Lord, Please Dont Let The Stealers Win

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Lord, Please Dont Let The Stealers Win!

• October 20,2002 PM Worship
• Pisgah Church of Christ
• By Alan Steele

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What About Praying That Your Team Will Win?

• Selfish Prayer
• (James 42-3 KJV) Ye lust, and have not ye
  kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain ye
  fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask
  not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask
  amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
• OK to pray before a Game.
• Pray for Good Conduct, Sportsmanship, Example
• I Doubt God Cares Who Wins A Ball Game.

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Lord, Please Dont Let The Stealers Win!
VS.
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Its Not About A Football Game

• Its About Life
• Its About Your Life
• Its About Your Soul
• Will You Win or Lose
• Its About Real Stealers

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Lord, Please Dont Let The Stealers Win!

• Absalom Stole The Hearts of Israel
• (2 Sam 154-6 KJV) Absalom said moreover, Oh
  that I were made judge in the land, that every
  man which hath any suit or cause might come unto
  me, and I would do him justice! 5 And it was
  so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him
  obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him,
  and kissed him. 6 And on this manner did
  Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for
  judgment so Absalom stole the hearts of the men
  of Israel.
• Will You Let Your Heart Be Stolen Away From Your
  King?
• If So, The Stealers Win and You Lose

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• I. Lusts Pleasures
• Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling.
• Innocent Amusements.

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Excerpt FromParable of The Sower

• (Mark 418-19 KJV) And these are they which are
  sown among thorns such as hear the word, 19
  And the cares of this world, and the
  deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other
  things entering in, choke the word, and it
  becometh unfruitful.

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• I. Lusts Pleasures
• Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling.
• Innocent Amusements.
• Understanding The Word Lust.

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Epithumia G1939A Strong Desire

• (Luke 2215 KJV) And he said unto them, With
  desire I have desired to eat this passover with
  you before I suffer
• (Phil 123-24 KJV) For I am in a strait betwixt
  two, having a desire to depart, and to be with
  Christ which is far better 24 Nevertheless to
  abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
• (1 Tim 31 KJV) This is a true saying, If a man
  desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good
  work.

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• I. Lusts Pleasures
• Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling.
• Innocent Amusements.
• Understanding The Word Lust.
• Lust of Other Things

If you let other things steal your heart away
from God-- THE STEALERS WIN AND YOU LOSE!
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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God

• II. EVIL COMPANIONSHIPS
• Who we associate with influences us.

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A cunning Stealer --Evil Companionships

• (1 Cor 1533 KJV) Be not deceived evil
  communications corrupt good manners.
• (NIV) Bad company corrupts good character.

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A cunning Stealer --Evil Companionships

• (Prov 110-16 KJV) My son, if sinners entice
  thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come
  with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk
  privily for the innocent without cause 12 Let
  us swallow them up alive as the grave and whole,
  as those that go down into the pit 13 We shall
  find all precious substance, we shall fill our
  houses with spoil 14 Cast in thy lot among us
  let us all have one purse 15 My son, walk not
  thou in the way with them refrain thy foot from
  their path 16 For their feet run to evil, and
  make haste to shed blood.

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God

• II. EVIL COMPANIONSHIPS
• Who we associate with influences us.
• This lesson is a hard one to learn!

• Its hard to run with a herd of goats and not
  end up smelling like one.
• Companions who will cunningly steal your heart.
• Young people -- looking for a mate!!!
• VITAL TO ASSOCIATE WITH CHRISTIANS

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• III. MOVIES, TV, INTERNET, ETC.
• Internet.
• Great for research -- But WATCH OUT!
• TV.
• Average kid 25 - 30 hours week!

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Television -- The Great Desensitizer

• (Jer 615-16 KJV) Were they ashamed when they
  had committed abomination? nay, they were not at
  all ashamed, neither could they blush therefore
  they shall fall among them that fall at the time
  that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith
  the LORD. 16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in
  the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
  where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye
  shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We
  will not walk therein.

