20200905 | The Faith of Jesus | Pastor John Lomacang

our scripture reading today is from the book of revelation chapter 14. revelation chapter 14. a very appropriate scripture for the times in which we live it calibrates our minds as to who we are in christ and where we are headed and the bible says to us in revelation 14 12. here is the patience of the saints here are those who keep the commandments of god and the faith of jesus let's bow our heads and ask for the lord to bless us at this time gracious father in heaven this morning there are those on their knees asking for your holy spirits the guidance in their lives there are those that are confronted with challenges and trials and tribulations of this present age that are hanging on by a thread wondering where they can find faith and trust there are those that are financially strapped because of the loss of jobs because of this pandemic that's gripping them whether here in the united states or somewhere else around the world we are living in challenging times and so precious lord this morning as we come before your throne of grace by the invitation come unto me all you who are weary and heavy-ladened and i will give you rest father may we today find rest as we lean upon your broad shoulders of faith as we recognize that in times like these when the world is being sifted and shaken and everything is unstable we have an anchor that keeps us strong lord today help us to anchor our faith in your word help us to anchor our faith through the power of prayer help us to anchor our faith on your promises found in your word help us to anchor our faith and to trust in your righteousness lord we know that we are on the cusp of eternity the times are hastening before us but someone today is saying lord my faith is weak i need to trust you i'm alone i need to know that even though there's no physical presence that your promise is true i will never leave you and i will never forsake you so come lord jesus to that home to that family to those who are in a marriage that's being challenged to those whose children are somewhere in the world and they're wondering how to reach their hearts precious lord we commit ourselves to you this day lift us into your presence we ask take our hearts and remove all the sadnesses and the distractions and help us to find peace in your presence and as we open your word we pray also that you will bless this bread that you'll break it that you'll feed us that we will be strengthened for the trial and the journey just ahead of us and when our journey in this life is done may we know that our faith has not been in vain so i commit this message now to you precious savior may i as your servant be faithful as your spirit speaks and may your people be strengthened but may all the glory go only to you in jesus name i pray amen amen earlier this week as i was working on my sermon in the busy schedule that we have here in the vortex of 3abn no two days are exactly alike and there's never a time that we say there's nothing to do we crunch things in one event after the other and as i was driving in my car this week listening to a song i had put a christian cd in my car and was playing it and i was saying lord i'm taping sabbath school i'm i'm keeping late hours preparing for the next day and the next day and the next day and the challenges of life seem to be squeezing my time with you out lord what would you have me to do and i heard in my mind strengthen your faith in me strengthen your faith in me and as i opened my bible to the book of revelation i found that text in revelation chapter 14 verse 12 which is our scripture reading for today i just read it but i want to reiterate it again on the cuspid of the sermon he said to me here is the patience of the saints here are those who keep the commandments of god and the faith of jesus now i can say unequivocally that you and i believe these are not ordinary times the covert 19 environment the covert 19 climate has drastically altered the routines of our lives the things that we were once accustomed to we no longer can do those things we are interrupted by signs six feet apart enter this way exit that way we enter stores and we go to the checkout only to be confronted by a plexiglass between us and the attendant and nothing is routine any longer we are told that the numbers are going up in our town and we recognize that we are living in a challenging time and nothing is ordinary anymore as one person said to me normality has been deleted there is nothing normal anymore and then we hear on the news we have now entered the new normal the new normal the covet 19 environment on one side politics on the other unstable economy on the other side social unrest we are living in the new normal we discover also in times like these conventional attitudes and established customs that created in us a sense of urgency and normality has been interrupted and we are living in this security that is now interrupted by pandemonium and uncertainty this is not the kind of world that we have signed up for but i want to say to you today normality as we have known it is not going to be the same anymore it is a different world today but friends i believe however that somewhere written in the eschatological agenda is a recommendation to intensify the training of the faith of the saints i believe somehow the reason why the lord has allowed this environment to be developed is because the people of god are unprepared in so many ways for what is just over the horizon and as i look at that and as i begin to see the faith of those even in our church in our congregation families being challenged by the covet 19 pandemic those who are sequestered wondering whether or not someone cares for them people that are saying i'm alone i feel lonely my faith is being challenged somehow i believe that in this scenario of end time events god is allowing these times he didn't send it but he's allowing these times so that he can intensify the training of the saints god wants us to be prepared for what is coming and the only evidence i have for these ancillary regulations are found in the often overlooked and ignored words of the apostle in first peter chapter 4 verse 12 and 13 peter says these words to the end time saints notice how he tries to encourage us he said beloved do not think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you boy i can tell you we really are in the times of fiery trials but he continues as though some strange thing happened to you and then he goes on but rejoice to the extent that you partake of christ's suffering that when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy peter is saying that there are fiery trials that are facing us today but when you outline what he just said the apostle