Satan’s attempts to destroy Christ’s lineage and then Christ Himself

 What say we look at certain world events from another dimension, namely a spiritual dimension?  I’m not Frank Peretti, but I guarantee, it will add meaning to what’s happening in the world, and will go far to explaining what we’re on earth for.  So here we go:  In Genesis 3:15, God, in effect, threw down the gauntlet at Satan when He said to him:

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head,     And you shall bruise His heel.”

To explain, Satan and Eve’s descendants would be enemies.  God did not desire to make enemies, but Satan had already declared such in his desire to be equal with God (Isaiah 14:12-17). Further, “your (Satan’s) seed” refers to those who refuse to obey God and refuse to believe in His Son, Jesus the Christ.  In “her Seed,” the capital letter "S" means a single person, namely Jesus, a descendant of Eve.  And, I might add, you could include all those who are followers of Jesus and have made Him Lord of their lives.  So, in short, Satan is the enemy of the Jews, who carried the Messianic lineage, resulting in Jesus (as you will see below); and Satan is also the enemy of true Christians, and he wants nothing more than to destroy us, our lives and reputation, and everything spiritual in us.

God tells Satan that His Son Jesus will “bruise (Satan’s) head,” a mortal wound.  Satan will only “bruise (Jesus’) heel, a non-mortal wound (but only because He was resurrected).

So God has thrown down the gauntlet.  Who will win, God or Satan? Satan, before killing Christ by the hand of his own followers (who were, by the way, both Jew and Gentile), tried numerous times in history to destroy His ascendants. If he could do that, Christ would never have been born.  That seems “smart.”  So let’s tell the story about his various efforts to kill.

Attempt #1:  Eve hoped that her first child would be God’s Seed and the Deliverer from her sins, including eating forbidden fruit  in the garden of Eden.  That child was Cain.  But Cain ignored God’s instructions on how to do the atonement offering that God instructed, and became a murderer of Abel, Eve’s second son.  Now she hoped her third child would accomplish her desire for a Deliverer—Seth.  Well, Seth stayed righteous and Christ was indeed descended from him. So Satan failed on Attempt #1, since the lineage continued despite his efforts to bring evil into our first family.

Attempt #2:  Many of Satan’s followers, also known as fallen angels, came to earth and married earth women, bearing hybrid, non-human babies that grew up to be “mighty men” and “men of renown.”  (I have a couple blogs on this--which was believed by church fathers; refer to those blogs with DNA in the title). Grown up, those babies were called Nephilim (Gen.6:1-4, NIV).  They were also wicked; and from other appearances in Scripture, they were super-tall and, obviously, very strong.  Why not?  They were half mortal, and half immortal (through the fallen angels, their fathers, their spirits retained their immortality).   The Nephilim dominated in their appearance on earth, and completely corrupted the people of Noah’s day, both morally and physically (by deviant DNA mixing through rampant sex, among other things).  Anyway, Satan figured, if he could corrupt the earth like this, then no one would be righteous or physically pure to bear a pure Seed.

But he was defeated because Noah and his immediate family kept DNA-clean (i.e., they avoided sex with the people of the world), and he made an ark as God had directed, and everyone else was destroyed by the Flood, leaving Noah, his wife, and immediate family to start all over.  Satan failed on Attempt #2. But keep in mind, the spirits of the Nephilim were still alive.

Attempt #3:  God picked the Hebrew people to be His people, beginning with Abraham.  Their job was to carry His Scripture, and to worship Him as the only God---in the midst of, yet again, a totally corrupt second populace that also chose to not  know Him.  (The Jews didn’t do a bang-up job themselves obeying God’s instructions, in the long run).  To avert death by a record 7-year famine, the Hebrews moved to Egypt to farm the better land there.  They were allowed to do this because Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph was in good with the Pharaoh (by revealing to him a vision about the upcoming famine so he could prepare for it).  So God made sure that His Jewish family was accepted in Egypt, which had reserves of grain, so they didn’t starve in the great famine.  So Satan’s attempt at starving them out failed in Attempt #3.

Attempt #4: Later Pharaohs made the Jews slaves for 400 years.  One evil Pharaoh got up one morning and thought, “These Jewish slaves are becoming more populous than we Egyptians, and that’s a danger; let’s kill every baby Hebrew boy at birth and stop their population growth.”  He gave the order—unfortunately, he stupidly did it to the midwives--which were mostly Hebrews!  (I presume he assumed that their fear of him would even make them commit infanticide).  However, even at risk of their own lives, they refused to kill the newborn Hebrew boys.  That not only saved the Hebrew population, but it saved little Moses, who later became a great deliverer himself.  Attempt #4 failed.  You would think that Satan would have gotten the message by now.  When God decides to do something, it gets done—even through sinful men.  You gotta give credit to the Hebrew midwives.  We need some of them today, in our abortion clinics.

Attempt #5: Moses, through God, performed miracles of destruction on the country of Egypt.  But Pharaoh was so stubborn that he held on through each disaster; it finally took the death of his firstborn to release the Jews.  Early in their exodus, the Pharaoh and his army went after them again, only to be wiped out by the closing Red Sea—another miracle by God.  So the Jews were not only saved from destruction by Pharaoh’s army, but they were Free.  Attempt #5 failed.

Attempt #6: Let’s back up in time a bit. Please note two verses God had told Abraham. First, Genesis 12:1-3:

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. ² I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Secondly, God told Abraham, in Genesis 15:13-14:

Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 

 Satan, we can assume, listened in to these conversations—and thus knew, upon watching Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s travels, that God had chosen the land of Canaan as God's land for His people.  (Important side note:  Satan does not have God’s powers.  He can only be in one place at a time, and cannot read minds.  But he has lots of demon-followers in lots of places who help him that way, and he can guess thoughts by our facial emotions, and what we say.  And, I would imagine, he has various ways of putting sinful thoughts in our head—like he did with Pharaoh on infanticide).  Putting these two verses together, Satan, at the time of Abraham, figured that the Hebrews won’t be in Canaan, God’s choice for their living space, for at least 400 years; they would be elsewhere (slaves in Egypt) instead.  He also hoped that Israel (their name, since they were populous enough to be a nation now) would have to conquer the various tribes of Canaan to secure the needed land.  Thus, Satan comes up with Attempt #6:  stop the Israelis from entering God’s chosen land, Canaan.  If he could do that, they would have to wander to different places and their nation would be assimilated and fizzle out.  So he concocted up another sexual use for his fallen angels.  You, the reader, may roll your eyes and say, “come on, how do I keep coming up with these wild stories?”  Well, again, read my blogs.  And, again, I have Biblical proof. Let’s read Genesis 6:4, this time in the NIV version (remember, this was quoted in Noah’s day, the first “use” of the Nephilim):

