(I'll be updating this as he is preaching. So keep refreshing)
How God turns curses into blessings for His people. The sinful world system hates those who shine with God’s holiness. (I John 3:13) Why would they hate you, see verse 3:12. Proverbs 29:27. If you shine at all you’re a stench to the nostrils of those “in the world”. II Tim 3:12.
Phil 4:4 says we are to rejoice in the Lord always.
3 points
- Curses are sure to come to the people of God (vs. 4)
- God turns curses into blessings for His people (vs. 5)
- A curse we can not expect God to bless (Numbers 25 and 31)
One:
Curses are sure to come on to believers (Dt. 23:4). If the world hates you, you know it hated Jesus before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Do you notice when you are in “curses” that there has been a reason of “good” which brought you there. The curses of evil against you, Christian, are never a word of discouragement
Two:
God turns curses into blessings for His people. See it in Joseph, in Jesus, in yourself. Reading Numbers 23. Principle of God turning curses (Satan and his emissaries) into wonderful rich blessings. (Genesis 50 of Joseph). What you meant for evil, God meant it for God to save much people alive. Acts 4:23 – what they did was wicked… God brings the salvation of all the elect by the “wicked” act of those who crucified Jesus. God doing this type of work is always at work in the lives of His people. Psalm 121 – He that keepeth Israel neither slumber nor sleeps. Romans 12 teaches us that we are to never return curses for curses. God will do it right. The judgment is mine declares the Lord. Doctrine of Balaam or Counsel of Balaam can be found in Revelation 2:14 while also being found in Numbers 25 and 31. You cannot put curses of spiritual power on to believers. So if you cannot.
Three:
Numbers 25 and 31. There is a divine restraint against the evil one refraining them from doing a spiritual harm against you. We are to trust in Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps. But the danger of you corrupting yourself immorally is what you SHOULD be concerned with. The greatest danger is that “I myself, will allow myself, to become attracted to the pleasures of this world when I KNOW. When I allow this, I am allowing corruption to come into Christian leadership.”
This greatest curse is succumbing to moral impurity. Many ministers fall in this area. Have you been vigilant in one area and have let your guard down in another? The doctrine of Balaam exists to this day. Crafty old Balaam used the “eye-gate” which is very difficult for the man to resist (“The Lust of the Eyes”).
Statistics of pornography:
Blazing Grace –
April 6, 2007 70% of Christians admitted to struggling with pornography
December 2000 surveyed 5 Christian campuses to see how the next gen 48% admitted to porn use 67% intentionally viewed porn while on campus.
64% Christian leaders confirmed that they do struggle with pornography
$13.4 billion in 2006 revenues were bigger than the nfl, mbl, nba combined
77% visitors to adult sites are males and avg age 41 and income is $61k and are married
Pornography appears to be more of a problem for those in their 40-50’s of Christian men.
“I could pray with them. But I am sorry that I cannot give them back what they had lost” – Kelly
God CAN RESTORE what the locust have eaten. Just pray. Just pray that He would. Cast yourself on all the resources of the divine grace which you have access.
Sexual impurity is “within” the body. All other sins committed are outside the body. Isaiah says God is waiting to be gracious to you. Go to Him. John Knox wrote a 3-part exposition of Psalm 6 (READ IT). A Fortress of the Afflicted is what John Knox calls this. The only place you can go is go back to the Lord, even when the only place you do not “feel” you can go is back to the Lord.
What is the best way to be well guarded, well armed against the worst curse bringer of all, our fallen flesh manipulated by the evil powers of this world ? The best place to turn is the very thing that has been the focus of this conference is the Ordinary Means of Grace. Owens in Sin and Temptation is to not think about that sin which draws you to it. Rather Owen says is to heartily immerse yourself into the Ordinary Means of Grace (prayer, preaching, Lord’s Supper, Meditation, Zealous to the World). This is our best protection, b/c in the M.O.G. given to us by God we have relationship with Jesus and even in our weakness, the evil one MUST flee because of our accessing Christ and His table of grace. He that expects anything from Christ must attend to Him by the Means of Grace. It is in the M.O.G. it is when we meet Jesus Christ.
A Scriptural prayer from A. W. Pink mentions of David, start everyday with a prayer from Psalm 119:117 “Hold Thou me up and I will be safe”. The regularly weekly prayer meeting is essential to combat the fleshly desires. Those who say they have no time to attend the prayer meeting have really no excuses to not attend the prayer meeting. Do you wonder why you are so easily lured into the fleshly desires and temptations? Do you attend regularly, the weekly prayer meetings? Romans 7 Paul says even in His saved state that his flesh is weak. A ministry who does not pray is not armed to combat the world.
Closing:
The Means of Grace are God’s channels of accessing God’s power, HIS SUPERNATURAL POWER, that through these we are constantly meeting with the Keeper of Israel, the great Chief, the Cornerstone. He quotes Toplady at this time. See the hymn here.
Toplady and His Ministry
