John 3:11-21
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

John 3:16 is the most famous verse in scripture.  Most people do not realize that it is a statement made by John about what Jesus just said in John 3:14 about the serpent.  Some people think Jesus said verses 16-21, but I think it was John reflecting on the magnitude of what Jesus just said and I think at that moment in the life of John, he actually got gospel.  I think this is the point in John's life after walking with Jesus for so many years, seeing miracle after miracle, watching Jesus walk on water, etc. that john finally understood what this was all about.  Jesus had told the disciples multiple times that He was going to Jerusalem to be killed and that He would raise from the grave.  They did not understand.  I think John 3:16 is the point of understanding for the apostle John.  He got it and it blew him away.

Man is born into judgment.  All men and women are born to die in judgment because they are infected with a disease called sin.  Jesus came to give life.  Jesus is the cure to the disease of sin.  Jesus came to take away the judgment.  Jesus came to be light in a dark world.  All you have to do is look to him.  First, you must recognize that you are sick.  Then, just look to Jesus.  Recognize who He is and submit to His authority in your life.  Love the Lord for He is good. 
Open your bibles to . . .

Number 21:4-9
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. 
5 The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food." 
6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 
7 So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people. 
8 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten,when he looks at it, he will live." 
9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. 

When a person dies, it is a common question to wonder if that person was saved.  When asked that awkward question, I always ask the person asking me if they have ever looked to Jesus?  That is the only requirement to be saved.  You must agree that you are a sinner and look to Jesus as your Savior.  Salvation is of the Lord.  I can not answer yes, that person went to heaven, or no, that person went to hell.  I must work out my own personal salvation with fear and trembling.
Open your bibles to . . .

2 Kings 18:3-6
3 He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. 
4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah.  He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan. 
5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. 
6 For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. 

Who is this king? 
Verse 5 says that he is the greatest king in all Jewish history.  I did not include verse one and two to see if you know your bible history.  It is not David.  It is not Saul.  It is not Solomon.  It is Hezekiah. 

The nation was burning incense to the bronze serpent and God considered it a good thing to have it destroyed.  Think about that.  Do you see what God thinks of idol worship?  Have you turned the cross into an idol?  Have you turned a statue into an idol?  Have you turned Jesus' mother into an idol?  Do you pray to Mary or other saints?  That is WRONG!  A man prays to the Father by the blood of the Son with the help of the Holy Spirit.  When I see people worshiping the Pope and kissing his feet, I think of Peter and Paul when mortal men tried to worship them.  They rejected that crazy activity, but this guys accepts it.  Are you kidding me?  Does he not read his bible? 

Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 22:7-9
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and repeated Balak's words to him. 
8 He said to them, "Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you as the Lord may speak to me." And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. 
9 Then God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" 
10 Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me,

The fees of divination were in their hand.  When I was in real estate, I would have my buyers pre-qualified before we ever looked at a single home.  I had better things to do with my time than drive people around looking at homes they could not afford.  These leaders of Midian knew how to do business.  Earlier in Numbers Moses describes how God gave the Amorites into the hand of the Israelites from 21:34.  These Midianites were afraid.  Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 22:20-22
20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do." 
21 So Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab. 
22 But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him.  Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. 

God came to Balaam.  Balaam talked with God.  God told Balaam to rise up and go with them. So why was God angry?  It must have to do with the last part of verse 20 where it says 'but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.'.  Remember God not only knows your thoughts, but also the intent behind your thoughts.  You can not hide from God which is why we must submit to God.  He knows we are just flesh and bone and He loves us anyway.  I do not understand how God could love me or why He would suffer, die and rise again for me, but I believe that He did.  I submit myself to God because I understand He loves me even knowing the intent behind my thoughts.

I see in scripture where the Angel of the Lord spoke to Hagar and I can see in scripture where God speaks to various Israelites via the Angel of the Lord, but we are not told that Balaam was an Ishmaelite or an Israelite.  If Balaam was a Midianite, then he would have been a distant cousin.  Open your bibles to . . .

Genesis 25:1-6
1 Now Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 
2 She bore to him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah. 
3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan.  And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim. 
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah. 
5 Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac; 
6 but to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east.

