1. A Voice Crying in the Wilderness

2. You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
2 Timothy 3:1-5

3. The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John [the Baptist] when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’" Matthew 3:3
29 Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice. 30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:29, 30
In every generation God is looking for men and women
that will be a voice for Him.

4. 19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
1 Samuel 1:19, 20
May our lives be lived in such a way that others are comforted by our presence and reminded of God’s faithfulness and commitment to them.

5. 12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord 13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, 14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. 15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting. 16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” 17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt. 18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest. 19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.” 21 And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:12-21

6. To be a voice means, we must have a distinct sound.
To be a voice means, we must be able to grow strong in the midst of perversion and not be contaminated.
To be a voice means, let there be something distinctive about our appearance and presentation.
To be a voice means, we must have a distinct sound.
To be a voice means, running the risk of being completely misunderstood.

7. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. 2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. 6 Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”
Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” 7 Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. 8 So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. 10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 1 Samuel 3:1-11

8. To be a voice, means we must be able to clearly recognize God’s voice.
The voice of righteousness in the earth is a rallying cry to the church, a warning/opportunity of redemption for the lost, and a magnet to the blessing and favor of God.

9. …At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him! 5 The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. 6 And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’” 7 When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 9 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” 10 The crowds asked, “What should we do?” 11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Luke 3:2b-11

10. A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12
There’s a deep-rooted religious spirit that influences many and much of the culture in South Florida. Don’t get distracted fighting with people.

11. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
Romans 7:15-19 NLT
What is Going on with Me?
The impact religion has had on our lives has created a never ending internal struggle that eventually ends in some degree of bondage or slavery. We’re programmed to deal with life’s issues this way and we’ve been conditioned to approach God this way – a Creator/Supreme Being who demands obedience in order to be pleased.

12. THE PROBLEM IS RELIGION and it has infiltrated every part of society
THE PROBLEM IS RELIGION and it has infiltrated every part of society. The word “religion” is a Latin expression: “re”–back, again; “legio”–obligation, bond/bind, reverence. So it’s meaning is “to bind again.”
Religion is focused on some type of LAW and we’ve been programmed to approach our “issues in life” and God in this way.

13. “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.” Romans 8:3 NLT
Blacks in slavery in America is a great example of how Sin is No Longer My Master. By the stroke of a pen, the Emancipation of Proclamation. Blacks in specific regions of the south, who spent their entire lives in slavery were legally freed. They could say to slave owners “you are no longer my master”. Although that was the sudden legal fact, you can also understand how many would struggle living any other way. All their life they’d been forced into this way of thinking and living. The idea of living free was exciting, but also extremely scary. It’s easier for us to just be told what to do; don’t kill, don’t steal, etc. than to live a life of freedom without an external master and dependent upon an internal Savior.

14. don’t even THINK about it!
graced
Law
Grace
don’t even THINK about it!

15. God expects us to shift our focus away from these commandments and any others we may create and set our focus on His Son - Jesus.

16. ““Don’t misunderstand why I have come
““Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”
Matthew 5:17-18 NLT
The law here is referencing the first 5 books of the OT. He didn’t come to do away with the law. He didn’t come to ignore and abolish it, but to fulfill it prophesies. What no one else could do and now what no one else had to do. This verse does not mean we are to pick up from Christ’s resurrection and set our focus on the commandments.

17. Because of Christ, We No Longer Need to Focus on the Law
“He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.”
Ephesians 2:15-16 NLT

18. The Law was a Temporary Guardian, Substitute Teacher, Baby-Sitter, Tutor
“Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.” Galatians 3:23-25 NLT

19. Everyone got a “F” Failing Grade
“But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”” Galatians 3:11-12 NLT
“For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me…”
Galatians 2:19a

20. Forget about Trying to Obey Religious Laws
“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.” Romans 10:1-4 NLT
“For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.” Galatians 2:19 NLT
If you are going to live for God, you will have to stop trying to meet the requirements of the law.

21. His Sacrifice & Resurrection was done to Free Our Minds
"But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of this new covenant, he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven's "tent"—the true Holy Place—once and for all. He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free once and for all. If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out. Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us [our minds] from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can LIVE ALL OUT FOR GOD." Hebrews 9:11 – 15 MSG
Review OT High Priest Responsibility
Heb. 9:11-14 His sacrifice (blood) was to purge our conscience from (the performance of) dead works (thinking they will produce righteousness).
Dead Works – habits, activities, behaviors, and rituals performed for the purpose of acquiring God’s acknowledgement, acceptance, and approval.
Matrix Video Clip

22. SIN IS NO LONGER MY MASTER, because THE LAW IS NO LONGER MY FOCUS!
FREE YOUR MIND!
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:14 NKJV
SIN IS NO LONGER MY MASTER, because
THE LAW IS NO LONGER MY FOCUS!
“Everyone who commits (practices) sin is guilty of lawlessness; for [that is what] sin is, lawlessness (the breaking, violating of God's law by transgression or neglect–being unrestrained and unregulated by His commands and His will).” 1 John 3:4 AMPC
How do you live a life that is pleasing to God; choices & behavior without focusing on some form of moral checklist?