Minggu, 21 Oktober 2012

99) * THE PRAYERS & SERMONS OF OUR STANDING MINISTERS FOR PEOPLE TO READ - 50

Daniel Pasaribu

Monday Sermon for LJUSC, as of October 22, 2012


“ FIVE KEYS TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE’S MATURITY TO BECOME LIKE JESUS CHRIST”: FEAR OF GOD, OBEDIENCE, HOLINESS, REPENTANCE AND SURRENDER
(ROMANS 8 :29-30)

Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

God had absolutely a purpose for creating you. He designed you for a particular place in the Body of Christ. He designed you to become like Jesus Christ totally fulfilled in that place. This is your destiny.

This is not to imply that you can in any way reach your destiny by your own way. Only one way is possible. God's way. You must be born again by believing in Jesus and you must commit to grow to fullness by God's process and pattern. God's process is for us to be led by Him and cooperate with the Holy Spirit to bring us in to righteousness, holiness, and redemption (freedom from sin). God's pattern is Christ, the Body. No one has any meaning outside of Christ the Body. Many are never even born into this Body. Many who are born in never discern the Body of Christ.

God's good purpose for us is to conform us, by His Spirit, into the image of Jesus Christ in Romans 8:29-30. He wants us to be transfigured--a metamorphosis in 2 Corinthians 3:18

No amount of human effort could make that happen, but God has a plan. God has a method. God has a way. God has a pattern for everything and To become like Jesus Christ is His pattern as the only way.
Today I want to talk to you about five of the most important questions any Christian could ask. First: How we fear God while we should also love Him .Second: Why obedience should be part of our faithfulness unto God? Third: “How does God lovingly motivate every Christian to progress in holiness?” Fourth: “Why is daily repentance so important for all of us in living the Christian life?” And fifth: “Why is totally surrendering our lives to God the only way to really experience life?”
Now, you don’t hear a lot from preachers today concerning the fear of God, obedience, holiness, repentance and total surrender to God. It’s not because you don’t find a lot of information about these in Scripture. The Bible is loaded with information about these topics.
Most likely, the reason you don’t hear anything about these topics is that it’s not very popular to speak on fear of God, obedience, holiness, repentance and surrendering to God. Sadly, the Christian church today seems to prefer hearing about success and positive feelings, getting health, wealth, freedom from care, good sex and happy families.
In fact, let’s take a test right now. How long has it been since you heard a sermon on fear God, obedience, holi¬ness, repentance or total surrender to God? Shall I guess? Well, stick with me and listen. Take heart that if the God of the Bible calls us to fear the God, obedience, holiness, true repentance and totally surrendering ourselves to Him, it must be for our good. If you belong to Him, then out of love and respect to God at least listen to what He has to say. It may change your life.

1.THE FEAR OF GOD
The fear of God is a theme that is mentioned throughout the Bible. But it is a subject that has been neglected by many pastors and teachers of God’s word today. The fear of God is a very important aspect in a Christian’s life because it is a characteristic of the Holy Spirit. A lack of the fear of God in a person’s life means they have a lack of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Without the fear of God a person becomes unbalanced in their understanding of God, and in their relationship with the Lord. The fear of God causes His children to run to Him, and His enemies to flee from Him.
The fear of God is a gift from God, given through the Holy Spirit, which He puts in our heart to keep us close to Him. “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.” (Jeremiah 32:38-40)
The Bible tells us that through the anointing of the Holy Spirit Jesus delighted in the fear of the Lord. There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:1-4 NKJV)
Jesus the Christ delighted in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears. Jesus told us that He only said what He heard the Father say, and He only did what He saw the Father do, He only did those things that pleased the Father. We also delight in the fear of the Lord because it causes us to walk in obedience to the Father so that we have the joy of a clean heart.
True love, and true fear of God, are revealed and experienced through the Holy Spirit. God’s love is the power and motivation to do His commandments, and God’s fear is the ability to understand and walk in His righteous judgments, His commandments, and not our own decisions. Like a protective wall the fear of God keeps us walking on the right path. The joy of a clean heart does not come from our own self it comes from experiencing God’s joy when we walk in His love doing His commandments. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:10-13)
The fear of God leads to obedience of God, which gives us confidence in our heart before God. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. (1stJohn 3:21-22) Walking in the fear of the Lord causes us to walk in righteousness, experiencing the joy of a right relationship with our God. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalms 32:11)
The Bible tells us that we perfect holiness in the fear of God. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). It is by God’s grace and mercy that He adopts us to be His Children, and we accept Him as our Father in humble honesty of our need for His mercy. Just as with a good human father, his children both love and fear him, the combination of this love and fear causes the children to walk in obedience. The love and fear of the Lord is also needed in our lives to bring about spiritual maturity, that we may fully depart from evil and cling to the One we love. In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil. (Proverbs 16:6)


2. OBEDIENCE
Obedience to God is simple. DO AS YOU ARE TOLD! It's that simple.
Now your flesh will tell you that it cannot be done. Do not listen to it. Matthew 19:26 tells us that with God ALL things are possible - ALL not some. Now God cannot lie and He is no respecter of persons, so what He does for one He will do for you. So when Jesus tell His disciples that all things are possible through God then He is telling that to you also. The sinful nature of man is such that we hate correction, but Proverbs 15:10 tells us that he who hates correction will die. So we had better learn to like it. Just keep in mind that God only corrects those that He loves.
Hebrews 12:5-11 says, My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. So rejoice in Gods discipline because it means that He loves you. If He does not discipline you then it means you are illegitimate. We are corrected so that we can share in God's holiness and that we might know the righteousness and peace of God.
But the most important thing is to learn from your discipline and to not repeat your mistakes. Genesis 6:3 says that God will not strive with man forever. Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but if you continue to deliberately sin then God will turn away from you and leave you to your sin. If God corrects you it is for a reason. The Lord does nothing without a reason. In Romans 8:28 it says, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. God works ALL things for good, even correction.
So, if you are convicted it is because God loves you (Hebrews 12:6) and you are not yet beyond hope. Correction is a blessing (Job 5:17) and will be for your good to produce righteousness and peace. In your obedience you will be blessed, but as with all of God's promises there is a prerequisite. YOU MUST OBEY!! It is not as hard as you think. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

I have been examining in the last few months God’s solutions to the battles that Christians fight within, that is, their own sinful desires and habits, and the fight without—circumstances, other people, the world, and temptations.


