill in on the word discouraged which is not a wise idea because that's not why numbers 21 was penned and.

The people spoke against God and against Moses. Why have you brought us out of? Egypt to die in the wilderness. There's no food. There's no water. Our soul loathes this worthless bread. So the Lord sent fiery Serpents among the people and they bit the people and many of the people of Israel died.

Therefore came Moses and said we have sinned we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he will take Away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses make a fiery serpent.

Take it on a pole and it shall be that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent put it on the pole. And so it was if you'd been bitten. If the serpent had bitten anyone when he looked at the bronze serpent he lived.

I want to talk to you today about a Subject that I think is very much Needed in the hour that we're living in. I have a different title and I'll give you that later. But I'm really going to talk today about.

Discouragement the destructive power of discouragement. The destructive power of discouragement. Really. That's not what this text is about now real quick I'll just show this to you the gospel of John chapter 3.

Everybody knows John 3 16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. This is a text that everybody even if you're not a Christian you you're somewhat familiar with but that being said you're gonna note here that Jesus makes reference to the bronze serpent in Chapter 3 verses 14 and 15 and here's what he says.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness So must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. So the bronze serpent itself is a type and shadow of Christ's crucifixion.

Remember in the second Corinthians 5 it says God made him Christ to be sin who knew no sin so that we might be the become the righteousness of God and. And so Jesus, you know God lays on him the iniquity of us all and he bleeds and dies for our sins so that bronze serpent is Is is a type and shadow picture that points us to the crucifixion of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.

So we all being snake bit by the devil. Yeah, I think Garden of Eden here. We now can look to Christ and We will live rather than die. That's the whole point of what's going on with this text. And this is why the cross references are vital you you preach Jesus from this.

But what Jensen Franklin has done is key in on the word cuts are although he's not going to give the word itself. The and focus on the New King James version of translation of it is discouraged. Ignore the footnote that says Impatient and just now gonna go whole hog preaching about the power of discouragement, which again is not the point of numbers chapter 21.

It's not so now we're gonna lose Jesus and let's let him spin out this concept a little bit and you can see where he's.

Gonna go with this. Seems like I've noticed. I've noticed that more and more people are Becoming so discouraged to the point that they give up and are wanting to take their life. And I don't think we need to ignore it.

I want to talk about the destructive power of discouragement and the remedy to discouragement in the Christmas classic. It's a wonderful life. How many of you have ever watched it? If you haven't shame on you.

You're not going to heaven.

Man. It's it's one of the greatest, you know, I just gotta ask you how is The story of George Bailey from it's a wonderful life at all. An illustration that will help us to rightly understand The text that he just read out from numbers 21.

It won't he's missed the whole point. He doesn't really know what this text is about.

Movies ever put out on earth and if you just down you ought to watch it. It'll cheer you up and make you feel good. But in in that classic, it's a wonderful life. The main character is a guy by the name of George Bailey and George Bailey is a good man, but he gets extremely goes into a great difficulty in his life and as a result becomes tremendously discouraged and even suicidal and He has some wonderful friends who pray for him in his lowest moments and when they prayed for him they activate in the movie the spirit world particularly angels and there's a superior angel who has a Inferior lesser angel who has not earned his wings yet.

And so he says would you like to earn your wings this this strong angel? Would you like to earn your wings? He says it to the inferior angel and the angel says yes. Just give me a chance. And so he says here's your assignment.

You have to go down and help George Bailey and Then the the angel says well what's wrong with George Bailey? I've got this assignment. What what's what's his problem? What's his issue? Is he sick and then the Superior angel makes this statement worse than that.

He is discouraged worse than some horrible awful sickness. He is Discouraged the soul of the people in my text Was much discouraged because of the way God was leading them they were much discouraged and then the very next verse says that serpents were released because of discouragement and murmuring and complaining.

Anytime a person creates an atmosphere of Discouragement in their life and stays there and does not take it serious how serious it is to live in continual Discouragement. It's a matter of time before serpents or demonic powers get released into that atmosphere.

What?

No. This is not a text that's teaching us that if we are discouraged we release demonic entities into the atmosphere. You'll note that the serpents were sent as a judgment from God. Because they had sinned Against God and Moses.

Let me read out more of the text. So they became impatient on the way. So the people spoke Against God and they spoke against Moses. Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There's no food.

