Monthly Archives: September 2011

September 24, 2011 · 3:19 pm

Unpolluted

Pastor Art’s Shout Out
Salvation Is Worth It

     The Gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing to tamper with, rearrange or make into a bit of untruths. The scriptures clearly tell us what day we are living in. II Timothy is a great place to start. Well, as many are afraid to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without compromise there are a hundred fold still standing. They may not be loud and boisterous, but on we are indeed standing on the undiluted, unpolluted WORD OF GOD. This stuff in the earth may look like Jesus, but it aint nothing but a lie from Hell. Pay close attention, stand watchmen, read your Bible and get understanding. Salvation is indeed worth it. Hell is real.
     This is a shout out to Bold 1000 who wrote this piece in response to Rob Bell’s book wherein he stated that Hell wasn’t real. I wonder what Bible this Mr. Bell teaches from. I’m with you Bold One.

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September 24, 2011 · 11:21 am

There Is No Condemnation In Christ

No Condemnation

Pastor Arthur Wilkerson

 

     To stand free of condemnation is and should be a wonderful thing.  As a Christian, to have the joy of knowing that one is free of condemnation, to know that there is not a judicial decree or determination of guilt that’s been handed down on me is a reason for joy deep down in my soul.  I have this unspeakable joy because there was one to pay the penalty for me; one who with out stretched arms on the Cross of Calvary, welcomed all who would believe on Him and the one who sent Him.  I am justified, sanctified and not condemned; redeemed and reconciled, not turned away; loved and not hated and I’m written  into the eternal will of God as heir with the one who paid price for me, Jesus Christ the Son of God.

     Paul in chapter 7 of Romans verses 15-24 is speaking to saved people.  He is showing the struggle between the two natures of man; the Adamic nature and the divine nature.  The Adamic nature is that nature we are born with, for we are born in the likeness or image of Adam (Gen. 5: 3) which is the nature of sin, defilement, fallen and corrupt.  The divine nature comes by the will of God (John 1: 12-13) through faith in and confession of Jesus to righteousness, this is given to all that believe in their hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, they shall be saved.  This is not the new birth but the righteousness of God reckoned to all that by faith come to God by Christ Jesus. (See Ro. 3: 21-26)  Note: Faith is not regeneration (Also see Gen. 15: 6 “first mentioned principle”)   The new birth (born again) is that which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about (John 3: 3-6), this is the baptism or infilling of the Holy Spirit and the regeneration of our spirit, He gives the power to resist the laws of sin and death in our members and puts us “in Christ”.  (If you will, a babe in the things of the Kingdom of Heaven)

     So, here we have Paul in this epic human battle of Good and Evil; the Law of God which he delights in and would love to do, but does them not and the Law of Sin and Death that he does.  This is like the rest of us, only he admits; “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Ro. 7:24)   If we would but only admit that we are wretched and in need of help, truly wanting to live the laws of life in our hearts and not give in to the lures of the laws of sin, then we to can say “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (vs 25) not understanding that …”the flesh lusteth against Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Gal. 5: 17)    This is that epic battle that goes on our inward parts.  This is the law of the mind finding a law, even the laws of God to justify the sin of  our members (flesh, my will and desires).  Note:  Ex: you can do that, it’s really not a sin and anyway you have grace and God has to forgive you.  He tells us to forgive, so he has to forgive me.  Even the mind that wants to keep the law of God that’s in the regenerative process debates and loses this battle, because the law has no delivering power.   Yet,    …”shall we sin; because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” (Ro. 6: 15)

      Now, to those of us that are not perfect and are guilty of the above reasoning of finding  a law to meet the need of the flesh, Paul continues in Chapter 8 to remind us that we have help and that we too can “thank God for Jesus Christ.”   Jesus is the mediator that sits on the right hand of God the Father interceding for us, repentance and praise are the avenues to forgive and faith that God will answer prayer is the stairway to the tower of right standing again with God, when, after sin has beset us or trials have overcome us and we finally realize that it is not in us, we like Job  can say …”I know that my redeemer lives” (Job 19: 25)   Paul said, “There is, therefore now (no condemnation) to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Ro. 8: 1)   (Most commentators  agree that the last 10 words in vs 1 were taken from vs 4)

