|
|
|
|
Loving Lies! By Pastor Bill Taylor A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 6//Issue 10 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray… (Mk13:32,33) Watching and praying is a commandment of Christ that’s repeated in every one of the Gospels. It’s also repeated by the apostles in the Epistles. (Eph6:18) It’s found in the Prophets where Isaiah talks about standing on the watch tower, (Is21:8) and in others like Habakkuk (2:1). Take heed, watch and pray; for you don’t know when the time is. (Mk13:33) You won’t be able to outsmart God by thinking, “He isn’t coming until next year so for now I can play around and take it easy.” There’s an absolute scriptural guarantee that you won’t know the time of His coming. And Jesus emphasizes this in His teachings on the Kingdom. It’s like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants. (Mk13:34a) Jesus has left but He’s left us in authority. He’s given a suitable work to each of us and He’s expecting us to use our authority to accomplish His work and for the edification of the church, as when Paul says he’s been given authority, “Not for your destruction but for your edification.” (2Cor10:8) Authority is given for example, to remove someone from the church who’s disruptive. (1Cor5:2) Authority is given to instruct the saints to behave orderly so the work of the gospel can flourish. (1Tim1:3;Tit1:5) Authority is given over demons (Lk10:19) so they can be cast out and over sickness so the sick can be healed. (Mk16:17,18) Jesus has given His true church authority so she can accomplish His purposes in the earth and He’s given to each his work. So when Jesus says, “Occupy until I come” (Lk19:13) He’s commanding that we stay busy about His work. It’s like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. (Mk13:34) He’s commanded the doorkeeper to watch but then He says, “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (v37) So everyone is to watch because everyone’s a doorkeeper. You’re the doorkeeper of your own heart. As the pastor is the doorkeeper of the church and has power to decide what can be allowed in the church so you’re the doorkeeper of your home. And you’re the doorkeeper of what goes on in your own mind. Every believer is a doorkeeper and must watch to make sure what he’s allowing to enter his heart and mind is Truth! Because anything that’s not Truth is going to do harm. You’re of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the Truth, because there’s no Truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he’s a liar and the father of it. (Jn8:44) Jesus connects lies to murder. How did death enter the world? It entered thru a lie! Then the serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die.” (Gen3:4) That was a lie. She believed the lie and it killed her. It killed her husband and it killed all their offspring, including us. That lie is still killing. It’s fundamental to salvation you must love Truth and hate lies. (2Th2:10) And you must watch over the doors of your heart and mind and not allow lies to enter. Lies can get into your mind thru heretical preachers, false brethren or even unbelievers. Have you noticed how sinners like to talk nonsense all the time? Don’t be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits. (1Cor15:33) But you can think up your own lies even if you’re sitting by yourself in an empty room with the door closed. Most people are killed by lies they think up themselves. So you better love the Truth and keep abiding in the Truth, being very careful of the thoughts you allow yourself to entertain because untrue thoughts can destroy you even though they seem very attractive at the time. If they’re lies they lead to death. Watch therefore, for you don’t know when the Master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, He find you sleeping. (Mk13:35,36) The five foolish virgins were caught sleeping. At the Lord’s coming they were unprepared and weren’t allowed into the Kingdom. They went to hell even though they were, in a sense, believers, because they were unprepared believers. They didn’t have oil in their lamps and didn’t get ready for the coming of the Lord. Jesus says if He finds you sleeping you won’t get into God’s Kingdom. Since we can’t know the day of His return, it’s up to us to make sure we’re always ready, and that’s what true Christianity teaches us, that we’re never to grow sluggish, lazy or presumptuous, but always be diligent, watching and praying, ready to meet the Lord at His return. So this is one of the most dangerous lies; the lie of believing the Lord isn’t going to return soon so I can relax. Peter warns us about that, Knowing this first: scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where’s the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For this they willfully forget: that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and that God sent a flood and destroyed that world of old. (2Pt3:3-6) Wicked people don’t want to remember that. They think because things have been going on for a long time without any major changes that things will never change. They don’t believe the day of the Lord, God’s judgment, and the end of the age is going to come upon them. So they don’t prepare and they willfully forget God has already judged the earth once and destroyed everything in it except Noah and his family. Notice Peter says - they willfully forget! He means they don’t want to remember, because they like to believe the lie that judgment isn’t going to come. The lie is attractive to them and that’s why they want to believe it. Because the lie is attractive they’d rather believe it than the Truth. The Truth is unattractive to sinners who