The Many Voices of the Endtime

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There are an abundance of voices speaking in our world today, and in the future there will be even more. Many are unnecessary to hear. Some are dangerous to hear. But they all create a static. We need to tune our ears to the Lord and our Pastor.

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Transcript

The Many Voices of the Endtime

Text

Mark 4:21–25 KJV 1900

21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? 22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. 23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

“Take heed to what you hear...”

TITLE: “THE MANY VOICES OF THE ENDTIME”

Many Voices

Static

One of the greatest dangers of the internet (among many) in our day is that there is a massive AMPLIFICATION of voices throughout the world.

Does anyone know what White Noise is? You know, back in the day, when there wasn’t a connection or a signal on a TV, you would hear this static sound. Kinda creepy!

{HAVE WHITE NOISE PLAYING}

Podcasts

Facebook Live

Reels/Video clips

Anyone can record, anyone can upload!

{CONTINUE TURNING UP WHITE NOISE UNTIL IT’S HARD TO HEAR WHAT’S SAID}

IT’S TOO MUCH!!!

{ABRUPTLY CUT OFF WHITE NOISE SOUND}

Let me tell you something today, that static sound is the norm. That static is sought after.

And we need to be able cut it out in order to hear a PARTICULAR voice.

It’s hard to hear a PARTICULAR voice when you’ve grown accustomed to hearing MANY voices.

Take Heed

So Jesus is teaching and, whereas He often talks in parables and stories and examples, there were some times that He would become pretty direct. Sort of like when he called the scribes and Pharisees a generation of vipers and then asked them how they think they plan on escaping hellfire. He could be direct!

And our text was a direct moment… a warning and an instruction. He’s talking about a candle (Himself). And that it’s not just meant to be hid. Even though for a time, the mystery of Jesus would remain a mystery, one day Jesus will be manifested in all His glory before everyone at the second coming.

And so, until then, what we hear is vitally important…

Mark 4:23–25 KJV 1900

23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

Here, the meaning is that the more one listens to the word of Jesus with spiritual perception and internalizes it, the more the truth about Jesus will be revealed.

Is that your experience?

I don’t know about you, but I want to have more and more revealed to me about Him all the time! I want to get revelation! And so I want to listen to the right thing!!!

But… I would say that there must be a flip-side to that. The more that one listens to what is NOT the word of Jesus, WITHOUT spiritual perception… the more confusion they will remain in and the less will be revealed to them.

So, what then? I have to conclude here that it is vitally important that I pay attention to what I am listening to and that I hear the right things! “Take heed what ye hear…”

I’ve mentioned this before, but my intake is what determines my outflow…

Matthew 12:34 KJV 1900

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Now, I want my mouth to match the Kingdom! So, what enters my heart is a concern.

You know, I have “entry points” into my heart and my spirt. My eyes. My ears. We used to sing “Be careful little eyes what you see!”

Psalm 101:3 KJV 1900

3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Matthew 6:22–23 NLT

22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

And, it stands to reason, the next part of the song was, “Be careful little ears what you hear!” Because what we hear and what we listen to are vitally important! I have to tune out some things!

Rabbit Holes Aren’t Expedient!

So… there is this amplification of all sorts of voices in the world. A natural question is: “What is it that I need to tune out?”

1 Corinthians 10:23 KJV 1900

23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

1 Corinthians 10:23 ESV

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

There are an abundance of things that you can immerse yourself in. Not all of it is bad. But the vast majority of it is not helpful to you.

And my dear brother and sister, you can go down the rabbit hole of things so far that you don’t remember whether you’re coming or going!

Anybody know someone who stumbles onto a rabbit hole often? And you’re like, “Here we go.” And then you look back over there at them and their rabbit hole a bit later and their rabbit hole has become a full wind tunnel that they’re falling through to no end.

Crazy stuff people will get ahold of. The internet sure can facilitate that.

But not all of it is crazy stuff. There’s some stuff that is just not necessary for me to get involved with.

Moderation

Here is where we draw a line in the sand and start laying aside some weights! And there’s such a thing as MODERATION in holiness. Moderation is simply avoiding excesses and extremes.

And that scripture we just read is a valid scripture regarding moderation. Let me read it in yet another translation…

1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV

12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Proverbs 25:16 KJV 1900

16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

Proverbs 25:27 ESV

27 It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.

1 Corinthians 9:25 NLT

25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

Philippians 4:5 KJV 1900

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

So, as an example today… I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a child of God to have a certain political awareness. We need to generally understand what is happening in the world we’re in and the Church needs to have a voice about some of these things.

However… there are some Apostolics I know of… who are LIVING 24/7 IN THE WORLD OF NEWS AND POLITICS. And that’s not expedient!

What do we need? Moderation.

Many Voices Without Truth

Such an availability of so many voices today… and most of them not preaching truth.

And when I say truth, this is what I mean:

New Birth - repentance, baptism in Jesus name, and receiving the Holy Ghost (signified by tongues).

