Ten Indictments (A Historical 21st Century Message) by Paul Washer
Description: Preached Wednesday, October 22nd at the Revival Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Paul Washer delivers a urgent appeal to the Christians and Churches in North America that many have been believing a false gospel and have false assurance of their salvation. He lists 10 indictments against the modern Church system in America. This is a historical urgent message, tell others and spread the message. We need a reformation and revival of a biblical standard!
http://downloads6.pardoned.net/18/SID18002.mp3
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Grace that trains us
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
(Tit 2:11-14)
As followers of Christ, we will know that we have been saved not by works but by grace. Grace makes salvation available to all mankind, regardless of the former condition we came from, but the truth is whether we are willing to admit it or not, we have been saved from wretchedness. If we don’t see our salvation from wretchedness than grace doesn’t bear its significance. Because we have been called out of darkness into marvelous light, thus grace revealed to us our state of darkness and our response to grace is to want to get out of it. We are saved not in sin, but grace beings salvation to us out of sin.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
(Col 1:13)
The work of translating us from darkness and the power behind the darkness is the work of God, thus we are saved by God’s grace. Grace therefore is powerful, not just to save us but changes our standing.
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.
(Rom 5:1-2)
Our standing or foundation changed to one that has peace and live in agreement with the Holy God. We can see the doorway into the foundation of grace is faith. Without faith it will not please God to save us by His grace. Our new standing through Christ is our cause for rejoicing, Jesus said that our rejoicing is on the basis that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). What are we rejoicing over these days? Are they eternal and heavenly in nature or earthly and temporal?
Beyond having the power to save us from darkness and the power thereof, grace has the authority to teach or to train us to godliness and our ‘taste’ for worldly lust change into the blessedness of hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matt 5:6).
What happens if we reject the training to godliness?
We are saved from one kingdom to another, either we are in the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. Jesus said that there is another father, the devil (John 8:44)..... and He taught us to pray to our Father in Heaven. Earthly parents are to train children in the way they should go (Prov 22:6), more so our Heavenly Father would want to train us, His children, in the way of righteousness. If we are indeed His children, than the authority of His grace must be seen at work in our lives to train us into God (Christ)-likeness. To deny the authority of grace is to deny the Fatherhood of God.
If we subject ourselves to the grace of God that trains us unto godliness, we then have the blessed hope to meet Christ in the air when He returns (1 Thess 4:17) and receive the redemption of our body (Rom 8:23). Conversely, if we reject the training unto godliness, we will follow the way that seems right to us and its end are the ways of death (Prov 14:12).
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
(Tit 2:11-14)
As followers of Christ, we will know that we have been saved not by works but by grace. Grace makes salvation available to all mankind, regardless of the former condition we came from, but the truth is whether we are willing to admit it or not, we have been saved from wretchedness. If we don’t see our salvation from wretchedness than grace doesn’t bear its significance. Because we have been called out of darkness into marvelous light, thus grace revealed to us our state of darkness and our response to grace is to want to get out of it. We are saved not in sin, but grace beings salvation to us out of sin.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
(Col 1:13)
The work of translating us from darkness and the power behind the darkness is the work of God, thus we are saved by God’s grace. Grace therefore is powerful, not just to save us but changes our standing.
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.
(Rom 5:1-2)
Our standing or foundation changed to one that has peace and live in agreement with the Holy God. We can see the doorway into the foundation of grace is faith. Without faith it will not please God to save us by His grace. Our new standing through Christ is our cause for rejoicing, Jesus said that our rejoicing is on the basis that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). What are we rejoicing over these days? Are they eternal and heavenly in nature or earthly and temporal?
Beyond having the power to save us from darkness and the power thereof, grace has the authority to teach or to train us to godliness and our ‘taste’ for worldly lust change into the blessedness of hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matt 5:6).
What happens if we reject the training to godliness?
We are saved from one kingdom to another, either we are in the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. Jesus said that there is another father, the devil (John 8:44)..... and He taught us to pray to our Father in Heaven. Earthly parents are to train children in the way they should go (Prov 22:6), more so our Heavenly Father would want to train us, His children, in the way of righteousness. If we are indeed His children, than the authority of His grace must be seen at work in our lives to train us into God (Christ)-likeness. To deny the authority of grace is to deny the Fatherhood of God.
If we subject ourselves to the grace of God that trains us unto godliness, we then have the blessed hope to meet Christ in the air when He returns (1 Thess 4:17) and receive the redemption of our body (Rom 8:23). Conversely, if we reject the training unto godliness, we will follow the way that seems right to us and its end are the ways of death (Prov 14:12).