Moses married a Midianite woman as told in Exodus 2:15-21.  Some of the Midianite people were traveling with Moses and Israel as seen in Exodus 18.  It was not a matter of God not liking or caring for the Midianites, but God not approving of the type of life these people were living.  Would God approve of your lifestyle?  God is judging their behavior and using Israel as his rod of punishment.  Leviticus 20 is that chapter in the bible that is too embarrassing to read in public.  God said in Leviticus 20:23 that this was the behavior of the people that God was driving out of the land and that included these Midianites. 
Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 23:4-5
4 Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar." 
5 Then the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus."

I recently attended a multi-faith meeting between a Christian Pastor, a Muslim Iman, and a Jewish Rabbi.  The topic of discussion was if all three faiths could pray together.  As I sat down in the back of the room waiting on the program to start, a camera man and another man with a microphone walked over to me and asked me what I expected to get from the meeting.  I explained that I only attended to make sure that the Christian faith was properly represented to these Jewish and Muslim attendees.  Christians approach God by way of Jesus and His blood sacrifice is the only way that we can pray to God.  The man asked if we could pray together.  I said no and that we should give each other space and simply tolerate our different beliefs about God.

To my pleasant surprise, the pastor who represented the Christian faith did a fine job.  He presented the gospel without excuse and with grace.  As I left, I thought of a great question I wish I could have had an opportunity to ask during the program.  This was my question; ‘Balaam is described in the Jewish Torah as a non-Jew who approached God with sacrifices and God spoke with him.  As a Christian, I approach God based upon the blood of Jesus, how does a Jewish person approach God today since daily sacrifices have not been offered for almost two thousand years.  The same question for the Muslim; how can a Muslim approach God without a blood sacrifice? 

How did Balaam even know about offering sacrifices?  Balaam set up seven alters to sacrifice bulls and rams.  God must have told him although scripture does not specifically say that.  Think about this; who wrote Numbers?  Moses.  Moses is describing events where he was not present.  How did Moses know what to write?  God must have told him although we are not specifically told.  I have always wondered if Moses was shown a vision and told Moses to write what he observed or did God simply dicate the Torah to Moses? 
Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 24:1-11
1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness. 
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him. 

The Spirit of God came upon Balaam.  Think about this; the Spirit of God came upon Saul as seen in 1 Samuel 10:6-10 until Saul disobeyed God as seen in 1 Samuel 13:13-14 and 1 Samuel 15:11.  God removed the Spirit of the Lord from Saul and gave Him to David as seen in 1 Samuel 16:13-14.

3 He took up his discourse and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;
4 The oracle of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,
5 How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!
6 "Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens beside the river, Like aloes planted by the Lord, Like cedars beside the waters.
7 "Water will flow from his buckets, And his seed will be by many waters, And his king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.
8 "God brings him out of Egypt, He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.  He will devour the nations who are his adversaries, And will crush their bones in pieces, And shatter them with his arrows.
9 "He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him?  Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you."

10 Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times! 
11 Therefore, flee to your place now.  I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the Lord has held you back from honor."

It looks like Balaam did not get paid.  The elders brought cash, but it appears that Balaam missed out on the money because he wanted to follow God instead.  We are not told the details that happened later, but we are told about the results.  Because of Balaam many people lost their lives.  Open your bibles to . . .

Revelation 2:12-17
12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:
13 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.
15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.'

Over the past few months we have been discussing the thin line between the physical and the spiritual.  In verse thirteen, Jesus says that His people are living right where Satan’s throne resides and they were doing good by holding to His Name.  This spiritual fallen angel dwells among the physical.  Think about that for a second.  Then God mentions Balaam, the idols, and acts of immorality.  Think about that.  I thought Balaam talked to God.  I thought he was on our team.
Open your bibles to . . .

Jude 10-13
10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. 
11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 

You do not need to be a bible scholar to know the stories of Cain and Able as told in Genesis chapter 4 or Korah’s rebellion as described in Numbers 16.  You do not want to be lumped into a category with Hitler, Charles Mason, Cain, or Korah.  Balaam is classified with these guys.  What did he do? 
12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; 
13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. 

Open your bibles to . . .
2 Peter 2
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 
2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 
3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 
6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; 
7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 
8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 
10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. 

Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, 
11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. 
12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 
13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong.  They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 
14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; 
15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 
16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. 

17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. 
18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 
19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 

20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 

We all need to memorize that verse.  If, after . . . escape . . . knowledge . . . Jesus . . .

21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 
22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire." 

