RACHETÉS DE L’ETERNEL EVITEZ LES MAUVAISES INFLUENCES / REDEEMED OF THE LORD AVOID THE WRONG INFLUENCES

CHRIST THE ROCK CONGREGATION

Sunday September 11th 2022

Sermon by Pastor Marc E Simeon

RACHETÉS DE L’ETERNEL EVITEZ LES MAUVAISES INFLUENCES  

REDEEMED OF THE LORD AVOID THE WRONG INFLUENCES

Galates 5:16-17 Je dis donc: Marchez selon l’Esprit, et vous n’accomplirez pas les désirs de la chair.17 Car la chair a des désirs contraires à ceux de l’Esprit, et l’Esprit en a de contraires à ceux de la chair; ils sont opposés entre eux, afin que vous ne fassiez point ce que vous voudriez.

Ga 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

INTRODUCTION

• We live in an era where people live by the influences of others consciously and unconsciously.
• The lives of a great many are dictated by values and concepts that are foreign to them.
• Mankind is now behaving like monkeys, mimicking everything we see without questioning the rationality of our behaviors.
• Many a times if you were to ask someone,” why did you do what you just did,” he or she would reply “I have no clue as why.”
• People find themselves following dead and idolatrous traditions without questioning the root of it.
• Many fox grow up hating people who have never offended them because they inherited the hate from their families.
• We now have several lobbyists out there to deter the way people think.  
• The business world has mastered the trend of human behaviors to their profit and they reduce people to zombies.
• We are inundated with advertisements of all sorts these days.
• Who is not tired with the junk mails that are coming out of our ears?
• You can’t watch anything without it being uninterrupted by endless commercials.
• As we are days away to election, most of the ads on television and Social Medias are about one politician tearing down another to prove that he or she is the better choice.
• There is an aggressive campaign going on to promote the gay and lesbian lifestyle which is evidenced in most of the commercials and movies that are coming out these days.
• There are extremists from of venues that want to control the minds of people these days and they are not ashamed of it.
• Today, with God’s grace, I would like to stress on the importance of avoiding bad influences in our lives.
• Christians need to detoxicate  themselves with the World of God on a daily basis.

Ro 12:1 ¶ Je vous exhorte donc, frères, par les compassions de Dieu, à offrir vos corps comme un sacrifice vivant, saint, agréable à Dieu, ce qui sera de votre part un culte raisonnable.

 2 Ne vous conformez pas au siècle présent, mais soyez transformés par le renouvellement de l’intelligence, afin que vous discerniez quelle est la volonté de Dieu, ce qui est bon, agréable et parfait.

Ro 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  

DEFINITION OF INFLUENCE  

• The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. (Google)
• Causing something without any direct or apparent effort
• The effect of one thing (or person) on another
• Induce into action by using one’s charm
• https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/influence

QUOTATIONS ON INFLUENCE

 “To be of good quality, you have to excuse yourself from the presence of shallow and callow [immature, naïve] minded individuals.” Michael Bassey Johnson

“Keeping bad company is like being in a germ-infested area. You never know what you’ll catch.”― Frank Sonnenberg

“Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”― Dan Pena

Pr 4:23 Garde ton coeur plus que toute autre chose, Car de lui viennent les sources de la vie.

 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

EXAMPLE OF BAD INFLUENCES IN THE BIBLE

• The human race fell in sin and lost paradise due to the influence of the devil.
• God had to wipe out the entire human race because of the influences of the fallen angels who introduced the human race to all sorts of atrocities and sexual perversions.
• Sometimes, the bad influence can be traced to one person.
• Balak influenced Balaam to curse the children of Israel for money. Nu 22:15-22; 2Pe 2:15
• Thanks to the advices of Balaam, the Children of Israel were introduced to inter racial relationship with the pagan nations and were chastised severely by God.
• Because of the influence of Achan, the Children of Israel had known a humiliating defeat in battle on the other side of the Jordan. Jos 7:21
• The licentious lifestyle of David causes his family and the whole country to a great shame and confusion.
• Because of David, incest, murder, disgrace, shame, and civil war were registered in the land. 2Sa 11:2-5
• David did a census against God’s will and the whole nation was chastised for it.
• Even in his deathbed, David was given a young lady to be with for fantasy sake.
• Because of Salomon, several pagan temples were erected in Israel in his lifetime.
• Because of Salomon, God allowed the nation of Israel to be divided although it happened after his death.
•  

1King 11 :6-11

6 Et Salomon fit ce qui est mal aux yeux de l’Éternel, et il ne suivit point pleinement l’Éternel, comme David, son père.