peter reminds us that exceeding joy is the finished product developed by those that endure fiery trials and strange things now i can tell you 2020 has been a year of fiery trials and strange things who could have ever predicted 2020 in the way that it has unfolded our year of fiery trials relationally fiery trials financially millions of people losing their jobs and even though many of the jobs have returned the numbers are still drastically low people in breadlines people in lines getting supplies for their babies professionals being laid off never knowing whether or not they'll be rehired we are living in the year of fiery trials and strange things uncontrollable fires floods that are unpredicted storms that are intensifying weather patterns that are changing 2020 is a year of fiery trials and strange things but the apostle says to us we are partakers of christ's suffering that when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy i have determined by god's grace to hold on all we can do is hold on all we can do is hold on to the promises of god the apostle paul continues to develop that picture when he says in second corinthians chapter 4 verse 8 he says we are hard pressed on every side yet not crushed we are perplexed he says but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken struck down but not destroyed i thank the lord for that we are going through hard issues we are going through perplexing issues we are being persecuted in one way or the other but we are not this in despair we are not struck down and we are not destroyed we are holding on as the anchor of time is holding us to the unchanging faith of christ the apostle james also talks about that there is a method behind the madness that the lord allows i want to make this very clear i don't believe that god sent the covet 19. i don't believe that god sends any disease i know as the book of job points out that satan is the orchestrator of heartache of disaster of storms of disease but the lord allows it for a particular reason and the apostle james reveals the method behind why the lord allows these faith challenging events to come our way notice james chapter 1 and verse 4 the apostle says to us but let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing as the lord looks down and examines his church i believe that god sees something in us that is lacking something that fiery trials and strange things will be able to reveal to us and when we see our deficiency these are the times that god is allowing our faith to be revealed so that we can turn from our own anchors and anchor our faith and trust in the lord jesus i know that as i'm going through this environment when it first started back in march early in the year of 2020 the world was in in disarray and to some degree the world is still in disarray there are many parts of the world that americans cannot travel to they're small countries that have never had a flight enter or leave since the covert environment had been begun to develop and still to this very day airlines are laying off by the thousands jobs are being lost as the clock ticks we are still living in an environment of strange things and fiery trials but as i consult the servant of the lord in the book testimonies for the church volume 6 pageant 14 she brings about a clarity to help us understand what we are facing the servant of the lord ellen white says events are changing to bring about the day of god which hasteth greatly only a moment of time as it were yet remains but while already nation is rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom there is not now a general engagement she goes on to say as yet the four winds are held until the servants of god shall be sealed in their foreheads then listen to this then the powers of earth will marshal their forces for the last great battle that's the stage satan is getting his forces ready the battle of armageddon is right before us the day is coming my brothers and sisters when the forces of earth will meet in the final confrontation with the forces of heaven they'll only be two sides the forces of darkness and the forces of light good on one side evil on the other darkness on one side light on the other and these times are allowed to separate the committed from the non-committed the church i believe is being sifted as i look at this environment that's being developed i consulted the pages of military history and i discovered something very unusual that i did not know before i received an education but i learned that when america went through its difficult times militarily they made drastic changes and i discovered that during world war ii a special grade of soldiers were developed by nato that's the north atlantic treaty organization they were specifically designated they were organized trained and equipped with the most unconventional tactics techniques and modes of military deployment in other words these were not regular soldiers these were not the guys that just went to basic training and went through their six weeks or how how many ever weeks there are and then went back home no these were men and women that were taken to the next level integrated in their curriculum of development were training including airborne operations counter insurgency counter terrorism foreign internal defenses all a part of their curriculum of training they were trained far above and beyond those that just went through basic training they learned about covert operations how to penetrate the armor of the enemy without them even knowing they are there they were trained in direct hand-to-hand combat hostage rescue they were trained about high-value targets intelligence operations mobility operations how to get from one place to the next without even interrupting the enemy's awareness and then they were trained in unconventional warfare that word really grabbed my attention unconventional warfare friends you really believe it we are living in unconventional times these are not conventional times the movie theaters are closed many of the malls are closed and even in those states where they dare to open them they are still being drastically challenged by the rising numbers in the covet 19 environment but unconventional warfare we are no longer living in conventional times as i began to study about them i began to dabble in the terminology used in the united states military and i heard about these specialized soldiers and i focused on two groups in particular the navy seals and the delta forces and you know that those who are in the navy seals say they're better than those who are in the delta forces and so on and so forth it's a part of the military private i learned something i learned that a navy seal is a part of the specialized soldiers dealing with