COMMITTED to train men and women
to have minds for the Lord Jesus,
hearts for the truth, and
hands that are skilled to the task.

"love" Tagged Sermons

ESCAPING THE DECEPTION

Let us go on a fast-paced history journey:
In 1932 Aldous Huxley wrote the novel: “Brand New World”
In it he made the prediction that mood enhancing drugs and genetic engineering will be a part of our life.
Several decades later in 1950, antidepressants were first popularized to the masses, and in 1972 the first DNA manipulation was announced.
In 1948 Novelist Ray Bradbury wrote the book: “Fahrenheit 451”
He envisioned a world in which people were tuned into TVs and tuned out to each other.
Decades later, iPods, cellphones, and earbuds would take the world by storm.
In June of 1949 British novelist George Orwell wrote the book: “1984”
In it he warned against a world in which the government spies on its citizens. It would take us only about sixty-five years to realize he was right.
October 2, 1959 the Emmy Award-winning TV series called “The Twilight Zone”, written and produced by Rod Serling was launched.
He wrote over 80 episodes that were filled with a mix of comedy and superstition.
Here is what the author said:
“This is not a new world: It is simply an extension of what began in the old one. It has patterned itself after every dictator who has ever planted the ripping imprint of a boot on the pages of history since the beginning of time. It has refinements, technological advancements, and a more sophisticated approach to the destruction of human freedom. But like every one of the super states that preceded it, it has one iron rule: ‘LOGIC IS AN ENEMY, AND TRUTH IS A MENACE.”
In all these novels and TV series and movies, the writers and filmmakers sounded the alarm bells HOW DECEPTION WILL BE THE WEAPON OF CHOICE TO BRING EVERYONE INTO SLAVERY.
John Whitehead in his book “Battlefield America” published in 2015, writes:
“How do you get a nation to docilely accept a police state? How do you persuade a populace to accept metal detectors and pat downs in their schools, bag searches in their train stations, tanks and military weaponry used by their small town police force, surveillance cameras on their traffic lights, police strip searches on their public roads, unwarranted and forced blood draws at drunk driving checkpoints, whole body scanners in their airports, and government agents monitoring their communications?
Try to ram such a state of affairs down their throats, and you might find yourself with a rebellion on your hands. Instead, you bombard the citizenry with constant color-coded alerts, terrorize them with reports of shootings and bomb threats in malls, schools, and sports arenas, desensitize them with a steady diet of police violence, and mesmerize them with entertainment spectacles (what the Romans used to refer to as “Bread and circus” distractions) and electronic devices, while selling the whole package to them as being in their best interests.
ll the while, the American people remain largely oblivious to the looming threat of their freedoms, eager to be persuaded that the government can solve the problem that plague us, whether it is terrorism, an economic depression, an environmental disaster, OR EVEN A VIRAL EPIDEMIC.”
HOW CAN SUCH A THING BE HAPPENING RIGHT UNDER OUR OWN NOSES? HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE NOT SEEING IT ALL FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS?
Nazi Field Marshal Hermann Goering was one that was on trial. At one point during his trial he made this remark:
“It is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy.
All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.”
On July 18, 1925 Adolf Hitler wrote the book: “MEIN KAMPF”
“The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence.”
I quoted earlier Rod Sterling who is the screen writer for the TV series “The Twilight Zone”.
“We’re developing a new citizenry. One that will be very selective about cereals and automobiles BUT WON’T BE ABLE TO THINK.”
We live in an electronic concentration camp. Call it what you will, the meaning is the same: in our quest for less personal responsibility, a greater sense of security, and no burdensome obligations to each other or to future generations, we have created a society in which we have NO TRUE FREEDOM.
Before we take a closer look at the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, let me give you a quote from Dallas Willard found in his book “The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God”
“Their union with Jesus allows them now to be a part of his conspiracy to undermine the structures of evil, which continue to dominate human history, WITH THE FORCES OF TRUTH, FREEDOM, AND LOVE. We can quietly and relentlessly align ourselves with these forces, wherever they are, because we know what is cosmically afoot. To overcome evil with good, in the apostle Paul’s words is not just something for an individual effort here and there, is actually what will come to pass on this earth. The power of Jesus’ resurrection and his continuing life in human beings assures of this.”
“If cheap propaganda stunts does not secure the compliance, open threats will suffice. (here goes the freedom: the second force)
For instance, in the US, city mayors and local politicians have threatened to “hunt down”, monitor social media and jail those who break lockdown rules.”

WHAT ARE YOU AIMING AT?

