GYC 2013: Before Men and Angels

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Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC)

GYC 2013 Seminar: The Most Important Book Outside of the Bible - A Deeper Look at The Great Controversy

Norman McNulty

01-The Most Important Book Outside of the Bible

Brian Hindman

02-Lessons From the Church in the Wilderness and the Reformation

04-Satan’s End-Time Strategies and God’s Safeguard

05-Standing Through the Final Crisis

06-Urgency, Fidelity, and You

03-Adventism’s Prophetic Message in the Great Controversy

This message was presented at the DYC 2013 conference, Before Man and Angels, in Orlando, Florida.

For other resources like this, visit us online at www.dycweb.org.

All right, I have a tendency to move around so I don't know if that'll be good or bad if I'm tethered here behind a platform.

But anyway, would it not seem likely that Satan would attempt to put in our paths every distraction, every pitfall that he could conjure up to make our experience and our hold on our faith and on Jesus Christ more difficult.

We're going to look at this afternoon, this is present, relevant, practical, powerful information, snares of Satan.

I thought this was an interesting picture here.

I kind of referenced that earlier in Matthew 7, 15.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

And God has seen fit to give each 1 of us a special message that tells us the work of what Satan is doing and that's in The Great Controversy, this book The Great Controversy.

I'd like to read a passage from Revelation 12 going back to that famous chapter again on the great controversy.

It says, and the great dragon was cast out.

That old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him.

Well, I have since GYC 2 years ago my wife and I have ventured out into having a community Bible study and we meet in our community every Thursday evening at a soup kitchen area.

It's kind of a neutral area in town and we have attracted several non-Adventists.

And when we were going through 1 of our Bible studies on just our fundamental belief on the great controversy, this verse right here when we were reading it, you know I've probably as an Adventist growing up Adventist read it a thousand times, there was a non-Adventist fellow who said, look it says the dragon or Satan is deceiving the whole world.

And I had the hardest time convincing him.

That's not exactly what it's saying You know if you want to add some real challenge to your spiritual understanding of Scripture Study with other people that don't understand our truths that need to know our truths And so to me it has become more apparent and I've become much more aware.

But if you read it carefully I think the only translation that came close to really saying what I think it's saying is Young's literal translation, the YLT.

And they say, who is leading astray the whole world.

In other words, his modus operandi is to lead the world astray.

And so, are you aware that he's trying to do that to you today even while you sit here comfortably at GYC?

He is trying to lead you astray and so we need to be on our guard for his devices.

So I want to run through a bunch of great counsel given in the book, The Great Controversy.

This is called, the chapter is The Snares of Satan.

And some specific examples of what Satan is trying to do that we need to be aware of.

The first thing we're gonna look at, spiritual darkness.

And she says, to hold the people in darkness and in penitence till the Savior's meditation is ended and there is no longer a sacrifice for sin is the object which he, that is Satan, seeks to accomplish.

You're fine and comfortable where you are just stay in darkness everything's okay there's nothing to worry about.

If Satan can convince people to just stay where they are and not be active and and seeking the truth then that's just what he desires That is just the object which he is seeking to accomplish.

And spiritual darkness reminds me of John 3, 19, where we find there, and this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world, but what did men really like?

I want to keep on following and living my sinful lifestyle the light of truth that points out what is righteousness and what is sin.

I'm not interested because it goes against my sinful character.

Well, we need to be aware this is 1 of Satan's snares.

Question before I read this statement here.

Where does God place his seal on his remnant people?

Alright, right there in the forehead, right in their mind.

And so, would it be significant or important that Satan would also seek to implant his own stamp or signature in our minds.

Notice what she says here, with the same object, he that is Satan is in attendance when men assemble for the worship of God.

Is it possible that he is here and as evil angels even now?

And we know from the Bible account of course that the Gospels tell us that even when Jesus was in the synagogue that there were men that were possessed with evil spirits.

Though hidden from sight, he, Satan, is working with all diligence to control the minds of worshippers even when they're in church, when they're trying to worship God.

Folks, we need to be on our guard and make sure that we do not allow Satan to distract us and deceive us with what we focus and keep our attention on.