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

As we saw before, the Nephilim were the deviant DNA children of the fallen angel fathers, who were immortal, and the mortal earth mothers during Noah's time. Their bodies were killed at the Flood. But note the underlined phrase “and also afterward.”  Every phrase in Scripture has a reason to exist in God’s Word, and this one says that we would get more Nephilim even after they were drowned in the Flood in Noah’s day.  In other words, the fallen angels came down to earth again, proved sexually attractive to the females again, and we got more Nephilim.  But this time, men did not live 800 or 900 years like in Noah’s day. (Climate change?)  Their lives were short, like ours. So the deviant DNA can’t be spread as fast.  So Satan concentrated his efforts on spawning to a limited area—he picked, of course, Canaan. These giants hopefully would scare the Israelis away, and they couldn’t stay in “God’s chosen land.” So he picked several tribes in Canaan, sent his fallen angels there, and they became populated by the evil Nephilim.  Scripture backs this idea up. It indicates giants existed in:  the Philistines, the Anakim, the  Rephaim, the Zamzumim, the Emim, and the Amorites. All in Canaan, of course.  (Check them out in Numbers 13:32; Deut 2:10,11,20,21; Deut 3:11,13).  Deuteronomy provides more detail on Og, king of Bashan, whose bed was 15 feet long and 6-1/2 feet wide.   And of course we have Goliath, killed by David, several hundred years later, who probably was at least 9 feet tall.

Satan almost got what he wanted; the nation of Israel, freed from Pharaoh after 400 years, went north from Egypt, and approached the land of Canaan.  Moses sent out spies to see the lay of the land.  They brought back wonderful food, but their knees were shaking.  As they reported in Numbers 13:32-33--and every word of this is in God's Word:

The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.

 A bit of hyperbole, there, about the size comparison—but you get the picture; these were giants—again. So the Israelis voted to NOT go in and fight the Canaanites.  God was so disappointed in how they wouldn’t depend on Him for deliverance that He made them wander through the desert area for another 38 years, until everyone who voted dropped dead.  Now all that were left were the kids in the earlier days, now grown up.  But these “kids” were not dummies; they realized that they had miracles (their shoes never wore out, they always found water, they had free food dropped on them 6 days a week), and they realized that their non-believing parents paid the ultimate price for disobedience; and finally, walking the desert every day made them hardened, so they could be soldiers with endurance. Plus, I would imagine, they would do anything to stop wandering drudgingly through the desert.  So, with Joshua in command (Moses died), this time they voted to go in and fight.  A brave decision.  God built up Joshua’s courage by appearing to him as well.  This time they cleared out most of these corrupt and sometimes giant people (details on the Canaanite idolatries are too disgusting to explain here; they were a wicked people).  The key is the phrase “most of.”  Goliath is an example of how there were some still around years later that Joshua couldn’t get to.  In any event, Satan’s effort to stop Israel from moving to the land of God’s calling failed.  #6:  FAIL. Satan is now 0-6.

NEXT WEEK: WE COMPLETE SATAN'S FAILED EFFORTS TO STOP GOD'S PLAN FOR CHRIST

The Fear of God

The fear of God is an important, yet little studied topic. Let’s start by examining Acts 2:41-47, using the New King James (NKJ):

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

You may ask (or, you should ask), in light of the joy of being a new creation in Christ, being happily together QUITE regularly, and being able to see incredible miracles, where is their room for "fear?"  One might argue that they were afraid of miracles, but that doesn't make sense--seeing a miracle of healing would make me rejoice; "this is the right group to be in," I would say. I maintain that this is a fear of God, instead.  We will study how that connects. Also, in these verses, we ask, in light of the tremendous power the church had, being close to God, sharing their assets compassionately with one another, and “having favor with all the people”—were any of these wonderful things caused by their fear of God, as I maintain that the fear is directed toward? It wouldn’t seem possible—such a negative emotion leading to a good result. Let’s explore this mystery together.

I have heard "fear" downgraded by so many pastors to "reverence" (which nobody knows what that is, so they can dismiss the whole thing.) We start by defining the Greek they used for the word “fear:” phobos. (From which we get “phobia”). According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, phobos means (1) “dread, terror, always with this significance in the four Gospels.” Let’s also keep that in mind; that whenever Jesus is quoted saying “fear,” that’s the meaning. The other meaning of phobos is less intimidating: (2) “reverential fear of God as a controlling motive of the life; in matters spiritual and moral, not a mere fear of His power and righteous retribution, but a dread of displeasing Him.” It's not like saying, "God, sorry I did that."  Think hard on the real meaning of "dread."

Examine your hearts: when you're thinking of sinning, do you have a real dread of displeasing Him, and that completely removes the emotion of the sin trying to carry you away? Is your fear of what He might do, enough to make you stop? Is the fear of God a controlling motive in your life? I suspect the only thing keeping us back from many sins is the fear of being discovered by our friends or family and losing our reputations. The serious dread of displeasing God is much worse, but...often it's just not there; we just don’t think about Him.

Many sermons are expounded on God’s love, few on His hate--of sin. Many on our loving God, few on fearing Him. This paper will attempt to show how many verses there are on how fear of God is good for you, and show you that it is a desirable attribute. Hopefully after reading it you can introspect on His holiness and get to know His “dark side” more. Like medicine, it will seem unpleasant—but it’s good for you.

