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NOVEMBER
2023
PERSONAL
from
Pastor
Max Solbrekken
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JUDGMENT
IS COMING:
Its
Time for Revival
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
On
a Sunday morning in February 1977, I awakened with a stirring
message burning in my soul and spirit. The Holy Spirit had
been speaking to me while I was yet sleeping and the words
"Canada- Turn Around" were on my lips.
In
an instant, the voice of God came to be saying, "Son, bring a
message to to the nation of Canada." He instructed me
to spread the message by television, radio and printed page.
The message 'Canada - Turn Around, Canada - Come Back to God'
would be a message from God to all Canadians.
There
was an urgency in my spirit as I thought about the other times God
had spoken to me to bring a message to our nation.
The
first time was in 1967. I delivered a powerful Centennial message
entitled, "A Salute to Canada." This message stirred a
lot of Canadians. It also brought a personal greeting and thanks
from our Justice Minister, the Honorable Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
Then
in 1972, I was given a word from God to deliver a hard hitting
message by radio and printed page called, "My Message to
Prime Minister Trudeau" in which I warned all Canadian and
world government leaders across the world to turn to God for
direction and help, both for themselves and for the people.
I
gave Biblical examples of what happened to kings and heads of
government who became proud and egotistical and served pagan gods
and bowed down to idols and images. That message was sent to world
leaders as well as Canadian Members of Parliament (MPs) in Ottawa
and Members of all Provincial Legislatures (MLAs).
 I
received a lot of mail thanking us for that very direct and
stirring prophetic message. During 1977-1978, I immersed myself in
the words of Jesus Christ regarding God's coming Judgment on all
ungodliness, as well as His message of grace and mercy toward all
who repent of their sins and return to our Heavenly Father! My
heart was aflame with God's love and compassion with a burden for
those who are still in heathen darkness, perversion and deception.
And for those who are backslidden and lost, both in the church and
the world.
The
Bible says, "For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews
4:12)
By
God's grace I shared the message "Canada Turn Around":
Canada Come Back to God (1977) to multitudes across our wonderful
nation of Canada and around the world, personalizing it for those
countries, with great blessing. God granted us many revivals
during that time period! All glory to His name.
Now,
God has spoken to me again! During the last few months of
1998, God stirred my soul to again crusade across our nation with
the gospel of Jesus Christ, I had been invited to again preach at
the large interdenominational crusade in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
They were expecting crowds to reach over 200,000 people.
Before
I was able to respond to the affirmative, God instructed me to
decline the invitation. I asked Him, "Why"? He said,
"There is more revival in Africa than in Canada. Your own
nation needs you NOW. Take the message of Jesus Christ to Canada
before it is too late."
The
definition of repent is: "To be sorry for your sins and a
determination to turn from sin; to change one's mind."
Jesus is calling you. It is time to answer the call of Jesus.
Christ is calling the world to turn away from sin, Satan and
rebellion, and to turn to Him, our Saviour and Creator. The
LORD is calling for you to repent and to completely reject the god
of the world, Satan (the devil). St.
John
declared, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested
that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)
Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall
all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3). We have turned our
backs on God and have become self-centered, selfish and
spiritually dead. During the past 30 years or more, our nation
has taken a major turn away from God.
At
present, we are a people divided, despondent and depressed;
politically, economically and spiritually. Unhappy, fearful and
depressed people are the norm these days, without hope for the
future. To say we are living in a very dangerous and frightening
time is an understatement. We are living in the end times and are
facing world war and one crisis after another.
REPENTANCE
IS TURNING FROM SIN
We
need to get serious about the consequences of rejecting God. A
divine call, however, has gone out to our Nation and the world to
repent. Now is the time to turn around, to repent to Christ Jesus
and forsake sin. We MUST surrender our wills to God and give up
the futile effort of "doing things our own way."
It's
time for our NATION to turn from all rebellious ways in repentance
and confessing to Christ sins of unbelief, pride, immorality,
jealousy, envy and prejudice. The time has come for a complete
rejection of Satan and evil in total repentance.
The
Bible says, "Submit yourselves therefore unto God. Resist the
devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) It’s time to
confront the devil (who is our enemy) and call upon the name of
Jesus Christ.
We
must resist Satan and turn away from lust, greed, hatred,
selfishness, anger, bitterness and deceit. Jesus Christ our Lord
has given us power over the devil. We are instructed to confront
the devil -in the Name of Jesus Christ - telling him that he's not
welcome in our lives! ever nearer to the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ and the Tribulation.
It's
time to WAKE UP and think about eternity and where you will spend
it. We must reject and renounce the many dangerous, deceptive and
occultist doctrines of the New Age Movement, as well as the cult
of Secular Humanism that teaches, 'man ascended from the world of
monkeys and apes, is self-sufficient and is his own God.'
We
must humble ourselves and pray. We must call upon the Name of
the Lord and turn away from evil. Satan (the devil) is the creator
of evil, death and destruction and wants to destroy you and all
things around you. St. Peter warned, "Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in
due time: Casting all of your care upon Him, for He careth for
you. Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom
resist steadfast in the faith…" (1 Peter 5: 6-9)
The
Bible speaks about humility, repentance and submission to the
Almighty God and a total rejection of Satan, who is the god of
this world! St. James states, "Submit yourselves
therefore unto God. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you." (James 4:7) It's time to come home and be reconciled to
our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to accept the
invitation of our LORD Jesus Christ to talk things over.
We
need to straighten out past failures and right wrongs. We need to
receive total forgiveness and assurance, with new direction for
the future. The Bible says, "Let the wicked forsake his ways,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the
Lord and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will
abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7)
The
divine call of God does not differentiate between rich or poor,
educated or illiterate, men or women, young or old. There is no
class distinction or favoritism due to race, color, nationality or
culture with the Almighty. The invitation of salvation is
available to all. Every person alive may approach the throne of
God and repent of their sins. We all can receive the mercy and
grace of the LORD.
We
all receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour, through faith in His
finished work on Calvary's cross. How is this possible? The Gospel
is free to everyone! We are saved by Grace through Faith. The
Bible says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: Not of works, lest
any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
CHRIST
IS CALLING YOU AND WAITING FOR YOU TO ANSWER HIM
There
is no entry fee, cover charge or red tape to delay our coming to
Jesus Christ and repenting of our sins. There is nothing to stop
the process of salvation from functioning in our lives. Christ
waits for you to repent. Christ Jesus our Lord is willing to
accept all that will repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and
Saviour!
The
prophet invited, "Lo, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the
waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; come,
ye, buy wine and milk without money and without price."
(Isaiah 55:1)
And
Jesus assures us: "All that the Father giveth Me shall come
to Me; and him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast
out." (John 6:37) The enormous cost of our freedom -
redemption from sin and the power of Satan - has been paid for us
on the Cross, through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, "...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish." (Luke 13:3)
The
Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16); St. John
declared, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested
that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)
St. Paul emphasized, "That through death, He (Jesus Christ)
might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil,
and deliver those who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14)
God
is waiting for you to turn to him, ask for forgiveness and be
cleansed in the Blood of the Lamb. The good news is that God wants
us. He wants you and me. No exceptions, and no questions asked. We
come just as we are. He knows all about us and yet He wants us,
even though we are sinners.
WHY?
He is a specialist in the field of cleansing, reconciliation and
re-birth! The Bible states, "If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteous." (1 John 1:9)
Just
as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me And
that Thou bidst me come to Thee. O Lamb of God, I come. I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not, To rid my soul of one dark blot
Because Thy blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come. I
come! Just as I am; poor, wretched, blind, Sight, riches, healing
of the mind All that I need, in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I
come, I come! Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome,
pardon, cleanse, relieve Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of
God, I come. I come!
The
Bible says: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf
of them whose heart is perfect toward Him..." (2 Chronicles
16:9)
And
God's Word says: "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous
and His ears are open unto their prayers, but the face of the Lord
is against them that do evil." (1 Peter 3:12) The very first
sermons preached by our LORD were the call to repentance and
salvation: "Repent and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15);
The
same was true of the great prophet, John the Baptist, "And he
came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of
repentance for the emission of sins." (Luke 3:3;
Matthew 3:2), as well as all the Apostles: "And they went out
and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many
devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed
them." (Mark 6:12)
St.
Peter declared, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)
THERE
WILL BE TWO JUDGMENTS
There
will be two judgments: the first judgment is called, 'The
Great White Throne Judgment' where all sinners and unjust
persons shall be judged in relation to their acceptance or
rejection of Jesus Christ the Jewish Messiah.
Here
is Christ Jesus' solemn warning: "And I saw a great white
throne, and Him that sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I
saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works."
"And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged
every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was cast out into the lake
of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)
The
second judgment is called the Bema Seat Judgment of the
Saints. That is where all believers who have trusted in Jesus
Christ as personal Savior will be judged for our works. St. Paul
warns: "For other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ." Now if any man build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble; Every
man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every
man's work of what sort it is."
"If
any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall
receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by
fire." (1 Corinthians. 3:8)
In
his defense before King Agrippa, the great Apostle rehearsed his
Damascus Road conversion experience, and the words of Jesus Christ
to him: "Delivering thee from the people, and from the
Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to
turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto
God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me."
(Acts 26:17-18)
THE
CALL FOR PEOPLE TO REPENT IS URGENT
So
urgent is the call for people to repent of their sins, the Bible
says: "Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."
(2 Corinthians 5:11) The Bible specifically declares: "All
have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23)
"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23).
The
great apostle wrote to the church in Rome concerning those
committing sinful acts and others who condemn them, being guilty
of the same sins. "But we are sure that the judgment of
God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such
things, and doest the same that thou shalt escape the judgment of
God?
But
after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself
wrath against the DAY OF WRATH and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God;" "Who will render to every man
according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well
doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, ETERNAL LIFE: But
unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but
obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and
anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first,
and also of the Gentile;" (Romans 2:2-9)
Jesus
said, "Behold, I come quickly"" -literal
Greek: Without delay, at once, soon.
(Revelation 22:12).
St.
Peter gave two reasons why Jesus had not yet returned:
1.
One thousand years with us is like one day with the Lord!
2. God's mercy is reaching out for more sinners to be saved.
"But,
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2
Peter 3:8-9)
The
Bible says, "Repent and be baptized...and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38-39). "Repent ye
therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted
out..." (Acts 3:19) And Jesus says, "As many as I love,
I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with Me." (Revelation 3:19-20)
May
the Lord bless you and give you peace. Write me a letter if you
have accepted the LORD Jesus Christ as a result of reading this
message.
 VITAL
SIGNS
of
the soon return of
JESUS
CHRIST
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
WHAT
DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
What
does the Bible have to say about the end times? Does the
Bible warn us that there will be signs that the end is near and
that the return of Jesus Christ is drawing closer.
These
are common questions which many people have and as we watch the
news and see the many disasters world wide, wars, nation turning
against nation, hatred and unrest, we realize the world is in a
crisis that seems to grow worse each day. What will happen
next?
 WHAT
ARE THE SIGNS THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THE END TIMES
"I
will go and return to My place, til they acknowledge their
offence, and seek My face; in their affliction they will seek Me
early." "Come, and let us return unto the Lord:
for He hath torn, and He will bind us up. After two days will He
revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live
in His sight." (Hosea 5:15; 6:1-2)
This
is one of the most significant scriptures in the entire Bible
dealing with the end times and the "Second Coming" or
rapture.
Thousands
of years ago, the Old Testament prophet pin-pointed the sins of
the Jewish nation in: No. 1 - breaking the Mosaic
Covenant and No. 2 - the rejection of their Messiah, as
well as their terrible suffering and return to God in repentance
and faith in the last days!
FOR
2000 YEARS THE CHURCH HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE RETURN OF JESUS
CHRIST IN THE SECOND COMING
For
nearly two thousand years, the Church of Jesus Christ has lived in
the hope of His promised return. Old Testament prophets HAD
FORETOLD IN DETAIL the time and place of His virgin birth, His
sinless life, His miraculous ministry, His vicarious death and His
glorious resurrection. They also prophesied His second advent and
triumphant millennial reign.
WHY
HAVE JEWISH PEOPLE SUFFERED SO MUCH OVER THE YEARS?
THE
UNDERLYING REASON
for the terrible suffering, pain and sorrows meted out to the Jews
over centuries and millennia, is because they broke the covenant
Moses made with God on their behalf.
If
you doubt that, read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy which details
the blessings of God upon Israel if they keep the covenant
(Deuteronomy 1-14) and the curses of God upon Israel if they break
the covenant (Deuteronomy 15-68).
THE
SECOND REASON
- which accounts for only a limited period of "one
generation" - is that the Jewish people rejected their
Messiah.
Jesus
stated, "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and
wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify;
and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and
persecute them from city to city: THAT UPON YOU (only that
specific generation which rejected Jesus as their Messiah, not
subsequent generations!) may come all the righteous blood shed
upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of
Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and
the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon
this generation.
"O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest
them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you
desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till
ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the
Lord." (Matthew 23:34-39)
Please
Note: The rejection of the
Messiah was only the tip of the iceberg in a long list of
"killing the prophets & stoning them that have been sent
to you"
As
a matter of fact, the crucifixion of Jesus was not included in the
reason for God's judgment upon them. Jesus specified the blood
shed from Abel to Zacharias. He did not mention His own blood.
For
centuries, the Roman Catholic Church as well as some Protestant
Churches said the Jewish race was cursed because of their
rejection & condemnation of Jesus Christ which culminated in
His crucifixion by the Romans!
That
teaching was terribly flawed and became a tool which was used to
denigrate & destroy Jewish people!
For
centuries, Jews were called Christ-killers and only recently has
the Roman Catholic Church renounced that evil, devilish doctrine!
It's almost bizarre that the Roman Catholic Church would call Jews
by that terrible name, since it was Italians (Romans) who
crucified our Lord. Yet no one thought of calling Italians,
'Christ-killers'
The
teaching I refer to is, that the reason for Jewish suffering is
because they made a deal with Governor Pontius Pilate, saying: "Let
His blood be upon us and upon our children."
(Matthew 27:25)
Let
me make myself abundantly clear on this point:
It is impossible for the blood of Jesus to harm anyone or bring
any curse upon Jews or anyone else! The Blood of Jesus
brings only forgiveness, healing and eternal life. It cannot
bring a curse. (1 John 1:7; Col. 1:20)
I
repeat: Israel's grievous sin of breaking their covenant with God
is the primary reason for their suffering.
The
Bible says, "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not
hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all
His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day;
that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: The
LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke...until
thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the
wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken Me.
The
LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until He have
consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever,
and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with
the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall
pursue thee until thou perish."
"The
LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods,
and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be
healed. The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and
astonishment of heart...Moreover He will bring upon thee all the
diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall
cleave unto thee.
Also
every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book
of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be
destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as
the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey
the voice of the LORD thy God...and ye shall be plucked from off
the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the LORD shall
scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even
unto the other...
"And
the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships...and there
ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and
no man shall buy you." (Deuteronomy 15, 20-22, 27-29,
59-64, 68)
It
is of vital importance for everyone to know that even though Moses
- God's prophet & lawgiver - prophesied 2000 years earlier
concerning the blessings of keeping the covenant the Jewish people
had made with the Almighty (Deuteronomy 1-14) as well as the
curses that would come upon them if they broke the covenant (v.
15-68), his prophecy came to pass in the minutest detail.
Verse
68 states that if they broke the Mosaic Covenant, they would be
taken back to Egypt - as slaves - in ships.
It stated
further, that no man would buy them. Here are the brutal
facts: After General Titus had destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70,
killing 1.1 million Jews in the siege, 89,000 Jews were taken to
Egypt as slaves. There was such a hatred against Jews, that it was
below the dignity of any Roman to own a Jewish slave. Among
our nations, only Egypt would take Jews as slaves! That's how
perfectly true God's prophetic Word is!
WHO
WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST?
Jesus
was born to die!
(1
Corinthians 15:3; Romans 5:7-8; 1 John 3:8) He
was ordained to be the propitiation for our sins, in order to
satisfy the DEMANDS OF DIVINE JUSTICE (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2;
4:10) He
was crucified by the foreknowledge of God. (Acts 2:23)
Although
God used Judas, a human instrument to betray our Lord, the Jewish
leaders to unjustly condemn Him to death and the Romans to do the
terrible deed, it was according to God's will, plan & purpose.
(Romans 8:32)
IN
FACT, IT WAS GOD THE FATHER WHO LAID THE STRIPES UPON HIM AND
SMOTE HIM.
I never fully understand God's love, until it was revealed to me
during a crusade in Kenya. When He showed me His great love,
I wept for 3 days and nights! Here are the scriptures that
touched my heart, and I pray they will also minister to you.
"He
that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how
shall He not with Him also freely give us all things."
(Romans 8:28)
St.
Paul declared that God's love is so great that He did not spare
His only Son but turned Him over to murderers and gangsters
(delivered Him up) to be humiliated, tortured & crucified on
the "cursed tree" for us.
And
since Jesus paid the ultimate price by making the supreme
sacrifice for us, God will freely give us whatever Jesus' death
& resurrection has provided, since He is seated - even now -
on God's right hand as our Saviour, Redeemer & Advocate.
Not
only did our Heavenly Father deliver up His Son to die, HE ALSO
LAID OUR SINS AND SICKNESSES UPON HIM (Isaiah 53:4-6; Matthew
8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24). God's love regarding our salvation
was so intense that He rejoiced when Jesus suffered & bled for
us. The Bible says, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
Him. He hath put him to grief." (Isaiah 53:10)
The
Norwegian translation says: "Det behaget Herren til - knuse
ham - it pleased the Lord to CRUSH Him."
THERE
IS MUCH BITTERNESS IN OLDER JEWISH PEOPLE & UNBELIEF IN
THE YOUNG
The
"children of Israel" suffered terribly for thousands of
years, from the time of the Babylonian captivity until Hitler's
holocaust! This suffering continued under the cruel yoke of Soviet
Communism for decades more. Since the coming of glasnost and
perestroika and the dissolution of the "Evil Empire" in
1991, however, hundreds of thousands of these precious people have
immigrated to Israel.
In
my dealings with older Jewish people, I HAVE DISCERNED MUCH
BITTERNESS TOWARD CHRISTIANS, GOD AND LIFE IN GENERAL, because of
the treatment their forbears received at the hands of cruel Papal
armies during the Middle Ages. That is understandable because the
evil, unholy acts carried out by that religious denomination were
done in the name of Jesus Christ.
In
order for Jewish people, however, to come to the knowledge of the
truth and be saved, they must - like everyone else - stop blaming
other people for their own problems.
The
Bible says, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no,
not one...for there is no difference: For all have sinned and come
(fallen) short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:10-23)
"For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans
10:9-13)
"Where
there is neither Greek nor Jew...But he that doeth wrong shall
receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect
of persons." (Colossians 3:11, 24-25)
THERE
IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JEWS AND GENTILES. ALL HAVE SINNED AND
ALL NEED A SAVIOUR. AND JESUS CHRIST IS THAT SAVIOUR
The
truth is, that only Jesus Christ can forgive and save lost
humanity! He alone has the power to forgive sins, remove fear and
condemnation and give peace to troubled hearts and minds, having
defeated death, hell and the grave and purchased full salvation
for all who receive Him as Lord and Saviour!
WHY
IS THIS?
Only
Jesus Christ qualifies as the Saviour of the world, because He
shed His precious blood as the sacrificial "pascal lamb"
on Mount Calvary and died as our substitute, according to the Old
Testament Scriptures! (Romans 1:4)
A
very great injustice has been done to Christianity in general,
however, and the Church of the Living God, in particular, because
of recent books, articles and statements made by a few Jewish
authors, linking the horrible beliefs of Adolf Hitler and Nazism
to the teachings of the Christian Church.
The
very vocal and totally unfair books and statements made by
prejudiced, liberal Protestant authors who attack Christianity and
the teachings of St. Paul, employing the same biased linkage.
The
totally unfair, prejudiced and accusatory film
"Anti-Semitism" of the United States Holocaust Museum
which lays blame for the Holocaust, on the teachings of
Christianity.
MANY
JEWISH PEOPLE FEEL GOD DESERTED THEM BECAUSE OF THE HOLOCAUST
A
recent report by "Christianity Today" states: "Now,
a group of prominent Jews has accused the United States Holocaust
Museum....of misleading the public by blaming Hitler's genocidal
program on historic Christian beliefs about Jews. "The film
paints with a broad brush. A dull voice intones disconnected
facts and quotations that leave the viewer believing that
anti-Jewish bias is the result of Christian influence on the Roman
Empire, that it has been Christian society alone that has
marginalized and oppressed Jews, and that Nazi racial prejudice
against the Jews was in clear continuity with earlier religious
prejudice. The Anti-Judaism that preceded Christianity and
that had long existed outside Europe, is ignored."
The
New York Times quoted Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of
the National Council of Churches as saying, "If you look at
the Nazi regime, you can see in it the philosophy of Christian
superiority."
'Christianity
Today' points out how inaccurate that statement is, 'ignoring Nazi
beliefs about the defects in historic Christianity'. And
ironically, Campbell made that statement in an interview where she
downplayed the awful persecution, suffering and torture inflicted
upon Christians around the world today.
Incidentally,
it is a Jewish Barrister, Michael Horowitz who is awakening
clergymen and politicians alike to the horrible persecution,
torture, enslavement and other atrocities being carried out
against Christians by many governments in the world today.
In
her book, 'Faith and Fraticide', Rosemary Radford Ruether, called
upon Christians to abandon the belief that Jesus is the Saviour
for everyone in favor of the notion that Jesus is the saviour of
some while others will have their own 'saviours', stated the
'Christianity Today' article.
MANY
JEWISH PEOPLE ARE OPENING THEIR HEARTS TO THEIR MESSIAH
A
great awakening however, is happening today among the Jewish
people.
Their hearts are opening to their Messiah as He prophesied!
Hundreds
of years before His first coming, the Jewish Messiah stated that
He would 'GO AND RETURN TO MY PLACE' referring to Heaven, until
the Jewish people acknowledge their offence (sin) and seek My
face. They are doing that now.
In
1971, I conducted a Gospel crusade in the YMCA building in
Jerusalem. We distributed 10,000 handbills there as well as
carried ads in the 'Jerusalem Post.' Many Arabs, Roman
Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Protestants attended the crusade,
but only a miniscule number of Jews came to our meeting.
Even
20 years ago, you couldn't find more than 100 born again Christian
Jewish believers in Israel. Today, there are more than
70,000 Jewish believers in 90 different congregations in that
nation.
HOW
DID THAT HAPPEN?
The 'Law of the Return' opened
the door for any Jewish person with at least one Jewish
grandparent, to immigrate to Israel. About 750,000 Jewish
people returned from Eastern Europe and several hundred thousands
from South America. Some of these were believers in Jesus
Christ and they brought the gospel (the good news) with them to
the land of the Bible.
Hosea
states that they will recognize their grave error and with
repentant hearts return to the Lord, realizing that God had to
punish their forefathers for breaking the Mosaic Covenant, and for
rejecting their Messiah!
Notice,
they will say, "Come, let us return unto the Lord: for He
hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind
us up." Then the prophet interjects something very
important - A TIME-DATE LINE! "After two days will He
revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live
in His sight." (Hosea 6:1-2)
What
does this mean?
THE LORD GOD WILL RESTORE THE JEWS THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE AND
JERUSALEM WILL BECOME MOST IMPORTANT CITY ON EARTH
The
Word of God interprets itself and we read in 2 Peter 3:8-9:
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one
day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as
one day."
SIGNS
OF THE END TIMES REVOLVE AROUND ISRAEL, JERUSALEM AND THE
JEWISH NATION
As
I see it, the period of suffering for the Jewish nation is almost
at an end and the Lord God Almighty will restore them to their
rightful place, and JERUSALEM will become the most important city
on earth.
It's
about 2000 years since God's judgment fell upon Israel and
according to St. Peter, 'one day with our Lord is as a thousand
years with us'. The prophecy states, "After two days (2000
years) will He (the Lord) revive us (bring us back to life) and in
the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight."
Without
doubt, this refers to the "Millennial Reign of Christ",
which will be one thousand years of peace upon earth with Jesus
Christ, the Jewish Messiah, ruling from Jerusalem.
4
SIGNIFICANT SIGNS OF
THE END TIMES
What
does the Bible say?
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
There
are four significant signs that show us where we stand today in
relation to then end times and our Lord's soon return, namely:
The
Sick Condition of our Planet
The
Sick Condition of the World
The
Sick Condition of Israel
The
Sick Condition of the Church
SIGN
#1 - THE SICK CONDITION OF OUR PLANET
Mankind
is groaning under the terrible weight of sin and condemnation.
Satan - the enemy of God and man - has bound the human race with
shackles of rebellion, unbelief, fear, torment, lust, greed,
hatred and perversion! It was Adam's acquiescence to the Evil
One's lying temptation that brought sickness and death (spiritual
and physical) upon the human race.
The
Bible states: "For the earnest expectation of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the
creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason
of Him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the
creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain together until now."
"And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for
the adoption, to wit (that is to say), the redemption of our
body." (Romans 8:19-23)
People
everywhere are waiting for the "MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF
GOD"! What does that mean? Six billion people are
looking for an escape from the emptiness, fear, torment, sickness
and bondage in which they live.
THE
ENTIRE WORLD IS WAITING FOR US - GOD'S CHILDREN TO BE SO FILLED
WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT WE CAN FREE THEM FROM THE TYRANNY AND
LIES OF THE DEVIL AND HIS EMISSARIES.
Don't
believe for a moment, that the millions lost in sin and bound by
evil spirits of occultism, superstition, false religion, satanic
oppression and sexual perversion are happy in that state! No
one enjoys being in slavery to witchcraft, fear, torment and evil
spirits.
Oh,
some are sufficiently deceived to live in a fool's paradise having
convinced themselves that everything is A-Okay, but the opposite
is true. If everything is all right, why do so many rock
musicians die of drug overdoses and commit suicide? Why do
many Hollywood stars die of alcoholism, suicide and drug
overdoses? And why do wealthy, successful people - who
seem to have everything going for them - take their own lives?
The
Bible says, "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when
it cannot rest, bringing forth mire and dirt. There is no peace
saith my God to the wicked." (Isaiah 57:20-21)
Our
enemy is not flesh and blood, but Satan himself and all his demons
that tempt, deceive, coerce, inhibit, afflict, torment, steal and
kill! Our battle is with the devil - not with human
beings, however he does use people to do his bidding! The
devil must have his emissaries & ministers, to do his evil
work.
And
what of the Hindu extremists constantly fighting the Muslims in
India and the Seiks battling the Hindus? And the (political)
ungodly Roman Catholic IRA killing the (political)
'Christian-in-name-only' Protestants and vice versa?
And
if the pagan are so happy in their religious life, why are there
so many 'holy jihads'? Two examples: Muslim Iran against
Muslim Iraq in a seven year war that saw one million men die, and
at present Islamic extremists terrorizing and butchering hundreds
of their own people in Algeria?
THEY
DO NOT KNOW GOD and
have not been changed by His mighty power. Anyone who has
been converted to Christ, being born again by the Word of God and
the Holy Spirit, would certainly not be waging 'holy wars' against
their fellowmen. The only warfare that we are commanded to
fight is the 'Good Fight of Faith.'
HOW
DO WE FIGHT THE DEVIL?
The
Bible says, "Satan, your adversary, goeth about like a
roaring lion, seeking who he may devour, whom resist in the
faith..." (1 Peter 5:9) We resist him by serving Jesus
to the best of our ability; by living a holy and righteous life,
preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, healing the sick and casting
our devils!
The
Scripture says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (2
Corinthians 10:4-5)
In
our search for more land to conquer, new technologies to improve
our living standards, and the pursuit or more wealth, man has
engaged in wars, enslavement, violence and pollution which has
raped our environment, land, water and air.
Our
Planet is groaning under the terrible weight of the awful harvest
of mankind's sins of rebellion, greed, hatred, violence and
slavery!
In
the beginning, after the fall of our first parents, THE ENTIRE
HUMAN RACE was plunged into sin, fear, sickness & death! God
immediately placed a curse upon the earth - "And unto Adam He
said, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and
hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou
shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life."
(Genesis 3:17)
OUR
PLANET is struggling to stay alive and is groaning under this
burden! The 'second law of thermodynamics' began after the fall
and continues today with aging, deterioration and decay. Only the
return of Jesus Christ will salvage the earth. Mankind will not be
allowed to destroy the earth, but will be punished for defiling
and polluting it, as is prophesied in the last book of the Bible.
THE
BIBLE SAYS, "And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is
come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and
that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets,
and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great;
And shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
(Revelation 11:18)
God
will have the last word and will judge polluters! If you want a
good example of this, look at the former Soviet Union which
polluted the land, sea and air and after raping the environment,
ended up totally bankrupt.
JESUS
CHRIST MUST RETURN IN ORDER TO SAVE US FROM OUR OWN DESTRUCTIONS,
SO THAT HE CAN REIGN ON THIS EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS OF PEACE AND
PROSPERITY.
Believers
in Jesus Christ, like St. Paul, are waiting for the moment when we
can be free from the limitations of our weak, carnal flesh and to
be glorified (in the next life) to forever be in Heaven with Jesus
Christ and all the redeemed from all ages! WE WILL THEN RECEIVE
A RESURRECTED BODY WITHOUT THE LIMITATIONS WE HAVE TODAY.
The
Bible says, "And not only they, but ourselves also, which
have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan
within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit (that is to
say), the redemption of our body." (Romans 8:23)
Eternity
will be a joyful time of peace and glory as we live eternally in
Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ and all the redeemed from every
nation, tongue and people of all ages"
"And
I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the
voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings,
saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be
glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the
Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."
"And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And
he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto
the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are
the true sayings of God." (Revelation 19:6-9)
SIGN
#2 - THE SICK CONDITION OF THE WORLD
The
Bible says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are
in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the
lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever." (1 John 2:15-17)
These
are Satan's three knockout-punches which he uses to tempt the
"children of men", namely: 1) the lust of the eyes
2) the lust of the flesh and 3) the pride of life.
Satan
used these three temptations on Eve with great success. "And
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the
flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes),
and a tree to be desired to make one wise (the pride of life), she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her; and he did eat." (Genesis 3:6)
King
David fell under this temptation also: He saw a beautiful woman
taking a bath in the privacy of her garden (the lust of the eyes).
He desired her and sent for her, committing adultery (the lust of
the flesh). HE FELL AFTER ONLY TWO STRIKES
JESUS
DEFEATED HIM TOTALLY
It
was a different story when Satan used his time-tested strategy on
our Lord Jesus Christ. He withstood the temptation and defeated
the devil each time he came with a new "trick up his
sleeve."
After
Jesus had fasted 40 days, Satan said to Him: "Command that
these stones be made bread." (the lust of the flesh) Jesus
answered, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
The
devil tried again: "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself
down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge
concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest
at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." (the pride
of life) Jesus answered, "It is written again, Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God." IN OTHER WORDS, GOD DOESN'T CLOWN
FOR ANYBODY.
Finally,
Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of
time and said: "All these things will I give thee (pride of
life), if thou wilt fall down and worship me." WHAT A
DESPICABLE, ARROGANT, EGOTIST SATAN IS! Jesus rebuffed him
immediately with the Word of God saying, "Get thee hence,
Satan (enemy): for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Matt. 4:1-11)
SATAN
HAD TO LEAVE HIM, THEN
The
Bible affirms that Satan is "the god of this world" and
"the spirit which now worketh in the children of the
disobedience." (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2) He is the world's
greatest liar and the father of lies and a murderer extra-ordinaire.
(John 8:44)
The
whole world lies in the lap of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) and he
"goeth about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may
devour." (1 Peter 5:8) We however, can "resist him
in the faith and he will flee from us." (1 Peter 5:9; James
4:7)
The
Bible records that Demos was swayed by the bright lights of
Thessalonica and forsook Paul, 'having loved this present world'
(2 Timothy 4:10). And St. John commends the young men in the
Church for overcoming the wicked one! (1 John 2:13)
St.
Paul warned of the total deterioration of morality, decency and
fairness in the last days. Decadence & perversion will
rule just prior to our Lord's return, stated the Apostle!
As
we read the prophecy we feel saddened by the resemblance of our
present age to the prophetic Word of God.
"This
know also, that IN THE LAST DAYS PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME. For
men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.
"Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
"Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that IN THE LATTER TIMES SOME
SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils;" (1 Timothy 4:1) "And have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things
which are done of them in secret." (Ephesians 5:11-12)
"Brethren,
be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye
have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you
often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of
the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their
belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:" (Philippians
3:17-20)
Interjected
among the reports of hypocrisy, backsliding & gross moral
evils, St. Paul interjects the Blessed Hope of the Return of Jesus
Christ.
"For
our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."
Our
thoughts, actions, prayers, plans, goals and complete agenda here,
is tied to Heaven's plans, purposes and desires. We belong to His
heavenly kingdom and labour first and foremost for Christ.
Why
is this so important? Only our Blessed Jesus Christ has the
mandate, power & desire to straighten out this wicked world.
Therefore we wait for Him to come.
PERVERSION
VYING FOR RESPECTABILITY
Jesus
prophesied that the time will come, "that whosoever killeth
you will think that he doeth God service". (John 16:2)
And
the prophet stated, "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! Woe unto them
that are wise in their own eyes...Which justify the wicked for
reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from
him!" (Is. 5:20-23)
St.
Paul expounded, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and
ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." (2 Corinthians
4:3-5)
That
this WORLD IS EVIL AND PERVERTED is no secret!
The world system that despises that which is good and glorifies
that which is EVIL is a product of Satanic invention, since he is
the "god of this world".
Again
Paul declares that Jesus Christ "gave Himself for our sins,
that He might deliver us from this present evil world (age),
according to the will of God and our Father". (Galatians 1:4)
SIGN #3 - THE SICK CONDITION OF ISRAEL
ISRAEL
IS VULNERABLE FACING ATTACKS FROM EVERY DIRECTION
At
this moment in history, Israel is very vulnerable because of the
pressure placed upon them by the nations of the world to give up
land for peace. And
the United States - who traditionally has been their friend, is
turning the screws the hardest of all.
Eventually,
Israel will succumb to all this pressure and give away so much
land that they will be unable to defend themselves. Sometime in
the future, Israel will be deceived into accepting the Antichrist
as their Messiah and will suffer terribly because of that.
Referring to this, our Lord said to the Jewish leaders,
"I
am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another
(the anti-Christ) shall come in his own name, him ye will
receive." (John 5:43
The
Jewish leaders rejected Jesus Christ Who came to save them in His
Father's Name. When Antichrist comes in his own name, they will
receive him!
WHAT
A SAD & TRAGIC COMMENTARY ON WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!
