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Sermon 122 – Obedient Defiance

14 Apr

One young woman in our fellowship was struggling with her emotions because another young woman was more popular. The popular one was new to the fellowship, so from the first woman’s perspective, it wasn’t fair that she had been usurped.

This scenario happens time and time again amongst all groups of people. The point is, how is a Christian to address these feelings?

Separation is Biblical, 2 Thessalonians 3: 6,14

The problem was, the first woman’s jealousy was disturbing the whole fellowship. Something inside her was reacting to the unfairness and everyone could feel it. If you let envy fester it will turn to hatred. It may be hidden by obedience, but it’s really hatred and defiance under the guise of obedience. Therefore, according to Scripture, I instructed this woman to separate herself from the fellowship until she stopped her attitude, and at the same time, I asked her to answer several questions in the hope it would help her see her inappropriate attitude.

Questions

Do you think you’re special? Is she jealous that the other woman has taken her position? Is she having a mood? Is her attitude Holy Spirit or demonic? Is she doing what’s she’s told by me, without any defiance in her heart? She answered ‘yes’ to every question and even agreed that she was being manipulated by a demon.

The response that got my attention was the lie that she was being obedient to my instructions without any defiance. Now, if you are being demonically manipulated, and then to think you are being obedient, actually confirms that you are under the influence of a demon and lying to yourself. It’s a contradiction to know you are under a demon and to think you are obedient without any defiance.

Non-genuine obedience

All the people that I’ve pastored over the years considered themselves to be obedient to my pastoral instructions. Very few however, served the Lord without some expectation of benefit, meaning that their obedience is not true obedience. Obedience that’s not true always carries with it some form of defiance, and sooner or later, that defiance will expose itself in contradicting the authority.

The bottom line

The bottom line in every person’s heart is the belief that they have the right to their own opinion and no one is ultimately going to tell them what to do. This is the heart of Satan, not God. To them, their obedience is the evidence of their willingness to be told what to do, so no one can say that they are not a good person. Their argument is … ‘surely, I have the right to my own opinion and the right to figure it out myself.’ However, from God’s perspective, it’s not one’s right that’s the issue, it’s the bite of defiance that protects that right.

Example

During a discussion with one Christian young man, I suggested that he may have missed my point about him having a grievance with another man because his inappropriate behaviour resembled that of the man. He retorted … I didn’t miss your point. Now, it’s fine to have a difference of opinion. It’s not the difference of opinion that’s the issue; it’s the bite behind the opinion. It doesn’t matter how obedient you think you are to the authority’s instructions, a bite confirms that your heart is not obedient; on the contrary, it’s defiant.

Defiance is inherent. It has to be broken.

Every person on the planet is born defiant. It’s inherent in our spirit because of our link with Satan through our sin. When one truly surrenders to the will of God, a slow up-hill process begins whereby God changes our inherent defiant character into His self-less character. If you’re truly open to the correction of Christ, you will begin to see your inherent stubbornness and begin to sacrifice it to Him. The problem arises when one refuses to see it and ultimately turns their back on the process.

Every person is a King Saul, until they give up and become a David

In 1 Samuel 15 we read the story of the stubbornness of King Saul. From his perspective, he was doing what he was told, but from God’s perspective, he wasn’t. From God’s perspective, his behaviour was witchcraft and idolatry (v.23). That clearly means his heart was under the control of Satan at the same time as he was worshipping God (v.31) and thought he was being obedient (v.20). Whether you like this point or not, the truth is, everybody acts this way and believes this lie, until they unconditionally surrender to the will of God. Everyone is born under the control of Satan, no matter how obedient they may appear, and this control deepens until they sacrifice their pride to the will of God.

What was missing in King Saul’s obedience?

King Saul had let his humility turn to pride of position. He loved being No.1. From his pride’s perspective, he was doing what he was told, his way. When you’re ready to blame others for your misdeeds, you clearly show you’re being deceptive about your obedience. When your prime concern is what others think of you (v.30), you clearly show that your obedience is a camouflage for your defiance. What you don’t realise is that you are reinforcing Satan’s grip on your spirit. You can act obedient as much as you like, but if the Spirit of God is missing, you’re lying to yourself and others, and you’re under the power of a demon. In 2 Timothy 2: 25,26 God describes this as “opposing yourself” and under the snare of the devil and controlled at the devil’s will.

Which camp?

Now, if Samuel is standing with God and Saul conflicts with his opinion of what’s right and wrong, then clearly Saul is not standing with God. You’re either in God’s camp or you’re in the camp of Satan, and any middle ground is the same as not standing with God. If, by the Spirit of God, you declare that a person is not being obedient, but they contradict and demand they are, then immediately they have exposed their defiance and exposed what spirit they are really of. Defiance is simply contradicting the Spirit of God. Arguing the point against God’s representative, is defiance, and thus, demonic.

The bottom line

What was the underlying problem that stirred Saul to defy Samuel’s opinion? The answer is, he fed his heart with the pride of his position and defended that position when challenged he was wrong. Later on, he reinforced that pride by envying David’s threat to that position. Once he decided to solidify this defence of his pride, he was on his way to hell. There was nothing more Samuel could do to save him from his pride. Once you harden your heart and turn your back at the intersection of the challenge of your pride, it’s virtually impossible to find your way to God.

The real issue is Holy Spirit vs Satan

Beneath all the appearance of goodness, there’s a spiritual war going on (Ephesians 6). You either stand on God’s side or Satan’s. Pretending with niceness or obedience in middle ground is the same as neither hot nor cold, and therefore satanic. Obedience with defiance is actually hatred and demonic. It’s not God’s responsibility to fix this problem, it’s yours. If you refuse to address your pride when it’s exposed and humble yourself to the mind of Christ, don’t blame God when you miss heaven.

May God stir the hearts of his remnant to oppose their pride, not themselves, so that Satan is bound, not them.

 

Pastor Jonathan Wright

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Posted by on April 14, 2018 in defiance

 

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Sermon 121 – Consequences

31 Mar

This week Steve Smith was dismissed from the captaincy of the Australian Cricket team. He confessed to condoning the tampering of the ball by one of the other players during the third test against South Africa. The whole of Australia couldn’t believe we would cheat to win a sporting game. At his first interview, Steve admitted his mistake but expected to retain his position. He had not weighed up the consequences of his actions. He hadn’t considered that all Australians would be appalled and disheartened. That his young fans would be offended and disapprove in unbelief. That he would go from hero to villain. That the South Africans would boo him onto the field. That the media companies would withdraw their financial support. That the fans would boycott the future matches. That he would forever be remembered for his error of judgment. That he would lose his captaincy and be banned from playing for 12 months.

Pride blocks

Pride blocks you seeing the consequences. It can’t appreciate what it’s got, it can only see what it wants and what it isn’t getting. Pride doesn’t think it’s doing anything that bad. It questions any correction by an authority. It blames and TELLS you how to behave for its own benefit. It won’t really accept that it’s done anything that bad. It hates anyone higher or more successful than itself. It thinks it’s right. It refuses to lower its position.

Pride thinks there’ll be no consequences; only good thigs will happen to me. Pride thinks God loves me, so He’ll look after me and never let anything bad to happen to me. It doesn’t serve Christ for Christ’s sake, it expects Christ to serve them.

The old demonic trick of make them look bad so we don’t

Pride is designed to trap you into reacting against its stubborn resistance so that it spiritually controls you. Once you play ball with someone’s pride you are trapped in your own pride. I suspect the demonic spirit behind South Africa goaded the Australian vice-captain to retaliate to mocking taunts, so that he tempted the captain to coerce with his plan of ball-tampering so that the team would get caught in its own pride. I’ve seen and experienced many times where a demonic power working through someone, goads the person to react against it’s unfair injustice and once the person has reacted to the bait it then has the power to point the finger at your weakness and divert the attention off themselves. Demons take control over you by tempting you to fall to your pride.

