{"id":18571,"date":"2021-02-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-07T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/genesis-025-an-evil-strategy\/"},"modified":"2023-07-06T16:20:41","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T21:20:41","slug":"genesis-025-an-evil-strategy","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/genesis-025-an-evil-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Genesis 025 – An Evil Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[12],"series_event":[511],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[6],"class_list":["post-18571","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-genesis","series_event-genesis","sermon_service_type-main-service","speaker-dr-andy-woods","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"Genesis 025 - An Evil Strategy","sermon_date":"20210207","sermon_month":"02","sermon_year":"2021","sermon_notes":8821,"sermon_slides":8822,"sermon_mp3":8824,"sermon_id":"27211558185221","series_or_event":511,"service_type":[472],"speaker":6,"books_of_the_bible":12,"chapter_and_verse":"6:1-3","sermon_transcript":"
Genesis 025<\/h5>\r\n
An Evil Strategy<\/h5>\r\n
Genesis 6:1-4<\/h5>\r\n
Dr. Andy Woods<\/h5>\r\nAnd as the children are being dismissed for junior church and nursery, I'd invite the congregation\u2019s attention to the book of Genesis 6:1-4 as we're continuing our movement verse by verse through the book of Genesis in our main service together.\r\n\r\nThe title of our message this morning is \u201cAn Evil Strategy.\u201d And if you're here for the very first time, I apologize in advance because you're going to say this is the weirdest church you\u2019ve ever been to, but it has to do with the subject matter of these verses which we will start getting into today.\r\n\r\nGenesis 6-9 is really about the first global judgment that ever hit our planet: \u00a0the Flood.\r\n\r\nGenesis 1-11 is a unit of thought, and it has to do with the beginning of the human race, focusing on 4 events:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Creation<\/strong>: Genesis 1-2. Everything that God designed our world to be was in effect until it was marred by event B.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Fall<\/strong>: Genesis 3-5. The Fall takes place in Genesis 3. \u00a0The after effects of the fall can be seen in Genesis 4-5, but in the midst of the fall, there's good news. \u00a0The good news is there's coming a point in history in which God is going to send a Redeemer. \u00a0Didn't we just sing about our Redeemer in that song just prior? \u00a0\u00a0This Redeemer is coming through the seed of the woman, or Eve. \u00a0His announcement is given in Genesis 3:15, and it's the entrance of this Redeemer in the world announced very early on in the Bible, and that lineage leading to the Redeemer starts getting traced through the Bible.\u00a0 Satan does not like that, and he's trying to stop that lineage leading to the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. \u00a0That's why I've called our message this morning \u201cAn Evil Strategy.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nGenesis 6:1-4 is a time in history where Satan pulled out all of the stops and sunk to a level of low that he's never probably sunk to since in terms of doing everything he could to prevent this Messiah from coming. \u00a0This all takes place around the events of the Flood which is the third major historical event in the opening section of Genesis that we're studying.\r\n\r\nWe've had Creation, we've had Fall, and now we're moving into Flood (C below).\r\n\r\nThere's an easy way to remember Genesis 6-9 in terms of putting it all together. \u00a0Genesis 6 is the events before the Flood. \u00a0That's what we're going to start studying today.\r\n
      \r\n \t
    1. Flood<\/strong>: Genesis 7 is the flood itself; Genesis 8 is largely a description of how the waters following the Flood began to dissipate or abate. And then, Genesis 9 has to do with events immediately following the Flood.\u00a0 \u00a0What was the world like in the post-Flood world?<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nSo in Genesis 6, there are basically two big ideas here (see slide on Genesis 6 Takeaways).\u00a0 <\/strong>First, there's the corruption of man in Noah's day, and how God preserved Noah and his family in the Ark in spite of that corruption (Genesis 6:1-13).\r\n\r\nAnd the second part of the chapter is really about God's solution. \u00a0Whenever there's a problem, God has a solution. \u00a0The problem is a coming global deluge, and we can see the construction of the ark and the instructions for its construction beginning in the second half of Genesis 6. \u00a0Those are the two big takeaways in Genesis 6.\r\n\r\nHere's a way to outline the whole chapter: (see slide on Genesis 6 Outline)<\/strong>\r\n
        \r\n \t
      1. God's Grief (Genesis 6:1-7)<\/li>\r\n \t
      2. God's Grace (Genesis 6:8-10)<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
          \r\n \t
        • God\u2019s Destruction\u2014God makes an announcement of a prophecy concerning the Flood that's coming (Genesis 6:11-13)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
            \r\n \t
          1. God\u2019s Instruction (Genesis 6:14-22)\u2014when there is a problem, God has a solution; and the solution here is God's instruction concerning the Ark.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nSo let's begin here with I:\u00a0 God's grief<\/strong>. \u00a0(See slide on I. God\u2019s Grief).\u00a0 <\/strong>We learn in Genesis 6:6-7 that God began to sorrow. \u00a0He began to sorrow that He created man to begin with at all. \u00a0Why did God begin to sorrow? \u00a0Because there was a specific sin that was taking place in 6:1-4 that was followed by a general sin taking place in 6:5.\r\n\r\nSo notice, if you will, this specific sin. \u00a0\u00a0(See slide on A. The Specific Sin 6:1-4) <\/strong>\r\n\r\nWe have:\r\n
              \r\n \t
            1. The Population<\/strong> (6:1)<\/li>\r\n \t
            2. The Procreation<\/strong>, (6:2) [I hope you like the letter P<\/em>]<\/li>\r\n \t
            3. The Patience<\/strong> of God, (6:3)<\/li>\r\n \t