My
guess is that Iraq will eventually be reduced in power after the
United States and her allies are finished with her. Then
undoubtedly, Iran will pick up the pieces and gobble up Iraq (and
possibly Syria) and control all the oil flow in the Middle East!
(Ezekiel 38 & 39)
GOD'S
WORD STATES THAT RUSSIA WILL RISE UP AGAIN IN GREAT POWER AND LEAD
THE MARCH AGAINST ISRAEL
Iran
will then be the dominant power in the area, with the USA and
Israel giving in to their demands! According to God's Word, Russia
will rise in great power again and lead the march against Israel!
The
prophet Ezekiel declared that Iran (Persia) together with
Ethiopia, Libya & Turkey will march against Israel in the
great battle of "Gog and Magog".
GOD
WILL FIGHT FOR ISRAEL AND DEFEND HER
A
great slaughter will unfortunately take place however, before
God's chosen people come to their senses. They will ultimately
receive their long awaited Messiah Jesus Christ, when He returns n
the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in power and great glory at the
end of the age!
Jesus
Christ will then rule and reign for 1000 years of peace upon
planet earth, as King of kings and Lord of lords!
SIGN #4 - THE SICK CONDITION OF THE CHURCH
Celebrated
Canadian writer, Peter Newman exposes the weaknesses in our
churches and outlines wherein and how we have failed to
communicate the Gospel to our children, grandchildren and our
neighbours.
In
his recent book, "The Canadian Revolution" Peter Newman
chronicles the free-fall of the United Church of Canada's
membership as well as their influence in society during the past
three decades.
Newman
writes, "The United Church, formed in 1925 through a union of
Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists, suffered the
steepest decline. Three million Canadians declared their United
Church affiliation to the latest census takers but less than
380,000 bothered going to church. Although the most liberal of the
mainstream congregations, allowing for the ordination of gay
priests and promoting the social gospel, the United Church found
itself paradoxically unable to attract the young."
A
footnote says, "An increasingly typical event was the
closing, during the fall of 1994, of Chalmers United Church in
downtown Vancouver. There wasn't a single member left on its
congregational rolls who was less than 80 years old."
For
years, University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby has
tracked the religious life of Canadians. In his book "Unknown
Gods" , Bibby states: "Tragically, religious groups are
failing in what appear to be spiritually prosperous times. The
churches are inept religious companies that cannot get the faith
out of the ware house." The news is that interest and
intrigue persist, in spite of the problems of organized religion.
The result may be a very sizable, ongoing spiritual vacuum."
The
Anglican Church, according to the census has 2.2 million members
with 784,000 active adherents. Addressing the church synod in
1994, Archbishop Peter O'Driscoll warned: "In the next ten to
fifteen years the largest age group in the present Anglican Church
of Canada will be dead. At the end of two generations, there won't
be enough people to say there's still an Anglican Church alive in
this country."
HOW
SAD AND TRAGIC!
While
the Anglican Church lost 250,000 members from 1981 to 1991, and
the United Church lost 665,000 members during that same period -
that's 10 % and 20 % respectively - the Pentecostal Church grew by
100,000 adherents and the Christian & Missionary Alliance
doubled in size!
The
November,1965 issue of Canada's Revival Magazine, "Cry of His
Coming" carried the following prophetic headline: 1965 UNITED
CHURCH NEW CURRICULUM SETS STAGE FOR MORE APOSTACY! MODERATOR REV.
HOWSE DENIES PHYSICAL RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST !
In
that article, this author wrote under the by-line, "THE GREAT
FALLING AWAY" - St. Paul warns: "Let no man deceive you
by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition." (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
The
"Great Falling Away" is Here Now- with entire
denominations of Christian Churches turning their backs on the
Holy Scriptures, declaring them fallible and contradictory. They
despise the great truths of the Bible, and exchange them for their
own humanistic, man-made philosophies!
As
strange as this may seem, these reprobate preachers actually
play-out the exact role of "backsliding Israel" in Old
Testament times.
"For
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken
cisterns that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13)
HERE
IS A LIST OF THEIR BACKSLIDINGS!
They
have violated the sanctity of the Holy Bible, discarding the
eternal truths of God's Word. Man-made philosophies, secular
humanism and blatantly spurious doctrines have filled the void!
They
rely almost totally on man's wisdom and carnal knowledge, having
rejected the wisdom that comes solely from the Holy Scriptures.
This leaves them incapable of making sound spiritual decisions!
They
have rejected the counsel of the Holy Spirit- divine paraclete-
and draw their inspiration from the teachings of others similarly
deceived. Serious decision making regarding spiritual matters and
doctrine is therefore prejudiced, flawed and compromised!
Their
emphasis is on good works, rather than the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ for our sins. The "social gospel" they preach is
devoid of the grace of God and faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
Their "good works" message offers only secular and
political rhetoric to undo social injustices, without a sound
spiritual foundation.
They
have desecrated the Holy Scriptures by substituting their own
verbiage instead of the correct translation of the original Hebrew
and Greek, in reference to God Himself. These literary
counterfeiters have unilaterally -without any jurisdiction-
decided to change the gender of Almighty God from masculine
(Father) to Mother. Instead of addressing God as He, they
refer to Him as She and the Lord Jesus is not the Son of God, but
the Child of God!
The
Word of God conclusively states: "This know also, that in the
last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn
away." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
"Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron; Take heed unto thyself, and
unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt
both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Timothy
4:1-2, 16)
AN
URGENT WARNING ISSUED TO THOSE TAMPERING WITH GOD'S WORD
"Who
is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth
the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth
the Son hath the Father also.
"Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of
God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
"Hereby
know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of
God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard
that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God... Who is he
that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the
Son of God?"
"If
we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for
this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son. He
that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he
that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth
not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record,
that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life." (1 John 2:22-23; 4:1-3; 5:1, 4-5,
9-12)
WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN? SIMPLY THIS:
Anyone
who denies that Jesus Christ is God is a false teacher and an
enemy of God.
Every
spirit that confesses that "Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh" is of God. Those who do not are of Satan and the
Antichrist spirit!
WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN: "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh"?
There
are millions of babies born daily across the world. They are all
born of flesh & blood. They have all "come in the
flesh". That is no miracle, but when God is incarnated in
human flesh, that is a miracle. It simply means that Jesus Christ
was God in human flesh! God the Son came down from Heaven, through
the very miraculous and complex process of the virgin birth!
God
the Holy Spirit placed within the virgin Mary's womb a specially
created body for the Lord Jesus. He was begotten by the Holy
Spirit and born of a virgin woman without the aid of a human
father. Jesus Christ - true God & true man, in order to suffer
and die for our sins and rise again for our justification. ( )
"The
new United Church curriculum - now taught to thousands of children
- denies the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, leaving the inference
that Joseph or some other man was Jesus' father. This would
indicate that His mother Mary was sinful and promiscuous, instead
of a chaste virgin and that Jesus Christ was not divine!"
Have
you heard of such SACRILEGE?
And this - not from an atheistic journal - but from the official
organ and pulpits of Canada's largest Protestant denomination!
That
same "curriculum" calls the first eleven chapters of
Genesis - which deal with God's marvelous creation, Noah and the
flood - a fable or myth! It denies the miracles in the Bible,
rejects the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
and ridicules His ascension and second coming!
Read
the blasphemous statements made by Rev. Ben Smilie- United Church
chaplain at the University of Saskatchewan, as chronicled by
Regina Leader Post's Tom Jarvis in an article titled, "A
MASSIVE IRRELEVANCY":
"The
Toronto Telegram printed it in full with the somewhat shocking
passage in large type which speaks of fundamentalist belief in
"clay-made man, a floating zoo, an amphibious-footed Jesus, a
son of God who was a home brew artist, and an ascension that looks
like a Cape Kennedy blast-off".
Have
you heard of anything more blasphemous and anti-Christian, coming
from the pen of an ordained Protestant clergyman!
We'll
let the moderator of the United Church speak for himself. The
following was carried by the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 5, 1965.
"HOWSE SAYS LITERAL BELIEVER IN BIBLE LACKS
UNDERSTANDING".
"The
moderator of the United Church of Canada says Christians who
believe literally in all of the "metaphors and
imageries" of the Bible exhibit "lack of
understanding".
"The
Rt. Rev. Ernest Howse of Toronto, in an interview Thursday said
that one of the most significant religious trends today is the
movement away from 'medieval imagery and hypocrisy'.
"Dr.
Howse, who had been in Banff for a meeting of the United Church's
Alberta Conference, said people should not take literally such
events as Christ's physical resurrection and the virginity of
Mary. The moderator said the United Church's new curriculum which
allows for liberal interpretation of the Bible, is "really
nothing new at all".
"There
is nothing in the curriculum which was not accepted when I was in
College thirty years ago. If people are shocked by it, then it is
evident our ministers have not been adequately teaching their
congregations".
NEW
MODERATOR: SAME OLD APOSTASY IN UNITED CHURCH!
Bill
Phipps probably learned 'APOSTASY' from professors, who
were themselves corrupted while in College! The new moderator of
the United Church is Rev. Bill Phipps - a little known Calgary
pastor - who is making big waves with his outspoken, irreverent
and blasphemous remarks. It appears that he has excelled in
unlearning the basic, fundamental doctrines of Christianity, in
the tradition of the Rev. Howse and the liberal theological
College to which he referred!
"AN
ACTIVIST MODERATOR IS ROCKING THE UNITED CHURCH"
-Edmonton Journal
In
a major news story carried across Canada in the Southam Press,
Nov.1, 1997, Rev. Phipps made these statements: "I don't
believe Jesus is the only way to God. I don't believe he rose from
the dead as a scientific fact. I don't know whether those thing
happened. It's an irrelevant question."
In
a follow-up article, the "Ottawa Citizen" wrote:
"CHURCH MODERATOR A HERETIC, PROFESSOR SAYS" - "The
moderator of the United Church of Canada is a heretic", says
a professor of modern Christian history.
"A
heretic is defined as someone who chooses a doctrinal path other
than that of the church to which he belongs", says John
Stackhouse, of the University of Manitoba.
By
that standard, Rev. Bill Phipps "is a heretic according to
the United Church of Canada's own standard of doctrine. He's also
a heretic in generic Christian terms, because he denies the creeds
that all Christians have subscribed to, whether they're Catholic,
Protestant or Eastern Orthodox."
"In
interviews with media organizations, Phipps denied the divinity of
Christ, denied the reality of the resurrection as a historical
fact, and said he was unclear "The historic Church says there
are such realities, which are crucially important to human
life," said Stackhouse, a former president of the Canadian
Evangelical Theological Association."
The
wholesale backsliding of Christian denominations during the past
30 years, and especially the over the last decade, signal the sad
state of affairs in the Christian Church at this very crucial
moment in history, the turn of the century and the millennium!
A
very sad commentary on the Church is found in Christ's message to
the Church where He states:
"And
unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things
saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of
the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold
nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my
mouth.
Because
thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see." (Revelation 3:14-18)
Again
He said, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits...
"A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit.
"...Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven...And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity." (Matt. 7:15-23)
Jesus
asked a very pertinent question: "...Nevertheless. When the
son of man cometh will He find faith on the earth?" The
answer is "not very much"! That is why He stated,
"Strive to enter in at the straight gate, for many, I say
unto you will seek to enter and shall not be able". (Luke
13:24)
"Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew
7:13-14)
HOW
MUST WE PREPARE FOR THE END TIMES
What
must we do to prepare for the things to come as the end times grow
closer? How will we know for sure that we are ready for
the soon return of Jesus Christ in the Second Coming?
Peter
warned, "Make your calling and election sure..." (2
Peter 1:10) It behooves each one to do a reality check to be
absolutely certain that you know Jesus Christ personally as your
Lord & Saviour.
Remember
that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead
for our justification. Only He has the power to save you because
He is the Redeemer of the world.
Jesus
said, "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by Me". (John 14:6) "I am the door:
by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and
out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and
to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:9-10)
The
Bible says, "For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Tim. 2:5)
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved." (Acts 4:12)
St.
Paul declared, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil.
2:5-11)
Jesus
Christ invites us to receive Him as personal Saviour and Lord with
the promise: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28) And,
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37)
We
are warned: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him
eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." (1 Corinthians
11:28) Amen.
END
TIMES
UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES
&
WHAT TO DO
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken
"And
the children of Issachar, which were men who had understanding
of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of
them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their
commandment." (1 Chronicles 12:32)
WHERE
ARE THE MEN AMONG US TODAY?
WHERE
are the men among us today who understand the times and who know
what we ought to do? The ability to understand 'the
times', is undoubtedly a rare ability. And to know
how to be proactive or reactive in each situation is equally
important. There is a natural ability which comes
from genetic inheritance, experience or observation!
GOD
HAS GIVEN TO HIS BODY, WHICH IS THE CHURCH,
NINE SUPERNATURAL GIFTS
There
is also the spiritual gifting which comes
directly from the Holy Spirit! God has given to His body,
the Church, nine supernatural spiritual gifts which include the
unique 'Gift of the word of knowledge' and the 'Gift of the word
of wisdom'.
"For
to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the
word of knowledge by the same Spirit." (1 Corinthians
12:8) The 'gift of the word of knowledge' is the
supernatural ability to know things that are not naturally known
and the 'gift of the word of wisdom' is the
supernatural ability to know how to act or react to that
knowledge!
God
has so equipped His Church with these safeguards and tools to not
only protect it but to thrust it forward in its task of building
His Kingdom! Whether the ability to "understand the
times" and to "know what to do" come to
us through natural ability or supernatural gifts is immaterial.
The important thing is that we are apprised of the situation, our
eyes are wide open and our minds are alert to know, see and do the
right things!
I
pray for each one reading these lines that our dear Lord will
grant unto all the ability to "know Him who to know is
life eternal" and the desire to walk with Him in truth,
sincerity and humility, trusting only in His merits for time and
eternity!
And
that we may understand the times and know what to do in order to
keep our families safe from the filth and gutter slime so
prevalent in our disintegrating society. To keep our
children safe from this corrupt, wicked and perverted world?
(2 John 1:1-9)
AWAKE
THOU THAT SLEEPEST!
The
Bible admonishes: "Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that
sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise;
"Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but UNDERSTANDING what the will of God
is. And be not drunk with wine wherein in excess, but be
filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:14-18)
You
may ask: "Where are the Men?" We have
a real problem because we live in a society where many younger men
have had no role model due to broken homes and absent Dads! The
rage these young men have developed, because of the ache in their
hearts for a father, often surfaces against their wives and
children!
And
it is even worse in common-law arrangements, hopping from one
relationship to another, leaving behind bruised and
hurting women and children, as well as heart broken
men!
Large
numbers of families are hurting because of stubborn
foolish pride, self-centeredness, and demons of lust let
loose through immoral movies, alcohol, drug abuse and pornography!
I
BLAME THE DEVIL!
I
blame the Devil who has blinded the eyes of religious leaders
who have been asleep at the switch and didn't see the approaching
train filled with worldly pleasure, compromise and lethargy!
Some blame must also go to parents who have allowed their children
to change the rules and call the shots!
St.
Paul stated: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost. In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believed not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine
unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:3,4)
I
blame our Politicians who have listened to the voices of the crowd
crying: "Give us the Murdered Barabbas"
and "Crucify Jesus the Christ: We won't have Him to
rule over us." (Matthew 27:20-26)
Amazingly,
politicians are often allowed to pass laws that are unhealthy,
immoral and ungodly and believe that they can go scot-free, that
there are no further consequences!
A
good example of this is the 'same-sex marriage' or as it has been
aptly called 'man-on-man' marriage, which our former corrupt
Government pushed through against the wishes of the majority of
Canadians. Do they think that they had the last word on
that? Do they think that they can get away with it?
Well,
they won't! It will come back to bite them in this life and
the next! One day every lawmaker, politician and judge
that has contributed to the breakdown of society, destruction of
marriages through perverted laws, knowingly releasing pedophiles
and murderers into society to molest rape and kill, will stand
before the greatest Judge of all to hear His verdict.
God's
Word states: "For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold
the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18)
WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN?
It
means to suppress the truth and hide it from the people, to cover
it up or water it down. It means to lie about the truth and
promote the very opposite. It means to substitute another
agenda that is carnal, fleshly and untruthful.
St.
Paul warned: "Because that when they knew God, they glorified
Him not as God....but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves
to be wise, they became fools. Wherefore GOD
GAVE THEM UP to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts,
to dishonour their own bodies between themselves. Who
changed the truth of God into a lie...
"For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural
use of the woman, burned in their lust, one toward another...
"And
even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a REPROBATE MIND, to do those things which are
not convenient." (Romans 1:21-28)
STRONG
WARNING: "Marriage is honourable in
all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God
will judge." (Hebrews 13:4)
The
Bible warns perverts: And Jesus called a little
child unto Him and set him in the midst of them.
And said, "Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven.
But
whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck
and he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew
18:2, 3, 6)
THE
GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT!
Every
philosopher, theologian and preacher who suppresses the
truth and perverts the teachings of Jesus Christ will have to
stand before the Eternal Judge on the 'Day of Judgment'. Unbelievers
will appear at the Great White Throne presided over by our Lord
Jesus Christ:
"And
I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them.
And
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the book
were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
And
the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged
every man according to their works. And death and Hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)
BELIEVERS
AT THE BEMA SEAT JUDGMENT
Believers
in Christ will all appear at the Bema Seat Judgment.
It is where followers of Jesus Christ will be judged for rewards
or lack thereof depending on their works: Here are the words of
Holy Scripture on this matter:
"Wherefore
we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of
Him. For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things
done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be
good of bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10)
The
Bible commands believers to turn from sins that war against the
soul and flee from the wrath to come, by abiding in Christ the
sure rock of our salvation! St. Paul admonishes the church
thus: "If so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught
by Him, as the TRUTH is in Jesus:
That
ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the
spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
"Wherefore
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for
ye are members one of another. Neither give place to the
devil." (Ephesians 4:21-27)
GIVING
HEED TO GOD'S WORD!
"I
beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service;. And be not conformed
to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect
will of God." (Romans 12:1, 2)
"Wherefore,
seeing we also are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which both so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before
us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith;
"Who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand at the throne of
God." (Hebrews 12:1,2)
There
are three things we must do: Consider Jesus: "Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the
Apostle and High Priest (Hebrews 3:1): There is no-one like
Him; Saviour, Redeemer, Healer, Friend, God! Look
unto Jesus: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
God (Hebrews 12:2): Don't just look at Him but look unto
Him for forgiveness, counsel, comfort and healing. Go to Him
with your needs and watch Him work in your life.
WE
MUST FOLLOW JESUS!
We
must Follow Jesus: "Let us go forth therefore unto Him
without the camp, bearing His reproach.."(Hebrews 13:13).
Take up your cross and become His Disciple. Serve Him and
live for Him. Look for His return! (Matthew 11:28)
You
will then become like the Sons of Issachar who understood the
times and knew what Israel had to do.
May
God richly bless you as you draw near unto Him, for He has
promised to draw near unto you! (James 4:8) He will accept
you when you call upon His name in sincerity and faith. (John 6:7)
Amen.
AN
HEIR OF GOD
THROUGH
CHRIST
by: Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
"But
when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made
of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem them that were under the
Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye
are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a
servant, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through
Christ." (Gal. 4: 4 -7).
How
could anyone read the Bible and doubt God's love for the human
family? Would any rational person deny His mercy and grace? Most
parents will do everything in their power to love and care for
their children. Only someone who is perverted, an alcoholic, drug
user or demented would harm their own child!
The
greatness of God's amazing love is more than the human mind can
comprehend! It is greater than eternity. God our Heavenly Father
gave His own Son to die for the human family which had broken His
laws. But why and how could this take place? So great was His love
for us that in the counsel of Heaven, before the foundations of
the world, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit formulated the
Blood of Everlasting Covenant! (Heb.13:20)
Almighty
God knew that Lucifer whom He had created, would lead a rebellion
in Heaven and that the man He would create would be deceived,
plunging the human family into perdition. He also knew that His
desire for a family would be fulfilled by sending His own Son to
meet the righteous demands of Divine Justice.
God
the Son willingly chose to take upon Himself human flesh to Redeem
a lost world. He would be incarnated: conceived by the Holy
Spirit, born of a virgin, preach God's Word, heal the sick, cast
out devils, condemned to die on a cross and rise from the dead, to
destroy Lucifer’s power and Redeem mankind!
God
created Adam and Eve and placed them in the lush Garden of Eden,
with this stipulation: "But of the tree of the knowledge of
Good and Evil thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen. 2:15-17). Sadly,
they were tempted by Satan and plunged their posterity into a
world of sin, suffering, sorrow and death. Then, God sent Jesus
Christ into the world to save us!
GOD
SPARED NOT HIS SON
The
Bible states: "For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son that whosever believeth in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world
to condemn the world, but the world through Him might be
saved." (John 3: 16,17):
"For
He hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin: that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2
Cor.5:27). "He that spared not His own SON, but delivered Him
up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things?" (Rom.8:32)
"Grace
be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus
Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might DELIVER us
from this present evil world, according to the will of God our
Father." (Gal.1: 3,4); "Looking for that blessed Hope,
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might redeem us
from all, iniquity…" (Titus 2: 13,14)
"Now
unto Him that is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or
think, according to the Power that worketh in us...unto Him be
Glory in the Church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world
without end." (Eph. 3: 20, 21)
"But
if the Spirit of Him that that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell
in you, He (Holy Spirit) that raised up Jesus from the dead, shall
also quicken (make life in) your mortal (weak, sick) bodies by His
Spirit that dwells (living body) in you. For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
"For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye
have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we
are children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God,
and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him,
that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8: 11- 17)
"Likewise,
the Spirit also helpeth (takes a hold of against) our infirmities;
for we know not what we should pray for as ought: but the Spirit
Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind
of the Spirit because He maketh intercession for the saints
according to the will of God.
"And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are called according to His purpose. For whom He
did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them also He called:
and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified,
them He also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If
God be for us, who shall be against us? (Rom. 8: 26-31)
BORN
AGAIN THROUGH THE BLOOD
I
am a son of God by adoption! I am redeemed by the blood of the
Crucified Christ! I am a child of God by His mercy and the Grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am Born Again by the Word of God,
through the Blood of the Lamb in the Name of Jesus Christ and
justified by the blessed Holy Spirit! I am saved by Grace alone,
through Faith alone and in Christ alone!
The
amazing fact is that God chose us to be His very own children
before the foundation of the world. We were predestinated unto the
adoption of children and accepted in Christ, the Beloved! And,
that we have Redemption, declared blameless by the forgiveness of
sins through His blood alone!
"According
as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to
the praise of the glory of His Grace, wherein He hath accepted us
in the Beloved. In Whom we have redemption through
His
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his
grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and
prudence." (Eph. 1:4-8)
THE
MYSTERY OF HIS WILL
How
could we ever know and understand with our finite minds and
limited capacity, the complexities of the Mystery of God, unless
it were revealed unto us by Holy Spirit? How long Almighty God
kept secret the Mystery of His will, we do not know. He did not
divulge it to Noah, Isaiah, Daniel or Abraham, but He revealed it
to Paul. When it happened, we don't know. Was it when he was
carried into Heaven and heard things he couldn't reveal or when he
was beaten into unconsciousness or in deaths often. Or sitting in
a prison somewhere?
St.
Paul writes: "Whereof I am made a minister, according to the
dispensation of God which is given me for you, to fulfill the Word
of God: Even the MYSTERY which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: To whom God
would make known what is the riches of His glory among the
Gentiles, which is CHRIST IN YOU, the Hope of glory." (Col.
1:26,27)
He
writes: "But we speak the Wisdom of God in a MYSTERY, even
the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our
glory: which none of the princes of the world knew: for had they
known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. But as
it is written, EYE HATH NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NEITHER HAVE
ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN, THE THINGS WHICH GOD HATH PREPARED
FOR THEM THAT LOVE HIM. But God hath revealed them unto us by His
Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things
of God." (1 Cor. 7-10)
GOD
INCLUDED THE GENTILES
Here
is the Mystery that God had hidden for ages! He would give His
Holy Spirit to His children who received His Son Jesus Christ as
their Lord and Saviour. He had chosen the Jews through Abraham as
His chosen people. His plan, however, was to include the Gentiles
through Christ’s Redemptive work! The Jews despised the pagan
non-Jews, but God wanted them in His family as well!
St.
Paul writes: "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the
grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by Revelation
He made known unto me the MYSTERY as I wrote afore in few words,
Whereby, when ye read ye may understand my knowledge in the
mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the
sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and
prophets by the Spirit; that the GENTILES should be fellow heirs,
and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by
the Gospel." (Eph. 3: 2-6)
He
writes: "God hath delivered us from the power of Darkness,
and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: In whom
we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sin:
Who is the image of the Living God, the firstborn of every
creature: For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven,
and there in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things
were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and
by Him all things consist.
"And
He is the head of the Body, the Church: Who is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead; that is all things He might have the
pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all
fullness dwell. And having made
peace through the BLOOD OF HIS CROSS, by Him to reconcile all
things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in
earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He
reconciled in the Body of His Flesh, through Death, to present you
holy and unblameable in His sight; if ye continue in the
faith…" (Col.1: 13)
JESUS'
RESURRECTION PROVES HIS DEITY
The
Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead on the Third Day is the
greatest Proof among many more, that Jesus Christ was and is and
always will be the Son of the Father, full of grace, peace, and
truth! The Bible states: "And I beheld, and lo, in the midst
of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the
elders stood a Lamb as it had been slain.
"And
they sung a new song saying, Thou art Worthy to take the book and
to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain and hast Redeemed
us unto God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue and
people and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and
priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angel round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud
voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory and
blessing." (Rev. 5:6-12)
"And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a
loud voice saying in Heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the
Accuser of the brethren is cast down, which accused them before
God, day, and night. And they overcame him by the BLOOD OF THE
LAMB and the word of their testimony; and they loved not their
lives unto the death." (Rev.12:9-11)
CHRIST
IS RISEN: YES, HE IS RISEN INDEED!
During
my crusades in the former Soviet Union from 1989 to 1995, I
experienced many wonderful things. A must used expression in
Russia and Ukraine was a greeting. When meeting a believer, one
would say, "Christ is Risen" and the other person would
answer, "Yes, He is Risen indeed!" The great truth that
we must fully understand is the Jesus Christ is ALIVE and living
within us. He said, "Yet a little while, and the world seeth
Me no more; but ye see Me; because I live, ye shall live also. At
that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I
in you.
"He
that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will
love him, and will manifest Myself to him...If a man love Me, he
will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and WE will come
unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth Me not
keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine,
but the Father's which sent Me.
"But
the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send
in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to
your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. PEACE I leave
with you, My Peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give
I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid." (John 14: 19-27)
WHATSOEVER
YE SHALL ASK IN MY NAME
JESUS
said, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the
Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of
Myself; but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.
Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else
believe Me for the work's sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and
greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto My Father.
"And
whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My
name, I will do it. If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I
will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter,
that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of Truth, whom
the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither
knoweth Him, but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall
be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to
you." (John 14: 10-18)
"Ye
have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that
ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should
remain: that whatsoever ye ask of the Father in My Name, He may
give it you." (John 15: 16),
"But
God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved
us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ (by grace ye are saved). And hath raised us up
together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus: That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches
of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For
by Grace are ye Saved through Faith: and that not of ourselves: it
is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
(Eph.2:4 -10)
NO
CONDEMNATION IN CHRIST JESUS
"There
is therefore no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Rom. 8:1);
"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof
ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in
the world.
"Ye
are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because
GREATER IS HE that is in you, than he that is in the world. In
this was manifested the love of God toward us because that God
sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live
through Him. (1 John 4: 2-4); "And this is the confidence
that we have in Him, that. If we ask anything according to His
will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we
ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of
Him" (1 John 5:14, 15) Amen.
THE
SNARE BROKEN
AND
WE ARE ESCAPED!
by: Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
"Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the
snare is broken, and we are escaped." (Psalm 125: 7)
King
David was distressed. He cried unto the Lord: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep... In my distress I cried unto
the Lord, and He heard me."(Ps.119: 176; 120: 1) He had
sinned and asked God's forgiveness!
He
was worried as he looked up at the hills surrounding Jerusalem. He
knew the ENEMY lurked up there in the hills! He asked: "From
whence cometh my help?" (Ps.121: 1)
In other words: "We are vulnerable. Who will help us?"
Then faith rushed in and he cried out: "My
help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth."
He
made this wise deduction: If God made the heaven and the earth, He
also made the hills surrounding Jerusalem and He will protect us!
And since the Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps He will stand guard
over us while we are asleep.
Growing
strong in faith, he declared:
"The Lord shall PRESERVE thy going out and thy coming in from
this time forth, and even for evermore." (v. 8) David had
changed his focus from searching the hills for his enemies, to
looking far above his immediate trouble (in the hills) to the ONE
who dwells in Heaven: "Unto Thee will I lift up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the
heavens." (Ps.123: 1)
THE
LORD IS ON OUR SIDE!
Some
time ago I preached a series of messages titled, 'The
Winning Side',
and
the more I immerse myself in God's Word and fellowship
with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ our Lord, I realize
how precious the Gospel really is!
King
David understood this great truth. He stated: "If
it had not been the Lord Who was on our side,
now may Israel say; If
it had not been the Lord
was on our side, when men rose up against us." (Ps.124:
1, 2
Then,
he made this staggering statement: "THE SNARE IS BROKEN AND WE
ARE ESCAPED!" The fear of the enemy attacking the city from the
hills that encircled them had departed. He would be victorious
because he was not only conscientious and discerning, but he had
put his trust in God his ultimate Protector and Deliverer!
There
are MANY DOCUMENTED miraculous, supernatural accounts of how God
delivered the Israelis from the vicious attacks by the Muslim
hordes emanating from hate-filled Arab countries in 1947,
1967 and 1973.
The
1967 Six Day War is
replete with
testimonies of God's protection: One report tells of a swarm of
hornets attacking a Jordanian Tank Force, causing them to
stop their tanks and flee in terror.
In
another account, six Israeli soldiers captured 300
Egyptians soldiers. When asked why they surrendered, the
Egyptian Fighters told of seeing large
angels in white shining apparel with flaming swords, standing
behind the Israelis.
God
promised Moses that He would send His Angel to lead them and He
would also employ hornets
to drive out their enemies so they could possess the land of
Canaan. (Ex.23: 28; 33: 2; Deut.7: 20)
EGYPTIAN
SOLDIER MET
JESUS ON THE SINAI DESERT!
During
the 'Six Day War' Emile
Boutros Boktor, a Pentecostal Pastor in Egypt was called up to
fight against the Israelis. On June
6, 1967 war broke out and Emile was marching with thousands of
Egyptian soldiers across the Sinai Desert toward Jerusalem.
Egyptian
President Gamel Abdel Nasser had promised them 'a cake walk'. They would
push Israel into the sea! But suddenly, everything turned against
them. In a pre-emptive strike, the Israeli
Air Force had destroyed all the Egyptian
airplanes, knocked out the Syrian
Tank Force and were attacking the Egyptian armoured vehicles
and soldiers on the Sinai Desert.
At
2:00 A.M. Emile was separated from his Company. In the total
darkness the young man was frightened but remembered a gospel song
his mother had taught him, titled 'Lonely
Days and Lonely Nights'. As he began to sing the song a
light appeared in the distance and thinking it emanated his camp,
he began walking toward it.
Immediately,
a great light sped toward him and he was standing face to face
with Jesus Christ. The Lord told Emile that He was taking him back
to Egypt and that he must not be afraid. Jesus charged him to tell
everyone in Egypt that He loved them and to tell everyone in the
whole world that He loved them.
Jesus
disappeared when the sun came up at 6:00 A.M. and the attacks from
Israeli Jets brought total disarray and destruction to his
company. He saw soldiers lying dead and dying all around him. High
ranking officers were running about screaming for a doctor and
others crying for water as the Israelis pounded their fighting
force.
Emile
hid behind burnt-out tanks and other armour in the day-time
and walked at night. It
took him four days and nights to get back to Egypt walking on the
burning desert. He had nothing to drink or eat during those four
days and nights and amazingly was not thirsty or hungry. What
a great miracle!
In
2007 I spoke at the 5,000 member, Assembly
of God Church in Cairo Egypt where Dr.
Emile Boutros Boktor was the Senior Pastor, and had the
privilege of interviewing him for Television. Sadly, he passed
away in 2010! Egypt has lost a great man of God - the man who
met Jesus Christ on the battlefield on the Sinai Desert.
Dr.
Boktor told me that "once
you take a drink from the waters of the Nile you will return again
and again " and extended a gracious invitation for me to
return for a large Gospel Crusade. Unfortunately, I have not had
the time to return to Egypt but am thankful that I have the video
of our TV conversation of his dramatic meeting with our Lord Jesus
Christ on the Sinai Desert in June 1967.
GREATER IS
HE THAT IS IN US
The
Bible says: 'Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the
spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:
"Every
spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
of God: And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is not of God:
and this is the SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST, whereof ye have heard that
it is already in the world.
"Ye
are of God, little children and have overcome them, because greater
is He that is in you than for he that is in the world."
(1 John 4: 1- 4), This means that Jesus Christ's followers are
always victorious over the evil
spirits and Satan's antichrist
forces that are in the world.
This
is because of the LIFE of Christ dwelling within us by the Holy
Spirit! What does this
statement mean, "Jesus
Christ is come in the
flesh?
" The world population by
the end of 2021 was well over seven billion people and every one
of us "have come in the flesh." That is normal for human
beings, but when God the Son was incarnated and born of a virgin woman, that is the greatest of all
MIRACLES.
The
Eternal Son of God wrapped Himself in human flesh and came down to
this earth to pay the enormous cost of our salvation. By shedding
His pure and perfect blood and rising from the dead, He conquered
death, Hell and the grave, redeeming us from Satan’s SNARE! The
incarnation means "God in human flesh."
JESUS
WAS GOD IN HUMAN FLESH
The
difference between Christ and the human family is that while we
were born of human parentage, JESUS was NOT born of blood
because he had no human father! The
blood that flowed through His veins was the blood of God,
uncontaminated by sin!
Those
who do not believe this basic truth about the birth of the Lord
Jesus Christ CANNOT be saved. To reject this great TRUTH would be
tantamount to blasphemy and total rejection of the DIETY of our
Lord Jesus Christ! If He were not the spotless Lamb of God
"slain
from the foundation of the world ", He could not fulfill
the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament!
If
that were the case, He would be a liar and an imposter and His
blood would be powerless to cleanse from sin or to deliver us from
the devil or provide us with life eternal.
