When We Dwell Among Them

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-12-2026

Genesis 19:1-16

 

Introduction:  The message for this morning applies to both the pastor and the pew.  So, do not take this personally, just take it personally.  Not personally because it is a shotgun message that hits us all.  Take it personally because both you and I need it.

A.  Our need for revival is constant as we live in these last perilous days.  Our time was prophesied thousands of years ago as the Bible speaks of the days of Noe and Lot as an analogy to our days.

 

1.  The days of Noah where they were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage is certainly a reality today. 

 

Matthew 24:36-38  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.  (37)  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  (38)  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

 

“But” emphasizes our knowledge of the times and seasons of our Lord’s coming.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  (2)  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  (3)  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  (4)  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  (5)  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

 

2.  The days of Lot are also prevalent today. 

 

Luke 17:28-30  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;  (29)  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.  (30)  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

 

“But” carries the same implication here also.  While the world relishes their sinfulness by thinking that they can parade it in front of the eyes of God, the Bible’s message to them is “ Be not deceived; God is not mocked!”

 

1. When we think of the city of Sodom, we automatically think of the sin of sodomy.  BUT sodomy was the end result to rejection of God. 

 

Romans 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

 

Romans 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

Romans 1:25-27  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  (26)  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  (27)  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

 

2. In Ezekiel, we find the things that ultimately caused Sodom to give themselves over to their sinfulness and sodomy.

 

Ezekiel 16:49-50  Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.  (50)  And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

 

B.  My message for this morning is not the condition of the world as we approach the Rapture of God’s Church.  As I was reading the my Bible one morning, I saw a phrase that I had read many times. 

 

Genesis 19:9  And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

 

C.  The danger of our times is not the wickedness, it is the “getting used to the dark,
and “sojourning” among them!”  This “one fellow” was Lot.  I want to look closely at these verses today as they are relevant to the end-time church, but especially to each of us in general.

 

1.  Lot was a saved man!  This message is to the saved, God’s people!  A saved man must be a separated man.  Demas saw something in Thessalonica that he could never get out of his mind and heart.

 

2 Peter 2:7-8  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:  (8)  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

 

2 Corinthians 6:17-18  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  (18)  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 

2.  Lot placed the temporal things above the spiritual which are eternal things.  Lot knew the condition and character of Sodom, but chose the watered plains of Jordan and moved his family to live in Sodom. 

 

Genesis 13:10-13  And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.  (11)  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.  (12)  Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.  (13)  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

 

Lot knew what Sodom was!  You and I know what this world is like and the philosophy that they try to force upon us!  Satan and most of the world hate God and therefore are not friends with the saved.

 

3.  Lot came to sojourn (“pitched his tent”) among them and ended up dwelling (“turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house”) with them.  Though these two words are somewhat similar, they have different meanings.   Genesis 13:12  Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.   Genesis 19:2  And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.   a.  Sojourn implies a temporary stay with the expectation of moving on.  Often associated with being a foreigner, pilgrim, or exile.   b.  Dwell means to settle into a place and live or remain.  A long-term residence associated with security and belonging.   c.  Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer that you want to stay, and keep you longer than you want to stay!   d.  Lot was different when he came, but tried to assimilate: adapt or conform.   e.  You and I must live here because we are in the world, but must, at the same time, maintain a marked difference because we are not to be of them.  Our Lord’s Prayer clarifies this statement.   John 17:14-17  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  (15)  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  (16)  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  (17)  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.   In these verses that our Lord prayed 2,000 years ago, He prayed for believers in our day.   John 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

f.  In the beginning, Lot “pitched his tent” but later lived in a house, a more permanent dwelling place.

 

Genesis 13:12  Abram dwelled (to settle in and keep house) in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

 

Genesis 19:2  And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

 

4.  Lot thought that he fit in with the Sodomites, as he sat in the gate (I wonder what Lot was thinking that evening while sitting in the gate of the city, not suspecting that the morning would break with Sodom and the cities of the plain destroyed and most of his family lost!)  where all the city business took place, but he did not fit in!  Now to the verse, Genesis 19:9,  that stuck out to me. 

