Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO210047S
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00:29 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Worship Hour.
00:32 I am Pastor John Lomacang, 00:34 and I thank you for taking the time to tune in 00:36 and join us today for a challenging look 00:40 at the Book of Revelation. 00:43 The message is entitled "Apostate Protestantism." 00:47 And you might say what on earth is that? 00:51 We're going to go to the Lord in prayer. 00:52 And then we're going to allow Revelation to unfold to us 00:55 and develop a picture of what it is, 00:59 how we can avoid it, 01:00 and how we can make decisions to follow the Lord 01:03 from where He opens our understanding 01:06 to the kingdom that is before us. 01:08 Let us bow our heads. 01:10 Loving Father, 01:11 we pray that as we open Your Word 01:14 that You will open our hearts, give us wisdom and guidance, 01:19 that Your name may be honored and glorified. 01:22 In Jesus' name I pray. 01:25 Amen. Amen. 01:28 Once again, Apostate Protestantism. 01:32 Some of you may have heard of the Protestant Reformation. 01:35 And a man by the name of Martin Luther 01:38 may be familiar to your historical pocket. 01:42 Or you may have heard his name mentioned before. 01:44 During the Dark Ages, 01:46 when Rome dominated the religious landscape, 01:49 Martin Luther, a German theologian, 01:53 in his pilgrimage to Rome, 01:56 sat before a Bible. 01:58 And he discovered in the Word of God, 02:01 that we are not saved by our works, 02:04 but we are saved by grace through faith. 02:06 And in the Book of Habakkuk, he read these words, 02:10 "The just shall live by faith." 02:14 It so influenced his life and sparked in him 02:17 a yearning to move away from the dogmas of Rome 02:20 from senseless works and senseless doctrines 02:24 and things that had no foundation in Scripture 02:27 that he decided 02:29 to have the Bible translated from Latin into German. 02:33 And it sparked what the world has now known as 02:36 the Protestant Reformation. 02:39 Now what is Protestant mean? 02:41 Protestant is a term that means 02:42 those who are protesting 02:44 against the teachings and the dogmas 02:46 of the Church of Rome, 02:48 and the Church of Rome has influenced 02:49 millions of millions of Christians 02:53 through beliefs and teachings and practices 02:56 that are traditionally based and not scripturally based. 03:01 The Protestant Reformation 03:02 began with a move back to a plain thus saith the Lord. 03:05 In other words, if God's Word says it, 03:08 that's what I'm going to practice. 03:09 But something has happened 03:11 over the course of the 500 plus year 03:14 of the Protestant Reformation movement. 03:17 And Protestantism that was once a movement 03:20 that opposed everything that Rome stood for, 03:23 is now a movement 03:25 that has embraced much of what Rome has advanced, 03:30 meaning they've abandoned to a large degree, 03:33 the Word of God, 03:35 and have gone backward to the traditions 03:37 and the teachings and the dogmas of Rome. 03:40 And so we're praying today, friends, 03:42 that you can see in God's Word what needs to be done. 03:46 And we pray that as we unfold this message today, 03:49 that you will hear in God's Word, 03:51 something that will spark your heart 03:53 and lead you back to allegiance to Christ. 03:55 Let's begin with the scripture in 1 John 4:1, 03:59 a very powerful scripture as we lay the foundation. 04:02 The Bible says, 04:04 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, 04:07 but test the spirits whether they are of God, 04:11 because many false prophets 04:15 have gone out into the world." 04:18 The Book of Revelation reveals the last day scenario. 04:21 It contains all the components necessary 04:25 to enhance our understanding of the development 04:29 of a apostate Protestantism. 04:32 And today, 04:33 Protestantism has a new component added to it 04:36 called dominionism, 04:38 which is dismantling the very foundation 04:42 of the Protestant movement. 04:44 Now the question is, what is dominionism? 04:46 It is a theoretic or theocratic ideology, 04:50 that regardless of theological view, 04:53 your means, your timetable regardless of your beliefs. 04:58 Dominionism believes that 05:00 Christians are called to commandeer politics, 05:05 to take the nation's political system 05:07 under their control, 05:09 to unite politics with the church, 05:12 and then control the destiny of a nation 05:16 under their influence. 05:18 And so what's happening today is 05:19 dominionism is hijacking Christianity 05:22 and shifting the gospel through wedge issues. 05:27 Now, what do I mean by wedge issues? 05:29 When you hear the word wedge, think about it this way, 05:31 the way that we think about it in the Midwest, 05:34 not a wedge that you put under your door, 05:36 but a wedge that is able to split wood, 05:39 meaning without a wedge, 05:40 you cannot tell what's on the inside of a piece of wood. 05:44 But when you enter, when you put a wedge, 05:46 and then tap it with a larger hammer, 05:48 it opens up to you what you did not see before. 05:52 It exposes what was really hidden 05:54 on the inside of that log, 05:57 while dominionism is using wedge issues 06:01 to attract allegiance away from the Bible 06:04 to issues that they are passionate about, 06:07 taking people away 06:09 from a plain thus saith the Lord. 06:11 And then the Bible talks about that 06:13 threefold attack of dominionism, 06:15 which is revealed in the Book of Revelation. 06:17 Let's look together at Revelation 16:13-14. 06:23 Here's what the Bible says. 06:24 It says, 06:26 "I saw three unclean spirits like frogs 06:30 coming out of the mouth of the dragon, 06:32 out of the mouth of the beast, 06:34 and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 06:37 For they are the spirits of demons, 06:39 performing signs, 06:41 which go out to the kings of the earth, 06:44 and of the whole world, 06:45 to gather them 06:47 to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." 06:51 Satan is using dominionism 06:55 and creating a diversion for Christians 06:58 to turn away from a plain thus saith the Lord. 07:02 Another way to say it is, 07:04 apostate Protestantism could never be apostate, 07:08 unless it was first Protestantism. 07:12 Meaning, you cannot depart from a cause 07:14 that you were never loyal to. 07:17 Let me give you a definition of what apostasy is. 07:21 And I'm going to read it as it appears 07:23 in Webster's dictionary. 07:25 It says, 07:26 "Apostasy is the rejection of Christianity 07:30 by someone who formerly was a Christian." 07:34 The term apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasia, 07:39 meaning defection, departure, revolt, or rebellion. 