            4. The Product<\/strong> of the sin (6:4)<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nAnd what we have walked into, what you have walked into, if you're here for the first time, is probably one of the most difficult, one of the most debated verses in the entire Bible. \u00a0But notice, first of all, the population as we look at the specific sin<\/strong> that began to sorrow God's heart. \u00a0Notice what it says there in 6:1. \u00a0It says, \u201cNow it came about when men began to multiply on the face of the land,.<\/em>.. [I think \u2018land\u2019<\/em> there is better translated \u2018earth\u2019<\/em>]. \u201cNow it came about when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them...<\/em>\u201d \u00a0What you have taking place there in 6:1 is a population explosion<\/strong>.\u00a0 It says it very clearly in 6:1, \u201c...when men began to multiply on the face of the earth.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>\r\n\r\nDr. Henry Morris shows that based on the long lives of these patriarchs [that we spent several weeks studying in Genesis 5] people were living into their nine hundreds, in some cases having children into their nine hundreds. \u00a0Given the amount of patriarchs who are mentioned here before the Flood, it's very conceivable mathematically, and he is a credentialed scientist and provides the math on this in his Genesis commentary, that the world's population reached about 7 billion people.\r\n\r\nYou say, \u2018Well, that's interesting. That's the same rough level of population that we are approaching today<\/em>.\u2019 \u00a0Henry Morris says this: \u00a0\u201cThe ancient quibble about \u2018Cain's wife\u2019<\/em> [that's the biggest objection liberals can throw at this. \u00a0\u2018Well, where did Cain get his wife?\u2019 <\/em>\u00a0\u2018Well, I guess he had 7 billion people to pick from, or half of that, I guess.<\/em>\u2019]\u2026 \u00a0\u201cThe ancient quibble about Cain's wife is thus seen to be quite trivial. \u00a0Long before Cain died, there was a large population in the earth. By the time of the Deluge, 1656 years after Creation<\/em> [According to standard chronology] by the Ussher chronology, even using the above assumptions, the world's population would have been at least<\/u><\/strong> [<\/em>and this is on the conservative side] 7 billion people<\/u><\/strong>!\u201d <\/em>\r\n\r\nNow, the population growth wasn't the problem. \u00a0That's not why God began to grieve. \u00a0God began to grieve because of a specific sin in 6:2,\u00a0 so we move away from the Population<\/strong> to the Procreation<\/strong>. \u00a0And that is what 6:2 says, \u201c...that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Now, the ancient interpretation throughout church history of 6:2 and the verses that follow is simply this: \u00a0we've traced the Cainite line of wickedness, (Genesis 4) and the Sethite line of righteousness, (Genesis 5), and [then] believers and unbelievers began to intermarry with each other between those two lines.\r\n\r\nSo nothing to see here, folks. \u00a0Move right along. \u00a0No problem. The problem is, do you see the word Cain or Seth in Genesis 6? \u00a0I don't see it. \u00a0Cain and Seth, the names were named very clearly in Genesis 5 and Genesis 4, but it doesn't use either name; it uses this strange expression in Hebrew, Benei Elohim<\/em>, which means sons of God<\/em>. \u00a0There are probably three, and I'm not going to go over three, but at least two major views on this passage. (See slide on Alternative Views)<\/strong> \u00a0Some at the very top of the screen says, \u2018Well, it's just the two lines started to intermarry.<\/em>\u2019 \u00a0Well, first of all, why would that produce Nephilim? \u00a0Why would God send a Flood because a believer and an unbeliever get married? \u00a0Doesn't that happen today, sadly? \u00a0There's no global Deluge when that happens; the parents might think it's a deluge, but there's no immediate judgment that covers the earth. \u00a0And it's interesting that this particular view, the Seth Line-Cain Line view, according to Renald Showers, did not emerge in church history until the 4th century after<\/em> the resurrection of Jesus.\r\n\r\n(See slide on Renald Showers quote).\u00a0 <\/strong>Showers says, \u201cIt is interesting to note that the Sethite Line-Cainite Line view does not begin until the 4th century AD. <\/u><\/strong>\u00a0This makes it the newest of the three major views. \u00a0The New Catholic Encyclopedia states that this view \u2018that sees in these sons of God, the Sethites and in the daughters of men the Cainites dates from the 4th century and is influenced by theological concern for maintaining the spirituality of the Angels<\/u><\/strong>.\u2019 <\/em>\u00a0[We've got to keep those angels pure so the angels can't be involved here. \u00a0So this is just the two lines intermingling. Showers writes correctly], \u201cThis seems to imply that the major motivation for starting this view was not exegesis of Scripture, but opposition to the angel view...\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>This is actually the Roman Catholic view going back just four centuries after the death of the Apostles.\r\n\r\n(See slide on Alternative Views).\u00a0 <\/strong>There is a completely different view of this, and it's at the very bottom of the screen, and that's the view that I believe in. \u00a0It's the view I'm going to try to defend\u2014not completely today, but into next week. \u00a0There's something much more evil, hence the title of this message, \u201cAn Evil Strategy.\u201d \u00a0There's something much more nefarious happening here where not all, but some of the fallen angels began to actually procreate<\/strong> with human women. \u00a0From those unholy unions, you have the Nephilim that are described in 6:4. \u00a0\u00a0I realize that what I am saying is very controversial. \u00a0If you look at this screen (See slide on Commentators who do and do not refer to Angels), <\/strong>you'll see all of the commentators, a lot of them who you recognize and appreciate who say this passage has absolutely nothing to do with angels. \u00a0But on the right hand of the screen, you see a list of commentators that you also like and appreciate who say this has everything to do with angels.\r\n\r\nIn fact, if you were to go to a theological library and collect all of the commentaries on the book of Genesis, and put them in two stacks: \u00a0commentators that believe the Sethite-Canite view in one stack and the commentators that believe in the angel view in the other stack, at the end of the day you would have two equal stacks in terms of height. \u00a0So this is probably not a hill to die on; probably not something worth starting a new church. \u00a0\u2018Yes, we're the First Church of the Sethiteview or whatever.<\/em>\u2019 \u00a0But it is a passage that you have to understand in order to grasp, I believe, the totality of the full counsel of God's Word.\r\n\r\nIn fact, this angel view is actually the traditional view of Judaism going back before the time of Christ. \u00a0It was actually the traditional view of the church fathers just after the time of Christ. \u00a0So what does this second view, the angel view, not the Sethite-Canite view actually mean?