Boundaries

    Jeremiah 6:16-17- "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your soul. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also i set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken."

The world does not want to hear God's Word. They do not want restrictions put upon them. God said that he would set watchman over us. A watchman is a pastor. A true pastor will tell you the truth. We need to be thankful and appreciate men of God that will stand up and be bold for the gospel. There are so many just giving in to social pressure; they do not care as long as their membership continues to grow. That is not God's way.

Prov 23:10- "Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless." Landmarks are boundaries. They are points where you can find out what territory you own or do not own. Landmarks keep you from wandering. They are a marker. In the literal sense a landmark can be an old tree, a big old rock, or anything recognizable that helps you to keep on course. Thank God for spiritual landmark and boundaries.

Our authorities and teachers that are supposed to be trained to lead young people, are telling them they can do as they please. They are making a fatal mistake. If there was ever a time when the ministry needs to make the boundary lines clear and distinct, it is today. Look at what alcohol, tobacco, and drugs has done. Look at what the devil has done with parents who let their children make up their own minds. They leave the decision up to them as to whether or not they attend church. You need to hold it right on those children and make them go. When they have the opportunity to hear the message of salvation, the Holy Spirit can deal with them and convict them. It will help them get saved. Allowing them to go to worldly places will not help them to get saved. Even if your children backslide, you need to hold the rule on them. Putting boundaries on them will help them back to God. But if you give in and let them do what they want to do, they will be lost. You cannot be afraid to hold some rules on them or they will lose respect.

Everyone needs boundaries in their lives. Boundaries are restrictions. To some people, they are restriction they cannot bear. Some churches have closed their doors on Sunday and Wednesday nights because there is no interest. There is no fire in the pulpit and no fire in the pew. They have lost their amens and their shouts because they are trying to please everybody. They do not want any restriction. But thank God for the restrictions. Without them we would be just like the world. Boundaries are a safety net or guide lines. You are safe if you stay inside of them. If we keep our boundaries clearly marked we will know where we are. People that remove the boundaries lose their sense of direction and do not know which way to go. The reason many families have lost their way and become confused, is the parents or grandparents at some time, stopped God's law from ruling their home and let the world rule instead.

Revelation 22:18-19- "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written inn this book."

There are so many new Bibles being written; people fail to see the danger in leaving the old King James version. In a lot of these Bibles the blood is taken out. We need the blood that was shed on the cross. If it was not for the blood, we would not be saved and sanctified today. Whole chapters have been ommitted from those so-called Bibles. They are not the Word of God. Not just any translation will do. Most people do not believe we live holy. So when they come across those scriptures that demand holiness out of them, they think it must not be right. They erase it and rewrite it and make it easy to be explained. What they are doing is taking from the Word of God. We cannot add to, or take away from the true Word of God. The same is true of boundaries. God has set them and we must obey them.

Deuteronomy 4:2- "Ye shall not add unto the word which i command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. "God thought Israel statutes and judgment, and commanded them not to diminish ought from them.

In John 13:14-regarding feet washing, Jesus said, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet." Most religions today do not believe they ought to have feet washing. If the Bible says you ought to do something, it means you are duty bound to do it.

Baptism is another landmark, but people are so full of pride today they they refuse to be immersed. It will mess up their hair, or makeup. So they sprinkle and say they have been baptized, but they have missed it. They have pulled up a landmark and are being deceived. False prophets are deceiving them, giving them a false hope.

Church joining is another false hope. You cannot go to heaven by joining a church. They leave repentance clear out of their message. Oh thank God for the landmarks! Let us hold on to them for our children. If we stop preaching "divine healing" we will cease to be church of God. We cannot aside one landmark. Thank God for the standards of the church of God. They help keep our young people saved. People say the church of God is too fanatical on the hair, jewelry, sports and many other things; but we must thank God for them. If we stop preaching on this things compromise will set in. Our young people will not know in which direction to go. They will ask their parents, "Which way is right? I am confused." That is why we need landmark. Hold the standard on your children whether they are saved or not. You cannot allow them to bring cigarettes into your house, or let them listen to worldly music. Neither can you let them bring a television into their rooms. It will take them down quickly. If you demand obedience in the home it will bring conviction on them. We cannot forced anybody to be saved or stay saved. The Holy Ghost is a gentleman and will not force His way into any heart. He will knock on your heart's door, but He will not come in and walk with you as long as you do not allow him. When you no longer want Him, He will depart. We serve a just God. If we do not hold fast to godly principles and keep the boundaries, we will end up just like the rest of the world.
Deut 4:9- "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons."

We are living in a proud day. People are ashamed of the truth and standard. They are ashamed to take a stand for what is right because of pride. Many do not want to go this way because they want their own selfish way. They do not want restrictions, boundaries, or landmarks. They do not want anybody telling them what to do.

Titus 2:1-"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine." This verse is not speaking of doctrine alone, but of things which become sound doctrine. God will open up your heart and mind to what is truth if you are honest.

Verses 2-5.. "That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." It is the little things that have corrupted congregations. It is the little foxes that have robbed people that at one time loved God. Seemingly harmless insignificant things have crept in and they lost their conviction of them. That boundary was moved and the next thing you know they have deviated from the narrow way and lost their vision of truth. If you take heed to this gospel you will have a sound mind.

Revelation 14:1-"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads." Is the Father's name written in your forehead?

Revelation 9:4-"And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." The idea of an anti-Christ who will put the number 666 in your forehead in order for you to buy or sell is false doctrine. They teach that it is a literal stamp, but they never talk about God's stamp. God's people are marked. The devil, or the world, has its mark. God's seal in the forehead is not a literal stamp, but is knowledge and understanding. You know when people are following God. They are serious, wholehearted, and they obey God. God help us to hold fast to our mark and love God with all of our heart. God's mark is a mark of servitude-a mark of ownership.

1 Cor 3:16-17.."Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." You cannot sin and go to heaven. It was sin that caused Adam and Eve to be banished from the Garden of Eden and it is sin that will keep you out of heaven. God is not playing church.

1 Cor 6:19-"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" This is what a lot of people fear-giving themselves to God. If you give yourself to God, He will own you. God will own you from the hair on your head to the shoes on your feet. He will own you inside and out. If you love God, He will not only own you, but your house also and all that you possess. May we glorify God in our body and in our spirit. You may think that you cannot live up to the standard, but you can if you want to. We cannot do it alone, but we can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us. We just obey. A heart change makes the difference.