The Prophet Jeremiah Part 2

We are going to pray and get started. So let's pray Lord Jesus as we open up your word

We pray and that your Holy Spirit that you have given us in the waters of baptism

You have indwelled us with that the spirit of life would help us to rightly understand your word so that we may believe

Confess and do according to what you have revealed there all of this to your glory. We ask in Jesus name.

Amen Okay, real quick. I'm gonna check the chat To see if I missed any questions because you're always welcome.

By the way questions are encouraged. They're not discouraged I'm not one of these pastors Like if you ask a question, it's like one of those high inside fastballs, you know

I I don't sit there and go touch not God's anointed, you know, just you know, I I'm just a local parish pastor

You know, you know, you could ask anything you want. I mean literally anything and you know, even if it's a high inside fastball

That's quite that's quite a right. We'll just figure out what to do with it And if I don't know the answer to the question, then

I'm going to say I don't know the answer to the question Because that's how that worked.

Hey somebody somebody complimented my photos. Thank you Bruce oh, man.

I saw that challenge accepted See, yeah, it doesn't apply to you

Bruce. Come on Because you're special, you know, so okay last week we began

Formally our study of the book of Jeremiah and I noted last week that Jeremiah is in the types and shadows one of these books that shows us if you would what the apostasy

Looks like what the apostasy is going to look like And so, you know, and this is the story of Judah Judah has completely rebelled against God.

They've gone into idolatry Ranked sexual immorality. There is no justice murder and violence are running amok and Basically, you know, it's it's like the world since Kovat, you know, it's it's all the same.

So I Saw somebody somebody on social media, you know, I follow this they said that normal isn't coming back

But Jesus is that I thought that was the excellent We're Starting to despair down it's starting to despair but all of that being said

I have to warn you and that is is that the opening chapters of Jeremiah are rated

Our NC 7 they're they're rated way out there. Okay, if you know Netflix, I don't think would play this

You know, it's it's you know This this is some pretty strong language and you'll note in the sermon today

We noted that that that in the sermon today Christ takes sin very seriously

He doesn't he doesn't treat it lightly like the false prophets. And so God here in our text

Through the Prophet Jeremiah is going to address sin and idolatry and he's going to use language in regards to idolatry that is

Well, he's gonna liken it to sexual immorality which is You know, it's really strong stuff

So we're gonna hear words that we don't normally hear in polite company and you're gonna note these words are coming from God himself

Now real quick Matthew asked a question. You said that Jesus went to hell Is that a reference to the verse about him ministering to the spirits in prison?

Yes There's two passages in particular that that reference Christ's descent into and we can say

Hades or we can say shale But Jesus didn't go to hell in order to suffer or he didn't go to shale to suffer he went there to proclaim his victory over this over the people who persisted in sin and unbelief prior to the flood and then

He also You know, so he went there to proclaim his victory He spoke with the prisons and then on it at his ascension at Christ's ascension

He takes all of the believers out of Abraham's bosom and now the the intermediate state for for all who believe in God is

Not shale but the actual heavenly kingdom so we will upon our deaths as Christians we will be with Christ in heaven

Whereas this Old Testament Saints the believers in the in the Messiah who would come They their intermediate state was in shale

In the compartment of shale that's called Abraham's bosom, which is now empty So that that that's a reference to that.

All right, so let's let's now get into Jeremiah chapter 1 the words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin in Whom the word of Yahweh came in the days of Josiah the son of Ammon the king of Judah in the 13th year of his reign

Now if you remember last week, we did prep work and we read out the account of Manasseh of also of Josiah and you'll note that it was in the 18th year of the reign of Josiah That they discovered the

Bible and they didn't even know they had one Okay, and and the temple had had really gone into rank rank apostasy apostasy being rebellion

We talked about the fertility religions and the implications regarding them the and so they put in a

Shira pole inside the temple and The scholars on this they they speculate that that a

Shira was put it behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies as if Yahweh needed a wife Which is just weird

And apparently he wasn't wasn't keen on her. You know was she wasn't his type She was a little stiff a little wooden if you would but you know, and not only that she doesn't exist

This is all a demonic thing so so the word of the Lord the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah and the son of Ammon the king of Judah now a little bit of a note here the word of Yahweh the word of the

Lord Came so in our Hebrew to bar Elohim When we read how the word of the

Lord comes to people Christ if you remember the in the opening passage of the gospel of John John chapter 1

In the beginning was the word the word was with God and the word was

God There's there's some there's overlap in these Concepts and you'll note that when the word of the

Lord comes to the prophets of the Old Testament Oftentimes they described the experience in ways that really strongly suggest that this was a visible appearance of the pre -incarnate

Christ and so Jesus is the word You know, that's that's who he is so when you read the

Old Testament prophets and especially like Isaiah and Here Jeremiah and talking about the word of the

Lord came in the days of Josiah This isn't this you'll know that doesn't say anything here about Jeremiah paying $400 to Jennifer Leclerc in order to get a prophetic activation

Okay, nothing of that nonsense instead This is an appearance of Christ Christ is the word so to describe

Jesus as the the debar Elohim the word of the Lord that's not out of bounds of Scripture and really legitimately the the book of John Chapter 1, you know and RK and halagas kaya lagas and prostante.

