Defending a Lion (Part 2)

We are living in a unique time, knowledge and access to information is at an all-time high. And yet, biblical illiteracy is also at an all-time high impacting life and culture more than any care to admit to standby as today on leading the way.

Dr. Michael you Seth offers insight into what this means and how best to combat my beloved special friends.

I want to tell you there is a vest made today.

The strongest jobs in which we live, how we got a challenge to read the leave he and obey God's word today on leading the way and do keep in mind, leading the way is a listener supported gospel ministry changing lives across six continents. Partner with Dr. you Seth to passionately proclaim uncompromising truth. Give us a call 866-626-4356. You can also click over to LTW.org but make sure that you keep listening right here because here now is Dr. Michael you Seth to begin this life-changing teaching time, biblical literacy has reached a very low in our culture to the front door of the story about a pastor a new pastor who came to a one of those my laundry nominations where the Bible is not been central in his very Bible centered Bible oriented pastor and so he wanted to feel the pulse of the church and he decided to visit the different summer school classes so he went to a summer school crossing borders and then here are some the question do you know who knock down the walls of Jericho.

The boys one after another begun to deny any knowledge of it. Everyone says I didn't do it.

I didn't do it once one said was in me. The other said I wasn't anywhere near it. The other said I don't even know what it is this new pastor was so deeply distressed. He was Saudi. Paul bought the biblical illiteracy and in the he decided to go and speak to the parish councils of the parish council was meeting on and he came and they said to them is that I want to specific voice on the school class and and I was appalled at the factor. None of them knew who knock down the walls of Jericho of the members of the parish council required, and finally as seasoned veteran of disputes in the church spoke up percent of the most racism. It appears that this matter has bothered you a great deal but I've known those boys since Hilborn is a good voice and if they said they did not do it. They did not do it. I believe them. Let's just take a special offering for the repair and maintenance fund and fix the walls and get on with it. While general knowledge has been an increase in the last hundred years, biblical knowledge is been reaching lower and lower. Even nonbelievers in the past used to have some biblical knowledge base have some understanding of some knowledge of some stories from the Bible and can still hear it today, but no more no more.

And the reason for this is that our postmodern culture has invaded every aspect of life I postmodern thinking has replaced biblical worldview I postmodern culture's thinking has erased or erasing the knowledge of the Scripture. How did we reach this abysmal condition. The abysmal state of biblical illiteracy in the last first Chronicles chapter 12 verse 32.

It says that the people of Africa that's a tribe of Jessica more wives but why were they wise because the Bible said they had understanding of the times in which he lived in my beloved special friends.

I wanted tell you if there is a desperate need today it is to understand the times in which we live. It is to discern how we got to this statement, wherein it is to understand all of the facts that brought us to such abysmal state as follows biblical knowledge is concerned, it is to know where we have fallen repent and turn to the Lord. Few moments ago when I began. I talked about our postmodern culture. I have no doubt some of you did not know what that means but you know that your head but you good company. I spend many years in graduate school. Hearing professors use big words I didn't understand what I nodded my head. Historians have divided the history ADR after Christ into three segments. They said that is premodern modern and postmodern, and I will tell you about each one of the very very quickly.

The premodern time began with the collapse of the Roman Empire on the fourth century when Constantine made Christianity to be the religion of the Roman empire. The official religion of the Roman Empire. People from that moment on, they began to interpret reality in terms of the relationship with God.

That was the beginning of this premodern culture, their worldview with colored by the knowledge of the Bible, but gradually the word of God and the worldview become distorted and became disfigured in the power and the authority of the clause in the word of God shifted to the Roman Catholic Church which I should what the historians called the modern.

The 14th century and during the modern. There were two competing worldviews listen very carefully because this is very important to competing world views and those competing worldviews have replaced premodern to a modern time. What are these two competing worldviews. The Reformation and the Reformation come first, followed by the Renaissance overnights on site summer pronounce it. Either way is fine.

Reformation open the eyes of the population of Europe. But what happened. The Renaissance came nipping at his heel and hijacked the Reformation the medicines gradually fought against reformed theology and made man to be the center stage instead of what the Reformation said that God and his word of the center stage.

Slowly but surely in Western civilization man displaced God and the cry of the time was I think therefore I am now here is the important point secularism which we now see in states secularism is the direct descendent of the Renaissance see everything is connected. One historian claimed that this was the time when God was dethroned, and man was enthroned. This was the time when humanism and the natural world begun to replace biblical worldview. This was the beginning of the marginalizing of the supernatural.