07:44 It has been described as, listen to this, 07:47 a willful falling away from 07:50 or rebellion against Christianity 07:54 and Christian values. 07:56 And the Apostle Paul pegged it right 07:58 when he gave us a glimpse of how the church would depart 08:03 from the Word of God in the last days. 08:05 Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul, 08:07 in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 08:11 notice what he says. 08:13 He says, 08:14 "Let no one deceive you by any means, 08:17 for that Day will not come unless the falling away, 08:22 or apostasia comes first, 08:25 and the man of sin is revealed, 08:28 the son of perdition." 08:31 You see, the final phase of Satan's attack 08:33 will be through apostate Protestantism. 08:37 And let me make an announcement, 08:39 we have entered apostasy's final stage. 08:44 But if you look at the history of how Satan works, 08:47 his attack against God has been twofold. 08:50 The first phase was a failed attack 08:53 to overthrow God's dominion. 08:57 And we know what the Bible says, 08:58 Satan lost and was cast to the earth. 09:02 But its final phase is an attack 09:05 against the character of God. 09:08 Now somebody might say, 09:09 "Well, how is he going to do that?" 09:11 Well, since you asked, let me answer the question. 09:14 Many don't believe or understand 09:15 that every false doctrine, 09:18 everything that the Bible does not support 09:20 injures the character of God and distorts His love. 09:25 In other words, 09:26 if you don't think that that is specific 09:27 or that it matters to God, 09:29 consider the offering of Cain and Abel. 09:33 Look at Genesis 4:4, 09:36 the Bible says, 09:38 "Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock 09:43 and of their fat. 09:45 And the Lord respected Abel and his offering." 09:50 Now think about that. 09:51 The Lord respected Abel, 09:53 but the Lord did not respect Cain. 09:55 And when you read the Bible, you find in Genesis Chapter 4, 09:58 that God put a mark on Cain, want you to grab that. 10:02 In the very beginning there was a mark on those 10:05 who rebelled against God. 10:07 And in the very end, 10:08 there's going to be a mark on those 10:11 who in the end time 10:13 continue their rebellion against God. 10:16 So let's look at the attack. 10:17 The first phase was Satan attacked the authenticity 10:21 of the character of God. 10:23 And so when we use the symbols in Revelation Chapter 16, 10:26 from the fall of Lucifer, to the time of Christ, 10:30 it was the purpose of Satan, the dragon 10:33 to war against the character of God 10:35 by attacking the people of God. 10:38 And we find the example in the Old Testament, 10:42 as we look together at 1 Kings 16:30-31. 10:47 The Bible says, 10:49 speaking about one of the kings of Israel, 10:51 and the kings of Judah. 10:52 When you study you find that 10:53 as the course of human history continued to unfold, 10:56 some of the kings of Israel and some of the kings of Judah 11:00 turned away from what God had revealed to them, 11:04 leading their people 11:05 that should have been the people of God 11:07 into an avenue of apostasy. 11:10 And the example I'm going to use is 11:12 one you know very well, 11:14 a king named Ahab, 11:16 who married a false worshiper named Jezebel. 11:20 Look at 1 Kings 16:30, 11:23 the Bible says, 11:25 "Now, Ahab, the son of Omri 11:28 did evil in the sight of the Lord, 11:31 more than all who were before him. 11:35 And it came to pass, 11:36 as though it had been a trivial thing for him 11:39 to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 11:44 that he took as a wife Jezebel, 11:47 the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, 11:51 and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 11:56 Now, this is a powerful analogy, 11:59 a man that was supposed to be leading Israel 12:03 into true worship married a woman 12:06 whose heart was turned 12:07 in the direction of false worship. 12:09 She had a different God altogether. 12:11 She worshipped the God of Ethbaal. 12:13 She was an ardent worshiper. 12:16 She did not changed her views, but her husband, 12:19 a man called of God changed his views, 12:22 and led Israel into deep apostasy. 12:25 What did Ahab do? 12:27 Ahab was an agent of light 12:31 that formed an alliance with the agents of darkness. 12:35 Ahab created a coalition by binding himself 12:41 in a false sense of worship, 12:43 literally through a marriage. 12:45 And today that also happens, 12:47 when we unite ourselves in a coalition 12:50 that appears to be similar to a marriage, 12:52 we are taking the first step 12:53 and moving away from God 12:55 when the person we are marrying, 12:57 or being united to does not worship the true God. 13:01 Ahab also abandoned God based theology 13:05 for human based ideology. 13:08 And when you follow the history 13:09 of what happened to Israel, 13:10 it talked about Jeroboam. 13:12 Jeroboam started the cadence. 13:14 Jeroboam established false altars of worship 13:17 all throughout the region where Israel and Judah were, 13:20 and then he encouraged them, 13:22 don't go to Jerusalem to worship, 13:24 worship in the groves, worship in the mountains, 13:26 worship in the high places. 13:28 That's why the Apostle Paul says 13:30 spiritual wickedness in high places, 13:34 why high places? 13:35 Because the high places should belong to God. 13:39 But when the high places are built to oppose God, 13:43 it becomes a place of spiritual wickedness, 13:46 and it then influences the people of God 13:48 to go in the wrong direction. 13:50 And when you look at the joining 13:51 of Ahab to Jezebel, 13:53 God warns against any such amalgamation 13:57 merging light with darkness. 13:59 Look at Deuteronomy 12:30. 14:01 Here's what the Bible says about false merges. 14:04 Don't do it. 14:06 The Lord says, 14:07 "Take heed to yourself, 14:09 that you are not ensnared to follow them, 14:13 after they are destroyed from before you, 14:16 and that you do not, 14:18 listen, inquire after their gods, 14:22 saying, 14:23 'How did these nations serve their gods?' 14:27 "And listen to how it ends? 14:28 "I also will do likewise." 14:33 Wow! 14:34 Now, that's a tragic thing. 14:36 They said, let's not only look at these other nations, 14:38 but let's find out how they worshiped 14:41 and let's emulate them. 14:43 One of the apostate principles 14:45 is emulate the worship 14:47 of those that do not embrace the truth. 14:50 I'm going to repeat that because it's profound. 14:52 It happened to Israel, and it's happening today. 14:55 Emulate the worship of those who do not embrace the truth. 15:01 And so you see the patterns of apostate Protestantism 15:05 is a mirror of apostate Israel. 