Glen Bond Picayune MS Sunday March 4, 2007 Subject: Deuteronemy 4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger: 4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; He says: When you have been in the land a long time, and you turn away from God. God will destroy you, and scatter you all over the world. You will be slaves To your idols. But, if you will turn from your idols, and seek the Lord, you will find him. And He says (vs 30) even in the latter days. We are in those 'latter days'. This shows that the sinner is lost and in the world. Taken captive by Satan at his will. (2 tim. 2:26) Satan has taken every person captive. All over the world. You are a captive slave of Satan, and you will do what he wants. (John 8:44) The mind is so controlled by Satan that a lost sinner will never seek the Lord, except the Lord move in his heart first. The Lost sinner is given over to Satan, for Satan to do with as he pleases. The world, is the world system, the part that is controlled by Satan. You that are lost are controlled by Satan, you love Satan, you love the world, the place that Satan has put you in. Then in contrast, you hate God, you don't want anything to do with God. The lost sinner is, in every sense, lost, blind and controlled by Satan. Therefore, if God never comes to that sinner and moves in that sinners heart, that sinner, every sinner, will perish without hope. When the Lord moves upon a lost sinner and begins to open his eyes and understanding, that sinner will come to see and acknowledge that he is a slave of Satan, and that he loves this world of Satans, and wants nothing to do with God. This is where every sinner comes from. Out in the world you will serve other gods. This is where God finds us, in the world serving Satan. This is where every sinner that will not come to Christ will stay. Loving the world of Satan and hating God. But look at vs 29: But if from thence thou halt seek the LORD thy God, thou halt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When the Lord moves in your heart and life, to discomfit (that means to mess up all of your plans) you, When you have tried every way to get things straight again, and can't, then you will begin to look to him for help. The Lord will cause you to look to him. And "if from thence thou halt seek the LORD thy God, thou halt find him,..." You see, man must seek the Lord. If you are brought to the end of your way and then you blame God and turn away, then you will be lost forever. All of the problems that a man encounter are of his own doing. God can keep us from evil, but he doesn't have to. While we follow Satan, we are continuing in sin, and still, the Lord preserves us. He doesn't have to, he could cut us off at any time, but he doesn't. This leaves plenty of room for the Lord to work any manner of problems and despair in our lives. See where it says - When thou art in tribulation... (vs 30) These may be any sort of problem: financial, health, physical oppression, (someone trying to destroy you) you name it. Look what the Lord says: if...thou halt seek the LORD thy God, thou halt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. If you seek with all your heart and all your soul, this means that you cannot have any reservations. You cannot say "Well I think I will seek the Lord for a while, If he doesn't save me, I can always go back." NO!, You must go with your whole heart. You must say as those lepers outside of the besieged city said, "if I perish, I perish" there is no going back. You will burn the bridges behind you. Salvation is of the Lord Jonah 2:9 Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. When the Lord saves you, you will be surprised because you will come to see yourself as such a sinner that salvation is the one thing that you should never have. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:20 But Esaias is very bold, and faith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. It is the Lord that makes you want to know him. Jeremiah 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: Psalms 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou halt make me to know wisdom. When you get honest with the Lord, he will make you to know the wisdom of salvation. John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 2 Chron. 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, faith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. Ezekiel 36:37 Thus faith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; The Lord waits for your cry. Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.