We received such a tremendous response to the sermon "Living in Perilous Times, " we wanted to include portions of the sermon on our blog for everyone to refresh their sprit. The entire sermon can be picked up on DVD at the MVG center in the lobby or listen to the message after it has been added to the sermons on the web site.
II COR. 7:1 - Therefore having these promises!
WHAT ARE THESE PROMISES?
1. I will dwell among them
2. I will walk among them
3. I will be there God
4. They will be my people
PAUL SAYS “THEREFORE HAVING THESE PROMISES, BELOVED (He’s talking to believers) LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES FROM ALL FILTHINESS. (not some but all filthiness)OF THE FLESH & SPIRIT PERFECTING HOLINESS IN THE LOVE??? NO FEAR OF GOD.
WHAT ARE THESE PROMISES?
1. I will dwell among them
2. I will walk among them
3. I will be there God
4. They will be my people
PAUL SAYS “THEREFORE HAVING THESE PROMISES, BELOVED (He’s talking to believers) LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES FROM ALL FILTHINESS. (not some but all filthiness)OF THE FLESH & SPIRIT PERFECTING HOLINESS IN THE LOVE??? NO FEAR OF GOD.
JESUS SAID, “A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE YOU THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.”
SO, WE MUST LOVE GOD & FEAR GOD & THAT’S WHAT KEEPS US STRAIGHT.
THE LOVE OF GOD KEEPS US FROM LEGALISM.
THE FEAR OF GOD KEEPS US FROM LAWLESSNESS.
BUT NOTICE HE SAYS,
“LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES (How do we cleanse ourselves?) FROM ALL FILTHINESS OF THE FLESH & SPIRIT PERFECTING HOLINESS.”
HOW DO WE DO THAT II CORINTHIANS 6:1
AS GOD'S FELLOW WORKERS WE URGE YOU NOT TO RECEIVE GOD'S GRACE IN VAIN.
LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
I REMEMBER IN MY HOME CHURCH AS YOUNG MAN, WE RENTED A MOVIE CALLED THE BURNING HELL!
AND MAN THE PLACE WAS PACKED OUT!
AND WHEN I SAW THAT MOVIE, OOH… I WAS REPENTING LIKE NOBODY’S BUSINESS.
AND MY LIFE WAS CHANGED …FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND I WAS BACK INTO ALL MY SIN.
· I HAD REPENTED… BUT THERE WAS NO GRACE.
· GRACE IS WHAT GIVES YOU THE POWER TO LIVE IT.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I’M SAYING?
I MAY HAVE BEEN A REPENTING YOUNG MAN AFTER SEEING THAT MOVIE, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD EMPOWERS YOU TO CLEANSE YOURSELF.
HEBREWS 12:14 - Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
PAUL SAYS “WITHOUT HOLINESS OR SANCTIFICATION (IT’S THE SAME) NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD;
NOW,
NOTICE WHAT HE DOES NOT SAY… HE DOES NOT SAY “WITHOUT JUSTIFICATION NOBODY WILL SEE THE LORD.”
HE SAYS “WITHOUT HOLINESS”!
JUSTIFICATION IS ALL - WHAT GOD DOES.
- WE CAN’T DO NOTHING BUT RECEIVE IT. RIGHT?
BUT,
SANCTIFICATION WE HAVE A PART IN, WE HAVE TO CLEANSE OURSELVES.
HE SAYS “PURSUE PEACE WITH ALL AND HOLINESS WITHOUT WHICH NO MAN WILL SEE THE LORD.”
SOME PEOPLE LOOK AT THIS AS A GOAL WE SHOULD REACH FOR, BUT GOD SAYS WHAT HE MEANS & MEANS WHAT HE SAYS!
LET’S READ ON, BECAUSE HE’S NOT THROUGH
VS. 15 - LOOKING CAREFULLY LEST ANYONE FALL SHORT OF THE GRACE OF GOD;
AIN’T NO WAY YOU CAN FALL SHORT OF GOD’S GRACE.
BUT,
WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND GRACE AS BEING GOD’S EMPOWERING PRESENCE TO GIVE YOU THE ABILITY TO CLEANSE YOURSELF SO THAT YOU WALK IN HOLINESS & SEE THE LORD –
THEN YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE CAN RECEIVE IT IN VAIN.
IT WOULD BE LIKE YOU FALLING OVER-BOARD & ME THROWING A LIFE PRESERVER TO YOU SO YOU DIDN’T DROWN, BUT YOU DIDN’T USE IT TO GET BACK TO THE BOAT.
NOW GO WITH ME TO II TIMOTHY 3:1 -“KNOW THIS THAT IN THE LAST DAYS…
· NOW, HOW MANY OF YOU BELIEVE WE’RE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS?
· YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE SPIRITUALLY COMOTOSE TO NOT KNOW WE ARE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS.
· JESUS REBUKED THE PHARASEE’S FOR KNOWING THE SEASONS IN THE NATURAL BUT YOU CAN’T DISCERN THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
· IF YOU ARE WALKING WITH GOD YOU WILL KNOW THE SEASONS OF HIS RETURN.
PAUL SAYS, “KNOW THIS THAT IN THE LAST DAYS PERILOUS TIMES WILL COME”.
THE NIV SAYS “IN THE LAST DAYS TERRIBLE DAYS WILL COME.”