Mercifully, there was a group of good and godly men and women who try to escape from this horrors of the Renaissance and the persecution of Christians and make no mistake about it. Christians were persecuted in Europe until about faithful Christians Bible believing Christians and so these godly men and women wanted to escape from that toxic environment in European culture and the persecution they sought to found and build a biblical society and the new world where the word of God occupies the center stage enough man, and thus they landed on Plymouth Rock. Can I get a thank you God that you ever believe anybody tells you that America was founded on anything other than the Bible the word of God is a matter of fact Devon Horowitz, an agnostic Jew just wrote a book called the dark agenda. He asked me to endorsement. I was so blessed that this agnostic Jew is showing clearly with the evidence that this nation was built upon the word of God and sought my endorsement. I said, I'm sure you're asking the question, what with the nice evangelical pastor doing endorsing an agnostic Jewish book author, but in the end my endorsement is the truth is the truth is the truth no matter who said it, but is often the case, even in this brave new world, even in the good, the people who wanted to found a new world built them based upon the word of God and the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ that godly founders of this nation who came and wanted to have a nation built on biblical truth, but as always the case told you Satan always nips at the heels and by the end of the 19th century beginning of the 20 centuries are shut the attitude that man can do all things, not through Christ who strengthens him but if he puts his mind to it of you have that before the sea, and this attitude unleashed what is now become known as postmodern period of history in which we now live without even some historians are saying that we are coming out of that, but we never know normally until we look back. Postmodernism did not start in the 60s. Some people say postmodernism thinking in the secularism thinking began with the roaring 20s and this brings me exactly where we are today.

I want to make sure before we know where we are that we know how we got here that we have a saying in the Middle East. You don't know what you going unless you know where you come from not pray God please God that from this place God with ignite an awakening of revival that would usher forth a godly remnant that will stand strong against the current of culture question.

What are the characteristics of postmodern thought that is now flooding our schools University campuses workplace entertainment industry social life. In the tragedy of all tragedies. Some churches here's a sample of postmodern thought and I know you will be familiar with this.

The pursuit of truth is meaningless. The idea of morality is obsolete, the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman husband-and-wife is archaic. The authority of any shape, form, any authority is to be despised. All of these falsehoods and books in the academia in the court systems even its businesses is in the boardroom. It's on the shop floors as in the movie as a television industry and sadly yes it has invaded many a church, everywhere you go you make the foot soldiers of course more than culture everywhere you go there a foot soldiers.

These foot soldiers are ready to pounce on you to intimidate you. The silence you to hound you down and beat you down emotionally until you surrender to them and before long you find yourself beginning to talk like they talk and you begin to defend their arguments under the guise of love and then you begin to adopt to biblical convictions that their worldview and you become anxious to be accepted by these vicious soldiers of the foot soldiers of postmodernism and so you begin to reinterpret the Bible receive that happening all over the place. They're reinterpreting the Bible by rewriting the Bible in order to be accepted by those soldiers of political correctness you Masco Michael, what are the characteristics by which we can recognize this cultural invasion of postmodernism. Well I'm glad you asked because I want to tell you and I have five characteristics that help you recognize falsehood and I'm telling you every one of those can only be combated by reading believing heating and obeying the word of God. First of all, when you hear all truths are equally valid, or every opinion is equally correct when you hear it put this way you know you're dealing with a footsoldier of postmodernism. When you hear them say those in authority have no right to exercise their authority that the husbands have no right to be the spiritual leaders in their homes that the parents have no right to instruct their children. In fact, some are working on making that to be illegal. We so what about the authority of the word of God though say all this is just the church's way of enslaving people what about the absolutes of God. All this just your interpretation when you try to defend the truth, and the fact that the Bible said that is right and that is wrong. They say yes the Bible is an archaic book and no longer relevant to the 21st century, second white to recognize second characteristic by which he recognizes foot soldiers of postmodernism's style more important than substance outward appearance is far more important than inward commitment number 11 listen to me. That is why the fastest growing profession is the spin doctors spin doctors not only in politics. They are everywhere. Spin doctors or hide in businesses that are hired even by some churches are employing spin doctors postmodern thinking says you will create the impression you want to create impression is everything. Appearance is all that matters packaging is more important than content. Outward appearance is more important than inward reality and that is why Hollywood make belief has blurred reality. Suddenly the third characteristics of postmodern thinking is this. Words have no inherent meanings. What I mean by this word may mean one thing to you and mean something else or another person amid something else to me the same words are they talking about similar the chilly definition of words do not mean anything anymore. Some people sometimes hear me preach my heart out from the word of God and that would walk out and say well that's just his opinion forth characteristics of postmodernism thinking which overwhelming our culture today and it was this they put it in different ways. Just watch for Western civilization is oppressive.