15:09 But it is not possible, friends, 15:11 to serve a false god 15:12 and the true God at the same time. 15:14 It is not possible to serve the true God 15:17 with false beliefs. 15:19 But today, Christianity is not the Christianity 15:23 of the days of Christ. 15:25 I would even go so far as saying 15:26 today Christianity is not the Christianity 15:29 that broke away from Rome during the Dark Ages. 15:31 And Protestantism, 15:33 how many times have you heard people say, 15:34 I'm a Protestant? 15:36 They say I am 15:37 and they mentioned their denomination. 15:39 But the way that you'll know 15:40 that they are a true Protestant 15:42 is everything they believe can be traced 15:44 scripture by scripture, 15:46 not just one verse, not just one text, 15:48 but scripture by scripture, 15:50 they can link all their verses together in the Bible 15:53 to formulate the belief that they embrace. 15:55 And then they can find that it is not tradition, 15:58 it's not ideology, 16:00 but it is theology and a true revelation 16:03 of what God's Word says. 16:05 Today, we can see the effects of apostate Protestantism. 16:11 When you hear statements like we serve the same God, 16:15 what difference does the Sabbath make, 16:17 and what difference does the commandments make? 16:19 Well, friends, that's a dangerous thing, 16:20 because Jesus says, 16:21 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 16:23 But here's the problem. 16:25 When you minimize the commandments 16:27 and maximize the works, 16:29 you are now stepping into the second principle 16:31 of apostate Protestantism. 16:34 In other words, it doesn't really matter what I believe, 16:37 as long as I believe and think 16:39 that I serve the same God. 16:43 Whatever truth is preached those in apostasy, 16:47 if it's not based on God's Word, 16:50 whatever truth is preached, 16:51 those who are in apostasy 16:53 when it's not based on God's Word, 16:55 it's comfortable to them. 16:57 That's what you find in the Book of 1 Kings 18. 17:00 Whenever the truth was preached, 17:02 whenever the truth was preached, 17:03 Ahab and Jezebel was angry. 17:05 Elijah the representative of God 17:08 was a man who stood firm on what God told him to do. 17:12 And when he called Israel back to loyalty, 17:15 Ahab, had pegged him, 17:18 Ahab had marked him. 17:20 Notice what he said about Elijah. 17:22 1 Kings 18:17. 17:25 Here's what the Bible says. 17:27 "Then it happened when Ahab saw Elijah, 17:32 that Ahab said to him, 17:35 'Is that you O troubler of Israel?' 17:39 "Now let's think about that for a moment. 17:41 Are you the one 17:42 that's causing trouble in Israel? 17:44 Elijah causing trouble in Israel? 17:47 The only way that Elijah can cause trouble 17:49 among those who claim to be God's people, 17:52 is Elijah is saying what God revealed to him. 17:56 And those who claim to be connected to God 17:58 no longer adhere to those beliefs. 18:00 That's the only way that anybody who serves God 18:04 can be pegged as a troublemaker. 18:06 It happened then 18:08 and it's happening again today. 18:10 You don't believe it. 18:11 Talk about the Sabbath, or the commandments, 18:13 or what really happens when a person dies, 18:15 that they rest in the grave. 18:16 And nowadays, in the movies and churches, 18:19 when a person dies on the news, in the newspapers, 18:23 oh, he's in heaven now. 18:24 The Bible doesn't teach that. 18:26 We will be in heaven, 18:27 but not before the resurrection. 18:30 And Christianity today has turned its back 18:32 on very essential teachings in God's Word. 18:36 But if the truth causes trouble, 18:38 I am glad to be called a troublemaker for the Lord. 18:46 Every apostasy 18:48 has the same issues at its center. 18:50 Look at 1 Kings 18:18, 18:53 it always begins here, and then goes downhill. 18:56 The Bible says, 18:58 continuing the saga between Ahab and Elijah. 19:00 And he said, this is Elijah now responding. 19:03 "I have not troubled Israel, 19:05 but you and your father's house have," 19:09 and look what he said about Ahab, 19:11 "in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord 19:17 and follow the Baals." 19:19 Elijah said to Ahab, 19:21 "I'm not the one that's in apostasy, you are. 19:24 God gave you His commandments, 19:26 but you no longer see them as necessary." 19:28 And, friends, let me tell you something. 19:31 As a pastor of more than 30 something years, 19:33 that's the tenure of Christianity today. 19:36 Entertainment, lights, camera, action, 19:41 nothing wrong with good Christian music 19:43 and a wonderful atmosphere of worship. 19:45 Praise God for that. 19:47 But when it is preferred 19:48 above obedience to the commandments of God, 19:51 and you emphasize the commandments of God. 19:53 Somebody will say, you see, every time that God speaks, 19:55 He causes trouble. 19:57 A Christian preacher cannot be a troublemaker 20:01 unless he tells the truth, 20:03 and somebody doesn't want to hear it. 20:06 That's why in every apostasy, 20:08 every apostasy is followed by a showdown, 20:12 because God is not content, 20:15 to allow His children to be permanently held 20:19 in a bondage to darkness. 20:21 Praise the Lord for that. 20:23 When situations like Ahab and Jezebel 20:26 and Elijah take place, God is saying, 20:27 "Wait a minute, 20:29 I know the people are in the wrong place, 20:30 but they cannot do anything to rescue themselves. 20:33 So I need to do something to rescue My people." 20:37 Praise the Lord. 20:39 He loves us enough to meet us where we are, 20:42 but not be content to leave us where He finds us. 20:45 Notice what the Lord told Elijah to do. 20:48 1 Kings 18:19. 20:50 And the Bible says, 20:51 "Now therefore, Elijah, 20:53 now therefore, 20:54 send and gather all Israel to me 20:58 on Mount Carmel, 21:00 the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, 21:04 and the 400 prophets of Asherah, 21:08 who eat at Jezebel's table." 21:11 Did you hear that, friends? 21:13 God is saying, 21:15 "When you are believing false doctrines, 21:17 you are eating at Jezebel's table." 21:20 Well, who was Jezebel? 21:21 She is the Old Testament equivalent 21:23 of the harlot of Revelation Chapter 17. 21:26 Why is the word harlot used? 21:28 because whenever you cause a person 21:31 to depart from the true God, 21:33 you are no longer a bride, 21:35 in a good and upholding relationship? 21:38 You are now a bride 21:40 who used to be married to the true God, 21:42 but now you are in apostasy. 21:44 And the Bible calls that the practice of harlotry. 21:48 God said to Elijah, 21:50 get those prophets together, 21:52 get Baal's prophets, 21:54 and get Azherah's prophets together. 21:56 You see God commanded Elijah 21:58 to gather the anti-truth coalition 22:01 on Mount Carmel. 22:03 And, friends, let me tell you something, 22:05 God is commanding the same thing today. 