3. TOTAL HOLINESS
This is what the word holy means. It means to separate something or someone from sin unto God. You’re actually set aside for God’s use.
If God requires total holiness, how can a Christian live total holiness? Is it even possible?
Yes, It is possible to live in total holiness, but watch out for this. Do not modify holiness to be something that you can do. Do not think that holiness is something that you can do. Holiness is something that God causes you to become. You just receive it or reject it. There is a process. It is probable that no one, other than Jesus Himself, has ever walked in total holiness. During the process of walking into holiness, you will slip; you will fall; you will confess your sins; God will forgive your sins.
I asked my brother, "Isn't it true that the Bible, taken as it is written, has the promise that we who walk in the Spirit could walk right into total holiness?" My brother was silent for a moment, then thoughtfully said, "Yes; but don't we walk one step at a time?"
To understand this concept, read "Wisdom as a Process" below.
Many have lost the hope of total holiness. Some have, as a result, re-defined holiness. The Bible is very bold in stating that holiness is the kind of holiness that the Father has and that it is available to us only through Christ. When God says that whatever is not of faith is sin, He is saying that sin is anything that we think, say, or do that He has not led us to do and that He has not done through us. We miss most of His leading at this point, and also insert our fleshly selves into the process most of the time. There is only one way for you to do righteousness. That is to allow Jesus to do righteousness within you. That is what grace does. Paul said that it was not him who did the work but grace in him did the work.
Some have said that the Holy Spirit is given to help us to walk in holiness. This is only partly correct, and it misses the most important things. Actually, the first thing that the Holy Spirit does is to give you the ability to walk in righteousness. He does that by becoming our righteousness within us. He does that by doing the works of God through us. As Jesus only said the words of the Father, so the Holy Spirit only says the words of the Father through us. As Jesus only did the acts of the Father, so the Holy Spirit does only the works of the Father through us. Righteousness is what you do. Holiness is what you are becoming as you have a new mind (repent). Romans 12:1-2 states that renewing your mind is what causes you to be transformed, literally, transfigured. Transfiguration is actual redemption. All of these, righteousness, holiness, and redemption are processes that go from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18)
• We, in our nature, have no ability to walk in total holiness. The Holy Spirit not only helps us to walk in total holiness, but Christ in us is our total holiness.
• We can emulate holiness in order to impress ourselves or others that we are totally holy.
o in order to impress ourselves or others that we are holy.
o by trying to obey a set of rules or laws or principles
lines drawn in the sand.
these cannot bring true holiness.
these can lead to false hope, hypocrisy, and spiritual deadness (read the book of Galatians, which was a letter to believers, not unbelievers).
• We cannot deny the reality that
o there are thoughts that enter our minds that are not pure,
o we get angry,
o we become discouraged,
o there are times when we are not flowing in the ultimate anointing of God,
o there are times when God is not the most prominent focus of our minds,
o we have not come the manifestation of Jesus Christ in our lives,
o our bodies have not been redeemed fully.
How? What is the process to bring us to the point where we walk in total holiness?
God’s process that will bring us to the point where we walk in total holiness is walking in the Spirit.
• God's Spirit is given so that we can learn to yield our minds to Him.
o As we yield, our minds are renewed by the Spirit. (He does the work.)
o As we yield, He thinks His thoughts through us. (He is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.)
o As we yield, He says His words through us. (We begin to speak as the oracles of God.)
o As we yield, He does His works through us. (We never do our own will, but only the will of our Father.)
• The Scriptural pattern for the church is an integral part of this transformation, which is why God is in process of restoring it.
o Spiritual Church government must be functioning.
o Spiritual Gifts must be functioning.
o Every member must be functioning as a ministry.
o Worship must follow the patterns of Scripture.
• From time to time, we see a flash of His glory in our lives.
o It is not continuous or complete.
o Mostly, we are in process of coming into His glory.
o His forgiveness is continual and perpetual, covering our missteps.
o God's desire is to continue to flow through us until we are conformed into His very image in every facet of our being. When that happens, we will be transfigured by the renewing of our minds.
Wisdom as a Process:
Remember that God does all the work. We rest from our own work and submit to Him. Righteousness and Holiness are both Free Gifts (Grace) from God. Righteousness and Love are synonyms. Love is the fulfillment of God's Law. Righteousness is what you do. Holiness is what you are becoming by submitting to God's righteousness. Holiness is stability in Love. The faith that gives access to Grace is a Free Gift from God--it is God's faith, not our own.
Now, the doctrine of holiness is made up of three specific truths; first, our positional holiness; second, our experiential holiness, and third, our ultimate holiness.
Positional holiness
What does Scripture teach about our positional holiness? The moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive our sins, according to Romans 4, God makes a wonderful legal declaration about us, declaring that we are justified, that is, free from the penalty of all of our sins for all eternity. He will never hold those sins against us and punish us in hell because of what we have done. He gives us total forgiveness as a gift. God can give us this gift because Jesus paid for it when He died on the cross. At that time He took our sins upon Himself and paid the penalty that we deserved.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “Christ became sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” So, God forgave us our sins and declared us justified.
But at the same time God justified us, He also gave us a new identity, a new status—a new standing before Him in holiness and righteousness. This holy standing before Him was also a gift. It means we don’t have to perform good deeds to gain God’s love and acceptance. But here is a question for you. How righteous are we in God’s sight as we stand before Him? Well, we all know that while Jesus lived here on earth, He lived a perfect life. He never sinned once. Accord¬ing to the Bible, the track record of Jesus Christ, His perfect life, was imputed or credited from Jesus’ account to ours when we put our faith in Christ. God gave us this position, this standing, before Him as a gift. So we stand before Him each day as absolutely holy and righteous in our new position. How do I know this?
Hebrews 10:10 tells us that all who have put their faith in Jesus “have been made holy...once for all.” Here is our position before God. The Bible says we have already been made completely holy by God once for all. He has separated us unto Himself. We are His. We belong to Him. He has made it an unchanging fact that we will forever stand before Him as perfect, holy, and righteous. But then in the very same chapter we see the second part of holiness, our experien¬tial holiness.
Experiential holiness
Hebrews 10:14 says, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those [that’s us] who are being made holy.”
So in the same Bible verse we who are already holy are also in the process of being made holy. In brief, because God has graciously given us our new identity and status as a gift, He then asks us to start living out and enjoying our new identity and status that He has given to us.
1 Peter 1:15 tells us, “But just as God who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, ‘Be holy because I am holy.’”
Paul says something similar in 2 Timothy 1:9. Paul writes that God has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done, but because of His own purpose and grace.
Now, always remember this: Holiness starts with God’s calling us to Himself and saving us. Before you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you were convicted of your sins. That was God lov¬ingly drawing you to Himself. As a result, you decided to put your faith in Christ, and entered into a relationship with God in which He immediately forgave you of all your sins forever, and also gave you your new status of perfect holiness.
But then, because He has done all of this for us and because we belong to Him and are fellowshipping with Him, He asks us to live like Him in every part of our life. So God first makes us holy and then He says, “Separate yourself unto me.” Just like this glass of water, you are to purify yourselves, set yourselves apart for God’s use. As you do, you will come to know God in an even more intimate way, and you will be a Christian God will use to represent Him to the world.
By the way, has anyone ever called you a saint? Well, according to Scripture, if you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are a saint positionally. God made you one. The word saint means, “a holy one, a person who is set apart for God’s use.” Now, sainthood is not attained by you or me doing great works. That’s the world’s definition. Biblically, sainthood is a state into which God in grace places every believer. Then God asks His saints to cooperate with Him, to sanctify or separate themselves, to make themselves pure for His use, and live up to the status He has given them. Now, before you get off the track telling me how hard it is for you to live holy, let me tell you a secret. When you placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God did something won¬derful to you.
In Ezekiel 36:26 [[God]] said, “I will give you a new spirit and [in addition] I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
According to this verse, when we believed on Christ, God gave us a new spirit, that is, a new spiritual nature. In addition, He gave us the Holy Spirit who took up residence in our life.
Further, God says in Jeremiah 31:33, “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.”
Now, here’s the secret. When you placed your faith in Christ, God gave you a new spiritual nature, which inherently desires to love and obey God. As the Bible says, your new heart “is careful to keep God’s laws.” The Holy Spirit who takes up residence in your life also moves you to live purely, righteously, and to love God. You’ll never be the same again because you have been given a new nature that loves God and wants to obey Him. Now, that doesn’t mean you’ll never sin again. No.
According to Romans 6 and 7, because of your old nature still being present, even though it has lost its legal position of mastery over you when you became a Christian, you will still be tempted to sin. But if you sin now, your new nature and the Holy Spirit will bother you, will con¬vict you, and will make you feel miserable. This struggle is described by the Apostle Paul in Romans 7 and Galatians 5.
But 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” That is, your true self, your new spiritual nature will always want to obey God—when all is said and done. That doesn’t mean you will, but you will be drawn that way by your new heart that God has given you. Romans 7 and 8 show that even Christians who have a new heart, a new spiritual nature, will be defeated if they try to live the Christian life in their own strength—their own self-effort. Victory comes when we turn to and depend on the Holy Spirit to live the way we should.
Ultimate holiness
Then the third biblical truth concerning holiness is our ultimate holiness. While living on this earth, none of us will experience total experiential holiness. The Apostle Paul, at the end of his life, denied that he had “arrived” or was totally holy or perfect in his walk with the Lord.
In Philippians 3:12,13 he said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Broth¬ers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”
Only when we die and go into Christ’s presence will we experience total, complete holiness in our existence. But today, God asks us to live as holy as we can so that we can draw closer to Him, to know Him better, to be more like Him, to walk with Him in everyday life.
Isn’t it exciting that God wants us to have a deep relationship with Him? But remember, we cannot walk with God in our own self-effort. God makes even our walk with Him possible by giving us the Holy Spirit to help us conquer the sinful desires in our life, to meet temptations, and to face the tough situations.