If
He were only a good man or a prophet, He would be unable to hear
our prayers, forgive our sins, heal us from our sicknesses or
bless us and there would be no HOLY SPIRIT to lead us or guide
into all truth which He promised. This is the acid test of true
Christianity:
"Every
spirit that confesseth NOT
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is NOT
of God."
MEDICAL
SCIENCE IS A WITNESS
Medical
science can prove the paternity of a child through the DNA of its
father. It also states that the baby
"is
thereafter protected by the placenta from any flow from the
mother's
blood into the fetus." Only the blood of the
father enters the blood stream of the baby!
Dr. William Standish Read, renowned physician of
Christian Medical Foundation,
Tampa Florida stated: "The
female ovum itself has no blood, neither has the male
spermatozoon, but it is when they come together in the fallopian
tube that the conception takes place, and
a new life begins. The
blood cells in this new creation are from both the father and
mother and the blood type is determined at the moment of
conception and is thereafter protected by the placenta from any flow from the
mother’s blood into the fetus."
There
is a serious misunderstanding among many Bible scholars and
preachers due to an incorrect translation of John 3: 13, which
says, "Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God."
Most Bibles have us believing that this Scripture
text is referring to those who receive Christ, because of the
plural "which"
when in fact the original Greek uses the singular "He"
which refers to
Christ!
This
passage must be taken in context with the rest of the Scripture
text about Jesus the Word of God; not about believers. The Bible
states:
"He
(Christ) was in the world and the
world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto
His own and His own received Him not.
"But
as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons
of God, even unto them that believe on His name. He
was born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 3: 14)
TERTULLIAN
STOOD FOR THE TRUTH
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (160-220 A.D.) of Carthage Africa known
as Tertullian, was
an early Christian author who was martyred for his faith. He
stated: "The
blood of the martyrs has become the seed of the church."'The
Incomparable Christ ' (1902) - which I have enjoyed for
decades - J. Oswald Sanders brings out a truth that has eluded far too many
theologians and preachers for hundreds of years!
He
states: "Samuel Zwemer
commenting on John 3:14, writes: Here those who believe the Word are those
who were begotten,
not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God."
'But
according to the express testimony of TERTULLIAN
there was an early second-century reading of this text which had the singular
instead of plural. It
would then read, 'He (Christ)
was begotten not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God.'
In his de Carne Christi Tertullian wrote; "I
shall make more use of this
passage after I have confronted those who have tampered with it."
They maintain it was written in the plural, as if designating
those who before mentioned as believing on His name.
'But
how can this be when all who believe... are by virtue of the will
of the flesh and of the will of man? as indeed as Valentinus
himself. The expression is in the singular, as referring to the Lord. He was
born of God … As flesh, however, He is not of bloods, nor of the
will of man, because it was by the will of God that the Word was
made flesh.'
In
his Confessions, ST. AUGUSTINE quotes John 3: 14 in the singular in
reference to Christ's Virgin Birth, as follows: ‘"Also I found there that God the
Word was born not of blood, nor of the will of a husband, nor of
the will of the flesh, but of God."
St.
Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Blessed Holy Spirit
thusly: "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth His Son, made of
a woman, made under the
law." (Gal.4:4)
Commenting
on this verse, J. Oswald
Sanders writes: "In this chapter he uses the word “"born"
three times, but in speaking of Christ's
birth he uses a different word (made)
from the implied when speaking of Ishmael
and Isaac." (Gal.4: 23, 29)
ONE WITH
GOD IS A MAJORITY
Wendell
Phillips (1811-1884)
a great American orator and advocate against slavery, stated: “One
on God’s side is a majority!” He was right! His work
against the injustice and gross sin of slavery helped to change
American’s attitudes about it!
President ABRAHAM
LINCOLN stood
almost alone to bring about the Abolition of Slavery in the U.S.A. and in
the end, it cost him his life at the hands of a vengeful, hateful
man!
William Wilberforce (1759
- 1833) was another man whom God used in the abolishment of the
slave trade in Great Britain. He worked tirelessly for 24 years
against that hellish trade but on the night of his death, his
supporters in the House of Commons passed the clause in the Emancipation
Act that declared all slaves free in one year…!
Wilberforce
was sickly and nearly blind.
His father died when he was nine; his mother, unable to care for
him, consigned him to the care of relatives. In an Anglican
Church, he heard Rev. John Newton, who wrote the famous
song ‘Amazing Grace’
preach the Gospel.
Before
his conversion, John Newton had lived a wild life of alcohol and
perversion and had been Captain of a slave ship. Willberforce
wrote: "I revered him as a parent
when I was a child,"
On
the 24th of February 1793, a
week before his death, JOHN
WESLEY wrote
Wilberforce this letter: "Unless
God has raised you up…I see not how you can go through with your
glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy….You
will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils; but if God
is with you, who can be against you?
"Oh,
be not weary in well-doing. Go on, in the name of God and in the
power of His might, till even American slavery, the vilest that
ever saw the sun, shall banish away before it."
It was the last letter the ‘great
man of God’ would ever write! Historians now believe that
the great revivals of John Wesley and his Methodist preachers
saved Great Britain from the similar fate that almost destroyed
France during their revolution!
One man, JOHN
WESLEY stood
in the gap for England. Victor
Hugo stated: “England
made Shakespeare and the Bible made England.
FOR
CHRIST: AGAINST THE WORLD
We
often sing the song, ‘I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning
back, No turning back. Though none go with me still I will follow;
No turning back, No turning back.’
Bishop ATHANASIUS
stood alone ‘against the
world’ (contra mundum) in defense of the biblical
doctrine of the Christ’s Deity. He opposed Arius,
when it seemed as though all the world would follow Arius' heresy.
One
of his friends warned: “Have
a care Athanasius, the whole world is against you.” The
Bishop promptly replied: “Then, I am against the whole world.” Athanasius's work
remains even today one of the definitive statements of orthodox
Christian belief in the Godhead; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
There
were other men like Girolamo
Savonarola, Jan Huss, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Knox,
Nicholas Zinzendorf and William
Booth who stood alone against the crowd and accomplished great
things for God and their fellowman.
God spoke to NOAH
and laid out His plan to save the seed of the Messiah. “The
earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with
violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold it was
corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
THE
END OF ALL FLESH!
“And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before Me, for the
earth is filled with violence through them; and behold I will
destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood…And
behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to
destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life, from under
heaven; and every living thing that is the earth shall die.”
(Gen.6: 11-13)
“And
the Lord said unto Noah: Come thou and all thy house into the ark,
for thee have I see righteous before Me in this generation.”
(Gen.7: 1)
The entire world had become corrupt
and listened to the Tempter instead of their Creator. Some angels
rebelled and took on human flesh, married daughters of men, and
fathered children who became giants and enemies of God.
(Gen.6:1-8) They are presently imprisoned in Tartaras until
God’s Great Judgment Day!
St. Peter wrote: “For if God spared not
the angels that sinned and, but cast them down to hell, and
delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto
judgment…” (2 Peter 2: 4)
St. Jude prophesied about their awful sin
and impending judgment: “And
the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own
habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness (gr.
Tartaras) unto the judgment
of the great day.” (Jude 6)
Out of the entire human race, only NOAH and
his wife, their three sons and their wives were not tainted with
the powers of darkness and the spirit of the devil and of the
perverted offspring of fallen angels.
Satan had come terribly close to polluting
the entire human in a desperate bid to delay and stop the birth of
the Promised Redeemer, who would crush his head.
God had to keep the bloodline of the
coming Messiah pure! That is why He had to send the flood upon the
earth!
GOD
PROMISED THE REDEEMER
After Adam’s tragic fall in the Garden of
Eden, God promised a Messiah born of a VIRGIN who would destroy
Satan. He said: “I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; It (Messiah) shall bruise thy head and thou shall bruise His heel.”
(Gen.3: 15)
This is called the ‘Law
of the First Mention’. God referred to the “seed of the woman” not the seed of a man! In the Old
Testament, all recorded genealogies refer to men begetting
children, but in this special instance the Lord performed a
miracle and made it known by the mouth of His prophet seven
hundred years before it happened!
J. Oswald Sanders writes: “The word for virgin
used here is almah. Some say it means simply a young woman of marriageable age,
not necessarily a virgin for which bethulah
is used for a bride weeping for her husband, while almah is used in this and in six other places, but never in other
sense than a married maiden.
“MARTIN LUTHER threw out a challenge on this point: “If a Jew or a
Christian can prove to me that in any other passage of Scripture almah
means a married woman, I will give him a hundred florins, although only
God knows where I may find them."
The historical
record shows that no-one attempted to take the Great Reformer up
on his challenge!
Luther
was right and the detractors were woefully ignorant of the
Scriptures and were in error!
The Bible says: “And the angel said unto
her; Fear not Mary: for thou hast favour with God. And
thou shall conceive in thy womb and bring forth a Son and shall
call His name JESUS. Then said Mary
unto the angel; How shall
this be, seeing that I know not a man?
“And the angel answered and said unto her; The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:
Therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son
of God.” (Luke 1: 30-35)
Incidentally, when the DEAD SEA
SCROLLS were discovered in a cave by a Bedouin shepherd in 1953,
the Book of Isaiah was found perfectly intact as we it today in
our Bibles!
Please
Note: This is the first installment on this subject. There is more
to come!
–
Max Solbrekken
REDEEM
THE TIME
by: Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
"See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
(Eph. 5:15-16)
There
is an old saying, "Time
waits for no man!"
How true: and time is no respecter of persons either. The years
pile up whether we want them to or not, and when our time comes to
say goodbye to loved ones and friends and to this old planet, we
will have to go. Some even leave without saying goodbye because
time is very short at the best, and it can be very uncompromising,
firm and even cruel.
TIME
MARCHES ON
The
Capitalist with all his money cannot stop time. The Communist with
all his hatred for God cannot detain it. The minister of the
Gospel with all his faith in God cannot stop time from passing. It
is true, the rich can live better, dress nicer, buy cosmetics to
cover wrinkles, wear wigs to cover grey hair, and even have face-lifts
to appear younger, but aging continues, and one day it is all
over!
The
Communist dies too, and has to meet God. The minister also has
to keep his appointment with death even though he can claim the
promises of God (together with all Christians) for the healing of
his body and live in health and peace. Yet the day will come that
he must honor God’s word,
"It
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
(Heb. 9:27)
St.
Paul, in writing to the Church, said, "...Awake
thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give
thee light
See
then that ye walk circumspectedly, not as fools, but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
(Eph.
5:14-16)
WHY
MUST WE REDEEM
THE TIME?
We
must redeem the time because the days are evil. In other
words, let us not allow "that
wicked one"
to
destroy our testimony, defeat our purposes or steal our crown!
(Rev. 3:11)
Let
us make our calling and election sure! (II Peter 1:10) and let us "lay
aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and
let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
(Heb. 12:11)
To
redeem the time means to put every available moment to the best
use. Do what is the most profitable (spiritually) with our
time.
The
Bible also tells us "not
to be slothful in business."
(Rom. 12:11) Let us be good stewards for the kingdom of God in the
reaching of lost souls for Christ. If we waste our time, we are
wasting our life and if we waste our money on that which does not
profit, we are also wasting our time and certainly are not
redeeming it!
BE
NOT WEARY IN WELL DOING
Often
times Christians become discouraged and begin listening to the
tempter, the accuser of the brethren (Satan). He may drop curtain
thoughts especially in the area of service. He may suggest that
you are doing too much for God or spending too much time helping
the unfortunates and poor, that you are giving too much money to
the church, or that people are using you as a sucker to get free
rides to church, etc. Perhaps your husband, wife or neighbors may
give you the odd dig that you are going overboard for God and the
Church.
LET
ME ENCOURAGE YOU
The
Bible says, "and
let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall
reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let
us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the
household of faith."
(Gal.
6:9-10)
In
examining this scripture, we find that Paul is referring both to
our spiritual commitment to God and our commitment to those who
labour in spiritual things among us and their material needs. We
must not become weary in well doing, for if we do not faint, we
shall reap in due season!
LET
US WALK IN WISDOM
St.
Paul exhorts us to walk circumspectly, which means to live our
lives in an orderly fashion; in the fear of the Lord, and not go
through life
carelessly
in a haphazard way. There is only one way to Heaven! Let us
not miss it! JESUS IS THAT WAY!
There
is only one book that is truly the word of God - the Holy Bible.
Let us be sure to read it. There is only one way to please God and
that is to accept His Son, Jesus Christ, into our hearts as
personal Saviour and then obey His words is all things. By
shunning evil, doing good and serving God with gladness, we are
walking circumspectly.
A
good question to ask ourselves often is this, "Will
what I am planning to do, or am now doing, please God?"
Again the scripture says that when we accept Christ as our
personal Saviour, we are saved, our lives are changed and ... we
walk in the newness of life.
Since
we walk by faith and not by sight (11 Cor. 5:7) our experience is
totally spiritual as we reach out to God for guidance and
direction. St. Paul admonishes us in Gal. 5:15, "...walk
in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."
We
are also exhorted by the great Apostle to "...walk worthy of
the vocation wherewith ye are called (Eph. 4:1), and also to walk
in love Christ hath loved us."
(Eph. 5:2) In order to be true followers of Jesus Christ, we ought
to abide in Him, we should walk as He walked (1 John 2:6), and of
course that should always be in spirit and in truth. (11 John 4),
(111 John 3).
The
word of God tells us,
"Be
if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth
us from all sin."
(11 John 1:7)
WITH
ETERNITY IN MIND
Everything
we do in this life should be done with eternity in mind. Not
only should we, as Christians, be concerned about our spiritual
welfare, state and eternal destiny, we should also be vitally
concerned about our fellow Christians, always standing ready to
lend a helping hand as well as constantly reaching out to the lost
and undone with the message of hope and peace found only in
Christ. The Bible says, "Walk
in wisdom toward them that are without, (the unsaved), redeeming
the time."
(Col.
4:5)
TIME
IS SHORT.
We must do all we can to reach the lost while we have an
opportunity. Jesus said, "I
must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the
night cometh, when no man can work."
(John 9:4)
To
redeem the time means to seize every opportunity and let none slip
out of our hands. It means to make hay while the sun shines
and to labour unceasingly in prayers, bible study, witnessing and
giving while we still have the opportunity and the open door.
Thank
God for all the open doors into which to take the Gospel and open
channels or freeways by which we may publish the Gospel. Think of
television, the internet, radio, Christian books, magazines and
tracts, massive overseas crusades and orphanages, bible schools
and counseling by correspondence and in person - all of these
potentially reaching millions of lost souls.
THE
CHURCH MUST AWAKEN
OUT OF LETHARGY
St.
Paul cries out in warning, for the church to awake out of sleep,
receive new life and power from Christ and to rise to the
challenge of the hour.
The
Word of God tells us in Prov. 6:9, "How
long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy
sleep?"
The writer of Proverbs suggests that we take an example from the
little ant, "which
having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provided his meat in the
summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."
(Prov. 6:6-8)
We
have the Bible for our guide, the Holy Spirit to oversee our lives,
and to help us when we err and to comfort us constantly. We also
have Jesus Christ as our ruler, the Head of the Church, and the
Great King of Kings. The scripture admonishes us not to be as
fools, but as wise in our approach to life. Unfortunately many
people are very foolish in the way they live - serving the god of
this world, living for the world, the flesh and the devil, giving
no thought about their souls, salvation or eternity. No time for
God, no time for the Bible or church. How foolish!
St.
Paul tells of some who rejected the Creator, our wonderful
Heavenly Father, and worshipped the creature instead of the
creator, professing themselves to be wise they became fools. (Rom.
1:22-25) How sad - but how true!
On
the other hand there are Christians who truly believe in Christ
and have experienced a quickening by the Holy Spirit but yet have
NO spiritual hunger, no desire to read the Bible or attend special
revival meetings. They have no burden to reach the lost or give
missionary
offerings
to reach the heathen for Christ. They are totally contented with
their experiences and simply have no time for a deeper walk with
God or with a message that stirs them emotionally to do more for
God. I pity such people!
They
attend Church regularly once a week, pay their tithes to the
church, live respectable lives, but have not really experienced
Jesus in a life changing way and have not been filled with the
fire of God. St. Paul then says, "Wherefore
be yet not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
(Eph. 5:17)
THE
WILL OF GOD
We
know the will of God for the Christian is to live a pure, holy and
consecrated, spirit-filled life; to be filled with the blessed
Holy Spirit, to abstain from evil and to do good - to be totally
sold out to God and be a burning and shining light spreading the
good news of Jesus and His love to a lost and dying world. If you
do not have a burden for lost souls, please read Rev.20:11-15 and
fall on your knees asking God to give you a hunger for His word, a
desire to pray regularly and a burden to tell others about Jesus
before it is everlastingly too late.
"And
I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God, and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which
is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the
dead
which were in them: and they were judged every man according to
their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in
the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
(Rev. 20:11-15)
Beloved,
"Let
us redeem the time for the days are evil."
BEHOLD
NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME
I
began this short message saying "time waits for no man"
and that "Father Time Marches on." I have been
admonishing you to put your time to the best available use -
Budget your time wisely, for we all have only a limited amount of
time. Read the words of King David on this matter: "Lord
make me to know mine end and the measure of my days. What it is:
That I may know how frail I am. Behold Thou hast made my days as
an handbreadth: and mine age is as nothing before Thee: Verily
every man at his best state is altogether Vanity.'
(Psalms 39:4-5) Again David writes, "My
times are in Thy (God's) hands ... " (Psalms
31:15) And finally the King confesses, "Remember how short my
time is."
(Psalms 889:7)
St.
Peter warns of not being frivolous with our life but be sober and
watch unto prayer ( Peter 4:7) and have a healthy respect and fear
of God as we live out this short life. (1 Peter 1:17)
Peter
is so emphatic in his call to Christians to clean up their lives
and serve God totally that he again warns, "For
the time is come that Judgment must begin at the house of God: and
if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey
not the Gospel of God." (1 Peter 4:17)
St.
Paul writing to the Romans, unctionized by the Holy Spirit gave
the same warning, "And
that
knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep:
for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night
is far spent the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the
works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us
walk honestly, as in the day, not in strife and envying. But put
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh,
to fulfill the lusts thereof."
(Romans 13:11-14)
We
must never forget that one day we will all have to give an account
of ourselves to God - (Romans 1:112). Oh sinner,
backslider, lukewarm Christian: listen to me - Now
is the time to repent of your sins and be converted, for certainly
time is very short and your soul is worth more than the entire
world. (Mark 8:36-37)
Don't
allow the devil to rob you of eternal life by causing you to
procrastinate and put off the decision to accept Christ and to
yield fully to Him. The scripture says, " .. Behold now is the
accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation." (11 Cor.
6:2) (Isaiah 49:8) (Psalms 69:13)
The
Bible warns that there will be a time to die for each of us.
(Eccl. 3:2) Do not gamble with your eternal soul but give your
life to Christ today! Jesus stands at the heart's door and knocks.
(Rev. 3:20) Let Him come in today!
THEN
IT WILL BE TOO LATE
When
the angel of God comes down from heaven, places one foot upon the
sea and one foot upon the dry land, raises his hand to heaven and
swears by Him that liveth forever that time shall be no
longer.
(Rev. 10:6) It'll be too late for ever sinner - it will be too
late for every backslider and lukewarm Christian - It will be too
late for all of us to do more for Christ or for our fellowman, and
it'll be too late to win another soul for Jesus. Amen.
TIME
IS RUNNING OUT
Beloved
friend, time is running out - for the church, the world, and
for the devil!
One
day it will be all be over for us. Let us fight the good fight
of faith, lay hold on eternal life and reach the masses of lost
souls with the glorious Gospel of Christ before it's too late.
The Bible tells us, "Therefore rejoice ye heavens and ye that
dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!
For the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he
knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Rev. 12:12)
The
devil is working overtime trying to corrupt, deceive, destroy,
kill and steal, and do as much damage to God's kingdom as he can
now, because he knows his time is very limited. We, the servants
of God need to triple our efforts to reach multitudes more with
the Gospel before it is too late! Ask yourself this question and
then be ready to do something about it.
AM
I DOING ALL THAT I CAN?
I
have promised God that I will pull out all the stops and press
forward at full speed ahead before the devil gets to them
through atheism, new ageism, communism, fake religion and
unbelief!
In
the month of June 1957, God met me in a real way in a little motel
in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in the home of my spirit-filled
Lutheran parents. I received the mighty Baptism of the Holy Ghost.
I have never looked back since!
Oh
it's true that I have failed God many times, I am sure, for I am
but a man and like Paul I have not yet reached the state of
perfection, but also like Paul, I press on toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:12-14)
Ever
since 1957 I have tried with all my heart and mind to walk in
Christ’s will and to obey Him completely. My heart is just as
set to do that today as it was in 1957 after God saved me or as it
was in 1961 when I sent our first radio broadcast out over the
airwaves.
In
1963 I entered the full time ministry for Christ, leaving my
lucrative position to follow Jesus to the end of the earth. My
heart has burned for Jesus as I have, by His grace and power
blazed a trail of revivals and awakenings across the world.
I
know that many times I have been misunderstood, severely
criticized and even judged by some good and some not so good
people. Some have condemned me and put a totally wrong
construction on what I have tried to do for Jesus all these years
- I'm glad for one things and it is the fact that "God keeps
the books!" He knows my heart and He alone knows the results. I
am prepared to let it rest there!
I
alone know His call on my life and I alone had to answer that
call. I alone am answerable to God for what I have done with my
life, and how I have responded to His call!
THE
KEY TO
MIRACLES
By Pastor Max Solbrekken,
D.D.
The
key to God's blessings is to believe His Word! Jesus
said, "Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in
God, believe also in Me. In my Father's House are many
mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you that where I am, ye may be also.
"Jesus
saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life: No
man cometh unto the Father but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye
should have known My Father also: And from henceforth ye know Him
and have seen Him.
Believest
thou that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the
words that I speak unto you, I speak not of Myself: but the Father
that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I
am in the Father, and the Father in Me or else believe Me for the
very works sake.
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I
do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask
in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son. If ye shall ASK anything in My Name, I will do
it."
THE
PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT
"If
ye love me keep My commandments. And I will pray the
Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you forever; even the Spirit of Truth, whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth
Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall be in
you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Yet
a little while, the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me; because
I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I
am in my Father, an ye in Me, and I in you. He that hath My
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: And he
that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him,
and will manifest Myself to him.
"Jesus
answered and said unto him, If a man love Me he will keep My
Words: and My Father will LOVE him, we will come unto him, and
make our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My
sayings: and the Word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father
which sent Me.
Again,
Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto
you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:
10-27)
GOD
CANNOT FAIL, CHANGE OR LIE
It
is impossible for God to faith, change or lie! He is not
a respecter of persons, places or times. He is eternal,
omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, righteous and holy. He
is merciful, gracious and loving. And He keep His
Word. He honours Faith, which means believing His Word is
TRUE!
The
Bible states: "In hopes of eternal life, which God, that
cannot lie, promised before the world began." (Titus 1:2)
"That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for
God not to lie..." (Heb. 6:18) "Jesus Christ the
same yesterday, today and forever." (Heb 13:8)
The
Bible declares: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things unseen." (Heb. 11:1); "For
we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast until the end." (Heb. 3:14; "Let
us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of GRACE, that we may
obtain MERCY and find grace to help in time of need."
(Heb. 4:16)
GOD
PERFORMS STAGGERING MIRACLE!
In
1980, Donna and I conducted a Gospel Crusade in Santa Fe,
Argentina and God surprised us one cold evening in the large
stadium. I was amazed at the large crowd. When I
finished my message several thousand came forward for salvation
and I asked those who were sick to lay their hand on their body
and believe as I prayed for their healing. I instructed
those with little children to lift them up to the Lord as I
prayed.
Five
year old Julio Diaz was brought by his mother to our
crusade in Santa Fe, Argentina. He was born without ureters.
He was also aflicted with a number of other abnormalities. He
had suffered through six operations and spent 3 years in the
Children's Hospital. Because Julio was being used a a
"guinea pig", nurses attending him spoke confidentially
to his parents warning against another exploratory surgical
operation.
When
Julio's mother saw the large ad for the crusade in the newspaper,
she asked her husband to take Julio for prayer. He husband
was very discouraged because he had lost his job a week earlier
due to drinking. He answered that they had taken him to the
Bishop of their Catholic Church for prayer, as well as many
other places, without success. He said, "You take him
to the Stadium."
There
were thousands in the stadium that cold, blustery evening, when
our faith touched God for Julio! And God performed a
miracle for us! As the huge throng were led in the
healing prayer, Julio's mother
believed! The next morning his parents awakened
to find the plastic tubes pushed out of his sides and their little
boy urinating on the floor.
GOD
CREATED NEW URETERS!
The
entire family stood in amazement as Julio stood there naked,
urinating on the floor. The Holy Spirit had removed the
plastic ureters and given him brand new ureters. He went
from room to room, jumping up and down and saying, "See
what I can do." They all laughed and
cried. Mrs. Diaz called the Doctor and said, "The
tubes have come out. The tubes have come out."
He
answered, "You must take Julio to the hospital in
Raphila. We don't have the instruments to do it here."
She answered, "Doctor, we are not taking him to Raphila."
He said, "Are you loco? His cavities will be
filled with urine. You must take him there at once!"
Then
she explained, "Doctor, we took him to the Gospel
Crusade last night for prayer and God has healed him. He is
urinating all over the floor." The doctor said,
"Bring Julio here at once. We will see this great thing!"
They rushed Julio to the hospital; the x-rays showed 2
ureters! God had done His wonderful work and created 2
ureters for Julio.
His
parents called Omar and Marfa Cabrera with the good
news. The Cabrera's informed me that the media wanted to
interview us regarding this great miracle! The miracle
was so great that the Roman Catholic Radio station - as well as
their weekly magazine - reported the news nation-side, and the
gospel of Christ was heard far and near!
God's
mercy came to the Diaz family in such a beautiful way and He loves
us all just as much as He does them!!
JESUS'
BLOOD PURGES CONSCIENCE
"How
much more shall the Blood of Christ, who through the Eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the Living God?"
(Heb. 9:14)
"Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest by the
blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated
for us through the VEIL, that is to say, His flesh; and having an
High Priest over the House of God;
"Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of
our Faith without wavering: for He is faithful that promised."
(Heb. 10:19-24) God bless you in Jesus' Name! Amen!
Beware
of False Gods
THERE IS ONLY
'ONE TRUE GOD'
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken,
D.D.
 THOU
SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME
"Thou
shalt have NO other gods before Me. Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
Me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and
keep My commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh
His name in vain." (Exodus 20:3,4-7)
Jesus
said: "Come unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
The
Bible says, "Casting all your care (anxieties, fears,
diseases) upon Him (Jesus Christ) for He cares for you." (1
Peter 5:7)
History
is marred by people facing tragedy, violence and suffering.
It has been marked by thousand of years of fear, greed, hatred and
war between people and countries. We have been beset by
pestilences, plagues and epidemics. People have been
affected by sickness, death and sorrow. People are suffering
both mentally and physically.
THE
HUMAN RACE FACES INTOLERANCE, RACISM, PERSECUTION
The
human race is far from immune to religious intolerance, radical
strife, ethnic superiority and tribal brutality, as witnessed by
the 1990's tribal massacres in Rwanda and Burundi. And in
Sudan,
where during the last fifteen years nearly 2 million black
Christians have been ethnically cleansed from the land through
persecution, execution, forced conversion to Islam and a life of
slavery, by ruthless and evil government gunmen.
Unfortunately,
the story doesn't end there; it continues. Authentic reports
reveal on-going persecution against Christians by Muslims in
Indonesia, and in Communist
China where multitudes have been brutalized, imprisoned and
martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ. The suffering continues
with no end in sight.
That
we live in painfully, dangerous world is an understatement.
In light of what has happened on September 11, 2001, when the
world saw the devil's face in the demon inspired work of 19
Islamic suicide hijackers and their fanatical leaders and
supporters around the world. The suffering and pain this horror
caused is monumental. This example of people hating people,
races hating races, religions hating religions. The pain that
people are suffering is deep and emotional and there seems to be
no compassion in this cold, hard world.
The
curse that came upon the world through the disobedience of Adam
and Eve, our first parents, has brought us to this fearful moment
in history. People have turned to violence, murder and
mayhem which causes pain and suffering on every level.
In
trying to deal with the pain and suffering, people have become
addicted to gambling, drug addiction and alcohol abuse as they are
searching for happiness, and not finding it. Pornography,
prostitution and homosexuality are gaining respectability among
people. The side effects of all these are painful scenes
such as broken homes, child poverty, abortion and people
committing suicide world wide. People are suffering emotional
pain, suffering hurt and searching for something to heal their
suffering.
THE
BLESSED HOLY SPIRIT IS IGNORED BY MANY CLERGY80i & PEOPLE IN
GENERAL
The
absence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of many preachers has
turned churches into spiritual mausoleums. I believe that
many of the societal ills that are destroying our nation, is a
direct result of the lack of clear cut Bible preaching in our
churches.
Without
spiritual and moral direction, how can we expect young people to
know right from wrong? What an awful indictment against
the Church in this end time hour.
No
wonder there is greed, hatred and violence among people,
where there is compromise and backsliding in our Bible Colleges,
Seminaries and Churches. A congregation of people usually
rises no higher than its spiritual leader's preaching, teaching
and example. We can blame governments, judges, school
boards, educators, media and Hollywood. I contend that it
begins in the Church and spreads into the home, school and society
at large.
WHAT
HAS BEEN THE OUTCOME of such negligence? We
have wide spreading back sliding in the 'pulpit and pews',
resulting in a lack of reverence for God, distrust of the Holy
Bible and disinterest in spreading the Word of God and missionary
work in general.
This
abandonment of Holy Scripture is the beginning. The real
mission of the Church has changed. The Churches have lost
the desire for winning souls for Christ. The
Church has become devastated, totally ignoring the plight of
hurting men and women, people who are without God in this world.
We
have sown to the wind and are now reaping the world-wind!
Backslidden preachers have contributed - by failing to present the
Word of God to their people that are their church members.
The moral decline in our homes, schools, courts, governments and
society at large is obviously a sign. The negative spiritual
climate of our nation is largely due to such silence on vital
moral issues and by fear of preaching the truth lest someone is
offended! How utterly reprehensible such actions are to God, Who
is ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
How
despicable, unacceptable and cowardly we have become.
Allowing the Christian Church to be hijacked by the leadership of
agnostic seminary professors and pervert theologians, "who
hold down the truth in unrighteousness: and who call evil
good." (Romans 1:18, Isaiah 5:20)
RENEGADE
ARCHANGEL: MASTERMIND BEHIND ATTACKS
Satan
is a liar, murderer and destroyer! Jesus called Satan by three
names: Satan (hebrew)- the adversary,
enemy; devil (greek) - liar, false accuser and traducer; Beelzebub
- god of flies, filth! Jesus said: "The thief (Satan) cometh
not but for to steal, kill and destroy. I am come that ye might
have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)
The
Bible says: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) "Come unto Me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
(Matt. 28:11,12) "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no
man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John 14:6); "For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy
the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)
700
years before our Lord's first advent, God's prophet stated:
"Surely He hath borne our grief's, and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with
His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath
laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)
THERE
IS HEALING for the total person! There is healing for hurting
people
through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on Golgotha! A gospel
song says:
"Jesus
paid it all - All to Him I owe - Sin had left a crimson stain - He
washed it white as snow;
Not
only did Jesus destroy the works of the devil through His
efficacious and vicarious death on the cross, He destroyed Satan
Himself. The enemy no longer has any power over those who
trust completely and totally in the redemptive work of our Lord
Jesus Christ: "...that through death He might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is the devil; And deliver them
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage." (Hebrew 2:14-15)
WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN? This is concrete proof of Satan's demise, and
Jesus Christ's
total and absolute victory over him for time and eternity! It
means that Jesus'
death
destroyed the devil, so that we could be delivered! Simply put: 'Christ's
Victory, Satan's Defeat and Our Liberty!'
The
Bible says that Jesus, "made Himself of no reputation, and
took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled
Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross."
"Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is
above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)
"Giving
thanks unto the Father...Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:
In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness
of sins." (Colossians 1:12-14); "And having spoiled
principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:15)
CHRIST
PURCHASED OUR SALVATION WHEN HE SHED HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD
The
Bible states: "Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth upon a
cross."
(Galatians
3:13) "And
He (Jesus Christ) is the head of the Church: Who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead (the
first to die and be raised, never to die again. Lazarus was raised
but had to die again);
that in all things He might have the preeminence."
"And,
having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to
reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth, or things in heaven."
(Colossians
1:18-20)
"For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18)
"Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on
Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation: but is passed from death unto life." (John
5:24) "And this is the record, that God hath given to us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son
hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of
the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and
that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John
5:11-13)
St.
Paul
declares: "Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ: By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
For
when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly.
"But
God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
For it, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved
by His life." (Romans 5:1, 6-10)
WHAT
MUST PEOPLE DO TO BE HEALED?
When
Daniel was called to interpret the spiritual dream that God gave
Nebuchadnezzar, he specifically warned the king of coming judgment
if he would not change his ways! What would he have to do? "Break
off thy sins by being righteous, and thine iniquities by showing
mercy to the poor." What could have happened had he
obeyed? God would
have been merciful to him: "If it may be a lengthening of thy
tranquility."
Did
the arrogant Nebuchadnezzar show remorse, repent or turn from his
wicked ways? No, he did not! What was the outcome? The
hammer of God's judgment fell:
"The
same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was
driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet
with the dew of heaven, until his hairs were grown like eagles'
feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. And at the end of the
days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine
understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I
praised and honoured Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is
an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to
generation." (Daniel 4:33-37)
WHAT
CAN PEOPLE LEARN FROM THIS? God is in control, He
hates pride in people and blesses people who humble themselves and
are genuinely remorseful for their sin! It
speaks of God's great mercy to people who honestly desire to live
a decent, God-fearing life and care for the needy and less
fortunate. It also reveals why nations in general and people in
particular who have left God out of their lives, get into deep
trouble.
AUGUST
STRINDBERG, the celebrated Swedish author, wrote these words
shortly before his death: "Clearly said - I ascribe all my
misfortunes to this one fact, that I have been godless! An
individual that has broken contact with God cannot receive any
blessings. All this talk about 'being your own man and making
your own happiness' is chaff.
"If
the Lord does not build the house, they labour in vain who build
it. That is the whole truth! That misfortune can also strike a
person of faith, we know. But the outcome is not the same. These
misfortunes seem only like trials that pass over and leave peace
in their wake.
"A
curse rests on everything that an ungodly person puts his hand to.
If money comes his way, it will disappear like it came. Nothing
remains in the life of the ungodly!"