22:08 We find before Jesus comes, 22:10 there is going to be another gathering 22:12 of the anti-truth coalition 22:15 on the stage of the last days. 22:17 verifies this. 22:21 Look at the Bible. 22:22 The Bible says, 22:24 "And they gathered them together 22:27 to the place called in Hebrew, 22:30 Armageddon or Armageddon, 22:32 however you'd like to enunciate that word. 22:35 What happened on Carmel is going to happen again 22:38 just before Jesus comes on a world stage, 22:41 and apostate Protestantism 22:44 is building a bridge to Catholicism, 22:47 and people that prefer works rather than truth 22:51 or worship that makes me feel good 22:54 rather than truth 22:56 that makes my character to be good 22:59 are going to be a part of that apostate stand 23:02 on the stage of Armageddon, 23:04 the final anti-truth coalition. 23:08 And I want to tell you, the issues of the past 23:10 are the issues of the future. 23:13 Polarization will lead you 23:15 to stand on one side or the other. 23:18 Everybody in the final showdown is going to be on God's side, 23:23 or on the devil's side. 23:26 What happened? 23:28 What was the issue on Mount Carmel 23:30 that is going to be the same issue 23:33 in the last days? 23:34 Look at 1 Kings 18:21. 23:38 1 Kings 18:21 and the Bible says, 23:43 "And Elijah came to all the people and said, 23:46 "here's the issue, " 23:47 'How long will you falter between two opinions?' 23:52 "And here's the crux of the issue. 23:55 "If the Lord is God, follow Him, 23:59 but if Baal, follow him." 24:02 And what was the response? 24:05 "But the people answered him not a word." 24:09 They couldn't say anything. Why? 24:12 Because you have Ahab and Jezebel saying, 24:13 hold your ground. 24:15 And you have Elijah, 24:17 seemingly to be helpless standing by himself. 24:20 But, friends, you know what happened? 24:21 God was about to show up on Mount Carmel. 24:24 You know the story, 24:26 but let me go ahead and walk you through it. 24:27 What was happening? 24:29 There's something that God wanted Elijah to do. 24:32 There was something that God wanted Elijah to restore, 24:36 because Ahab and Jezebel in their false alliance, 24:40 and their apostate relationship 24:43 began to disintegrate everything 24:45 that represent a true worship. 24:47 So what did God demand Elijah to do? 24:51 1 Kings 18:30, look what God's word says, 24:56 "Then Elijah said to all the people, 24:59 'Come near to me.'" 25:00 God is saying come near to those 25:02 who teach the truth. 25:03 And then the Bible says, 25:05 "So all the people came near to him." 25:08 And what did Elijah do? 25:10 "And he repaired the altar of the Lord 25:15 that was broken down." 25:19 What? 25:20 Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord 25:26 that was broken down. 25:28 Let me just pause for a moment 25:30 and take that to the place that it needs to go. 25:33 In these last days, 25:34 there are many things that exist in Christianity 25:38 that are broken down. 25:39 But people for numbers of reasons, 25:42 some just don't know. 25:44 Some have never heard. 25:46 Others have followed traditions of ancestor to ancestor, 25:49 a family line of worship. 25:51 And some people have truly found an honest, 25:54 God loving, Christ growing relationship. 25:58 And they have not yet been exposed 26:00 to the certain truths of God's Word, 26:02 that if they were, 26:03 they would definitely embrace it. 26:05 But what happens when the altar is broken down, 26:08 that no one can worship there. 26:10 So before true worship is restored, 26:13 the altar that has been broken down 26:16 has to be rebuilt. 26:18 In times of apostasy, truth must be rebuilt, 26:22 raised up, repaired, and restored. 26:26 And friends, 26:27 one of those things that need to be restored 26:30 are brought out in the Book of Isaiah 58:12-14. 26:35 Notice what the Bible says, 26:37 Isaiah 58:12-14, 26:41 "Those from among you 26:44 shall build the old waste places, 26:47 you shall raise up 26:49 the foundations of many generations, 26:52 and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, 26:57 The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In." 27:01 Notice, rebuild, raise up, repair, restore, 27:04 What is he talking about? 27:06 Look at verse 13. 27:08 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, 27:11 from doing your pleasure on My holy day, 27:14 and call the Sabbath a delight, 27:17 the holy day of the Lord, 27:19 honorable and shall honor Him, 27:22 not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasures, 27:26 nor speaking your own words, 27:29 then you shall delight yourself in the Lord." 27:34 And look at the promise. 27:35 "And I will cause you to ride 27:37 on the high heels of the earth, 27:40 and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father." 27:43 Why? 27:45 "The mouth of the Lord has spoken." 27:49 Let me pause for a brief moment 27:50 and insert a story here. 27:53 When I was young man at the disc jockey world 27:55 partying, gambling, pool hustling. 27:57 I lost my spiritual center, 27:59 the lady who raised me in the church 28:00 when I was about 12 years old. 28:02 At 13 years old, 28:03 I went out into the streets of New York City, 28:05 gambling, partying, pool hustling, 28:08 living the night life. 28:10 But a young lady came into my life 28:11 at about 16 years old. 28:13 She's my wife today of more than 37 years. 28:19 And she reintroduced me to the God I forgot. 28:23 She began to rebuild, 28:25 raise up, repair and restore 28:27 the broken down places of my life. 28:30 But I was not yet convinced that 28:31 that was the direction I wanted to go. 28:33 So I began to go from church to church. 28:35 And the big issue that 28:36 I was struggling over was the Sabbath. 28:38 So I went to three different denominations. 28:40 I won't mention them. 28:41 And I asked three different pastors 28:43 from three different key churches in my community 28:46 about the Sabbath. 28:47 I was a young man, 28:49 one pastor walked me up the steps down the hallway 28:52 to the outdoor steps of the church 28:53 and told me never to return. 28:55 I was attending a youth group. 28:57 I was asking him, 28:58 "Pastor, can you tell me about the Bible Sabbath?" 29:00 He told me never come back. 29:02 I went to another church, 29:04 across the street from my house, 29:05 a large charismatic church, 29:07 the pastor was very well-known. 29:09 I said, 29:10 "Would you tell me about what the Bible says 29:11 about the Sabbath?" 29:13 And to my surprise, 29:14 he was able to unfold the historical outlay 29:17 of how the Sabbath got changed. 