 

Genesis 19:6-7  And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,  (7)  And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

 

“And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.”

 

a.  “Stand back!”  There will be a time when the world separates from you!  You get out of our way.  You are not going to change the world by trying to assimilate into it.  “This one fellow came into to sojourn!”  You will not change their hearts, minds, or actions!  “Evil communications still corrupt good manners!”  The world knows who you are!

 

b.  “ And he will needs be a judge.”  Lot was not going to judge their actions because, though saved, tried to ignore their exceeding sinfulness!  We cannot live with the world, try to live like the world, and quote Scripture to the world!

 

c.  “Now will we deal worse with thee, than with them!”  The Sodomites turned upon Lot as their main enemy!  Today, though so much of the churches dwell and sojourn in the world, more and more the church has become their enemy!  “There is an old saying, “You can run but you can’t hide!”

 

d.  “Up, get you out of this place … But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”  Lot’s testimony to his family was “Get you out of this place” that I chose to dwell and sojourn in!  “Don’t do as I do, do as I say do?”  That won’t work!

 

e.  “While he lingered.”  Though warned of God, Lot still lingered where he was.  Interesting note, Demas never returned from Thessalonica!  Once the child of God gets wrapped up in the world, they normally die as they lived.  I have often said that our lives will preach our funerals.

 

f.  God was merciful, but the cost was great! 

 

Genesis 19:16  And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

 

Genesis 19:26  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

 

Conclusion:  Pray for God to “ revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee!”  The cost of not being revived is horrendous! 

The Rapture

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-8-2026

1 Corinthians 15:51-57

 

Introduction: 

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  (14)  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  (15)  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  (16)  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  (17)  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  (18)  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 

A.  Tonight, we will look at one of the Cardinal Doctrines of the Faith.  The “Rapture of God’s Church.” The next event on the prophetic calendar.

 

The word Rapture is not found in your Bible.  Neither is the word Trinity, but the concept is there and plainly explained.  The word “Rapture” comes from the phrase “shall be caught up” in:

 

1 Thessalonians 4:17:  “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 

 

These four words, “shall be caught up,” are actually one word in the Greek:  arpazw harpazo har-pad’-zo, which means to catch up, take by force, catch away, or to pluck, to claim for oneself eagerly.  Harpazo is the Greek equivalent of our word Rapture.

 

RAP'TURE, n.  [L. raptus, rapio.]  A seizing by violence.  [Little used.]   Transport; ecstasy; violence of a pleasing passion; extreme joy or pleasure.

 

B.  The first question I feel the need to deal with is, “Why so much fuss?”  Because of the rejection by some and perversion by most on the subject. This is almost a message within itself.  This doctrine is not some frivolous one that has little importance and relevance in our day.

 

C.  Eschatology is firmly anchored with the Bible and should not be hard to see.  Bible believers are Pre-Millennial, Pre-Tribulation in their doctrine.  Both are attacked today.  The attack is a slow denial and change that is creeping into denominations and churches.

 

D.  There were a man and his wife that visited here several times and, each time, after or before the service time, continued to try to teach this pastor false doctrine.  He vocally attacked the Bible doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Needless to say, he has not come back since.  Let me say that I am teachable but not biblically ignorant.

 

E.  I want to look at the false teachings that have slowly permeated most of the Baptist churches along with Protestant ones. 

 

F.  The Denial of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. 

 

1.  Mid-tribulation Rapture – Matthew 24:15-21  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.   (Antiochus Epiphanes, B.C. 175-170  – greatly persecuted the Jews and offered a sow on the altar.)

 

2.  Pre-wrath Rapture - Zephaniah 2:2-3  Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. 3  Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger. 