The Pastor and the Painter

Journalist, Cindy Wockner, has written a book titled, the Pastor and the Painter. It tells the biography of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from the moment they were arrested for drug smuggling in Indonesia, to the moment they were executed for the crime some 10 years later. In a television interview, Cindy describes the initial character of the two offenders as arrogant and insolent and disrespectful, without any remorse for their behaviour and offence, and without any agreement that they’d done wrong. She then goes on to say that after being in jail for over 6 years they both came to accept they that had done wrong. It was that decision that changed them from within to become responsible and remorseful for what they had done. They both changed and became genuinely Christ-like in their behaviour.

The key was accepting that they were wrong instead of being flippant about their deeds. Even so, they paid the ultimate consequence for their insolence.

2 thieves on the cross

In Luke 23:39 we read the reactions of the malefactors on the crosses next to Christ. One thief was only concerned about getting out of his problem and TOLD Jesus how to behave and fix it for him. He objected to the consequences. Demonic spirits always TELL you and blame you for their problem even though it’s obvious they, themselves, created the problem. Notice that Jesus didn’t play ball with this thief. He wouldn’t let His Spirit get trapped into His pride by demonic temptation. The enemy was still working his temptations right up to the end.

The other thief stood up for Jesus and rebuked the arrogant thief. He lowered his pride, accepted that he deserved the punishment, opened his heart to Christ, and was immediately saved for eternity. Most people lie or say sorry to avoid the consequences. They’ll never find Christ. It’s lowering your pride that saves you; you’re not saved by being good.

How do you know whether your pride has been put in its place?

You’ll have your pride in its place when you take full responsibility for it as evidenced by not blaming someone else or defending your position. When you’re willing to take the consequences and punishment. Steve Smith humbled himself. The consequences opened up his eyes to his sin and caused him to lower his position and give up his pride. On the other hand, Barnaby Joyce (Australia’s ex-deputy Prime minister) refuses to accept the consequences. Mr. Joyce doesn’t think his private life is anyone else’s business. He’s wrong. When you’re in public office, everything is the public’s business. Let me ask … did Mr. Joyce deceive his wife by having an adulterous affair behind her back? The answer is obviously, yes. That means that Mr. Joyce is a deceiver. Now, if you are going to deceive your wife, then you are going to be deceptive in your parliamentary position and to the public in general. If you treat your marriage vows with deceit, then that’s how you’ll treat your parliamentary vows.

What you practice is who you are

Why are most people afraid to kill someone? I suggest, because they are afraid of the consequences. If God considers that envy and hatred is murder (1 John 3:15), then why are Christians casual about practicing it? I suggest, because they are not afraid of the consequences. They don’t think it can been seen so they deduce they can get away with it; besides everyone else is doing it. If you have little concern of God’s punishment, then you’ll be flippant about your pride.

Casual about the consequences, casual about Christ.

Modern society has banished corporal punishment. The problem with this philosophy is that when you remove discipline you teach the child that there are no serious consequences for doing wrong. Eventually, you breed defiance, rebellion and anarchy. Young people today won’t be told, and laws are changed to suit the casual wants.

One of the fruits of our modern society is casual divorce. The law gives you the legal right to disrespect your vows. These vows are made before God, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, till death us do part. There’s only two grounds for righteous divorce, and that’s adultery or death. Now if the country gives you the right to divorce because you don’t like your spouse anymore, then that country is defying the Word of God and encouraging you to be a vow-breaker. Therefore, that parliament itself, is a vow-breaker. No wonder no one trusts a politician; they just don’t realise that you vote into power what you are yourself.

Christians make a vow to God

You show what character of person you really are by how much you honour your marriage vows to Christ. If you’re casual about your marriage vows you’ll walk away from your relationship based on your moodiness and pride, and Satan wins. If you’re prepared to walk away from your marriage and defy your vows to God, then you’ll do the same with your vow to God to serve him as a Christian. A Christian makes a vow to God, his husband, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part; but fake Christians object when things are worse or poor or sick. They’re not really committed to the vows; they’re truce-breakers; they’re liars, easily deceived by the enemy and deserters of the army, and unfortunately, our modern churches breed them in multiple numbers, by pretence and the prosperity lies.

The Ten Commandments stand behind your marriage vows to Christ

The fake modern church is casual about the ten commandments. They casually practice envy, hate and coveting; they lie to protect themselves; they shop, restaurant and sport on God’s sabbath; they merchandise their music; they practice immoral sex; they practice divorce; they practice adultery; they disrespect authority; they think themselves, special; they worship God and love the things of the world at the same time.

If you’re casual about His commandments, you’re casual about your vows and casual about your love for Christ. You can act committed like Mr. Joyce, but it’s all a lie. What you fail to realise is that the consequence of this casualness is hell, not heaven. If you’re casual about your vows then you’re not married to Christ. The relationship was never consummated.

I keep His commandments because I love Him, not because I fear Him; but I fear Him because I love Him.

 

Pastor Nick Clarence

 

 
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Posted by on March 31, 2018 in Pride

 

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Sermon 120 – Newton’s 3rd Law

17 Mar

Newton’s 3rd Law of physics states that … for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It’s not a premise or a theory; it’s law. That means, it’s not a possibility or a maybe; it’s a fact of the physical realm we live in. It happens in every instance of action, 100% of the time. Hit a tree at fast speed and your body will hit the windscreen with the same force unless you’re wearing a seat-belt.

What people fail to understand is that the laws of the physical realm are simply a reflection of the spiritual realm. In the spiritual realm the same law applies. You see it’s application in the physical realm so you can open your spiritual eyes and appreciate how the spiritual realm operates.

The Word of God states in Matthew 7:1 & 2 … judge not that you be not judged, for with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. The Bible calls it sowing and reaping, but it’s simply the law of equal and opposite reaction.

Sow disrespect, you’ll get disrespected. Sow control over people, you’ll get controlled by a demon, and you won’t know it’s happening. Sow judgment and you’ll fall to the same thing you judged. Sow envy and you’ll reap hatred.

The key element that the Bible encourages is … humility

God gives grace to the humble. He resists the proud. God loves a contrite spirit. He hates pride because it’s from hell. Humility comes from heaven. Pride is a characteristic of Satan. Humility is a characteristic of Christ.  If you choose pride, God will resist your pride with an equal and opposite reaction … a haughty spirit precedes a fall. If you choose humility, Satan will resist it with an equal and opposite reaction, but the difference is God will be your strength, and the reward will be eternal.

Humility?

To understand humility, you need to understand pride. To walk humbly you need to block pride. Pride is triggered in two ways, and always via feelings. One way is by getting puffed up via good feelings eg. when you get a compliment or complete a task well. A voice says to you that you’re pretty good or clever or capable. The other way is via bad feelings eg. when someone says or does something to hurt your feelings. A voice says to you that it’s not fair or nice. Consequently, you can have puffed-up pride, but even more commonly, you can have hurt pride.

Humility is not an outward appearance; it’s an inner attitude of God’s strength to desist from sucking-up to your hurt pride or puffed-up pride. It’s learnt from recognising that your hurt feelings or good feelings are a satanic trap to get you to be proud so that Satan can apply the law of equal reaction against you.

There’s no way you can avoid good or bad feelings. It’s part of being human. You can pretend to block your feelings with coolness or macho-ness, but they’re still there; they’re just covered over.

Humility doesn’t mean you block your feelings with coolness. It means you feel it and go to God with your hurt and trust His solution, accepting that hurt is part of the solution to learning faith and trust.

