PSALM 68: BONDAGE AND RIGOUR

People are still in bondage this day, serving rigorously those things that perish with the using. Come and see.

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Transcript

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Good evening, everyone. We're gonna go to the uh the Lord in prayer before we go into our lesson for this evening. I would like to welcome you to the Word of God by the branch of the Lord. This will be uploaded on Spotify Deezer and IHeart Radio sometime tomorrow. Uh but let's go to the Lord in prayer at this time. Precious Father God, we thank you for everything that you do for us, Lord. We thank you for your words. We thank you for this day, God, that you gave us to rise up out of the bed, God, and do something to glorify you this day. We praise you for that, God, and we thank you, Lord. God, as we go into this lesson tonight, please open our eyes and our ears of understanding so that we may know of the bondage and the captivity that the people are in, and that we may understand that you are the only one that can give us liberty, God. And we ask all these things humbly in thy son's holy name. Amen and amen. That is what we're talking uh about tonight in our lesson. We are in Psalm 68, and uh, you know, this uh chapter is a little bit lengthy, um, but that's okay. We're gonna start at uh scripture one there in Psalm 68. Before we do, I want us to uh always be in remembrance that God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Uh, that's in St. John 4.24. Also in Romans 7.14, the law is spiritual, it's not carnal. God is not a carnal God. Uh, and what that means is uh, you know, when we read the word of God, we see things naturally and we bring natural history into it and different things. Uh, and then when we begin to add our own thoughts and opinions, that makes it carnal. All right. That's what carnal minded is, is thoughts and opinions. Uh, and so that's why Jesus said you must be born again, which means taught of God, uh, so that we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to teach us what God's words mean. So as we go into the lesson tonight, uh we're gonna learn some things. You're gonna start seeing things you've never seen, and you're gonna start hearing things you've never heard. But I don't want you to take my word for it. I want you to go in to the word of God and begin to search the scriptures, um, looking to see what it is that God has said. So I'm gonna reread scriptures one through five, and remember we already had lessons on those, but we're gonna just read through it and get down to scripture six. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away, as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad, let them rejoice before God, yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name, extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah or Yah, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless and a judge of the widows is God in his holy habitation. And uh the last couple of weeks we went over different things like Jah and Jehovah, uh what God's holy habitation is. Uh tonight we're gonna look at scripture six. God set up the solitary in families. He bringeth out those which are bound with chains, but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. So we're gonna break down this one scripture here. Uh uh God set up the solitary in families. So those that have uh feel like they've not had a family, they've been scattered, which is Israel. God's gonna bring Israel back together. It is his determination to gather uh his people. So and he brings out those which are bound with chains. And we're gonna learn uh what being bound with chains are tonight. Because we're not talking about natural chains, we're talking about spiritual chains, those things that bind you and keep you from doing what you need to be doing. And uh also uh the rebellious dwelling in a dry land is to say the dry land is that land that um there's no water, and we know that God's word is water, that we are cleansed with the washing of water by the word. And Jesus said also in another place, ye are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you. So bondage, what is bondage? Now, uh in Egypt, uh Egypt equals the house of bondage, and so we're gonna look at this. Now remember, God is a spirit. He's not talking about a natural Egypt, even though that does exist, uh, but he's talking about uh the house of bondage. And when we go in, we're gonna learn uh a little bit about Egypt tonight, other than uh we know knowledge uh uh uh geography concerning like the Nile and the pyramids and the Gaza and all this. Uh but what is what does God say about it? What does God have to say about it? All right, so what is bondage? It's the uh Egypt is the house of bondage. Uh the meaning, the natural meaning, we're gonna look at the natural first. Remember in 1 Corinthians 15, 46, I'm gonna write that down. Uh it reads, howbeit that which is first is not spiritual, but that which is natural, and then that which is spiritual. So the natural meaning of bondage is the state of being bound, slavery, servitude to a controlling person or force, also unfree, not having liberty. All right, and we know that uh in Christ Jesus is where we have liberty at. So let's go into the scriptures now and let's read. Uh, we're gonna take a journey through the scriptures and see what it is that God is saying about bondage and about Egypt. Exodus 2, 23. And it came to pass in process of time that the king of Egypt died. And we're talking about Pharaoh. Pharaoh is a king, all right? And so it said that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel. Now remember, we're not talking about the Israel that