In the Word #5

Welcome to In the Word with Milton Green, with your host, Tommy Williams. I hear a sound coming from the mountain. I hear it louder each day.

I hear a sound coming from the mountain, and it says, prepare ye the way. Prepare ye the way, prepare ye the way, prepare ye the way of the Lord. Hi, I'm Tommy Williams, and I want you to stay with us for this next hour as God opens up his precious word to us through his servant, Milton Green.

Milton Green is proclaiming a message of righteousness and holiness to the church today, calling the church to repentance. The author of The Cross and the Switchblade, David Wilkerson, has said that every true believer, every God-hungry minister in this nation needs to hear what Milton Green is saying. You'll see that this is a powerfully searing and searching message, yet healing and uplifting.

It will be good news to those who desire to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ with a pure heart. Now, let's get our Bibles and get in the word with Milton Green, just as it was recorded live at a recent In the Word meeting. We'll join Brother Milton Green, already in progress.

In Romans 10, verse 1, look here, Paul says, Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God is for who? For them is for their what? It's for their salvation. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it's not according to the word. Is that what he says? It's not according to the word.

And not knowing about God's righteousness, they establish their own righteousness, which is self-righteous, some other righteousness, and do not subject themselves, they're not going to let them subject themselves to the righteousness of God. Folks, there's a whole lot of righteousness today. You know, there are many kinds of righteousness.

There's many kind of Gospels. There's many kind of Jesus. This Jesus can do this, this Jesus can do that, and this Jesus can't do anything.

There's one righteousness. There's one Gospel. There's one Jesus.

There's one church. And I want to tell you what, the Spirit of God is one that takes the lead. We don't lead the Spirit of God.

It's not, God, come on down here and cooperate with us. You see what we're trying to do for you. The righteousness of God is led by the Spirit of God.

And I want to just ask you something. Does the church today, for the most part, pursue righteousness by dying to the flesh? And practicing righteousness, that means walking and talking and acting like God? Does the church today walk like the world? Do they walk after the flesh? Do they pursue righteousness as though by works? Do they want to build temples and things that we can see with our eyes for God instead of building up this inner man, this temple here? See, I want to tell you something. People who are in works don't have to trust God for anything.

They're not being led by the Spirit of God. They work it all out themselves. I've already told you, there's not a Baptist righteousness or a Methodist righteousness.

I just want to mention this. There's only one righteousness. There's not a Pentecostal righteousness or a charismatic righteousness.

There's not a Baptist gospel and a Methodist gospel and Pentecostal gospel and charismatic gospel. There's not a Baptist Jesus and a Methodist Jesus and a Pentecostal Jesus and a charismatic Jesus. There's only one Jesus.

I suggest, and I don't know where you folks come from, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is Jesus crucified. It don't matter who you are or what you are or what you've done or anything else.

The only thing that matters is Jesus Christ is your Lord. So, what I just want to encourage you to look at your Word and see if everything that... We need to look and see if everything we call church today is church. Since everything you call a Christian today is Christian.

Is there going to be a great falling away in the last days? When is it falling away? It's falling away. That's apostasy. That's departing from the Word of God.

You start calling things of God, it's not God. Amen? I'm going to tell you something. The church in this Word makes disciples.

They teach them a Word. You know, in the days of Charles Finney, he started... He had a morning's bench, and people would come to the morning's bench, and they would cry out the Lord. And later on, the Salvation Army, and as I understand the Salvation Army is a lot different then than it is today, but would have some strong messages about the Lord, and they started giving invitations.

Now, I want you to be aware of all these things as I share it with you, that you've got an enemy that talks to you, and he can tell all the people the same thing to get them, you know, off. See, we have to line up here. The Lord leads us in all truth.

But they would have invitations for sinners, and they would come to this morning's bench, which the Salvation Army started, and for days sometimes, so hours, people would stay there and just instruct them as they were getting things right before God. Now, let me give you a little example of that. I've watched this over.

You let me get around somebody that's just really broken. I don't mean self-pity. I mean it's really broken and sorry about their sins of the Lord.