THE
MERCY OF GOD ALWAYS REACHES OUT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE SINNERS AND
BACKSLIDERS
What
do we as a people need to do? "Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and
obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and
rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the
Lord hath spoken it." (Isaiah 1:16-20)
Many
people are not convicted of their sinful actions, because they do
not know God's hatred for sin. Godly sorrow for sin - which brings
genuine repentance and faith to receive His blessing - comes from
the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. If the rank and file of our
nation understood how our sinfulness grieves the Heavenly Father,
people would seek by His grace to serve Him to the utmost of our
ability
HERE
IS HIS WORD: 'Hath a nation changed
their gods, which are yet no gods? But My people have changed
their glory for that which doth not profit. Be ye astonished, O ye
heavens, at this, and be ye horribly afraid, be ye very desolate,
saith the Lord. For My people have committed two EVILS; they have
forsaken Me the fountain of living waters and hewed them out
cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'
(Jeremiah 2:11-13)
God
condemns the rebellious actions of the ancient people of Israel
whom He called His chosen people. He
asks the universe to witness this astonishing event - His people
turning from Him, the 'Fountain of Living Waters' to trust in
man-made 'broken cisterns that can hold no water'.
It
is inconceivable that clear thinking, intelligent people would
forsake the God of the universe, the creator of life and all
things visible and invisible, and turn to imaginary gods and
goddesses - both medieval and today's New Age! The devil knows how
to make fools out of people since he is the biggest fool of all.
The
devil has orchestrated and failed in his own rebellion against the
Almighty: "For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north: I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds; I
will be like the most High." (Isaiah 14:13,14)
SATAN
IS BEHIND FALSE RELIGIONS, MAN MADE GODS AND PROPHETS
Satan
has engineered all false religions, and demonically deluded false
prophets, who have claimed to speak in the name of The Almighty
from the very beginning of time.
In
his powerful book 'The
Knowledge of the Holy',
A.W. Tozer writes: "Among the sins to which the human heart
is prone, hardly any is more hateful to God than idolatry, for
idolatry is at bottom a libel on His character. The idolatrous
heart assumes that God is other than He is - in itself a monstrous
sin - and substitutes for the true God one made after its own
likeness. Always this God will conform to the image of the one who
created it and will be base or pure, cruel or kind according to
the moral state of the mind from which it emerges.
"A
god begotten in the shadows of a fallen heart will quite naturally
be no true likeness of the true God. Surely this must be
serious affront to the most High God before Whom cherubim and
seraphim continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth."
Allah,
Shiva, Krishna, Buddha, Odin, Thor, Zeus, Artemis (Diana), Gaia
and a host of other gods and goddesses are only imitations of the
One True Almighty and Eternal Lord God Jehovah and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ
ASK
YOURSELF: How could the Eternal
God command Muslims to kill Jews and Christians, when He
repeatedly states that He is the 'God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob', the Jews are His chosen
people and that so long as this universe exists, He will protect
them and keep covenant with them? (Exodus 3:6,14; Jeremiah 31-37;
33:20-26)
The
crucified and risen Lord Jesus specifically told Saul of Tarsus
that when he was persecuting, imprisoning and killing Christians,
he was persecuting God: "And he fell to the earth, and heard
a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And
he said, Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom
thou persecutest." (Acts 9:5)
In
the Quran (sura 5:60) we read that Allah has transformed Jews and
Christians into 'apes and swine',
who worship 'evil'. As
recently as 2002, the leading Muslim imam in Baghdad, Iraq
parroted Allah when he affirmed: "Jews
and Americans are apes and swine."
In
the 1930s, Haj Amin el Husseini was invited by his hero, Adolf
Hitler, to visit Berlin. While speaking on Berlin radio, Yasser
Arafat's Egyptian uncle, the Muslim Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
stated: "Kill the Jews -
kill them with your teeth - this is well pleasing to Allah!"
THE
QURAN SAYS: "Jews are the enemies of Allah, Muhammed and the
angels, and Muslims must kill them wherever they find them."
(sura 4:101 and sura 4: 91); "When the month with respect
(Ramadan) is over, you
must persecute, imprison and kill non-Muslims wherever you find
them." (Al Toba 5: 9); "And continue your battle against
non-Muslims until they accept Islam. And if they do not seek Allah
and will not leave the country, imprison them and kill them,
wherever you find them." (Al. Nofal 8: 39)
"All
who fight against Allah or convert to other religions shall be
executed, crucified or have their hands and feet hacked off on
opposite sides." (sura 5334); "Regarding unbelievers
(non-Muslims), they are determined enemies of Muslims. Muslims
shall arrest them, imprison them and ambush them everywhere."
(sura 9: 5); "You shall grab them and kill them in every
place where you find them." (sura 4: 90)
"Allah
will create terror in the hearts of unbelievers. Hack off their
heads and cut off their finger tips." (sura 8: 12);
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah, who do not
acknowledge the Religion of Truth, even if they are from the
people of the Book "Jews and Christians" (sura 9: 29).
"Muslims shall fight against unbelievers who live among
them." (sura 9: 123)
In
2002 A.D. Islamic leaders said: "Israel is little Satan,
Europe is Satan and America is the great Satan." WHY? They
are quoting their holy book, the Quran: 'Jews
and Christians can be likened to Satan.' (sura 59: 11)
In
a piece titled 'God and Allah Aren't the Same', Marvin
Olasky wrote: "Does the god of Islamic imagination act toward
man as God described in the Bible does? Read the Quran: If you
know anything about the civilization of 7th century west Asia, you
won't find many surprises. The Quran has Allah promising gifts to
his warriors, just like conquerors of old dispensed boons to
theirs.
"Suras
44,52,55,56,69, 78 and others include descriptions of how good
Muslims after death will have 'a
life of pleasure' complete with meat, bananas and
large-eyed, beautiful young women."
DO
NOT BE DECEIVED - THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD
PEOPLE
- DON'T FORGET THIS TRUTH: The Eternal
God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! He is Elohim, Jehovah,
Shaddai, Adon, Adonai, Adonim, El, El Elyon, Jah, Eloah, Jehovah
Jirah, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Raah, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Shammah,
Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah Tsidkenu, Jehovah Mekaddishkem and Jehovah
Zeboath.
After
his conversion, Saul changed his name to Paul. His words to the
Galatians relate perfectly to the followers of Joseph Smith today:
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not
another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ.
"But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man
preach any other gospel unto you that ye received, let him be
accused." (Galatians 1: 8,9)
PEOPLE
MUST NOT WHITEWASH GOD'S WORD
God
exposed the two evils His people had committed. He did not
whitewash these sins. He called them two evils! Therefore, people
must not minimize them either! We must expose them, as I am doing
here.
Here
is an important question: "If the religion, guru or god one
follows is unimportant, WHY would the Living God be so specific
about His name in the Decalogue? Let's examine these awesome
words:
"Thou
shalt have NO other gods before Me. Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
Me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and
keep My commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh
His name in vain." (Exodus 20:3,4-7)
WHO
IS THE GOD referred to here? We'll let Him answer: "And
God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which
brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage." (Exodus 20:1,2)
Did
Buddha, Shiva, Krishna, Odin, Thor, Zeus, Artemis (Diana) or Gaia
bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt? No, they
did not! Did Allah bring the children of Israel out of the land of
bondage? A thousand times NO! Allah is a relative new comer
among the god-pack! In the 7th Century, Muhammad banned the
worship of all tribal gods and goddesses, except the most
powerful, Al-ilah.
WHAT
DOES IT MEAN to take the name of the Lord in vain? For years,
pastors taught people that it is to curse or swear using the
Lord's name. It means more than that, however. Calling the
Creator and Saviour of the world by another name than His own, is
taking the Name of the LORD in vain.
Can
you imagine how the Eternal God feels when people call Him by
spurious names like Gaia, Allah, Krishna or Buddha? That is a
great affront to the Almighty, Omnipotent, Omniscient and
Omnipresent God of all flesh.
THE
BLUE PRINT TO REVIVAL IS FOR PEOPLE TO COME BACK TO FEARING THE
LORD, THE ONE TRUE GOD
What
we need is an old-fashioned revival of righteousness, holiness and
the fear of the Lord, in order to turn people to the truth! How do
we do that? The Bible says: "The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is
understanding." (Proverbs. 8:10)
The key here is 'The fear of the Lord'.
For
many years, preachers of the Gospel have labeled 2 Chronicles 7:14
the 'Blueprint For Revival': "If My people, which are called
by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
1.
HUMBLE
OURSELVES -
The Bible says: "For thus saith the High and Holy One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and
holy place, with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and
to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:15)
"But
He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God
resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble: "and
be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth
grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."
(James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5,6)
The
Bible says: "The fear of the
Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and
the forward mouth, do I hate. Pride goeth before
destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs.
8:13; 16:18)
2.
PRAY -
Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Luke 11: 1- 4). He admonished
them to pray to our Heavenly Father in His name and promised that
He would answer: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever
ye shall ask in My name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye
asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy
may be full." (John 16: 23,24)
Praying
is a prerequisite to receiving God's blessing: "If ye then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how
much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask Him?" (Luke 11:13)
Historically,
revivals of great magnitude come only through people seeking God
in fasting and prayer: "And when they had heard that, they
lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou
art God, which hath made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all
that in then is:
"And
now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto Thy servants,
that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word, by stretching
forth Thine hand to heal: and that signs and wonders may be done
by the name of Thy Holy Child Jesus. And
when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they
were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and they spake the Word of God with boldness." (Acts
5: 29-31)
Jesus
admonished: "men ought always to pray, and not to faint. And
shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto
Him, though He bear long with them." (Luke 18:1,7);
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them." (Mark. 11:24)
St.
Paul declared: "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians
5:17); "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting
up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (1 Timthy 2:8);
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit
Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered." (Romans 8:26)
The
Bible says: "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the
elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall
save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
"Confess
your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may
be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are,
and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not
on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he
prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought
forth her fruit." (James 5: 14-18)
3.
SEEK
GOD'S FACE - In
his powerful 'Mars Hill message on the 'Unknown God', St.
Paul stated: "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they
might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from
every one of us: For in Him we live, and move and have our
being." (Acts 17: 27,28)
The
Holy Record says: "As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one: There is none that seekest after God. They are all
gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there
is none that doeth good, no, not one. There is no fear of God
before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-12,18)
The
Almighty states: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward
you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go
and pray unto Me, and I will turn hearken unto you. And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah
29: 11-14)
The
prophet Daniel stated: "And I set my face unto the Lord God,
to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth,
and ashes: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my
confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping
the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that
keep His commandments; We have sinned, and have committed
iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by
departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments:
"Neither
have we hearkened to Thy servants, the prophets, which spake in
Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all
the people of the land." (Daniel 3:1-6) WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?
God dispatched the angel Gabriel with the answer to the prophet's
request.
The
Scriptures say: "For thus saith the Lord unto the house of
Israel, seek ye Me, and ye
shall live. Seek good, and not evil, and love the good, and
establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God will
be gracious." (Amos 5:4, 14,15)
Millions
of people are being deceived by the 'New Age Movement', which
is in fact, old-time occultism! Here is God's Word: "And when
they say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits
(witches, clairvoyants, fortune tellers), and unto wizards that
peep, and that mutter (spiritualist mediums): should
not a people SEEK unto their God? (Isaiah 8:19,20)
Jesus
said: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
(Matthew 6:33)
4.
PEOPLE
MUST TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS -
The Bible says: "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call
ye upon Him while He is near: Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. But the
wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose
waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to
the wicked." (Isaiah 57: 6,7)
WHY
DO PEOPLE NEED TO REPENT? The
Bible says: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17: 9);
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile
the man." (Mark. 7: 23) St. Paul preached that people
"should repent and turn to God, and do the works meet for
repentance.." (Acts 26: 20)
John
the Baptist and our Lord preached repentance and faith. (Matthew
3: 1-3; Luke 13: 3) Jesus
taught His disciples to do the same: "And they went out, and
preached that men should repent." (Mark. 6: 12)
St.
Peter emphasized: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2: 38);
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord." (Acts 3: 19)
The
Bible says: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at;
but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because He hath
appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath
given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the
dead." (Acts 17: 30,31)
Every
one should consider the great love of God that is reaching out to
this sin-sick world. How could anyone turn away from such love and
mercy? We were all lost in sin and rebellion - sinners by birth,
nature and choice! And then, the Creator became one of us in order
to save us from our sins. The Bible calls that grace - unmerited
favour. (Ephesians 2: 8,9).
Gods
goodness leads to repentance (godly sorrow for sin) that brings
forgiveness and real change in lives! (Romans. 2: 4; 2 Corinthians
7: 10)
BY
GRACE ALONE - THROUGH FAITH ALONE - IN CHRIST ALONE
Here
is a true story that pin-points the truth of the incarnation - God
the Son, True God from eternity and True Man - wrapped Himself in
human flesh by being born of a virgin, so that He could suffer,
bleed and die in our place, as our substitute and thereby meet the
demands of Divine Justice.
The
Bible says: "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by
grace. Now it was not written for his sake (Abraham) alone, that
it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be
imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from
the dead, Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
(Romans 4: 16-25) "For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works,
lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8,9)
THE
ATHEIST & THE GOOSE STORY
"There
was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate
to let others know how he felt about religion and religious
holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe, and she
raised her children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite
his disparaging comments. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was
taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm
community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he
refused.
"That
story is nonsense!" he said.
"Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man?
That's ridiculous!".
So she and the children left, and he stayed
home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned
into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was
a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the
evening.
Then,
he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then, another
thump! He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When
the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could
have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he
saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently, they had been flying south
for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't
go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or
shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field
in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown
into his window, it seemed.
The
man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn
would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and
safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So
he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched
and waited, hoping they would notice the open door and go inside.
But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly or didn't seem to
notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man
tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them
and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with
some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to
the barn. They still didn't catch on. Now he was getting
frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the
barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they
would be warm and safe.
"Why
don't they follow me?" he exclaimed.
"Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive
the storm?" He thought for a moment and
realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If
only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said
out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into the barn, got one of
his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around
behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose
flew through the flock and straight into the barn - and one by one
the other geese followed it into safety. He stood silently for a
moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed
in his mind: "If only I were
a goose, I could save them!" Then he thought about
what he had said to his wife earlier: "Why
would God want to become like us? That's ridiculous!"
Suddenly,
it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the
geese - blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so
He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of
Christmas, he realized. As
the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and
pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly, he understood what
Christmas was all about, why Christ had come. Years of doubt and
disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in
the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank
You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"
- author unknown
LET
THE HEALING BEGIN IN YOUR LIFE - THERE IS HELP FOR
HURTING PEOPLE - AND THAT HELP IS JESUS CHRIST
Jesus
said: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28) That is exactly
what we all need - God's rest and peace in our spirits, minds and
bodies. Christ is the answer to this sin-sick world! My prayer is
that you will cry out to our Heavenly Father in Jesus' precious
name for mercy and forgiveness, peace and healing.
MY
FRIEND - MAY JESUS CHRIST SAVE, HEAL & MAKE YOU WHOLE.
Amen
OUR
GOD CANNOT CHANGE.
It is impossible for Him to change, He cannot and will not change!
(Malachi 3:5; Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 119:89; Hebrews 1:10-12;
Revelation 1:18)
OUR
GOD CANNOT LIE.
It is impossible for Him to lie. He cannot and will not lie!
(Psalm 19:7-9; Isaiah 45:3; John 14:6; John 17:3, 17; Hebrew 6:18)
OUR
GOD CANNOT FAIL.
It is impossible for God to fail. He
cannot and will not fail! (1 Kings 8:56; Joshua 23:14; Psalm
50:15; Psalm 91:15)
OUR
GOD IS AVAILABLE 24/7.
God never slumbers nor sleeps. God is
not too busy to hear our request or answer our prayer. God
never gets old or dies! (Psalm 121:1-8; Isaiah 41:10; Hebrew 13:5;
Matthew 28:20; Matthew 11:28; Matthew 7:7-8; Matthew 18:18-20)
Receive
God's rich blessing and be made well in Jesus' name, for His glory
alone.
THE
DOUBLE CURSE
and
THE
DOUBLE CURE
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken
The
Bible states: "And the Lord turned the captivity
of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job
twice as much as he had before." (Job 42: 10); "He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace
was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed."
(Is. 53: 4,5)
"Bless
the Lord O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits.
Who forgiveth all my iniquities and healeth
all my diseases." (Ps. 103: 1, 2); "And the prayer of
faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise
him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven
him." (James 5:15)
In the
above Scripture texts we see two things: sin and forgiveness;
sickness and healing! Job was greatly afflicted with sore
boils over his entire body until God healed him. Isaiah declared
that Messiah's vicarious death provides forgiveness of sins and
healing of sicknesses and diseases. And St. James states that the
prayer of faith saves (heals) the sick and forgives
those who have sinned!
Jesus Christ
said: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost." (Luke 19: 10); "And when they had found
Him, they said unto Him, All men seek Thee. And He said unto them,
Let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also: for
therefore came I forth. And He preached in their synagogues
throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils." (Mark 1: 37-39)
SICKNESS
& DISEASE IS CAPTIVITY!
Sickness and
Disease is Captivity. Destruction of the house and death of Job's
children is captivity. Losing his property and reducing him to
poverty is captivity. The horrible boils covering his body which
Satan brought upon Job is cruel captivity!
Without
doubt, Job was a captive of Satanic invention. Job was assaulted
by the Devil and all his emissaries who killed his servants and
stole his cattle. He was targeted by Satan who engineered the
storm that destroyed his house and killed his children. It was
Satan who brought destruction, death, sorrow, sickness and pain
upon a godly man!
The GOOD NEWS
is that even though Job suffered under the brutal hand of Satan
for about six months to a year, in the end he was exonerated. God
totally healed him and restored back to him twice as much as Satan
had stolen!
Sickness
and disease is Captivity. Christ, however, has purchased our Freedom
from Satan's Prison House of fear, bitterness, anguish, torment,
condemnation, doubt, oppression and depression, which often
accompany severe sickness and disease!
The shed blood of
Jesus Christ brings peace, forgiveness with assurance, wholeness
of spirit, soul (mind)
and body. Divine Healing from our Lord causes joy and blessings
beyond compare, and a tranquility filled with thanksgiving and
praise unto Jesus Christ our Lord!
JESUS
CAST OUT MANY DEMONS!
Jesus cast out devils
everywhere He went. Demons feared Jesus during His earthly
ministry and they fear His servants today as we preach in His
Name! The Holy Bible states: "And Jesus returned in the power
of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him
through all the region round about. And
they were astonished at His doctrine: for His Word was with power.
"And in the
synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil,
and cried out with a loud voice, Saying,
Let us alone: What have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of
Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art;
the Holy One of God.
"And Jesus rebuked
him, saying, Hold Thy peace and come out of him. And when the
devil had thrown Him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt
him not." (Luke 4:14;
32-35)
The scribes,
Pharisees and chief priests were amazed by the power and authority
Jesus of Nazareth possessed. Our Master was able to heal the sick,
cast out demons, raise the dead and perform other great miracles,
after He was filled with the Holy Spirit. (John 3: 34). He had
taught in the synagogue for years without any miracles of healing
or deliverance, before He was filled with the Holy Spirit.
"Now when the sun
was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases
brought them unto Him: and He laid His hands on every one of them,
and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and
saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And He rebuking them
suffered them not to speak: for they knew that He was
Christ." (Luke 4: 40,41)
The Bible
says: "The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill and
destroy; I am come that they might have life and that they might
have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10): "And the
seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are
subject unto us through Thy name. And He said unto them, I beheld
Satan as lightning fall from Heaven. Behold, I give unto you
power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power
of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
(Luke 10:17-19)
Just prior to
His ascension, our Lord Jesus Christ issued the Great Commission
to His followers: "And He said unto them, Go ye unto all
the world, and preach the Gospel unto every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth
not shall be damned.
"And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall
they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They
shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it
shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they
shall recover." (Mark 16: 15-18)
My Prayer is: "Come
Lord, turn the captivity of sickness, disease and pain away from
Thy children according to Thy Word and Thy precious promises which
fail not, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son!
Amen."
WHY
DID JESUS HEAL THE SICK?
1.
SATAN THE SOURCE OF SICKNESS & DEATH:
There
was no sin, sickness, disease or death in the Garden of Eden
before the Fall: "So God created man in His own image, in the
image of God created He him, male and female created He them. And
God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply
and replenish the earth and subdue it. "And God saw that
everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good..."
(Gen, 1: 27, 28, 41)
The Holy Bible
states: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree
of knowledge of good and evil. Thou shalt not eat of it: for in
the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt surely die."
(Gen. 2: 16, 17)
"And the
woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees
of the garden; But of the fruit in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest
ye die." (Gen. 3: 4).
And the
serpent (Satan) said unto the woman: "Ye
shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day that ye
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil... (Gen. 3:19)
When
God's Hammer fell, He stated: "In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread till thou return to the ground; for out of it wast
thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return." (Gen. 3:19)
St. Paul
declared: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men for
that all have sinned. For if by one man's offense, death reigned
by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the
gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus
Christ." (Rom. 5: 12,17)
Jesus Christ
is our Liberator: "The thief (devil) cometh not but for to
steal, kill and destroy; I am come that ye may have life and have
it more abundantly." (John 10: 10); "Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking who he may devour: whom resist
steadfast in the faith." (1 Peter 5:8)
2.
HE CAME TO LOOSE THOSE WHO WERE BOUND:
Jesus came
from Heaven to bring freedom to Adam's fallen race.
His mandate was to Liberate the Captives held by the tyrant Satan,
the enemy of God and man. Our Saviour spent three years
dismantling the kingdom of darkness by preaching the Word of God,
healing the sick and casting out evil spirits!
After being
filled with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan River and defeating the
great Liar in the Wilderness Temptation, He returned in the Power
of the Spirit declaring that He was the One whom Isaiah
prophesied would usher in the Gospel Age, which was called the "acceptable
year of the Lord." Immediately, He began casting out
devils and healing the sick!
This text
defined His Ministry: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He
hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to
the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty to them that are bruised." (Luke 4: 18).
Here is Moffat's
translation of Isaiah 61:1:"The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He hath anointed Me to preach the
Good News, to tell the Prisoners that they are FREE, to tell the
Captives that they are Released."
St. Paul
stated that Jesus Christ's vicarious death on Golgotha and
glorious resurrection three days later, totally destroyed Satan's
power over the human race: "For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took
part of the same, that through Death He might Destroy
him that had the power of death that is, the Devil:
and Deliver them who through fear of death were all
their lifetime subject to bondage." (Heb. 2: 14, 15)
When
something is destroyed, it cannot be fixed. He is an
eternally doomed despot and in the near future will be heading for
Hell, and the Lake of Fire forever. And it will take only one
angel to bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit!
"And I
saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the
Bottomless Pit and a great chain in his hand. And laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound
him for a thousand years, and cast him into the Bottomless Pit,
and shut him up..." (Rev. 20: 1,2)
3.
TO BEAR AWAY OUR SINS, SICKNESS & PAIN:
Seven
hundred years before our Saviour was born in Bethlehem, God's
prophet declared: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our
faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not.
"Surely
He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did
esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we
are healed.
"All
we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own
way; and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all."
(Is. 53: 3-6)
"So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them,
that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto
salvation, Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith,
Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a Body hast Thou
prepared Me; By the which will we are sanctified through the
offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.
"And
every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes
the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this Man,
after He had offered one sacrifice for EVER, sat down on the right
hand of God:
"For
by one Offering He hath perfected for EVER them that that are
sanctified. And their sins and their iniquities will I
remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there
is no more offering for sin.
"Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest by
the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;
and having an High Priest over the House of God:
"Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering; For He is faithful that promised." (Heb.
9:28 10: 5,9-14, 17-23)
This
is the greatest truth ever revealed to mortal man! Nothing in a
million years could compare with the magnanimous goodness, mercy
and grace of Jesus Christ's gift of eternal salvation freely given
to us through His all atoning, compassionate and vicarious death
for us on Golgotha's Cross. We have been PERFECTED
forever through Christ's PROPITIONARY offering, because He
was delivered for our offenses and was raised for our
justification! (Rom. 4:25)
4.
TO BREAK THE DEUTERONOMY CURSE:
In
the Covenant of Blessing and Cursing, Moses declared:
"But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken to the
voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandment
and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these
curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee.
"Moreover He
will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt which thou wast
afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also
every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book
of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be
destroyed.
"And the
Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way
which I spake unto thee, thou shalt see it no more again: and
there ye shall ye be sold to your enemies for bondmen and
bondwomen, and no man shall buy thee." (Deut. 28:
15,60,61,68)
The Mosaic
Covenant that God made with the Children of Israel was one of
Blessing and Cursing which stated that if they would obey the Lord
and refrain from pagan idolatry they would be the most blessed in
all the earth, but if they disobeyed, His blessings would leave
them and they would be cursed.
JESUS
PAID FOR JEWISH FREEDOM!
In His mercy,
God the Son was incarnated (God in human flesh), true God from
eternity and true man through His virgin birth and became a
curse, by dying as God's paschal Lamb for them and the
whole world. He had come to lift the curse, but was reviled and
rejected by their religious leaders.
St. Paul
wrote: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on
the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the
blessing of the Spirit through faith." (Gal.3: 13).
Jesus stated:
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of man be lifted up." (John 3:14).
When the nation of Israel rejected their Messiah, Almighty God
turned His back upon His people. When they revolted against the
Romans, more than a million Jews were killed and 89,000 were taken
as slaves and sent back to Egypt.
In 70
A.D. the Roman Empire destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the
Temple. For 2,000 years, the Jewish people were homeless, hated,
persecuted and destroyed! Adolf Hitler's Holocaust shocked the
world and by God's will and U.S. President Harry S. Truman's
influence in the United Nations, Israel was given statehood. At
4:00 o'clock on May
14, 1948, in the Art Museum, Tel Aviv, President David Ben-Gurion
proclaimed Israel, a free and independent State, the first Jewish
state in 2,000 years.
5.
TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL:
St.
John declared: "For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested that He might Destroy the works of the devil." (1
John 3: 8). Through many years of studying the Holy Bible and
other theological materials and a half century of ministering
God's Word to multitudes across the world, I am convinced there
are five works of the Devil.
The first
work of the devil is SIN, which is a transgression or
disobedience of God's laws (1 John 3:4). Through the call of the
Holy Spirit and preaching of God's Word, sinners are born again.
(John 3:3,7). There is deliverance from sin through Jesus'
precious blood (1 John 1:7): "All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God," (Rom. 3:23); "For the wages of SIN
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)
The second
work of the devil is Fear. The Bible says: "For God hath
not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound
mind." (2 Tim. 1:7). Satan is the author of fear. Fear hath
torment and perfect love casteth out fear. Every time Jesus spoke
to troubled people, He said: "Fear thou not; "Peace I
leave with you; My peace I give I unto you: not as the
world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid." (John 14: 27)
The third
work of the devil is sickness, disease and death. Sickness is
incipient death. Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead and He
has given us the power to heal the sick in His name. Through His
vicarious death and resurrection, He tasted death for every man.
And because He lives, we shall live also! Jesus Christ Lord of the
Living and Dead!
The fourth
work of the devil is poverty. When Jesus witnessed a funeral
procession with a widow mourning the death of her only son, He was
moved with compassion and stopped the procession. He raised the
boy from the dead and him gave him back to his mother. He made
sure that she would be cared for! (Luke 6:38)
The fifth work of the
devil is demon oppression and possession.
On multiple occasions, Jesus cast out demons from those who were
bound by them. He commanded them to be quiet and to leave, which
they did. The demons were terrified of Him and begged that He
might not torment them for they knew who He was. He commanded them
to depart. And He gave us His
power to do the same!
In his Great
Commission He says: "And these signs shall follow them that
believe. In My Name, shall they cast out devils..." (Mark 16:
15-20)
After Jesus'
resurrection and ascension to Heaven, St. Peter said, "How
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power who
went about doing good and healing those who were oppressed of the
devil for God was with Him." (Acts 10: 38)
6. TO DO HIS FATHER'S WILL:
"Giving
thanks to the Father, which made us meet to be partakers of the
saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of Darkness,
and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, in Whom
we have redemption through His Blood, even the forgiveness of
sins." (Col. 1:12-14)
"For as
much then as the children are of flesh and blood, He also Himself
likewise also took part of the same; that through Death
He might Destroy him who had the power of death,
that is the Devil, and Deliver them
who through fear of death, where all there lifetime subject to
Bondage." (Heb 2: 3-4)
"Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was
contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to His cross;
and have spoiled principalities and powers,
He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them
in it." (Col. 2: 14, 15); "For ye are dead, and your
life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Whom is our life
shall appear then shall ye also appear with Him in glory."
(Col. 3:3,4)
Divine
Healing is God's will: "And a great multitude followed
Him, because they saw His Miracles which He did on them that were
diseased. (John 6:2); "Ye men of Israel, hear these words
Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by miracles and
wonders and signs witch God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye
yourselves also know." (Acts 2: 22); And He that sent Me is
with Me; the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those
things that please Him." (John 8:29);
7.
TO FULFILL THE SCRIPTURES:
"He is
despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was
despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely, He hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
"But He
was wounded for our transactions, He was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our Peace was upon Him, and with
His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned every one to His own way; and the Lord have laid upon
Him the iniquity of us all." (Is. 53: 3-6)
When
the even was come, they brought forth unto Him many that were
possessed with devils; and He cast out the spirits with His Word,
and healed ALL that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which
was spoke by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our
infirmities and bare our Sicknesses." (Matt. 8:16,17)
"Who His
own SELF bare our sins in His own body on the tree (CROSS), that
we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: By
whose Stripes ye were Healed." (1 Peter 2: 24):
"Bless
the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless His holy
name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth
all thy diseases; who Redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; who
satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is
Renewed like the eagles." (Psalm 103: 1-5)
The Holy Bible
refers to Jesus Christ healing the sick and oppressed through His
Word, His shed blood, His awesome Name and by the Blessed Holy
Spirit. He frees us from every curse, plagues, bondage, fear,
sickness, disease and torment and protects us, delivers and
blesses us!
FASTING
AND PRAYER!
Seven
hundred years before the birth of Messiah Jesus, Isaiah prophesied
the coming of our Saviour. He also preached powerful messages of
righteousness and laid out specifically what God's people must do
to prepare their hearts for a great Revival! Here he teaches the
importance of fasting and prayer:
"Is
not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of
wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go
free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to
the hungry, and that thou bring the poor to thy house? When thou
seest the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not
thyself from thine own flesh?" (Is. 58: 6,7)
Early in my
Ministry for JESUS, I learned the value of fasting and
prayer! For years, while working as a pastor and evangelizing
simultaneously, we usually began the New Year with seven days of
fasting and prayer. A number would join us in this effort, with
great blessing. Personally, I would continue the fast for a longer
duration.
The disciples
of Jesus had tried in vain to free a little deaf and dumb boy from
demon spirits. When Jesus came on the scene, He healed him. When
they asked why they could not, Jesus answered: "Because of
your unbelief...Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and
fasting." (Matt. 17: 17-21)
Jesus Christ
our Lord said: "Can the children of the bride chamber fast,
while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the
bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come,
when the bridegroom is taken from them, and then shall they fast
in those days." (Mark 2:20)
This is God's
way to reach those who are unsaved, sick or suffering from demon
oppression. God's promises are sure and certain and when we seek
God in fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to
liberate Satan's slaves in Jesus' Name!
LET
THE OPPRESSED GO FREE!
"To
loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and
bread to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Is it not to deal thy to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor
to thy house?
"This
shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which
shall be created shall praise the Lord. For He hath looked down
from the height of His sanctuary; from Heaven did the Lord behold
the earth; to hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those
that are appointed to death." (Ps.102: 19-21)
"A voice
was heard upon the high places; weeping and supplication of the
children of Israel; for they have perverted their way, and they
have forgotten the way of the Lord their God. RETURN ye
backsliding children and I will heal your backslidings. Behold we
come unto Thee; for thou art the Lord our God." (Jer. 3:
21,22)
"Is
any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and
let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
Lord and the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord
shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven them." (James 5:14,15)
"How
shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard Him. God also bearing them witness, both with
signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy
Ghost according to His will?" (Heb.2:3,4)
"Ye
men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a ,man
approved of God among you, by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by Him in the midst of you, which you all know: Him
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom, God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death:
because it was not possible that He should be holden of it."
(Acts 2:22-24)
THE
BLESSINGS OF OBEYING GOD!
Obeying
the Word of God bring great blessing and healing, but disobeying
His Word brings His judgment: There is a law that states: "Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the
flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of
the Spirit reap life everlasting." (Gal.6:7, 8)
You reap what
you sow and when people and nations, There is a price to pay for
disobedience. The Bible says that SIN is a stench in God's
nostrils! (Is. 65: 5). To understand what God thinks about
sickness, disease read: Duet 28: 15, 18 22, 27, 28, 34, 35,
45.
I
CONCUR WITH GOD'S WORD!
God's Word
cannot return unto Him void. It must accomplish that for which it
was sent. It is impossible for God to fail. He has placed His Word
above His Name, therefore it is impossible for God's Word to fail.
"He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from all
their destructions." (Ps. 107: 20).
The Holy Bible
states: "God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son
of a man that He should repent (change). Has He said and shall He
not do it, or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?"
(Nu. 23: 19)
God's great
heart of mercy and grace desires to bless and heal all who are
hurting and suffering today. I do not believe it is God's will for
any of His children to suffer the pain, agony and torment which
Jesus suffered for us on the whipping pole and on the cross!
All sickness
and disease was conquered by our Saviour Jesus Christ who took
upon Himself our sicknesses and pains. The Bible says: "For
He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our
iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with
His stripes we are healed." (Is. 53: 4, 5)
"When the
even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with
devils: and He cast out the spirits with His Word, and HEALED all
that were sick. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bear
our sicknesses." (Matt. 8: 16, 17);
"Who His
own Self bare or sins in His own body on the tree, that we being
dead to sins should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye
were healed." (1 Peter 2: 24). Our Lord is good and His mercy
endureth forever. My deepest convictions and my personal belief
about Jesus Christ is identical to the Holy Scriptures. I
concur totally with the Word of God! Amen.
Are
We Living in the LAST DAYS?
By:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"The
Bible states: "And I looked and behold a pale horse: and his
name that sat upon him was Death, and Hell followed with
him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of
the earth, to kill with sword (war), and hunger (famine), and with
death (tsunamis, war, earthquakes, mudslides) and with the beasts
of the earth (Mad Cow, Monkey Pox, West Nile Virus, Sars, Avion,
Ebola, Coron Virus?)" (Revelation 6:8)
Are
we living in the Last Days before the Great Tribulation?
