Words of Jesus Podcast - We Don't Know Everything

Episode Date: November 11, 2022

Are you better off today than you were last week? Last month? Last year? You should be. Obedience to the Word of God always makes us better. Don't limit your self-evaluation to financial gains. There are many gifts (self-control, patience, forgiveness, etc.) that lead to a better life and success - come what may. Strive to enter into the narrow gate. Remember, our walk toward salvation is a process. There is no way to stay in the same place. We get better or we get worse. Every gift has a responsibility attached. If we receive revelations or understandings about the Word of God that we ignore, they will be taken from us. We should not expect to learn everything we need to know from what is written in the Scriptures. “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." John 21***Ch. 29: AND JESUS ADDED -             “Take heed what ye hear. With what measure ye mete, it shall me be measured to you; and unto you that hear shall more be given.  For he that hath, to him shall be given; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.”***Scriptures:Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-25; Luke 8:4-18

Think Red Ink Ministries presents The Words of Jesus Series with Don C. Harris Hello friends and welcome to The Words of Jesus series again. I'm Don Harris, your host. And I am trying my best to reveal to you what's been revealed to me. And that is, I don't know everything. Oh, that's already occurred to you that I don't know everything? Okay, we're on the same page then. You know,

it was a time in my life when I decided that either these things in the scriptures do make sense, they do fit into Christianity, or they don't. And we just need to drop this thing and just go to doing something else. And I was conventionally Christian. I was a conventional Christian. And so there were many scriptures that I didn't bother reading, didn't bother understanding, didn't bother trying to understand, didn't talk about them, because sometimes you just get shut down by the powers that be to even discuss those kind of things.

I know that's true, but I can't have it in my church. You know, I had a preacher say that to me one time. Bless his heart. He was an old man then. I guess he's probably dead now. He probably regrets the day he ever said that. There is nothing about that statement that's any good. I know that it's true, but I can't have it in my church.

Anyway, that's not the only dumb thing you'll hear people say. But I think that if we take our Christian walk, our Christian faith, everything about this, and subject it to examination, I don't think you're going to be sorry. I think that people are afraid to examine their faith.

They're afraid to examine their denomination. Well, frankly, they're afraid that they're going to come up with something else. They're afraid that they're not willing to dispense with logic like the preacher is. They're not willing to dispense with truth like most people are. They're not willing to look the other way. They're not willing, you know I had somebody say to me one time you know I go to some pentecostal

church you know and i said something about their denomination of being a tongue-talking denomination and he says well that's never happened to me i pray for it all the time but it's never happened to me i said that's, probably because you're honest. What do you mean? I said, aren't they shouting in your ear what to say? Well, yeah, they've tried. Aren't they speaking in tongues, you know, in your face and letting you see them do that? Like, here, make these noises.

Well, yeah, I've been there. I've had people do that. Let go and let God and all this stuff. And I said, well, then why do you think it didn't take? Well, I never spoke in tongues. I said, no, you never did what they did. That means you're an honest man. I appreciate it.

You know, don't get me wrong. I'm the kind of guy that believes in it. The scriptures talk about it as a real phenomenon. I've even found it in the Old Testament. But it's a real phenomenon. I just don't think many people have seen it. I can't say nobody has because I don't know that. See, another thing that I don't think many people have seen it. I can't say nobody has because I don't know that. See another thing that I don't know. So relax.

We were cleaning up some of the scriptures that were kind of left over that they threw into after the parable of the sower and they're just pregnant man. Every time you read them, it goes off into another direction. Something else gets spawned. Something else comes from it. So we're just going to continue until we exhaust them.

If it's all the same to you. The second one here is, and Jesus said, Take heed what you hear. With what measure you meet, it will be measured to you again and ye that hear shall be more more shall be given for he that hath uh to him shall be given and he that hath not from him shall be taken even that which he hath and which naturally brought up the subject of judgment of being responsible for the way we live and what we do and how we think and everything about our Christian life.

We're responsible for it. And you will continue to be responsible until that day of judgment. This is not a matter of you having no responsibility in this. You do. One of your main responsibilities that Jesus delineated in no uncertain terms. You're going to have to endure to the end. All this can be for nothing if the end turns out to be you forsaking God. It's not worthwhile.