Repentance and Forgiveness don’t happen until you give up your feelings

You can’t repent and hold onto hurt feelings, and you can’t forgive and hold onto hurt feelings. You have to give up your feelings and die to what you want before you can repent or forgive.

It’s not fair, I want good feelings

Most people say sorry or forgive so they can get their good feelings back. Their motive is selfish, so it never works. No one likes bad feelings and no one likes looking bad in the eyes of others. So we let the feelings of embarrassment dictate our spirit’s decision and end up suffering the reactions of our action.

Really, underneath all our feelings is just the human desire to be valued and favoured … to be special above others. In other words, we all like feeling superior and hate feeling inferior and we make our judgments based on this motivation. Sadly, that’s the pathway to hell, and God challenges this path with circumstances of life that are designed to re-evaluate the natural law.

Satan uses feelings to trap you in the natural law. Focussing on the feelings of unfairness or superior-ness [superiority is really motivated by past hurts and envy] traps you in the judgment of the person who has hurt you and results in an equal and opposite reaction that Satan can manipulate to make you act like the person you hate.

God’s unpopular pathway to heaven

Jesus made Himself of no reputation and took on Himself the form of a servant. He humbled Himself to the Father’s will and became obedient unto death … Philippians 2:7,8

If you take the pathway least travelled and seek to walk humbly, you’ll cop an equal and opposite reaction from Satan, and God will save you for his eternal kingdom.

If you take the broad way, you’ll still cop an equal and opposite reaction from Satan, and you’ll end up in eternal hell.

No matter what you do you won’t avoid an equal and opposite reaction, but you can choose where you want to end up.

How do you stop your pride?

If you want to stop your pride so you walk the walk of Christ, you have to address your feelings. Pride enters through your feelings. It therefore, must exit through your feelings. You can’t just decide to stop your pride. You first must give up your hurt feelings or your superior feelings. You need to feel yourself do this. Just as you feel the hurt, you must feel the letting go of the hurt. It requires a decision of the mind, but ultimately, it’s actually a decision of the heart.

The mind calculates that the pain feelings or good feelings are part of the walk with Christ and despite the feelings, gives an instruction to one’s heart (spirit) to trust the Lord through the feelings. The heart then lets go the feelings and you feel it go. It doesn’t necessarily resolve the feelings straight away, but an inner confidence of faith is restored that Christ is in control of the situation.

The thief on the cross

The thief on the cross felt his anger and reacted with disrespect and arrogance towards Jesus and demanded He fix his problem. The other thief felt his sin and humbled himself. Humility isn’t based on goodness or badness; it’s feeling your sin and giving up the resistance to defend it.

The problem … you get what you practice

The Word of God declares in 2 Timothy 3, that in the last days people will be incontinent, that is they will not be able to control their feelings because they have allowed themselves to be disrespectful, envious of those that are good, trucebreakers, self-lovers, heady and high-minded, having a form of godliness but never able to come to the truth.

If you practice disrespect, manipulation, defiance, envy, compromise and bending of God’s laws, sexual evil, and don’t keep your word, there’ll be a point of incontinence where you won’t be able to return to self-control even if you want to.

If you don’t control your prideful emotions then you will lose control of your emotions and become incontinent. If you allow your selfish emotions to rule, then you will get an equal and opposite reaction of destruction that will separate you from God.

You need to wear a seatbelt if you don’t want the injury

Macho-ness doesn’t wear a seatbelt; it thinks it’ll never get hurt. Coolness doesn’t wear a seatbelt; it thinks it won’t feel the pain. Fear puts on the seatbelt but fails to buckle it up. It wants the freedom to choose. It looks like it’s wearing the seatbelt so it doesn’t get caught by the police and doesn’t get into trouble.

The seatbelt in the spiritual kingdom is … death. If you’re dead, the feelings are irrelevant. Death is not simple; it requires faith. It has to be learnt; it’s not automatic. It’s daily, not a once for all. It’s learnt through good and bad feelings and by observing the reactions when you fail to stop your actions. You learn it through your failures and your observations. It can only be done after you’ve surrendered to the will of the Father … John 5:30, but, even though the seatbelt restricts your freedoms and wants, the seatbelt means you won’t go through the windscreen; God is in control.

If any man will follow Me, let him deny himself and take up his hurt feelings and pain daily and follow Me. For whoever will save his life will lose it but whoever will lose his life for My sake, the same will save it …  Luke 9:23,24

 

Pastor Frank Chisholm

 

 

 
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Posted by on March 17, 2018 in Humility, Pride

 

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Sermon 119 – The Hatred of Feel-Good

24 Feb

Time and time again I’ve watched Christians chase the god of “feel good”. The priority of their life is to feel good, and to feel happy. The church has told the people that God makes you feel good; He makes you happy, so people come to church looking for the happiness because their life is empty. They want some value, some love, some warmth, some purpose, something that will fill the void, and the church promises it in Jesus, but the people can’t find it.

The world is chasing the same mirage

Everyone is looking for the good feelings. So, if you’re doing the same then you’re of the world, not of Christ. You may not be into drugs, sex, and alcohol, but if you’re chasing it through acceptable Christian means such as friends, success, money, or position, then it’s the same outcome of vanity.

God says … love not the world nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world then the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world (lust of the flesh and eyes and pride of life) is not of the Father, but is the world. The world passes away and the lusts thereof, but he that does the will of God shall abide forever … 1 John 2:15-17

If God’s good, then surely He wants me to be happy

Godless Christians conveniently assume that God’s into good feelings and thus selfishly expect that getting good feelings is God’s way for them. Thus, they judge others by whether they make them feel good or bad, and they make deductions based on whether it feels good or not.

Use the happy lie to control others

Ultimately, this deduction process gives selfishness the right to always feel good and consequently these people control everyone and everything around them so that their objective of feeling good is always achieved. They end up convincing themselves that they’re always good and always right. In reality, this person does whatever they want as long as it makes them feel good. Thus, when they’re corrected and put in their place, they object to the correction because it doesn’t gel with their feel-good rights. They assume they’re correctable, but at the intersection of correction they object. Thus, they fail to take responsibility for their sin; preferring to excuse away their wrong by conversely judging the corrector as wrong because he made them feel bad. They then look for faults in the corrector to justify their often polite but resistant defiance.

God’s formula for your feelings

God doesn’t promise happy feelings here on earth. That’s part of His heavenly kingdom. He promises life through pain which is why people chasing happy can’t find Him, and that’s why it’s called the narrow way, because few want to travel that path.

If any man will follow Me, let him DENY himself, take up his cross DAILY, and follow Me. Luke 9:23

God is the judge, not you

God doesn’t judge you for your sin, because the wages for sin is already hell. He judges you for your repentance, so He can save you from this hell judgment. It’s His blood that cleanses the repentant sinner, not your apology or penance. He does punish you for sin to wake you to righteousness. He punished David for his sin but saved him for eternity because of his repentance, whereas, God let the sin of King Saul drift and saw him miss heaven, for hell.

No correction; no salvation

Correction is a painful experience, Hebrew 12:6. It has to be or it isn’t correction. It’s painful because it’s hurting your pride. If you’re into feel-good, you’re going to diffuse the correction with excuses and thus you’ll fall for the satanic tactic of feel-good so you’re blocked from heaven. Instead of addressing your pride you’ll reinforce it.

If at the point of righteous correction, you fail to bend your spirit to own your sin, you lose the right to stay on the Vine. Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden, not because they sinned, but because they chose to blame rather than bend. The same is true of King Saul, whereas, David repented.

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as a son. If you are without chastening, then you’re a bastard and not a son, Hebrews 12:7,8.

