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PENTECOST – 2006 – Day 49
“To Walk In the Way of the Lord”
Fred R. Coulter – June 3, 2006
And greetings, brethren. This is the Sabbath before Pentecost. Now let’s
come back here to Leviticus 23 and let’s see something about counting
Pentecost. We’re going to rehearse it just a bit, and then we will see
the message that is for us out of the word of God which culminates in
this last day of the seven weeks. Now let’s come here to Leviticus 23:9,
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of
Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land...” So this
ceremony could not take place until they came into the land. And as we
know, that happened, as we find, in Joshua 5. “...Which I give unto you,
and shall reap the harvest thereof...” So it was the harvest of the
land. They didn’t plant it, it wasn’t their harvest; it was theirs
inasmuch as that when God gave them the land they owned it. “...Then ye
shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the
priest...” Now the thing that’s important to understand is this: “...And
he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the
morrow after the Sabbath...” Now the term “Sabbath” here is ha
shabbat, and it always means the weekly Sabbath. Then you were to
count seven sabbaths.
Now let’s come down here and see the count in verse 15: “And ye shall
count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath...” So that is the
Sabbath which falls during the days of Unleavened Bread, and then the
next day puts it on the first day of the week. “...from the day that ye
brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be
complete...” Now this is seven sabbaths, and “shall be complete,”
meaning each week ends in a Sabbath. Now when you tie that together with
Deuteronomy 16 where it says that you are to count seven weeks, so you
put it together. These are whole weeks ending in a Sabbath. Now here is
a thing that is important, verse 16: “Even unto the morrow after the
seventh Sabbath [so that’s today, the seventh Sabbath] shall ye number
fifty days...” (Lev. 23:9-11,15-16, KJV). And so if you take that
and line that all up, it always comes out on a Sunday.
Now let’s come to Deuteronomy 2. Because - let’s liken the seven weeks
that it took the children of Israel to come out of Egypt in order to
receive the Ten Commandments from God at Mount Sinai, let’s liken that
to an extended travel that they had all through the wilderness. And
remember, God provided for them. He led them by the pillar of cloud by
day and the fire by night; He gave them manna; and as we will see, their
clothes didn’t even grow old, and so forth. Now let’s come here to
Deuteronomy 2:7 (KJV): “For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in
all the works of thy hand...” Now this is what we want God to do for us
in our personal lives, and our family lives, and in our church lives.
“...He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness…”
Now today we live in a different kind of wilderness, a spiritual
wilderness filled with all kinds of physical things. “…These forty years
the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.”
Now we find in Exodus 16 when God first began to give the manna to the
children of Israel, He said that He was going to do this to prove them,
to test them whether they would walk in His law or not. Now that’s the
same thing for us. Are we going to walk in God’s way, even in spite of
the world in which we are living?
Now let’s come to Leviticus 26:2, and let’s see what God says about
walking in His way. And if you want a title for this sermon, it will be,
“To Walk In the Way of the Lord.” Now, “Ye shall keep My sabbaths…” Now
there again, we have plural, referring to the weekly Sabbath and holy
days, “…And reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. If ye walk in My
statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them...” all the way through.
Then He says He will bless them, give them peace, and things like this.
So today we are living in a world where there is very little peace,
there is nothing but trouble and difficulties. All of us in our lives,
we have things that we are confronted with all the time. But let’s
understand that God has given us the way. He has given us the truth. He
has given us the life through Jesus Christ.
Now come over here to verse 11: “And I will set My tabernacle among
you…” Now today it’s quite different because each one of us are a temple
of God. “…And My soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you…”
Now we’re going to see how this applies to the church a little later;
“…and will be your God, and ye shall be My people. I am
the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt,
that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your
yoke, and made you go upright” (Leviticus 26:2,11-13, KJV). Now
that’s what God has done with us spiritually. Just like the children of
Israel, as we saw during the days of Unleavened Bread, were rescued from
Egypt; Pharaoh was a type of Satan, and that his armies were a type of
the demons, and how God rescued them, and so forth; did all the things
that He did to bring them out of the land of Egypt and bring them into
the promised land. And when we come here to the book of Deuteronomy -
let’s come back here to chapter 8, and let’s see the things that God
warned them of. And then let’s see how this applies to the church today
and how it applies to our lives, and how not only do we need to do the
things that please God, but we also need to beware of the difficulties
and problems that we’re confronted with in the world today.