I can't wait to pray for them. You let somebody just really get broken. Folks, do you ever see anybody just get down and just cry out to the Lord? And so sorry and just loving the Lord so much that they're just so sorry and sad? Folks, do you ever know what kind of people there are when you get up? Do you ever notice that something's come off of them? That they're different? They're broken? Now, these people that would be in these meetings, as the enemy is always there to pervert things, then someone would just see this and possibly being led by sensuality in the flesh, then coming down the aisle, replaces repentance and a godly sorrow.

And then start building a foundation of numbers instead of righteousness. A foundation. If part of this is going to affect the numbers, let's don't mess with it.

Let's don't lose a big tie there. Let's don't upset some folks' flesh. We don't want... See, we learn when we make a foundation of numbers and good reports, we start wanting to get decisions instead of disciples.

And in some many times, too many times, and this is the kind of thing that Billy Graham and many of the particular people that go through the churches see the losses of the people in the church today. They go through there and these people in too many cases, that's not to say that everybody that walks down the aisle is not saved. I'm not saying that.

Listen, hear what I'm saying. Don't try to add something I'm not saying. There are too many people that come down the aisle and a man's led by his thoughts and things and we start, you know, exalting ministries.

You know, my ministry has got to look good. I'm not going to deal with that part of the Lord. Lord, I can't deal with that part of the Lord.

Lord, it's going to make my ministry look good and I've got to help you out. Now, that's what Satan tried to do to Jesus when he got him to jump off the temple in the courtyard there and he could lead all the people to God, see. We're not going to lead the people to God.

God's Spirit does the leading. We just get in on it. So, I just want to ask you, and I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I just want to ask you to just examine these things because when we're not taking thoughts captive, we're not aware of all these things, deceitful, deceitful, very deceptive thoughts come in here to cause us to start drifting.

And we start getting a foundation of good reports and looking good and making a name for ourselves. We get our mind and our heart on our works and what we're doing and just forget about the works of God, see. And then we get busy making a name for ourselves.

Well, listen, if you're making a name for yourself and your ministry and your ministry, you're not making a name for our Lord Jesus Christ. If you've got some kind of image you've got to protect and you haven't taken on the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only name you make a name for is Jesus. Now, that is what the Bible says.

Babylon, the world in a church who acts like the world and walks and talks like the world, makes a name for herself. Now, see, these traditions and things that many of them have been handed down to us, I'm going to tell you, and the Lord can easily show you as you get in the Word. I'm going to tell you what the Lord expects you to get the Word.

He wants to lead you in all truth. And so you can raise up in things. They look good.

They look good when we compare ourselves among ourselves and measure ourselves by ourselves. But does it measure up to this yardstick right here? See, that's where the Pharisees missed it. A few of them got saved, but they all went to hell too, you know.

They didn't get saved. So it's a serious thing, but what I'm trying to point out to you, that my part, part of my part, is exposing the powers of darkness as we go through the Word. Now, I want you to be conscious, and pastors, I want you to think about this as we go through, because if the powers of darkness, if they're there like I've said at the very beginning of the testimony, boy, we've got a very serious problem.

If they're not there, then you have a nut here that you come three days to hear. Now, if they are there, what are they doing there? They've been perverting the things of the Lord. They've been deceiving us.

And so in you and me, brother and sister, we all come back to the Word of God. We start all over again. We say something like this, Lord, you know what I know that's wrong.

I'm teachable. I love you more than I do my tradition. You know, somebody loves their traditions more than they do the Word.

It's not teachable. If someone is intimidated by men and fearful of men, they'll not come to the Word of God. See, that's what scares people off the Word, because they want approval of men, folks.

They're not teachable. God's not going to lead them in all truth because their heart's somewhere else. They've got idols in their heart.

But if we truly love the Lord and we love His Word, we can come to the Lord something like this and say, Lord, I believe the Lord will take you up on it too. Lord, I've let my heart go toward things that I shouldn't have let it go to. And when you just go ahead and name off the things you've let your heart be authority in your life besides the order of God, that's not to say there's not spiritual authority.

There are spiritual authority. But everything that goes by a title, I don't subject myself to. You understand that? I subject myself to the Jesus in authority, not by somebody that just goes by titles and things like that, because I don't think there's ever been a time of false teaching and false prophets as they are today.