\u00a0 \u00a0Well, it camps, per 6:2, on this expression, \u2018sons of God<\/em>.\u2019 \u00a0\u00a0Look at 6:2 to see that expression. \u00a0Going down to 6:4, see it again: \u00a0the sons of God,<\/em> benei Elohim<\/em>.\u00a0 That identical Hebrew expression is only found in the Bible five times, two of which are right here in our passage. \u00a0But it's found three other times. And the only other book that mentions that expression is the book of Job. Job 1:6 says, \u201cThere was a day when the sons of God<\/em> [benei Elohim<\/em>] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them<\/em>.\u201d \u00a0Now, clearly sons of God<\/em> there means angels. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Because Satan was in the mix, and Satan himself, according to the book of Ezekiel 28:14,16 is an angel, a fallen angel; an angel of light as Paul calls him, but an angel nonetheless. \u00a0So Satan's presence with the sons of God<\/em> in the presence of God communicates from the book of Job that sons of God equals angels. \u00a0This expression is used a second time in the book of Job; in Job 2:1, it says, \u201cAgain there was a day when the sons of God<\/em>, [that's our phrase], came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan <\/em>[an angel] also came among them to present himself before the Lord<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Then it comes up a third time in the book of Job. \u00a0It's in Job 38:7, where Job, who thinks he knows everything, and Job\u2019s three counselors, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, and then another guy shows up late in the game named Elihu. \u00a0Job with these four\u2014they think they know everything. \u00a0And God says, \u2018You don't know anything.\u2019 \u2018Well, how do we know, God, that we don't know anything?<\/em>\u2018\u00a0 God says, \u2018I want to give you a pop quiz. And I'm going to question you about things that happened before you were born in ancient past<\/em>.\u2019 \u00a0And He begins talking about how God formed the heavens and the Earth, book of Genesis. \u00a0(See slide on Job 38:7) \u00a0<\/strong>And when God did that, the \u201cmorning stars sang<\/u><\/em><\/strong> together<\/em>...\u201d \u00a0Now, I don't know of any singing stars, do you?\u00a0 \u00a0Literal stars, unless these stars are a synonym for angels, and it says there, \u2018together and all the sons of God<\/u><\/strong><\/em>,\u2019 that's our expression. \u00a0In other words, sons of God<\/em> equals these singing morning stars; \u00a0\u201c\u2026the sons of God<\/em> shouted for joy<\/em>?\u201d\r\n\r\nSo three times in the book of Job, there's no doubt about this: \u00a0sons of God equals angels. \u00a0\u00a0Now, what's very interesting is the book of Job is the very first book of the Bible ever written. It's the very first book that God inspired. \u00a0In fact, the book of Job records things happening during the time period of the patriarchs\u2014Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a good six centuries at least, before Moses ever penned the book of Genesis. \u00a0So when Moses is writing here in Genesis 6 about the sons of God<\/em>, he is drawing from the only book that was \u2018on the books,<\/em>\u2019 so to speak, at this point:\u00a0 the book of Job, and the book of Job always calls the sons of God<\/em> angels.\r\n\r\nWhat began to happen here in Genesis 6 is some of the fallen angels began to procreate<\/strong> with human women. \u00a0Now, why in the world would they do that? \u00a0It relates to Genesis 3:15. \u00a0God announced at the fall of Man, \u201cAnd I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, but you shall bruise Him on the heel.\u201d <\/em>There's coming one from the seed of the woman, Eve, who is going to take Satan's head and crush it. \u00a0Now it's very clear that when this Messiah comes, He will not just be fully God but fully Man. \u00a0Here's a fancy word for this; I paid a lot of tuition money to learn fancy words, and no one will listen to me, so I have a captive audience here. \u00a0The fancy word for that is the hypostatic union<\/em>. \u00a0It's the idea that Jesus Christ, whose death, burial, resurrection and ascension we just celebrated at the Lord's Supper, was the unique man God. \u00a0The unique God Man. \u00a0Well, do you believe Jesus was Man or God? \u00a0The answer is yes. \u00a0He was both. \u00a0At the point of the virgin conception, eternally existent Deity was joined to humanity. \u00a0This is what we call the incarnation. \u00a0Genesis 3:15 points that out by indicating that He, when He comes, must be fully Man in addition to being fully God because He's coming from the seed of the woman.\u00a0 Now, is it not interesting that children look like their parents? \u00a0You look at a kid, and I can't use Sarah as an example today because she's sitting right here. \u00a0So sorry about that. \u00a0But you look at a child, and you could see in that child that they look like their mom at certain points, and they look like their dad at certain points.\r\n\r\nWhen these fallen angels began to procreate<\/strong> with human women, it was a satanic attempt to create a race of people that were genetically a mixture of human and angel. \u00a0That's who the Nephilim per 6:4, the product of this unholy union, were. \u00a0Nephilim in Hebrew means fallen ones. \u00a0What is Satan doing here? \u00a0He is trying to create a race of people that aren't fully human. Why would he do that? \u00a0So that Genesis 3:15, which indicates the Messiah when He comes, must be fully God and fully Man, can never be born. \u00a0If that happens, Satan wins. \u00a0He locks the human race into a permanent level of fallenness. \u00a0It's a strategy that he used that's insidious and evil right down to the mixture of the genetics of the human race. \u00a0Now, this is not the first time that Satan tried to prevent the birth of the Messiah as we saw in Genesis 4. \u00a0That was the whole reason why Cain murdered Abel. \u00a0Able\u2019s sacrifice was accepted; Cain\u2019s was rejected. Satan at that point reasoned that the Messiah is going to come through Abel's line. \u00a0So when you factor in Genesis 3:12, which indicates that Satan, or the evil one, was in Cain's thoughts, Satan is making his first attempt to prevent the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15.\r\n\r\nOne of the things to understand about Satan, in spite of his brilliance, is that his intellect has been darkened. He thinks he can stop God's prophecies from occurring. He thinks he can prevent Jesus from being born. \u00a0And if that is the case, then he continues on as the ruler of this world. \u00a0That was round one.