Now let’s begin right here in Deuteronomy 8:1: “All the commandments
which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do…” Now I’m going to
give a sermon here sometime soon which will be, “Which commandments
should we keep?” And we’ll understand the error of where most of the
professing Christianity of this world falls into and the difficulties
that they have in rejecting the commandments of God. “…That ye may
live…” And God wants us to live. God wants us to grow spiritually. God
wants us to live in His way. “…And multiply, and go in and possess the
land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all
the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the
wilderness…” Just like we are to remember that God has called us out of
the world. We are to remember that we are not to go back to spiritual
Egypt. Now here is what God is doing in our lives. And here is why we go
through the things that we do, the same exact process that they went
through, only for our spiritual good and our spiritual benefit. Now He
did this forty years in the wilderness, “…to humble thee, and to
prove thee…”
Now let’s just look at our lives. How many have been in the church of
God, how long? Some have just been baptized, and some have been in the
church of God 40 or 50 years. So we have the same thing. How are we
walking in the world? And is God testing us and proving us? Yes, all the
time, “…to know what was in thine heart...” And this is what God
wants to know. And when we see about the seven churches a little bit
later, it all has to do with the heart and how they stand before God,
and what the problems of the world pressing in on the church caused
them. “…To know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest
keep His commandments, or no [and also whether we would love God or
not]. And He humbled thee, and suffered the to hunger, and fed thee with
manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He
might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live”
(Deuteronomy 8:1-3,
KJV). And then he gave them some other instructions in showing
that even their clothes didn’t wax old and their shoes didn’t wear out.
And then he warns them beware lest they forget.
Now let’s come back to the New Testament. Let’s come to II John, and
let’s see how this applies to us. Now let’s look and see how we are to
walk in God’s way. II John 4. There are no chapters there, so it’s just
II John 4. “I rejoiced exceedingly that I have found among your children
those who are walking in [the] truth...” So that’s what God wants us to
walk in - walk in the truth. We are sanctified by the truth, which is
the word of God. “…Exactly as we received commandment from the Father.”
Now notice how this parallels with what we read back there in the Old
Testament. Now verse 5, “And now I beseech you, lady [which then is the
type of the church], not as though I am writing a new commandment to
you, but that which we have observed from the beginning,
that we love one another. And this is the love of God: that we
walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, exactly as
you heard from
the beginning, that you might walk in it” (II John 4-6, FV).
Now we also know this, that God gives us some warnings about how we are
walking and how we’re living in the world. Let’s come to II Corinthians
6, and let’s see why God does this. If you think that the children of
Israel had all of their problems because they didn’t follow in the way
that God wanted them to do, well just think about the church of God
today. We’re going to talk about that a little later, so I just want you
to get this in your mind. Let’s come here to II Corinthians 6:14: “Do
not be unequally yoked with unbelievers…” Now that’s especially true in
the sense of what the world would call Christianity. And one of the
biggest errors that the church of God has done in recent time has gone
to the Christianity of this world and say, “What do you know about God?”
Well you’ve seen the results of that because they don’t really know the
way of God very well.
Now here is what we need to watch: “…For what do righteousness and
lawlessness have in common? And what fellowship does light
have with darkness? And what union
does Christ have with Belial?” Now Belial means “the son of
foolishness.” “…Or what part does a believer have with an
unbeliever? And what agreement is there between a temple of God
and idols?” Now here’s the whole key, which is important: “…For you are
a temple of the living God…” That’s why our calling is special.
That’s why it is important. That’s why we need to always follow the way
of God. You are a temple of the living God, “…exactly as God said: ‘I
will dwell in them and walk in them...’ ” Now if Christ is in
you, how should you walk? We’ll see about this a little bit later on
here. “‘…And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Therefore, come out from the midst of them and be separate,’ says the
Lord, ‘and touch not the unclean, and I will receive you; and I shall be
a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the
Lord Almighty’ ” (II Corinthians 6:14-18, FV).