4. TOTAL REPENTANCE
This brings us to the next question: “What is true repentance, and why is repentance so important for us in living the Christian life?”
The word repent comes from the Greek word metanoia. It emphasizes a change of mind and attitude. To repent is to make a decision that changes the total direction of one’s life. When Jesus preached, He issued a call to repentance which was a call to people to change their mind about Him and to make a personal commitment to Him. Repentance is an abandonment of those courses of action in which we once defied God and embraced those things which God dislikes and forbids. The Hebrew word for repent signifies a turning away from sin to God, or a returning to God. The New Testament Greek word carries the sense of changing one’s mind so that one changes one’s ways. Full repentance means altering one’s habits of thought, one’s attitudes, outlook, policy, direction and behavior just as fully as is needed go get one’s life out of the wrong shape and into the right one.
But changing in this way is only possible for Christians, believers who have been set free from sin’s dominion and made alive to God. Repentance comes as a result of putting one’s faith in Jesus Christ. Repentance flows out of true faith. It is the fruit of faith and as such, is a gift of God, according to Acts 11:18. Repentance is not that which saves, but it is the opposite side of the same coin as faith. One cannot have true faith unless one turns away from believing in himself and turns to believe in Christ alone to save, forgive and empower him to change.
Once again, true repentance is only possible for Christians because it’s only the Christian who in relationship with God starts to have God pull off the blinders of his life. The Bible tells us we do not even know how self-deceived we are about our sins, according to James 1:22 and 1 John 1:8. So once we place our faith in Christ, bit by bit God shows us that our deeds, our lifestyle, our thinking, our acts have offended Him. This awareness that we have offended a holy God is the basis or the seed bed from which repentance grows all during our life. True repen¬tance includes a contrite heart, sorrow and remorse in having dishonored God’s goodness and love to us. The kind of repentance that is a false repentance is that which shows only regret for sin prompted by fear for oneself, not love for God. Repentance brings on our reverent request of God’s pardon, cleansing of conscience and help not to lapse into the same sin again.
In his book, Rediscovering Holiness, J. I. Packer says repentance is 1) a person discerning the perversity, folly and guilt of the sin he or she has done; 2) the desire to find forgiveness, and the willingness to abandon the sin and live a God-pleasing life from now on; 3) deciding to ask God for forgiveness and power to change, and then actually talking to God; 4) demonstrating, whether by testimony, confession, or by changed behavior that one has left one’s sins behind.
Martin Luther taught that all of life was to be repentance toward God. That is, as we walk with God, He will reveal to us things about ourselves that we didn’t know—sins and habits which need to be abandoned.
Such recurring repentance is the life of the adult disciple. Keep in mind that when you put your faith in Jesus Christ, He gave you a new heart that desires to obey God. You will only be happy and joyful when those things that offend God are turned away from and you’ve asked God to forgive you and to cleanse you.
Paradoxically, such action brings more joy because God draws closer to you and you experi¬ence more of Him. You can refuse to repent. But you should know that you will run the risk of being disciplined by God. Read Hebrews 11 and 12. God disciplines His children because He loves us and He won’t stand by and allow us to ruin our lives.


5. TOTAL SURRENDER
This leads, then, to our third important question: “Why is totally surrendering our lives to God the only way to really live and experience life to the fullest?”
Proverbs 3:5,6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own under¬standing. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Well, you and I both know we have a lot of decisions to make about our future. We have a lot of decisions that we must make today to get through this day. God says He wants to lead and direct you moment by moment. Of course, you can always depend just on your own intellect and experience.
But if I were to ask you this question, “Who is smarter, you or God? Who knows more about the future, you or God?”
When put that way, we would all say, “Of course, God is smarter than I am. He knows every¬thing—even the future. He’s God.”
Well then, why don’t you allow Him to lead you in the decisions that you need to make con¬cerning the future, concerning the decisions you need to make today? Can you trust Him? That question is almost blasphemous to ask.
If you need proof that you can trust God and that He loves you dearly, just draw a picture in your mind of Jesus dying on the cross, shedding His blood, and ask yourself, “Why was He there?”
The answer will come back, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son....” God loved you and made your salvation possible before you ever knew Him. He didn’t have to do it. He gave it to you as a gift. If He went that far to show you that He loved you, don’t you think you can trust Him and surrender your life to Him so that He can love you even more by guiding you with His great wisdom and care?

Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
So let’s summarize the conclusion of the message : The five keys of spiritual things we need to have as a matured Christian to become like Jesus Christ in these Last Days to enable us to reach our divine destiny.
The fear of God is a very important aspect in a Christian’s life because it is a characteristic of the Holy Spirit. A lack of the fear of God in a person’s life means they have a lack of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Without the fear of God a person becomes unbalanced in their understanding of God, and in their relationship with the Lord. The fear of God causes His children to run to Him, and His enemies to flee from Him.
But the most important thing is to learn from your discipline and to not repeat your mistakes. Genesis 6:3 says that God will not strive with man forever. Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but if you continue to deliberately sin then God will turn away from you and leave you to your sin. If God corrects you it is for a reason. The Lord does nothing without a reason. In Romans 8:28 it says, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. God works ALL things for good, even correction.
God has called us to Himself by convicting us of sin. One day we re¬sponded and placed our faith in Jesus Christ and God gave us His gift of salvation. God’s gift included complete forgiveness of our sin and the status of being righteous and holy before Him. From the moment we believed, we positionally stand before God just like this pure glass of water. We have no sin and are clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
But we’ve also seen that experientially, God calls us to live holy, to purify ourselves. In brief, we are asked by God to separate ourselves unto His personal use. Ultimate experiential holi¬ness will not be achieved until we go to glory.
Then we saw that true repentance is daily for the Christian. It includes being open to God, allowing His Spirit to show us anything that might displease Him. We are to bring that to Him, confess it as sin, and to leave it, abandon it. As we do so, God will draw closer to us and bring us great joy and contentment. We will experience God’s dynamic, living presence all day long.
And finally, why should we totally surrender our lives to God? It’s because He is the One who knows what’s best for us. He loves us more than anyone else. All the real blessings of life are in His hand. He gave us our bodies and our talents and abilities and knows just how to use them if we will surrender them to Him. To the extent that we are lazy and undisciplined and keep God from certain parts of our life, we will do this to our own detriment. But God gives us that choice. It’s part of the learning process as Christians. Remember, He gave us a spirit, a heart that loves to obey Him, wants to be with Him, and so when we sin, we are really going against our true nature, what our heart really desires.
Right now, in light of all of these things God has done for you, would you say, “Lord, help me to live a holy life. Lord, the sins of my life that I know about that you’ve shown me, I have of¬fended you, please forgive me and cleanse me. And Lord, I totally surrender my life to you. I love you. Use me as you see fit. Let me not miss out on any part of the adventure that you have for me. Please help me to have the five keys to live in the Fear of the Lord, Obedience unto the Lord, Holiness, Repentance and Total Surrender unto the Lord to make me like You Lord Jesus according to Your Holy Word in Romans 8: 29-30.

To God Be All The Glory And Honor, A m e n .

Daniel Pasaribu

Rabu, 17 Oktober 2012

98) * THE PRAYERS & SERMONS OF OUR STANDING MINISTERS FOR PEOPLE TO READ - 49

San Davis

Sermon Message , 15 October 2012


OUR LORD IS LONGSUFFERING TOWARDS HIS PEOPLE!


II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Precious saints of God, the Lord desires for all to come to Repentance. He is not slack concerning His promise of the Rapture or of the Judgment to come thereafter. The Lord is longsuffering toward His people, not willing that any should perish. As He delays, He desires that more will come to Jesus in full repentance.

The Rapture of the Church must be regarded as certain, also that God’s compassion is real and that man’s opportunity to repent is equally real. The point is simple. God delays in order to give all men a genuine opportunity to repent. The mercy is real because the opportunity for more to get saved and come into a true relationship with Jesus is real.

Romans 1:16 – 17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written. The just shall live by faith.”

This text does not teach that God actually decrees that all will be saved, but those who “believe”. Obviously everything that a Sovereign God decrees will occur. The reference here is not to God’s decree but to His desire. God’s desire is that none should perish and that all would come to repentance. The Lord God has given man his own free will and does not forcibly impose His will but allows freedom to all people to come to repentance or not. Paul clearly teaches that only those who believe in Christ will receive salvation and the benefits of His sacrifice. God’s desire is not only our salvation, “justification” but also our growth in the truth
“sanctification”.

Concerning the Rapture and the Judgment of God!!

The arrival of our Lord’s coming, which the scoffers are challenging was foretold in 2 Peter 3:3 “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.”

Jesus is coming! Skeptics and scoffers deny that fact, but they can’t change the truth of it. Jesus is coming, and He is coming soon. This is not a childhood game! Eternity is at stake!

The scoffing here evidently relates to some who have an understanding of the hope of the Second Advent and who therefore believe that the Lord will return at some future date. The scoffing, moreover, arises in opposition to the view maintained by those who believe that His coming is imminent. In other words, it is a scoffing against the promise of His Presence soon to come in the Rapture and not against the promise of His second coming.

What seems long and short to men, is not long or short to the Lord. Therefore, any seeming delay of the Rapture is only such from a human point of view. The terrible days of the Tribulation Period, a time shortly coming upon this world. Even though this time is in the very near future, we can already see all the pieces falling into place. This world is preparing itself for the fulfillment of God’s prophecies. The signs are everywhere! Only the spiritually blind refuse to see what is as plain as day.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, that is, as some count slackness.

Jesus says that the generation that witnesses these things will not pass away until they have all been fulfilled. This prophecy has been the subject of much debate down through the years. How can a God for whom a thousand years is no longer than a single day be accused of slowness? There is also a second fact that is important to Peter’s refutation of the false teachers and those who scoffs at the word of God concerning the coming of Jesus. Not only is the Lord not slow about His promise of worldwide calamity, but He is longsuffering towards humanity.

God is in no way anxious to begin the judgments following Christ’s return. He is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish. What the Lord seeks from men while His judgment tarries is repentance. God’s wish, therefore, is that all should come to repentance. I truly believe that the Rapture delay is due to the fact that many are repenting and as a result, the judgment of the Day of the Lord is being averted.

A logical question that would naturally arise would be, why would Father God withhold the Day of the Lord, the Rapture of the Church if He knows that a worldwide repentance is impossible. The answer can only be that He knows it is not impossible. Matthew 19:26 “Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Undoubtedly God fully knows under what set of conditions mankind might turn to Him however briefly, and so long as there are options that are viable in His eyes, He will delay the promise of our Savior’s return. It is truly amazing to see how many people are coming to the Lord in these last days. I’m personally familiar with many theologians and End Time Watchmen who were one point more concerned with stocking up for the Judgment to come. These same people have now changed their tune. Yes God has changed their plans through a recent shift, now recognizing it is more important to prepare the masses spiritually, by submitting to Jesus than preparation to persevere in the storm with ammunition, guns, precious metals and ready to eat meals.

I will conclude with this, in Noah's days there was scoffing at the building of the ark, with all that it implied respecting the coming deluge. In this present day of our Lord's Presence there is again scoffing, as foretold by Peter in 2 Peter 3. All the pieces are in place. Everything is lining up like Jesus said they would. He is eternal and our destiny with our Lord Jesus Christ is the experience of eternal life. While He tarries, we will continue to call men to the knowledge of the Jesus, who loves them with magnificent patience. He is coming! Are you ready?