29:20 He mentioned the dates, he mentioned who changed it. 29:23 And then he says, 29:25 wait right here, I'll be right back. 29:27 And he left me in that office for 45 minutes 29:30 and never came back. 29:31 And I walked out of his office disappointed 29:33 because I thought, since he knows so much, 29:36 maybe he's going to come back and give me some clue 29:38 on how I could restore my relationship with Christ, 29:41 by honoring what he confirmed was, in fact, scriptural. 29:46 And then I went to a third church. 29:49 And the pastor there said to me, 29:51 of course, our church changed the Sabbath. 29:55 And he mentioned when they did it, 29:56 and then he said to me, 29:58 but we are too far gone today to turn back. 30:02 And I want to tell you, friends, 30:03 that ignited in me 30:05 a restoration, a rebuilding, a raising up, 30:08 a repairing of something 30:10 that had been broken down in my life. 30:12 And the second attack... 30:13 The first attack was Satan in heaven. 30:15 But the second attack that eventually resulted 30:19 in attacking Protestantism 30:21 started through Rome. 30:23 Rome distorted the character of God 30:27 through its false doctrines in the Dark Ages. 30:29 Look at Daniel 7:25. 30:31 And the Bible said what happened? 30:33 The Bible says, 30:34 "He shall speak pompous words 30:36 against the Most High," 30:38 and that is the fourth beast of Daniel, 30:40 that dreadful, terrible beast with iron teeth 30:43 representing the 10 horned kingdom of Rome. 30:46 It says, 30:47 "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 30:50 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 30:52 and shall intend to change times and law. 30:57 Then the saints shall be given into his hand 31:01 for a time and times, and half a time." 31:04 And we know that to be the 1260 years 31:08 of the most severe persecution 31:10 ever faced by the Christian Church, 31:12 the Dark Ages. 31:13 During that time, God's character, 31:16 and God's law were attacked with a vicious attitude. 31:20 But you'll discover in God's Word 31:22 that His character and His law are inseparable and immutable, 31:27 meaning you can't change it, 31:29 you can't change God's character, 31:31 and you can't do a thing about the perpetuity, 31:34 and the longevity 31:35 and the permanent nature of His law, 31:37 which in fact, 31:39 is a reflection of His character. 31:41 But the Dark Ages was an era 31:43 when God was associated with brutality. 31:47 When those who worship then thought of God 31:51 as one who doesn't really care about truth, 31:54 God was associated with lies and persecution, 31:58 and some of those things are too hideous 31:59 to even talk about. 32:01 If you read the book, Foxe's Book of Martyrs, 32:03 you'll see what I'm talking about. 32:05 God was painted during the Dark Ages 32:07 as a vicious tyrant 32:09 that eternally torments those that disagree with him. 32:12 And today, there are still people 32:13 that believe the lie that Rome constructed 32:16 that people burn endlessly, 32:19 when they forget that even Satan himself 32:21 is going to be destroyed. 32:22 Try to measure that up. 32:24 God was seen as an exacting autocrat 32:27 that demanded allegiance 32:30 but God really, in fact, 32:31 doesn't demand allegiance 32:32 He says, "Serve Me if you love Me." 32:34 During the Dark Ages, 32:36 God was shown as an oppressor of conscience, 32:39 and a thief of liberty, 32:42 meaning you don't have the right 32:43 to do anything other than what I tell you. 32:45 And that's not God. 32:47 During the Dark Ages, 32:48 because men bowed to statues, 32:50 God was seen as cold and rigorous, 32:53 because men were burned at the stake, 32:55 God was seen as angry and vengeful, 32:58 because men were torn apart in dungeons, 33:00 God was seen as an unsatisfied, 33:04 salacious butcher of human life. 33:08 And God was worshipped out of fear, 33:11 and not out of love. 33:13 You see, whenever you don't follow 33:14 the principles of God's Word, 33:16 God's character gets distorted. 33:18 So when people think 33:19 it doesn't matter what you believe, 33:20 everything you believe 33:22 reflects on the true character of Christ. 33:24 He's not a butcher, He's not angry and vengeful. 33:26 He's not cold and rigorous. 33:28 God doesn't force you to worship Him. 33:29 He says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 33:34 But for 1260 years, 33:36 Rome reigned and in its ruthless power, 33:39 no one could stop them. 33:42 And Daniel 8:12 talks about 33:43 how Rome distorted the truth of God's Word 33:47 during the Dark Ages. 33:48 And the Bible says in Romans 8:12, 33:51 I mean, Daniel 8:12, 33:54 "Because of transgression, 33:56 an army was given over to the little horn, 33:59 that is the papacy, 34:00 to oppose the daily sacrifice, 34:03 and he cast truth down to the ground. 34:06 He did all this and prospered." 34:11 He prospered, he very well did prospered. 34:13 He prospered for a certain period of time 34:17 and then God said, "Enough is enough." 34:19 God gave Rome 1260 years 34:23 to do all their exploits. 34:25 And then God stepped in. 34:28 And God began the Protestant Reformation. 34:31 And you see, Protestantism was intended 34:33 to restore the character of God, 34:35 by guiding people back to what? 34:38 To the undiluted truth of God's Word, 34:41 but something went wrong, 34:43 which brings me to the third attack, 34:46 apostate Protestantism. 34:49 Now let me just say that again, 34:51 and give some qualifying to that. 34:53 Why apostate? 34:54 The truth of God's Word develops the truth of God. 34:58 The truth of every doctrine you teach 35:01 reflects the truth about who Jesus is. 35:03 Anytime you see that 35:05 He is not satisfied and burn sinners forever, 35:09 He is seen as worse than Hitler, 35:12 or any kind of tyrant that has ever walked the earth. 35:15 But that is not who God is. 35:17 That is not who Jesus Christ is. 35:19 But when apostate, 35:20 when Protestantism turned away from the truth, 35:23 they were now in apostasy, 35:25 just like Ahab in the Old Testament, 35:27 and they began through their teachings 35:29 to misrepresent the character of God. 35:34 Because you know, when you say you know God, 35:36 from that point on 35:38 society is going to form their opinion about God 35:43 based on what they hear, 35:46 and what they see revealed through your preaching, 35:49 and through the way that you live. 35:51 And that is why when a teacher or preacher says they know God, 35:55 the Bible says, if they say they know me, 35:58 here's the measurement 36:00 as to whether or not they are telling you the truth. 36:03 1 John 2:4, 36:05 let us allow the Bible to speak for itself. 36:09 The Bible says, 36:10 "He who says, 'I know him, ' 36:13 and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, 36:16 and the truth is not in him.'" 36:18 Now, it's amazing that 36:20 that goes right back to what Elijah said to Ahab, 36:24 "You are the one 36:25 that has forsaken the commandments of God. 36:27 You are the one that's causing trouble." 