Aug. 9, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE SETTLING FOR A FLEETING MOMENT IN TIME?

Our narrative begins with Jacob cooking when Esau comes back from the field tired and very hungry. “And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary…….But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright today.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me……So he swore to Jacob, and then sold his birthright……And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright” Gen. 25:29-34 (NKJV)

Esau despised or regarded with contempt, distaste, disgust, or disdain his Birthright which was “his right or privilege he was entitled too by birth” but to Esau it was a “yoke of bondage” to what he wanted most, which were the things of this world, a “momentary satisfaction” or a fleeting moment in time. My friends, our focus today is not on Esau’s lost opportunities but on how many of us are selling our birthright because it has become a “yoke of bondage” for what we desire of this worlds pleasures?

And how many of us are willing to give this right along with life eternal for a fleeting moment of satisfactions of Satan’s offer to give us “all the things [our heart desires] if we will only fall down and worship him?” Matt 4:9 (NKJV) But then, how many of us with a passion, have a desire to “receive Christ” “the only name under heaven given among men or women by which we can become children of God?” Acts 4:12 (NKJV), John 1:12 (ESV) My friends, salvation is our right by birth because we are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,” Rom 8:17 (NKJV)

And “if [we] have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead, then we must], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [We must also] set our mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on [momentary] things that are on this earth [which have only temporal value]. [So we must die to this world], and our [new, real] life is [then] hidden with Christ, in God Col 3:1-3 (AMP)

My friends, we live in a face pace got to have it now generation where everything is focused on “momentary satisfactions” and not on a lasting and personal relationship with Christ. So we must overcome the desires of the heart that are not Christ centered because “everyone who has been born of God [can] overcome the world. And this is the victory that [we can] overcome [through] our faith.” 1 John 5:4 (ESV)

But we must also understand along with our birthright is our responsibility of discipleship and the cross that we must carry with a passion while at the same time telling the world that Jesus saves and they also are children of God with the same rights and privileges that we have to life eternal. We are at the end of God’s timeline that goes from Genesis to Revelation and then to that place prepared for the redeemed.

But we must choose this day whom our allegiance is to because the right given to us by God tells us to accept our birthright and salvation. But it is our choice to “Enter by that narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matt 7:13-14 (NKJV)

Aug. 7, 2016

MY FRIENDS, DO WE HAVE THE FAITH AND ENDURANCE TO REMAIN ON THE SHIP?

“And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the Centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Acts 17:30-31 (ESV) Today my friends we are going to make the saving grace and mercies of God and His Spirit the ship that we all must stay on to receive our just reward that will be “rendered to every man [and woman] according to what they have done.” Rev. 22:12 (KJV)

Today it becomes personal, because you and l have some decisions to make as we move deeper and deeper out into the open waters of life, and the end of time as we know it as the love of many continues to grow colder and the rain and storms seems to never cease. My friends, Satan knows his “stature of limitation” has just about run out, so he entices God’s chosen with great intensity like never before to leave the safety of the ship into the “primal chaos” of this world.

But we must realize we are only Safe when we stay in the ship and keep our eyes focused on the one who Paid it all for our salvation. Because it is “His desire to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable nature of His purpose, intervened and guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie.

And we who have fled [to Him] for refuge would have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us. This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil…….in which the very presence of God dwells],” Heb. 6:18-19 (AMP)

My friends, with a sincere and contrite heart, focus on the veil. Because it is that veil that divides Christ and what was accomplished on Calvary through His death and resurrection from the forces of evil, the “seen from the unseen, the earthly from the heavenly,” the darkness from light and the bitter from the sweet.”