the sea the air and the land forces that's why they're commonly known as seals they are expertly trained highly specialized and developed intensely challenging capabilities and they are beyond the means of standard military forces these are the guys that are sent in and the media never hears about them these are the guys that you only hear about when they overthrow a dictator or bring a regime to its knees specialized forces working in covert and overt operations and then there's the delta force also a part of the specialized forces involved in special operations but the thing that brings them together is this the supreme function of these soldiers is to defend and protect the interests of the united states of america through unconventional means that kept coming up in my study that kept coming up in my research and i thought to myself unconventional means are perfect for unconventional times when you're faced with forces that are unpredictable something about it can no longer be conventional and then i thought about the people of god i'll get to them in just a moment but the thing that united both of these forces is the fact that members of both of these units were known as quiet professionals quiet professionals and they are notoriously known for being massively secret let me develop that quiet professionals you never know when they're around but they already at a moment's notice they are always a soldier they're always ready for the next event i believe that god has some quiet professionals who are spending time and being massively secret but in those secret moments they're studying their bibles in those secret moments they are developing their intellect by prayer and the study of god's word and they are ever enlisted getting ready to defend the interests of heaven quiet professionals will be revealed when all the others around us are revealed for who they are in these last days in the preparation for the battle of armageddon god also has special forces i believe that there are men and women that are not ordinary christians they're not content just to come to church every now and then they have a prayer life they're being trained they have a connection to their commander-in-chief they are studying his word understanding clearly the art of defense where their power lies where their strength lies where their faith is anchored and the primary purpose of them is the same to defend and protect the interests of the kingdom of heaven through spiritual means you see i believe in these closing moments of earth's history they are being prepared and trained for the most intense battle of the ages when you study god's word you understand as revelation 16 makes it very clear the battle of armageddon is being developed there are unclean spirits going forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world gathering them together for the battle of armageddon and god is developing his people for such a time as this but as i consider it is also satan's purpose to keep christians from developing their faith i'll say that again it is satan's determined purpose to keep christians from developing their faith i know my wife and i pray we study our word together we're now in the book of proverbs getting some wisdom for the day getting some wisdom for the days ahead of us getting some wisdom to train our hearts and minds because i want to tell you satan is so determined to keep christians from developing their faith he tries to overburden them with difficulty he tries to inundate them with questions that are still unanswered about what is coming next he tries to take their highest priority and put it to the lowest part of the heap and push his priorities in the space where god alone should exist but i want to tell you today it is the highest priority or it should be the highest priority of every christian to be prepared for what lies ahead when i study about that i think to myself revelation reminds us that god's purposes are going to be fulfilled regardless of every attempt the devil makes to try to stop god's people from being prepared for what's ahead of us the prophet isaiah makes this very clear notice isaiah says that satan does not have the ability to prevent the plans of god from being fulfilled isaiah chapter 46 verse 9 and 10. look at what we're told about how god is still in charge the prophet says remember the former things of old for i am god and there is no other i am god and there is none like me what is he doing how does he know how do we know that he is in charge the bible tells us god is declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done saying listen to these words my counsel shall stand and look at the next two words i will do all my pleasures i'll say that again friends it is beyond satan's pay grade to prevent the plans of god from being fulfilled amen it's beyond his ability to stop the plans of heaven the lord says i will do all my pleasures when i study god's word somehow those two words stuck out to me i will and when i began to examine the statements of jesus i began to look at the life of jesus i began to notice the certainty in the methods of his life i began to notice that even though he came to earth in the form of humanity there were secret forces surrounding his every step there were angels attending him the holy spirit watching over him but jesus never lost focus of his purpose he never lost focus of the work that his father had sent him to do you find there in matthew chapter 26 while jesus was being unjustly interrogated by the high priests and they said to him they said to him tell us are you the christ the son of the living god they were demanding jesus to respond and notice notice how jesus responded with certainty that his plans will be fulfilled matthew 26 verse 46 the words of jesus jesus said to him that is to the accusing high priest to the interrogating high priest he said to him it is as you said but look at the words of christ nevertheless i say to you hereafter notice you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven friends today let me say jesus is saying he will come again and he will be seen by the unfallen worlds and the fallen worlds alike he will be sitting on the clouds of heaven and coming in the power and great glory of his father he said at a time of interrogation at a time of persecution you will see the son of man sitting in other words you will meaning you can persecute me but i'm going to still complete my agenda you may nail me to the cross but when that is done i will come again you will see me sitting on the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven then looking down through time you find the words of jesus again jesus made it very clear looking down to the time when jesus will reward his