Is
the Corona Virus Pandemic another harbinger of the Last Days
Scenario before the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ and the White
Throne Judgment? What must we do to be ready for any eventuality?
Throughout
history, plagues have attacked human beings as well as animals.
The 1918 Flu Pandemic killed between 20 to 50 million in
two years. The HIV(AIDS) killed 36 million between 1976 to
1981. The Ebola Virus in 2014 killed 11,315 people in 21
months. In March 2020 the Corona Virus Pandemic has
infected approximately 300,000 people, with approximately 13,000
deaths across the world!
 MANY
PEOPLE ARE ON EDGE
People
are fearful, nervous and anxious. Our world is becoming more
and more unsafe. We are living in a world full of terrorism,
wars, new frightening diseases and viruses and startling weather
disasters that are wiping out thousands of people in seconds.
On
September 11, 2001, the world changed. On September 11 -
Satan was rejoicing. On September 11 - Satan scored a
victory. But I am here to tell you that SATAN can be
defeated and will be defeated!
Yes
- the world changed drastically on September 11, 2001. What
was a relatively safe, comfortable existence turned instantly into
a world of terror. The Islamic terrorist group al Qaeda and
its leader Osama bin Laden accomplished something
very important on September 11.
The
terrorists took away our freedom, the freedom to feel safe, the
freedom to feel secure. And September 11 was only the beginning.
The world is dealing with so many issues that it's hard for
people to cope.
Our
world is literally falling apart. We have seen the tragic
increase in Islamic terrorism, a great backsliding in Evangelical
fervor for Christ, an alarming state of departure from Biblical
standards of protecting the family and the unborn and putting the
unnatural before the sane and sensible!
We
are experiencing earthquakes, tidal waves, tsunamis in places that
are totally unexpected and at the greatest magnitudes ever
recorded. The new diseases and viruses we are seeing in
animals are alarming. And now with a new and deadly virus
sweeping the world, we must remain focused on the Word of God and
remain in the Peace of God and do everything to protect ourselves
and others!
WHAT
IS COMING NEXT?
The
question on people's minds is: What is coming next? The whole
creation, including the earth and all living creatures therein,
the cosmos and all universes that our Lord has created, are
groaning and travailing in pain and travail "together
until now."
The
earth is "running down", as science
teaches it will. Man has polluted the air, polluted the
water and the earth. The earth is polluting and destroying
itself through earthquakes, tidal waves, tsunamis and volcanic
eruptions.
Nature,
through solar storms, falling meteors, black holes, white holes
and worm holes is doing damage to the universe. Tornados,
cyclones, tsunamis and severe electrical storms cause great bodily
harm and death to people and animals, as well as destroying
millions of acres of timber annually through forest fire.
The
animals and wildlife are themselves polluters, spreading disease
amongst themselves, as well as being purveyors of many deadly
diseases to the human population.
AIDS,
SARS, MAD COW DISEASE, WEST NILE VIRUS:
Last day
pre-tribulation prophecy?
Are
these diseases and viruses the starting point of what is coming
next during the Great Tribulation? I believe that the
outbreak of AIDS, SARS, Ebola virus, Lyme disease, Mad Cow disease
(BSE), Foot and Mouth disease (FDM), West Nile Virus, Hanta Virus,
Monkey Pox and the latent TB and drug resistant TB that is now
rampant (2 billion world-wide) is surely Bible prophecy being
fulfilled.
There
are also so many new viruses, bacteria and parasites spread by
animals, rodents and pests to human beings. Are these new
viruses from animals also a precursor to the awful things which
will happen during the Great Tribulation?
New
Viruses Appearing at Faster Rates Scientists Believe
A headline
that appeared (August 2003) in the Washington Post,
must have sent shock waves through the Medical Community and the
general population. From a theological perspective, the
connection between Biblical eschatology and the phenomenal parade
of new emerging viruses being passed from animals to humans, this
new report is very significant.
Are
the news diseases Sars, Mad Cow Disease, West Nile Virus, Bird flu
and many others biblical prophecies? Are these world
disasters, extreme weather changes, world disasters and mounting
hatred, wars and nations turning against nations world-wide Bible
Prophecy coming to pass?
The
Bible states: "And I looked and behold a PALE
HORSE: and his name that sat upon him was Death,
and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them
over the fourth
part of the earth, to
kill with SWORD (war),
and with HUNGER (famine),
and with DEATH (tsunamis,
war, earthquakes, mudslides etc), and with the BEASTS
of the earth (Mad Cow, Monkey Pox, West Nile Virus, Sars,
Ebola, Corona Virus)." (Revelation
6:8)
For
a very long time Bible scholars were unable to understand this
verse. Everyone had serious questions about beasts
being a source of so many people dying. When S.A.R.S.
struck the world with a vengeance a few years ago, the meaning of
the Scripture became very evident. St. John's prophecy
became absolutely clear!
CONVENTIONAL
WISDOM WAS WRONG!
The
prevalent thought was that when famine came, the wild beasts from
the forests would enter the cities and towns and kill people for
food. Some
translations of Revelation 6:8 placed the words 'wild
beasts' in their study notes.
Now
we know how wrong that interpretation was! God's
Word is absolutely perfect! As a Minister of the Gospel who
has studied the Holy Bible Scriptures for over 50 years, I believe
this to be pre-Tribulation more and more, as the truth in revealed
through events that happen round about us.
In
my research, I found that SARS, Lyme Disease, Foot & Mouth
disease, Mad Cow disease, Hanta virus, Monkey pox, Ebola virus,
Aids, West Nile Fever and Coronavirus are diseases that have
all come from animals (beasts) or rodents
and insects (pests).
Jesus
warned: "For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines,
and Pestilences, and earthquakes, in
divers places." (Matthew 24:7).
Rob
Stein wrote: "It
happens again and again. Strange and frightening new
infections seem to appear out of nowhere, such as Lyme disease,
Ebola and of course, AIDS. With Monkeypox coming on the
heels of Sars, which emerged not long after West Nile, it is a
phenomenon that seems to be happening at an accelerating rate.
Scientists agree that the trend is alarming and appears to be
gathering speed. In the coming years, they say, dangerous
new pathogens emerging."
WE
ARE SURROUNDED BY DEATH!
The
world has become uncertain and fearful. We are surrounded by death
and destruction. The Bible states that, "the whole world
lieth in wickedness." (1 John 5:19); "And
the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the
will of God abideth forever." (1 John 2:15-18)
Not
only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
waiting for the adoption, that is to say, the redemption
of our body. St. Paul states that when this life is over, we will
be resurrected and a glorified body! (Romans 8:14-28)
Satan
is hard at work and his corrupting influence is present
everywhere. Satan's filth and stench can be seen, heard and
felt across the world. His evil, unholy and corrupting
influence is everywhere present in homes, communities and nations,
as well as in academia, the government, commerce, judicial systems
and in the church.
The
truth is that the whole world lies in wickedness and Satan is
the "prince of the power of the air."
Satan is the author of the "spirit of
disobedience" that pervades society today.
This spirit of disobedience is affecting millions of people
across the earth. (Ephesians 2:2; 5:6, Colossians 3:6)
Even
though we as Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit and have
fellowship with Jesus and each other, we live in a flesh and blood
body. We are constantly being bombarded with
temptations. We have Christ's promise of divine healing, but
we are still subject to ageing and death.
St.
Paul states that we groan inwardly because of our limitations and
desire to be clothed with a glorified body, knowing that one day
we will be changed and receive a glorified body similar to
Christ's.
The
Bible says: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him
not."
"Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like
Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
(1 John 3:1-2).
Death
and corruption have been present on this earth and in the cosmos
since the terrible 'fall of man' in the Garden of Eden.
Everything is subject to the 'Second Law of Thermodynamics'
- that of ageing, deteriorating and corruption.
There
is no escaping it. Everyone that is born dies
eventually and will go back to the dust of the earth. All
great men and their empires, small or great will deteriorate and
go to ruin. The universe is running out of steam and Bible
Prophecy is being fulfilled and will continue to be fulfilled as
time goes on.
JESUS
demanded: "...Whosever will
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but
whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s the
same shall save it.
"For
what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me
and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him
also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory
of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark
8: 34-38).
Christ's
Victory and Satan's Defeat is our Liberty for time and
eternity! Amen.
Dear
Friend:
Please write with your prayer requests. We will pray for you
and I will write you back! When you write, please ask for a
free prayer cloth over which we have prayed with faith in Jesus'
Name, for your deliverance and salvation. - Pastor
Max Solbrekken
ABSENT
FROM
THE BODY
By:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"We
are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the
body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour,
that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him."
(2 Corinthians 5:8)
Death
is universal and inevitable. Death is man's final battle
before entering his eternal abode. Death can come suddenly,
or it can come slowly. And it always wins! Death is
known as an enemy or a
friend! To the youth, growing families, and those in retirement,
it can be a very real enemy. To the aged and terminally ill, death
can almost seem like a friend! To everyone, death is the
termination of life on earth!
The
Bible says: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but
after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the
sins of many; and unto them that look for him the second time
shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
(Hebrews 9:27, 28)
St.
Paul wrote: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of
the living God." (Heb.10: 31); "For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether
it be good or bad. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade
men...." (2 Corinthians 5:8-11)
CHRIST'S
LIFE IN ME!
St.
Paul wrote: "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet
what I shall choose I know not. For I am in a straight betwixt
two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is
far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful
for thee." (Philippians 1: 21-24)
"For
the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if
one died for all, then were all dead. And that He died for all,
that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves,
but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.
"Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold all things are become new. For He hath made
Him to be sin (offering) for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5: 14, 15,
17)
SOLOMON
DEPICTS DEATH - "Remember now thy Creator in the days of
thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh,
when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or
the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the
clouds return after the rain: Or ever the silver cord be
loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at
the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the
dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it." (Eccl. 12: 1-7)
St.
James writes: "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the
morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth
for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4: 14)
Jesus
said: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
St.
Paul declared: "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord;
and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live
therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." (Romans 14:80
I
SHOW YOU A MYSTERY!
"Behold,
I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall al be
hanged. In a moment, the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
"So
when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be
unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
"Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is
not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor.15: 51-58)
Here
is the Bottom Line: "We are confident, I say, and willing
rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the
Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may
be accepted of Him." (2 Cor.5: 8). Amen.
FACING
THE FUTURE
WITH FAITH
By: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
"Finally,
brethren, pray for us that the Word of the Lord may have free
course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may
be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men: For all men have
not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and
keep you from evil." (2 Thessalonians 3:1-3)
St.
Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica: "For what is our
hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing: Are not even ye in the
presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our
glory and joy."(1 Thes. 2: 19, 20)
"Remembering
without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and
patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and
our Father." (1 Thes.1:3).
They
were converted through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit:
"For our Gospel came not unto you in Word only, but also in
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. And ye became
followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the Word with
much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost."
"So
that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
For from you sounded out the Word of the Lord, not only in
Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to
God-ward is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak to any
thing. For they themselves had turned to God from idols to serve
the living and true God; And to wait for His Son from Heaven, whom
He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the
wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1: 5-10)
CHRIST
SHALL RETURN FOR HIS CHURCH
St.
Paul had earlier revealed to the Thessalonians the truth of
Christ's return in the Parousia, the Rapture of the Church:
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as
others, which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring
with Him.
"For
this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent
them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from
Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever
be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these
words." (1 Thes. 4: 13-17).
St.
Paul commended them for their patience and faith during the
difficult times they were going through in persecutions and
tribulations.
He
revealed God's judgments which will come upon unbelievers when
Jesus Christ returns to judge those who have rejected His love and
mercy: "To you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord
shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming
fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of His power.
When
He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in
all them that believe, because our testimony among you was
believed, in that day." (2 Thes. 1:7-10)
THE
ANTICHRIST: MYSTERY OF INIQUITY
The
Word of God warns concerning the coming of the Antichrist who will
deceive the entire world with his deception and lying wonders:
"And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed
in his time.
"For
the Mystery of Iniquity doth already work: only He who now letteth
will let, until He be taken out of the way. And that Wicked shall
be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His
mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:
"Even
him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved.
"And
for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thes.
2: 6- 10)
The
Holy Bible is the final Word of God on all matters concerning the
deception of Satan and the truth of God!
There
is no middle ground! They
who believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth vicariously gave His
life for us on Golgotha's Cross and arose from the dead for our
justification, are Saved! Those who reject the Word of God and
Christ's offer of salvation and agree with Satan, the liar and
deceiver, will be Damned forever. They will be deceived by the
Antichrist and his lying supernatural wonders and are Lost for
eternity. Period!
ALL
KNOWLEDGE HID IN CHRIST
St.
Paul warned those in Colosse and Laodicea: "That their hearts
might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all
riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the
acknowledgement of the Mystery of God, and of the Father, and of
Christ: In Whom are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge.
And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing
words.
"Beware
lest any man should beguile you through philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily.
And
ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and
power: In Whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made
without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by
the circumcision of Christ.
"Buried
with Him in baptism, wherein ye also are risen with Him through
the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised Him from the
dead.
And
you, being dead in you sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all
trespasses; "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that
was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the
way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities
and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in
it." (Col.2: 8-15)
In
the final analysis, when all the battles are over, the Body of
Christ wins. We win because Christ spoiled all principalities and
powers, making a public display of them before the hosts of
Heaven, the demons of Hell and all of humanity!
His
vicarious death for us on Golgotha sealed Satan's doom, and His
triumphant resurrection from the dead made JESUS CHRIST forever
the Lord of lords and King of kings.
WORTHY
IS THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN
"And
I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book
written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I
saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to
open the Book, and to loose the seven seals thereof?
"And
no man in Heaven, nor on earth, neither under the earth, was able
to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much,
because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither
to look thereon. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not:
behold the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath
prevailed to open the book, and to loose the the seven seals
thereof.
"And
I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four
beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a LAMB as it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took
the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the Throne.
"And
when He had taken the book, the four beasts and our and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps,
and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of saints.
"And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain and hast
redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings
and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Saying
with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour and glory,
and blessing. And every creature which is in Heaven, and on
earth, and under the earth, and such that are in the sea, and all
that are in them, heard I saying, “Blessing and honour, and
glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen.
And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that
liveth for ever and ever." (Rev.5:1-14)
THE
LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN IS ALIVE
What
an amazing and glorious truth. The Lamb that had been slain was
alive and standing. He alone was worthy to take the book out of
the Hand of Almighty God on the Throne in Heaven. Only Jesus
Christ had the right to open the book, for He alone had paid the
awesome price for our redemption!
His
BLOOD alone purchased our eternal salvation. Pointing to Jesus of
Nazareth, John the Baptist declared, "Behold the Lamb of God
which taketh away the sins of the world." (John 1; 29).
Exalting
the Name of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, St. Peter
stated: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there
is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved." (Acts 4: 12).
Proclaiming
the Gospel, St. Paul said: "For there is One God and One
Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave
Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." (1
Tim.2: 5,6)
The
Bible states that Jesus Christ, "by Himself purged our
sins." (Heb.1: 3). He did it all by Himself. His vicarious
death on the cross for us has sealed our eternal destiny.
It
is Christ alone;
not Christ and the Church; not Christ and the Pope; not Christ and
the Virgin Mary!
The
Bible teaches the Christ alone Doctrine! JESUS CHRIST. GOD'S SON.
SAVIOUR! According to tradition, ancient Christians, during their
persecution by the Roman Empire in the first few centuries after
Christ, used the fish symbol to mark meeting places and tombs, or
to distinguish friends from foes!
The
Greek word for fish is "ichthys." As early as the first
century, Christians made an acrostic from this word: Iesous
Christos Theou Yios Soter, i.e. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.
ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthys): .Iota (i) is the first
letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς),
Greek for "Jesus" .Chi (ch) is the first letter of
Christos (Χριστός), Greek for
"anointed" (of the Lord) .Theta (th) is the first letter
of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for "God's",
the genitive case of Θεóς .Theos, Greek for
"God" .Upsilon (y) is the first letter of (h)yios[10] (Yἱός),
Greek for "Son" .Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr
(Σωτήρ), Greek for "Saviour"
whose verses are an acrostic of the generating sentence.
The
statement "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour" affirmed
the belief of early Christians in the two-fold nature of Jesus
Christ being both fully human and fully divine.
PEACE
THROUGH THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS
The
Bible states: "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made
us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: in Whom we have
redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
(Col. 1:13, 14)
"And
having made PEACE through the blood of His cross, by Him, to
reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say to reconcile all
things to Himself; by Him I say, whether they be things in earth,
or things in Heaven.
And
you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by
wicked works, yet now has He reconciled. "In the body of His
flesh through Death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in His sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded
and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel..." (Col. 1: 20-23)
"Be
careful (anxious) for nothing: but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto
God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4;
6,7)
FACING
THE FUTURE WITH FAITH
Faith is
a gift to the searching heart, to the sincere seeker after God and
His righteousness. Faith is
believing that God's Word is true, in spite of what others say.
Faith is
believing that Jesus Christ is Whom He claimed to be, the Word of
God made flesh, God incarnate!
That
He is True God from eternity and True man by His Virgin birth!
That He alone purchased our eternal life through shedding His pure
and sinless blood on the cross, and that His blood is ALIVE today
in the Holy of Holies in Heaven. And that Jesus Christ our
Heavenly High Priest is interceding for us before His Father.
The
Holy Bible declares: "Wherefore He is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come to God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to
make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, Who
is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made
higher than the heavens." (Heb. 7: 25, 26)
The
greatest reason for believing that the Bible is true, is that
Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, believed the Holy
Scriptures. He quoted and preached from them, lived by them.
He
died and arose from the dead, according to the Word God and by
that same Word will return for us all who waiting, watching and
working for Him! Amen.
 GREATER
IS HE
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
A
Constant battle is being fought for the souls of men. Every
since the tragic fall of Adam and Eve, Satan has continued his
evil agenda of hatred, perversion and enslavement. He is a
liar, false accuser and murderer. he is the Enemy of God and
man!
The
Bible says: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the Devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour; who resist steadfast in the faith...." (1 Peter
4:7-8)
(1
Peter 5:8-9) "Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to
God, and He will draw night to you..." (James 4:7-8)
Jesus
said: "Ye are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of
your fathers ye will do. He was a Murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth
in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for
he is a LIAR and the father of it." (John 8:44)
Our
Lord stated: "The thief (the devil) cometh not but for to
steal, kill and destroy: I am come that they might have
LIFE, and that they might have it more abundantly. And ye
shall know the Truth and the truth shall make you free. If
the SON therefore shall make you FREE, ye shall be free
indeed." (John 8:32,36)
DESTROYING
SATAN'S WORKS !
The
Bible says, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Ghost and with power who went about doing good, and Healing all
who were oppressed of the Devil, for God was with Him."
(Acts 10:38)
"For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested to Destroy the
works of the devil." (1 John 3:28)
"For
in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And
ye are complete in Him, which is the head of operation of
God, who hath raised Him from the dead.
"And
you....hath He quickened together with Him, having
forgiven you all trespasses: Blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took
it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; And having spoiled
principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:9-15)
"Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also
Himself likewise took part of the same; that through Death
He might Destroy him that had the power of death,
that is the Devil; And Deliver them
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage." (Hebrews 2:14, 15)
SATAN
IS A MURDERER & LIAR
There
is no death in the Garden of Eden until the lying Devil deceived
our first parents and they believed his lies and disobeyed their
Creator and God! Satan is responsible for the death of the
entire world. That is his cruel, insane and wicked legacy!
Jesus
stated: "He was a murderer from the beginning..."
(John 8:44)
By
Adam and Eve's disobedience, sin entered into the world and death
through sin. Ever since that tragic day, the human race has
been under the judgment of God. The Bible says:
"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken: for dust
thou art and unto dust shalt thou return," (Genesis 3:19);
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this
the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)
The
Bible says: ""Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try
the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets
are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is of God:
"And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is not of God: And this is the spirit of Antichrist, whereof
ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in
the world."
"We
are of God, little Children, and have overcome them: because
GREATER is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that
He sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might
live through Him.
WE
IN HIM & HE IN US
Jesus
said: "If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do
it. If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will
pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He
may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth; whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth
Him: but ye know Him: for He dwelleth with you and shall be in
you.
"I
will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you...because I
live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I
am in My Father, and ye in Me and I in you...If a man love Me, He
will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will
come and make our abode with him.
He
that loveth Me not keepeth my sayings: and the word which ye hear
is not Mine, but the Father's which sent me....but the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost, which the Father will send in My
name. He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to
your remember whatsoever I have said unto you." (John
14:14-26)
"If
ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ASK what ye
will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7)
“Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Hereby
know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given
us of His Spirit.
And we
have seen
and do testify that the Father sent His Son to be the Saviour of
the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God,
God dwelleth in Him, and He in God.” (1 John 4: 1-4, 6-15)
The
Bible says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds: Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
though to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4,5)
"So
shall they fear the Name of the Lord from the west, and His glory
from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come i like
a flood, the Spirit of God shall lift up a standard against
him." (Isaiah 59:19)
Again
St. John declares: "Ye are of God, little children, and
have overcome them (demon spirits): because GREATER is
He (Holy Spirit) that is in you than he (satan) that is in the
world." (1 John 4:4) Amen.
NO
NEED TO FEAR
When
God is in Charge!
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
We
are living in momentous days. Things of Biblical proportions
are becoming daily events. The Book of Revelation in the
Holy Bible, we read of great plagues coming upon the earth in the
last days. I believe the Corona Virus is the latest
harbinger to invade the whole world. Without doubt, there
are many more to come!
Is
this God's way of getting our attention? Is it His way of
punishing pagan countries? I do not know, however, studying
history gives us an important sense of how He has judged nations
and the world when the cup of our pride, greed, unbelief,
profanity and perversion is full!
Speaking
over BBC Radio from London - having fled Norway as Hitler's Army
advanced - King Haakon stated: "The only thing that can
save our world out of difficulties and all evil, is to return to
the old-time Christianity with the old values which must totally
saturate a people, if our culture is to be safe-guarded."
THE
MIRACLE AT DUNKIRK, 1940
On
10th May 1940, Hitler unleashed a military onslaught on France and
Belgium. Within days the British Army were trapped at
Dunkirk with their backs to the sea with a third of a million
soldiers about to be slaughtered or captured. Prime Minister
Winston Churchill was planning to speak to the nation about that
awful tragedy.
But
on 23rd May 1940, King George VI called for National Day of
Prayer. All churches were packed as the nation called upon
God! The same day an urgent request went out for boats of
all sizes and shapes to cross the English Channel to rescue the
besieged army, a call ultimately answered by around 800 vessels.
Suddenly,
Hitler ordered his army to halt. For three days the German
tanks and soldiers stood idle while the evacuation unfolded.
Bad weather grounded the Luftwaffe, allowing Allied soldiers to
march unhindered to the beaches.
In
contrast, on Wednesday the sea was extraordinarily calm, making
the perilous evacuation less hazardous. By the time the
German Army was finally ordered to renew its attack, over 338,000
troops had been snatched from the beaches, including 140,000
French, Belgium, Dutch and Polish soldiers. Many of them
were to return four years later to liberate Europe. All
honour and glory to God!
U.S
President Donald Trump has assembled a great team of medical
professionals, scientists, economic strategists, leading bankers
and business experts, who are seriously working to mitigate the
impact of a horrible plague. President Trump has called for
a National Emergency, and Dr. Ben Carson stated that, he will also
be calling for a National Day of Prayer!
We
must pray for Canada and our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his
wife Sophie at this trying time for them and their children!
May God give her a speedy recovery from the coronavirus! And
may God bless Canada!
LET
US ALL PRAY FOR CANADA!
A
marvelous story of faith has come to us from the Second World War.
In the Battle of Britain, the German Luftwaffe rained down about
35,000 bombs upon London during nightly air raids, causing
terrifying fear and tremendous destruction and mayhem in large
parts of the city!
For
months, as sirens wailed out warnings of approaching German
bombers, the general population automatically hurried toward the
nearest Air Raid Shelter! People learned to look after
one another during the nightly raids and the 'morning after'
walkabouts and cleanups!
After
a terrible night of bombardment, an elderly woman was not seen in
a certain neighbourhood for several days. Her neighbors
assumed that she had either been killed by the fallling bombs or
that she had gone to the countryside to escape the danger,
disruption of life and incessant noise!
Sometime
later, a neighbour spotted the elderly woman walking down the
street and articulated his happiness that she was alive and well!
"It's nice to see you back", he said.
"I have not been away", she replied. "Where
have you been?" he asked. "I've been at
home", said the woman! "What have you been
doing at home during the air raids?" inquired the
neighbour. "Sleeping", she answered!
"How could you sleep with all the noise and explosions?"
he asked.
"Oh",
she replied. "I was reading my Bible and found in
Psalms 121:4 where it declares that God doesn't slumber nor sleep,
so I thought there was no point in both of us staying awake."
The
Bible says: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will
help thee; year, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My
righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)
WHAT
EXACTLY IS FEAR AND WHAT DOES IT DO TO A PERSON?
Fear
is a corrupting, constricting and crippling agent! Fear
corrupts through the unbelief it breeds in the heart! It
constricts the flow of the Holy Spirit and reduces the fruit that
faith produces! Its crippling effect erodes the peace and
joy that results from receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour!
WHY?
Fear hampers the normal functions of the Gifts of the Spirit,
making victims and spiritual dwarfs, out of servants and
emissaries of our Lord!
Fear
is divisive, demeaning
and destructive.
It creates a divided heart which brings only condemnation and
confusion! The Bible states: "But let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the
sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man
think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A
double minded man in unstable in all his ways." (James
1:7-8)
Fear
is demeaning because it makes you think, say and do things
that make you look foolish, puts you outside the will of God and
is of character with Christian living! It is destructive
because it destroys your confidence in God and His Word and
therefore your fellowship with Him!
The
Bible confirms: "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater
than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our
heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His
commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His
sight." (1 John 3:20-22)
What
is the underlying cause of condemnation? Plain and simple: Sin!
And what is the antidote of solution for the serious problem of
sin? The answer in a nutshell, is the Blood of Jesus!
WHAT
CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN
The
Bible says: "If we walk in the light as He is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanses us from all sins. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and
cleanse us from all sins." (1 John 1:7,9)
When
the sin in cleansed away, condemnation leaves and faith leaps to
the forefront! Then, miracles occur as God answers prayer in
response to sincere faith-filled petitions coming from a clean
heart!
Fear
brings trepidation, torment and terror!
It is an enemy, but fear can be neutralized, beaten and
vanquished! The Bible states: "God hath not given
us the spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind."
(2 Timothy 1:7) Sin God does not give anyone the spirit of
fear, it is evident that fear comes from Satan, who is the enemy
of God and mankind!
The
Bible says: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love
casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fears is
not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:17-18);
"The thief (Satan) cometh not but for to steal, and to kill
and to destroy. I am come that ye may have life, and that ye
might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
Former
alcoholic and drug addict, James
Payne,
wrote a gospel song titled John 3:16. Here are the lyrics:
Alone
one night at the end of my rope, I
n a hotel in Nashville praying for hope.
In my hand was a Bible I had read as a child,
On the table was the bottle that was driving me wild.
I
poured the whiskey into the glass,
Praying that some I could forget my past.
Then I remembered how Jesus had died on the tree,
I poured out the whiskey and fell down on my knees.
The
night Ol' Jack Daniels met John 3:16
God's word broke the chains that he had over me.
I traded Tennessee whiskey for Calvary's tree,
The night Ol' Jack Daniels met John 3:16
WHEN
FEAR MEETS THE BLOOD!
That
is the exact reaction that occurs when the spirit of fear meets
the blood of Jesus! When His powerful blood sweeps over our
souls, fear must leave immediately! There is no room for
satanic bondage of any kind in the life of a Christian! The
Blessed Holy Spirit makes us free from sin, guilt and fear.
And He keeps us free for God's glory! Praise His name
forever!
U.S.
President Roosevelt stated: "The
only thing to fear is fear itself." In
many cases that is true. Because fear is a spirit, when it
digs its deceptive tentacles into a victim, raw fear often proves
to be far worse than the object of the fear!
There
is a story in Middle Eastern folklore of a great warrior
who meets a mythical rider carrying a gigantic scythe! His
name was Death!
Addressing
him, the warrior says: "I have just come from a battle
where I left 5,000 men dead. Where have you been and where
are you going?"
The
mythical rider replies: "I have just left the area to
which you are heading." Inquiringly, the warrior
asks: "How many dead will I find there?"
Death answers: "The plague killed 5,000."
The
next week, the great warrior again meets the mythical rider on the
windswept desert. He hails the scythe - carrier with a
shout. "You lied to me. The plague left 20,000
dead. You told me that you had killed only 5,000!"
Death
replies: "I told you the truth. 5,000 perished
from the plague. The rest died of fear!"
An
old adage says: "Cowards die a thousand times before
their death. The valiant tastes of death by once!"
Without doubt, fear is a real enemy and a robber. The Bible
character Job, after having been attacked by Satan, confessed:
"The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me." (Job
3:25)
SCANNING
THE HILLS KING DAVID SENSED DANGER!
The
Psalmist King stated: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the
hills. From whence cometh my help? My help
cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keeps
Israel will not slumber. Behold, He that keeps Israel shall
neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalms 121:14)
This
scripture text has been greatly misunderstood because of an
apparent error in translation. Instead of a comma after the
word 'hills', there should be a period. And instead of a
period after 'help' there should be a question mark! He
wasn't looking to the "hills" for help, but to the Lord
who made heaven and earth! The entire psalm must be taken in
context.
The
original Hebrew conveys the message that there was danger lurking
in the hills. As King David scanned the hills assessing the
danger he asked, "How well are we defended? Where is
our help going to come from?" Then he answers his own
question: "Our help will come from Almighty God, who made
heaven and earth. He will help us because He is Israel's keeper
and He does not slumber nor sleep. He's on call 24 hours a
day!"
When
things go wrong and it appears that the bottom has dropped out of
everything, that is not the time to become afraid or to panic!
God's Word says: "And call upon Me in the day of trouble:
I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." (Psalm
50:15)
Jesus
said: "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
If we must doubt, let us doubt our doubts and put our trust
totally in Jesus Christ our Lord! God is trustworthy and
good. His mercy endures forever. His intentions toward
us are only for our good and His Word is infallible, immutable and
inerrant! (Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 117:2)
We
must listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Helper
which the Father has sent to lead, guide, direct, comfort and heal
us! Remember, the word of God is a "lamp unto our
feet and a light unto our path." (Psalms 119:5)
Here
is a powerful promise of God to us all: "Trust in the
Lord, and do good; so shall thou live in the land, and verily thou
shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall
give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy ways unto
the Lord; trust also in Him and he shall bring it to pass."
(Psalms 37:5)
OUR
LORD WILL NOT FAIL US
He
is duty bound to keep His Word to us! Satan is duty
bound to obey us when we speak in Jesus' name, against Satan's
evil and cruel designs. Our Lord has given us the legal
right and power, to use His name to bind Satan and cast him out of
those that he has afflicted or possessed! And we - God's
children - are duty bound to serve Him with all our ability
by His grace and power, until He returns for us in the rapture of
the Church, or the hour of our death!
The
Great Commission says: "Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:19, 20)
"And
He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel
to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And
these signs shall follow them that believe;
"In
My Name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents (St. Paul in Malta); and if
they drink any deadly thing (by accident), it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
(Mark 16:15-18)
He
promised: "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
(Hebrews 13:5); ".... I am with you alway, even unto the end
of the world." (Matthew 28:20). In the original Greek,
a double imperative is used. It says, I will never, no
never, leave thee. I will never, no never forsake
thee."
The
world always is a term denoting time and the word alway is a term
denoting distance. JESUS wants us to know the He will be
with us all the way until our journey is over, until we see Him
face to face! And that is good enough for me! Amen
 SATAN
DIVIDES BUT
GOD UNITES
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
Satan
is the Father of the 'Divide and Conquer' doctrine which
has been used effectively by totalitarian nations like the Nazis,
Communists and Muslims and others in the centuries past. Of
course, He has used it in democratic countries, as well as others
for centuries.
Therefore,
it should not be a surprise that he has employed that disastrous
tactic in almost all forms of government, academia, business,
society, the home and even in the church!
It
was LUCIFER who initiated the 'divide and conquer' strategy.
He alone is responsible for the divisiveness that is so prevalent
in the world today, pitting nation against nation, race against
race, gender against gender, brother against brother and man
against God! It was he was rose up in rebellion against his
Creator. It was Lucifer, the trusted archangel, who
influenced one third of the holy angels of God to follow him in an
unholy insurrection against the Almighty!
The
Bible states: "And there was a was in Heaven: Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his
angels, and prevailed not, Neither was their place found any more
in Heaven. And the great Dragon was cast out, that old
serpent called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole
world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him."
"And
I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven; Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ;
for the accuser of the Brethren is cast down which accused them
before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the
BLOOD of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they
loved not their lives unto the end."
"Therefore
rejoice, ye Heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the
inhibiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is
come down unto you, having great wrath because he knoweth that he
hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:7-12)
SATAN
TURNED MAN AGAINST GOD!
Satan
is a cleaver manipulator, divider, destroyer and destabilizer!
He destroys individuals, marriages, homes, churches, communities,
nations and civilization itself. In the beginning he
destroyed the beautiful relationship that our Heavenly Father had
with ADAM and EVE, which has had a catastrophic effect on the
human race ever since!
As
a consequence, man was banished from the Garden of Eden, lost the
beautiful Father/son intimacy with their Creator and God, Man's
innocence and right to eternal life was snatched away as sin, fear
and death loomed large before them, causing fear, guilt and a
terror filled leap into an unknown future!
Almost
immediately, the 'divide and conquer spirit' brought
discord between the sons of Adam and Eve. Satan injected
jealousy into the heart of Cain again Abel, causing the first
murder on planet earth. It is not a natural impulse for a
man to murder his brother, but Cain fell for Satan's lies and took
his brother's life. Murder has been duplicated millions of
times over the centuries!
SATAN
ENTICED JUDAS WITH GREED!
It
is almost unbelievable that our Lord would choose twelve disciples
and spend three years training and teaching them all about the
Kingdom of God, righteousness, holiness, mercy, truth, Heaven and
Hell, and one of them betrayed Him. Jesus had nurtured
the twelve Apostles, shared the deep mysteries of His incarnation,
role as God's Paschal Lamb, His death, resurrection and coming
Glory and yet His secretary Treasurer, JUDAS, stole from the Bag
and eventually sold Him for 30 pieces of silver.
The
Bible says: "And the chief priests and scribes sought how
they might kill Him, for they feared Him. Then ENTERED SATAN into
Judas surnamed Iscariot, being one of the twelve. And he went his
way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he
might betray Him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to
give him money. And he promised and sought opportunity to betray
Him unto them in the absence of the multitude." (Luke 22:
3-6)
JUDAS'
betrayal of Jesus for money is a stark lesson to us of the
sinister and evil mind set of Satan in his war against the Gospel
and Christ's Body, His Church!