Sis. San Davis!

Rabu, 10 Oktober 2012

97)* THE GRACE PERIOD OF THE LORD WILL SOON BE OVER!

Sally S. Richter

10 October 2012 , at 04:00AM


The Lord JESUS has lead me to post on October 5, His words in Isaiah 30:8-17) and yesterday asked that I read the book of Amos and mediate on all of His given words through His Holy Spirits given wisdom. Most of the Lords words in Amos t goes with the currents events in the Middle East and Israel. Then the Lord says that the grace period given on mankind is almost done. In seconds now according to the Lord"s time it will be over and at the very last time He shooks everyone, those who has a pure heart in His sight will shine and will be lifted up. The Lord says the time is coming any time now that all people will seek and hunger for His words but they will not find it at all and the repentance prayers will not be heard by Him at all. One must and should need to sacrifice their lives for HIM if they want to live again.

Note : Lord says :The watching Christians, marking and looking only at every words and every steps of onother Christian and twisting their every words and condemning them instead of praying and working for the Lord being lead only by His Holy Spirit are not pleasing to Him and are not pure in His sight.The Lord says only He knew the intentions of each one's heart and His true servants and the reason's of their grief. A true Christian is a praying Christian whose works and desire above all is to only please the Lord, working for the salvation of souls of others and one who is really dedicated only in serving Him. (Given confirmation, 2 Peter 3)

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WERE ABLE TO COME TO JESUS WITH A VERY PURE HEART!
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO PREPARE THEIR SPIRIT FOR THE LORD!

Now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
For these are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.
They say to the seers, “See no more visions!”
and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right!

Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.
Leave this way, get off this path,
and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!”
Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression and depended on deceit,
this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,

that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses. Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
A thousand will flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you will all flee away,
till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.”

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice. (Isaiah 30:8-17)

My Prayer:

Father in Heaven , in the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST and His Holy Spirit
Make me pure and my heart clean always at Thine sight.
Thee oh LORD Knew each one of us and the intention of our actions
Only Thee oh Lord knew. I pray to Thee that I served well my purposed
If not oh Lord, please forgive me, pardon me and help me
Guide me Lord JESUS in Thine Holy name I pray to the Father in Heaven.
And I pray for each one and all of us and thine children all over the world. Amen! Amen!.

All for the glory of GOD/LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Word of the LORD JESUS given to go ahead on posting this Romans 8
(Only for Thee, oh Lord JESUS, only for Thee)

Written for the Lord


By; Sally S. Richter

Senin, 08 Oktober 2012

96) * THE PRAYERS & SERMONS OF OUR STANDING MINISTERS FOR PEOPLE TO READ - 48

Daniel Pasaribu

Monday Sermon for LJUSC, as of October 8, 2012



“THE IDENTIFICATION OF A TYPICAL ATTITUDE OF THE TRUE BELIEVERS TO GO TO HEAVEN”
, (Phillipians 4: 4-8)


Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”. (Philippians 4:4-8)

THE POWER OF ATTITUDE

In knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, nothing is more important than having a good positive attitude. Your attitude can:

1. MAKE OR BREAK YOU
2. HEAL OR HURT YOU
3 .MAKE YOU FRIENDS OR MAKE YOU ENEMIES
4. ;MAKE YOU HAPPY OR MAKE YOU MISERABLE
5. MAKE YOU A SUCCESS OR MAKE YOU A FAILURE

We may understand that we don’t have an attitude just because we had a bad day (all that a bad day can ever do is shake our jar). The reason you have a bad attitude is because you have a bad attitude inside of you/inside of your jar.

FACT #1 : YOUR ATTITUDE REVEALS THE REAL YOU.
Understand we don’t have an attitude just because we had a bad day (all that a bad day can ever do is shake our jar). The reason you have a bad attitude is because you have a bad attitude inside of you/inside of your jar.

FACT #2 : YOUR ATTITUDE DETERMINES THE SUCCESS AND FAILURE OF EVERY RELATIONSHIP IN YOUR LIFE.

What a difference your attitude makes! Your attitude affects every relationship in your life. And sometimes relationships will never get started in the first place -- because many times your attitude has built up walls... making it difficult for people to be around you.

Bad attitudes effect your marriage relationships/your relationship with your kids/at work/at church/friends

And the thing that makes a bad attitude so destructive is that like the jar of water with the loose lid on it, a bad attitude is eventually going to spill out into some negative actions - destructive words and deeds.

YOU CAN NEVER TRUST PEOPLE WITH A BAD ATTITUTE BECAUSE THEY WILL DO THINGS THAT YOU NEVER THOUGHT THEY COULD DO.

FACT#3 : YOUR ATTITUDE IS ALWAYS YOUR CHOICE

Without a doubt, the human mind is the most awesome creation of God. With it, God has given us the ability to think, to, reason and to choose whether we will focus on positive thoughts or negative thoughts. In every one of our lives there is the positive and the negative. The choice as to which one we will focus on and feed, nurture is up to us.

Understand You can’t choose what will happen to you today (it’s beyond your control) -- but you can choose your own attitude - we each have the power to decide how we will respond to what happens to us.

CHOOSING TO LOOK ON THE POSITIVE SIDE
The devil likes to paint a gloomy picture when things do not go as you have planned. When this happens, you need to take them to the Lord in prayer. Letting things discourage you is very easy. If you are not careful, you can get a bad attitude about different circumstances that happen and let those things depress you. Most have heard the saying, "Every cloud has a silver lining." You need to look at the positive side of things rather than the negative side. The devil would have you to look at the negative side of things.
The Word of God says to be thankful for the little things. You need to look for the positive in every situation you face. You should not sit around and feel sorry for yourself; then you will become depressed. Look at all the good things you have. When you start thinking about the good things God has done, it gets your mind off the negative and on the positive.
The attitudes you take in situations of life have a great bearing on whether or not you will make it to Heaven. Often you have no control over many situations you face in life, but you do have complete control over how you react to situations. If you have the right attitude and live right, the Lord will work things out. You can spend all day looking at the negative side of things or you can choose to look at the positive.
One songwriter wrote, "Little is much when God is in it." You may have little, but it is much when you give it to God to use. He would rather have quality than quantity. God would rather have perfect unity among the saints of God than to have strife and division working. God loves His church so much that He allowed His only Son to come and shed His blood. Do not think He does not care when people work division and strife. He knows, and He is concerned. The Bible says that few are going to make it through; therefore, you should not be surprised if few are willing to press on. I thank God for those who are willing to keep pressing on.
God is going to bless His people. Habakkuk 3:17-18 says: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: [That sounds bad, doesn't it? But what does the next verse say?] Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
You cannot control what people do around you or when people work against you, but you can control how you react. You can say, "No matter what happens around me or what others choose to do, I will rejoice in the Lord." Too many times, people look at the negative side of life. God wants you to look on the positive side.
If your heart is not right, you cannot uphold the standard of God's Word. You may try in the flesh, but if you do not have the Word and the Spirit working together, though you have understanding, you cannot uphold it. It will quickly fade away. I thank God for men who preach the Truth, and I thank God for the Truth. Also, I thank God that we each can have a pure heart. If you keep your heart pure, God will honor that.
Friends, to be honest, none of us knows how much time we have left on this earth before the Rapture of the Church will take place. The way things are looking causes us to think it will not be long. However, we cannot just sit around and wait for the Lord to come back. We need to continue to work for God according to our calling individually.
I once read a story about a king and his kingdom. The king called in two servants. He told the first servant, "I want you to go throughout the kingdom and gather weeds of all different varieties and bring them back to me." Then the king told the other servant, "I want you to go around the kingdom and gather flowers of all different kinds and bring them back to me." He told them that they each had one week, and then the two servants went out. The first servant came back after a week with armfuls of all different kinds of weeds. He said, "I never knew there were so many weeds. I am convinced that all we have in this kingdom is weeds."
Soon the other servant returned and said, "Look at all these flowers. I didn't realize we had so many flowers. We have flowers of every variety imaginable. The way I see it, all we have in this kingdom is flowers." One servant saw only weeds; the other one saw only flowers. Why was that? That was what they were looking for. The man who was looking for weeds found weeds, and the man who was looking for flowers found flowers.
Likewise, if you look for negative things, that is what you are going to see. On the other hand, if you look for positive things and look to help others, you will be lifted. You find what you look for. God is faithful to His people. If you seek Him for help and divine direction, He will give you what you need.
"BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING”