saints with the severance package of eternity notice how he makes it clear that his purposes once again will be accomplished matthew 25 and verse 23 we're looking forward to the day when we can hear these words well done good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a few things and this is yet future look at the next two words i will words of uncertainty sorry words of certainty i will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your lord you know when i read those words they keep me going they keep me faithful they keep me pushing because i know that if i'm faithful one day the lord says i will make you ruler over many things you've been faithful over few things i will words of certainty that god's plans cannot be thwarted by every attempt that the enemy makes and then you find when jesus was sealed in the tomb you find again his words of certainty when jesus was sealed in the tomb and the roman soldiers were told that he could possibly come out they alerted themselves his executioners were quite sure that he would not come out but however they said in matthew 27 63 notice the words again sir remember while he was still alive how that deceiver said after three days here it is again i will rise brethren jesus did rise i know you're saying amen right now jesus did rise the i will of christ is our assurance that whatever he says will come to pass and regardless of what satan throws at us in these last days he will not be able to prevent all of the plans of jesus from being fulfilled jesus says i will rise again and he did rise again after he successfully rose from the tomb on the third day as he was preparing to ascend to heaven his words once again confirm the fact that satan is unable to prevent heaven's agenda from being fulfilled these words bring us courage today john 14 verses 3. jesus says and if i go and prepare a place for you here it is again i will come again and receive you to myself that where i am there you may be also let's go ahead and look at that the i will of jesus so today in the covet 19 in unstable politics in borders around the world being closed down i will come again in the uncertainty of schools whether they are healthy or safe or not jesus says i will come again brothers and sisters what we see today is only a glimpse of a temporary society all the pain and suffering in the thousands being claimed by this disease is only a glimpse of a world that satan knows will not last forever jesus made the promise and i can tell you today if jesus says i will come again we can trust that he will come again the apostle paul the apostle paul made it clear that we stand on the assurance of the will of jesus not only is he coming again but when you look at your life and you wonder whether or not you're going to be ready for the coming of the lord let me continue to encourage you the words of the apostle paul tells us even when we look at the uncertainty of the development art of our character we can be sure that whatever jesus started he is going to finish philippians 1 and verse 6. look at the words he says being confident i'll say those two words again being confident i am confident today that the lord has not done with me yet being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you look at the next word will complete it until the day of jesus christ are you sad about your character are you concerned about whether or not your life is being developed my brother my sister keep trusting the lord he is not done with you yet he is going to complete the work that he has started in you he is going to complete it until the day of jesus christ unto that glorious day when jesus comes until that glorious day when we see ourselves as jesus has always seen that we can potentially be he is developing us to one day be like him so do not lose heart but not only that sometimes i go to big cities around the world my wife and i we are naders of new york and when we used to walk the streets of manhattan or brooklyn we would say to ourselves how on earth is the lord going to reach these multitudes these masses how is the lord going to reach more than 6 billion people on planet earth well friends if we think about us doing the work it seems impossible because people are dying by the second people are being born by the second but once again we visit the words of the apostle paul he gives us assurance in romans 9 and verse 28 notice what he says these are the words that he was given with the blessed assurance that jesus is going to finish the work he says for he will notice for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness because the lord will make a short work upon the earth oh i'm so glad that the lord is saying to us it's not always going to be this way he's going to finish the work one day everybody's going to get an opportunity to hear or to reject jesus christ as their savior he will finish the work that's why friends is to me it's a privilege to participate in proclaiming a message to strengthen the faith of the saints to say to them that today the faith of jesus is still available for you to say to you as a seventh-day adventist christian this is the time to arise and shine this is the hour the god is saying join with me in finishing the work because whether you participate or not i am gonna finish the work and i'm gonna cut it short for righteousness sake praise the lord for that you know sometimes we lean ourselves on our doctrinal integrity sometimes we are proud about what we believe and there's nothing wrong with that but i'm going to go a little deeper today and i'm going to speak to those who find their courage and strength in our 28 fundamentals you know i praise god for for doctrines that are in harmony and parallel to what the bible teaches but i want to say today unequivocally doctrinal integrity is not enough to sustain us in these last days doctrinal integrity having it right in your mind is not enough to make it through the times that are ahead of us we are not sustained by academic attainments we are not sustained by intellectual stimulation we will only be sustained and saved by spiritual transformation we've got universities we have churches we have schools we have colleges we have churches all over the world clergy par none and my brother why we lean upon the the veracity and the integrity of doctrines we must begin to lean upon the transforming grace of christ and recognize that only his righteousness is sufficient for the times that are yet ahead of us we must understand that if we develop a character like christ only then will we be able to stand through the blasts of what is just ahead of us the apostle paul reminds us one more time where our hope and our faith is anchored notice in colossians 1 and verse 27 he says these words