Never, ever. I don't think Satan has never been more successful than he is right now at this moment. Why not? That's exactly the way it's supposed to be.

That's what Satan said he would be in the last days. But say, Lord, if I have... Now, I think this would be fair for each one of us here. Do you want to be honest with the Lord? Your Word says that you will lead me in all truth.

In the traditions and things that I've learned, Lord, you know what I've learned wrong. I'm teachable, Lord. Now, right now, I fix my heart on you.

You are the teacher. Unless I hear you speak through anyone, I'm not going to receive anything. I'm not going to receive anything in milk green or a seminar or James Robinson or no one else until it's confirmed in my heart, until I know it from God.

Is anything wrong with that? And now, Lord, my eyes are fixed on you. And you know that my heart is seeking truth. Now, I'm seeking you.

I just turned my heart. I'm going to get in your Word, Lord, because I just found out I don't have to speak Hebrew to learn what's in there. That you will teach me.

And you said you're no respecter of any people, so it doesn't matter, Lord, if I just got past the first grade. You can teach me to read, too. That sound like God? Well, that's the way He is.

Can't you just see God coming over here to me and say, Boy, I sure do need you. You've got that big organization. You know so many people, and you're so smart.

I need somebody like you to come and teach a seminar. You see, folks, I say these things simply because. I don't have anything.

I don't have to be anything. There's a lot of freedom not having to be nothing. Do you know that? I say this to encourage you.

Because I have been discouraged a lot. We've all been in a war and things like that. But I tell you, the Lord has special things for each one of you.

I want to tell you something. I don't think no one has a harder time in traditions we've brought in than shepherds. They kind of get in it by their selves.

That's the way tradition is. They've got to know everything. They have to be the whole loaf and impale south.

And then get them out there serving flesh, waiting tables. Pitiful. Break your heart.

Folks, let's just get a mind off ourself a little bit and kind of see what sin we've got in our heart and kind of see some other people that we can help and be a blessing to. Let's let our light shine and love one another, right? If there's anything wrong, let's. You don't have to compromise, do you? Let the Spirit of God say.

I don't have advice for people. People come up and say, I've got this situation. I've got this situation.

I've got this. And I say, I want to tell you something. My friend, I can be very presumptuous if I go past the Word of God.

I can know a part and you can come and hear my part. And we're used to somebody having a part and know everything. Well, I don't know everything.

And I'm not going to tell anybody any more than what, if consciously, than what the Word teaches me. But I'm going to tell you something. There's a mighty move of God today, folks.

And I'm going to tell you what this move of God is going to be. You're going to be persecuted, folks. Let me tell you something.

So what? So what? Let me ask you something. If you know what you know, what you know. If you know that you've got a knowing, you're watching people's lives change.

You know that you're learning and you know that you're pleasing the Lord. Now, who do you really want to please in your heart? Do you want to please God or do you want to please folks? Well, I'm going to tell you some things to talk to you and come and talk to you to get your heart to go to please other things besides God. I'm going to tell you God is the number one person you want to please.

Now, I'm just kind of mentioning some of these things as we're going along talking about the powers of darkness because I'm going to tell you, as I mention, the Lord's going to quicken some of these things. He's going to show you if you'll let Him. I mention them so He can just talk to you about them.

Now, you don't let your heart go to folks. You don't let your heart go to organization. You don't let your heart go to men.

You don't let your heart go to denomination. Let me tell you where headquarters is. It's in heaven.

I'm not saying that unkindly. I just know it's a curse. It's not Jesus plus the sign in the yard.

It's not Jesus plus anything. It's all Jesus. It's all grace.

It's all Him. If there was a man is zero. Except for Jesus working through him, everything else burns up.

I will set you free. Did I get you a little freer? Get free from folks. Demons and folks have been around this long enough.

Now, Mark 7. Mark 7. Now, what about a person who loves his traditions? Do you realize there's plenty of traditions, folks? Folks, do you ever understand why there are always so many labels? Do you know if it can get conservative and this over here label and this over here and here? A demon behind every bush. He's gone charismatic. All these things.