Paul said in our Scripture text in Philippians 4:4-6: "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Paul said, "Be careful for nothing." We need to pray about everything. It is easier to pray about big things, such as a house, a new car, a good job, or the right companion. Most people pray about those things, but how about the little things? Sometimes people forget to pray about the little things.
The Bible tells us in Song of Solomon 2:15, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." We must be careful to take care of the little things. Paul said, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." He said "in every thing" so that your heart and mind might be kept.
The Word of God says to be prayerful in everything, with thanksgiving. You need to be very careful. Instead of saying, "Oh, that is so bad," you should praise the Lord. For example, you would not say, "Praise the Lord, I have a flat tire," but you could say, "Thank the Lord, I have a jack and a spare and can change it." The Lord tells us to pray with thanksgiving. So, you could look at a situation and say, "Lord, help me to keep my spirit right and to be thankful." You need to be careful of how you view things. Remember, circumstances could be worse. Also, you need to remember that people are watching how you react, and so is God. When adversity comes, how is your attitude? Do you look on the bright side?

MAINTAINING A GOOD ATTITUDE
People are watching how you react to adversity. A successful person is one who can adapt in adversity. In the military they take the men who go through basic training and are the most easily adaptable to harsh conditions and make them elite soldiers, such as the Navy Seals. The most successful people are those who react to adversity in the proper way.
Do not think on the negative things in life. You need to think on the positive. If you react in the wrong way, there are consequences. People are watching your life. If you allow your temper to get out of control, people will see. If you are sad and depressed all the time, people notice that, and it will leave a mark on their lives. The little boy who pounded the nails in the fence pulled them out, but they still left marks. Friend, you can go back and tell people, "I'm sorry that I lost my temper," and they can forgive you, but it will leave a mark. Some people will hold you for the things you do. Thank God, you can get right with God, and He does forget, but your reactions still leave marks on people's lives.
Again, you can go back and apologize for losing your temper or for being grumpy or sad all the time, but the scar will still be there. That will make it difficult for people to get help in their souls. You could go to work and witness to people day after day, but if you were to lose your temper because you could not have the next Friday off, you would leave a bad impression on those who saw you. Then, the next time you ask, "Will you come to church with me?" they would probably say, "No, definitely not. I don't want what you have."
Your personal attitude is truly very important. At times it takes much effort to maintain a good attitude. I work very hard to remain upbeat on the job. My goal is to smile and think on good things. You might have a really bad day and have to work late, but think on the positive side and keep an upbeat attitude. Often people have asked me, "Why do you smile all the time?" What an opportunity to let them know that it is because I have the Lord. On the other hand, if someone were to ask you, "Why are you so sad all the time?" that person would not want what you have.
The attitude that you show in your daily living is a witness to others on this earth. You can slowly plant seeds in people's lives. I try to enjoy life and enjoy my job. Even when things are not going well, if you keep the joy of the Lord in your life, you will show people something that they will want.

THINK ON GOOD THINGS
The Apostle Paul did not say, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are false, whatsoever things are a lie, whatsoever things are unfair, whatsoever things are despicable, whatsoever things are of a negative report; think on these things." This is the attitude that many people take. They only think about the lies that people have told about them. They think about all the times they have been wronged, all the times people have not acted lovely to them, and all the negative reports. What about the positive reports?
Paul said in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true [if something is not true, do not think about it], whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Many people are so quick to look at the negative side of everything. We live in a very critical world. People are more critical of the church than they have ever been.
Certainly at times you have a legitimate reason to be upset about things. Undoubtedly there will be times when someone will do you wrong or when someone will cheat you. Those things happen. Someone may do something against Truth or against you; someone may lie about you. Nevertheless, you have no right to hold them for it. The Word of God says in Hebrews 13:1, "Let brotherly love continue." Many people are not willing to do that. They think on the negative things, but that is not what God has commanded us to do.
Even during the times when you feel that you have a legitimate reason to be upset, you should not think on those things. If you catch yourself thinking on those things, remember what God's Word says. It has a list of good things to think on, and none of those things is negative or bad. God wants you to think on godly, holy, pure, honest things.
A wrong or a negative attitude will drain you emotionally and spiritually. If you think on negative things all week, you will go to church on Sunday spiritually drained. Remember, the attitudes that you have go a long way in determining whether or not you will make it to Heaven.