Ever
since then, the Devil has on numberless occasions found dishonest,
jealous and greedy workers in God's Kingdom who take advantage of
gullible, unsuspecting believers to support them economically and
psychologically, often to their own hurt and that of the Church.
Anyone who hurts the Church to gain his own ends is Satan's
tool!
Remember,
that Satan DIVIDES but Jesus UNITES. Satan divided man from
God, but Jesus brought man back to God through His sacrificial
death on the Cross!
MUSLIM
NATIONS HATE ONE ANOTHER!
Fast
forward to our time and see the rage, hate, dishonesty, pillage,
mayhem and murder, happening now between Muslim nations, as they
reach for the golden ring of power over their brethren. Although
they hate each other, they hate Jews and Christians more and
according to their teaching will one day rule the world through a
Muslim Caliphate, led by the Grand Mahdi or the 12th Imam!
We
believe that horrific 'Murderer in Chief' could very
well be the Antichrist who will be cast into the Lake of Fire
together with the False Prophet and Satan himself. Here are Jesus'
Words on the subject: "And the Devil that deceived them was
cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the Beast
(antichrist) and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day
and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20: 10)
Their
Sharia Law gives them the right to kill every Jew and Christian to
set up a world Caliphate of Sharia Law. How Satan must exult in
his evilness as he sees the raping, beheadings, torture and
murders happening now in the Middle East, Africa and other nations
by al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, Taliban and the Muslim Brotherhood!
AN
ENEMY HATH DONE THIS
"Another
parable put He forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is
likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while
men slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went
his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth
fruit, then appeared the tares." (Matthew 13:24-26)
SATAN
has been busy sowing tares among the wheat. He has infiltrated
many churches with the promotion of his soft sell Gospel, greasy
grace, easy believism, same-sex marriage, abortion, Chrislam and
other damning doctrines!
The
Bible warns: "These six things both the Lord Hate: yea, seven
are an abomination unto Him...he that soweth DISCORD among
brethren." (Proverbs 6:16-19)
"Now,
I beseech you, brethren, Mark them which cause DIVISIONS and
offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned: and avoid
them." (Romans 16:17)
St.
Paul says: "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give
account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for
that is unprofitable for you.
"Now
the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great Shepherd of the sheep, make you perfect, through the
Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, make you perfect in every good
work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in
His sight, through Jesus Christ: to Whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:17, 20, 21) PRAISE
THE LORD!
THESE
ARE THE
LAST DAYS!
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken,
D.D.
Every
day takes us one day nearer to Christ's return, the rapture
of the church and the end of the world. Each hour takes us
into new crises, destruction, heartbreak and sorrow. Many of
the things happening were prophesied by the prophets and apostles
of our Lord thousands of years ago.
One
could rightly describe the days in which we live as perilous,
wicked, and prophetic! These are trying days full of fear,
pessimism and sadness; for the Christian; however, these days
should be filled with anticipation as we wait for the return of
our Lord. TIME MARCHES ON, no one can stop it - and with it
marches prophecy - marching on to fulfillment!
Watching
the Newscasts today is like reading from the Holy Bible.
Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and others, together with the Apostles in
the New Testament foretold the events which are happening
now. Any student of the Bible surely can see the handwriting
on the wall in regard to the wickedness of mankind, the shortness
of time, the soon coming of Christ and the Judgment Day.
The
Bible says, "Men's hearts will fail them for fear and
for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for
the powers of Heaven shall be shaken." (Luke 21:26)
The Scripture states some of the reasons that men's hearts shall
fail them - "There shall be signs in the sun and in the moon
and in the stars; and upon earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and waves roaring."
Regardless
of how dark the picture looks, we who know the Lord Jesus Christ,
and are filled with the Holy Ghost do not frighten easily because
of our belief in Him and the Holy Word of God, together with our
unshakeable hope of the soon and glorious appearing of our Blessed
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I
believe it is a God given opportunity and a great privilege to be
alive in the midnight hour of this closing generation of the Grace
of God upon the earth. What an opportunity, what a privilege
and what a responsibility is ours to bring the glorious message of
a risen and living Saviour to the ends of the earth! What a
tremendous responsibility is ours since we have so much light from
God and so many open doors into which we can go with this message
of life.
WE
MUST NOT FALTER; WE DARE NOT FAIL, we cannot ignore the pleas
from the hungry and thirsty souls who are begging us to come over
and help them, before it is too late. May God supply the need so that we can give ourselves
freely in Gospel crusades, in radio broad-casting, TV and in
printing millions of pieces of literature to ship around the world
to the lost and dying.
We are responsible for our generation! We are not
responsible for the generation of our fathers or for a future
generation (should Christ tarry) – we are responsible for the
people who are alive today! We must reach them with the
Gospel Message before it is too late. I am absolutely
thrilled at the prospect of the great things which are in store
for us who are servants of the living God, daring to believe the
entirety of His Word, in this awful generation! Our prayer
should be: "HERE I AM LORD, SEND ME!"
Please pray for me that I may ever stay in the centre of
His Will!
Also
in Luke 21:24-32, "And there shall be signs in the sun, and
in the moon, and in the stars and upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's
heart's failing them for fear, (and for looking after those things
which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be
shaken. And
then shall they see the SON
OF MAN coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.."
PERILOUS
& WICKED DAYS
The
Scripture tells us that in the last days perilous times shall
come. (2 Tim. 3:1) This certainly is a picture of this generation. These are treacherously dangerous and perilous times -
murder, rape, violence and crime stalk the streets of our cities
as nuclear nations stand ready to pull the trigger that would
begin a third world war and could bring death to multiplied
millions the earth over.
The
world stands on a powder keg - almost anything could topple
the scales in the wrong direction - almost hourly and definitely
daily - new protests, demonstrations, riots and insurrections are
taking place around the globe. The world awaits and watches breathlessly hour by hour and
moment by moment for fresh news of violence and bloodshed.
The
days in which we are living are wicked days.
Gross immorality and sex perversion has taken a tremendous
toll on young lives in this present civilization.
Our
western civilization is being demoralized to the extent that many
of our young people have no will to work, no desire to achieve
worthwhile goals, no initiative to help themselves or their
fellowman, and no respect for themselves, their parents,
governmental authority, and even God almighty.
Many are slaves to cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, heroin,
liquor and illusive, demon inspired and perverted thoughts.
Remember
the great Empire of Greece and Rome and how they fell because of
moral corruption. Look at how England is falling, and falling fast, because
of sin - USA and Canada are on her heels. - OH GOD HELP US!
Then
also, not only do we have wickedness & sinfulness in the world
today that has been unprecedented in other generations, but we
have a double barrel evil day here with the sins of the
Antediluvian age (days of Noah) and also the sins of Sodom and
Gomorrah (Luke 17:26-30); we also have days that are tragic with
happenings in the world that bring great suffering, pain, anguish
and sorrow to many people.
On
the domestic scene we have the tragedy of broken homes, divorce
and remarriage, and children left to shift for themselves. We have the tragedy of little children being assaulted and
raped by some demon possessed pervert or sadist - women strangled
and raped, entire families murdered by someone who has given his
mind over to evil spirits, who have compelled him to rape
and kill, and also an alarming increase of drug addiction and
suicides.
On
the political scene we see the tragedy of fake news by CNN and
their TV echo chambers, promoting anti-American, pro-socialism and
communist views, cancel culture, pro-abortion views. MAY GOD HELP US! These indeed are tragic days.
PROPHETIC
DAYS
God
has his hand on all things and I believe that everything has
happened for a purpose and according to God's plan. America
has forsaken God, is sinning grossly and must reap because of her
iniquities. She has sown and now she is reaping and there
will be more of the harvest unless she repents and returns to God!
Nothing
that has happened has just happened, but everything goes according
to DIVINE plan - the events of recent days are having their
effects upon the millions and every day history is being made and
prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes.
All
these events, tragedies and fulfilled prophecies point us again
and again to the IMMINENT SOON personal return of the Lord Jesus
Christ from Heaven to rapture the Church. In the Holy
Scriptures we read (Revelation 22:17), "And the Spirit and
the bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, Come. And
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely.
PREPARE
TO MEET YOUR MAKER
My urgent message to you today is to prepare to meet your Maker, for
surely we are living in the very last days, and soon we will see
Him as He is - We who are Christians must labor and work to
win others to Him before the darkness falls upon the earth and God
closes things down for the night! (Rev. 10:5-6)
"And
the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted
up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever and
ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the
sea, and the things which were therein, that there should be time
no longer." (John 9:4) Jesus said, "I must work the works of him that sent
me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."
(John
4:35-36) Jesus said, "Say not ye, there are yet four months,
and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your
eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to
harvest. And
he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life
eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice
together."
We
see the darkening clouds of apostasy, false religion and
backsliding, luke-warm church members hovering low; we see the
mammoth rise of crime, racism, violence and strife everywhere; and
then we look into the Bible, God's Holy Word, and we read,
"Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
(Luke 21:28)
I
want to ask you one question before I bring this message to a
close - Are your sins washed away or are you a
sinner on the broad road to Hell and separation from God?
Please
stop long enough in your pursuit of pleasure, wealth and fame and
begin to think! Think for a few minutes about eternity, the
destiny of your soul and the Love of God that sent Jesus Christ to
die for you on the cross of Calvary so many years ago – Please
accept Jesus Christ today as your personal Saviour and your name
will be written down in the Lamb's Book of Life. (Rev.
20:15) Here are the words of invitation from our Lord
Himself: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28) Amen.
** This
updated article originally written in 1973.
EXPOSING
SATAN'S LIES
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
Satan
is a liar! Jesus said so and I believe it! There is no
greater witness in this universe than our Lord Jesus Christ, who
is the Way, Truth and Life! (John 14:6)
JESUS
IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN
Jesus
is the only way to Heaven; there is NONE other. He is the
only truth; there is NONE other. He is the only life; there
is NONE other!
Jesus
said: :
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a Murderer from the beginning,
and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he speaketh a Lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a Liar,
and the father of it." (John 8: 44)
Satan
was a murderer from the beginning! He lied to Eve: "And
the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be gods, knowing good and evil." (Gen.3:
4).
SATAN:
FIRST MURDERER!
Satan's
lies to Eve caused Adam's disobedience which resulted in their
deaths and that of all that would be born after them. Lucifer
is responsible for the death of the human race. Jesus
told the truth. Satan is Guilty as charged and will be tormented
forever in the Lake of Fire!
Satan
was the instigator in the death of Jesus of Nazareth. He filled
Judas' heart to betray the Saviour and caused Simon Peter to deny
with a curse, that he knew His Lord and Master. The Liar filled
the hearts of the High Priest and the leaders in the Sanhedrin to
condemn Him to death!
Jesus
Christ, True God from Eternity, together with the Father and the
Holy Spirit is Omnipotent because He is all powerful. He is
Omniscient, meaning all wise and all knowing, and Omnipresent
because He is everywhere at once!
Ask yourself: "Why
did Jesus come to this earth?" He sees ALL, hears ALL and
knows ALL. And He feels ALL, as well. He knows all about us and
still loves us in spite of our rebellious attitudes, pride, self
sufficiency and unbelief.
The Holy Bible
says: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is
passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast
our profession. For we have not an High Priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Heb. 4: 14,15)
St. Peter
stated: "Casting all your cares upon Him for He careth for
you." (1 Peter 4:7). Jesus Christ is still the compassionate,
caring and giving Saviour as He always has been. He is the same
yesterday, today and forever. (Heb.13: 8).
HE WILL
NEVER LEAVE US!
He said: "Lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world (age)."
(Matt. 28: 20): "For He hath said, I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee." (Heb. 13: 5). In the original, Jesus used
a double imperative. He actually said: "I
will never, no never leave thee. I will never, no never forsake
thee!"
Always
is a measure of time, while alway is a measure of distance.
He will be with us to the end of life, even until we see Him face
to face: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth
yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall
appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."
(1 John 3: 2)
Our Saviour
wept over Jerusalem. He wept at the grave of Lazarus, when He
witnessed the sorrow of Mary and Martha. The Holy Scripture
declares:
"Jesus
saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto
Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the
last day. Jesus saith unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the
Life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he
live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.
Believest thou this? She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord: I believe that
Thou art the Son of God, which should come into this world."
(John 11: 23-27)
"Then
they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.
And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said, Father I thank Thee that
Thou hast heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always: but
because of the people that stand by, I said it, that they may
believe that Thou hast sent Me.
"And when He thus
had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And
he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave
clothes: and His face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith
unto them, loose him, and let him go." (John 11:
41-44)
CHRIST
IS LORD OVER ALL!
Jesus Christ
has all power in Heaven, in earth and the regions below! Demons
obey Him and angels worship Him, for He is worthy to be
praised. It is not within our grasp as mere mortals, however,
to understand the unsearchable greatness of His Person and
awesomeness of His love, mercy, grace and power!
The Bible says:
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round
about the throne and the beasts and the elders and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory and blessing.
"And
every creature which is in Heaven, and on the earth and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard
I saying, Blessing and honour, and glory and power, be unto Him
that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and
ever." (Rev.11-13)
Jesus
rejoiced in Spirit and danced for joy, after praying to His
Father. (Luke 10:21). He would not tolerate the merchandising
of His Father's House and drove them out of the temple. (
Matt.21:12); He looked about in anger at the hard-heart
hypocrites. (Mark 3:5). He knew their thoughts.(Matt.12: 25).
By a miracle,
He multiplied the loaves and the fishes on two occasions.
(Matt.14: 15-21; 15: 32-38). He saw the multitudes in their
tremendous need and healed them:
"And
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing
every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw
the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they
fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no
shepherd." (Matt. 9: 35-36)
"Then was
Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of
the devil...Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for
it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him ONLY
shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, behold, angels came
and ministered unto Him." (Matt. 4: 1-11)
Jesus
commanded the host of demons to leave the insane man of Gadera.
When the demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter a herd of
swine which were nearby, He simply said: "GO!" (Mark 5:
1-15)
Martin Luther
said: "By God's grace, I know Satan very well. If Satan
can turn God's Word upside down and pervert the Scriptures, what
will he do with my words or the words of others?"
If anyone
should KNOW Satan's lying tactics it was our Lord, Who had created
him as a pure, righteous archangel and saw his treasonous actions
and disastrous fall. Pride, arrogance and pure Evil had overtaken
him, causing the greatest Rebellion in historical record!
LUCIFER
CAST OUT OF HEAVEN!
The archangel
Michael ejected Lucifer the offending, rebellious archangel, from
Heaven, together with one third of the angelic host, who had
followed the Rebel! (Isaiah 14: 12-17; Ezek. 28: 12-17; Rev. 12:
7-11).
Jesus Christ cast
out thousands of demons from sick, suffering and demon possessed
people during His earthly Ministry.
On the 'Cross of Shame', however Jesus delivered the final death
blow to Satan and his Evil kingdom.
The Bible
records: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He
said, It is finished and He bowed His head and gave up the
ghost." (John 19:30).
Jesus spoke in Greek
and the word He uttered was tetelestai. That word is taken
from the Greek verb teleo which has three essential
meaning: to finish something and
bring something to an end; to fulfill something; to pay that which
is owed.
Jesus had finished
His work of Redemption. He had brought to an end Satan's
domination over the human race. He had fulfilled all the
Scriptures about the Jewish Messiah. He had paid for all our sins,
past, present and future, as well as all our sicknesses and pains!
JESUS
WAS AGAINST SIN & SICKNESS!
Seven hundred
years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Isaiah foretold His
Mission: "Surely He hath borne our sicknesses (heb. makob),
and carried our pains (heb. nasa): yet we did esteem
Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded
for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we
are healed." (Is. 53: 4,5)
Everywhere He went,
Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons, liberating lost, sick
and suffering souls: "And Jesus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel
of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among
the people.
"And His
fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick
people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and
those which were possessed with devils and those which were
lunatic, and those that had the palsy, and He healed them."
(Matt.4: 23-24)
But
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing
every disease and disease among the people. But when He saw the
multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they
were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd."
(Matt. 9: 35, 36)
GOD'S
PLAN TO BLESS HUMANITY!
Jesus laid out
His plan for world evangelism when He ordained TWELVE disciples to
help lift the burden of bringing deliverance and healing to the
masses of sick and suffering people:
"And when
He had called His twelve disciples, He gave them power against
unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of
sickness and all manner of disease... These twelve Jesus sent
forth and commanded them saying...
"And as you go,
preach saying the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye
have received, freely give." (Matt.10: 1, 7,8)
Later, He
added another SEVENTY disciples to His team of evangelists and
sent them out with the same directions as the twelve: "And
into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such
things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein,
and say unto them, The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."
(Luke 10:1, 8,9)
The Bible
says: And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even
the devils are subject unto us through Thy name. And He said unto
them, I beheld Satan as lightening fall from Heaven. Behold, I
give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over
all the power of the enemy: and NOTHING shall by any means
hurt you." (Luke 10: 17).
WHY
DID JESUS HEAL THE SICK?
Everywhere our
Saviour went, He preached the Kingdom of God and HEALED the
sick and cast out EVIL SPIRITS from those who were bound.
He commissioned His apostles and disciples to do the same. Why
did Jesus of Nazareth have such a vengeance against sickness and
disease? For the same reason He cast out devils wherever they
manifested!
Look at this
Scripture: "And He said unto them, let us go into the next
towns that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and
cast out devils." (Mark 1: 3, 29).
Any thinking
person reading the New Testament would very quickly understand
that Jesus was very involved in driving out unclean spirits from
those who were bound. In nearly every Scripture text where He
healed the sick and diseased, He also cast out devils.
I have come to
the conclusion that JESUS loved the sufferers and was very much
against the diseases and sicknesses and evil spirits that had
afflicted them! The Bible states: "...For this PURPOSE the
Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the
devil." (1 John 3: 8)
MAN
CREATED WITH A SOUND BODY!
As God the
Son, He was involved in the creation of man and knew why sickness
had come upon the human race. There was no sickness or disease in
the Garden of Eden. There was no pain, fear, or death! And God
would walk and talk with our First Parents!
Adam and Eve
lived in a Paradise, without sin, sickness, disease or death.
After their disobedience and tragic fall everything changed. God
drove them out of the Garden and sin, sickness and death have
reigned ever since!
There will be no
sickness or disease on earth during the Millennial Reign of Christ
or in Heaven. Jesus saw sin, sickness and disease as enemies of
the human race, which were caused by the fall. These things were
abhorrent to Him, so He attacked them by bringing HEALING
to the sick and suffering, and by casting out the evil spirits who
had invaded the human race.
JESUS was
showing us what life will be like in His Kingdom. By commissioning
His apostles, disciples and followers to carry on His work, He was
laying out specific guidelines for His Ministers to continue in
His absence. Later, He sent the Holy Spirit to lead His Church. He
hated sin and sickness because they are the work and result of
Satan's treacherous lies and the fall of man.
The Bible
says: "When the even was come, they brought unto Him many
that were possessed with devils and He cast out the spirits with
His Word, and healed all that were sick. That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Easias the prophet, saying, Himself
took our sicknesses and bare our sicknesses." (Matt.8: 16,17)
SICKNESS:
PART OF THE CURSE!
Dr. Oral
Roberts wrote: "Healing is a part of the Christian's
inheritance. This is a precious truth. If Jesus took our
sicknesses, then we need not bear them any longer. Sickness is a
part of the curse. (Gal.3: 13).
"He
suffered in your stead so that you would not have to carry your
sicknesses. Every conceivable form of sickness was borne by Jesus
in order that all may be healed. It was His joy to heal the sick
and afflicted. It is still His joy to do so." (Matt. 8: 16,
17)
HEALING is a
presentation of the Kingdom of Heaven. When the healing of a
person starts, the Kingdom of Heaven is nigh. God has come on the
scene. He is present. Sickness is torment: It is the devil's
oppression. It is a frontal attack of Satan against the Kingdom of
Heaven. Really, Satan isn't striking against you or me. He is
striking against God. But Christ, in His power, comes to deliver
us. Healing is God's counter attack against Satan."
My
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, You healed all who came to
You when you walked among men, hear my humble cry for Your mercy
and grace in healing all today, because You are the same now as
then! Time has not diminished Your ability to work miracles, for
your Word states that You are the same yesterday, today and
forever. (Heb.13: 8).
Since You are
Eternal and not limited by Time or Space, You are able to do Your
miracles at a moment's notice anywhere across the world, dear
Saviour and Lord. Please hear my heart's cry regarding the Divine
miracles that are needed for all who suffer terribly from the
onslaughts of Satan, that wicked enemy of men and God!
Have mercy
upon me dear Lord and make your presence known and felt in the
lives of all who are sinful, defeated, discouraged and earful.
Breathe upon them, O' God and HEAL all sickness, disease and
infirmity
among Your people, O' Lord. Remember every family member who
suffer. Grant a miracle to each of them, I pray in Your name!
Amen.
SATAN'S
SIN OF HIGH TREASON!
What was the
motivation of Lucifer's great sin of High Treason against Almighty
God? Why was he not satisfied in being the Covering Cherub,
leading the praise and worship to the Lord God in the Highest?
Without doubt,
it was the sin of PRIDE! It was greed, selfishness and downright
stupidity! It was self-glory, thinking of himself to be greater
than he was. The original Hebrew gives the implication that he not
only wanted "to be like God", but to dethrone God
and be God.
God never
created a stupid angel, so where did this stupidity come from? How
could a created being think that he could unseat God Most High,
Creator, Sustainer and Giver of Life? His unthinkable folly
teaches us what sin can do an otherwise intelligent personality.
What did
Lucifer's arrogant, haughty action accomplish? What was the
outcome of his folly? He was cast out of Heaven, stripped of his
position and consigned to an eternal censure as a renegade angel
and a despised, hated, evil, perverted enemy of God and man! He
will always be known as a tyrant, murderer, liar, and filthy
monster who will eventually be cast into the Lake of Fire for
eternity!
Jesus
called Lucifer, the fallen archangel by three names: Satan, the
Opposer, Adversary, Enemy; The Devil, liar, false accuser,
traducer; Beelzebub, god of flies, filth, corruption!
St. Paul
warns: Be not deceived. God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth that shall he also reap." (Gal.6: 7). May no-one
reading these lines follow in his treacherous foot steps which
lead only to heartbreak, sorrow and death. A present day example,
is the murderous and devilish life-styles of Islamic Terrorists
who answer Satan's call to follow him in raping, pillaging,
beheading Christians and Jews and dying as suicide bombers!
SATAN'S
DEMISE: TOTAL DEFEAT!
"Thus
saith the Lord God: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom and
perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the Garden of God:
every precious stone was thy covering...the workmanship of the
tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou
wast created.
"Thou
art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so:
thou wast upon the holy mountain of God: thou hast walked up and
down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy
ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found
in thee...
"Thou
hast SINNED: therefore will I cast thee as profane out of the
mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O Covering Cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up
because of thy Beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom because of
thy Wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to
the ground..." (Ezek.28: 12-17)
The prophet
Ezekiel laid out the case against Lucifer. He had been the
Covering Cherub, the guardian of God's throne and full of wisdom
and beauty, until the day that he sinned. He led a revolt against
the Almighty and was judged and cast out of Heaven.
Some
believe that in the distant past, Lucifer had been given charge of
planet earth and planned his assault on God's throne from there.
And when he was cast out of Heaven to the earth, God made the
earth a wilderness. Others believe that Lucifer's wrath was so
great that he destroyed everything.
The Genesis
record states: "In the beginning God created the heaven and
earth." God created the heaven and earth perfect, but
something happened to make the earth a wilderness. "And the
earth was without form an void." Then, God recreated the
earth.
HOW
ART THOU FALLEN?
God said to
Adam and Eve: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth." (Gen.1:28). That speaks of the earth being
inhabited at an earlier time. Only God knows, however, the Gap
Theory makes sense.
Here is what
Isaiah recorded: "How art thou Fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning! How are thou cut down to the ground, which
didst weaken the nations!
"For thou
hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit
also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
North: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I
will like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to
hell, to the sides of the pit.
"They
that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee
saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, and did
shake kingdoms; That made the world as a Wilderness and
destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his
Prisoners? (Is.14: 12-17)
On the Isle of
Patmos, St. John was given this amazing revelation: "And
there was WAR in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon; and the dragon fought against his angels, and prevailed
not; neither was their place found again in Heaven.
"And the
great dragon was cast out, that old Serpent called the Devil, and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud
voice saying in Heaven: Now is come salvation, and strength, and
the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the
accuser of the brethren is cast down, which accused them before
our God day and night.
And they
overcame him (Satan) by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Therefore rejoice, ye Heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to
the inhabitors of the earth and of the sea!
"For the
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath because he knoweth
that he hath but a short time." (Rev. 12: 7-12)
THE
BEST NEWS OF ALL!
"And the
seventy returned again with joy saying, Lord, even the devils are
subject unto
us through Thy Name. And He said unto them, I beheld Satan
as lightning Fall from Heaven. Behold, I give unto you Power
to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy:
and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10: 17-20)
Jesus
promised: "And these signs shall follow them that believe;
In My Name shall they cast our devils...they shall lay hands on
the sick and they shall recover." (Mark 16: 15-20)
"...For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy
the works of the Devil." (1 John 3: 8): "For as much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He (Jesus)
also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death
He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is
the devil." (Heb.2: 14)
St. John saw it all in
a vision given to him by Jesus Christ: "I saw an angel come
down from Heaven, having the Key of the Bottomless Pit and a great
chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
Serpent which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years.
"And cast him into
the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and put a seal on him, that
he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season." (Rev.20: 1-3)
"And the Devil
that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone,
where the Beast (Antichrist) and the False Prophet are and
shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.
"And I
saw a great White Throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place
for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;
and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is
the BOOK of LIFE: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
"And death and Hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into
the Lake of Fire." Amen.
EXPOSING
SATAN & HIS LIES!
Jesus
called the Devil by three names: Satan which means the
adversary, enemy, opposer; the Devil meaning liar,
slanderer, deceiver and false accuser; Beelzebub which
means the god of flies!
The
Bible says: "But I fear, lest
somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your
minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
"And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms
himself into an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11: 3, 14)
HE
IS THE TEMPTER:
St. Paul
wrote: "For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I
sent to know your faith, lest by some means, the TEMPTER have
tempted you, and our labour be in vain." (1 Th.3: 5)
Immediately
after Jesus of Nazareth was baptized in the River Jordan and the
Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove fell upon Him, He was led into
the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Here is the Holy Record
of that temptation and Christ's total victory over the Tempter:
"Then was Jesus
led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the
devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was
afterwards an hungered. And when
the tempter came to him, he said, if Thou be the Son of God,
command that these stones be made bread.
"But He
answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every Word the cometh out of the mouth of God.
"Then the devil
taketh Him up into the Holy City, and setteth Him on the pinnicle
of temple, and saith unto Him, If
Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He
shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands
they shall bear Thee up, lest Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.
"Jesus
saith unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord
thy God.
"Again, the devil
taketh Him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and showeth Him
all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them: And saith
unto Him, All these things will
I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.
SATAN'S
THREE TEMPTATIONS!
These
are the three temptations that the devil uses: the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life! Satan tempted
Jesus with the lust of the flesh, the pride of life and the lust
of the eyes!
"Then saith
Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou
shalt Worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou Serve.
Then, the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and
ministered unto Him." (Matt.4: 1-11)
The
Bible warns: "Love not the world, neither the things that are
in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not
of the Father, but is of the world."
After fasting
for forty days and forty nights, Jesus was hungry. Immediately,
the Tempter approached Him with his first temptation. Jesus did
not give in to the temptation, but rather counter-attacked by
using the Holy Scriptures!
Look at the sly,
devious approach the Tempter used, "If Thou be the Son of
God..." What an insidious, evil, proud and preposterous
Liar!
Jesus
stopped him on each occasion with the Word of God, saying:
"It is written..." By using the Word of God to stop
Satan, our Lord gave us a powerful weapon to use against the
Tempter when he seeks to destroy us or distort our testimony.
MARTIN LUTHER stated: "By
God's grace, I know the Devil very well. If Satan can turn God's
Word upside down and pervert the Scriptures, what will he do with
my words or the words of others?"
HE IS THE
SERPENT:
"And
the great dragon was cast out, that old SERPENT called the Devil,
and Satan which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out
into the earth and his angels were cast out with him."
(Rev.12: 9)
The conflict
between good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness and
between God and the Devil began when the proud, lying and
disobedient archangel Lucifer SINNED against his Creator,
Lord and God.
Leading a
revolt against the Almighty, he and his co-conspirators were cast
out of Heaven and became the enemies of God and mankind!
The
Bible gives us the charge levelled against him and God's judgment
against him and his Sin: "And the Lord God said unto the
serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all
cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt
thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
"And I
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed: it shall bruise (crush) thy head and thou shalt
bruise his heel." (Rev.3: 14, 15)
Satan had
entered the serpent and he used the SNAKE through which he spoke
to Eve. God brought judgment upon the serpent, saying that it
would crawl on its belly. Scientists confirm that at one time
serpents walked; God's curse upon the serpent brought it to pass.
SATAN'S
HEAD WOULD BE CRUSHED!
He also
spoke to Satan and brought an eternal curse upon him. He declared
the coming of the DELIVERER who would CRUSH Satan's head. He also
declared the Virgin birth of His only begotten Son, His paschal
Lamb, Who would die upon the cross of shame and rise again in
power on the third day!
St. Paul
stated: "For as much then as the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same;
that through Death He might Destroy him that had the power
of death, that is, the Devil And Deliver them that
were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2: 14,
15)
And St. John
declared: "He that commiteth Sin is of the devil; for the
devil sinneth from the beginning. For this Purpose the Son
of God was manifested, that He might Destroy the works of
the Devil." (1 John 3: 8, 9).
JESUS said:
"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of man be lifted up. That whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish but have Eternal Life.
"For God
so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have Everlasting
Life." (John 3:14-16)
The Good
News is that the the Serpent's Head is crushed, the Snake is dead
and has no power over believers in Christ. God's Word has been
fulfilled and we are Free! (John 10: 10)
HE
IS THE ENEMY:
"Be
sober, be vigilant: because your Adversary the Devil, as a roaring
lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom RESIST in the
faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your
brethren that are in the world." (2 Peter 5; 8,9)
"And the
great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
"And I
heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them
before our God day and night.
"And they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to
the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come
down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath
but a short time." (Rev.12: 7-12)
The word Satan
means, 'the enemy, the opposer, accuser, adversary!
In His parable of the tares in the field, Jesus said:
"...He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man. The field
is the world. The good seed are the children of the Kingdom; but
tares are the children of the Wicked One. The enemy that sowed
then is the Devil; the harvest is the end of the world. And the
reapers are the angels." (Matt. 13: 37-40)
HE
IS BELIAL:
"Be ye
not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath
light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial?
Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
"And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple
of the Living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and
walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My
people.
"Wherefore come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch
not the unclean thing and I will receive you. And I will be a
Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the
Lord Almighty." (2 Cor.6: 15)
St.
Paul used the Hebrew word, Beliel, meaning worthless or wicked.
Satan, therefore and his kingdom is both worthless and wicked. Why
would anyone desire to be apart of a kingdom that is both wicked,
evil, devilish and worthless? No-one in their right mind want to
follow Satan lying, evil loser!
HE IS THE
ACCUSER:
"And
there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in Heaven.
"And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
"And I
heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God , and the power of His
Christ: for the Accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night." (Rev. 12: 7-10)
Satan is a
persistent, untiring, tenacious, incessant and putrid liar,
deceiver, oppressor and precocious pursuer of mankind. Pursuer as
one who stalks and follows to catch, harm, kill. Predacious, as in
living by prey, a predator. Putrid as in rotten, foul, thoroughly
corrupt, disgustingly filthy and depraved. Tenacious as in
stubborn, obstinate and sticky and persistent, Incessant as in
ceaseless, continual and never stopping his unrelenting,
impossible quest for power, glory and worship. Satan is the
eternally Doomed Despot.
LIE
NO. 1: GOD
DOESN'T REALLY CARE
If
God didn't care about the human race He would not have created
Adam and Eve, with the ability to recreate. He would not have a
created the Garden of Eden as their home. He would not have killed
a lamb (a picture of Jesus the Lamb of God), the blood to cover
their sin and the skin to cover their nakedness.
If our
Heavenly Father doesn't care, why would He sacrifice His only
begotten Son to redeem us and reclaim us for Himself? And why
would He send the Blessed Holy Spirit upon His church to fill us,
protect us and lead us into all truth? And why would He give us
His power to cast out devils, heal the sick and bring His great
love to the whole world?
The Bible
says: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon
Him, for He careth for you." (1 Peter 5:6,7)
LIE
NO. 2: GOD ISN'T RELEVANT
That
is a ridiculous claim, without merit! God, who made the worlds,
the earth, heavenly bodies and outer space, doesn't know how to
relate to the creature called man? The One who made our puny minds
can't relate to us? Satan has made a play for the minds of men and
clouded out the realities of life, death and eternity so that
men's minds are poisoned to think like the devil's own perverted
thinking!
The Bible
says: "Jesus Christ is the same, Yesterday, Today and
Forever." (Heb. 13: 8). He is total knowledge, wisdom, love,
purity and power! He is our freedom, peace and life! He is our
everything and He is our ALL.
LIE
NO. 3: GOD IS TOO HARSH
God
is full of compassion, love and goodness toward us! Although He is
a God of Order and Righteousness, He is also filled with Mercy,
Love and Compassion!
"Bless
the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy
name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.
Who
redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving
kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good
things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord
executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
The Lord
is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He
hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according
to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so
great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.
"As far
as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our
transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so
the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame. He
remembereth that we are dust." (Ps. 103: 1-14)
LIE
NO. 4: THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTES
Jesus stated: "He
that is not with Me are against Me; and he that gathereth
scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and
blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven Him, neither in this
world, neither in the world to come.
"A good
man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good
things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth
evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men
shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of
judgment." (Matt.12: 30-32, 35, 36)
"Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap." (Gal. 6:7)
LIE
NO. 5: THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GOD
Jesus
said: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6); "For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
"The
Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
beliveth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on Him." (John 3:16, 17, 36)
"And He
said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and Preach the Gospel to
every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.."(Mark
16:15,16);
"And ...