 

1 Thessalonians 1:10  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

Revelation 3:10  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

 

3.  Pre-tribulation Rapture is the correct position.  The Book of Revelation is clear as to the time of the Rapture.

 

(a)  Revelation’s breakdown of time.  Revelation 1:19  Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

 

(b)  “Write the things which thou hast seen” is the things that John had seen in chapter 1.

 

(c)  “and the things which are” speaks of the seven churches in chapters 2-3.  The age of the church. 

 

(d)  “and the things which shall be hereafter” speaks of chapters 4-22.

 

(e)  Chapter 4 begins with the Rapture.  Revelation 4:1-2  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.  (2)  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

 

(f)  The Antichrist is not introduced until chapter 6.  “that man of sin … the son of perdition”

 

Revelation 6:2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  (3)  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

 

(g)  The correct position is Pre-tribulation Rapture.  The Church of Believers is absent in Revelation 4-18.  The Church is mentioned 17 times in the first three chapters of Revelation, but after John (a member of the Church) is called up to heaven, at the beginning of chapter 4, he looks down on the events of the Tribulation, and the Church is not mentioned or seen again until chapter 19, when she returns to earth with her Bridegroom at His glorious appearing. Why? The answer is obvious: she isn’t in the Tribulation. She is raptured to be with her Lord before it begins!  (The Church will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  They will then return to earth in Revelation chapter 19 with the Lord.)

 

G.  The Millennium.  The 1000-year reign of Christ is found in Revelation chapter 19.

 

1. The Denial of The Millennium - 2 Peter 3:3-4  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

 

2. Post Millennialism

 

(a)  In Christian eschatology, postmillennialism is an interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation which sees Christ's second coming as occurring after or post- the thousand year "millennium".  Although some postmillennialists hold to a literal millennium of 1,000 years, most postmillennialists see the thousand years more as a figurative term for a long period of time (similar in that respect to Amillennialism). Among those holding to a non-literal "millennium" it is usually understood to have already begun, which implies a less obvious and less dramatic kind of millennium than that typically envisioned by premillennialists, as well as a more unexpected return of Christ.  (These teach that the world will get progressively better, revival will break out, and then the Lord will return to sit upon the throne of David.)

 

(b)  Postmillennialism also teaches that the forces of Satan will gradually be defeated by the expansion of the Kingdom of God throughout history up until the second coming of Christ. This belief that good will gradually triumph over evil has led proponents of postmillennialism to label themselves "optimillennialists" in contrast to "pessimillennial" Premillennialists and Amillennialists.

 

3. Amillennialism

 

(a)  Amillennialism teaches that the Kingdom of God will not be physically established on earth throughout the "millennium", but rather that Christ is presently reigning from heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father,  that He will remain with the Christian church until the end of the world, as he promised at the Ascension.

 

(b)  Amillennialism also teaches that at Pentecost, the millennium began, as is shown by Peter using the prophecies of Joel, about the coming of the kingdom, to explain what was happening, and that, therefore the Christian church and its spread of the good news is Christ's kingdom.

 

4. Pre-Millennialism

 

(a)  Pre-Millennialism in Christian eschatology is the interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation in the Bible which sees Christ's second coming as occurring before or pre- his literal thousand year reign on earth (Revelation 19) which some envision to be centered literally on King David's throne in Jerusalem.  This is a fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.)

 

1 Kings 9:5  Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

 

(b)  Pre-Millennialism is distinct in that it usually interprets these "thousand years" literally; other views often interpret this as a figurative term for a long, undefined period of time (particularly, A-Millennialists and many Post-millennialists). Premillennialism also holds this period of one thousand years is eschatological and has not yet begun.

 

5. The correct position is Premillennial Rapture. 

The Reason of Our Praise

Temple Baptist Church - 7-5-2026

Psalm 147

 

Introduction:

A. Psalm 147 is the second of the “Hallelujah Psalms”, which begin and end with the phrase “Praise ye the Lord.” That phrase comes from the under lying Greek words:

 

1. הָלַל hâlal haw-lal' A primitive root; to be clear (originally of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence to make a show; to boast to make a show or to shine.