Oh Jesus is the lagas and the lagas became flesh So the word of Yahweh came in the days of Josiah the son of Ammon the king of Judah in the 13th year of his reign

So this is before they discovered the Bible it came also in the days of Jehoiachin the son of the son of Josiah the king of Judah and Until the end of the 11th year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah the king of Judah until the captivity captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month

Important you'll note. This is grounded in history We could we could figure out the exact dates of when it is that Jeremiah was prophesying

This is not often the misty times of a sands of time of mythology

This is grounded in actual human history Important to note that all right

So now the word of Yahweh came to me saying before I formed you in the womb now, by the way

This is this is the passage that every every seeker driven. You're scratching your tickler will

Will read out of context. Okay before before I formed you in the womb. I knew you before you were born

I consecrated you and I appointed you a prophet to the nations now a little bit of a note here and that is is that That when when somebody scratches ears using this text oftentimes, there's a lot of truth mixed with air.

All right, because you'll note that that the Way my my mentor put it the emphasis is always on the wrong side label when it comes to these folks

The the emphasis is on you. And so the way this goes is that oh look how what amazing you are

You see God knew you because you're so amazing. You're so special You're the bee's knees.

You're the apple of God's eye you you you you you and you sit there and go. Yeah, aren't I great? Yeah Okay, but I would remind everybody here that we are no different than Jeremiah when it comes to this and that Is is that the good works that God had prepared in advance for Jeremiah to do?

He was going to do them And so the good works that Jeremiah does he does as a prophet of God called by God and Jeremiah is here too

What serve us? The the New Testament is explicitly clear that the prophets of the

Old Testament they were serving us So if we're gonna get this right, okay, let me give you a proper cross -reference here in Ephesians chapter 2

Oops, I spelled it wrong What do you mean? I can't I wish this thing would just read my mind and not make me type things correctly

And no I don't Yeah, it's starting to creep me out that like I'm getting targeted ads for stuff that I talk about in my home

But I'm not searching for I think I think it's time to to get rid of Alexa, you know

She's starting to creep me out. All right. Anyway, here's here's our text

I'll read that the end portion of it for by grace. You have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing

It is the gift of God It is not the result of work so that no one may boast and then watch these words

We are his the his there is God. We are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus For good works and watch the next part which

God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them so Here's the next question.

What's a good work? All right, Ephesians 5 and 6 kind of start laying all this out You know a good work is the things you do in your vocations

So, you know, let's let's make this clear that Jeremiah's gig

Okay, the the good works that God called him to there was nothing sexy about his job and I mean this

Jeremiah is basically told in the in the verses that follow Listen I'm gonna put my words in your mouth and no one's gonna believe you.

No one's gonna listen to you They're gonna hate you. They're gonna despise you. So don't be afraid You know, what a great job you you want me to preach your word

God and everyone's gonna hate me because of it You betcha. Okay, you're gonna note that when God sends his word sometimes his word softens hearts and Sometimes his word is sent to harden hearts.

That's his prerogative not and and the thing is is that as a pastor It always the temptation as a pastor is to sit there and go if I just Didn't have to preach these hard edges of the

Bible. We could probably grow this place, you know, you know, people would That's always the temptation

It's like, you know If we stop talking about Jesus and and you know and told people like, you know How to get their kids to behave and stuff.

We might be able to track some younger families, you know and of course You know if we just got rid of the liturgy and and those hymns and we you know

We and started singing songs that didn't say anything, you know, whoo Jesus whoo, you know, whatever, you know, that's that's a

Hillsong song, right? Anyway, oh, sorry Bethel my apologies yeah, and and there's an omen there too, but You get the idea but but here here's the job of pastor preach the word in season and out of season

Are there seasons when it's out of season to preach the Word of God? Yes, okay. Just like there's rabbit season and duck season.

There's Bible season and sometimes it's not Bible season Okay, what do you do when it's not Bible season? You keep preaching the word see unlike rabbit season.

You can't you can't kill rabbits unless it's rabbit season Well, you have to preach the word even when the Bible's out of season

And so you'll note then that we can say here that there's a cross -reference In the

New Testament where we have all had our good works prepared in advance for us to do in Christ Same with Jeremiah.

So if you want to talk about the overlap in that sense regarding vocation then it's important then that you recognize that all the good works that you're doing as a

Husband as a wife as a father as a mother as an employee as an employer

You know it all of those things. Those are the very good works that Christ has called you to and Before you were born

God knew you and he prepared those works for you to do in advance full stop, so Let's make this clear

It is a good work to be called a prophet of God and it is a good work to change diapers

They are both good works in God's sight. So and you know and believe me

I think there's times as you'll see this as we're working through this book I think there were times that Jeremiah would have preferred to be changing diapers

Okay, because What you what he was made to endure? Okay is nothing than wiping up poop.

I'm just telling you that would that wiping up poop would be an easy thing. So, all right so then

I said ah Lord God Behold, I do not know how to speak.

I am only a youth But Yahweh said to me do not say I am only a youth For to all to whom

I send you you shall go and whatever I command you you shall speak

Do not be afraid of them for I am with you to deliver you declares Yahweh. See these are ominous words right here

Okay. Okay. Now number one note that Jeremiah is inspired. These are the words of God These are not

Jeremiah's opinions. And so what he's written down for us These are the very words of God and then he says oh and by the way, don't be afraid of them

I'm gonna be with you to deliver you declares Yahweh. Wait, what you're gonna do what I'm gonna deliver you from what?

All you'll find out Yay What a great gig, okay

Yeah, and you'll note that Yahweh isn't subject today's OSHA standards when it comes to you know, employees, you know

Things like that the retirement plan by the way in God's kingdom is amazing But until then things can be a little sketchy and difficult.