was established uh in May of 1948, but we're talking about the Israel all the way back uh in Genesis 32, 28, which is God's chosen nation. That's the apple of his eye, that is his people. It says uh that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage. And they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And it's the same today. Uh the people are really crying out to God because there's a lot of bondage on the people today, uh, insomuch that families cannot even sit down at the dinner table together and have a nice meal and talk about their day and pray before they eat, uh, or even have a devotion. Now, Exodus 13, Scriptures three and fourteen in that same chapter. And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage. For by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place, there shall no leaven bread be eaten. Now, uh one thing that we need to look at in God bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt, the house of bondage, where was he seeking to take them to? And we'll learn that tonight too. That's a good question because uh he he took them into the mount. And uh we'll read some more places there, but always remember, okay, he brought them out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron and the heads of Israel. It wasn't just one man that brought them out of Egypt. Go into uh Exodus chapter six and read it. It will tell you that these are that Moses and Aaron. Uh, and there was many people, that was an administration of God that went in and uh uh began to teach the people to bring them to come out of bondage. It's the same thing today, it's the same thing it's always been. All right, the people have to be taught. So um it says, For by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place, there shall no leavened bread be eaten. And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? That thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage. All right? Exodus 20, scripture 2. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. And what we're doing is just going through and reading the scriptures in different places where God keeps bringing out that Egypt is the house of bondage. Once again, we're not talking about the natural Egypt. We're talking about a spiritual place. Uh and what that spiritual place is, is bondage. All right? So uh Deuteronomy 5, Scripture 6, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. Deuteronomy 6, scripture 12, then beware lest thou forget the Lord which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. Now, when you repent and turn yourself and ask God to forgive you of your sins, and then you ask God for the spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost, to teach you, that's when you begin to receive your liberty, son. When you receive your liberty is when you get to the point in the Lord, uh uh in the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of God, that you have made yourself completely submitted to God. All right? That means you're not subject to anything else but God. When God says, I need you to go over here, that's where you go. All right. So uh Deuteronomy 8, 14. Then thine heart be lifted up and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. Now, uh Deuteronomy 13, and we're gonna read scriptures 5 and 10. It says, And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So you see what uh one of the things that the house of bondage does. Uh it anything that draws you away from uh God and what you're supposed to be doing brings you into bondage. All right, because you become a servant to that, whatever it is. It says, So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee, and thou shalt stone him with stones lest he die, because he has sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. Joshua twenty four seventeen. For the Lord our God, he it is, that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed. Now, Judges six scripture eight, that the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt and brought you forth out of the house of bondage. Now remember when you become born again, which means you've received the Spirit of truth to teach you, and you become a newborn babe, you're not a child yet, you're still a babe. But after you've been taught some, then you become a child. But then there will come a time when God will tell you to put away those childish things to become a man. So uh when you were uh it says when I was a child, I spake as a child, I acted as a child, but now uh we put away childish things, okay? So uh, and the biggest thing about Egypt, we read many times here. Let me see how many times we've read it. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve times where it brings out that Egypt is the house of bondage. So uh what we're looking at here, please don't let your mind go off out there and left field. God is a spirit. The law is spiritual, it's not carnal. Um, not by the dreams and the visions of man, but by the dreams and visions of God. There's a big difference. So when you're looking at bondage and you look uh out in the land today and you take time and you think that is uh, you know, the the mothers and the fathers can't sit down with their children in the evening because they work all day. They come in and they prepare a meal, and they try to uh make sure the children are doing their schoolwork, their homework, uh, there's baths to be done, there's laundry to be done, there's there's all there's meals to be cooked, dishes, there's all kinds of things the devil has used to bring the people away from God's word. If the devil can fill up your life with all things below, you don't have time for God's word, and that's his plan. So then the people of God have got to