The church speaks a lot about Faith, Love, and Hope, but what does it look like?
• Faith is anchored in the past, in actual history events, as we look back to the Lord’s saving work on the cross.
• Love is anchored in the present, as we practice Christlike love toward the people around us.
• Hope is anchored in the future, in the trustworthy promises God gave us in His Word.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The Last Judgment

For 1000 years the Old and New Testament saints will rule and reign with Jesus Christ on this earth. During this time, Jerusalem will be the city of the King. Finally, world peace, which since the fall of man has been promised by many but delivered by no human being, has been implemented by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
The Roman Empire was alive and well during those days. It promised the world PAX ROMANA. They promised to eradicate thievery on the highways and piracy from the seas. Most people believed them and felt secure for a brief period of time. Centuries later, the Pax Britannica, the British peace, calmed the world for about a century. It also brought a level of economic prosperity to many nations.
What about today? For a brief period of time after the 2nd world war, the United States of America believed that she can bring calmness and economic prosperity to the entire world. It did not last long. According to the Bible, another world power will arise soon, also promising world peace and an economic prosperity that will last forever. The problem with all these human efforts is the fact that there is only ONE WORLD RULER WHO WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS PROMISED PEACE ON EARTH, and that is Jesus Christ, the creator and owner of the entire universe.
It will be PAX MESSIAH. For that to happen, Jesus will return to this earth, bind Satan and invite the saints to reign with him for 1000 years.
God gave men and women free choice. Such implies the opportunity to choose from at least two options. How can you say you have free choice if you don’t have more than one option? That would not be loving or just, and God Almighty is both and much more.
We all know the story. How the Lord allowed Satan to enter the garden and tempt Adam and Eve, to see if they would freely choose to obey Him. Thats exactly what the Lord will do one more time AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM REIGN.
The 1000 year reign on this earth will conclusively demonstrate that people reject Jesus Christ not so much because of their environment, but because OF THEIR DEPRAVED, FALLEN NATURE.
Listen, not even 1000 years of peace will cleanse humankind of its sinful nature. This final rebellion after 1000 years of peace on earth will tell all creation why Jesus Christ had to die on Calvary. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 1000 years of righteous rule cannot eradicate the sin in people’s hearts. Only the crucified and risen Jesus Christ can perform that miracle, and it won’t happen unless WE CHOOSE TO SAY YES TO HIS CALL. That’s the only way we can obtain eternal life.
The Great White Throne judgment is reserved for all those who have chosen to reject God’s offer of salvation. They have refused the grace of God, now they will be judged by the things written in the books. This judgment is reserved for those who said: I do not need Jesus; I can manage just fine on my own. I am good enough. I will stand in my own works, on my own record.
The unbelieving dead will be raised at the end of the millennium to be judged in their resurrected bodies. They will already have died physically, now they will die spiritually.
Physical death means separation, your soul or spirit is temporarily separated from your body. But the second death involves a far worse separation; you will be ETERNALLY SEPARATED from the PRESENCE OF GOD.
Some of them will say: I DON’T BELIEVE IN HELL.
Let me tell you that the CHARACTERISTICS of God necessitate hell:
Justice, His love, and His sovereignty are just some of those.
So, all those who will stand before the final judgment, know exactly why they are there and that they are guilty before a holy God. While most of them have forgotten many of their sinful acts, God’s holy angels have not overlooked a single one of them. They are all written in the books and will be brought before them on that final judgment day.
Some people object to this Biblical truth, saying: If God is all merciful, why is He not giving the people one more chance to receive His mercy, even if they are in hell?
Answer: How can a place devoid of God’s mercy (hell) accomplish what no measure of His grace could accomplish on earth?
If hell could reform those who choose evil, then they could be saved without Christ, who is the sole means of God’s salvation.
Also, God cannot force free creatures to be reformed. Forced reformation is worse than punishment, for punishment honors the freedom and dignity with which God endowed His human creation. Humans are not objects to be manipulated; humans are subjects to be respected. God will respect their free choices.
Listen, the only alternative to eternal punishment is robbing persons of their freedom by forcing them into heaven. This would not be heavenly but instead would be “hell” for them, since they would be trapped in a place where everyone is loving and praising the Only they want most to avoid. Without an eternal separation of evil from good, there would be no heaven, an eternal preservation of good. As we all know, evil is contagious and must be quarantined, like a deadly plague. If God did not eventually separate the tares from the wheat, the tares would choke out the wheat; an eternal heaven necessitates an eternal hell.
And we should never forget, unbelievers prefer to be distanced from God in time. Why should we not expect this to be their chose state in eternity?