The search for life and value is only found when the vanity of feelings is sacrificed for His will.

Envy

The world and the false church can’t help being envious of those that have found the “good”. Eventually, their envy and anger will be exposed against those who have a real relationship with Christ, simply because others seem to have got the ‘good’, and they haven’t and can’t seem to get it. In their heart they hate those who have the heart of the Father. God calls this murder, and thus they inadvertently pronounce hell judgment on their own head.

If you’re in Christ, you don’t have to say anything, the godless church will hate you because they envy the peace of Christ in your heart, irrespective of the circumstances around you. It’s exactly what they’re looking for but can’t find it because they’re not really looking for Christ but rather they’re chasing the good-feel.

I’m always right, so if you think I’m not, you’re the one that’s wrong

I recall a young Christian who seemed to have all the facets of being genuine, including generosity and helps. In time, however, correction exposed the falseness of his spirit. He pretended to be a Christian but he wasn’t. The problem was he had convinced himself about his own goodness to the point that he honestly believed he was never wrong; everyone else was.  Thus, he could never hear the truth about himself; he could only see the fakeness in everyone else. This is a satanic imagination that blocks the correction which would get you back onto the right path, so you continue on the path to hell; and unfortunately, it’s all too common.

Fake goodness is always to gain self-value; never for Christ.

Hated because you love Christ

A genuine Christian doesn’t have to chase the feeling of good and happiness. They know they’re in- Christ and the feelings are irrelevant. Their spirit is content in the knowledge of His grace upon them and learns to rest in His abiding love.  The spirit of the world is satanic; thus, the world and the fake church will automatically hate them just like they hated the Master. This hatred is designed to put you in fear and force you to give up the fight, but if you face the temptation to go the easy path, this hatred is actually the confirmation of the genuineness of the connection between the true servant and His Lord.

The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God; and if children, then joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified with Him.  Romans 8:16

Hatred is the gel that connects you to Christ

Goodness is not the sign of Christ. Non-Christians can act good. Hatred is the sign. If you want to walk with Christ you have to accept the hatred that will be fired at you. You can’t do this if you’re chasing good feelings. The good-feelers will often be the ones that throw the hatred. The purpose of being hated is to see if you will suffer with Christ or defend yourself against the injustice by throwing the hatred back. Hatred for Christ is the blessing Jesus talks about in Matthew 5. It’s the common denominator with Christ and the evidence of your love for Him and His love for you.

 

May the remnant sense His presence no matter the pain and burden of the attacks against their spirit.

 

Pastor Nick Clarence

 
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Posted by on February 24, 2018 in Correction, Happy

 

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Sermon 118 – I’m Sorry

17 Feb

Proverbs 20:6 … most men will proclaim their own goodness, but a faithful man is hard to find.

In Australia, the deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, has been exposed for adultery. He’s been challenged about promoting the woman, with whom he’s had an affair, into a higher job position. His family is struggling with being dumped and publicly embarrassed. As a consequence, the Prime Minister has publicly suggested that Mr. Joyce’s behaviour is unacceptable and included a ‘no sex with staff’ in the code of conduct agreement. Mr. Joyce says he’s sorry, but at the same time he’s challenged the Prime Minister’s reaction. As far as he’s concerned it’s his own private business and no one has the right to judge him or tell him what to do. His sorry is mixed with arrogance and blame.

Fake sorry = don’t tell me what to do

Recently, I corrected a young man in our fellowship for his selfish attitude of envy and pride. He said sorry, then went about defending himself with his good deeds and ended up blaming me for the correction. In other words, he was telling me how he should have been corrected. From his perspective I was over-the-top. The truth is, he wouldn’t be put in his place.

Responsibility vs. Blame

I always find it fascinating how when someone sins they blame the authority for correcting them instead of taking responsibility for their sin and whole-heartedly accepting the correction. As far as they’re concerned, they’re a good person so sorry should see the end of it. Like king Saul, a selfish proud spirit won’t accept they’re wrong, even though they’ll often agree they are. These people will always ultimately look for excuses to defend their selfishness.

God doesn’t accept sorry

God only accepts repentance; He doesn’t accept sorry. God didn’t accept Judas’ sorry, but He did Peter’s. One sorry was an apology because he was exposed and embarrassed & probably blamed Jesus for putting him in that position by making him the treasurer. The other sorry was an acceptance of responsibility with sincere remorse resulting in repentance. One sorry re-evaluates that it’s not as bad as was first portrayed, the other sorry knows it was wrong and humbles itself to the punishment. One is too proud to bend, the other bends and repents.

Judas sorry

Most people say sorry to get out of trouble. They don’t really mean it. Why? The pride of humanity doesn’t like being told it’s wrong. Most people believe they have the right to diagnose and surgically remove anything that’s bad, themselves. They don’t like other people telling them they’re wrong. Their pride can’t handle it.

Blame attached to sorry means you’re not sorry

You can’t say sorry and blame at the same time; it’s a contradiction. Saying sorry with an excuse, is not sorry; it’s selfish. Blame attached to sorry is the same as saying … “sorry for upsetting you but you’re wrong for correcting or punishing me the way you did. I’m willing to be told I’m wrong but I don’t like you telling me I’m wrong (which obviously doesn’t make sense); and you made me do it anyway”.

What the person is really saying is … I think I’m good. You shouldn’t tell me I’m bad! I have the right to decide whether I’ve done wrong, you don’t. In other words, they won’t be told, or they’ll pretend to be, but in their heart, they don’t like being put in their place.

Being put in your place

Being put in your place, is generally read as being put-down, when in fact, it may be a beneficial correction to your pride of position. Pride won’t interpret the difference but rather objects to the correction, in which case it clearly does need to be put in its place.

I’m right because you are wrong

Ask yourself … do you deduce you are right when someone who’s offended you is corrected?

The truth is, only pride makes the deduction … I’m right because you’re wrong, or I’m good because you are corrected. Just because someone is corrected doesn’t necessarily mean that you are right, and someone’s wrongness doesn’t prove you are good. You can’t conclude rightness based on someone else’s wrong. You may both be wrong. In fact, if this is your common deduction, then you, yourself, are full of your own pride.

Humanity makes its deductions based on its feelings

Most people believe that what they feel is the truth. Their deductions are based on how they feel. If you hurt my feelings then you’re not nice and you deserve to pay for it. This is the thinking of the anti-Christ, not Jesus. A genuine Christian makes his deductions by faith. Faith is the engine of his spirit, not feelings. If you’re running on feelings you’d better submit to correction to restore yourself to faith or you’ll eventually derail.

A faithful Christian accepts his feelings (whether it be heaviness, loneliness, failure, hurts, purposeless) as the burden of life that he shares with Christ. The feelings drive him to Christ … cast your cares on Him because he cares for you … as his strength and source.

The world is chasing happy feelings

The human spirit doesn’t like feeling bad, which is why if it gets caught, it says sorry, so it can get back to its good feelings. As far as the world is concerned, if I say sorry, that should be the end of it, and if it isn’t then you’ve got the problem. It’s a convenient way of ignoring one’s own sin and casting the blame onto someone else.

The world wants happy feelings all the time. It chases after it through … success, money, friends, marriage, travel, sex, fun, drugs, alcohol, & super challenges.  The fake church sells happiness so it can take advantage of what the world is looking for, so it can increase its numbers and money and look good to the world so it’s not persecuted.  Thus, the fake church is just like the world.

If you’re chasing happy feelings, then you’re of the world, not of Christ

Christ doesn’t offer happiness; He offers blessedness, and that’s a completely different product …  blessed are you when you are persecuted, merciful, meek, mourn & poor … Matthew 5.