Okay, so So then Yahweh put out his hand nope here the word of the

Lord came to me Yahweh put out his what His hand

Okay, now we see what's going on here so the the the whacker doodle, you know, so there's cat

Kerr She's out there battling Hurricane Ida right now You Know the word

Lord has come to me and I command and decree and declare Ida I'm gonna send you back out into Into the

Gulf of Mexico and I command the middle bars to decline right now. This is nonsense, right? Yeah Yeah, so you'll note then there's there's there's very much this idea that when the

Word of the Lord comes to somebody There's something going on people can see this They can see it.

All right. Jeremiah says the Lord put out his hand Wait, what? Pre -incarnate appearance of Christ.

He touched my mouth and Yahweh said to me behold I have put my words in your mouth

See I have set you this day over nations over Kingdoms to pluck up and to break down to destroy and to overthrow to build and to plant and you'll note that Daniel was reading the

Prophet Jeremiah in exile, you know when we talk about books of the Bible you'll note that when the

Children of Israel go into exile Jeremiah is the freshest You're the freshest of the books of the

Bible It just hot off the press at that time and Daniel was reading it and so you'll note there's there's negative things that God's Word is going to do and there's

Positive things that God's Word is going to do and the Lord touched his mouth And so again, I would note that the implications here in Jeremiah 1 are very clear

The Bible is the Word of God. It doesn't contain the Word of God When you hear people out there trying to make a distinction between the

Bible and the Word of God They are they're pulling a fast one on you This this text itself screams all the words that we are going to read in all of the chapters of Jeremiah Just like the rest of the

Bible. These are the words of God Okay, Stephen says Alexa.

Well, it's not just Alexa your phone's gonna do it, too. No It's time for me to go old school, you know,

I think I'm gonna start learning how to send smoke signals anyway All right, let's see here if you stop talking about the law you can grow the congregation but never the church

That's a good distinction Bruce that that's a really good distinction. Yeah. Yeah So if I if I stop preaching law and gospel,

I I I can grow a Congregation but not the church. That's a great point. Yeah.

Yeah, and by the way, you know, I grow weeds really well, you know, so I'm gifted in that.

All right continuing on So the word of Yahweh then came to me saying Jeremiah, what do you see

I said? well I see an almond branch and then Yahweh said to me you've seen well for I am watching over my word to Perform it now a little bit of a note here.

I want you to consider the the consider the implications of what's being said here because When we talk about in our day and age, there are a lot of people out there who claim to be prophets

But what they end up doing is saying things are going to happen and they don't happen. And so if you remember after the debacle of 2020 and all the prophets, you know claiming that Trump is going to be reelected and then they doubled and tripled and quadrupled and quintupled

And sextupled and whatever number tuples after that. They just toppled and toppled away You know all claiming that Trump was going to be put back in office

He was going to be put back in office in February and then March and then April then August and now we're on the eve of September and all this kind of stuff you'll know that God never gives a word and it doesn't come to pass

This text says Yahweh said to me you've seen well I am watching over my word to perform it

God God his word always accomplishes the thing for which he sent it if God says something's going to happen.

It's going to happen if he says that it's going to You're gonna be able to grow palm trees in Oslo, Minnesota You're gonna be able to grow palm trees in Oslo, Minnesota as crazy as that sounds global warming.

Yeah, that's right I'm looking forward to it. You know When when when North Dakota becomes a tropical region?

Yes. Ah, yeah That's you know, so I might lose some weight in and engage in some sunbathing or something,

I I don't know but Well now that you put it that way

You are a sick man doing he's just said he's looking forward to the return of 30 below Yeah, it will be a little cooler.

That's for sure Yeah All right. So the word of the Lord then came to me a second time saying what do you see?

I said I see a boiling pot facing away from the north Then Yahweh said to me out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land

For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north declares Yahweh And they shall come and everyone shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem Against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah and I will declare my judgments against them

For all their evil in forsaking me They have made offerings to other gods and they worship the works of their own hands

But you dress yourself for work arise and say to them everything that I command you do not be dismayed by them lest I dismay you before them and And I behold

I make you this day a fortified city an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land

Against the kings of Judah its officials its priests and the people of the land and they will fight against you

But they shall not prevail against you for I am with you declares Yahweh to deliver you

This is not a fun gig All right He's God sending him giving him words and people are going to fight against Jeremiah and you'll see that and the

Jeremiah Will be made to suffer horribly horribly, and again he is the last of the prophets before God acts in judgment and The apostasy of Judah is a type and shadow of the apostasy within the visible church before the return of Christ There's just no doubt about it.

Let me remind you again what Scripture says in this regard Kind of two different places second

Thessalonians Chapter 2. Hang on. I gotta take a swig of coffee here It doesn't quite have the rush that Red Bull does but I think if I had

Red Bull I get I go into a cardiac arrest All right. Let's see here. All right So now concerning the coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him We ask you brothers not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by a spirit or a spoken word to the effect to the

Or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come Let no one deceive you in any way for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first Always worth noting here.

