The Perfect Antidote

Recently about somebody who was bemoaning the state of biblical illiteracy, even among Christians, and in a church and he shared the story about a church where just received a young pastor only young pastor came along, he decided that what is going to do first is go around and visit each Sunday school class and so he began his first Sunday by visiting a boys class in Sunday school class and he asked the boys, would you tell me please, who knocked down the wall of Jericho. The boys were silent, and then they began to look at each other and again to deny it is that I didn't do it and I didn't do it. Pharaoh said I didn't know that I was new or near the young minister was absolutely appalled he was disgusted he he he he he couldn't believe the.

The lack of biblical knowledge the biblical ignorance and he called the parish council meeting, so he went to the Council meeting and he began to tell them what had happened is that I went to this Sunday school class of boys and I said I asked him who knocked on the wall of Jericho and none of them knew.

And then there was silence and finally a veteran of disputes, church disputes, facet of the minister said no minister in this. It appears that this matter is bothering you but I have known Ms. Morris and Sue will born and they said they do not know they do not know. I believe the lessons get some money out of the repair and maintenance fund and fix the wall and get on with it and I beloved this is more true than not. While education supposedly has accelerated in the past 100 years knowledge of the word of God has been far less then our parents and certainly far less than our grandparents generation and one of the reasons for this is that we have been catapulted into postmodern culture. The postmodern world with such speed that it served to isolate us from the word of God to stop and explain to you what postmodern culture is what it means and why it has served to isolate us and root us away from the word of God. The Bible said in first Chronicles chapter 12 verse 32 that the minute massacre.

Basically the Bible saying the woman of wisdom and the reason for this is because they said the men of massacre understood the times ordinance on translation they had an understanding of the time, and if there is one tragedy among Christians today is that they have ceased to understand the times in which we live. Now whether you are 14 years old or 40 years old.

You need to understand the times in which we live, in order to understand what's going on around her. In order to understand the confusion that is happening to us as a culture and as a society, but the sad indictment of Christians is that they do not try to understand the times in which we live. Historians have divided the history of Christendom.

They have divided the history of Western civilization into three periods what they called the premodern the modern and the postmodern the premodern times began with the collapse of the Roman Empire in the beginning of the fourth century and the beginning of the fourth century people interpreted reality in terms all the knowledge of the word of God. Their worldview was dominated by the knowledge of the word of God. It was a time of the great son of Augustine and so many other great thinkers, but gradually Christianity became distorted, it became disfigured as the authority of the Roman Catholic Church replace the teaching of the Bible which ushered in the middle. Recall the modern. In the beginning of the 14th century during the modern. There were two competing ideas that were two competing worldviews.

That was the Reformation and there was the Renaissance, the Reformation Pl., God supreme, and therefore man with the power to glorify God in every human endeavor, the Renaissance, on the other hand, gradually made man to be at the center of the stage. Renaissance gradually made man displays God as the focus. The cry of the time was, I think, therefore I am secularism, which is a direct descendent of the Renaissance. One historian put it right when he said that was the beginning of when God was dethroned, and man was enthroned the modern era is wind humanism. Humanism means that man is a focus and that the center that was a time when humanism and the physical world and the natural world grew larger in society and in society is mine while God and the supernatural were marginalized and in the light of this, there was a group of men and women on the continent who sought to get away from this modernist atmosphere and they sought to develop a society in the New World where God and his word dominate what God's word is supreme. What God and his word would occupy the center stage and they landed on Plymouth Rock but by the end of the 19th century the beginning of the 20th century came the attitude that man can do anything if he puts his mind to it and that was the beginning of the postmodern. The postmodern era. Postmodernism did not begin in the 60s is a lot of people think it really hasn't.

Postmodernism began to impact society and they began to see the effect of it in the 20s. Postmodernism thinking that is been sweeping right across marching right all since the 20s have now dominated the area of the wood breeze is now filled the atmosphere we say or how do I understand that we characterized postmodern thinking for you. The pursuit of truth is meaningless. The idea of morality.

It's an obsolete the concept of authority is outmoded honesty will last just for the food.

Truth is relative, and by the late 20th century beginning of the 21st century. Here we are literally in our day is filled with impact of that kind of thinking upon our lives, your life and mine. It's in the movies that we see it in the television shows that you watch it in the books that you read it's in the words that teachers teach it in the halls of academia. It's in the business world fits in the courts of law. It's in the boardrooms. It's in the shop floor and yes it is in the church institution today everywhere you go.

Postmodern thinking is premeditated, the atmosphere often.