\r\n\r\n(See slide on Satanic Attempts to Stop Messiah)<\/strong>\r\n\r\nNow here we are at round two where the same thing is happening. \u00a0The strategy is different, though. \u00a0The first round was a murder. \u00a0The second round is a genetic tampering with humanity to prevent the incarnation, to prevent the hypostatic union because you've created a race of people that aren't fully human. \u00a0They're partly human, partly angelic. \u00a0When you start to understand this, you begin to understand why God dealt with this in global judgment. \u00a0God dealt with this in global judgment because Satan pushed the envelope too far. \u00a0And that's what I think is happening there in 6:2. \u00a0\u00a0But don't panic, because as you move through the Bible, Satan loses every round. \u00a0Just when you think he's winning, as only God can do, He snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. \u00a0Satan lost round one. \u00a0We learn here that he's going to lose round two.\u00a0 The reason he's going to lose round two is because God is going to preserve, genetically, a man named Noah and his family in the Ark. \u00a0And from one of Noah's sons, Shem, the genealogy, which has been protected, is going to continue, leading to Terah, leading to Abraham, ultimately leading to Jesus Christ.\r\n\r\nThat's what is meant in Genesis 3:15 that He, the Messiah, when He comes, Satan, \u2018shall bruise you on the head<\/u><\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0Now, you're going to be able to bruise Him on the heel. \u00a0But He\u2019s going to crush your head.\u2019 \u00a0<\/em>Now, would you rather have your head crushed or your heel bruised?\u00a0 I'll take the heel because if my head is crushed, I'm dead. \u00a0The reference to the bruising of the heel is the reference to momentary damage that Satan is going to inflict along the way. \u00a0Despite the fact that Satan is pulling out all of the stops to prevent the birth of the Messiah, God keeps winning round after round after round after round until Jesus is finally born into our world to accomplish His mission of death, burial, resurrection and ascension. \u00a0But Satan is not going to take it lightly. \u00a0He's not going to take it lying down. \u00a0He works in history to prevent the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15. He changes the strategies from time to time, and here is a particularly insidious strategy that he's using right down to genetic alteration of humanity. (see slide on Matthew 22:30)<\/strong>\r\n\r\nNow, I warned you people that are here for the first time\u00a0 this is not probably the sermon to get started on with us. \u00a0But when you teach the Bible verse by verse, you have to wrestle with these issues. \u00a0Now, a lot of people say, \u2018Well, this this has a lot of problems, doesn't it? \u00a0I mean, angels having a sexual relationship with human women.\u2019<\/em> \u00a0And it does have a lot of problems. \u00a0I taught a series here called Angelology, the doctrine of the angels, where I spent six lessons just on this issue. \u00a0So if you want to go deeper into this and get all the pros and cons and everything else, you could go to Lessons 29 through 34 in the last six lessons of our Angelology series, which was the Sunday school series I taught here. \u00a0Obviously, I can't do all of that as I'm moving verse by verse, but for those of you that are interested, you can go there for greater defense.\r\n\r\nBut many, many people do not believe this view. \u00a0And one of their arguments is, \u2018Well, angels don't marry.\u2019<\/em> \u00a0And they'll quote Matthew 22:30 (See slide)<\/strong>, which says, \u201cFor in the resurrection, they neither marry<\/u><\/strong> nor are given in marriage<\/u><\/strong>, but are like the angels in heaven<\/u><\/strong>.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Notice what this verse says and what it doesn't say. \u00a0It's talking about the angels in heaven. \u00a0What we're dealing with here is the demons below. \u00a0\u00a0It's interesting that it doesn't say angels don't have sex. \u00a0It says they don't get married. \u00a0I mean, is it possible to have a sexual relationship with someone without being married to them?\u00a0 Well, you answer that for me. \u00a0That happens all the time, doesn't it?\u00a0 \u00a0So statements against angelic marriage, and it is speaking of angels in heaven, it is not dealing with the demons beneath heaven. \u00a0And you say, \u2018Well, wait a minute, Pastor, just hold the phone here. \u00a0Aren't angels spirits? \u00a0I mean, doesn't the Book of Hebrews 1:14 say of angels, \u201cAre they not all ministering spirits sent to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?<\/em>\u201d\u2019 \u00a0\u00a0\u2018I mean, if they\u2019re spirits, how could they have the body necessary to have a sexual relationship with a human woman?<\/em>\u2019\u00a0 The answer to that is yes, angels are spirits, but they can take on human form, can't they? \u00a0Hebrews 13:2 says, \u201cSome of you have entertained angels unaware.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>How could you do that if an angel couldn't take on human form? \u00a0And in fact, in this same book, the book of Genesis, eventually we're going to get to Genesis 18:1-8 where Abraham is going to receive three visitors:\u00a0 One of them is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in pre-incarnate form, accompanied by two angels. \u00a0But Abraham doesn't know they're angels. \u00a0So they visit, have a meal together. \u00a0He makes food for them. \u00a0They eat. \u00a0And then it says in Genesis 18:22, after they ate, \u201cThen the men turned away from there and went towards Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>I mean, for all Abraham knew, it was just two visitors and they have a meal together. \u00a0And then all of a sudden you get to Genesis 19:1, and it says, \u201cNow when the angels came to Sodom.\u201d \u00a0\u2018You mean, those two people that showed up at my door with Jesus, a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus, that I thought were men, that I had a meal with, and I cooked for, and we ate together?\u00a0 You mean to tell me that they were actually angels?<\/em>\u2019 \u00a0Yes, Abraham. \u00a0That's what God is telling you. \u00a0So even in Genesis itself, yes, angels are spirits, but clearly they have a capacity to take on human flesh.\r\n\r\nNow, the fear when you begin talking like this is, \u2018Oh, my goodness. \u00a0If that happened then, if demons had sexual relationship with human women resulting in procreation, resulting in the the birth of the fallen ones or the Nephilim or genetically altered people, then that could happen<\/em> again, couldn't it<\/em>?