36:29 You notice what Ahab is guilty of, 36:32 is what the Apostle John is saying, 36:33 many will be guilty of in the end times. 36:36 They'll say they know God, like Ahab said, 36:40 but they will refuse to keep the commandments of God. 36:43 And the Word of God says, 36:44 "He who says he knows Me, 36:46 but doesn't keep My commandments," 36:48 watch out, 36:49 "because the truth is not in him." 36:54 You can't trust what he says. 36:55 Because he doesn't stand by the very indicator 37:00 of his love for me, 37:01 if you love Me, keep My commandments. 37:04 Oh, I love you, Lord, but not that much. 37:06 The Lord says, 37:07 "Don't trust him, 37:08 because he will not tell you the truth." 37:10 Because the measurement of truth, 37:12 he refuses to stand by. 37:15 You see, friends, 37:16 the Ten Commandments of God's Word 37:18 was permanently and indelibly connected 37:22 to rightly representing the character of God. 37:28 Notice what Jesus said, 37:30 John 17:3, he says this, 37:35 "And this is eternal life, 37:38 that they may know You, 37:40 the only true God and Jesus Christ, 37:44 whom You sent." 37:45 In other words, 37:47 when I know Jesus Christ, 37:49 then I have eternal life, 37:51 but how do I know, 37:52 how do you know that I know Jesus Christ. 37:54 He says, 37:56 "If you say, I know Him, if he says he knows Me, 37:59 and does not keep His commandments, 38:01 he really doesn't know Me." 38:03 And eternal life 38:04 is not something that abides on him. 38:06 That's why today, we've got to be very careful 38:08 because we live in an environment today 38:10 where religion is popular. 38:12 Politicians talk about religion. 38:14 Presidents talk about religion. 38:17 World leaders use religion to manipulate the society. 38:20 What do you believe? 38:22 Are you a Christian leader, 38:23 and Christianity has never been the foundation 38:26 by which a political agenda is decided. 38:31 Christian values are intended 38:32 to shape the life of the individual. 38:35 But Christ never enforced. 38:37 Christ never imposed His beliefs 38:40 on someone who did not love Him. 38:42 So when politicians use Christianity, to say, 38:45 well, if he's not a Christian, 38:47 he's not a valuable or reliable leader. 38:49 That's not what the Bible teaches. 38:50 Because Jesus says, 38:51 "Render to Caesar what's his, and to God, what is his." 38:55 Christianity is intent to transform the life 38:58 not to be used as a tool of manipulation 39:01 for any kind of political expediency. 39:04 That's why the Lord says, this is eternal life 39:06 that they may know you the only true God 39:10 and Jesus Christ, whom You sent. 39:12 And so you see, friends, the parameter of the gospel 39:15 is laid out in Scripture. 39:17 And when you follow that, 39:19 today, you find that Protestantism of today 39:22 is really apostate 39:24 when it is no longer following the dictates of God's Word. 39:28 Now, let me tell you what I mean. 39:30 Ask yourself the question, 39:32 when you watch shows on television, 39:34 when you listen to religious preachers, 39:36 how often do you hear sin talked about? 39:39 Why is that something 39:41 that's missing so much in the world today, 39:43 in the Christian world, you know why? 39:45 Because you can't talk about sin, 39:47 unless you have something to measure sin by. 39:50 You can't call the person a sinner, a liar, 39:52 an adulterer, a fornicator. 39:54 You can't say that a person 39:56 misrepresents God lies and steals 39:58 and bears false witness and covets 40:01 or take God's name in vain or violates the Sabbath, 40:03 or bows down to images and being guilty of that, 40:06 you can't even ideate a person of any of those things, 40:10 unless there's a law 40:11 by which to measure that person's behavior, 40:15 to measure that person's character. 40:17 And so when those claiming to be connected with God, 40:20 no longer preach a message of salvation against sin 40:25 or salvation from sin, 40:27 you can say wait a minute, 40:29 why are they not talking about salvation from sin? 40:32 A lot of modern preaching is about well, 40:34 your ship is coming in, 40:36 well, God is going to make you prosperous. 40:38 Well, here are the seven effective principles 40:40 of highly effective Christians, 40:42 but not about deliverance, not about heaven, 40:44 not about turning your life over to Christ, 40:47 not about becoming victorious over sin, 40:50 not about salvation, 40:51 not about winning the struggle 40:54 against the thing that binds you. 40:57 Because Protestantism is more based now on success, 41:02 and financial chasing, and big houses and big cars 41:07 and getting all the gusto in life, 41:08 rather than saying to someone, 41:11 you're struggling with sin, 41:12 Christ can give you the victory over sin. 41:16 That's why Matthew 1:21 talking about the remedial, 41:21 and an essential foundation of the mission of Christ. 41:25 Listen to what the Bible says in Matthew 1:21, 41:28 the Bible says, 41:30 "And she will bring forth a Son, 41:33 and you shall call His name Jesus, 41:37 for he will save His people from their sin." 41:44 Praise the Lord for that. 41:45 Their salvation from the penalty of sin, 41:49 their salvation from the power of sin every day, 41:53 and there will be salvation, 41:55 eventually, from the presence of sin, 41:58 when Jesus delivers us from this sinful world, 42:03 and remedies the sin problem forever. 42:06 But today, 42:07 the dismissive gospel includes phrases like, 42:10 well, we're all sinners anyway. 42:12 I was talking to somebody just recently, they said, 42:14 "Well, you know, we're all sinners, 42:15 we pray, and we stumble over our lives." 42:17 And I said, 42:19 "Wait a minute, wait a minute. 42:20 You mean, you pray and you keep stumbling?" 42:22 Well, they said, well, that's the way it is. 42:24 I said, friends, no, there is salvation in Christ. 42:27 There is victory in Christ, there's deliverance in Christ. 42:30 If your Christianity has done nothing for you, 42:34 don't prescribe or recommend 42:37 what doesn't work to you to somebody else. 42:40 And the only way they want to be what you are is 42:42 if it works for you. 42:43 If it doesn't work for you, if you find no deliverance, 42:46 don't try to sell me what doesn't work for you. 42:48 The evidence of a powerful life is that Christ Jesus has seen 42:53 and there is deliverance from the power of sin. 42:56 That's why the Apostle Paul says 42:58 in Romans 5:19, 42:59 listen to what he says, 43:01 "For as by one man's disobedience 43:05 many were made sinners, 43:08 so also by one man's obedience, 43:10 that is Jesus Christ, 43:12 many will be made righteous." 