Now, you see, if the enemy can get these labels going back and forth, then, see, you get programmed to reject truth before you examine it. What is it that causes you to reject people you've only heard of? You don't know anything about them. You've just heard about them.

Where does that come from? You reject truth before you've even examined it. Where does that come from? See, you know how you reject it? Because you are made fearful. The spirit of fear comes from the devil.

He gives you all kind of fearful things. And this is what the shepherds... The shepherds are going, Boy, I'm telling you what. Boy, I'm telling you it's a new day.

As the Lord has opened up this thing and shown shepherds that shepherds have just had their ears beat off of them who just love the Lord with all their heart. And God in his grace is showing them how the enemy and the demons are attacking them. I'm going to share a few things here before this is over with.

I'm going to show them how you attack shepherds. Shepherds are leaving churches today. Pastors are leaving churches like never before.

You shepherds don't usually stay in a church over three years. You get run off. You usually get run off by lost folks, church bosses that demons have raised up.

You know what you do, Pastor, when you leave? You run off and leave a sheep. It's a little system of powers of darkness that work down. Let me just go ahead and talk about it a little bit.

Since I mentioned it, I might as well talk about it a little bit. You're a determined shepherd. The next church I go to, it's not going to be like this one because in many cases, because the traditions and things kind of beat you down where you really have a shepherd's heart where you can't really do the things that you know in your heart you want to do.

And it's a very defeating, frustrating thing for a pressured shepherd, a precious shepherd and his traditions today. So the powers of darkness who've been ignored, what do you think they've been doing? They've been setting up a system. And then you go into this church situation and you're determined.

You've learned some things. Things are going to be different. We're going to do some things in this world.

And you go in there and you get up. And you know this verse right here is just going to smack against little traditions. You know when you get to a place.

And right there as you do it, let me show you what happens to you. The demons know the one they've got set up that can intimidate you and make you the most fearful. Now let me tell you what happens to you, Pastor.

And you're just going to shake your head because you're going to remember it over and over. You can stand there and you can be looking in that direction right over there. And as you come to this place and you say that word right there, as you start to do it, as you're fixing to read that verse right there, there are thoughts coming to your mind.

You're not even looking right over there at this loudmouth boss deacon. But you know right there in your mind as you're looking right over here and you do this, you're being brought to mind thoughts that are, you know, and you're just getting a picture of him just looking at it. It's like a water hose coming at you.

Pastor, you hear me, aren't you, shepherds? It's like a water hose of intimidation coming at you. And these thoughts right there just add a little water to it here, you know. But, you know, you don't have to be too hard on it.

But then you go ahead and you proclaim the word. And while you're doing it, you're being attacked by fear right in the pulpit. You're being attacked by fear and intimidation.

You're being attacked by demons. And it gets pretty quiet in there while you're preaching. But you know you've decided that that congregation is going to be the Lord's glory.

And you want to please the Lord. And here he comes. He comes up.

Either that loudmouth woman or that loudmouth man that that demon's manifested in right there, controlling him. They come right up to you and get right in your face. He says, Pastor, I know these people.

I know them. It's just like you moved in his bedroom or something. You know, he owns a place.

See, he's big time. He's given so much money for God. He's helped God out so much.

It's just like you moved in his house, shepherd. He's got a lot of confidence. He's a church boss.

The demons have told him what a wonderful job he does helping God out in that social work. Pastor, these people are not going to stand still for that. I know them.

Pastor, what you better do is you better back off a little on that. We'll have to get a new leader. We're going back to Egypt.

Now, shepherd, this is going to set you free. When he comes up to you, you see him coming, and immediately when you make eye contact to him, the powers of darkness know when you make contact with any word in this Bible right here. That's the same thing.

They attack you with lust thoughts. It's the same thing. You make eye contact.

When you make eye contact with that man right there, they began. See, I've already put the intimidating thought. They've already set the stage for you.

So here comes the manifestations of demons to a man. And as he's talking to you, he really thinks in his heart he's helping God out. He's deceived.

As he is attacking you there, you're being attacked by every demon of fear in the house. They're all over you right in here. They're all outside just attacking you.