\u2018\u00a0 And that's the scare. \u00a0I think this is largely why the Seth view and the Cain view was invented. \u00a0People say, \u2018Well, my goodness, that's just too radical to believe that. Because if it happened once in history, it could happen again.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>\r\n\r\nWell, it's interesting; what happened to those fallen angels that were involved in this sin in Genesis 6:1-4?\u00a0 They were jailed. \u00a0They were put into prison. \u00a0First Peter 3:19-20 connected with their sin in the days of Noah. \u00a0Second Peter 2:4-5 says the exact same thing. \u00a0They were jailed, put in eternal pits because of this sin. \u00a0The book of Jude 6-7 says the same thing. \u00a0So this is a reason why this particular situation could not be replicated today. \u00a0There is a defense factor. \u00a0The rest of the demons saw what happened to their buddies who were involved in leaving their natural state and getting mixed up in this sin. \u00a0They saw that they were dealt with immediately by God. \u00a0That keeps them in a state of deterrence where they don't want to replicate the sin again. \u00a0I mean, why don't I, when I drive home today, just walk into liquor stores and Winchell's donuts and just take what I want without paying?\u00a0 Well, I see what happens to people that do that. \u00a0They get thrown in jail. \u00a0Now, hopefully I don't do that because I'm a Christian. \u00a0But there's another motivation beyond it. \u00a0It's punishment. \u00a0That's what the demons saw in God dealing with the situation here.\r\n\r\nIf you can look at this chart here [see slide on Good Angels & Evil Angels]<\/strong>, it's a pretty good chart that gives you the angelic perspective. \u00a0How many angels are there? \u00a0Well, there's 10,000 times 10,000 of them. \u00a0We know that a third of them per Revelation 12 were cast out of heaven because they originally revolted with Lucifer per Ezekiel 28, Isaiah 14, etc., and the angels that revolted with Lucifer, a third of them are what we today call demons. \u00a0And it is very interesting that the world of the demonic is divided into two parts. \u00a0Some of the demons are in a state of incarceration\u2014Jude 6-7; 2 Peter 2:4-5; 1 Peter 3:19-20\u2014always connected with the days of Noah. \u00a0They're in jail. \u00a0And yet, clearly some demons are free.\r\n\r\nDoes not the Bible say \u2018we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and rulers of this dark world\u2019?<\/em>\u00a0 What your New Testament is saying is that of the angels that revolted, some are in jail in a place called the Abyss, connected with the days of Noah, and some are free. \u00a0And if you don't have angelology or the doctrine of angels in Genesis 6, you have no explanation as to why that is so. I've had people fight me tooth and nail on this angel view. And finally, when it gets to the point in the conversation when I could ask them a question\u2014because usually what they're trying to do is convince me they're right, and I finally said, \u2018Well, can I ask a question? \u00a0You've asked me 15 questions. \u00a0Can I ask you one? \u00a0Here's my one question for you<\/em>.\u2019 \u00a0Why is it that some demons are imprisoned and some are free? \u00a0And why is their imprisonment always connected with the days of Noah? \u00a0And you know what the answer is? \u00a0Three words.\u00a0 Actually, four, one is a contraction. \u2018I don't know<\/em>,\u2019 which is what Spicoli said on Fast Times at Ridgemont High. \u00a0Not that I'm promoting that movie either. \u00a0That's a terrible thing to say from the pulpit, isn't it? \u00a0Maybe God's going to put me in incarceration after that. \u00a0But the fact of the matter is, that's what the Bible says. \u00a0And the only<\/em><\/strong> explanation you have as to why some are free that we wrestle with is something really insidious, something where some of them, under Satan's power, left their natural abode and entered into this unholy union with human women. \u00a0That's the only explanation for the difference in the demons: \u00a0some free; some in jail. \u00a0And according to Bible prophecy, these demons in jail are going to be released one day in what is called the Fifth Trumpet Judgment as described in Revelation 9:1-12. \u00a0In the events of the tribulation, they're all coming out again to torture mankind for five months. \u00a0Sort of interesting how the whole Bible starts to fit together. \u00a0Why are some demons in this place called the Abyss? \u00a0Genesis 6 is your answer. \u00a0And the fact of the matter is there would be no need for Satan to try this trick again, because the whole point of it was to alter the genetics of the human race so that the Messiah, who must be fully man in addition to being fully God, can never be born.\u00a0 Well, the last time I checked, 2000 years ago, Jesus has been born. \u00a0So why would Satan rehearse the whole strategy one more time in our era when it was completely and totally designed to prevent the birth of Christ, and now that the Messiah has been born, there's no need to tamper with the genetics of the human race in that way.\r\n\r\nIf you want to know what the strategy of Satan is right now, it's to destroy the nation of Israel and to wipe out every single physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from planet Earth. \u00a0Why would Satan do that? \u00a0Because it's very clear, according to Matthew 23:37-39, that it's the converted Jews in the Tribulation Period that are going to call Jesus back to the earth. \u00a0And He will return, Yeshua, to rescue them from the beast and start his thousand-year kingdom. \u00a0But a condition has to be met: a converted Israel calling Christ back to the earth. \u00a0Well Satan says, \u2018I'll fix that problem. \u00a0I'll just get rid of all the Jews<\/em>.\u2019 \u00a0That helps you understand the vicious evil of the Holocaust and the strategies throughout history to eradicate the Jewish people.\r\n\r\nSee, my point is that Satan is onto a different strategy. \u00a0He tried the genetic alteration of humanity to prevent the birth of Messiah. \u00a0He lost that round, and he's moving on to different things now.\u00a0 All wicked and evil, but different strategies. \u00a0In fact, if you want to see Satan's past strategy to prevent the birth of Christ, with Genesis 6 being part of that strategy, just read Revelation 12:1-5. \u00a0But if you want to see the strategy that he's using today to eradicate the Jewish people, read Revelation 12:6 through the end of the chapter. \u00a0It's an amazing chapter in the sense that it gives us the two great strategies of Satan.\r\n\r\nNow, look, if you will, at Genesis 6:3, and you see through all of this the Patience<\/strong> of God.