In addition, when the ship is tossed in the raging storms of life, and the tempest is raging and all seems lost, “God’s promises and oath tells us that He is our hope, and he is also a strong and trustworthy anchor which keeps the ship from drifting because there are “times when the anchors slip. But not so with the anchor of hope” which is the very presence of God.”(SDA Bible Commentary)

Friends “the curtain has been pulled back by God’s holy angels” “And we see that lawlessness continues to abound. And we see nation continue to rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. and famines and pestilences, and earthquakes continue in various places. But, Christ tells us that these are only the beginning of sorry for all who decide to leave the safe and secure arms of our Savior who is our only anchor and “hope in times of trouble.”

And for each of us who stays in the ship one day soon that hope will anchor in a safe place, not in this world, but a place prepared for the redeemed that “Eye have not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. [and stay on the ship] 1 Cor. 2:9 (NKJV)

Aug. 6, 2015

MY FRIENDS, UNDER THE WEIGHT OF IT ALL CAN WE STILL SERVE?

At times it becomes very personal as I focus on my journey. So Today I need my friends to make it personal also and with a sincere and contrite heart prepare to have a conversation with God, as we tell Him how badly we need Him to get us through today. In addition, we also feel we are breaking under the weight of it all and we are afraid we might fall and become unable to get up. So we feel empty but still willing to keep listening for that still small voice and looking for Him in the midst of the noise to hear if He is telling us to go?

Or telling us to stay? Or are You telling us to hold on to You for just one more day? (Mandisa, Where You Begin Paraphrased) My friends, this journey and the weight of it all takes its toll at times. Like “Moses who was at Horeb, the mountain of God tending His Father-in-laws sheep when a Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire….And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses!” Ex. 3:1-4 (NKJV)

What a journey for Moses, from a child of parents held in bondage by the Egyptians, to being raised in the royal courts by Pharaoh’s daughter to being a fugitive on the run for murder and now Moses is eighty years old and I can only imagine He is also having a conversation with God feeling he is also breaking under the weight of it all. But still willing to keep listening until he hears from God.

And it is at this point God knows He can use Moses, because God is “long-suffering, not willing that any should perish but that all should repent” Before we can fully fulfill His plans for our life. So He tells Moses “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, “and have heard their cry….and now I want to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey.” Ex. 3:7-8 (NKJV)

My friends, we cannot be ashamed of the good news of the Gospel. Under the weight of it all God’s grace is sufficient to carry any and all burdens we may have that keeps us from finishing this journey. We must also understand Gods voice is getting faint because He knows we are not listening in the midst of the noise of Satan and the things of this world.

So what God sees in our heart is our willingness to stay luke warm and complacent about His end time prophecy and how close we are to His second coming. Consistent with this He hears the cry of His Children who feel they have no hope from the oppression of this world. He also sees that the “vineyard is plentiful.”

And even though there are no more Noah’s or Moses or Elijah’s or Rahab’s or David’s or Daniels or Peters or Mary Magdalene’s or Paul’s around, “the rocks will cry our if need be. But if there are a few who are willing to “foesake all others.” Like Moses, He needs faithful leaders who are willing to lead the children of God  to the promise land. That land no “eye have seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9 (NKJV)

Aug. 4, 2016

MY FRIENDS, EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM BUT ARE WE READY?

Saint Louis in 1984, there an unemployed cleaning woman noticed a few bees buzzing around the attic of her home. Since there were only a few, she made no effort to deal with them. Over the summer the bees continued to fly in and out the attic vent while the woman remained unconcerned, unaware of the growing city of bees. The whole attic became a hive, and the ceiling of the second-floor bedroom finally caved in under the weight of hundreds of pounds of honey and thousands of angry bees.” (Robert T. Wenz.)

My friends, our “Socially Acceptable Sins” along with all of the wasted time talents and money “which so easily and cleverly entangles us” into serving other gods, we are caving in under the weight of it all. But, grace still abounds while at the same time God is telling us to “come out of Babylon” because our season of probation is just about up. And like in the days of Noah grace has just about run its course and now God is saying “My Spirit shall not strive with man much longer.”

