Sermon – “Blessings or Curses”

‘You shall not make idols for yourselves;

neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves;

nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it;

for I am the Lord your God.

² You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary:

I am the Lord.

³ ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,

⁴ then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

⁵ Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing;

you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

⁶ I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid;

I will rid the land of evil beasts,

and the sword will not go through your land.

⁷ You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you.

⁸ Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight;

your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.

⁹ ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.

¹⁰ You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.

¹¹ I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you.

¹² I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

¹³ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves;

I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.

¹⁴ ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments,

¹⁵ and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant,

¹⁶ I also will do this to you:

I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart.

And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

¹⁷ I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies.

Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.

²⁸ Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

⁷ Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.”

¹² Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

¹⁴ And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

¹⁶ Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. ¹⁸ If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. ¹⁹ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. ²² But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. ²³ He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

 This morning a message titled blessings or curses I’m a tag on to that you get to choose blessings or curses you get to choose and you know how typically will start preaching on something as I go through it so let’s just go ahead and go to lure in prayer them will read scripture Heavenly Father we do thank you and praise you that your mercies are new every morning every morning Father we can call out to you pray that your spirit will be upon a snorer forgive us for the sins that we may have committed yesterday and father pray for your spirit guides today by the we do pray for your Spirit’s guidance today by those we open your words as we proclaim your word are pray that it would speak to hearts and minds if they would receive it receive it joyfully father that which is from you by the verse anything this word is not from you Lord that it not even be spoken word but Father God we pray that your word would produce fruit fall we pray that it would touch hearts in Father we just pray that you would be exalted your name would be glorified through the preaching of your word and father your word says how will they know unless we preach father we just pray to some may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus to the word spoken today for your glory and guide director serving in Jesus’ name amen. Take this back to the Old Testament again. To join Karen in the reading as I read through the week this really just kind of spoke to Minas where the Lord lead me so Leviticus Chapter 26 verses one through 17 here the word of the Lord. You shall not make idols for yourselves neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land to bow down to it for I am the Lord your God I want to pause this is the same God that we worship the Father Abraham Isaac and Jacob I am the Lord your God He says You shall keep my sadness and reverence my sanctuary I am the Lord if you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments and perform them then I will give you rain in a season the land shall yield It’s produce and the trees now the field shall yield their fruit the 2 most important words as did you’re going to see it is entire passages right there in those 2 verses if if you walk a mustache and keep my commandments and perform them then I will give you rain in a season the land to yield its produce in the trees of the field shall yield their fruit your thrush in floor shell last till the time of it each individual shall last till the time of sowing and you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land safely I will give you peace in the land and you shall lie down and none will make you afraid I will rid the land of evil beast and a sword will not go through your land I will chase your enemies and they shall fall by the sword before you. 5 of you shall chase a 10100 shall put 10000 to flight your enemies shall fall by the sword before you for I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful multiply you and confirm my covenant with you you shall eat the old harvesting clear out the old because of the new I will set my tabernacle will money you in my soul shall not who are you I will walk among you and be your God and you shall be my people I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt that you should not be their slaves I have broken the bands of your yoke and make you walk upright but if you do not obey me and do not observe all these commandments and if you despise my statutes or if your so bores my judgments so that you do not perform all my commandments but break my covenant I also will do this to you I will even appoint terror over you wasting disease and fever so I consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and you shall so your seed in vain for your enemy shall we eat it I will set my face against you and you shall be defeated by your enemies those who hate you you shall read it those who hate you shall reign over you and you shall flee when no one pursues you that is how much fear they would have they would flee when there was no one even pursuing them so I know we’ve spent a lot of time in the Old Testament but I believe that there are so much that we can learn there are so much we can learn from record in the events surrounding God’s relationship with the nation of Israel I know that they were the intended audience here but whether Jew or Gentile were all created in the image of God We are all created to have a close relationship with God. He had a special relationship with Israel to reveal himself to the rest of the world also to the reveal the