\u00a0 We've seen the Population<\/strong>, the Procreation<\/strong>, and now the divine Patience<\/strong>. \u00a0Look, if you will, at 6:3, \u201cThen the LORD said, \u201cMy Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.<\/em>\u201d \u00a0You see, what God was doing in the midst of all of this wickedness, His Spirit, He calls it \u2018My Spirit was striving with man<\/em>.\u2019 \u00a0What does that mean\u2014striving with man? \u00a0It means contending with man; convicting man. \u00a0Trying to get man to change his thinking, which is what we call repentance. \u00a0And as God is my witness, that is exactly what the Holy Spirit is doing right now as I speak.\r\n\r\nJesus, in the upper room, said that the Holy Spirit has been doing this for 2000 years.\u00a0 Jesus said in the upper room to His disciples just prior to His death, and He began to talk about His death, and they didn't like what He said because He had been with them for three years. \u00a0They were all He knew. \u00a0He was their mentor. \u00a0He had revolutionized them. \u00a0And then He starts talking about how He\u2019s going to die and how He\u2019s leaving. \u00a0\u00a0And that panicked the disciples. \u00a0\u00a0But Jesus, in the upper room as He\u2019s talking to these eleven, Judas having already left the room to betray Christ, says this, \u201cBut I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage<\/u><\/strong> that I go away; <\/em>[It's better for you if I go than if I stay] ... for if I do not go away, the Helper<\/u><\/strong><\/em> [Greek Paraclete<\/u><\/strong>, the One who comes alongside to assist, the Holy Spirit] ...if I do not go the Helper<\/u><\/strong> <\/em>[parakl\u0113tos<\/u><\/em><\/strong>; Paraclete] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you<\/u><\/strong>.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>\u00a0He begins to talk about the fact that after He leaves through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the Father's right hand, that the Spirit of God is going to come into their hearts, which is something that they did not understand because when you go through the Old Testament, you discover that the Holy Spirit came upon<\/em> people to do God's will. \u00a0The Spirit of the Lord came upon<\/em> David.\u00a0 Here, He's saying something completely different. \u00a0He's saying that the Holy Spirit is coming into<\/em><\/strong> you. \u00a0See that in John 14:18-20.\u00a0 \u2018So I will be with you, but your body will be the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and I will be in you forever. \u00a0So now you're going to have a situation where not just eleven of you can be intimate with Me. \u00a0Now, every child of God can be intimate with Me because I'll live inside of you through the Holy Spirit. \u00a0And yet that won't happen unless I go away. \u00a0So don't push the panic button that I'm going away.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 And then He says in John 14:8, and He [that's the Spirit]...when He comes, He will convict<\/u><\/strong>..<\/em>.[What does it say there? \u00a0He doesn't say convict the elect, does He? \u00a0He says, \u2018I\u2019ll \u201cconvict the<\/em><\/strong> [<\/em>whole] world\u2019\u201d<\/u><\/strong><\/em>\u2014that is believers and unbelievers. \u00a0When He comes, the Spirit will convict the world, just like the Spirit of God was convicting the world in the days of Noah, through striving with man]... When He comes, He will convict the world of three things concerning:\r\n\r\n(1) sin<\/strong>;\r\n\r\n(2) righteousness<\/strong>;\r\n\r\n(3) judgment<\/strong>.\r\n\r\nEvery single human being today is under conviction. \u00a0The ones that don't know Christ especially are under conviction of three sins that they're right now committing against God. \u00a0Sin<\/strong>, (singular), righteousness<\/strong>, and judgment<\/strong>. \u00a0And I'm so glad I don't stop there because each is explained in the subsequent verses.\u00a0 What does He mean by convict the world<\/em><\/strong> of sin<\/u><\/strong>?\u00a0 He defines it in John 16:9 concerning sin, \u201c...because they do not believe in Me.\u201d<\/em>\r\n\r\nWhat is the Holy Spirit doing in the lives of your unsaved family members, coworkers, friends and relatives as I speak? He is not convicting them of pornography. Or gambling. Or drunkenness. \u00a0He is convicting them of a certain sin that they are now committing against God. And that sin is unbelief<\/em><\/strong>, which is the only<\/em><\/strong> sin that sends a person into the lake of fire. \u00a0People are not sent into the lake of fire because they didn't vote for the right party; they don't dress right; they use too many foul words. \u00a0They go into the lake of fire because they die in a state of unbelief<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0That's what the Holy Spirit is bothering every single human being about as I speak.\u00a0 He's been doing it for 2000 years.\r\n\r\nHe's also bothering them about a lack of righteousness. \u201c\u2026concerning righteousness<\/u><\/strong>, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, they don't have the transferred righteousness<\/em><\/strong> of Jesus. \u00a0They have a religion, they have a lot of good works, but the righteousness<\/em><\/strong> of Christ has never been transferred to them, imputed to them at the point of faith alone. \u00a0And so because they don't have the transferred righteousness<\/em><\/strong> of Christ, they've got to stand before the Lord one day in their own righteousness<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0Lots of luck with that one.\r\n\r\nAnd He\u2019s also convicting them concerning \u201cjudgment<\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u201d because the ruler of this world has been judged, the ruler of this world has been cast out.\u00a0 Satan is on a losing trajectory. \u00a0He's defeated. \u00a0He's not abolished yet. \u00a0He's defeated. \u00a0He's going down. \u00a0And if you die in this state, you're going down with him.\r\n\r\nThe late Lewis Sperry Chafer called this true<\/em> evangelism<\/strong>. \u00a0He wrote a whole book called True<\/u><\/strong> Evangelism<\/u><\/strong>. \u00a0What is true<\/em> evangelism<\/strong>? \u00a0It's evangelizing people on the very things that God is convicting them of. \u00a0God is not trying to morally reform non-Christians. \u00a0Now, presumably when they become Christians and the Holy Spirit comes inside of them, the Holy Spirit will start to convict them of other sins. \u00a0But that is not what God is doing with unbelievers as I speak.\u00a0 He\u2019s only convicting them over and over again of three things: \u00a0sin, righteousness and judgment.