Let's begin with two verses from Proverbs, 9:10:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

And Proverbs 10:27:

The fear of the Lord prolongs days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened

I could end this blog right here; If God says it, I believe it.  Do you, though? You want to be truly smart?  You want to live longer?  Read God's Word.  Do you feel that His Word is not "wisdom;" it's comfort?  Well, God's purpose is not to make you feel good; it is in pruning, in sanctifying you.  Another statement in Proverbs says we should never owe anybody--you that are under a mountain of debt, do you believe that?  That's just one of the many, many ways to gain wisdom.  Consider the stories (I hate that word--these events all happened exactly as written) of the giants of the faith--they had their weaknesses, too (except Jesus).  How did they handle such weaknesses?  We see, in Scripture, the results of pride, and of humility; of rich people, of poor people.  Scripture tells the whole story, like no other.

Let’s begin with Genesis 20:11, 17 and 18, where Abraham sees the good side of men fearing God: They would be less likely to murder him and take his beautiful wife:

And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife....So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; ¹⁸ for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

He knew that God loves him, that following Him regardless, will all turn out well. Have we developed that trait? Note that his comment on how fear of God would prevent sin is agreed to by God, since He backed him up.

In Genesis 31:42a, Jacob has a name for God: The Fear of Isaac. Nowhere does God disapprove of this name. Note how Jacob appreciates this-named God as his God, connecting it with His protection for him. Thus, the three patriarchs of Israel, giants in the faith, are all given to fearing God.  If Laban had that quality, he would not have twisted Jacob inside out:

Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you (Laban) would have sent me away empty-handed.

In Exodus 1:17, the children of Israel are slaves in Egypt. The pharaoh, fearing for their numerical advantage, has instructed the Hebrew midwives to kill the boy babies as soon as they arrive out of the womb. But the midwives refuse to do it—even though disobeying pharaoh endangers their own lives—because of their fear of God (fear of His judgement for murder). Note His blessing on them because their fear of God was greater than their fear of the pharaoh.

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive... because the midwives feared God…He provided households for them.

Maybe we’d have fewer abortions if the mothers or attending nurses had a real fear of God today. In the 60 million abortions in the U.S. since Roe v Wade, these women (and some attending men) did not have enough fear of God to dread His ultimate punishment for murder. How many have read Galatians 5:21, which says that (unrepentant) murderers “will not inherit the kingdom of God,” and would spend an eternity in hell? (PS:  the end of Roe v. Wade has not seriously dented abortions.)

In Exodus 14:31, after God’s great plagues, after the exodus, and His killing the pursuing Egyptians, then the children of Israel finally feared God. After that they really believed Moses and God. So, a real belief in God, with obedience following, results from a fear of God.

Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.

In Exodus 18:21, Moses is to select men as judges, an extremely important function. The first requirement for such men? You guessed it; they need to have a fear of God.

Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds…

In Exodus 20:20b, the Ten Commandments are given. The very first words that Moses says at this momentous occasion include the following:

God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”

The Ten Commandments is supposed to show how much our sins have offended Him, and awaken the soul to a proper fear of God as Judge for our sin. The Commandments are His original rules--but it still took a fear of God to see that it was impossible to obey God and live without  sin--so we were in Judgment.

There are plenty more in the Old Testament, but to make this paper short enough to be readable, let’s skip ahead to the New Testament; what did Jesus say about fear? Matthew 10:28:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

People experience “peer pressure;” they shrink back from declaring for Christ, particularly in public. And so it was for the Jews, who did not want to go against the Pharisees, who could be a genuine threat to your reputation if you followed Jesus. But Jesus was unsympathetic for those feelings; He has a stark word (one of many—He talked a lot about hell): basically, "it’s them or me, you can't have both. Fear God, enough to follow Jesus' commands, and you might lose your life, but keep your soul (in heaven); but if you fear Man, thus denying God (You can't have both), and while you save your skin currently, He can Judge you to Hell."

Don’t forget, we said in the two definitions of “fear” that the meaning in the Gospels, in Jesus' words, is “dread, terror.” Jesus was blunt. Your terror of what God can do to you should be greater than your terror of what people can do. People can take your lives, but God can take your eternity.

We definitely need an injection of fear for God in this sin-attractive world, to keep us out of hell. You want mercy from God? We all should, because the depth and frequency of our sin means we need lots of mercy. Luke 1:50 tells us how to get mercy:

And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.

Luke 5:26 gives the peoples’ reaction when they see Jesus healing: Fear. Why? Of His supernaturalism, of things which they do not know.

And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”. Today we wold be more cynical and sophisticated about healings. Which is the better reaction? Note how their fear didn’t stop their glorifying God. Another good result from a supposedly negative emotion (The same thing happens in Luke 7:16).

In Luke 23:40-41, one criminal on a cross next to Jesus rebukes the other. The one who feared God admitted his execution was proper punishment for his deeds, a good thought--but something few criminals do. He also judged Jesus as innocent, something the people and the Pharisees couldn’t do. Fear of God allows you to judge people properly, and to be humble. Also, wonderfully, the one who feared God got saved. The other one was going to hell.

But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

Now we go to the book of Acts. God’s stamp of approval was definitely on the man who was the first Gentile to receive the Gospel. Cornelius was that man. How did he get to be first in line for such a wonderful event? Because he feared God, among other positive features. A description of him is in Acts 10:2:

…a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

Note that fear of God is listed ahead of his giving to the poor, and ahead of his passion for prayer. I’ve heard lots of sermons on giving and the power of prayer, but none on the power of fearing God.

Once again, for brevity, we have to skip lots of verses, and move on to the Epistles. In Romans 3, Paul is enumerating the horrible sins of those bound for hell…”Their throat is an open tomb,” etc. He then describes sin that gets worse and worse as men get farther away from Him. And how does he end it with, what phrase did he use as the worst, the source of all this defiant sin and rebellion? It’s in Romans 3:18 (just before the gospel is explained):

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

In Romans 11:20-22:

Because of unbelief they (Jews) were broken off, and you (Gentiles) stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but FEAR. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

Paul is justifying why he is bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles—it was because the Jews (the natural branches of Jesus, the Vine) rejected it and got “broken off” the Vine. So God turned to the Gentiles. But the Gentiles might get haughty (“we’re smarter than the Jews”). His solution for that? They needed to fear God, or else He could cut them off too (God hates pride). Further, note that God is called “severe.” Haven’t heard any sermons on God’s “negative” qualities revealed here. Does God sound antagonistic there? Well, deal with it; change your definition of God’s love. He is in charge of the universe, and makes the rules. We should be grateful that He reveals Himself to us so we know what to do to get on His good side, and what gets on His bad side.