No water. We loathe this worthless food for then Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people. They bit the people so that many of the people of Israel died. Why. Because they were speaking against God they were speaking against Moses.

So the people came to Moses and said now they confess their sin. We have sinned for we have spoken against Yahweh and against you pray to Yahweh that he may take away the serpents from us. So, you know, I Wow, this is bad.

I mean, this is a Sermon that has gaffe after gaffe after gaffe in it and I'll fast forward to just another example of just a mind-numbing gap gaffe here as it relates to Psalm 73 and A point that he's gonna make that's made in Psalm 72, but watch what he does here.

I'll let him kind of set the stage. He's gonna talk about. Apparently John the Baptist was discouraged and he sent to Jesus and he said, you know, are you the Christ or should we you know? Wait for another he saw this as a sign of discouragement.

And so he tries to weave that in and then he'll build in here on Psalm 73 and We'll point something out. I'm trying to figure out when do I make the point? I might have to make it immediately because you'll see what he does here.

It's just. It's like this is like a student who shows up for a test and didn't study and Just tries to wing it and sadly. To everybody there in the audience at Free Chapel. He lands on his feet when he shouldn't have been.

Discouragement listen will cause you to question what you previously Affirmed. When you get discouragement, you'll question your spirit visitation. You'll question your divine.

Manifestations. What. I'm discouraged. I'll question my my spirit. Visitation. What? What divine manifestations are you talking about here? You'll question your personal revelation.

There are things that can come into your life that will make you wonder about that bird. Did I really see it or was I just emotional?

Bird. Like like you saw an omen. Your scripture tells us not to read omens.

It make you wonder. Did I really hear that voice? It'll make you wonder about your personal. Did I really get saved? Is there really a heaven? Is there really a God. That's when you're really discouraged.

There are things that in life will come that will make you question the will of God. The love of God, how can a loving God let this happen. The the call of God? Did I call myself or did God call me? The doctrine of God.

These are some symbols of a discouraged heart when you begin to doubt what you previously Affirmed and believe with all of your heart.

Again this isn't the point of numbers 21 at all.

John would have never entertained the thought of looking somewhere else. Until he became discouraged. And when he became discouraged, that's when you have you you have a tendency to start looking somewhere else.

Going back to alcoholism. Going back to drugs. Going back just leaving the church because it.

Again this has nothing to do with numbers 21 at all didn't happen because you didn't think that God.

Performed like you wanted him to perform and did what you wanted him to do when you wanted him to do it. So you start looking for other answers because you don't believe in him anymore. That's the destructive power if it could happen to John the Baptist.

It could happen to you. John the Baptist died in the face. What are you talking about? I?

Still want to proclaim in the middle of the jail cell. No birds flying. No talking voices with reverb. No.

Manifestations. No chill bumps. I I believe. No chill bumps. I don't know. John got the revelation.

I know he did because the Bible said he did. Where he ends up saying there basically there's no God like Jehovah. I still believe the birds not flying the voice isn't speaking, but I still believe there's no God like Jehovah.

I want to show you something. I don't want you to ever forget this I.

Want to give you the door to discouragement. All right, so here's the door to discouragement. Don't ever forget this and. What he's gonna say is a complete gap, and I mean it. It's it's it's jaw-dropping ly bad as far as sermon gaffes go.

So that you won't walk through it. In Psalm 73 in verse 1 David says truly God is good to Israel.

I got to point this out. I'm gonna point it out here. Okay. I'm gonna use logos for this and We're going to go to Psalm 72. You'll note that the Psalms themselves are Broken up into five collections. They we call them books and that book two of the Psalms.

It says you know it says this at the very end of it. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. Mm-hmm. And When you read biblical scholars and commentaries on this. You know there's some debate as to whether or not you know at an earlier date.

You know if the Psalms ended here. And then we're later added to but we know then that what follows unless it says. So these are not Psalms of David. So book Three of the Psalms. Psalm 73 it says this a Psalm of Asaph.

Okay, so what we do know is that this is not a Psalm of David. It's not so Psalm 73 is not one of David's Psalms. I think if I'm doing this if I'm remembering correctly. Yeah, here we go. Psalm 86 is a prayer of David which is thrown in here.

But from you know from basically 72 on you know. We've got multiple authors of Psalms, and so you know they tell us the different. You know the different names so the Psalm 74 is a mask ill of Asaph to the choir master according to do not destroy a Psalm of Asaph a song.