<\/strong> \u00a0Sin<\/strong> because they don't believe in Jesus; righteousness<\/strong> because they don't have the transferred righteousness of Jesus Christ, and judgment<\/strong> because they're on the losing side.\r\n\r\nSo when the Holy Spirit places in front of you the opportunity to evangelize the lost, don't go on a rabbit trail talking about how to vote or how to be morally reformed, or what denomination you're a part of. \u00a0The Holy Spirit doesn't even care about that at this point. \u00a0Talk to them about the three things that they're already under conviction for. \u00a0That way, your evangelistic agenda is cooperating with what God is already doing to them on the outside. \u00a0Now you're doing true<\/em> evangelism<\/strong> because you're speaking to them about the things that God is already speaking to them about.\r\n\r\nTalk to them about unbelief<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0They'll listen to you on that. \u00a0If they don't listen, they're in a state of denial. \u00a0But they already know that they don't believe. \u00a0Talk to them about how they need a righteousness<\/strong> standard higher than their own\u2014one that's perfect. \u00a0They are already under conviction about that. \u00a0And you tell them that they're on the losing side of history because Satan, the one that they're following, has already been cast out. \u00a0See, true<\/em> evangelism\u2014<\/strong>focusing on the things that God is focused on, and then you start seeing fruit in your evangelism because you're talking about things that they're already under conviction for.\r\n\r\nMost evangelistic models don't even acknowledge John, 16:7-11. \u00a0They've got all of this verbiage that has nothing to do with what God is already bothering unbelievers about. \u00a0So use the language that the Bible uses here, and watch what God does with your evangelistic efforts. They'll take on a different dimension. \u00a0You'll probably see fruit in them that you've never seen before. \u00a0So in a similar way, just as the Spirit was and is<\/em> striving with man today, the Spirit was<\/em> striving with man prior to the flood in the midst of unspeakable sin. \u00a0Notice how long this striving went on. \u00a0It says, \u201c...nevertheless his days will be one hundred and twenty years<\/em>\u201d of striving. \u00a0That's a long time. \u00a0That is about, if I'm interpreting this correctly, a little over double the national length [age] of the United States of America. \u00a0That's how long the Holy Spirit worked and persuaded and strove and convicted with people, trying to get them to change their ways.\r\n\r\nThere is a truth in the Bible of coming judgment<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0But before God sends judgment<\/em><\/strong>, God sends grace. That's what's happening here in Genesis 6:3. \u00a0It is grace before judgment<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0It is the opportunity to get right with God. \u00a0John 16:7-11, \u2018When the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world<\/u><\/strong> concerning sin, righteousness and judgment<\/u><\/strong>...\u2019<\/em> \u00a0Not sins. \u00a0Not moral reformation, but sin. \u00a0Sin. Singular sin. \u00a0Unbelief<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0The Spirit is striving with man today because judgment is coming, but before God brings judgment, He dispenses grace<\/strong>. \u00a0Aren't you glad about that relative to God?\r\n\r\nThat's why in the previous chapter, we ran into a man named Methuselah whose name in Hebrew means \u2018when he dies, it shall be sent<\/em>,\u2018 referring to the Flood. \u00a0When he dies, the Flood's going to come. \u00a0And it's no accident that Methuselah is the oldest living man ever recorded in history. \u00a0He lived 969 years. \u00a0It shows that God attached judgment to the death of a man who lived the longest that's ever lived. \u00a0Does that not show us the mercy of God; the forbearance of God; the long suffering of God?\u00a0 Before God sent the Israelis into Canaan to eradicate the Canaanites, God gave the Canaanites 400 years to repent, Genesis 15:16. \u00a0\u00a0First Timothy 2:4 says of God, \u201cHe desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Second Peter 3:8-9 says \u2018We did not let this one fact escape your notice, Beloved, that with the Lord a day is 1000 years and 1000 years is as one day. \u00a0The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing any to perish but for all to come to repentance.<\/em>\u2019 \u00a0Ezekiel 18:23,32 says, \u2018God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.\u2018<\/em>\r\n\r\nRather, what pleases God is they might turn from their wicked way and live. \u00a0Boy, if God is that longsuffering, then why am I, as one of His people, so short-fused with people?\u00a0 Why am I so short-tempered?\u00a0 Why is it that when I perceive an injustice committed against me, I am the first person to want to give that person a piece of my mind?\u00a0 Why am I so upset when I'm cut off on the freeway?\u00a0 Why am I so upset when I don't get my way?\u00a0 The answer is that we're not Christ-like. \u00a0God is not that way. \u00a0God is patient. \u00a0But the fruit of the spirit per Galatians 5:22-23 is \u201c...love, joy, peace<\/em>...[what's the next word? I can't even pronounce it]... patience<\/em><\/strong>... [Wow. God, give me patience and give it to me right now] ...kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.\u201d<\/em>\r\n\r\nRead a text like this about the striving of God, the patience<\/em><\/strong> of God, and you're less quick to just give up on people. \u00a0\u2018Oh, so-and-so will never come to Christ. \u00a0I evangelize them. \u00a0They don't care. They're on their way to hell.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>Really? \u00a0How do you know that? \u00a0How do you know that God does not have them under deep conviction even as you are speaking to them? \u00a0\u2018Well, they acted angrily towards me<\/em>.\u2018 \u00a0That's good because when someone gets upset, that means they're under conviction.\r\n\r\nThere was a man named Saul of Tarsus who was visibly angry with Stephen when he preached his sermon against unbelieving Israel in Acts 7. \u00a0Saul of Tarsus was so mad he set out to not only be responsible for the martyrdom of Stephen, but to stamp Christianity out completely. \u00a0And yet who did Saul of Tarsus become\u2014that angry man?\u00a0 He became Paul.