SHINING FORTH IN ADVERSITY
Acts 16:19-24 reads: "And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks."
That was not a good day for Paul and Silas. It was a horrible day. If anyone had reason to complain, they did. They could have said, "Let's think about what has happened to us. Those people told lies about us and whipped us for nothing. That is unfair! What about the despicable way they ripped off our clothes in public and beat us? That was so unfair of them to cast us into prison and put our feet in stocks." However, Paul and Silas did not do that. They did not think on their negative circumstances.
What did Paul and Silas do? Verses 25-28 tell us: "And at midnight [at the darkest hour] Paul and Silas [they did not complain and grumble] prayed, and sang praises unto God [no doubt people were watching them, wondering how they were going to react]: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here." All the prisoners were right there; no one had escaped.
The Bible says at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, sang songs, and praised the Lord, and all the prisoners heard them. What happened next? There was a great earthquake, the prison doors were opened, and everyone's shackles fell off. You would have thought that most of them would have gotten up and said, "This is our chance to escape! Let's get out of here!" However, that is not what they did. They wanted to see who Paul and Silas were. They were not worried about getting free from prison. No doubt, they wanted to see what Paul and Silas had to offer. Christian friend, people are watching your life.
Verses 28-30 say: "But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" How you react in adversity and the attitudes you take have a great impact on winning souls for God. Paul and Silas could have sat in that prison and felt sorry for themselves, cried over their open wounds, and complained about how they had been wrongly imprisoned and unjustly beaten. Yet, they chose to praise God, and it reaped great rewards.
Friends in Chrsit, as people watch your life, are they drawn to Christ or pushed away because of how you react in adversity? The men in the prison were drawn to Paul and Silas, and the jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?" Life is not always fair, and the sooner you realize it, the better you can cope with adversity. People are going to wrong you and do things against you. Some may try to do everything they can to destroy you. You might as well be ready to look on the positive side. People may tell lies about you, cheat you, and bring negative reports about you. Nevertheless, you should not dwell on those things. Life may not seem fair, but you must think on good things. Take the trial or the persecution that you are going through and turn it around for the betterment of souls.
Paul and Silas suffered persecution. If you have spent any time in the Word of God, you know that the righteous suffer persecution. Therefore, you need to prepare yourself to be ready to react in a positive way, just as Paul and Silas did. Paul and Silas did not see their trial as a place to become discouraged. They saw it as an opportunity to reach out to souls. Are you reacting in a way that draws souls to Christ? Friend, attitude is everything. People cannot see what is in your heart, but they can see how you react to things. They can see whether you are really happy in the life that you are living.

LOOKING TO GOD’S WORD FOR ENCOURAGEMENT
You may think, "This situation is impossible," but you can look to the Bible. Jesus said in Luke 18:27, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." You may say, "I'm too tired." Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." You may say, "No one really loves me," but you can read in John, Chapter 3, that God loves you. You may say, "I can't go on," but 2 Corinthians 12:9 states, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." You may say, "I can't do it," but Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
You may say, "I'm not able," but 2 Corinthians 9:8 says "God is able." You may say, "I can't forgive myself," but in 1 John 1:9 God says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You may say, "I can't manage," but God says in Philippians 4:19, "God shall supply all your need." You can say, "I am afraid," but 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear." You may say, "I am always worried and frustrated," but God says in 1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." You may say, "I don't have enough faith," but Romans 12:3 says, "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." You may say, "I am not smart enough," but in James 1:5 God says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." You may say, "I feel all alone," but in Hebrews 13:5 God says, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
You can think of many negatives, but God wants you to look on the positive side. Notice that all those negatives were not found in the Bible; however, to find the positive side of all those things, all you have to do is look to God's Word. He has a silver lining to every dark cloud you face. In everything you go through in life, when you feel that you cannot make it or when you feel that you do not understand, remember that God has a silver lining.
God wants you to lean heavily upon Him and look to His Word. He wants you to look to Him to see what to do and how to react. Sometimes you may not know what to do and all you can do is say, "Help me, Lord." Often when you read the Bible, the Lord will direct you to the promise you need to help you make it through the situation. God has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Again, our text says in verse 8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

TRUE BELIEVER MUST NOW AND DESIRE HOW TO HAVE BEST ATTITUDE OF THE HEART

The attitudes of your heart shape your character. In all things, your heart's condition creates the appeal of your personality. Attitudes are a purposeful mindset.
Veterans of knowledge have this understanding and recognize what is behind every motive. Every choice you make defines your true self.
The heart expresses itself through the determined spirit, establishing the values and conditions, which drive your choices in life. Live with a purpose and maintain a healthy heart. Strive to have a heart that obeys God.
There are 12 attitudes of the heart will strengthen your walk by cultivating the right attitude to acknowledge your role, and the part you play in life.
1. Love God will all your heart, soul, and mind. Make this your first priority in life. Everything else falls into place with this strong condition of the heart.
2. Be understanding and in all things use wise discernment. Practice patience with perseverance.
3. Guard your mouth against any gossip. Be the friend that keeps others’ secrets locked safe and never compromise your values.
4. Be forgiving and trust God for true vindication.
5. Remove all pride for it eliminates the justification for forgiveness.
6. Love your enemies for love holds no wrongs. For an ounce of heart is worth a vessel of soul.
7. Stretch your faith and pledge a life to be born again. This is a personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
8. Let go of fears and don't let them stand in your way to the life you deserve.
9. Serve Others out of a heart of gratitude and love.
10. Be a peacemaker for theirs lay the kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:9)
11. Keep your commitments and be committed to a standard of values in your own heart, between you and God.
12. Love unconditionally and be devoted to each other as in brotherly love. For love is a choice and expressing brotherly love is the same type of love you would find in a healthy family. Jesus is a great example of brotherly love.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

LET ME MAKE A CONCLUSION OF THE CHARACTER WHICH WILL HELP US TO GO TO HEAVEN IS TO UNDERSTAND THAT GOD QUALIFIES HIS ACTIVITY OF ULTIMATE GOOD APPLIES TO EVERY CHRISTIAN TO
WORK GOOD IS TO CAUSE US TO ACT LIKE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

ULTIMATE GOOD MAY COME AT THE GOOD USE OF BAD THINGS
ACCEPTING OF GOD’S ULTIMATE GOOD IS AN ACT OF KNOWING, NOT NECESSARILY AND ACT OF FEELING. THROUGH OUR ATTITUDE, THE PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH MAY COME TO KNOW GOD BECAUSE OUR ATTITUTE IS JUST THE SAME BEHAVIOUR LIKE OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST WHICH IS PART OF OUR CALLING IN GENERAL TO BE THE SALT AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A M E N .


To God Be All The Glory And Honor,

Daniel Pasaribu

Kamis, 04 Oktober 2012

95) * THE PRAYERS & SERMONS OF OUR STANDING MINISTERS FOR PEOPLE TO READ - 47

San Davis

(Monday Sermon, October 1, 2012)


"AS THE DARKNESS DESCENDS UPON THIS WORLD, LET US WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT" !


The increasing darkness in this world is a sign that the night is coming when we will no longer be able to work. The children of light are the people who are in the Lord. They are in Christ and are blessed with every spiritual blessing. Their life is hidden with Christ in God awaiting the time of eternal manifestation with Christ. Yes that's us brethren, we are those in the Lord who walk in the light and are Children of Light, the Bride, the Remnant, Set apart!

(John 9:3-5) Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Saints of God we are living at a time, where it imperative that we know the voice of Holy Spirit. To know His voice we must come into a close relationship with the Lord, so when He speaks, we will know without a shadow of a doubt that it is Him who speak. As children of light we should always be able to recognize His voice and His direction, so when He says go this way, or do this or do that, you will know it’s the Spirit of Almighty God speaking.

When we are not on our face before the Lord, when we’re not in the word daily praying, or talking to Him on a regular basis, then when something happens unexpectedly, it will be really hard for us to know how to handle it. . As the darkness descends, we the children of light need to be face to face with God. We should be walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, we have to be close enough to hear and know His voice. We have to be so close, that when unexpected things begin to happen we will know His voice and not be deceived. We are the light of the world. We must go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature before the darkness falls. We tend to preach to the reached. We must go into all the world and preach to the unsaved. The world is not inside your church; the world is outside of it and it is hurting.