GOD Never Fails

Since God is love and God never fails, LOVE cannot fail. God and Love are everlasting. It is interesting to know that God’s love in the Greek language is called AGAPE. This is a GREEK word that can only be found in the Bible. This word was specifically coined to describe a supernatural love, because it describes a supernatural Being, God Himself. The other Greek words that are translated into the English word Love are EROS AND PHILEO. Both of these love actions are temporary, originate with human beings and will be done away with one day. In other words, Eros and Phileo are not everlasting, therefore they will fail. Listen, God cannot fail, Agape love cannot fail, because God and His love is everlasting. All the other responses to people’s actions are temporary. They have no eternal value.
When we are troubled on every side, when things go wrong and people do us wrong, when we are hurting and frustrated, it is very difficult to see the eternal value of Agape Love. But that’s just us. Our eyes are fixed on the wrong thing. On people and on emotional and conditional love and acceptance.
When we are involved in the spiritual battle and it seems that our relationships with brothers and sisters in the Lord are going up in flames, we immediately go into the defensive mode. We will become REACTIONARIES.
And all our reactions are based upon EROS OR PHILEO LOVE. Remember, they are temporary, they don’t solve any problems. They simply ask for a truce. For the moment we have decided, even if it kills me, not to go on the attack. UNTIL NEXT TIME.
Not so with AGAPA LOVE. God is love and he is eternal. HIS LOVE IS ETERNAL. It never reacts to any circumstances. It is eternal, always there always available, never failing.
When we are willing to endure all things through the LOVE OF GOD, we then can be the LIGHTS THAT SHINE IN THE DARK WORLD.
Yes, God’s love ENDURES ALL THINGS FOR THE SAKE OF ETERNITY.
God created all of us. We are His creation and He has a specific purpose for all of us. However, it is not our job to find our purpose in life. Because finding our purpose and our place in this life IS NOT OUR GREATEST NEED.
Our Greatest Need is TO BE UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED.
This need can only be met by Our Creator Himself. It is God’s love, His AGAPE love that loves us unconditionally. He loved us while we were yet sinners, the Bible declares. In other words, God loved us just the way we are.
We are loved regardless of our mistakes and failures.

The Objective of TRUE Warfare

The objective of that warfare was very clear. Get rid of the promised Messiah, the one who would break the chains of bondage in the lives of people; the one who came to set the captives free. There is another spiritual warfare going on that is not primarily focused on spiritual beings, but ON OUR MIND. The Apostle Paul was exposing an entirely different warfare that was raging especially in the church at Corinth.
People crept into the church at Corinth that were false teachers, accusing Paul of living according to the flesh. They said that when personally present among them, he would not have the courage to confront them, but once gone away, he then would write them a strong rebuke in form of a letter. They said that such a person is a coward. They accused this man of God to be motivated by evil self-interest, interested in money and power.
TWO IMPORTANT POINTS IN SATAN’S DOCTRINE WERE ANNOUNCED BY HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN WHEN HE FIRST APPROACHED THE WOMEN.
First, there was a bold denial of a statement God Himself made
Second, there was Satan’s assurance that if she would act independent from God, they would be as gods.
How can we take down such fortresses? Remember, the Objective of true warfare is to make people change the way they think. And such can only be done BY USING THE WEAPON, THE SPIRITUAL WEAPON GOD HAS GIVEN US.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, THE WORD OF GOD. IT’S ONLY THE TRUTH THAT WILL SET US FREE FROM OUR OWN PRISON, FROM OUR OWN FORTRESSES. They either become our prisons and eventually our tombs, or they need to be demolished by the Truth, the word of the living God.

Do Not Be A Dimmer-Switch

Studying the attitudes of Joseph and his two fellow prisoners will teach us a great lesson of God’s way of preparing us for ruler ship. Nothing will dim the light of God in and through us faster than murmuring and complaining. The Bible reveals to us that such attitudes will hinder the Holy Spirit to work through us, and without Him we cannot shine the light of God into this dark world. How did Joseph manage not to be a dimmer switch, not to turn the spiritual light down, but to shine brightly in a dark prison, surrounded by complaining people? Joseph was God’s servant who refused to become a dimmer-switch. Spiritual maturity is not something which we receive when we finally give up our selfish life and surrender it to Jesus Christ.
As born again believers, we become candidates for spiritual maturity, but it is God who designs which classes we have to take and what circumstances we have to face. PROBLEMS ARE GOD’S GIFTS TO US TO MAKE US STRONGER. PROBLEMS ARE THE BLESSINGS TO MAKE US MATURE. Your circumstances do not make you the way you are. Negative situations do not make us, they simply reveal who we are. Believing and embracing what God has promised to us will make us loving Him more and through this love He will manifest himself through us to the world.

The Value of Hard Times

In 1963, an Anglican bishop by the name of John Robinson, published a book entitled, HONEST TO GOD, in which he coined the term: NEW MORALITY. Three years later, in 1966, Robinson was joined by Joseph Fletcher, the former dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Cincinnati. Both, Robinson and Fletcher suggested that the new morality allowed a person to choose a loving response for any situation. In other words, the New Morality took authority from the hands of God and placed it in the hands of men, allowing selfish permissiveness that suggested, “If no one gets hurt, anything goes!”
As we are being prepared to rule and reign with Christ on day, studying Joseph’s life will give us insight what kind of schooling we need and WHAT KIND OF TESTING WE WILL HAVE TO FACE. Prosperity and success is not a matter of CIRCUMSTANCES, but a matter of CHARACTER. When a man begins to develop a sense of satisfaction in his accomplishments, he opens himself up to temptation. And as we learn from Joseph, it takes a man of character to defeat that sort of temptation.
Joseph overcame because he had a conviction and he was loyal.