Archives for October 2017

Oct 10, 2017

MY FRIENDS, WHERE WILL WE STAND IN THE CHAOS WHEN GOD SAYS IT IS FINISHED?

Washington (CNN)Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker said that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly “help separate our country from chaos.” “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Rev 7:1-3 (KJV)

My friends, only one thing separates us from chaos and He commands “the four angels that stand on the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth. And He is able to do this because He is the One who “created the heavens and the earth, The sea and all that is in them….Ps. 146:6 (NASB) These four angels surround our world, holding back the “principalities, and the powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world.”

And this occurs, while God’s Spirit prepares His faithful to commit to God’s will as we carry our cross, a symbol of discipleship and now as disciples we are “persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. 8:38-30 (KJV)

And when the sealing of God’s people is complete, God will say “it is finished.” “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev. 22:11 (KJV) And for a season the four winds will be let loose along with the “fierce winds of human passion.”

“The earth, sea, and trees emphasize the universal nature of the threatened destruction.” Consistent with this, there will be a time of “Choas (pressure, distress, oppression), that has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will [again]. And if those days [of chaos] had not been cut short, no human life would be saved; but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened.” Matt. 24:21-22 (AMP)

But, God’s elect, heirs to His kingdom, joint heirs with His Son are sealed, we have come through the time of chaos that “has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will [again.]”  And now “we are more than conquerors,” and we are sealed. Sealed being “the pure mark of truth, the mark of God’s approval, and a sign of His authority. And now our Character is just like Christ “ (SDA, commentary p 782)

And what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2 (ESV) My friends, where will we stand when the faithful is sealed and God say’s “it is finish?”

Oct. 6, 2017

MY FRIENDS, ON OUR KNEES IS WHERE WE CONQUER THE ENEMY

“All these things will I give thee, [is Satan’s offer, one that most cannot refuse,] if thou wilt [only] fall down and worship me.” Matt. 4:9 (KJV) At that point God’s faithful must seek diligently “the author and finisher of our faith,” while on our knees where the plans and partitions of our life are worked out through God’s Spirit.

And when other “people, nations, and languages are commanded, to bow down, and worship” “the one who saith in his heart I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…… I will be like the most High”[We must not yield] Is 14:12-14 (KJV)

Remember my friends, to bow down means annihilation one day, but for a moment we can have it all. But like the three Hebrew boys we must receive power on our knees and through our faith stand up to the principalities, and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world and say “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the things of this world that are temporary, if we believe.

As Christ sentinels, we must be forever watching for the enemies attack as we keep our eyes focus above least we fall while sleeping and yield to temptation. Remember, it was at Gethsemane Christ tells His Disciples “why are you sleeping?” “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: for the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matt. 26:41 (NIV)

And it was at Gethsemane on Christ knees is where He fought His last battle before Calvary and won. Satan is a strangest, who for six thousand years has gathered in His sieve the life of all who claims to be a child of God but, who have not figured out it is “not flesh and blood we struggle with” but “against Satan’s powerful and evil forces in the heavenly realms.”

Therefore, Satan encourages us to not study the word of God or diligently “pray and seek Gods presence daily as he Satan stalks and conquers. Remember, it is the lack of our prayers that “sets our minds on self and what self wants and thinks we need, and not on what was done for you and I at Calvary so that we my have eternal life and have it more abundantly throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.

Satan first sifts all who are weak gently in His sieve then violently back and forth as the storm of our life intensifies,” and our faith weakens and the price for a commitment becomes to high, we then turn our backs on God. But soon, Christ will “come like a thief in the night, and we will not know at what time.”

Therefore, “we must have a deep, and earnest sense of our needs as we feel our weaknesses and our dependence upon God, [as we go before the throne of His grace with a  contrite and broken heart and] a petition of “perfect submission [and then] “every desire must be brought into harmony with the will of God, and His will must be done in us.” (E.G. White Prevailing Prayer)

And then we must cry out Lord “not my will but thy will be done” For Gods promises tells us, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you,…Thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end,” and friends, that end will be [life-eternal] Jer. 29:11 (KJV)

Oct. 1, 2017

MY FRIENDS, IS YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE?

Men and women, “give diligence to make your calling and election sure: For if you do these things, [we] will never stumble, and [we] will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV) My friends, we must understand that “Christ calls and elects” and then through His love and unmerited favor He stands at the door of our heart and encourages you and I to “confirm.” Remember, “every soul is elected who will work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.

[All are] elected who will put on the armor and fight the good fight of faith. [all are] elected who will watch unto prayer, who will search the Scriptures, and flee from temptation. [And] who will have faith continually, and will be obedient to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The provisions of redemption are free to all; the results of redemption will be enjoyed by those who have complied with the conditions.” (E.G. White: Patriarchs and Prophets, p 208)

My friends, God is trying to pull us closer and closer to reality as we look beyond today and focus where we are headed as individuals on this journey as we “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [you and I] heavenward in Christ Jesus” Phil. 3:14 (NIV) It has become very personal like Jacob at times we must have an encounter with God because each day our problems moves up in a designated weight class.

And as we get older the main event always gets more and more dramatic, the trials more precise, Problems, situations, the injustice of life, a disobedient child, a drunkard husband, being diagnosed with cancer, the list goes on. So remember, Christ has already called but how do we confirm while at the same time hope seems to be fading.

Remember, like Jacob we are going up against the great I Am, so there must be daily preparation because the call has gone out but we cannot press on toward the goal to win the prize just “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Or Like Goliath who went into the ring with the Lord’s Anointed with only a “sword, a spear and a javelin.”

My friends, we must be prepared to endure through faith and God’s Spirit until God gives us the victory because even though we have been called it may come a time when the presence of God is veiled from our face, and it will only be our faith, endurance and the promises of God that we have constantly studied in His word that will give us the strength to continue through the night like Jacob.

And One day soon we will be able to say we saw God face to face and it was our daily encounter with God that allowed us to “confirm” when daybreak comes and the Son of God Himself descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ rises first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds and then we will hear,“Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matt. 25:23 (KJV), Thess. 4:16-17 (KJV)