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March 10, 2022 7:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ to come to grips with how, by the way, that would least I would love to hear that someday all these decades accounts and never commit for marriage counseling in the first person said. I want to tell my husband or my life, and you just how difficult I am. But I can't even begin to tame the times I've heard you know how difficult they are delivering to destroyer destroyer has disability just to pass it up. It's all their fault for joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana.
Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world states for forgiveness and being forgiven are enormously high on eternal plain to not accept the forgiveness that God offers us through the person and finished work of Jesus Christ has unthinkable consequences on the temporal claim to try to live a life that is not filled with being forgiven and offering forgiveness can leave you alone. Science says there's even a lot more to it than that.
Researchers have documented that unforgiven people or unforgiving people have higher rates of stress related disorders. They have higher rates of cardiovascular disease have higher rates of clinical depression as well as a lower immune system function. They commit more crimes may have higher divorce rates and are more likely to become alcohol and drug dependent is a lot at stake when it comes to forgiveness.
Forgiveness is an inescapable subject. Virtually all of us have been at one time or another in our lives, betrayed we had broken promises, the breaking of confidences personal rejection, false accusations, physical and/or emotional abuse, and I don't know if you've noticed this but I have some people are harder to forgive and others mailer. Some people or art like repeat offenders. Make no matter how many times you forgiven. They just go right back to it. And then there's another group of people that seem to be completely unaware of the carnage that is all around them because of their actions. I will look at two examples of those kind of people this morning. I'm going to call them destroyers and spear throwers so it's not going to destroyer first open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 4 Genesis chapter 4 is refining the spot.
Let me say a few things about what I call destroyers. One is there found everywhere there found in Christian homes there found in churches there found that the office defined in the schoolroom. There are destroyers everywhere. They may be pleasant, charming, helpful, but if they feel that their image or their authority or their opinion is being attacked.
They will try to destroy anybody who stands in her path.
They are obsessed with self protection, self absorption, and almost never do they feel guilt. Let's look at the destroyer cane now.
The man had relations with his wife. Even she conceived and gave birth to Cain and she said I have begun a man child with the help of the Lord and she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of the flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground and so it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground and Abel and his part also brought of the firstlings of the flock of the fat portions.
Up to that point is a happy story that Adam and Eve, you have two boys yet cane and you have able once a tiller of the ground farmer the others. A rancher you know you have these both of them were making offerings. Everything at this stage seems to be very very happy. But then something happens at the end of verse four is, as the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering.
But for Cain and for his offering he had no regard. Now that is brought about all kinds of speculation. What happened 111 a lot of commentators and and they may be right have said, well, the idea is is that Abel made an offering of blood and animal sacrifice, which is required, and Cain decided just to make an offering of grain from which he had told him the ground and that may be true, but the text doesn't say that we get to the Mosaic law. There are plenty of offerings you can make as grain offerings, so I don't know if that's necessarily in it all in Hebrews chapter 11. The writer of Hebrews says by faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. You see, I think the issue is more in cane then in the sacrifice. I believe that Cain is already displaying a really terrible attitude that Cain is already becoming destroyer that he will soon make evident. This doesn't happen to cane in just one day. This is something that has spent time with cane. Now notice what happens cane's response. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. Cane becomes extremely angry and the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry. Why is your countenance fallen not want to see something here.
We know one answer to the why question by the way cane can't blame peer pressure. This mean you go hang out using a hammer to brother. That's it.
There's something else about cane here though. He said the greatest counselor that ever existed is the rare instance whose counselor.I mean if you're doing some is not quite right. You get counsel who better than have God giving the Council and that's what he gets.
He gets God and in God system why that happened and then God gives him what I call new fetid counseling cuts is that we can straighten this out.
He says in verse seven. If you do well will not your countenance be lifted up, he says. And if you do not do well here's the morning, sin is crouching at the door and his desire is for you. You had a mastery there is diagnosis, prognosis, it's all there.
Can you gotta do better than this. You see something going on inside of cane one of the things about the story is one of the characteristics is they often refuse counsel if you never try to counsel destroyer you get nowhere in the reason for that is, is that the really not at all interested in truth, there are only interested in their perspective and don't do anything to defend it.
But they're not interested in truth. And so when you think will give them some insight.
I'll give them some truth in every thing will go well doesn't. So God tells cane exactly what has to happen here.