Friday, October 10, 2008
To love because or to love despite
Jesus asked Peter “lovest thou me?” in John 21 has been much preached over pulpits as the restoration of Peter after his 3 times denial of Jesus. From the same passage comes also the teaching of ‘agape’ and ‘phileo’, distinguishing the deeper meaning of levels of love lost in the English language.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deu 6:4-5)
Love is a topic that can’t be ignored because love is the essence of the commandments that God gave through Moses. If the essence of God’s commandments is about love why are laws and commandments looked upon with such negativity? I have even heard of a preacher saying that the 10 commandments ought not to be considered in the church today because it deals with before Christ resurrection. However Jesus said in Matt 22:37 that to love God first and to love our neighbor, these 2 commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Therefore to love God first and to love others as we love ourselves fulfills the law and the prophets. There is a completion in obedience by just fulfilling these two. Now how do we rationalize this?
Jesus said that if we claim to love Him, keep His commandments (John 14:15, 14:21, 15:10, 1 John 5:2, 5:3, 2 John 1:6). As parents as know that we expect obedience from our children whom we love and their obedience to us is the evidence of their love toward us. Obedience is then not tedious to us because it is in love. Christ expects us to obey in love; therefore obedience and love are one.
If a man say, I love (agape) God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth (agape) not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love (agape) God whom he hath not seen? (1Jn 4:20)
Jesus said that we agape our neighbor as ourselves, John also goes on to teach us the second commandment to agape others carries the same equally importance as the first. It is easy to phileo other for it say I ‘love because’….. I am loved in return, I benefit something out if it… this kind of love is like in a ‘win-win’ situation (sounds covetous and selfish doesn’t it?). Jesus said in Matt 5:46, there is not reward if we love and expect love in return. To agape is to love my enemies, to love without expecting anything in return… it is a love that ‘loves despite’.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (Jas 1:27)
Why is agape love important? James 2 teaches that faith without works is dead and if we link that truth together with the goats and the sheep in Matt 25 we can conclude that at the end our reward of eternal life is founded in our love toward others; give drink to the thirsty, food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, visit the sick and go to those imprisoned. These ones that we love won’t have anything tangible to return as in the parable of the Good Samaritan (loving with a cost). Can we love others this way, even if they have cursed us, spitefully used us and persecuted us? This is the love the Son of God demonstrated by dying on the cross for the world… He loved us despite that we were enemies and without strength (Rom 5:6). Are we willing (not that we are unable) to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Master to ’love despite’?
Jesus asked Peter “lovest thou me?” in John 21 has been much preached over pulpits as the restoration of Peter after his 3 times denial of Jesus. From the same passage comes also the teaching of ‘agape’ and ‘phileo’, distinguishing the deeper meaning of levels of love lost in the English language.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deu 6:4-5)
Love is a topic that can’t be ignored because love is the essence of the commandments that God gave through Moses. If the essence of God’s commandments is about love why are laws and commandments looked upon with such negativity? I have even heard of a preacher saying that the 10 commandments ought not to be considered in the church today because it deals with before Christ resurrection. However Jesus said in Matt 22:37 that to love God first and to love our neighbor, these 2 commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Therefore to love God first and to love others as we love ourselves fulfills the law and the prophets. There is a completion in obedience by just fulfilling these two. Now how do we rationalize this?
Jesus said that if we claim to love Him, keep His commandments (John 14:15, 14:21, 15:10, 1 John 5:2, 5:3, 2 John 1:6). As parents as know that we expect obedience from our children whom we love and their obedience to us is the evidence of their love toward us. Obedience is then not tedious to us because it is in love. Christ expects us to obey in love; therefore obedience and love are one.
If a man say, I love (agape) God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth (agape) not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love (agape) God whom he hath not seen? (1Jn 4:20)
Jesus said that we agape our neighbor as ourselves, John also goes on to teach us the second commandment to agape others carries the same equally importance as the first. It is easy to phileo other for it say I ‘love because’….. I am loved in return, I benefit something out if it… this kind of love is like in a ‘win-win’ situation (sounds covetous and selfish doesn’t it?). Jesus said in Matt 5:46, there is not reward if we love and expect love in return. To agape is to love my enemies, to love without expecting anything in return… it is a love that ‘loves despite’.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (Jas 1:27)
Why is agape love important? James 2 teaches that faith without works is dead and if we link that truth together with the goats and the sheep in Matt 25 we can conclude that at the end our reward of eternal life is founded in our love toward others; give drink to the thirsty, food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, visit the sick and go to those imprisoned. These ones that we love won’t have anything tangible to return as in the parable of the Good Samaritan (loving with a cost). Can we love others this way, even if they have cursed us, spitefully used us and persecuted us? This is the love the Son of God demonstrated by dying on the cross for the world… He loved us despite that we were enemies and without strength (Rom 5:6). Are we willing (not that we are unable) to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Master to ’love despite’?
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