I want to tell you something. Listen to me carefully. Please we are exposed to postmodern thinking 16 hours a day 16 hours a day from the moment you wake up to the time you go to bed at night you and I are bombarded by postmodern thinking from the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we go to bed at night postmodern thinking is dogging us is that how would I recognize that in my sphere of influence. I want to give you some examples with me give you some practical ways to recognize this in your life with your business with your student to school with your housewife at home. Here's the first thing the symptoms first symptoms of postmodern thinking that has invited our culture.

Every opinion is equally right's number one market down every opinion is equally right.

Those who must assume authority have no right to do so has one spiritual heads of the halls will that is just belonged to the dark ages.

Children are under the authority of their parents or to become illegal.

Therefore, appealed the word of God is just the church's way of keeping people under their control. The absolutes of God, will they just your interpretation. You try to stand up and say. But God says that is right and that is long. They say yes, but the Bible is an octave book. The second way postmodern thinking has invaded our minds, our homes, our businesses in our schools. Is this style is far more important than substance. Style is far more important than substance output appearance is far more important than inward commitment, and that is why you find that one of the fast growing profession of the spin doctors.

The spin doctors who try to tell you what you should think about what you just saw in politics and business.

And yes in institutional church, even in the church today. People talk more about our church a style of music and the quality of teaching and preaching of the word of God.

Postmodern thinking says that you create an impression that you want to create an impression is everything.

Appearances is all that matters.

Packaging is more important than content output appearance is more important than inward reality and that is why Hollywood make belief today is learning the lion in the minds of the young ones between what is real and what is unreal in the third symptom is this an postmodern world, words have no inherent meaning.

A word can mean one thing to me and mean something totally different. Not similar but totally different than somebody else. What I mean by that dictionaries now the definitions of words do not mean a thing anymore. Some people hear me preach my heart out from the word of God and their walk out of these doors as well. That's just what he thinks. That's just his interpretation.

The best example of this that I can give you is found in the words of a former president during the time of his impeachment said the following words. It all depends on what your definition of is is best example I can come up with the fourth symptom of postmodern culture. Is this they tell you that Western civilization is oppressive but other cultures are superior. Therefore Aristotelian logic is out Eastern mysticism is in George Washington's the Dalai Lama is in because Western culture.

They say has been dominated by Judeo-Christian thought. Therefore, they say it is oppressive and all but Eastern mysticism is much preferable so father God is out but mother Earth is in the fifth on the last symptoms and only share with you is this, and it is the biggest contrast between modernist and postmodernist culture and it is the contrast between intellect and feelings as probably the most blatant distinction that distinguishes our culture. History will understand what I'm talking about in modernism, logic, reason, intellect were valued so Christians were able to appeal to the mind to the logic to the reason of the supernatural and of God and of death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and we all knew how to define the gospel of Jesus Christ. In terms of logic, but now in postmodern culture feelings, emotions, individual values dominate our environment in modernism. When people disagree they consider the other person's view to be in error to be a mistake in postmodern culture. When people disagree.

They assume that all views are correct for someone in modernism.

Knowledge was vitally important in postmodernism. One's opinion is the most important and that is why all these news programs always asking people to call in and express their views express her opinion expressed her feelings call us with your opinion MLS with your view. Tell us what you think, from issues of politics to issues of war and peace to issues of making laws very are not driven by what is right and what is wrong. They are not driven by what is true and what is false, they are driven by how people feel about you like it if you don't like it then we better not do. But if you like it, no matter how bad it is okay will go along but I want to tell you something.

Given all these pressures that is upon us from postmodern culture. No wonder as I shared with you in the past message less than 18% of all who call themselves believers, Christians read the Bible in a daily basis.

No wonder with all the pressure that we are under people have given up reading the word of God have given the understanding the power that's in the word of God.

They have given up the treasure of the word of God. I wanted to hear me right place.

There is no way on God's earth listen to me on making a strong statement. There is no way on God's earth when you are bombarded by the postmodern culture thinking 16 hours a day, day in and day out and you come to church on Sunday for two hours helping those two hours ago to neutralize the impact that postmodern world has upon you.

It cannot work. It's an impossibility. I want you to hear me ride. This is important today.

Satan is succeeding in neutralizing the power of the word of God just as he succeeded in the garden of Eden and neutralizing the power of the word of God through Adam and Eve back then he brought down about what God's did God really say that in today's bringing dumped on what God said back then, he managed to convince Adam and Eve Eve first and Adam that what God said was not relevant to them that what God said was an adequate for him and their needs, that what God said was not really for their good, that what God said was not really for their happiness.