aren’t inclined to prepare for the judgment that’s coming. For if judgment is coming and they believe it what are they to do? They’re going to have to change their ways and prepare for the coming judgment, which is what they don’t want to do because they love their ways, so rather than change and give up the ways they love, they give up the Truth they don’t love. They love the lie just as much as they love their wicked ways. And this is the avenue by which lies come in! Lies come in because they’re more attractive to the flesh than Truth. If you’re to be prepared for the coming of the Lord you must make sure that lies don’t take you over because if they do, you won’t be ready when Jesus comes. Notice Christ says, “lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mk13:36,37) This is a very strong commandment. Jesus commands us to watch four times in these few verses. He says, “watch and pray” (v33) – “watch” (v34,35) – then He says, “what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (v37) Even though Jesus may not come upon you now in the sense of the final judgment, He can come upon you in the guise of an unexpected tragedy, death, injury, financial or other loss. Recently one of our church members testified he missed the chance to minister to someone because he wasn’t watching. If you’re truly watching for the coming of the Lord then whenever the Spirit wants to move you’d be able to recognize it and obey Him. But if He comes and you aren’t watching you’ll miss that opportunity to move. So what’s going to happen in the judgment? How many times is God going to say, “I was right there and you didn’t notice so you missed an opportunity to let Me minister. I was standing at the door and knocking and you wouldn’t let Me in because you weren’t watching for My coming.” How many opportunities have been missed to minister to your friends, your children, your brethren because you weren’t expecting the Lord to come at that time? Recently we were preaching about how to experience the presence of the Lord and how believers can limit God by their small expectations such as that we only share on Wednesdays and Sundays. But really? Is that the only time we can share? Last night at the dinner table one of our boys said, “Daddy, I had a good day today.” And I said, “Tell us why was it so good?” And he said, “I prayed and the Lord met with me.” And our dinner turned into a sharing time because one of the boys opened the door when Jesus knocked and because that young man was watching for an opportunity to share! Now, even if you aren’t going to share in church on Tuesday, are you going to have dinner with your family? How often do you have opportunities to share with someone; your family, your brethren, your friends? Everyday there are opportunities if you’re awake and thinking, “We could be talking about the things of God instead of nonsense!” Everyday can offer us numerous opportunities to bear fruit if we’re alert, watching and prepared to let the Lord move. It’s important that we just don’t have faith for God to use us in a religious setting! Christ can use you all day long; any place can be an opening if you’re watching! If you’re watching you can recognize when the Lord wants to say something to someone. And how many times have we seen that and tears come to the eyes of someone because the Lord moved at just the right time, with just the right word because someone was listening and watching for Him to move and how absolutely important that is. So “watching and praying” doesn’t just mean we’ll be ready to meet the Lord when He comes in the final judgment. Jesus comes upon us over and over again at surprising times. His Word says He’ll come as a thief. Why do you think He set it up that way? Because He wants a people who don’t play games with Him, who’ll only get ready when they know God has an appointment with them! God wants a people who are always ready and that’s the way the true saints are. For example, going to church is an appointment with God. But is that all you get ready for; the appointments? Then you’ll miss God when He moves and you’re not at church. But the true saints are never caught unprepared. They’re always ready. And He’s training us to be that kind of people. He’s training us to be a people who are always ready to meet Him in the heavens! (1Th4:17) The people who are always ready are the ones who’ll be united with Him when He comes like a thief. Will you be ready? Are you ready now? If you aren’t watching, you aren’t ready. How many people who claim to be Christians are actually watching? Obviously it’s very few. And why don’t they watch? Because they don’t think they have to, because they think their salvation is secure just because they claim to believe in Jesus. But the Truth is they’re believing a lie. They erroneously believe Jesus saves people who don’t obey Him. So they don’t obey Him. They disobey when He says to watch, and in many other things they don’t obey. And the reason they like to believe they can be saved without obeying is it’s easier on their flesh to not obey. When the devil came to the Garden of Eden and said to Eve – “if you eat the fruit you won’t die” was that the Truth or was it a lie? It was a lie. She did die! But when she heard satan say, “If you eat the fruit you won’t die” what happened to her? She looked at the fruit and thought, “That’s good looking fruit. I want to taste that fruit.” And because the fruit was attractive the lie was attractive. So she believed the lie, ate the fruit, and died. Consider how important this is! Is it attractive to believe Jesus will save you even if you don’t obey Him? Yes it is. But is it Truth? No! Then if you believe Jesus will save you even