ways in which we are to walk to have that relationship with Him God does not have 2 sets of standards he doesn’t have this holy set of standards for the Jews and then another set of less holy standards for the Gentiles He is the same God the same yesterday today and forever more so we are to walk in His ways basically the entire book of Leviticus is dedicated to giving instructions for proper worship of God It has all the minute details in there of how they were to bring a sacrifice and how they were to be offered it hasn’t struck sins on there in the book of Leviticus to the end the animals that they can and cannot eat and I do believe today that you know he’s declared the food all clean but then they weren’t there were certain things they were not supposed to be there were rules in there for punishment for crimes if someone would disfigure a man it had laid out exactly how they were to punish that person it had laws in Aaron rules concerning the Daltry of the daughters committed here’s what you do with the adulterers sodomy is addressed in the bit it gets in the punishment for that it’s all in their slavery how they were to treat slaves that’s a whole nother issue right out up and up a whole can of worms but they were not to treat them harshly but God also allowed that there be a time that they could buy their freedom or the Year of Jubilee where they would be set free and each man would regain his possessions the New Year Jubilee the whole book is dedicated to how we can live right before God how we can have that relationship with God that he wants to have with us how we could walk in His ways. Chapter 26 actually is a prophetic book The Lord is revealing to the children of Israel what their future will hold what it looks like for them though ahead of that list is the condition if there is a condition if if Israel would keep God’s commandments if they would walk in His statutes the words shout as in you shall reap the harvest of the land. You shall the horrid the lamb will shout you it is fruit you shall eat bread to your full you shall out down without being afraid shall is listed $22.00 times in that short passage and then I will God says I will give you peace I will give you rain I will is was it 8 times that tells you how important that is my friends Jesus also taught the importance of worshipping the One True God and being faithful to him in Mark 122-8231 then one of the scribes came and having heard heard them reasoning together perceiving that he had answered them well ask him which is the 1st commandment of all Jesus answered him the 1st of all the commandments is here oh Israel the Lord our God The Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart with all of your soul with all of your mind with all of your string this is the 1st commandment. The 2nd is like it that you shall love your neighbor as yourself there is no other commandment greater than the us we know that birthed on tells this is love that we obey his commandments if we truly love God with all of our hearts we will follow His statutes in a basic Mamet’s walk in His ways again in the vividness the Lord is very very thorough in his instructions concerning the shall nots You shall not make any idols they had before you an idol was a material image of a deity to be used as an object of worship pagan worship you shall not do this he says to the children of Israel and then there’s a carved images shall not have any carved images before you what do we call are we carved wood right they were not to carve out anything to put before them to warship they had the Assura poles the pagan nations did that they would bow down before he says you are not to have these in Deuteronomy 12 versus $3.00 and $4.00 it says and you shall be strongly their altars break their sacred pillars and burn their wooden images with fire you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place you shall not worship the Lord your God with sets thing since we are not even to build up such things in thinking we are worshipping God you are not to worship God with such things you know when they build an altar they build it of Stern’s on sizzled stone is nothing fashion by the hands of man. You’re not to worship the Lord your God with such things what are the sacred pillars sacred pillars there’s a couple different things that are considered sacred pillars one is a new bliss or a stone with religious symbols on it upon entering Canaan Israel would have encountered other types of pillars such as failing symbols of the pagan occult all sets things were forbidden for the nation of Israel God’s people the expression to bow down unto or toward a pillar forbade not only worshipping a pillar but also even being in the presence you can say well I just happened to be in the same place I wouldn’t really bound down to it no you weren’t even to be in its presence it was not allowed you know we would only have to drive about 2 and a half hours from this place to observe the tallest bliss in the world it’s right in our nation’s capital and we call it the Washington Monument and it is a mine is set up they say to memorialize George Washington which you know of bliss have been publicly displayed in the most obvious and conspicuous places to be seen by the public but yet few know the fuel. And the agree that mass makes your mouth so dry you coward talk yeah those who have a more know what I’m talking about but get it all a few people know the full meaning of in the blissed in most dictionaries or regular psych you please encyclopaedias the subject of the blissed in its full meaning is never fully explained however the encyclopedia American 1964 edition now I know that is oh really old. It shows how the Bliss was related to Sun worship it explains it like this a monument representing the sun in ancient Egyptian religion Egypt is war sun worshippers regarding the great luminary sun as the creator of the universe the maker of all gods above and below and even the author of himself the 2 most striking characteristic monuments which represented him on earth were the old bliss in the pyramids course we know in Egypt there are famous for the pyramids do bliss is the technical figure of one ray or pencil of light emanating from the sun that is the meaning of it the word oh bliss actually means the shaft of Bell which is another way of writing bail the Babylonian and Egyptian sun god that many nations have followed after in Rome we saw this with our own eyes when we went to Italy right at the Vatican courtyard the Vatican courtyard itself is laid out as a Sun Wheel in rising rate out of the center of that wheel or hub is a noblest the symbol of the called and Sun worship right there by St