In II Corinthians 7:1, Paul summarizes the method to be holy (necessary for salvation, as my other blogs discuss): Fear God.

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

In Ephesians 5:21-22, women are going to dislike me for this, but Paul has a solution for women who can’t submit to their husbands because they don’t trust him. Now I realize that there are LIMITED qualifiers for wives and husbands, but it clearly says that fear of Him is the key in submitting to him. I’m reminded of our verses above, where Abraham was ready to do something illogical because he trusted God. And it worked out, because God honored his fear of Him--He made sure all was well. Women, take a hint—trusting your husband is really trusting God, because you’re obeying His commandment to submit. He will honor your trust in Him and make it all work out. The verses are then broadened to include all of us acting unselfishly and trusting all the brothers and sisters. One more time--What makes us take a chance and submit to others? Fear of God. I have never heard a sermon on this angle of wives submitting to husbands--it is called “context.”

…submitting to one another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

Once again, brevity demands a stop. I’m sure I missed some great verses. All you need to do is go to biblegate.com and “google” the word “fear.” But I think you’ve gotten the message. Fear of God is absolutely necessary to reduce sin and to be more holy, to obey God. A lot more people would be saved if they had this attribute. The only question is, how do we develop this fine characteristic? Here’s a few suggestions: (1) Read more of the Old Testament. Lots of judgment and hellfire for disobedience, from not fearing God. Not pleasant, but you need to see how much God hated sin. Don’t fall for the argument, “God was different then.” If you believe that, you haven’t gotten the right message about Jesus, either, so that leads to suggestion (2) Read the Gospels just to study exactly what Jesus said. Do you notice how much He talked about judgment? Well, there you go. God doesn’t change, after all, in how much He hates sin, between Old and New Testaments. Write down everything that suggests what it really takes to be saved (or read my blog on initial and final salvation for a quickie summary). When you’re reading, be careful to “update” Biblical words like “idols.” Maybe you think that’s just for primitive folk, statues of wood and stone. So it doesn't apply to me, you say. But read a Biblical definition of idolatry, then spend some time asking yourself if you’ve been into idolatry, in its modern applications. In other words, spend some time asking yourself about the sins you’ve done, and the effects on the family, placing yourself above God (that’s idolatry too). And then think about God, who loves you more than you can imagine, watching you sin. You (and everyone) could do much more with your life if you dedicate yourself 100% to Him. He would make you so happy. So why don’t you? Examine that—is it simple selfishness? Greed? Fear of being laughed at? Then imagine yourself at the judgment seat—we will all be there—when you give your reasons, your lame reasons. What are your Scriptural gifts? You don’t know? Have they been given to God? Do you know what your fruits are, a requirement for you for heaven (John 15:2)? How about your time with God? A person you’re in love with, you talk to daily—how much time do you spend during the week talking with God? Maybe you conclude that you don’t really love Him? That’s not good; read I John when it separates saved vs unsaved, measured by the love you show.

Last but not least:  Most people will go to hell. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14:

narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Most people are clueless about their status and believe God is a good guy.

It’s never too late to change faulty beliefs.

As you can see, lots of Scripture reading and introspection are needed. Please, take time for this. Most people’s mind goes ten different ways when trying to be quiet and meditate on Scripture. Or they sink into this, “I’m just a worm and can’t do anything.” (Maybe appealing for sympathy to get out of being judged always worked when you were a kid; it doesn’t work with God). Developing a fear of God would be frowned at by most ministers today, but who cares what they think? Their “moral leadership” is why we’re in a mess in the U.S. Better to read Scripture like the above to get the real truth about qualities God loves to see. Like fearing Him.

The Corrosive Effects of Teen Pornography

 Some facts about teen pornography--and by the way, for those who assume we're talking about boys, it's a fact that girls have been looking at it more, so don't exclude them from your thinking.  Also, most of these data was before the pandemic, so the increased time kids spend at home would make the data even worse. Most of this data comes from fairly reliable sources, and in context I did not note a tendency to exaggerate to make some agenda or sell something.  

• 93 % of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to internet pornography before the age of 18.  Some of it was a flashing view, followed by guilt and shutting it down.  But the image is often retained in the mind, so they may seek for it later.
• 70% of boys (under 18) have spent at least 30 consecutive minutes looking at on-line porn on at least one occasion.
• 35% of boys have done this on at least ten occasions.
• 67% of children admit to clearing their internet history to hide their online activity (that's not necessarily porn).
• 79% of accidental exposures to internet porn among kids take place in the home.
• On a different note, 56% of divorce cases involve one party having an obsessive interest in online porn.  The reason I mention it is because divorce has a huge effect on children, no matter what age.
• 12% of websites on the internet are pornographic—they own approximately 25 million websites!
• Only 3% of pornographic websites require age verification.
• The most popular day of the week for viewing pornography is Sunday.
• The average age a child first sees internet pornography is 11.  That one is hard to believe, even if it were accidental.

Bevill Associates Forensic Counselors, after surveys, say:

Using data from the Youth Internet Safety Survey, a nationally representative, cross-sectional telephone survey of 1501 children and adolescents (ages 10-17 years), characteristics associated with self-reported pornography seeking behavior, both on the Internet and using traditional methods (e.g., magazines), are:  Only 5% of self-identified seekers being female. The vast majority (87%) of youth who report looking for sexual images online are 14 years of age or older.

It’s projected that virtual reality (VR) porn, which vastly increases pleasure, because "she's right here," should be a $1 billion business by the year 2025. That’s third behind an expected $1.4 billion virtual reality video game market (a first step for online gambling, for many) and $1.23 billion VR NFL-related content.

There was a disconnect between parents’ perceptions of their children’s pornography viewing practices and the reality: 75% of parents felt their child would not have seen pornography online, but of those children, 53% said they had in fact seen pornography. Parents, don't assume that your child is Christian and therefore too righteous for this.