It's interesting, though in the morning. He says sin is crouching at the door and it has a desire for you. The word crouching is the word rivets in the word rivets is not even Hebrew the word is Akkadian, very unusual word and in fact in the Akkadian language every time it's translated in Akkadian it's translated demon so some of the older Jewish translations of the Old Testament say translate the phrase this way. Sin is the demon at the door. Now, obviously somebody else has steak and sowing discord in this family we know it's Lucifer because Lucifer's been told just the chapter 2 earlier that the seed of the woman is going to be his destruction and so consequently he wants to try to kill off cane and you can see hold place or go to the end of the Bible. First John chapter 3 and John gives us some insight first John chapter 3 just the verses 11 and 12. Notice what John writes uses for this is the message which we have heard from the beginning we should love one another, not as cane who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slam because his deeds were evil and his brothers were righteous, so John gives us some real insight there.
There is a spiritual element here. He said he is of the evil one and what is he so upset about it is it's his deeds. It's his life. His brother was righteous. He's not. He's evil.
And when that happens to a destroyer. He always lashes out see what is Keynes no matter how you look at the story. What is Cain's real issue here.
While I think cane is basically what Sinatra is in him and to do it my way. You know I miss going to do it my way. I'm sure God was very specific with what he wanted done and how he wanted it done and he's all more that I'm just going to do things my way to the destroyer almost always refuses any kind of counsel is not interested in the truth. He also avoids responsibility with what happens now cane told Abel his brother, not enough you've seen that there before he talked to Abel about what he talking about.
I don't know script doesn't say, but I can speculate.
I think typical with the story he's victimizing himself, you know what God said to me, God love what you did. He hated what I do you know and by the way destroyers love to victimize themselves. They love to be the victim. The victim of everybody that the victim of the parents of the victim.
Other spouse the victim of the workplace. The victim of the neighborhood. There the victim of family and friends, their victims and he said he so he tells him but notice the response and when it came about that they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and he kills him while well was thought is look, I don't look that good before God right now and the reason is you. You look good you make me look bad. I'll eliminate you and he does so, but what's this is because children want tell you avoids the responsibility and the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel your brother and he said I do not know am I my brother's keeper now you think about that for a moment how many people are on the planet. There's three people just three people now you think you know your mom that her brother are because I don't know is that I have no idea where he's at. By the way, destroyers will I get there way matters as well. God says don't want to be done.
He said the voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.
See the destroyer always refuses to take responsibility and by the way, when you try to do counseling with us were specially marriage counseling. There's nothing you can do because in their point of view, it's all their fault. You see it's all their fault not my fault it's all their fault. That's the reason these things are so dark now. They don't have to kill a spot so they have to do is divorce in August somebody else but you know what, there's a biblical principle of the matter where you go there you are. You see, there you are. And so they end up to be repeat offenders and they still never want to take responsibility for destroyers refuse counsel, they avoid responsibility and they are completely self-absorbed, notice what happens now. He says God says you are cursing the crime, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand and when you cultivate the ground that shall no longer yield its strength to you, and you shall be a vagrant and I wonder on the earth. But what's the response. Cain said to the Lord, my punishment is too great to bear. He committed capital one murder think of any defense attorney in America you have somebody who's been guilty of capital one murder and you're able to plea bargain that is going to have a tough time growing crops, and I wonder around is outside a pretty good sentence. Does that sound lenient to you at all.
It did to him. Danny you think you would've been doing the dance of joy. You would've thought he would've been elated with that because this is just too much for me to bear. He never even mentions any remorse or guilt about his brother.
Notice there's no sorrow.
There's no repentance. There's nothing like that because he doesn't feel guilt. My punishment is too great to bear. He says behold, you have driven me this day from the face of the crime and from your face I shall be hidden, and I shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and it will come about that whoever finds me will kill me. I was think about how long is that going to take. There's just mom and dad and me. Now there's clearly that he got a live for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years and there's going to be countless people born in all those generations. But how far down the road. Could that be and that's what he's upset about is I wonder around is a vagrant 250 450 years, and not someone might kill me. He never even mentions he just killed his brother. That's the way destroyers are refuse counsel avoid responsibility and they are completely self-absorbed now I realize that you're not likely to kill someone, but I sort of spring off of the words of Jesus. If you've ever had anger in your heart.