Peter’s Basilica in Italy that particular Bliss was actually brought to Rome from Egypt they transported that thing from Egypt to Rome by cow Guma in 37 a d. one might ask why do we have a sacred pillar right there in our nation’s capital that’s a good question I don’t have the answer to that why is there. But I do know that that’s the true meaning of what it is why they put it up I do not know where they put it up they say for George Washington but we’re not to back down to or warship sacred pillars but we are to worship the One True God and we’re not to worship God with such things I know we can’t spend the entire sub sermon on that subject but do a little research do a little research about even how the streets are laid out in our nation’s capital streets that lead to monuments or important places and even the layout of the streets form an inverted pentagram universally known Satanic symbol and don’t think that these things don’t matter remember God said not to wreck the sacred pillar don’t having gravestones don’t have carved images yet when we look around our nation we see I’m actually in many many places many many places what the god consider a nation that had such things they had all these objects he considered them a heathen nation heathen nation my friends when we think of the things that all these things that are set up think about maybe the evil influence that we might see in our nation right there is some evil evil influence this is not a political message it’s not I’m not pointing out one party but if we look if we look at the history of our nation we can see the evil influences that they’ve had that the Devils had upon our leaders and upon our nation not just our leaders I mean how many millions and millions and millions of babies have we killed over the years 60 some 1000000 my friends that is not of God because God is a God of life not death I better get on the next topic. Problem get done right the next topic is that big word if if Israel was faithful to God if they were would walk in His statutes and keep His commandments if they did not warship false gods they would receive His blessings and if they did not they would experience the consequences of not being faithful to God he said then I will give you rain in its season they were an agricultural people rain is extremely important if we don’t have rain the crops will not grow if the crops do not grow we will have a famine in the land rain is important if you walk in my ways I will give you rain in its season the land will produce the trees of the field will yield their fruit your threshing floor shall last till of time a vintage I think I read I don’t think what he’s saying is if you’re faithful to me this crop will carry you through to the next crop you’re going to have to remove the old to make room for the new you know it think about every 7th year of the Lamb was to rest what were they to do that 70 year God bless them so much in the 6 year that it would carry him through 2 years’ time if they were faithful to God he says I will give you peace in the land who wants peace Yes don’t we long for peace we do you show a lot done at that lie down and none will be afraid while we could really use that couldn’t we not have to be furthur with some one broken into our homes and doing harm to ourselves or our family he says I will lead the river the land not live I will rid the land of evil beast the sword will not go through your land I will keep the enemy for coming in. And harming you. They didn’t have to worry about those things because God would be with them if you are faithful keep my commandments walk in my statutes I’ll probably keep repeating that right you know in the book of Judges the Midianites in him our kites came in the camp near Israel they had plans to invade the land and conquer Israel but God called on Gideon to go out in the liver his people from the Amalekites in the Midianites but Gideon’s not sure not sure if it was really God that was calling says God if it’s you if I’m really to do this I’m going to lay out this fleece in the morning let the fleece be wet let all the ground around the be dry getting it’s up and goes out in the morning the fleece is wet and the ground is completely dry he rang the water out of it but he’s still not sure it says God will test you one more time this time let the fleece be dry and ground the round it be wet the next morning the fleece was dry and the ground all around it was soaking wet with the do so he knew that it was God so Gideon gathered together $32000.00 men $32000.00 soldiers to go out against the media knights in the Molokai but God says to get in it is too many too many because the people will say that they delivered themselves he says tell them if any are afraid if they have any peers at all going back home going back home 22000 left went home that left 10000 but God says No still too many still too many people he says have him go down to the water in those it Get down on all fours and put your face straight down to the water. They’re going to go home but the once it dip the water near hands and bring it through the mouth he goes those are the ones that I will deliver them by it says in Gideon 7 judges rather getting 7 verse 7 Then the Lord said to get in by the 300 men who lacked I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hand let all the other people go every man to his place 300 people you like well I wonder how many they were going out against wall verse 12 in chapter 7 of judges says now the Midianites and the amount of kites all the people the east were lined in the valley as numerous as locusts and their camels were without number as a sand of the sea shore and multitude like the locusts there were so many of them and 530300 God deliver them protected the nation of Israel I want to tell you this though that wasn’t the beginning of Gideon’s journey It began by tearing down his father’s altars the bale yeah go back and read the whole book right he 1st heard down his father’s altars the bell cut down the wooden images that were beside it he had to make a decision I will obey God I will walk in His ways how I have none of those things before me then God was with him a 100 will put 10000 to flight getting got to experience it he was a man to God use for that. Blessings and curses which will you choose you get to choose how to live you you get to choose what do you want who wants blessings even if you are watching raise your hand if you want blessings who wants curses right I don’t think anybody. He’s going to say I don’t want I want persons right my friends don’t get the wrong not being here though of what the blessings of God are God is not some huge blessing machine up there just got all got I want to Cadillac got I want more jewelry got I want more toys a play with God is not that g.