My friends, God is not asleep “He sees that the wickedness of man [is] great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [is] only evil continually” Gen. 6:5-7 (ASV) And soon He will “divide His sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left……to those on His right hand, He will say, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world………. “

And those on the left hand He will say, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matt 25:32-41 (NKJV) Today, we must decide where is our final destination or time will decide it for us. Either this earth remains our home or we are pilgrims in a foreign land who seeks another destination, God’s kingdom. “Noah did not mix the soft, pleasing deceptions of Satan with his message.

He did not utter the sentiment of many of his day [and ours] who declared that God was too merciful to do such a terrible work. many asserted that God would grant the wicked another season of probation; but Noah did not indulge them in the faintest hope that those who neglected the present opportunity, who rejected the present message, would be favored with another opportunity of salvation.” (E. G. White Sings of the Times April 18, 1895)

Its personal, because God is preparing you and I for what we are not quite ready to face when that day of “tribulation” comes. And there will be no favored believers being translated to meet Christ from this Earth before that “day such has not been since the beginning of the world.” Some even believe those left behind will have an additional thousand years to get it right and then life eternal.

But Christ says “Behold, He cometh, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.” Every eye means all must be ready to receive Him at the same time and to believe anything else that is not in God’s word, is detrimental to our Salvation. My friends, we are living at the end time prophecy before Christ second coming and the “breaking news” tomorrow will be much worst then the “breaking news” today.

But “Take heed that no one deceives [us] or the harvest that Christ has entrusted to us,“ but, we must believe “Christ is coming quickly,” and every eye will see Him. “And His reward will be with Him, to render to everyone according to their” personal relationship with Him”

MY FRIENDS, THE DARKNESS OR THE LIGHT WE MUST CHOOSE THIS DAY!!

“Human eyes take several hours to fully adapt to darkness and reach their optimal sensitivity to low light conditions. The quickest gains in vision sensitivity are made in the first few minutes after exposure to darkness.” This is when God’s voice is still clear and precise and it is during this time, we can hear God’s Spirit saying “ye [meaning you and I] are a [part of a] chosen generation……a peculiar people; that  should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you [and I] out of darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)

And as God’s chosen, once our eye sight have become accustomed to the darkness, our faith and commitment to Christ is weakened and that still small voice is no longer applicable to our life, only the darkness we have accepted as an alternative to what God requires for our Salvation. In other words the light that comes from God’s word is no longer conducive to our lifestyle because we have become accustomed to living in darkness.

But if we would listen to that still small voice the light will begin to clarify and purify our Christian values. So my friends if we are serious about our Salvation and life eternal, then we must become Passionate about the Light of Christ, it must become real as we seek His presence each day as we begin to clean up our bad habits that represent the darkness of this world. We must not forget the process that brings about darkness in our life can only change if self dies, and our life is lived through a personal relationship with God.

For every action of darkness that the god of this world tries to bring into our life there must be an overpowering and opposite reaction from the Spirit of God that keeps our eyes on life eternal and the light of God’s word. Remember, If we keep walking in darkness and ignoring the light, nothing changes. Light denotes the values of Christ and life eternal, darkness denotes our desire for the things of this world and death. John 8:12 (ESV) states, “whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This is what walking in the light is, and once we begin to walk in the light we begin to produce fruit meaning others will begin to see God’s light through us. “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light. And in him is no darkness at all….But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7 (ESV)

Now through Christ we have become “light barriers” we don’t produce the light for only God can do that, but  through us others can see the source of all light, they see hope in “the fullness and admonition of Jesus Christ who saves us from our sins” So now my friends, through Christ we have become the light source to the world. And a city set on a hill for Christ, cannot and should not be hidden.”

Our Savior has given us a mandate and that is to, live in the LIGHT and “let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works [as we] give glory to [Our Father in heaven, as we pray that your name will always be kept holy. And we also pray that your kingdom will come and your light will always shine through us and your will, will always be done here on earth, the same as in heaven.]” Matt. 5:14-16 (KJV)