Happiness is transient and temporary; it’s based on luck. It never permanently fulfils; it always has to be chased for more, and it always produces envy against those who seem to have it.

Blessedness is based on faith. It’s a commitment to Christ, based on a relationship of love. It doesn’t seek happy feelings. It simply serves Him and trusts Him whatever the feelings and outcome.

It’s never really a ‘happy’ issue

On the surface humanity says it’s chasing happiness, but that’s just a cover for the real hidden agenda of … I can do what I want; no one’s going to tell me what I can and can’t do. If you don’t want to be told, you’ll chase what you want. Thus, Barnaby Joyce is now exposed for his real agenda and Satan wins and secretly controls another lost spirit.

Freedom strategy

The whole purpose of blame and hurt is to get you to retaliate against a demonic spirit so you come under its power. Satan argues ‘feelings’ through blame and guilt to trap you in His power. It’s the tickling of your feelings that is the temptation. Sin is acting on the temptations.

Conversely, God argues sin. This puts the argument on the spirit level, rather than the feeling level.

A remnant Christian goes to God’s Word for the truth of a person’s attack against them and either repents for being wrong, or righteously refuses to accept the blame and puts the responsibility for the sin back onto the shoulders of the blamer. They still may suffer the feelings of blame but they’re free from the power of the blame; they’ve shared it with the Lord. Elijah stood up to Ahab, David stood up to King Saul, Shadrach stood up to Nebuchadnezzar, and Jesus stood up to the Pharisees.

The remnant needs to learn the righteous path to Godly aggressive humility to stand up against the sinner, rather than being sucked into the satanic trick to react to hurt feelings.

 

Pastor Nick Clarence

 

 

 
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Posted by on February 17, 2018 in Blame, Correction

 

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Sermon 117 – The Peninnah Syndrome

03 Feb

There’s a show on tv called “married at first sight” … desperate people looking for love and relying on the skills of a team of marriage psychologists to match them with the perfect partner without having ever met. The world is looking for love, and instead of turning to the Creator of love they’re turning to the evil love of homosexuality, or the emotional love of erotic music, or the social connection of erotic night-clubs, or prostitution, pornography and paedophilia.

The modern church has misled people with false hopes of love. It’s selling love to attract the desperate world to its meetings to increase its numbers and income rather than training people to form an army against the onslaught of the world. Love is popular, as is the Pentecostal anti-satan warfare with your mouth, but persecution is not. Grace has become the popular catch-cry; meanwhile homosexuality flourishes because the church has lost its saltiness.

Hannah

In 1 Samuel, we read the story of Elkanah and his two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Hannah suffered the social embarrassment of being barren, but her husband had a special love for her, whereas, Peninnah, even though she had several children, lived in bitter envy of Hannah, and regularly mocked and spitefully ridiculed her because she saw her as more loved. Peninnah was Hannah’s enemy.

The question is … why was Hannah more loved? The answer is, there was something in Hannah that was attractive and there was something in Peninnah that wasn’t. You can’t be attracted to envy and bitchiness. All Peninnah had to do was stop her envy and she would have been attractive like Hannah.

Why couldn’t she? The answer is that love flows from the heart; it can’t be generated by psychology pairing. If your heart is full of envy then the wrong love will flow. You have to be dead to yourself for the agape love of God to flow out.

The only key to love is …

God 1st, neighbour 2nd. If you make yourself 1st, you’ll never find Hannah’s love. When you’re the most important thing, envy will dictate your spirit whether you know it or not.

Why is this phenomenon so common yet more often than not, hidden?

Because Satan comes as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. On the outside he seems nice and caring but on the inside, he’s full of envy. The story of Hannah is more than just a historical event; it also has the Spirit of God hidden in its pages. It’s really the story of Satan’s envy of Jesus’ special relationship with the Father. Instead of being satisfied with his position, Satan hates Jesus because He seems higher, but ultimately, Satan wants the top position of the Father. It’s not really about love at all; it’s all about CONTROL and the desperate selfish desire to be No.1.

Envy is a satanic trait; it’s not a characteristic of the Holy Spirit

The Word of God declares that love envies not (1 Corinthians 13). So, if you routinely practice envy it confirms that your heart is captured by Satan, and bitterness and spite will eventually flow out of you. That means you are not saved for heaven. This is the state of the false church; they have a relationship with God but they hate those who are more loved by Him.

God was on Hannah’s side

I’ve asked people who they feel for … Hannah or Peninnah? Routinely, I get the response, Peninnah, because she was less loved. Somehow, they can’t see Hannah’s pain. Standing on the side of Peninnah means you are standing against Hannah and thus on Satan’s side, not God’s.

I’ve worked with many Christians, both male and female, who appear loving and caring on the outside, but in time, expose an inner evil of bitter envy just because they see someone else as more loved, more popular, more successful, especially if they seem to walk closer with God. This is the Peninnah syndrome. They may be related to Christ, but they hate someone else being closer to Him. They want to be the centre of attention. They are the false church.

The enemy of the true church is the false church

The Psalms are full of David’s remorseful pain because those who pretended to be close to him were actually his hidden enemies (eg. Psalm 41, 54, & 55).  God calls the false church, tares. It is set up by Satan for the purpose of deceiving the world and to oppress the true church. The Bible declares that the time will come when false Christians will betray the genuine ones even to the point of having them killed and believing it’s for a godly purpose (John 16:2).  Jesus, Himself, warns us that a man’s foes shall be they of his own household (Matthew 10:36).

Like Hannah, without you even saying nothing, the false church will misunderstand your intentions (v.14,15) and call you insane and demonic. This was the reaction of the false church when God directed us away from Sunday (Rome’s holy day) to Saturday (God’s holy day, Matthew 5:17-19) sabbath as a sign of separation.

Be encouraged

Contrary to popular false belief, Hannah’s experience proves that a genuine Christian will suffer periods of barrenness. Faith waits on God; it doesn’t expect or demand God’s prosperity. It’s grateful when it has it and it’s trusting when it doesn’t (Philippians 4:11,12).

If you’re a true Christian, then you must expect the ridicule and spite of family within the false church. You must expect to be hated by family and friends within the false church. In fact, if it’s not happening then you are probably the false church … if they called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His household, Matthew 10:25.

The false church is actually under the power of God. Like Hannah’s dilemma forced her to turn to God, God is simply using Satan’s envy to turn the remnant towards Himself. Faith flourishes under attack.

By their fruits you shall know them

Like Peninnah, the false church will be exposed by its envy and hate towards the true church, but, like Hannah, despite the attacks and spite, the true church will know it’s loved.

The mouth of Peninnah says … you can’t tell me I’m not a Christian / you love them more than me / what’s wrong with wanting love? / my feelings are the truth / I’m special / advise me but don’t tell me what to do.

You need a Peninnah to create a Samuel

Peninnah didn’t know it, but Satan’s whole purpose was to use her to destroy God’s plan through Hannah. Satan’s plan was to get Hannah to murmur against the unfairness so he could bring about her destruction (1 Corinthians 10:10) so there wouldn’t be a Samuel. Without Peninnah, Hannah would not have gone to God in desperation. She may have eventually had a son, but she would not have had a Samuel. Eventually, we shall reap Samuels (something worthy and purposeful for the kingdom of God) if we faint not.

 

Pastor John Cormack

 

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2018 in Envy

 

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Sermon 116 – I want something you’ve got & I’ve never had

13 Jan

Joash

In 2 Chronicles 22:10 – 24:27, we read the story of Joash. Queen Athaliah was evil through and through, but King Joash looked good and acted good. Athaliah had taken the throne by killing all the king’s seed but Joash escaped thanks to the actions of his aunt. He was hidden for 7 years in the temple with the family of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada was a Godly man. After 7 years, he initiated the coronation of Joash and oversaw the destruction and death of wicked Athaliah. Whilst Joash acted respectful of the authority of Jehoiada the priest, he behaved Godly and righteous.