-d. there to rob and get out of a bottle is going to give you 3 wishes what that he promised to bless them with the harvest you need food to survive sustenance that’s one thing he blessed them with safety I will protect you keep you from harm the wild beast will be gone the sword won’t come into your land and I will be with you God is so much more than the blessings the things material things that we have he is the alpha the a maggot the one who was an is and who is to come he is the source from all of from whom all things including we come from Genesis $11.00 says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth the Heber translation of that verse is in the beginning the blessid one created the heavens and the earth the blessid want he is the bless or blessings originated from him James 11617 says Do not be seen be deceived my beloved brother in every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of Lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning you get that there is no variation he is holy He is holy the same god. I will invoke a little bit of congregational involvement here what is the absolute most important blessing that we you could possibly seek from God The most important blessing to seek from God. Salvation but what does a salvation bring you life life turn to life life the answer is life the most important No it’s not the abundance of the material things that we have it is life itself you know a person a millionaire out there that Justin contracted a terminal illness and this scientists developed a cure but he says here’s the catch I have the cure for your disease this very rare disease I have to cure but it’s going to cost you a $1000000.00 What’s that wealthy man going to do he’s going to give him his $1000000.00 for that cure he can work on that again he can work or not he did learn how to raise a 1000000 he’ll do it again right but life is more important he’s going to give it up willingly give it up. The most important thing that God wants to bless us with is life Deuteronomy Chapter 30 verses 1920 says I have I call heaven and earth as witness today against you that I have set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live. That you may love the Lord your God that you may obey his voice and that you may cling to Him for He is your life and the length of your days and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your father to Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give to them I said it before you life and death blessings and curses therefore choose life God tells us that he has called Heaven on Earth as witness and says those 2 choices before us if we choose life we will be blessed and we will live we have a choice do we want to be blessed and live or do want to be cursed and die I don’t think there’s a person alive they would choose cursing and die and you know no one you might be here in this right now over the Internet or many days from now no one can say I don’t want to choose to not choose God is your choice if you say I’m not choosing then you’ve made your choice you’ve chosen to reject God There is no setting on the fence in Luke Chapter 11 there were some that tried to sit on the fence. Says and he was casting out a demon and it was mute so so it was when the demon had gone out that the mute spoke and the multitude marveled but some of them said he cast out demons by bells above the ruler of the Demons others testing him sought from him a sign from heaven but he no inner thought said to them every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and a house divided against the house falls if Satan also is divided against it himself how will his kingdom stand because you say I cast out demons by bells above and if I cast out demons by bells above by whom do your sons cast them out therefore that they will be your judges but if I cast out demons by the thinker of God Surely the kingdom of God has come upon you when a strong man fully armed guards his own palace his goods are in peace but when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and divides the spoils he who is not with me is against me says the Lord and He who does not gather with me scatters he who is not with me is against me you know there were those in that passage that out just outright rejected Jesus they outright rejecting the said He is a bells above no one objected that the man was healed there was no injected objection to that but they objected Jesus said you are working of Satan of saying you know when Jesus sent out to 12 and then was sent out to 72 they delivered people when healed they didn’t reject them but they reject Jesus friends or as many today that reject Jesus. They wanted to sit on the fence this other group they wanted to test him they want another sign for give us another sign then maybe we’ll believe. We just don’t believe yet Matthew 1230 not to 40 says but he answered and said to them an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the Prophet Gena for us Journal was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a great fish so will the Son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth that is where one must choose you must choose do you believe that Jesus Christ live or die was buried and rose again on the 3rd day there is no rod in the fence if you think you’re right in a fence you’ve just made your decision that I don’t believe in Jesus and that is who he is but if you want life if you want to choose life you must choose Jesus Christ 1st John Chapter 5 verses 9 through 12 I’m not sure if I sent that if we received the witness of men the witness of God is greater for this is the witness of God which He has testified of his son he who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself he does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believe the testimony that God has given of his son and this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son He who has the Son has life he has does not have the Son of God does not have life it doesn’t get any clearer than that. He who has the Son has life he who does not have the Son of God does not have life which will you choose today blessings life abundant life eternal life or we choose curses if not if you choose not to follow him walk in His ways you will experience the consequences of those choices I encourage you you’re watching this today and you’ve not received Jesus Christ I encourage you to choose him choose and get off the fence in say yes Km into my heart forgive me my sins be my Lord choose to be blessed and not cursed Amen amen.