Other civilization's much better. So now the thick civic studies out of curriculums removing amount. Remember, it was Western civilization that originally was founded upon the Reformation, the Reformation theology, not the Renaissance the Renaissance hijacked the Reformation.

It is Western civilization that brought about the technology that we all enjoy that brought about all the freedoms that we have in our Constitution's. Here's their argument because Western civilization has been built on Judeo-Christian thought, therefore it is oppressive. Father God is out.

Mother Earth is in fifth characteristics. In this postmodern culture is where thinking has been replaced by feelings.

Some of you read my book. When the crosses are gone. That book thesis is on showing how and seven aspects of life including education, the environment in all the suspects your feelings. All that matters. Thinking is feeling is in and so Christians in the past when they shared the gospel.

They appeal to a person's intellect that no more now, and postmodern culture with feelings and emotions of each individual person and you will revalue your own personal value. That's all that matters.

We cannot deal intellect anymore. Years ago I remember one of our church members came to be so excited that she has led her Hindu neighbor to Christ that she received Christ and prayed with her. She receives Christ as a wonderful as it did you tell her that she now have to give up all the other gods select… Is not have occurred to me as it do me a favor just go back and ask her if now she received Christ as Savior and Lord were to read the all the other gods go and my friend to her utter horror and amazement. This image is that I can't believe that she said no. I just added Jesus to all the other gods. See that's what we dealing with beloved Hinduism has invaded our culture more than you realize. Hinduism is reigning supreme in Hollywood in the past when we disagreed with non-Christians reason to think while they're sadly mistaken. Still love them.

But in the postmodern culture. When we disagree, we assume that all views are correct with someone except the Christian faith. ABC anything but Christians. Number 11. Satan's deception has never change the tell you something about Satan is a one trick pony.

He really is is a one trick pony. He's not very creative.

God is the creative got all creativity comes from God. Satan is an imitator. What he did thousands of years ago in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve is doing today with professing Christians you do not need to read believe and obey the Bible. Do you why why why do you do that, because if you read it is going to tell you that sin is lawlessness. That sin is of the devil that sin is evil, that sin is an affront to a holy God. Why would you read, believe and obey the word of God when it tells you that immorality is a rebellion against God when in reality it's a matter of taste to matter sexual preference. It's a matter of gender preference. It's all a matter of personal choice, whom Iraq reasonably close to him. The Bible answer to Satan's deception is found in Proverbs 1412 there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it will lead to death if you want to live.

I mean really live read, believe and obey God's word. But if you want death value might be living then ignore it.

If you want to live in life abundant drink deeply from the spring waters of the word of God and be satisfied if you choose the wilderness of slow death.

You stay in the desert of postmodernism. If you want life then allow the power of the word of God to change your behavior but if you want death follow Satan's deception and doubt its authority from the very beginning God gives us an opportunity to choose life or the life or death in the garden. Adam and Eve chose death. No son out of the garden in the wilderness, God said to his people through Moses you can choose life or death and then later on, Joshua said to them, choose this day whom you will obey today. God spirit simply speaking to everyone at the sound of my voice. Please listen this is God's word. This is not my words I am incapable. This is God's word and God's word is saying to everyone here and watching around the world choose life. Choose life. Choose life as you listen to today's leading the way. Nady realized that you've never made a faint decision. Maybe you'd like to walk through that with one of our team members.

If so, regulating thinking about it.

Let me encourage you to reach out right now. Go to LTW.org/Jesus just fell out a short form and begin a conversation at your leisure addressing questions that you may have. LTW.org/Jesus before time runs out. Let me quickly remind you to sign up for Dr. Yousef daily E devotional.

It's called my devotional. This is a nice way for you to dig into the Bible to experience the pilot reading and heating and obeying can bring my devotional is delivered right to your inbox. Just about the same time every day. Dr. Yousef reflects on a verse or two offering practical thoughts and applications to keep you in sync with where life has you today. And best of all it's free sign up for my devotional. When you visit leading the race homepage LTW.org with this and so many other great resources available for you LTW.org you can also call us speak to a ministry representative, 866-626-4356 866-626-4356.

This program is - leading arrangement with Dr. Michael