he speaks of the christian and the bible says to them god willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of his of this mystery among the gentiles and where is our hope which is christ in you the hope of glory notice again christ in you the hope of glory not intellect not attainment not education but the spiritual transformation that every one of us is in need of is christ in you the hope of glory number of years ago when somebody was commenting i remember i don't remember exactly where it was but somebody walked up at me and said i really enjoyed that concert i really enjoyed that message and i said to them i'm just a lampshade i'm just a lampshade jesus is the light if the light was turned off you'll never see the lampshade you see friends i know where i was i know where i am and by god's grace i know where i am headed jesus is the light within us and he says to us let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven when you go to work monday morning when you stand before your family when you leave your business when you're on your lunch hour when you're involved in transactions between those of the world jesus is saying to us today only as they see the christ in you will they be will they be exposed to the hope of glory it's in times like these i thank god for what i believe but i thank him even more that when the spiritual transaction took place the christ that was out there became the christ that is in here christ in us the hope of glory and the servant of the lord in the book desire of age is one of our favorite books she writes these words on page 677 and paragraph 1 about the need of christ being in our lives she says the life of christ in you that is in us produces the same fruits as in him look at how she describes it living in christ adhering to christ supported by christ drawing nourishment from christ you bear fruit after the similitude of christ i want to repeat that one more time living in christ adhering to christ supported by christ drawing nourishment from christ you bear fruit after the similitude of christ in other words there is no way that you cannot end up just like him if you're connected if you are here if you are supported and if your nourishment is coming from christ there is no way that we cannot one day bear the similitude or the character or the appearance or the life of christ when we are living in him adhere to him supported by him and getting all of our nourishment from him there is no way that satan can prevent us from one day being like jesus amen there's no way and so today the hope that we find in this challenging environment yes praise god for doctrinal integrity thank him for the veracity of his word but what we need in addition to that is having a living breathing growing faith christ being in us because friends we have no idea what's coming matter of fact i would say to some degree we have an idea but you know what to hear that a category 5 is coming a category 5 hurricane is coming is quite different than surviving a category 5 that just passed i know how that is i went down to the virgin islands a few years ago when my brother and my family and my aunts and uncles and cousins were battered by two category five hurricanes in the virgin islands in st thomas now i heard about it on the news i saw the developing storms in the in in the gulf i heard about the trajectory of these storms and i thought to myself what is the category five well after they describe what they went through i said to myself i'm glad i wasn't here but i saw the devastation of a storm that is unimaginable until you are plucked right from it until you are sustained through it until you are being battered by its fierce winds and rains but let me say today in comparison there's something greater than a category 5 spiritual battle coming there's something greater that humanity has never seen and the only way that we're going to be sustained through that is to have a living faith of christ not formed and eased but chiseled through unjust accusations just like christ chiseled through the pure gold that is developed in the furnace of affliction today if you're going through something and the lord allows it let me tell you something my brother and sister the lord will never allow anything to come your way that does not result in you being stronger after than you were before now how can i say that i say that by experience i say that because i've been there my wife and i have been there we know what it's like to be battered by storms we know what it's like to go through challenging difficulties but on the heels of all of that our faith was stronger number of years ago i was watching oprah winfrey and a very famous lady who's now resting maya angelou was asked by oprah she said what do you do when you face the storms of life what do you do when you face the difficult trials of life and i never forgot what maya angelou said she said if the lord allows trials to come my way whatever is on the other side of it is better than what i have right now and she said i've learned that when i go through difficulty i can tell you on the other side of it there's something better than what i have right now in 1983 when my wife and i were married and we on our wedding night you know we were young and foolish we're a lot wiser now praise the lord that's what 37 years does but i remember when we got married and we had our we we planned our wedding in one month here's a different day a different story we planned our wedding in one month and on our wedding day we didn't even pack we just went home and just i just grabbed clothing didn't fold it she didn't fold her clothes we just whatever you need and we were driving from new york city to new jersey then to maryland then to north carolina then to orlando we didn't get our oil checked we didn't get our tires checked we had an old 1976 toyota corona station wagon we didn't do anything to prepare for this journey but god seeing the foolishness of our youth the inexperience of our minds understood the sincerity of our hearts and he sustained us from new york to new jersey from new jersey to maryland from maryland to north carolina from north carolina to orlando from orlando to miami and then all the way back home that all 1976 toyota corona station wagon that we did not even check the oil god sustained us all the way now brother let me tell you this if god can sustain us in the common walks of life on this earth how much more can god sustain us for the trials that are ahead of us but it's through these trials that god is teaching us the lesson that only as we're anchored in him can we be sustained as i was going to use the story to be more specific as we were driving from orlando to miami i may have told the story before but it fits