Hey apostasy, ah the Apostasy so if you've ever heard somebody say

I've heard that there is a prophecy about a great apostasy. This is the pet. This is the text

It's the apostasy It's the rebellion and here's the thing every single one of us because scripture is clear

We're born dead in trespasses and sins We are born and we are hostile to God the mind that is set on the flesh

It cannot please God nor will it because a mind that set on the flesh is hostile to God scripture says that the apostasy is not out there among the unbelieving world and I in fact,

I kind of I'm chastened by CS Lewis in this regard It I don't think it's right to call the world as we know it now a pagan

Pagans actually are closer to being Christians than the many of people in the world today

Pagans at least have a worldview that that God Exists or that there's consequences of bad behavior and things like this

Pagans are more moral than the people that that are out there today in their postmodern atheism

It's just it's so all that being said the rebellion that is being prophesied here is in the church

Otherwise, it doesn't make any sense. It makes absolutely zero sense to talk about an upcoming apostasy and That apostasy somehow being, you know

Tantamount to how the world is operating the world is all is already dead in trespasses and sins hostile to God This is talking about an open rebellion against God within the visible church

And that's what Christ describes and let me let me give you a little bit more and we'll take a look again The words of Christ so that day the day the

Lord will not come unless the rebellion comes first The man of lawlessness is revealed the son of destruction

Who opposes and exalts himself against every so -called God or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God?

Proclaiming himself to be God. All right and temple of God here is not referring to you know

Third temple built in Jerusalem. That's not what this is referring to in Paul's theology.

The temple of God is the church We are the temple of God and so we're talking about within the visible church that they're

Somebody exalts himself even above Christ and above God declaring himself to be

God within the visible church You know, and that's that's a that's that's a stark idea

So note then the concept of apostasy the apostasy is great in in the

New Testament and it's explicitly taught by Christ Regarding the the end of days in Matthew 24

This is the Olivet Discourse Jesus left the temple was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple

And he answered them you see all of these do you not truly I say to you there will not be left here one stone upon Another that will not be thrown down Now in the in in the disciples way of thinking wait, the temple is going to be gone

Well, I mean there's no forgiveness of sins. What are we going to do? That's got to be the end of the world So they asked kind of a weird question and they asked two different things in one question

So as he sat on the Mount of Olives disciples came to him privately saying tell us When will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?

Well note here. When will these things be? When will the temple be thrown down and when will be your coming in the end of the age?

Disciples just kind of all throw it all together in one big pot. All right Well, the temple was destroyed in 70

AD and we're still waiting for Jesus to return but note here that Christ doesn't sit there No, no, no. No, you just you don't get you don't get what's going on.

Christ just goes kind of goes with it and Uses the destruction of the temple as type and shadow of his return at the end of the age

So you have themes that are interwoven together and you have explicit prophecies in the

Olivet discourse that pertain to the end of the world and Christ's return as well as Prophecies that are interwoven that pertain only to 70

AD and and the destruction of the temple Which then Jesus is using kind of figuratively in type and shadow of what it what's going to happen at the end of the age

So Christ's first words and in the ancient world first thing you say is the most important one all the rest are sub

See, you know when no one leads you astray many will come in my name

Whose name are they coming in in Jesus's name? Let that sink in for a second not some not a few many

Many people are going to come in my name. Where's the only place where people are received in the name of Jesus?

the church If I show up at the local synagogue in Grand Forks and say

I'm here in the name of Jesus They'd call the police and accuse me of some kind of religious hate crime

All right We're not welcome at the at the mosques.

We're not welcome at the synagogues So when somebody comes in the name of Christ, they're coming to us from what you know, where are they coming to us at?

in the church right Many will come in my name saying

I am the Christ or you say I am in and I am an anointed one And they will lead many astray

That's a bummer. Okay Not some many and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars

Do not be alarmed. This must take place. The end is not yet nation will rise against nation kingdom against kingdom

There will be famines earthquakes in various places. All of these are but the beginning of birth pains They will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death

Lovely and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake now a little bit of a note here Note then that the church

In preaching the gospel and proclaiming the truth of God's Word proclaiming repentance and the forgiveness of sins

In the name of Christ in the days immediately before Jesus. They are acting prophetically like Jeremiah in this sense we have words given to us by God and we are to keep preaching them even if everybody hates us and God promised

Jeremiah that you know, he would be protected Jesus says to us Buckle up.

You're gonna be put to death and you're gonna be hated Okay so when we are hated and despised when people are in our face and yelling at us and trying to correct us and and Well slandering us and all saying all kinds of manner of evil against us when we preach the truth of Scripture In of all places the church

Okay Christ told us this is what we should expect Jeremiah experienced it as well, but Jeremiah was protected.

All right, then many will fall away Fall away fall away from what?

Christianity Okay, there's gonna be a great falling away. They will betray one another and they will hate one another

Hmm Many false prophets will arise not some and they will lead many astray not some

This is Jesus's picture greater picture if you would of the apostasy than you can imagine So because lawlessness will be increased the love of many will grow cold

The one who endures to the end will be saved. How does one endure? I always like pointing out that prophetic band journey and their song don't stop believing.

That's that's that's the answer to the question All right. I do not have the voice of Steve Perry. So I will not even try.

Okay, but you get the idea Don't stop believing so because lawlessness will increase the love of many will grow cold and this is the temptation right now one of the things

I've noted and I talked about this in the Aletheia services yesterday is that There's so much rancor right now as it relates to governmental policies pertaining to kovat that you have people now visibly within the

Christian Church who are Making whether or not you get vaccinated the test of true orthodoxy and there there are people out there on the internet

Claiming that if you get vaccinated that the vaccine is the mark of the beast So if you're vaccinated you they consider you they don't even consider you to be a

Christian You are you know, you're going to hell and that's just nuts and the rancor and the anger and the

Just Vitriol of their of the rhetoric both on the right and the left on this.