And this is what we want to attain to, because, as we’ll see, tomorrow
pictures the Resurrection. Tomorrow pictures the completion of this
journey and the walk that we are walking in. Now let’s come back here to
Psalm 86, and let’s see some other things which tie into this and help
us understand how we need to walk, and help us understand how God is
dealing with us. Now we all know we have things we need to change and
overcome, and righteousness that we need to grow in, and that’s all a
part of the meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But in order to
fulfill the completeness of the Feast of Unleavened Bread we’ve got to
get to the final goal, which is the Resurrection.
Now let’s come here to Psalm 86:11: “Teach me Thy way, O LORD…” Now if
we’re going to walk in the way of the Lord we have to examine the word
of God and know what it is and He has to teach us. “…And I will walk in
Thy truth…” Now see how that combines with what we have already talked
about here, walking in the truth. “…Unite my heart to fear Thy name. I
will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart…” And this is what
God wants from all of us - that we love God with all our heart; that we
walk in God’s way with all our heart; that we believe God with all of
our heart; that we trust in God with all of our heart. “…And I will
glorify Thy name for evermore. For great is Thy mercy toward me:
and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.”
Now down here to verse 14: “O God, the proud are risen up against Me…”
And there are a lot of things that are coming against a lot of brethren
today. “…And the assemblies of violent
men have sought after my soul; and have not set Thee before them.
But Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious,
longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Now here’s the whole
key in verse 16: “O turn unto me…” Now if we return to God, God promises
He will return to us. Remember, God has called us and chosen us, and
given us His Spirit, and He is walking in us. This is why we need to let
the Spirit lead us - lead us in the way that we think, in the way that
we live, on a daily basis. Not just on the Sabbath, not just when we
feel “religious.” “O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give Thy
strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid” (Psalm
86:11-17, KJV). God has helped us and comforted us.
Let’s come to another couple of Psalms here. Let’s come to Psalm 119:1.
Now let’s see what happens when we’re walking in the way of the Lord;
our journey, as it were, to spiritual Mount Sinai. “Blessed [so this
results in blessings, as we will see] are
the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.” So we have
the way the Lord equals the way of truth, the way of His commandments,
the way of His laws; the way of statutes and judgments; the way of
keeping His Sabbath; the way of keeping His holy days; the way of taking
care of our bodies and minds; even the way of eating, that we eat the
things are right, and so forth. All of those are part of the way of the
Lord. Now notice, “Blessed are they that keep His testimonies,
and that seek Him with the whole heart.” We’re going to find all the
way through here that it has to do with the heart. “They also do no
iniquity: they walk in His ways” (Psalm 119:1-3, KJV). Now let’s
understand this: when you have this kind of attitude toward God and
you’re walking in His ways, you have no sin imputed to you. But you have
the righteousness of Christ imputed to you. And that’s what is
important.
Let’s come to Psalm 138:1. Let’s see some other things about walking in
the way of the Lord, walking in the way of God. And here’s what it needs
to do for us: “I will praise Thee with my whole heart: before the gods
will I sing praise unto Thee. I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and
praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast
magnified Thy word above all Thy name.” (Psalm 138:1-2, KJV).
Very important to understand. Now let’s translate this into things that
we have for the New Testament. When we pray, when we study, when we come
before God we are coming right into the holy of holies in heaven above
through the very sacrifice of Jesus Christ so that we can do these
things.
Now let’s come down to verse 6: “Though the LORD be high, yet
hath He respect to the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off. Though
I walk in the midst of trouble…” And we’re going to see that the church
is always confronted with difficulties and problems and troubles because
we’re living in this world, even though we know we’re not part of this
world. “…Thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth Thine hand
against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me. The
LORD will perfect that which concerneth me…” And that’s the whole goal.
That is the whole goal that God wants us to understand - He is
perfecting us. Now continuing, “…Thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for
ever: forsake not the works of Thine own hands” (Psalm 138:1-2, 6-8
KJV).