You are murder and we've all done that and so is the writing of the destroyer and you let me ask you a few questions and you can answer for yourself. You have a difficult time accepting the truth about you someone systolic units as I want to tell you the truth about you give difficult time accepting it because if you do you a little destroyer and you see you don't want to hear the truth. Secondly, for you is accepting advice completely off the table when it comes to making choices you asked for counsel.
You just go and do what you gonna do you make your own choices. No matter what you see. That means we can be destroyers know we don't destroy by murdering our brother in the field we destroy with our words, we destroy with our attitude we destroy with a critical spirit. We destroy we lash out we hurt. Let me ask this question. Have you ever come to grips with how difficult you are to live with. By the way, that would be's. I would love to hear that someday all these decades accounts and never heard command for marriage counseling in the first person says before we start, I want to tell my husband or my wife and you just how difficult I am the lead with but I can't even begin to tell me times I've heard you know how difficult they are to live with the destroyer destroyer has a disability just to pass it up.
It's all their fault. There's a lot of lessons and we can learn. There's a sidebar lesson in this, and it's right in the words of the Lord there either. You will master sin or sin will master you.
You see, and once you go down this road. It's a very slippery slope. Steve Gallagher wrote these really I think clear words when it comes to what sin is like in our lives when we accepted people are prone to overlook their deeply embedded sin because it has an extremely deceptive nature, there exists an interesting correlation between a person's involvement with sin and his or her awareness of it, the more a person becomes involved in sin, the less they see it. Sin is a hideous disease that destroys a person's ability to comprehend its existence.
It could be compared to a computer virus that has the ability to hide its presence from the use user while systematically destroying the hard drive. Typically, those who are most entangled in sin are the very ones who cannot see its present at work inside them.
Sin has the ability to mask itself so well that it can actually make a person who deals with that the least think they are the most spiritual that was think a new self, deceptive, and that's exactly what happened became and he became destroyer now like you to meet a spear thrower. Now let me just say what a spear thrower is spear throwers are people who love to intimidate you. The modern-day term for spear thrower would be only a spear thrower is a person that likes to see you squirm and even spear throwers look mighty impressive on the surface, open your Bibles are turning to buy was the first Samuel chapter 9 verse two. I like to introduce you to Saul spear thrower and by the way, you might be surprised how impressive he is. Saul is one of those guys. It just gets a lot of bad ink. He doesn't have a very good publicity agent and so in light of Saul and David. Everyone thinks will solstice the rat and only a rat and David's wonderful and only wonderful by the way, when you read the Scriptures. Neither exactly true. Saul was pretty impressive. Chapter 9 verse one there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish. Now verse two, he had a son whose name was Saul know when you get a biblical description of him a choice and a handsome man so that's the first thing you know about.
He is a choice and handsome man. Not a lot of men in Scripture describe his handsome maybe that's because there are a lot of men there are no but he is now. He says there was not a more handsome person. Then he among the sons of Israel.
This guy is that he is dropdead gorgeous. No intent more handsome and that's God's opinion in a cyst from his shoulders, and he was taller than any of the people, so he is the hall's guide to masculinity. Handsome that's who he is but is not done yet.
The verse 17, chapter 9, when Samuel, Saul saw the Lord said to him, behold, the man whom I spoke to you this one will rule over my people.
Chapter 10 verse one then Samuel took out a flask of oil reported on his head and he kissed him and he said has not the Lord anointed you war over his inheritance.
Saul was king.
He is anointed by God to be king tall handsome anointed by God is still not done. Look at that verse six of chapter 10, then the spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily and you shall prophesy with them. The other prophets and beach changed into another man, it shall be that when these signs come to you. He says do for yourself what the occasion required for God is with you first. 10 and when they came up the hill behold a group of profits met him in the spirit of God came upon him mightily, and that he prophesied among them. God is given the gift of prophecy. Like the other prophets in Israel and so this is a tall handsome man anointed by God to be king of the people, and he has this incredible unusual gift of prophecy, but typical of people who were spear throwers. What you see is not what you get typical people who are bullies.
What you see is not what you get. No matter how impressive a look on the outside there's something wrong inside there is a deficiency in Saul has Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember the good or great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that SBC and LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives to find sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the message you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listening and remember all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org for pastor Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order