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Television -- The Great Desensitizer
Friends -- Gay Marriage Casual Sex, Anti-Family
Murphy Brown -- Single Mom
Ellen Degeneres Gays coming out.
Dad is an idiot Simpsons Everyone loves
Raymond Married with Children
New Reality TV
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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• III. MOVIES, TV, INTERNET, ETC.
• Internet.
• Great for research -- But WATCH OUT!
• TV.
• Average kid 25 - 30 hours week!

• MOVIES.
• They dont bother us anymore!

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They dont bother us anymore --The Movies

• (Titus 211-13 KJV) For the grace of God that
  bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12
  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly
  lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and
  godly, in this present world 13 Looking for
  that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
  the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• III. MOVIES, TV, INTERNET, ETC.
• Internet.
• Great for research -- But WATCH OUT!
• TV.
• Average kid 25 - 30 hours week!

• MOVIES.
• They dont bother us anymore!

If these things steal our VIRTUE, stain our
HEARTS, and rob us of our MORALITY
THE STEALERS WIN AND WE LOSE!
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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• IV. False Teachers
• False teachers are always stealers!

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False TeachersThey are always Stealers!

• (2 Pet 21 KJV) But there were false prophets
  also among the people, even as there shall be
  false teachers among you, who privily shall bring
  in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that
  bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
  destruction.

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• IV. False Teachers
• False teachers are always stealers!
• BEWARE -- Not always obvious!

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False TeachersThey are always Stealers!

• (Col 28 NIV) See to it that no one takes you
  captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
  which depends on human tradition and the basic
  principles of this world rather than on Christ.

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• IV. False Teachers
• False teachers are always stealers!
• BEWARE -- Not always obvious!
• TV-Evangelists, They sure do speak well!

• Hes wrong on Baptism -- I just wish he would
  change on that

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TV EvangalistHes wrong on MANY things

• Doctrine of original sin.
• Holy Spirit -- Direct communication
• Word of God -- Not perfect
• Oneness of God
• (Eph 44-6 KJV) There is one body, and one
  Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your
  calling 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
  6 One God and Father of all, who is above all,
  and through all, and in you all
• FUTRE -- pre-mellenialism.
• SALVATION-- Faith only

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• IV. False Teachers
• False teachers are always stealers!
• BEWARE -- Not always obvious!
• TV-Evangelists, They sure do speak well!

• Hes wrong on Baptism -- I just wish he would
  change on that!

• Hes so easy to listen to. He even uses
  scripture.

• We need to Mark and Indentify False Teachers.

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False TeachersIdentify, mark and avoid them

• (Rom 1617-18 KJV) Now I beseech you, brethren,
  mark them which cause divisions and offences
  contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned
  and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve
  not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly
  and by good words and fair speeches deceive the
  hearts of the simple.

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False TeachersIdentify, mark and avoid them

• (2 Cor 113 KJV) But I fear, lest by any means,
  as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety,
  so your minds should be corrupted from the
  simplicity that is in Christ.

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False TeachersIdentify, mark and avoid them

• (2 Pet 316-17 KJV) As also in all his epistles,
  speaking in them of these things in which are
  some things hard to be understood, which they
  that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do
  also the other scriptures, unto their own
  destruction. 17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing
  ye know these things before, beware lest ye also,
  being led away with the error of the wicked, fall
  from your own stedfastness.

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4 Stealers That Will Try To Steal Your Heart Away
From God!

• IV. False Teachers
• False teachers are always stealers!
• BEWARE -- Not always obvious!
• TV-Evangelists, They sure do speak well!

• Hes wrong on Baptism -- I just wish he would
  change on that!

• Hes so easy to listen to. He even uses
  scripture.
• We need to Mark and Indentify False Teachers.

Peter is saying, Dont let a false teacher steal
your heart away from God. If you do, the STEALERS
win and YOU LOSE.
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ConclustionIts not a game!

• Not about the Pittsburgh Steelers
• There are Stealers everywhere.

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ConclusionIts about your SOUL!

• (Deu 3019 KJV) I call heaven and earth to
  record this day against you, that I have set
  before you life and death, blessing and cursing
  therefore choose life, that both thou and thy
  seed may live

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ConclustionIts not a game!

• Not about the Pittsburgh Steelers
• There are Stealers everywhere.

You MUST choose tonight! LIFE
DEATH Please, Choose LIFE!