It's it's off the chain it's it's terrible and what's what's awful is is that all of the stresses the anxiety and the politicians at the weaponizing that There's a better word the weaponizing of kovat has resulted in Christians hating each other

Absolutely hating each other it's it's it's wrong on so many levels The one who endures to the end will be saved and the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a

Testimony to all nations and then the end will come. I'm gonna fast -forward just a little bit and Again Christ says if anyone says look here's the

Christ or there is don't believe it for many false Christ And I would note pseudo

Christi here That it doesn't have the definite article false

Christ here Christos is an anointed one. So I did a recent episode of fighting for the faith and also in issues, etc

And we pointed out where somebody claiming to have special anointings today that they that they fall into this category of pseudo

Christi All right Yes, sir Yeah, right

Yeah, that's a good point Yeah Duane Cleveland said that he hasn't known his Bible says if you have to be told that the

Messiah is here that the Christ is Here he's not right? Yeah, that's that's kind of the point, right? so many false

Christ false many false Christ false prophets will arise and Here's the part that we have to watch out for because it's coming.

They will perform great signs and wonders second Thessalonians talks about Pseudo signs pseudos a mass pseudo signs and pseudo wonders

But Christ here says in the days immediately before his return these false Christ and false prophets

Would be able to perform great signs and wonders in the book of Revelation makes it clear what those are

One in particular is the ability to call down fire from heaven All right, so it's this is all part of the great apostasy

So I let's this kind of put this together I am NOT a prophet nor am I the son of a prophet

I am just a good researcher and I'm able to connect together Data points when it comes to trends, which is how this works

So it is not it is not outside of reality to see how this is going to go down So if you happen to be unfortunate enough to still have a subscription to cable television

You know you as you're flipping through the channels you got TBN God TV and you know on all this weird quackery

Spirituality and I remember when when we lived in Southern California, we lived in Orange County for a time

Whenever we would drive up to Costa Mesa We would drive right by the TV in headquarters and during Christmas time.

Holy smokes I mean it looked like Elvis and Santa Claus had a baby, you know

It was the most gaudy gosh I've ever seen in my life, but man, it was you know, it's quite the spectacle but In the future you can see what's gonna happen so, you know

Somebody like Todd White's gonna arise within the NAR and this fellow

He's gonna come on the scene like gangbusters Like you will have not heard of him one day and then the next day everybody's talking about this guy and unlike Todd White He's not gonna pull people's legs and you know do the old leg lengthening parlor trick this guy's gonna claim to be you know, an anointed one and He's going to legitimately have

TBN's television crew there to record it and he is going to call down Fire from heaven all the scientists on planet

Earth and you know The notable ones that show up on the media and YouTube are going to show up to debunk these miracles

He will perform them over and over again in their presence and they will say this is really happening.

This is not trickery and TBN will say we're saved it's the Messiah and you're gonna sit there and go uh -uh, that's what

Jesus warned us about and you're gonna get on social media and you say that guy isn't the Christ and Your Christian friends are going to slander you and they're going to censor you.

They're going to block you They're going to fight and argue with you and say you just don't have the

Holy Spirit. How dare you? Yeah, oh

Yeah, and they'll turn you in because with the ascension of these Miracle workers, they're gonna also be given political power, too

Okay, listen, this is it does this is not rocket surgery Christ told us all of this ahead of time and the thing is you pointing out the

Bible and saying well Jesus told us exactly that this was what was going to happen. And he said don't believe it and You're just a hater.

You just don't have the Holy Spirit You you you you just need you have head knowledge, but you don't have heart knowledge

You need to ask God the Holy Spirit to reveal to you whether or not this man is really the Messiah or not

No, I don't the Bible Jesus said he's not all right False Christ false prophets will arrive perform great signs and wonders.

So as to lead astray if possible even the elect see I've told you beforehand you see even Jesus sits there goes

I'm telling you ahead of time and you're gonna point this out. Jesus said I told you ahead of time

Hater hater. Okay. So if they say to you look he's in the wilderness. Don't go out

They say look he's in the inner rooms Don't believe it For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the

West So will be the coming of the Son of Man where the corpse is there the vultures were will gather So when

Jesus actually shows up, no one's gonna be scratching their head going Is that Jesus? Are you sure that's

Jesus? I'm not sure. I Need to pray about this. Okay.

Okay, because when Jesus shows up the angels are like gathering people up You know, it's just you get the idea

All right So this is so this is the apostasy that Christ predicts the

Apostles predict in the days Immediately before the return of Christ. So as we see these themes in Jeremiah Then note that Jeremiah if you would

Prefigures the work of all of us Christians as we hold to and proclaim the real words of God In the days immediately before the return of Christ yeah, so our job and his job are very similar and the

The only difference is is that we all get to die and Jeremiah got to be protected So keep that in mind, all right now, let me let me back up a second here

Let me check the questions and make sure I haven't missed anything We really are in the last days

We've been in the last days by the way, since Christ ascended if you really want to be technical about about that Bruce says the almond branch in Hebrew sounds almost like watch over.

Oh, yeah Yeah, it shows the almond branch and says he's watching over Israel. Yeah a little bit of a Hebrew play on words indeed

All right, let's see never I never promised you a rose garden I know that song

I remember that you know I used to listen to that on AM radio in California My mom would be in her

Dodge Duster and she'd turn on the radio and you know flip over to an AM station I never promised you a road

Huh? Yeah, that's right. That's right. Yeah. Anyway, I shouldn't be singing My apologies.