1 of my favorite Bible verses, 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5 says, casting down imaginations, that has to do with our thinking, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity, how many thoughts?

Every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Well I think there's a scripture that says, with man, this is impossible, but not so with God.

We serve a God who is a God of impossibilities.

With God, all things are possible if we will commit our ways to him.

So, we need to be aware that Satan is seeking to control our minds and I'm going to have some more to say about that.

So this is not- these are not things- when you read the title don't think this is what I'm encouraging you to do.

This is what Satan is encouraging you to do.

Satan well knows that all whom he can lead to neglect prayer and the searching of the scriptures, what does it say, will be overcome by his attacks.

Therefore he invents every possible device to engross the mind." Oh, my dear brothers and sisters, have you seen some of the devices that Satan has invented to preoccupy our minds and take them away from a love of spiritual truth, of spiritual things.

As you can see up here from some of the pictures I just went through, we've got a little kid watching TV, We've got some little kids there playing video games.

We've got some people that are someone rather playing a game on their smartphone.

Just the other day I checked on the the Apple Store and looked through, I don't know, I'm sure probably a lot of you with smartphones, whether it's the Google Store, Google Play Store, or the Apple Store, the top 25 most popular applications.

And I enjoy looking through just to see sometimes, you know, what's out there.

And when I look, this was about a week or 2 ago and I know it changes every day but 24 out of the top 25 apps were games and entertainment.

There's constantly new games, new entertainment ways of being preoccupied and taking us away from what's coming up in the second half of my presentation later on in a few minutes, the safeguard that God has given to us, His holy divine word.

So, the number of TV channels is unbelievable.

I tried to look up and see if I could find out how many there are.

I think the United States has over 5, 000 different TV channels in just the United States.

Programming, Have you ever thought about what that word means?

We have programs for you to watch so you can be programmed to think the way that we think.

My Bible says, do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind and of course that transformation takes place when I'm taking in and studying God's Holy Word.

So we cannot neglect prayer and Bible study.

Have you ever been tempted to doubt or disbelieve or just see nothing but obstacles in your path?

Well that's Satan's purposeful attempt at trying to harass and in some way weaken the faith of the remnant.

Notice what she says, it is his plan to bring into the church insincere, unregenerate elements that will encourage doubt and unbelief and hinder all who desire to see the work of God advance and to advance with it.

Folks, do not let people and their doubts and disbelief bring you down from doing what God's will is.

Do not let that happen because we know we are not ignorant, Paul says, of Satan's devices.

There will always be doubters, there will always be people that will disbelieve.

And it reminds me of when Jesus, after his resurrection, he appeared in Galilee, I believe it was to upwards of 500 people and even then Ellen White writes the Bible actually says still some doubted and Ellen White comments on that verse that when they saw Jesus and could even see the marks of his crucifixion, she says, referring to those that doubt, so it has always been, so it will ever be.

But I want to just also make a comment about something in Desire of Ages, a statement that has been a blessing to me about doubt.

Ellen White writes and says in Desire of Ages page 323, men are influenced by their own words.

Series

GYC 2013 Seminar: The Most Important Book Outside of the Bible - A Deeper Look at The Great Controversy

04-Satan’s End-Time Strategies and God’s Safeguard

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Attachments

Knees, Keys, and Please!

2. Encountering God

1h 5m

Modern-day Millerites

37m

GYC 2012 Seminar: Conversion - My Own, Around Me and On the Go

A Shift in Gears

1h

MTYC 2010 Breakout Seminar - Relationship

Am I His Witness?

48m

Medical Missionary Work & the Three Angels' Message

4. Medical Missionary Work: The Motive & the Power

51m

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Sanctuary

07 The Altar of Incense

1h 11m

Plenary

Lamp Feet

57m

Morning Devotional: It's War Time

It’s Wartime - Part 3: Wartime Communication

58m

Relentless Prayer

4. Relentless Prayer

51m

The Kingdom Lost: Spiritualism Goes Mainstream

1h 28m

The Most Helpful Method: Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

59m

Relentless Prayer

5. Relentless Prayer

53m

Sound Doctrine