     How would He know there is no judicial guilt leveled against him had he not come through, the Holy Spirit bearing witness that victory in a sinful “Episode of Life” is conquered.  So, he is saved from condemnation “…For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2: 8).  As one commentator (MH) puts it, the true believer, that is, one born again by the in filled regenerative power of the Holy Spirit will feel ashamed, convicted and be chastened of the Lord, but “not condemned”  with the world (II Cor. 11: 32).  Herein lies the difference  between one that is “in Christ” the condition and “no condemnation” the promise and one that is not “in Christ” and condemned with the world.   One has conviction that brings him/her to repentance with a godly sorrow (II Cor. 7: 10) and a turning from sin; the putting to death of that sinful episode through faith by grace and by the indwelling Holy Spirit the power of God and our helper.  Without the Holy Spirit we only have remorse, maybe, for the sinful episode and no power to resist the flesh, but left with the finding of a law to ease of sinful conscience.   For those who confess Jesus only to imitate Him in the flesh or religion sake without power, Satan comes and finding sin, lures one because of their own lust and multiplies it.

     When I think of one being  “in Christ and the conviction by the Holy Spirit, I think of John chapter 14 and 15.  Jesus in chapter 14: 30 says “…the prince of this world cometh and has nothing in me…”.  This is an intimation of the sinless nature of our Christ.  We on the other hand are battling the sin nature daily and when the prince of this world comes he does find in us “..,the works of the flesh…” (Gal. 5: 19-21). Note: “and they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.(Gal. 5:24-25)   So then, Jesus tells us, those that are “in Him” are in the Processes of Salvation.  He says…”I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” (John 15: 1-2)  Note: God is the tender of the vineyard, the whole earth and all that is in it.  He sees and knows all that is in everyone.  Those that confess and profess Jesus, God knows the intent, the motives of the heart. “…The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good…” (Prov. 15: 3; Psalms 34: 15; I Peter 3: 12).  After all we are God’s husbandry, workers together with God.   It is God that “taketh away every branch that does not bear fruit”.  What fruit?  Fruit’s  that look like Jesus, fruits of holiness and righteousness, not the fruit of one’s own imagination and labor mixed with the rudiments of the world.  (The recognized Principles of the World), this includes the gods and idols of old like Balim, Baal and  Ashtoreth.   (vs2 cont.) “…and every branch (those with and without the infilling of the Holy Spirit) that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

       Let’s look further at “taketh away” (we’ll need an understanding of this when we talk about grace, confession and profession in God’s economy of “no condemnation” and the condition of being “in Christ” (Ro. 8: 1)  “Taketh” , Greek airo (ah-ee-ro) is a primary verb; to lift; by implication to take up or away; fig. to raise.   Confessing and professing the declaration of one’s faith, the open acknowledgement of the same justifies us, puts us “in Christ” as righteous before God and now the doors of the School of Grace are  opened (the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand) before us.  God as the husbandman sets the courses of our Christian lives; remedial classes has started; and the “Epic Battle”, the fight for my eternal soul, has begun.  While we were in the world and in darkness, no sin was really revealed or acknowledged, but now the light of God’s Word shines deep within our souls showing up the works of the flesh and the lust thereof.  This sin nature has to be cleansed of the defilement and corruption, so that the life giving waters can began to flow, bringing nourishment to the fruit planted by God the husbandman(See Isa. 60: 21; 61: 3).   On the one hand He lifts us up, taking us away from the muck and mire of sin and the world as we’re grafted into His Son, Jesus, putting us in position to grow, and cleanses us, calling us His righteousness.  He then purges us, cutting away the parts that rotten, bruised, corrupted and defiled.  He ties us to the Cross that we may grow out and up.  He bides us to abide.  To always look up toward the hills which comes all of our help.   Now, on the other hand, those that refuse to obey and abide, staying tied to the Cross, after a while as they become sliden down toward the muck and the mire of the world (backslidden) He cuts them near the graft, having mercy upon them and leaving hope through repentance so that new sprigs of righteousness might grow up, stronger from the experience of Love from Him our Father.  After all God is “…married to the backslider..” (Jer. 3: 14)   “The Lord is Not Slack concerning His promises, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (II Peter 3: 9)   And “…there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus…”;  “…if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you…” (Ro. 8:9)   (All Scripture is taken from the Old King James Bible)

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September 10, 2011 · 4:30 pm