You know, that same ones attack you when you don't want to give up and give the testimony or start getting a little free, something like that. If they keep you under bonds, you know you start getting free, you get dangerous. And they attack you with fear.

Freedom spreads. So while you're there, pastor, and you're talking about to this man right here, this church boss, all these demons of fear are attacking you, and here's the kind of thoughts they're putting in your mind. One thought, just bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

There goes the parsonage. Seriously. There it goes.

I can't get a job anywhere. They'll be mad at me at headquarters. I'll have to take the children out of college.

And they're just bombarding your mind, just bang, bang, bang, bang, and you just beat the, you know, just... And you're moving out of grace and you're getting out of the law because you're receiving it. And then all that pressure coming on there, you're looking in his face, but you're not really hearing everything because all your mind is just filled with... They've all of a sudden, and they just loose a barrage on you, what they're doing. You know what they're doing? This is attack of the powers of darkness to back you off of this right here.

And this is the way they do it. And this is the way they've been doing it to you. And then in the midst of all that pressure and all that fear and all that intimidation, all these things coming at you, there'd be a sweet little old thought come up there.

Well, I can see now is not the time to bring them on. I'll bring them on another way. Isn't that precious? And then just back off of it.

He didn't pass the test. And the demons get to flock. That's what you're going to see this week.

Pastor, I can't even go in your church and have authority over demons unless your heart is in agreement with me. That's how much authority you have. I can't even bind the demons if your heart is not in agreement with me.

You have a spiritual authority and God has given you spiritual authority. And I'll tell you something else. Well, I might all the way to day two to get on that.

Pastor, I want to tell you something. You get run off. Because when they start attacking you, when you start getting close to that, they start attacking your wife.

You go home and you start hearing things. Here's pressure. She doesn't understand either.

See, we've left that out. You don't understand all this stuff happening to your wife and it's just always an uproar. How can a word work in a book? But work in people when their hearts are full of the things of the devil.

And affliction, persecution, that's all they're going to think about and talk about. See, there's no rest in that. See, if you receive all this stuff and talk about it, the Word of God can't work in you and through you.

So there's a system that we haven't learned about and God is showing us today, Pastor. And it's a precious new day for you. Because I want to tell you something.

It's a body ministry. But when you leave and you get run off, in that church that you just left, it's just like Billy Graham saying, you know. There's a church in the church.

And all probability people that are not taking thoughts captive, the enemy is able to work and intimidate and with fear and these kind of things to put people in position of authority. As Jude says, they're led by their ungodly lusts, they're worldly minded and they cause divisions. Let me tell you another way.

The church is already split, folks. There's two ways to look at that. If you're looking from the basis of numbers and good reports, it's not split.

But if you're looking from the basis of the Word of God, salvation and righteousness and lost folks, there are lost folks in there. That's a split church. When you get lost folks and saved folks together, you've got to split.

So really what we're saying today, if we say 75% of the church is lost, we go quote Billy Graham and the others, you know. Then we're saying, I feel very comfortable here having my heart joined in covenant and be one with over half of it devils. What do you do to the Word? What happened to church discipline? What happened to dealing with this sin? Where'd that new Bible come from? That's not what this Bible's talking about.

So pastor, you got run off and when you left, you left some sheep. You left some sheep that are really belonging to the Lord. And boy, how they do need a shepherd.

Now all these things I'll show you in the Word of God this week. Mark 7, verse 6, And he said to them, Rightly did Isaiah prophesy you hypocrites. Jesus trying to please them again.

As it is written, This people honor me with their lips. They honor me with their mouth. But their heart is far from me.

I want you to know with the heart man believes in the righteous, not his head. The head gives lip service. The heart walks in it.

Verse 7, Here's what he says, These people draw near with their lips and mouth and don't draw near with their hearts. Here's what these kind of people do in 7. In vain do they worship me. If they worship me on a Sunday morning, I'll just stay home and read the paper.

In vain they worship me if they draw near with their mouth and not their hearts. They're wasting their time. Teaching as doctrines and precepts of men.

Let me tell you another way. Teaching opinions of men is the Word of God. In vain they worship me.