Yeah, so you get the idea here is and that you know for really in the corpus of the Psalms Psalm 72 is the end of the Psalms as David really wrote them with an exception you get Psalm 86 which is also a Psalm of David, but The so the note here that the the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

It kind of lets you know what's going on here. David's no longer the author of the Psalms moving forward at least you shouldn't have assumed that unless it says so. So when we get to Psalm 73 this is not a Psalm of David.

David didn't pen it. Okay, truly God is good to Israel to those who are pure in heart. But as for me my feet had almost stumbled my steps had nearly slipped for I was envious of the arrogant. When I saw the prosperity of the wicked for they have no pangs until death.

Their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are they are not stricken like the rest of mankind therefore pride is in their Necklace. Violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out through fatness.

Their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice. Loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens their tongue struts through the earth. Therefore his people turn back to them and find no fault in them and they say how can God know is their knowledge in the Most high behold.

These are the wicked always at ease. They increase in riches all in vain. Have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence for all the day long? I've been stricken and rebuked every morning.

If I had said I will speak thus I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this it seemed to me a wearisome task. Until I went into the Sanctuary of God and there I discerned their end.

Truly you set them in slippery places you make them fall to ruin how they are destroyed in a moment swept away Utterly by terrors like a dream when one awakes. Oh Lord when you roused yourself and despised them as phantoms when my soul was embittered when I was pricked in heart I was brutish and ignorant.

I was like a beast towards you. Nevertheless. I'm continually with you. You hold my right hand you guide me with your counsel and afterwards you will receive me to glory whom I have. Have I in heaven but you and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you my flesh and my heart may fail.

But God is the strength of my heart and the poor and my portion forever. For behold those who are far from you shall perish and you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God.

I have made Yahweh God my refuge that I may tell of all of your works. So, you know what the text is about. Okay, a guy who is lamenting the fact that the wealthy though the wicked seem to be wealthy and prosperous for a season.

But then he realizes that the Word of God reveals that their end is destruction. It'll come on them swiftly and so he affirms his faith and trust in God for his salvation in his strength. And again, Psalm 73 is not penned by David it's not so all of that being said.

Let's come back then to what? Jensen Franklin is saying here and we're gonna note that as far as gaffes go This is this is way out there. So let me let me back this up just a smidge and listen again discouragement.

So that you won't walk through it. Yes, he's gonna reveal to you the door of discouragement so that you don't walk through it.

In Psalm 73 in verse 1 David says true. No, David does not say the Psalms of David are end.

Psalm 72 So the Psalm 73 is the psalm of Asaph.

Lee God is good to Israel. Even to as many who have a clean heart and look at the next verse watch this, but as for me. What what. Now and then he starts listening I'm slipping I'm falling my life is falling to pieces he says over in verse 13 I've been living clean and right and I'm envious of the foolish cost that they are wicked and the more that they Become wicked the more God prospers them.

And you know what he's saying. This ain't working for me. He said I know God but look at verse 1. He said I know God blesses Israel, but as for me, but as for me.

Yeah, that's not the point of this psalm at all. So basically he thinks that Psalm 73 is a psalm that David wrote in depression and discouragement. Why. Well, you're gonna find out why he thinks that in just a minute.

That's a different story. I'm the exception.

This is a discouraged guy. He said my feet almost slipped. I almost quit almost gave up almost just walked away. He said I was envious of how God was prospering wicked people and here I am living right living clean doing the best I can and It's just not working for me.

It's just not working for me. How did he get there? You got to back up one verse into the next chapter. He's in discouragement. But if you go back to to Psalm 72 in the last verse verse 20 the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended the door to discouragement is prayerlessness.

Wow.

Wow. No, no, no. No, no, no, so I did this. Oh, this is bad. So the way he's reading some 72 verse 20 is is that Oh David stopped praying and he became prayerless and. So that's the reason why in Psalm 73 he's all discouraged and stuff.

No it. It doesn't mean that David stopped praying it means that the Psalms which are prayers that the That David is no longer the author of what's coming next the body of his Psalms with one exception Psalm 86.

It's done. So, oh Man that that's that's just a bad gap. So, I mean folks I've been covering Jensen Franklin for years now and I have yet to hear him rightly handle a biblical text. He just seems like the nicest guy.