get smarter. So uh when you look on your plate every day at everything you've got to do, you've got to make sure you scrape off something off of that plate and make room for God. And I'm gonna tell you why. This is your life, this is your soul, this is who protects your children and your families and your loved ones, and uh and uh God's blessings are beyond even trying to uh bring them all out. You just have to go in and see. All right? You have to make time for God, you have to go back to your first love. Uh, you know, a lot of people say, well, you know, I'm grown. I don't need someone telling me what I need to be doing. I can do it. But have you ever found yourself in a situation where you did make a decision because you knew what was best, and you think you think to yourself, God, why'd I do that? Or why did that turn out like that? Or why did that happen? Or why, God? Don't ask God. You're the one that made the decision. Be held accountable for your actions. But if see, God sees ahead and we don't. We're adults, yeah, we're grown a lot of us. Uh some of us are not so much, but uh God sees ahead. We can't. He's a spirit, we're flesh. Uh, but God can dwell in us, and that's what the scripture reads. So if you pray and you say, God, should I do this? Because every decision that you make will affect you and your whole family. Remember that. Okay, it's not just about you, it'll affect your whole family. So now listen, when when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, why? And and what was going on in Egypt? What happened in Egypt? So that's the key. What happened in Egypt? Why was there so much bondage? And then I want you to compare that time to our time today. Why is there so much bondage on the people today? Uh, do the people put the bondage on themselves because they're trying to keep up with the Jones and they're living beyond their means? Uh, or is it that the husband and the wife maybe they didn't get the best education and it's taken both of them to help support their children because of the high prices of everything? Uh God knows. God knows what the reason is. All right, but that is bondage. Anything, remember that anything that you find yourself serving, that's bondage because it keeps you away, it seduces you away from God. All right. So let's find out what happened in Egypt. Uh, Exodus 1, Scripture 8. And I use the word scripture because the word verse is not in the Bible or verses, but scripture and scriptures is. So uh Exodus 1, scripture 8. It says, Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. So here comes a second Pharaoh. Remember, the first Pharaoh died. We read that into Scripture. And I'm just making some notes here. And if you would like a copy of tonight's notes, just please send me a message at Jesus the Christ Newsletter at Yahoo.com or just sit me uh message on messenger. It's free. Uh Exodus 2 23 says, and it came to pass in process of time that the king of Egypt died. So they're talking about the first king. It says, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. Do you not think that God does not hear his people today? People have forgotten that God is still in heaven, and God is still God, and regardless of what you're going through, he's still God. And he hears the people crying. Maybe they're not crying out to him, but maybe they're maybe they're crying because, and it might not even be like a natural tear crying, but it's from the heart. Like, gosh, I would love to spend more time with my children. There are mothers having to work three jobs to provide for their children because the dad left. And I've seen some single dads that was doing the same, working and trying to make a living because they're having to pull the weight of two people. Uh, and so their children really get raised by daycare, uh, and they don't really get to see a lot uh of the children. You know, the children are going to bed by the time they get home. That's bondage. That's a lot of bondage. And it's sad. And God sees it. God sees the mother who says, Oh, I wish I could spend more time with my children in the evening. And the dads. He sees them too. Exodus 1, Scripture 13 to 14. It says, And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor. Now, I want us to understand something. So let's let's focus here. Let's focus for a minute. Because remember, Egypt now is the house of bondage, correct? And then the children of Israel. We're talking about God's chosen nation. And you can find it written in the book of Peter, royal priesthood, uh, e uh Israel. He's not talking about the natural little Israel across the ocean that used to be called Palestine. All right. That comes uh that didn't come till Matthew, I mean, uh May 1948. So we're talking about all the way back in Genesis. So uh listen at this. It says, uh, and it came to process, excuse me, and the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor. R-I-G-O-U-R. Now that's how the King James Version spells it. Uh the dictionary spells it R-I-G-O-R. And they take the R out of a lot of things. I mean the U. So and the Egyptians, house of bondage, made the children of Israel to serve with rigor, and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage. You see what rigor is? Hard bondage. It's not just bondage, it's hard bondage. In mortar and in brick and in all manner of service in the field. Now, uh all manner of service in the field. Let's look at that part. Because in Matthew, you can find it written in chapter 13 that the field is the world. The field is the world. So in all manner of service in the world, in the field, and all their service wherein they made them serve, let let me reread that. Listen how it's written. Uh, and I do encourage you when you read