However, his true heart was exposed when he listened to the flattery of demonised voices (24:17). He had become KING. Position had stolen his head and heart. He lost his appreciation for being saved from death. All that was required was a bit of flattery and he was gone. He turned against God and worshipped other gods. He was challenged by the new priest Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, with whom he has spent his childhood. His response was … how dare you tell me what to do, and he had Zechariah stoned to death.

Knowing the heart of man, I suggest he envied the son’s relationship with his father, something he had never had himself. He had everything but he wasn’t satisfied. He wanted what he’d never had and couldn’t seem to get. He wanted what the son had, and besides it’s a good thing to seek, he told himself. His actions flowed from this hidden envy. You can seem to get away with envy because it’s a hidden emotion, but eventually it will be exposed.

How did Joash express his appreciation to Jehoida?

Joash showed his appreciation for being saved from death by Jehoida by killing his son. That’s not love and it’s surely not an expression of any appreciation. His actions in the beginning may have seemed good, but I suggest he was just trying to impress Jehoiada. The envy of his heart fed the desire for position and puffed him up. If you allow your heart to be envious you’ll strive to position yourself above those you envy and you’ll lose your soul.

You can separate yourself from this story and say I wouldn’t do that, but the truth is, the moment you judge your fellowman, you have done it. You can’t say you love God and put yourself up above your fellowman. That’s not love. In fact, God calls it murder (1 John 3:15).

God is love (1 John 4:8)

You can only have a relationship with God on the basis of love. Without faith, which works by love, it’s impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and whatever is not of love is sin (Romans 14:23).

Goodness is not necessarily love

Love is not expressed by good deeds or generosity. Anyone can fake that. It has to flow from deep appreciation first, without envy. You can’t get the Father’s love by trying to be good enough; that’s selfish.

Love flows from your deep appreciation for what God did when he sacrificed His only Son for your salvation. This love is expressed by your appreciation for his sacrifice. From this appreciation flows generosity and good deeds. Without the appreciation your good deeds are bad, not good.

The heart of man wants position and value

Ever since the Garden of Eden, the heart of man is born in sin. It’s born under the influence of Satan. This heart has to be replaced with a new heart of love, not goodness. You can fake goodness. If Joash truly loved God he would never have turned against Him and worshipped other gods, nor killed the son of the man who saved him. In the same manner, if you truly love God you will never allow your heart to envy your fellowman. You have to daily fight yourself to do this otherwise the voices will deceive you into evil.

Voices

Like Joash, we’re all susceptible to the demonic voices of guilt and flattery. Listening to demonic voices will turn your heart. You can act loving, but sooner or later demonic voices will expose your true heart.

Most people measure themselves by their good

Most people think that their goodness is love. The problem is, most good is selfish and therefore evil. Most people do good so they feel valued in themselves and valued in the eyes of others. They do good so they will be liked for their goodness. They do good so you will be good to them. They do good because it’s the right thing to do. They do good so they won’t be punished for doing bad. Their goodness is manipulated by fear, pride and greed. Their good is rarely motivated by appreciation, and if it is, it’s usually contaminated with self-value.

You don’t do good to get good things in return. That’s not good; that’s greed. That’s why Santa Claus is a lie. You do good as an expression of appreciation for God’s sacrifice.

So how do we know if our good is love based or selfish based?

1 Corinthians 13: 3, 4

Love is not envious. Love is not puffed-up. Love does not vaunt itself. Love is not measured by helps and generosity (v.3); it’s measured by how you view your fellowman.

Jesus gave up His position to save you and me. He suffered an unjustified death for you and me, and if you love Him for doing that then there’s no need to envy. Envy proves you are faking it.

How do you express your appreciation?

If you love God, you love to do what He instructs. You can’t say you love God and envy your fellowman; that’s opposite His instructions. You can’t say you love God and puff yourself up with your own importance. You can’t say you love God and seek position. You can’t say you love God and disrespect authority. You can’t say you appreciate everything He’s done for you and abuse His sabbath or commit adultery in your heart.

If you truly love God, you won’t let your heart lust after its own selfishness.

Love follows the character of Christ. He humbled Himself and became a servant and obedient unto death (Philippians 2). If you practice goodness with a hidden agenda of position, then you’re opposite to Christ and not of Christ.

Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbour as yourself.

Your expression of appreciation for God’s love towards you is measured by your judgment of your fellowman. Why? If you love God then you will automatically value and respect His creation, your fellowman. That means you won’t envy your fellowman. You won’t want what he has or who he is, or how high up the ladder he becomes. If you do good to your fellowman without the love of God, it’s not good; it’s actually selfishness.

If you’re a true pastor you have to be willing to suffer like Jehoiada and Zechariah

Time and time again, as a pastor, like Jehoiada, I have shown the love of God to many people. As a general rule, these people show their appreciation with helps and generosity; that is until I challenge them about their true heart.

On many occasions, I’ve invited people into my family to save their spirit. In time, I’ve had these same people say to my face … if you’re my pastor then I expect you to treat me with the same love and value as you love and value your daughter. This is not a sign of loving appreciation, but demonic control.

You can’t say you honour the pastor but then behind his back you envy his love for his son and want it for yourself. You can’t say you respect the pastor and then behind his back you envy the love he has for his wife and want it for yourself. You can’t say you cherish the pastor and at the same time wish you were loved the same as he loves his daughter, and in the same way, you can’t say to God that you love Him and behind His back envy His love towards someone else.

Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t puff itself up. Love shows its appreciation by thanking God for blessing other people and not expecting it for myself.

Satan wants Jesus’ position so he can take God, the Father’s, position. When you do the same you show your true heart is with Satan. Anyone who practices love with envy is under the control of a demonic lying spirit … looks good on the outside, but rotten within.

James 3: 14-18

James 3 declares that where bitter envy exists there is lying and demonic, confusion and every evil work. Eventually, like Joash, the true heart of a fake Christian will be exposed at a point of correction and they will no longer be easily entreated, but resistant to correction and thus be exposed as a bastard (half in the family and half out).

Love doesn’t practice envy; it’s too engrossed in gratitude to consider it. But, the irony is, when you practice God’s love, your fellowman will hate you because you’ll have something that they want and haven’t got.

For God’s sake, God’s remnant must learn to suffer the envy and hypocrisy of fake love from so-called Christians under the influence of Satan. That’s His secret plan.

 

Pastor John Cormack

 
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Posted by on January 13, 2018 in Love

 

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Sermon 115 – I’m Special vs I’m Dead

07 Oct

I was counselling a fellowship member who was struggling with a grievance against someone who had used her. I asked her to write down the definition of “grievance”. She defined it as ‘hurt feelings when someone does something to offend you.’

A personal definition

I suggested a different definition … ‘I think I’m special and you’re making me feel unspecial.’ Suddenly her eyes were opened and she realised that, although she had tried to repent of her feelings and to forgive the perpetrator, she still wasn’t free because the issue was not her feelings but her pride.

You can’t repent of your mood or ungodly reaction, without forgiving, and you can’t forgive whilst still holding a grievance. Most Christians live in a vacuum of false forgiveness, still holding onto the unfairness of their treatment, but, with time, settle their feelings so they think it’s all resolved.

Every Christian should look at their definition of “guilt” and “envy” in the same light. The personal definition for guilt is … ‘I think I’m a good person but you’re making me feel bad.’ And of envy … “I’m special, how come you got it and not me.”