right here as we were driving from orlando to miami i was very unfamiliar with florida had never been there before but i remember driving going south on 95 or 75 whatever the highway was and before me was a black cloud i say black cloud and i said my wife what is that and she said that's a storm well we couldn't go back there were no exits we had to go through the rain and brother did it rain it rained so hard that old car did all it could to try to keep the water out but it did not succeed water was coming in through the sills of the window water was coming into the side doors it was raining so hard that i pulled over under an overpass just to try to wait out the storm and the storm was so thick and the rain was so intense i almost hit a motorcyclist praise the lord i didn't but after we made it through that rain after we made it through that torrential downpour i learned a lesson that i never forgot you see when we enter that storm you know how old cars get you have your windshield wiper going back and forth and after a while it creates a line on your windshield you can tell that there's a line that shows where your windshield was wiped and there's a there's a darker line above that that never gets cleaned well i'll tell you what when we went through that storm on the other side of that storm there were no lines on our windshield the storms were intense to such a degree that it beat every bit of dirt that that car had on it our car was abundantly clean for the first time i saw what my car could have looked like after it went through the intense storms now why do i tell that story brethren the lord knows that some of us sometimes need to face the storms of life to understand that the lord may not ordain it but he can sustain us through it and if we trust him and continue going through it trusting his angels to guide us trusting his holy spirit to keep us trusting his word to be our guide trusting his promises to sustain us in uncertain times if we can go through it on the other side of that we'll discover that all the dirt that was in our lives god will allow the intense storms of life to blast the evidence of our past away so as we look at revelation 14 12 what i also discovered is that this picture that revelation presents a verse chapter 14 verse 12 about those who keep the commandments of god and have the faith of jesus this is a specialized group this group has been developed for such a time that lays before them but revelation 14 gives us a further picture of who this group really is notice the words of john in revelation chapter 14 verse 4 and 5. notice the description he says in verse 4 these are the ones who are not defiled with women for they are virgins these are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes these were redeemed from among men being first fruits to god and to the lamb and in their mouth was found no deceit for they are without fault before the throne of god this is a specialized group declaring them before the universe reverberating their character before an unfallen universe the lord is saying on the heels of the most urgent message delivered to humanity the three angels messages revelation paints this vivid picture of those standing on the podium of victory now what does it mean they were not defiled with women you know when the bible talks about women it's a picture of the church that means they have not been corrupted by false doctrines of those who aim at popularity and financial gain these did not get deceived because they took their stand with a message that infuriates and frustrates the smooth preachers these were not defiled they made their mind up to follow the truth as it is in jesus what does it mean when it says they were virgins the only one that they remain loyal to is the the only one that they remain loyal to is the man christ jesus and the faith of jesus is revealed in them because of that undaunting commitment in other words they are standing resolute in a vacillating society they are the vivid representation of those who are sold out to jesus i want to be sold out to jesus i want to be standing resolute in this vacillating society they are categorically and undeniably the secret soldiers of the cross why because they are unashamed of the gospel of jesus they are unapologetic for the truth as it is in jesus and they are undaunted by the heckling of satan's fiercest allies they know where their allegiance lies but as i begin to wind up the message i want to take it in a different direction to understand why they are who they are and how they got to be where they are we must understand what lies ahead of us to understand what they were delivered from we must understand where we are headed notice the faith of jesus the faith of jesus is a necessary ingredient to prepare us for what's ahead of us look at first john chapter 5 and verse 4 the bible makes it abundantly clear why faith is so important john says for whoever is born of god overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world what is it our faith what is it our faith two words our faith and let me recommend to you today it's not just our faith but it's the faith of jesus when you study the bible when you look at the moments of challenge in the life of the disciples jesus said to them how is it that you have no faith but when you look at those that were sustained and those that were restored jesus said to them be it unto you according to your faith you see faith is a necessary ingredient for us to be able to overcome the world for us to have victory and overcome everything the enemy sends our way so when you study the bible you begin to see in the book of hebrews that there is a hall of faith there is a hall of faith that are revealed and introduced through the book of hebrews chapter 11. these men and women are part of heaven's special forces but notice how it begins by introducing them as leaning upon the foundation of faith hebrews 11 and verse 1. the bible says now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen let me see that again faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen let's break that down what are you hoping for i'm hoping that when difficulty comes in the future that i am sustained by the grace and faith of god i hope and i look forward to the substance of the promises that jesus has given to me you see friends you don't have an ethereal faith you don't have a vape of faith when we trust god's word the evidence and the substance is found in the promises of god and i can say unequivocally faith is not developed in the checkout line but faith is revealed when everything around us is falling apart so the question is how do we get that kind of faith how do we develop the faith for the trials ahead listen to the apostle paul he