If that's going to be your end, oh I would hope that it won't. But there is a concept that if we do do the right thing, he's going to add to us. Things are going to be better today than they were last week. And if you don't,

there's no promise at all that things are going to be better next week than they are this week or 10 years from now than they are right now. Everything's going to be better next week than they are this week or 10 years from now than they are right now. Everything's going to be pretty much the same except, by the way, you're going to be 10 years older. 10 years closer to the day of your death. 10 years closer to the day of whatever tragedy is on its way

in your life. You better hope to God there is some tragedy somewhere that wakes you up and makes you see and properly prioritize things in your life or you're just going to continue to be like you are now except worse. Oh yeah, did I mention that as far as your spiritual condition is concerned, 10 years from today, if you don't utilize what the Lord has revealed to you, what He's shown to you, that you have made, that you have subjected to every preacher that you know and got their

opinions about it and these kind of things, do you realize that if you don't act on that, it's not that 10 years from now you're going to be in the exact same situation you are today. 10 years from now you could be in a lot worse condition than you are today because things that aren't utilized, things that aren't moved upon, if it's like money that's not invested, it's not spent, it's just never invested. It's just stuck in a shoebox under a bed. He says that people who don't take what the Lord has for them and apply it in their lives,

it's going to be taken away even that which they have. So really, in reality, 10 years from now, you can't be as good as you are today. If you're not obeying the Lord, there's no guarantee that you're going to be even as good as you are today. You're likely going to be worse. Hey, hasn't everybody seen this happen? Gee, what's up with Grandpa? I remember he used to be so happy.

He was just enjoying life and kicking around and had friends over. He's miserable now. Well, he's not a Christian anymore. Oh, don't say that. My grandpa, he's been a Christian since he was six. He went up to the altar and asked jesus christ to come into his heart well really so that lasts an additional 70 years is that what that is it

supposed to do that now jesus said he has to endure to the end and he didn't you want to know why grandpa's so miserable he probably been told that everything he was going to get when he got saved is everything he's going to get. He probably was told that salvation is instantaneous. There's nothing you can do about it. You ask Jesus to save you, and he saves you. You don't feel saved? Well, that's just tough.

You're saved anyway. He's probably been told all that. And so no maintenance maintenance no seeking the lord no make you adding revelation to his life no adding revelation to his own decision making on a daily basis so what happened he got worse and worse and worse and worse and then it was taken away even that what you did have i don't. I don't know what you think you're doing, messing around with this. This is important.

Your Christian life is important. We live in an age today where nothing's important. You know, especially religion. You can believe anything you want to believe. That's your truth. This is my truth. That's her truth. That's his truth. You know, I think that God is what we understand him to be. Let it out. Chase it out. Fan it out. Actively pursue getting rid of it. Erasing silly, ridiculous doctrines in our life.

We don't care if the church agrees with us. We don't care if the Nicene Council agrees with us. What do I care about a bunch of dead guys that got together 2,000 years ago, 1,500 years ago and decided this is what we should believe. Get out of here! Man! No individuality. No seeking God on a personal level. No listening to the Spirit of God who you can't trust.

You can't trust spirits you can only trust the Bible the Bible has a fatal flaw it requires that an idiot read it and I'm pointing at me it might be chock full of truth but I can't get it out of there so that's a pretty fatal flaw. It's like spray painting the pages.

Yeah, the truth's there, but you just can't see it. You ever thought about that? If you take the Bible and print all of the words in black ink on black paper, is it still the word of God? All right. Take heed what you hear. in black ink, on black paper. Is it still the word of God? All right. Take heed what you hear.

I want to add to this one. These scriptures, I believe, what you hear comes from Matthew. And if you read the same thing in the book of Luke, you'll hear Jesus say, take heed what you hear and take heed how you hear. Now these two things are different. I can't say totally different because they are about

hearing. And if you want to stick a one word definition on what I do and what Think Red Inc. does, it's that. We're trying to teach people to hear the Word of God for themselves. You have no need that any man teach you, the apostle said. You have no need that any man teach you. The same spirit that brought you into this, it can teach you all along the way. Jesus' promise was, if I go away, I'm going to send the Spirit of God.

He's going to lead you and guide you into all truth. You can't find a scripture that says that I'm going to send a Bible, a book, a computer program, a preacher, a denomination, a church, and they'll lead you and guide you into all truth. You can't find that. But that is, dare I say, 100% of where every Christian gets all of their information. That's amazing.