Whenever pride is in the picture, blame and envy are the fruit

In Exodus 32 we read the story of the golden calf. The people were frustrated that Moses had not returned from meeting with God, so they persuaded Aaron to create a new god for them. Aaron didn’t even seem to baulk. He gathered their gold pieces together and threw them into the furnace and out came a golden calf, and they worshipped the Lord by sacrificing to the calf. How crazy is that? Not only that, but Aaron got them to be naked.

How could Aaron be so far out of alignment?

The answer is … I think I’m special, too, Moses. He had allowed the voice of temptation to infiltrate his spirit, and behind the scenes he had envied Moses’ miraculous ability. Aaron was on his way to hell. The only thing that stopped him from falling into hell was the prayer of Moses (Deuteronomy 9:20). God changed His mind about the destruction of the people and Aaron simply because Moses didn’t think he was special.

You won’t find the Holy Spirit thinking He is special

In Mark 3 we read a contrasting story about Jesus healing the man with the withered hand. The Pharisees were watching Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. Jesus angrily rebuked them and then healed the man’s hand. The Pharisees’ response was to go to the Romans and jointly plot Jesus’ death.

In other words, the church joined with the world for the destruction of the Creator. Why? Simply because Jesus could do things that they couldn’t, so they had to get rid of Him.

Jesus’ response was not … I think I’m special, so you have no right to tell Me what’s right or wrong. Rather, His response was … just keep doing what the Father wants. How was He able to turn off the hurt of their offense? Simple … He was dead to Himself.

How do we die to ourselves?

First of all, open your eyes to your human envy, and when you see it, repent of your sin. Any blame, any mood, any envy is simply the fruit of … I think I’m special. Whilst you think you’re special you will never access heaven. Like Aaron and the Pharisees, you can be in an important position in the church system, but your blindness to your envy will prosper the work of demons in you and you will fall into hell. Sooner or later, like Aaron, immorality will creep into your heart, and eventually, like the Pharisees, your envy will turn against Christ’s remnant with the blasphemy of thinking that the spirit in them is Beelzebub (Mark 3:22-30).

If you’re dead, there’s no mood or blame or envy, but only if you’re dead. If you’re dead, the Spirit of God protects your hurts and feelings because your faith and trust is wholly in Him.

Salvation isn’t by works or position

Salvation is only via death. To be reborn you have to die to yourself. Unless you die you can never be reborn. This principle is seen in a seed. For a seed to produce a tree it first has to die before it can germinate. This is the picture of Jesus the Seed of the Word of God. He died that all who die with Him could live.

In Luke 14:26 we read that … to be a disciple you actually have to hate yourself (not love yourself) and take up your cross (die to your selfishness) daily. This means that your self is of no value when it comes to servitude for Christ. He only is my life, not me.

That’s why Paul wrote … I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

You can only access heaven through death, not works. In John 15, Jesus said … the world will hate you because it hated Me. The world will persecute you because it persecuted Me. A follower of Christ is not exempt from being hated; rather, if he is not hated then he is not a follower of Christ … for all that live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Why? Because the church and the world will hate the different Spirit in you.

One clear piece of evidence that you are reborn is …

I’m no longer special, the only thing I’m interested in is knowing Him and serving Him.

 

May God open the eyes of His remnant to not be deceived by the false blessing philosophy that a Christian is a son who gets the deal.

 

Pastor Paul Justica

 

 
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Posted by on October 7, 2017 in Death

 

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Sermon 114 – Christ vs Anti-Christ

16 Sep

I was standing next to a lady in our fellowship and began to feel uncomfortable. When I thought upon it, I could sense a disturbance in her spirit. Her outward appearance portrayed a smile and an ease that suggested she was fine but my spirit was saying otherwise. I tried to ignore it but the Spirit in me wouldn’t let it go. So, I asked her what was troubling her. Of course she said “nothing”, but I pushed a bit further. Finally, she admitted that she was hearing a voice that I, as the pastor, was going to make her do something she didn’t want to do.

Now, the thought that I was going to tell her to do a certain thing, had never crossed my mind. Having experienced this many times, I realised I was talking to an opposing spirit. She was a Christian but somewhere she had opened her heart to the demonic and was absorbed with what she might be told to do. She hadn’t stopped to evaluate why she was wallowing in her carnal imaginations. The real fact was that she was the one telling me not to tell her. “Telling” with resistant defiance, is the sign of a demon.

The signs and symptoms

The sign that you are under the spirit of anti-Christ is always … I don’t want to be told what to do, or, you can’t tell me what to do = TELLING. If a righteous authority instructs or corrects you in the Word of God and you say “I don’t like that”, then you are not opposing the authority, you are opposing God, and actually TELLING God how to behave. This opposition can only come from the spirit of anti-Christ. This is the whole reason why society and schools are teaching people to dream what you want and do what you want. The real agenda is not freedom, but to sway people from the rule of Christ.

The real question is … how did she get there?

The answer is always … pride. Pride opens the door to an anti-Christ spirit and gives it licence to manipulate your thinking away from the mind of Christ. This lady is a Christian, but like all of us, if you listen to the voice of pride you will fall to the voices of your carnal imaginations and unwittingly be on the opposing side to Christ. The whole strategy of Satan is to sway your mind away from Christ to yourself.

Biblical examples

King Saul was a Christian who allowed his envy and pride to block his mind against God and ended up opposing righteous David, losing his mind to Satan, and being possessed by a demon.

Judas served Christ as a disciple, was empowered by the Holy Spirit to do signs and wonders, yet allowed his envy and pride to twist his mind against the Saviour, and ended up possessed by Satan.

Samson was empowered by the Holy Spirit, yet let his pride drive him to whoredom in direct contradiction to God’s instructions, and almost lost his soul to hell.

Abram obeyed the instruction of God to kill his only son, without resistance, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Thus, even though he had human weaknesses, he became the father of faith.

David was a Spirit-filled Christian, yet he came under the influence of an anti-Christ spirit when he allowed his pride to suck him into adultery and even murder. When he was corrected by Nathan the prophet he repented and was freed from the demon’s power, unlike king Saul who was only really interested in what others thought of him.

If God’s Word says … do this, but you don’t do it, even though you pretend to, then you are serving the will of the anti-Christ.

In other words, if someone gives you an instruction that conforms to the Word of God and even though you might agree with it but you resist that instruction in your heart, you will unwittingly be in opposition to Christ and thus automatically supporting the camp of the anti-Christ. If you don’t wake up to this, eventually the demon will wholly possess your thinking. You will lose your mind and your salvation.

The real issue

I went on to challenge this lady as to where she had opened the door of pride. She said she didn’t believe she had. I insisted she write it down, and not just try and think it out. It wasn’t long before she realised she had elevated herself over a compliment I had given her about being willing to suffer for the name of Christ. I pointed out that the real issue is never the thoughts or imaginations, nor is it what we fear may happen, nor is it even our pride. Rather, the real issue is …. Christ vs anti-Christ. When you do the opposite to what Christ says, you are supporting the enemy of Christ, and that’s the real issue … which side are you supporting?

Escape

There’s only one way to escape the hold of pride and that is … repent. Trying to work through your imaginations is a waste of time. Repentance of our pride is the only solution against the anti-Christ. Repentance is bringing Christ back into His rightful position in our spirit.

If you can’t get past consistent voices that promote your pride, then it means there’s something in your heart that you won’t give up to God’s will.

Homosexual debate

In Australia, the right of gay marriage is being hotly contested. The real issue hasn’t got anything to do with marriage equality. The real issue is GOD. The real issue is … people hate God because He won’t do what they want, because they want the freedom to sin the way they want. If you don’t want to obey God’s laws, then the easiest solution is to believe there’s no God. Then you can do what you like. This is just the spirit of anti-Christ.