 

Overall, 41% of all children who were aware of pornography agreed that “watching porn makes people less respectful of the opposite sex.”  Actually, that's too low of a number.  That means lots of boys will objectify females, which starts a slide into sociopathic behavior in many cases.  Rape will become more common.

Given that 63% of children aged 11 to 13 who had seen pornography said their first exposure had been unintentional, age-verification is likely to have a significant impact here--if our government would actually enforce laws against obscenity.  If they would pay attention to the corrosion against society from perverseness and criminality that arises from addiction, the government could shut most of this down, very easily.  Parents need to use this data and others, and raise their voices to members of Congress.  83% of parents agreed with the statement “there should be robust age-verification controls in place to stop children (under-18s) seeing commercial pornography online.”  But let's see those 83% do something about it. Source: Report on People, Pornography & Age Verification (bbfc, January 2020)

• A study analyzing videos from Pornhub and Xvideos found that 97 percent of the targets of violence and/or aggression were  women. (We're not just talking bondage here.  Unfortunately, I can't describe these things.)  This was found in Archives of Sexual Behavior, A Descriptive Analysis of the Types, Targets, and Relative Frequency of Aggression in Mainstream Pornography July 13, 2020) 

80% of Pornhub’s worldwide visits are now coming from smartphones and tablets. (Source: PornHub website, 2019)

Some additional readings for you that don't all directly involve teens, which you might file under "possible future behaviors." Oh, yes, when they don't seem to give you the source, just click on the underlined blue to get it:

• The Porn Epidemic: Facts, Stats and Solutions (Josh D. McDowell, 2018)
• More than four in 10 Americans (43%) now say pornography is morally acceptable, a seven-percentage-point increase from last year. (Gallup, June 2018)
• One researcher called children’s unlimited access to extreme and graphic internet pornography, “the largest unregulated social experiment in history.” 
• Free access means porn use has skyrocketed.
• The use of filters by parents has not worked.  It's easy to get around them, as I have unfortunately proven as well. Parents need help from laws and enforcement and fines to the sources of this evil.  Harmful Effects of Pornography: 2016 Reference Guide, (Fightthenewdrug.org, 2016)
• Those who frequently consume Internet pornography are less likely to marry because they see pornography as a sexual gratification substitute. No judgement:  takes away from the bother and the anxiety. Many of the young men have had terrible experiences while dating in the past. Malcolm, M. & Naufal, G. (2014) “Are Pornography and Marriage Substitutes for Young Men?” Institute for the Study of Labor.
• There is a positive correlation between hours of pornography consumed and higher narcissism levels. Additionally, those who have ever used pornography had higher levels of all three measures of narcissism than those who have never viewed Internet pornography. Kaspera, T., Shorta, M. & Milam, A. (2014) “Narcissism and Internet Pornography Use.” Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. Vol. 41 (5)
• Extramarital sex is one of the most commonly cited reasons for divorce, and Pornography consumption is correlated with positive attitudes towards extramarital affairs. Wright, P., Tokunaga, R. & Bae, S. (2014) “More Than a Dalliance? Pornography Consumption and Extramarital Sex Attitudes Amoung Married U.S. Adults.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture.
• The United States is the largest producer and exporter of hardcore pornographic DVDs and web material.  http://familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html#important_countries(accessed June 6, 2014). Pornographic web pages by country are U. S. 244,661,900(89%) and Germany 10,030,200 (4%)

• Where previous generations were cautious of a stolen Playboy magazine, current parents are looking for guidance on how to shield their teens from the ever available, internet pornography. Consider the amount of hours teenagers spend on screens for entertainment--we're talking 9 hours a day according to a report from Common Sense Media. Parents got the short end of teens' attention.  They often would never seek a parent for advice.  Parents, you need to get out of this broken-down cultural "standard."

A study conducted by JAMA Psychiatry looked at the connection between compulsive viewing of online pornography and brain changes. Their results indicated alarming similarities between individuals who view online pornography for hours each week and individuals addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Mothers and fathers of teens: I have one question--Is there a way that your child is one of these problems?  Most parents don't really know; their teens are fiercely guarding their "privacy."  In many cases, it's privacy so they can sin.

I have a harder question:  If both you and your spouse are working in the same daytime period, is it worth sacrificing what this might be doing to your child, just so you can obtain extra money, so you can buy "toys" (bigger house, nicer car) you love and covet?   What I'm saying is, one of you  needs to quit the job to guide the teen away from sin and form a permanent bond, to let the child know you care. You do want your child to live a Scriptural and pure life? Then you should be willing to sacrifice your quest for the "good life."  The teen will pick up on this moral courage and asceticism, and respect you, and learn to sacrifice where necessary when he/she becomes an adult.  (They're less likely to shove you off to assisted living when you're older--long range benefits!) 

Let's face it:  Teens lie.  In America today, they live for their impulses.  I'm saying, after you sacrificially quit that job, when you're around at home, let your movements be unpredictable--don't be afraid to snoop.  (Of course, psychologists today suggest that that's not a good idea, it "destroys trust," and you're stating a negative about the child's personality.  Bologna. Psychologists have caved in to the naive belief that "it's just adolescence, it's just a part of growing up," etc ad nauseum.  Read the data above again, before you cave to your teen. Harden them to self-discipline and restraint. Remember, your job is not to be their friend. If you plan on going out for awhile, your teenager might want you to cite a specific time of your return.  Be vague. He or she may have something sexual in mind. Surprise them by only being gone for 45 minutes or so.  If you find them in a compromised state, drive for their true confession and repentance. Remind them of that from time to time later.  Put the name of God out there.

Then there's the possibility of teens having sex while both parents are at work.  I suspect this is happening a lot, looking at the spiraling statistics of people getting married later and later. (The pandemic probably made this a bigger problem.)  By the way, facts say that fewer teens are getting pregnant.  Don't assume they're more pure. Given the outrageous music and suggestive clothing, it's more likely that they have simply gotten easier access to birth control pills.  Teens (and parents, sometimes) don't seem to care about what the Bible says about sex with anyone outside marriage.  God's Word is blunt: hell for those who violate this commandment  GalatIans 5:19-21 says: 

 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So fornication, which is so widespread in TV and movies (streamed or otherwise), has suckered many Christians to believe that it's not so important anymore.  But note in the verses above that fornication, in God's judgment, ranks up there with murder and idolatry.  Think about that.  TV and movies are our culture now and in the future.  They reach their dirty fingers in our thinking and radicalize it more than we know. 

