JER. 42:19-22 "WILL YOU REJECT MY COUNSEL?"
* I have sat in my office, in my home, and in other people’s homes and counseled with them.
* I always try to give them advise as to what the Bible has to say about their problem.
A) Some people take my advise, and some don’t. * I have counseled about marriage,
* About finances, and other problems. * If you come to me and ask my advise about something,
* Then you have a choice to make. * You either accept my counsel or you reject it!
B) God gives His people PASTORS for counsel. * The relationship of pastor and people,
* Is not just a matter of preaching to Christians who respond by going down the aisle to pray
if they have committed sin the week before!
* God gives Christians pastors to guide them through life’s journey!
* Prov. 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in ... but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."
(1) DON’T REJECT MY COUNSEL ABOUT DELIVERANCE FROM SIN!
* Acts 28:23-24 * Some believed and some believed not the preaching of Paul!
* Here are some things that you can’t reject my counsel on:
A) About The Supernatural Requirements Of Salvation! * Now, salvation is free, I know that!
* But there are some requirements of salvation that has to be met before you can receive it!
* First of all, you have to desire salvation before you can receive salvation!
* Jesus will never force Himself on anybody! * He never has & He never will!
* No sinner will ever be saved if he doesn’t desire to be saved! * He’s got to want to!
* Second, you’ve got to believe by faith! * Believe what? * That Jesus died & rose from the dead,
* and that He will forgive you of all your sins! * Rom.10:9-10
* And third, you’ve got to call on the name of the Lord! * Rom.10:13
B) About The Strait Road Of Salvation! * Matt.7:13-14 "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for ..."
* "strait" - a narrow confined place or space; strict, rigorous, difficult to be entered.
* I’m telling you that the way to heaven is narrow! * Not many travel on this road! * "Few ..."
C) Now, there are two gates; one wide and one narrow & every man stands before the wide gate!
* It is immediately before him, right before his face!
* It is the only gate that faces him; in fact, it is so close to him that no entrance is necessary.
* All he has to do is take a step and he has entered it!
D) The narrow gate is not seen! * A person has to search for it in order to find it!
* It is both narrow and facing in the opposite direction from the wide gate! * This means that:
* It is not immediately or naturally seen; * Can be found only if one turns (repents) to find it.
* It has to be sought; & is difficult to enter when found (narrow).
E) That’s why only a few choose it! * Jer.21:8 "Thus saith ... Behold, I set before ......."
* If you ever plan to make Heaven your home, you’re gonna have to travel the narrow road!
* You have to live right if you travel on this road cause they aint no detours!
F) About The Simple Reception Of Salvation! * I don’t know why some make it so hard!
* Receiving salvation is so simple that a child can understand how to do it!
* In fact, Jesus says in Matt.18:3 "Verily I say ... Except ye be converted, & become as ......."
* So don’t reject my counsel about deliverance from sin; & about the supernatural requirements
of salvation, about the strait road of salvation & about the simple reception of salvation!
(2) DON’T REJECT MY COUNSEL ABOUT THE DANGERS OF SATAN!
* 1 Pet.5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh ..."
* This verse was written to pastors, who had just been told in the context to oversee God’s flock
and feed them! * The devil would love to destroy all pastors! * He attacks them always!
* He attacks them physically and spiritually! * He wants to get them out of the way!
A) He Does Seek You! * In Job 1:6-11 * He sought Job out! * "Walking to & fro ......."
* The devil is not chained in hell; he’s walking up & down in this earth looking for you .......
B) He Does Set Traps For You! * Luke 22:31 "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:"
* The word "desired" means to beg for something, to obtain by asking.
* Jesus pictured Satan as begging permission of God to trip the disciples!
C) The Bible is clear in its teaching: God is supreme! * Anything that goes on in the universe,
* goes on because God allows it! * I can’t explain that!
* However, Satan is subject to God & has no right or power over believers unless God allows it!
D) The word "sift" means to shake, to sift in a sieve in order to separate the good grain from the
chaff. * The picture is that Satan wished to:
* Sift & shake the disciples; test & try them; to prove they were not genuine;
* To cut the heart of God by showing they were not genuine; to disgrace God by proving their
disloyalty! * Satan wants us separated from God by tempting us to sin!