Do you know what we're doing here at TRI this is a mystery hidden since the foundation of the world being revealed to you right now Christ in you the hope of glory it is the mystery

that's been hidden since the foundation of the world. And I'm afraid that even though Paul tried to expose it 2,000 years ago, I think that it has eventually been covered up by the flotsam and jetsam of all the junk flying around in religion. It's just been hidden. It's been hidden again. This time not hidden by God, but hidden by men, unscrupulous men that see the

message of Jesus Christ of putting them out of business. The religion business. And I don't think they appreciate it not one bit. I think that if we were living in the day and the age and the society that Jesus was in when he was here, I don't think there would be one ounce of difference about the way we reacted to what he had to say or the way we treated him

or the fact that the church murdered him. He's not going to come here, take away the temple, take away these scriptures, take away our preachers, take away our Sunday school literature. What? And expect him to teach us every day? What do I do? I guess you go get yourself a pair of roller skates, preacher, and go get a job down at the Dog and Suds. An honest job.

But you can't have his. One is your teacher, even Christ. One is your rabbi, even Christ. That's all there is to this. There's no one or nobody preaches this. It puts them out of a job. All right. When he says, take heed what you hear, I want you to know that I feel like the church at large has pretty much done this overly well.

Can you say it that way? I don't know. What it is, is that we have, you know, on a weekly basis, and if you like listening to Christian broadcasts and stuff like this, it's probably a daily basis. You pay attention to this. Now that I've told you, you'll start to pay attention to this. How many times preachers warn you against false prophets? They warn you against spirits.

They warn you against the devil. They warn you against things that you can't see. They blame spirits and demons and entities that you can't see. They can't be proven. It just leaves everybody with an attitude like who's going to take me now? I need to be scared. I need take me now? I need to be scared. I need to be worried.

I need to be cautious. And so, take heed what you hear has been interpreted in many cases to don't let those Jehovah's Witnesses in that door. Don't you dare talk to a Mormon about God. You have to be careful. Don't read that guy's book why well he doesn't believe what we believe or as as what was it peter john says they walk not with us i thought that was so perfect i mean what a perfect answer that depicts perfectly the attitude of the church. Jesus says, you told them to stop preaching?

Is that what you did? Yes, sir. We certainly did. They were casting out devils, and we forbade them. You stopped them from casting out devils? Yes, sir. Why did you do that? Well, they walked out with us.

And I think, if I'm not mistaken, he says that like three times in that story. They walked out with us. And Jesus is trying to think, what? Well, we've already got denominations started here. Is that the idea? They don't walk with us.

We don't agree 100% on everything that we teach. So all these poor people that they run across that needs demons cast out of them, and that was the case in those days, you know, heck of them. And that was the case in those days. You know, heck with them. Any good that they do, we can do without that. But what we can't tolerate is people who think differently than we do. Oh no, can't do that. Master, I don't think they believed in the Trinity. Oh no.

And they're casting out devils. Wow, I'll take the devil casting out. How about that? Leave them alone. They're not against us. If they're not against us, then they're on our part. They're friends of ours. And you just told them to quit preaching.

Wow, man. Sometimes I wonder why I chose you people. Anyway, this idea that take heed what you hear, we have really overdone this. You want to pick up a book and read it? And you go through it. Oh, let's look at the author. Oh, he's a Presbyterian.

Oh, he's a nine-point Calvinist. I don't know if I want to hear anything he's got to say. Or, you know, he's a Catholic. Or, you know, his mother was a Mormon. You think there was influences there? And we're all worried about what we hear friend don't you have any relationship with god to the point that you feel any confidence at all that he's going to watch over you and protect you and it really doesn't matter

what you hear that the spirit in you is going to lead you and guide you you're going to watch over you and protect you and it really doesn't matter what you hear, that the Spirit in you is going to lead you and guide you. You're going to know what's wrong. You're going to know what's right. Really? You're just going to discount a whole book, a whole idea, a preacher, a sermon, TV show, radio show, whatever, because he doesn't agree with the people you agree with. Wow, man, that's just borderline insanity. How do you think that you became a Christian to begin with? Well, let's just say that everything you believe is true, and your salvation is just like you think