Come on now who doesn't want happiness. And here's what he tells our sculpture today thousands of years later he goes to them when he comes to assess if you want to be happy, don't read the Bible you can't be happy and believe this can listen to it to Donald Trump second wife said Marla Maples, can you be amazed what I read she was being interviewed and she was boasting about her Christian roots and she said I believe in the Bible, and then she kind of interrupted herself and immediately kind of added a disclaimer is what you said but you can't always take it literally and be happy for Rod on this one. Take it from me. If your focus is happiness, listen to me if your focus is unhappiness the only happiness that you going to bring about is the happiness of safety.

But if your focus is holiness, then God is going to give you happiness.

As a bonus. As an added benefit Satan's deception has not changed in thousands and thousands of years.

It is happening today before our own. From the time of Adam and Eve to our time savings deception is exactly the same. It is not change.

Not only is bright. In fact, that's exactly what the Episcopalian bishop said in Minneapolis, has God said what they saying is that Satan is right. Has God sent one of them blabbering about why about will of homosexuality is assume Jesus, you would've talked about it.

We didn't talk about incidents of rape in all things network not practiced by the Jew, though far from their lips far from the thoughts you talk to him about that. Has God really said yes he did yesterday but something very important.

I don't want you to mishear, but I wanted to miss it. Do you know how often Satan kept on an item in particular with Eve, how often he kept on and on and on. We don't know exactly but the Bible is very clear. There was a continuous continuous bombardment continuous bye-bye just like we have today.

Just like we have today everywhere we go sit continuous bombardment has God really said 16 hours a day, day in and day out every chance he got, and I finally got really re-answering the talent giving in the so many people in the church of Jesus Christ then became wary of the bombardment of the enemy is ACCPAC that is coming to us through radio and television and every media and academics, and the teachers. Some people just want to give up.

Why would you read the Bible. Why would anyone read the Bible when it tells you that sin is lawlessness.

That sin is of the devil that sin is an affront to holy, righteous sailors, you are God.

Why would you read that. Why would you believe that well you practice that when Satan can brainwash you into thinking that sin is really just merely a failing to live up to one's potential hogwash. Why would anyone read the Bible believe the Bible to obey the Bible where it says that immorality is a rebellion against the holy God and handles its reward when they can buy into postmodern culture which says to them it's all a method of taste. It's all a matter of sexual preference. Why would anyone read the Bible believe the Bible and obey the Bible when it says that God's word is the final authority when you can buy into this postmodern culture deception that says you are the final arbiter. Why would anyone read the Bible when it says of one tells us what is right and what is wrong when postmodernism says no rule, just what's right for you.

The Bible answers postmodern culture deception.

The Bible has an answer here is Proverbs 1412 there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. It leads to death. If you want life. Read the word of God daily. Believe it, obey it, but if you want death keep on ignoring it. If you want to live feed upon the word of God seated upon its riches every single day. But if you want death, albeit the slow death then be indifferent to it.

If you want to choose live youth drink deeply from the Bible and let it satisfy you on a daily basis, but if you choose the wilderness of death, then stay in the desert of postmodernism. If you want to live then allow the word of God to change your behavior because make no mistake about it, the word of God has the power of God, and it but if you want death follow Satan's deception of doubting the word of God and will take you all the way to hell if you want life treasure. It is your daily position. But if you choose death devalue it and squander it if you want to live youth. Let the word of God strengthen you to stand and to stand up against the current of culture. But if you choose death didn't go with the flow.

With all the dead fish in the sea. So, my beloved friend I wanted tell you from the very beginning.

God give us a choice to give us a choice in the garden to give our first parents choice. They chose death and through their sin. We all of inherited their sin G's and that is why without Jesus Christ, we can never be delivered from that with which we are born in the wilderness, through Moses, God gave the Israelites a choice to choose between life and death, and many of them chose death and there were buried in the wilderness and never made it to the promised land, Joshua said to them, choose this today, not tomorrow, not next week but the week off to this day choose this day. This day to read leave and practice the word of God or choose guilt and pain and confusion in your life and eternal judgment in the life to come make a promise I make a promise not to have experience for over 30 years, but I like your promises comes from the testimony of thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people that if you make a promise not just for couple days and then you can forget about the message and then go back and you have a merry way. None in the snow. Not talking about I don't preach emotion. I'm preaching will.

If you make the decision to read the word of God study the word of God.

Obey the word of God, I'll make you promise it will change you for good. Not only that, it will bless you in ways you never thought possible. Shall we pray father I preach my heart out. The rest is up to you. Is your Holy Spirit that is working in us and I pray that he would come and penetrate deep into the recesses of our hearts will lose our emotions, our intellect and convict us that when we conform to postmodern culture. We are practically turning our back on you and turning our back on the blessing and turning our back on your power and turning our back on being light in this darkness over father I pray this in Jesus name. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael.

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