 7 Alors Salomon bâtit sur la montagne qui est en face de Jérusalem un haut lieu pour Kemosch, l’abomination de Moab, et pour Moloc, l’abomination des fils d’Ammon.

 8 Et il fit ainsi pour toutes ses femmes étrangères, qui offraient des parfums et des sacrifices à leurs dieux.

 9 ¶ L’Éternel fut irrité contre Salomon, parce qu’il avait détourné son cœur de l’Éternel, le Dieu d’Israël, qui lui était apparu deux fois.

 10 Il lui avait à cet égard défendu d’aller après d’autres dieux ; mais Salomon n’observa point les ordres de l’Éternel.

 11 Et l’Éternel dit à Salomon : Puisque tu as agi de la sorte, et que tu n’as point observé mon alliance et mes lois que je t’avais prescrites, je déchirerai le royaume de dessus toi et je le donnerai à ton serviteur. Ne 13 :26

• Because of Jeroboam, The whole Northern kingdom of Israel began to worship Idols.
• The whole Northern Kingdom of Israel became dissolved due to the idolatry tracing back from Jeroboam.

BE AWARE OF THE BAD INFLUENCES OF SPIRITUAL LEADERS

• One of the most peculiar means for the devil to contaminate God’s people is by using false spiritual leaders.
• No one should follow their spiritual leaders blindly.
• The Word of God is the compass by which all should build their faith.
• There are many spiritual leaders who have started well with God and deviate along the way.
• You have to keep monitoring them to see if they are still walking with God.
• Be aware that some spiritual leaders will use the title of their office to make false prophecies.
• People are enriching themselves on the backs of poor Christians by saying “God told me.”
• Christians have lost all their credits in this world because these wolves in sheep clothing.

THE OLD DISGRACED PROPHET OF ISRAEL

• Servants of God must discriminate which mentor to draw to and which one to distance themselves from.
• An old prophet who was disconnected with God caused the disobedience and death of an innocent prophet from Judah.
• The old prophet did not want people to know that God no longer communicated with him.
• God sent a prophet from Judah to rebuke Jeroboam king of the Northern Kingdom for his idolatry in the land.
• God said do not eat nor drink anything from that land, and do not go back in the way you came in.

   1Rois 13:11-24

11 ¶ Or il y avait un vieux prophète qui demeurait à Béthel. Ses fils vinrent lui raconter toutes les choses que l’homme de Dieu avait faites à Béthel ce jour-là, et les paroles qu’il avait dites au roi. Lorsqu’ils en eurent fait le récit à leur père,

 12 il leur dit: Par quel chemin s’en est-il allé? Ses fils avaient vu par quel chemin s’en était allé l’homme de Dieu qui était venu de Juda.

 13 Et il dit à ses fils: Sellez-moi l’âne. Ils lui sellèrent l’âne, et il monta dessus.

 14 Il alla après l’homme de Dieu, et il le trouva assis sous un térébinthe. Il lui dit: Es-tu l’homme de Dieu qui est venu de Juda? Il répondit: Je le suis.

 15 Alors il lui dit: Viens avec moi à la maison, et tu prendras quelque nourriture.

 16 Mais il répondit: Je ne puis ni retourner avec toi, ni entrer chez toi. Je ne mangerai point de pain, je ne boirai point d’eau avec toi en ce lieu-ci;

 17 car il m’a été dit, par la parole de l’Éternel: Tu n’y mangeras point de pain et tu n’y boiras point d’eau, et tu ne prendras pas à ton retour le chemin par lequel tu seras allé.