 

2. יָהּ yâhh yaw Jah, the sacred name of God: - Jah, the Lord, most vehement

 

B. “Praise ye the LORD” is to be done vocally! “Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God”

 

1. The praise in this Psalm is not meant to be a part of your private adoration of the Lord God, though it can be, but a visible, audible display of worship.

 

2. It is not to bring praise to the one who is praising, but to the Lord, our God! “Unto out God!”

 

C. Why such emphasis upon a public demonstration of praise? Because the world will “knock the praise” right out of you if you allow it to do so!

 

1. I have noticed over these past couple of decades that “popcorn” testimonies of praise have fallen off to virtually nothing. People used to stand up and say, “I just want to praise the Lord tonight” and tell what God had done for them.

 

2. You can praise God for His goodness, mercy, and grace all you want here at Temple. I normally say, “I didn’t turn it on and am not going to turn it off!”

 

 

John 4:23-24  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  (24)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

3. That word “spirit” that the Lord said means: πνεῦμα pneuma pnyoo'-mah a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition,

 

D. This is the reason that these 5 Psalms ended the Jewish Psalter! God does not want His people to slack off or stop showing a public praise out of a thankful heart! If God’s been good to you, you need to make it public in church and also out in the world.

 

E. Let’s take a short look at the Psalm.

 

1. Verse 1. Praise is:

 

a. Good! “Good to sing praises unto OUR God!” Beautiful, useful, profitable, beneficent or of great value. “I am His … and He is mine!” It is neither a bad thing nor should it be a rare thing. It should be a good thing and a frequent one.

 

b. Pleasant! To the godly soul praising God is a delightful thing; a thing affording purest satisfaction, and real joy to the heart.

 

c. Comely! It looks on us. To praise God is a most seemly thing. Nothing can be more appropriate than that man, who owes to God so much, and is to some extent capable of appreciating the perfections and glories of His character, should pay to Him humble and hearty worship.

 

2. Verses 2-6. Because of His knowledge What God does for us. God specializes in restoring lives. He created the universe, numbered the stars, called each individual star by name, and is infinite in understanding! He is God and He is Lord!

 

a. Verse 2. His compassion. He gathers those who have wandered. When we fall, He picks us up!

 

b. Verse 3-5. His knowledge. He created the universe, numbered the stars, calls the stars by name, and He knows your name, and He cares.

 

1) He knows when your heart is broken. He heals broken hearts.

 

2) He know when you have been hurt and are hurting. He binds emotional and spiritual wounds.

 

c. Verse 6. He lifts up the humble. God knows when you bear burdens that weigh you down and are ready to break your spiritual back, Godis there for you and sharing your burden. He careth for you.

 

3. Verses 7-12. He sustains His creation and creatures.

 

a. He supplies rain upon the earth and grass upon the mountains.

 

b. He supplies provision for His animals and feeds the ravens. He feeds the sparrow, and we are worth many sparrows.

 

c. Verse 10. God needs no help though I enjoy thinking that I help Him when I feed the beasts and the birds!

 

4. Verses 12-14. God protects His people. Never forget that He holds us in His omnipotent hands.

 

a. He protects their dwellings. “strengthens the bars of thy gates”

 

b. He protects their persons. “blessed thy children within thee”

 

c. He protects their borders. “peace in thy borders”

 

5. Verses 15-20. Because of His power. Omnipotent means all powerful: all power in heaven and earth belong to Him.

 

a. He commands His creation. Nahum 1:3

 

b. He sends the snow in winter and, in some places, in summer.

 

c. He forms the frost and melts the ice.

 

d. He commands the winds and waves just as He did when He walked on the sea.

 

6. Praise is due to His name and His alone! I am so glad that I can praise Him for His goodness and mercy to me. How about you?