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might
be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness."(2 Th.2: 10-12)
LIE NO. 6:
THERE IS PLENTY TIME
"For
he saith, I have heard Thee in a time accepted, and in the day of
salvation have I succoured Thee: behold NOW is the accepted time;
behold now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2)
"Come Now, and let us
reason together, saith the: though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow Lord; though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool." (Is.1:18)
"And the
angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up
his hand toward Heaven and sware by Him that liveth forever and
ever... that there should be Time NO LONGER..." (Rev. 10:
5,6)
"And
the Spirit and the bride say Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let
him take of the water of life freely." (Rev. 22:17)
LIE NO. 7:
THERE IS NO GOD
"The
fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt,
they have don abominable works, there is none that doeth
good." (Ps. 14:1). This Scripture does not speak of an
imbecile, but of someone who is far from God, believes he is his
own God and has a darkened soul filled with perversity, pride and
stupidity!
The Psalmist
cries out: "O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all
the earth! Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens. When I
consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the
stars which Thou hast ordained; What is man that Thou art mindful
of him?..." (Ps. 8:1, 3, 4)
LIE NO. 8:
THERE IS NO HELL
"And
it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the
angels into Abraham' bosom: the rich man also died and was buried;
and in Hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And
he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. And send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool
my tongue for I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said,
Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things,
and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and
thou art tormented.
"And
beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:
so that they that would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can
they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray
thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's
house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them,
lest they also come into this place of torment.
"Abraham
saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear
them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them
from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:19-31)
"And I
saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was no place for
them. And I saw a great white throne, from whose face the earth
and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place of them.
"And I
saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of
Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
"And the sea gave
up the dead which were in it; and death and Hell delivered up the
dead were in them: and they were judged every man according to
their works and Death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire.
This is the Second Death. And whosoever was not found written in
the book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire." (Rev.
20:11-15)
Why did Jesus
warn three times about Hell (where there worm dieth not and the
fire is never quenched) during His discourse about "offending
little children" and proposing capital punishment for the
sexual perverts? WHY?
Jesus loves
little children and He hates perversion! (Mark 9:42-48)
How Jesus
must HATE the on going sexual molestation against little boys by
pervert priests!
"And
they brought little children to Him, that He should touch them:
and His disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus
saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer (allow)
little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such
is the Kingdom of God.
Verily
I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom as a
little child, he shall not enter therein. And He took them in His
arms and blessed them." (Mark 10: 13- 16)
LIE NO. 10: I
WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STAND
"My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; And I
give unto them Eternal Life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave
them unto Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck
them out of My Father's hand." (John 10:27-29)
"But ye
shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto Me..." (Acts 1: 8); "Ye
are of God little children, and have overcome them: because
greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."
(1 John 4:4)
"Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I
do shall He do also; and greater works than these shall ye do, l
because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My
name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.
"If ye
love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He
shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you
forever; Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive,
because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him;
for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave
you comfortless; I will come to you." (John 14: 12-18)
"Now
unto Him that is able to KEEP you from falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to
the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and
power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 24, 25)
LIE NO. 11:
WHEN YOU DIE THAT IS THE END
"And I
saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: And another book was opened, which is the Book of
Life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works." (Rev. 20:12)
It will be the
end of the grace of God for sinners. It will be the end of God's
mercy for the wicked, blasphemous, rebellious Christ rejectors and
pagan worshippers who have spurned God's Holy Spirit. It will be a
time of sorrow and pain for the lost. For believers in Christ,
however, it will be a time of rejoicing, glory and blessings
beyond compare! The words of the great Gospel Hymn, The Great
Judgment Morning are so true:
I dreamed that
the great judgment morning
had dawned and the trumpets had blown.
I dreamed that all nations had gathered
to judgment before the white thrown.
From the thrown came a bright shining angel
and stood on the land and the sea.
And swore with his hand raised toward heaven
that time was no longer to be.
SHRINKING THE
DEVIL!
"And
the scribes which can done from Jerusalem said, "He hath
Beelzeub, and by the prince of the devils casteth He out devils.
And He called them unto Him, and said unto them in parables, How
can Satan cast out Satan. And if a kingdom be divided against
itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against
himself, and be divided, he cannot stand but has an end. No man
can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he
will first bind the strong man, and the he will spoil his
house." (Mark 3: 22-27)
The strong man
that Jesus referred to is Satan who holds captive those he has
enslaved. Only someone who is STRONGER would have the ability to
bind Satan and free the captives. JESUS is that One who is
stronger and by the Holy Spirit cast out multitudes of evil
spirits during his earthly ministry.
And when Jesus
paid the supreme price for our eternal salvation through His
vicarious death on the cross, Satan was DEFEATED and stripped of
his power over the Human race. Since that glorious day, every
individual who calls upon the name of the Lord for mercy in the
name of Jesus Christ is forgiven and brought into the Kingdom of
God!
The Bible
says: "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another and the BLOOD of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our sins (to God), He is
faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1: 7,9).
He has also
made provision for any who have fallen back into sin: "My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the Righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and
not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
(1 John 2: 1, 2)
My dear
friend, now that you have heard and read the truth, will you come
to our Heavenly Father and receive His great blessing in forgiving
your sins through the all atoning BLOOD of Jesus Christ, the Lamb
of that taketh away the sins on the world. Do it now and you will
become God's child for time and eternity! Amen.
THE
ETERNAL GOSPEL
OF CHRIST
Incomparable,
Indestructible
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth." (Romans
1:16)
St.
Paul was a preacher of the gospel for many years and was called
the 'Apostle to the Gentiles.'
His
encounter with Jesus Christ on the 'Damascus Road' made such an
impact on his life that he recounted it repeatedly in his
preaching and before important people like Governor Felix and King
Agrippa.
Writing
to new converts in Rome, he stated: "The Gospel of Christ is
the power of God unto salvation..." (1 Corinthians 1:16)
The gospel is the power of God. What an awesome statement.
Paul
was anticipating a visit to Jerusalem and ultimately to Rome -
where he knew he would suffer imprisonment - so he wrote the
epistle to educate, prepare and strengthen the saints, who would
also suffer such a fate for their belief in Jesus Christ.
Christians
everywhere were being persecuted and undoubtedly, many believers
were afraid to witness their faith publicly or were ashamed of
being a part of a movement that was so maligned, and that made
them a laughing stock before their peers!
Apparently,
Timothy was feeling the pain of Paul's persecution and having
anxious moments about his own life being so closely allied to the
great Apostle!
 JESUS
DEMANDS TOTAL SURRENDER!
St.
Paul admonished Timothy: "God hath not given us the spirit of
fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Be not thou
therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His
prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel
according to the power of God:
"Who
hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works; but according to His own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2
Timothy 1:7)
"Onesiphorus
oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain." (1
Timothy 1:16) To Church at Philippi, he wrote: "For me
to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
Jesus
didn't pull any punches. Jesus didn't make it easy for
people to follow Him. He demanded all or nothing and because
He gave all, He expected His followers to do the same.
Our
Saviour said: "Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his
life for My sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it."
(Mark 8:34-36)
To
the man who exclaimed: "Lord, I will follow Thee
whithersoever Thou goest", Jesus answered, "The foxes
have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of
Man hath not where to lay His head."
Our
Lord said to another, "Follow Me", but he said,
"Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father."
Jesus answered, "Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou
and PREACH the Kingdom of God."
According
to Jewish tradition, the eldest son had first right to the
inheritance and had to take charge of family matters when his
father died. In this case, the man's father may have still
been alive but he felt it his duty to stay at home until his
passing.
Jesus
had a different view on the matter. His message is this, if
you are called to follow Him and proclaim His Gospel that trumps
other obligations that are not as important. Even if the
man's father was already dead, others could be assigned to bury
him!
In
other words, let those who are spiritually dead bury their dead
and allow those that are spiritually alive to preach the gospel
and save precious souls to Christ!
"And
another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go
bid them farewell which are at home at my house. And Jesus
said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and
looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62)
What
is Jesus teaching us through this? Jesus is serious about
our spiritual life and eternal salvation. Everything fades
into insignificance when you compare temporal things with the
spiritual needs of the individual. Jesus came to seek and to
save the lost. He came to heal the broken hearted and mend
sick bodies and spirits. (Luke 4:18-19)
Nothing
is as important as pleasing God and sharing His mercy and love to
family, friends and neighbors. He stated: "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:37-39)
JESUS
IS STILL THE GREAT PHYSICIAN
Jesus
gave His life so that we may live. Jesus is our Saviour,
Redeemer, Deliverer, Healer and Sustainer. His Gospel
is the greatest news our sinful and sick world could ever hear.
He
stated: "Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay
down his life for his friends. Ye are My friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command you." (John 15:1)
"I
am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.
As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father and I lay down
My life for the sheep." (John 10:14-15)
"For
when we were without strength (hopeless), in due time Christ died
for the ungodly. But God commendeth His love toward us, in
that, whole we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(Romans 5:6,7)
At
the Council of Nicea in AD 325, ATHANASIUS the intrepid Champion
of the true deity of Jesus Christ vigorously opposed the spurious
attacks of ARIUS and the UNITARIANS who denied our Saviour's
divinity. A wishy-washy friend warned the great Man of God
thusly: "Have a care Athanasius: The world is against
you!" Athanasius answered: "Then, I am against the
world!"
WHAT
MAKE THE GOSPEL SO POWERFUL?
What
was it about Jesus of Nazareth that so captivated the apostles and
early disciples that they forsook all earthly conveniences,
fortunes and zones of comfort to follow Him, even to their deaths?
What
impressed Matthew the tax collector, Luke the physician and Zenas
the lawyer, to forsake all and follow the Master? And what
has inspired millions more down through the last two Millennia to
worship the Lord Jesus Christ as very God and to make known His
name to multitudes everywhere, often at the cost of their lives?
What
was it that caused Peter and Andrew, Thomas and Bartholomew to
follow in the footsteps of Jesus? What was it that caused
the proud Pharisee Saul of Tarsus to humble himself, repent of his
folly and become the greatest of all Gospel preachers, after his
encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road?
What
made this 'Jewish terrorist' and injurious persecutor of
Christians and blasphemer of Jesus, make this sudden switch?
What inspired Silas and Timothy, Barnabas
and Apollos, Jude and Agabus, to pick up the torch of this
Evangelical Gospel? What was the reason that Justin Martyr
and Polycarp declared their faith in Jesus Christ at the cost of
their lives?
What
made John Huss go to his death so that the Gospel of Christ would
not be compromised? What inspired Bishops Lattimer and
Ridley to shout God's praises and continue to confess Christ from
Papal Rome's Burning Stake?
It
was, my beloved friend, the indisputable, indestructible,
unmistakable call of the Holy Spirit of God upon those whose love
for Jesus Christ and His gospel had become greater than life
itself!
JESUS
CHRIST: GOD INCARNATE
Jesus
stated: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they
follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.
My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is
able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father
are one.
"Say
ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the
world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God.
If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But, if
I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye may
know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
(John 10:27-29, 36-38)
It
is the amazing truth that Jesus of Nazareth who was born in a
stable in Bethlehem was more than a man. He was the Eternal
Son of God from Heaven and the Creator of all life. He was
God incarnate (God in human flesh).
He
came to earth on a specific mission to redeem Adam's fallen race
from sin, fear, sickness, disease, death and demons.
JESUS
OF NAZARETH was born to die in order to defeat Satan,
the enemy of our souls. And to rise from the dead,
victorious over death, hell and the grave! Jesus Christ is
truly the Saviour of the world, the Liberator of sinful man, the
Healer of every sickness, the Emancipator of the human race and
the Possessor of Eternal Life!
Here
is the final victory speech of St. Paul who was personally
recruited by the Lord Jesus Christ to spread His glorious Gospel
across the Gentile world:
"For
I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at
hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall
give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also
that love His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6)
The
Gospel is the GOOD NEWS of God's unconditional love, unmerited
mercy and prevenient grace toward lost and perishing humanity.
How do I know all this? God Himself says so. His Holy
inerrant Word proclaims that it is so. And He cannot deny
Himself, change, make a mistake, fail or lie!
HISTORICAL
RECORD VERIFIES AND CONFIRMS THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND MERCY OF
GOD
The
historical record verifies and confirms it. God's dealings
with mankind recorded in sacred as well as secular writing show
His unconditional love for carnal, lost and ungodly men by
providing a way of escape from Satan the perverted Evil One called
Satan the Hater, Oppressor and Adversary of God and man.
His
greatest mission of unconditional love, overcoming all barriers of
sin, death and judgment was manifested on Calvary's cross nearly
2,000 years ago when the incarnated SON of God paid the ransom
price for the souls of lost humanity, meeting the demands of
Divine Justice through His perfect, vicarious and all atoning
death and glorious resurrection from the dead.
He
sought us before we knew Him or even thought of Him! The
songwriter scribbled these words: "When He was on the cross I
was on His mind. He loved me before I knew Him.." And
St. John wrote: "We love Him because He first loved us."
(1 John)
It
is the power of God because it changes those who receive its life
giving message. It not only transforms the inner man but it
heals sick and diseased bodies through the efficacious power of
the shed blood of Jesus that was given freely for us on Calvary's
tree.
THE
RIDDLE OF THE CHANGED CALENDAR
Almost
2,000 years later, Dr. A.U. Michelson, another prominent Jew wrote
in 'The Riddle of the Changed Calendar' as follows:
"What
mighty earthly monarch decreed and ordained the rise and fall of
the tides? We all know there was none. It is a decree
of nature, of a force not set in motion by man. Nor could
the entire human race do anything to check its regular flow and
ebb.
"Again,
what earthly monarch decreed or commanded, or even suggested that
all civilized peoples should date their calendars backward and
forward, B.C. and A.D. from the birth of Jesus Christ?"
"History
furnishes no clue to this question; for there never was such an
edict; no such suggestion ever came from the lips or the pen of
any world potentate. Each human ruler would much prefer to
impose upon the face of history a date system whereby some great
deed or victory of his own should forever be commemorated.
Such futile attempts were repeatedly made; some even
simultaneously with the slow, but inexorable, forward march of the
Christian calendar."
"The
most notable attempt in modern days to find a new starting point
for civilized time was that undertaken by France in 1793.
This revolutionary calendar fell with the cause it represented.
It lasted just thirteen years, and its only legacy to history is
the tangle of dates which confuses the record of these thirteen
years."
"Ancient
history also is strewn with these forgotten way marks of time -
Babylonian Eponyms, Greek Olympiads, Roman Consulates. For
centuries before the birth of Christ, the letters A.U.C.
designated the founding of that great city, And, yet when, and by
whom, was it decreed that the letter A.U.C. should give place to
A.D. and B.C.? No imperial edict forced this change; yet all
civilized time bears the signature of Jesus Christ. How did
this come to pass? Again history is mute in answer to this
question."
"Who
is the person to whom the whole civilized world gives daily
recognition?"
He
was a humble inhabitant of an obscure town in a small province of
the then existing Roman Empire. His public life was short.
He wrote no book. He overthrew no government. He left
no great band of highly influential followers. In fact,
after three years of pedestrian itineraries, He was put to death
as a criminal. His followers, few and humble, forsook Him
and fled.
To
reject the claims of Jesus as being equal with God, as being God
the Son, the very almanac of the modern world is an incredible
absurdity.
If
a jury of historians had to explain, on purely historical grounds,
the letters A.D. and B.C. which now serve universally as the point
from which civilized time is reckoned, they must report that
"some force", mysterious in origin, and independent of
human will, but with range and energy sufficient to affect all
civilized nations, and persistent enough to run through all the
centuries, has "somehow" put the impress of Christ's
hand on all history.
What
possible explanation is there for this enigma?
Here
is a man of the darkest age of the world. He lived in a
subject province. He never wrote a sentence that has been
preserved. He died when He had scarcely reached manhood; and
He died cast out by His own race, and abandoned by His scanty band
of followers.
And
yet, twenty centuries after He hung upon a cross, His birth is
accepted by believers and unbelievers alike, at the point from
which all centuries are dated. Every morning all the
newspapers of the world, even though some are impregnated with
hatred and ridicule of Jesus Christ, adjust their dates to His
cradle. The very dates on our cheques and letters, all
governmental records, all legal documents, all literature, yes,
all are unconsciously a testimony to the birth of Jesus Christ.
There
can be but one explanation for this riddle of the 'Changed
Calendar.' It is that He who hung upon that Roman cross,
was, at He claimed, more than a man, that he was, in fact, God
incarnate. God in the person of His Son - Himself the
Creator of Time. And this Lord of Creation performed upon
that cross a far mightier work than all human achievements put
together - namely, the redemption of the human race; available to
all who will believe and receive Him as Redeemer and Lord.
DEATH BED CONFESSION OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
Frederick
W. Kates, writing in The Churchman says, "It is hardly to
such a man as Napoleon Bonaparte one would turn for spiritual
enlightenment: but it is interesting indeed to note what he
said about Jesus of Nazareth and the Christian
Religion"."I see in Lycurgus, Numa, and Mohammed only
legislators who, having the first rank in the state, have sought
the best solution of the social problem"; said Napoleon,
"but I see nothing there which reveals divinity ... nothing
announces them divine. On the contrary, there are numerous
resemblances between them and myself, foibles and errors which
ally them to me and to humanity."
"It
is not so with Christ", he continued in this conversation
with General Bertrand, one of his companions during the twilight
days of his meteoric career.
"I
search in vain in history to find the equal of Jesus Christ,
beyond the march of events and above the human mind."
"Everything
in Him astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and His will
confounds me. Between Him and whoever else in the world,
there is no possible term of comparison. He is truly a Being
by Himself. His ideals and His sentiments, the truths which
He announces, His manner of convincing, are not explained either
by human organization or by the nature of things."
"His
birth, and the history of His life; the profundity of His
doctrine, which grapples the mightiest difficulties, and which is,
of those difficulties, the most admirable solution; His Gospel,
His apparition, His empire, His march across the ages, and the
realms, is for me a prodigy, a mystery insoluble, which plunges me
into a reverence which I cannot escape, a mystery which is there
before my yes, a mystery which I cannot deny or explain.
Here I see nothing human."
"The
nearer I approach, the more carefully I examine, everything is
above me, everything remains grand - or a grandeur which
overpowers."
"His
religion is a revelation from an intelligence which certainly is
not that of man. There is a profound originality, which has
created a series of words and of maxims before unknown.
Jesus borrowed nothing from our sciences. One can absolutely
find nowhere, but in Him alone, the imitation or the example of
His life."
In
another place Napoleon wrote: "I know men; and I tell you
that Jesus is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance
between Christ and the founders of empires, and the gods of other
regions. That resemblance does not exist. There is
between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of
infinity...."
Napoleon
states his conception of the Christian religion in the following
words when he says it is "neither ideology nor metaphysics,
but a practical rule which directs the actions of man, corrects
him, counsels him, and assists him in all his conduct."
"The
Bible contains a complete series of facts and historical men, to
explain time and eternity, such as no other religion has to offer.
If this is not the true religion, one is very excusable in being
deceived for everything in it is grand and worthy of God.
Referring
to Christ's empire and His Church in contrast to his own passing
fame and glory, Napoleon who has been described as the
"world's greatest traveling man of slaughter" said:
"You
speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests, and of the
enthusiasm they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can
you conceive of a dead man making conquests with an army faithful
and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten
me, even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal.
Such is our power!"
"Such
is the history of the invasion and conquest of the world by
Christianity. Such is the power of God of the Christians;
and such is the perpetual miracle of the progress of the Faith and
the government of His Church. Nations pass away, thrones
crumble, but the church remain. What is, then, the power
which has protected this church, thus assailed by the furious
billows of rage and the hostility of ages? Whose is the arm
which for eighteen hundred years, has protected the church from so
many storms which have threatened to engulf it?"
"Alexander,
Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires. But on what
did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force!
Jesus Christ alone founded His Empire upon love; and, at this
hour, millions of men would die for Him."
Then,
and rather pathetically, the great Napoleon remarked to his
companion: "We are mere lead now, General Bertrand, and
soon I shall be in my grave. Such is the fate of great men!
So it was with Caesar and Alexander, and I, too, am forgotten, and
the name of a conqueror and an emperor is a college theme."
"Behold
the destiny, near at hand, of him who has been called the great
Napoleon! What an abyss between my deep misery and the
eternal reign of Christ, which is proclaimed, loved, adored, and
which is extending over all the earth! Is this to die?
Is it not rather to live? The death of Christ - it is the
death of God!"
TO GOD THE FATHER BE GLORY - THROUGH
JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD
St.
John the Apostle had been exiled to the Island called Patmos for
his testimony about Jesus Christ. It was while he was serving his
sentence there, that he was visited by the Eternal living and
resurrected Son of God in all His glory.
At
the very presence of the Glorified Christ, John fell at His feet
as dead but Jesus laid His hand upon him, saying: "Fear not;
I am in the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was
dead; and behold I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys
of hell and of death." (Revelation 1:17, 18) To God be
all the Honour, Praise and Glory forever and ever. Amen.
WHAT
IS LIFE?
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
"As
for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he
flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone,
and the place thereof shall know it no more." (Psalms 103:1,
5, 16)
"And
it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of
the LORD shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)
DEATH
IS SO FINAL!
Many
years ago, I was asked to officiate at the funeral of a relative
of one of our parishioners. The lady who had passed away was
46 years of age. Only a few people were at the funeral
chapel to mourn her passing but those who attended were close
relatives and friends and I could tell that loved her dearly.
I chose for my sermon the title of this article: 'What is Life?'
Muriel
Heppner was in her place at the organ. The strains of
the hymn 'Abide With Me' set the tone for the service, even
before I entered the sanctuary. The tears were already
welling up within my eyes as I thought of death, eternity and the
grief the loved ones must feel, together with the emptiness that
would follow!
Death
is so final! I thought back briefly to my mother - her
smile, her warmth, and her absence. As I knelt to pray
momentarily before stepping to the pulpit, I thanked God that my
heart was still soft after seeing so much sickness and death.
Officiating at so many funerals hadn't made me hard! I have
often thought about how Jesus felt at the grave of Lazarus and
when He wept over Jerusalem. The Bible says, "He is
touched with the feelings of our infirmities." (Hebrews
4:15) A certain solemnity seemed to grip my voice as I read
Psalms 90:1-12.
AS
A WATCH IN THE NIGHT
"LORD
Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before
the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the
earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou
art God. Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest,
Return, ye children of men.
"For
a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past
and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with
a flood; they are as a sheep: in the morning they are like
grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and
groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
"For
we are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we troubled.
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the
lgith of thy countenance. For all or days are passed away in
they wrath, we spend our years as a tale that is told.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by
reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength
labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear,
so it Thy wrath."
Hilder
Commins brought hope and encouragement as her voiced filled the
air with the message of song. The obituary and eulogy were
very brief and to the point. And then, it was time for my
message, 'What is Life?' I chose for my text James 4:14;
"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.
For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth
for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
AT
BEST, LIFE IS BRIEF
The
90th Psalm was written by Moses to a rebellious people were were
not going to make it into the Promised Land! He states that
God was giving them 70 years and possible 80 years!
And just before God sent the flood that wiped out the antediluvian
population, with the exception of Noah and his family, He set the
boundaries for mankind's longevity:
"And
the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for
that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty
years." (Genesis 6:4)
What
are 70, 80 or even 100 years when you have lived them? What
is any amount of time when it is used up? Think of it, my
friend, and no more time to live! And that moment comes to
every man.
Moses
warned: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten;
and if by reason of strength they be forescore years, yet is there
strength, labour and sorrow. For it is soon cut off, and
we fly away." (Psalms 90:10)
People
have said to me, "My, how wonderful it would have been to
live in the time of the prophets of old and at the time of Jesus'
earthly ministry. I replied, "Yes, but if I would
have lived then, I would be dead now and I am glad to be alive now!"
HERE
IS ANOTHER GREAT TRUTH
We
are placed here by the Lord to do a certain work and in His
infinite wisdom He knew when we should make our appearance on this
earth, to fit into the great and glorious plan for man.
Praise God!
TODAY
IS MINE: TOMORROW MAY NOT COME
We
have no guarantee of life for the future. WE ONLY HAVE NOW!
The hymn writer wrote: "Today is mine, tomorrow may not
come; I may not see the risin gof the sun but when evenig
falls, may my work on earth be done. Today is mine, tomorrow
may never come."
The
woman whom I was burying had lived less than 47 years. For
her, life was over on this earth. What guarantee do you have, my
dear friend? That you will live 50, 60 or 70 years?
Some are taken at an earlier age. Others get a few more
years, still others live to be 70, 80 or even 100 years of age,
but even then life is short compared to eternity!
Just
stop for a moment and consider the possibility that even today
your life could be snuffed out. What have you accomplished
for God, family and fellow man in the years you have lived?
WHERE
DO YOU STAND WITH GOD, MY FRIEND?
Remember,
'Only one life - it will soon be past, only what's done for Christ
will last.' St. James - one of the world's greatest pastors
said, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that
appeareth for a little time and then vanishes away." (verse
14)
St.
James likens life to a god that moves into an area
overnight, but when the sunshine comes in the morning or when the
wind arises, it is gone! Life is like a mist or a vapour
that is only temporary and leaves so suddenly. You can be
driving down a highway to work in the morning and there may be a
heavy fog or mist. In the evening on your way home, it could
be gone. LIFE IS LIKE A DEW ON THE GRASS, or like a light
frost on the window that disappears at the rising of the warm sun.
You could also be driving to work some morning, healthy and strong
with no thought of death or eternity, and not make it home for
supper! Death could prevent you!
FROM
DUST TO DUST
The
Scriptures declare, "For a thousand years in thy sight are
but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the
night." (Psalms 90:4) In the sight of God a
thousand years is as brief as one day." (2 Peter 3:8)
God
compares a millennium of time to a watch in the night or to the
remembrance of a day gone by. The Bible tells us that God
created man from the dust of the earth, and gave him dominion over
all things upon the earth. When he fell into sin, disobeying
God and rebelling against the command of the Almighty, man
consequently lost that dominion.
Death
would never have become master over Adam and Eve if they had not
sinned! Sickness, fear, sorrow and pain would not have
mankind as slaves today, if our first parents had obeyed God
rather than follow the devil's wishes. They thought that
'they were doing their own thing.' HOW BLIND PEOPLE CAN BE.
The devil makes people feel so great, important and free, when in
reality he has them right under his heel! What fools mortals
can be. And oh, how deceived!
When
man sinned, instant judgment passed upon the human race. God
said, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, til
thou return unto the ground, for out of it was thou taken; for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis
3:19)
While
committing the body of the deceased to the earth in Christian
burial, I always use the dust (some ministers use flowers) to toss
upon the casket as I say the final words, "From earth
to earth, from dust to dust and from ashes to ashes."
GOD
CALLS MAN TO RETURN!
God
calls mankind back to the earth: "...return ye children of
men." (Psalms 93) Return to where? The dust of
the earth! It's God's call to humanity. St. Paul
spells it out very clearly in Hebrews 9:27, "...it is
appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment."
Here is an appointment no one can break, postpone or miss!
First
the grave, and then the judgment of God! There is NO WAY
AROUND IT! One day we will all stand before God. (Revelation
20:11-15; I Corinthians 3:12-15)
True
saints of God who are alive when Christ returns to rapture the
church will, however, miss the grave! Instead of returning
to the dust they will be changed in a moment, glorified and
raptured to meet Christ in the air. (1 Corinthians 15:51-54;
1 Thessalonians 4::15-17) Praise the Lord!
My
constant prayer these last many years has been, "Lord, let me
live until the coming of Jesus so that I may experience this great
event!"
Regardless,
whether we live til that moment or not, we are sure of His
glorious salvation if we put our complete and total trust in Him.
"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, not appointed us to wrath, but
to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, and
whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him."
(1 Thessalonians 5:9, 10)
REST:
AFTER A WEARY DAY?
Dying
really is the natural end of the 'cycle of man' upon the earth
since the fall. It almost seems like the earth beckons - as
though 'earth calls to the human tabernacles of men.' Often,
when people become aged, they want to be with their Maker because
when the body dies, the spirit departs to be with our Lord and
God. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23)
Could
it be that the body which is made from the dust, actually desires
to be laid to rest, at the end of a long life? (Long weary day)
I do not know! There seems however to be that possibility!
All of us like to go back to the place of our birth, drive around
the block and view the homes we had to leave after so many years!
There is a feeling of belonging, identification, and a relating to
the country of our forefathers, and the place of our childhood, be
it ever so humble. And then, of course, the Scripture tells
us that God actually calls man to return to the earth. (Psalms 93)
CREMATION
- A HEATHEN PRACTICE!
All
through the Old Testament, the prophets of God were very explicit
about the burying of their bones. They did not want their
bones buried just anywhere - "and they buried then with their
fathers." (2 Kings 12:21) And they also purchased
burial land so that they could bury their dead properly.
(Genesis 23:4-11) Joseph gave commandments concerning his
bones, which they kept for several hundred years in Egypt, and
finally carried to their resting place in the land of Canaan.
(Joshua 24:32,33)
God
sometimes used fire as judgement upon those who disobeyed Him. For
example, Sodom and Gomarrah were totally consumed by fire (Genesis
19:24-28) Some sins of immorality were punishable by
stoning, others by burning in Old Testament times. (Leviticus
20:14; 21:9) Entire enemy cities were destroyed together
with their heathen idols and images by burning. Joshua 6:24)
Achan,
his household and all his possessions were burned by fire because
he had broken the covenant with the Lord. (Joshua 7:24-26)
It was a pagan practice to sacrifice children to the gods of the
heathen and to make their sons and daughters pass through the
fire. (2 KIngs 16:2-4; 17:16, 17, 31) The heathen still walk
on hot coals in some countries, as they 'pass through the
fire' under the influence of evil spirits.
PROCLAIMING
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST!
Atheists
think by burning the body they can do away with any thought of the
resurrection. They disclaim any thought of a hereafter or
eternity, but the Bible says, "The sea gave up the dead
which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead that
were in them..." (Revelation 20:13)
Very
definitely this scripture proves that all the dead will come back
to life either in the first or second resurrection regardless of
what happens to the body at death. (Revelation 20:6)
And
just because believers, atheists and pagans burn the bodies of
their dead, that does not prove anything but their own ignorance
of God and His Word! In India where the Hindus worship,
300 million gods and the land is filled with images an idols, they
burn their dead loved ones but bury their dead cows which are
considered holy, and are an object of worship.
If
you want to know why India is in the state it is in, read Romans
1:20-32, "...who changed the truth of God into a lie and
worshipped and served the creature (created things) more than the
creator..."
Tradition
says that St. James preached the gospel of Jesus Christ in India,
sent missionaries from India to other countries, and is buried in
India. I believe very strongly that cremation is a heathen
practice and the proper way to dispose of the body of the deceased
is in Christian burial, allowing the body to return to the dust of
the earth! (Daniel 20:2; Ecclesiastes 3:20; 12:7)
When
we bury the body of a departed believer, we are proclaiming that
we believe the Gospel of Christ! As Jesus was laid in the
tomb and rose from the dead three days later, we plant the
believer's body in hope and faith of a harvest - the resurrection
from death to life at the hour of Christ's return for His
Church! (1 Corinthians 15:50-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
LIFE
IS LIKE THE GRASS
In
the spring, green grass appears on the ground, flowers blossom and
the robins begin to sing joyously! All through the summer,
the beauties and fragrance of new life is everywhere. It
seems like it should never have to end, but most of us who have
seen the ice and the snow and heard the howling north wind, know
it can never last!
Soon
the chilling winds of autumn come sweeping across the land, and
the beautiful birds take their flight to southern hospitality, the
flowers fade, die and wither and then finally a gust of wind comes
and carries them away. The grass that has been green and
lush begins to turn brown and lifeless as winter sets in.
How long was it since spring? Only a few short months!
The Psalmist compares life with the flowers and grass of the
field. Beautiful, fragrant, lively and vibrant during the
spring and summer, but its life is short, all too short!
For
some it is even shorter, like verse 6 implies; green grass,
standing straight and tall, billowing in the breeze - then the
mower comes along and it is cut down and soon withers. This
speaks of an untimely death. Ellsworth Mackey traveled with
me to Viet Nam, The Philippines, India and the North West
Territories. He worked as our photographer and radio technician.
One day while working all alone an a tractor he experienced a
tragic, fatal accident and within moments was dead. The
terrible news was shocking; unbelievable as it was, it was
true. Ellsworth Mackey was dead.
The
young man with so many goals, plans and aspirations; the young man
who was so full of life, now lay dead and cold in a city
morgue. I had loved him as one of my own and had to identify
his body, make all the preparations and stand at the head of his
grave and toss the dust onto his casket, as he had seen me do so
many times at other funerals! The Bible says that life is
like the grass of the field, cut down even while it is
flourishing. So it happened to Ellsworth Mackey.
Thanks God, he knew Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.
LIFE
IS LIKE A SLEEP
The
Bible is very graphic and illustrative in places. The
Psalmist says, "God carries mankind away (into eternity) as
with a flood." Nothing can stop a flood, and when it
comes and the waters rise, everything goes down in destruction and
is torn away from their moorings by the cruel and relentless
tide. Again the Bible likens our lives to a "sleep".
Most people get 7 to 8 hours sleep each night but even though you
may sleep 10 to 12 hours, when you awake you feel as though only
an hour has passed. It seems too brief. You fall
asleep and awaken and that's how life is: very, very short
even at the longest in comparison to eternity, which is forever!
"So
teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom." (Psalms 90:12) The admonition here is
to use all our time wisely - not fool around or waste away
precious time that could be given to seeking God and serving
Him. The Scripture is very plain on this matter in the New
Testament where St. Paul says:
"See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be
ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord
is." (Ephesians 5:15-17) To apply our hearts unto
wisdom is definitely to understand the will of God for our lives
and to do it! Praise God.
THE
CONCLUSION
God's
Word spells it out in easy to understand words all through the
Holy Bible - let me share two portions of Scripture with you on
this matter. "...Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is
wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." (Job
28:28); "Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and
depart from evil." (Proverbs 3:4)
"Let
us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and
keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Ecclesiastes
12:13, 14)
My
invitation to you, my friend is to hearken to the voice of the
Holy Spirit, repent of your sins, confessing them to God and turn
to Christ with faith. You will experience the glories of the
New Birth and the subsequent gift of the Holy Ghost and
fire. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
BURY
THE BODY: GO AND TELL JESUS!
When
a loved one has passed away, the pain, hurt and loneliness doesn't
leave. Some grieve for a longer time than others. My
advice is biblical. Put everything in God's hands. He
knows what is best for all of us!
When
the disciples of John the Baptist heard the sad news that their
leader had been beheaded, they did two things: "And his
disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and
told Jesus." (Matthew 14:12) Let us all in times
of grief, sorrow and pain, go to God in prayer and tell it to
Jesus!
"Life
is like a mountain railroad with an engineer that's brave.
You must make the run successful from the cradle to the grave.