(Matthew 9:37-38) says "the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest." Jesus presented a problem, the laborers are few. Jesus gave the solution: pray. Intercessory prayer is to be done first to have the laborers sent forth, that is us, we are the laborers. We are to reach out to the lost.

DARKNESS IS THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT
When something is pitch black, there is no light there. Jesus is light, His very being is light. When that light lives inside of us, we are able to use it to shine on the darkness. We are then able to see those things that the enemy tries to use to deceive us. The thing that gives us the ability to discern evil from good, is Gods Holy Spirit that lives within us.

(Luke 11:35) “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.”

(Ephesians 5:8) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.

(Romans 13:12) The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

BE CAREFUL THAT YOU ARE NOT DECEIVED
In this world we are living among deception. The bible indicates, that in the last days the deception will be so convincing, that if we are not made aware of these evils, even the very elect would be deceived.

(Matthew 24:24) For false Christs will arise, and false prophets, and will show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect.

The only way we will be able to discern what is good from evil, is by getting close to God and reading His Holy words, the bible. If we allow the world to dictate to us, what is good and what is evil then, this knowledge will not be based on the absolute biblical truth. The world system has been slowly corroding the bible values that the Lord laid down, the morals and decency in our homes, schools and places of employment, replacing them with homosexuality and depravity.

They are deliberately usurping Godly values, destroying the foundation of Christianity and the foundation of morality. Slowly destroying the character and nature of God, in order to replace it with their own set of so called morality. We see the sins and depravity around us everyday. Once they have accomplished their agenda, you will then be compelled to accept, their version of morality. Unfortunately 98% of the people will agree because they lack reverential fear of God. Many who grew up in Christian homes, on solid biblical foundations get to a point where they are no longer able to discern right from wrong or good from evil. Most, no longer know what is the righteous and Godly thing to do.

(Isaiah 5:20) “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter”

(John 3:19-21) This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

AS CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO EXPOSE DARKNESS
The children of light expose darkness while the children of darkness revel in darkness. The children of light point the way to heaven while the children of darkness point the way to destruction. The bible tells us, resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Paul reminds us that we were once darkness without Christ, the Lord. Occasionally thinking upon our lost condition in sin helps us remain thankful toward God and helps keep us humble while walking among those in darkness. In doing so, we are to walk together in unity by displaying the attitudes crucial for maintaining unity, understanding the basis of the unity we have in Christ and utilize the gifts given by Christ to His church that serves to keep the body of Christ together and growing. Now the difficulty with walking as children of light is that the people walking in darkness do not like it when we refuse to participate in the deeds of darkness because we expose their actions for what they are darkness.

(Jonn. 3:19-21) Jesus said: "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" Each person is either a child of light or a child of darkness. We are known by our deeds, light or darkness.

APOSTLE PAUL ADMONISHES US TO HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP WITH UNFRUITFUL WORKS OF DARKNESS

The children of light bear the fruit of the Spirit thus proving what is acceptable to the Lord. The fruit of the Spirit is the sum of all goodness, righteousness, and truth as opposed to the works of the flesh.. By bearing the fruit of the Spirit the children of light live a life continuously proving, testing, proving by testing and learning the things which are pleasing to God and are a light to the world exposing the evil works of darkness. So Paul says that we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. As Paul continues the metaphor of light verses darkness, this principle is easy to understand: light cannot participate with darkness else it is not light. Therefore our fellowship with those living in darkness is limited to the things associated with the light which are all goodness, righteousness and truth. Hence, we cannot have fellowship with those living in darkness while they are engaging in the deeds of darkness nor should we speak of those shameful things.

(2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

WALKING IN THE CHARACTER OF JESUS WHO IS LIGHT
Jesus said in order to serve Him we must follow Him, and where He is there His servant will be also. Jesus does not call us to shine in places where His light is already shining brightly; just as He invaded the darkness with His life upon the earth so too must we. If your light is not shinning very brightly it may be that you are in a place that already has some light. The greater the darkness the brighter your light can shine. Jesus is calling each of us to meet Him in a dark place where He can shine through us. And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day,

(Isaiah 58:10) Every time we miss an opportunity to express God’s love through good deeds, we miss a revelation of Jesus and so do the people that needed us.

As children of the light, walking in the light of God, we walk in the character of God, the nature of God. Discerning right from wrong, good from evil, truth from a lie by walking in righteousness and holiness before God and man. The only way to do that is by having a true relationship with Him, where He imparts in you, His righteousness, Godliness and justice. By reading the word of God, we learn about His nature and character. If you are living in sin, by lying, cheating, gossiping, slandering, committing adultery or living in fornication, then you are not walking or living in the light. There are many people with good hearts, but they do not know Jesus, and therefore they are not walking in the light. If you have a good heart, eventually you will come to the light, you will not be afraid of the light. Those who are afraid of light, those who are afraid of truth and spiritually disconnected. Truth is light and light is truth, truth is also life.

(John 14:16 ) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”The same way as darkness is equivalent to death and death to darkness.

Why be concerned about putting off the old man and putting on the new man? When Christians act like the old man, it grieves the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit we were sealed for the day of redemption. Therefore, we ought to put away those things befitting the old man (bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice). And in it's place we need to put on those things befitting the new man (being kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God forgives us in Christ)

IN CONCLUSION

As I draw to the close of this message, I must state, what a contrast there would be if all those in the church, truly carried out the admonition to (Walk in the Light,Truth and Holiness, in the midst of darkness). The church would stand out like a city that is set on a hill. People in the world, though their understanding is darkened by greed, lust, pleasure, idolatry, drunkenness and self-gratification, seeing the church as the example of righteousness, might be more likely to come to see the truth that is in Jesus. But, what hope is there if the church is more like the world than the beacon of Light that brings people to Jesus?

Brethren, be careful not to react with attitudes that are more in keeping with the old self. Let the world see us united, the church, the bride of Christ, as having been sealed for the day of redemption. Let's be sure to react in righteousness and true holiness and walking worthy of our calling.Now is the time to seek Jesus. If you do not know Him or have departed from your faith in Him. Now is the time to come to the light, for Jesus is the light. Now is the time to invite that light to live inside of you. We are living in the End Times and there is no more time to play around.

(John 12:35-36) says "my light will shine out for you just a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, and go where you want to go before the darkness falls, for then it will be too late for you to find your way. Make use of the light while there is still time; then you will become light bearers."

(James 4:17) “Therefore, anyone who knows what is right but fails to do it is guilty of sin.”

(1 Peter 1:14-16) “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

(John 12:35) “Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going” The Spirit of God is moving upon His people and His voice is saying shine forth My light to the nations. Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness (obscurity) shall cover the earth, And deep darkness (gloom) the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.

(Isaiah 60:1-2) We are entering a time of greater darkness upon the earth but it will also be a great time of experiencing the glory of God, for those who allow His glory to shine through them.

San Davis