 

Conclusion: "Praise ye the LORD."

Lest We Forget

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-5-2026

Deuteronomy 6:10-12

Introduction: 

A.  Yesterday was our 250th Independence Day.  I love America and only desire the best for our country.  “This man was born there” is found more than once in your Bible.  I love the song, “This is MY country.”  It is without apology that I preach this message every few years because it is easy for all to take our blessing for granted and allow what we have to slip from our children and grandchildren!

 

1.  We live in perilous last days as we see prophecy in the Bible fulfilled around the world.

 

2.   Danger because the major “actors” nationally (Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran specifically) in the end times are so prominent, powerful, and dangerous.  Godless nations of the last days.

 

3.  The perpetual decline of America over the past 100 years.  From morality to immorality.  From the intended Republic, which protects the minorities to a democracy that is mob rule. 

 

4.  I am not politicking, but everyone deeds to go to the polls in November, do their best to make a difference in our nation.

 

5.  The list could go on and on but most of us see the decline that has been so evident in our lifetime.  Our children will never know the America that we old people grew up in.  Unfortunately, your grandchildren will possibly never know the America that we now live in!

 

B.  This morning, I want to take a text out of the Book of Deuteronomy that are familiar to us.

 

C.  Deuteronomy means “second giving of the law.”  The Jews refer to Deuteronomy as  "Mishneh Torah:" the repetition or reiteration of the law. 

 

D.  In the Book of Deuteronomy, God is about to give Israel the Land of Canaan.

 

E.  In verse 12, God admonishes Israel not to forget some things:

 

1.  God brought Israel out of Egypt with a high hand.

 

2.  God sustained Israel in the desert for 40 years where they did not thirst, hunger, nor did their raiment was old. 

 

3.  God would give them cities they did not build, houses filled with that which they did not bring, wells they did not dig, as well as vineyards and olive trees which they did not plant.

 

F.  They would inherit the land through the blessings and promises of God.  Here they are!  They are leaving the wilderness for the Promised Land which is truly a land flowing with “milk and honey.”  Now, the Lord warns them against forgetting the Lord when they take the land and begin to enjoy the blessings.

 

G.  We just celebrated the Fourth of July yesterday and I believe that we can make some tremendous applications in these verses to America and the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us.

 

2 Peter 1:1-3  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

 

H.  We have so much while so many have so little.  The lesson is for us as well as Israel: “Beware lest thou forget!” 

 

1.  The danger here is evident within the context.  A time will come when war is over, inheritance is secure, blessings not paid for by the following generation will cause a forgetting of the price paid and an attitude of entitlement.

 

2.  A possibility of forgetting will become a probability of forgetting.

 

J.  Here we now sit! A Possibility to everyone here and a Probability to many.  This generation has paid no price for the blessings given them by the ones who paid the price.   NEVER FORGET THAT EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT COMES FROM THE LORD!

 

1.  “Beware Lest We Forget!”  Let Us Not Forget Our National Blessings!  God gave us America.

 

a.  America Is A Good Land!  We live in the greatest nation in the world!  There is none like it anywhere!  I have been overseas to industrialized nations and they cannot compare to America.  I have been to third world countries, and they certainly cannot come close to this great land.  Thank you, Lord, for America!

 

b.  America Is A Beautiful Land!  Many people fly around the world to see the great sights, but none can compare to the beauty and glory of America.  From the mountains with their majesty to the plains with their flowing wheat and grain; from the national parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, The Great Smoky Mountains, Sequoia National Park, Great Sur, Niagara Falls, the hills and valleys to the costal plains, America is a land of great beauty!

 

c.  America Is A Fruitful Land!  America is a land of plenty!  America is looked upon by the entire world as a “Utopia” filled with filthy rich people.  We have to build fences to keep them out, not to keep them in!