God's word to slow down and look at every word. It says, Wherein they made them serve was with rigor. And you think, well, how does the government a man make me serve? Well, if you don't work, you don't eat, and you have to pay taxes. And if you want a house, you're gonna go into bondage for that. Uh, I talked to a physical therapist one time years ago, and um she said, it will be 30 years before I pay off my student loans before I can even think about buying a house. And then that's another 30-year mortgage. That's 60, and I think she was 28 at the time. She said, I I probably won't even live that long. So uh when you look at these things, uh, there's a lot of things that's you know, a lot of people, especially young people today, are saying, I don't think I'm gonna fall into that trap. I talked to several young people that I know, and they are not interested in buying a home because they say, well, we don't really own it anyway. I mean, if we miss a payment, they're gonna come take it from us. Uh, and then we have to fix it if something happens. So a lot of people are uh really abstaining from uh young people, I would say, uh from even going into debt like that to buy a home. And then again, some people do. And there's nothing wrong with buying a home, uh, but you have to look at these things. So it says in all manner of service in the field, all their service wherein they made them serve was with rigor. I'll tell you another way they make the people serve with rigor. They advertise all these things on television. They advertise, well, you've got to have this and you've got to have that, and you need that. And uh some people of whatever the Jones have, we've heard that saying, they they want what the Joneses have. So they put themselves in bondage to go and get that thing, which is to say, uh, and I knew a dear person, I've known several people, but uh, I'm thinking of one particular person that's very dear to my heart, uh, wanted something, so they started working a lot of overtime. Wherever they could fill in, they'd get overtime because they wanted that thing. And there's nothing wrong with that, but in the meantime, in the process of time of doing that, they were missing out on their child and uh being able to spend time with their child. They were missing out on sleep, they were missing out on uh eating proper, they were missing out on going to the gym, they were missing out on family events, so they they uh they worked and they got that thing, but they were missing out on everything else. Be careful what you put yourself in bondage to. Okay. 2 Samuel 23 3. It says, The God of Israel said, The rock of Israel, I love that. The rock where the uppercase R. The rock of Israel spake to me He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. Now Pharaoh, he was. King of Egypt. He ruled over the people with remember rigor. Hard bondage in Egypt. He was the king of Egypt, so you've got the house of bondage. Alright. We're not talking about a natural little two-bedroom house. Look up the word house. That covers a great big place when you look up the word house. Alright. Pharaoh was a king. Alright? Think about that. So now listen, listen at this scripture very well because what I'm trying to get us to do tonight in the Lord is to look from back during Pharaoh in Egypt, as you know, we've been taught to today. And how does it apply to us today? What about today? I'm not saying it wasn't important back then, but remember, remember these two scriptures. God said, I am God, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob are not consumed. And also Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever, and his name is called the Word of God in Revelation 19, 13. So the Word of God is forever. It's for this season of people, just like it was for that season of people, and it will be for our children to come. So we need to take a hold of these things and uh begin to look at these things seriously. So Pharaoh, he was king of Egypt, and listen, this is 2 Samuel 23, Scripture 3. The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me, he that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. So apply that to today's time. Now this country says, In God we trust, but does it? Alright. Now Pharaoh did not know God. And listen, listen what he said. Exodus 5, Scripture 2. That's Exodus 5, Scripture 2. And Pharaoh said, Now this is the Pharaoh that knew not Joseph, the second Pharaoh, because the first Pharaoh died. He said, Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Now, he's a king over Egypt, and he refuses to know the Lord. He refuses to let the people go. Now, I want us to bring that up to our time. Does this country, does this king know God? Now remember, we're not talking about one person, we're talking about an administration. All right. It takes a administration to be a king or a head over a country. One single man cannot do it. That's why there are an administration. So if this king does not know the Lord, what do you think is going to happen to the people? Because the scripture says that he that ruleth over men must be just. That means you've got justice, you've got the laws, you've got the statutes and commandments of God. You must be just. Ruling, it tells you what just is ruling in the fear of God. Not ruling in thoughts and opinions, not ruling in what that one says, not ruling in greed, not ruling in trying to take that country or that piece of land over there, and taking everything from the people. We know, everyone knows that the whole earth is out of balance. We all know it. And there is something we can do about it, and it's 2 Chronicles 7.14. I'm going to write it down, but I'm going to let you look it up and read it. 2 