if you don’t obey Him, you’re going to die and go to hell because you’re believing something that’s attractive to your flesh but it’s not true because Jesus has repeatedly taught us in the scriptures and with very great emphasis that we must watch and pray if we’re to be saved. Now here’s how I know I’m saved. I’m saved by believing what Jesus says and by doing what Jesus says. If Jesus says to watch and pray and I watch and pray and obey all the other things He says I should do then how could I not be saved? Then my salvation isn’t based on believing what’s attractive because watching and praying means I must be diligent – it’s not as easy as believing the lie. But because watching and praying is what Jesus said to do and I believe Him and I’m doing what He says I should – then believing Him saves me and that’s saving faith. Now why is it there are so many people who say they believe Jesus is saving them but they don’t believe what He says they need to do to be saved? And the answer is because there are snakes in the garden and those snakes are preaching lies and the garden is the church. And those snakes are telling the people in the garden they don’t have to obey Jesus; they’re saved just by believing He’ll save them and so they can eat of the tree of disobedience and still go to Heaven. So what do these people do? They look at the tree of disobedience and think, “Disobeying is more fun than obeying. I prefer this way of being saved.” So they die and go to hell because they don’t believe what Jesus says just like Eve didn’t believe what God said and they let a serpent’s lie change what God said to do into what He said not to do and they believe the serpent because the serpent’s lie seems more attractive than God’s Truth. When I was young in the Lord I was exposed to the “faith movement.” It appeared in those days there was a revival going on in the “faith churches” but it wasn’t really a revival. It was an apostasy. The lie they were teaching was that God will make you financially rich in this life – as, for example, if you give God a dollar He will give you back a hundred dollars. And although the bible says, “Give and it shall be given unto you” (Lk6:38) and it’s true, the bible also says without love it profits you nothing! (1Cor13:3) So giving to get rich in selfishness and not love won’t work. God will take care of your needs if you seek Him, His righteousness and His Kingdom. (Mt6:33) But He’s not operating a lottery. And what I saw in the “faith movement” was people throwing money into the collection plate with the same spirit as those who buy lottery tickets hoping to get rich. And that’s the reason why so many people turned to the “faith movement.” The lie that God will make you rich in this world is very attractive but the real Truth in the Word of God says you have to lose your life to save it. (Mt10:39) And concerning those who think godliness is a means of financial gain, the bible says, From such withdraw yourself. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. (1Tim6:5,7) And covetousness is idolatry. (Col 3:5) I’ve known personally people who’ve followed the “faith movement” for over twenty years and they’re just as poor as when they started, but what’s even worse, they’re as lost as any sinner, because they’re believing an attractive lie instead of God’s Truth! Whereas in “My Father’s House” we have people who in the beginning were very poor, but by giving generously in love, God has increased them substantially. But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2Cor9:6-8) We don’t seek God’s blessing so we can live high on the hog but so we can help even more of the needy brethren God is touching through us. Now concerning the doctrine of the Baptist’s “once saved/always saved” is that a lie or the Truth? It’s a lie. It’s disagreeable to many scriptures. You’ll say then, “The branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Don’t be haughty, but fear. For if God didn’t spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. (Rom11:19-22) “Once saved/always saved” is a lie! “If you continue!” is the truth! If you continue in His goodness, otherwise you’ll be cut off. But why do people like to believe they can’t lose their salvation? Because it’s easier than believing you must continue, isn’t it? It’s more attractive because it doesn’t require diligence. So the devil comes into the “garden” of God’s church as a “preacher” who says, “Don’t worry about it! You can’t lose your salvation. Just give your heart to Jesus!” (2Cor11:14,15) Then when Jesus comes to the church to say, “Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation!” the devil and those who believe his lies say, “We don’t have to watch and pray. There’s no danger! We can’t lose our salvation! We aren’t worried about entering into temptation.” Who’s the serpent? The “preacher” who preaches something contrary to what Jesus says. But if you love the Truth would that false preacher be able to fool you? If you know the Truth you’d say, “Wait a minute. I know what God said. He didn’t say I couldn’t lose my salvation. He said if I watch and pray and obey Him, I wouldn’t lose my salvation.” So my salvation is as secure as my obedience that I won’t follow the serpent. I follow Jesus. (Jn10:5) That’s how I’m kept safe. False preachers are snakes in God’s garden. And there are a bunch of them. But you can find snakes in your own living room. One example is for years the Lord called “My Father’s House” congregation to be in church as often as we could get here, six-seven days a week, yet many didn’t believe it. They thought God would make an exception for them. And for two years we watched those exceptions flounder and