'Blessed Saviour Thou wilt guide us till we reach the blissful
shore. There the angels wait to join us in Thy praise
forevermore." Amen.
Beware
of False Gods
THERE
IS ONLY 'ONE TRUE GOD'
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken,
D.D.
 THOU
SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME
"Thou
shalt have NO other gods before Me. Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
Me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and
keep My commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh
His name in vain." (Exodus 20:3,4-7)
Jesus
said: "Come unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden
and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
The
Bible says, "Casting all your care (anxieties, fears,
diseases) upon Him (Jesus Christ) for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
History
is marred by people facing tragedy, violence and suffering.
It has been marked by thousand of years of fear, greed, hatred and
war between people and countries. We have been beset by
pestilences, plagues and epidemics. People have been
affected by sickness, death and sorrow. People are suffering
both mentally and physically.
THE
HUMAN RACE FACES INTOLERANCE, RACISM, PERSECUTION
The
human race is far from immune to religious intolerance, radical
strife, ethnic superiority and tribal brutality, as witnessed by
the 1990's tribal massacres in Rwanda and Burundi. And in
Sudan,
where during the last fifteen years nearly 2 million black
Christians have been ethnically cleansed from the land through
persecution, execution, forced conversion to Islam and a life of
slavery, by ruthless and evil government gunmen.
Unfortunately,
the story doesn't end there; it continues. Authentic reports
reveal on-going persecution against Christians by Muslims in
Indonesia, and in
Communist
China where multitudes have been brutalized, imprisoned and
martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ. The suffering continues
with no end in sight.
That
we live in painfully, dangerous world is an understatement.
In light of what has happened on September 11, 2001, when the
world saw the devil's face in the demon inspired work of 19
Islamic suicide hijackers and their fanatical leaders and
supporters around the world. The suffering and pain this horror
caused is monumental. This example of people hating people,
races hating races, religions hating religions. The pain that
people are suffering is deep and emotional and there seems to be
no compassion in this cold, hard world.
The
curse that came upon the world through the disobedience of Adam
and Eve, our first parents, has brought us to this fearful moment
in history. People have turned to violence, murder and
mayhem which causes pain and suffering on every level.
In
trying to deal with the pain and suffering, people have become
addicted to gambling, drug addiction and alcohol abuse as they are
searching for happiness, and not finding it. Pornography,
prostitution and homosexuality are gaining respectability among
people. The side effects of all these are painful scenes
such as broken homes, child poverty, abortion and people
committing suicide world wide. People are suffering emotional
pain, suffering hurt and searching for something to heal their
suffering.
THE
BLESSED HOLY SPIRIT IS IGNORED BY MANY CLERGY80i & PEOPLE IN
GENERAL
The
absence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of many preachers has
turned churches into spiritual mausoleums. I believe that
many of the societal ills that are destroying our nation, is a
direct result of the lack of clear cut Bible preaching in our
churches.
Without
spiritual and moral direction, how can we expect young people to
know right from wrong? What
an awful indictment against the Church in this end time hour.
No
wonder there is greed, hatred and violence among people,
where there is compromise and backsliding in our Bible Colleges,
Seminaries and Churches. A congregation of people usually
rises no higher than its spiritual leader's preaching, teaching
and example. We can blame governments, judges, school
boards, educators, media and Hollywood. I contend that it
begins in the Church and spreads into the home, school and society
at large.
WHAT
HAS BEEN THE OUTCOME of such negligence? We have wide
spreading back sliding in the 'pulpit and pews', resulting in a
lack of reverence for God, distrust of the Holy Bible and
disinterest in spreading the Word of God and missionary work in
general.
This
abandonment of Holy Scripture is the beginning. The real
mission of the Church has changed. The Churches have lost
the desire for winning souls for Christ. The Church has
become devastated, totally ignoring the plight of hurting men and
women, people who are without God in this world.
We
have sown to the wind and are now reaping the world-wind!
Backslidden preachers have contributed - by failing to present the
Word of God to their people that are their church members.
The moral decline in our homes, schools, courts, governments and
society at large is obviously a sign. The negative spiritual
climate of our nation is largely due to such silence on vital
moral issues and by fear of preaching the truth lest someone is
offended! How utterly reprehensible such actions are to God, Who
is ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
How
despicable, unacceptable and cowardly we have become.
Allowing the Christian Church to be hijacked by the leadership of
agnostic seminary professors and pervert theologians, "who
hold down the truth in unrighteousness: and who call evil
good." (Romans 1:18, Isaiah 5:20)
RENEGADE
ARCHANGEL:
MASTERMIND BEHIND ATTACKS
Satan
is a liar, murderer and destroyer! Jesus called Satan by three
names: Satan (hebrew)- the
adversary, enemy; devil (greek) - liar, false accuser and
traducer; Beelzebub - god of flies, filth! Jesus said: "The
thief (Satan) cometh not but for to steal, kill and destroy. I am
come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly."
(John 10: 10)
The
Bible says: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) "Come unto Me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
(Matt. 28:11,12) "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no
man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John 14:6); "For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy
the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)
700
years before our Lord's first advent, God's prophet stated:
"Surely He hath borne our grief's, and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with
His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath
laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)
THERE
IS HEALING for the total person! There is healing for hurting
people
through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on Golgotha! A gospel
song says:
"Jesus
paid it all - All to Him I owe - Sin had left a crimson stain - He
washed it white as snow;
Not
only did Jesus destroy the works of the devil through His
efficacious and vicarious death on the cross, He destroyed Satan
Himself. The enemy no longer has any power over those who
trust completely and totally in the redemptive work of our Lord
Jesus Christ: "...that through death He might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is the devil; And deliver them
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage." (Hebrew 2:14-15)
WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN? This is concrete proof of Satan's demise, and
Jesus Christ's
total and absolute victory over him for time and eternity! It
means that Jesus'
death
destroyed the devil, so that we could be delivered! Simply put
'Christ's Victory, Satan's Defeat and our
Liberty!'
The
Bible says that Jesus, "made Himself of no reputation, and
took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled
Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross."
"Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is
above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)
"Giving
thanks unto the Father...Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:
In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness
of sins." (Colossians 1:12-14); "And having spoiled
principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:15)
CHRIST
PURCHASED OUR SALVATION WHEN HE SHED HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD
The
Bible states: "Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth upon a
cross."
(Galatians
3:13) "And
He (Jesus Christ) is the head of the Church: Who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the
dead (the first to die and raised, never to die again.
Lazarus was raised by had to die again); that in all things He
might have the preeminence."
"And,
having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to
reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth, or things in heaven."
(Colossians
1:18-20)
"For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18)
"Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on
Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation: but is passed from death unto life." (John
5:24) "And this is the record, that God hath given to us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son
hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of
the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and
that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John
5:11-13)
St.
Paul
declares: "Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ: By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
For
when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly.
"But
God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
Him. For it, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God
by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be
saved by His life." (Romans 5:1, 6-10)
WHAT
MUST PEOPLE DO TO BE HEALED?
When Daniel
was called to interpret the spiritual dream that God gave
Nebuchadnezzar, he specifically warned the king of coming judgment
if he would not change his ways! What would he have to do?
"Break off thy sins by being righteous, and thine iniquities
by showing mercy to the poor." What could have happened had he
obeyed? God would
have been merciful to him: "If it may be a lengthening of thy
tranquility."
Did
the arrogant Nebuchadnezzar show remorse, repent or turn from his
wicked ways? No, he did not! What was the outcome? The
hammer of God's judgment fell:
"The
same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was
driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet
with the dew of heaven, until his hairs were grown like eagles'
feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. And at the end of the
days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine
understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I
praised and honoured Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is
an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to
generation." (Daniel 4:33-37)
WHAT
CAN PEOPLE LEARN FROM THIS? God
is in control, He hates pride in people and blesses people who
humble themselves and are genuinely remorseful for their sin! It
speaks of God's great mercy to people who honestly desire to live
a decent, God-fearing life and care for the needy and less
fortunate. It also reveals why nations in general and people in
particular who have left God out of their lives, get into deep
trouble.
AUGUST
STRINDBERG, the celebrated Swedish author, wrote these words
shortly before his death: "Clearly said - I ascribe all my
misfortunes to this one fact, that I have been godless! An
individual that has broken contact with God cannot receive any
blessings. All this talk about 'being your own man and making
your own happiness' is chaff.
"If
the Lord does not build the house, they labour in vain who build
it. That is the whole truth! That misfortune can also strike a
person of faith, we know. But the outcome is not the same. These
misfortunes seem only like trials that pass over and leave peace
in their wake.
"A
curse rests on everything that an ungodly person puts his hand to.
If money comes his way, it will disappear like it came. Nothing
remains in the life of the ungodly!"
THE
MERCY OF GOD ALWAYS REACHES
OUT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE SINNERS AND BACKSLIDERS
What
do we as a people need to do? "Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and
obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and
rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the
Lord hath spoken it." (Isaiah 1:16-20)
Many
people are not convicted of their sinful actions, because they do
not know God's hatred for sin. Godly sorrow for sin - which brings
genuine repentance and faith to receive His blessing - comes from
the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. If the rank and file of our
nation understood how our sinfulness grieves the Heavenly Father,
people would seek by His grace to serve Him to the utmost of our
ability
HERE
IS HIS WORD: 'Hath a nation changed
their gods, which are yet no gods? But My people have changed
their glory for that which doth not profit. Be ye astonished, O ye
heavens, at this, and be ye horribly afraid, be ye very desolate,
saith the Lord. For My people have committed two EVILS; they have
forsaken Me the fountain of living waters and hewed them out
cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'
(Jeremiah 2:11-13)
God
condemns the rebellious actions of the ancient people of Israel
whom He called His chosen people. He
asks the universe to witness this astonishing event - His people
turning from Him, the 'Fountain of Living Waters' to trust in
man-made 'broken cisterns that can hold no water'.
It
is inconceivable that clear thinking, intelligent people would
forsake the God of the universe, the creator of life and all
things visible and invisible, and turn to imaginary gods and
goddesses - both medieval and today's New Age! The devil knows how
to make fools out of people since he is the biggest fool of all.
The
devil has orchestrated and failed in his own rebellion against the
Almighty: "For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of
God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in
the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds: I will be like the most High." (Isaiah 14:13,14)
SATAN
IS BEHIND FALSE RELIGIONS,
MAN MADE GODS AND PROPHETS
Satan
has engineered all false religions, and demonically deluded false
prophets, who have claimed to speak in the name of The Almighty
from the very beginning of time.
In
his powerful book 'The Knowledge of the Holy', A.W.
Tozer writes: "Among the sins to which the human heart
is prone, hardly any is more hateful to God than idolatry, for
idolatry is at bottom a libel on His character. The idolatrous
heart assumes that God is other than He is - in itself a monstrous
sin - and substitutes for the true God one made after its own
likeness. Always this God will conform to the image of the one who
created it and will be base or pure, cruel or kind according to
the moral state of the mind from which it emerges.
"A
god begotten in the shadows of a fallen heart will quite naturally
be no true likeness of the true God. Surely this must be
serious affront to the most High God before Whom cherubim and
seraphim continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth."
Allah,
Shiva, Krishna, Buddha, Odin, Thor, Zeus, Artemis (Diana), Gaia
and a host of other gods and goddesses are only imitations of the
One True Almighty and Eternal Lord God Jehovah and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ
ASK
YOURSELF: How could the
Eternal God command Muslims to kill Jews and Christians, when He
repeatedly states that He is the 'God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob', the Jews are His chosen
people and that so long as this universe exists, He will protect
them and keep covenant with them? (Exodus 3:6,14; Jeremiah 31-37;
33:20-26)
The
crucified and risen Lord Jesus specifically told Saul of Tarsus
that when he was persecuting, imprisoning and killing Christians,
he was persecuting God: "And he fell to the earth, and heard
a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And
he said, Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom
thou persecutest." (Acts 9:5)
In
the Quran (sura 5:60) we read that Allah has transformed Jews and
Christians into 'apes and swine',
who worship 'evil'. As
recently as 2002, the leading Muslim imam in Baghdad, Iraq
parroted Allah when he affirmed: "Jews
and Americans are apes and swine."
In
the 1930s, Haj Amin el Husseini was invited by his hero, Adolf
Hitler, to visit Berlin. While speaking on Berlin radio, Yasser
Arafat's Egyptian uncle, the Muslim Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
stated: "Kill the Jews -
kill them with your teeth - this is well pleasing to Allah!"
THE
QURAN SAYS: "Jews are the enemies of Allah, Muhammed and the
angels, and Muslims must kill them wherever they find them."
(sura 4:101 and sura 4: 91); "When the month with respect
(Ramadan) is over, you
must persecute, imprison and kill non-Muslims wherever you find
them." (Al Toba 5: 9); "And continue your battle against
non-Muslims until they accept Islam. And if they do not seek Allah
and will not leave the country, imprison them and kill them,
wherever you find them." (Al. Nofal 8: 39)
"All
who fight against Allah or convert to other religions shall be
executed, crucified or have their hands and feet hacked off on
opposite sides." (sura
5334); "Regarding unbelievers (non-Muslims), they are
determined enemies of Muslims. Muslims shall arrest them, imprison
them and ambush them everywhere." (sura 9: 5); "You
shall grab them and kill them in every place where you find
them." (sura 4: 90)
"Allah
will create terror in the hearts of unbelievers. Hack off their
heads and cut off their finger tips." (sura 8: 12);
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah, who do not
acknowledge the Religion of Truth, even if they are from the
people of the Book "Jews and Christians" (sura 9: 29).
"Muslims shall fight against unbelievers who live among
them." (sura 9: 123)
In
2002 A.D. Islamic leaders said: "Israel is little Satan,
Europe is Satan and America is the great Satan." WHY? They
are quoting their holy book, the Quran: 'Jews
and Christians can be likened to Satan.' (sura 59: 11)
In
a piece titled 'God and Allah Aren't the Same', Marvin Olasky
wrote: "Does the god of Islamic imagination act toward man as
God described in the Bible does? Read the Quran: If you know
anything about the civilization of 7th century west Asia, you
won't find many surprises. The Quran has Allah promising gifts to
his warriors, just like conquerors of old dispensed boons to
theirs.
"Suras
44,52,55,56,69, 78 and others include descriptions of how good
Muslims after death will have 'a
life of pleasure' complete with meat, bananas and
large-eyed, beautiful young women."
DO
NOT BE DECEIVED - THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD
PEOPLE
- DON'T FORGET THIS TRUTH: The
Eternal God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! He is Elohim,
Jehovah, Shaddai, Adon, Adonai, Adonim, El, El Elyon, Jah, Eloah,
Jehovah Jirah, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Raah, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah
Shammah, Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah Tsidkenu, Jehovah Mekaddishkem
and Jehovah Zeboath.
After
his conversion, Saul changed his name to Paul. His words to the
Galatians relate perfectly to the followers of Joseph Smith today:
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not
another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ.
"But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, of any man
preach any other gospel unto you that ye received, let him be
accused." (Galatians 1:8,9)
PEOPLE
MUST NOT WHITEWASH GOD'S WORD
God
exposed the two evils His people had committed. He did not
whitewash these sins. He called them two evils! Therefore, people
must not minimize them either! We must expose them, as I am doing
here.
Here
is an important question: "If the religion, guru or god one
follows is unimportant, WHY would the Living God be so specific
about His name in the Decalogue? Let's examine these awesome
words:
"Thou
shalt have NO other gods before Me. Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
Me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and
keep My commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh
His name in vain." (Exodus 20:3,4-7)
WHO
IS THE GOD referred to here? We'll
let Him answer: "And God spake all these words, saying, I am
the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out
of the house of bondage." (Exodus 20:1,2)
Did
Buddha, Shiva, Krishna, Odin, Thor, Zeus, Artemis (Diana) or Gaia
bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt? No, they
did not! Did Allah bring the children of Israel out of the land of
bondage? A thousand times NO! Allah is a relative new comer
among the god-pack! In the 7th Century, Muhammad banned the
worship of all tribal gods and goddesses, except the most
powerful, Al-ilah.
WHAT
DOES IT MEAN to take the name of the Lord in vain?
For years, pastors taught people that it is to curse or swear
using the Lord's name. It means more than that, however.
Calling the Creator and Saviour of the world by another name than
His own, is taking the Name of the LORD in vain.
Can
you imagine how the Eternal God feels when people call Him by
spurious names like Gaia, Allah, Krishna or Buddha? That is a
great affront to the Almighty, Omnipotent, Omniscient and
Omnipresent God of all flesh.
THE
BLUE PRINT TO REVIVAL IS FOR PEOPLE TO COME BACK TO FEARING THE
LORD, THE ONE TRUE GOD
What
we need is an old-fashioned revival of righteousness, holiness and
the fear of the Lord, in order to turn people to the truth! How do
we do that? The Bible says: "The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is
understanding." (Proverbs. 8:10)
The key here is 'The fear of the Lord'.
For
many years, preachers of the Gospel have labeled 2 Chronicles 7:14
the 'Blueprint For Revival': "If My people, which are called
by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
1.
HUMBLE OURSELVES
- The Bible
says: "For thus saith the High and Holy One that inhabiteth
eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and
to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:15)
"But
He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the
proud, but giveth grace unto the humble: "and be clothed with
humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble. Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time." (James 4:6; 1 Peter
5:5,6)
The
Bible says: "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride,
arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I
hate. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit
before a fall." (Proverbs 8:13; 16:18)
2.
PRAY - Jesus taught His
disciples to pray (Luke 11:1-4). He admonished them to pray to
our Heavenly Father in His name and promised that He would answer:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask in
My name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My
name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."
(John 16:23,24)
Praying
is a prerequisite to receiving God's blessing: "If ye then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how
much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask Him?" (Luke 11:13)
Historically,
revivals of great magnitude come only through people seeking God
in fasting and prayer: "And when they had heard that, they
lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou
art God, which hath made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all
that in then is:
"And
now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto Thy servants,
that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word, by stretching
forth Thine hand to heal: and that signs and wonders may be done
by the name of Thy Holy Child Jesus. And when they had
prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together;
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the
Word of God with boldness." (Acts 5:29-31)
Jesus
admonished: "men ought always to pray, and not to faint. And
shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto
Him, though He bear long with them." (Luke 18:1,7);
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them." (Mark. 11:24)
St.
Paul declared: "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians
5:17); "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting
up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (1 Timothy 2:8);
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit
Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered." (Romans 8:26)
The
Bible says: "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the
elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall
save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
"Confess
your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may
be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are,
and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not
on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he
prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought
forth her fruit." (James 5: 14-18)
3.
SEEK GOD'S FACE - In his
powerful 'Mars Hill message on the 'Unknown God', St. Paul
stated: "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might
feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one
of us: For in Him we live, and move and have our being."
(Acts 17: 27,28)
The
Holy Record says: "As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one: There is none that seekest after God. They are all
gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there
is none that doeth good, no, not one. There is no fear of God
before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-12,18)
The
Almighty states: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward
you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go
and pray unto Me, and I will turn hearken unto you. And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah
29: 11-14)
The
prophet Daniel stated: "And I set my face unto the Lord God,
to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth,
and ashes: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my
confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping
the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that
keep His commandments; We have sinned, and have committed
iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by
departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments:
"Neither
have we hearkened to Thy servants, the prophets, which spake in
Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all
the people of the land." (Daniel 3:1-6) WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?
God dispatched the angel Gabriel with the answer to the prophet's
request.
The
Scriptures say: "For thus saith the Lord unto the house of
Israel, seek ye Me, and ye
shall live. Seek good, and not evil, and love the good, and
establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God will
be gracious." (Amos 5:4, 14,15)
Millions
of people are being deceived by the 'New Age Movement',
which is in fact, old-time occultism! Here is God's Word:
"And when they say unto you, Seek unto them that have
familiar spirits (witches, clairvoyants, fortune tellers), and
unto wizards that peep, and that mutter (spiritualist mediums): should
not a people SEEK unto their God? (Isaiah 8:19,20)
Jesus
said: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
(Matthew 6:33)
4.
PEOPLE MUST TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS
- The Bible says: "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found,
call ye upon Him while He is near: Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. But the
wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose
waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to
the wicked." (Isaiah 57: 6,7)
WHY
DO PEOPLE NEED TO REPENT?
The Bible
says: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17: 9);
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile
the man." (Mark. 7: 23) St. Paul preached that people
"should repent and turn to God, and do the works meet for
repentance.." (Acts 26: 20)
John
the Baptist and our Lord preached repentance and faith. (Matthew
3: 1-3; Luke 13: 3) Jesus
taught His disciples to do the same: "And they went out, and
preached that men should repent." (Mark. 6: 12)
St.
Peter emphasized: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2: 38);
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord." (Acts 3: 19)
The
Bible says: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at;
but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because He hath
appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath
given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the
dead." (Acts 17: 30,31)
Every
one should consider the great love of God that is reaching out to
this sin-sick world. How could anyone turn away from such love and
mercy? We were all lost in sin and rebellion - sinners by birth,
nature and choice! And then, the Creator became one of us in order
to save us from our sins. The Bible calls that grace - unmerited
favour. (Ephesians 2: 8,9).
Gods
goodness leads to repentance (godly sorrow for sin) that brings
forgiveness and real change in lives! (Romans. 2: 4; 2 Corinthians
7: 10)
BY
GRACE ALONE - THROUGH FAITH ALONE - IN CHRIST ALONE
Here
is a true story that pin-points the truth of the incarnation - God
the Son, True God from eternity and True Man - wrapped Himself in
human flesh by being born of a virgin, so that He could suffer,
bleed and die in our place, as our substitute and thereby meet the
demands of Divine Justice.
The
Bible says: "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by
grace. Now it was not written for his sake (Abraham) alone, that
it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be
imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from
the dead, Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
(Romans 4: 16-25) "For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works,
lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8,9)
THE
ATHEIST & THE GOOSE STORY
"There
was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate
to let others know how he felt about religion and religious
holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe, and she
raised her children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite
his disparaging comments. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was
taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm
community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he
refused.
"That
story nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower
Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's
ridiculous!" So she and the children left, and he
stayed home. A while later,
the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As
the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding
snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening.
Then,
he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then, another
thump! He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When
the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could
have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he
saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently, they had been flying south
for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't
go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or
shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field
in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown
into his window, it seemed.
The
man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn
would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and
safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So
he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched
and waited, hoping they would notice the open door and go inside.
But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly or didn't seem to
notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man
tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them
and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with
some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to
the barn. They still didn't catch on. Now he was getting
frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the
barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they
would be warm and safe.
"Why
don't they follow me?" he exclaimed.
"Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive
the storm?" He thought for a moment and
realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If
only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said
out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into the barn, got one of
his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around
behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose
flew through the flock and straight into the barn - and one by one
the other geese followed it
into safety. He stood silently for a
moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed
in his mind: "If only I were
a goose, I could save them!" Then he thought about
what he had said to his wife earlier: "Why
would God want to become like us? That's ridiculous!"
Suddenly,
it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the
geese - blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so
He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of
Christmas, he realized. As
the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and
pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly, he understood what
Christmas was all about, why Christ had come. Years of doubt and
disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in
the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank
You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"
- author unknown
LET
THE HEALING BEGIN IN YOUR LIFE - THERE IS HELP FOR
HURTING PEOPLE - AND THAT HELP IS JESUS CHRIST
Jesus
said: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28) That is exactly
what we all need - God's rest and peace in our spirits, minds and
bodies. Christ is the answer to this sin-sick world! My prayer is
that you will cry out to our Heavenly Father in Jesus' precious
name for mercy and forgiveness, peace and healing.
MY
FRIEND - MAY JESUS CHRIST SAVE, HEAL & MAKE YOU WHOLE.
Amen
OUR
GOD CANNOT CHANGE.
It is impossible for Him to
change, He cannot and will not change! (Malachi 3:5; Isaiah 40:8;
Psalm 119:89; Hebrews 1:10-12; Revelation 1:18)
OUR
GOD CANNOT LIE.
It is impossible for Him to lie. He cannot and will not lie!
(Psalm 19:7-9; Isaiah 45:3; John 14:6; John 17:3, 17; Hebrew 6:18)
OUR
GOD CANNOT FAIL.
It is impossible for God to fail. He cannot and will not
fail! (1 Kings 8:56; Joshua 23:14; Psalm 50:15; Psalm 91:15)
OUR
GOD IS AVAILABLE 24/7.
God
never slumbers nor sleeps. God is not too busy to hear our
request or answer our prayer. God never gets old or dies!
(Psalm 121:1-8; Isaiah 41:10; Hebrew 13:5; Matthew 28:20; Matthew
11:28; Matthew 7:7-8; Matthew 18:18-20)
Receive
God's rich blessing and be made well in Jesus' name, for His glory
alone.
DEAR
FRIEND: Please write with your prayer requests. We
will pray for you and I will write you back! When you write,
please ask for a free prayer cloth over which we have prayed with
faith in Jesus' Name, for your deliverance and salvation.
- Pastor Max Solbrekken
HOW
CAN I BE SAVED?
God
is able, ready & willing to deliver you!
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
Jesus
said, "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." (Matthew
11:28)
Yes,
my dear friend, God is still in the business of setting men and
women free from their sins, sorrows, heartbreaks, fears and
troubles.
In
this age of frustrations, nervous tensions and mental collapses,
Jesus Christ is still granting peace to the troubled, joy to the
discouraged, strength to the weary and healing to the sick.
HOW
CAN I BE SAVED?
1.
ACKNOWLEDGE
your sinful state (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 53:6)
2. BELIEVE
the Gospel (Acts 16:30-31; John 3:26)
3. REPENT
of your sins (Luke 13:3; Isaiah 55:7)
4. RECEIVED
Christ as your Saviour (John 3:16; Revelation 3:20; 1 John 5:12)
5. CONFESS
Him as your Lord (Romans 10:9-10; Mark 8:34-38)
JESUS
CHRIST CAME INTO THE WORLD ON A HOLY MISSION !
"For
God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:17)
Jesus
declared, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)
Jesus
Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by Me". (John 14:6)
Salvation
is totally a WORK OF GRACE, but we must be sincere in our
prayers and believe in Jesus Christ's willingness to keep His
Word; which He always does. Jesus Christ offers salvation
and gift of salvation is free to all who accept it. If
you wish to be saved you must:
No.
1 - Acknowledge your lost state!
The
Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God". (Romans 3:23) "All we like sheep have
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord
hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
No.
2 - Believe the Gospel
"That
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already." (John 3:15,18)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and
believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life." (John 5:24)
No.
3 - REPENT of your sins
The
Bible says, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish." (Luke 13:3) "Let the wicked forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the
Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will
abundantly pardon". (Isaiah 55:7)
No.
4 - Receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour
The
Bible says: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life". (John 3:16)
"Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with Me." (Revelation 3:20) "He that hath the Son
hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
life." (1 John 5:12)
No.
5 - Confess Jesus Christ as your LORD
The
Bible says: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation". (Romans 10:9-10)
"Also
I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him
shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the
angels of God." (Luke 12:8,9)
Dear
friend, be assured that God will keep His Word,
for He said:
"Come
unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." (Matthew 11:28) "Jesus stood and cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink."
(John 7:37)
"Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)
After
you have prayed to God asking Him to forgive you - then you must
believe He has heard your prayer and forgiven your sins. That is
faith. You say that is hard to do. No - it isn't.
If
you believe that God told the truth and the Bible is God's word -
God will do what He said He would do. If you have prayed the
sinner's prayer asking God to forgive you, (then he has forgiven
you; His word tells you that and His word is the truth) and if you
are forgiven, then you are saved.
You
must then continue to live in God's way - you must live for God.
Believe that you are saved, begin to praise and worship God and
thank him for saving your soul.
But
you have doubts and say, "I don't feel any different."
You say you still feel the way you did before, you don't feel like
you are saved.
Always
remember, you are NOT SAVED by your feelings, you are saved by
FAITH IN GOD'S WORD. If God said it - it is the truth, whether you
feel like it or not. However, when you stand of God's word and by
faith accept the Salvation that God offers, you WILL FEEL
DIFFERENT.
Please
write to me and let us know of your decision to serve the Lord!
And what He has done for you. Always remember, Jesus loves you and
wants too forgive, heal, bless and prosper you.
HOW
DO I INVITE
JESUS CHRIST INTO MY LIFE?
Pray
to God, a prayer - from your heart.
Tell Him that you
are a sinner and that you need forgiveness. Tell him that
you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins. Tell him that
you are willing to change, to turn away from sin. Ask Jesus
Christ to come into your heart and life and be your personal
Saviour.
"But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12)
"Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2
Corinthians 5:17)
If
you prayed and ask Jesus Christ into your heart - YOU HAVE NOW
RECEIVED THE GIFT OF SALVATION - YOU HAVE BECOME A CHILD OF GOD.
God Bless You.
-
Powerful AUDIO Bible sermons/messages
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken
- click on
message to listen -
Bible
Scriptures verses on prayer
Power of
prayer, the Lord's Prayer, prayers answered
(King
James Version)
 1
Thessalonians 5:17
- (kjv) - Pray without ceasing.
Mark
11:24
- (kjv) - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire,
when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have
[them].
Philippians
4:6 -
(kjv) - Be
careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Ephesians
6:18 - (kjv) - Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints;
James
5:16 - (kjv)
- Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another,
that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.
Romans
8:26
- (kjv) - Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered.
John
15:7
- (kjv) - If
ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye
will, and it shall be done unto you.
Matthew
21:22 - (kjv)
- And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye
shall receive.
1
John 5:14-15
- (kjv) - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if
we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and
if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we
have the petitions that we desired of him.
Matthew
6:5 -
(kjv) - 5) And
when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hyprocrites [are]: for
they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of
the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto
you, They have their reward.
Matthew
6:6 - (kjv) - But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast
shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew
6:7 - (kjv)
- But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Matthew
6:8-13
- (kjv) - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, forever. Amen.
Colossians
4:2 -
(kjv) - Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with
thanksgiving;
Psalms
55:17 - (kjv)
- Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
and he shall hear my voice.
Psalms
118:5
- (kjv) - I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered
me, [and set me] in a large place.
Matthew
18:19
- (kjv) - 5) -
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as
touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them
of my Father which is in heaven.
Hebrews
4:16 - (kjv) - Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Matthew
26:39 - (kjv)
- And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed,
saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt].
Mathew
6:8-13
- (kjv) - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, forever. Amen.
Isaiah
55:6
- (kjv) - Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him
while he is near:
Psalms
127:13 - (kjv)
- Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of
the womb [is his] reward.
2
Chronicles 7:14
- (kjv) - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.
Matthew
7:7 -
(kjv) - 5) -
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you:
Psalms
88:13 - (kjv) - But
unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer
prevent thee.
Psalms
55:16 - (kjv)
- As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
Joshua
1:8 -
(kjv) - This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success.
1
Thessalonians 5:18
- (kjv) - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1
Timothy 2:8
- (kjv) - 5) -
I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and doubting.
James
4:10 - (kjv) - Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Luke
6:12 - (kjv)
- And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Acts
7:34
- (kjv) - I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people
which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groanings, and am come
down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into
Egypt.
Jonah
2:1 -
(kjv) - Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's
belly.
Proverbs
15:8
- (kjv) - 5) -
The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to the LORD: but
the prayer of the upright [is] his delight.
Psalms
9:20 - (kjv) - Put
them in fear, O LORD: [that] the nations may know themselves [to
be but] men. Selah.
James
4:8 - (kjv)
- Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
[your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double
minded.
John
17:1-26
- (kjv) - 5) -
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and
said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also
may glorify thee:
Acts
1:14 - (kjv) - These
all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the
women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
2
Corinthians 12:8
- (kjv) - For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might
depart from me.
John
16:24 - (kjv) - Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full.
James
5:17 - (kjv)
- Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he
prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the
earth by the space of three years and six months.
Romans
8:26-27
- (kjv) - Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered.
Acts
9:40 - (kjv) - But
Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and
turning [him] to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she
opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
Exodus
14:15 - (kjv)
- And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me?
speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
James
4:2 -
(kjv) - Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and
cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask
not.
Hebrews
11:6
- (kjv) - But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Ephesians
3:20
- (kjv) - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
worketh in us,
John
16:23
- (kjv) - 5) -
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will
give [it] you.
Mark
9:29 - (kjv) - And
he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by
prayer and fasting.
Matthew
26:36 - (kjv)
- Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and
saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
Psalms
40:1 - (kjv) - (To
the chief Musician, a Psalm of David.) I waited patiently
for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Psalms
22:2 - (kjv)
- O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; ;and in
the night season, and am not silent.
2
Kings 20:11
- (kjv) - And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he
brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down
in the dial of Ahaz.
Daniel
9:3 -
(kjv) - And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
1
Samuel 1:10
- (kjv) - And she [was] in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the
LORD, and wept sore.
Matthew
5:44
- (kjv) - 5) -
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you.
Matthew
7:7-9 - (kjv) - Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and
he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened.
Matthew
14:23 - (kjv) - And when he had sent the multitude away, he
went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was
come, he was there alone.
Judges
16:28 - (kjv) - And
Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I
pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God,
that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Romans
15:13 - (kjv)
- Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the
Holy Ghost.
Romans
12:12
- (kjv) - Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing
instant in prayer;
Romans
10:13
- (kjv) - 5) -
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts
2:42 - (kjv) - And
they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
John
16:26 - (kjv)
- At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you,
that I will pray the Father for you:
John
15:16 - (kjv) - And
Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I
pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God,
that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
John
9:31 - (kjv) - Now
we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a
worshipper of God, and doeth his will, for he heareth.
John
4:24 - (kjv)
- God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him]
in spirit and in truth.
John
4:23 - (kjv) - But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for
the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Luke
18:1
- (kjv) - And he spake a parable unto them {to this end], that men
ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Luke
11:1
- (kjv) - 5) -
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place,
when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us
to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
Mark
13:33 - (kjv) - Take
ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Mark
11:25 - (kjv)
- And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against
any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your
trespasses.
Mark
1:35 - (kjv) - And
in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out,
and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
John
9:31 - (kjv) - Now
we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a
worshipper of God, and doeth his will, for he heareth.
Matthew
18:20 - (kjv)
- For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there
am I in the midst of them.
Psalms
4:1 - (kjv) - (To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of
David.) Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness:
thou hast enlarged me {when I was} in distress; have mercy upon
me, and hear my prayer.
Ephesians
6:18 - (kjv)
- Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for
all saints;
CONTACT
INFORMATION
For further spiritual counsel, prayer or gospel
literature, please contact us!
www.mswm.org www.maxsolbrekken.com
max@maxsolbrekken.com
 Max
Solbrekken World Mission, P.O. Box 44220, RPO Garside, Edmonton,
AB T5V 1N6
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