Secrets Unsealed

What Jesus Said

Stephen Bohr

1. The Word of God

2. The Unconditional Love of God

3. How Jesus Understood His Self Identity

4. Good and Evil

5. Moses and Jesus

6. Overcoming Life’s Mistakes

7. How to Pray

8. Family Values

9. Relief From Stress

10. History’s Greatest Hoax

11. Holy Spirit Baptism

12. Life and Death

13. Peace in the Middle East

14. The Rapture of the Saints

15. The Final Judgment

16. The End of Evil

17. The Secrets of Health and Wealth

18. The Return of Elijah

19. Religion and Politics

20. The Abomination of Desolation

21. The Unpardonable Sin

22. Prophets and Psychics

We have a very important subject to study tonight, the Bible's secret of health and wealth.

I'd like to invite you to look up in your Bibles our first reference in our study tonight.

It's found in Isaiah chapter 14 and we want to read verses 12 through 14.

And we've read this before but it's necessary to read it again because it's going to shed light on what we're going to study tonight.

Of course, this is speaking about the original sin of Lucifer in heaven.

Now, I want you to notice what the main sin was that he committed.

How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!

For you have said in your heart, notice that before he's cast down, he said something in his heart.

For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven.

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.

There's no doubt whatsoever that the great sin which is described here is the sin of self-love, greed, covetousness, Selfishness, or whatever other synonym you want to give to this sin.

You notice that 6 times in this passage of 3 verses, the word I is used.

In other words, the great problem which originated sin in the universe was the problem of selfishness, self-centeredness.

Now, if you go to Ezekiel chapter 28, we're not going to read the whole passage, But I'd just like to say that in Ezekiel chapter 28, once again, the sin of this being, Lucifer, is described.

And if you read that chapter carefully, you're going to discover that Lucifer really was guilty of 4 sins.

And all of them, of course, are related to pride and self-centeredness.

The first of those is, it says there in Ezekiel 28, that he corrupted his wisdom.

In other words, his wisdom, which was given by God, he came to the conclusion that it belonged to him originally, innately.

The second of these sins is the sin of accumulating riches.

Interestingly enough, in chapter 28, this is mentioned several times, his desire to accumulate riches.

The third sin, by the way, I call these the sins of pride, the third sin, which is mentioned in Ezekiel 28, is the desire for power.

In other words, the desire to occupy a place which was above the place that God had given to him.

And in the fourth place, his beauty or his physical appearance led him to be filled with pride.

And so the very original sin which was committed in the universe had its origin in pride, self-centeredness, selfishness, the desire to ascend and look out for number 1.

We might even call it a severe case of upward mobility.

But I want you to notice that both in Isaiah 14, as well as in Ezekiel chapter 28, after it tells us that Lucifer thought he could ascend because of his wisdom, because of his riches, because of his power, because of his beauty, the 4 sins of pride.

After it says that he tried to ascend and he thought he could ascend to occupy the throne of God, immediately we are told in the Bible that because he exalted himself, he was thrown down, He was cast down.

I want you to notice that once again in Isaiah chapter 14 and this is very important for setting the stage for what we're going to talk about in our lecture tonight.

Immediately after we've read that Lucifer aspired to exalt himself to the height of God, notice what verse 15 says.

You shall be brought down to Sheol to the lowest depths of the pit.

Notice he wanted to ascend to the highest position and What happens as a result?

Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty.

You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

I laid you before kings that they might gaze at you.

You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading.

Therefore, I brought fire from your midst.

It devoured you, and I turned you to what?

Do you notice that the 1 who had a severe case of upward mobility ends up where?

So he who wants to go up ends going where?

Now let's notice a New Testament example.

By the way, the Bible mentions 2 mysteries.

1 is called the mystery of godliness, and the other is called the mystery of iniquity.

And we're starting out our study tonight with the mystery of Iniquity.

Now let's go to 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and notice what the spirit of the mystery of iniquity is, what characterizes the mystery of iniquity.

2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verses 3 and 4.

For that day, and the context indicates that this is the day of the coming of Jesus, for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first.

And the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God showing himself that he is God.

So the mystery of iniquity is characterized by a power which wishes to what?

To ascend, to occupy a higher position, to look out for good old number 1.

And in the process, It doesn't matter if you have to trample and step upon others.

But what's going to be the result of this?

Of this mystery of iniquity, this Antichrist who wants to make himself God and wants to ascend.

And then the lawless 1 will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth, and destroy with the brightness of his coming." So we notice that the mystery of iniquity is characterized by an individual, a person, or a power which is down here but it aspires to a higher position than what God has determined.

But when it aspires or when the person aspires to that position and tries to reach it, he's cast down into the pit and destroyed.

You know the Lord Jesus described this process in the book of Luke.

If you go with me to Luke chapter 14, we'll notice that Jesus himself described this idea.

So he told a parable to those who were invited when he noted how they chose the best places, saying to them, what mystery is involved here?

When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest 1 more honorable than you be invited by him and he who invited you and him come and say to you give place to this man and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place but when you are invited go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, friend, go up higher.

Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.

And then comes the lesson, for whoever exalts himself, who does the exalting?

He who exalts himself will be by someone else abased.

And then he says, and he who humbles himself will be what?

Jesus also expressed it by saying, he who is first will be what?

Series

What Jesus Said

17. The Secrets of Health and Wealth

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

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