it is. How did that happen? Wasn't it one guy, one idea somewhere that was presented to you that was different than everybody you hung around with? Any big change in your life. The woman you married, wasn't she just one person that was different than all the rest? Anything that has influenced itself,

either change of career, change of attitude, change of political party, whatever. Hasn't it always been one voice, one person, one that disagreed with everybody around you that puts you on what you consider to be now

the right course? That's just amazing. And now you can't touch it. Why? Why is that? Because you're constantly inundated by the Christian community. Beware of false prophets. Like they're going to come in and steal. Most of those people that talk like that believe once saved always saved. I don't know what they think that these false prophets are going to do to you.

Maybe they don't believe in once saved always saved as much as they thought. But they don't want you to hear anything that's different than what you've been taught. We can't have that. Why is that? Who told you that? Jesus didn't say that. He says, my sheep know my voice. A stranger they won't follow. They know not the voice of strangers. Is what Jesus said there, is that true? Was he just exaggerating? Was he making some kind of euphemism? Was he making some kind of hyperbolic statement?

Was he just trying to impress us? Was it just some rhetorical throwaway line to make us stink? Or was he telling us the truth? My sheep know my voice. A stranger they won't follow. Now look, when it comes to the world, Or was he telling us the truth? My sheep know my voice. A stranger they won't follow. Now look, when it comes to the world, don't get me wrong, false prophets need to be shut down and shut up.

Paul said it, the mouths must be stopped. People think that I pick on them. You know, you're rough on preachers. Well, their mouths need to be stopped. It needs to be stopped. Well, that's not freedom of speech. You know what? I'm not a Christian because it's an American institution.

I'm not an American Christian. I am Christian. So what's our recourse? Well, the scriptures do not say in vain that we should take heed what we hear. I think we should take heed what we hear. And if you don't have confidence in your relationship with God, with your understanding the way it is,

you feel reluctant about listening to just anybody about anything, and know that you're perhaps influenced easier than most, look, friend, take it easy. Just back off and relax. Take heed what you hear. I'm not saying it just because, you know, yesterday you decided to be be Christian and today you've got some supernatural power that you can tell the difference between good and evil. No, I'm not that silly. I think that you can have that power. Paul says that we can have our senses exercised to know the difference between good and evil. What's that

mean? That means we can see it. We can hear it. We can essentially taste it, touch it, and say, there's something wrong with that. And we can trust those kind of things over time. But let's say right now you don't have that confidence. That's okay. I appreciate your honesty. So, protect yourself. Be careful.

I believe in living in an incubator until you get your wings, until you get your legs about you, until you feel pretty confident that you can do things and check things out. But, friend, you've been a Christian for 30 years,

and you don't want to hear anything other than what your denomination preaches? Yeah, good luck with that. Really. Because there is so much that the Lord has to tell us, this book's not going to contain it. No book's going to contain it. That's ridiculous to even think about. Even John, the gospel writer, says, you know, I'm convinced that of all the things that Jesus did,

the world couldn't contain the books that should be written. You know, that's amazing to think about. If he can't be contained in a book, he can't be contained in a philosophy. If he can't be contained in a philosophy, he can't be contained in a theology. So, you're going to have to have sources other than your common sources and people that you trust you know that you you know chances are you know if you looked into those kind of you won't even look into them because you don't want to find out you can't trust them but take heed what you hear yeah good advice but you know what i can give you a piece of advice that'll make that a hundredfold easier to live in.

Because take heed that you hear, what does that mean? Don't listen to false doctrine. Well, how will I know it's false? Well, well, you don't have an answer for me how am I going to know if it's false well I'll tell you whether it's false or not so I'm listening to you the Bible teaches me

that I need to take heed what I hear not you, me well there's an easier way friends time's gone for today and I appreciate you being here, but we can't finish. We can't continue.

So what have we got to do? Well, what we have to do is start again, and we're going to take in the other portions. I told you that the verse I read was from Matthew. We're going to read from Luke and see what he says there. How to add to this and actually make it easier to live in. Alright, time's gone. We'll see you next time. Bye bye my friend. ¶¶ you've been listening to don c harris of think red ink ministries ThinkRedInc.com. That's ThinkRedInc.com. Join us again for the next episode in the Words of Jesus series. you