Now if your porn-loving teen has a conscience, they may repent, momentarily, but for most it is repentance light, since most don't take serious-enough steps to stop completely  their growing addiction to sex or pornography. (By the way, assuming that "relief" (if you know what I mean) by watching porn will decrease the desire for sex has been proven wrong by lots of studies.) 

Many teens will view porn more when they're depressed or isolated.  (Like all addictions do). Watch for the teens' state of mind when they only occasionally--hopefully--reach this state.  Praying with them (yes, with them) will help more than you know.

There are also  lots of studies that show seriously negative effects on married life from previous porn addiction.  The excuse that couples give for living together before marriage (which is becoming a new norm), is "we have to know whether we are compatible sexually."  But studies show that living together before marriage leads to more divorces than not doing it! Again, statistics reveal the truth in God's laws, and again psychologists are wrong--but that doesn't change their minds.  God will make us pay for breaking His laws.  Also, these couples are hardening their hearts against God, and salvation will be much harder.  That means many of them are still on the way to hell.

Jesus said thinking about a woman for adultery is adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:28).  And if you, in your crooked mind, imagine scenarios of "hooking up" with a co-worker or whoever, but don't actually do it, do you think that you get off scot-free?  No, it means you're not paying attention about Jesus' commands that evil thought is sin too. He says to hate someone--and you haven't done anything to them--can send you to hell, too!  .

Parents, beware!  You are responsible for your children.  If one of you is afraid of quitting that job, that I've been harping on, hoping to get more worldly pleasures and things, don't be surprised if the teen can catch the drift and take on the ways of the world as well. Scripture says, those who love the world and it's pleasures, cannot go to heaven I John 2:15:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

IF you believe Scripture is really God's Word to mankind, and considering the way the culture puts pressure on teens, then you will make necessary sacrifices to keep your kids off these paths that lead to hell.  

Remember, Scripture advises us to fear God, who will judge you for making decisions (or not making decisions) that put your child on the wrong path. Here are some more simple rules for the Prophet Parent: don't let your child put a lock on his/her bedroom door, and don't be afraid to enter unannounced.  On occasion, check the room contents.  Here's the best--and scariest--idea of all:  Get rid of the phones!  The possibility of their watching mobile sex, and the isolation from normal social relationships, should be motivation enough.  Then there is the extra time they could have--they could be doing something constructive--should give you courage to do that.  There is plenty of proof that teens' ability to focus, to do critical thinking, and to handle themselves in society have both gone downhill fast.  Remember, the more your child screams against these invasions from you as Prophet Parent, the more likely they are deeply doing sinful things, or things that will pervert their normal social relationships.

In an interesting study, researchers found a sudden increase in teens'  suicide risk factors and suicide rates in 2012 — around the time when smartphones became popular, says Jean Twenge, one of the authors of the study.

Twenge's research found that teens who spend five or more hours per day on their devices are 71 percent more likely to have one risk factor for suicide. And that's regardless of the content consumed. Whether teens are watching cat videos or looking at something more serious, the amount of screen time — not the specific content — goes hand in hand with the higher instances of depression.

Covid has more than likely increased children screen time, making all these factors worse.  Actual data for 2020-2021 to prove or disprove this idea are impossible, since data for those years haven't been released.

Parents, pray about this!  In the old days, I, as a parent of children, didn't want to be "square."  But the way things are going, parents need to purify themselves, be truly Christian, and be a model for teens

Modern Evangelism Is Missing a Vital Link

 A well-known evangelist, Ray Comfort, estimates that 80-90%, conservatively, of decisions for Christ in modern evangelism will thereafter lose their witness and not even attend church consistently.  He cites a detailed study of the 294,000 who “got saved” in a one-year crusade effort by a major denomination, Harvest, in 1991. They had 11,500 churches keeping close records.  (PS: Evangelism sweeps don't usually do this).  Only 14,000 of the 294,000 still attended church, only a couple years later. That’s a 95% loss rate.

He also studied the works of famous evangelists of the past—such as Wesley, Whitfield, Moody, Spurgeon, and Finney. Along with New Testament evangelists, Paul, Peter, Steven, and Timothy.  Their writings and sermon notes suggested a much higher number of people hanging on to their conversion.  Why has this loss rate gone stratospheric, he wondered?  One of the things he noticed was that in those days, the preaching by these great men would begin with how people have broken God’s Laws.  Then, after that was covered thoroughly in the sermon, the Good News was taught. This principle of sermon order (bad news, then good news) has faded away, particularly starting in the early 1900s.  Nowadays, preachers--and seminary professors-- consider that the “You Have Broken the Law" sermon starter is just too negative, and have shied away from it.  Modern evangelistic theory (taught in Christian colleges) assumes that most people feel they are not worthy to be with God, so we have to emphasize God’s grace and love right from the start, to make them feel wanted, then explaining what Christ did on our behalf. The Prodigal Son (Luke 15) was the classic example of a good sermon, as they teach how the father accepted his son, though he wasted the inheritance, and still smelled of pigs.

Mr. Comfort came to his conclusion:  the old ways were better.  What's more important, Scriptures seem to provide proof of his idea.  Psalm 19:7 says, in part:

The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul

Well, converting the soul is what we want in evangelism, right?  The Word lays it out plainly.  You present the Law.

Mr. Comfort gives us a parable.  Suppose you’re walking around, and someone pops up and says, “I’ve got good news for you!  Someone paid a $2500 fine on your behalf!”  Your reaction might be “What are you talking about?  That doesn’t make sense; I can’t think of what I did wrong for the fine, nor has anybody told me this.”  They are confused, not exactly in a grateful mood, right?  The person would be offended, actually--before they got around to thanking them, still confused.  BUT what if the following metaphor happened:  This person was clocked doing 55 mph in an area set aside for a blind children’s school nearby.  There were 10 clear warning signs stating that the speed limit was 15 mph.  What he did was extremely dangerous, negligent, and reckless, whether he knew about it or not, and a $2500 fine was appropriate and it was the law.  So this person was caught, and in court his ignorance of the law was brushed aside (that would never bring back the life of a child killed--besides, he had clear warning signs; he just never slowed down to read them).  He was told all the details of his illegality, and then told to pay the fine, and with agony he wondered whether he would have the money, how stupid he was to do that, how much his family would sacrifice their lifestyle—or even how he would tell them—when suddenly someone he didn’t even know stepped forward and paid it for him.  Now his reaction would be a definition of gratitude, right?  He might even want to make friends with this stranger, to see what motivated him to give so much so graciously.