Now let’s apply that to us. We are the workmanship of God created in
Christ Jesus, correct? And let’s always understand this: the way that we
always keep the perspective we need to have is to realize how great and
marvelous our calling is, and what God is doing for us, and to us, and
through us, and in us, and where He wants us to go. And He wants us to
be faithful to the end and attain to the Resurrection. So this is a
great and marvelous thing that we always need to keep in mind, and to
realize this above all things.
Now let’s come to the book of Revelation. Here in Revelation 1, let’s
see what it says about Christ, and let’s see that Christ is intimately
involved in His church. And it is the focus of His whole attention at
the present time. Now there are things that are going on in the world
which He is also directing, but the central focus is His church. Now
let’s pick it up here in Revelation 1:8. Now this helps us understand
how important it is that Christ is dealing with each one of us, and how
important the plan of God is. And as we have seen, it’s all on the
framework of the holy days of God. And as we have seen, every one of the
holy days are all connected together and have meaning.
“ ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the Ending,’ says the Lord, ‘Who is, and Who was,
and Who is to come - the Almighty.’ ” Christ is going to return, and His
return is going to be so powerful and so glorious - we’re going to see
about that tomorrow. And it’s going to be so spectacular that our
thoughts and imaginations of it are just very minuscule compared to what
it is really actually going to be. Then John, who was given this vision
by Jesus Christ, “I, John, who am also your brother and joint
partaker in the tribulation and in the kingdom and endurance of Jesus
Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos because of the
Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the
Spirit on the day of the Lord; and I heard a loud voice like a trumpet
behind me, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the
Last’; and, ‘What you see, write in a book, and send it to the churches
that are in Asia…’ ”
So this is a written message. And as we know, John canonized the whole
New Testament. So this can also refer to that as well, the whole
inclusive thing. But what he writes in the book here, the letters to the
seven churches, have to do with how God deals with His church; how
Christ, Who is the head of the church, is working with His church and
how the church, with God’s Spirit living in the world, has the
difficulties and trials that they need to overcome, and how God is
dealing with us. And this is why we need to go back and over this,
especially at this time of year. Because this shows that the seven
churches picture the seven weeks leading up to Pentecost. And it is just
like the harvest of the seven weeks of the wheat harvest that takes
place, the seven churches are the spiritual harvest of God.
Now He names them here: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Now as we’re going to see, these seven
churches picture the churches that were then, number one. Number two, it
is also a prophecy of all the churches of God down through history from
the time that it was formed in 30 A.D. with the coming of the Holy
Spirit until the return of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection at
Pentecost. Number three, it pictures the spiritual condition and
attitude of the churches in general and individuals in particular. So it
includes all of that. Now it includes one more thing, which is this: the
churches at the end. So what we really have is this: the seven churches
that were there, the seven - and people like to call them the seven
church eras, or stages of the church down through history, and the seven
churches at the end.
Now I think if we view things from the point of view like the Bible
Sabbath Association, and look at the different publications that come
out; and for us, when we look at what is called
The Journal, we can see in The Journal different parts
of messages which go to the churches of God. And it’s quite an
interesting thing that that is what it is. And what you see when you
read The Journal, you see how that there are various different
doctrines and teachings which also are reflected here in Revelation 2
and 3, as we will see in just a minute, and what we need to do about
those. Because some of these teachings are not in accord with the word
of God.
Now notice verse 12, “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me;
and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands…” Now this is just like
in a circle. This is not a replica of the candle, or the lamp-holder
that is found in the Temple. Because as we will see, the seven golden
lampstands - now notice verse 13, “And in the
[middle] midst of the seven lampstands one like the Son of
man…” Christ is in His church. Now if Christ is in you, and in me, and
in all the brethren, all the brethren consist of the church. And the
church is a spiritual organization. It is not a corporate organization.
Any corporate organization only has to do with conducting business in
this world. And so He is in the midst of His church. Then it shows His
great glorified - how Christ is, with the countenance shining as the sun
in full strength.