43:16 Hallelujah to that. 43:17 Adam messed up, but Jesus didn't. 43:20 Adam led me down a faulty road 43:22 and gave me a body 43:23 that was always against the principles 43:26 and the character of Christ, 43:27 but Jesus didn't. 43:29 Through Jesus' obedience, we can be made righteous, 43:33 and we can be by His strength, 43:35 live in obedience to His commandments. 43:38 So as I begin to wind up the message, 43:40 let me give you 10 principles 43:44 that will help you be able to differentiate 43:47 between the truth of God's Word 43:49 and the influence of Protestantism 43:53 that has turned itself away from the truth of God's Word. 43:57 First principle of apostate Protestantism is this. 44:01 Protestantism is apostate 44:04 when it separates Jesus from the truth. 44:08 Look at John 4:23. 44:10 John 4:23, the Bible says, 44:13 "But the hour is coming, 44:14 and now is when the true worshipers 44:17 will worship the Father in spirit and in truth," 44:21 why? 44:22 "For the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 44:27 Now, why is the scripture important? 44:29 Because you hear a phrase nowadays, 44:30 don't you feel the spirit? 44:32 Don't you feel the worship? 44:34 Feeling is, there's nothing wrong with feeling, 44:36 but feeling should never lead you away 44:39 from worshiping God in spirit and in truth. 44:42 The Bible says that is what the Father is seeking for. 44:47 Also, Protestantism is apostate 44:49 when it teaches you that doctrines don't matter, 44:53 what you believe don't matter. 44:55 But that's not what the Bible says. 44:58 Look at 1 Timothy 4:16. 45:01 Here's what the Word of God says. 45:03 The Apostle Paul says to Timothy, 45:06 "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine." 45:10 And then he says, 45:11 "Continue in them, for in doing this," 45:15 listen, 45:16 "you will both save yourself 45:20 and those who hear you." 45:23 You will save both yourself 45:25 and those who hear you. 45:29 What does anybody want other than salvation? 45:31 That's what we all want. 45:33 But it says, "Don't villainize doctrines." 45:36 We have churches nowadays that say, 45:37 oh, we don't focus on doctrines. 45:39 You better run as fast as you can, 45:41 and find a hole somewhere and protect yourself. 45:43 When they say they don't teach doctrines, 45:45 they are going against a plain thus saith the Lord, 45:48 when the Bible says take heed to yourself 45:50 and to the doctrine, 45:52 and simply what is doctrine mean? 45:54 A teaching that reveals the character of Jesus Christ. 45:59 The third thing that makes Protestantism apostate is 46:03 when people say keeping God's law is called bondage. 46:07 I've heard that so many times, I tell you, 46:09 I could build a house based on just nickels, 46:11 on all the times that ministers have told me, 46:14 "Oh, you're under that law of bondage." 46:16 But that's not what the Bible says, 46:18 God's law is not a law of bondage. 46:21 Psalm 19:7, 46:23 listen to the Word of God 46:25 and let it establish the truth about God's Word. 46:29 The Bible says, 46:30 "The law of the Lord is perfect, 46:33 converting the soul, 46:35 the testimony of the Lord is sure, 46:38 making wise the simple. 46:41 I don't see any bondage there. It's perfect. 46:44 And when you follow it, you will be converted slowly. 46:48 Because how can a man stay crooked 46:51 when he stands by something that's perfect? 46:54 Don't let anybody ever tell you 46:56 that God's law is a law of bondage. 46:59 And then we find the fourth reason 47:01 why we know that 47:03 apostate Protestantism is existing 47:05 is when it chooses politics over Christ. 47:08 When politics become the driving factor 47:11 in the Christian church, 47:13 rather than the words of Jesus Christ, 47:16 listen once again to the word of Jesus, 47:19 as it relates to keeping the two separate. 47:21 John 19:15, " 47:26 But they cried out, 47:27 "that is the crowd that was yelling 47:29 for His crucifixion, 47:30 "'Away with him, away with Him! 47:33 crucify him!' 47:35 Pilate said to them, 47:37 'Shall I crucify your King?' 47:40 The chief priests answered, 47:42 "We have no king, but Caesar!' " 47:46 Now what is that? 47:48 Jesus was a representative of His heavenly Father. 47:52 They said, 47:54 "We don't want our Heavenly Father, 47:55 we would rather a political leader. 47:57 That's who Caesar was, a political leader. 48:02 And today, 48:03 there are many churches that are suffering 48:06 from ministers that have led their members down 48:08 a political path. 48:10 I've read many articles in the magazines 48:12 like Christianity Today, 48:14 where pastors are saying, 48:15 they are receiving 48:17 some of the most severe hate mail from members 48:19 that they have tried to convince 48:21 to vote this way and that way. 48:23 And some of them said, we have abandoned 48:24 and they are now confessing 48:26 and repenting to their congregations, 48:28 for leading them down a political path, 48:31 rather than the path of righteousness. 48:34 Friends, who is your king today? 48:36 Are you the kind of Christian that talks more about politics 48:39 than about the person of Jesus? 48:41 If that's the case, 48:42 this is a good time to turn around 48:43 and leave apostate Protestantism, 48:47 and follow Jesus Christ, 48:48 who is only Lord and Savior, 48:50 who alone is Lord and Savior. 48:54 Another way you can find out that 48:55 Protestantism is an apostasy 48:57 is when unity is issue based and not Bible based. 49:02 When unity is issue based and not Bible based. 49:06 Now, Pastor John, what do you mean? 49:08 Some people say, 49:09 "Let's get together and feed the neighborhood." 49:11 Nothing wrong with that. 49:12 "Let's get together and build a building for the community." 49:15 Nothing wrong with that, but here's the danger. 49:17 If you read Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said, 49:21 "Many will say to me in that day, 49:22 Lord, Lord, 49:24 have we not prophesied in your name, 49:26 cast out demons in your name, 49:28 and done many wonderful works in your name?" 49:30 And then he says, "I never knew you." 49:33 Now, what am I saying? 49:35 When your Christianity is more concerned 49:37 about doing things 49:39 than letting Christ do things in you, 49:41 when your life is more focused on 49:42 what I can do for the community, 49:44 rather than what Christ can do for me, 49:46 and it becomes issue based, and no longer Bible based, 49:50 you on a dangerous platform, 49:52 because that's exactly how the beast 49:55 and the false prophets and the kings of the earth 49:58 and the financial leaders 49:59 and political leaders are going to unify 50:01 because they are going to talk about 50:03 what issue can we support? 50:05 Listen to Revelation 17:13. 50:08 The Bible talks about issues uniting them and not Christ. 