Chronicles 7.14. When those rulers and all of God's people do what that one scripture reads, it's one scripture, brothers and sisters, take time to read it. Then you're going to see God's going to perform what he said he's going to do. He's going to anyway. So remember that Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? Now, someone might not actually say those words, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? But when you rebel against the commandments of God, when you reject the commandments of God because you know more and you're going to do it like you want to, that's not going to work. It's going to go for a little bit, but you're going to start seeing things fall around around you. All right? The people, what the people need to hear is truth. They don't need to be told lies. They don't need empty promises. They need a government that is after the welfare of the people because that's what government stands for. Welfare of the people. Alright? So Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel grow? Go? Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let out his people free from their task so that they have time to serve God? Know not the Lord. Excuse me. He says, I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Now, remember this: a nation that forget God will fall. That's written. A nation that will forget God will fall. Just because you say the name doesn't mean you've forgotten him. Anybody can use lip service. God is looking for people that speak with their heart and they begin to show. So when this nation, all the rulers, all the leaders, all those who are in any kind of authority that say they're in authority, turn back to God and say, God, I know nothing as I ought to know. You are going to have to show me what to do, please, Lord. When we humble ourselves, that's what's in that 2 Chronicles 7.14. Um, it tells us plainly what we need to do. When we humble ourselves before God, then he's going to turn things back around. Now, um, so uh, you know, the question I have is do we see any difference in today? Maybe the clothes styles are different, the music may be different, the currency that we use. Uh, maybe the animals look different because there's all this hybrid stuff out now. Uh so uh think about that. Now, rigor, uh, rigor, we read there uh what rigor is in that one scripture there where it was talking about the hard bondage, all right? The hard bondage. Uh it means severity, strictness, a condition that makes life uncomfortable. And uh there are there are people. I worked a job one time and it was my choice. It paid well, but I tell you, I worked from Friday to Monday, and for me to get that good paycheck, I had to stay up and work all those hours. And then drive two hours home because I had I had a good little ways to go to get to that job. And it was my decision to take that job, and yes, it paid very well, and yes, I was off four days a week, and that's another reason I took it, because I had that four days to be with my children. But what would have happened if I'd have gotten into a wreck on the way home because I hadn't slept? And I and then I think now, look back on it now, and I think, what about everybody else around me? See, you don't know uh when you're driving down the road or the highway, you don't know who's around you and what they're going through, after they've slept, are they drinking, are they on some kind of medicine, or or are they having some kind of health problems? Are they just uh just in a depressed state and they're crying or something? You don't never know. That's bondage. That is bondage, brothers and sisters. That's a part of it. In Latin, it means to be stiffed, and you can read about the stiff necked and proud in heart uh many times in the scripture. Now, in uh Jeremiah 2, scripture 14, listen what God says. He asked a question here. Now remember Israel, I'm gonna say this again for those who may have missed it. Israel is God's chosen nation, the apple of his eye, his inheritance. It is spiritual. It is not the Israel created in May of 1948 that used to be called Palestine. Because uh, if it is, think about this now, we know it's not because that May of 1948, that's not even a hundred years ago. So are we saying that uh going all the way back to Genesis and Exodus, talking about Israel, was that 1948? No, that's from the beginning. So in Genesis 32, 28, that's when we really start seeing a lot about where God changed Jacob's name to Israel. So uh in Israel you will find uh once again in Peter a royal nation, a chosen uh chosen nation, a royal priesthood. So is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave? Now think about that. I had to do a paper in college on slave slavery. Slavery hasn't been abolished. It's still out there very much. Why is he spoiled? That's what God said. Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave? Why is he spoiled? What are you a slave to? What has got you in so much bondage? Think about this. Now I ask you this to examine yourself because I want you to know tonight that God is the only one that can deliver you out of hard bondage like that. Um and he what he does is he shows you. He will show you what you need to do, he will guide you and lead you and direct you back to where you can have some liberty. We stand on a country that's supposed to be built on liberty, but when you look around, everybody's in bondage. Where is the liberty? It's not just a statue, brothers and sisters. The perfect law of liberty. We have to go back to God's word. He will lead us and guide us and teach us how to have a life in this life and also in the life to come, a successful life. Now, uh hold your place there, but we're gonna turn over to Revelation 18.