THE NLT SAYS, “VERY DIFFICULT DAYS WILL COME.”
THE AMPLIFIED SAYS “PERILOUS TIMES OF GREAT STRESS AND TROUBLE, HARD TO DEAL WITH AND HARD TO BEAR”.
NOW, PAUL LOOKS AT OUR DAY AND SAYS “ITS GOING TO BE DIFFICULT”.
HE WENT ON TO SAY 3 TIMES I WAS BEATEN WITH RODS.
BY BEATING PAUL WITH RODS THEY WOULD LITERALLY BRUISE THEIR BONES.
- HE SAID I’VE BEEN STONED AND LEFT FOR DEAD ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS.
FOLKS, THIS IS THE SAME MAN WHO LOOKS AT MY DAY & CALLS IT DIFFICULT.
LET ME READ THIS OUT OF THE AMPLIFIED & NEW LIVING TOGETHER.
“BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].
For people will be self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate desires for wealth, proud and arrogant and boasters. They will be abusive disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.
3 -They will be unloving and unforgiving, relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); they will be false accusers, intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.
4 - They will be betrayers, rash, and inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
SO THEY WILL LOVE PLEASURE MORE THAN THEY LOVE GOD.
5 - For although they hold a form of piety (true religion / true christianity), they deny and reject the power that could make them godly.
WHAT POWER IS THAT? GRACE
NOTICE WHAT HE DOES NOT SAY… HE DOES NOT SAY “WITHOUT JUSTIFICATION NOBODY WILL SEE THE LORD.”
HE SAYS “WITHOUT HOLINESS”!
JUSTIFICATION IS ALL - WHAT GOD DOES.
- WE CAN’T DO NOTHING BUT RECEIVE IT. RIGHT?
BUT,
SANCTIFICATION WE HAVE A PART IN, WE HAVE TO CLEANSE OURSELVES.
HE SAYS “PURSUE PEACE WITH ALL AND HOLINESS WITHOUT WHICH NO MAN WILL SEE THE LORD.”
SOME PEOPLE LOOK AT THIS AS A GOAL WE SHOULD REACH FOR, BUT GOD SAYS WHAT HE MEANS & MEANS WHAT HE SAYS!
LET’S READ ON, BECAUSE HE’S NOT THROUGH
VS. 15 - LOOKING CAREFULLY LEST ANYONE FALL SHORT OF THE GRACE OF GOD;
AIN’T NO WAY YOU CAN FALL SHORT OF GOD’S GRACE.
BUT,
WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND GRACE AS BEING GOD’S EMPOWERING PRESENCE TO GIVE YOU THE ABILITY TO CLEANSE YOURSELF SO THAT YOU WALK IN HOLINESS & SEE THE LORD –
THEN YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE CAN RECEIVE IT IN VAIN.
IT WOULD BE LIKE YOU FALLING OVER-BOARD & ME THROWING A LIFE PRESERVER TO YOU SO YOU DIDN’T DROWN, BUT YOU DIDN’T USE IT TO GET BACK TO THE BOAT.
NOW GO WITH ME TO II TIMOTHY 3:1 -“KNOW THIS THAT IN THE LAST DAYS…
· NOW, HOW MANY OF YOU BELIEVE WE’RE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS?
· YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE SPIRITUALLY COMOTOSE TO NOT KNOW WE ARE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS.
· JESUS REBUKED THE PHARASEE’S FOR KNOWING THE SEASONS IN THE NATURAL BUT YOU CAN’T DISCERN THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
· IF YOU ARE WALKING WITH GOD YOU WILL KNOW THE SEASONS OF HIS RETURN.
PAUL SAYS, “KNOW THIS THAT IN THE LAST DAYS PERILOUS TIMES WILL COME”.
THE NIV SAYS “IN THE LAST DAYS TERRIBLE DAYS WILL COME.”
THE NLT SAYS, “VERY DIFFICULT DAYS WILL COME.”
THE AMPLIFIED SAYS “PERILOUS TIMES OF GREAT STRESS AND TROUBLE, HARD TO DEAL WITH AND HARD TO BEAR”.
NOW, PAUL LOOKS AT OUR DAY AND SAYS “ITS GOING TO BE DIFFICULT”.
HE WENT ON TO SAY 3 TIMES I WAS BEATEN WITH RODS.
BY BEATING PAUL WITH RODS THEY WOULD LITERALLY BRUISE THEIR BONES.
- HE SAID I’VE BEEN STONED AND LEFT FOR DEAD ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS.
FOLKS, THIS IS THE SAME MAN WHO LOOKS AT MY DAY & CALLS IT DIFFICULT.
LET ME READ THIS OUT OF THE AMPLIFIED & NEW LIVING TOGETHER.
“BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].
For people will be self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate desires for wealth, proud and arrogant and boasters. They will be abusive disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.
3 -They will be unloving and unforgiving, relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); they will be false accusers, intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.
4 - They will be betrayers, rash, and inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
SO THEY WILL LOVE PLEASURE MORE THAN THEY LOVE GOD.
5 - For although they hold a form of piety (true religion / true christianity), they deny and reject the power that could make them godly.
WHAT POWER IS THAT? GRACE
That's just a taste of the sermon. We will be back later this week with more of this POWERFUL sermon on "Living in Perilous Times."