50:13 It says, 50:14 "These are of one mind, 50:17 and they will give their power and authority to the beast." 50:21 In other words, politics and religion, 50:24 they get together and decide 50:25 we can support each other on these issues. 50:28 And once again, I say nothing wrong with that. 50:31 But don't allow that to lead you to abandon 50:34 the veracity and authenticity of God's Word. 50:38 The sixth way you can know that Protestantism is apostate is 50:41 when following Christ's example is optional. 50:44 When following Christ example is optional. 50:46 Many people say, 50:48 "Well, I know that was back then." 50:49 And I've said, as a pastor, "Jesus kept the Sabbath." 50:52 And they say, 50:53 "Well, I know He did. But I don't have to." 50:56 You know what, friends, 50:57 you'll never be lost 50:58 by following the examples of Jesus. 51:00 The kingdom will never be close to you 51:03 if you say, 51:06 why should I be saved? 51:08 If somebody asks you, why should you be saved? 51:10 And your answer is, 51:12 I simply follow the examples of Jesus, 51:14 that is the safest platform on which to stand. 51:18 You will never be lost by making Jesus your example. 51:21 And that's why the Apostle John says these words. 51:24 1 John 2:6, 51:26 "He who says he abides in Him, that is in Christ, 51:31 ought himself also to walk just as He walked." 51:37 If I'm not walking like Jesus, 51:39 and I'm just using His name for my own personal benefit, 51:43 then my religion is in vain. 51:45 If I'm just using Jesus to pack a building, 51:48 or to bring people to some kind of emotional frenzy, 51:50 my religion is in vain. 51:53 If I'm using Jesus 51:54 to just go ahead and plan my retirement 51:57 and get a large bank account, my religion is in vain. 52:01 If I'm a minister that God brings light to, 52:03 and I say, I don't want that light, 52:05 I'm comfortable where I am. 52:06 And I'm not going to walk like Jesus 52:08 and follow His example, 52:09 my religion is in vain. 52:12 Which brings me to the seventh reason 52:14 that you can know that Protestantism is apostate, 52:17 when its worship reflects 52:20 worldly standards, 52:22 when its worship reflects worldly standards. 52:26 When what is being said sounds just like the world. 52:30 Look at Luke 6:45. 52:33 What is inside of a man 52:35 is going to eventually come out. 52:36 Here's what the Bible says, 52:38 "A good man 52:39 out of the good treasure of his heart 52:41 brings forth good, 52:42 and an evil man 52:44 out of the evil treasures of his heart 52:46 brings forth evil. 52:48 For out of the abundance of the heart," 52:51 what happens? 52:52 "His mouth speaks." 52:55 Friends, make sure that 52:57 what you say and how you live are in harmony, 53:01 which brings me to my eighth reason, 53:02 I know that, 53:05 you can detect when Protestantism is now apostate 53:09 when wealth supersedes loyalty to Jesus. 53:13 Matthew 6:24, look at the words of Christ. 53:17 Look at the words of Christ. 53:19 He says, 53:21 "No one can serve two masters, 53:23 for either he will hate the one and love the other, 53:26 or else he will be loyal to the one 53:29 and despise the other. 53:32 No one can serve God and mammon." 53:34 That is money. 53:36 No one can serve God and mammon at the same time. 53:40 Reason number nine, 53:41 you'll know that 53:43 Protestantism is in a condition of apostasy 53:47 when it does not embrace equality for all. 53:51 Look at Galatians 3:26-28. 53:55 The Bible says, 53:56 "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 54:00 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ 54:03 have put on Christ. 54:05 There is neither Jew nor Greek, 54:07 there is neither slave nor free, 54:10 there is neither male nor female, 54:13 for you are all one in Christ." 54:16 And finally, 54:17 the way that you'll know that 54:19 Protestantism is no longer following God's Word, 54:21 and in an apostate condition 54:24 is when it exalts the temporal above the eternal. 54:29 You know, friends, this is not my home. 54:32 As a songwriter said, I'm just passing through. 54:35 I want to be alive for Jesus to come, 54:37 but if not, 54:39 I'm going to make sure that I make the decisions 54:40 by God's grace every day. 54:43 So when I put my head on my pillow at night, 54:44 I can say, Father, between you and me, 54:46 everything is fine. 54:48 Friends, do not exalt the temporal world 54:53 above the eternal world. 54:55 The Apostle Paul says 54:57 in Philippians 3:20 these words, 55:00 look to the eternal, not the temporal, 55:02 "For our citizenship is in heaven, 55:05 from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, 55:10 the Lord Jesus Christ." 55:14 That's where we're headed. 55:16 Enough of this old cruel world, 55:18 enough of this divided world 55:20 that's overflowing with too many problems 55:22 to solve politically, 55:24 but here's my point, 55:26 the greatest evidence that 55:27 you are not living in apostate relationship. 55:30 You see if the world wants to know the difference 55:33 between truth and error, 55:35 it should be able to look at your life, 55:39 to look at the life of the one claiming 55:42 to be connected to Jesus. 55:43 Your life ought to be an example. 55:45 I find this quotation 55:47 in the book Christ Object Lessons, 55:48 page 415 and 416. 55:50 Listen to it. 55:51 It says, 55:53 "The last message of mercy to be given to the world 55:55 is a revelation of His character of love. 55:59 The children of God are to manifest His glory. 56:02 In their own life and character, 56:05 they are to reveal 56:08 what the grace of God has done for them." 56:12 That's why Matthew says it so beautifully 56:14 in these words, 56:16 he says to you and to me, 56:17 what kind of life it's not just what you believe, 56:20 but what kind of life do you have? 56:22 Matthew to Jesus says, 56:25 let your light so shine... 56:27 Matthew 5:16, 56:28 "Let your light so shine before men, 56:32 that they may see your good works 56:35 and glorify your Father in heaven." 56:41 Dear, friends, the world is in an apostate condition. 56:44 And the church has fallen far short 56:48 of what God has intended it to be. 56:51 But here's the good news, His people are still there. 56:53 And He wants to call them, 56:55 He wants to rebuild those altars, 56:57 rebuild those relationships. 56:58 He wants to restore those truths 57:00 that have been ignored and maybe pushed aside 57:03 or maybe seem irrelevant. 57:04 He wants to change that life. 57:06 And I say to you today, 57:08 the only way to escape apostate Protestantism 57:12 is follow God's Word, 57:14 embrace its truth 57:16 and reflect the character of Jesus 57:20 through your life. 57:21 Leave you with that, friends, 57:23 Jesus is waiting to transform you 57:26 and get you ready for eternity. 57:29 God bless you. |
Revised 2021-05-13