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Revelation 18.

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And I'm not gonna keep you long tonight. Uh we just got a few more places here, and we're gonna look at scriptures one through thirteen. I want you to listen. If you want to just sit back and just listen, close your eyes and listen what God is saying. Revelation 18, uh Scriptures one through thirteen. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations, and there's a hundred and ninety-five nations, for all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people. Now that's God speaking to his people and telling his people, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partaker of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Now Babylon, uh Babylon is that forty-five thousand plus religions out there in the land. There are forty-five thousand plus beliefs and thoughts and opinions, self-named organizations. There's only one son, Jesus Christ. It says, For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her, double according to her works, and the cup which she hath filled, filled to her double. How much she hath glorified herself and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her. For she saith in her heart, I sit a queen and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine. Now I'm gonna read that scripture again. Remember, let's keep focused. Babylon is forty five thousand plus religions. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire. Now God's word is a consuming fire. That's Hebrews 12 29. God is a consuming fire, and he's the word, therefore his word is a consuming fire. The truth is going to put down all those false prophets and those lies. That's what that is saying. For strong is the Lord God who judgeth her, and the kings of the earth who have committed fornication and live deliciously with her shall bewail her and lament her when they shall see the smoke of her burning. Now remember, something has to be burned for it to see smoke. Standing afar standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city, Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour is thy judgment come. Now listen at Scripture eleven, and the merchants of the earth, think about all the merchants. We know what a merchant is. A merchant, stores, things where we can buy things, all the people selling things, and the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise anymore.

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We will not be in bondage anymore. Things are things, brothers and sisters.

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They perish with using. But I'm talking about all these extra things that people feel like they have to have. Where's your peace at? Where's time with your family? It says the merchandise of gold and silver and precious stones and of pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet and all thion wood and all manner of vessels of ivory and all manner of vessels of most precious wood and of brass and iron and marble. It's telling you what all the merchants are right here. And cinnamon and odors and ointments and frankincense and wine and oil and fine flour and wheat and beast and sheep and horses and chariots and slaves. And listen at this part. Oh, it makes me want to cry. And slaves and souls of men. Jesus went into her and overturned their tables because they were buying and selling souls. The devil don't care about your soul. And the fruits. Well, that's where we're gonna stop. Now listen, and all those things we call, it says, and slaves and souls of men. Now, uh Ezekiel 32, Scripture 2. Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And what we're doing, we're trying to bring all these scriptures together, brothers and sisters. Egypt, house of bondage, Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. He was not ruling in the fear of God. He he said he did not know God. Alright? And then we looked at uh uh Babylon gave her power to the beast. Now uh that beast, we want to uh man wants to paint all these pictures and these big dreams and visions of things, but listen who that beast is. Ezekiel 32, 2. Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt. Yes, Pharaoh king of Egypt is all the way in Ezekiel 32 here, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a well in the seas. What was it that swallowed up Jonah? Think about that. And thou cameest forth with thy rivers and troublest the waters with thy feet and fallest their rivers. Now uh concerning the waters in Revelation 17, 15, you can read that the waters where the horse sitteth, which is Babylon, are peoples, nations, multitudes, and tongues. Please go over there and read it for yourself. That's Revelation 17, Scripture 15. So uh, and and I'm gonna read that again because I want us to understand what's taking place here. It says, um, Ezekiel 32, Scripture 2, Son of Man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a well in the seas, and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troublest the waters, the peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, with thy