You can argue that the issue is fairness and love equality, but that’s just a lie of Satan. True love is not selfish, neither is it a feeling, it’s an action, and the action of true love is to do what God wants … “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” It’s the action of respect to the Creator to keep His commandments that displays our love. The feelings follow the action. Without the act of obedience, anyone’s love is really the feelings of defiance to God; it’s the fake selfish love of the spirit of anti-Christ.

God is love. Homosexuality is anti-God. Therefore, it is not love but sin and evil. Homosexuality is actually a reaction of hatred against God. Therefore, it is actually Satanic hatred of love under the guise of fairness and equality.

Another experience

A young girl asked her dad for permission to have a kitten. Her father said yes, but first I want you to learn to stop being ‘bossy.’ The girl had a mood of polite silence. When she was confronted about her mood, she replied … “you don’t understand”. Once someone has a mood and then states … “you don’t understand”, then you immediately know you’re up against a demon. If the instruction to the child is based on God’s Word, then any resistance to that instruction is in direct opposition to God. This is the spirit of anti-Christ.

I prayed against the demonic power and sought the Father’s wisdom. With her dad’s permission, I stepped in and pointed out to the child that the issue isn’t a kitten, nor is it sin, nor is it lack of understanding. The real issue is, you’re encapsulated by a demonic spirit as evidenced by the fact that, as the Word of God confirms, your father told you what to do and you won’t do it. Demons oppose God.

If I, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, tell you what to do, and you defy that instruction in your heart, then you are supporting the camp of the anti-Christ. If you support the camp of anti-Christ, then you are being controlled by a demon or demons. God doesn’t defy Himself, demons do. The young girl had her eyes opened, repented of her stubbornness, was freed from the power of a demon, and completely changed her attitude to one of respect and not silent co-operative defiance.

For though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh. 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 exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of God.  2 Corinthians 10: 3-6

 

May God open the eyes of His remnant to see the demonic powers of opposition to His Spirit.

 

Pastor Raymond Islington

 
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Posted by on September 16, 2017 in Demons

 

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Sermon 113 – Obey or be killed

26 Aug

On a recent trip to Thailand I noticed a sign on the passport control booth stating that any defamatory remarks about Buddha were unacceptable and that it was prohibited to have a tattoo of Buddha or create any item that represented Buddha. This country was standing up for a god made of stone. I asked myself why the western Christian countries didn’t have the same respect for Jesus Christ.

At the same time, by no coincidence, God put a book by David Wilkerson “Set the trumpet to your mouth”, into my hands. God was clearly getting my attention about the compromises in my life.

God first

In Exodus 4 we read the story of Moses being called by God to return to Egypt and confront Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go. In the middle of this passage in verse 24 all of a sudden God says He’s going to kill Moses. I suspect the problem was that Moses had become complacent whilst dwelling in ungodly Midian, had thus listened to the voice of his Midianite wife and compromised the principles of God’s instructions to circumcise their son. So, even though Moses was called and empowered for the task, the task could not be carried out until he first stood up for the principle that was required by the true God, face the ridicule of his family, and be obedient.

Why doesn’t the church have the same respect for the name of Christ as the Buddhists for Buddha?

I think David Wilkerson is right. The problem is TV. In years past, blaspheming the name of Christ was socially unacceptable. Now we don’t squirm at all when we hear God’s name taken in vain and used as a swear word. We don’t squirm when we hear the “F” word. We accept it as normal behaviour. The demonic influence of TV has softened the spirit of Christian resistance and deceived us into believing that it’s love to let people be themselves and say and do what they like.

Supporters of Allah won’t tolerate what we Christians tolerate

The Christian governor of Jakarta was recently voted out of office and jailed for simply making a comment about the Koran. It’s pretty obvious from all the terrorism that’s stalking the western world that supporters of Allah aren’t going to let anyone defile the name of their god. Yet, when the true God is defamed, we frightened and wishy-washy Christians stay silent and make excuses. The truth is, it’s not tolerance, it’s fear. We’re afraid to stand up. We’re worried what the world thinks. The compromises in our own lives have weakened our resolve. We no longer consider the stuff we watch on TV as evil. We’ve accepted it as normal.

Love

Love is not tolerance of other’s sin; it’s intolerance of it … 1 John 5:3

The church is dying

Australia is about to vote on the issue of homosexual equality. The current census revealed that those who regarded themselves as Christian had plummeted from 75% to around 50%. Atheism is the fastest growing religion in Australia. People are giving up on God because He isn’t playing the game the way they want him to. No one is stopping to blame themselves for their disobedience of His principles; it’s God’s fault.

God’s principles

  1. No other Gods
  2. Don’t take My Name in vain
  3. No nudity; no fornication; no adultery; no divorce
  4. Keep the Sabbath day holy and separate from the world … sport and shopping on Sabbath is not holiness
  5. No false witness … silently condoning “F” and “Jesus Christ” is a false witness
  6. No abortions (murder)
  7. Respect authority … Romans 1:30
  8. Don’t covet your neighbour’s wife or anything that is your neighbour’s
  9. No homosexuality … Romans 1

Like Moses, we think we’re walking with God and doing the right thing, but the truth is, by silently condoning these worldly attitudes into our homes via the ungodly spirit of TV, we’re being disobedient to the living God. Combine that with the lie that the we’re dead to the law and can interpret the law based on our own feelings, and you have a recipe for disaster.

You’re only dead to the punishment of the law when your heart honours the law because you love Jesus with all your heart … Matthew 5: 17-19

So, what’s the problem, I think I’m ok?

The problem is, disobedience brings the curse. If you stop and have a look, the western world is no longer the head, but the tail. Family disintegration is the new norm.

Joshua 7:13 … you can’t stand before your enemies until you remove the accursed thing

Deuteronomy 7:26 … don’t bring an abomination into your house

Colossians 3:8 … remove all malice, blasphemy and filthy communication out of your mouth

2 Corinthians 6:16 … God is holy, and you are His temple

Philippians 4:8 … evil pollutes righteous thoughts

It’s our sin, so stop blaming God.

5 Rules to get back on track

If you want to really walk with God, then you have no alternative but to obey these rules. Failure to do so will end in your spirit’s death. TV is designed to appeal to our fleshly appetites and soften our Godly resolves. It will affect your mouth and it will affect your sex-life. Any time a TV program dishonours any one of these rules, that program should be immediately switched off (without hesitation) and never be watched again. This is not a game; you’re up against a powerful enemy. Your spirit will lose its authority unless you comply with God’s principles. The real issue is whose authority do you want to live under, God or Satan.

  1. No “F” word ever
  2. No “Jesus Christ” deformation
  3. No sex acts, nudity, condoning of divorce, condoning of extra-marital relations
  4. No homosexual condoning
  5. No macabre violence

‘Condoning’ means implying that it’s ok.

If you can’t comply with these rules then you have no alternative, for your spirit’s sake, but to remove your TV set from your house. You won’t survive the spirit behind it.

Let’s face it, you’ll probably have to give up watching 90% of movies, and you’ll have to screen cinema programs very well or you’ll face the embarrassment of having to walk out. It’s your call, but in your heart of hearts, you know I’m right; the problem is you like its drug.

No Christian will survive this world unless, in his heart, he separates himself from it and from anyone who condones the world.

Love not the world neither anything that is 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, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world, and the world passes away and the lusts thereof; but he that does the will of the father shall abide forever.

 

May the Lord give you the courage to stand for righteousness.

 

Pastor Stephen Paulof

 
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Posted by on August 26, 2017 in TV

 

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