READY - SET - GO!
Gen. 1:1 - IN THE ‘BEGINNING’ GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.
What occurred in the beginning STILL occurs! God is still on the throne; He is still the
Creator...However, “America is deceived. Individuals are deceived. Christians are
deceived,” says John Hagee, “by our government, by our values, even by the church. Jesus
Christ prophesied four times in Matthew 24 that the cardinal indicator of the terminal or
concluding generations would be DECEPTION! We are deceived – by Satan and his
witchcraft.”
Here are those four instances:
Matt. 24:5
Matt. 24:11
Matt 24:15
and Mat 24:24 (NKJV) "FOR FALSE CHRISTS AND FALSE PROPHETS WILL RISE
AND SHOW GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS TO DECEIVE, IF POSSIBLE, EVEN
THE ELECT. Here is just an example of a “deceiver” that fits this prophecy to a “T”
Remember “The DaVinci Code”? That idiot who wrote that now has a sequel saying Jesus –
OUR JESUS – survived the crucifixion! And that someone actually saw Him many years later
when He would have been in His seventies! Do you know how many impressionable people
will believe that garbage just because anything written down in a book and is published
becomes credible!! God help us!
The very next verse in that Chapter says: SEE, I HAVE WARNED YOU!
-------------------------------------
Now! Genesis is called the book of beginnings. Everything God wanted to “begin”
began in Genesis: the plan of salvation, itself, begins in Genesis. So, it stands to reason that
Satan - who is the great “pretender” and “deceiver” would also begin his diabolical adventures in
the same place with a crisis between man and woman.
Tonight we’re going to look at how Satan’s plan to destroy the family and everything it
stands for began in the book of Genesis – AND – is being carried out in your living room through
the television as well as many other mediums!!
--------------------------------------
GENESIS 1: the heavens and earth were created BY THE SPOKEN WORD OF ALMIGHTY
GOD.
GENESIS 3: man rebelled against God’s spoken Word. Satan deceived Adam and Eve - how?
By the words of his sorry mouth! Remember: Proverbs 18:21 (NLT) THOSE WHO LOVE TO
2.
TALK WILL EXPERIENCE THE CONSEQUENCES, FOR THE TONGUE CAN KILL
OR NOURISH LIFE. Actually, there are 34 instances where the tongue is specifically
mentioned in Scripture. But, for our purposes, I find that the devil cannot create but he CAN
“steal” and abuse God’s creative works in many ways. In this instance, he ALSO “spoke”! And
the lie he told Eve changed everything where Adam and Eve, as well as you and I are concerned.
In fact, his words began as: “...Has God indeed said...?” In other words, that lying devil spoke!
GENESIS 4: Murder is introduced as Cain kills Abel. Cain was jealous of his younger brother.
It wasn’t because Cain was a farmer that God was displeased with his offering. It was the
attitude of his heart that was offensive to the Lord God!...And how did Cain resolve his problem
with his brother? HE KILLED HIM! And then he didn’t realize or care that God was aware of
his intent!
GENESIS 9: Pornography enters the scene! Gen 9:20-21 (NCV) NOAH BECAME A
FARMER AND PLANTED A VINEYARD. 21 WHEN HE DRANK WINE MADE FROM
HIS GRAPES, HE BECAME DRUNK AND LAY NAKED IN HIS TENT. Ham went in to
Noah’s tent where he lay naked and drunk because he had imbibed of the wine he’d made. He
thought this noteworthy enough to go out and blab to his brothers about their father’s
indiscretion. The other two sons walked into the tent with a robe over their shoulders, looked the
other way and covered their Dad WITHOUT ever capitalizing on his indiscretion. The
consequence of Ham being indiscreet forever changed the course of history! Ham was the father
of Canaan; and because of his sin, the Canaanites have forever been cursed. Gen 9:25 (NCV)
HE SAID, "MAY THERE BE A CURSE ON CANAAN! MAY HE BE THE LOWEST
SLAVE TO HIS BROTHERS." ..........to this day, that curse is still in effect. And even though
television, magazines, internet, etc., tell you pornography is acceptable, and even though we
have, perhaps, become de-sensitized to the lewdness portrayed through the media, through
current dress-codes, etc., it does not alter the truth that the lie of Satan was perpetrated through
the salaciousness of Ham’s mind that day and has, consequently, followed mankind down
through history! What was unacceptable to God in the beginning is STILL unacceptable to Him
now - no matter what the ACLU, Hollywood or any other person or organization says!
GENESIS 15: God gave Abraham a blood covenant for the Promised Land......Could it be that
this covenant - the one God made with Abraham - so infuriated Satan, he has - ever since that
time - tried to remove God’s promised people from their rightful land? YES! Of course it is!