Do you understand that's what traditions are? Teaching opinions of men is the Word of God. Verse 8, In each tradition you neglect the commandment of God, you hold to the traditions of men. You hold on to it.

That's where your heart is. You hold on to it because you're made fearful and intimidated by it. Anything you're afraid of has got you.

What's your fear of God? He said, The dread of me is not in you. You have to learn the fear of God. Don't fear those that can kill the body.

Fear him and put your body and soul in hell. He was saying to them about these traditions that's handed down and down. Isn't it interesting how many different ways everybody is going to heaven.

They all talk a different language. Sounds like confusion, doesn't it? Verse 9, He was also saying to them, You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. In other words, the Word of God, you're picking shoes to it and you've already got your petition and box built.

That's what the Pharisees had, see. He said, God, if you'll come on down here and be a nice Pharisee, we'll fellowship with you. I just wonder today, do we say, God, we'll fellowship with you if you'll be a good Baptist.

We'll fellowship with you if you'll act like a good Pentecostal. Verse 13. See, at verse 9 it said, You set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.

Verse 13, Thus you invalidate the Word of God. You make the Word of God of no effect by your what? The Word of God has no effect because of your tradition which you've what? It's handed down to generation and generation. It's handed down and you do many things such as that.

Now, who do you think it... Let me ask you this way. Aren't you real glad those Pharisee demons are all dead today? Aren't you glad none of them are still around? Hmm. They were kind of experts back then, weren't they? All right.

God has warned us not to be taken captive through traditions and worldly ways. Let me show it to you. Turn to Colossians 2. Colossians 2. You know what happens to a heart when it's not totally turned to the Word or something like that? When you read Scripture like that, you know what happens in a person's mind? It's deceived by the powers of darkness.

Look at me. You know what happens to them when they're deceived by the powers of darkness? Their heart's not really seeking the Word. They'll get on the defensive when you start talking about traditions.

And then they'll want to watch you closely and what you might say and so they might trap you in some things you know that you say. Now, that's how the powers of darkness work with people. Folks, let me tell you something.

It's too bad that the people that persecuted Jesus and spoke against Him and spoke against His disciples has always been everybody that ever followed God in that Bible didn't have an easy time. Do you understand that? I want to make you aware of something. It's not for me and you to have to figure out how God's going to do this thing.

Can I just go ahead and just illustrate my place here as standing before you in this seminar? I didn't put myself up here. No man put me up here. And I'm telling you what, that God can use you at 9 o'clock in the morning and noon, He can set you down the rest of your life.

I have been sat down. In my ignorance and thank God I watched, you know, like I was telling you over in India, I got sat down after I got home. I got smart.

I was going to try to push. You know, I had some things worked out. Instead of letting my light shine, I was going to stick it down some people's throats.

I saw a few things. You know what happened? God don't cooperate with that. So I found myself in a lonely... I was on the sidelines.

Now, I fear God. And I know that He's looking. Now, see, I've come to a place I know He's looking at all the motives and everything in my heart.

He is yours. And when He sees the motives in your hearts really trying to please Him and do what is right in His... I'm telling you, folks, you can make some stupid mistakes like that, but He'll turn them around. Now, I want you to know the door opening is left up to God.

We don't have to go out and get things for God. I want you to know that when He does His work of grace, He'll do it through you. In Colossians 2, I like this verse in verse 4. I say that in order that no one may what? Delude you with what kind of argument? You can run in persuasive argument.

Now, see, when I was dying, I found James 5, 14 and 15 to be anointed with oil and I will be restored, not maybe or perhaps or when it gets 70 degrees. It says I'd be restored. I like that.

I was real interested in that verse. And when I ask about this particular verse, we went everywhere, all over the Bible except that. Well, I didn't know much about the Bible.

I always believed anybody made something could fix it. So I just keep holding into it. Now, verse 8. See to it that no one takes you captive, if you can mark captive, through what? All right, now you can be taken captive through philosophy.

You can be taken captive. What's the next thing? Empty deception. You can be taken captive through the what? Traditions of men.

You can be taken captive according to the elementary principles of the world. Are you seeing all these things can take you captive? Are you warned right there not to be taken captive? Are these things? Now, what I'd do, I might just circle captive there and run you a line to philosophy, run you a line to empty deception, run you a line to traditions, run you a line to elementary principles of the world rather than according to Christ, which is His Word. You can be taken captive through these things.