And when John saw this, he says here in verse 17: “And when I saw Him, I
fell at His feet as if dead; but He laid His right hand upon me, saying
to me, ‘Do not be afraid...’,” And this is what we need to also
understand: do not be afraid. If there are things we need to change,
we’ll change. If there are things we need to repent of, we can repent of
those, because that’s the whole story of the seven churches as recorded
in chapter 2 and 3. “ ‘…Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last,
even the one Who is living; for I was dead, and behold, I am alive into
the ages of eternity. Amen. And I have the keys of the grave and
of death.’ ” Now let’s understand one thing. Like the apostle Paul said
very clearly, if Christ is not raised, then there is no resurrection of
the dead; and if there is no resurrection of the dead, we have no hope.
But here is the message from Christ. These of the words of God: He has
the keys of the grave and death.
Now notice verse 19. God wants us to know. This is why it was written: “
‘Write the things that you saw [everything up through verse 18 to this
point], and the things that are [that’s the seven churches which exist,
the state of the church at that particular time], and the things that
shall take place hereafter.’ ” Because this comes from the time of John
- yes, even reaching back to the beginning of the church in 30 A.D. on
Pentecost, and goes clear to the return of Christ on into the
millennium, and on into New Jerusalem, and on into the first stages of
the ages of eternity. So this is a fantastic book. And it starts with
churches. Now let’s ask the question - we all get interested in news,
don’t we? And we all like to see what’s going on in the world, right? We
like to see, are the prophecies being fulfilled? Well the answer is yes,
they’re all being fulfilled exactly the way that God wants them
fulfilled. Now stop and think for a minute. Since God gave prophecies
concerning all the major events in the world, do you not think that He
would also give a prophecy of His church? Yes. That’s what He’s done in
Revelation 2 and 3.
Now verse 20, “ ‘The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right
hand, and the seven golden lampstands, is
this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches;
and the seven lampstands that you saw are the seven churches’ ”
(Revelation 1:8-12, 17-20, FV). Now let’s see the message to them. This
is written to us. These are the sayings of Christ so that we might know
what to do in any circumstances that we are confronted with in our
Christian life, as individuals, in our community, as it were, in our
congregations and fellowship when we get together. And what we will see
is this: is that God through Christ lays out all the things that we need
to be aware of and what’s going to happen with His church.
Now just like - and we will see there’s a parallel here; we will see
many, many, many of the things that happened to the church as it goes
down in time in history, were also the same things that happened to
Israel as they walked in the wilderness for the 40 years. Now let’s
begin in Revelation 2:1, “ ‘To the angel of the Ephesian church,
write...’ ” Now let’s understand something. When God has it written, and
God has it preserved, and He has it for us today, then we better pay
very deep, serious concern about it, and understand that these are the
living words of God given to us. So when we ask the question, "What
would Jesus say to His church today?” Right here we have it. This is the
message for us.
“ ‘…These things says He Who holds the seven stars in His right hand
[and to do His work; that’s why it’s in the right hand], Who walks in
the midst of the seven golden lampstands.’ ” Christ is right there, just
like we read, He is walking in us, and we are walking in His way. And we
are to let the light of Christ lead us. Now notice, He knows everything
about us, doesn’t He? He says, “ ‘I know your works, and your labor, and
your endurance, and you cannot bear those who are evil; and that
you did test those who proclaim themselves to be apostles, but
are not, and did find them liars…’ ” Now this is why there are so many
warnings in there: “Beware of false prophets; beware that you’re not
deceived. Test those. Prove all things.” This is what they were doing.
And this is what we have to do in everything that we do. And this is
how, then, we let ourselves be led by the Spirit of God; and how also
that the Word of God and the Spirit of God then corrects us, encourages
us, uplifts us, leads us in the things that we need to do; convicts us
of the shortcomings and problems that we encounter, and also encourages
us. As it says in verse 3, “ ‘…And that you have borne much
and have endured, and for My name’s sake have labored and have not grown
weary…’ ” So that’s the important thing to do - never grow weary.
“ ‘Nevertheless…’ ” So here comes a little correction. As we will see,
God has correction for His church in every sense. “ ‘Nevertheless I have
this against you, that you have left your first love’ ” (Revelation
2:1-4, FV). And this is what happens in any organization. They
start out with zeal. They start out with love. They start out with
dedication, and then everything gets kind of “socialized” as with
people. And when you leave the first love, what is happening you’re
letting the world come in. You’re letting others come in. And even
though you may be fighting off false doctrine, as it says here, that
they “tried them who were apostles and were not, and tested them,” that
means you test the message. You listen to what they have to say.