Oneness of God

Holiness Lifestyle

There are popular speakers with sold out crowds. And the setting and appearance is set up to make you believe that you need to hear what they have to say. No truth there. People clap…

You know, when they first started producing sitcoms and shows, they found out that by including the laughter of a crowd in what you hear when you watch, the viewers at home are much more likely to laugh, too. …And I just wonder… when the crowd in that video of that “preacher” is clapping and getting behind him… is that affirmation having effect on ME???

Let me tell you… I don’t clap and amen and shout unless I believe it and it’s truth!

But they do… people clap for popular speakers with eloquent messages, but it’s not the only saving message. Eloquence and anointing are most certainly not the same!

But in their eloquence, and the clapping, and the hype… they are influencing young AND old minds! APOSTOLIC young and old minds.

There are strange ideas that become spread abroad very easily today. Strange doctrines. Scripture mentions “doctrines of devils”.

Hebrews 13:8–9 NKJV

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

There are a great many voices in the endtime - getting louder and louder. We’ve got to know how to deal with that and have discernment!

I find the last two chapters of 2 Timothy to be very compelling today. And Because Timothy was a younger man of God who Paul knew was impressionable and he was in a world with a lot of voices that were speaking loudly, Paul was instructing him. And so in the writings to Timothy, I try to put myself in Timothy’s seat, and just let Paul talk to me and instruct me.

So, let’s all be Timothy for a minute. Hear what Paul has to say on this thing about the voices of the endtime…

2 Timothy 3:1–17 KJV 1900

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. 10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Timothy 4:1–5 KJV 1900

1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Many Apostolic Voices

Now let me take it a step further today… into the realm of Apostolic preaching.

There is an abundance of DAILY, HOURLY preaching that is out there and available. But I just want to issue a little warning today. You can listen to so much else out there that your mind can become so saturated, that when you come to the church, where your Pastor has received a burden and a Word from God for you… and your mind is so saturated that it doesn’t resonate!

The good preachers that you can hear daily may bless you… but the message they preached, they prayed and received that message for the congregation at that particular time. They weren’t praying to get a word for you.

And there’s a term I’ve heard thrown around out there… of somebody being “America’s Pastor.” I want to tell you there is no such thing. And internet preaching might be a blessing but it can’t pastor you!

Now, I’m going to make a firm statement here: You have a voice of God in your life. You’ll hear it in different ways (prayer, Scripture). But even when you’re not feeling like there’s much coming in those routes, the voice is still there… because your Pastor is the voice of God in your life!

I believe I can hear from God many different ways! Through the whole five fold ministry! But also, the evangelist isn’t my pastor! The prophet isn’t my pastor! I have my ear and my submission fully in place t my pastor!

I return to Hebrews 13… remember that verse we read about strange doctrines? Well here’s what it says before that:

Hebrews 13:7–9 ESV

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.

Now I want to ask you a question today… If someone is preparing you a meal for dinner, and you are coming to it, is it appropriate to stop and get a fast food meal on the way? Hmm…

To eat a meal on the way to dinner is not appropriate to the one who has sacrificed to prepare you a meal for dinner.

The man of God is the person God has chosen to lead and to feed me! And I SHOULD ARRIVE HUNGRY!!!

Let me tell you something: I bring a BIG PLATE to church! Anybody ever go to a buffet and they want to give you this little ole’ saucer? We better bring a BIG plate to church!

There’s some food out there you can get ahold of that tastes great, but doesn’t strengthen you. Cotton candy tastes great, but there’s no substance! We need a thick steak!

Hearing a Word from God

When the Body Hears

Let me talk for a bit about hearing, seeing, and speaking.

If you don’t hear right, you can’t see right. If you don’t see right, you can’t speak right. And if you don’t speak right, that is where you get into speaking things that are not completely of God.

SO… I believe that it is vitally important that the entire body learns how to hear from the Lord, learns how to speak of the Lord, and learns how to see what God is showing us because… we’re all parts of the body, right? The body of Christ.

If only the arm works, we’ve got a problem, right? The arm can’t do what the ear does. The ear can’t do what the foot does. So, we all need to grow in hearing God together.

So, watch this… do you know what happens to the pastor, the leader, the preacher, teacher, evangelist, prophet, apostle? What happens is, when the body can HEAR right, SEE right, and SPEAK right, because it’s in and throughout the church… because of that… God has already been dealing with the saints!

And so, now the response to the message is not just always, “Wow! I’ve never heard that before!” No! Now the response is, “What a great confirmation! That’s what God’s been talking to me about all week long! Wow!”

And now there’s a confirmation! That’s why the body needs to be able to hear right!

How’s your soil?

Now, Luke 8 is very interesting. It talks about soil types. And the seed is the word of God. And we’re looking at three of the four soil types mentioned: the wayside soil, the rocky soil, and the thorny soil. And just these three because they all have elements that actually block hearing…

Luke 8:11–14 KJV 1900

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

A lot of people live in these three elements, and they don't hear very well. The hardest thing for people to do is to hear the voice of God. I don't know why. But I know why—because people get caught in conditional use and only want to hear from God when they're in trouble. That is a very common thing across Pentecost and Christendom.