All right Alright, so and let's see Carmen says as a person with an autoimmune compromised body a mask protects me as it did when

I receive a stem cell transplant several years ago back then the doctor told me to wear a mask and gloves or to sanitize my hands when

I Went out in public and notice that was the days before all this was politicized, you know And and I don't know the other the other argument.

Have you heard this really stupid argument? There are people who are literally arguing as Christians You don't have to wear a mask in public and you shouldn't get vaccinated because you should just trust that God's gonna protect you

Well using that logic we should get rid of our the US military and just trust that God's gonna protect us from the

Chinese Yeah, and don't wear a seatbelt whatever you do, you know, just trust that God's not gonna let you become a road pancake

You know this Yeah Okay Yeah, let's see

Dang Jen says Dane calls out TV calls TV and the blasphemous Network and that's what it is.

It is the blasphemous Network Tony see an absorption Absorption center for those led so the new generation is not fooled a different audience or God's love gush gush gush

Yeah, that's the false message. So if God didn't bring me to this church, I would have fallen for that praise

Jesus I was literally plucked out of the hand of the devil. Hey, Matt, you're in good company Everybody here me included.

We've all been plucked out of the hands of the devil literally Delivered from the dominion of darkness.

You're in the right place Because there there isn't a single person here it either physically in Kongsvinger or joining us online

That haven't been plucked out of the hands of the devil Louie says Daystar Network. That's the name for Satan.

Yes, it is. That's not you're not wrong Louise. They're not wrong Yeah, they star son of the morning dawn, oh you how you have fallen you who laid low the nation's yeah that that guy

Yeah, all right so Tony says this is why I believe This is why

I believe is why liturgy is so important even the church Whose pastor is off the opportunity for God's message still is to be proclaimed yet Tony you bring up a good point and and and this is something

I have taught on in the past But it's good to reiterate at this point. The liturgy protects you from me

Let me just let me just make that clear the liturgy protects you from me because every pastor including this one

Gets up on a to the pulpit on a Sunday and is capable and often do lay turds

Okay, they just don't do it, right And so the the guarantee then and the liturgy is is that by following the liturgy you're going to hear the gospel whether I mess up or not and If I don't mess up, you're gonna hear it doubly

So right and if I do mess up you can you can sit there and go well Roseboro really biffed that one, but thank

God we had the liturgy Because otherwise we wouldn't heard the gospel today right And and that's the other reason why the hymns are so important because have you guys noticed that the hymns are chosen to go with?

The biblical text that I preach on have you guys noticed that? Yeah Yeah Yeah, and here's the funny part because I don't read music it is never part of my consideration

Whether the the hymn is in a major key or a minor key Okay, so if it's in a minor key and it's a real downer of a hymn

Bummer for you, but the the the lyrics are gonna be great. Okay, you might want to slit your throat afterward, but Yeah, that's right, that's a cling -on funeral dirge for those, you know, those minor key hymns, but here's the thing this is that This is totally the side totally aside since I have derailed myself a little bit of a note here

It is not my job to make sure that you leave here happy Okay So if there are there are certain texts that it would be weird and I mean just Weird if the the hymns were upbeat

It would just be wrong. Okay, especially during Lent, you know Yeah, and so if people seem to think that you know

What we have to have in church is like happy clappy inspiring songs and stuff like this.

No, we need good theologically dense hymnotea that teaches the faith and Reinforces the biblical text that we're going and some in major keys some in minor keys some upbeat some downbeat

You know, so the you'll note that I did make a decision today and that was is that the opening hymn?

Definitely a tougher hymn in Adam We have all been one when huge rebellious man, but we ended with Lord dismiss us with your blessing so I purposely, you know decided that since we the the the text needed some meat to it and the themes were pretty dark that that what

I would do is allow for the end of the service to be more of the joy of Salvation that we heard in our in our psalm front in our intuit.

Does that make sense? Okay, so yeah, so we started off with not happy clappy. We started in Adam We have all been one one huge rebellious man, right?

You know, so and then which is really a minor key and a slow and it's a it's a Klingon funeral dirge, right?

Appropriately so for our sin, but then we ended up with Lord dismiss us with your blessing

Right, and so the idea here is is that that the hymns the mood of the hymns is going to vary

Based upon the text the text is in the driver's seat not pastor Roseboro and not your desires either

I prefer a church that has happier music. Yeah me too, but then you know, I need something else.

Yeah, Marilyn Yes, right, you know

You're absolutely right there. There are funeral hymns that are just fantastic Okay, you know so just so you know that if if I pass away before I'm able to write down the three hymns

I'd like at my funeral opening him thy strong word. Okay. All right the the sermon him a mighty fortress is our

God Okay, and then closing him st. Patrick's breastplate Okay, which have nothing to do with my death because here's the thing if you're coming to my funeral you're not hearing about me

All right, you come to my funeral that the pastor has one job and that's to tell all of you about the guy

I'm with that's Jesus Okay, I'm with him. I want to see you all there. So I want him to preach about him.

Not me. Does that make sense? So those are the hymns that have gotten me through so much darkness in my own life because of my own sin

So thy strong word st. Patrick's breastplate and mighty fortress funeral hymns, well

Have you seen how the world does funerals nowadays it's like it's the most pathetic thing ever, you know

So, all right moving along. Okay. Let's see here Okay, let's let me see here

Oh Jen says let's see here All right So the huge tip off to me was the separation from the historical church from the present -day believers

Yep, like the Marxist view of history. It needs to be replaced by something Narcissistic. Yeah, so you're you're you're right the so you'll note that the

Marxists have this thing that they do they attack all the institutions and Today's, you know kind of theological

Marxists if you would they got to get rid of the institution of the church and replace it with a movement right and And and that means you know because we have to grow the church.