says in romans chapter 10 and verse 17 and this is a key matter of fact i would say this is the most vital key in the development of the faith of jesus here's what he says romans 10 verse 17 so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the what the word of god so let me ask the question how much time do you spend studying the word of god how much time do you spend imbibing the word of god how much time does the word of god get in your life and i ask that question not only to you but i ask it to myself because as a pastor i can tell you i study quite a bit but so much of that study is preparing for lessons and evangelism and a bible study and i love to spend time on the phone as i did just yesterday with a gentleman that was asking questions about the truth of god's word oh i love those moments when i can give a babe in christ a clear understanding those are important times but that's not what paul is talking about he's talking about those private moments you and god alone you and god in his word alone that's when faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god why alone because in the quiet moments of your study with christ you can hear things that you cannot hear otherwise you can hear the lord speaking to you through his word that all the clamoring noise of the world around you will drown out and why is this faith so vitally important helen y says in great controversy 1888 edition page 593 and paragraph two a very chilling but very sobering statement that we need to pay attention to she says about faith none but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the bible will stand through the last great conflict why is this important faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of god only those that are fortified years ago a particular serial came out i don't remember which one it was i think it was special k just came back to me special k it says fortified with nine essential vitamins which means that commercial was saying special kids not like any other cereal it's fortified my brother and sister when you study god's word daily you become fortified by god's word you spend time building your strength and your promises and the reliance upon jesus on his word you can recall and call to mind promises in difficult moments but it can only be done if your faith comes by hearing and that hearing comes by the word of god that's where you get the fortification that's where you begin to build up your vitamins that's where you begin to build up your faith when you spend time in the word of god and something else happens not only does it fortify you and strengthen you and develop your faith but it sets you apart john 17 17 notice these words john says sanctify them jesus through the apostle john is saying sanctify them by your truth your word is truth those that have the faith of jesus are standing on the truth of god's word and the truth of god's word is sanctifying them but there is a closing picture that i want to give to you and this picture takes us to the right side of the auditorium to that part of the auditorium in the hall of faith that people don't spend a whole lot of time in you know we like the faith that that allows our our paycheck to increase we're like the kind of faith that somebody says your car is going to work just fine we like the kind of faith that says you got the job we like that kind of faith but it's hard to think about faith when we think of it as being developed in intense trials it's hard to think about that kind of faith if you said to somebody what kind of how would you like your faith to be developed somebody might say on a sunny day on a beautiful island as somebody wrote a song years ago he says i love to be a missionary on the beach at waikiki but that's not where faith is developed sometimes faith is developed in the jungles in the high places in the tough roads of life and as we picture as we look at the picture that's also included in hebrews chapter 11 about those whose faith sustained them i'm going to say to you this is the kind of faith that we're going to need this is the kind of determination that we're going to need if we're going to make it through the trials just ahead of us look at hebrews chapter 11 we'll begin at verse 32 and i'll walk you all the way through to verse 40. the bible speaks of those who develop their faith in tough times in difficult times and they've got a promise that's waiting for them that will be fulfilled here it is and what more shall i say for the time would fail me to tell of gideon and barack and samson and jephthah also of david and samuel and the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms worked righteousness she the bible goes on obtained promises stop the mouths of lions quench the violence of fire escape the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong became valiant in battle turned to flight the armies of the aliens women she's the bible says receive their dead raised to life again others were tortured what a way to develop and reveal your faith not accepting deliverance why that they might obtain a better resurrection the bible goes on still others had trials of mocking and scourging yes and of chains and imprisonment the writer continues they were stoned they were sawn in two they were tempted they were slain with the sword they wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins being destitute afflicted tormented of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deserts and mountains in dens and caves of the earth but listen to how it ends and all these having obtained a good testimony through faith did not receive the promise but verse 40 don't miss it why do they hold on why did they not faint in the face of such intense trial verse 40 gives us the last line of their resume for god god having provided something better for us that they should not be made perfect apart from us why do they hold on because they knew the finish line was not far away they knew that suffering may endure weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning they know that i'd rather suffer affliction with the people of god than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season they had their minds fixed on the end of the journey not just the temporary journey and as i wind up i share this quotation with you this really caught my heart in the book bible training school march 1 1909 ellen white spoke to a a group of students whose minds were calibrated and i'm going to say to those watching today those listening to this message i pray that this will calibrate your mind to why the faith of jesus is the only faith that is going to sustain us in the closing moments of this earth listen to what she says she says i am sure that satan with his hellish