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Hollywood Propaganda: The Insidious LGBT Agenda (Part Four)

Commentary by David F. Maas

Satan, disguising himself as an angel of light, easily deceives the gullible and unwary, just as he did with the first woman in the Garden of Eden, cunningly questioning God's command about the forbidden tree. The serpent assured her that eating the fruit would not bring death but would open her eyes to become like God, knowing good and evil. As the prince of the power of the air, satan influences the disobedient, using powerful tools like media and advertising to promote immorality and distort values. This pervasive influence floods homes with content that endorses evil and mocks good, challenging the faithful to resist and not grow accustomed to such corruption. The fear of the Lord compels a hatred for this evil, pride, arrogance, and the perverse messages broadcast by satan's dominion.

Avoiding Detrimental Assumptions

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

The concept of consenting to sin is a pervasive struggle within human nature, marked by the erroneous belief that God will condone wrongful actions. Many individuals rationalize their sins with the thought that God will understand their choices, presuming that He will accept their self-justification. However, God's understanding is not aligned with such human reasoning; He recognizes that this mindset reflects a failure to overcome sin. His inspired Word makes it clear that He does not tolerate self-justification or the assumption that He will overlook sin due to human weakness. The lack of proper fear of God often manifests as disobedience, disrespect for His authority, and a shortsighted view of His power. Without this reverence, individuals tend to disregard their wrongdoings, abusing God's longsuffering nature, which is meant to lead to repentance, and instead committing further sins. The choice between eternal life and death hinges on whether one fears God, a fear that results in obedience, awe, and veneration, bringing countless spiritual blessings. Human reasoning, fueled by pride, often blinds individuals to their sins, leading to presumptuous attitudes where they believe God will not mind their actions. Such self-confidence and reliance on personal strength contrast sharply with the need for a distrust of oneself and a dependence on God to avoid sin. The notion that God loves people just as they are can deceive many into thinking He does not care about their sins or their efforts to overcome them. Yet, God is working to transform individuals, requiring the old, worldly self to be replaced by a new, righteous nature, free from excuses like "God will understand." Even in moments of suffering or frustration, individuals may indirectly question God's fairness, coming close to accusing Him of not caring enough about their lesser sins. However, the little things, whether righteous or unrighteous, matter to God, and one must avoid rationalizing sin with the belief that He will overlook it. God's thoughts and ways are far above human understanding, and His silence should not be mistaken for approval or forgiveness. He calls for the abandonment of worldly plans and prideful thoughts, emphasizing that His pardon requires genuine repentance and alignment with His will. God's patience must not be confused with acceptance of sinful behavior. He rebukes the hypocritical thinking of those who believe He is like them in thought and action, assuming He will be satisfied with mere religious forms while ignoring principle, justice, and sincerity. His Word is a powerful, living force that penetrates the heart, exposing insincerity, unbelief, and hypocrisy. It lays bare the true motives and feelings, ensuring that no sin, even those committed under self-deception, escapes His notice or judgment. Ultimately, God sets a high moral standard, expecting individuals to strive for it with the help of His Spirit. He sees every thought, feeling, and attitude, and by one's words and actions, they will be justified or condemned. The fear of God, rooted in awe, reverence, and obedience, is essential for those who seek to align with His will, recognizing that consenting to sin under the guise of His understanding leads only to judgment, not approval.

Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Eleven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The doctrine of consenting to sin finds its clearest antidote in Romans chapter 6, where Paul directly confronts the notion that grace grants permission to continue sinning. Having established justification by faith in earlier chapters, Paul shifts in Romans 6 to address sanctification, asking pointedly, "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." Baptism symbolizes death to a former life of sin, burial with Christ, and resurrection to walk in "newness of life." Since believers are dead to sin through this symbolic burial, they cannot rightly continue yielding to it. Paul commands, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof," which in the Greek carries the force of "Stop letting sin rule your body"—a direct rebuke to those already practicing habitual sin under a false sense of liberty. He further instructs believers not to "yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin," but instead to present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness, since righteousness is defined as keeping God's commandments. This teaching stands against the ancient Gnostic practice of turning grace into license, described by Jude as "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness." The Gnostics, though claiming Christ as Savior, rejected Yahweh's law and thereby unknowingly rejected Christ Himself, since Yahweh and Christ are one. Their doctrine permitted sin because they had already redefined spiritual identity apart from moral obedience, dividing humanity into categories where the "spiritual" were exempt from ordinary restraint. This same pattern reappears in modern Christianity through dispensationalism, which teaches that God's law applied only to a past era and no longer binds believers under grace. Such reasoning creates a contradiction: churches urge good, law-abiding lives while officially teaching that the law is abolished. Yet Jesus explicitly declared He did not come to destroy the law, and when asked how to obtain eternal life, He answered, "Keep the commandments." Any doctrine that grants permission to disregard God's law directly opposes both Christ's words and His example of sinless obedience. Paul anticipates and refutes the argument that freedom from law-keeping justifies continued sin, again declaring, "God forbid," and reminding believers that yielding oneself as a servant to sin leads only to death, whereas yielding to righteousness leads to holiness. There is, therefore, no scriptural authorization permitting sin. Those who twist Paul's writings, as Peter warns, do so "unto their own destruction." True faith, rightly understood, produces obedience rather than excusing disobedience, since faith without corresponding law-keeping cannot demonstrate genuine submission to God. Ultimately, consenting to sin reflects a failure to recognize the personal relationship believers have with Christ, to whom they are joined through baptism and to whom they owe wholehearted devotion rather than divided loyalty between grace and licentiousness.

Addiction, Slavery, and Serving

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

As God calls people to service in the church, He demands that they not be enslaved to alcohol or any other lust, but have their desires under control.

Purpose-Driven Churches (Part 6)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The act of consenting to sin is a grave matter, deeply intertwined with the deceptive influences that pervade human actions and societal structures. When individuals yield to enticing offers that lead to unlawful or sinful behavior, they align themselves with forces opposed to God's truth. Scripture warns against such consent, emphasizing the personal responsibility to reject participation in schemes that defy divine will. These schemes, often cloaked in promises of personal gain or power, lure individuals into actions that ultimately serve destructive ends, contrary to the corrective and redemptive purposes of God. Satan, as the generator of lies, incessantly promotes conspiracies that draw people away from God, manipulating through deceit to achieve his aim of destruction. his influence permeates through generations, perpetuating plans that seek to enslave and destroy, often under the guise of unity or progress. In contrast, God's involvement in these events is always corrective, setting limits to ensure that His purpose of repentance and redemption prevails, even as He permits certain actions to unfold for the testing and improvement of His servants. The subtle drift toward idolatry and polytheism, seen in organizations that equate all beliefs as equal, exemplifies the danger of consenting to sin. Such groups, while claiming alignment with divine principles, fail to uphold the exclusive truth of God, accepting diverse philosophies on par with His Word. This acceptance fosters a unity that divides individuals from God's truth, leading them into spiritual deception and away from the hope of being one with Him in His Kingdom. True unity with God demands adherence to His terms, rejecting any compromise that consents to falsehood or sin.