People want God to talk to them because they want an answer to their situation. I'm trying to get us to a level where God's voice is not an answer for your circumstance. God's voice is like your best friend's voice.

So, watch what happens here in Luke 8:12; you've got the wayside type. Every one of these (soil types) hear. But, it's the condition in which they hear that affects the outcome of what they've heard.

Someone can hear, “I love you.” However, if they've been abused, they hear it differently compared to a person that's never been abused. A person can hear, “I love you.” However, if they've fought all their lives, they hear it differently compared to a person that hasn't fought all their lives. Right? Same conditions are happening here.

Watch this. “Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” Interesting. So, here's the rock scenario. They hear too. “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” You can never really say, “Well, people just weren't listening.” No, they heard. Absolutely they heard. You can't really ever say they didn't hear. They did hear.

Luke 8:14 talks about the thorny one. It says, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life...” They just weren't paying attention to the word, right? NO, no, they were paying attention. They heard just like the rock people heard. They heard just like the wayside people heard. They heard. But the riches and pleasures of this life came and choked it out, and they “…bring no fruit to perfection.”

Then He talks about the good ground. Watch what Jesus says: “…the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, (they hear too) keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” So, they all heard. All four types heard. So, Jesus says that when he puts you in a position where you can hear, you can't be hit. When you can hear (and all four types can hear), you can't be hit.

So, in the process of hearing, He says, “Here's what I'm trying to accomplish: I'm trying to get you to the point that when you hear my word, it sounds just like it did when I said it, when it came from Heaven. And my word doesn't get altered when I speak it from my throne to your ears.” Does that make sense to you?

Think about it in this context. The closer you get to God, the purer the words get. The purer words get, the less questions you have. The fewer questions you have, the less you talk. Because, when you really hear God, in His purest state, I've watched you; you're usually lost in Him. You can hardly get up for a little while because you're too wiped out in the Spirit. The best you can do to communicate with God at that point is talk in tongues. Why? That is the purest language to talk to God in.

This is what I've found out; the closer you get to God, the fewer questions you ask. The further people are away from God, the more questions they seem to ask. It appears to me it's not because they're not hearing; it's in the condition in which they are hearing. What they're hearing is not coming in as pure as how it was said.

So, watch what He does. He says, “You'll be set like a candlestick, and everybody will see. For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, neither anything hid that shall not be known and come abroad.” That scripture is not God revealing your “stuff.” That's not God parading you in front of men, saying, “See what they did?” That's not what that scripture means. I've heard it preached that way. A lot of people have heard it that way—that God's not going to let anything you're doing in secret be hid. No, that's not what He's talking about.

What He's talking about is purifying the hearer. God is saying, “By the time I get done with my vessels that pursue me and want to hear me clearly, everything that would have exposed them in a negative connotation will be removed. So, what you're actually portraying is an absolute pure connotation of my Word which was made flesh and dwelt among us.” That's when people behold His glory! That's when people see His power.

God's not in the business of shaming us. He's in the business of saving us.

Luke 8:18 KJV 1900

18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

“Take heed, therefore...” (watch yourself now) not what you hear. What did he say?

“Take heed, therefore, how you hear.” He said, “Be careful. It's not that you're not hearing. No, no, no. You all hear. What you need to consider is how you're hearing. How is information being downloaded into your spirit? How is content, context, revelation, things preached, and things said or things being said coming through? How is it coming through? “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given. And whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”

Wait a minute. That's an odd place to put that statement because the entire context up to this point is about hearing. The culmination of all those points mentioned is how you hear. He said, “How you hear will determine what you get.” “Whoa! Oh God,” I thought. God said, “If you already have, and you start hearing the way I'm trying to get you to hear, you won't have to worry about asking for so much stuff.” He said, “I'll just start putting.” He said, “I'll take from the one who's not willing to hear the way I'm speaking, and I'll give it to somebody else.” And the other person who looked at him would say, “That's not fair. They keep getting blessed by God.” Check your hearing. “I don't like this; ‘so and so’ gets to be in the youth choir all the time. I never do. I have a good voice just like they do.” Check your hearing.

“Why did Brother Adam pick them to lead that particular class? I could have done a better job than that. I'm a better speaker.” Check your hearing. Why is something being taken from you and given to somebody else if God should be able to use you in that same capacity? There has got to be something about the way you're hearing. It's not that you're not doing. No. He just said the result of how you hear is just going to reflect the doing. He said, “It's not really the doing that I'm looking at, because the doing is just the result of the hearing.”

Conclusion

There is coming a day when all voices will be silenced that are not worshiping the Lord!

And in that way, there will only be one voice - HIS!

Philippians 2:9–11 KJV 1900

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.