Peter was not alive when Balaam was around so how does he know what happened if it is not written in the Torah?  Peter walked around with Jesus for several years and I think it is safe to say that Jesus must have given Peter a much more clear picture of events as they unfolded since He (Jesus as the Angel of the Lord prior to being born to the virgin Mary) told Moses what to write in the Torah. 
Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 31
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 
2 "Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people."

Moses is told he is about to die.  I think that would be a great gift to know your day of death.  How would you act if today was your last day on earth?  Look at how Moses acts.  He got angry at the officers of Israel.  Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 31
7 So they made war against Midian, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 
8 They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 
9 The sons of Israel captured the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle and all their flocks and all their goods they plundered.

Numbers 31
14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 
15 And Moses said to them, "Have you spared all the women?
16 Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.
17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately. 
18 But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves.

God does not delight in the death of anyone.  Open your bibles to . . .

Ezekiel 18:29-32
29 But the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' Are My ways not right, O house of Israel?  Is it not your ways that are not right? 

30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord God. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. 
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? 
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord God. "Therefore, repent and live." 

Here is where we are told what happened regarding the sin of Israel, but notice that Balaam is not mentioned here.  Also notice that God cast judgment on the leaders of the people for their lack of leadership.  Next week we will be discussing our roles as fathers.  Do you think God will hold us responsible for our homes? 
Open your bibles to . . .

Numbers 25:1-5
1 While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 
2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 
3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. 
4 The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel." 
5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor." 

This is week thirteen.  In week nine we spoke about idol worship.  In week eleven we spoke about sexual responsibility.  Here the two are combined in this sorted tale of Balaam giving advice on how to lead men astray.  Balaam cost a lot of people their lives.  Our life and the leadership we provide has consequences. 
So what is the answer?  Open your bibles to . . . 

John 3:13-18
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I cannot save you.  I cannot save myself.  But I know Who can save and does save.  I must point all men to Him.  So what is the overall theme of the lesson today?  Balaam should have joined the Israelites instead of hanging out with his old friends. 
Christians need each other in Christ.  Open your bibles to . . . 

Acts 2:37-45
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 
38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 
39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." 
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" 
41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 
44 And all those who had believed and were together and had all things in common; 
45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

Hope you recognize a miracle when you see one.  All these people shared all they owned.  Talk about a miracle.  I like to think of verse 42 as the ‘Trinity of Man’.  The apostles’ teaching was what we have now as the letters from Peter, Paul, James, etc.  I lump breaking bread and fellowship together as one because they go together.  And third is prayer.  These three elements makes up a real man in Christ. 

Acts 2:42
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

Balaam made the mistake of sticking to what he knew which was the Midianites.  He knew God loved and blessed the Israelites, but Balaam chose to stay where he was a big man.  After all, he got to speak to the king.  King Balak sent for Balaam.  If Balaam went to the Israelites, he would not be the big man on campus.  Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Hur, etc. were all the heavy hitters with the Israelites.  That desire to feed his ego cost Balaam his life and countless others who fell into the trap of the sin of Peor.

A few weeks ago we discussed the sin of Jeroboam as presented in 1 Kings 12:25-33.  Do you remember?  King Jeroboam set up golden calves in two cities and told the Israelites that they did not need go down to Jerusalem (inside the southern kingdom of Judah) three times a year.  Just stop by the golden calves because these idols brought you out of Egypt.  King Jeroboam was afraid of losing the support of the people, but instead he lost the favor of the Living God.  Now you know about the sin of Jeroboam and about the sin of Peor.

How do these relate to you as a New Testament Christian?  The sin of Peor is not acting on what you know is God's desire.  The sin of Jeroboam is not trusting God.  Do you consider the scientific explanation that man evolved from fish or slime over millions of years?  Is that any different than Jeroboam saying God did not bring you out of Egypt, but these golden calves did.  God made mankind and all creation. 

Stand up for what you believe against the scientific community and stop allowing them to walk all over the truth just because they choose to believe a lie.  Scientist who deny God are trusting in evolution which is not supported with facts.  Beliefs not supported with facts are called theories.  Scientists trust in theories and present them as fact when they are not.  God is a fact!  God made scientific facts!  Just because they can not see the hand of God does not mean God does not exist.  They are just blind guides leading the blind.  So what are you so afraid of?  Stand up to these sudo-scientific bullies. 

Romans 1:18-32
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 

26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 
27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 
31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 
32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.