Amen. Right? Well, it's next chapter. Let's turn over to Colossians 3 quickly.

If. Now, if's a condition, isn't it? Verse 1. Then you've been raised up with Christ. Keep seeking the things on earth.

Don't let your hearts seek the things above. For Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Now, there in verse 2 it says, set your mind on what? Things above, not on things that are on the earth.

Isn't that right? And we're told not to love these things on the earth. And it says to set your mind on things that are above. Isn't that right? For you have what? All right, you know what that died means? That's covenant.

You have to die to make covenant. Well, I'll show you that later on in Hebrews. You die.

When you change an image, you have to die to what you are. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. You and Christ became one, so you're going to have to act like and talk like Him.

Verse 4. When Christ who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed in Him in glory. Therefore, get ready with your big pencil. We got another refrigerator verse here.

Verse 5. Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as what? As dead to what? Immorality. You're dead to immorality. You're dead to impurity.

You're dead to passion. You're dead to evil desire. You're dead to greed.

All of these things amount to what? Idolatry. For it is on account of these things right here I just read. It's on account of immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, and idolatry that the wrath of God is coming.

You think that God's about half serious about us turning away from these things? And in them, verse 7, you also what? You once walked, which means you're not walking there anymore. Amen. You once walked there.

And don't you let something else tell you that it's all right for you to walk there now. You once walked there. While you, what's that? When you, what's it? Were.

Will you mark that? You were. Circle were. You were living in, which means you're not living in greed.

You're not living in impurity. You're not living in immorality. You're not living in passion or evil desire or idolatry.

But now, verse 8, you also put them all aside. Now, the wrath of God comes because of these things. Put aside anger.

Put aside wrath. Put aside malice. Put aside slander, abusive speech from your mouth.

Now, folks, when you see, let me just tell you something. Do you remember when I was reading over you in Matthew 18, the slave that wouldn't forgive? And his master turned him over to the torturers, the tormentors? He was first angry. In the Word, as we go through here these next few days, you're going to see when the Lord is angry and when his wrath comes, he removes the head and he sicks the powers of darkness, sick them.

They say the Lord won't do that? You just wait. Who put those demons on Saul? Who put the powers of darkness on Job? When the Lord moves his head, you're not blessed. And I want you to know that, by the way, those demons that got on Saul was more of an ego trip, okay? And you don't have to know some foreign language to know that the word's evil spirit means demons.

That's them. Now, verse 9, Do not lie to one another since you laid aside the what? Now, the old self means the old man is dead. You've laid it aside so you don't lie.

Isn't that right? With its what? Evil practices. Now, you laid aside the old man with his evil practices. I want you to circle the old self.

Evil practices, I want you to draw a line to them, which means you've laid aside the lust of the flesh. That's what it's saying right there, the old man. Is that right? But now, verse 10, you have him put on what? The new self.

You put on the Lord Jesus Christ. You put on Ephesians 6. You have all the weapons, which are mighty in God. You put on the new self as being what? Renewed to the true knowledge.

According to what kind of image are you now? You're being renewed to the image with the one who created him. You're being renewed back to the image of God. You've died to the flesh and its evil desires.

Does it say it? Over and over and over and over. Well, he didn't say try to examine it and fit it in a box. He said do it.

Walk in grace. Agree with God in your heart and he furnishes the power. Amen? But you do not get around persecution and suffering.

If you've got to make a name for your flesh, you're not going to make it. If you've got some kind of image you want to build up, you're not going to build up the image of Jesus. Now, what about some of these people that, hey, we were talking before about the walk, wasn't we? What kind of fruit you bear? About the kind of walk.

Were they bearing fruit for the devil? Were they bearing fruit for the Lord? I want you to turn to John 8. I want you to see what Jesus said to some folks. John 8. John 8. Who didn't bear fruit for the Lord. You know what? Before I do that, I forgot something there.

I skipped Matthew 15. Just kind of slipped something in there. Let's turn back to Matthew 15.