Courage In The Lord

COURAGE

Pastor Arthur Wilkerson

     In this segment of “Words of Spirit and Life” we’re going to be talking about “Courage”.  As a beginning scripture reference we’re using Joshua 1: 5-6 “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  Be strong and of a good courage…”.  The definition (Webster), courage is the attitude of facing and dealing with anything recognized as dangerous, difficult, or painful, instead of withdrawing from it; a quality of being fearless.  So then courage is an attitude, hmmm…… an attitude: a position (a stand) assumed for a specific purpose; a mental position with regard to a fact or state.  What I gather from these definitions is that one has to have a made up mind to take a stand for what he or she believes to be morally and socially right and acceptable.  Now then, Christians who profess Jesus Christ as Lord should have a mind like Christ; …”Let(ing) this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Phil. 2: 5) when He was on earth.  He took the attitude of obedience and faith toward His Father.   Well…., what attitude are we taking, what stand for righteousness and His name sake are we taking?

    I found that we can put “Courage” in three categories: Physical, Moral and Social.   There’s a couple of subsets to courage that were given in our research that were used in the past and are still used today; they are Honesty and Integrity.  Note: We are not taking a psychological world view; but a biblical and spiritual view based upon the Principle Graces; Biblical Truths given by the Holy Spirit that set a moral and social foundation for a nation, making Her the greatest nation on Planet Earth.

     Physical Courage: The real or perceived physical danger, hardship or death; the threat of death for taking a stand opposite of the recognized liberal views of the world or of the laws of man which contradict the recognized biblical principles of God’s Holy Word and the Christian Faith.

     Moral Courage: the “attitude “ to act and or speak rightly in the face of opposition from factions united with the recognized liberal views of the world that directly challenge Biblical moral principles that would bring ridicule, shame, discouragement or even financial loss.

     Social Courage:  When a group  such as those united in Christian Faith (Body of Christ) stand up to (factions opposed to God, Jesus and Holy biblical principles of the Holy Bible) that which is unjust, socially damaging and evil to societies people knowing that the consequences of their actions might bring harm to themselves and their families.

     Courage is having that “attitude” to stand on what we as Christians stake our eternal salvation on; the Cross of Jesus Christ and the Word of God as written, being filled with the precious Holy Spirit of Promise should now with honesty and integrity unite in the Love of God to retrain the masses in ALL the biblical truths that will save a people spirit, soul and body.

      With all that we see and hear on the news channels, newspapers and those things that come across our computers that serve to cause some of to really say “come Lord Jesus come”.  There is an increase  in disasters around the world; earth quakes, hurricanes and tsunamis’, bombings, terrorism and national uprisings; dictators are being over thrown.  There are wars and rumors of wars, social, moral and economic breakdowns and market crashes and really let’s faces it, they (the leaders) don’t really know what do.  It’s like what Jesus said about the blind leading the blind with the devil holding the hand of the one calling the shots.  He (the Devil, Satan) wants a one world government and one world religion that he controls.  The Bible is fulfilling itself right before our very eyes.

      With all that we see and hear of the calamities and disasters around us, for a great number of us in the greatest Christian Nation on planet earth today, it seems as if we have lost the “courage” to stand for the things that made this nation the greatest Christian Nation on planet earth.  The moral and social righteousness that is the archaic foundations of God based on true love for one another is the grass roots of a prosperous and powerful Country.  Again, a great number of us are losing hope, hope is becoming deferred (Prov. 13:12) and when a people start to depend on the government of man rather than the one upon who’s shoulders the Government rest (Isa. 9: 6);  a song says… I’m talking ‘bout Jesus, it takes an uprising of the poor, but not like the leaders of the world want, not that kind of poor, but those that are poor and needy in spirit (Psalm 109: 22).  It starts with a ”retraining” in the things of God and the Church is the training place and our heart is the training ground.  This is the place wherein the right and proper “attitude” is established, instead of redistributing wealth, this nation should become the example of God’s favor where… “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all” (Prov. 22: 2;I Cor. 12: 21). We are the Body of Christ.  When the masses see the Leaders that God has given care of their souls too, those called into the Five Fold Ministry, speak an unadulterated truth that brings deliverance with the manifestation of the power of the Holy Ghost, then Courage will arise.