 18 Et il lui dit: Moi aussi, je suis prophète comme toi; et un ange m’a parlé de la part de l’Éternel, et m’a dit: Ramène-le avec toi dans ta maison, et qu’il mange du pain et boive de l’eau. Il lui mentait.

 19 L’homme de Dieu retourna avec lui, et il mangea du pain et but de l’eau dans sa maison.

 20 Comme ils étaient assis à table, la parole de l’Éternel fut adressée au prophète qui l’avait ramené.

 21 Et il cria à l’homme de Dieu qui était venu de Juda: Ainsi parle l’Éternel: Parce que tu as été rebelle à l’ordre de l’Éternel, et que tu n’as pas observé le commandement que l’Éternel, ton Dieu, t’avait donné;

 22 parce que tu es retourné, et que tu as mangé du pain et bu de l’eau dans le lieu dont il t’avait dit: Tu n’y mangeras point de pain et tu n’y boiras point d’eau, -ton cadavre n’entrera pas dans le sépulcre de tes pères.

 23 ¶ Et quand le prophète qu’il avait ramené eut mangé du pain et qu’il eut bu de l’eau, il sella l’âne pour lui.

 24 L’homme de Dieu s’en alla: et il fut rencontré dans le chemin par un lion qui le tua. Son cadavre était étendu dans le chemin; l’âne resta près de lui, et le lion se tint à côté du cadavre.

• I am here today to tell you to stay away from anyone who deviates from the Word of God.
• In search for power and miracles, Christians have flooded the churches of some miracle working leaders without questioning where their powers come from.
• It has become an outcry in Africa and Haiti and all over the world, that so called spiritual leaders are introducing pagan cabalistic practices in the evangelical churches these days.
• Many young Christian leaders are introduced to occultism people they viewed as mentors and spiritual fathers.
• Everyone must give account to God for their actions.
• No one will be excused by saying “I was deceived.”
• God will say, “You had the Bible, why didn’t you use it?”
• Don’t follow me or anyone else blindly.
• Be fanatical of Jesus and Jesus alone.

 CONCLUSION

• Christians everywhere, we all have to be vigilant because we are living in the last days.
• The enemy is changing trick everyday to land his most potent blow to the church.
• You must know that the Christian life is a solitary pilgrimage.
• Do not join anyone in any practice until you see it black and white in the bible.
• Don’t be sidetracked by the high spirituality that they are selling out there.
• There is no such thing as high spirituality in the Christian faith.
• We all partake in the same pool of grace.
• What impresses God is not the casting out demon but holy living.
• Holy living is the only assurance of one’s salvation.

A l’Église de Pergame:

•  14 Mais j’ai quelque chose contre toi, c’est que tu as là des gens attachés à la doctrine de Balaam, qui enseignait à Balak à mettre une pierre d’achoppement devant les fils d’Israël, pour qu’ils mangeassent des viandes sacrifiées aux idoles et qu’ils se livrassent à l’impudicité.
•  15 De même, toi aussi, tu as des gens attachés pareillement à la doctrine des Nicolaïtes.
•  16 Repens-toi donc; sinon, je viendrai à toi bientôt, et je les combattrai avec l’épée de ma bouche.

A l’ange de l’Église de Thyatire:

• 20 Mais ce que j’ai contre toi, c’est que tu laisses la femme Jézabel, qui se dit prophétesse, enseigner et séduire mes serviteurs, pour qu’ils se livrent à l’impudicité et qu’ils mangent des viandes sacrifiées aux idoles.

A l’ange de l’Église de Sardes:

• Je sais que tu passes pour être vivant, et tu es mort.
• I want everyone to examine your life to see if it reflects God or something else.
• Be prompt to remove all the non essentials in your life to foster a closer walk with God.
• Rituals and traditions are detrimental to the spiritual development of a Christian.
• Cleanses yourselves from all impurities whether from the world or so called place of worship.
• Lu 10:20 Cependant, ne vous réjouissez pas de ce que les esprits vous sont soumis; mais réjouissez-vous de ce que vos noms sont écrits dans les cieux.

• AMEN