feet. Now our feet are to be shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace. So if it's with their feet, it's not God's, it's their doctrines and commandments of men. It says, And foulest their rivers. All right, made the rivers foul. So um looking at these things, we want to just keep things in uh prefix here so that we understand. You can also, thou art like a young lion of the nations, you can go into the book of Psalm. Uh if you know how to use the concordance, the strongest concordance, uh, you can type in uh men and lions, and in the book of Psalm, it'll tell you that the young lions uh are men. So uh, you know, we use uh creatures all the time to describe someone. You're like, well, he's as slippery as a snake and different things, um, or the young lions roar. That's that's them roaring out their own doctrines and their own beliefs. So uh remember uh Pharaoh and Ezekiel there, he is that whale. So uh, and and it got me to thinking, well, Jonah was swallowed by a whale. And it tells you that Jonah was all the way down to uh to where the weeds were choking him uh around his neck. So weeds we know uh is not the the bread of life. The weeds are the tares. Remember in Matthew 13 about the wheat and the tares, uh, and the tares are the children of the wicked one. So when you begin searching the scriptures, and that might be a little deep, there's a little piece of steak thrown up on the table for you tonight. Uh, but if you go back in and search out these things, uh that's the reason I always tell people, please bring a notebook so that you can make some footnotes and search these things out. You will see that what God is saying about this is uh what the Lord is bringing out tonight. So uh Revelation 13, 3, and I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wandered after the beast. So all the world is wandering after the beast today, which is to say they're running after all these things below, uh, and they don't realize uh if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul, what did it profit you? Think about that. All right, and the world is still wondering after the beast. Now, uh just to review before we pray, bondage, we know the house of bondage, that's Egypt. Pharaoh's the king of Egypt. Uh Pharaoh is uh that beast because he's the lion and he's also the whale. We read that in Ezekiel. Uh Pharaoh is that beast the world wonders after. So we're talking about the government of man and how things are run in the in a government. Uh people run after those things. Power, titles, uh, all those things here. And uh I want y'all to understand something tonight. God is the only one that has power. Having a lot of money and having big boats and all kinds of cars and being able to buy uh$500 uh fish eggs on a cracker, uh, that's not power. That's just natural wealth, all right? That affords you to be able to live foolishly, really, when there's hungry people in the world. Romans 9 17. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up. So all that happened with Pharaoh and the children of Israel and Moses and Aaron, uh, remember God allowed that to happen. Why? That I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. So Pharaoh did not know the Lord. He even said, Who was the Lord? I do not know the Lord. Well, God showed him who the Lord was. And if you remember, if you go back in and read there in Exodus, uh uh remember six is when Moses and Aaron began to go in, but after the plagues there in Exodus uh 11, going on further, uh he was swallowed up to sea and all his chariots. It says, uh, and another thing, where was our Lord and Savior crucified at? Where was he crucified? Revelation 11 and 8. It says, and their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. So he was crucified in the house of bondage because people said away with him so we can do what we want to do and have what we want. Closing prayer tonight. I hope that helped uh us understand bondage. Uh and if you're seeking to get out of bondage tonight because you've got so much on you and it's uh to the point where you find yourself crying because you're so tired, uh, then you need to really cry out to God and say, God, please show me how to receive liberty. So that uh, and there's nothing wrong with working. Uh, there's nothing wrong. Uh the scripture says if you don't work, you don't eat. But there has to be a cutoff time. There has to be a time uh when you say, Well, you know what? My life and my time with God and my family is way more important than all the money in the world. Okay. So uh Psalm 119, scriptures 10 through 16. If you want to turn there, that's gonna be our closing prayer for tonight. Uh, we're gonna pray it together. And uh we want to get these prayers in us that way when we're out and about uh throughout our day and we don't have a Bible handy right there, it'll be in us and we can pray. So this is Psalm 119, and we're gonna look at scriptures ten through sixteen. And if we're already, O Lord God, with my whole heart have I sought thee. O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes, I will not forget thy word.

SPEAKER_00 45:28

Amen. Be blessed this night.