As you can clearly see by the two parables, the second example--explaining the bad news, the Law he broke.  And then, with proper acceptance of that news,  giving him the Good News of One who has paid his debt, generates a much more positive response.  Well, that’s the principle they formerly used in preaching.  On the other hand, the other approach is what we have a great deal more of now.  Most people, hearing this more-recent approach, are offended—they don’t think they are bad sinners. (Which means they haven’t been taught about God, how He is perfect, and hates sin.) If I talk "grace-only" with a prospect, I pretty much can’t get away from insinuating that they need a do-over to gain assurance about their relationship with God, when they have usually deceived themselves into thinking they don’t think they need one—and they resent our suggestion—and our indirectness. Or, they consider the idea that they need salvation foolish.  As Scripture says in I Corinthians 1:18:

…the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing

Anyone “saved” by this method is more by emotionalism, since there is confusion about why they need to be saved and what the Good News really saves us from—but in the cold light of the days following, this emotionalism cools off to rejection more often than not.  Which is where the 80-90% falling away comes in.

Thus I need, in my preaching evangelism, to take the time to speak insightfully of the Ten Commandments and how Jesus took the concept of sin a step further (read the Sermon on the Mount)--sin is a violation in thought as well as deed.  Thinking about a woman lustfully, is as bad as having sex with her; or hating someone makes you guilty, not only murdering them--and then to also cover Jesus’ commandments in the Gospels—i.e., to show the prospect that he has truly offended a just God—then he hopefully becomes, as James says in 2:9: Convicted of the law, as a transgressor; then the Good News of Christ’s paying our debt will not be offensive or foolish…it will be the power of God unto salvation.

Let’s look at each function of presenting God’s Law. We’ll start with Romans 3:19:

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 

Thus, one function of it is (1) to stop the mouth, presumably from excusing or rationalizing.  (She enjoyed sex as much as I did, and nobody was hurt.  Therefore it's not sin.  Wrong.  It disobeys God's law, therefore it IS sin).  We don’t need to hear much of the prospect’s wisdom, justifying himself and saying, “there are plenty of people who use everybody worse than me.” (He’s either deceived or just putting you off, really). We are the ones bearing the wonderful gift of good news, and need an opportunity to speak.
Secondly, Romans 3:20 says this:

...by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The prospect needs to learn about sin, since self-defense and self-deception are rampant today.  We cannot assume that his sin is in the forefront (or even in the back) of his memory.  I John 3:4 says:   sin is the transgression of the law.  It would seem obvious that a person needs to know the law intimately in order to know if he has transgressed it, or has sinned.  Romans 7:7 declares this more forcefully:  I would not have known sin except through the law. If you decide that the best course of action is to be ignorant of the law, that won't help.  You still transgressed it, and will pay the price if unsaved.

Thirdly, in Galatians 3:24, the Law is not only to build our knowledge of sin, but, very importantly….the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. 
What this means, is, the Law doesn’t really help us in reconciliation with God…it shows us that we are helpless.  It doesn’t justify us, it just leaves us guilty at the judgment seat. But with the Law, when we see our sin, as God sees it, we see how we have offended God, and if hell is even brought up (which it almost never is nowadays), we are, deservedly, destined for hell.  Then we seek Him for some method of  deliverance from such an end. How can I seek reconciliation with a righteous God? Christ is that key, as a good evangelist will point the way.

Modern evangelism abandoned the "old" principle of discussing the Law and how Christ saves us from wrath.  So a new method was sought:  it needed another reason to attract us to Christ. So they invented the term “life enhancement.”  Following Christ will benefit us.  We will have peace, love, joy, fulfillment, and lasting happiness. At this point, Mr. Comfort provides another useful allegory:
Two men are sitting in a plane.  The first is given a parachute, (the only one receiving the offer), and told that it will “improve his flight.”  He is skeptical and even thinking the flight attendant is wacko, as he knows that airlines only talk about "good times are ahead," but he puts it on—just as a trial.  But it weighs his shoulders, and gives him difficulty in sitting upright.  But he perseveres.  After a while, though, he notices that other passengers are laughing at him due to his unusual clothing accessory.  Feeling humiliated, he can’t stand it anymore, and he throws the parachute to the floor.  Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart, because as far as he was concerned, he was told an outright lie.

The second man was given a parachute, BUT he was told a different reason, in alarming detail:  at any moment, without warning, a faulty flight could mean he would be jumping 25,000 feet off the plane. He takes it to heart: He doesn’t notice the discomfort of the parachute, because his mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he had to jump without it.  He develops a deep-rooted peace in his heart knowing that he shall escape a sure death no matter what happens.  He can deal with other passengers’ mockery—he knows that they need to do what he did.  He might even engage them in intense conversation about their need for this safety device.
You can see what we’re saying.  Under modern evangelism, this man-centered “improvement” approach is a guaranteed failure.  People will take on Christ as an experiment to see whether their life does improve.  But they eventually get what the Scripture promises to the saved--temptation, tribulation, and persecution.  They are humiliated by others, disillusioned about not seeing a rosy path develop for them. They take off the Lord Jesus, and are rightly embittered. They are now inoculated against evangelism in the future, and their latter end is worse than the first. Modern evangelism has promised them what God has not promised.  The opposite of their expectation occurs.  After all, God has every right to test us to see if we can really endure.  Modern evangelism does not ask a crucial question:  Are we able to drink of the cup that Jesus drank of?
We should take the second parachute approach, boldly telling every man, as Hebrews 9:27 says:

it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment

He must understand the horrific consequences of the judgment--hell. He must be educated on what breaking the Law means. He must be told to escape the wrath which is to come, when God judges the earth in righteousness. The issue is not one of happiness, but of righteousness.  Then he will flee to Christ, and experience true peace and joy—the fruits of salvation.  But don’t speak of peace and joy as a “draw card” for salvation, or sinners will respond with impure motives, lacking repentance.  The man correctly taught will have much more motivation to endure the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.  When bad times come, he doesn’t throw off Christ—because his reason for taking on Christ is not for rosy paths, but to save him from future wrath.  He has been re-taught to ignore man’s reasoning.  If anything, trials will drive the true believer closer to the Savior—life will be that much better in heaven, and he will be looking more for heaven when life on earth gets miserable.