 

d.  America Is A Free Land!  America enjoys the freedom of travel, speech, religion, and the pursuit of happiness!  You can go where you want to go, say what you want to say, worship or not worship, and be what you want to be.  America is a free land!

 

Beware lest we forget our National Blessings!

 

2.  “Beware, Lest We Forget!”  Let Us Not Forget Our Personal, Physical Blessings!  God gave us plenty.

 

a.  We Have Homes In Which To Live!  We live in houses while the world lives in huts!  We have central heat and air while they do not even have glass windows or wooden doors.  We are rich beyond their comprehension.

 

b.  We Have Clothing To Wear!  Our closets are full of clothes and shoes.  You women worry about wearing the same outfit two weeks in a row!  Our children do not have to run around naked in the streets.  Our closets are full.  We are blessed!

 

c.  We Have Plenty To Eat!  We eat like no other people in the world!  Restaurants on every street corner; grocery stores all over town; cabinets and pantries full!  When is the last time that we have prayed for our “daily bread?”  We fight obesity instead of starvation!  We are blessed!

 

d.  We Have Money To Spend!  We may not all be millionaires, but we have more than enough!  Bro. Loyal Kuykendall used to say, “I had rather have two rocks in my pocket than a dollar bill that I have no where to spend.”  We waste more money on soft drinks than the world has to live on.  We are blessed!

 

e.  We Have Safety To Dwell In Peace!  We do not worry about car bombs, suicide bombers, Gestapo Police, or soldiers doing us harm.  When was the last time you have been personally attacked?  In many nations, these are normal occurrences.  We live in safety and are blessed!

 

3.  “Beware, Lest We Forget!”  Let Us Not Forget Our Spiritual Blessings!  God gave us the Bible.

 

a.  We Have The Gospel Preached!  We have heard all of our lives—numerous times—the gospel that the world has never heard once!  Dr. Harold Sightler once said, “No man has the right to hear the gospel twice until the whole world has heard it once.”

 

b.  We Have Salvation Through The Blood Of Christ!  We are saved by His precious blood!  His blood is on the Mercy Seat in Heaven and my sins are gone!  We are saved eternally! 

 

c.  We Have The Lord As Our God!  He walks with me and talks with me!  He never leaves nor forsakes; He meets my every need; He controls my circumstances and my life; He is my Lord and My God!

 

d.  We Have His Perfect Word!  The King James Bible!  We have it and know what it is.  We can read it and study it as much as we desire.  We find salvation, comfort, rest, guidance, and hope within its blessed covers.  We are blessed!  Most of the world does not know what a Bible looks like because they have never seen one.

 

e.  All This And Heaven Too!  We will leave the “heaven” of America for the Heaven of God one day and live in eternal happiness with the Lord.

 

4.  “Beware, Lest We Forget!”  Let Us Not Forget Our Spiritual Heritage!  God gave us well defined Old Paths to follow.

 

a.  To Remember Where God Brought Us From!  He saved us from a life of destruction!  He has saved us from sin!

 

b.  To Remember What God Has Brought Us Through!  He has cared for us and carried us all of our saved lives!  He will carry us home to be with Him one day and we will say, “The Lord is always good!”

 

c.  To Remember What God Has Done For Us!  He led, He fed, He watered, He clothed, He protected!

 

d.  To Remember What God Is Going To Do For Us!  Vs. 16 – “To do thee good at they latter end!”

 

e.  To Remember That We Are To Share Christ With Others!  Then they can know!  Then they can be saved!’  Then they can go to Heaven!

 

5.  Beware lest we forget our Spiritual Obligations!  God gave us an opportunity to share His Word to a lost world.

 

a.  We need to Pray for our Nation.

 

b.  We need to Pray for our Leaders.

 

c.  We need to be Proactive in our Politics.  Every vote counts.

 

Conclusion:  We have been greatly blessed to be born in America with all of its physical and spiritual benefits but there is a danger of forgetting!  America needs to bless God!  You and I need to bless God!