But he is not Properly shown that he is capable of rightly handling a biblical text. This is a huge gap on his part. Again numbers 21 has nothing to do with the door of discouragement or anything like that and Psalm 73 is not David being discouraged because he stopped praying.

That's not what is going on here. Hi.

The moment he quit praying he said I'm done praying he's no he did it. Step right through the door to discouragement despair. Backsliding my feet are slipping.

I'm experiencing discouragement and despair as I'm listening to this.

Nonsense, I'm looking elsewhere because this ain't working for me. All that talk. But notice that the door to discouragement is prayerlessness. That's how you get discouraged when you stop praying.

Now I'm not talking now. I agree not. Praying is a dangerous and terrible thing. You shouldn't do that. But that's not what numbers 21 is about nor is psalm 73.

Might just little Lord bless us today and keep us help us in the name of Jesus. Amen. And praying over you. Food and that's pretty much your prayer line. But when you when you pray like Elijah prayed he prayed until the fire.

Came on that mountain of his where he was in the cave of discouragement the fire. You remember and God was not in the fire and the wind. He prayed until the whirlwind came. He prayed until the still small voice came into his cave of discouragement and the.

Eliza's cage of discouragement. Again not a cross-reference to numbers 21. Here voice said. Listen what the voice told him to go anoint.

Some other people I'm in my cave of discouragement. I want to die Elijah said. Just let me live and die in this cave. Isolated he's discouragement. And when he prays the Bible said that God said to him start sharing your anointing.

This is so bad. Oh Man no, God did not say to Elijah start sharing your anointing. She went and had him anoint Elisha. Because he's he's done. He's about to be taken up to heaven. Unbelievable, this is just.

Wow. Does this guy rightly handle any biblical text?

How do you get out of the cave of discouragement? Start sharing your anointing. Oh man.

This. Wow, this is like the blind leading the blind. Let me See if I could find this real quick first Kings. I think I want to go to 20, but hang on a second here. I'm wrong. I know it's probably 19. Yeah, okay.

So so it's it's first Kings 19 and after the showdown on Mount Carmel, right, you know and and anyway. And it starts to rain because Elijah prayed and it rained then so Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done how he'd killed All the prophets with the sword.

Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying so may the gods. Yeah, she's a idolatress. Due to me and more also if I don't make your life as a life of one of them by this time tomorrow so then he was afraid he rose and ran for his life and came to bed a Sheba which belongs to Judah and Left his servant there.

He himself won a day's journey into the wilderness came and sat under a broom tree. He asked that he might die saying it's enough now Oh Lord take away my life for I am no better than my father's and so no he wants to die.

He's terrified here. He's on a run for his life. He's all basically take away my life kill me God. So he lay down and slept under the broom tree behold an angel touched him and said arise and eat. He looked and behold there was at his head a cake of a cake baked on hot stones in a jar of water.

He ate and drank and laid down again and the angel of the Yahweh came again a second time Touched him and said arise and eat for the journey is too great for you. So he rose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food for 40 days 40 nights to Horeb.

That's just Mount Sinai the mountain of God. There he came to a cave lodged in it. Behold the word of Yahweh came to him and said to him What are you doing here? Elijah said I've been here been very jealous for Yahweh the God of Hosts the God of armies Saba and for the people of Israel.

I have forsaken your covenant thrown down your altars killed your prophets. They've done all these things to them with the sword and even I am only left. Then they seek my life to take it away so he said you go out and stand on the mount before Yahweh and Behold Yahweh passed by a great and strong wind tore the mountains broken pieces the rocks before the Yahweh.

But Yahweh was not in the wind and after wind and earthquake. But Yahweh was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake a fire but Yahweh was not in the fire. It after the fire the sound of a low whisper and Elijah heard it and he wrapped his face in his cloak and Went out and stood at the entrance of the cave and behold there came a voice to him and said What are you doing here?

Elijah? He said I have been very jealous for Yahweh the God of armies hosts for the people of Israel. Forsaken your covenant thrown down your altars. They've killed your prophets with a sword and I even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away.

So Yahweh said to him you go and return your way to the wilderness of Damascus and when you arrive you shall anoint has I L to be king over Syria and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel and Elisha the son of Shabbat of Abel.

Mahalo, ah, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. You see Elisha is gonna become the prophet in Elisha's place and so the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael. So Jehu put to death and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death yet I will leave 7 ,000 in Israel all knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.