We've got to get rid of the hymns We got to get rid of the gospel get rid of the Bible gets in the way of building the church

They think all right. So Jen says I was I always read the small print what scripture the hymn is coming from Yeah, that's a good point.

Yeah, and you should you know, and it's all there in your hymnal, right? So Jen says you don't want to hear me sing tone -deaf, but I still sing

You know It's one of those times Jen that I'm very thankful that you're joining us using the internet and I have to that we get to mute you so One of these days one of these days

I might just open up your mic, you know during during the hymn to see what happens I'm joking.

I don't think I have that Okay All right, all right that says you are literally the exact opposite of my last pastor

Yeah, and and I shouldn't be that's the thing and all pastors should be preaching the word So Oscar says

I was saved from the charismatic deception. I'm still learning I have a long way to go when

I'm struggling with a little bit is with the Calvinist doctrine I'm not a Calvinist, but I listened to body Bachum and sermons and by John MacArthur sometimes so So, let me let me let me put it this way

I am really good friends with some Calvinists really good friends. Justin Peters Phil Johnson who works for for John MacArthur and the best way

I can put it is is that we have professional and and brotherly courtesy for each other, but you also recognize that the differences in our doctrines are

Significant enough that we don't have fellowship with each other in church and at least in that sense. So But I don't consider them to be outside the

Christian faith so that being the case The Lutherans have very very strong Disagreements with the

Calvinists on several of their doctrines, which they haven't gotten from the scriptures They've gotten from logic.

They've you know, these are the logical conclusions and so You know, for instance their belief in the limited

Atonement that Christ didn't die for the sins of the whole world the scriptures beg to differ and So I point this out to them that their belief that the sacraments are merely symbolic again false

Not only does the scripture disagree with them the entire history of the Christian Church disagrees with them on that And and the church fathers, so we we have we have significant differences with them

And at the same time they proclaim Christ and crucified for our sins and they distinguish between law and gospel

So we recognize that there are Christians in in Calvinist churches just like they recognize our

Christians in our Lutheran confessional Lutheran congregations, but Let's just say our conversations are always rather interesting.

And I remember I had a wonderful conversation with body welcome several years ago I was invited to speak at a conference that he was at and we were at the

Texas Roadhouse and we were in a city In Montana the Texas Roadhouse and so we're having we're having lunch

You know as part of you know the the amenities of being a speaker at this conference and bodies to stand sitting right right across from me and somebody steered the conversation as usual into baptism and And and I had and I said to body

I said, yeah I had I we just baptized a baby at our congregation, you know Just a few weeks ago and his response was well, isn't that cute?

Okay, and I said and you could just tell you know, he was just being snarky And so I said, well, I think that's funny that you would say that I said

But what you you do believe what the scriptures say about the promises and baptism and then from memory

I just rattled them off from you know Acts chapter 2 that repent and be baptized every one of you for the forgiveness of your sins

For the promises for you and for your children I quoted it from memory and then I took him, you know in memory to Romans chapter 6 threw over to you know

Titus chapter 3 that is a washing of regeneration and Even threw in a little bit of Colossians 2 and I said you believe what the scriptures say regarding baptism, right?

And he says I think my corn is getting cold Every time

I'm with these guys okay, the topic of baptism comes up and I just start quoting the scriptures and Their eyes begin to wander and they want to get on to the next thing and they never engage me

It's rather fun. So and that includes body. So but the best way I can put it then is

That Oscar stick around especially come to the Come to our catechism classes because these distinctions the differences between Calvinists and Lutherans often come up as questions in our

In our catechism classes and I'm able to do it far more justice You know in those catechism classes and steer into you know, some more in -depth things here

Bruce says body is nice in the culture war, but he can be pretty merciless Yeah, you know his book on fault lines on the on critical race theory,

I think is just fantastic. It's just a really good book Yeah, Jen says bring earplugs if I and if you unmute me we're gonna pray that God makes us mute a deaf

So, all right Let's see the word gym that the word Gymnastics that some pastors have to do in order to avoid talking about sin a repentance is astonishing

Lily you bring up a good point and And I know exactly being a pastor,

I know the work that they would have to go through to do that I'm just too lazy, you know, that's my problem

I'm just gonna teach the word because it takes a lot of effort to figure out the gymnastics and the maneuvering

You would have to do in order to not to make a text not say what it says

I mean, but you're right it is it is word gymnastics and it takes a lot of effort. I'm just too lazy

I'm just gonna preach the text and just you know You're just gonna have to deal with it and it says what it says and it means what it says, you know

It's just kind of how that works Okay, so they even reinvent words in their vocabulary words don't mean what they what we think they mean

Right. Yeah, that's that's a postmodern trick. So bill is a question, but I type quicker

Did you have to say that Louise? Bill my heart reaches

I Just had to get that little dig in there kind of like John when

John says that he you know He raised Peter to the tomb and he beat him. It's like, yeah, thanks for that little. Yeah. Thanks.

Okay. All right Yeah So the Bible says there will be many false

Christ's more than one Will it be the same with the one who sets himself up in the temple as God?

So the man of lawlessness here and this is you listen Lutheran theologians every generation

They this is like a football that gets kicked back and forth Is this talking about one quintessential man of lawlessness or is this just some kind of a type?