Mr. Comfort then told of an evangelistic crusade he preached in Australia.  He preached of the Law, Hell, and wrath.  He told of how few people came forward, and how the atmosphere felt tense. He felt the usual disappointment in people’s deafness.  Perhaps he thought of Noah, “a just man, perfect in his generations...who walked with God” (Gen. 6:9), who despite being “a preacher of righteousness” (II Peter 2:5), never was able to save a single soul outside his family.  The Spirit lifted Mr. Comfort up, told him to simply carry on. Mr. Comfort confessed that this lack of results, over time in a cynical world, wears him down, and had pulled him, at one time period, unwittingly to preaching a man-centered Gospel—to get happier results. For that time he got lots of results—that was nice.  The original numbers of people “saved” are higher that way, and there is less tension.  People are happy to have Jesus take a turn at getting them out of the mess they’ve made of their lives. But--they are not clean from the wrath to come because we don’t tell them of the wrath to come.  That was a glaring omission in his message. In the end, people should be asking what David, what the Prodigal Son, and Joseph asked:  How could they sin against God? After all, He is also a God of wrath, and we can’t just ignore that—it’s one of His personality traits.  Real repentance is understanding that the great offense here is against God, not just “horizontal” repentance against your fellow man. Mr. Comfort calls this “horizontal only” approach “superficial and experimental.”  The prospect should be seeking something called “godly sorrow” to obtain true repentance, an important element in salvation.  As II Corinthians 7:10 says: …godly sorrow produces repentance.  In evangelism nowadays, we are missing discussing sin against God.

We have preached the cure without telling them of the disease.
AB Earle, who had 150,000 converts to his ministry in the mid-1800s, made the following quote:
I have found by long experience that the severest threatenings of the Law of God have a prominent place in leading men to Christ.  They must see themselves lost before they will cry for mercy; they will not escape danger until they see it.

Mr. Comfort has noticed that there are many people who have been “saved” several times, yet their lives don’t show change. They’re still fornicating, still blaspheming, and so on. What they’re likely doing is:  Using the grace of God for an occasion of the flesh. They sin, they might ask God to forgive them, they move on same as before. They don’t esteem the sacrifice and don’t understand how great the sin.  It means nothing to them to trample the blood of Christ underfoot. The problem is: They’ve never been convinced of the disease that they might appropriate the cure.

When you study the Word, you find that Biblical evangelism is always interpreted as restrictive, to people that are proud and grace to the humble.  Never do you see Jesus giving the gospel to proud, arrogant, self-righteous people.  With the Law, He breaks the heart and with the Gospel, He heals the broken heart.  God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. The proud and highly esteemed are an abomination to God (Luke 16:15).  Note who gets the good tidings in Isaiah 61:1.  The poor, the brokenhearted and the captives are those who are there spiritually:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound

Only the sick can appropriate a cure. In Luke 10:25-37, after being plainly asked "what shall I do to inherit eternal life?", Jesus gave the lawyer Law.  Why?  Because he was proud.  Note v. 29 for that in part of the story below:

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” ²⁷ So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” ²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  ³⁰ Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves…(the rest of the story is of the Good Samaritan, who helps a person in trouble when no one else would).

Jesus knew this Jewish lawyer didn’t like Samaritans.  Then the Master Debater came to the climaxing point:

³⁶ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” ³⁷ And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The lawyer had no response—he could see his own lack of love, compared to this generous Samaritan.  He could see that he was a Commandment-breaker.  The Law has done its job again—stopped his mouth, maybe convinced him of sin.

Note that a similar event happens when the rich young ruler visits Jesus.  We read of it in Luke 18:18-23, where Jesus shies away from an easy response:

Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” ²¹ And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” ²² So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”²³ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

Again, Jesus did not begin with the Gospel to this person. (Today, as soon as he asks, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” we would engage him in a salvation prayer).  But Jesus sees a proud person underneath (Note v. 21), who was not ready for the Gospel.  So in verse 20 the young ruler gets the Law—the “horizontal” part-- and is still convinced that he has never sinned (an advantage that only Jesus can claim, really).  Then Jesus slyly points out his lack of the first commandment (Thou shall have no other gods before me) by showing him that his real god is his money.  Once again, no argument. His mouth was stopped.

In contrast, we see Nicodemus, in John 3.  While a leader of the Jews, he was humble of heart, acknowledging the deity of Jesus (verse 2).  He receives the Gospel, and perhaps the greatest verse in His Word, John 3:16.

Consider also Nathanael, in John 1:47-51.  In him was no deceit.  Since that trait is a tool of the proud, he does not have that negative quality.  Plus, he acknowledged the deity of Christ (v. 49).  Jesus gives him the honor of prophesying about Himself and His future coming.  Part of His glorious good news. This kinder approach goes for the Jews who gathered on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2.  These were devout (a word which denotes humility) men, v. 5.  What did Peter preach to them?  Not the Law, but the Gospel.  (But he doesn’t hesitate to lay blame on them for His crucifixion, v. 36).

Think of two verses to the great hymn, “At Calvary:” Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not my Lord was crucified, Knowing not it was for me He died  On Calvary.
By God’s Word at last my sin I learned; then I trembled at the law I’d spurned Till my guilty soul imploring turned  To Calvary. May God bless you as you search for His ways of presenting His precious Words to the lost in your environment.  In the light of our first few paragraphs, remember the saying:  “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” There is a lot of insanity in evangelism these days. Acknowledgement:  Ray Comfort, “Hell’s Best Kept Secret,"   audio and book from Livingwaters.com.