GENESIS 16: Adultery comes on the scene. Gen 16:1-5 (NCV) SARAI, ABRAM'S WIFE,
HAD NO CHILDREN, BUT SHE HAD A SLAVE GIRL FROM EGYPT NAMED
HAGAR. 2 SARAI SAID TO ABRAM, "LOOK, THE LORD HAS NOT ALLOWED ME
TO HAVE CHILDREN, SO HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH MY SLAVE GIRL. IF
SHE HAS A CHILD, MAYBE I CAN HAVE MY OWN FAMILY THROUGH HER."
ABRAM DID WHAT SARAI SAID. 3 IT WAS AFTER HE HAD LIVED TEN YEARS IN
CANAAN THAT SARAI GAVE HAGAR TO HER HUSBAND ABRAM. (HAGAR WAS
HER SLAVE GIRL FROM EGYPT.) 4 ABRAM HAD SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH
3.
HAGAR, AND SHE BECAME PREGNANT. WHEN HAGAR LEARNED SHE WAS
PREGNANT, SHE BEGAN TO TREAT HER MISTRESS SARAI BADLY. 5 THEN
SARAI SAID TO ABRAM, "THIS IS YOUR FAULT. I GAVE MY SLAVE GIRL TO
YOU, AND WHEN SHE BECAME PREGNANT, SHE BEGAN TO TREAT ME BADLY.
LET THE LORD DECIDE WHO IS RIGHT--YOU OR ME." At the age of 86, Abram had
his first son. He named him Ishmael. At age 100, he had Isaac. And the act of infidelity =
brought on through Sarah and carried out through Abram forever started the act of adultery!
GENESIS 19: Enter homosexuality. Of course, we know the story of Sodom. In fact, the name
of that specific city is where we derive the word “sodomy” from. When you read that chapter,
you’ll find that God’s heart is against homosexuality. You’ve heard the saying, “God did not
create the family unit as Adam and Steve. Rather, it was Adam and Eve! Well, that’s a fact!
But is does NOT alter the truth that God loves us all the same. He will not, however, make an
exception where ‘sin’ is concerned. He made the PROVISION regarding all sin for our
redemption and recovery through the shed blood of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Again, we find
through Hollywood and the media in general - an anti-God attitude that derides and mocks all
God’s wonderful provision for us and tries to make ungodly behavior acceptable. It makes same-sex couples the “good guys” and Christians the bad people. It makes abortion an acceptable
“choice” and pro-life people bad dudes! You see, what occurred in the beginning, still occurs!
GENESIS 34: FORNICATION! O. K., Leah was the first wife of Jacob. He worked seven years
for her Dad, Laban, so that he could marry appropriate he thought was Rachael. Laban tricked
him into marrying his eldest daughter, Leah. Jacob then worked seven more years for the one he
loved - Rachael! However, God knew Leah was unloved by Jacob, so He gave her a child when
Rachael was - at that time - barren. Soon, Leah had a beautiful daughter named Dinah. One day
the local prince, Shechem, saw her beauty and he raped her! Eventually, Shechem and every
other man around there was murdered by Dinah’s brothers.
Here is a sad truth: even though thousands of years have passed since that first indulgence
with sex out of marriage, it is TODAY a passable mode of living that has turned our nation -
instead of One Nation Under God - to one that is unacceptable to Almighty God. And even if we
don’t adhere to the notion that fornication is godly, we readily accept it as normal on television
and all throughout the land. Listen: IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO GOD AS AN
APPROPRIATE LIFE-STYLE! If you ask Him, He will forgive you - but He will NEVER
accept sin as suitable!
And I just saw on TV last night - a commercial that a girl came to a home where she was
supposed to look after a couple’s kids. Well - the ‘couple’ was two men, married to each other!
And it looked as though it was totally acceptable. You see: if you continue to look at ungodly
behavior for a period of time as ‘acceptable’ – it becomes appropriate in your eyes and in your
mind -------BUT THAT NEVER MEANS IT’S ACCEPTABLE IN GOD’S EYES!!
GENESIS 38: Incest and Prostitution. In Genesis 39 Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph.
.....................................You see, time has moved on. But WHAT OCCURRED IN THE
4.
BEGINNING STILL OCCURS! I am reminded of the traffic-flow in Waycross. Over the years -
and especially recent years, traffic has increased disproportionately with our road-system in this
town. We’re doing the same things we’ve always done, here, and we’re NOT getting better
results! Not only do we need to update our roadways, we need to move into the future with
proportionate, necessary change.........................IF YOU CONTINUE TO DO WHAT YOU’VE
ALWAYS DONE – YOU’LL CONTINUE TO BE WHAT YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN!!
-------------------------------------
So, it’s true that what occurred in the beginning still occurs. Because SIN never
changes! It doesn’t have to. It works JUST the way it is!!! But YOU have the blood-bought
“right” to exact change in your life if you choose to!
Remember:
“ONLY ONE LIFE - T’WILL SOON BE PAST – ONLY WHAT’S DONE FOR
CHRIST WILL LAST!” Make that change today! Invite the Lord Jesus into your life.
|