I really need to look at that with you. Now, do you ever wonder what the Lord Jesus would do if he was to walk in to some of our traditions and things that some churches have and so forth? Do you ever wonder what he'd do? Do you ever wonder how he'd handle it? Well, you're fixing to see. You're fixing to see right here in Matthew 15.

Now, first, Jesus always come in and he upsets traditions because he does not agree with traditions. Jesus is the Word. As they say, he just acts like himself.

Now, verse 1, Then some Pharisees... Do you believe any of those around today? Do you believe any chief priests around today? Okay. Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and here's what they asked him. Boy, this is about half funny.

They said, Why do your disciples... I can just see him, a little fast talker. Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of elders? They'd already broke one of their traditions. For they do not wash your hands when they eat bread.

Isn't that something? In other words, you're not fitting in their structure. That's what they're telling Jesus. And he answered and said to them, Boy, I'd like this.

And said to them, Why do you transgress the word or commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? Is that plain, Mr. Pharisee? Verse 19, What's worse than your hands have to do with things in your heart? Verse 19, For out of the heart comes evil thoughts. Now, see, from the buns to the heart, the mouth speaketh. And here's what he's concerned.

For out of your heart, he's saying, comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, theft, false witness, slanders. Verse 20, These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man. He's telling them the difference in that, wasn't he? I know we're looking back in verse 7. He's trying to please them again.

He says, You hypocrites. He sure wasn't trying to get them to join, was he? Join up to 75% devils. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy you, saying, This people honor me with their lips, but their heart.

You see, the heart is far away from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching its doctrines to the precepts of men. Now, in verse 14, Let them what? Let them alone.

They are blind guides of the who? The blind leading the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, if that's where his heart is, both going to go where? They're all going to pit, aren't they? Now, let's go to John 8. It'll get good. In John 8, please.

31, Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed him, If you remain in my word, then you are the ones that are truly disciples of mine. Right? In John 8, 32, You should know the truth, and what does the truth do? If you know the truth about what the powers of darkness can do in your life, what does the truth and the word do? Set you free. He sent his word to you.

Now, verse 33, And answered him, I say, We are Abraham's offspring, and never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say you shall become free? They weren't enslaved to anyone. See, right then, slaves of the Roman government.

And as James says, Demons were hanging on them like bats. So he said, Free from what? Free from what? Can you imagine somebody coming out of that church in Grayson up there and going somewhere and saying, You got free from what? And so, Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Everyone who commits sin is a slave of what? Doesn't sound like if you're a slave of sin, you're not a slave of righteousness, are you? Well, Seemed like he kind of read in their mail, didn't he? I think he saw something on them that didn't resemble what an image and likeness of God. Let's go on and see what he tells them right there, starting in verse 38.

I speak of things which I have seen with my father, and you also what? You do the things which you heard from your father. In other words, your father and my father are different. I speak of things I hear from my father.

Now, look at me. Look at me here. And I can tell by your walk.

You do the things that you hear from your father. So your father and my father are different. That's how Jesus dealt with things.

Like, hey, he looked at a walk. He looked at fruit. And he'd tell who their father was.

Well, let's go ahead. And they answered, verse 39, and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, if you're Abraham's children, do the what? Do the deeds of Abraham.

May I ask you something? If Jesus Christ is your Lord, are you Abraham's children? Sure you are. The last three verses in Galatians 3 shows you that you're descendants of Abraham. We're Abraham's children.

But he said, if you're Abraham's children, he said, do the deeds of Abraham. Oh, sit and you walk. In other words, if you got it, why don't I sit and you walk? Is that what he's saying? Shake your head.

Is that what he's saying? Do the deeds of Abraham. If you're Abraham's children, well, what is Abraham? Abraham's a man of faith and righteousness, wasn't he? He believed God. Well, let's go on.

There in 41, said, you're doing the deeds of who? Your father. He said over there in 43, he says, why is it you can't understand what I'm saying? And then he turns around and answers his own question. He said, it's because you cannot hear my word.

God be the glory to God. You've been watching In the Word with Milton Gray and sharing a portion of the teaching from a recent In the Word meeting. If God has used us to minister to you today, please write and let us know.

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