struggle with no victory in the Spirit until one by one they either left us or gave in to God. And those who obeyed have gloriously overcome and have been Spiritual ever since. Just like what’s described in Proverbs. Turn at My rebuke; surely I’ll pour out My Spirit on you; I’ll make My words known to you. (Pr1:23) Previous to their turning what were these “exceptions” listening to? Something like, “It’s too hard to do what God says to do. There must be an easier way.” Only which way really was the easy way? God’s way! What seems to men to be the easy way never really turns out to be easy. How many of you when we first started talking about homeschool thought, “Oh, that’s too hard. We can’t possibly do it.” And yet once we obeyed God it turned out to be the way of victory for our children. How many of you when we first started talking about home bible studies every day thought, “Oh, I don’t know if we can fit that in.” But the point is whenever God says to do something and you hear a contrary voice saying “We can’t do that” that contrary voice is the serpent. The serpent always offers us an easier way. But whenever you think, “If God said to do it, He’ll give me the grace to do it” and you do it, we get blessed. So we must be careful of what we think. Be sure you aren’t making up something easy just because it’s easy instead of looking at what God wants to do because that’s how the lie always gets in. The lie looks easier or more attractive! The Truth looks harder. But the reason why we can do the Truth is we have God’s grace to do the Truth and the reason why we fail when we try to go the way of the lie is there’s no grace in the lie. This all has to do with what you love. The coming of the lawless one (lawless means disobedient) is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they didn’t receive the love of the Truth, that they might be saved. (2Th2:9,10) Truth seems to be the hard way. The Truth is Jesus didn’t come to make an easy way of salvation for us. (Mt7:14) Salvation wasn’t meant to be easy. There’s no salvation without the cross. Jesus had to suffer the cross to save us and that wasn’t easy. But when Jesus says to us, “Pick up your cross and follow Me” He means you have to go to the cross with Me. He’s telling us we have to go the hard way; the way that crucifies our flesh. To be saved you must lose your life in this world. (Mk8:35) Now Jesus started His ministry saying, “You aren’t worthy of Me unless you pick up your cross and follow Me.” (Mt10:38) That’s not easy! Jesus wasn’t preaching easy things. People who want it easy will perish. They’ll choose to believe the lie because the lie is easy. The lie is more attractive than the Truth so they don’t love the Truth. But the people who love the Truth will take hold of Truth even when it hurts. If I love my wife I’ll hold onto her even when she hurts me. I don’t give up on her just because things get a little difficult now and then. I don’t give up on my children when they become difficult, I love them, so I hold onto them. So I don’t love the Truth because it’s easy. I love it because Truth has a beauty of its own – a worthiness. There’s something worthwhile about Truth – even when it’s difficult! But the people who won’t receive the love of the Truth will receive delusion! And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who didn’t believe the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2Th2:11,12) The strongest delusion is to believe you’re saved while you’re on your way to hell. Do you have a child who believes it’s impossible to give up computer games? I have a boy who gave up basketball. He loved it, but now he loves God more than basketball. At first it seemed hard for him to give it up but it really wasn’t so hard because he was replacing it with something better. Whatever God is asking you to give up, you’re replacing with God Himself and that’s what the devil doesn’t want you to see. When you give up something to get close to God you get God and then you’ve something much better than anything you may have given up. Everything in this world is doomed to perish anyway but God is going to keep you forever. And the devil tells you, “God is boring?” I’m telling you there’s nothing more fascinating than the Creator of the universe because He knows everything and He can absolutely delight you with all the things He can reveal to you. One revelation is to see where we’re headed. God’s going to accomplish His purpose and bring to an end the evil generation around us right now. He’s going to replace this unrighteous world with a New Jerusalem, a new Heaven and a new earth in which there’s no sin. But who’s permitted to enter this new world? Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. (Rev22:14) Where the tree of life is men will live forever. These are the blessed. But these are the doers! One day your loved ones are going to die and you’ll never see them again unless you and they get to that city where God is. It isn’t just the beauty of the city that’s attractive. What attracts me to that city is who’s in it. Everyone we love who loves God is in that city. Everyone who’s godly, righteous and good! Everyone who’s worth knowing is in that city. To be excluded from that city is the worst thing I can imagine not even counting the fires of hell. Just to be separated from all those good people by itself would be an unbearable tragedy. And the only way into that city is to love the Lord and do the commandments of God. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Rev22:15) The English says outside but in the Greek it says ex. Those who aren’t in the city where eternal life is are ex – in hell! Isaiah says, “You shall seek them and not find them -- those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.” (Is41:12) Who’s ex?…dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, But covetousness is idolatry. (Col 3:5) Covetousness is wanting something you shouldn’t have. Often covetous people get so wrapped up in what they want that it’s almost all they can talk or think about. That thing becomes as God to them. The desire becomes so important that it conquers their minds and takes over their thoughts and the bible says that’s idolatry. Who’s “ex?” Whoever loves and practices a lie. (Rev22:15) Of course this must include people who tell lies but loving a lie and practicing a lie can also have to do with loving the sin the lie gives license to – and hating the Truth that would cure you of that sin. So loving and practicing a lie very much describes those who believe and follow after a heresy. Whoever loves and practices “once saved/always saved.” Whoever loves and practices a christianity that tries to get rich off God and loves this world instead of the Kingdom of Heaven. (1Tim6:5) Whoever loves to think they can get to Heaven without watching and praying and obeying the commandments of Jesus. Whoever loves to believe that they can stay away from church and give only lip service to God yet still be accepted into the Kingdom as though they were one who stood up for Him, lived their life for Him and laid down their life on behalf of Him and His church. Whoever thinks the entrance into God’s Kingdom is broad and easy when Jesus said it’s difficult and narrow. (Mt7:14) Whoever says you can get to Heaven while you disobey Jesus and live like a sinner when Jesus says that you should be perfect like your Father in Heaven is perfect! (Mt5:48) The sad Truth is most people today who claim to be “christians” are loving and practicing lies, thinking they’re going to go to Heaven when they’re blatantly disobeying the words of Christ and they aren’t diligently pursuing righteousness. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life… (1Tim6:11-12) These so called “christians” believe, “We already have eternal life so we don’t have to pursue it.” If they think they already have it while Timothy is being told to pursue it, then they’re believing a lie. If you think you already have eternal life in a way that you can’t lose it while Paul tells Timothy, “You must pursue eternal life. You must pursue faith, love, patience, gentleness, righteousness, godliness” then you must pursue it and if you aren’t pursuing it, you’re believing a lie. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure…(2Pt1:5-8,10) Both Peter and Paul agree salvation requires a pursuit of eternal life, and if salvation is a pursuit of eternal life if you don’t pursue it you won’t get it. Salvation is a race you must run to win. (1Cor9:24) But most “christians” believe they’ve already won the race so they aren’t even running. If they believe they don’t even have to run, they’ve bought into a lie. They believe that lie because it’s easier than running the race. So they love the lie because they love their leisure but if they give up the lie they’ll have to give up their carnal pleasures to purse godliness. Now salvation isn’t given to people who love lies. It’s given to people who love the Truth. It’s given to those who seek out the Truth and receive the Truth even if it hurts. The cross was the Truth and it hurt but Jesus went to it because He loved His Father and He loved the Truth no matter how much it hurt. And only the people who love the Truth and keep the commandments of God get into the city. The people who love the lie - they get ex. And that’s the Truth! Prophecy: Far be it from Me, saith the Lord, Far be it from Me that I should treat the wicked as though he were righteous or the righteous as if he were wicked or that I should give the same reward to those whose works are different, unequal and unworthy. Each will receive what he deserves. Far be it from Me that I should treat the disobedient as though they were obedient. That I should reward the disobedient with the same reward as the obedient. Far be it from Me for I’m a just God from whom all justice and all righteousness flows. And My throne is established in righteousness and I rule in righteousness and I reward each one according to his works. I’ve heard your prayers and I’ve heard your cry and far be it from Me that I’d treat the Spiritual church in a way that was inferior to the carnal church. My hand reaches out all day to a disobedient and a rebellious people because I do desire to save them. But that doesn’t mean they please Me. My hand reaches out to them because of My great love that I’d like to save them from the terrible fate that awaits the disobedient. But I tell you My people, who love My Truth, you’re headed for a great reward and My hand reaches out to you in a whole different way. I reach out to them and I beckon them to come, but I reach out to you and embrace you for you have come. For you are My people, the sheep of My pasture, the flock in whom I delight and I won’t treat you in a way inferior to those who are disobedient. No, I’ll bless you and I’ll bless you awesomely. I’ll bless you more than you can imagine and I’ll cause those who’ve loved their lies to look upon you and to regret that they’ve not been among you when they see how greatly I bless a people who obey Me and love My Truth, saith the Lord. (Prophecy delivered at “My Father’s House”)
The Glory of His Grace is offered free of
charge. However, tax-deductible contributions can be made to “My Father’s House”
and are much appreciated.
113 Martin St. Indian Harbour Beach, FL, USA 32937
|
|
Copyright © 2006 My Father's House Incorporated
|