\u00a0 If someone is losing their temper with you for evangelizing them, that shows you, as any pilot who has flown in the military will tell you, that means you're over the target. \u00a0I mean, if they're mad and upset at you, hey, come on over to my office sometime; I'll show you my emails that I get from people. \u00a0I get some of the most vitriolic\u2026 It's sort of stunning. \u00a0I'm such a nice guy, ask my wife\u2026I mean, some of the most vitriolic emails you could ever get. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Because I'm on the Internet teaching the Bible. \u00a0I didn't know that was such a problem. \u00a0I thought this was a free country. \u00a0If you don't like it, turn your computer off. \u00a0Why are they upset?\u00a0 \u00a0Why are they angry?\u00a0 Because I'm over the target. \u00a0Now it's the person that says, \u2018Well, I'm glad you found <\/em>[they\u2019re very calm] enlightenment in your guru, Jesus. \u00a0But I'm happy with mine.\u2019<\/em> \u00a0And they just go through life not upset at all. \u00a0That's the person you need to worry about. \u00a0Because they're not under conviction, I believe, the way the Lord wants to place them under conviction.\r\n\r\nBut what does He say here, and we'll end with this? \u00a0\u201c\u2026Then the Lord said, \u201cMy Spirit shall not<\/u><\/strong> strive with man forever<\/u><\/strong>,.<\/em>..\u201d \u00a0They got there before the Flood 120 years of striving and conviction as unspeakable depravity was taking place prior to the Flood as Noah was building the ark. \u00a0Could you imagine how ridiculous Noah looked building this giant contraption in his driveway when this crowd didn't even know what rain was (Genesis 2:5-6)?\u00a0 Noah didn't even know what rain was. \u00a0He had to walk completely by faith on the promises of God. \u00a0That's why Noah deservedly is in the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11. \u00a0So this grace period is unfolding. \u00a0God is striving. \u00a0But here's here's what God says, \u2018It's not going to go on forever.<\/em>\u00a0 It'll go on 120 years, but not forever.\u2019<\/em> Because eventually humanity reaches its breaking point in sin, where even the patience<\/em><\/strong> of God Himself gets exhausted. \u00a0And God says, \u2018That's it. \u00a0Judgment<\/strong> is coming.<\/em>\u2019 \u00a0Jesus said in John 16:7-11, \u2018It is to your advantage that I go away, because if I go away, the Spirit of God will come.\u2019 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cAnd He, when He comes, [<\/em>the Spirit of God, the Paraclete] , \u201c\u2026will convict the [whole] world of sin, righteousness and judgment;...<\/em>\u201d \u00a0But<\/em><\/strong>\u2014it won't go on forever.\r\n\r\nThe deception that we're lulled into is thinking that because we're in a season now where we're enjoying the grace of God, that this season will go on forever. \u00a0And the Bible says it won't. \u00a0You know, it was last year around this time that all of this covid insanity started to break out. \u00a0And yet, if I had stood up in this pulpit last year at this time and predicted everything that would happen in our country, you would think I was crazy. \u00a0And look how fast everything changed. Never think that somehow the patience of God is something that continues forever. \u00a0Things can change very quickly. \u00a0\u201cMy Spirit shall not strive with man forever.<\/em>\u201c \u00a0That's why the Bible says, I believe it's in 2 Corinthians 6:2, \u2018[Today]\u2019 \u201cnow is the day of salvation.<\/em>\u201d\r\n\r\nIf you're under a conviction for sin, righteousness and judgment,<\/strong> you are under that conviction because the Bible says that you would be put under it if you're an unbeliever.\u00a0 I was put under it. \u00a0If you're under that conviction, why would you gamble with your future and put a decision like this off? \u00a0The logical, normal thing to do is to respond to that convicting ministry by responding to Jesus. \u00a0The only way to respond to Jesus is to not<\/em><\/strong> commit the sin that he's convicting you of, which is unbelief\u2014<\/em><\/strong>the only<\/strong> sin that will send you into hell. \u00a0Unbelief<\/strong>. \u00a0Fix it. Believe<\/strong>. \u00a0Trust in what Jesus has done for you<\/strong>. \u00a0Don't trust in yourself, your denomination, your own religion, your works, your ability to be a good person. \u00a0The fact of the matter is, \u201cFor all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\nYet the answer is available in the person of Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice we pictorially celebrated earlier today, did we not? \u00a0The fact of the matter is Jesus did it all to bridge the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God, and He will only accept one condition to be made right with Him\u2014that's the transfer from unbelief<\/strong> to belief<\/strong>. \u00a0Belief means trust.<\/strong> \u00a0Trust in Him.<\/strong> \u00a0You don't have to walk an aisle, join a church to to do this. \u00a0It's a matter of conviction and privacy between you and the Lord, where you trust<\/strong> in Christ by Himself for the safekeeping of your soul. And God loves you so much that not only did He come into the world to accomplish this for you as the second member of the Godhead, but now the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead is dispatched into the world to bother you enough, for you to do this.\r\n\r\nAnd so it's a it's a beautiful picture of salvation that God has for all<\/em><\/strong> people. \u00a0It was there in the days of Noah, and it's there today. \u00a0But don't assume it's going to be there tomorrow. \u00a0I hope it is; I pray it is. \u00a0But<\/strong> \u201cMy Spirit,<\/em>\u201c God says, \u201cwill not strive with man forever.\u201d<\/em>\r\n\r\nYou can receive Christ just where you're seated. \u00a0If people are listening online, they can receive Christ just where they are. \u00a0If people are listening to this by way of archive years after the fact, they can receive Christ. \u00a0Don't hold out for a better offer. \u00a0You're not going to get one. \u00a0And if it's something that you need more information on, I'm available after the service to talk.\r\n\r\nBut next week we continue with this passage picking it up at Genesis 6:4, where we're going to begin talking about the Nephilim.\r\n\r\nSo let's pray. \u00a0Father, we're grateful for this ancient truth. \u00a0We're grateful for Your Word. \u00a0We're grateful for how it speaks directly into our lives. \u00a0We're grateful for the grace that you extended prior to the Flood. \u00a0And we're grateful for the grace today. \u00a0We just pray today that there would be many who would receive it. \u00a0We ask these things in Jesus\u2019 name, and God's people said\u2026<\/em>\r\n\r\n ","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t