And I’ll just mention this now, but I also am going to mention it again,
but one of the doctrines that is coming to test the church today, which
a lot of people are failing, is this: the false doctrine that Jesus did
not exist as God before He came in the flesh; and that He did not exist
until He was begotten in the womb of the virgin Mary. Now you already
have the letter that I wrote on it. You already have the series that we
have done on it. But how does that come about? Right here. Let’s come
back here to Mark 12 and let’s see what it was where it says they lost
their first love. Now a lot of people refer to this as the first love
that people have when they’re first called and understand the truth and
understand the way of God. That is true to a certain extent. But that’s
not what it’s talking about, because the Greek back there for “first”
comes from the word protos, which also means “primary.”
Now let’s come here to Mark 12:28. And this is what we need to keep
always right in the forefront of our minds. “And one of the scribes who
had come up to Him, after hearing them reasoning together and
perceiving that He answered them well, asked Him [that is, asked Jesus],
‘Which is the first commandment of all?’ ” The primary
commandment. What’s the most important thing? And once you understand
this and realize this, it will bring everything else together. “
‘…“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord. And you shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart…” ’ ” Now I want you to
notice the effort that is put into it, the effort that is required.
Now the reason that this is important is this: is because eternal
life, to live forever, is a tremendous and wonderful thing. And view it
this way: everything that we’re doing right now is preparing and getting
ready for the event that tomorrow pictures, the Resurrection; and
getting ready to live eternally, and getting ready to know how to rule
and reign with Christ, and preparing us to complete what God has given
us to do. So, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart,” not
part-time. Don’t let your heart be divided, your mind be divided.
Because it says there in James 1 that if you are divided in heart and
mind, then you are double-minded and you are unstable. Maybe that will
explain a lot of difficulties that people have. You judge yourself in
that yourself. “ ‘ “…And with all your soul, and with all your mind, and
with all your strength.” ’ ” So our calling is an all-out effort on our
part. And then God gives His all-out effort to us.
Let me ask you a question: did not Jesus Christ give an all out
effort when He was here in the flesh? Did He not give His all to save
His creation, and to save you individually? Yes He did. That’s why we
need to understand what it’s talking about there in losing the first
love. “ ‘…This is the first commandment.’ ” So the primary love is
loving God. And the primary commandment is to love God. “ ‘…And the
second is like this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
There is no other commandment greater than these’ ” (Mark 12:28-31,
FV). And then Jesus also said of us that we are to love one another
as Jesus loved us.
Now if you are loving God with all your heart and mind and soul and
being – let’s just answer some other questions here as we are going
along - would you get wrapped up in doctrines and teachings of men? No.
If you are proving everything like they did back here in the church at
Ephesus, are you really seeking the truth? There’s a difference between
seeking the truth of God, walking in the truth, being sanctified of the
truth, living by the truth, and seeking a position. Not a position of
power, but a religious position which is not connected with God. So
that’s why we have to prove all these things.
Now let’s come back here to Revelation 2 again, and let’s continue in
verse 5 (FV). Now this is what we are to do. And this is what God
wants us to do as we are walking the walk. We’ll also need to be
“talking the talk” if we could put it that way, that which is right. “
‘Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the
first works...’ ” That’s what we need to do.
I was talking to a man here the other day and we were talking about the
condition of the church and how many people have fallen into this
position, which is similar to Laodiceanism, but not exactly the same
thing. And how many people are out there kind of treading water. Now
have you have ever tread water out in the ocean? You can tread water and
you think you’re keeping yourself afloat, and granted you’re not
sinking; but you can tread water, but there is one thing with treading
water - you don’t have your feet on the ground. And when you’re treading
water and the currents are coming, it’s moving you along and it’s moving
you maybe in a direction that you really don’t want to go, and you’re
not aware of it. And then all the sudden, just like a wave comes upon
the land - if you’re treading water, just like this, it’s going to catch
up with you. So we have this. He says repent and do the first works. Go
back and do the things that you know that you need to do and recapture
that first love.
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