E) He Does Seduce You! * 1 Tim.4:1 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that ......."
* The word "seduce" means to lead astray; to stray from truth; deceive.
* That’s what the devil does; he leads you away from the truth like he did Eve!
F) He Does Sidetrack You! * He seeks you, then he sets traps for you,
* Then he seduces you to fall in his traps and then he sidetracks you!
* He gets you off the strait and narrow road and gets you traveling with the way of the world!
* So don’t reject my counsel about the dangers of Satan! * He’ll win if you let him!
(3) DON’T REJECT MY COUNSEL ABOUT DIRECTION IN SERVICE! * Eph.4:8; 11-15
* A lot of church division & unrest among believers would not exist if each & every person in the
church would allow the Holy Spirit to lead them in what they should do!
A) Be Sure To Be In God’s Place For You! * God has a place for you!
* You and I should always be in our place when it comes to service! * I got in my place!
* Joshua won the battle of Jericho because the people were in their place!
* Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem because the people were in their place!
* Just imagine what Faith FWB Church can do if all the people would get in their place!
B) Be Sure To Get God’s Purpose For You! * God has a purpose for you being here!
* According to v.12 we are to build one another up! * That’s what edify means, "to build up!"
* You’re not in this world for nothing, you’re here for a purpose!
* I can’t tell you what your purpose is, but if you get close to God, you’ll know!
C) Be Sure To Get God’s Preparation For You To Fulfill His Purpose!
* Phil.4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
* God will make preparations for you to fulfill His purpose!
* In Exo.4:10-16 Moses made excuses, but God made preparations!
* Jeremiah said in Jer.1:6 "Ah, Lord God! behold, I can not speak: for I am a child."
* But God told him not to be afraid, he will put in his mouth the words to speak!
* God always prepares His people to fulfill His purpose!
(4) DON’T REJECT MY COUNSEL ABOUT DRIFTING FROM STEDFASTNESS!
* 2 Pet.3:17 "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also,
being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness."
* 1 Cor.10:12 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
* There are some things that we need to be steadfast in & not drift from them:
A) In Your Convictions About The Scriptures! * You stand on the Word of God!
* Have convictions on which Bible you are for, namely the King James Version!
* The KJV is the only translation that was translated from the original Greek & Hebrew!
* You believe what the Bible says and never doubt it!
B) In Your Communion With The Savior! * Your time with Jesus is important!
* You will drift away from God if your communion aint what it ought to be with Him!
* You don’t stay close to Him when you don’t have communion with Him!
* Just like it is with people! * If you don’t stay in contact with people, you drift from them!
C) In Your Contributing To The Storehouse! * Some people use to tithe, but don’t anymore!
* You have drifted from your own steadfastness! * You’re not as close to God as you were!
* When people start drifting, they stop tithing, contributing to the storehouse!
D) In Your Closeness To The Saints! * You use to really love people!
* You use to show people how much you loved them and how much you cared for them!
* It seems that some have drifted away from that! * You don’t visit like you should!
E) In Your Concern For Souls! * Lost people use to burden you, but not no more!
* Very seldom do you cry over someone going to hell! * You’ve lost your tears!
* Lets face it, you don’t really care if people go to hell! * It shows on soul-winning night!
* You could care less if anybody got saved in their home or at church!
* Why? Because you have drifted from your own steadfastness!
CLOSE
A) Be aware! * It can happen to you! * You can drift too!
* You can backslide too! * You can get cold too!
* Listen to your preacher! * Get right with God and stay right with God!
B) Don’t reject my counsel! * In Acts 27, Paul warned the centurion not to sail to Rome.
* But he didn’t listen to the man of God; he listened to the owner of the ship.
* And when the storm came, Paul said in v.21, "Y’all should’ve listened to me."
C) Better listen to the man of God! * Be faithful to church, tithe, witness for Jesus,
* Pray, read your Bible, Love Jesus and do right!
* Will you reject my counsel?