agencies is striving his best to dishearten and discourage i know you know it you feel it but we must not be discouraged neither must we fail we must suffer loss and be spoken against and have false witness born against us and take it patiently for christ's sake but i love this one thing is sure i'll repeat that one thing is sure god is true amen to that we may lean heavily upon him and we shall not be overcome or confused amid the babbles of voice we must put the armor on and then keep it on i love that put the armor on and keep it on then what here's what fight manfully the battles of the lord and having done all stand ready for another conflict specialized forces these are not the faint-hearted these are not those content with basic training stand ready for another conflict we must keep in harmony taking the whole armor of god we must have get it increase faith and move forward carrying this banner of truth and what is it the commandments of god and the faith of jesus my brother and sister one day you're going to hear the phrase echoed through the limitless time and space of unfallen worlds specialized forces they used to have scars but now they have a perfect symmetry they used to be torn and battered they faced difficulty but now they are clothed in the righteousness of jesus these are they that came out of great tribulation but now they have been covered their robes have been washed in the blood of the lamb these are those that when the names are being called they stand as the specialized forces they are closest alan white says these are the ones that are closest to the throne of god they came through trial and difficulty they came through deprivation they hung on on tough days i know mothers you're facing difficulty your children may be going through difficulty their health may be challenging your faith but hang on keep trusting jesus you may be a father who's wondering how am i going to sustain my family i just lost my job is anybody going to hire me in this coven 19 environment what do i do hang on trust jesus if he can supply food for elijah by the ravens he my brother will take care of your family the promises i've never seen the righteous forsaken nor their seed baking bread young man young lady you are wondering about the future is this the world that you're going to inherit no my brother don't be fooled this is not the world that jesus is preparing for you he's preparing for you a better world an eternal world no illness no sickness no disease no suffering that's the world young man don't be distracted by multimedia or social media don't invest your time in things that are going to fail you and friends that are going to leave you and comrades that will disappoint you but trust in the never changing love of christ is your marriage challenged husband and wife get on your knees pray to god together is your home in disarray is there no harmony when you look in each other's eyes get on your knees and pray pray to win together not to win the argument pray to win together there you can find as you humbled your heart before god that he can fix anything he can sustain anything he can develop anything he can rescue anything pastor are you discouraged have your members all left is your church permanently closed are you at home reading your bible by yourself this may be the reason why god is saying it's not about your congregation it's just you and me it's a time for you to strengthen your faith the faith of jesus here are they here are they here are they here is the patience of the saints we've got to be patient my brother it may seem as though jesus is tarrying but he hasn't given up it may seem as though he's never going to come but he that shall come will come and will not tarry don't trust in elections but make your calling and election sure in the person of christ is your son out there somewhere is your daughter out there somewhere do you know where they are jesus does keep praying for them keep bringing them before the lord and he'll sustain them he'll bring them through here is the patience of the saints look beyond the trial to the triumph look beyond the darkness to the deliverance look beyond those who challenge your faith to the one who will reward your faith here are they that keep the commandments of god and the faith of jesus i'm going to pray right now because i know many christians are losing heart many people don't know which way to turn but my determination is that you find the faith of jesus not your mother's face not your father's faith not your pastor's faith not the faith you got in college not the faith that's in your degree or your attainments but the faith of jesus only the faith of jesus will carry us through the trials ahead of us let us pray our gracious father in heaven we need your faith we need the faith that you developed in your courts of trial we need the faith that you developed when you are being wrongly accused when you are being spat upon when they thrust the crown of thorns on your head you look beyond the pain to the pleasure you look beyond their vicious accusations to the victory on the sea of glass you look beyond the ceiling of the tomb to the day when you will unseal the scrolls you look beyond the jeering mob to the cheering multitude and you endured the cross you despised the shame heavenly father give your children backbone give them strong faith may they seek not the pablum of the world but a faith that will not fail may they stand up on the promises rather than complaining upon the premises and when the storms of life are over may they recognize as the special forces of an eternal kingdom that now they can tell their story they can talk about the battles they went through and beings of unfallen worlds will be amazed as they hear the testimony of what saved by grace really means they'll hear the stories of the efficacy of the shed blood of jesus and they'll know that he is in fact the savior the lamb the only one that can deliver us so father speak to us today and bring us through and get us ready as we submit to your care the battle is going to intensify but greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world and when we hear those phrases come ye blessed of my father then we will know that the faith of jesus is all that we needed we thank you father we praise you we love you and give us a determination to trust you and serve you until the battle is done in jesus name i pray amen and amen

Channel: Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church

Views: 22,285

Rating: 4.8174906 out of 5

Keywords: Adventist, 3ABN, Sermon, Church, Last Day Events, Sabbath, Saturday, End Times, Prophecy, SDA, Religion

Id: JoQJYBk_As0

Length: 68min 35sec (4115 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 05 2020