    Our Lord Jesus said …”The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10: 10).  Somebody left the door open or the latch is broken and the thief has come in and Satan has   stolen the hope of many of God’s people, He’s polluted the Words of Spirit, Life and Truth with a mixture of what sounds like the truth, but it’s only a Golden Calf built in the hearts of the people of God.  He’s (Satan) killed God’s children through lust, passing them through the fires of abortion; (Jeremiah 32: 35) as sacrifices to Molech and caused the masses to participated by financing the murders with their tax money; He’s perverted the sanctity of marriage, which is the example of Christ and the Church, by allowing man to lay with man and woman with woman in matrimony; when Jesus said ..”Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female,…man..shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? …What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Matt. 19: 4-6).  Liberality causes the untaught, secular christian to only want what the world has because with the world their god isn’t as strict and he gives them more, and I want more, even more than enough, judgment and eternal damnation is their reward.  This principle, using the very Word of God…”press down shaken together and running over” (Luke 6: 38). has become the ground for covetousness wherein the motive of the heart is financial gain only.   When Courage and faith in Jesus is put back in its proper places, the pulpit and the home, then from the grass roots of a nation will grow up branches that are obstinate, with strong hearts, where hope is not deferred and the real prize of Eternal Life with the God of all creation and His Son, our Lord is something lived for and life here and now can truly be abundant in His righteousness..

      Again, it will take “courage”, it will take the intrepidity to confront when you have the most to lose,—wait, this might better establish the parameter we’re looking to address within the Church.  I recently did a message based on Hebrews 13: 5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have, for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”.  According to  most popular commentaries the intimation is not to be greedy, not to desire those things above that God has prepared;  don’t allow your manner of life to necessitate the mixing, changing or adding to God’s Word to get or maintain a certain life style because of the secret lust lurking in your heart.  God will be with you and never forsake us if we keep to His Word, line upon line and precept upon precept; and abiding in the social and moral principles of Christ’s Gospel doctrines, that is at the Cross.  “Yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”…”continue thou in the things which thou hast learned…” (II Tim. 3: 12-14).   If we keep changing and mixing God’s  Word because the people say it’s to hard, then all will be lost.   (There is a remnant; God always has His).

     Now, it takes “courage” to stay the course of righteousness when one’s well being may be threatened, so I’ll just not say it that way or I want put this part in and yet get grace and love in.  It takes “courage” to humble one’s self and repent to a godly sorrow for sin (covetousness) lurking in our hearts.  Fear not; now this part can truly apply.  God will, no, never  leave you; no, He will never forsake you when the persecution comes, but will now establish you in the power of his might.  Because there are those that’s keeping the doors unlatched, the sins of lust has come into the Church in so many varied forms from perverted riches and power (greed and deceit), to sexual perversions of all kinds.  The men and women who are the leaders in the House of God, whether on a national or local level are the demonic targets  and their seduction over the decades has become the norm to the Christian shame.   Prominent leaders are seduced and caught in sins that go unrepented of because of a fear to preach the truth that will bring conviction to one’s soul.

     It takes “courage” to say, I will not dumb down the Word of God to the degree that it has no lasting power, to make it easier for “the people” to understand (taking away the Berean spirit of study. Acts 17: 10-13) .   I will tell them repeatedly about the Cross of Calvary and not in some simplified manner, but the truth of a horrendous death suffered for the redemption of all that would put their trust in Jesus the Son of God.  I will tell them that faith and grace are the beginning of the processes of salvation and that you need the infilling of God’s Holy Spirit (with the Biblical evidence of speaking in tongues, their heavenly language) to live a victorious, and prosperous life in Christ.  I will tell them that the works  of the flesh is not accepted of God. I will tell them that they will be judged on every thought and imagination of the heart.  I will tell them that hell is real and eternal, so is heaven, choose which master you‘re going to serve.  I will tell them that you can be holy as God is holy, as a disciple of Jesus Christ by following me as I follow Christ.

     It is the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors and Teachers of today that’s become God’s watchman on the wall that sees the demonic movement against the House of God, the saints of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is going to take courage and a change in attitude to stand against the “wiles of the devil”  and …”perfect (ing of) the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4: 12-13) 

 Now, I pray in the name of Jesus that God our Father will illuminate  the hearts of His faithful saints with the light of revelation in His Word and that they receive strength from the Holy Spirit to be of “good courage”.  Amen.   (All Scripture is taken from the Old King James Bible)

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