I believe we're actually heading towards like the man of lawlessness, you know You know a final guy, but he's like the he the best way

I could describe him. He's like The devil in the flesh is like an incarnation the perfect possession of Lucifer himself

I think that's the picture So the false Christ and false prophets when you read the epistle of first John and and and you read second finish out second

Thessalonians to that the idea behind the false Christ and the false prophets that arise is that there are all the ones who are the

Pioneers paving the way for the man of lawlessness. And so let me show you what

I mean by that so coming back then to second Thessalonians 2 If I read out some of the remainder of this hang on a second second

Thessalonians 2 Okay, so talking about the man of lawlessness He opposes verse 4 exalts himself above every so -called

God or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God Proclaiming himself to be God.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you? I told you these things and you know, what's restraining him now.

So the idea is that with Christ ascension There is a there were restraints put on the devil and the demons and as we get closer and closer to the return of Christ Those restraints are being loosened

So that he may reveal himself in his time for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work Only he who now restrains it will do so until he's out of the way and then the lawless one

Will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his kingdom

The coming of the lawless one So watch verse 9 and through 12 here the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan With all power and false signs and wonders

So, you know here we have false signs and false wonders, which will culminate as Christ says

In great signs and great wonders by these false Christ so so by the activity of Satan all

False signs and wonders and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved therefore

God sends them a Strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth

But had pleasure in unrighteousness All right. So So you're gonna note then that other passages as it relates to the apostasy and so again

Judah's apostasy is a type and shadow of what's coming at the end, but with With the types and shadows then things are so delusional

Okay God eventually sends a strong delusion so that people are believing utter Ridiculousness and I would argue if that's not already here

Then I don't know what we're dealing with because you know, so my my Calvinist friend

Justin Peters. He just put out a video chronicling the latest Shenanigans Tom foolery of the the weather warriors out there, you know decree and declaring over Hurricane Ida You know from Kat Kerr to Ken Copeland to Jesse Duplantis and all this kind of stuff

They're all claiming that we're supposed to go out and command and control and decree and declare over Ida and I'm sitting there going

What has happened to you people that you believe you have power over the weather? Not even the

Apostle Paul had that and None of the Apostles had that the Apostle Paul if you remember in the book of Acts the

Apostle Paul he was in a ship that was in a storm that lasted weeks and You don't see the

Apostle pop Paul out on the you know bow of the boat, you know hanging over the edge Titanic style, you know going

I command I decree I declare, you know None of that stuff instead the text makes it clear.

He what he prays. Okay, he prays And God answers his prayer.

So is so what's happening? Why are people believing that a woman with with pink hair and a

Gandalf stick and has control over Over a hurricane answer God sent a strong delusion and this is the kind of stuff.

That's just sober us up Sober us up, you know, you think sin and false doctrine is a small thing when

God sends a strong delusion so that you think that cat Kerr actually goes to heaven every every four hours and Has an apartment up there

Yeah, she has a time share up there so If you believe this God has already sent a strong delusion on you and that's usually a delusion and it's indicative of his judgment

It because because they refuse to love the truth and be saved

God sends a strong delusion So keep that and it's talking about Christians here So the idea then is is that these the false

Christ and false prophets here? they are paving the way and they are sent by the activity of Satan to kind of lay the found the foundation for the lawless one a

Good way to think of it is is that with the preparation work for the coming Messiah the real one

Jesus? God sent John the Baptist one guy did the work. Okay. Well the devil is he's got a little bit more work to do than that So he's got to teach everybody to think stupid.

So he has to send many false Christ many false prophets They're all doing the work there. So a good way to think of it is cat

Kerr, you know, Jesse Duplantis Benny in Ken Copeland and you know and all of these

NAR types. They are the John the Baptists of the lawless one

They're preparing the way You know and that includes Todd white and others, right? Yeah, the devil's not creative at all.

He's like Yeah Okay, all right

So Jen says it's sad how other denominations treat others in one particular Lutheran says Luther would despise

Paul Washer more than the Roman Catholic Church I yeah, see that kind of rhetoric is not fun.

And that just it's it's it's I Would note that one of my mentors

Jen is dr Rod Rosenblatt who for decades has done the radio program the white horse in with a

Reformed Baptist and a Presbyterian Calvinist, you know And and you know that I think that shows the the brotherly

Christian affection for each other properly without Compromising, you know on you know And actually being able to civilly and brotherly and lovingly discuss the differences and how we understand these things so the white horse in is a beautiful program for hearing the gospel and the

Importance of what scripture says from you know, three different faithful congregate, you know denominations so, you know, that's that's the way

I look at it and it always always pains me when somebody wants to take somebody who clearly trusts in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and they have

Significant theological issues that I'm not saying they're not important But they don't rise to the level making the person a heretic and then they basically cast them out of out of out of the

Church, you know, you know, but that's what's happening today with the vaccine if you're vaccinated It's the mark of the beast.

So you're not a Christian like are you serious? Come on. All right So it's astonishing actually took the time to watch some of the old sermons in my charismatic church

Just trying to make sense of how I was so deceived and I was astonished by the way they went around the truth

Yeah, it takes a lot of work, but they do it's it's it's like trying to Wrestle up mercury on the table, you know, that stuff just runs around, you know, they do everything to not teach the truth

All right. All right. I'm going to have to wrap up here

Let me let me get last comments on the Thursday 13 new messages. I'm not gonna be able to get to these though Okay, I'm gonna have to stop here my apologies

I I'm up against my time. So all right brothers and sisters great conversation good text and we'll pick up with the rest